"...hanging on after others let go."

I’ll be honest – as much as I have been trying to adopt healthier eating habits, my addiction to chocolate is one problem that I have yet to completely fix. Yes, I may have decreased how much I eat of the delicious confection, but I definitely cannot get through one day of school without something sweet in my system. So today, a handful of mini Dove pieces was the chocolate of my choosing. They’re a particularly favorite option because they are both delectable and inspiring with the cute little quotes on the wrappers. Some of them are corny, but others are actually worth reading. The one I got today seemed particularly fitting: “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”

Now I took this quote in two different ways. One could interpret it to mean that the ones who succeed are the ones who keep pushing after all others have been struck down. This truth is incredibly apparent in a school like mine. If you observe the number of teachers who are seasoned vets versus the ones who are new, the ratio leans drastically towards the latter. However, those few who hang on and stay longer receive much more respect in the classroom, and more respect equates to a great deal of success with their teaching. The more immediately relatable interpretation, however, is the idea that success is achieved by those who hang on even after they’re left to fight the battles alone. In the past couple of weeks, I have felt incredibly alone in my struggles to make it through my days of teaching. I don’t have many people I see often outside of school, and the colleagues I do speak to are jaded and all-around negative right now about teaching. Essentially, if I want to have a successful life right now, I can only rely on myself. Others have let go of me; it’s up to me to stay hanging.

I can only hope that someone will be there to help me back up if I fall.