This note is long overdue — but, better late than never. I hope it brings a bit of encouragement to your Friday.
This summer, something odd happened in our jalapeño planter. We had been out of town for two weeks, returned home, and were delighted to see that our plants had nearly doubled in size. The jalapeño plant, in particular, was enormous. Green foliage had burst from the stems and up toward the sun.
My delight quickly turned to confusion when I gave the plant a closer examination. Odd, I thought, there are only a couple of little, baby jalapeños forming on the stem. How could a plant grow so large and look so beautiful, yet have so little fruit?
I am no horticulturist, but I noticed two different shades of green leaves on the plant. What’s more, some of the leaves had smooth edges while others were jagged. I pulled the plant apart, and alas, solved the mystery. The growth in the jalapeño planter was not a vegetable at all; it was a ridiculously huge weed. The stalk was thicker than the plant’s — twice it’s size — and of course, jalapeño-less. I promptly ripped that sucker out of the pot and heaved it into the woods.
Within a week, the tiny jalapeños that were suffocating under the strain of that giant weed started to flourish. They soaked up the sun and retrieved suitable nutrients from the soil.
Sometimes I feel like those baby jalapeños. Suffering under the weight of all the things — some of which I can control and some of which I cannot. Our work as teachers involves a lot of responding to things we did not choose. These burdens can steal our joy and cause us grief. But, that’s only if we let them. I think it’s a good idea to focus our efforts on that which we can control.
I’m thinking about the tone and energy of my classroom. I wonder how I can better control my interactions with students. Middle schoolers are a handful, and it doesn’t take much for me to succumb to their collective crazy. I must remember — how I lead them is 100% in my control. It’s the way I react to the student who is not on task. The words I say when I get at his or her level to redirect. The tone of voice I use to guide and correct. The number of times I say an affirming word instead of a critical comment. When I choose to hold my tongue, instead of letting that sarcastic line slip out. I need to make a daily choice to rip out the weeds that disrupt the positive energy in my classroom.
Get rid of the weeds, and the nutrients will flow. We can’t flourish when we’re in the weeds and neither can our classrooms. So I wonder, what weed can you rip out, my friend? What’s weighing you down? If it’s in your control, let it go, rip it out, heave it into the woods.