One of my favorite stories about time starts with two lumberjacks sharing a beer and arguing over who is the best at his craft. They decide that the next day the two would have a contest to see who can cut the most wood in 60 minutes. As the contest begins the next morning the lumberjacks feverishly saw through their designated log for the first ten minutes. The first lumberjack then peeks over his shoulder and cracks a smile as the second lumberjack sits down to take a break. Seeing the opportunity to get ahead, he immediately doubles his efforts. Soon the second lumberjack is back at it and the two continue for the next ten minutes until the second lumberjack, once again takes a break. Astonished that the second lumberjack would be taking a second break the first lumberjack confidently trudged along with his task. However, the second lumberjack continued this pattern until the end of the 60 minute contest. As time expired, the first lumberjack looked at the stack of wood he had sawed over the period. Exhausted, but with much satisfaction, he turned to the second lumberjack’s pile to see how much smaller the stack would be as compared to his own. To his surprise, the second lumberjack’s pile was not smaller, but actually a third higher than his own. Unable to contain his frustration the first lumberjack demanded to know how he had lost as he had not taken a break and worked as hard as physically possible over the time period. Although equally tired, the second lumberjack managed a smile and stated that he had not taken a break, but instead had simply taken the time throughout the contest to stop and sharpen his saw.
We are all given the same amount of time in life and therefore by default in our jobs/professions/callings. How we spend our time is a indication of what we value. This “sharpen the saw” story is a variation of Steven Covey’s seventh habit “Sharpen the Saw” from his best seller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Although Covey was focusing on “balance” the point of how we spend our fixed amount of time is emphasized in the story. I continue to say that in education “time is currency.” Just like our checkbooks demonstrate what we value by how we spend our money, our lesson plans demonstrate what we value by how we spend our time. How much of your lesson is focused on teacher centered time vs. time focused on learning opportunities for young people in our classroom? Is there more time set aside for curriculum delivery to students or opportunities for young people to prepare for life? Neither of these questions are meant to be accusatory. They are instead meant to promote reflection. Much of what we do in education is because we are short on time and looking for a more efficient way to teach and for students to learn. However, “the quest for efficiency may actually shortchange learning” (Ritchhart, 2015, p. 105) for the young people in our schools. We are well intentioned in wanting to “avoid confusion” or “waste time” in our classrooms, but this is another example of the importance of considering all the “side-effects” of our actions (see also Close No Doors Requires Considering Side-Effects) I would encourage all of us to audit how we spend our time and ask, if in the name of efficiency, are we creating unintended side-effects for our young people?
The “sharpen the saw” story can also apply to our own professional growth as well. So often we say, “I need to be in my classroom” or “I need to be with my kids” and though well intended, we don’t take the time to stop and “sharpen” our own skills that can help us to be more effective when working with the young people in our schools. Ritchhart refers to “The Big Rocks Video” to emphasis the importance of prioritizing our time. Although I prefer the “Life and a Can of Beer Version,” the point is still the same that we need to start with what is important first and many times it should be considering our own professional growth for the benefit of the young people we serve. It is a “put on your own oxygen mask first” message that flight attendants give before every flight. We shouldn’t apologize for taking time away from the classroom if the time is well spent for our own growth (i.e. sharpening the saw).
References
Ritchhart, Ron (2015). Creating Cultures of Thinking. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass Publishing
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