Progress is a gradual endeavor that demands both patience and a steadfast commitment to the process. In the realm of education, the manifestation of student growth often eludes immediate recognition, reflecting the protracted nature of development that unfolds beneath the surface. It is incumbent upon educators to cultivate a mindset that embraces this reality, understanding that the fruits of their labor may not be readily apparent within a fleeting timeframe. Through the lens of experience, I have observed that perseverance and consistent effort ultimately yield significant results, akin to the completion of road construction that paves the way for smoother journeys ahead. As we navigate the complexities of teaching, it is essential to remain grounded in faith and perspective, trusting that our steadfast dedication will bear fruit, albeit at its own deliberate pace.

The podcast episode offers a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between teaching and the concepts of time, patience, and steady progress. The speaker articulates that true advancement in education is often a protracted journey, devoid of immediate gratification. The analogy of road construction aptly illustrates this theme, as both processes require time, effort, and a vision for a better future. The host emphasizes that the most substantial growth occurs quietly and incrementally, akin to the gradual improvements seen on a newly paved road that was once fraught with obstacles. Through personal narrative and reflective insights, the host encourages educators to adopt a mindset that values persistence and consistency, recognizing that mastery of a concept may not manifest until much later in the learning process.

Furthermore, the discussion highlights the vital role of patience as a leadership skill within the educational sphere. The host challenges the notion of patience as mere waiting, proposing instead that it embodies a proactive engagement with the learning journey. Educators are urged to model this patience, not only in their interactions with students but also in their professional relationships with colleagues. The speaker's emphasis on emotional regulation serves as an essential reminder that the demeanor of the teacher can significantly influence the classroom atmosphere. By fostering a calm and supportive environment, educators can facilitate deeper learning experiences for their students, promoting resilience and a positive attitude toward challenges.

As the episode progresses, the speaker reflects on the importance of trusting the educational process, even when progress appears to be slow. This trust is rooted in the belief that every effort contributes to the overarching goal of student success. The host encourages listeners to celebrate small victories and to remain committed to their teaching methodologies, as these persistent efforts will ultimately yield significant results. The closing sentiments resonate powerfully, as the host implores educators to remember that the work undertaken today will lay the foundation for future successes, encapsulating the essence of what it means to be a dedicated and 'funky' teacher.

Takeaways:

• Progress in education is often a gradual journey, requiring immense patience and sustained effort over time.
• The essence of teaching lies in recognizing that meaningful growth frequently occurs beneath the surface, often unseen until later.
• Effective leadership necessitates the cultivation of patience, as it is a critical component of nurturing student development.
• Trusting the process is paramount; even when progress appears slow, foundational work is being laid for future success.
• Patience embodies the most potent form of perseverance, crucial for educators striving for long-term student achievement.
• Teachers must model patience not only for their students but also for their colleagues, fostering a calm and steady learning environment.

Links referenced in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Be a Funky Teacher

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Mr. Funky Teacher inspires greatness.

Makes you feel good.

Like your favorite playlist.

Keeping that fresh and funky.

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He got some funky cool ideas to share for all you teachers.

He can empower others, students and teachers.

It's all about hard work and creativity.

He brings out the kindness in everyone.

He's got the passion to teach.

You hear it when he speaks.

He knows how to build strong relationships.

If you're seeking the best bunkiest, he is it.

He will empower you to improve.

You'll be helping others and loving it too.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is Mr. Funky Teacher with Be a Funky Teacher dot com.

I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.

Welcome back everyone.

Today's episode Progress takes time, patience, process and the power of staying steady.

That's what we are going to talk about.

But before we get into it, I want to talk about three things that I'm thankful for.

First thing that I'm thankful for is saying a prayer with my children.

I'm so thankful for the moments I get to say prayers with my children, to take that pause and to say a prayer when I'm able to.

Those few minutes of connection remind me that faith and family always come first.

It centers me and keeps me grounded in what truly matters.

I actually what made me think about this one is I had my 10 year old.

For some reason I stopped doing the now I lay me prayer with him before bed and I just started it up just the other night and he's 10 years old and he says, dad, that reminds me of when I was little and I haven't stopped doing it for that long, but I've started bringing that back with him.

Every night we do the now I lay me down to sleep prayer.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

May God guard me through the night and wake me with the morning light.

Just saying that simple prayer with my son before he goes to bed or to recite that prayer that I just love that moment.

It seems so small, but it's so powerful a moment.

Or if we say another prayer, it doesn't have to even be like a like a standard recited prayer.

It could just be just talking to God.

Those prayers matter.

When I get an opportunity to do those with my children.

My faith is very important to me.

Faith is really important to my family and taking those moments matter, I'm thankful for them Second thing I'm thankful for, I'm thankful for beautiful weather.

I am grateful for the change in season and the calm that good weather brings.

Sometimes you just need to step outside, breathe in the beautiful weather and get reminded that every season has a purpose.

And when I say beautiful weather, I'm talking about not too hot, not too cold.

Just.

It feels like you don't even need a jacket right.

It's just like perfect or a very light jacket.

If anything, it's just perfect or just there's no such thing as perfect, right?

But it feels as close to perfect as possible where it's just so comfortable out.

I think comfortable is the word that you could describe it.

Third thing I'm thankful for.

Road construction getting done.

Now, when I drive to work in the morning, there's a lot of road construction.

And when I drive home, there's a lot of road construction.

And I'm thankful as some of that work is getting wrapped up and the road construction crews are out there working so hard.

I'm thankful, I'm thankful for their hard work.

And more importantly, I'm thankful that they're getting done, especially as we're getting into more of the colder seasons.

Hate to see them out there working when it gets really, really cold.

I know they're layered for the seasons, but it's still doesn't seem like that would be much fun out there being in this stinking cold.

And so just knowing that they're out there and kind of getting, getting this road wrapped up, it's.

I'm thankful for that.

And I'm also thankful too because boy, it's just I.

When you have road construction too, it's just makes it more, more of a dangerous situation.

Dangerous situation for the construction workers out there, dangerous situation for the drivers.

And it's just, and it ultimately with doing, getting the road construction done, it just makes it for safe space, safer for everyone all around.

Well, those are the things that I'm thankful for.

So the focus today is progress takes time, patience, process, and the power of staying steady.

So our first big main idea here is that progress is rarely instant.

In teaching, growth doesn't always show up in a day, in a week, or even in a month.

The best progress often happens quietly beneath the surface and long before results appear.

Wouldn't you agree with that?

I mean, that's what I see over the years.

Like that road construction, it can sometimes be frustrating to wait on, right?

But it's necessary for a smoother road ahead.

I had a student, I think I've had quite a few students who struggle and struggle sometimes where it's ongoing for a certain concept and then suddenly get it months later.

Not necessarily because of one lesson, but.

But because of consistency in care, where things have been layered into math lesson, doing some spiral teaching of certain concepts where maybe the student wasn't ready for whatever reason, maybe it was taught just a little bit differently, or maybe that student was just ready to receive that skill, to make sense of that skill in that moment.

And finally, the time comes.

So progress is rarely instant, y'.

All.

It does take time.

And we have to remember that as teachers.

And patience is a leadership skill.

It truly is.

Patience isn't about waiting passively.

We're not going to be like, just twiddle our thumbs and say, eh, what?

You know, do, do, do, do, do.

Just.

Just wait, wait.

It's about staying steady and purposeful.

Patience is about.

About moving forward.

It's easy to rush improvement or expect instant success, but growth with depth takes time.

I sometimes want students to get a concept or a skill right now, and why can't they get it?

And I sometimes have to remind myself that I have to be patient.

It's a leadership skill.

As a teacher leader, sometimes I have to have that.

And sometimes I have to convey that to other teachers too, where they might be frustrated that kids aren't getting a certain skill.

And I have to say, hey, you know what?

We're making small.

Let's take little wins, little progress at a time.

And sometimes progress looks like one step forward, two steps back, right?

Patience is a leadership skill here.

And actually, we gotta model patients every day, too, with students, with systems, with other adults that we work with.

I mean, we gotta model patients.

And the calm teacher sets the tone for the entire room.

And really the calm teacher can set the tone for the school also in a lot of respects.

See, when we respond with patience instead of frustration, students learn emotional regulation by watching us.

I'm not gonna.

I work really hard to not get frustrated with kids if they don't understand a concept.

You know, sometimes if I don't think they're trying or giving it their best, sometimes I lean into that.

But I don't want to act frustrated if I think a student is sincerely struggling with a skill or concept, because that's not showing students or the people around me patience.

So I encourage you to practice patience as a leadership skill also.

I think you're gonna find that you can't rush things sometimes.

Sometimes developing skills and concepts in students, setting them up for success, it takes time and that reminds me of the next area, which is trusting the process when work feels slow.

Cause just because something feels slow doesn't mean it's not working.

Progress requires structure.

It requires repetition and belief.

I think of things where I have to trust the process with lesson planning or relationship building or with, you know, if you have a new curricular program, the rolling out of or like a curricular resource, rolling that out, all that can take longer than expected, but the payoff is long term and you will get there.

And so I have to use reflection sometimes and remind myself that, hey, you know what, this is working.

Even if I can't see the results yet, I know it's working.

And I have to use reflection that, hey, we're going to get there.

And we're slowly getting there with some small micro wins.

And sometimes patience is the most powerful form of perseverance that we can have.

Patience.

I want to go back to patience once again.

We gotta have patience in the process.

Well, that as I do, I just wanna take a moment now for my, like a reflective takeaway here.

I'm just kind of thinking through this.

Cause sometimes I can get frustrated that things aren't happening.

I just have to be real with you.

Sometimes I think that things aren't happening fast enough in a school or in my classroom or even personally if I'm working on some.

Something personally, like a personal goal, man, I'm one where I can sometimes get frustrated with the process or with my progress.

And I just have to remind myself that, hey, you know what progress, whether students, relationships, personal goals, they always take time, don't they though?

I mean, I think we all can agree with that.

And that patience isn't about waiting, it's about believing while you keep working, while you keep moving forward.

So reflective takeaway here is to stay steady.

The work you're doing today will make tomorrow smoother.

Just like a road finally finished after construction, y'.

All.

Well, I hope you found value in this episode.

If you did jump on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast episodes, whatever app you use, hit me up with a five star review and let me know what you think of this podcast through some feedback, through some comments as you go over there and hopefully hit me up with a five star.

And I want you, as you go into your day, I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people.

And don't forget to be a funky teacher.

Bye now.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher yeah.

He's Mr. Funky teacher yeah, yeah, yeah.