Face 2 Face Sessions

Ripping off the bandaid

Written by Kristen Richardson

A tidbit of honesty to start: the step to posting anything on this blog was far more daunting than I anticipated.

There’s something to be said for actually stepping out in front of colleagues and sayi

 

ng something about my craft, or students, or school, or struggles, or successes. I realized it isn’t something I’ve done often, if at all. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to say, if it would define me as a teacher, if it was big enough to share… Plus, as an English teacher, I think I created a bit of pressure to make it good.

It’s also been enlightening; this baring of the soul, or rather the seemingly baring of the soul, is something I’ve asked of students quite often. While I wouldn’t say I had forgotten what it felt like to be a student, it was remarkably grounding to be uncomfortable and to remind myself what that feeling is like, especially when I can’t quite rationalize my way out of feeling that way.

It’s a little like ripping off a bandaid: As much as I dread actually doing it, and for fear of not all that much, there’s a delicious sense of freedom in that first bit of fresh air that soothes the burn.

So, while I’m still not entirely sure I have “enough to say”, and it certainly isn’t any literary masterpiece, this post is my bandaid, and I am looking forward to feeling that freedom of having ripped off the first.

Here’s to new experiences!

5 thoughts on “Ripping off the bandaid”

  1. I love your honest post about just doing it! I too worry and worry about posting something and then I post it and think “well that’s not very good”. Judging from the other posts I have read here at Cohort21 about the fear of being so public with our thinking, I think we are in good company! I’m looking forward to your next post already 🙂

  2. Hey @krichardson! Love the band aid metaphor/analogy? English teacher, help me out! I agree that we often ask our students to take risks or make mistakes, but how often do we step out of our own comfort zone??

    I think if we want to flex our compassionate thinking muscles and build our own growth mindset, we’ve come to the right place signing up for Cohort 21! Thanks for sharing.

  3. @krichardson,

    And rip off the bandaid you have! Congratulations on publishing your important and necessary voice. As a fellow English teacher I believe the “barring of the soul” is a very difficult thing to ask our students to do, even more difficult to model. Placing yourself in vulnerable writing conditions (such as a blog) would be highly beneficial to share with your students, to show them the difference when writing for an audience and publishing for real.

    I look forward to catching up with you on Saturday @UTS!

  4. Kristen,
    Your post resonated with me. Blogging certainly does not come naturally for most, myself included. There is so much value for us and our students when we learn alongside them. Tell your students your own learning story, I’m sure they’d love to hear it.

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