One Thing

“The one thing that matters is the effort.  It continues, whereas the end to be attained is but an illusion of the climber, as he fares on and on from crest to crest; and once the goal is reached it has no meaning.”

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

High school curriculum, as dictated by the various programs of study – the government documents that define what must be taught and learned – is not as intimidating as I originally thought it would be.  With planning and imagination, it appears possible to achieve all of the requirements of the curriculum and still provide students with enough time for the process of true learning to take place, learning that will continue to serve the student long after they have graduated and are well into their adult lives.

 

Despite this, however, there seems to be a persistent idea among teachers that the Alberta Education vision statement is an unattainable ideal.  At seven pages, it is a lengthy document as far as vision statements go.  It talks of meeting students’ needs for physical, social, cultural, and psychological security; of engaging parents as well as students in purposeful and meaningful approaches to studies; of contributing to the quality of the school and the community; of preparing students to be productive members of society through careful attention to each individual student.  All this, of course, while teaching the substantial content necessary for students to pass their Grade 12 Diploma Exams. 

 

It is such a grand vision that many view it to be something that looks good on paper but is impossible in practice, a goal that cannot be achieved.  This idea could very well be true.  Meeting the lofty ideals of this vision might be impossible – and that, in my opinion, is a very good thing.  I believe that the best kind of goal is an unattainable one, precisely because it is impossible to attain what is being sought.

 

The problem with goals is that, once they are achieved, people tend to get complacent about them; what was sought has been attained and can now be comfortably forgotten. To have an unattainable goal changes this completely.  It eliminates those who do not have the fortitude to strive for the impossible, leaving only those with a passion for the work in and of itself.  It lessens division and promotes unity, as each individual realizes that there is no longer any need to compete with others on the same path; the self can be forgotten for the sake of harmony among peers.  It abolishes any limitations on expression, since there is no guaranteed way of reaching the goal and thus no guaranteed methods to achieve it, leaving each person free to walk the path in their own way.

 

Perhaps the best part is that any effort that a person puts into striving for the impossible goal is no longer the means to an end.  The end doesn’t really exist.  So the means – the effort itself – becomes everything.  And when the effort is everything, I can pour all of myself into it, purely for the sake of doing a good job.  With an unattainable goal, there is no sense of frustration if it doesn’t work and no sense of personal achievement or entitlement if it does.  There is only the effort itself – and in the end, that’s the one thing that really matters.