In‌ ‌November,‌ ‌my‌ ‌seventh-grade‌ ‌students‌ ‌will‌ ‌write ‌a‌ ‌realistic‌ ‌fiction‌ ‌short‌ ‌story.‌ ‌In‌ ‌doing‌ ‌so,‌ I‌ ‌get‌ ‌the‌ ‌honor‌ ‌of‌ ‌teaching‌ ‌them‌ ‌some‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌things‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌been‌ ‌learning‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌past‌ ‌several‌ ‌years‌ ‌about‌ ‌writing.‌ ‌We‌ ‌have‌ ‌a ‌curriculum‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌teach,‌ ‌primarily‌ ‌pre-determined.‌ Still,‌ ‌I‌ ‌combine‌ ‌some‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌knowledge‌ ‌I’ve‌ ‌been‌ ‌devouring‌ ‌in‌ ‌books,‌ magazines,‌ ‌seminars,‌ ‌webinars,‌ ‌conferences,‌ ‌writing‌ ‌groups,‌ ‌and‌ ‌podcasts.‌ ‌With‌ ‌so‌ ‌much‌ ‌learning,‌ ‌I‌ ‌feel‌ ‌as‌ ‌if‌ ‌I’ve‌ ‌taken‌ ‌several‌ ‌college‌ ‌courses‌ ‌on‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌write,‌ ‌edit,‌ ‌revise,‌ ‌publish,‌ ‌and‌ ‌market‌ ‌stories.‌ ‌Obviously,‌ ‌I‌ ‌can’t‌ ‌teach‌ ‌everything‌ ‌I’ve‌ ‌been‌ ‌learning;‌ ‌there’s‌ ‌just‌ ‌not‌ ‌enough‌ ‌time‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌six-week‌ ‌unit.‌ ‌However,‌ ‌I‌ ‌can‌ ‌take‌ ‌bits‌ ‌and‌ ‌pieces‌ ‌and‌ ‌dissolve‌ ‌them‌ ‌into‌ ‌our‌ ‌already‌ ‌set‌ ‌curriculum.‌ 
 
That’s‌ ‌how‌ ‌life‌ ‌is‌ ‌in‌ ‌many‌ ‌aspects.‌ ‌We‌ ‌can‌ ‌take‌ ‌a‌ ‌little‌ ‌of‌ ‌this‌ ‌and‌ ‌that‌ ‌and‌ ‌add‌ ‌it‌ ‌to‌ ‌whatever‌ ‌we‌ already‌ ‌know.‌ ‌This‌ ‌can‌ ‌present‌ ‌a‌ ‌diverse‌ ‌amount‌ ‌of‌ ‌knowledge‌ ‌to‌ ‌whatever‌ ‌endeavor‌ ‌we‌ attempt.‌ ‌It‌ ‌adds‌ ‌to‌ ‌our‌ ‌understanding‌ ‌and‌ ‌our‌ ‌opportunity‌ ‌to‌ ‌grow.‌ ‌Unfortunately,‌ ‌sometimes‌ ‌we‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌always‌ ‌accept‌ ‌the‌ ‌thoughts‌ ‌of‌ ‌others.‌ ‌It‌ ‌can‌ ‌sometimes‌ ‌be‌ ‌challenging‌ ‌to‌ ‌realize‌ ‌that‌ ‌someone‌ ‌else‌ ‌has‌ ‌the‌ ‌answers‌ ‌that‌ ‌could‌ ‌help‌ ‌us.‌ ‌If‌ ‌we‌ ‌let‌ ‌that‌ ‌pride‌ ‌rule‌ ‌our‌ ‌thoughts,‌ ‌we‌ ‌could‌ ‌very‌ ‌well‌ ‌be‌ ‌missing‌ ‌out‌ ‌on‌ ‌filling‌ ‌some‌ ‌holes‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌lives.‌ 
 
Collaboration‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌vital‌ ‌key‌ ‌to‌ ‌many‌ ‌successes,‌ ‌and‌ ‌willing‌ ‌hearts‌ ‌that‌ ‌collaborate‌ ‌should‌ ‌feel‌ good‌ ‌about‌ ‌themselves‌ ‌that‌ ‌they‌ ‌could‌ ‌accomplish‌ ‌something,‌ ‌even‌ ‌if‌ ‌they‌ ‌didn’t‌ ‌complete‌ ‌it‌ ‌on‌ their‌ ‌own.‌ ‌The‌ ‌sense‌ ‌of‌ ‌pride‌ ‌one‌ ‌feels‌ ‌when‌ ‌completing‌ ‌something‌ ‌on‌ ‌their‌ ‌own‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌transferred‌ ‌when‌ ‌working‌ ‌with‌ ‌others.‌ ‌It‌ ‌takes‌ ‌humbleness,‌ ‌ingenuity,‌ ‌flexibility,‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌host‌ ‌of‌ ‌other‌ ‌characteristics‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ ‌successfully‌ ‌with‌ ‌others.‌ ‌While‌ ‌working‌ ‌on‌ ‌your‌ ‌own‌ ‌takes‌ ‌much‌ work,‌ ‌pretty‌ ‌much‌ ‌every‌ ‌attribute‌ ‌you‌ ‌possess‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ ‌individually‌ ‌is‌ ‌just‌ ‌as‌ ‌essential‌ ‌when‌ working‌ ‌with‌ ‌others,‌ ‌plus‌ ‌those‌ ‌attributes‌ ‌we‌ ‌need‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ collaboratively.‌ ‌So,‌ ‌working‌ ‌well‌ ‌with‌ ‌others‌ ‌demonstrates‌ ‌hard‌ ‌work‌ ‌that‌ ‌should‌ ‌not‌ ‌be‌ ‌taken‌ ‌lightly‌ ‌or‌ ‌looked‌ ‌down‌ ‌upon‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌need‌ ‌someone‌ ‌else‌ ‌to‌ ‌get‌ ‌the‌ ‌job‌ ‌done.‌ 
 
It‌ ‌shows‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌have‌ ‌what‌ ‌it‌ ‌takes‌ ‌to‌ ‌do‌ ‌a‌ ‌hard‌ ‌job,‌ ‌often‌ ‌harder‌ ‌than‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌just‌ ‌did‌ ‌it‌ ‌yourself.‌ Just‌ ‌getting‌ ‌the‌ ‌job‌ ‌on‌ ‌your‌ ‌own‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌easier‌ ‌than‌ ‌working‌ ‌with‌ ‌others,‌ ‌who‌ ‌may‌ ‌have‌ ‌different‌ ‌mindsets‌ ‌than‌ ‌you‌ ‌do.‌ ‌Being‌ ‌an‌ ‌introvert‌ ‌and‌ ‌one‌ ‌who‌ ‌likes‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌to‌ ‌myself,‌ ‌I‌ ‌always‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ ‌on‌ ‌my‌ ‌own,‌ ‌but‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌realized‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌can’t‌ ‌do‌ ‌it‌ ‌all‌ ‌by‌ ‌myself‌ ‌and‌ ‌must‌ ‌accept‌ ‌and‌ ‌sometimes‌ ‌seek‌ ‌help‌ ‌from‌ ‌others.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌it‌ ‌takes‌ ‌one‌ ‌person,‌ ‌two‌ ‌people,‌ ‌or‌ ‌dozens‌ ‌of‌ people‌ ‌to‌ ‌accomplish‌ ‌something,‌ ‌all involved feel a sense of satisfaction with a sense of positive pride once they complete the job.
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