Afternoon Pages

“Pose, Wobble, Flow: Redux”

I am taking on the “Pose” of Teacher as an Advocate. I think what was most curious to me was the word Advocate. Many times we hear that diction when playing “Devil’s Advocate” sharing the path that only few have walked, picking the side that most chose not to even look at. I think that is why it caught my attention the most. I want to explore the “hidden” side of education and give a voice to those who can’t. Similar to how the first badge helped me find my own voice in my own writing, I hoped to give different sides a chance to express what they need help with through education.

With already starting this project I have found that my Leadership Compass is pointed towards Empathy, opening up a new way of wobbling. While Empathy is good for getting to hear those voices, I cannot say no, which is a key part of the Advocate. Sometimes you have to say no to a side that is always within the “lime light” and listen to the side that lies within the shadows. At the same time this helps me with a flow, I can listen and feel for each side that has an idea about the topic of education. By doing so I can almost “play” advocate for both sides and may be more likely that there is a common ground that I will stumble across.

I have already improved my flow. By working as closely as I can with the checklist I have accomplished more in a smaller amount of time than my last badge. This has also helped me with doing small things every night rather than saving everything for the final night. Establishing “soft deadlines” makes me more aware of all I need to get done each week, even each night. So far I am almost done with level one and it is making me further than predicted.