Why do we rush to start and quickly race to the finish line? Keeping the wheels in constant motion. Why do we feel the need to always be on the move. There is such a push to better ourselves, forge ahead, embrace change. These of course are all necessary skills to master throughout life but for some reason the expectation we place on ourselves and often our students is a constant motility of progress and evolution. Test scores, evaluations, approval of colleagues and peers are constantly bombarding us keeping us in a fluid state of uncertainty and doubt. Competition, trials, tournaments, internal battles all leading us to the edge. Everyone finds their ledge eventually that they sit upon, halting reason, becoming frozen in anxiety. After arrival, it is difficult to find the momentum towards solid ground when all of our insecurities are packaged tightly into a parcel. Each blending with another until a single concern becomes a bundle of misgiving and trepidation. We have all felt this way at some point in our careers, nobody said teaching was easy. But these emotions are ever present in many of our students, whether they are due to pressure from parents, struggle with content or rivalry with peers it creeps in, often leading students to withdraw and concede. As teachers we have to travel to the ends of the world, seek out each of these ledges and lead our students back to a comfortable terrain where they feel safe to face these obstacles.
You can't break a stick, of panic, dismay or simple jitters when they are secured tightly in a bundle. So how can we help our students and ultimately ourselves unwind the twine and allow the sticks of discomfort to come undone so we can snap them one by one? The first thing we have to do- have the tough, uncomfortable conversations. These times of struggle are when we need to talk stratagem, tactics and campaigns. It is not enough to have a safe haven where students feel they can take risks. As teachers we need to also build a foundation of communication where students are comfortable to open up and share their apprehensions. If they know with certainty there is no judgement they will do more then take risks, they will accept responsibility for their own learning. Taking risks may be a simple task for some students but for others it may represent the ledge, where their footing is unstable. This is why talking to our students honestly will slowly untie the string that is holding the bundle together. With these conversations comes clarity. Not only for students who begin to face their fears but also for teachers who see every student as an individual with a different set of needs. The more we know our students, the more they let us in and the more our classroom becomes a community.
The best way to strike up these meaningful conversations is one on one with students. I ask them questions that at first may feel awkward but I nudge them to answer by answering the questions myself. I discuss my strengths and weaknesses. The mistakes I made as a child growing up. How I was bullied and have Dyslexia and often retreated rather then ask for help. But that eventually I knew that I didn't know everything and that I had to rely on others to guide me and show me how to learn to my strengths, even though they were not always what I wanted, they were what I needed. I had to come to terms that it takes me a little longer to "get there" but once I arrive, my creativity and curiosity lead me down my own path. I love to try new things and turn things upside down, which can get me some disapproving looks, but I venture off anyway. I tell them simply, "Find your own path, no matter what, just make sure you give me a map so I can find you in case you get lost." The more we show our vulnerability, the more we have some awkward but honest conversations, the more students believe in us. When students believe in us, they trust us and then one by one those sticks, once bundled tightly, building obstacles to learning, become twigs that lie along the road they travel daily.
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