I was reading a blog post (it is private on a district domain, so I can’t share!) by educator Anna Sage, who made such an eloquent connection between the education and medical fields with a distinct focus on innovation.
She shared that during a recent visit to the dentist and receiving a teeth mold, she was surprised that they weren’t going to use the “pink goop” used in the past!
While reading her post, this portion stopped me in my tracks!
“In both the medical and education fields, technological innovations that are proven to be more efficient and effective are more readily embraced. We see the value in things like using google docs to collaborate simultaneously and avoid the “I FORGOT TO SAVE” scare. We see the value in technology making things more efficient, less tedious, and, in the case of the pink goop, less messy!”
Anna Sage
“FORGOT TO SAVE!”
What?!!?
I forgot that “FORGOT TO SAVE” was a thing!
But then the memories started coming back.
So many people were terrified about “losing” all of their work on Google Docs when they first started to use it, and the “FORGOT TO SAVE” function was something they were terrified of losing.
I then had this thought.
Sometimes, what we are most scared to lose in the moment, we can eventually forget even existed.
There can easily be a life or education (or both) analogy on that statement, but it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Here are questions I have been pondering for my own reflections:
What were you once scared to lose in education that you no longer think about or miss?
What about in your personal life?
What did you once consider necessary in your life that you no longer utilize?
I can think of a few things, especially on the personal side, but I will leave that for a future post.
For now, I will leave you with this thought from Anna in her post.
“How do we move beyond our natural, human reactions and get ourselves out of the way of innovation? As educators, we know the importance of leading by example. If we want our learners to embrace new ideas and ways of thinking, then the best thing we can do is model it ourselves. I don’t have all the answers. But I think it starts with self-awareness, acceptance, and a willingness to grow.
When we are aware of our reactions and the feelings that drive them, we can shift our mindset to be more curious and open-minded. We can respond rather than react. We can accept that we are all doing the best we can with what we know at the time; we can be willing to learn and grow to continue to do the best we can with what we continue to learn. With this intention, innovation is sure to follow; and you know what that means… no more pink goop!”
Anna Sage
Make sure you connect with Anna and check out the things happening in her classroom!
