Despite the fact that my blog post began in the last few moments of our first F2F meeting it’s taken me a week and a half (make that a month and a half) to work my way back to my site.
I’m an enthusiastic learner, not afraid to take risks or to slide outside of my comfort zone. I believe wholeheartedly in the value of sharing one’s journey in order to more thoughtfully reflect and more collaboratively progress. And yet…I am not particularly fond of the spotlight. To me the spotlight is intimidating and claustrophobic. I am blinded by it rather than buoyed. I’m the kind of gal who would rather a pot luck picnic than a wedding day. The kind of teacher who loves shifting the balance of power from teacher to student.
As I mull these feelings over, I’m coming to the realization that being in the spotlight does not need to be about attention grabbing or ego. I’ve been watching the pro’s… the @lesmcbeth who shares her Ss successes and and who sets out the online version of the welcome mat so naturally. The @MrsGanley who’s #doorswideopen is spreading the potential that opening the door can have in building a collaborative community. The @DerekDoucet1 who reminds me how valuable discomfort can be (“Sitting beside @alainarobcon at #cohort21 chat “that looks terrifying” – it’s important to be comfortable being uncomfortable #gafesummitTO) and the @jmedved and @Think_teach who herald others in the spotlight in order to share it and spread it.
Our first F2F was exciting and inspiring. I was reminded how easily it is to share enthusiasm, knowledge and community when in a room full of people who love the same things.
Though I’m not quite there ….YET….I’m on my way to shifting my view of blogging from one that leaves me slightly self conscious about my on-line presence,to the view that really we are all simply searching, sharing and highlighting our enthusiasm and all of the amazing work of those who surround us.
Though I’m not quite there ….YET….I’m on my way to shifting my view of blogging from one that leaves me slightly self conscious about my on-line presence,to the view that really we are all simply searching, sharing and highlighting our enthusiasm and all of the amazing work of those who surround us.
As I look up directions and get my travel mug ready for the second Face2Face I feel ready to learn, ready to take risks and ready to chare….fugure I might as well tap that publish button to prove it
What a lovely and generous post Andrea. I also feel self-conscious about my presence on-line and the uncomfortable sensation of risk that comes with the idea that my writing might actually be read by someone. Now I guess we both have confirmation that our posts have been read and appreciated. : ) This blog space is tremendous tool for building community and it will be interesting to see how it effects our teaching and learning.
Robin, You are right. Being comfortable with discomfort and risk taking, are things I consider myself to be good at…but then came the public blog forum. It is such a great reminder to be able to sit with these feelings and remember that, when we are doing a good job in our classes, this is what we are asking our students to do all the time.
Thank you for reading my post and for helping me to sense community building in action!
Hey Andrea,
Great post, and here’s hoping that now, after our 2nd F2F, you can take the next step forward. Also, I like to look at what we’re doing here not as “spotlighting”, but rather a new form of ‘skill sharing’. What I mean by that is this: no longer is is about what someone knows, or can do; rather, it is about how others can learn from and empower others.
Can’t wait to read your next post!
garth.
Garth,
The way you and Justin phrase challenges and name goals is amazing.
You are right…The spotlight is intimidating and can breed self consciousness but adding to the educational commons builds us up, and betters our practice.
Skill sharing, collaboration, curation, empowerment. I love it all. It is the outlook that is important and you and Justin have done such a wonderful job of developing these sentiments in us all.
Thanks for your insights.
Hi Andrea,
Excellent post! I loved that statement you mentioned from @DerekDoucet1 about how it is important to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Often times as educators we are expected to know everything and failure is automatically seen as a negative. Take for instance the ISTE Standards for Teachers (http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-teachers); after reading this document, I don’t feel anywhere close to being “standard.” I find that the design thinking mindset really helps me get through each day; both prototyping and failing are all part of the learning process. With the speed of technological and educational advancements, teachers should always feel uncomfortable and to be quite frank, if they don’t, then they are not learning.
Thanks Gord for these reflections.
I love these ISTE standards for teachers. They are aspirational but also incredibly necessary.
I’m working on transitioning to an authentically student centered classroom whenever possible and these standards describe what I’ve been intuitively striving for.
I have become really comfortable with discomfort in my classroom and with my practice. I’m enjoying the process of expanding my discomfort/comfort zone to my professional community with every cohort 21 meet up.
Hey Andrea,
You know those students in our classes that so rarely share their voices? The ones that are willing to privately divulge their thoughts and feelings and connections in a safe space, but when the stakes are raised a little bit, they shrink into the shadows and allow other people to carry the conversation?
I have these students every year and I’m always grappling with how to engage them fully in what is happening in the class…and also how to push them lovingly out of their comfort zone.
So many parallels exist for us between what we do with Cohort 21 as teachers and our students’ own experiences: taking risks, pushing ourselves, finding our support networks, and exploring new possibilities. Every time you are freaked out about putting up another blog post, think about a student of yours who is having an equivalent struggle. What would you say to your student reticent to put their hand up and share their thoughts with their class?
Another source of inspiration on this journey might be this article (http://ww2.kqed.org/education/2014/07/03/what-is-the-value-of-social-media-on-your-professional-learning/) I found on Mindshift. I loved this quote:
“…before we jump into learning these new tools, we need to be selfish about taking the time to discover the transformative potential of these tools in our own lives. To this end, we think it is critical for us to take time to think about the ways social media tools can impact our own professional learning before we start thinking about the ways these same social media tools change our learning environments.”
Something to think about while you are exploring this blogging tool: be selfish and explore explore explore this year so you can fully understand the fears, hesitations, and excitement that your students might experience themselves eventually.
Celeste,
What a wonderful, rich and thoughtful comment. I love this sentiment… “be selfish and explore explore explore this year so you can fully understand the fears, hesitations, and excitement that your students might experience themselves eventually.”. I have often pulled those very student you refer to aside, the shy, reticent, protective students. I share with then that I too, know what it feels like to feel shy, reticent and protective of my thoughts or ideas until they are developed. That said, I have also learned that I love to take risks. I have learned how to manage my introverted ways because so often school needs me to shed my shield and jump in head first.
You are right. Teaching gives me both the opportunity and the space to do all of those things I hope to provide my students. Cohort 21 does all of this with a mirror and a searchlight on hand.
Thank you for your thoughts and your gentle urging in just the right direction.
I’m just about to post my next post and it already feels easier.