The Alligator
Anna Switzer, Ph.D.
Author, Educator, and Facilitator
Anna Switzer knows that none of us chose this. She also knows we’re all going to learn a lot in the next several months.
In her forthcoming book, License to Learn, Anna provides a map for chosen and un-chosen learning opportunities. She celebrates discomfort as an agent of growth.
And yet, as all of us move to teach and learn online in the COVID-19 era, Anna also wants us to realize that in some cases learning has to stop, however briefly.
She told us a fascinating story from her days as a wilderness guide. Along with a group of young students, Anna and her fellow guide came across an alligator in the Florida Everglades. An outward bound trip may seem like a world away from our current home bound status, but the parallels are remarkable.
“Nothing else was going to happen until the alligator swam away.” It’s unrealistic to expect our students to focus on the curriculum in the face of a pandemic, or in a time of emergency. Anna hopes you evaluate as you teach. “What’s most important?”
Just like Anna’s students were closely watching her, our students are watching us, and learning from us. “It has nothing to do with the written curriculum,” she reminds us. “Who are we? How do we show up to things that are un-chosen?”
You can connect with Anna or pre-order License to Learn:
https://publishizer.com/license-to-learn/
Special bonus offers available until April 13th, 2020!
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