December 30, 2008
‘Glass Ceiling’
…..We all have that ‘glass ceiling’ (obstacle) we hope to overcome in life
For me my glass ceiling in life is following a prescribed set of directions, given all at once and then be expected to orchestrate the task in the exact manner in which it was dictated. Let me explain.
Early on in life, as a twin, I was told that one of the two twins develops a little slower mentally than the other. That would be me. At first I appeared to lag behind in reading. That problem soon became resolved when it was noted that I had problems hearing due to repetitive ear infections. But all thorughtout my schooling it didn’t answer why I have had difficultly following directions. When given a set of directions as a child say, take out your math book, turn to page 33, do problems 1-10 but first get out your ruler, I wouldn’t know which direction to start first.
As an adult I have the same inability to follow a lot of directions given at once. I have a fear of being embarrassed in front of people when this occurs. That is why in order for me to understand wholeheartedly the task given I try to be proactive about it and ask a plethora of questions to try and avoid that fear. Whenever possible I learn by watching others and taking my time to try it out. I teach in this way to my second graders as well. The best way to learn, is to teach!
However it doesn’t always work out that way. When life hands you challenges you must try to rise above it. I have been challenged with this fear in a recent competition that set out many given directions at once to follow. I believe I did the best I could but my inability did play out for all to see. More importantly now that I know what I need to do in order to try it again and make it better I will. Because as I say, practice makes better and we all should be given the opportunity and time in life to make better.
Before I turn 60 I hope to travel to a third world country and teach underprivileged children. I hope to get there by way of sailing across the seas with my fiance. I mentioned these things because both things would require a lot of new learning for me. Misha and I love the water and I want to learn how to sail and read maps . Then once I get there I want to do what I love, teach, and give another part of the world my passion.
