As educators we should never lose sight of the triumph that awaits our teachers and students every day. Please watch and share this video of Olympians in Paris at the 2024 games whose reactions to medaling tell the story of work, struggle and triumph.
While we continue to build back after the pandemic, we face many students (and adults too) who have become content with the easier path. How do we reset the value of effort, of struggle, of persistence?
Perhaps in the faces of those whose efforts and struggles led to satisfaction that can only be earned and never given. The 4:30 of video you can click above to see represent decades of sacrifice, fighting through doubts, working through obstacles, and, with the help of others, making it through.
How do you bring that level of commitment to your students? Your teachers? Your school?
Show them what it looks like. The video is a great example. Make your own victory reel at your school. Not only for athletics, of course, but for the many pursuits of our many children. Are there any of the children at your school that you wouldn’t love to see with feelings of genuine accomplishment like those from Paris? The greater the struggle the sweeter the triumph. Make this a year of accomplishment at your school. Challenge your people to pass on the easy way and work toward something satisfying and real.
— Mark Wilson
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