“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook the other day and although I had read it in the past, it really resonated with me when I read it today.  It reminded me of all of my students the past few days who have been toiling through the MCAS testing.  While I may get bogged down in the endless and ever-growing logistics of running the testing, it is the students who are really in the arena.  Some of the students worked all the way up to the end of the day.  Other students struggled through to complete the test, but gave it their best effort.

It also reminds me of the teachers who dare to take risks, to challenge their students to do more and learn more.  It reminds me of the teachers who when they realize a lesson has gone awry, but they get back up, evaluate and make the lesson better the next time.  This reminds me of the teachers who never give up on their students, who no matter “spend himself in a worthy cause” of supporting our students.

How does this quote resonate with you as an educator?