netTrekker Blog

Up the Mountain, Down the Mountain

This past Thursday I was sent to Oregon for a training scheduled for Friday. I was ecstatic at the opportunity to train, to see the great West, and to see the mountains.

I woke up at 2 am EST and made it to the Tampa airport without incident. The flight was comfortable, but long, and by the time I landed in Portland, Oregon, I was ready to go! I got the rental car, set my Garmin for the lengthy ride ahead of me, set my iTunes to play my favorite driving playlist, and set off. The colors were simply amazing! I’m a Florida girl right now, and we just don’t see those fiery reds, blazing oranges, golden yellows or lush greens in our leaves as the seasons change. Nature’s palette was rich and exciting to view. Add in the backdrop of the mountains and the crisp cool air, I was ready for an adventure!

I just wasn’t ready to drive up the mountain.

It’s been a long time since I drove up a mountain. And actually, I’ve always been the passenger, never the driver, and therefore could tune out the sights if needed with a book or looking the other way. But as the driver, your eyes must stay on the road, with an occasional glance in your rear view mirror. As I drove up the mountain and neared the edge, I looked at all those gorgeous colors in a sea of trees below me, and the panic attack set in. I didn’t realize how close to the edge I really was while going up Mount Hood. I then started taking note of how fast other cars were flying down the mountain, of the cars that were right on my tail to get up the mountain, or of the fact that I didn’t see a guard rail (and what would a guard rail do for me if I did have an accident and hit one?). There were also warning signs of ice, to use chains if snowing, animal crossings, and falling rocks. These did nothing more than to heighten the feeling of my throat closing and the panic attack settling in even more. I’m sure my panic attacks were heightened by my tiredness because as soon as I crawled off the mountain and to the hotel in Madras, I crashed and had the strangest dream.

It was like one of those old educational film strips, with a narrator explaining how education works. Each student has a vehicle, his or her brain. None are the same. You have the Ford Focus I was driving that strained to go up hill, the 18 wheeler that was on my tail forcing me to go faster, the SUV that was meant for that type of driving, and the zoom zoom sports car that scared the living daylights out of me as it passed each chance it got. The narrator noted that for each road there is a standard speed, but to expect some to slow down and some to speed up at their own comfort level. The narrator also pointed out there were areas to pull over and enjoy the view, areas to pull over and let the more accelerated people pass, sometimes a double lane to let people pass, and areas to pull over and test your brakes before going down a hill. All along the way you had the beautiful trees poking out with their vibrant hues and a look at the immediate fall if you didn’t handle the vehicle just right.

And as the narrator explained this to the class watching the film strip in my dream, the comparisons made me realize even more that the panic attack my son, and any other learning challenged student, must feel when faced to learn something new in a way they are not comfortable with must be like. While the end destination is absolutely thrilling, peaceful and worthwhile, the ride itself can be a bit scary. It also made me think of those who go so fast, that they miss the view, and even become bored with the end result because there’s not enough of a challenge for them. For instance, take that SUV that was able to go along at just the right pace, taking in the views, and able to enjoy the end result without crashing into a panic attack. Then there was the 18 wheeler that came pushing up on my tail (where I couldn’t even see the headlights, just the grill), who was like those who just don’t understand everyone moves at their own pace and that we must accommodate for them. (He wouldn’t even pass me when he had a chance, instead increasing my fear by staying right there.) It also made me realize the value of carpooling, or collaborative learning.

I wish I could say it was easier going down the mountain, but I can’t. I still panicked a little, but I knew when to pull over into the slow zones and let others pass me by and I was prepared for the onslaught of nerves prickling my neck. Thank goodness it didn’t rain or snow, I would really have been in trouble.

But the trip up the mountain did make me more thankful to work in education, and with netTrekker. I see netTrekker as a tool helping to support all levels on the course of learning with readability and grade levels, accommodating where possible by making it easier to find a place to pull over and practice those skills with resources that match the student’s learning style, lending a tool to help make it easier (like chains on the tires for snow) with features like read aloud and dictionary hot key. And yes, the collaborative learning power of My Portfolio and netTrekker Village.

But more importantly, we have some of the best teachers as users who are sharing these features with their students and enabling them all to drive, easing the learner out of the panic attacks, so they can drive smoothly up the mountain.

These pictures are courtesy of me pulling over on the way down, once I was by myself on the road and felt comfortable to take a snapshot. The image of Mt. Hood is from Pics4Learning, as indicated in the caption.

Tags: collaborate, learning, learning styles, mountain, netTrekker, netTrekker Village, Oregon