Skip to main content

Here We Go . . .

08/April/18

I am sitting here at the Ontario Google Summit in Cambridge, Ontario, digesting all of the new technology apps/sites, etc. that I have learned so far this weekend. I am always amazed at how much I learn at the Google Summit, not because I think I know more than most, but because it seems like so much information is jammed into a short period of time. The facilitators are always phenomenal, and they really make you think about your teaching practices and the why behind the choices you make in your classroom.

I suppose that leads into blogging, and how I have arrived at where I am now. I have been toying with the idea of blogging for a little while now, but never really seem to get the courage to just do it. I tend to lean back on this idea of being shy - I still get nervous putting myself out there, especially in front of colleagues.


Well, this morning I listened to a fellow educator explain how we just need to jump, to take the plunge and try something new. If we never try, we will never learn, which means I'll never really push myself out of my comfort zone to a point where I am learning to do new things, and getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable. And it's only in pushing myself that I'll be able to (hopefully) lose the self-labelled shy characteristic that I've slapped on myself.


Perhaps self-imposed, that adjective seems to follow me everywhere. Those that know me know that I am actually really quiet at first - the thought of putting myself out there, especially on a very public format, scares me to my core. Even standing up at a staff meeting makes me want to hide under a table.


The issue: How can I expect my students to take risks if I am too scared or shy to do it myself?


And so, here I am, taking the plunge.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How Can I Catch Lightning In A Bottle?

Some days teaching feels amazing - the students are making the connections on their own, and you feel awesome  about the lesson or activity that you did that day. And then, there are days where you just aren't sure about anything - the students aren't engaged, you feel like you are pulling teeth to get an answer or discussion going, and it is just so forced. This week has been a mix of those extremes, and man is it exhausting! In my ESL C class, we started our book study unit. There are three different novels (each of a different level of difficulty). At first the students seemed excited to start reading a book all in English. As a class we read "The Paper Bag Princess" to learn the skills that they will then be using in their own novels - and they loved it! It was so easy for them - they created an awesome list of adjectives, they could find examples of direct and indirect characterization in the story, and they were so excited to take that knowledge and find tho...

The Reality Check

Every once in a while, we need to come down from our exciting, motivating high and realize that not everyone is ready for change, and that's okay! We all come from different lived experiences, with different motivations, and different goals, and it's impossible to make everyone happy all of the time. This is my latest lesson. I am beginning to realize that my excitement to learn new things and to challenge myself in areas that may not seem to connect traditionally to my particular courses are not always seen as useful or helpful by others. I get it. And while I want to advocate for teachers to have choice and control over their PD, I also need to accept that not everyone sees things in the same way. I always find that I have these conversations, and then I walk away, and five minutes later (or less) I wish  I had said something else! I wish I could be better at explaining things in the moment, so that these conversational regrets or what-ifs wouldn't happen. Life would ...