I’ve been quiet on the writing front for a while. Sometimes my brain is a bundle of energy and thoughts that are intertwining and leap frogging of their own volition from one point to another, back, forward, sideways, somersaulting through cognitive dissonance and a processing system that baffles even me.
I’ve been journeying, riding the waves on the pedagogical ocean, gathering threads of learning and unlearning, unravelling the snarled knots of possibilities, laying the threads flat to begin weaving a tapestry of vision.
Hold that thought.
No, I mean literally, hold on because there’s a wave coming.
Phew…ok, now where was… seriously? Big breath and…
Gaaaaa….wheezing…ok…breathe…
I was talking about visions and tapestries and Twitter…
Yes, Twitter…here, have a towel and grab a seat.
Twitter is a most fascinating place. It’s lead me down rabbit holes of learning to finding a myriad of people across the globe, one connection leading to the next, creating a network of people who are doing amazing work in areas and on issues, people who have been phenomenal resources and sounding boards for my learning, prompting me to refine and define my personal philosophies and pedagogies, solidifying some, while re-evaluating and discarding others.
Twitter, and Edu-twitter is a vast ocean of knowledge just waiting to be explored and…
Hold that thought.
Quick! Grab those water wings!
That was the “love your students all they need is love and understanding and acceptance and if we only just believe in them and believe in us we will save each and every child and they will all go on to do great things because each child matters and I believe in each child who will in turn believe in themselves no matter their life circumstances they will find the grit within and be that shining star go team go” wave.
I think it hits the beach around the stand that has the candy apples, cotton candy and stuffed unicorns you can win if you pick up a trinket or two.
Hold that thought.
…and hang on…maybe try the life jacket, because this one is coming in hard with multiple breakers!
Whew!
Yes, yes, I should have warned you quicker. Well, it’s not totally my fault as these ones rise up and pile on, one after the other once a new topic starts trending. That was the ” we need to produce magical creatures who are creative, innovative, critical thinkers, empathetic, equity savvy, non passive drivers, creators and masters of their own learning, who meet global competencies and testing standards, know their passions and move on them, who will be ready for business, industry and tech careers of the future” wave.
No, I haven’t met…well, I’m sure they exist because everybody says so.
Hold that thought.
Yes, I see it and it’s a doozy! Head for the docks if you please, grab a safety buddy!!!
It’s the “Teachers MUST build a classroom that is Relationship based, with Culturally Responsive pedagogy imbued with SEL/Mindfullness so that it is Empathetic, Inclusive, Trauma Informed with Restorative Practices, has Flexible Seating , incorporates Student Voice/Choice via Co-creates Outcomes thereby Empowering students, uses STEM, STEAM based on PBL, UDL, and trauma-informed and let’s toss equity in there” wave.
No, I did not make that up. Honestly, there are tons more in other waves.
Yeah, it is kind of challenging to stay afloat. Mind the undertows and seagulls.
Let’s get an ice cream, grab the kayak and toodle around some calmer waters for perspective. Sometimes, it’s a good thing to sit with things while touring the streams and side channels, allowing for processing and reflection, where the waves of pedantic pedogocial pundits, the demigodery of didactic delineation, and the echo chambers of self congratulatory ego stroking don’t overwhelm reflective, critical contemplation.
You enjoy your ice cream and I’ll explain as we paddle along. Ok, I’ll paddle.
Over the past few months, I’ve been on a journey on the ocean, travelled round, rode the waves and learned a lot. There are a lot of things out there that resonate with me. I like PBL cross-curriculum learning. I like #STEAM, the arts, movement. I know that Sel/Mindfulness and being trauma informed is critical to the work I do, and I’ve always been a proponent of student voice.
There are amazing people doing fantabulous things out there that inspire me. In the waves and the echo chambers you can find these fireflies of phenomenal things, if you know where to look and get past the noise and pounding surf. There are chats and books and posts and threads talking about it all. But what I realized once landing on the quiet, tree-lined, rocky lake shoreline, is we’re really good about touting the ‘right” answers. Just like our kids, we can really callback what the “teacher” wants to hear (in this case the audiences in our various Twitter worlds).
No, that was a loon, not a seagull.
Hold that thought.
We need to dig deeper. We need to look at things with a critical eye to sift through what’s hype and what’s sound, what’s slogan and what’s being put into practice, how does everything connect and how are people doing that.
I love an amazing motivational speaker any day of the week (especially Wednesdays thanks), and sometimes we all need the feel good, lift me up.
Hold that thought.
If we are so confident in our opinions, theories, edifications, and they’re not just egocentric pontifications for the basis of self glorification in the echo chambers, then critical discourse, review of pedagogical applications and connections must be the next step.
Hold that thought.
How? But? What about? There’s this? Also that? And what will they?
Ok, walk with me a bit on this one… what is a the base root of everything?
Love?
Yes, we love teaching and we love our students, but what does that mean?
Build relationships?
Most definitely, but what does that look like?
SEL/SEAL/Mindfulness/Mental Health awareness and trauma informed?
Yes, we owe it to ourselves and our students to do that work, but how do we honour them?
Student voice/student choice?
That’s awesome they can choose projects and interests, but…
PBL, creativity, innovators mindset, global competencies, STEM, STEAM, cross-curricular…
And those we can pull in once we have the base…
Hold that thought.
Watch the waves and this time dive beneath them, deep to the ocean floor that holds the currents and tides…float on the lake, see the stars and feel the power and energy of their connection to the world around you.
What is the one thing that can help us build relationships, facilitate SEL/SEAL/Mindfulness, enable student voice/choice and truly honour our students, our love for them and teaching?
Equity.
But I do equity!
Hold that thought.
Equity. IS.
It’s not “done” in a separate lesson, project, lesson plan or event. It is the essence that connects.
Equity (intersectional equity) needs to be infused in everything, from the ground up. From each piece of information students are given, to the reading materials, to the examples we hold up, to asking whose voices are heard and whose are silenced, to the games we play, to the expectations we have, to the stigmas and stereotypes, to how we interact with each child, to breaking down our own biases/stereotypes/ablist/misogynistic/racist preconceived learned notions of the world, its history, within our own communities and within our own hearts. It means being committed to self critical examination, a willingness to see ourselves, be uncomfortable and (un)learn.
How are we building relationships based upon love and trust such that we can support students? How can we say that we are doing everything we can for our students, to honour the very essence of who each, individual child is as they present to us in that moment if we do not ground it in equity? Because then it is “equity-lite”, based on divisive and reductive lines of race, sexuality, gender, ability, mental health, socio-economic, religion or culture.
We all know the answers, because we talk about them, post about them all the time, however it’s time to move on to the next steps…the doing…take all the threads of what we want to do, imbue them with equity for all our students, and then starting knitting the net.
Hold that thought…
You always say #WalkYourTalk. So? What does that even mean?
If I’m going to look my students in the eye and say with truth, “I. See. You.” , then I need to take the opportunity I have to develop the vision I have for a program Ill be working in. I need to put my money where my mouth is, start from the ground up with EQUITY and pull the threads together from there. It’ll be a work in progress. I won’t get it perfect, because I’m still on my own journey or learning and unlearning, but that’s ok.
Drop a pebble. Watch the Ripples. Move an Ocean
You can come along and follow my journey, creating a vision for the program I’ve been dreaming of. Your insights, critical thoughts and ideas appreciated.
#WalkYourTalk
#PebbleRippleOcean
Wolf Pack Ed Chat 