Just One More Degree

Our first day of Mentor Training was thought provoking and inspiring.  Seeing just how many teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years is astounding.  Our work over the next two days will focus on what we can do as Mentors to better prepare and better support teacher candidates and induction year teachers so that they don't experience the same pitfalls and not want to teach anymore.

Teaching, and all that goes along with it, is a lot harder than most people could ever imagine!  This makes me think of a quote I once heard, "From the outside looking in, you can never understand it.  From the inside looking out, you can never explain it."  But, our jobs here as Mentors from the "inside" will require us to explain it.  Explain what we do each day and more importantly, why.

Our leader closed the day with a clip from a company called Simple Truths.  To paraphrase the main idea, water is hot at 211 degrees.  Water boils at 212.  Just one more degree causes plain water to turn to steam.  And steam- well steam can power a locomotive.  Oh the power of just one extra degree.

The clip really allowed us to think of all the things we could accomplish and what MORE of a difference we could make if we just gave one more degree.  One more degree of hope.  One more degree of love.  One more degree of faith. 

What if I gave one more degree of friendship to someone.  Or maybe even one more degree of understanding to someone or a situation that I can't even begin to comprehend.  What a difference that would make in my attitude, and most likely the outcome. 

As Amanda was dropping me off she pulled her car into my driveway and we saw a special present on my doorstep!

A present from my sweet friend Hayden! 

Now that is one extra degree used to make this teacher feel extra special on her birthday!