5 Lessons from 2014, A Year in Learning



I thought I was done blogging for the year. I am working on a couple of posts, but I wasn't going to post anything else. I was going to take the time off. The thing about blogging is that it helps me make sense of the work that I do. 

 
So today, I find myself wondering why I would take a break from making sense of the work I do.
Blogging has helped me to grow as a professional and has connected me with some great educators, and reflecting is part of the process. So here is a quick reflection on 2014 and the top 5 things I learned in 2014.

The more I write, the better I teach.

Although it is tough to find the time to write, it makes a huge difference in how I teach. Daily lesson production and delivery has the inertia of a freight train, and there is always tomorrow's prep to do. Stealing some quiet time in the morning to write about what I am doing diffuses this momentum. It gives me a chance to think about what I am doing.
Once I have the writing done I can share my thoughts and questions with other teachers. My lessons are always better once I share them and get feedback.

Play is a powerful teacher.

When I started as a K-5 tech teacher I had no idea how much fun it would be. Now I am crafting playful lessons everyday that support content area learning. From Sphero robots to toy skateboards, there is so much to be learned in play. Learning in STEAM is too important to be taken too seriously. When I ask my students to explore, think, discover, and share, they all find opportunities to be successful.

Ask for the help you need.

Despite what the various “award shows” would have you believe, being a connected educator is not a contest to see who has the best ideas, the most well-written blog, or the coolest conference swag. This year, more than any other, my PLN has been an amazing resource. This amazing resource got a powerful upgrade in July when I attended the Google Teacher Academy in Mountain View, CA. Meeting with people face to face can make the online collaboration so much more powerful.  Almost everytime I asked anyone for help this year I was energized and inspired by their response.  Once upon a time I wanted to be the teacher who was smart enough to have all the answers.  Now I strive to be wise enough to know when I should ask for help and to be brave enough to ask.

Collaboration is a force multiplier.

Without a doubt, 2014 has been a year of collaboration. While I love my online community, the biggest shift in my second year as a tech specialist has been more collaboration with the teachers I share students with daily. The work I am most proud of right now is in elementary STEM, and those classes are not even on my schedule. By working closely with our STEM resource teacher, I have been part of amazing learning. I am so grateful for the thoughtful, smart, and tireless people around me.

There are people out there doing amazing work and there is so much to be learned.

When I was working alone in my classroom, unconnected to my local community as much as I was unconnected to any online community, I had a manta. “There is too much to do is a fact, not a complaint.” My thinking was that when there was too much to do, it was a given that things would not get done. My job, I thought, was to “manage neglect” and make sure no one part of my life had too many things not done.
Now I see that there is too much for any one person to do. I can see in my connected community that there are so many people doing amazing things and sharing them, that I have shifted my outlook. I don't have to do, learn, know, or share it all. A big part of contributing to a community is being ready to learn from others, celebrating their success and supporting them when you can. So while I struggle to find the time to write, I also struggle to find the time to read and learn. When Something connects with me I try to share it, comment on the post, send the author a note, or provide some other feedback that says “Thanks, I needed that.”

So here I am at the end of 2014, wondering what the year ahead holds. I know there will be robots, trainings, puppets, play, writing, sharing, reading, celebrating, programming, and challenges I have not yet imagined. I know that no matter what I find in 2015, there will be others sharing the journey with me. Thank you for taking the time to share my journey, and I hope you join me this coming year and share your own struggles and successes.

#writeon

Comments

Micheal Elijah said…
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