Strength in Vulnerability

This school year I have been vulnerable more times than I can count. Not only did I create a blog, but I published and shared my writing... until now, the only people who read what I wrote were my college professors! Poems poured out of me, begging to be written. I listened. Not only did I listen, but I stayed up to the wee hours of morning, and worked sometimes through the night to get my ideas down on the page... most of the time with my patient husband attempting to sleep next to me while my fingers clicked, and clicked, and clicked away on the keys. Then, I self published my book of poetry, Two Sides of Rain. Why? Because I wanted to know what that felt like, I wanted to share a piece of myself with others, and because I wanted to be, well, vulnerable. There is strength is vulnerability.

This year, I changed the way I taught as well. Not because I had to, but because it was time. I was willing to be vulnerable. I have been teaching the same grades for 12 years. I am fairly confident with the stories, pace, and structure that I have used. Why in the world then would I choose to step outside of my comfort zone every single day to learn new curriculum, new theories, and new ways to approach learning? Why? Because I felt called to do it, because it was right for my school, and because I needed to connect and create in a way I never had before. This summer, a colleague and I will be presenting at the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference. Am I nervous? You bet! But I am confident... confident in myself, and my team around me.

How can I ever expect my children or my students to take risks, to not be afraid to fail, and to learn from these experiences if I am unwilling to participate in them myself? I wish you all strength in vulnerability...

And, just in case you have not yet watched Brene Brown's TED video about the power of vulnerability-here it is.