I've started putting together lesson plans for my GED class. I was doing ok until I started going through the Math book and saw all those fractions, equations, and yes, even a few square roots.
I will admit for a moment there I had a bit of a melt down. My confidence wavered and I felt almost nauseas.
But then I recalled the famous words of the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear from Frank Herbert's Dune Book Series:
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. "
Those words hold a lot of power. Whether it is fear of math, fear of looking foolish, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of pain - WHATEVER - it is all too easy to become immobilized if I stay stuck in a state of fear. If I allow my fear to win then I quit taking risks, I quit learning and I quit growing.
So bring on the polynomials and the orders of operations! Yeah, I'll make some mistakes. I won't have all the answers. But I WILL build greater understanding and I will have the knowledge and skills I need to get these students to where they need to be.
More than that, I will look at other areas of my life where I allow fear to hold me back.
This morning I am asking myself questions about what I might do or say or become if I could be stronger than every one of my fears. What could shift or change in how I live? How I love?
I've been working on a list of the 50 things I want to accomplish, acquire or achieve by the time I hit 50 yrs old..... my Fifty-by-Fifty list. It has been interesting to note the areas where I am willing to pull out all the stops and DREAM BIG and the places I get cautious.
So I am curious. What are some of YOUR goals? What would you like to do in the next 5-10 yrs?? What's stopping you?
What are you afraid of? What could you do to conquer that fear?
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Don't be afraid of math! Math is fun! You'll pick it up really quickly. Just take it one step at a time.
Afraid I'm trying to reboot dreams right now, so I'm a bit short on material there. I'm not afraid of anything currently (well minor phobias aside, nothing impeding forward progress toward dreams). However, I don't really have any long-term goals or dreams either. I'm just floating along right now, wherever the stream of life pushes my little rudderless raft.
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