A Quick Rocky Dance

Every Sunday I go for a run. I follow the same route that takes me over a drawbridge down here in South Florida. It is right in the middle of the run and gives me a nice challenge to feel proud of. When I get to the top of the drawbridge, I always stop and do a quick Sylvester Stallone Rocky dance to celebrate my victory. People driving by must think I am nuts. I hope I give the tender of the drawbridge a little chuckle each week. 

Yesterday I woke up with a little vertigo. Feeling a bit dizzy I still decided to go for it and see what I could do. Turns out it was mostly walking and not a lot of running. When I had “walked” to the top of the bridge, I wondered if I should do my dance, since I hadn’t been able to accomplish the usual goal of running it. At that moment, I realized that I did need to celebrate. It wasn’t the same victory I was used to celebrating, but the fact that I wasn’t feeling well and still went anyway was a victory.

It reminded me that victories, both big and small, are relative to the situation at hand. When someone is fighting a health problem, getting out of bed to walk to the couch might be a victory. For others it is finally running the marathon they trained for. Victories are relative. 

It made me think about school and how much we focus on the big victories. The reading and writing celebrations we put on to cheer student growth, the science fair, the district championship game, and the big musical. What about our students’ little everyday victories? How do we celebrate the small victories that inspire our learners to work hard? Some days it is a walk up the hill and not a run, but depending on what is happening that day, it should still be considered a victory.  

What if we asked kids as they walk out of our classrooms at the end of the day what their victories were? What if kids had a place in their reading or writing notebook to write down a victory each day to remember and celebrate? What if teachers noticed victories for their students, both big and small? What if our school administrators walked around campus asking students what their victories were that day? What a positive place for students to learn and grow when all victories are being celebrated!