I’ve hit a slump.
Blogging has been slow and an arduous task as of late, and I seemingly have struggled to find inspiration to write. I have committed myself to continuously write in this blog because it helps me to focus not only my growth as an educator, but as a person. Thinking and sharing out loud has truly made me grow in my thinking and has helped to clarify my thoughts. The process of blogging has been extremely helpful.
So why the slump when once it was so easy to write?
Probably one of the reasons is that I am trying to spend more quality time with those that I care about, and putting down the phone, hiding the computer, and just valuing someone else’s presence. Finding balance is key so I have been comfortable with writing less.
I don’t think thats’ it though.
To me, one of the biggest reasons that I have had trouble with writing is that I have focused on creating and sharing more, and consumption less. I attribute this to not only having less time to read the work of other educators, but also I have been spending a lot of my time on the road, preparing and delivering presentations, not having the time to simply sit and get.
Yup, I need more sit and get.
The importance of creation in schools is something that I truly believe in and should be a huge focus, but I also believe that there is still a huge value in the delivery of content and information. Learning from hearing others, reading, viewing, watching, and simply consuming information, often gives us the inspiration to create. Several years ago, John Medina, writer of “Brain Rules”, talked about the idea that creation without consumption would be similar to playing “air guitar”; you would have an idea of the motions, but you wouldn’t necessarily be able to create any meaningful. That makes sense to me.
So I am going to make more of a concerted effort to try and get to other sessions at conferences, spend more times in classrooms when I am home, read more educator blogs, and happily consume some information. WIthout that focus on consumption, the ability to connect, create, and develop my own thoughts will continue to be a struggle.
