We Need More Courageous Conversations

I am wrong.  I made a mistake.  It didn't work.  These are all words I have had to say frequently in all of the years of my teaching career.  They are not easy to say, nor easy to swallow, and yet those words are what have made me the educator I am today; someone who reflects, someone who realizes they are human, someone who admits fault.

In education we often put ourselves on pedestals, assuming no wrong.  We have all of the answers because that is what we need to have.  We have the solutions, the right ways.  We are trained professionals after all.  Except we don't always have those answers, or the right way to do something.  Things may not always work and the students do not always get the best education.

We must learn to admit when we are wrong.  We must learn to reflect upon our mistakes and make ourselves better.  We must realize we are not perfect and that others don't expect us to be.  We must have these courageous conversations about our own teaching, our grade levels, our classroom, and our schools.  We must reflect, we must discuss, and we must learn.  If we all fall under the illusion of perfection we will never change the way we do teaching.  We will never change to be better.  Our students will never learn from s that mistakes are glorious occasions that move us forward.  Start the conversation with yourself and then spread it.  All it takes is one courageous person to set the example.

And right after I sent this out Chad Lehman reminded me that we need courageous actions.  He is so right; take your courageous conversations and turn them into action.

You Know You Are a Blogger When...

Being a blogger has nothing to do with how many people read your blog, so you know you are a blogger when....

While having a conversation with a colleague, you keep getting inspired to write another post about what they say.

When someone tells you a new idea, you think of the comment you would leave if it were a blog post.

You cannot help getting ideas for new post whenever you read anything.

You base your new technology purchases on whether or not your blog platform will be supported.
When signing things you almost sign your blogging name.

You constantly tell others about the incredible comments you have received or made on your blog.

Your students know the names of the top people that you interact with.

Your professional reflection has never been better.

Your PLN is a vital and important part of your life.

You are pretty sure your mother knows everything there is to know about your daily life through your blog.

What did I miss?

What I Wish I had Known My First Year

Another school year is about to start and I am bursting at the seam with new ideas for better learning in my room.  I look back on the two short years I have taught and think of how far I have come already, imagining what I will look back upon in 20 years.  I see success and I see failures and it leads me to think of what I would have done differently had I known what I know now.

• I would have questioned grades sooner rather than working so hard on averages only to change my mind come report card time.
• I would have learn to reach out faster to co-workers and particularly veteran teachers that could have steered me in the right direction many times.
• I would have given up the notion that I must know what I am doing at all times.
• I would have given up on the teacher lectures and let the students talk more.
• I would have embraced the noise more rather than futively signaling for quiet - who learns in total silence anyway?
• I would have pulled down the awesome board and declared all of my students to be awesome each and every day.
• I would have realized that it is ok to feel overwhelmed and it is ok to not take a huge pile of work home with me once in a while.
• I would have realized that great learning doesn't always come from all worksheets or even written work.
• I would have let students work on enrichment if they had mastered a concept, why beat them over the head with it?
• I would have given myself a holiday from being perfect.

I would NOT have changed:

• The incredible passion I feel for my job every day
• The deep love of my students and their whole being
• The way I connect with students through sharing our lives together
• The ability to try new ideas and also know when they suck
• The reflecting over my failures (but I would have let go of the useless beating up of myself over them)
• The amazing feeling of responsibility and awe I have over being placed in charge of kids
• The belief that i can change the world through these kids
• The love, the love, the love

Happy first days to everyone