It’s been a while since I posted my educational wonderings. I have been in a bit of a rut, but I’ve kept at it and things are brewing, finally. I’ve got a lot on my plate and it’s exciting, but today I want to talk about taking the first step.

For nearly a year, I have had the idea of bringing people together to talk about education. I’ve read about PLCs (professional learning community) and PLNs (professional learning network) and Masterminds. I’ve sat back in awe of a fellow educator who leads weekly discussions on Twitter, wanting to also create a community here in Bogotá, but finding myself hesitating. Always hesitating. But why?

I’m sure a psychologist would have a much more sophisticated answer but I think it comes down to fear – fear of rejection, fear of criticism, fear of failure. I have perfectionist tendencies, although living in a country where I have had to learn a second language has certainly helped to curb them, and very often, unless I have thought through every detail and have a clear objective and plan, I will not proceed.

Can you relate?

I am beginning to push through the fear and take the plunge with this website, with some other projects (not yet ready to be announced) and with my attempt at creating my tribe of educators here in Bogotá. Here are a few steps that I found make it a it easier:

1. Say it out loud. For months I was bouncing around formats and protocols of how this group would work…all in my head. I never grounded any of these ideas. I knew that talking about education – the challenges and the triumphs – is something that always invigorates me, gives me a second wind, keeps me going but wasn’t sure I could create this space. Now I’ve read this advice a million times, but I finally put it into action – If you have a goal, sharing it with at least one other person will increase the chances that you will actually make it happen. Shocker: it’s true. In a dinner with a colleague I shared the idea aloud and the response was positive. I felt validated and committed to making it happen, because she was also interested in participating.
2. Keep sharing. Once I shared the idea with one person, I was less intimidated about sharing with others. I invited folks for coffee, caught up and shared my interest in creating a group to explore education in our local context. To those that showed interested I’d always follow up with questions: What would this look like for you? What would you want to get from a PLN focused on education? Little by little the dream was not a jumble of ideas floating around in my head but a concrete proposal.
3. Identify a partner (or two) in crime. Part of my reason for creating this group was connecting with people who work in education in different capacities, to expand my knowledge of education in Bogotá and Colombia. I knew that in order to achieve that I would need the help of others. I reached out to the two people who seemed psyched about the idea but also who had access to different networks of educators. I asked them if they would invite 1 – 2 others. And with that we had our first group.
4. Have a plan but be flexible. The success of this group depends on interest from everyone. I wanted to make sure everyone attending the gathering knew why they were invited but also give them the chance to shape things. So with my two partners in crime we developed a simple agenda: share a bit about ourselves, our work in education and our dreams for our work, as well as what the meeting space would need to offer in order to attend a second meeting – low key and exploratory.
5. Follow up. Our group seemed pretty interested in getting together again. We laughed, learned about some interesting projects and some interesting challenges and clearly have a lot more to talk about. When I got home I immediately sent a message thanking everyone for being so inspiring. A few days after that I sent a proposal for our next gathering, incorporating interests of the group: One person, in particular, showed interest in getting feedback and problem-solving support around the challenges he faces in his work. Another spoke of a book that has been inspiring her work (I’ve already purchased it!). So the agenda for the next meeting will include a space to share what we are currently reading or what is currently inspiring us, as well as a protocol to help tackle one challenge that a colleague chooses to present.

I don’t know how this group will develop (or any of the other projects I am working on, for that matter), but I took the first step and it feels good.

Do you have an idea that you have been holding on to? What might be your first step to making it happen?

Have you started a PLN/PLC/Mastermind? What does it look like? How is it structured? Would love to hear how you’ve kept it going and how you use this time!