Don’t Look Down

04/04/11
When I was teaching first grade, many people would express the idea that first grade was the most important grade of all and then ask, “How do you do it?”  There were many times when I asked myself the same question. I found that if I thought too often about the importance of teaching children to read, I could easily get overwhelmed and it was frightening at times. When asked that question,  I began using the analogy of a tightrope walker. You can’t look down because you need to be looking ahead to your goal. Looking down may cause you to lose your balance and fall. Teaching first grade was like that. I tried not to look down because I was afraid that if I did, I would be overcome with fear of failure and failure was not an option. Coping with my illness is a little like that…..I’m walking a tightrope and I won't look down.