It’s a Marathon Not Sprint
Fall always feels packed full.
There are places to be, lists to make, tasks to finish, transitions to navigate, forms to remember, lunches to pack, and approximately one million things that feel as though they need to happen right now.
And, honestly, a lot of that is true.
But I am constantly being reminded that this work is a marathon, not a sprint.
That is especially true when it comes to teaching, shaping learning environments, and building the school we want Willow to become. There is an understandable temptation to look around and focus on everything that isn't finished yet. I certainly do it. But when I stop and look backward for a moment, I am amazed by how much ground we have already covered.
Just this season, we have:
Installed a new leach field that will allow us to increase the school's capacity.
Repaired and updated our septic system.
Moved approximately 400 cubic yards of dirt to level and reshape the yard.
Built all of the framing and foundation needed for our new yurt.
And the yurt itself is being made right now in Colorado! It is scheduled to be completed on September 28, when it will be crated up and begin its journey to Maine.
Before it arrives, we have one more project to tackle: the bathroom in our Preschool Room.
We have learned that the current toilet setup simply isn't working the way we need it to. So, rather than work around something that doesn't serve our children well, we are fixing it. We will be doing the work necessary to create a bathroom that makes toilet learning comfortable, accessible, and developmentally appropriate.
And because there is already an extraordinary amount of dirt being dug up around here, now seems like a pretty good time to do it!
Then comes the yurt.
Once it arrives and goes up, we will move into finishing the space: flooring, pathways, ramps, bathroom, heating, plumbing, and all of the pieces necessary to turn a beautiful structure into a real classroom.
When that work is complete, we will invite the State Fire Marshal to inspect and approve the space for occupancy.
And that will conclude Phase One.
Then — we pause.
We enjoy it. We let children inhabit the spaces we have worked so hard to create. We learn what works. We notice what doesn't. We catch our breath.
And then, in the spring, we begin again.
Phase Two will include completing the exterior renovation of the school, improving our heating and cooling systems, and — FINALLY! — building the addition that will become the new entrance for our Preschool and Pre-K students.
And my guess is that by next August, instead of watching excavators move hundreds of yards of dirt, I will be standing outside with a hose, desperately trying to keep hundreds of new plants alive.
And then we will celebrate.
And then, because this is Willow, we will probably look around and ask, Okay…what's next?
But that is also the point.
Schools aren't really ever finished.
We build a space. Children teach us something about it. Teachers learn how to use it. We adjust. We grow. We make it better. The same thing happens in our classrooms. A beautiful learning environment isn't created during one frantic week in August. A classroom community isn't formed during the first few days of September. Children don't need to arrive at school already knowing exactly how to navigate every transition, friendship, material, or expectation.
Neither do adults.
We keep showing up. We observe. We respond. We make thoughtful changes. We give things time.
There is so much happening at Willow right now, and there is still so much ahead of us. I am incredibly excited about where we are going.
But I am also trying very hard not to rush past where we are.
Because we have already come a very long way.
And it's a marathon, not a sprint.
