This got me thinking today:
When I blog about business and tech I feel really ballsy and tough - she-power all over the place, hear me roar……..
When I blog about classroom stuff I tone it down and seem to shrink, feel timid and unsure………
Must ponder and analyze to death - I AM ballsy. I AM.
Who’s stifling me? Am I doing it to myself?
If you're new here (or just forgot last time!), you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Is it your experience level? If I remember correctly, your primary training is in business, and you came to education later in the game. Could be as simple as your comfort level with your training & experience in one arena as compared with another.
To break down the education arena into smaller parts: after teaching for 8 years, I feel very knowledgeable and willing to offer opinions (and criticism) in terms of English literature, teaching, classroom management, etc. I tend to present as much more reserved in terms of psychology, my new career path.
You’ll get there. A few years in the game and you’ll be comfortable enough to roar with the best of them (and by then, you’ll probably hear me roaring from my office, too!).
Damians last blog post..A Change of Pace at Apace of Change
just a guess -
when you write about business, you are speaking for yourself.
it is impossible to speak as a singular person about education. if you are in education, you are part of a team. there are people who will be offended by your opinions, people who will disagree, people who will be hurt. it’s hard to put out a strong opinion when you know there is going to be a negative reaction - and there *is* going to be a negative reaction from some part of the community. ;^)
what do you think?
Loris last blog post..play station
Maybe you are more sure about yourself when you talk about business and more set in your ways. Maybe when you talk about education, you are more open minded to all the different points of view there are. Just a thought.
Pats last blog post..The Future of Special Education
When speaking of education, I find that I don’t do the rant or the “balls to the wall” thing as I have seen it come back to bite too many people. Even as someone who is an administrator, has taught most subjects from grades 5 - 11 and has been involved in numerous projects, I am still very much a novice in so many areas. I have ideas about some things and know what works for me but I find it difficult to speak as an expert or an authority on the subject. Similarly, I have 7 children ages 3 to 16 and yet I try not to sound as if I know it all or am an expert because kids will make you eat those words as soon as they hit the page. I have some good ideas and am open to other’s ideas because I know that the more you acquire, the more likely you will be able to have some sort of response in a situation. In business, there are things that work and that you can transfer. In education and parenting, it is very individual and what works for one may not work for another so it is difficult to sound completely authoritative about something. Lori’s comment about offending is very true but sometimes we need to offend others to get things going. However, the key is not to rule out others’ opinions as there may be a nugget in what they say.
For what it’s worth!
Kelly Christophersons last blog post..It made me cringe but led to an “aha”
@Damian - You could be right about that, I’m still working through this. I’ve been teaching in some form since teaching swimming lessons at age 16, but this IS my first year in the “professional” realm.
@Lori - The reaction from the ed community does tend to be stronger from elsewhere, and in addition, the ed community is much smaller. It’s an interesting thought, because it’s taken 4 months to get up the nerve around here to speak out even slightly against anything. I had to toughen up before I could deal with the inevitable backlash.
@Pat - hmmm, more set in my ways. You’re definitely right about that in the fact that I’m NOT set in my ways in education - I really have no “ways” to speak of! I’ve avoided speaking out against policy, where I do have strong views because I don’t want to deal with people slamming me disrespectfully as they are elsewhere right now. As far as classroom stuff, I’m always open to suggestion and am willing to admit defeats.
@Kelly - I like your take on this. I could NEVER write a parenting manual as the only thing in it would be “do whatever works for you and keeps you sane”. Not sure if people would buy that teaching handbook :-) I’m all about openmindedness and wish everyone were, maybe time will change things.
Kate,
You’re talking about how you feel when you write, which is a bit different from the tack I’m going to take here, but I also wonder if you aren’t sensitive to rhetorical voice.
The rhetorical voice of an educator is rarely the ballsy, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners tone that business cultivates and rewards. Generally I’ve found that it is more questing… more qualitative. Dy/Dan points out here
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=772
that this softer approach has it its problems, where it sacrifices data and rigor. But it also honors not only the readers, but the SPEAKER HERSELF as a learner. Almost cuts out didactic pronouncement (roaring) from the get-go, doesn’t it?
@Dina - thanks so much for a different perspective. I read Dan’s post a while ago, but hadn’t considered it when I was writing this. I often feel like I have multiple personalities because I write about different things so differently! I’ve noticed in your writing however, definite conviction - I admire how you write about education, it’s impressive.
lots of laughter… do I roar? I feel more often these days as if I’m putting all my insecurities and questions out there for tomato-pelting and such, esp. towards the end of the year where, as my 35-year experienced colleague next door tells me, “You see five more things to teach…and while teaching them, three more pop up, and then the year is over.” Anyway, I appreciate the compliment.
Dinas last blog post..Free Speech in Alcatraz
Enough of the determinism…you’re doing it to yourself.
Maybe we should all teach like we drive! Imagine if we were as vocal about education as we tend to be when someone cuts in front of us on the highway!
kens last blog post..don’t grade notebooks
Leave a Comment