Historically

“You can never plan the future by the past.” – Edmund Burke

Something that annoys me in education is how people will make plans based on what has historically worked. While the past can give some insight on what we should do next, sometimes the past can be deceptive. The past can set us up for failure if we allow it to. Sometimes the past has a way of holding us back. We focus more on our past failures. We ignore our past successes. We allow those past failures to hold us back from thinking that we can be successful. On the flip side, we think that something that worked in the past always works so we stick with that. The past should inform our plans, not prepare them. Your actions may resemble what you did before. Ensure they are current and relevant for today.

The first stop of our Alaskan cruise last year was to Juneau. We couldn’t drive to Juneau. There is no road to Juneau. Juneau, Alaska is the only state capital in the United States that doesn’t have any roads leading to it. Once you get to the city limits, the road ends there. When I talk about the road to Juneau, I am metaphorically speaking. The only way to reach Juneau is by boat or plane. We took the boat route. Last July, my family and I took a cruise to Alaska. Juneau was our first stop. When I woke up that morning, I witnessed these incredible views from the balcony in our room. By the time we came back home, I had captured over 2,000 photos with my camera. With views like this, it is easy to see why.