The month of October brings
about many changes, choices, and celebrations …the fall season is in full
swing, many schools are wrapping up the 1st quarter of school, Fall
Break is here, and it is Connected Educator month. For me October offers a time
to reflect on the first part of the school year. It provides a Fall Break
(which I immensely cherish) where I can spend time with my family, tend to a
few chores around the house, and spend some time learning from my PLN.
This month on Twitter several
chats have focused on connecting as educators. #Moedchat has dedicated all four
of its October chats to this theme. #PTchat has worked to connect us with and
to the different stakeholder groups in within our school communities (e.g.
dads, students, ELL families, and even home visits). Also, Edcamps from across
the country are focusing on connecting educators to our contemporary issues in
education.
Here are my thoughts on the
3Rs:
Renew: Take
time to renew your connection with colleagues. Take time to connect with your
PLN cohort. Go deeper with your conversations and commitments to education. Join
in with a chat that you’ve been missing out on. This week I renewed my
connection with #MSchat. It was great getting back into the learning cycle with
these middle level educators. Student motivation was the chat focus. During the
#StuVoice chat (with #PTchat) it was great to see a renewed understanding of
the importance of empowering student voice. The chat and GHO allowed students
(and adult learners) to share, provide insight, and offer feedback.
Relearn:
It’s ok to say, “I didn’t know that”. It’s even ok to “revisit” and to “brush
up” on something you’ve been familiar with for many years. For me I am
relearning information about McREL’s Nine Essential Instructional Strategies. I
know the impact they have on student achievement. I am finding that I can now
go “deeper” with my learning and understanding. Ultimately this means that my
students will also benefit from my re-learning opportunities. I am learning
that each strategy can truly impact student and adult learning if you take the
time to dig deeper into how you can apply each strategy in the classroom.
Rejoice:
Celebrate with your educational colleagues. Share the exciting things that are
taking place in your school and school community. We learn from each other and we
can all grow by learning about our Best Practices! I am finding that with my
Twitter and Voxer PLNs that I am able to rejoice more often. I learn from
colleague celebrations. @posickj has taught me to make each day the best day
of the week. @GenieneD has a unique way of sharing student stories so that we
all learn from all types of scenarios. @JoyWright91 has shown me the many ways
to celebrate the work of each person I come in contact with. This list could go
on and on. So to my PLN --- Thank You for rejoicing in the great works of your
students, colleagues, and friends.
I look forward to hearing your stories from this month where
we focused on the “Connected Educator”.
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