Tides are Changing

The rains are falling.

Tides are changing.

A stone has been tossed and the ripples have been sent.

The question now, will I withstand the rain?  Will my ripple meet the ocean? Will I change the tide?

 

I’m holding on to what I love = Teaching = she’s holding on to me

When the rain came, it washed us out to sea. 

I’m holding what I love, she’s holding on to me.

I feel like I have been inundated with a flood of information and demands for change. As it pours down it blurs the lines of what I once deemed best practice. As all objects do, they stand steadfast against the currents and erosive powers of the water. But as fate always has it, the water slowly chips away and weakens the footings. The sand beneath my feet is being lapped away. If I am going to keep my head above the water, I need to change my practices, especially in the area of digital literacies.

At times I feel like I have almost drowned myself in frustrations of “what now?” and “how am I supposed to do that?” However, as the sand quickly slipped away I began to tread. I have kept my head above the water holding on to what I love the most. I love my students, I love to teach. I hold on to the need to equip them with the skills they will need to survive THEIR future swells.

As such,

It’s no surprise it brought me to my knees.

You’re never really ready,

you’re ready as can be.

How frustrating it is! Having the desire and understanding that change needs to be made but not knowing where to begin, or thinking that you’re not knowledgeable enough, trained or supported enough to take the risk.

And yet….

also deep down knowing that there will never be the exact right time, or the perfect amount of training. To wait for another moment in time is ridiculous. Knowing that at the rate things change, right now, you truly are as ready as you’re ever going to be.

And so, as

the sun was coming up we were sifting through the sand.

Looking for the pieces of our broken plans.

I reflect on my project and the waves of inquiry come crashing down on the shores of my understanding.

My inquiry project: to explore how I can incorporate meaningful and intentional uses of technology to increase motivation and engagement amongst emergent grade one writers that demonstrate a diverse set of learning needs.

I chose this as my inquiry project as I had been approved in June for a SET-BC innovative classroom based project trying to do just that – engage and motivate emergent grade one writers.  iPads were put on loan and the first step towards making the necessary changes around digital literacy was made.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

So I thought.

Caught up in a riptide I began to sink.

The iPads have yet to show up!

Time to decide.

Continue to swim with the current even though it is going away from the beach. Or stop kicking and give in.

My legs are getting tired, but they haven’t stopped yet.

As I look at the broken pieces of my plan, I have found my crutch. A crutch I have noticed many of us who fear change hold on to. Limited resources.

My readings have shown me that there are many countries without any resources. Surely, I can achieve something with LIMITED.

Its gonna take a while, we’re gonna get it back.

We gotta carry on darling, we were built to last.

Water always chooses the path of least resistance. I do not. I am built to last. My goal is built to last. It is going to take some time to navigate the waters and find comfort in them. Not to mention catch my breath after all this kicking.

However, through my networks, and our networks WE ARE going to get it back (sense of control and direction).

In the meantime, I remember that,

changing tides, baby thats the hardest part of life.

hold me tight, and we will move as one in the changing tides.

If we support each other and take the risks in putting ourselves out there. We will begin to move with the change instead of being pulled under by the tides.

theres no doubt the beauty that we see,

following the path so much older than we.

Lovers built it with their hands, walked it with their feet,

above the raging waters and the darkness underneath.

Though I am finding the change difficult I support the literature in that it emphasizes the use of technology in the classroom. I also reflect on the changes my colleagues and profession has endured long before I was deposited in this ocean. Through networks, and risk taking we are always able to find the beauty that makes the struggle worth it in the end. There are always going to be things we cannot control and it is important to seek outwardly to find ways to best enhance the things that you can.

I am going to hold tight!

I am determined to seek and develop networks to help me move as one.

Together it is my hope that instead of floating and moving with the tides, we will be the force that changes the tide.

All it takes is one drop, one ripple…

Let the tides change.