THOUGHT VECTORS AND NUGGETS – TAKEN FROM PATCH 23: (UN) PREPARED
“It seems no matter how long I work at this, how many students I shepherd through a school year’s worth of physical education, I never, ever feel well prepared.” … “My little heap of doubt is resilient, reliable and robust. Teaspoon sized today, boulder heavy the next, my heap can grow or shrink as the context and my reactions warrant.”
This is how I feel as I take on this journey as an educator 2 years ago. I am a perfectionist. I try to do my very best 200% of the time. I studied, I read, I prepared, I practiced before each workshop/lab session. I tried to envision every possible mishap that could happen and thought of ways to fix it. I thought I was prepared, and yet, no matter how much I was prepared, there’s almost always something that can go wrong. As the saying goes, according to Murphy’s Law, ‘anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’ Of course, being an educator involves solving problems on the spot and being flexible. And let me be clear, one of the reasons I enjoy teaching is because I thrive on the challenge. You never know what obstacles might present themselves each day. Each year, a fresh group of students arrives, bringing with them their intelligence and unique challenges, ensuring that I remain alert and engaged. But sometimes when unexpected issues arise, it can leave you feeling unprepared, which can be challenging to handle at times.
I don’t believe that this aspect of feeling unprepared will improve with more years of teaching. Regardless of how long you’ve been teaching, unexpected issues will arise, and it’s about how adept you are at handling them.
TweetExample for "THOUGHT VECTORS AND NUGGETS – TAKEN FROM PATCH 23: (UN) PREPARED":
n/a