mindsets

They say when it rains it pours. I wonder if the decision to challenge yourself is some kind of signal to the universe to throw every available hardship at you, flying through space and at your head like some kind of meteor at the speed of light. Institute has brought out not only the stress of self-doubt a thousand times over, long hours, sleepless nights, hard efforts, and many tears, but life has thrown its own obstacles into the mix. Corps members are leaving the program around every corner, family members are sick or dying, people are lonely, and relationships are ending. It is the eve of my first day as a teacher, and I am alone but for my hopes for tomorrow. I will meet my students, and the focus on their achievement seems all I have left. As a corps, we are tired, we are nervous, we are hoping that no student is big enough to kick our ass. We have little, but we have determination. Here are the mindsets that will share my bed with me tonight and wake with me tomorrow:

Education transforms lives.

Vision precedes action.

Effective teachers are made, not born.

All students can behave.

The achievement gap is a literacy gap.

I am in the driver's seat of my own development.

The expectations I set for my students will determine the extent of their academic achievement.

If you don't have a plan for your students, they will have a plan for you.

Don't give up. Ever.