As this week winds down, there is still much unknown about what is to come. In this time of uncertainty, it's important to take care of ourselves & connect with others for support. Every day is a PD day. #myPDtoday
Like most people around me, this has been a trying week. There is so much happening that it is almost hard to keep track and comprehend. Each hour it seems there is more news related to shutdowns and closures. In a world that has become accustom to going and doing what we want, the thought of limitations and boundaries is hard for some people to understand and follow. These limitations and boundaries are in place to protect us and help reduce the chance of us getting sick but they are different from the way we normally live our lives.
A New Reality - For Now
This is the new reality for now. We are experiencing change which at the best of times isn't easy. Change is something we resist. As people, we like routines and structure. It's the reason so many of us aren't able to consistently make changes in our daily habits - we psychologically like routine. It's why we often follow the same routes to places we go, have the same routine in the morning and evening, and fall into the same habits during the day.
But now, all those are being disrupted. Which, on some level, isn't a bad thing. For me and my family, it has us examining our daily habits, the way we interact with each other, how we talk, how we act and react. Basically we are in a situation where we have had to begin to reflect on how we interact with each other so that we can live together for the foreseeable future. We are limiting our interactions outside the house and practicing social distancing with each other.
It also means we are needing to find new ways to stay connected with others and it has put into perspective how important it is to have a support network.
A Connected Personal Network
To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to call my network of people with whom I connect. I've often referred to it as a Personal/Professional Learning Network but this network has become more than just about learning although learning is still part of it. Being connected to a variety of different people through Twitter, Facebook, email, Slack, and other tools has allowed me to connect and share some of the feelings I've been having about what is happening and my uneasiness about all that is that is going on.
This is important.
Being able to connect with others and share, gives us a sense of normalcy during these times. We might be at home with our families but being able to connect and share in ways previous generations were unable allows us that social element that was missing when such incident occurred in the past. Whether it's a FaceTime call or on online chat, a Facebook group or texting with others, we have a wealth of avenues available to us to continue to stay in contact with others.
It's not the same as sitting down and having a cup of coffee but, well, it is. We can have those conversations and still drink coffee. Various modes of communication do allow us to have those conversations and may allow us to have even deeper conversations because we are freed from worrying about how others might interpret our body language or our facial expressions. Freed from having to worry about such things, we can discuss and explore, working through feelings and emotions that we might have been too self-conscious about in face to face encounters.
Yes, there are still those who overshare in public. But these aren't the connections I'm talking about. These are connections about personal relationships and helping each other. It's like the connections I've made through #saskedchat or #COLchat or #ATAssessment or any of the other chats I've regularly taken part in. Some of the people I've grown to consider friends even though we've never met. One of them, @datruss, has been someone I've conversed with on and off for about 10 years. We've had great conversations and yet I've never met him. But I'd consider him someone I could talk with about what was going on if needed. In fact, there are a number of people I meet with each week on Thursday evening at 8pm that I consider good friends and I haven't met them all. But during this time of uncertainty, it has been these people with whom I connect that have helped me to get beyond myself and see beyond my situation. Who are sharing their lives and, by doing so, allowing us all to work through this together.
Unprecedented Times
As I mentioned in a previous post, this is new. We really don't know how things will turn out and that is hard for us to handle. We hear all sorts of possibilities and what might happen. We see what is happening in other countries and the reality of what that might mean for all of us is coming closer to home as more and more people are being infected. These are unprecedented times for us. But, we don't have to be alone. We can connect and support one another. As educators, we know that relationships are the foundation of all we do but often we don't take time to develop our connections as we might want because of the nature of what we do.
Connect
For those who aren't quite sure, reach out to someone you know and ask them to help you connect. Reach out to me, I'll gladly help you in whatever way I can. And it doesn't have to be with Twitter. There are a whole host of platforms that allow people to connect and all of them provide people with a way to connect that fits them. Go out and find one that works for you. Ask, someone. Give it a try. If it doesn't work, try another.
Take the chance and connect. I am sure, once you find your people, you'll wonder how you did without them.