a tale of two students

The title of this post is an allusion to a novel by Charles Dickens, which begins:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Dickens was writing about the period of time before and during the French Revolution (which coincides with the period of time during with the United States declared independence).  That first phrase-- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." -- has been used so often that it's become a cliché.

Sometimes the phrase comes up in my mind.  Like this morning.  Here we are, in the middle of the Masterpiece Academy.  It's so great to watch students present ideas that are important to them, ideas that make their lives better.  It's also great to watch students struggle to do their best.  Yes, struggle.  

Struggling is a good thing.  Making mistakes is a good thing.  It's how we learn and improve.

If you are having technical difficulties, if you are struggling to get your work done on time, if you gave your presentation and thought of something afterward that would have made it better... You may feel like that is the worst of times.  Maybe.  It's also the best of times.  Celebrate the opportunity to learn from your experience, and start doing better right now.  Your tribe and I are here if you need help.

Onward.