Becoming is better than being.
— Carol Dweck
Becoming
At this point in the school year, the materials in our classroom reflect the truth faster than we can. Broken crayons live in small piles near the sink. Paperbacks are missing covers. Notebooks bend open like they’ve been carried too far and used too often. Erasers are chewed down to nubs, and nothing looks new anymore.
It would be easy to see this as decline. Tattered evidence of things used up. But what if we look at it differently?
These objects have done their jobs. They are not pristine, but they are honest. If these materials could speak, they might say, “It’s been a hard year, and I’ve given my best. I don’t look like I did in August, but I’m proud of a job well done.”
Maybe this is what Carol Dweck meant when she said, “Becoming is better than being.”
Not arrival. Not perfection. Not even polish. Just steady movement toward something stronger.
As the year winds down, we assess students, comparing them with the standards and the cut scores. Perhaps we should also pause to consider who they are becoming.
And maybe the same is true for ourselves. In what ways are we tattered, reshaped, and still in motion—not finished, but becoming? Because the truth is, our classrooms are not places where everything is perfected. They are places where everything is still becoming. This week we look at ways to reflect on the learning in our classrooms—plus more, as always.
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Julie Cox makes a case for reflection as an essential tool for growth and innovations. She shares simple and powerful steps that will allow all educators to continue to deepen their instructional practices.
Deb Gaby thinks about the importance of baseline information early in the school year. Consider returning to these ideas near the end of the school year.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Mallory Messenger takes a fresh look at the spaces in classrooms where math can “linger.” By being intentional about the lingering experiences students have in math class, we can shift students’ thinking of math as isolated, daily math problems to connected math experiences ready for continued thinking and learning.
Jodie Bailey nudges us to be aware of the changes in attention spans and to provide opportunities to build time management skills.
Gigi McAlister shares a vulnerable story of realizing a read aloud text she used for many years was racist. She urges us to pause and examine the material we are using with students through different lenses to ensure that we are providing positive learning experiences for all students.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Vicki Collet encourages coaches to lead with confidence and humility to forge relationships and develop a strong coaching identity.
Matt Renwick rejects the notion of “carrots and sticks” for school improvement when it comes to understanding and motivating teachers. He provides a template for a professional development session to help teachers celebrate and reflect upon growth.
Quote It:
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
—James Baldwin
That’s all for this week!
