Take a Risk

Growing up I lived about five blocks from the swimming pool.  I loved going and playing in the water for as long as I can remember.  I also remember one day I had decided I was finally going to do it.  I was going to off the high diving board.  My older sister was there and I was determined that she wouldn't make fun of me any more.  I began my journey and walked to the line stretched three of four people deep at the base of the ladder.  When I got to the front of the line I could see the rungs in front of me and I began my glorious rise to the pale blue board strung out over the water.  I walked to the end ready to make the leap, when I froze a foot from the edge.  I could hear my sister yelling to me, but I just couldn't do it.  I turned around and climbed the longest set of steps I had ever taken.  It was a rough day.  Fear had struck.  Fear of hurting myself, fear of looking stupid, fear of trying something unfamiliar and essentially failing.  It didn't help that my older sister would remind me of it whenever she could.  Later that summer I finally did make the rise up those silver stairs and walked that plank all the way to end and leaped.  It was a glorious day.  The first question I asked myself when I came to the surface was what took me so long.  That wasn't bad at all.  I think I went off the board fifty times that day.  It was amazing.  I had found something completely new.

I get the same feeling when I am trying something new today.  While I haven't done a high dive for a while, I have been diving into some new technology tools and it has been amazing.  I am learning new ways to create and design.  I am growing in ways to serve teachers and students, and most of all, I am taking a step away from what is routine or comfortable.  I am taking a risk.  Yes, some of my ventures have failed, but thats okay.  I am "failing forward" (Maxwell).  

Now, here is my plug for you.  Dive into a new adventure today.  Have an open mind about the possibilities that exist beyond the norm.  Attack that problem from new angle.  Try a sending a Tweet.  Create a new account on Wordle.  Show your students a video you made and shared on YouTube.  Stretch yourself to think outside the box and design a learning experience for your students with a new tool.  Remember, you are a role model for learning.  If you are not willing to get of your comfort zone to learn new things, then how can you expect your students to it.  Go ahead and plunge in.  The water is fine.  I think you will find that it is an amazing rush.  

Reference

Fail Forward. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2016, from https://failforward.org/