What have I done....

Today, I felt like a fish out of water... Actually one that really wanted to get into the water, but couldn't see quite how to do it. I know that I was not physically on my game today. That makes me mad because I have worked so hard to improve my physical self... Then, I sabotage myself somehow just by doing the same things I have done for years.. wear contacts... I never even knew that a cornea could be nicked. Or that it could be so painful... So, here I am, my really big experience with stepping outside my comfort zone of History to mingle with some truly awesome writers. I cannot see out of one eye and I felt as though I was only functioning with one side of my brain today.. the dead side, apparently! So many of the things I am seeing and learning about in this class are things I want to put into practice in my classroom. Yet, I know that even as I do try to incorporate them, I will be setting myself up to possible ridicule and unwanted attention from the front office and my nemesis there. I already am known as "that Social Studies teacher" and that is not always used in a nice way. Am I crazy for wanting to throw away that stupid box everyone around me seems so comfortable teaching in? Why should I purposely set myself up for more work outside class time? In the long run, who will really care besides me? I, who am half blind, half brain dead and totally exhausted from the first full day of stretching my boundaries...I care because it is my Achilles heel...I am passionate about the process of learning! I am passionate about standing up for the underdogs in education! If I am to become a dinosaur because I teach a dying subject, I want to go down screaming and kicking and protesting all the way... What have I done? I am not sure yet, but hey, stick around, it could be quite a ride!