Another Thought Metaphor

Interesting thing from yesterday.  Becky Bailey recommends teachers "go out loud" when they make mistakes in the classroom.  When kids can hear the healthy process we go through in our heads (assuming we have one) to acknowledge, process, learn from and then forgive a mistake, they get a valuable script for what is possible.  A great way to teach personal forgiveness.  Tuesday afternoon ended with a role play between Becky and a participant, on the fly, and clearly it didn't go well.  Wednesday morning, Becky "went out loud" about her experience with that.  To hear this master teacher talk vulnerably about how and where she got off track was fascinating, as was the reaction from the participant we heard next.  Very validating of the human experience, specifically mine this week.

She gave a neat visual.  Holding 3 tissues in her hand, she talked about her inner CD ROM of material that was playing Tuesday evening.  "Why am I even here?  I should quit now.  They know I'm a fake.  I have no business being here."  etc etc.  She said she listened to it for about 20 minutes (ONLY 20 minutes?  Jesus.  I should be so lucky.).  She bounced a tissue in front of her face like a little cloud going by right to left to represent one of these thoughts she could safely observe and keep quiet.  Dropped it harmlessly on the floor.  Then another – bounce bounce bounce drop.  The third, to which she had put a piece of masking tape, she began bouncing by and then stuck to her forehead.  "Very attractive, as you can see..."  That's a thought she bought into for a while.  It obscured her vision, made her look silly, made it hard to do whatever was to come next. 

I just love this image.  A very concrete metaphor. 

Sadly, today was not a day of great success for me in this area.  Big fat finger on the Play button, ramping the volume up on the disparaging voices.  (I’m apparently jumping metaphors – first it’s spam, then a tissue, and now it’s a CD.  Take your pick.)  But I think being tired has impact here, as well as not a lot of time to process what I’m learning.  It’s ok.  The voices will settle in time.