Be Vulnerable, Be YOU!

Another Experience, Another Blog Post

As many of you know, I recently joined the world of blogging. It has been an overwhelming positive experience; therefore I am writing a second post in just the same week! Trust me, don't get used to it! I have some extra time on my hands during winter break, so I am busy writing away for myself! It has been pleasurably enjoyable, and I look forward to continuing to write blog posts at least twice a month! Everywhere I seem to go, I now view it as a "blog-worthy" experience. This is one of those times...

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Lowe's I go...

Tis' the season filled with the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Just like many of you, I always dread what I am going to buy for the loved ones in my life. One day last week, I sat deliberating in a quaint coffee shop for gifts I should buy. Suddenly, it struck me like the wind had been knocked out of my chest! It was the magical light bulb that tends to spark my brain! I knew exactly the place I needed to go to find the perfect gift. Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Lowe's I go.

My father is not the easiest person to buy gifts for, but I knew I could most definitely find something in Lowe's that he would appreciate. There was only one teeny tiny problem... I am not the most "handy" fellow in the world. When something goes wrong in my home, I am the first person to pick up the phone and call maintenance to come out and fix the issue. I do not even attempt to try to solve the problem on my own.

As I approached Lowe's, I was a bit nervous. I always feel as though the workers can read right through me. I get this thought they know I'm a "newbie" to the hardware store scene, and feel compelled to help me in my endeavors. I walked closer and closer to the entrance of the store, and once again, a thought popped into my head. Why was I feeling anxious? Why am I letting myself overthink the situation? The workers are merely there to help me, not judge me. Since I am now on this blogging kick, of course, I had to relate this exuberant experience to education!

Be Vulnerable,  Be YOU!

As teachers, we ask our students to be vulnerable in their learning every day. When we present new math material, we are asking students to "jump" out of their comfort zone. In Social Studies and Science, we ask our students to be vulnerable with inquiry and wonder. Language Arts leads itself to vulnerability when our students read or write. Have I made my point? Every day our students are surrounded by situations that make them vulnerable. Can you even begin to imagine how one must feel if reading and writing seemed like a foreign language? In the book, Fish In A Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, a young girl struggles with reading and writing. She is utterly embarrassed when she is called on to read in front of the class. At one point in the story, the character says, "I wish she [mom] could understand my world. But it would be like trying to explain to a whale what it's like to live in the forest." I pondered this thought for a few moments and instantly made a connection. As educators, we need to take a step back and reflect. Are we creating a positive environment where our students know being vulnerable is a part of growing and learning? Are we celebrating mistakes? Just like the teacher, Mr. Daniels, in the book, I want my students to know making mistakes and being vulnerable are all a part of the learning process.

Let's take a step back to my Lowe's experience. I was most definitely stepping out of my own comfort zone by walking into the hardware store. I really did not have any prior knowledge the tools I was looking at, or quite frankly, the knowledge of how to use them! But, for the sake of someone else, my father, I knew I had to leave my anxious thoughts behind and allow myself to be vulnerable in learning. Do our students also feel this way when learning something new? Do our students want to impress us by not showing vulnerability? These questions I proposed really turned my thinking gears. I, for one, would not want my students to merely "act" like they know something just to confirm they have the adequate knowledge.

Colleagues, educators, learners, my purpose is quite simple... Be vulnerable yourself each and every day. Don't be afraid to "jump" out of your own teaching comfort zone. Try something new. Explore a diverse topic. You will be quite surprised at the results!
My challenge to you for the new year is to allow yourself to be vulnerable IN FRONT of your students. Yes, this may seem quite scary, but it will be worth it! While you have some time during the winter break, search for your old writings from when you were in school. Bring those in and SHARE them with your students. Illustrate to those wonderfully curious minds that you, too, are still a writer at heart! I look forward to hearing how this blog has inspired you to be vulnerable and just be you!

Comments

  1. Fabulous, Cameron. We don't have to be perfect. We don't have to "know it all". We don't have to be the "Best" Teacher in the building. We do have to have our focus on our children, be open, and be learning EVERY day. And yes, that takes vulnerability! (BTW - Are you thinking about #OneLittleWord #OLW for 2018? You may have found yours!) :-)

    And awesome, two posts in a week! And you will see posts everywhere around YOU! :-)

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  2. Isn't it funny how we can always connect "real life" to teaching?!? One place you may look at linking your blog is each Tuesday on the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life call. https://twowritingteachers.org/2017/12/19/slice-of-life-tuesday-8/

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  3. Ha! The Lowe's analogy is apt. I actually do attempt to solve things myself which usually entails 3 or 4 trips to Lowe's. (A competent person woulda succeeded with ONE trip, of course...) But can I suggest an edit? "Language Arts leads itself to vulnerability when our students read or write..." Why exclude speaking? We have to quit shortchanging the #1 language art, oral communication. We have to move past "readinganwriting" said together as if they were one word and move to "reading, writing, and speaking."

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