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Spark: Take More Risks (And fail.)

13 Apr Posted by in Blog, Professional Development, Spark: Take Your Teaching to the Next Level, TeacherInDevelopment | Comments
Spark: Take More Risks (And fail.)
 

Have you been feeling bored lately? Does teaching feel more like a rut than an adventure? Life heading that way too? We all have blah days and weeks, but if you don’t break out, bad stuff happens. You forget to be passionate and excited about your life and what you’re doing. You wake up Monday morning and wish it were Friday. Do you agree that this shouldn’t happen? It’s a terrible spot to be in, and I think it’s up to us to get out. Stop the tailspin before it stops you.

Just read How To Fail via Seth Godin. Totally agree. I think that boldly taking more risks as a teacher, and doing it inside a helpful/supportive community can be a pathway out of being lost.

So I’m wondering: as Godin points out, a great way to avoid failure is to never sign up for important and visible projects. Adapt that to the classroom: What “visible important projects” could you start taking on as a teacher? What could you start doing with your students?  Outside the classroom: What risks or big projects could you be taking on that you’ve been silently avoiding?

What will success look like on this project? Are you being daring enough with your students? With your life? (We only get one chance at this, right?)

Things I’m doing to add spark to my teaching practice and life:

1. I was invited to present at the next regional Mextesol gathering. The thought of standing up in front of x number of fellow TESOL professionals terrifies me,  but just before posting this I sent a big yes to the event organizer. I’m saying yes to that risk. It’s very visible, and everyone will know it if I suck. (So I’m going to work hard not to.)

2. Last Sunday I opened an Entrepreneur Mastermind group via my Facebook. So far, we have 6 people ready to participate. Again, a risk. What if nobody cared?  Visible and important project  - learn how to be a better entrepreneur and maybe help someone else along the way. (Interested in joining the group? Just send me an email and I’ll set you up. It’s free.)

3. Teaching: I started a journal project with my students. I rarely engage in extended writing development strategies but my last exam with a few students made me decide to reexamine that approach. As I read from a recent Twitter #ELTchat -

People need writing more today than they did in the past because talking is now writing.

So far, my students have loved it. Again, there were high possibilities for failure: my students could have laughed me off the stage when I presented the idea, but they actually loved it.  (adult students don’t HAVE to do what you suggest if they don’t want to.)
Future Specific Projects:
1. As a business owner: a few big prospects have requested an online course option. We’re going to make that happen, and we’re going to expand our business in doing so.
2. Business Owner: we’re going to launch weekend getaways for Intensive English development. We’re also going to launch Entrepreneur camp {An extension to our Mastermind group. Hard core application. } and Vision Camp – {Gathering folks together who are searching for a more compelling/meaningful story to tell with their lives for a week or weekend away from the stress of the city to work on their life, and start thinking about how to make meaningful things happen in it. }
Those are a few of mine. Now it’s over to you….would you dare share a few of your projects with us?
Photo By aussiegall