Finding Your Jam
What a nice reminder… Loved watching Elliott BROOD at Persephone Brewing Company in Gibsons last weekend. It was a public event but also a celebration of my friends’ 10th wedding anniversary. The event was well attended. The weather was great…. and the band was awesome. I loved how this couple celebrated this special day. I much enjoyed listening to the band and was so impressed with the sound of this 3-person band. Not seen in this photo, but Elliott BROOD played the ukuleles. The song was called The Valley Town. I just love the sound of the ukulele. It reminds me of Hawaii but it also sounds whimsical, happy, and joyous. It makes me smile.
I was reminded of my favourite pastime of JAM FINDING. I am just drawn to people who are living their passion. It is such a gift to be doing what you love… and it shows. Elliott BROOD was jamming alright. Loved watching their performance. You can see it their body language, hear it their voices, and feel it in their music. I was enjoying their jam. I wrote about this phenomenon in The Jam Effect (2011) and Found My Jam (2013). It’s funny reading old blogs. Seems appropriate to be writing about JAM once again in 2015. Hey, I’m a math educator who likes patterns. Be assured that I will likely write about this again in 2017. Just wait and see.
When reading my old blogs… I was just scratching the surface. You’ve got to dig deep to really know and understand your JAM. My jam is more than just talking to other people about their jam. And, my jam is more than just teaching, learning, and leading. That is quite a broad scope. It’s like saying that Elliott BROOD’s jam is singing, playing, and writing music. Maybe so, but I think what drives them to do what they do goes deeper than that. There is something in what they are doing that derives them great joy and happiness. This is not to say that their journey was easy or straightforward, but we are all driven by something deep down inside. This is the JAM.
So what’s my jam? Am I really willing to admit it? Whoa. The whole idea of digging deep and understanding my why kind of FREAKS me out. I am easily provoked when my why is tapped. I even sit here… stalled… as I try to find the words to articulate my why. Ultimately, every student has the right to thrive… not just survive. My passion is to find ways to enable this. Learning experiences should not be ones that kill the spirit or extinguish the light. It should be ones that inspire, motivate, and transform. No wonder I get bothered by the status quo when I know it could be better. I have no problems questioning the status quo, if it requires reassessment. I wholeheartedly endorse breaking the rules, if it makes the learning situation better. I will go against the grain, if it creates a system change to enhance student learning. I will not hide from or close my door to situations where student learning is being hindered.
I get aggravated when students feel constrained, belittled, or defeated. What a horrible place to be. Yup. This is my why… student learning and student success. I can see why I do what I do. I tutor students, I facilitate teacher professional development workshops, and I am a school trustee. This is not to mention working with the BCAMT, curriculum development, or writing my dissertation. Everything that I am doing is aligned to my WHY and it’s about finding ways to help students thrive and give them HOPE. Yes, I was doing this as a classroom teacher… for 16 years… and many others out there in my PLN who share my why are excelling in their practice. For me, I grew dissatisfied with enacting change and educational reform with 30 students at a time. This was not creating system change. I found my JAM.