2017 is over and done, and 2018 has arrived. Each year, people make grandiose resolutions for how they’ll change their lives. But many allow their resolve to shrivel, their tenacity to wither, and their bold plans to fade to nothing as the normalcy of life slowly wears down their good intentions. Teachers and teaching parents are no different, and we are left to ponder: “Why does this occur?” Very often, the audacious size of the resolution becomes the anchor that weighs down the ship of progress. After all, few people can sustain a sudden, massive alteration to their life’s schedule. But what if we looked at our lofty goals and then chased them from the other direction? What if our biggest successes actually start small?
Great intentions must have purpose, so any big long-term success needs to have the final goal in mind. In terms of education, teachers need to know what kind of people they want their students to be. What kind of character should they have? What level of competency ought they have? What final destination is in mind? The goal of IEW’s Structure and Style™ Writing Method is to produce confident, competent communicators. This is a fantastic example of a final goal.
Once a teacher has a final goal in mind, she needs to know how to get there. She needs to identify the steps to make the goal a reality. This can be a daunting task, but to help move toward their goal, teachers can get help from their community. They could get resources to help them on their way. They could ask questions of themselves, empowering themselves to do the small, step-by-step tasks that will get them where they want to go. The Structure and Style Writing Method moves toward its goal by starting with teaching written imitation, then slowly moving students to the place of creating their own written content. The pathway is clear, and IEW breaks this process down even further into small, manageable steps.
Once you have the big picture, once you see your path ahead of you, buckle down and do the little things that move you forward. Being faithful in little things opens the doorway for bigger things to happen. Marco Polo could not make his famous trip to the court of Kublai Khan in China without first crossing the Mediterranean with his father and uncle. Gutenberg could not print his first book without first designing his printing press. The Pilgrims in America could not establish a colony without first procuring a ship. Without the small steps, large successes simply are not possible. With IEW’s Structure and Style Writing Method, success comes by simply implementing the program, step-by-step and bit-by-bit.
So, be encouraged! Big success is possible. Start with knowing where you want to go; then ask good questions to help you chart a course to get there. When you can see your road, be faithful to do the little things that move you forward, and watch the big vision begin to take shape.
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Nathan King, the customer marketing manager for IEW, grew up as the son of a pastor in Wichita, Kansas. Following his graduation from Manhattan Christian College and Kansas State University with a degree in secondary education in history, he worked for thirteen years as a youth pastor in his hometown. Since he began working for IEW, Nathan has enjoyed both the marketing and customer service sides of his position. Nathan and his wife of thirteen years, Melissa, homeschool their four children, but it is his amazing wife that does the lion’s share of this vital mission! |
