Moving Forward with Diligence

My third year of #OneWord is coming to a close. My #OneWord2019 , DILIGENCE , was about saying no as much as it was about saying yes. Giving constant and earnest effort. Prioritizing those things which I need to do well. 

Was I diligent in being diligent? What did I do well? 

• I wrote more blog posts this year.
• I read more books this year. 
• I let go of some Twitter chats in order to spend more time with my husband.
• I attended #TCEA19 this year and shared my learning with my district staff.
• I presented at #ISTE19 as part of a panel with my #4OCFpln.
• I read and studied about #sketchnoting and shared my learning with others.
• I was fairly consistent in walking and keeping up with my step goals.

What did not go as well as I had hoped?

• I was not as consistent as I wanted to be in my blogging.
• I set a reading goal which I have not met.
• I struggled at times to disconnect from technology in order to maintain a life balance.
• I struggled to be consistent with working out.

Despite not reaching a few of the goals I had set for myself, my #OneWord set the stage for growth that might not have otherwise occurred.  I published more posts this year than in previous years because I was trying to blog consistently.  I read more nonfiction books this year as a result of setting a reading goal for myself.  I attended two major educational conferences this year in an effort to support my colleagues better. 

The growth I have seen in myself this year is partly due to my #OneWord focus on Diligence, and partly due to the support of my #PLN.  Without my accountability partners in my #PLN, I would not have been inspired to blog more consistently.  Without the encouragement of my amazing #4OCFpln, I would not have set a reading goal or attended a major conference halfway across the country!  Although my #OneWord for next year will change, Diligence will continue to be a part of my mindset moving forward!

Few things are impossible to diligence and skill.  Great works are performed 
     not by strength, but perseverance.  ~ Samuel Johnson

Fingerprints

"Who are your EduHeroes?" The question was asked.  Who has made an important impression on me that has affected the course of my educational life in some form or fashion?  I could go for the easy answer and give the names of several authors whose books I have read, whose Keynote speeches have inspired me, but can I honestly say that they have had the deepest impression on me?

Everyone leaves fingerprints wherever they go. Doors, phones, tables, chairs.  But have you ever thought that you leave fingerprints on people, as well?  Maybe not an actual fingerprint that can be dusted like you see on crime movies, but a fingerprint just the same.  The smiles, words, interactions, and relationships that we have with other people on a daily basis leave an impression even if we are not aware of it!

A smile for a teacher that might be having a hard day, a hug for a student that is needing a comforting touch, a note of encouragement for a coworker that is having personal struggles, a suggestion to try something that they haven't tried before, a listening ear for a friend that needs to get their words out so that they can think clearly.  These are the fingerprints that can leave the biggest impression when shared on a regular basis.  The deepest impressions become bonds that can continue to support and uplift even after the initial contact is no longer present.

The EduHeroes that have left their imprint on my educational life include people like Carol Gunnels (@gunnels5G) who encouraged me to get on Twitter for Professional Development.  Although originally hesitant, I made the leap and soon made connections through Twitter chats.  The contacts that I had on Twitter helped me grow my professional reading library, learn about educational conferences and Edcamps, and extend my learning to Voxer!

I joined a Voxer book study on The Four O'Clock Faculty by Rich Czyz (@RACzyz) led by Matthew Larson (@mlarson_nj) and Ricardo Garcia (@rokstar19).  The connections that I made through this book study were so incredible that at the end of the book study, no one wanted to leave! I talk on a daily basis with educators from all across the United States, from all levels of teaching (classroom, coach, specialists, administrators).  Hearing the perspectives of others encourages me to examine my own beliefs, understandings, and my Why. This group, the #4OCFpln, has become, in a sense, a family. 

This family has not only bonded together to encourage, grow, and support each other, but we have also made an effort to share our beliefs and our learning with others on Twitter, Voxer, Instagram, Periscope, Facebook, etc.  Some of us had an opportunity to share our story with others at #ISTE19 in Philadelphia this past summer.

So when people ask me who are my EduHeroes, I would say they are the people that have made an indelible imprint on my educational life. Their fingerprints on my life have brought me to the path I am on today as a connected educator. And for that I am truly grateful!

Who has left their fingerprint on you?

Reflecting on Relationships

How many of us can resist the urge to look in a mirror when one is present? We look to adjust our hair, makeup, clothes, etc. And then we look again.  We want to be at our best physical appearance before others.  Why then do we find it hard to look into the mirrors of our mind and reflect on ourselves professionally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?  This is a struggle for me, not because I do not like to write, but because putting my mental reflections into words leaves me feeling exposed.  Wait.  I need to reframe that.  I am making myself more open.  Being open is essential to building Relationships.

My #OneWord2018 was Relationships.

I was inspired to choose Relationships as my #OneWord when revisiting the book Innovator's Mindset by George Couros.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is:

   "If we want meaningful change, we have to make a connection to the 
          heart before we can make a connection to the mind."

I wanted to be part of a spark that started meaningful change in my students, my colleagues, my school, my PLN.  So I focused on Relationships.

Have I seen meaningful change this year?  Not in the way I had imagined.  As I reached out to others this year to make that connection to the heart, I found that I was the one that walked away changed.

Working to be able to call students by name has helped me to connect with students throughout our campus.  In my classes, I make time for students to share what is going on in their lives and I Listen.  I take time to have personal conversations when some students seem to be struggling in class.  What I learn about them helps me to be a better teacher working to meet their individual needs.

My interactions with colleagues, whether in the hallway, during lunch, or in a meeting are more intentional.  I make the time to connect on a personal level, asking about family, friends, and life in general.  These connections have helped me to see other teachers' motivations or "Why".  I have responded by sharing handwritten notes of appreciation and resources through email.

When planning a training on Personalized PD, I invited another teacher to present with me.  Being able to collaborate on the presentation made it more well rounded and beneficial for all.  I plan on seeking out others and helping them to share their voice, as well.

One of the biggest areas of change was in the relationships I found through #2menandabook Voxer book studies.  I joined their 4 O'clock Faculty Voxer book study in January of this year.  Having the opportunity to hear so many voices and perspectives on the book and be able to share my own was an amazing experience.  More amazing still is that the group we formed in January is still going strong!

At the end of the book study so many of us did not want the discussion to end!  We agreed to stay connected and formed the #4OCFpln.  We have the opportunity to share, challenge, question, encourage, and push each others' thinking on a daily basis.  Topics of discussion range anywhere from personal sagas to pedagogy.  It is not uncommon for any one of us to send out the bat signal for help on questions we need answered.  We have become a family!

Because of my #4OCFpln , I have: presented PD outside of my district for the first time this year, revived my blog, read more professional books, held a book tasting which lead to a Teach Like a Pirate book study on my campus, and guest moderated on a few Twitter chats.  I will also be connecting with a few of my Texas #4OCFpln while attending TCEA for the first time in 2019.  I look forward to meeting even more of my #4OCFpln family in ISTE next summer as we present as a panel on the power of connections using Voxer!

Connections are powerful whether we make them on Voxer, Twitter, or in our daily lives.  Even though I am choosing a new word for 2019, I plan to continue working on my relationships and hope to continue seeing a positive change in myself and others in the future!

Serendipity

Serendipity is looking for an old favorite and finding a new one!

One of my favorite places to be is in a bookstore.  Living in a rural town, I have to drive half an hour to get to a Half Price Bookstore, and almost an hour to get to a Barnes & Noble.  I recently went in search of a copy of The Rainbow Fish to read to my Third, Fourth, and Fifth graders.  Not finding what I came for, I kept browsing because that is what you do at a bookstore!  Three gems I uncovered that I had never read before!  Milo and the Magical Stones, Sydney's Star, and Serendipity.  This last one fascinated me with its simple pattern and wonderful way of illustrating the glorious happenstance of Serendipity!  I couldn't resist the opportunity for a great vocabulary lesson!

Serendipity is buying a book for a read aloud and being inspired to write a blog post based on the book.

My life is sprinkled with many serendipitous moments.  

My husband and I had tried for two years to start a family.  I was working on my Masters degree while teaching Reading Recovery in a small but growing school district.  The month after I had my diploma in hand, we learned that we finally would be welcoming a little one in few short months.  

While I was teaching Third Grade in another district, I was offered the opportunity to take the Reading Specialist position at another campus.  This campus was in between the Middle School and the High School which my boys were moving to the following year!  My boys would be able to walk to my school when they got out in the afternoons!

Serendipity is winning a door-prize at an Edcamp that has three books that are on my wish list!

I have mentioned before that I was reluctant to becoming a connected educator.  Once I started making connections on Twitter my wish list of books began to grow!  I also learned about events called Edcamps that I quickly became addicted to!  I attended my first few edcamps with a coworker, but soon began to branch out on my own.  One summer edcamp yielded me a great door-prize of a tub stuffed with t-shirts, books, and more.  One of the books I received was The Four O'Clock Faculty by Rich Czyz; a book that I couldn't wait to read!

Serendipity is joining a Voxer book study and finding my tribe!

In amongst all the people I had connected with on Twitter was a PE teacher in NJ who was going to start a Voxer book study on The Four O'Clock Faculty.  I had already given Voxer a try and was following the #leadupchat group on that platform.  A book study sounded like a great way to go deeper and get more out of the book.  I told @mlarson_nj to sign me up!  

That was back in January of this year.  The book study lasted one month, but this group is still going!  We talk to each other daily, encouraging, challenging, informing, questioning, pushing, and asking for help.  We talk about education, challenging the status quo, families, weather, fitness, food, jobs, and any multitude of other things.  We have challenged each other to blog, started our own hashtag #4OCFpln, participated in and hosted Twitter chats, and have been interviewed on a podcast.  We have a photo shopped selfie which we take to conferences to get pictures with of some of our Edu heroes.  We have had meet ups with our PLN members all over the country.  Plans are in the works to meet up at the next ISTE.  We have all grown as a result of being with this group.  

"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."  This is one of the sharpest groups I have ever known!  I am proud to be a member of this wonderful PLN family! 

A Little Extra Push

     Most people have that someone in their life that pushes them.  Pushes them out of their comfort zone.  Pushes them to get uncomfortable.  Pushes them to try new things.  Pushing may seem a little rude or forward, but that little extra push can make a huge impact on your life and the lives of your students.

     I have had that influence in my life that has helped me to learn and grow as an educator.  I have become a connected educator by joining Twitter, because of a little push.  I have attended edcamps I learned about on Twitter, and eventually facilitated a few sessions at different edcamps.  I have started a blog and added to my Amazon reading wishlist.  I have joined a life changing Voxer group that challenges my thinking every day (#4OCFpln).  I have presented PD sessions in my district as part of a team and eventually independently.  I have even presented outside of my district at a Technology Conference when I don't even consider myself particularly "techy".

     I mention all of these things not to praise my own accomplishments, but to illustrate what the power of a little loving push in the right direction can do.  If you have that someone in your circle of influence, learn all you can from them!  If you don't, then seek one out, or better yet, seek to be that person of influence in someone else's life.

     "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

     "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor."

     "A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."

     Let's join together in helping each other to be the best we can be for our students.  Challenging, questioning, sharing, and yes, Pushing!

Dear Veteran Teacher Self

     This blog post is a result of a challenge thrown down by Aaron Hogan of Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth during the #TeacherMyth chat three weeks ago. 


Dear Veteran Teacher Self,

     I am so excited to be teaching First Grade this year!  When I learned that I got the position, I called MY First Grade Teacher to share the good news!  I have a wonderful class of 18 sweet, smiling faces.  I don't know when I'll ever get their names right!  I have 2 Kevins, 2 Ashleys, 3 Joshuas, not to mention a handful of names that all begin with the letter J!  I will be stuttering all year long!

     The first of the year was fast and furious setting up rules, schedules, and getting to know my students.  Now that my days have begun to settle down to a routine, I am finding myself curious about what is going on in other classrooms.  When my students are working independently, I am tempted to, and often do, peek into the classrooms across the hallway.  I observed in numerous classrooms during my teacher training.  I learned all that I needed to know, right?  I've got this.  Maybe.

     My grade level team is awesome!  I am one of 3 brand new teachers on our team with 2 other experienced teachers.  I am always asking questions and love the fact that we plan together as a team!  The opportunity to collaborate makes me feel so supported.

     Here is the question.  If I am a trained, certified teacher, then why do I feel the desire to constantly ask questions and look into other classrooms?  Is it just a matter of not trusting myself, or is it something more?

                                                                               Sincerely,
                                                               
                                                                                      Your First Year Teacher Self



Dear First Year Teacher Self,

     You've got this!  Please don't doubt yourself, although asking questions of yourself and others is a good way to learn.  Even thought you are a trained, certified teacher, you still have much to learn.  That is okay.  A teacher should never stop learning and growing.  You are in fact a lead learner.  Your students are going to learn so much from you.  And you are going to learn so much from others.

     You are going to learn from your students that relationships matter.  You will learn that 'Students won't care how much you know until they know how much you care'.  Make the most of those relationships.

     You are going to learn from your team members.  Collaboration is an awesome way to share ideas and make them your own.  Don't shy away from that.

     You are going to learn from your evaluations.  There will come a time that you will have an evaluation that will devastate you, make you cry.  You will be asked to observe another teacher and then take what you learn and have yet another evaluation.  Don't dwell on the failure, grow from it, get better.

     You are going to learn from trainings, workshops, and conferences.  Make connections with the presenters and others attendees.  That's called networking and it can be invaluable!  Don't be afraid to speak up.

     There will come a time when you will learn from something called Twitter.  When encouraged to join, don't drag your feet, just jump on in!  It will be like networking on steroids.  You will be able to make even more connections and build your own personal learning network, or PLN.  This PLN will support, challenge, encourage, and inspire you.  You will grow like you have never grown before.

     The reason you are curious and asking so many questions is because you want to be the best you can be for your students, and if there is a better way, you will find it.  Continue asking those questions, peeking in classrooms, and learning from others.  We are always better together!

                                                                            Lovingly,

                                                                                  Your Veteran Teacher Self

 

Connected Educators

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, and acceptable and perfect.”

How many times do we hear (or catch ourselves saying) “Oh no, it’s Monday!” or “I can’t wait for Friday!”?  As educators, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the multitude of daily tasks and classroom routines that have become a habit instead of a joy.  Our students often pick up on that and adopt the same attitude.  Weekends and holiday breaks are a welcome and refreshing time of rest, but teachers and administrators need a way to recharge and renew ourselves in addition to that rest.

While some may find new learning and motivation from one of the many professional books available today, nothing can compare to the personal relationships we build when we connect with other educators.  The interaction and feedback we receive is invaluable for personal and professional growth.

Connecting with others in our profession can happen in many ways.  The relationships we build with our coworkers is a great place to start, but when we step out of our comfort zone and make connections with others outside our own district is often when we see more growth.  Opportunities like conferences, workshops, and EdCamps are perfect places to make those connections.

If money or time is an issue, then Twitter is a great alternative.  Twitter is a free app and works well with any schedule.  Through Twitter we have the opportunity to connect with coworkers, authors, and other innovative educators from around the world!  Just by following other educators, anyone can learn about #STEM activities, #coding, #makerspaces, and #literacy just to name a few.  Many educators share resources on a regular basis. 

Responding to questions and others’ posts on Twitter encourages reflection on our own teaching and learning.  In the words of Todd Whitaker, “A teacher never stops learning, and a learner never stops teaching.”  As educators, we owe it to ourselves and our students to be the Lead Learner in our own classrooms or buildings.

Todd Whitaker also said, “we define connected educators simply as ones who are actively and constantly seeking new opportunities and resources to grow as professionals.”

How are you going to connect, recharge and renew?

Kimberly

                                                                                                                                                   

My #Oneword2017 REACH

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” -Harriet Tubman

My #oneword for 2017 is REACH; My reminder to seek and connect with people and things that will make me stronger.  My professional goal this school year has been to be more reflective in my teaching.  I have already begun to reach into myself by reflecting and journaling about my effectiveness in the classroom.  These reflections provide me valuable information that guide my daily decision making in the classroom as I strive to become a better teacher.

I will continue to reach out to other educators on my campus and on Twitter to expand my Professional Learning Network (PLN).  Connecting with other educators on Twitter this past year has been food for my soul.  The exchange of thoughts and ideas has been very refreshing.  I now have a hunger and an enthusiasm for personal learning and growth that I have not had in many years!  My list of books to be read has grown tremendously and I now participate in several weekly Twitter chats.

The encouragement I have received has made me reach beyond my comfort zone where real learning occurs!  Twitter used to be outside my comfort zone and because I chose to go there (with a little push from a friend), I am finding it a little easier to try even more new things and encourage others to join me.  This blog is a big step outside my comfort zone, but it is one way I hope to be an encouragement to others as so many have been for me.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14 KVJ

What is within your reach?

Kimberly