Gain vs. Gap

Seven years of homeschooling has taught me to focus on the gain, not the gap.

I remember stressing myself out when my oldest was learning to read. In first grade she wasn’t technically “behind”, but she wasn’t where I thought she should be. That first year of homeschooling I remember measuring my worth as a teacher to the results she produced. I was focused on the gap.

Even after teaching classrooms full of kids, I’ve realized I can’t make learning happen. It will happen when the child is ready. I can create an atmosphere of learning. I can plan the best lessons. But I can’t make learning happen. Teaching my own child led me to this stark discovery.

This discovery forced me to focus on all the little gains she had made instead. It forced me to celebrate the little successes: correctly formed letter sounds, working up to reading one full sentence, and seeing her pick up books on her own. I realized that the little gains are what we can use to encourage others to propel them on to success.

In education (and in life, really) the temptation is to look for the gaps between reality and our wishes instead of the meaningful gains we’ve made along the way.

We tend to naturally measure achievements in the gap. Parent/teacher conferences, test scores, report cards, career goals, paychecks, and dreams for the future do not naturally call us to look at the gains that have been made.

In March, with spring around the corner and the end of the school year in sight, my heart wants to dwell in the gap.

A gentle reminder for each of us this season: focus on the gain, not the gap. The gain is where you will find a million small victories that are just waiting to be celebrated.

March Mix

When it comes to diffuser blends, I tend to find a combination that I love and then shamelessly fill my diffuser with the same thing for basically the entire month. Kind of like a good playlist. You too? Then this is the only recipe mix (see what I did there?) you need this month. It’s the perfect balance of woodsy and citrus with a hint of floral.

All of these oils are considered “happy” or “balancing” oils—oils that are designed to elevate our mood. Smell is our only sense that activates the limbic system, which is the part of our brain that controls our emotions. That’s why I tend to have at least one of our seven diffusers (don’t judge) running at some point during our day—it provides an even undertone to our entire day.

Here is a free graphic of my March Mix to share with a friend. You can download it here.

A Snippet From My Week

It’s always a treat to enjoy a day at Disneyland in February!

Thanks for reading! Big or small - what is something that you’ve realized is a gain? Just hit reply if you’d like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.