Sacrifice

The new year brings about resolutions for change for many of us. If you are normal, you've either let those go or they are slipping now that we are two weeks into the year. Many resolutions involve some sort of sacrifice. You give up unhealthy foods, time you could be in bed so that you can exercise or some other bad habit. Making that sacrifice is tough for many of us, but we often try because we recognize that there is something to gain. It comes down to the concept of delayed gratification: I can have this now, or I can have something better later. But either way, you get to choose.

It's that choice that made me think this week. While we usually focus on the outcome of those choices, we sometimes forget that we are making those choices whether we intend on it or not. There is no middle ground. You either make a decision to sacrifice your time or effort nows now, or you pay the price for not making that sacrifice later. But either way, you're going to make a sacrifice. While we don't often like these choices, it can be very empowering to make them.

Students and teachers also have to choose their sacrifices. As a student, you have to choose to pay attention or to put the work into your classes. If you don't, a sacrifice is made in regards to grades and opportunities later. The very same is true for teachers, especially in regards to classroom management and instructional planning. You can put the effort into establishing practices now or sacrifice your sanity later. You can make the sacrifice for planning now, or your student;'s scores will sacrifice later. There is no middle ground. But still, we all get to choose our sacrifice. The other great thing about this choice is that you get to make it every day, even if yesterday was a bad day.

By today, we are 10% done with the Spring semester and while this portion has probably gone by quickly, remember that we have 90% to go. That means that you still have a lot of time to choose your sacrifices. But either way, you can pick it now, or it can get you later.