Journalist I.F. Stone said:
The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. You mustn’t feel like a martyr. You’ve got to enjoy it.” Or, as Camus put it: “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
via https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/opinion/sunday/climate-change-global-warming.html
Although this article is in the context of climate change, I thought it quite apt for our efforts at school transformation. It’s so easy to feel down about the slow pace of change and our perceived lack of progress. As leaders and parents, we must be determined and persistent and dogged in our quest for something better for our children.
We must.
Image credit: Woman rolling a giant stone, Sergey Nivens, BigStock
You’re right. Thanklessly creating the roads that future progress will tread is the only way to actually get anywhere. It’s good to be reminded of that.
Thanks for the post Scott. I wonder if it is really about winning and losing. The more I think about the words, they are absolutes…implying that there isn’t anything in between.
What we know about learning is that there are lots and lots of small changes that occur until a moment in which the brain puts a connection in place to solidify a memory or skill (riding a bike or learning to ride a bike for example).
I am not sure if the brain is “winning”, but rather working to build the connections to create the right environments and relationships to solidify that memory or skill.
We all like to “win”, right? Rarely do people like to lose. It is interesting to wonder if it is really about winning at all?
Thanks for the post Scott!