ABC’s to Success

Connecting the Alphabet to Life

As educators, we always look for relatable ways to motivate ourselves and our students in a way that they will never forget. We often turn to a great video we found online, a mind- blowing quote we heard from a friend or we recommend a great book given by a mentor. No matter its form, motivation is something that both educators and students need on the journey of education.

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But what if I told you that the greatest motivation we could ever want has been staring us right in the face this whole time? Yes, it’s been sitting in your classroom for years and we use it all the time, but never really look at it for motivation. I am talking about the alphabet.

The alphabet has been around for thousands of years and is the foundation of education. But, just like an optical illusion, a hidden picture has been in front of our faces and we never noticed it – until now! I warn you that after you read this article, you will never look at the alphabet the same again. So, if you’re sure that you’re ready to be inspired, read this entire article and then share with your friends and students.

Grab a pen and a piece of paper. Then write a capital “A,” a lower case “a,” capital “B,” and a lower case “b.” Have you noticed this is the same way that it is written in the classroom, all the way to Zz? Have you ever heard the phrase, “I just need to get from point A to point B?” This saying hints that you are trying to make it from one point to another. Circle both the capital “A” and capital “B.” Those two letters represent capital moments in your life, the moments when everything was going right and you found yourself on top of the world. But we all know that good days never last forever. Now circle the lower case “a.” In between every capital moment in life, you will experience lower case moments. We hate to go through lower cases in life, but they are necessary for the journey.

The capital moments in life are there to establish your confidence. From the mountain of your capital moments in life, you can look back and see all the things that you’ve accomplished, all the battles you’ve won. Those lower-case moments are there to build your character. You can’t build anything from the sky down. You always build from the ground up.

You will have capital moments in life, and you will have lower cases. But the faster that you move through your lower cases, the more capital moments you will experience. It’s fun being at the top, and it’s stressful getting through those low places, but you have to keep going. It’s a pattern of up’s and downs. It’s life!

Now, draw a line up and down, up and down, up and down, across your paper. You know what that up and down looks like? A heart rate monitor. When a heart rate monitor is going up and down, that’s actually a good sign because it shows that you’re still alive. Now if you flat line, that’s when you want to be worried. Never allow yourself to get complacent on your dreams, your students or yourself. Keep living, keep teaching, continue learning. It’s a pattern of up’s and downs, but that just shows that YOU’RE STILL ALIVE.

My final thought for you to ponder is this: There are 26 capital letters in the alphabet and there are 26 lower case letters in the alphabet. 26+26=52. How many weeks are there in a year? How might that help you balance your perspective when you’re in a lower case period of time? Stay tuned for the next issue for part two to this article!

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