Every teacher hates variations of the question “What’s the least we can do to pass?” I’m no exception. I inwardly (and sometimes outwardly) groan every time a student asks how they can get away with the least amount of work. Educationally, it goes against what I’m trying to teach them about becoming lifelong learners, and obviously I want them to excel in the content I’m presenting to them.
Looking for the minimum to pass goes against so much of who I am in my core which is why it’s all the more painful to declare that I’m looking to do the bare minimum for the next two weeks.
I’ve gained a lot of independence from others in the last year, but that has largely come with the aid of my wheelchair. I can do nearly anything around my house, and I do it happily (within reason). However, I’ve found myself with another flat tire, and I realized how I’ve only developed an illusion of independence. I can do things myself, but I take shortcuts when I use the wheelchair. I will hopefully have a fixed tire soon, but I’m going to do my best to not use the wheelchair for those shortcuts which may mean asking others for help in order to do things walking instead of wheeling.
In this case, doing the bare minimum is not to permanently get out of work, but it’s out of the realization that I need to develop better skills now through doing them slowly and well rather than taking shortcuts.
