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I’m a bit of a caveman when it comes to my teaching practice.
I admit this freely. I like it in my cave. It’s set up just how I like it, and there’s no danger of an untimely breeze knocking over my candles or taking my hat, and no-one can sneak in the back door. Besides, outside the door, things move, they speed, they collide, they fall. They blur. The cave is comfortable and it’s safe. There’s a little voice, though, in the cave, that never gives me any peace. It reminds me that the cave is not comfortable because it conforms perfectly to my life; it is comfortable because I have built my life to fit perfectly in the cave. That voice has grown louder lately, and it’s brought me to Cohort 21.
I took the first step out of the cave today, I think, and it’s really exciting. Don’t get me wrong: it’s not the easiest thing for a fellow like me. It’s a little scary and uncomfortable, and although it’s in the company of the most wonderful, enthusiastic, and inspiring group of educators, I admit that being dragged out of my safe place is not always pleasant. Still, the air is fresh. And in the bright sunlight, I can only make out the barest outlines of what I’m seeing, but I’m pretty excited to see what’s out there, and to see what I’ll be like once I’ve adjusted.
Looking forward.
Welcome aboard Tony. You have come to the right place. Looking forward to “looking forward” with you.
Hi Tony,
Great analogy! I know what you mean about the comfort of the cave, and it’s so awesome that you’re wanting to peek outside. I think I saw a bit of that in the Twitter session when you said that you’re willing to make up with Twitter 🙂
If you haven’t already, check out Heather’s (@hadams) post about vulnerability. It highlights the need to get outside our comfort zone in order to learn.
http://cohort21.com/heatheradams/2015/10/17/starting-small/#comment-3
Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures in the wild world outside the cave!
Les
From a fellow Luddite: Welcome. It’s worth it.
Hi Tony! You’ve taken the first step in undertaking a meaningful journey to explore beyond your ‘cave’ and Cohort 21 is just the group to do it with! As you figure out more about what you are eager to explore this year, you’ll find connections with educators across CIS schools who have similar ideas and some who may have even tried a version of your idea! Reach out and explore with these people as they will help you ‘renovate and redesign’ your learning cave with new ideas and even some technology. Every cave man loves a little technology, right? Thanks for your blog post!
Love it! Hilarious first post! I am looking forward to working with you in whatever direction you choose to move forward in!