Amusement Park AWE

So often I work at teaching my two children all they need to know, that I forget how much they can teach me. It never ceases to amaze me the awe that my two daughters find in the simple things in life, but on our spring break trip to a small amusement park, I was reminded in a simple picture about the emotions that go into trying new things.

To me, the car ride designed for toddlers was anything but intimidating. It was brightly colored with a predictable track and slow speed perfect for my daredevil two year old daughter. She eyed it from far away and eagerly got in line to try it. As we approached the queue line, she held my hand with a mix of excitement, but also visible trepidation. She was surveying the ride, monitoring the looks on the faces of the kids already riding, and the speed of the cars.

When we got on the ride, she followed the safety protocol: “buckle up, mommy!” As the ride began her responses shifted at every turn from jubilation to nervousness. She threw her hands up in the air at the straight-aways and cowered at the turns when it went just a little faster than she anticipated. I don’t know how, but her face in the picture my husband took, showed both utter terror and complete excitement at the same time.

When the ride slowed to a stop, she looked up at me with her eyes and said “That was awesome!”

Her reaction reminded me so much of the power of taking risks and trying new things. Fear of the unknown is not without its emotional risks, but watching her exit the ride, it reminded me that trying new things, despite the initial fear, was outweighed with the potential for extreme joy, satisfaction, and reward.

If we apply this simple concept to education, think about what we can accomplish. Think about the amazing results we can have in our schools and classrooms if we are able to overcome the initial worry, trepidation or fear of trying something new: a new tech tool, a new flexible seating arrangement, a new strategy for connecting kids to outside experiences, a new way to collaborate and look at data, a new way to grow professionally, a new way to assign homework or give grades a new way to do something NEW!

My two year old reminded me, that although things can be scary, they can also be fun, engaging, and most importantly, worth the risk!

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