First, my daughter said this while she was sitting at the kitchen table working on some physics calculations on Thursday night.
Yesterday, a student uttered them as he was working on a STEM assignment.
I feel lucky that I was aware enough to hear these words as they floated through the air, for I don't think they were necessarily meant for me to hear.
But those words told me that learning was happening.
Those words were helping to build perseverance.
Those words helped me evaluate whether I needed to step in to assist (nope!) or allow the learning to unfold on its own.
I think those words, "This is hard," are actually a blessing.
Because learning IS hard.
Growth IS hard.
Leaving our comfort zone IS hard.
But why would we always want to do what's easy? Life would get boring.
So today I celebrate those moments of "This is hard" because it tells me life is happening.
For this, I celebrate.
We all need to hear your message and celebrate those three words, Jennifer. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteLearning that things are hard, but with effort they can be accomplished is a great lesson to learn early in life. It is wonderful to see students have the stamina and persistence to work through the hard things. You've offered a great reminder that struggling is a part of learning and growing and we have to allow children the opportunity to work through that rather than always stepping in to rescue.
ReplyDeleteYour post speaks to me heart this week. In the past, I would swoop in and save the moment. Sitting back and watching as my students push through and then realized they made it through the bumpy path is a blessing.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to what you wrote. My students were reflecting on a unit of inquiry we finished, and some of them commented how reading articles had been challenging. I wondered had they learned anything, had it been worth it, and they answered yes, being challenged had been necessary for learning.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a valuable lesson. The reality is that much of life is hard, but with the right mindset you can work your way through most anything!
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder! And these words are key: "I was aware enough."
ReplyDeleteLife happens in the productive struggle and you as a reflective teacher understand that, Jennifer.
ReplyDelete"It's hard" are the words my daughter has utter more than any in the past few months. Thank you for celebrating these words. I needed to hear them. You are right, just because something is hard doesn't mean it isn't worth working through. I'm glad you wrote today.
ReplyDeleteRuth
I needed to be reminded that "this is hard" is a powerful phrase. "Growth is hard. Leaving our comfort zone is hard." Great reminder to this old dog who still needs to learn.
ReplyDeleteYes, life is hard and there are times when we all wonder if it is TOO hard.....so those physics problems, I suspect now, are preparation for the mountains we must traverse as we make our way through life.
ReplyDeleteSomeone recently said that when you fear something, you need to do it anyway and that is courage. How great you 'heard' and then waited. They did learn that it was possible. Terrific!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading on Katherine Sokolowki's a sign she had that said "In this classroom, we do hard things." It is so important that students...actually all of us...how much we learn from the hard. Great thinking today.
ReplyDeleteYes! So often it is through the hard struggle that we find our best selves and learn the most.
ReplyDelete