As a school we are approaching the end of the school year with increasing velocity, the kind of speed that makes us want to squeeze our eyes shut and wish it away. Why? Because we know there is “so much left to do!” 

Last week I wrote about how school teams are working towards all that remains unfinished this year. We are nearing the end, so holding the incomplete is at times sobering for us. The hard edge of truth is that we will send our students forward in their educations “unfinished.”

What is arbitrary are: grades, June graduation dates, and report cards. They are one moment in time when we are trying to make meaning of what is complete or finished. We have some expectations for progress and we wonder if that segment of growth and development is now fulfilled? Life doesn’t always work that way.

The children have so much to learn and we want them to be ready for the next grade. The curriculum is broad and wide and we hope the learning goes deep. We sense somewhere in our hearts that the book learning might not even be the most foundational or significant. But, we surely don’t know how to measure the deeper things. In some cases, we have more questions than answers, even though it’s Spring.

We only built one little layer. There are many pieces still strewn about for this student. How can we measure progress?

So we ask, “What does finishing well mean when so much remains?”

The five most important journeys of a child are faith, worthiness, selfhood, belonging, and changemaking. The five journeys are truly life-long, organic, and wholesome. They are never really finished; they are just the process, the exploration, or the climb. We can take joy in the journey.

This week, as I hold what is unfinished, a few things give me comfort:

• Realizing time is our gift. We can cherish it and realize we have more of it. Life is not a race.
• Being present with what is. We can choose to be fully present and engaged with what is. We don’t need to wish it away or struggle against what is incomplete. We can sit in acceptance.
• Reflection on our successes. Journaling or describing growth in any of the five journeys will give us tangible evidence of our child or students’ progress, the kind of progress that really matters.

As we hold space, as parents and educators, for what is unfinished, there can be energy. The magic is to transform that energy into reflection and focus on what really matters.

How has your child made progress in developing a sense of self or creating a sense of belonging? Are there moments of hopefulness where you saw your child or a student’s soft heart? What are the celebrations of this year in faith, worthiness, selfhood, belonging, and changemaking?

Keeping our eyes securely fixed on what is good, pure, and beautiful will honour our child’s or students’ most important journeys and ensure all of us Learn Forward.

For the sake of the children,