Mindful Monday: This School Year is NOT a Loss

It's May people! That means we are mere weeks away from saying we've made it through what's sure to be the craziest year of our professional careers. (Or at least it better be! Not sure I've got it in me to survive another year like this.)

As you begin to reflect on the year and process it all, I know many of us "tally" up the year's events to determine if the school year was a success or not. 

While the media continues to focus on the learning loss that is sure to "doom" our students, and the state focuses on attendance or lack thereof, while the district points out that the rate of students failing is at an all time high, believe me when I say this year is NOT a loss, and you have NOT failed. 

I'm sure you have felt like many of us, just trying to keep our heads above water. And that some days, even that wasn't possible. Perhaps most of your year was spent below the surface, only coming up for air on occasion.  

PLEASE know that no matter how dismal this year may have felt, that you have absolutely without a doubt made a difference. 

Making a difference cannot be measured by the scores on a state assessment. Making a difference cannot be measured by what the gradebook says. Making a difference cannot be measured by attendance records. 

Instead of measuring yourself and the success of your year by the numbers, how about using these questions to rate your year?

-Do my students feel safe? 

-Do my students know they are loved and cared for? 

-Will I be leaving my students at the end of the year better than when I found them? 

Chances are, no matter how you see this school year, you have been a rainbow in someone else's cloud. You have been the bright spot when a student needed you the most. That even in the midst of your own struggles, you have been exactly what your students needed at a given point. Even if you feel like this year has been a wash, you have left a lasting impression on countless lives. 

You may not know what moment or interaction has meant the most to your students or even to your co-worker down the hall. You may never know the lasting impact you have left on the lives with which you have interacted this year. Just know, you have left your mark. 

Ultimately, no matter how small your impact may have felt this year, it is one of those years that will count the most!