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Monday, August 26, 2019

Gut Churn



I've been looking back through some notes I took in the past and was struck by some stuff I jotted down while Jad Abumrad, host and creator of public radio's "Radiolab", presented a keynote at ISTE 2017.  He talked about gut churn.  That feeling you get when you are uncomfortable, unsure of the outcome, feel hopeless, think you aren't good enough, that you are making mistakes, and on and on and on.  For me, that feeling occurs almost DAILY.  It usually follows asking myself, "Am I doing what is right for the future of the District and our students?"

Luvvie Ajayi's message in her TED Talk Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable suggests that "comfort is overrated...and (just) maintains the status quo."  Because as Ginny Rometty, Tony Robbins, Brene Brown, and many others have said...comfort and growth don't share the same space.


How often do YOU get that "gut churn" feeling?  Not on Sunday night knowing you have to go back to work on Monday and not when you have to reach out to a parent of a student for something other than a positive phone call.  Rather, how often does the "churn" happen for what you are doing or planning to do in the classroom?  For what you are doing to lead others?