Okay, so I haven’t written in a long time. I think about it a lot. I sit down with my computer and then this headache comes over me and the thought of sitting at my computer writing something just makes me feel…..well, ill. I’m not sure why. I love to write. I love to share my ideas. And yet, I just can’t do it. I can’t get there. I can’t get past that block in my head, no matter how imaginary it might be.
It’s made me think, though. Does this happen to my students? Do they sit down and intend to work on something for class, during class, in class and think, “I just can’t do it.” Does this go through their minds when they come into my room? Am I aware of how they are feeling as they sit and face the task that I have set before them? Do I need to be? Should this matter?
Yes. The answer, I think, is yes. It should matter. But how do I help them? How do I get my students to face the task they feel like they can’t do (even they probably can, much like what I’m finding right now as I write this)? I can talk to them. I can model perseverance. I can encourage them. But how many times do we, as educators say, “It’s okay. Take a break. Work on something else. Work on nothing. Just be.” I wonder how many students would breathe a collective sigh of relief?
The Musical Mathematician 