Encouragement or Excuses?

Students don't need excuses to quit. They need reasons to persevere.

One of the proudest accomplishments in my life is running the Boston Marathon in 2012. At the time, I had every excuse not to. I had four young children, a husband who traveled, I served as PTA President, and substitute taught 3-4 days a week. To top it off, on the day of the race, Boston experienced near-record heat with temperatures approaching 90 degrees in the afternoon. Some would argue that I had every excuse not to exercise given all of the “obstacles”, let alone train for an elite race. The little voice inside my head often whispered that I should wait until my kids were older, the qualifying times were slower, or the circumstances were easier. Thankfully, louder voices surrounding me told me they believed in me and had confidence in my ability. They were also there to lend a hand when needed. They made sure their cheers were louder than my excuses.

Those louder voices encouraged me to persevere when things got tough. They dispelled the doubt when it started to creep in. They prompted me to continue pursuing my goal when it would have been easier to quit. They didn’t let my excuses prevent me from excelling. I reflect on the exhaustion, effort, and exhilaration of that time and can’t help but feel proud. I knew I would not win the race, but striving to do my best made me better, stronger, and more resilient. All of it is a reminder of what I am capable of the next time a challenge comes my way. 

This is not meant to be a “peacock piece” and my intent is not to sound boastful. My intent is to encourage every single adult who works with children to be that encourager. Instill in the young people you have the privilege of impacting that they can achieve their goals, no matter how hard the journey is to get there or how many “obstacles” are in their way. Make sure your positive cheers are louder than the negative whispers in their heads. When you see them struggle and continue to persevere, acknowledge their effort and use it to propel them ever forward. They don’t need help finding all of the excuses for them to quit. The excuses come easily. They need guidance and wisdom to teach them the benefit and rewards of persistence in the face of adversity. 

Nearly every week I see a post or tweet from a school board member or education policy-maker listing another reason why public schools are failing to effectively teach students to read and write. The list of excuses goes back decades and only grows as they try to justify the billion-dollar budgets and bloated administrative payroll. Are there barriers that make school more challenging for some students? Yes. Do those barriers mean they can't pursue excellence and succeed? Absolutely not.

Thankfully, many teachers and staff members working directly with students are determined to be louder than the voices shouting excuses. They tell students every day that they believe in them and their abilities, dispelling the doubt when it creeps in. Witnessing their students' effort, exhaustion, and exhilaration regularly allows prompts to persevere when it would be easier to quit. These teachers are also always there to lend a hand when needed. Their jobs would be a lot easier if the system's bureaucracy didn't stifle them. 

It’s time to “clear the stands” and offer students the positive change in leadership they deserve. It’s time to surround them with encouragement, not excuses, to pursue excellence, regardless of their circumstances. It’s time to drown out the excuses with cheers that challenge all children to achieve the best they can. They won’t all be top of their class, but they will grow better, stronger, and wiser in the striving. Some of them will look back and say success in school was the hardest, most rewarding, and proudest accomplishment of their lives. They will thank some people who helped them in their success. They will look to others and say they succeeded despite the excuses that were meant to hinder them. Which will you be?