On Paying Attention

In my class, we are reading Bridge to Terabithia, one of my favorite books in the history of ever.

Today, we read the scene where new-girl Leslie races all the fifth grade boys,
and to their great surprise, she beats them, becoming the fastest runner in the fifth grade –
even though she is a GIRL.

We paused the read aloud for what turned out to be a powerful discussion –
How did the runners feel to lose the race?
How did Leslie feel to win the race?

And then, a bigger question:

How does it feel when other people get mad because you’re good at something?

Leslie had several choices of what to do next.
She could stop running because it made the boys mad.
She could go play hopscotch with the other girls on the playground.
She could run slower and let them win so they would like her more.
Or she could keep doing what she’s good at.

Sometimes I teach from the books and standards and benchmarks, and sometimes I teach from my heart. In every case, I try to weave in threads of wisdom.

I told my students –

There will be plenty of things you’re not good at.

But when you find something you’re good at, let yourself be good at it.

If other people are mad that you’re good at it,
that says more about them than it says about you.

Then we talked about things we are good at, affirming others and ourselves in the dialogue.

Our class is filled with people who are good swimmers, runners,
readers, athletes, writers, outdoorsmen, historians, and kids who are good at being kind.

Pay attention to what you’re good at.
Watch for where it shows up.
It might become a hobby, it might become an expertise,

And it might be what you were made to do.