I write my first blog post being inspired by the word 'team.' Today our 106 8th graders rocked their state writing assessment. Our 8th grade English teacher is now sitting by with that excited knot in her stomach. You know the knot. This knot hits every educator when it comes to our students showing the world what they know. Today is special though because I have the 'knot' too. Every member of our team has the knot--every member of our school is feeling the excitement. We are a team.
I went into education with a passion for my content area of science. Student engagement and rapport with students brought me to the middle level. Our "team" of educators keeps me here.
While our English teacher may have put in the hours conferencing, editing and reteaching and working with five paragraph writing, our entire team supports her and all of the work the students have put into this task. We're all English and writing teachers today--and I know that tomorrow they would all be science teachers for me. Team.
It was just recently that I truly understood how deep our bench was in education. Our team does not just include our neighboring teachers, but truly the entire field of education. Thank you PLN for pushing me to understand the benefits of making connections. Together we don jerseys emblazoned with iPads and tech tools, lesson resources and moral support. We do this all for the greater good of every one of our students walking through hallways across the world. They're all our students. We want our entire team to succeed because when they do, we do.
My goal as I write this is to be a part of the team in any way I can. I'm ready to be your cheerleader, manager, defensive specialist, shot taker or coach. My love for innovation is the first step. I get excited to try out the new gadgets, apps and programs. I'm more than willing to "work out the kinks," but now I want to spread the word. I am happy to announce this begins today! I start this process with fantastic fellow bluejays +Jennifer Flemings and +Brittany Hajek. They are the epitome of teammates. They support and build every person they come in contact with, and I am so grateful to know and work with them. Brittany and I will be beginning Tech Thursdays with our middle school staff. We've started a technology blog to share with our district and others. Our first goal is to expose them to the world of Twitter and the power it holds for education. We plan on utilizing Jen as a great resource as she is following the same model within our district's elementary. In the meantime I hope to share lessons, celebrations and frustrations. I know the team will be there for them all, and I will continue to grow because of you all. Thank you!
Check out these other #bluejays!
Brittany Hajek-A Math Teacher's Blog
Jennifer Flemmings-The Hair Twirling Teacher
+Loni Watson -Watson's 30 Goals Project
Teachers Teaching Tech
