Intent

Intent + Optimism is more than the sum of the individual parts. I hope. I have a meeting with my son’s math teacher today.

As a university professor, I have a little insight and empathy for the math teacher. I typically have 24 students. He has over 100. I am confident that the teacher/student complexity of his job is exponentially more difficult than mine. I teach adults at a master’s level who have already run the undergraduate gauntlet. I have students who are so motivated to take my class, they get on airplanes or drive 4-6 hours to get to my class.

As a college educator, I live in a different world than a high school math teacher. I don’t think I have the skills, patience or ability to teach 100+ students, let alone students who have not opted-in to my classrooms. I also only deal with adult students – I’ve never had a parent or even a partner of a student contact me. Teachers today have it rough. I have the utmost respect for grade school, middle school and high school teachers that are working in this mixed up, online class reality. One commonality we probably all face is that as educators, we crave the interaction with the students. Online does not cut it.

To prepare for the meeting with the math teacher (whom I have never met). I want to use a heavy dose of optimism and intent. They work well together. My intentions are: 1. take responsibility for the two weeks of missed homework assignments; and 2. help my son regain some math confidence. I’m focusing on principle 5 so that my son’s teacher and I can help pull my son out of his teenager induced tailspin:

Agile Best Self Principle #5: Create a best self environment of motivation, trust, and support for yourself and others.

As a parent, I use more of my Agile Best Self tools than any other area of my life. The stakes are high, so I have to be serious about being my best self so that I can enable my son to be his best self. Today, I’m am going to set my intent. Choose my path carefully. Start with intent. Layer in optimism. Be ready to make mistakes and course correct. I’m hopeful that starting with intent and optimism will a greater impact than using just one skill.

One plus one can equal three.

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