#notbroken

I was talking to a good friend of mine who happens to be a teacher. At one point our conversation turned to Twitter. She explained that she’s decided to take a Twitter hiatus. I immediately assumed this was because there was just too much going on in real life to keep up with virtual life—that’s what causes my occasional Twitter vacations. But I was wrong. She explained that the reason she has to get away from the Twitterverse is because it’s just too negative. It’s a downer. She says Twitter makes her feel overwhelmed—like there is so much fundamentally wrong with education that we might as well just send the kids packing and go home.

I thought, ‘Maybe she just follows a bunch of Chicken Littles.’ Those proclaiming the falling sky are certainly prevalent. This could be fixed with few strategic follows and unfollows. But as I reflected more, I realized maybe she’s right. Lately it does seem like snarkiness, sarcasm, and cyncism have grown among my PLN. I’ve even found myself drawing back from interactions I might otherwise have engaged because I’m weary of arguing the same minutia and getting the same Devil’s Advocate positions from the same people.

I’m a positive person by nature. Not much gets me down. I’m a Pollyanna type who likes to focus on what’s not broken, what we’ve begun to fix, and people who fundamentally get it. So, I’m going to try to start a new Twitter trend, and I hope you’ll join me. Think of something that’s #notbroken and tweet it with the hashtag. We’re closing in on the end of the year. Let’s bring some sunshine to the Twitterverse.