An Olympic Sized Dream

You can see it in their eyes. At least, once you get past the tears. Athletes who have devoted a lifetime to excellence, once deterred, have roared back to become Olympic champions.

That's why it is always a moving ceremony. Whether the recipient is receiving gold, silver or bronze, there is a journey that athlete has made to bring him or her to the podium — you can see it in the tears that got a running start and now pour out like small waterfalls. Eyes, once focused and determined, are now soft and misty. The journey has led to this moment of triumph, and it's one to be celebrated.

I thought about that this week when I heard the story of a second grader who struggles in school. He has struggled with reading and math, and most every other thing you can think of.

It's not that the student isn't capable, because I believe he is. Are there focus issues? Probably. What about motivation? Yep. So what do you do with a student who can, but feels like he can't?

The story makes my strong, focused eyes get weepy when I think about it. The young student was working with a resource teacher and a small group of students who meet weekly. The student, as he would often do, acted out frustrations, anxiety, stress and worry, all in front of the other children.

But then the teacher, with grace, mercy, love and forgiveness, spoke softly to the student. "It's OK if you don't understand the problem," the teacher said. "We're right here, and whenever you feel OK, I'll help you learn." All of a sudden, the light came on and the tears came out. The other second graders in the group gathered around their young colleague, patted him on the back and said, "It's OK ... we're here to help too!"

It's not the Olympic medal podium, but can't you sense a victory?

Our students are on a journey, and it can be a long one. For those who are able to tackle academic success with relative ease, there's an unseen pressure to keep performing. For those who outwardly struggle with school, there's a pressure to stay off the bottom while realizing they may never be at the top. And for those in the middle, there's a pressure to not get lost and forgotten.

Just as Olympic athletes have a long journey that takes them through the good and bad of training, our students experience the ups and downs as well. That's why they need good teachers with good skills and loving hearts to say with a soft voice, "It's OK, I'm here."