Ntrospection

I did a program yesterday that pretty much bombed.  It was an outreach at a local Boys & Girls Club.  I had prepared what I thought was a pretty nice plan for "campfire stories."  I brought in a lantern and marshmallows, arranged the chairs in a circle, dimmed the lights, and had a camping wordsearch and bookmarks as give-aways.  There were jokes for the kids to read, a game to play, and a couple of fun books about expecting the unexpected when camping in the wild.  The kids were everywhere but with me.  There were only 12 girls.  Only second and third graders who wanted to come inside for stories were in the room.  But they didn't listen.  They were restless.  They asked for treats.  They swapped their seats.  They interrupted.  They picked on each other. I was camping in the wild!  I got through it, knowing I had not succeeded in getting their attention much.  Only 1 second grade girl listened consistently and responded appropriately to me.  Was I having an off day?  Were they so used to hearing coaches yell at them, but not pay real attention to their antics, that my spoken words were meaningless?  Were they sugared up from their icecream snack just before my visit?  Was I out of energy and unable to effectively redirect their behavior?  Was my first impulse to vow never to return there again  for outreach programs?  Yes.  But mulling it over this morning, I reminded myself that I did reach at least one child.  And that I needed to dig deeper and find different ways to reach the others in the group next time.  Uncertainty is important.  It is the occasional jab to one's confidence that promotes professional growth.  I guess it's like pruning a plant back in the spring to promote future growth.  I definitely was pruned yesterday!