Is this imposter syndrome or are we on to something?

I have talked a whole lot about Reclaiming Connection, and I probably will be for awhile. However, I've reached a stage in this pre-launch where it kind of feels made up. What I mean by that is that I got an email from Amazon with ME recommending books.--they had taken things from the site. I had just updated my profile and am still working on adding a video that I'm going to share here. Doing my #Threeminutethoughts in the car, blogging, and pretty much all of the things surrounding this book are surreal. One minute I think that something big is right around the corner. The next minute I'm wondering if it matters.

Part of the inspiration for writing the book was that Jonathan Haidt's book, The Anxious Generation, didn't sit entirely right with me, and it was (is) having a moment. A big moment. But, who was I to challenge his premises? I won't get into it here, but my book takes a broader view of society rather than focusing on kiddos, particularly as it pertains to mental health. Hint: the children did not buy their thousand dollar cell phones, and even the suggestion that mental health can be improved by simply putting down the phone isn't asking the question: how were cellphones and screens able to steal our attention and why didn't we fight back? What really irked me was the cavalier approach to the Anxious Generation themselves. For example, he writes, "“We are physical, embodied creatures who evolved to use our hands, facial expressions, and head movements as communication channels, responding in real time to the similar movements of our partners. Gen Z is learning to pick emojis instead.”

It seems unfair and wildly oversimplified that this generalization about Gen Z is accepted as fact. Don't get me wrong. We have issues. WE have issues. Not just Gen Z. Incidentally, Gen Z is pushing back, and I am here for it. Maximillian Milovidov's "We're Not the Anxious Generation," really blew me away, particularly this: "Moreover, we’re not passive victims of our screens. We’re also artists, organizers, coders, friends. Teens have used social media to start businesses, build movements (#MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter), share poetry, and find community when their towns, schools, or even homes didn’t provide one. Not to mention that screens allowed for some semblance of socialization during the COVID-19 pandemic. For queer teens, neurodivergent youth, or anyone who grew up “different,” especially, the internet can be a lifeline."

As a teacher, I've been working to build stamina and resilience and all of the "school things" that are necessary for success in life. However, sometimes it feels like I'm up against a force that is so much bigger than us. In the hellscape we are living in, where shooting someone in the face gets debated and rights are being stripped away, where reality is simply not-quantifiable, it is hard to know what to focus on.

I asked my students last week if they had questioned what was real in the last 24 hours, and they ALL raised their hands without hesitation. This saddened and angered me, but more than anything it made me scared. We need to take heed of George Orwell's words that seem more relevant today than ever: "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

This is not an original take, of course, but throw generative AI into the mix, and I've been ready to throw my hands up in the air and submit to defeat. But, as they often do, it is the kiddos who can challenge the adults in ways that we need to sit up and take notice. Milovidov is right, maybe the adults here need to start looking for ways to pull people into meaningful experiences instead of pulling the phones away as if that will solve the isolation that is plaguing us. After all, we all need community, and the internet, the ones the kiddos know, helps them, "Find community when their towns, schools, or even homes didn't provide them." Ouch. But, yes, 100%.

That's what Reclaiming Connection is all about. I hope you'll pre-order it from Amazon here or straight from Routledge for cheaper. But even if you can't, you can help me by doing two things:

1)follow me on my Amazon page

2) share my blogs, #threeminutethoughts, and podcasts (this one with Steve Barkley and one coming up for The Best of Us )

So, as I write all of this I ask myself will it matter? Sometimes I have imposter syndrome and other times I am certain that me and the amazing people in my book are scratching the surface, that real change can happen. Only time will tell!

In the meantime, this is the origin story of the book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXyKaRNcZ5M

The origin story of Reclaiming Connection

If you are still "here" thanks for hanging on for this post. Our attention spans aren't what they used to be . . .

Fondly,

Amber