He Runs Far that Never Turns: Envision the Medal, Set the Pace (The First Lap)

He runs far that never turns-

Similar to it’s a long lane that has no turning, this obsolete phrase means ‘it is rare for people to maintain a particular position, practice, etc., indefinitely’. The implication, despite the optimistic sound of these words, is that people inevitably do turn, and so don’t (figuratively and literally) run all that far in a single direction.- Oxford Dictionary

Made of gold, silver, bronze or plated with a shiny sheen, a medal is a goal. An impasse where our effort meets resolution. While many see it as a finality, I see it as a reminder that the race never ends. The game has no boundaries. The cusp of our resilience and fortitude has no edges. Life is fluid, organic, unpredictable. With each wrinkle or pock, we pick up the pace, push through the ache of perseverance and make it to the finish line. Just to shake off the fatigue and begin again.  The gait, upswing, escalation and break-off of a classroom is much like a race, any runner can tell you that. How can we keep the stride without collapsing from exhaustion?

brain breaks (stretching exercises)
-zombie musical chairs - dragging feet and groans are all the rage
-graffiti wall review - a chalk board with lots of color choice and time to draw cartoons of vocabulary
-calling card swap - personal 'business cards' created first day of school, use to make groups based on interest

By keeping this steady stride, how do we as educators, stay the course, while still turning and changing direction, for the good of the class? When do we stop and dust off our shoes and how can  we continue running, without splitting the soles? It can be challenging to slow the clip- this seems like a wall, defeat. But, in actuality, as long as we, mind the gap, stir in place, the purpose is visual. If we do not, drink some water, we will cramp. To avoid cramps we stretch before we take to the course, but throughout our run, we also have to loosen our muscles. This is how we prevent a stiffness that can halt our focus.

mind the gap (revitalizing our pace)
-group interactive assessment- each student gets a vocabulary word- they sort into a line, based on connection between the words- they can only talk in science speak
-1-minute check-in or remediation/enrichment circle- a quick rotation of -tell the teacher what you know, guide a fellow student who is struggling, take a new approach (make a new connection)

We stand sweaty, with a smell of insight, scoping the track with a thirst for speed and vitality. Then we kneel before the starting line and jolt into action with the sound of the starting gun. This is what makes us human. Waking up, getting prepared for our day and finding purpose in the details, enough so, that even when deflated or exhausted, we continue to move forward every day. This arena of life, Olympics of experience, can only be traversed if we keep an open mind. If we see the loudness and cadence of the anthem, as a call to action. The colorful uniforms as road signs. If we lean into the fluctuation and oscillation of daily existence, use each lap and toss of the javelin as a step, this will lead us towards the next event. We can keep the podium in view.

cheers from the sidelines (hunkering down for the final lap)
-turn and praise- have students quickly share strategies on how to master the content, then say how they will integrate the idea into their learning
-reflection and feedback- at the end of class I have my students reflect in 1-2 sentences on their 'stride' of the day or write me quick feedback (what I can do to help things go smoother the next day)

Tomorrow I will post "He Runs Far that Never Turns: Push through the Fatigue, Stand on the Podium (The Final Lap)"