After a detour to retrieve two of my children from Camp Grandparents, I’ve finally been able to let the sediments settle in my head.
This week eroded my brain. Like the stream capturing the river, my sense of direction and safety have been pulled off in an unexpected direction. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
picture from the Nantahala Outdoor Center
To be honest, I am terrified about this Fellowship. My last biology class was 20 years ago so my externship to date has been a crash course in cellular biology — that, and me wondering at night how to translate the information to young children without inadvertently oversimplifying to the point of misconceptions. I am afraid of failing my students and the team.
The techno-frustration of this week is an important takeaway for me; not because I want to dwell in frustration, mind you, but because it forced me to place myself in the position of a student and recognize that frustration does pass, that time smooths edges and exposes new paths. I will be frustrated in this Fellowship because I will be learning in this Fellowship, and so I will need to hold tight to geologic time. I can flex. I will not break.
Thankfully, I am not alone. I have a team to help guide me around the bend.
Hello Chicken Scratch,
You have a great way with words. Your title is ever so clever. Somehow, I can’t figure out who you are since you changed your blog name from Jane Doe’s blog. Is that intentional?
Donna Podgorny
Hi, Donna,
Thank you for your kind words. No, the name-changing wasn’t an attempt to disguise my identity. I’m on the Egg-static project, so I liked the extra pun for “Chicken Scratch.” There’s an “About Me” page on my blog if you go to the full post.
-KB
Thank you for your honesty. Any new experience is a bit frightening at first. And you are correct that you have a great team to lean on and support you through this process.
Keep up the great work.
Amneris