I’m often amazed by
how often the Universe provides serendipitous moments at just the right
time. Despite
being a firm believer in the philosophy of “we’re always where we’re supposed to
be”, I still get a kick out of the way perceived missed opportunities often turn
into defining moments of growth.
One of the best
examples in my career was about 3 years ago when I put in an application to move
into the ranks of administration. I went through the interview process, thought all went well,
and then was disappointed to learn that the positions for which I applied were
filled with others. It ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to
me. The
following year I was asked to present at two state level conferences, started
teaching the graduate courses that have become such a source of growth and
learning for me, and was chosen as a state finalist for the 2011-12 Presidential Award
for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (winners still haven't been announced). Most importantly, those things
allowed me to discover that teaching is my true passion, that I belong in
classrooms rather than boardrooms, and that I can make the impact I want to make
without moving into administration.
I’m not saying I’ll never make that jump, but
right now I can’t imagine being in a job where I love what I do
more.
I mention this
because another of those serendipitous moments seems to have happened this
year. After
teaching 5th grade for 16 years, my position was eliminated due to our
enrollment. We needed one less 5th grade teacher, and I
was the least senior. I stressed a lot last year because I loved teaching 5th
grade. My
district administrators were great, though, and created a position they felt
would best utilize my skill set.
Since September I’ve
been working as a Curriculum Support Coach.
I get to work with teachers and students to do
really amazing things. Some of my time is focused on integrating technology. Sometimes I get to work
in math classes. Some teachers bring me in to help them develop project, problem,
and inquiry based lessons. All of it seems to be pushing the boundaries of what we have always
done in schools.
There have been
bumps. I miss
having my own classes and students.
I miss the relationships that were developed
over the course of the year, and the ability to implement a great idea that
comes to me on the spur of the moment.
I miss the tangents and moments of spontaneous
learning that occurred in my classroom.
To be honest, even though my days were spent
doing amazing things this year, I wasn’t sure I liked this new job until
recently.
What changed is
the Facebook
message I received from Dyane Smokorowski, last year’s Kansas State Teacher
of the Year, about a month ago asking me to join her, Andrea Keller, and Karen Wright-Balbier
(two outstanding instructional technology specialists) in putting together
the Kidwish Project. It
has been such a success, and we enjoyed working together so much that the four
of us decided to launch the EdTech Chat ‘n Chew Podcast to share the amazing things that each
of us are doing in our schools and districts.
Those of you who
read this blog know how much I believe in professional networking, personalized
professional development, and sharing successes and failures with others to
allow them to learn from your experiences.
This podcast will be a vehicle for teachers to
do all of that.
Our mission is to
record weekly episodes of about 15 minutes – perfect for teachers to be able to
listen/watch during their preps or lunch breaks. We’ll be sharing some of the
amazing things we are seeing and doing in the classrooms in which we are working
and ideas for empowering students in the 21st Century.
Collaborating with
these three amazing women has made me feel that I’m where I’m supposed to
be. I really
believe that this podcast and the community of listeners and collaborators that
we hope to build are going to make a huge difference in this time when those who
are trying to create student-centered, technology-rich, innovative classrooms
are swimming upstream.
Below, I am
embedding our first podcast episode along with links to the podcast’s website,
YouTube channel and Facebook page. Subscribing to our YouTube channel will allow you to make sure you
don’t miss an episode. Show notes from each show with links to the resources we discuss
will be posted on the website.EdTech Chat 'n Chew Podcast Website: edtechchatnchew.weebly.com
Facebook Page: facebook.com/edtechchatnchew
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-dn9Wo967MEL3q2S__J6Zg