Learning and Living with Uncertainty

I took this photo earlier this week, while on a windswept walk by the bay.  At the time, I was bracing myself for yet more work to be cancelled or postponed as cases started to rise again here in Melbourne. Sure enough, we are back in lockdown and my interstate work is cancelled yet again (some will go online, some not).  Once more, plans are scrapped and alternative arrangements made but even those arrangements can only be tentative. Such is this new, strange existence in which the only thing we can be certain about - is uncertainty.

This image seems so apt for me right now. A metaphor for a new way of being. I have a path ahead of me but, beyond that, I really cannot see my destination.  Where I could once look at my calendar and feel pretty secure in the knowledge of what the weeks and months ahead entailed (of course, we never REALLY know what is around the corner) , now it all feels like a bit of a mirage…a blurry smudge on the horizon that may or may not come into view as I head towards it. 

Despite decades of banging on about the need for inquiry teachers to be ‘comfortable with uncertainty’, to resist the urge to over-plan and to allow a journey of inquiry to be responsive rather than predetermined - the last 18 months has reminded me of just how challenging this can be.  

But I also recognise what this time is teaching me. I have no choice but to be truly present to what is happening for me right now.  There is little value in investing in the process of planning ahead in such a volatile environment. Sure, I can plan (and I do) but I need to be OK when the plan evaporates: I need to be able to ‘pivot’ , adapt and think on my feet - just as we do as we engage with learners in an inquiry.  This preparedness to expect the unexpected and respond positively and openly to the moment seems as important in my life outside of teaching as it is within my teaching itself.  I know there are many educators out there who will relate!

There are some things that help me manage the shifting goal posts of my working life right now.  When I reflect on them, many are applicable to the way we work through an inquiry with our young learners. Here’s the advice I am giving myself right now - I hope it rings true for you in terms of your experience of inquiry teaching too:

Do have some kind of plan but keep it flexible and assume that it may not eventuate the way you currently envisage it

See change as an opportunity rather than a loss.  Ask: what new learning might this unexpected moment bring? 

Stay present to what is happening right now. Uncertainty can actually cause us to do too much thinking ahead (maybe?what if?) and lose the beauty and possibilities right in front of us.

Notice and name.  In the classroom and in life, taking time to identify how we are feeling, what we are noticing about ourselves can be really helpful in gaining clarity and feeling secure amidst a complex experience.

Maintain your anchors in a stormy sea.  Despite my ever-changing and now-volatile  working life, I try to maintain some routines that are predictable and consistent. In the inquiry classroom, some structure, routine and ritual are really important anchors that mean the unexpected is less daunting and easier to accommodate. 

Stay connected and keep communicating. In a journey of inquiry, next steps are designed with learners and with your team -  not in isolation. And that is so true for me any this stage time in my professional life. I better manage the vicissitude of my current working life through regular conversations with mentors, friends and family. 

Think big while you are ‘in the small.’  Perspective and big picture thinking really help us manage the anxiety prevalent in this time. This will pass. Things will change. We won’t get back to ‘normal’ but there will be a new normal, eventually. In the scheme of things, cancelled work is frustrating and disappointing but I am fine and have a healthy, loving family. That’s the big picture! This  kind of big picture thinking is SO vital as we work through an inquiry, it’s what ensures we do not descend into chaos and finish with a bunch of unhelpful and disconnected loose ends. Asking ourselves the question: What is this journey of inquiry REALLY all about and thinking conceptually opens the door and welcomes the unexpected in far more easily. 

To my colleagues in lockdown right now, all strength to you! To my colleagues in countries where cases are rising (thinking of my beloved Indonesia!), please stay safe and to my colleagues fortunate enough to be travelling, working back in school or enjoying a time of more certainty. Relish it!  Meanwhile, I am going to keep practising acceptance and gratitude as I fire up the laptop for another zoom  session.  😊

PS. I drafted this post just before heading out to do my allocated visit to the supermarket.  On the way home, I got an UNEXPECTED flat tyre.🥴 Needless to say my own words were ringing in my ears as I did my best to use the unexpected (long) waiting time to read some articles I had been putting off reading.  And to try to stay grounded, positive and accepting. I almost succeeded. 

How do you manage the uncertainty of this time? How do you manage the uncertainty that is so much a part of using an inquiry approach? 

Just Wondering,

Kath

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