After just returning from a beautiful 10 days vacationing in Florida
with my twenty two year old daughter, our last class feels like it was a long
time ago! All my good intentions of completing my blog prior to holidays
were over-run with other competing priorities. But...now that I have
soaked in the tropical weather and a sufficient dose of Vitamin D, it is time
for me to get busy, reflect, and synthesize all the wonderful learning that
occurred for me in our second class!
First and foremost, a theme that continues to emerge for me is
around the importance of pausing and reflecting and then looking far beyond the
surface.
Jewellers' Loupes
We started the day with a fun exercise and lesson in the
importance of "digging deeper" and continually searching and asking
"why?" until there are no more questions.
We were each provided a jewellers'
loupe (magnifier x5) and a vast selection of items to choose from to view through
the loupe. We began by looking at our own individual hands under the jewellers’ loupe. How interesting this was. It was fascinating how each of us applied our own life experiences to what we were interpreting. For
example, my palm reminded me of the prairies and the coulees where I spent 12
years, not so very long ago.
The hand
a gentle guide
through dry, winding
roads
long and wide.
The hand
coulee folds and
ridges
glaciers
millions of years ago
travelled roads and bridges
to the
future...
The hand
While others saw snakes or pathways, some saw years of wisdom,
maps, arial views of fields. What started out as a simple exercise became a
personal and unique experience that varied just as much as the person looking
through the jewellers’ loupe. In teaching and leadership, we bring our
individual experiences to our curriculum; similarly, those on the receiving end
of our leadership and instruction interpret our curriculum through their own
perceptions and experiences, which of course are unique to them.
The loupes magnifier revealed so much more than what can be seen
with the naked eye. At first glance, when I looked at a white pebble, it
looked smooth and shiny and perfectly round and simple. However, when the jewellers’ loupe was applied, the surface revealed a complexity and richness and
depth that was not apparent to the naked eye- it suggested a much more
intriguing story. The pebble looked weathered, like it had seen a
lifetime of storms. The smooth and shiny coating was not so smooth and
shiny, it was full of imperfections and lines and even tiny bruises. It
was no less valuable ... Just more
interesting and unique–a stone that could not be replicated.
This whole experience reminds me of the importance of evaluating and critiquing and not making decisions based on superficial circumstantial evidence. It is important to be prudent and leave no stone unturned if you will! It is critical when evaluating
programs to fluidly moving back and forth from the macro view to a micro view,
all the while continually questioning and delving deeper beyond the surface
appearance. We need to be open to new possibilities and hypothesis and be
prepared to "let go" of perceptions, looking beyond our own
individual experiences that contribute to those perceptions. I think it
is so important to always look at patterns and make connections and test those
theories out ... it is so important to look beyond the surface and
recognize that loupe magnifier symbolizes one type of tool to look closer and
delve deeper. This tool had a magnification of 5 x the naked eye so imagine other tools that could be utilized to reveal a deeper understanding of what initially appeared as simple and flawless - the process of evaluation redefines the original theory.
Another "pause" - an "aha" moment for me was when reading the narrative by Susan MacRae. She described experiences that she had as a new nurse and the importance of being human and breaking free from the pressures of being stoic and strong, virtuous characteristics that are commonly upheld as noble by the medical profession. The unspoken "Don't let them get to you" in her journal entries which then changed into "let them get to you" was a beautiful way of depicting this "breaking free". The struggle she experienced between not revealing emotion versus being vulnerable and human and allowing your spirit to touch another human... and be touched by another human. This story really struck a chord with me as I was taken back to my early nursing career days. I was reminded of that "unspoken" expectation of "not letting them get to you". Maybe that was why I only spent 10 years working as a frontline nurse. It was hard.... it was emotionally draining... yet... it was a gift. I worked in Intensive Care and saw things that most people will never see in a life time let alone in my early twenties. Maybe if we had the supports that we have in place now, I might have stayed at the bedside longer. Maybe .... it brought back a lot of memories and some of them remembering that I had some amazing human encounters that I hold dear to my heart. I was privileged to share special moments - sometimes in life... and sometimes in their death.
The stories remind me of just how important it is to be compassionate, to be "real", to allow yourself to reach depths with other people and it also reminds me of the strength in "letting them get to you". The strength that is in recording the narrative and recording the emotions. The stories and thoughts and sharing ... and just how powerful the sharing of these narratives can be - how much more meaningful it is when it is relevant to the reader! When one is able to identify with the content and put it into their context... it can be a powerful curriculum tool.
This story was a really light and fun way of looking at curriculum that is still in practice. It is a series of nonsensical words that made up facts about the importance of making traxoline. It was also just a great example of how we can learn about something and be able to regurgitate the facts about it without really having an understanding or comprehension of what is being taught- what the meaning is behind traxoline. While this method of teaching curriculum may be necessary in a few cases, most of the time it is an ineffective strategy for learning. It reminds us of how important it is in ensuring that content is not just memorized and regurgitated but intimately understood. It is important not to just answer questions but to facilitate others learning and to be able to motivate and inspire a healthy curiosity about the unknown.
These are just a few of the key themes that come to mind for me when reflecting on our second class. Looking forward to Week # 3 this weekend!
A Caregiver's Narrative
Another "pause" - an "aha" moment for me was when reading the narrative by Susan MacRae. She described experiences that she had as a new nurse and the importance of being human and breaking free from the pressures of being stoic and strong, virtuous characteristics that are commonly upheld as noble by the medical profession. The unspoken "Don't let them get to you" in her journal entries which then changed into "let them get to you" was a beautiful way of depicting this "breaking free". The struggle she experienced between not revealing emotion versus being vulnerable and human and allowing your spirit to touch another human... and be touched by another human. This story really struck a chord with me as I was taken back to my early nursing career days. I was reminded of that "unspoken" expectation of "not letting them get to you". Maybe that was why I only spent 10 years working as a frontline nurse. It was hard.... it was emotionally draining... yet... it was a gift. I worked in Intensive Care and saw things that most people will never see in a life time let alone in my early twenties. Maybe if we had the supports that we have in place now, I might have stayed at the bedside longer. Maybe .... it brought back a lot of memories and some of them remembering that I had some amazing human encounters that I hold dear to my heart. I was privileged to share special moments - sometimes in life... and sometimes in their death.
Montillation of Traxoline
This story was a really light and fun way of looking at curriculum that is still in practice. It is a series of nonsensical words that made up facts about the importance of making traxoline. It was also just a great example of how we can learn about something and be able to regurgitate the facts about it without really having an understanding or comprehension of what is being taught- what the meaning is behind traxoline. While this method of teaching curriculum may be necessary in a few cases, most of the time it is an ineffective strategy for learning. It reminds us of how important it is in ensuring that content is not just memorized and regurgitated but intimately understood. It is important not to just answer questions but to facilitate others learning and to be able to motivate and inspire a healthy curiosity about the unknown.
These are just a few of the key themes that come to mind for me when reflecting on our second class. Looking forward to Week # 3 this weekend!
References
1) http://www.the-private-eye.com/index.html accessed February 10, 2014 @ 1100.
2) MacRae, Susan K. ; To Be Human with other Humans : A caregiver's Narrative, pg. 289 in Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice Inquiries For Hope & Change 2010 editor Cheryl McLean.
3) The Montillation of Traxoline” was written by Dr. Judith Lanier, professor and dean emeritus, Department of Education,Michigan State University
3) The Montillation of Traxoline” was written by Dr. Judith Lanier, professor and dean emeritus, Department of Education,
