Labor Day...We're All in This Together!
Happy Labor Day! Every first Monday of September is dedicated to the men and women who labored to build this country; we also pay tribute to the American workforce. Thank you to all who have toiled to create and maintain our country and all that abounds because of it.
The long weekend, and for those who haven't yet, the start of school; Labor Day also is given the distinction of signaling the official end of summer. Although the calendar doesn't quite support that claim.
Whatever way you choose to look at it, Labor Day has a significant meaning to us and our everyday life. We are reminded of the work ethic of our ancestors, the work ethic our parents instilled in us, and hopefully the work ethic we impart to our young people. While that work ethic may conjure up different meanings for you in your life's role, there are a few key elements that we should be bringing to the table for our young people.
The history of the work place, while many may see as a call for perfection, really is anything but that. In fact, if we simply made perfection the goal, what would we learn on our journey in the workplace. Striving to do our best, rather than be perfect; encouraging the best, rather than judging and tearing down the efforts of others we see as imperfect, this really brings us things that withstand the test of time. The challenges that we are up against; giving ourselves the right to not be perfect is where we make our greatest contributions. In simple terms, as we would tell our youngest learners, it's ok to make a mistake.
This past week I started school and while my passion for teaching keeps my mind going all summer long, and I am ready and excited for that first day, I get that gasping for air panicked feeling in the late hours of the day before that first day. I had this annual gasp last week as I pulled into Target's parking lot, the mad dash for a few items before my days would be full and I might not be able to get there so easily. I felt the stopwatch click on and the minutes start to tick away thinking did I do everything, had I forgotten anything, and the butterflies fluttering with the excitement of the first day turned to larger winged creatures flapping uncontrollably in my stomach. The walk from the car to the store felt like the longest walk I'd ever taken, and it felt like I was walking in hot lava, feet sticking to the parking lot hindering me from making great strides, but I continued to try.
So the cloud of doubt started to move in and hover over me; until I finally made it into the store. The store all abuzz with children and parents; moms reading, "it says you need a box of 24 crayons" from the supply list she checked off with each item, not counting the extras that found the way into the cart. Families shopping, the afternoon, on the day before school began in our area; all of a sudden watching the children and their parents I felt that heavy pressure fall from my chest and I could breathe a little easier. Even though I could feel some of the stress radiating from the lists they clutched, I could also hear the chatter and watch the motion, some a little hurried and harried; but, for the most part that we will get this done hum in their movement.
In watching the children I began to feel those big winged creatures flee and the exciting flutter of those butterflies return, because I realized, maybe the classroom isn't picture perfect and maybe I will stay after they leave tomorrow to make a few custom adjustments to meet their needs; but tomorrow morning through the door will walk my class and the time we will have isn't perfectly planned to the minute, but a whole lot of enthusiasm and joy will wrap around it as it becomes our class. Ironically enough as I left feeling lighter and wanting to get to tomorrow, I saw one of my new students getting in his car, I called out his name and then realized his dad was looking at me as I wildly waved and I put his mind at ease saying "Don't worry I'm not some random stranger..." and introducing myself (as I'm sure, I was causing a traffic jam in the Target parking lot); then driving away thinking, that will certainly be a nice ice breaker during conferences!!
The young learners, who will become part of the workforce in years to come, have shared the classroom with me for a week now; before this long holiday weekend. What I've told them in that time is that I want their best and that while we all want our best to be perfection, it isn't always the case, especially at the beginning. Having read some insightful books and participated in webinars that get you revving up for the year; I've been able to tell them how I plan to empower them this year. That I've even taken a peek at job ads over the summer to see what skills besides specific career skills companies look for in a candidate. I told them our work this year is to add those skills to our goals, in addition to our subject curriculum, to get them started on that journey towards honing those skills; not to be perfect, but because they have so much to offer and try. That in addition to what they achieved on tests, it's what they accomplished as part of the classroom workforce that was so important for them. That leaders don't take over the job and do it their way, but instead look around the table to see what each person has to offer and bring that out in them for the good of the group and task at hand. To be forgiving and encouraging when mistakes happen; because they will happen.
What brought them the biggest exhale was hearing the teacher say it's ok to make mistakes...as long as you "take" something from the mistake. Learning from it and moving forward. Working with compassion for others, not judging, but helping and understanding; working together as a group, a team, because we need to support and encourage one another; because in the end, we are all in this together in the classroom, in the community, workforce, and the world. Is this merely stuff of the classroom, for the moment, for the school year or can we do this ourselves?
Whatever role you have in the workforce, whatever your daily job, whatever your role or title; today on Labor Day take a moment to look back into history to see the struggles and the triumphs that have shaped our nation at the hands of those who gave their best to their work; to those that made mistakes, to those who took a risk, went to the beat of a different drummer. Ask yourself how can I return tomorrow to empower those around me; to encourage and be a little more compassionate to those who are trying their best; to remember in the end while we may be so very separated by what we do, while we all see success as different things; in the big picture, how great would it be for future generations to look back and see it's about compassion, empathy, teaching, learning, helping, and understanding that ran the workforce of today. Not something just to be taught to children in a classroom, but to be employed in our everyday work. How successful that might be for all of us because in the end we are all in this together!