Drinking From a Water Hose

When summer time is upon us, I relish the opportunity to participate in professional development of my own choosing. In fact, I consider myself a lifelong learner.  My husband laughs at me when I ask a question that he can't answer, because my response is to "google" it.  My family had a set of encyclopedias when I was growing up.  I loved to browse the volumes looking at the pictures, reading the captions, and pausing to read any entry that caught my interest.  While this was not a bad way to occupy my time, my mother would often tell me to go outside and play.

I started this summer signing up for any free online PD that I came across, provided it would be useful for my Reading RTI classes.  Even a couple of paid conferences ended up on my calendar because I could not pass up the excellent learning opportunities.  The aforementioned calendar began to fill up quickly and I found myself having to check it frequently to make sure I didn't miss a thing!  When I began logging each and every conference, webinar, and workshop, I realized that more than half of my summer days contained at least one one-hour training.  I am scheduled to participate in an online workshop on my three and a half hour drive to my grandson's First Birthday party!  When is the amount of PD too much?

I don't think my mother had a problem with me reading the encyclopedias at our house.  That was why they bought them!  She knew that I needed more than information and knowledge for me to learn and grow.  I needed sunshine, friends, exercise, and fun.  This seems to be a balance that I struggle to maintain.  

Am I getting sunshine this summer?  Yes!  I am actually starting my weekdays with at least a two-mile walk.  So sunshine and exercise, check and check! Am I spending time with friends and family?  I eat at least two meals a day with my husband at the kitchen table.  I see church friends every Sunday and Wednesday.  I talk with my PLN on Voxer weekly.  My daughter-in-law and my grandsons came down for a few days to visit.  So family and friends, check and check.  Am I having fun?  Would you call recreational reading, shopping online, and sketchnoting fun?  So fun, check!  If all of these elements are present, why does it feel out of balance?

Looking back at my list of summer PD experiences, I am realizing I don't remember them all.  I took notes, interacted with the presenters and attendees, and saved my certificates, so I know that valuable information was shared.  So much was shared, in fact, that my memory is a little overwhelmed.  What I am beginning to understand is that I need to go back and pick just one take-away from each experience.  One thing that I can try, apply, or modify.  Armed with that list, I don't have to remember everything I 'learned' over the summer.  I can take the best of what I heard, saw, and experienced to make next school year more impactful for my students.

Kinda like drinking from a water hose when I was a kid. You only drink what you need and the rest is extra! 

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?

Making the Most of My Time

This is one of the busiest times of the year for me, and despite that, I am participating in two book studies on Voxer this month.  We make time for those things that we want to do most.  But what if we want to do #allthethings?  

I am constantly looking for time to squeeze in #allthethings.  I listen to Voxer chats and messages in the morning before my family gets up, on my ride to and from school, and during my lunchtime when I eat in my room.  With my book studies, I will read during class when my students are reading, and in the evening at home when my family is busy with other things.  I try to pick a few Twitter chats to participate in that don't take too much time away from my family.  Blogging is another thing I want to make time for on a regular basis.  "Finding the time" is happenstance, "making the time" is intentional.  I want to be intentional.

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."  ~William Penn

My most unstructured time is in the evening after dinner and on the weekends.  I will not deny that I find time for TV and movies.  What I need to do when I find myself flipping channels, is to turn off the TV or walk away and use my time more productively. That is time that can be redeemed.

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 
     making the most of your time,   Ephesians 5:15-16a

Redeeming that time won't necessarily make it easier to get started putting words on the page.  I have a journal that I intended to write in at the end of each day, while the day's events were fresh in my mind.  As I have not been successful at making that a habit, I need to rework that idea.  I think that I will start opening my blog page at the beginning of each school day, leaving it easily accessible to quickly jot down ideas and thoughts as they come my way.  Even if I have not written anything by the time I am ready to shut down my computer, my page will be open to write a quick thought before I log out.  I can save those thoughts as drafts, or a starting point to use when I make time to blog on the weekend.

I now have a plan to "make time" for blogging this week!  What will you "make time" for this week?

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!