Authentic Professional Development

Confession… I am on a career path right now that I didn’t expect 15 years ago when my journey as a classroom teacher began. I must have sworn a hundred times that I would never leave the comfort of my four walls. I was 10,000% committed to my students, their parents, and improving the community through the work I did within the safe space of Room 100. I loved every second of crafting a lesson based on the students’ interest. I couldn’t wait to attend things like Back to School Night, Family Fun Night, and the Picnic on the Green. My excitement would reach its peak when it was time to perform our second grade program. I would cry tears of joy when I got to sit at the piano and sing with my kids at the end of the day. I will never forget the moments we had singing our “class song” and “Tomorrow” from Annie. My students were awesome, and everyone of them led me to where I am today, just as I led them.

As a classroom teacher, I invested every ounce of my being into connecting with my students. I wanted to know what they liked and didn’t like. I wanted to know what made them excited and what made them cry. I wanted to see where they lived and where they played at home. I wanted to cheer for them at sporting events, dance recitals, band concerts, and karate tournaments. I wanted to celebrate at their birthday parties and worship at their baptisms. I wanted to befriend their parents and learn the family history so I could better understand the WHOLE child. I didn’t much care about what their previous teachers said, nor their report cards from the grades prior to me. Grades in general didn’t hold much weight with me anyway. (That's another post.) That was last year… They were a whole year older, wiser, and more mature when I got them. They deserved a fresh start each year regardless of how they ended. Imagine if you had to start each day without new mercy.

On this new career path, my goal is to equip, encourage, and empower teachers in order to strengthen our profession. While I don't have my kids anymore, I do think of the educators that I reach as my students. I consider it a great honor to play a role in if cultivating our work. Professional Development (PD), as some call my work, is the daily assignment I am charged with accomplishing. It is required for educators to renew state licensure and to stay current in best practice for effective teaching. I have learned a lot in the last 14 months of this new journey. One such lesson…. educators need me to approach their learning just like my former first and second graders.

Wait… Pause… I am not dare calling grown adults children. However, I am saying that their needs as learners are almost identical. There is something woven through the DNA of all of us that responds to positive, powerful, personal relationships. Just like my students, teachers need someone who will connect with them, who will cheer for them, who will stand beside them as they try new things. They need someone who will pick up the pieces if everything falls apart and someone who will tell them it is ok if they mess up. They need to hear, “No, you are not terrible if you are afraid, and no, you are not awful if you need help with your class.” They most certainly need my patience, my grace, and my support. If I the desired outcome is for the profession to be developed through my work, the need me to love the profession first, and teach it second.

Sadly, in the PD world, there are those who come to deliver the message of “change and hope” that aren’t really there to build relationships and invest in educators. Many are there because it’s their job. They are there to remind you of test data, district initiatives, state directives, and make sure you do “D, all of the above.” They were over the classroom and all the work it entailed, so they became PD leader so they could tell other teachers what they should be doing, instead of actually doing it themselves. Others are there because they are pushing their own agenda or work. They have a book or publication that they want to tell you about that espouses educational awesomeness (or so they think).  Some are there because they like the attention of being an EDU Celebrity and want you to know how special they are. There are a few that have crept in through the back door, and they don’t really know much about education, but one dog and pony show lesson got them right to the top as a presenter on _______ topic.. They are not very authentic, and you know it the moment they speak.

So what am I? Am I authentic or just a charlatan with my pooch and baby horse? Am I genuine or a fraud with snake oil trying to “up my sales”? Am I delivering a blank newspaper to your door while you expect daily news? That answer is up to the teachers in the hundreds of schools I have visited over the last year and a half, but here's what I have to say about my work...

Honest truth, when I am preparing to be your PD leader, I think about how tired you are because you work way more than 8-2 each day. I think about all the things that are going on in your life beyond the school building. I consider that we aren't the same kind of teacher and maybe my style isn't your style. I consider that your skill set is most likely different than mine. I remember what it was like to sit through those horrendous, boring, irrelevant faculty meetings, and I try to infuse excitement, hands-on, relevant content into my presentation. I remember what it was like to pay good money out of my own pocket for a ho-hum conference, and I make sure to provide ideas and strategies that can be used in the classroom the very next day. I remember what it feels like for PD attendance to be required after an 8 hour work day that included a 15 minute lunch break, a zero minute bathroom break, and a bonus PD on data during your common planning period that was supposed to be for creating new, exciting, engaging lessons with your grade level, and I make sure I am respectful of your time.

Oops… Did I go too far? Did I say too much? If so, I sit here applauding and cheering. Someone has to say it. Actually, someone needs to shout it. No more click through presentations. No more  sit and get. No more talk for and hour while I fight sleep. No more mass PD for the one teacher who needs help getting his reading scores up. Teacher PD needs the same care, crafting, and delivery as student lessons. Authentic PD should happen, as lessons do for students, after careful consideration of the “class”, after a needs assessment is given, after a connection has been made, after teacher voice has identified areas for growth, after _________________ (insert whatever you as the professional opportunities for learning should go here.)

Our profession is the greatest on the globe. No one has a more noble and honorable career than we do. Regardless of  some negative views of public education, we are incredible and our professional development should be the same. If I come to your school, I promise you incredibleness. I promise you it will be relevant, fun, engaging, and above all, it will equip, encourage, and empower you to be developed professionally. You deserve it, just like your kids.

I Wish Other Teachers Knew

The other day this article popped up in my newsfeed on Facebook. It was heartbreaking to read some of the responses that students wrote for their teachers to know. I think this should be a required back to school experience in every classroom. We must know our students this well if we want to reach them. Students carry around a lot more than most of us realize. These kids had a lot of courage to share their thoughts and be so vulnerable. Sharing your inner feelings about your fears, worries, and emotions isn't easy. It exposes the real you and sets the stage for criticism, yet it also empowers you and helps others to see the normalcy of so many of the things we all deal with. 

Taking my cues from the students in the article, I decided to write this blog post to share with ya’ll my teacher fears, worries, and emotions, all on the outside of my mind, knowing full well that I am opening myself up to all kinds of criticism, yet hoping above all that it starts a dialogue between teachers so that we can overcome our fears and insecurities to strengthen our profession. A few years ago when I won some awards for being a great teacher, lots of people put me on a pedestal, assumed I had it all together in my classroom, and had no concerns about my ability as a teacher. Nothing could be further from the truth as you will read below. The awards helped, but the insecurities remained strong and intact. I am nervous even as I type this because I know the words that you are about to read are going to expose me to the teacher world in a way that I have never been before. Being open and honest isn’t easy, but If me being a vulnerable educator leads you to being a stronger teacher for your students, then it’s all worth it. 

Here is what I wish other teachers knew…

I am clueless about teacher jargon. Yes, I have a MAT degree. Yes, I have sat through countless meetings talking about every acronym under the educational sun. Yes, I am a director of PD. But, it’s true, all those “teachery” words just aren’t my thing. I know what to do to teach every child, and to be good at it, but those words… forget about it. Google is my friend. I look up a lot of stuff. It took me almost 13 years to understand summative vs. formative, and I cannot even say pedagogical. My teacher friend Dawn Mitchell knows all these words. I keep her on speed dial. 

I am not very well read. Yes, I read. Yes, I can comprehend. Yes, I was the Reading Teacher of the Year once. But, reading is so difficult for me. A book that takes normal readers a week to finish would take me two months. Seriously. 2. Months. That is why I always hated faculty book studies. You would have to have 3-4 chapters read each week. I could barely get through one in a week. I learned how to participate though. I just wouldn’t speak first. I would let the “more educated” speak then build off of what they brought to the group. Maybe my reading struggle is what made me a more patient reading teacher. Regardless, the struggle is real, and it’s not my favorite thing to do.

I questioned my teaching every single day. Sometimes, I even cried about it. Often, the tears would come as soon as I closed my classroom door at the end of the day. Did I teach regrouping correctly? Did I love them enough? Did I speak too harshly to kid misbehaving? Did I communicate respectfully to the parents, coworkers, students? These questions frequently brought tears to my eyes. I am such an emotional person. Tears come very easy for me. Many times I would be reading a story to my students and get choked up. Once while reading Lisa Wheeler’s, Turk and Runt, I cried so much that students started crying with me. It isn’t even an emotional book, but the love that Runt has for his family even though they treated him poorly just gets to me every time I read it. I really should get a grip.

I am not a techy teacher. Well, some of you think I am, but I really lack in this are so much compared to my friends like Dyane, Mike, Tony, & Gina. These folks inspire me to be better at it, but secretly I am afraid so many times. But, my fear to not prepare students for their future was greater, so I would always try techy lessons. I loved them after the fact, but leading up to them, I was all nerves.

I am not a good weekly lesson planner. My lesson plans were always (still are sometimes) last minute. I did my best thinking in the moment, thus my most creative ideas came when I was under pressure to finish them. Last minute thinking doesn’t work well when the whole week’s plans have to be on your desk first thing Monday morning. How could I make a plan for Friday when I had no idea how the kids would take the information Monday-Thursday. My best friend, Matt Johnson, he is the best lesson planner I know! Wow! I wanna be like him! You should see him think through the details of his week. One day at a time just worked better for me though. One of my favorite lessons that I do with Peter Reynold’s, The Dot, was literally thought of in the shower before school. I got to school, gathered my materials, and made magic happen. Yes, I had something in the little square in my little plan book for that day, but those little squares were just there because someone told me they had to be, not because they made me a better teacher. (Disclaimer: ALL beginning teachers should plan, plan, plan. This confession is more for the veterans.) (Insert smiley emoji) Yes… I was always prepared and ready to teach students, but those little boxes don’t make you a good teacher. A color coded plan book full of great ideas doesn’t mean you know how to implement them.

I was nervous every single day I was in the classroom. Would today be the day I blinked at recess and missed something important? Would today be the day I didn’t know how to teach a certain skill? Would today be the day that a student rode the bus home but should have been in the car line? Would today be the day I be asked about my teaching methods in a faculty meeting and have no clue how to answer? Would today be the day I accidentally stapled my finger and shouted a bad word in front of students as I winced from the pain? Would today be the day that parents charged the office and demand their kid be removed from my room because they didn't like me, my lifestyle, or my teaching style? I know you are nervous about things too. Hang in there. As I reflect on all of that worry, it definitely didn’t help anything. It took away precious moments that I could have been making a mark.

I am intimidated by you. Yes, you read that right. I am intimidated every time I walk into a classroom of another teacher. It never fails. I walk into your rooms and immediately see amazing anchor charts, organization to the Nth degree, centers designed for every learner, journals filled with the most amazing work, technology being utilized in a way that would make Steve Jobs proud, and I hear your patient voice just as sweet as pie! Without hesitation, I start comparing everything you do, with everything I do/did, and instantly, I feel like I stink at teaching. You are amazing, and I feel like I have a lot to learn because of your awesomeness.

Now that you know all this, I don’t have to “wish you knew” anymore. What I do wish, is that you would be just as honest with yourself. Face your teacher fears, weaknesses, emotions. Grow stronger as you conquer each one. And, most importantly, remember you’re not alone. We are in this together for the sake of our students.

Kindred Spirits

My first year in education was in 2001 at private school in Greenville, SC. I was an assistant to five first grade classes before lunch, then I taught enrichment lessons to K5 in the afternoon. As I reflect back on that year, difficult is the best word I can think of to describe it accurately. Learning is hard, and that year I learned a lot.

Even though the year was extremely tough me, it was there that I met my first kindred spirit in education, Karen Ketterman. I LOVED going into her room everyday. It was such a happy place and always felt full of love. Her spirit made it that way. She was different than any other educator I had met in that school. She loved her students more than anything. Every time she talked about them she beamed with pride. Sometimes she would tear up as she talked about them. Many of her students that year were considered below average, but you would not have known that walking into her room. Every single kid she taught was a shining star, and they knew it because she told them they were. Most importantly, she had fun being a teacher. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't hear her say, "Orange you glad you're here!"

 It didn't take me long to know that she was the educator I wanted to be like. Yes, there were other great teachers there, but she was different. She was my kindred spirit. I don't know what I would have done without her that year, but it was then I learned Kindred Spirits carry you through rough years.

Since that first rough year, I have found lots of kindred spirits in this fantastic career. I wouldn't dare start listing them all for fear of leaving out someone awesome, but yesterday at Edcamp Sparkle, I found 250+ new kindred spirits to add to the list that Karen started 15 years ago. My heart is so full as I think about these "sparklers" who joined me at the first of what I hope is many Edcamps I will be a part of. Checkout some pics of the day here. The day was filled with learning, leadership, and love as we equipped, encouraged, and empowered one another. 

This group you see below was just incredible. What other profession voluntarily gives up a Saturday without pay to be better at what they do? Not many I can assure you. Not only did they come, but they came with pep in their step, smiles on their faces, and sparkle all over... and they got there at 7:30am no less! It was incredible to spend the day with so many inspiring educators. As I have transitioned out of the classroom, I often wonder what kind of impact I am making. Then, these amazing people came into my life and made it clear because Kindred spirits build you up just when you need it most.

Leading up to yesterday's Edcamp, it was these beautiful kindred spirits that made the big event happen. The people you see here have a passion for students, teachers, and the profession that is contagious and infectious. I was so honored to work alongside these sparkly humans yesterday as they poured themselves into the work of building up others in our profession. They embody all that is #Sparkle! They served and led, they encouraged and affirmed all that is good in public education. These people are much needed in my life. Sometimes the labor is hard, the days are long, and the work is never ending, but Kindred spirits keep you full so you can keep running the race. 

I wish for you lots of sparkly kindred spirits like these to make this the best school year ever!

Learn From Your Students

Every year that I was in the classroom, I had students who came from various walks of life. I taught Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Atheists, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus, and more Southern Baptists than you can shake a stick at. My kids came from divorced homes, single parent homes, happily married homes, rich homes, poor homes, well read homes, and uneducated homes. Some students had 2 dads. Some had 2 moms. Some had 2 moms and 1 dad all in the same house. Some were undocumented. Some were illegal. Some came from families that were die hard Republicans, while others came from dyed in the wool Democrats. Some came from families that didn’t like the beats of rap music and others came from homes where swear words were as normal as hello and good bye. I taught kids of every hue and some who said they thought they should be a different gender. As I type this now, I can literally see every face or every kid that I mentioned above. Man, do I love them.  I sure wish you knew them like I did because I have no doubt you would love them too. They are so beautiful not in spite of their differences but because of them. 

We talked a lot about those differences in my classroom as they seemed to come up often, but mostly we talked more about how we were all alike. We all loved pizza and fries. Recess was the best. Chris Botti, playing his jazz trumpet made us all feel cozy and want to have a nap. We loved singing around our class piano. The bean bags were everybody’s favorite reading spot. 2 digit subtraction with regrouping was HARD! Every human in the room wanted to be first in line at all times, and we all loved tater tot day in the cafeteria! It’s funny…for my students to be so diverse, they sure were more alike than different. 

As I reflect on those years with students during this back to school season, I can truly say that it was an incredible honor to be a part of their life’s story for a short 180 days that make up a school year! But, there is nothing short about the lifelong impact the diversity of my students has had on me. I was in the classroom to teach them, but they (and their parents) taught me so much more instead. Being surrounded every day with those who weren’t like me, especially kids, helped me to see the world with eyes that so many of us need. Soft eyes, not hard. Eyes of respect and admiration. Eyes of dignity and understanding. Eyes of love and compassion. I am so grateful for all that I learned from them. What they taught me made me a better teacher. Their lessons, I hope to never forget. I hope your kiddos are teaching you these same things so you'll be better too.

Because of my students I learned to…

listen to those whose faith isn’t my own.

laugh with those who lives aren’t like mine.

leap over barriers, not build them.

lead others to compassion.

leave my misperceptions to embrace truth.

level the playing field for all around me.

look at hearts not hues.

lock arms with fellow humans and sparkle all the brighter.

love no matter what.

My Heart is Bigger: Teacher Edition

A few weeks ago, just after the political conventions were over, I posted the above status to Facebook.  It was one of the most liked posts I have ever shared. Sharing the impact that diversity had on the size of my heart seemed to resonate with my friends as over 400 of them reacted to it in some way on my page. My heart definitely got bigger that day because of my friends.

The past few days I have reflected on the status and couldn’t help but think about how my 13 years in the classroom made my heart bigger as well. As I sit here today, on the eve of the first day of school for yet another year, I’d like to rewrite the status as an educator. Although I am not in a specific school this year, my heart still grows everyday because of the experiences I had as a classroom teacher. I hope this will encourage all of my teacher friends as they start their journey through the next 180 days with a new bunch of kids that will definitely make their hearts bigger!

My heart is bigger because I spend hours longer than my contract says working for students.

My heart is bigger because I have carried a bleeding student from the playground to the nurse.

My heart is bigger because I gave high fives at the door every morning.

My heart is bigger because I stood up for parents in an IEP meeting.

My heart is bigger because I took time to learn about students who believed differently than me.

My heart is bigger because I learned to count carbs for my diabetic kids.

My heart is bigger because I went to watch students play sports, dance in recitals, or perform in karate exhibitions.

My heart is bigger because I cried with students who lost a parent.

My heart is bigger because I gave up a Saturday to go to a student’s birthday party.

My heart is bigger because I spent my own money for students supplies.

My heart is bigger because I sneaked snacks in backpacks before the weekend because I know they need it.

My heart is bigger because I sat in the floor to read with students.

My heart is bigger because I wiped snot and tears off of precious faces.

My heart is bigger because I liked to slide and swing at recess instead of sitting on the teacher bench.

My heart is bigger because of the never ending supply of student drawings and colorings that covered my walls and fridge.

My heart is bigger because the only thing these letters ever meant to me were… 

A= Awesome B=Beautiful C=Champion D=Dynamic F=Fantastic

My heart is bigger because I saw students as humans and not a test score.

My heart is bigger because my classroom was full of grace and not judgement.

My heart is bigger because of Jamie, Cade, Hannah, Zylan, Daniel, Blake, Alli, Renazia, Tatiana, Makel, Christian, Brayden, Noah, Sarai, Jordan, Grace, Destiny, Makenzie, Nicholas, Keyona, Mia, Makyah, Corbin, Cody, Octavia, Miles, Ethan, Elijah, Kyle, and SO. MANY. MORE!

My heart is bigger because I loved students first, and taught them second.

As the year begins, the paper work piles up, and the lesson plans don’t work out quite like they should, just remember… 

Your heart is getting bigger!

#Sparkle

A few years ago, I began using “#Sparkle” on many of my social media posts. At the time, it was solely just to add some flair to my updates and to remind myself to keep my posts upbeat, positive, and worthy of my students eyes should they ever happen across my pages. I never really thought about it becoming a tagline or something that people really associated with me. It was an easy way to keep my attitude in check. Every time I wanted to respond negatively to someone’s mean spirited or antagonistic post, I would just think of a comment that would warrant the #sparkle and share that instead. 

As I started to write this particular blog post, I was curious about when exactly I started using the hashtag. Thanks to an advanced search on Facebook, I was able to locate the first post where #sparkle was born.

January 1, 2014

My 2014 goal is to create as much happiness and laughter as possible. 

#sparkle #smile #giggle

January 1…Happy birthday to #sparkle… well happy birthday to it on my social media anyway. I did a quick search of it in the wide world, and it’s been around for quite some time. Regardless of who started it, what a great goal I had to start 2014. I sure hope the people around me thought that I met that goal. Happiness and laughter are two things I don’t think we can create enough of, especially as educators. Every nook and cranny of our districts should be oozing with it. How can we ever expect kids to buy into what we are selling if we don’t fill every single school day full of sparkly awesomeness. I digress. That’s another post, for another time, but it all the more screams the need for #sparkle. 

Thanks again to the Facebook search function, I found this great post from December 31, 2015 as the new year was quickly approaching. It read, 

“In 2016, I resolve to keep being me. It's too hard to be anything else. #sparkle”. 

In fact, my Facebook search led to over 200 posts that mentioned sparkle in some form or fashion. While I didn’t start out for it be a “thing” in 2014, it became one. It became a thing to the point that people all over the country were tagging me in glitter pics, rainbow sparkly pics, glitter bomb mailings, this fantastic sparkly car showed up on my feed more than a dozen times.

Anything that shined, shimmered, or sparkled had my name on it according to my friends. They would even take pics of items that mentioned sparkle while they were out shopping and tell me where I could buy them. More than once I was tagged in a picture of a roll of Sparkle paper towels. Sometimes, people even bought the items and mailed them to me. I have a journal, a pen, a box, a book and more! The more glitter the better. My bathroom has 4 different “sparkle” type signs hanging on the wall right now!!! 

Confession time… I LOVE(D) it. It made me feel so incredibly special, and honestly…made me want to sparkle more and more! If y'all wanna send my sparkly items, go for it. I do love a sursy! (You non southern readers, go ahead and Google that word.) 

Sparkle became such a part of my life over 2014/2015, I came up with the acronym below for the word sparkle as a mantra of sorts for 2016. As we embark on a new school year, I thought it would be great to revisit my 2016 resolution, assess myself, and apply the resolution to the new school year. I won’t tell you what I put in the blanks, not just yet anyway. But, I will encourage you to copy and past this somewhere and fill in your own blanks. Commit with me to spread as much #sparkle as you can this school year. Share your sparkle with me and with those around you. The world needs as much shine as it can get!

Service (to others and myself)

This school year, as a service to students, my parents, my coworkers, and myself, I will ______________________________________.

Pursue (new things)

As the school year starts, I commit to pursuing _____________________ for the sake of my students and my profession.

Affirm (the good I'm already doing)

I affirm the way I do _____________________________________ for my students, parents, and/or coworkers

Run (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually)

Caring for my body makes me a better educator. I will “run” by doing ________________________________ to keep myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong for my students.

Kindred Spirits (find them. Stay with them.)

The following people are my kindred spirits in education. I will stay close to ___________________________________________.

Lead (Advocate for the profession)

I will lead by __________________________________ because it will make me a better teacher for students. 

Encourage (everyone around me)

At the end of the day, everyone around me, students, teachers, faculty, staff, needs a little encouragement. I can do this by ____________________________________.

#Sparkle

Do I Miss the Classroom?

There isn’t a week that has gone by over the last year that someone hasn’t asked me, “Do you miss the classroom?” For those of you who don’t know, I was in the Early Childhood classroom for 13 years, teaching grades 1-3. I started a new position as the Director of Professional Development and Communications for our state teacher’s association at the beginning of the ’15-’16 school year. After years of success in the classroom, I made the transition to education work beyond my room, and everyone wants to know how I like my new gig. Each time I have responded to the infamous question, my mind races through possible reactions, replies, and ripple effects of my answer. The question literally makes me sick to my stomach. This is how it plays out in my head each time. 

Random Person (usually at Target): “So, How are things going, do you miss the classroom?”

Inside my head before I reply: Here we go again. Ugh, I hate this question. I wish people wouldn’t ask it. What do I say this time? If I say “no”, they will think I am a phony, a fraud, a charlatan who just appeared to love the work with students and fooled everyone into thinking that I cared for children. If I say “no”, they will think that I left because I was unhappy with my coworkers, unhappy with my school, unhappy with my district, unhappy with the profession. If I say “no”, they will think that I dislike parents, and lesson plans, and meetings, and trainings. If I say “no”, they will assume that I was fed up the whole system and walked away from it with new career goals ahead. The last thing I ever want is for someone to think that I do not LOVE this profession, I must not say “no”. 

If I say “yes”. They will think that I am miserable in my new job and that I made a mistake in leaving my classroom. If I say “yes”, they will think I am unsatisfied or unfulfilled with my new work. If I say “yes”, it might come across that I do not like the teachers, schools, districts, and staff that I work with each week across the state. Heck… It might even come across that I do not like helping others be better at their work. If I say “yes”, they will start telling me a list of all the schools that they have heard are looking for teachers. If I say “yes”, they will think I didn’t have good discernment and judgement when I made the move to leave.

Me, Thoughts Still Going, Reply: “Well, I missed it the first day of school, but then I went out to lunch somewhere besides a cafeteria, and I got over it.”  

The other person usually laughs and the conversation moves on. They want to know what it is I am actually doing each and every day. My insides calm down because I have used humor to divert the real answer to my question. It’s not that I don’t want to answer it, but unless they have walked in my shoes in this amazing profession, they would never understand my response anyway. Being a teacher is the MOST AMAZING career there is. What other profession does the president call  “Nation Builders”? The work of a teacher is the most important work that one can do outside of military service to guarantee the future of our democracy. It is through education that all other careers are born. Without teachers, there are no doctors, police, nor presidents. There is no Microsoft, Apple, nor Google. There is no military commander, no noble prize winner, no Nasa scientist.

Understanding the role I played as a Nation Builder, my answer to the dreaded question is “yes”. Yes, I miss my classroom so much it hurts, especially on August 1st. That was usually the day I started getting everything ready. I couldn’t wait to start designing the layout, decorating the walls, and creating a space that was fun, safe, and inviting. I couldn’t wait to smell the new crayons and notebooks, to be covered in pencil shaving dust and Sharpie ink. I couldn’t wait to cuss at all the computer wires that had been undone and tangled beyond belief. I couldn’t wait to see my class list and dream big for the new batch of “Dearyburys" that were on their way. What a fantastic way to spend my life!

I will tell you another pretty great way to spend a life though, and that is by equipping, encouraging, and empowering those who are Nation Builders. Which is exactly the job I have been doing the last year since leaving my classroom. Let’s face it, teachers need this help now more than ever. I am thrilled that the organization I work for saw this need, and chose me to be the one to go out to do it! 

Just think about it with me… We are 16.5 years into the 21st Century, and we are still trying to figure out how to teach 21st Century Skills. There are so many amazing tools, and techniques out there, but often times meetings, district mandated professional development, and mountains of paperwork keep teachers from finding the needed resources to assist them in their work. In my role outside of my classroom, equipping teachers with incredible tips and tricks to make their classrooms better is what I get to EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 

The teacher shortage is real. Years of the profession being beaten down and trampled have finally caught up with us. Our future Nation Builders are following other professions because of better pay, better benefits, and better professional respect. Back in June, a family member actually called me and asked me to talk my cousin out of being a teacher because they wouldn’t ever “be” anything… Sigh… Talk about a SMACK IN THE FACE! The teachers that are still educating in the classroom and the ones who are forging through their preservice work need someone encouraging them, to build them up, and to praise the work they are doing! In my role outside of my classroom, I get to do that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

There is nothing better than a teacher who is empowered to do great things. Teachers who are equipped with the tools they need and filled with encouragement from all those who applaud their work, will rise to new heights and it will be their students who reap the benefits. No, the test scores won’t all be high, and the report cards will not be filled with A’s, but the students will mimic their teachers empowered nature. They will take risks in their learning and try new things. They will conduct science experiments and attempt math problems that seem unsolvable. They will read books that are harder and create art they never thought they could. They will jump from the cliffs of learning and soar all because their teacher showed them how. Empowering teachers leads to changing the world, and in my role outside of my classroom, I get to do that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

So, back to my answer… yes, I miss my classroom. I miss the work of a Nation Builder. I miss the camaraderie of my grade level. I miss the constant encouragement of my principal. I miss the parents who become my best friends in 180 days. I miss the support that always came from my district and the way they celebrated my accomplishments. I miss the smiles of each little person who walked into my door…

But knowing that I can help other teachers fuel their passion for the career that I love, made the “missing” worth it. Here’s to another year ahead of equipping, encouraging, and empowering.