"You talk so much, my dog needs earplugs."

That line is from a song called Talkatiff that is all about someone who just can't stop talking. Every time I hear it I think of that Run DMC song "You Talk Too Much (man, you never SHUT UP!) I realize, of course, they're talking about me. Yes, I talk too much. Many of us do. The last few days, I've been trying to limit my speech- to listen and reflect (silently) more. It's HARD. I grew up around a big family of women. Women who felt free to speak their minds, vent, tell jokes, sing, and just chat. So, I never saw the importance of limiting my speech until I realized I just wasn't hearing others. I realized that other people like to talk too. I had to ask myself, do I talk just to hear my own voice? Sometimes. I also notice that in a learning environment I need to speak to process what I am learning. I think this is cultural- I've noticed the same inclination in my students of color. I wouldn't want to encourage these students to inhibit their learning styles. We've all been silenced at one time or another and I think in general it is a good idea to use our voices and to be assertive. But everyone knows that one person who just won't SHUT UP! I think it is like a nervous tick. Some of us laugh or fall silent when we are nervous. Some talk.

Today one of my coworkers couldn't stop talking about an issue she had with her boss and another coworker couldn't keep from telling her what she should do and then their boss couldn't stop telling everyone else about the drama that ensued and I just wanted to scream STOP! HOLD UP! Perhaps the issue here isn't talking per se but who you talk to..... regardless, it got me thinking about what trouble we can get ourselves into by talking too much.

I've always had this secret envy of the quiet people in class. You know the really smart kids who hardly say a word. I always thought that this must be the key to their intellingence- the less you talk the more you can listen and the more you learn. Perhaps it's not in my true nature (or nurture) to be quiet. Still, I think so much can be gained by being silent and listening. Even if you're listening to someone who talks too much!