EDUC 431- September 17, 2019 – Reflection

Oh my goodness… WHAT A DAY!!! I am rudely reminded of how difficult it is to TRY SOMETHING NEW… TAKE RISKS… and MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN (from nothing). I’m not sure what I am thinking in designing this EDUC 431 course and facilitating it… but what brings me GREAT SOLACE is my friend, #bcedchat co-moderator, and edu-colleague, Ian Landy (@technolandy). What an incredible person and educator!!! His calm disposition and wealth of knowledge, I had nothing to worry about… but did anyway.

Although I continually emphasize with my students in teacher education that “we don’t know people’s stories”… “we teach who we are”… and “we are always showing our A-game… face-to-face and online.” Here is the pot calling the kettle black. As much as we want teaching and learning to appear “easy-peasy,” the truth is, it’s sometimes messy and unexpectedly last minute. We were up until the class time setting up technology and I learned that OUR CLASSROOM is not set up to host online events as I had intended (in my imagination… of course). Thank goodness for the IT Support Team for problem solving with me and making something happen for EDUC 431. It doesn’t matter if you are a Teacher Candidate in Practicum or seasoned educator of 25-years (like me and Ian) in Teacher Education… doing something for the first time is STRESSFUL.

Admittedly, I was not myself. There is a lot on the go and well… I’m not making excuses but I am AWAKENED by “never taking things for granted” and emphasize “self-care” as discussed in #BCEdChat 241 – Teacher Wellness: Early in the School Year. We always want something to work “perfectly” and often it never does… because that’s life. We had only one microphone, we compromised tech delivery, and we had some connection issues during the presentation. THANK GOODNESS for people like Ian Landy… who has infinite patience and has nothing but GOOD to offer. I feel so lucky to have people like Ian in my PLN (professional learning network). He shared his 100 page PowerPoint, a draft of his book (in progress), AND blog post just for us: https://technolandy.wordpress.com/2019/09/17/day-11-of-189-dear-educ431-at-educationunbc-with-christineyh/ 

I was so happy that Ian was able to speak about his experience with portfolios and e-Portfolios as an educator and learner. He spoke about the purpose of e-Portfolios for students and teachers, the value of blogging as a reflective practitioner, and shared parts of his WordPress site and why it’s important to him. My “aha” to relearn from today’s presentation was the IMPLEMENTATION DIP. I first learned about this from my leadership courses from SFU (Simon Fraser University). I am reminded that I AM THERE. I’m in the dip… and the notion that I am trying something new and that there are challenges faced on the way… it always seems like it’s the best time to QUIT or give up when you are in the dip. I don’t think I’m too far in the dip, but as I mention in my last blog on my other WordPress site: “Notice and Listen.” I have to be OPEN to how I am feeling… be RECEPTIVE to feedback… and ACT.

What I need to do next is to remember about the Implementation Dip. I am trying to model to my students what it means to take risks, be humble to change, and be persistent and resilient to see the full implementation of EDUC 431 as I first imagined it. It’s tough to think and feel this through in the dip, but it’s about GRIT and belief in THIS IS GOING TO WORK. “Learning takes time and patience.” I need to be kinder to myself as an educator and learner… and remember to take one step at a time. What’s so great about the teaching profession is THE LEARNING, the relationships, and developing one’s efficacy over time (and thankfully with others). The dip is only temporary. My students are meeting expectations and some are exceeding. They are PERSONALIZING their own learning as TEACHING PROFESSIONALS. What more can I ask for? i feel very lucky and grateful. Thank you Ian Landy for your time, expertise, and collegiality… and thank you EDUC 431 for coming on this ride with me. WE will see “NEW BEGINNINGS.”