Delayed Gratification

In the middle of a long run the other day, I started reflecting on a conversation I’d recently had with a couple of teachers about delayed gratification in our profession. We were chatting during a brief down moment, and someone mentioned bumping into a former student and how it renewed her sense of professional purpose.

No doubt, this is one of the great joys of teaching. I recently had a similar moment.

I was at a craft fair and reconnected with a former student—now 30 years old. We had such a good time catching up and reminiscing. It was funny how we remembered such different things from her third-grade year. I remembered how I could put Megan in a group with any mix of other kids, and the whole group would work more effectively because she was in it. She recalled something I have no memory of. Apparently, one day on the playground, Megan was upset with some boys who were being unfair, and she called them “*itches.” I called home and when talking with her grandmother about the incident I apparently let her know that although the swear wasn’t okay, she might have been right about the boys’ behavior. Megan’s grandmother thought this was hysterical and it’s become a bit of a family story.

What struck me as interesting about the conversation with the teachers was what one of them said about running into former students years later: “That is what makes it all worthwhile.” We all agreed in the moment, but on my run, I found myself turning this over and over in my mind.

No doubt, seeing former students out in the world—especially when they’re doing well—brings a deep sense of satisfaction. It is one of the great joys of teaching. But talk about delayed gratification! We have to wait years before we can experience this kind of joy?!

It got me thinking about other ways gratification is delayed in teaching.

We invest time early in the year setting up routines, building relationships, slowly increasing students’ stamina for work. Months later, in the middle of the year, kids are flying and doing incredible work together.

The daily teaching of literacy, math, music, science, and other skills is often slow to bear fruit. Sure, sometimes we get the instant gratification of the lightbulb moment, where a student understands something in a flash. But more often, it’s a slow burn. Each day, we teach small skills and strategies to kids. All those short lessons and time for students to practice…. And then, at the end of the year, we look back and see how far students have come.

Individual relationship building, especially with our students who come from backgrounds of trauma, also takes time. Like the Little Prince slowly taming the fox, each day, we can sit a bit closer, make a slightly more personal connection, and eventually, it will bear fruit. This is one of the reasons I so loved looping with a class. It’s amazing how much deeper relationships and learning can be when you have two years instead of one.

Of course, it’s not all about delayed gratification. There are plenty of small moments to enjoy…the goofy comment we hear between friends, the smile we get from a student as they enter the classroom in the morning, the laugh and eye roll we get from our latest dad joke, the pleasure of watching a class fully engaged in a science demonstration or read-aloud.

But no doubt, much of what brings deep joy in teaching involves doing something now and enjoying the benefits later.

Isn’t this also the case in running?

If your goal is to run a half marathon, you’ve got to put in a lot of miles in the weeks before the race. And sometimes those miles feel like a slog. You may also be incorporating training elements such as speed sets or tempo runs to get faster. These often really hurt in the moment, but we do it because later on, they’ll help us drop times in a race. Or you may be running because it’s good for you in the long run. Running in your 50s will be good for you in your 80s. Again–talk about delayed gratification!

Leverage Instant Gratification Along the Way

Although delayed gratification might lead to great benefits down the road (pun intended), that’s not what gets me out the door when it’s cold and dark. I use all kinds of strategies that leverage instant gratification to make running more enjoyable along the way.

New playlists keep my running energy fresh. My current new favorites are a playlist of new wave music from the 80s and another of songs from musicals. (How can you not run a bit stronger when “Seasons of Love” from Rent or a rap battle cabinet meeting from Hamilton comes on?)
I have a special pair of “travel trainers.” When I travel for consulting work in schools, I love to find trails or roads to explore. I add the initials of the states those sneakers have run in along the soles of the shoes.
I also log my daily runs in a journal—adding mile splits, making comments on runs, and tallying my miles each week. The sense of accomplishment keeps me motivated.
Signing up for races gives me a more immediate sense of purpose, which keeps me on track.

The same is true in teaching. We’d better not only wait for the gratification that comes later to fuel our motivation. We’ve got to find lots of little ways to keep ourselves going along the way—helping us get out of the door when it’s cold and dark.

“Fun Fridays”, where students play math games to consolidate learning (and we can pull small groups for extra instruction) are beneficial for us, as well as students. Having a day when we know we’re not teaching a full lesson and when we know our students will be excited, makes getting to school at the end of the week a bit easier.
We might invite students (every now and then) into our classroom for lunch to enjoy their company and to build relationships.
We might rearrange our classroom furniture mid-year to feel rejuvenated.
Get a class pet. (Hermit crabs and hissing cockroaches are so easy!)
Do a hands-on learning project with students.
Invite students to share goofy jokes on a bulletin board. (Check them before they’re posted, and encourage kids to find jokes related to classroom content).
These are just a few ideas. Add one of your own to the comments section of this blog post!

In my experience as both a runner and an educator, both instant and delayed gratification are important. The deep pleasure and sense of accomplishment that comes from reconnecting with a former student and knowing you had a small (but significant) role in their development is amazing. The pride you feel from running a half-marathon or hearing from your general practitioner that your blood pressure and heart rate are extremely good for someone your age is satisfying. But we also need lots of small moments of joy along the way. That’s what helps us stay in the action long enough so we can reap those long term benefits down the road!

To read more reflections about what running can remind us about teaching and learning, click here. You can connect with me on Strava here.

Author

Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson has been an educator for many years. A public school teacher for 15 years, he has also taught preschool, coached swim teams, and taught university graduate level classes. He now works as a consultant providing professional learning for teachers throughout the US and beyond.

As a classroom teacher, Mike was awarded a national Milken Educator Award and was a finalist for NH Teacher of the Year. In 2020, he was awarded the Outstanding Educational Leader Award by NHASCD for his work as a consultant. A best-selling author, Mike has written ten books about great teaching and learning. His latest book is Rekindle Your Professional Fire: Powerful Habits for Becoming a More Well-Balanced Teacher.

When not working, Mike can be found hanging with his family, tending his perennial gardens, sorting baseball cards and searching for new running routes around his home in Durham, NH.

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