Ever had an idea and wanted to express it?
Ever feared sounding stupid.
Ever been flamed, ridiculed, or put down because you spoke out publicly?
This is how I felt about blogging. And what’s prevented me from sharing my thoughts and ideas to the world.
I have no problem sharing inane stuff like things I do on trips, reviews of products or services, or just the general banter on current events but when it comes to the sensitive topic of where my passion lies, I shy away. In conversations I have with teachers, they love my ideas, thoughts and feelings on how the system could be improved and how my learning theory differs from the norm. When it comes to putting that down on paper, I hesitate, stop and shut that idea down. Why? Because I don’t consider myself an expert.
This feeling is purely based on the fact that I haven’t been in the front lines of the classroom, dealing with the students, peers, parents, administrators, policy makers, government. Who am I to tell someone how to do something when I haven’t been there before? Sure, I observe, listen, and learn from my friends who are teachers and think, reflect, and strategize on their frustrations, stumbling blocks, and challenges. I am only an outside observer looking into their world and try my best to understand.
Sure I run one of the most advanced software curriculum development companies who have some of the best ways to deploy digital content in an intelligent and sophisticated manner, but I’m still not in their shoes. Maybe the solution is to take a teaching position at night part time? Unfortunately I don’t have time for that because I spend all my energy looking for solutions and building it.
Things are different now? Maybe I gained some bit of courage now that I’ve spoken to the teaching body at ACTE Nationals. Maybe the times I have speaking with authority on CTE education at the conference have dulled that nagging feeling in the back of my mind. The pivotal point was being hit with the fact that I don’t practice what I preach. In preparing for “The World is Connected: the great social networking experiment” at the FENI conference, I read blogs on how teachers have shared what they have found. I’ve been reading blogs for years but I never have contributed to that social spear of knowledge and experience. I realized that I have to do this to grow personally and professionally. I had to put down those fears and just speak my mind no matter how stupid I sound.
Growth comes from trial and error and if I don’t put my silly ideas out for people to read, reflect, and comment on, I can’t shape those ideas into greater ideas and then turn those ideas into movements. I need to do this to make my goals realized. I need to put my neck out on the line, get it chopped off, reattach it and figure out how not to get it chopped off the next time. After trial and error, then I can take that experience and publish it in a real publication.
So, I’ve been mulling over this topic for a week now. And yes, I hope I can only keep up the pace and momentum. Heck I don’t have the time for it but I can’t afford to not keep this up.
I hope that others who have felt this way will try this social medium of expression. It takes a lot for me, a private person to make the jump and so should you.
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