Climbing Out of Our Comfort Zones: A Journey for Teachers and Students
Aug 02, 2024
- MOVEMENT: Try a form of movement that you've been interested in but tend to avoid (Pilates, strength, yoga, etc.).
- STRESS: If you've never tried, test out a few guided meditations (the app Insight Timer is a great place to start).
- RELATIONSHIPS: Have the tough conversation you've been putting off.
- CREATIVITY: Sign up for a lesson, purchase the guitar, or start writing that story you've been daydreaming about—kickstart the hobby you've been craving!
- FINANCES: Set aside time to sort through your spending over the last month. Generate a list of the costs in different categories (food, entertainment, subscriptions, etc.), so that you actually know where your money is going.
- MINDSET: Tackle self-doubt by challenging yourself to share one thing at a meeting or email someone the question you've been wondering.
- TEACHING: Consider a skill you've taught the same way for a few years. How can you change this lesson or unit up a bit?
(All 12 Whole Teacher categories can be explored here depending on what pushes you out of your comfort zone.)
It's also really important to explore what pushes our students out of their comfort zones. Math might be that hike for a student. Writing might be that hike for a student. Speaking in front of other students might be that hike for a student. It's so significant to recognize the doubt, fear, and exhaustion that starts to spiral for some of them the moment they walk into a certain class or stand at the base of that mountain.
Sometimes, we might need to offer a little more patience and understanding as we walk alongside students up that mountain. But, we find ways to encourage them, step-by-step. We find ways to support them, step-by-step, until they have climbed to the top—until they have realized that they have gotten through their own discomfort and made it to the other side. That's when their confidence, understanding, and clarity really grow.
So, do the thing that makes you uncomfortable and help your students do the same. If we're not pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones, are we really growing at all?