10,000 Hours

Throughout my career in education, I have pushed the concept of incremental change. I believe in the power of small changes. I utilize it in my life. I teach it to my children. The true power of change is found in incremental change.  Look at erosion, plate tectonics, investment, and in my case, keeping the garage clean. Small changes over time will make a big difference. The evidence is all around us. This idea was much more pronounced in the book I recently read called ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell. He presented several stories of success and boiled them down to the “10,000-hour rule”. His thesis is that mastery in any field requires about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice and that resonated with me. I know that meaningful growth is a product of consistent, focused effort over time. It doesn’t happen by chance and it cannot happen overnight. In education, that is why incremental change is so important. Success is the result of small, daily improvements that compound over time. Each lesson plan, classroom interaction, and professional development session contributes to the growth of teaching skills. Even the most seasoned teachers can refine their craft by embracing incremental change. Consider dedicating just 30 minutes each day to honing a specific skill. Whether it’s integrating technology, improving classroom management, or designing engaging lessons, it will add up to over 180 hours in a year. Over the course of a teaching career, these small investments yield significant dividends. The key is consistency. As I stated above, I not only utilize this approach professionally, I employ it in my private life. If our paths would have crossed two years ago, you would have seen me 80 pounds heavier. For health reasons, I decided to make a change. I had read an article in Runner’s World on ‘Streaking’ and it inspired me. So, on January 1st of 2023, I began streaking. No, not running around without clothes, (we will leave that action to the decade of the 70’s where it was born), but doing something with consistency and holding a streak. My streak was simple: run, walk, or jog a minimum of 2 miles a day. Today I am happy to say that I am at day 685 of my streak. Not only have I lost 80 pounds, but my blood pressure is lower and my resting heart rate is lower. These outcomes are a result of consistent, incremental change. As educators, our role is to guide students in breaking down large goals into manageable steps. For example, a student struggling with reading can benefit from 15 minutes of focused reading practice each day. Over time, this small effort leads to substantial progress. Similarly, in subjects like math, consistent practice with foundational concepts builds the skills necessary for tackling advanced problems later. In sport, it is about learning the fundamentals so well that the performance of fundamentally sound movement becomes second nature. As a guitar player, I no longer have to think about where to put my fingers, I just do it. When I think about it, I get slower. Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule aligns with the powerful truth that hard work over time can lead to significant success. This idea is often illustrated with the concept of compound interest. Just as small investments grow exponentially in a financial account, incremental improvements in education compound to create profound transformation. The progress may seem slow at first, but over months and years, the results are undeniable. By focusing on incremental change, we remind ourselves and our students that every small effort matters. Together, we can build a foundation for long-term success, one hour, one day, and one step at a time. Make tomorrow better than today and begin your own streak.

Until next time...