© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Dealing With Pesky Roadblocks

Tomorrow is our first day of school. It marks the start of my twentieth year as an educator, and my thoughts go to beginnings and endings, cycles and goals, and inevitable roadblocks and challenges.

We start on the right foot, but roadblocks prevent us from moving in our expected direction and force us to make a change. We create attainable and measurable goals, and roadblocks prevent us from achieving them. Sometimes roadblocks provide us new adventures and positive outcomes. And sometimes roadblocks bring pain and sadness.

Having completed so many years, I wonder if there’s a unique and positive approach to hit the books again. So I’ll refocus back on the kids.

Kids need our guidance. They do not know what’s ahead of them, nor do they know the routines like we do. So often kids get stuck or make poor choices. They get stopped by roadblocks that look insurmountable to them and seem so easy to us.

As they approach roadblocks, we must teach kids how to reevaluate their situation, determine another direction, and then forge a new path. It’s not always easy to find that new path. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Teaching our youth that roadblocks will occur and that they can move past them … maybe that’s the thing

Here’s a shout out to everyone at Kaneland Schools! It’s gonna be a great year, even with those inevitable roadblocks.

I’m Elsa Glover, and that’s my perspective.

Related Stories