Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires

There is a famous line in the movie Independence Day where Captain Jimmy Wilder (Harry Connick Jr.) states, "Let's kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!" It's a funny little saying that fighter pilots came up with to reference preflighting an aircraft and then starting the engines to take off. The layman definition doesn't really inspire much, so it was important to jazz it up a little and make it sound cool. The effect works and now this phrase can be utilized in a number of different settings, including schools. With the last week of school upon us, it is definitely time to kick the tires and light the fires before summer break hits.

One might say that this statement is more appropriate for the beginning of the school year, but those that have been around schools and kids know that it really doesn't take much to motivation to get started at the beginning of the school year. The end of the school year, however, is a time when everyone is a little sluggish, exhausted, and dreaming about the less rigorous summer months and all of the activities they are looking forward to. The focus is less about school and more about just being done. In these moments, it is imperative to kick the tires and light the fires.

The last week of school is really a time to gauge how your students did this year. Whether it is through summative assessments (final exams), grading data, feedback surveys, or just deep reflection, you have an opportunity to see if you made a difference this year with your kids. Did you actually help them grow (kicking the tires) and inspire them to reach goals they didn't think they could achieve (lighting the fire)? This is the time of the year where you really get to determine the impact you had. If you don't come up with any answers or examples, I would argue that there was a failure to launch altogether. Fortunately, this rarely happens and most educators can provide multiple examples of successes they have had this school year and how they have kicked the tires and lit the fires of the students they teach.

So as we embark on the last week of school, the challenge ahead of us is to celebrate what we accomplished this year and how we were able to move the needle with our students. No matter how big or small the gains were, we need to be proud of the work that we have done and applaud other teachers for taking on the task of being in a profession that is insanely hard and constantly under scrutiny from a number of people who will never understand the work that is truly involved. Instead, I am going to use that energy in a more productive way and say "Let's kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!"

#OwnYourEpic #Embrace

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