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Fear of the Known

 

Multiple times during the week, I am confronted by my children when I ask them to take something that belongs to them (being a toy, shoes, or a piece of clothing) either upstairs or downstairs in our house. I always hear the same reaction, “But I’m scared.” I always try to explain that there is nothing to be afraid of. It rarely, if ever, works. Most of the time, I end up travelling upstairs with them in order to provide moral support.

These frequent occurrences have me thinking about fear.

My children experience fear in these situations because they are afraid of the unknown, the dark basement, or the dark bedroom. Kids want reassurance to know that they don’t have to fear the unknown.

 

In education, we also experience this fear.

Educators often come face to face with the fear of the unknown.

Educators fear leaving their comfort zone, stepping out to try something new.

Educators fear what change will mean for what they know and what they do.

 

Just like my kids, educators seek reassurance that stepping into the dark will not lead to bad outcomes.

I don’t think we need to fear the unknown.

In fact, we should be more fearful of the known…

of keeping things the same…

of doing things the way we’ve always done them…

of allowing students to continue participating in activities and practices that don’t work.

 

As educators, we must continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

 

Let’s challenge ourselves to not only move past our fear of the unknown,

but also to embrace the unknown.

 

Rich (@RACzyz)

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