how can a CARIN can help

I saw this picture in my file.  It is from a camping trip out west.   It is called a ‘carin’.  If you are a hiker, it sometimes used as a marker to show that you are on the right path.  Hikers will often add a rock to a carin and help to rebuild a carin that is toppling. We can apply this concept of a carin to our lives in the classroom.

 

 

With all this drama in schools today, I believe we need to stick to our ultimate goal…teaching our children to the be our new leaders, dreamers, researchers, care-givers, writers, readers on this planet.  Oh, I cannot forget problem solvers (that would involve some math, I guess).

How are we doing on this collectively?  I think we need to listen first to the individual voices of the children in our classrooms.  Are we listening to them?  Do we value them as learners and future citizens?

Stick to the path, put a rock on the carin as you listen and figure out what they need next.

We cannot do this job alone…educating.  We need our administration, our families… but more often than not, we need to work and understand special talents that those around us possess and that we possess…our team members.

Stick to the path, put a rock on the carin as you figure out your strengths and then share them with your wonderful teacher friends.

Some us sometimes tend to admire the problem and linger a bit too long in the muck.  I know I do.  Make a determination inside of yourself that you will fight this tendency.

Sitck to the path, put a rock on the carin as you wage war against complaining and ask yourself, “Does whining ever help?”

I know that there are other areas in being a teacher that I need to improve and that is the point.  We will never stop growing and learning and that is exactly what we want every child in our classrooms to come to understand.  We are their models, they look to us to lead them down the path.

Look to your successes. Put rocks on the cairns. Learn from the failures, and keep walking.