Endgame

I can't seem to stop with the super heroes.

"Avengers: Endgame" came out this weekend.  It made over $1.2 BILLION worldwide this weekend.  As a fan of the Marvel movies, I can't put into words how amazing it was.  It was so good that I went and saw it twice this weekend.

There are 22 films in the Marvel movie universe.  The first film, "Iron Man" was released in 2008.  Since that time, we have been introduced to a TON of superheroes:  Captain America, Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Black Widow, the Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, The Hulk, Spiderman, Star Lord, Ant Man....the list goes on and on.  We have also been introduced to some bad guys too:  Loki, Red Skull, Hydra, and Thanos.  "Endgame" takes all we have seen in the past 22 movies and throws it all together for a 3 hour movie that sees you laughing, cheering, crying, cheering again...crying again. 

In each Marvel movie, there has been something that played a part in the plot of "Endgame".  Sometimes it was something we saw in those great little post credit scenes.  Sometimes it was something very clearly stated in the movie.  Sometimes it was something that we didn't think twice about until we saw the next movie and realized it was a BIG deal.

I think each year we are in education can be like that.  There may be little things that happen or chance meetings that seem unimportant at the time, but can play a bigger role in what we do within our classroom and to define us as educators.  It may be something that we take away and not understand its importance or value until a few years down the road.  When I talked about post credit scenes last year, I reflected on how wouldn't it be great if we knew the end of the story when we were in.  If we knew if this new thing would work...if the students would past the test...we just want that little teaser of what was going to happen next.  Did that make a difference?  How does this play out?  What will the end bring?  With movies, we can go back and re-watch "Iron Man" to see that his coffee table IS Captain America's shield.  We can't do that with life.  We have to play the game and the pieces given.

Doctor Strange is an under rated superhero.  A former surgeon, he has been able use the mystical arts to defend Earth.  He can see the future.  In "Avengers: Infinity War", during an epic battle scene, he lets Iron Man know that he has viewed 14,000,605 different outcomes to this battle, with only one in which the Avengers win.  We will have to go through some battles that will change us, define us, and for awhile destroy us.  But by using all the things we have encounter through our educational journey and leaning on all those people who have been with us on the trek, we can win the game.

I think the Marvel universe taught me that everything is a big deal.  Everything that you do is big.  Everyone you encounter plays a part in making you the person you are.  You may not realize it now.  You may not find out how big a "deal" is sometimes.  You may find you got a teaser of what that big deal was going to be WAY back at the beginning, but is just now plays out for the good at the end of the game (SPOILER!  Can someone who has seen the movie come and talk to me about this?  It was AWESOME!).

Know that everything you encounter as a teacher from your first year until your last year play an important part in defining you.  Little things may seem little now, but in the endgame, they will be big things that help you make a difference in the life of kids.

Do whatever it takes.

Do You Call It a Comeback?

There is nothing like a good comeback.

The stories of someone in last place at the start of the race who then slowly makes their way to the front of the pack.  They then go on to win the race.

The stories of someone who is down on their luck.  They have gotten shot down over and over again, only to get that second chance and they make the most of it.

The stories of someone who had it all only to fall out of favor.  They kept trying...they kept putting themselves out there and they find success once again.

I wrote of Elvis' '68 Comeback Special a few months ago.  He had fallen...but this got him back up and back into the limelight.

We saw it last week with Virginia winning the Final Four.  The previous year, they had entered the tournament as a number one seed only to lose in the first round to a number 16 seed.  Their coach called this season their "redemption story".

This weekend brought the Masters Golf Tournament.  Golf isn't an action packed sport. When golf is on TV, most people change the channel.  You have heard it called boring and hard to watch.  For the longest time, people only knew of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.  Then in 1996, a kid out of Stanford entered the pro field.  This kid was amazing.  This kid could hit a ball like no one else on tour could.  This kid could win.  And this kid had a really cool name:  Tiger Woods.

He hit the scene full force.  He won his first Masters in 1997, winning by 12 strokes.  In a span of eleven years, he won fourteen of golf's majors, including the Masters three more times.  People began to watch golf because of Tiger.  People began to play golf because of Tiger.  You saw the sport become something that everyone did not just rich, old guys in funny looking pants.

But then it came crashing down.  The next ten years saw Tiger battle injuries and personal issues.  He had four back surgeries and only competed in ONE tournament in a three year span.  He was at rock bottom.  He was written off by so many people.   He was not the hot ticket in golf.  He was a has been.

When everyone had written him off, you know what he did?  He kept training.  He kept working out.  He kept to himself.  He kept telling himself he wasn't done.  He kept playing golf.

Then something happened last September.  Tiger won the Tour Championship.  It was pretty cool.  

That was cool.  But what happened on Sunday was cooler.  He did what he knew best.  He played golf.  And the magic happened. He won a fifth green jacket, almost 14 years after his last green jacket.  He had come back from the lowest of lowest to win what some say is the biggest tournament of the year.  And how awesome is that fist pump?

A video was shared showing Tiger in 2018 watching people comment on his future as a golfer.  How tough is that?  Those in the public eye face a lot of unwanted criticism by people they do not know or compete against.  We often go through that same thing.  We are talked about on social media.  We are talked about in the community.  Assumptions are made about us and the job we do.  We hear negative A LOT.  

So what did Tiger do?  He got up and kept going.   He chased his dream of being the best again.  He did not let the haters get him down.

What can you do?  Keep chasing the dream.  Keep your head held high.  Keep learning.  Keep practicing.  Keep giving it your all.  Don't quit because you are down.  Don't give up on your dreams.  It gets tough.  You will be in last sometimes...but sometimes you will be first.  GO FOR IT!

My last words here are not my own. Tony Bennett, head coach of Virginia, quoted a Ted Talk to  players through out this season:  "If you learn to use it right, the adversity, it will buy you a ticket to a place you couldn't have gone any other way."  Virginia basketball did that...as did Tiger.  Haven't some of our greatest triumphs come after our darkest hours?

If you have time, view the Ted Talk in which Tony Bennett used to drive his season:

https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/this-is-quote-virginia-coach-tony-bennett-has-repeated-all-season-it-just-helped-cavaliers-win-their-first-championship.html

April. Need I Say More?

It has arrived.

April.

For all you new teachers:  Buckle up.  This is where it starts to get bumpy.

You thought those nine weeks where we did have a full week of school caused chaos and disruption?  Na.  Nothing.  Child's play compared to what April and May brings.  The school has a whole different feel these last two months.  There are just some many things happening these last two months that add to the all ready amped up atmosphere of the school day.

State testing:  Nothing like having to take a week off from instruction to administer testing, only to have to try to get your students back on track AFTER they are done.  Testing is stressful for our students.  It is stressful for us too.  You wondered if you covered it all.  You worry about the effort your students are putting into the test.  You worry about making sure the technology does not fail during your scheduled time.

Out of school events: Track meets.  Field trips.  It is hard to move forward when only 4 of the 25 kids in your class are there.  It is even harder when only 2 of the 25 turn in their homework.  These events are exciting for our students.  For our young kids, there is nothing more exciting then a field trip.  Riding the bus...packing your lunch...going away from the school.  For teachers it is exhausting and for our students it is something they always will remember.

The end is in sight:  This really is the main ingredient in the fever pitch here at school. Students can smell it.  They can taste it.  They know that May will be here, bringing with it the last day of school.  Students stop turnings things in.  Their minds begins to wander.  You have to work twice as hard to keep their attention and focus.  The sunshine and the bird coming back are way more exciting than anything you have to say.

While it is a struggle, stay strong.  Teach until May 24th.  Teach our students something new each day.  Savor each moment.  Enjoy the fun and memories that April and May brings.