#memorablemomentsineducation #13:
This is one of those moments I’d prefer to forget, but it’s an important one.
Several years ago, one of our instructional technology coaches was working in my classroom. (I can’t quite remember the lesson or how she was helping me, but I recall the projector, screen, and teaching in the dark were involved.) Sometime after the lesson, this colleague, who also happened to be a friend of mine, asked me, “Do you know you teach with your eyes closed?” I don’t know if she was asking out of genuine curiosity or if this was her way of providing me some feedback on my teaching, but I was definitely surprised by the question. As a matter of fact, I had no idea I ever did such a thing. I know that sometimes I close my eyes when I’m trying to concentrate on what I want to say, but I didn’t think it was something I did all the time. Even now, I’m not sure. But every time I get up and speak in front of students or adults, I’m self-conscious that I’ve got what my husband calls those “sleepy Pendleton eyes” that my brother and I share. Believe it or not, though, I hold onto this moment not because of the embarrassment but mostly because it takes some serious courage to say anything to a colleague about his/her teaching, and to do it in a non-threatening, semi-helpful way is downright impressive. Even though I hate it sometimes, I have to remember it’s good for me to have people watch what I do.