While I have been unusually tired this month, it has been so fun to think and write about learning! Although, I consider that my “tiredness” may not be all that unusual. After all, I am due to have a baby on September 5. Growing a human being is exhausting!
While April was a fairly self-reflective month (we spent a lot of time talking about self-care), this month has been as well. Professionally, as I’ve been working with students preparing to come back to school after an extended absence or students who are first-generation college students I’ve had the opportunity to really put some thought into how the same lesson can be put in different ways. While I am a state employee, sometimes making a joke about how the government is the worst can help someone feel like they’re not alone when they get randomly selected to submit a bunch of additional verification documents so that they can get financial aid. Other students, particularly those whose lives have been influenced by their immigration status, need someone who can assure them with confidence that they have not done anything wrong. As an educator, even if I’m not teaching in a classroom, having a little imagination about where another person might be coming from can help me adapt the message to the learning style and life experience of the student.
Personally, the month leading up to school starting has been a struggle in our home. As our children have hit some challenging milestones, learning how to work through those while experiencing varying degrees of exhaustion has been both challenging and enlightening for me. How do I step back when a child is throwing a tantrum and calling names? What kind of self-talk do I employ, especially when those voices saying that parents who let their kids cry it out are monsters, to get through a situation? Can I step back or am I leaning in in a really poor way?
I am excited to change the focus next month to talk about preparing for new things, employing what I’ve learned from the past, and finishing out this year with a bang!
Photo by Rob Bye on Unsplash
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://rachelahanson.blog/2018/08/31/reflections-on-learning/
And I was just thinking I needed to check on you! But, yes, introspection is a necessity in the process of moving forward/evolving. Healing, learning, even simply just progress, aren't always linear.
They really aren't, and I think we do a huge disservice to ourselves and others when we pretend growth is linear. ❤
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