Quote-A-Day: Day 95

A gloomy morning can morph into a beautiful day. Never let the present cloud your vision for the future. #QuoteADay #Day95 #edchat #NSTA14

Today marks the last day of NSTA14 (for me at least).  My colleague and I are presenting this evening and then we're heading home to New York.

The conference has been phenomenal, and it has been great to learn and lead with so many wonderful educators.

And yet, sometimes, we wake up to conditions that don't seem to be what we hoped for, and we worry, sometimes irrationally, that the day won't bring the same wonderful opportunities as the ones before.

After a great evening filled with good food and even better company, I awoke to an overcast and wet morning.  As I was loading my car, I walked through a tremendous puddle.  My room key stopped working, for no reason, as I was attempting to finish packing up.  Checkout was much less smooth than it should have been, unfortunately.

Yet, as I was heading to the convention center a thought came to me, one that I've had many times previously, and that I'm sure everyone has experienced: "The way things start isn't the way they have to end.  We can't let the present dictate the future."

What a true statement, right?

And it is no truer than in education.  As leaders and learners, we must make sure that we always strive for the best that the future can provide, and, regardless of how poorly the present appears, we must work to always keep getting better.

One of the reasons I'm attending NSTA14 is to work to make myself even better, and share my somewhat limited life knowledge with others to help them further their learning and development.

And that is what leading and learning has to be about: making sure that we're always striving to be the best we can be, regardless of how tough things might seem.

So, enjoy your Saturday, and make sure that regardless of whether it is cloudy, raining, or snowing (enough already), always know that the sunshine is out there, somewhere, and likely heading your way very soon, as long as you let it.