Technolandy

Day 5 (of 2024/25) journaling… it’s not easy for some – great reminder from @rynleemorse (on x) @ryneekai on TikTok/insta (and it’s not limited to journaling)

As I am getting season q2 of this ‘blog each day of learning’ going… I usually encourage people not to try it because the methodology, while helpful, can be very onerous. It’s also a good reminder that many people have some bad memories of journaling. For me, the grind in elementary ~ prompted writes… comments about messiness … didn’t encourage me to do this for a couple of decades… then one of my TikTok faves who talks trauma so well did a share: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMh1scDEW/ we need to remember that there is some fallout that can happen when our journals are read. And it isn’t always easy…

Heck, in my social media world, based on my writing and my talking, I’ve been ‘called out’ for being pro-sogi (guilty!) with my focus on inclusion (and more recently on ‘belonging’). I’m okay with that… but with an inclusion mindset, we also have to be mindful that there are some sensible everyday tasks that work for many… but for some, will bring up some not so good memories (or experiences). Whether that is someone getting mad at something that was shared or some legal issues coming out of what was read – intended or not, it’s still a traumatic experience. So trust may not come naturally as we cannot see what has gone on inside of brains (yet) and even though something may not be a big deal to us… it might’ve been a big deal to someone else…

I know there are some educators who say there’s no such thing as math trauma (or reading or writing) but there really is… it’s why I promote the P in ptsd to be redefined as personal because nobody experiences the same trauma… the same. And as a ‘nothing’ moment for an educator can be a vital moment for a student… that can be either + or –    And we have to remember that. 

I have reflected on some shares that former students have reached out with that big moments for them were not really on my radar (and I over analyze some big reactions that happened by students in the moment that were definitely not intended – in fact designed to definitely not – to create a trigger memory) but that day was a core memory (as my youngest daughter calls it) for them. 

I love shares by people like Rylee as they help open up more discussion on topics that are not easy to enter and generate authentic empathy with a sense of risk taking … but that doesn’t happen on day one… may not even be ready after day 100… it may not be easy, but it is always worth it. Just be mindful!