Its the Small Wins

I needed a dub. I felt like I was playing a series of away games and they were all battles, but I was just on a 3-game skid. Another L would have been a legit losing streak. In reality, work was going well, I just wasn't as productive as I wanted to be and I hadn’t had one of those “this is why I do it” moments in a while. On any given day, my office is a revolving door of students dealing with issues with teachers, parents, friends (platonic and romantic), or simply just wanting to be in my space. I welcome them and I always want them to know that my office is a safe space. They take full advantage of it, but that doesn't guarantee they are going to take my advice.

On this particular day, a freshman was escorted to my office by their teacher. She needed a quiet place to work. She had about 40 minutes to write a 5 paragraph essay on a movie they watched in class. She wrote as much as she could, but she was short 2 paragraphs when the bell rang. She was reserved to get whatever grade he was going to give her, but I encouraged her to ask for additional time. She had his answers ready.

“No”

“40 minutes is enough time”

“If I give you more time, I have to give everybody extra time”

I said, but what if he says yes? She pouted and walked out with her head hanging.

5 minutes later she comes back with a huge grin. He gave her until the end of the day. She tried something new and advocated for herself. She looked like she needed that win and little did she know… I needed it too.

When considering the big picture, this was a small moment, but it was a big moment at that time. In education, I've learned to take the wins with the losses. You celebrate every win, no matter the size. I just wanted to share this dub with yall.

Sometimes the small wins feel like this...