Mistakes happen, but I am a lifelong learner!

I am not the person I was 10 years ago, I am not the teacher I was 8 years ago either. I feel bad for my first class of 5-year-olds. If I could go back and teach them 180 days again I would. I would be a much better teacher now than I was. I want to be a better teacher today than I was yesterday, that requires learning every day! I made mistakes last week, don't expect the same mistakes again, I grew. But I may regress, but I promise I will learn and grow even more. I may have taken two steps backward, but hopefully next time I can take 4 steps ahead.

I love my new job, I love learning. I go to conferences and I learn so many new things. I will never stop learning new things, I feel like I am always catching up to where others are. I want to learn new things because I want to, not because someone else knows it and I want to know it too. I started reading Invent to Learn, I want to learn more about Makerspaces. But I also signed up for a photography class...this is where I am going with this post!

I got my Canon SL1 last Christmas, and to be honest, I never got off Auto. Until last month. A friend of mine too a photography class and learned how to take photos that I admire! I like the ones that are focused upfront and blurred in the background (I am sure there is a technical term for that but I haven't learned it yet).  I experimented with ISO and Aperture over winter break, but I need some instruction.

I am not one to need someone to teach me something to learn, I love to learn and experiment. But this camera intimidates me! Hand me a new cell phone, an iPad, a computer and I can teach, train, learn, make mistakes and recover, but with this camera it is all a language I don't speak.

While I was perusing Best Buy over break, I found a DVD on the Basics of Canon DLSR cameras. I thought about purchasing it, but I don't learn by long drawn out videos, I learn by a little instruction, then some doing, and then relearning. (I don't mind watching a screencast that is less than 5 min to learn something, but I admit I fast forward, pause, and repeat only the part I need).

As I think about going into a learning experience with something that is new for me, I think about the multiple times others have the same experience. However, they may be forced or highly recommended to attend these professional development sessions. I choose this learning experience and it's something I want to learn about. I hope to learn how to better understand how to facilitate adult learning when what you are learning is something out of your comfort zone that may also be a bit intimidating. All while learning how to use my Canon SL1 to get better pictures of my kids. More to come on my experience. I am also glad to have great friends joining me in this learning experience.