Very soon (or possibly already, depending when you read this) LeBron James will become the all-time scoring leader in NBA playoffs history (basketball). The talking heads on TV and the sports columnists will write articles questioning whether he is the greatest player of all time, or if perhaps the man he passed on the scoring list (a guy you may have heard of, named Michael Jordan) is still deserving of that title. My personal opinion is that MJ is still the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All-Time) but I also acknowledge that LeBron is still playing and could overtake him some day.
I’ve got some friends who would say that Michael Jordan is, was, and always will be the G.O.A.T. However, I can’t take such a hard line view because of my beliefs about growth mindset and the ability for everyone to work hard and achieve. If we said right now that MJ was the best that will ever live then what goals do young basketball players have to work toward, second place?!? That’s rough! To allow for the conversation, and suggest that LeBron or someone else may be the best of all-time means that every basketball player and everyone else for that matter can still strive to be the best, to surpass the amazing achievements of those who’ve come before them…there is no limit to what we can achieve!
Okay, this isn’t a diatribe on LeBron vs MJ or who is the G.O.A.T. What I’m working toward is the growth process for all of us. Whether we are teachers, students, basketball players, doctors, or plumbers, we should all be working to be better at what we do. Every morning when we wake up we should aim to be better than we were the day before, imagine a life where that was actually the case…success!! Sometimes we will be better at our jobs, other days we will be better at interpersonal relationships, or perhaps better drivers, cooks, or parents. Everyday we’re working to be better, that is the real goal…growth.
Even “the best” never stop striving for improvement or growth. Michael Jordan didn’t stop practicing after he won 5 championships, he got in the gym and shot more and tried to get even better (he won a 6th before retiring).
We have a lot of amazing teachers at our school and I’m constantly impressed with the teaching practices employed to help our students reach success. As the school year comes to a close I’ve had a lot of goals reflection conversations. There is not one teacher at this school who doesn’t want to improve their practice and become even better for their kids. The passion and drive to become the best teachers that they can possibly become constantly impresses me. They don’t care if they’re being evaluated on the Marzano, Marshall, or Bozo rubric, they want to improve! We may not have the greatest teacher of all time walking the halls of our school (we might though!) but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a school full of teachers who are working toward it. Growth isn’t just our students’ goal, it’s ours too!
As educational leaders we have to live our message. If we want kids to work hard and grow, then that needs to be our active pursuit as well. Working everyday to become better educators and better overall humans is what it’s all about. How are you growing? How are you becoming better today?
Pushing Forward 