Tasheria Small

In education, are we more focused on what school will look like 10 years from now, or asking the question, what are we doing with students today, and how will that affect them in 10 years? I also wonder how many students truly care about our “10 Year” plans in education. What matters most to them is what we are doing today. I was having a conversation with my daughter Kallea this past week and sharing about an opportunity that I wanted and how it didn’t work out. That was a teachable moment and I asked her, “What do you think your dad is going to do now?” Without hesitating she said, “Work harder.” This is something that I have talked about with her a lot, but hopefully, it is also something that I model. Sometimes things don’t work out because life isn’t fair. And sometimes, things don’t work out because we are not ready and haven’t done the work to get the accomplishment. It is easy to make the fault of others, and sometimes, that is even true. But I know that I always can control my own actions and if you complain about a problem, once you are finished complaining, it is still a problem. Only action creates future opportunities. 
 My actions are the only things I can control. I hope this sticks with her and my kids because I know it is something my parents instilled in me. Of course, we need to focus on what school and learning can look like in the future, but we also have to understand that the future is also very dependent on what we install in our children today.