Shhhh!  Please don’t share this…I have a confession to make.  I’ve found a community of communities.  People I don’t know, and have never met, “like” me…or at least some of the things I say.  It’s also a place where I can like people I’ve never met, and some I have.  This place erases the challenge of distance and circumstance from our relationships.

Last year, at the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Teaching & Learning 2015 conference, speaker David Johns, Executive Director of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for African Americans, demanded that the audience join Twitter.  Swept up in a sea of conference euphoria, I created an account @Sharbotini, a reference to a character I played in a family film created at Sharbot Lake, Ontario, Canada.  As Mr. Johns, an engaging speaker, took questions from the audience, he held a microphone in one hand and a smartphone in the other.  He tweeted such golden nuggets as “Amazing Q&A @ T&L2015” and “Teachers rockin’ DC @ T&L2015.”  I have to admit, I’m working from memory here because I can’t find his actual tweets from a year ago because Mr. Johns has over 104,000 tweets to his name!  I immediately began questioning Mr. Johns love affair with Twitter.  Did I really need to read the above referenced tweets?  Even if I was missing the conference, would his tweets have connected me in some way to what was happening in Washington that day?

To be honest, this is often how new ventures start out for me.  Baby steps.  It took me several months to go beyond the tweets and figure out what David Johns already knew.  The strength of Twitter was not these tiny tweets, but the connections to blogs, articles, policy debates, websites, and research that is revealed quickly in your own education centered community, or whatever community you choose.

The greater or more refined my Twitter community becomes, and it is relatively small, the more I seem to want to check in and see what people I respect are saying and what resources they are connecting to.  Other than my school colleagues, Twitter is a major source that brings me into a community with leading experts in the field, as well as organizations that provide me with valuable teaching resources, reassurance, and inspiration.  Teaching seems less daunting when I’m connected to my new teacher buddies in the Twittersphere.  As a result of this online connection, as I share what I find with colleagues face-to-face, it strengthens our more traditional professional relationships as we read, consider, and debate information that would have been difficult or impossible to find otherwise.

It’s nice to be in on a secret. 😉

This week, I’m using my Find 5, or at least the first 2, to specifically respond to Christina’s directive to reflect on my connections to communities I’m already, or have been, involved with.  I’m reflecting on what I notice about these communities and how they’ve impacted my learning and teaching.

1. One of the coolest little teaching communities I belonged to was an intense summer graduate experience through the National Writing Project, the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) Summer Institute. This was a five week, daily program in which the teaching of writing was studied.  After not being a student for a while, one of my biggest “take-aways” was remembering what it felt like to learn and how uncomfortable that can be for our students.  I have to admit, I was surprised by this feeling and felt I had lost touch with what it truly means to take risks in a classroom.  This course demanded a lot of risk taking and I am grateful for that experience.  This course energized my approach to teaching writing and connected me with valuable thinkers on the subject.

http://www.pawlp.org/

https://twitter.com/LynneRDorfman

https://twitter.com/writeguyjeff

2. If you’re looking for a challenge and want an opportunity to deeply reflect on your practice, you should consider becoming part of the community of Board Certified teachers. They have begun working at promoting a sense of community by creating the annual Teaching & Learning Conference and Teach to Lead.  Attending the conferences has connected me to new ideas and resources.  Additionally, I have become connected to other teachers in my school district who are certified, want to become certified, or who are recertifying.  This has created and strengthened several personal and professional relationships that are very valuable to me.

http://www.nbpts.org/         http://teachtolead.org/          https://twitter.com/noredink

https://twitter.com/pasi_sahlberg             https://twitter.com/HargreavesBC

https://twitter.com/RonBergerEL                         https://twitter.com/angeladuckw

 

3. I HAD to share this article I found through Twitter @AdamMGrant on building a community that is built on a culture of originality and innovation. This is a tremendous article on true leadership!  It also mirrors many of the things we try to do in our classrooms in that it creates an engaged, empowered community.  It’s a bit lengthy, but as I continued reading, I became more excited about the article’s content.

https://hbr.org/2016/03/how-to-build-a-culture-of-originality

4. http://lanaiskandarani.blogspot.com/ loved your “Find” on effective teaching.  I have forwarded to the rest of my fourth grade team!  The paper provides a simple metric for self-evaluation.  A perfect connection to the KISS principle for teaching.

http://uncw.edu/cte/et/articles/bulger/

5. https://laceykleckner.wordpress.com/ loved your “Find” about Creating Powerful Learning Experiences.  You shared some great quotes, but I’ll add, “Real learning is student engagement. Student engagement is real learning. It’s about students connecting, and reaching outward, and interacting with the people and the information they need.”

https://nextthought.com/thoughts/great-connections/creating-powerful-learning-experiences-big-xii-tlc-keynote

As I considered the idea of “play” in education this week, I found my head spinning.  Like the notion of equity and being connected, I believe play, as it relates to education, can mean many things.  At this time in history, any notion of play has to accept the burden of the Common Core.  Those that have proposed large-scale changes to the way Americans educate have responded to the alleged failure of U.S. public schools, most recently based on The United States position among member nations of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development’s PISA exam.  The performance of our country’s students has ranked at the middle, or slightly below, the middle of the pack.  However, according to The Huffington Post, and many others, on the last PISA exam, if Massachusetts were a country, it would have ranked 6^th in the world in reading and 19^th in math.  The point is, informed Americans know why many students are not performing well in school and it has everything to do with equity.  Children who are given reasonably stable and safe home environments, adequate food and healthcare, well-constructed and maintained schools, and teachers who work in a clean, safe, professional work environment, compare favorably to their international counterparts.  No Child Left Behind blamed schools and teachers, when it should have addressed the problem of poverty.  The nation will continue to see no significant gains until the real problem is finally addressed, and the concept of play will have no bearing on success until equity of the aforementioned is achieved.

It is with this backdrop that I offer a few thoughts on play.  I believe the advocates of play hold as a primary benefit the idea of engagement.  In Finnish Lessons, Pasi Sahlberg talks about the structure and successes of the education system in Finland, high achievers on the PISA exam.  As a fourth grade teacher who routinely asks my students to attend to school work for extended periods that most adults would struggle with, I remember reading about how teachers in Finland routinely give their students play breaks.  Physically, young children need to move, and not just from their desk to the carpet.  After reading this, I began giving my students a 10 minute break in the mornings and allowing them to go outside.  I was shocked at how, even the most docile children, ran and yelled with vigor!  They were like caged animals set free.  I laugh when I hear adults say kids should spend more time in the classroom, especially knowing that Finland’s children spend less and score higher.  Children need play.  At a minimum, we can give them time each day, with no expectations, to run and play with their classmates.

Further, I believe that if students are enjoying learning activities and are engaged, this could be considered play.  Invariably, these activities include some level of choice, communicating with peers, decision making, higher-level thinking, and collaboration.  I also believe there needs to be a balance of the two types of play I’ve mentioned, and more traditional activities.  Many children would not benefit from full-scale, open-ended play that Dr. Mitchel Resnick seems to suggest in his paper “All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned (By Studying how Children Learn) in Kindergarten”.  Many students would cringe at the prospect of spending a day where they were expected to “Imagine, Create, Play, Share, Reflect, and Imagine again.”  He presupposes all children would automatically fall into this cycle.  Perhaps this type of model, in some form, might be employed after the learning styles of students have been evaluated.  Even then, there would need to be a mix of play and more traditional approaches.

I support any approach that increases student engagement toward important learning objectives.  If that means jumping on desks, playing music, creating cardboard buildings, or taking a break, I’m all for it.

1. Many of you may know about the American treasure of a radio show, This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass in Chicago. The below link is for part one of two based on the following:  “Right now, all sorts of people are trying to rethink and reinvent education, to get poor minority kids performing as well as white kids. But there’s one thing nobody tries anymore, despite lots of evidence that it works: desegregation. Nikole Hannah-Jones looks at a district that, not long ago, accidentally launched a desegregation program. First of a two-part series.”  Everyone is the United States should listen to this.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/562/the-problem-we-all-live-with

2. When I think of “play,” at first I imagine either complete freedom of choice, with students doing their own chaotic thing or project based learning, both of which have their challenges for teachers. The below edutopia entry makes me realize that most non-teacher-centered activities could be considered “play.”  Groups of kids reading to each other and discussing writing techniques could come close to what we consider play, especially in a classroom.  When kids have ownership and freedom, it’s starts to feel and look like play.  If teachers facilitate, monitor, and advise, the dynamic in the classroom changes drastically.  What if this could be carried over to math, reading, science, and social studies.  I’m redefining what “play” means in the classroom.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/conversing-consulting-creating-joshua-block?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

3. Danielle’s post included a thought provoking youtube video that is a great reminder of the inequalities in education enumerated. There is a sharp dig at capitalism in the end, but I don’t believe it’s unfounded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AGBa5ehZ2o

4. Bravo Kindergarten Cop! The blogpost “Play” was a great look into what is happening in kindergarten regarding play.  Reading this post made me think about how much “the powers that be” are considering developmental appropriateness.  As a fourth grade teacher, I know I am asking kids to do things they are not ready for.  The result is wasting time.  We are asking students to spend three weeks learning something now, that could take them a week next year…when they’re ready.  The people making the standards are often creating a “wish list” and holding teachers and students responsible when achievement is not reached.  Nice post!

http://bergerr78.tumblr.com/

5. Phillygirlblog! You introduced me to Miquon, a form of progressive education of which I’d never heard.  I learned a lot reading their website and it fit perfectly with this week’s theme.

 

http://miquon.org/about/welcome/

6. I had to include this youtube.com video of Caine’s Arcade. I’m sure many of you have heard of this, but it certainly illustrates what is possible when kids indulge their interests, even with minimum materials.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U

As I read and study more about “equity” as it relates to education, I’m getting a sense of its multiple meanings.  First, societies (I hate to single out teachers here, because all citizens are part of this) should be educated on the specific equity issues that exist for children, at the very least as it relates to equal access to acceptable facilities, supplies, and quality teachers.  All schools should be entitled to equal amounts of capital and operational funding.  This definition of equity always made me feel disempowered as a classroom teacher.

Second, lost in a fog of my own ignorance, I was heretofore unable to see equity beyond the lens of my first point.  Over time, I am beginning to realize that equity splinters into many creative ways of thinking about what it means to produce quality education for each individual student.  This realization mirrors my transformation of thinking about “connected learning.”  Being connected isn’t just about access to technology, just as equity is not just about equal facilities.  The only thing I can truly control today is what happens in my classroom.  I can create an equitable situation if I can motivate, engage, inspire, and facilitate learning for each student, no matter their present level of development.  If that can be defined as equity, sign me up!

The following quote from Shane Safir’s blogpost “Equity v. Equality:  6 Steps Toward Equity,” provided one of many jolts to my thinking: “If equality means giving everyone the same resources, equity means giving each student access to the resources they need to learn and thrive.”  By resources, she means anything used to help a student learn, from construction paper to competent teaching.  Her thoughts bring the idea of equity down to a level I feel I have some control over because it relates to what I can do each day in my classroom to help kids learn.  Additionally, The Glossary of Educational Reform’s definition of equity contains other layers to the idea of creating an equitable classroom, no matter the community in which we find ourselves teaching.  These definitions of equity empower me.  They also simply remind me of the characteristics of good, effective teaching.

Similarly, being connected can mean firing up the Internet or motivating, engaging, inspiring, and facilitating learning for a student.  If I’ve done my job and found a way to “connect” with a student, I will be more likely to “connect” the right tools or learning experiences to move that student forward.  This can be facilitated with any level of technology, from a pencil to an iPad.

And that’s no joke…

1. I’m still developing my concept of just exactly what is meant by the term “equity” in our class. To me, talk of equity is a discussion that educators are beginning to have, but it’s where politicians should have started when they started expressing concern about “underperforming schools.”  News of the Flint, Michigan water poisoning tragedy reminded me that schools should not be the first line of defense against underachievement.  People with the least resources have even bigger problems than education, as we are all seeing in Flint.  Will schools be blamed when the poisoned children of Flint have behavior and learning problems as a result of this disaster?  It’s the same when other poor children with various social or health problems, which are no fault of their own, have difficulty learning in an environment in which we’d all struggle.  Below is a blog post by Michael Moore on the subject of the most recent Flint tragedy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/10-things-about-flint-water-tragedy_b_9132150.html

2. Last year I attended the Teaching and Learning 2015 Conference in Washington, DC. The conference is annually sponsored by The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.  Speaker David Johns, who is Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, made the case that inner city kids at struggling schools need inner city teachers who understand their culture and are committed to the community.  According to Johns, well-meaning organizations that promote sending in young, lightly trained, outsiders, who are not, and will not be, long-term members of the community is not an equitable solution.  Native Americans at the conference agreed that what they really needed in their communities were Native American teachers that are connected to the community.  Attached is a link to an article about gifted black students that makes a related case.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/01/20/56952/to-be-young-gifted-and-black-it-helps-to-have-a-bl/

3. It takes special people to teach and administer in poor, inner city neighborhoods. Finding the people to do it is one thing, but once they’re there, what factors will help insure success?

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/02/it-takes-whole-school

4. “If equalitymeans giving everyone the same resources, equity means giving each student access to the resources they need to learn and thrive.”  I absolutely love this article by Shane Safir found on edutopia.org.  It’s helping me start to better understand the idea of equity.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-vs-equality-shane-safir?utm_content=buffer2b97d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

5. I’m going to try to make at least one of my connections each week something to do with educational policy. I found this Policy Brief from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development fascinating as it relates to an international definition of equity.  The OECD is an international organization designed “to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.”  They create and administer the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) test which rates the educational systems of member countries.  When the media talk about the rank of the United States, in terms of education, they are quoting the results of the PISA.  org is a fascinating website with tons of interesting information.  Below, you will find the Policy Brief on equity.

http://www.oecd.org/education/school/39989494.pdf

Today I decided to participate in democracy!  I composed a letter and sent it to the school board members in the district in which I live and teach.  In my mind, being connected equals participation.  The thoughts I’ve expressed in my letter are the same ones that have been floating around my head for years.  This exercise has inspired me to create another letter for local legislators.  Of course, I have no idea what impact this communication will have, but, in some way, I feel I will be fulfilling part of my responsibility as an educator and parent.  In the letter, I’ve avoided complaining about specific policies, and focused on what I would expect good leaders to do as school board members.

This exercise has also reminded me that connecting is not just seeking new ideas and inspirations, but sharing informed experiences and ideas.  For me, connecting in writing forces me to search for the best way to articulate things most accurately, and it helps me think through and test my own ideas and opinions.  This way, I am able to type something, and then sit back and ask, “Is this how I really feel?” or “Have I explained this accurately?”  Writing also allows me time to remember that I am communicating with intelligent, thoughtful fellow human beings who deserve respect and the benefit of the doubt.  The letter is below…

Dear Central Bucks School District Board Members,

I write to you as a person who was educated in the Central Bucks School District, a father of three Central Bucks educated children, and a teacher in the district.  As an employee of the district, I’ve often contemplated if it would be considered appropriate to communicate directly with the board.  Alas, you are now reading the result of my many years of consideration!  I would like to congratulate the newly elected board members and extend my appreciation to all for taking up the task of being the citizen-representatives of our community in our school system.

Please keep in mind that my comments represent only my views, but come from experience as a parent and professional in the district.  I will acknowledge, as I hope you do, that one can never know all of the facts, history, and experience that influence people and events.  Therefore, I will do my best to eliminate any bias from my comments.  They are offered in a spirit of helpfulness, but I will leave that for you to determine.

I believe that good leaders seek information.  I have often heard board members say that they have been contacted by few members of the community on certain issues.  It is true that, in a democracy, members of the community have an obligation to make their voices heard.  It is also true that, for many reasons, that doesn’t always happen, and we shouldn’t expect it to.  Please seek out the opinions of others and don’t simply wait.  Part of the decision making process involves responsible parties educating themselves.  I’m sure you all would feel more comfortable making decisions if you felt fully informed on the issues.  Please find ways to insure that happens.

Last school year board president Stephen Corr visited the school in which I work.  It is the first time in 18 years I’ve had a board president standing in front of me at school.  In fact, in 18 years I’ve seen three board members in the school in which I work.  Mr. Corr allowed for the staff to ask questions in a faculty meeting environment, which was much appreciated.  This should not be a once in 18 year event.  Additionally, please also consider that many people will not ask a question or give an opinion with 30 other people watching.  Please endeavor to speak with individual teachers whose opinion you don’t already know.  Please visit the teachers in the schools you represent and speak with them directly.  Be leaders that hear as many sides of the issues as possible so that you may be educated and make decisions that build confidence among teachers, parents, and students.

As people who are not trained and experienced in the field of education, please make sure you trust those who have been hired because of their training and experience in education.  I believe good organizations hire good professionals and then let them do their jobs.  I believe that this board and the current administration all have the same overarching goals.  Parents, teachers, and employees deserve a board and administration that maintain a positive working relationship by acquiring as much information as possible and then working together to make good decisions.  Preconceived notions, grudges, and uninformed decisions will destroy trust in our community and a good working environment for teachers, parents, and students.

If after careful research, you disagree with national and state policies and laws, work to inform the public, and work with PSEA and other organizations to inform and put pressure on politicians to effect positive change.

I sincerely appreciate the time you devote to your role as a school board member and to reading and considering the thoughts expressed here.

Sincerely,

Robert Sidelinker

1. Katie Salen is with Connected Learning Research Center videos, DePaul University, and Institute of Play.  She discusses connecting kids to things they’re interested in.  Connect them to other people in their school and they begin to see themselves as mentors and experts for their peers.  Since I believe nothing is more important than engagement in education, I found her comments about kids following their interests refreshing and very anti-common core!  But in a way…pro common core.  If our goal is to promote reading, writing, communication, research skills, etc., why do we fall to consider the interests of students when creating curriculum?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnHnDeq0BYA&index=2&list=PL0ELr5eRiluzx5DlCveU_ieL0y6x3rfRN

2. This is part of a blog for teachers based in Canada. I like the author’s simple, yet practical approach to keeping math real.  I like that he states that his students often see math as abstract, when it really is anything but.  We/I often teach it as though there is no practical use, when nothing could be further from the truth!

http://learnteachlead.ca/real-world-math-the-garden-stone-problem/

 

3. I’m going to try to make at least one of my connections each week something to do with educational policy. Something teachers have little time for is staying connected to policy, policy decisions, and those making the decisions (often people with little to no educational training or experience!).  Diane Ravitch is a historian of education and a policy analyst.  She has written several books on educational policy.  I follow her on Twitter and try to “visit” her several times throughout the years.  I am often shocked and dismayed at the information she collects and presents.  It is stunning how little the public knows about the field of education.  I believe teachers need to find some time to stay updated on what’s happening.  I will be the first to admit, I am not connected enough in this regard.

http://dianeravitch.net/2016/01/24/michigan-the-pathetic-failure-of-the-education-achievement-authority/

4. Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and Wharton professor. He wrote a book called Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success.  You can find him speaking on Youtube and other venues.  This is a particularly interesting and well-done interview by Krista Tippett on the NPR show On Being.  What I like best about Adam Grant are his views on the importance of how we interact with other professionals in our work place.  The model of “give and take” is important to remember when considering the gifts we have a responsibility to share with our colleagues.  I have learned so much from other teachers, some with little experience and some with a lot of experience.  This is an outstanding interview.

http://www.onbeing.org/program/adam-grant-successful-givers-toxic-takers-and-the-life-we-spend-at-work/8058

5. This is a thought provoking blog post with some attached research on the subject of homework. Like the author, I’ve gone through an evolution on my thinking.  As an elementary school teacher, I ask my students to work very hard during the day, trying my best to have them take advantage of every minute of every day.  My students get home between 4:10 and 4:30 in the afternoon.  At this time, most kids need a break or have other activities planned.  I’m not sure 10 more math problems is the best use of their time.  I do think reading is important, but beyond that, I’m not a fan of a lot of homework.  I do assign it because my district requires this, but I have backed off what expect kids to do once they leave the classroom at the end of the day.

http://leadingmotivatedlearners.blogspot.com/2016/01/what-can-i-say.html

I refer to my youth, in a very sheltered family environment, as the “Dark Ages.”  I was a very average 11^th grade student of the German language at my high school.  Still, I was proud of learning the language of my ancestors.  My great-grandparents came from Germany and I was fascinated thinking about the fact that I could have been growing up in another, far-off country.  I was somewhat interested in history, both my family’s and the world’s.  Up until this point in school, I earned an “A” in giving half-effort.  As a result, most of my other grades were lower.  For the most part, I felt like a drifter with no serious interests and it stunned me whenever I heard a friend or acquaintance profess a strong desire to pursue a specific profession or vocation.

My family history is one of apathy, lethargy, and little money.  When the opportunity to be part of an exchange program with a German high school came up, the answer from my parents was a bewildered, “No.”  When the exchange students arrived at our school, I was fascinated.  I’m not sure I had even left Pennsylvania at that point and the thought that these kids my own age, sitting in front of me, were from Germany, 4,000 miles away was amazing to me.  Over the three weeks they were around, I developed an ache in my body that told me I was missing something.  Up until then, I had never seriously considered that anything mattered outside America, or even outside of myself!  Watching and occasionally interacting with these kids made me yearn to be part of the world community.  I felt the weight of my “Dark Age” youth and I knew that the world offered unlimited possibility, if I was only brave enough to make a move.

One of the exchange students rode my school bus home to a neighboring housing development.  She was an incredibly nice person who always had a smile on her face.  As a sixteen year old boy, I was not in the habit of approaching foreign girls I barely knew.  As the ache inside me rose again, I knew I had to act.  Before it was too late, I asked Angelika if we could be “pen pals.”  She immediately agreed and we have been corresponding for over 30 years.  My wife and I have visited her in Germany twice and she has also visited.  This was one of the first experiences when I felt connected to the wider world.  Knowing and communicating with someone from Europe gave me a different perspective on both the small and larger things in life.  This small event has impacted my life in so many ways that changed me from the person I was.   Finding the courage to talk to Angie that day had a profound impact on my life and who I am.

I don’t think, to this day, she realizes what an important thing our relationship has been for me.  I am quite sure I got the better of the deal.  She was already more worldly, educated, empathetic, and compassionate than I.  As I reflect on what it means to be “connected,” my mind drifts back to my feelings about striking up this relationship.  When I made the connection with Angie, I instantly felt part of something larger than myself.  I felt as though I had access to things I never would have had otherwise.  I felt part of the world community in a way I never thought possible and it was magic.

As a professional, as the years tick by, it can sometimes seem as though I’m entering a new dark age.  But something always happens to snap me out of it.  Attending a conference, working with younger, more energetic teachers, or taking a course jolts my senses and the excitement returns.  I want to be a part of this current teaching profession.  The one that’s happening right now.  What are energetic, excited, engaging teachers doing right now?  I really want to know.  I want to be part of it.

For me, the teacher networks I belong to have two functions.  First, the networks connect me to a community of like-minded people with a common professional interest and objective in life. Second, I want to find resources that will have a positive impact on my teaching practice.

Oddly enough, the idea of developing connections with teacher networks only occurred to me in the past two years.  As a National Board Certified Teacher, I decided to attend the Teaching and Learning 2014 Conference in Washington, DC.  While perusing the list of presenters, I was immediately energized and interested to attend.  Until this time, I was proud of being Board certified but didn’t know what else the organization did or how it could further impact my teaching.  Attending this conference further opened my eyes to the scores of talented and knowledgeable people involved in education.  Being interested in policy and practice, I found myself with a buffet of choices involving both.  I was able to listen to Angela Duckworth discuss her research involving the impact of grit and self-control on educational success.  I met Pasi Sahlberg and listened as he discussed educational practice in Finland which led his home country to a #1 ranking on the PISA exam.  Charlotte Danielson led a panel discussion on her teaching Framework.  I found out about a website called www.noredink.com developed by a former English teacher, Jeff Scheur, to help with grammar instruction.  This conference changed my view of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards from certification granting entity, to a living, breathing organization that was dedicated to being a teacher network and positively impacting the practice of all teachers (admission to the conference is open to anyone who is interested).  Teaching and Learning 2015 provided another stimulating session and I am looking forward to 2016!  Attending this conference is invigorating.

Recently, I’ve discovered the value of Twitter in connecting with educational people and organizations of interest.  Until fairly recently, I could not understand how Twitter was worth my time.  I’m not very interested in the daily lives of “celebrities” or the opinions of athletes.  This year our principal created a Twitter account for our school https://twitter.com/WarwickPPPRIDE I joined to check it out.  After a few minutes, I quickly realized that Twitter is much more than a 140 character platform for anyone with a keyboard.  Many of the names mentioned in the previous paragraph kept popping up on my Twitter page.  Instead of just being able to read their book or a random article, I could now be connected to a multitude of their ideas, and the thoughts and ideas of people they respect.

With these networks, I keep tabs on the profession as a whole and investigate educational policy in our country and, as much as possible, abroad.

As an aside . . . . While I vote and write my legislators regarding educational policy, I am not overly active in the political realm.  I do believe, however, that the least teachers can do is be informed about what is going on in the Department of Education and with legislation around the country and the world.  The leadership of the profession of education has been taken over by politicians in our country.  Since they have no idea what to do and refuse to ask teachers, social workers, and other experts on creating a nurturing social system, they have delegated private industry, including the test production industry, and others with little to no experience in education, or social issues, as the stewards of the public education system in the United States.  As a professional educator with a deep interest in the success of public education and the intellectual growth of the next generation of humans, I am appalled at what is happening.  I want to know as much as possible about these developments.  I want to see if more knowledgeable friends of education, and good policy, know what I know and see what I see.  I also want to know what they are doing about it.  For that reason, I follow Diane Ravitch https://twitter.com/DianeRavitch , Andy Hargreaves https://twitter.com/HargreavesBC , and Pasi Sahlberg https://twitter.com/pasi_sahlberg .  All are excellent sources on what Pasi Sahlberg calls GERM, which stands for the Global Education Reform Movement.  He explains in a Washington Post article from 2012, “It is like an epidemic that spreads and infects education systems through a virus. It travels with pundits, media and politicians. Education systems borrow policies from others and get infected. As a consequence, schools get ill, teachers don’t feel well, and kids learn less.”

I would love to hear about the teacher networks you’ve discovered.