The Berries We Never Pick

From the Field

I went blackberry picking a few weeks ago.  

They handed me a bucket, pointed to a row, and off I went. At first I picked every ripe berry right in front of me. It was easy, and my bucket filled quickly.

But after a few minutes, I started noticing something. The biggest berries weren't the ones in plain sight. They were tucked behind leaves. Hidden just enough that you had to step back, change your angle, or gently move a branch before you saw them.

Once I started looking differently, everything changed. I wasn't finding more berries. I was finding better ones.

Then I looked down.

Some of the largest berries had become so heavy they had fallen off the vine to the ground. They were still perfectly good. They had simply gone unnoticed.

I found myself picking those too. Not because they were easy to find, but because they still had something to offer.

As I stood there filling my bucket, I realized I wasn't thinking about blackberries anymore.

 I was thinking about schools. 

The longer I work in education, the more I wonder how often I settle for what’s right in front of me simply because it’s easier.

Then a giant buzzing insect decided my afternoon was over. Between the heat and whatever was flying around my head, I immediately went back to picking the berries that were easiest to reach. 

That got me thinking.

How often do we do the same thing in education?  

Does pressure narrow our vision until we stop looking beyond what's obvious?

I also couldn't stop thinking about the berries on the ground. They didn't fall because they lacked value. They fell because no one noticed them before they became too ripe.

 What happens to students when their potential waits too long to be recognized?