I cannot believe that this weekend, so many of us got our final first taste of a new Harry Potter movie. It was really hard for me to bring myself to go out and see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 because that meant it was over. I didn’t go out and see it on opening night. Instead, I had a Harry Potter movie marathon and saw the new movie on Sunday night. I’ve been wallowing in my Harry Potter ending for days now. It’s been part of my life for so long! I could write a million posts on lessons learned from Harry Potter and why it’s so awesome. But instead I’m going to elaborate on three of the most important and meaningful lessons I’ve learned from the series.

Perseverance

The aversion that many have to the Harry Potter series is it’s length. It spans over seven years, for crying out loud! And Harry perseveres through it all. For seven years, he was constantly hit over and over with situations that required so much from him. Through all of his trials, he never gave up. He always managed to hold on to his faith and understanding of what is right. Things didn’t always turn out perfectly. Things sure weren’t easy. But despite all of the challenges Harry faced, he held on to what he truly believed and persevered.

“We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” Dumbledore in the Goblet of Fire 

Dumbledore has so many powerful, thought provoking quotes throughout the books and movies. He’s the wise old owl and he knows what’s up. And I think this quote is probably my favorite from our favorite witty, powerful wizard. And he’s so right — we all have to decide if we are going to take the right path or the easy path. There’s always an easier way out of a situation. As educators, it’s so important that we put forth the time and effort to do what is right. That’s what we signed up for. To do what is right for our students, even if it isn’t the easy thing. Isn’t that what we try to teach our students to do? How can we expect them to do this if we don’t lead by example?

You can’t do it alone!

Would Harry have made it through a single one of the challenges he faced without the help of his friends? I’m thinking no! Harry surrounded himself with smart, brave, trustworthy friends. This didn’t happen by chance, it happened because Harry is a smart dude! We have to surround ourselves with good people that will support us and enrich our lives. Then we can accomplish great things together, just like Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

It’s so sad to know that there’s no new Harry Potter magic to look forward to. Thankfully, I have the books on my shelf and the movies in my DVD collection so I can visit with and feel empowered by my dear friends as often as I’d like.