Dear Fourth Quarter Teacher,
I love football. Unnaturally so, to be truthful. My favorite part of any game is when the fourth quarter rolls around and the players on both sidelines hold up four fingers. This declaration reminds fans that victory belongs to the team who fights the hardest for the next fifteen minutes.
Without question, both sides are physically exhausted and mentally drained, but as any football fan knows, so much could change in the last quarter.
The same is true of this school year. As we near the end, the success or failure of the year rests in the hands of those who endure until the end.
You’re battered and bruised, barely hanging on, but what you do here matters the most. And who is the opponent? Is it COVID? Test scores? Challenges? Who even knows anymore?
There are barriers we cannot change about this year. Factors that are beyond our control, so in a way, it’s caused us to redefine success. We are no longer seeking validation in areas that were flimsy indicators anyway. Who cares how many students passed the state test? What does it matter if we were an A school?
These days if you want to know if you’re a winner, see who’s cheering for you at the end of the game. Then see if you can answer yes to these questions:
1) Did I try my best even when I felt like I had nothing left to give?
2) Did I help someone along the way?
3) To the best of my ability, was I kind to others in word or deed?
4) Did I make it through the whole year without quitting?
5) Did leave it all on the line and finish with no regrets?
6) Did I love and serve the people in my care well?
-CDB