The End? - #100DayProject - Day 100

So, I actually did it, I made it to Day 100 of this #100DayProject challenge. Did you think I could do it? I didn't think so because I didn't actually make it. You see, I can't quite yet sing along with the Fab Four and their 1969 song off of the Abbey Road album, "The End," because I didn't actually post 100 days of writing yet. You see, I've missed a few days and have therefore only actually posted 94 times. So what does that mean? Did I fail? Am I a disgrace? Let's look at these questions a little more in depth.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Did I fail? Technically yes because I didn't accomplish my goal of 100 posts in 100 days. Life got in the way and I missed six days due to lack of planning and not having posts ready while traveling. I over-thought my abilities and wasn't able to complete the posts. So I plan to go an extra six days until I hit Day 106 and I'm actually looking forward to it. I've rediscovered the joy of writing and having a regular schedule for my writing. So, even after I finish the 106 days I won't be done here but will continue writing and posting regularly. Will that schedule stay at a daily rate? No, but I will set a regular schedule and am already planning what that schedule will look like, probably 2-3 posts per week with a goal of increasing it to 5+.

I like to think of the word fail as an acronym to help me better understand what it actually means to me.

First
Attempt
In
Learning

While some disagree with this acronym, I love it because it helps our students see it's okay to fail as long as we continue with the learning and move along. It's our FIRST attempt, not our only attempt and that's important! If we can help our students develop a love of learning and attempting new things we are doing our job to the fullest. We need to help our students desire to worth through problems and not give up as soon as they "fail" or when it gets difficult. That's why I'm okay that I "failed" with my goal of 100 posts in 100 days because I'm not done yet, I'm going to finish my goal even though it's now a little late and may be deducted in point value.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Am I a disgrace for not accomplishing my goal? No, because I did something that many people will NEVER attempt because it's hard. Even though I didn't get out 100 posts in 100 days, I got out 94 in 100 days which is amazing! I have renewed my desire to write and as explained above, plan to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.

Even if I had accomplished much less of the goal, I still wouldn't have been a disgrace because I gave it my all and tried my best. I think this is something I will take from my experience back to the classroom. Sometimes our students will be upset that they didn't achieve their goals perfectly and we need to remind them it's okay and to be proud of the level of success they did achieve. They were able to accomplish part of a goal and had growth more than if they hadn't even tried. We need to be more willing to show them the power of trying by praising the work they do towards their goals and then help them set a new goal for more growth.

So, here's to setting goals, working on goals, failing at goals, and setting new goals to have a cycle of goals. I hope you'll stick around for the next phase of Ed-Tech Babble as I continue to learn and grow in my writing and reflecting on education. Let's not let the #100DayProject be the end of learning here, but instead, a renewed love of learning and renewed sense of purpose.