Jump Into the Unknown

The seeds of my professional/personal development come from literature.  Most of the time, the literature comes from my two year old son’s bookshelf. 

You can purchase Scaredy Squirrel here. 

Recently I shared one of my all-time favorites, Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watts, with several of the schools that I have been working with.  In case you are unfamiliar with the story I will attempt to provide a brief summary. The story is about a squirrel that loves routine and feels safe never leaving his controlled environment.  After accidently falling out of his tree, he finds the outside isn’t so dangerous.  This experience influences him to make sure he is “jumping into the unknown” daily.

I asked teachers to share their connections to Scaredy Squirrel on a Google document.  In doing so I have learned that some people had a fear of clowns and pantomimes.  However, most people have a fear of “jumping into the unknown.” 

What does this mean for classrooms? 

It’s good that we acknowledge our fear of the “unknown”.  As educators we often ask our students, especially in the beginning of the year, to take that leap of faith.  This usually turns out to be beneficial for them.  We are in the wonderful profession of helping people grow by trying new things. 

This is my first time posting on a blog.  Inspired by Scaredy Squirrel, I am jumping into the unknown as an attempt to celebrate our journey as learners within our school district.  I am just glad I have incredible company.   

~MF