Wk3 Reading - Building the perfect sandbox city...

During this reading, I was struck by the number of times that the theme being explored or the stories being  presented reminded me of things that I have discovered throughout my life.  I'll try to relate some of them in nut-shell fashion;

Rule #6, Lighten Up.  Taking yourself, your goals, your end-game a little less seriously is good advice. This is not to say that the end-game isn't important or doesn't require undying tenacity, rather it indicates that the trip is the thing.  My goals are just that.  Mine.  No one will ever be as invested in my goals as I am, but I have an opportunity to inspire, observe and revel in many beautiful things along the way.  I am a  biker.  I love to ride to new or familiar destinations with my friends.  The destinations can be awesome and  bragg-able, but the trip is the thing.  Getting there, the ride, the filler (the stuff in between) is the real destination.  Allowing things to surprise you, allowing the people and happenings around you to inspire or enlighten you will make you a better person.  When the deal is done, when the thing is built, when the degree is earned, when the dream car is in the garage, when the license is in your wallet, when the perfect sand city exists in your sandbox…what do you do?  You go right back out and do it again.  You build another thing, you make a new goal, you flatten the sand and you take another ride.

Making a move: the idea that a person can lead from anywhere or even better, allow, encourage and facilitate non-leaders to lead from their own perspectives.  Through teaching, we have this opportunity every day.  It doesn't take any preparation or set up.  It simply requires the teacher to pay attention.  As soon as you notice a student surprising you with an answer, meaning something that is off target but intriguing (like they are looking at the issue or problem from a different perspective), stop teaching and ask the student to teach you.  "I hadn't considered it that way, what do you mean?"  Listen with the rest of the class and ask for elaboration.  While you listen, ADJUST your lesson or your point.  Not to the extent that you aren't teaching the same topic (unless you have time to make it up), but enough to teach it - or learn it - from a different lens.  With your new perspective, ask the student with the different perspective to teach what they know or explain their idea.  Lead or guide the discussion based on the new ideas.  This is incredibly empowering for all of your students and leads to new possibilities.

Give up your  pride - reveal truth.  Allowing students to see that you aren't perfect and have all the answers seem easy, but when a teach is struggling to maintain management of a class, it is very hard to show weakness.  This was one of my personal struggles.  I wanted to remain aloof.  Coming in front the corporate world, I thought some teachers revealed too much about their personal lives (probably to kill time) and that this was less-than-professional.  Over the last few years, I've learned that revealing some personal difficulties makes the teacher less over-bearing and more relatable.  Students learn that navigating the issues in life requires help and advice or input from the people around you.  Just because you are in a position of authority doesn't mean you have all of the answers.  Letting your students in a little allows an intimacy that you will create buy-in you may need at some point down the line.

Downhill Challenge - ride with the ice.  Welcome the difficult situations.  They make life interesting.  The challenges are where we learn what works and what doesn't.  They are our practice.  Again, enjoy the ride.