Leveraging Learning

I never did like toads. I remember going to the local park with my family as a child and being anxious that I would see one. Or one might touch me. My father always said, the toad is more afraid of you than you are of it. I always doubted that, but he said it all the time. My anxiety was not exclusive to toads, however. Boys, radiators, public speaking, and crossing the street by the library were all things that I worried about throughout childhood. It was hard to do somethings, but I always found a way. Except for when toads were involved. Last Friday, I attended a workshop about anxiety in schools. I learned what anxiety is and how we as educators can support students who struggle. All people experience anxiety and it serves an evolutional purpose, as it helps us to perform better. Anxiety become a problem when it gets in the way of our "joyful development" into the people that we are. Take my toad example: How many fun games did I miss out on because they took p...