In 2015 Will Smith starred in a
film called Focus. In Focus, Will Smith plays a con man who recruits
a woman (played by Margot Robbie) to join in on his con lifestyle. Upon
teaching her the trade, he explains the importance of focus to her. Growing to learn the con game, she is able to grab the focus of others, just as
Will Smith’s character does throughout the film. And she’s able to
successfully obtain what she wants from different people she meets. One scene
in the film highlights an example of focus (see link below) and it made me
think about the importance of focus and paying attention in life. I wonder how
much further along many of us could be in life if we had more focus on what
really matters? Almost all of us are challenged with daily
distractions and demands that can easily deter our focus from tasks that
require our attention, and get us further and further away from different goals
and dreams we’d like to accomplish. But what if more people actively decided to
embrace discipline and eliminate as many distractions as possible from their own lives? I imagine that things would be significantly different in the best kinds
of ways. Where’s your focus these days? Scene from Focus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO3hD5PHQdQ
I’m a Black educator in my fifth year of teaching middle school English, and in my third as the 8th Grade English PLC (Professional Learning Community) Lead. And while I genuinely enjoy the purposeful work I get to do, seeing the growth of my scholars, and continuing to hone my skills in a content area I’ve loved since I was a little girl, I’ve had to confront some unpleasant experiences in this space. I’d been through much worse when I was an academic advisor at a Christian university. Racism, sexism, harassment, and workplace bullying were sadly norms in that environment. However, some of what I’ve experienced as a Black educator hasn’t been normal … It doesn’t seem normal to be the only Black educator in my department – in a predominantly Black school. One of my Black colleagues once said, “It should look like a Tyler Perry movie in here.” But it doesn’t. It didn’t feel normal being reprimanded in a meeting (during my second year of teaching) by an administrator who went in on...