Learning to Let Go (a little)

This week, I had a moment. I scrapped a beautifully structured social media activity I had planned—one that took hours to design—because it simply didn’t land with my students. 

They were confused. I was frustrated. But instead of forcing it, I paused and asked myself: What’s really going on here? 

I realized I had created something too rigid. I had designed the activity around the tool instead of around my students. I gave them no “ledge,” no soft entry point to start engaging. And in trying to make the perfect learning experience, I forgot that learning is messy, unpredictable, and deeply human. 

So I regrouped. I asked my students for input. We co-created new directions, trimmed the toolset, and returned to what mattered most: the learning objective. And something amazing happened—they started owning it. 

This experience reminded me that social media isn’t the star of the lesson—it’s a supporting actor. My job is to set the stage, hand over the mic, and sometimes, just listen. 

Letting go isn’t easy for me. But this week, I saw how stepping back can create space for students to step in. 

And that’s the kind of learning I want to be part of.