I am a nerd

The other day our youngest daughter was talking about an experience she had in school where the students wrote down all of the negative things they have been told on  index cards and the teacher then took them through an activity where they let go of these negative statements. The students "let go" of the negative comments so that they could begin to hear the positive comments. One of the negative comments that my daughter wrote down was that she was a nerd. It made me think about the word nerd and all the negativity surrounding the word.

Sure, when we think of nerd the images of George McFly or Sheldon Cooper come to mind. The socially awkward, science guy who is in his own world. But, aren't we all a little bit nerdy? We all have interests or passions that we pursue to the point we may be called names like  techie, bookworm, sports geek, skater, meathead, Trekkie, or Parrothead. These are just few of the names to groups of people that are labeled for their passions. 

One of my biggest passions is learning. Over the last couple of years I started to listen to podcasts when I am running, on the elliptical machine, or on my commute. I started listening to podcast on education, leadership, and history. This lead to other discoveries and new podcasts to listen to. I am drawn in by the stories, history, and for the sake of learning something I didn't know anything about.  As I was driving my daughter to a friends house I was near the end of a podcast on hang gliding and she gave me a look like what are you listening to? And why are you listening to it?  I realized at that point I am a bit of a nerd. I like to learn about new and different topics. I love to read about leadership and culture. My wife and I are fascinated by documentaries and we talk about them for weeks after watching them. I enjoy learning for the sake of learning. 

I was never a good student growing up and it wasn't until college that I did well. I wonder if that is because I didn't want to be labeled as a nerd or maybe I thought that being smart or doing well in school was uncool. As a dad to two teenage daughters I am way past trying to be cool and I know that I am a bit nerdy, but I am okay with that. 

I do wonder about the students that we work with and if they feel comfortable enough to embrace and pursue their passions.  Do we support them? encourage them? advocate for them? celebrate them? Or do we allow others to make those devastatingly negative comments that cut to the core? I love being a principal and  knowing that every day I have the opportunity to connect with students and help them pursue their passions. Perhaps it is the fact that I have embraced my nerdiness and that I am comfortable in my own skin that helps me connect with students on their level. 

I do know that we need to help students find their passions and celebrate those passions. I believe it starts with knowing and embracing your own passions. 

So, are you a nerd? a techie? a bookworm? a sports geek? or a skater?