Yes and….
It’s bigger in your mind, once you say it aloud, it gets
smaller. Like the crash and crumble of the waves as they hit the shore. The
doubt, heavy, sinking you, releases. The waves sound much harsher, louder, the
closer you get. But when you can step back, out on a balcony, observe the tides
from above the shore, their rhythm becomes apparent. The undertow is forgotten.
They become more beautiful. Their sense of danger dissipates. Insecurity calms.
This is an educators approach.
Clear blue, translucent, the cleansing aura of replenishing
water, illuminates your frame of mind. It marinates in your brain. Percolates
ideas. This is when the creativity floats in. This is the moment the murky
water, meets the shiny sand and forms a cohesion of ripples and granules.
Things settle as the current escapes. This blending of thought becomes action.
Mind over matter. The force of sheer will, water crushing anxiety, swirling
sand, gently falling back into layers. This is an educator’s routine.
The crash and crumble, vibrations and reverberations,
normalize into a sync of in, out, in, out. The consistency is reassuring. The preciseness
makes everything normal, safe. The foaming agitation of seawater, both frothy and
sudsy, maintains our attention, focuses it. Salt stings our nose, but the mist
rejuvenates. Alerts us to new stimuli. The vastness of information, yields
itself to a single splash, a momentary shuffle of sand and water, tug and give.
This is learning.
The shuffle of knowing and understanding, accepting and
doubting, discovery and complacency never ceases. Like the tides throughout the
day, we are constantly in a flux between order and disorder, listening and
doing. We have choices, opinions, and fears. We lean on the boardwalk, overlooking
the turbulent waters or we jump into the whirlpool, knowing we can swim above
the cyclone. Either way we choose it. Confusion can set in, we might lose our
sense of direction, but our internal compass will eventually guide us home. We
have been there before, we know our way. This is an educator’s mindset.
We can hear something that upsets us, offends us, and puts us
on edge. These things we generally try to escape, rather than dive into. This
is when dark skies approach. Storm clouds block the sunlight. When we let them
push us under the surface, we let the words take over, the sentiment coat us in
seaweed and algae. However we have a No, but moment, that should be our mantra.
I disagree but, I am willing to listen because my mindset grows from dissidence
and discordance. This is an educator’s outlook.
No thank you bites. That is what I say to my son. Never no,
if you have never tasted it. Once you try it, you can say, “no more thank you.”
As educators we are in a constant state of exploration and reimagining. We see
things and they trigger an idea, “I can use that in my classroom.” We seek out
other educators, we join chats, we Tweet, Face Book and communicate on-line and
in our buildings. We put ourselves out there, accept critique and welcome
feedback- if we don’t we will stay swirling in the current. This is an educator’s
lifeline. Our Vinyl record, well played and loved.
Most educators are positive, at least at the beginning of the
school year. Yet, every year I watch as those around me, become more and more
disgruntled and frustrated. This year, I am sending the positivity out in every
way I can. Let’s do this together. Tweet awesome strategies, mindful thoughts
and quotes. Support our tireless, dedicated educators, who need to be reminded,
of the beauty of education. Those who need a pick me up after a long stressful day.
Those who need to see a smile, receive a hug after a tough class period.
Above all, let’s let go of the “No, but” and integrate the “Yes
and.” Stay open minded even in the stormiest and turbulent of seas. Not every
day will be calm waters, in fact, most will be bumpy and blistery. All we can
do is put on a life vest and row. Some of us have rafts, others boats, but we
all have a flotation device- one another. We will all reach our island, where
we feel safe. But, we will also meet fellow travelers on our journey and if we
listen, they will tell us stories of adventure and swashbuckler fun- and that
is exciting, because that is what we signed up for.
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