Playing for "Tomorrow"

As you may know, I am a life-long San Francisco 49ers fan.  That was AWESOME when I was a kid.  My Niners were good almost every year, and won 3 Super Bowls that I can remember watching over and over again on VHS (students, you may have to ask your parents what VHS was).  Anyway, it hasn't been that way lately.  For the last few years, Mrs. Lisa Yearling and I have commiserated our fanhood on a weekly basis throughout the fall.  As loss after loss piles up, we've often just had to shrug our shoulders and eventually just say "there's always next year".  This year, that's been as evident as ever.  The coaches, management, and even some of the players are quick to point out that the 49ers are now building for the future.  They're certainly trying to win each game, but they're also playing a lot of inexperienced players in the process.  That doesn't always lead to wins in the short term.  What it does add up to, is more experienced players for future games.  More experience often leads to more success. 
Ok, so by now you're probably wondering what that has to do with Vantage Career Center?  Well, this time of year, when I ask kids how they're doing each morning, I tend to get a few more responses in the "I've been better" or "It's been a tough day/week" realm.  When I hear these responses, I like to say "there's always tomorrow".  For our students, that can certainly mean that the day after today will be better; but it can also mean that there's a bigger picture for every single student at Vantage.  "Tomorrow" also represents the future opportunities and experiences they are preparing for in their labs and academic classrooms.  Right now, many are facing challenges they've never been confronted with before.  Those challenges can bring frustrations, but each one also brings experience and a chance to gain new insight.  Even if what we learn is simply how to ask for help from the correct people, that's an invaluable skill I hope all Vantage students graduate with. 
Every time a student in Precision Machining writes a program that causes a "glitch" in the simulator, they get a step closer to writing the one that won't cause a glitch, and get them the part they're aspiring for.  Or (if you're like me), every struggle with a new concept in Algebra 1 (or 2, take your pick) is a chance to ask for help, see which step we're missing, and try something different to get it right.  I also realize that some of our students are facing real problems outside of school, as well.  These struggles are no different.  When we make a tough/possibly wrong decision (which we all will at some point), or something bad happens in our lives; there is ALWAYS something we can learn from it. 
As a quick example, one student recently came in and said he was "already having a terrible day".   Weather-wise, it was almost perfect outside, and being so early in the morning I had to ask what could possibly be going so badly already.  He told me had had gotten a speeding ticket on the way to school because he hadn't realized the change in speed limit in an area he wasn't totally familiar with.  While I tried to let him know that didn't have to ruin his entire day, it seemed like he had a tough time letting it go.  However, I've talked with this same student multiple mornings in the months since that speeding ticket.  Each time, when asked how his day is going, he's always had much more positive answers.  He says he still drives the same route to school each day, but he's learned his lesson and now pays closer attention to avoid that type of frustration in the future.  The result?  More good days!  Sounds simple, but it's a great example of learning.
My point is, like my beloved 49ers, we will all have our good days and our bad days.  No matter how hard we try, frustrations will creep into our lives from time-to-time.  We may not always "Win" in that moment.  However, as long as we work hard to replicate the good days, and make improvements to try and avoid the bad ones; we can learn a lot from both.
Hope to see you back in a few weeks for Christmas.  In the meantime, don't forget to enjoy the plethora of Christmas movies that have already started playing on many TV stations.  Have an awesome day and a great rest of the week!