Watching the Grass Grow

I was sitting on the porch of my cottage the other morning, drinking coffee, and looking at my lawn, or rather, lack thereof.  More specifically, I was focused on the how the grass was coming in, having been hydroseeded a few weeks ago.  I then thought about those time-lapse science shows, where you can see a flower bloom in a few seconds, and wishing I could get my grass to grow that quickly, or at least see today’s progress. 

Now, intellectually I know the grass is actually growing, regardless of my inability to see the microscopic changes.  But my desire to see it, to make it real, persists.  Why do I need to witness immediate growth?  If I come back in a week, it will be taller, and I will see it.  Why is that not good enough for me? 

As teachers, we care and nurture our students, much as I water and fertilize my grass seeds.  We have this innate desire to know and see that what we do with our kids is making a positive difference.  By nature, we are perfectionists, and we are also our own worst critics, becoming easily frustrated.  I think that may be our disconnect between the intellectual “knowing” and the emotional need to “see” the fruits of our labor.  But we can turn this into a growing experience for ourselves.

Watching my grass grow demands patience.  Watching our students grow demands the same.  Just as certain patches of my lawn come up quicker than others, even though I initially gave equal attention to all parts, we will “see” certain kids making progress more quickly than others.  I will see stark differences across my lawn, but instead of lamenting that the whole yard doesn’t look right, I can focus on which patches need extra attention.  In that way, within a few months, I will have a nice looking lawn.  The same can be true in our classroom.  Focusing our efforts on those who need extra attention will ultimately result in growth for all students.

And in case you’re wondering how this metaphor plays out for kids who grow exponentially, I don’t advocate mowing them down, so that the grass all stays one uniform level.  Quite the opposite – continue to watch the grass grow, and nurture each individual blade.  Mowing is overrated.