Falling Off My High Horse

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"The pinecone was very echinated. Defenestrating it was impractical because it ailed me to purchase it." ~ELL Teacher Workshop, PowerPoint Slide

In the teacher workshop this morning, the above sentences were up on the projection board. The instructions were, "Half of you have one minute to write down the meaning of this on a post-it note. You may use no technology or resources and you may not talk. The other half of you can work in groups and have three minutes. You may use whatever resources you have with you. Go." I have two degrees in English, I'm a writer, avid reader, with nine years of teaching experience from fourth grade to college level, and all I could do was giggle as I read it. I had absolutely nothin'! By the time the instructor called "Time", my post-it note was blank. Now there was a time not too long ago when I'd have been horribly frustrated and more than a little annoyed at being so completely caught off guard and inept to produce an appropriate answer. Thank goodness I got over that because I've finally come to realize just how beneficial it is to get slam-dunked right off that high horse all of us find ourselves on at some point or another. A bruised butt (or Ego) is humbling, humiliating, and completely necessary for growth!

While this lesson was targeted for teachers trying to help struggling students, specifically ones who don't speak English (...or so little of it as to be negligible), there are numerous, correlating life lessons:

1.) Just because you've said what you mean doesn't mean those who heard you actually understood your message.
2.) Assuming that people understand you or see things the way you do is a colossal mistake.
3.) You're never too old (or experienced, or educated) to learn something new.
4.) Failing at something does not have to mean you're a failure.
5.) No matter how smart you are, you're never as smart as you think (see #2).

Kuddos to the lovely lady running our workshop today. You were brilliant! I'm glad I've learned how to laugh at my mistakes, remember that I should always be learning, and encounter people often who make me a better person just by being who they are and sharing that with me.

Happy first day of May, y'all!

Love,
A.