You are not a “Just”
We all know the phrase “all or nothing”. I am here to vehemently disagree with this sentiment. It makes me think of something a teacher once told me: highlighting everything is like highlighting nothing. I see this all the time. Students are trying so hard to find important content and not miss anything that they highlight nearly every line. Then, when they go back, they see that they didn’t really pull out important information… they just made the entire page neon yellow.
The same thing goes for creating an outline. If every sentence in the textbook gets a bullet point on the outline, have you really concisely and conveniently summarized the content? So, I can confidently say, when it comes to highlighting, outlining, summarizing, etc. all IS nothing. But why am I so passionate about this? Do I care that much about neon text or excessive bullet points? No. Well, maybe a little.
More important than study strategies, let’s talk about the work and activities we often load onto students. Somehow, it’s acceptable to say a student “just plays soccer” or “just has an after school job”. I’m sorry… but what?! A school sport is a daily commitment, both in time and energy. An afterschool job is a sign of maturity and responsibility. This is in addition to the demands of school, friends, and family, which we also emphasize are somehow all the top priority.
A student “just plays viola”? No. Let’s reframe. That student is capable of developing a skill, which requires dedication and attention, while also taking on their schoolwork and the stress that automatically comes with being a teenager. A student that does ten activities, that tries to build their resume because of the pressure around them to achieve everything, won’t get to enjoy anything. There is nothing wrong with dabbling around, with experimenting until you find the right fit, but to dabble or take on more for the sake of not starting your activity description with “just” is not fair to students. It’s not fair to any of us.
Adults, I hope, can both relate and empathize with this. You can take on everything or you can dedicate to something. That is a decision we each must make, but dedication is never a “just”. A stay-at-home parent is never JUST taking care of the kids. A part-time worker is never JUST working a few hours a week. Even a CEO is never JUST an executive. We all balance so much in life. Give yourself credit for everything you do. Give your student props for whatever they achieve.
It is not all or nothing.
You are not a list of activities or responsibilities.
You are not a “just”.