Problems As a Good Thing

“Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Schuller

Often when we see there is a problem, we panic. Sometimes we give up, and take the problem as a sign that we should give up. Instead of seeing problems as an issue, we have to see them as an opportunity. If we have given ourselves a goal that is good, then we should take the problem as a guardrail to keep us on track. Let me share with you a couple of personal examples of this.

I want to share a little background about myself. I am a 5th grade math and science teacher. I have been in elementary education for over 11 years. Last school year, I had a very difficult group of students to work with. The pandemic and school closers did this group of kids no favors. They were missing several key skills in math. They didn’t have a lot of instruction in science because often that time was used to support them in literacy and math. They were struggling with their social skills because they were stuck at home for a long period of time due to school being closed and Covid. When they took their practice test for math and science it didn’t look like they were not going to do that well at the end of the year. I could have just said to myself “it is what it is” and moved on. Instead, I used those last few weeks of school to support them in any way I could think of. In the end, it paid off. I saw more student growth in math and science last school year than I had in the last 11 years.

I love taking photos, but nothing ruins outdoor photography more than poor lighting. I used to just not even try when the weather wasn’t cooperating. Now I take it as an opportunity to do something different. Sometimes I take more videos using my GoPro or I do some long exposure photography. I take every day that I can get out as an opportunity.

I took these photos the other day while riding my bike around Uptown Charlotte. The air quality was poor due to the wildfires, so I didn’t get to go as far as I wanted to. I rode my bike around the green and took some photos of everything blooming that day.