Fan the Flames

Within the past 24 hours I have been inundated with messages by passionate people.  People who have found something that stokes the fire in their souls like nothing I can imagine. 

My friend’s passion for math has been evident to me for some time.  Her career is as a math teacher, and her passion is helping students understand math.  Being able to do math and being able to understand math are two different things.  She will tell you that from the outset.  Through her passion for people to understand math, I have come to understand that I never understood math. I was never taught the “why” behind the numbers in order to find meaning and be able to take my math education higher than Algebra II.  But that’s not the point. 

Yesterday, I witnessed how truly passionate she is about math and her students’ success in life based on what they learn in class.  Her classes are completely inquiry-based.  On a daily basis, the students are asked to take “think time” about what they know and what they don’t.  They are asked to work together through issues. They are asked to discuss math, the ins and outs, the dos and don’ts, the whys and why nots.  Her classes are 90 minutes long and blow by like a 10 minute CrossFit WOD: challenging, quick, and highly effective.  These students learn how to think! They learn how to solve real-world problems!  They learn how to work cooperatively!

The school district is going to be adopting a new math curriculum and is leaning toward one that is not the best choice in terms of best practice and research on how math should be taught. My friend is fired up!  Yesterday, we met with the Curriculum and Instruction Director, and my friend jumped with both feet into the subject—once again.  The conversation was fierce and one that needed to take place. I watched my friend’s passion explode!  She offered her assistance to the Director in making this important decision as well as arguments for certain programs and the research behind them.

After the conversation ended, my friend was frustrated. She knows what’s best for kids and so does the Director; however, that doesn’t mean that is what will ultimately decide what happens here.  Not that that is stopping my friend. She spent the entire rest of the night planning how to present her case to the Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent, the school board, and anyone else who will listen—even if she finds great disappointment in the end.

We all know, that I always turn the mirror on myself when I see something that stand out to me.  When I looked in that mirror for passion like that, I found none.  Not like that. Not to that degree.  My life has been a series of learning experiences that took me from one job to another, but I have not found my passion.  I love fitness, and I know much about it, but am I passionate?  I don’t know.  I know I want to be passionate about something like my friend is or the other people who presented themselves and their passion to me the past 24 hours. Are you passionate about something? 

WLC Day 4 in the books!