There have been such uplifting and transforming blog posts lately: about reflection and growth, looking ahead and moving forward. The - #oneword2018 - campaign has energized many, to look at themselves and their role, in education and social awareness. This crusade has taken what often seems unattainable and distant, and narrows it, to something accessible and reachable. A concept not determined by others, but a conceptualization bubbling up, from a fire, deep within our bellies. Eager to get out.
I have been in a state of awe this last week, just reading the blogs of my eduheroes: Spiri Howard, Laura Steinbrink and Alana Stanton, just to mention three. There are so many, I am truly blessed to be an educator, at this time. An hour of independent, distinctive ideas, mingling with a deep rooted landscape, of commonality and integration. These three women, write from such a beautiful place, that, their words of wisdom and strength, resonate with everyone, who reads them. Each of them, a powerhouse, galvanizing a movement. Carrying with them, a shift of self, that only a sense of community and unity can evoke.
Reciprocity can be observable and distinct or still and serene, often going unnoticed. Kind words, a smile, a simple gesture of acceptance, or a brief click of the mouse. In real life, exchanges are discernible. However, in the vastness, of the social universe, they are less so. Likes and Re-tweets, in the Twitterverse, are seemingly insignificant to some, but mean acceptance and recognition, for others. A reply, requires thought, examination, attention. In the hustle and bustle of life, many situations are tugging and prodding, us away from replying. Simply clicking a like or Re-tweet, is far quicker then writing a response. But, many of us do. I know for me when I get a response, no matter how short, I feel connected, accepted, and valued.
If you have read any of my blog posts, or been in a Twitter chat with me, you know that as a child, I was severely bullied. I felt isolated and abandoned, by my teachers especially, often being ridiculed by them as well. I hesitated getting on social media, Twitter in particular, for fear of a similar atmosphere. But, I did. It was a slow process, it took months to find my groove and figure out the terrain. But, hill or valley, I traversed the medium and found my community, my network of fellow travelers, my kindred spirits. I have been judged, a few have not been kind, but they are in the minority. Twitter is all about networking. You have to put yourself out there, for better or worse. You have to have faith, that you will find your PLN.
My PLN, has built a foundation for growth and confidence, on which I thrive. No walls, no ceiling. A canvas, on which I express myself through words. Growing up, I always kept a journal, wrote poetry and short stories. None of which, were shared. I have a steamer trunk, filled with them. Buried and covered in dust. They were my solace, escape, liberation. But, now, they are echoes, of who I was. At some point, we all need to find our bearings and break free. Twitter and my PLN has allowed me to do just that.
Having a forum like my blog, has reinforced my love of prose and expression, only the written word provides. Its a language that may seem universal, but having the choice of sequence, continuance and stream, makes all the difference. Order and effusion are everything. They are how words become story and story becomes reflection and realization. Every blog personal and global: each connecting us as educators. Reading the stirring words of other educators, makes me better. They may drudge up the sediment of my past, but they also allow me to find the harmony, in which to allow them, NOT to settle back to the bottom. Rather, to be carried on the current and incorporated into the framework of my mindset. One, built on augmentation and evolution.
Today, I am a kayak, in a tide of insurmountable possibility. I bounce and float in the ebb and flow. Below a sky, full of sea birds and albatrosses. I have an auspicious bearing, both local and unbounded. I get to look up at the ships that stir the waters, all the while, rising with the weight of their enormity and prodigiousness. A rising tide, lifts all boats. But, if we do not put our oars in the water, we will never find the current. The prevailing, undertow of change and progress. I hold the line, anchoring me, to the dock. Where, even the strongest of gales, will not divert me. I may get jostled and shaken in the storm. But, calm seas always lie ahead. I will lean in to the squall, knowing the coast guard is always near by.
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