Prologue
Well, I fell off the wagon once again. No new entries in this page for 3 days on this page. The main page lies abandoned once again for over a week, maybe two? I never recorded to get the YouTube page for 2 Guys Gaming running again. This whole exercise, so far, is an exercise in failure. I feel even lower now because I was listening to Marc Maron yesterday and he gave his speech about how because there are no gatekeepers anymore that every Tom, Dick, and Harry thinks they can start a podcast and become famous. Well, then how do I define success in regards to this page?
I never claim that I want either page to bring me fame or riches. In fact, I often say that I don’t care one way or another if either happens. I won’t lie and say that I would turn either down if they do happen. However, I write because I like to write. If others find what I write and enjoy it, then great. Either way, I continue to write. Even if it doesn’t lead to eventual success.
The Journal
Before I consider success, let’s talk one more failure. No “outdoor adventure” today other than a trip to the dump and then one down to Honest Weight to pick up some beer. Okay, now to talk about success. Question: Tell us about a time where everything you’d hoped would happen actually did.
Now, I know that these questions are designed to spark thought and discussion. However, after the first few I answered, they became quite difficult to answer. This one makes me think of the time I was in counseling and the counselor said, “Tell me about one good thing that happened this week.”
I paused for a good 20 seconds and stammered a bit before saying, “My department head bought me a coffee when we took our trip to UMass. I guess that was pretty cool.” The counselor responded, “That’s pretty sad that it took you that long to simply come up with that example.” I’m sure they weren’t that abrupt and judgmental, but that’s how I remember it. So, I now struggle (after having come up with several examples of failure) to remember a time where everything went according to plan. Trust me when I say it isn’t because there are so many examples that I can’t narrow it down.
Instead, as part of my self deprecation and sabotage, thinking of times I failed is much easier than considering times that I’ve succeeded. I guess if I think of a recent example, I can talk about my Financial Algebra classes on Thursday. Admitted to the students (because of my stupid absolute honesty) that April went less than stellar. I lost the thread of the classes too often.
And, so, I took some time over break to put together Google Slides shows of two sections from the book. I also gave them homework. Now, you might say, that sounds exactly like how a traditional class should run. And, therein, is where the problem in April lie (or is it lay? Not sure and Grammarly didn’t help). Either way, I expected the plans to be met with some resistance. Naturally, some students ignored me as they always will. However, for the most part, I got compliance from all of them.
Epilogue
They tell us to celebrate the small successes. For most, my class actually acting like a class for one day surely counts as a small success. Even I can admit that it doesn’t inspire much confidence in my abilities as a teacher. But, it was an improvement over what happened in April and overall it was a success. I will see tomorrow if it was just a one time occurrence or I can build on the success to make the end of the year an overall success.