Getting Past the Writing Block

Writing from a personal perspective has been hard for me lately.  I’d sit down with 10,000 thoughts and my journal, but nothing would come out. 

 The next day, I tried it again in a different context.  I sat down on the couch with 10,000 thoughts and a blank Word document open and stared.

I stared at the blank pages until Joplin woke up from a nap with her hands raised in the air or until I realized that I was only going to get five hours of sleep if I went to bed right at that moment. ​

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Today was different, though.
Today, there was a sense of
URGENCY
​to sit down and write. 

This urgency came from my belief that the children in our world need to be equipped with the voice to speak up for injustices and inequalities. 

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This urgency came from my concern that the children in our world may not  have the empathy to feel with communities and people near and far.  

This urgency came from my faith that the children in our world will build the courage to take risks. ​

And most important, this urgency came from my hope that children in our world get to explore ideas that challenge their beliefs and have access to the tools and thinking patterns to make this world a better place. ​

Because MORE THAN EVER, we need citizens like this.  Our world needs strong citizens that believe in democracy, where the voices, identities, and power are shared equally among everyone in the community. ​​

Used with Permission from Human Systems Dynamics

Without all of this, there is no telling what world we will send our children into. I hope this blog can be a space that initiates a serious conversation about democratic classrooms in the 21st century, the Simple Rules we follow, and the conditions we set to reach shared identity, voice, and power. 

References

Holladay, R. (2017, May). Generative Engagement: Description of Generative Engagement [Blog post]. Retrieved from: http://www.hsdinstitute.org/resources/blog-generative-engagement-leverage-dynamics.html

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