Wow… it’s been another long time since I posted here. Seems like I lost myself in the business of life / work / cutting my lawn (that is growing at exponential rates this year with all the rain.)
I kept making excuses that I was too busy to read my RSS feeds (that are now in the 1000+ range,) too busy to stop and read the books that are piling up in our work room, too busy to simply stop and take a photograph from time to time. My head has been swirling in the past few months (but who’s isn’t?! I’m not special!)
Then Will Richardson helped me out with three simple words: “Let it go.”
Our department took 15+, k12, school district curriculum directors to a two-day seminar last week. First, we invited Will Richardson to come chat with them on Thursday about the changing face of education/social networking/technology tools and had great conversations. On Friday Chris Lehman was an accommodating host down at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. We chatted with Chris about SLA, visited classrooms, and witnessed something you don’t always see in today’s classrooms: total student engagement in learning. If you are in Philly and get the chance, stop by and see Chris and SLA. No, it is not some brand-new, spectacular, multi-million dollar, spotless building that was funded by a technology company. It is simply a haven for teachers and students who care about each other and have a passion for learning — and it’s working.
But, back to Will’s three simple words…
Nearing the end of a rigorous and insightful day, Will showed our curriculum directors the power of RSS and how his Google Reader account connected him with the rest of the educational world. Many were flabbergasted by the number of feeds he skimmed on a daily basis.
So I felt compelled to ask: “How do you keep up with all your feeds and all that reading? Many times I get overwhelmed with the amount of information pouring in, and I just can’t keep up – how do you deal with that?”
He smiled and simply said: “Sometimes you just have to let it go.”
His point being that it is simply impossible to keep up with everything — sometimes you just have to click the “mark all as read” button and start with a clean slate. He made a great point that you might miss something this time, but those things that are worthwhile will bob up to the top several times in several places, so chances are your network will revisit the good stuff.
So when you start feeling overwhelmed with the fact that you had better be keeping up with what’s going on – don’t let it get to the point where it shuts you down.
Just let it go.
(Then take a deep breath and start with a fresh, clear mind.)
