Musings on Motivation

I spent the last two and half years enmeshed in the intensive atmosphere of Teach For America. If you are not familiar with the culture of this organization, I can sum it up by telling you that one of the Core Values of TFA is "Relentless pursuit of results." Emphasis on the relentless. In some ways, this is a good thing. TFA corps members take on challenging classrooms. While the bureaucrats and the academics are still bickering over the best way to teach reading, TFA teachers say, I don't care what it takes, my students WILL read. And so they do.

I worked all the time, and there were always other corps members working more than me. Through exhaustion and failure, we just kept going.

I am currently reading Walking Home: A WOman's Pilgrimage On the Appalachian Trail. This is a story, as much about personal growth, as it is about walking 2,000 miles. Just when despair is about to set in, and sometimes after it already has, something or someone intervenes, boosting Kelly Winters' mood and motivating her to continue her journey.

I have always believed that inner strength is what keeps me motivated - that my own passion for my work and stubborn refusal to accept failure motivates me to keep going in the face of hardship. How will that play out when we begin hiking?