Playing The Long Game
A few months ago, my friend and colleague, Javier Garcia, and I were having a conversation about the teaching and learning of mathematics. We were specifically talking about the frustration we felt around those students that were harder for us to reach.
He shared with me my current favorite metaphor for the work we are so lucky to do. Javier said to try and visualize teaching like a football game. And that we can envision an entire year that we get with our students as one possession.
Sometimes, on that possession, the stars align and we get a touchdown. We connect with a student and their growth is exponential. Other years, we work incredibly hard and only gain 10 yards. We might just get the first down. But, then we have to pass it off to another group to continue the work.
Some years, we have to punt and wait to get possession again to move those kiddos forward. Either way, we have to trust our colleagues to keep that forward momentum going and know that they can keep it moving with those kiddos for the touchdown.
This metaphor has been insanely helpful for me this year. I’m looking at the kiddos I have the honor to work with and learn from this year. And we are all at different places in our mathematical journeys. And we have to keep pushing forward. But, there are times right now that it just feels overwhelming.
And this is where Javier’s metaphor comes in. I have to remind myself that I’m not aiming for a touchdown every time. I’m aiming to keep these amazing kiddos moving forward. Each at their own pace. And my colleagues at The Discovery School will pick up on the next possession and keep moving forward.
I think we can scale this metaphor back in a micro-sense as well. Not just for the whole year—but for a unit, a week, or even just a task. For example, when I first gave my kiddos word problems this year, I asked them to solve them in whatever way made sense to them with a focus on representing and sharing how they solved the problem. I asked that they try to have their work show exactly what they did when they solved the problem. Here are some examples of what I got.
I felt defeated. I did exactly what the research says. Trust kids. Know they are problem solvers. Give them space to solve problems.
But, I stepped back, took a breath, and, here’s what we did. We kept doing word problems and sharing our thinking. And in those first few days—it felt like we’d never get to the other side. They struggled to show their thinking. They struggled to find ways to solve problems. But, we kept doing them and kept sharing our thought processes. And just 32 school days later, check this out!
Ms. Claire had 9 pieces of candy. Mr. Zak had 16 pieces of candy. How many more pieces of candy did Mr. Zak have than Ms. Claire? *Note: I realize this student miscounted the “extra” pieces of candy. But the thinking here is amazing!
Naomi had 16 legos and Salma had 9 legos. How many more legos does Naomi have than Salma?
Naomi had 16 legos and Salma had 9 legos. How many more legos does Naomi have than Salma?
It’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far this year. This is a long game. Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on our micro-decisions in the classroom. And, rightfully so. Because they matter. But, I’m constantly reminding myself that our students are on their own mathematical journeys. And, those journeys will outlast us. I’m comforted by the fact that we don’t have to do everything this year, this month, this week, today, or in this one hour of math class.
It is so liberating. And I love every second of it.