Balance for MEre: Progress Reports

I will go ahead and apologize because many of my posts in the next several weeks will be school oriented. I can't help it. My dream job was to be a teacher and I am a teacher. Everyday isn't a dream but I love it!

One of my favorite things about my job is that there is a beginning and end to every school year. I can measure growth because there is an end to which I can compare to the beginning. I also love comparing artifacts and documentation of what the students were able to do to at the beginning of the year and to the end of the year; I collect pieces throughout the year but nothing compares to looking at a piece of writing from the beginning of the year and comparing it to the end.

On any given day it's hard to stand back and acknowledge the growth the students have made. So when I have the opportunity to view work and reflect upon the growth it is an awesome moment. I've learned in my almost three years of teaching that students don't always grow academically in a straight line. I've noticed that many students go through periods where learning is rapid and then at other times it seems to be more of a challenge. Students may also regress and then make great progress. And that makes my job fun because it means that I have to constantly review and reteach in various ways. I love that challenge.

When a student regresses in learning it doesn't mean all of their progress is gone, it just means that I have to be patient but also try harder to reach that student. I keep working because I know the proverbial light bulb will come on and growth made. I'm finding the same thing is true in fitness. Some days and weeks I am making great growth and am working hard to become fit. Some days and weeks my resistance and motivation weakens. This doesn't mean that I give up. I give myself patience and kindness and use the slip-up as motivation to work harder. Today was one of those days when I was regressing in my progress. I had a bad day in terms of eating and didn't get in a great workout. It was a bad day in terms of health and fitness but it's just a bad day. It doesn't cause me to give up or lose focus on the long-term goal. I know because of artifacts and documentation that I've made progress and one day isn't going to undo that. I have confidence that I am making progress on the whole. One bad day doesn't deter me or cause me a moment's thought on giving up. Instead, it pushes me to refocus and rededicate to my goal.

Here is my progress report: pictures.