While the end of summer brings many exciting new possibilities and opportunities, it also gives me time to reflect and think about how I've learned and grown as an educator. It's a time for a fresh start, a time to begin again! How many people can honestly say they work in a profession where they get to start over every year! I can't help but think about how lucky I am to be an educator.
I take my job seriously. I know that in order to get better at what I do I must continue to learn. This summer I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone by reading books and attending workshops that would really stretch my thinking. I have spent 8 years of my 13 year teaching career as a literacy coach, it would have been very easy for me to continue to explore best practices related to the teaching of reading and writing, but instead I decided to look for opportunities that made me slightly uncomfortable because I knew deep down that these experiences would help me learn the most. So, I began by reading Mindset by Carol Dweck, followed that up by reading Yong Zhao's World Class Learners, took a brief reprieve back into my comfort zone as I read Pathway's to the Common Core for a second time and finished up my summer reading with The Connected Educator by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall. But that's not all, I attended the Innovative Learning Environments Conference and spent a full day learning how to get connected and build my PLN using Twitter! As I began to explore the Twitterverse I became more and more humbled by the vastness of knowledge around me, by the endless ideas and possibilities, and by all that I did not know. To say the least, this summer I learned more than ever by finding out that there is so much that I still need to learn. My hope for this school year is that I can inspire the educators around me to join me on a learning journey so that together we can engage, inspire and empower our students. I want to make every day count!
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Jacki,
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AuthorI hope my blog posts inspire risk taking and new ways of thinking. I hope to connect with other educators on our journey to always do what's best for children. Archives
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