#CyberPD: Being the Change
To read.
Surface Learning
To absorb and think about applying.
Deep Learning
To really consider the impact of my own words and the power of my actions, thoughts, and words.
Transfer Learning
We have a phrase in Iowa. It’s “Iowa Nice.” When are we “too nice” and when do we need to stop and consider the impact of our words? When do we need to step out of our comfort zone? Some issues seem easier to advocate for? Is that my background? Or just my comfort level?
I wrote about this book just two short months ago before the #G2Great chat with author Sara Ahmed. It feels like more than two months. So many changes . . . locally, nationally, and internationally.
I’m rereading it now for #cyberPD . . . just one of several book clubs that I am currently in. As I thought about “What” to write, it dawned on me.
I read it.
But I didn’t really think it was “about me”.
Being the Change!
I acknowledged my background
And checked it off my list.
Back to the drawing board.
Rereading.
Digging deeper.
Not just doing.
But thinking.
And reading.
And writing.
And determining what actions I need to take.
How will others know this is important to me?
What does it mean to “see the humanity” and to “activate your empathy”?
How do I remove the “us” and “them” from my vocabulary?
Paying lip service is not good enough.
Nodding my head is not good enough.
I must do better. It requires change.
Mea Culpa!
Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Kelsey, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here. 
Slice of Life 13: From Challenges to Turning Points
(During March, I am blogging daily as a part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge!)
When tax time hits every year, I yell loudly that I will change my spending habits NOW. And yet I recognize that with 25% of the year gone before submitting my taxes that would REALLY require about 200% effort.
How do I turn challenges to Turning Points (courtesy of Anna Gratz Cockerille) in my story of life? Do I want to change?
Is the pain great enough?
Let’s review turning points (a la Lucy Calkins, Units of Study, TCRWP as quoted by Anna Gratz Cockerille 3/11/14 TwoWritingTeachers.wordpress.com):
- “Times they learn something new
- Times they change their routine or way of doing things
- Times someone close to them (or they themselves) act out of character
- Times they try something for the first time
- Times they do something for the last time (last piano lesson, last page of a great book)”
So a turning point in my life to avoid the “pain I feel at tax time” could be attributed to the second bullet “…change their routine or way of doing things.” If I want the result to be something different, then I must change my behavior. (I think I hear an echo in my head!)
I have had a second, summer job for 30 years. (No summers off for me!) That “job” has always paid for my “book habit” and yes, I need a 12 step program to curb my work-related spending. At tax time, I go on a rant and declare, “This year will be different.”
By the end of April, you may hear a whimper as I visit a bookstore and collect a stack of books. I will mentally review the total and put at least three books back on the shelf. Or it may be that app that I want to try that will “organize me!” But by July, all thoughts of my “declaration” are out the window as I explore the school supplies on sale in every store!
Do I really want to change my routine? Is this a turning point?
What turning point have you encountered lately? Did you recognize it at the time?
Special thanks to the hosts of the Slice of Life Challenge: Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, and Beth. More Slice of Life posts can be found at Two Writing Teachers
Slice of Life 10: Embrace Change
(During March, I am blogging daily as a part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge!)
Is your current plan working? How do you know?
Don’t be afraid of change! Embrace it! You can and will move mountains!
OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! |
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| “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself Any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go. |
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s A Great Balancing Act. |
And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)” KID, YOU’LL MOVE |
What is your change?
Special thanks to the hosts of the Slice of Life Challenge: Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, and Beth. More Slice of Life posts can be found at Two Writing Teachers .
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