The power of vulnerability

I encourage everyone to watch this talk by Brene Brown, a researcher storyteller, if you will. In this talk she shares some profound insights regarding the human condition to feel entirely inadequate with our current identity. Through her many years of research and investigation she reveals some of her findings about how our own vulnerability can be overwhelmingly powerful. Although this talk is not specifically aimed at educators, it is applicable to the interactions between students in our classrooms and the relationships that we ourselves build with students. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html In what ways can a teacher affect how a student feels about their adequacy within and outside of the classroom? How can we aim to create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable welcoming vulnerability? Do you think that helping students feel comfortable with their identity is part of a teacher’s job?