Happy Earth Day, y’all! In recognition of Earth Day, I’m putting a new twist on recycling—I’m recycling my very first blog. What will you recycle today?
Love ya!
Diane
Lessons From a Fly
I can only imagine what you’re thinking. “Lessons From a fly? You’ve got to be kidding me. I teach! I don’t have time to talk about flies!” I admit that I don’t usually make time to talk about flies either. In fact, I find them quite annoying. But here’s the deal. The other day, I found myself captivated by a very large black fly that was absolutely determined to fly through glass. It buzzed and bashed itself against my window time and time again to no avail. And even when I strongly suggested exiting through an open door, its refusal was unwavering. In the end, the stubborn guy knocked itself out. This got me to wondering, “How many times have I knocked myself out trying to ‘fly through glass’? Do I approach challenging situations with fly-like behaviors? Ugh!” OK, maybe you wouldn’t have gone there, but I did, and here’s what I learned from a fly:
1. Saying the same thing over and over again (buzz, buzz, buzz) tends to annoy people.
2. When you’re not getting the results you want or need, take a different approach.
3. Don’t be afraid to take the suggestion of an onlooker. His or her idea may be a really great one!
If nothing else, this experience confirms my belief that teaching and learning can be all about the moment. Let me know what you think about learning on the fly (sorry, I just couldn’t resist the pun). And please share your favorite teachable moments from the classroom too!