cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by John Carleton
This Blog was written in response to the December Precept from R.J. Palacio’s “Wonder” I am reading with my class. In this post I wanted to model reflective thinking of the precept “Fortune favours the Bold” which is highlighted in the book by one of August’s teachers and deeply thought about from the perspective of the character Jack Will. Here are my awesome student’s Fortune Favours the Bold reflections from the novel Wonder. I’m sure they would love some comments and feedback. 😀
Here goes me being bold…
I have many examples in my life of when I was bold. Being bold to me means that I challenge myself to be great. One of the most recent examples of me being bold was when I presented 2 workshops at the Provincial Intermediate Teachers Association Fall 2013 Conference in Burnaby. I found out shortly after registration had started that both the workshops I had agreed to lead were full. This was exciting to hear but also nervewracking to know that the pressure was on for me to educate and entertain 2 sessions of 40 people for an hour and a half. In that moment I kind of felt like this girl:
In the lead up to my presentations I was tinkering for late into the evening each night prior to the day of the presentations in order to make them just right. One of the topics I was presenting on was Genius Hour. I was reading on twitter that some people were coming from as far away as the island and Prince George to come learn with me during this presentation. This is a lot of responsibility, and I was afraid that this was not going to go very well. When the session started I immediately felt comfortable because I love the topic and I felt prepared. The room was over capacity and they were there to learn about Genius Hour and my story with it. As I presented I showed them videos, pictures, led discussions, and read their faces. They were engaged and were feveriously writing down everything I said. It was personally rewarding to know that people wanted to know my story and learn about awesomeness of Genius Hour.
Had I not taken the opportunity to present at this Provinical Pro-D Conference I would never have know if I was capable. I would have always wondered if I had it in myself. Since that conference I have been asked to lead other workshops on Genius Hour. I have realized that I have an interest in leading workhops and would like to continue to be bold and see what other opportunities I create for myself. It was scary, but I am so glad I did it. I have learned so much about myself as a learner and it has given me a deeper understanding and respect for Genius Hour and to others who present to large audiences on a regular basis.
Here is a link to my Genius Hour presentation with embedded video links. I look forward to learning from your boldness.
Thank you!
Hugh
Today is a Great Day for Learning 
Hugh:
You should be proud of yourself, Hugh! Being bold and having the courage to push your limits is always something that should be celebrated. 🙂
I can totally understand the feelings and emotions you experienced as I was in the same boat this past fall except I presented at the Google Conference in Kamloops. I was overwhelmed, excited along with another dozen or so emotions but I persevered and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise with others. More importantly though, it was another “Great Day for Learning”.
Congratulations and definitely celebrate your success – you deserve it!
Happy Holidays!
Reblogged this on Genius Hour.
Being Bold is a great way to live. Submitting to present at a conference was the scariest thing I had done in such a long time. I’m so glad I did because I’ve found out I quite enjoy sharing my learning and I live in hope that someone will go on and try something new too.
Thanks for sharing and I am now being bold and trying genius hour.
Kind regards,
Kerry