Slow and steady are sometimes not the words I want to hear. There are too many times that I want to get to the end goal immediately. But when I look at my last six months, I’ve come to realize just how important going slowly is for building a strong foundation and for future growth to happen.
Let me share an example.
Getting Stronger – in September, I joined a gym that offers personal coaching. In the past I’ve purchased gym memberships and made my own plan. I would always start with gusto and eventually my enthusiasm and commitment would stop. What I noticed about this time around, is that I am getting stronger and still excited about attending. I believe it is the go slow to go fast mindset that is making the difference. My coach and I initially met in September, and she did an analysis of my strengths and areas of growth. She then created my weekly plans based on where I was at and what I could do. Our monthly check-ins allow for progress monitoring and plan adjustments as needed. The plan is incremental, and my progress is slow and steady which works perfectly for me.
Classroom Application – in September, I had the dream that all my students would leave their Grade 1 year as confident readers. I started the year with some diagnostic assessments to determine each child’s starting point and in the same way my coach planned for my strength goals I created reading growth plans for my students.
My plan consisted of lessons that would be for the whole class and additional targeted instruction to meet the needs of individual students was designed to take place through smaller learning groups. Adjustments needed to happen during the year, but I’m excited to say that each child has made progress. Has every child become the confident reader that I dreamed of in September. No, but each child is confidently using the skills that have been part of their targeted instruction. Their reading growth has been slow and steady which will set them on the path for future reading growth.
Happy Learning,
Lynda
