"What if?"
Well, after a long hiatus, I am back! Let's hope that I can manage to blog a little more often than, say, once every two years! Life has been busy, for sure, but no matter where I've been or what I've been doing, the idea of daring to dream big has always been present - in the moments before I fall asleep, as I awake, and during those times when quiet silence allows a small voice to be heard. That small voice is my ever-present and insistent reminder that there is more to my life than all the things I "do," and that, even if I drown it out with busyness, it will not be silenced. That voice continues to tell me that I can, and must, keep daring to dream big!
Recently, I was challenged after listening to a keynote address. The speaker compelled us to think differently about our ability to effect change. It's easy to minimize our ability to truly make a difference, especially when there are such immense needs and challenges all around us. We think that we don't have enough time, resources, finances, or skill to make a difference. We think that how we conduct ourselves in our day-to-day lives really can't make much of a difference. It's so easy to find a myriad of reasons why things don't, won't, or can't change. As a teacher, I imagine that many of us begin our careers with an idealistic mindset - a desire to make a difference in our young charges' lives - only to quickly discover that those students come to us with many challenges that we cannot hope to overcome in our short time with them.
However, on that one day, in that one keynote address, the speaker's words challenged me. He asked, "What if? What if what YOU do IS the deciding factor? What if you acted AS IF it was? How would you conduct yourself differently as an educator?"
At his words, the comfort level of the educators in the room dramatically lessened, and their discomfort was palpable. It felt like he was telling us to ignore all the challenges our students face before they come to us, challenges that clearly DO affect our students in negative ways. But that wasn't really what he wanted from us. He wanted us to adopt a different mindset -- a "what if" mindset -- a mindset that was not asking us to ignore what we had no control over, but to treat what we DID have control over as sacred -- as if it WAS important -- as if it was THE most important thing. What if we simply adopted that mindset and ACTED as if it WAS the case, regardless of the reality that, for some of our students, the challenges they face are more than we can handle. How differently would we teach?
I had to admit that if I truly believed this, my approach towards teaching my students would not look the same. I imagined that I would be more mindful, more aware, and much more intentional in what I said and did within the walls of my classroom.
That keynote address caused me to stop and think "what if" on a larger scale. What if I took this mindset beyond the walls of my classroom and adopted it into my life? What then?
Ah, yes, then... then I truly could dare to dream big!
Until next time,
Recently, I was challenged after listening to a keynote address. The speaker compelled us to think differently about our ability to effect change. It's easy to minimize our ability to truly make a difference, especially when there are such immense needs and challenges all around us. We think that we don't have enough time, resources, finances, or skill to make a difference. We think that how we conduct ourselves in our day-to-day lives really can't make much of a difference. It's so easy to find a myriad of reasons why things don't, won't, or can't change. As a teacher, I imagine that many of us begin our careers with an idealistic mindset - a desire to make a difference in our young charges' lives - only to quickly discover that those students come to us with many challenges that we cannot hope to overcome in our short time with them.
However, on that one day, in that one keynote address, the speaker's words challenged me. He asked, "What if? What if what YOU do IS the deciding factor? What if you acted AS IF it was? How would you conduct yourself differently as an educator?"
At his words, the comfort level of the educators in the room dramatically lessened, and their discomfort was palpable. It felt like he was telling us to ignore all the challenges our students face before they come to us, challenges that clearly DO affect our students in negative ways. But that wasn't really what he wanted from us. He wanted us to adopt a different mindset -- a "what if" mindset -- a mindset that was not asking us to ignore what we had no control over, but to treat what we DID have control over as sacred -- as if it WAS important -- as if it was THE most important thing. What if we simply adopted that mindset and ACTED as if it WAS the case, regardless of the reality that, for some of our students, the challenges they face are more than we can handle. How differently would we teach?
I had to admit that if I truly believed this, my approach towards teaching my students would not look the same. I imagined that I would be more mindful, more aware, and much more intentional in what I said and did within the walls of my classroom.
That keynote address caused me to stop and think "what if" on a larger scale. What if I took this mindset beyond the walls of my classroom and adopted it into my life? What then?
Ah, yes, then... then I truly could dare to dream big!
Until next time,
Deb, you asked if I know the name of the place that had the glass plate flowers pictured on my blog. I'm sorry I do not know. The art fair where I saw them was in Algoma, WI. I have seen similar items at other summer fairs. You could try an etsy search?? Good Luck! Linda
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