Reading through my fellow students blog posts and listening to people speak about how the last 2 years has effected them makes me wonder if I have missed something... I am not deny
ing that 2020 to the present has not been challenging and there have been times of uncertainty, but part of being a healthy person is overcoming adversity. Perhaps I have more experience with this that others? Perhaps there are others out there that share my perspectives of optimism and resiliency? Perhaps there are even those out there that I can learn more from? I have learned over the past 18 years that when people depend on you, you have two choices. One, you fold and fail them. or two you find a way to be the person that they need you to be. So, What does this have to do with education and technology? EVERYTHING.
As teachers, our students are relying on us, not just to "educate" them in the conventional sense, but also to model good citizenship and humanity. This means that we cannot adopt the mentality that the world is a hard place and all you can do is keep you head above the water or even worse that we can't because it's just too hard. This concept can be tied to the SEL curriculum that we are supposed to be teaching our students anyway. So how do we use technology to do this?
I thought your video attachment was insightful and applicable to SEL. The first step of understanding the problem is key. Like in the video, too often kids and adults alike see a problem and give up before thinking it through. This is a crucial flaw and one that is not helpful in the slightest. Giving up is not an option. Thinking about solutions and continuing to try when things don’t work reminds me of a quote by Calvin Coolidge;
ReplyDelete“Nothing In The World Can Take The Place Of Persistence. Talent Will Not; Nothing Is More Common Than Unsuccessful Men With Talent. Genius Will Not; Unrewarded Genius Is Almost A Proverb. Education Will Not; The World Is Full Of Educated Derelicts. Persistence And Determination Alone Are Omnipotent. The Slogan “Press On” Has Solved And Always Will Solve The Problems Of The Human Race.”
In order to SEL to be effective we have to first teach our kids how to be in touch with their emotions. There is residual generational trauma that I have found in my own family that inhibits this process and I’ve seen it in other families as well. Second, we need to learn how to process those emotions to continue to press on. Problems don’t just go away, you need to face them head on and I think that is the point of SEL. Learning how to process problems and emotions and then getting on with your life and not letting your issues define who you are as a person. Instead let your persistence and problem solving be key defining features of who you are as a person. Well done Neal.