#trypod month

“If it makes you nervous, you’re doing it right” - Donald Glover
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Do you ever just stumble upon a quote that fits perfectly into your life at that very moment? Lately, I have been trying new things, exploring new avenues and testing my limits.. Whether it has been trying new tools, having new conversations and opening up to new ideas, March has been a challenging month for me (in a good way!). March is also #TryPod Month... you may ask what that hashtag means, well it promotes the use of podcasts to every day people. There are thousands of them! Do you have a special podcast that your subscribed to? Maybe a motivational podcast like my new favourite Ticked. Podcasts are fun and easy way to effortlessly learn new things, listen to new perspectives and get engaged in new topics while commuting to work, walking to school or even cleaning the house! 

At the beginning of March, I launched my new bilingual podcast Que sera Sarah? with the help of a few great Canadian podcasters that I couldn't go without mentioning : Derek Rhodenizer, Rolland Chidiac and Chris Cluff. It is a great initiative for me as a first year education student and this is truly a great opportunity for me to reflect on my practice during my placement on a very public level, all while having meaningful conversations with experts in the field along the way! I choose to start my podcast, not only to document and share my thoughts and journey into teaching, but I want to be a model to my peers and colleagues. Show them that is encouraged to try new things, take risks, be vulnerable and learn with your students. I try to promote this through my reflection podcasts as I live through successes and struggles day to day in my placement in a Grade 5 classroom.

To reflect back to the citation above, podcasting makes me nervous! That being said... I kind of enjoy the thrill of recording my discussions with other educators that anyone in the world can listen to. There is however, always the risk of saying the wrong thing and having others judge your opinions. That fear is there and will always be there but it will not hold me back. It is the same thing with blogging! If you don't test your limits, you'll never know how great you are :)
I challenge you to take the risk and #TryPod this month and become a better listener. Even better, try out my podcast with the link below and let me know what you think! Also, if you are interested in being a guest on Que sera Sarah? please do not hesitate to contact me at slalo047@uottawa.ca or by Twitter @sarahlalondee:)
https://soundcloud.com/que_sera_sarah