Learning something new can be exciting — it can also be intimidating. A story I am about to share with you today captures both of these realities.
Several of my blog posts have talked about taking risks — about taking that chance at a new idea or new way of doing something to be better.
It can be uncomfortable. Sometimes, it can be downright frightening.
I’ll start with an example of a fairly low-risk professional learning journey I took last year. I wanted to learn more about racism — what it looks like and how it weaves its way into our language, decisions and actions. I immersed myself in the topic, wrote a few blog entries about it and even shared my learning journey with my Board of Education and others in the school district.
I learned a lot, but I felt pretty safe while doing it. Admitting that I don’t know everything about a topic is usually easy for me, so learning more about racism, while important, wasn’t super risky.
But, there WAS something I worked on last year that was intimidating — something that actually had me doubting myself along my learning journey.
(More on Page 2)
The Power of Why 
Personal risk in making oneself vulnerable through admitting one needs help in learning is both necessary and scary. As teachers we need to keep in mind that very few of our students are going to admit to notunderstanding when we ask them in front of the class by to raise a hand if they need help or if they have questions about a lesson.Not only this but we need also to understand that our students might subconsciously feel that if they take a next step to learn something new, they are giving up the bliss that is ignorance. If one has never learned something, one cannot be held responsible for acting on that knowledge. For example sometimes there is a resistance to reading in young children based not only upon a fear of failing but also on a nebulous feeling that if they learn this skill they will be giving up something they treasure in their present life experience. Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
LikeLike
Thank you, sjspence. Some very interesting thoughts on class dynamics and the necessity to be conscious of student reluctance.
LikeLike
Hi Dave. This is such a fun and encouraging post. I appreciate the vulnerability behind it all. I’m sure others have pointed this out but how did I miss the link for the video of the grand presentation? Much admiration is directed your direction from your Arkansas friend!
LikeLike
Thank you, Tom. And, I did not include a video link. TBH, I haven’t seen a video of it yet. Your words bring a warmth to my heart. I always look forward to hearing from my Arkansas friend. 🙂
LikeLike
Omgosh ❤️ How wonderful! I love this. How very brave and absolutely unforgettable 🙏
LikeLike
Thank you, Yvette. It was a moment I won’t forget. Your kind words are appreciated. 🙂
LikeLike