Blog Post #4
Corey Poirier, in his TED talk, “How People Crush Fears And Expand Comfort Zones”,
discusses his personal experiences. How do you (or how do you plan to) overcome your personal fears and expand your comfort zone in the classroom? …outside of the classroom? Again, please leave encouraging comments on at least two other participants’ posts.
My fear has changed as I have moved from the General Education classroom into a Special Education role. My fear now is giving misinformation. Within our Initial IEP process, we have so much data, reports coming in from OT, PT, Speech/Language, Psychologist, etc. So I work very diligently to make sure all information is accurate and correctly spoken within IEP meetings. This goes with being very comfortable with the content and information being spoken, as well as being organized, so things are clear and the team understands all aspects.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate that you work hard to understand the testing and the results and what they mean so that parents and team members can understand as I this is so important to understand the individualities of each student! Great work!
DeleteThat is something I am sure that both the parents and students appreciate. It really shows the care you have to understanding their child and their personalities. As an educator that sounds like a meeting that would go smoothly and allow everyone to best know how to help with accommodations
DeleteI'm sure your diligent work shows to your students and their families. You have an important job and you are putting in the hard work. Keep it up!
DeleteI total relate to your fears because I also went from a general classroom to a classroom full of gifted students and very talent in their own ways.
DeleteI never taught in a general education classroom before I started my teaching career, which was in special education. I was like you and was a paraprofessional for a year and got to experience the general education classroom this way before I student taught for a year. When I started my SPED position, I too worked very hard to understand all aspects that go into an IEP. I worked very closely with the SPED team, as well as the student, to create goals/accommodations and everything there is to talk about at an IEP meeting. Once I became comfortable, I truly enjoyed the process of how an IEP works and how to present it.
DeleteI can relate to this fear. I remember my first year as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher. I was so anxious for my first meeting, I remember asking the team members(minus the parents) to have a zoom/mock meeting with me so I could practice before involving the parents. My colleagues were more than happy to do this with me and it was so fun to hear their wording, explanations, etc. and I learned a lot. I was afraid to be viewed as an inconvenience who didn't know what she was doing but it was a great way to get to know my colleagues and show my vulnerability. Now, I love teaming with others and holding due process meetings!
DeleteI can definitely related to feeling anxious in my early years of being a special education teacher. I too would practice my presentation before the meetings and mark up my documents with sticky notes so that I didn’t forget any points or signatures. It took me a few years to truly understand the IEP/evaluation process and the more I did the more comfortable I became. Now I actually enjoy the process and helping new teachers in understanding the process as well.
DeleteI appreciate you sharing this! My degree is in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Special Education. I have never taught in Special Ed, but I can understand that that switch would be difficult and very nerve wracking! Good job working hard to know all the needed information!
DeleteI have to admit, I like my comfort zone and stepping out of it has always been scary and challenging. I appreciate what he said about this as I always feel better if I have a support system and if I am surrounded by individuals with the same experiences that relate in the situation. I am not in the front of the classroom any more as I work one-on-one with students administering standardized academic achievement tests. I do have to report results to parents, which dependent on the parents can be intimidating, but it is most challenging to report results in front of the student-especially if test scores are not within an Average range. In these situations, I use different words and highlight the great things before reporting what the score means. I want parents and students to understand their strengths first and what the results of the testing show as well as what we are going to do to assist them and level the playing field.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound daunting having to speak about scores that could be less than ideal. I think that you choose to focus on their strengths and what they did well can help show that they are still going to accomplish great things. That is a wonderful approach to show they are still doing things right instead of all of the negative.
DeleteI like that you highlight strengths. It is a wonderful idea to report scores that are below average with a plan in place to help the student become successful in their own way. We all have areas where we need to grow, it sounds like you have the students' best interests in mind!
DeleteTalking with parents about not so great things are challenging. I do like to sandwich the negative with two positives and/or ways to help the negative thing.
DeleteI couldn't agree more that having a support system for yourself as an educator is invaluable. Having others to bounce ideas off of and learn and grow with is so important. The work you do sounds like it can certainly be challenging.
DeleteHaving support systems are so very important to success. I like the approach that you take when communicating with the parents. Good recommendations!
DeleteFor me to get over my fears is to make sure that I’m prepared for the new lesson, curriculum, or new activity. It gives me time to process and allows myself to get prepared to a point that I feel comfortable. I get always get nervous for new opportunities, but also excites me. With getting out of my comfort zone, at times, I just have to say yes and sign myself up for it even when I’m feeling uncomfortable and nervous.
ReplyDeleteI love that you're not afraid to say yes even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. It's hard to feel prepared when it's a new lesson or curriculum! I have taught a new curriculum every year for the last 4 years! It definitely takes a lot of time to prepare and sometimes I find myself just winging it. Good for you for taking the time to always be prepared!
DeleteThat is incredible that you are always prepared for a new lesson, curriculum, or new activity. Saying “yes” is so important in teaching as well as in life! I feel like many of us can grow by allowing us to get out of our “comfort zones.” Like Hope and Wade talked about, faking it until you make it was my mojo at times. I definitely did not know everything while I was teaching and I think that is okay. I always took it as a learning opportunity and students could then relate they didn’t need to know everything too. We got to grow together and I really enjoyed this aspect of teaching.
DeleteBeing prepared is so important. Admittedly I have taught a lesson somewhat unprepared, and my confidence is low and it never goes as well as I hoped. Luckily this doesn’t happen too often. Taking that extra time to prepare is so worth it. It makes teaching the lesson more enjoyable for both myself and the students. I’ve found that when I feel confident and prepared in what I am teaching, then I can add some extra “fun” into the lesson to make it more engaging for the students.
DeleteThat is great that you are willing to say yes even when you feel uncomfortable and nervous! It's so easy to let others just sign up and do it, but it takes courage to face the fears and say yes to pushing and growing yourself.
DeleteI would say there are some fears that can be prepared for and some you find out along the way. One of my fears in the classroom is that aren’t enjoying their projects/ they become to predictable. One of the ways I combat this is creating 1-2 projects that I can interchange that hits each standard so I always have the option of choice to combat this fear. Outside of the classroom I have a fear of not properly taking care of myself, I am very fortunate to have a wonderful best friend who agreed to be my gym buddy and we go three times a week to workout. Now this might not seem like a big step, but as someone who considers working out intolerable at first this was a way to keep me accountable. I’ve found that I like the me that has more energy so the fear is balanced out by the desire to keep feeling this energy.
ReplyDeleteI love that you take the time to create extra projects that can be interchanged to include choice in your classroom! Wonderful idea!!
DeleteI think for me to overcome my fears in the classroom is to realize it's okay to look like a fool in front of my students sometimes. I can't sing for the life of me. I've held back for years on cute little songs to help my students remember things. I started following Jake Daggett on Instagram and I saw how the littles he teaches love his songs so much. I tried one of his songs for telling time, knowing I sounded horrible. I was terrified to do it. My students absolutely loved it! Not one of them told me my singing sucked like I feared they would. They just totally got into the song. Eventually when they memorize a song, their singing becomes louder than yours and you know longer have to worry about them hearing you! Sometimes you just have to face fear head on in the classroom and understand it may be a hit or a failure and that's okay. That's my motto for fear outside of the classroom as well. In one of the podcasts I recently listened to they said " A goal without a plan, is just a wish". If you don't dive in and do something you're just holding yourself back. I got my Masters degree 20 years ago. I hadn't done anything with it since because I was afraid of the work and time it would take to move forward. Something in me changed last year and I decided enough was enough. I started doing book studies and podcasts. Not only am I working on my credits, my passion for teaching has reignited and that's a beautiful thing! I'm so glad I'm facing my fears!
ReplyDeleteBeing a fool in front of your classroom is out of my comfort zone and I am sure it was also for you but I think if we fellow Corey's three steps it will become easier for us.
DeleteI think our students appreciate when they can see us a just regular people who make mistakes, are funny and have had life experiences too. I really feel like that can make us more relatable. Making mistakes is ok and shows them we can learn and grow from the things that didn't go as we anticipated.
DeleteI think it's good for students to see that we as teachers are just human. Especially in the younger grades, we can seem like superheroes to them, so I like the idea of helping them to see us as fellow humans. Good job doing something that stretched your comfort zone!
DeleteLooking foolish in front of my class has always been a fear of mine too, but it's good for the students to see that we are human as well. Way to push yourself out of your comfort zone with the music!
DeleteIncorporating 2 of Corey's steps will help me to step outside of my comfort zone in the classroom and outside of the classroom. The first thing I will try is using baby steps. When faced with an overwhelming fear I will look for the small first steps and just keep chipping away until the task is accomplished. The second step I will try is finding a support system. I have always been a people pleaser and the thought of letting someone down is a great motivator for me.
ReplyDeleteI encourage you in your quest to find your support systems. We all benefit from having cheerleaders on our side, ones who we can vent or confess to, and ones who will listen and support without judgement. I am a recovering people pleaser myself and Im learning to accept my mistakes and failures and perceptions that Ive let others down (which I have many times). I tell myself: I can accept this, place in the "Past Experiences" file, and move on. Each day holds its own tasks that need our full attention.
DeleteI do agree with the baby steps method. I have done many things in life that I have considered Trial By Fire. Baby Steps are the best way to go!
DeleteI can remember a fear in the classroom and out of the classroom where I was able to use the three steps Corey talked about. I will start with the out of classroom fear it was getting out of my comfort zone and being either the mayor or a city commissioner. The desire on why I wanted one of these positions in our city government was that I was not happy in the direction our city was going. I was not a person who liked being the center of attention or even giving speeches but my drive to change how our city was being ran was bigger than my fears. As for baby steps I first started out trying to get elected as a commissioner, which I failed misery. The next election that can up for city government was for the mayor position, I was not totally on board to become the mayor but I decided to just rip off the band-aid and put my name in the hat. The third step that I had a great support system in place, that I was not aware of at the time. In order to throw my name in the rig I had to collect 50 signatures from the community and those people I talked to really encouraged me to become the mayor.
ReplyDeleteThe fear I had in the classroom was to teach my gifted students a life long skills and the skilled I taught was cooking. I enjoyed cooking and eating so I felt this would be right in my comfort zone. I used baby steps in teaching this skilled by choosing a category of a meal (dessert, main dish, side side, or comfort food.) Then I would allow the student to look out on the web site to find a recipe that they would like to make. After that the student would have to make a list of ingredients for their recipe and then we all go to the store to buy them. We usually prepare the recipe on a Friday and have a contest on who get the most votes for their dish. The support group is the teachers and administrators who does the voting on the best dish.
I am inspired by your story of just ripping the band aid off and going for it - putting your name in for the mayoral position. Did you get it? I wasn't clear from your wriiting but what an adventure either way! I think studnets need to see and hear these stories to take risks and try for what they want.
DeleteWhen I was teaching special education as a brand new teacher, I had many fears. I do not like letting other people down, especially students as many people relied on me to do the best job I could possibly do each and every day. I spent countless hours creating curriculum that made lessons fun and engaging for students. I stepped out of my “comfort zone” in my classroom by allowing students to give me feedback so I could not only improve for them, but also improve myself as an educator. Running IEP meetings gave me a lot of anxiety, but in time, I learned very quickly how to run a successful meeting. My director of special education, as well as my mentor teacher, helped guide me through my first few meetings until I left comfortable. Every single meeting was unique and challenging, but the team-effort approach was very reassuring. Having been a special education teacher, I feel I tackled many fears in my classroom and within myself. One outside of the classroom fear I had was a personal goal of mine that I started in 2023, overcoming the gym. My sister helped me create a workout plan that I could do 4-5 times throughout the week and went with me my first week. Ever since, I have made it my goal to continue to go to the gym 4-5 times a week to better myself. I am very proud of overcoming my fear of what people may think of me whether it be in the classroom or in the gym. In both settings, I am trying to better myself and ultimately help others in some way because if I don’t take care of myself, how can I truly be my best self to help/educate others?
ReplyDeleteThis post is amazing in many ways. Thanks for sharing your fears with us. I couldn't agree more, that you need to care for yourself before you can care for others.
DeleteI enjoyed the stories in his Ted talk. I haven't been to a sweat lodge, as he described, but I have been in more intimate groups with like-minded people and had similar experiences. For one, I have been in greif groups with other who have lost thier parents. Or adoption support groups for people who've had disrupted adoptions. When it seems no one else in the world gets it, the people who have gone through it are more "family" to you than people you've known forever. Shared experiences create a sort of comfort zone.In life, I am always pushing myself out of any stagnant comfort zones becuase I have a "just go for it" mentality. I am familar with this concept in my own life - just going for it, even if I am not 100% prepared. The more time you spend thinking about it, the more anxiety. Buying a house, trying to adopt, starting a new business. Several of these have failed but atleast I tried, and learned. In the classroom, I think of the end goal of what I want to teach and what I want students to know. And, I go for it. I do plan and execute using all my skills and past expertise, but I don't dwell on getting it "perfect" before launching. If I did that, I would never get anything done. In the classroom or in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree, people that have gone through things understand your perspective and can be a comfort zone.
DeleteIn the classroom and outside of it, I overcome fears and expand my comfort zone by making sure I have support from colleagues and family, trust in myself, staying organized and prepared, and remaining flexible to pivot when needed. I also work on being unattached to the outcome, focusing on effort and growth rather than perfection. This approach helps me take risks and try new strategies confidently.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way I can overcome my fears inside and outside the classroom is to be prepared. If I practice and do my best at preparation, I can get over nerves. I have learned to not let things that go wrong ruin my experiences and to be flexible when things do go wrong.
ReplyDelete100% agree with this. If I am prepared and have unexpected circumstances take place, I can handle it so much better and when I am prepared the day just goes so much better!
DeleteIn the classroom, I sometimes hesitate to try new interactive activities with large groups, fearing my students won’t engage as I hope, that it won’t be fun for them, or that they won’t walk away with the information or tools that I am working to give to them. Another fear is the worry of missing something that a student is trying to tell me, when they aren’t just telling me. To expand my comfort zone, I have worked on trying smaller, experimental activities first to see how students are responding and taking into account their reflection on the activities and information provided. When it comes to students not sharing something that I wonder if they are trying to or wondering if they are seeking or asking for help without really asking, I have simply begun to ask if there is something I can help them with, would they like to talk more later, and encourage them to visit with me if they would like. Outside the classroom, I challenge myself to attend more live professional workshops and collaborate with colleagues in unfamiliar ways. Interacting and case managing with my fellow School Counselors regarding lessons or student concerns is one way to overcome the fear of missing something, as well as to gain feedback and encouragement on things to improve or that have went well.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I can totally understand and see how it would have felt to be in that situation to get up and perform in a stand-up comedy show. I was thinking the entire time, I would have just wanted to get up and go first because there is something about just getting it out of the way and fake the confidence that is probably not there. Also, I wouldn't have wanted to perform after someone else crushed it.
ReplyDeleteOvercoming personal fears and expand my comfort zone in the classroom is always a work in progress. Currently I am staying home but I remember watching other teachers perform and just trying to emulate what I had admired. There were many things that I admired about other teachers that made me feel like I was failing but I always tried to keep that feeling to myself and fake the confidence. I would say it is very similar to outside of the classroom as well. I second guess many decisions and go back and forth on various things; so, I practice confidence. Public speaking is probably a top contending fear that I have and after watching this talk it is no surprise that many people struggle with this same issue! Crazy that more people fear public speaking than dying, I do not fit into that category though.
My plan to over come my fear and expand my comfort zone in the classroom is to be prepared and making sure I understand the curriculum thoroughly. That may take time. I am not going to have the curriculum mastered after the first time teaching it, but like what he said in the Ted Talk - “baby steps beat big steps”.He also said to reward baby steps. Each time you teach the lesson, it will get better and easier. This is especially important to remember when starting a brand new curriculum. Another fear I have this next school year is that we are getting a new principal. This will definitely affect my confidence, especially when being evaluated or being observed. I have had the same principal for the past 15 years. Learning how to work under new leadership can be scary and even uncomfortable but I think taking baby steps towards getting to know the new principal and realizing that she is coming into a new situation too can help me remember that you don’t have to be perfect, but to try your best and build on those baby steps. I also like the idea of remembering your support system. Especially when going through new challenges together.
ReplyDeleteI love my comfort zone... I have never loved pushing the limits and branching out. I enjoy what I know and understand. Through my years of teaching, I had to learn that teaching really is all about stepping outside of that comfort zone. That terrified me at first. However, once I began to stretch those boundaries, I began to actually enjoy the feeling of stretching my comfort zone. Someday, when I go back to the classroom, I hope to put this into practice even more, to the point where the majority of what I do in the classroom will be outside of my comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteThis same practice can be and is done outside of the classroom. I like to fade into the background, to not stand out, to be home where it's comfortable. Since having kids, I have gotten better at getting out there and getting to know other moms. It's been a huge step for me.
That's great! It will be beneficial to your own kids as well if you network with other moms and families. If you get comfortable making connections, your kids will see that and likely follow in your footsteps.
DeleteLike many people, I like my comfort zone and find it difficult to push beyond it. When I do push myself, I find that the more over prepared I am, the easier it is to expand that comfort zone. If I'm trying something new in the classroom, I do my best to think beyond just how it should go to what else could happen, good or bad? Being over prepared gives me a more confident approach.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I do. Being prepared helps me to overcome my fear of speaking in front of people. If I have a plan to follow, it helps me to take those "baby steps" to get through the day.
DeleteI have always had a fear of speaking in front of people. My classmates and teachers who knew me throughout school are always surprised when I tell them that I became a teacher because I was always quiet and reserved. Even after over 20 year of teaching, I still have to overcome that fear of speaking in front of a room full of people. To overcome the fear, I try to be as prepared as possible. Not being prepared for the day in the classroom makes me even more anxious, so if I at least have a plan, it helps me overcome the thought of having to speak. As I've gotten older, I also have much less concern about what others might think of me if I make a mistake or look silly doing something new. Taking on the mantra of just doing what makes you happy helps me as well.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Musilek, I am so proud of you and the awesome and highly respected teacher that you have become! I have known you since you decided to become a teacher and I know how shy that you were, still are, but willing to leave your comfort zone. You receiving Teacher of the Year is a testament to that!
DeleteThe Ted Talk is spot on for me as I am sitting here reflecting on comfort zones during me career and how I ended up pushing them. I totally related when the speaker said he was awesome at attending conferences. Me too. I LOVE going to conferences. One semester I was team teaching an Animation class with the high school Art teacher. The content was fabulous and the Principal asked (told us) if would do a session for a Professional Development day. We agreed, like we had a choice. It was a big success. That created a desire for me to present at TIE. It was out of our comfort zones, but I talked the Art teacher into it and that session at TIE was a huge success. At that point I became more than a classroom teacher, but also a presenter, which also lead to presenting at the SDACTE Conference.
ReplyDelete