Are You the Awkward Turtle?

March 11, 2021

I used to teach sex education to middle schoolers.

Prior to the first day of class, a colleague suggested I give students something to do when they felt uncomfortable.

Reminder, these are fifth through eighth graders learning about their changing bodies. They were uncomfortable a lot.

So I taught these young learners about “the awkward turtle.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the hand gesture, it’s when you place one hand on top of the other and paddle your thumbs in circles, so your stacked hands look like a turtle (see the picture below).

I told my students, “When you're feeling awkward you can just show me the awkward turtle, and you'll let me know. It’s a healthy way to release some of that nervous energy that’s not disruptive.”

Y'all, every few minutes I found myself teaching a sea of awkward little turtles.

When they were really uncomfortable, they’d hold their hands higher and thumbs whirling, as though they could paddle their way right out 5th period and their hormonal changes.

I had an anonymous question box, where I invited them to share their feelings about what we were learning.

They often wrote, “I feel weird.” One of them even wrote, “I feel like the awkward turtle.”

How often do we feel like the awkward turtle as adults?

Navigating vaccine distribution, changing COVID restrictions, and new social norms can be a lot.

As we evolve together in this ever-changing landscape, remember it’s ok if you feel weird.

We’re basically a group of adult awkward turtles.