Taking the time to catch up on some reading and look at some stories happening around the world, I am inspired by the learning of an older generation being shared openly on the Internet. First off, George White, new to Twitter and blogging, decided to share his experiences after the passing of his wife. In a gut wrenching first post, he shares the beginning of a new adventure:
One month ago I lost my dear wife, Mima. And after sixty seven years of happily married life together I find it hard to come to terms with my loss. However my grandson who lives in Switzerland is taking me there for a few weeks to recuperate. I intend to make the best of things, try to forget my pains (at least for a while), and visit some of the lovely scenery and mountains in that country. I’ve seen many photographs, now that I received my first ever passport a few weeks ago I can now experience it for myself.
I would like to share my adventures with you, and at the end of it I hope to feel a lot better. I hope you enjoy what follows.
Talk about a moving story. I am not sure what his technical experience is, but I do know that blogging and Twitter did not exist for the large majority of his life. Yet he has decided to share his story and if you look at the number of comments that he is receiving on his posts, you will see that he is inspiring many.
Less than twelve hours later after seeing George White’s story (hat tip to Kathy Melton for sharing), I see this sweet post of someone deciding to learn the Cello at the age of 82 with a sweet caption:
I have said this previously, but it is more about mindset than skill set, and at any age, we are able to learn whatever we need or want to learn. While many share stories of educators that struggle with change, I want to continue to push that teachers are the agents of change and have to accept this more than any other profession because of who we serve.
How many times have you heard a teacher say to a student, “I know you struggle with this, so it is totally okay to give up”? That would be something as educators we would deem unacceptable for a student, so why do we as educators get a pass?
It is not that all educators have to move at the same pace, and differentiation is essential for all learners, but not trying is not acceptable. My belief is that as long as we have the mindset to grow, we will grow. Hopefully examples like I have shared above reinforce that concept that we as educators need to be learners first.
