![]() And the best part is…….wait for it….. It’s free!!! I got to tell you, I love a great bargain. I usually head straight for the sale rack at the back of a store. Really, I think they should just put them to the front of the store and save me some time. You may have heard of el cheapo but I must confess I am La Cheapa shhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone. I think my mom would say I inherited that gene from my dad. You will not find me spending ridiculous amounts of dollars just because it showcases a brand. I’m truly not interested. The point is I am frugal to the bone. As an educator, you learn to bargain hunt especially when you are looking for resources for your students. We, meaning teachers, get overly excited with the free goodie bags at a workshop or conference. You would think we found the end of the rainbow. Yes, free highlighters!!!!! I know this, any teacher or friend of a teacher reading this blog knows this. So when I am coaching and sharing with fellow educators I enjoy passing on freebie tools and resources I have found. Breaking News: I don’t take everything that is free!!! Sorry to disappoint my fellow las cheapas but not everything free is worth taking. Just like anything else it must add value. Here’s an analogy I often use. I love cake, do you? So let’s say you’re offered a piece of carrot cake, yum, my favorite,but you are allergic to nuts. This carrot cake has walnuts do you take it? Obviously not. But it’s free! Still, why would I take something I can’t use? Or don’t need? Or worse I don’t even like it? Here’s an analogy I often use. I love cake, do you? So let’s say you’re offered a piece of carrot cake, yum, my favorite,but you are allergic to nuts. This carrot cake has walnuts do you take it? Obviously not. But it’s free! Still, why would I take something I can’t use? Or don’t need? Or worse I don’t even like it? I say this because I have met some beautiful, fantastic people, with big dreams and visions but they embarked on a learning journey, just because it was free. Guess what happened?
The worst part is they felt as though they had failed themselves, regretting the decision they made. They had convinced themselves since it was free and they did not know how to go after the learning they really wanted, it was a good idea. If this is you, at this very moment, you are about to sign onto something that is not apart of the vision you have for yourself, STOP! DON’T DO IT! Say Yes to Learning to what matters to you. On the things that matter to you, make the investment. Your learning, is an investment in yourself. For example: If you’ve never been to the gym or had a healthy lifestyle, find the best personal trainer. I’m not just talking the “show me how to exercise trainer” but the one that will get you on the right track to a healthy lifestyle, mind, body and spirit. The same applies to your learning, stop taking free advice from family and friends that they themselves truthfully don’t know either. Yes, we love our family and friends and we think they have our backs, that’s all well and good. But let me ask you this, would you talk to your doctor about building a house, or would you ask your carpenter for medical advice? Probably not. So why do you think your sister friend who is in the same situation as you can give you sound advice. Talk to an educational expert, a learning coach and educational planner, a life coach, someone who truly knows how to help you map out and guide you to the learning path you truly desire. Friends, I want you to “Say YES to Learning!” and yes, there are many free opportunities thanks to technology but make the investment where it counts. You’re worth it! Hi! My name is Tamara Pradel. I’m the Technology Innovation Educationist and your Personal Learning Lifestyle Coach.
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“I love being a TUUUUUUURTLE!” And I’m not quoting the teenage mutant ninja turtles, well maybe a little. But I’m referring to your dead-crawl, stop in the middle of the road put your head in a shell, take 2 hours to cross a narrow street turtle. I’m that turtle, at least figuratively anyway. I’m talking that slow and steady, wins the race turtle. I was reflecting on something I read earlier where sometimes people give up or stop their learning journey because they are not learning fast enough either by society standards or by their own. I see this all the time when I’m working with teachers to integrate technology in their classroom. Often times teachers expect to be able to get a handle on using technology and social media for student learning, classroom instruction, parent communication and professional development all at once. PHEW!! Just saying it makes me feel overwhelmed and tired. Try saying that five times fast, The truth is, it’s not our fault. If you think about it, that is how school systems are structured. We still follow the early industrial age of education, the factory approach to learning. Factories are designed to take raw materials and put them together in a finished product by a deadline so that sales can be made. Unfortunately, most schools unknowingly do the same thing. Students are ushered in and teachers and students try to keep up with the demands of standards and benchmarks. Don’t get me wrong, I work for a school system and recognize the importance of why those things must be in place. However, most of us were instructed in such environments. So even though, as adults, we no longer need to learn everything in one year to get to the next grade or in 4 to 5 years to earn a degree, we approach all levels of learning the same way. I need to learn it and I need to learn it now within the confines of this pre-determined time frame. TRUTH: You don’t. In fact, even for our youngsters, and I would go on record to say I believe that if schools had the resources learning in our schools would be less factory like and focus would be more on the learning process as opposed to hitting learning targets, which have their place and are necessary in the systems we have. But as adults, what’s the rush? Is there a fire somewhere? It’s added stress and pressure that we put on ourselves. Here’s the sad part, when we don’t make our “deadline” or within our “timeframe”, many of us give up. We tell ourselves we’re not cut out for it. Or that it is not for us. Stop the clock. Turn off the timer. Learn for mastery, learn until you are confident that you can apply your newly acquired skills in meaningful ways in your life. I”m still learning, learning how to ride my bike, learning what it means to be a wife and a stepmom, learning new ways to use technology in my life as an educator and as an entrepreneur. I’m in no rush, I have to have faith and belief in myself that things will work out the way they should. And you should too. Hi! My name is Tamara Pradel. I’m the Technology Innovation Educationist and your Personal Learning Lifestyle Coach.
“Hey, Yeah. I’ll come and get you in a little while”, ZZzzzzzzzzzz, 3 hours later, Whoa where did that come from? Has that ever happened to you? You tell yourself, you going to just close your eyes for a few minutes and then you wake up several hours later. Then you get this sense of guilt, like oh my goodness, what did I do today? I was supposed to wash the clothes, type my blog, read that book, and the list goes on… Here’s the thing folks you have to stop feeling guilty! I was reminded of this on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. I had plans, BIG plans. I was just coming off of a brief hiatus from blogging due to a wrist sprain (why did I think I could catch a laundry basket filled with towels, I’m not Supergirl nor am I She-Hulk but I do feel like Wonder Woman!) So I was excited to get back into writing again. I woke up early, straightened up a bit, did a bit of business planning,then made that call to my mom. It was her last day here in Anguilla before returning to the US and I wanted to spend some time with her. Well. when the body and mind are tired, they will retaliate. My body claimed the sleep and most needed rest that I was obviously not giving it. I’ve been going at it for weeks, up early hours late nights, blogging, tweeting, planning,learning...I’m convinced that I must have been so tired that I began to think that was normal or that’s how I’m supposed to feel. The real question is why did I feel guilt for taking the 3 hour nap. Often times, when we are learning something new or working on our goals, we become so driven, so focused ( which is good and necessary for success) we can forget to also take care of ourselves. We also think that if we stop we will miss those learning opportunities, the business will fail, or worse we think we are failing. Is that truly the case though? Here in Anguilla we have quite a few Chinese owned supermarkets and restaurants and every so often one will be closed with a sign on the door saying they will be closed for like a month. At first glance it may seem as though the business will suffer, but a month later, you’ll drive by and in the parking lot is filled with cars and customers have filled the shops once again, as if they never closed. It’s ok to take a break, when the mind and body are rested you perform better, you think clearer. So go ahead, take a nap, we’ll be here when you wake up. Hi! My name is Tamara Pradel. I’m the Technology Innovation Educationist and your Personal Learning Lifestyle Coach. ![]() Tamara N. Pradel is the Technology Innovation Educationist and your Personal Learning Lifestyle Coach. She loves to inspire and motivate others to develop a lifestyle of life long learning, to use technology in productive and meaningful ways and to bring back the fun in professional development. Who says learning has to be boring? Learn it. Play it. Own it. |
AuthorEducation + Technology +Innovation + Tamara Pradel= Learning Your Way Your Time Archives
March 2017
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