Reflections

“What hurts more, 

the pain of hard work 

or the pain of regret?”

That question is posted on the wall the Boston Celtics locker room. I have considered posting it in my classroom. I think it’s a valuable and important question to consider, especially at the end of a trimester.

Times like this are a natural break point to stop and think. I know we do a lot of reflecting at our school, but often I think it is an activity that students don’t really take to heart. You do it because you’re required to when we end a unit or prepare for an SLC, but I’m not convinced there’s a lot of sincerity in many of the reflections I read.

If you were to consider your work in the first trimester, can you think of things you could do better in the next trimester? Are you satisfied that you did all you could to master the topics we explored together?  Are you proud of your hard work or do you have regrets now that the grades are finalized?

Next week, when you get your progress report, remember those grades are a reflection of your work. Those are the grades you earned. Your teachers do not give you grades, we reflect your work and effort back to you in the form of grades. 

If you’ve worked hard and done well, you should be rightly proud of yourself. If you’re going to have one of those uncomfortable, awkward conversations with your Mom and/or Dad, maybe you should really take that question from the Celtics to heart:  “What hurts more, the pain of hard work or the pain of regret?”