Welcome to my blog. I share stories of educators from around the world. Hope you enjoy the jrney!
All in Curator
High energy, tattoo- clad, and smiles from ear to ear, this is Steve and Aaron, founders of Inspire Citizens. Upon first glance, they don’t look like educators. They look like you might find them in a night club and not a classroom, but they are the real deal.
This week I had the pleasure of being invited to speak to two groups of young women from Kenade and Fausac Secondary Schools in Lagos, Nigeria through an event called Inspire a Child. It allowed me to confront and honor some important life choices and continue to see the power of women choosing their own path and working together.
I decided to switch gears this week at the last moment. I was going to write about travel and how it has made me a stronger teacher, but I think that is a story for another day. I’ve been thinking a lot about student voice this month particularly this week as I’ve watched Florida high school students and teachers all over the country speaking out and taking action to make schools a safer place. I remembered a lesson from the same group of students I have been writing about this month, and it seemed fitting to round out the month with a story about student-directed reflection. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back and watch what unfolds.
In a previous post called Rethinking Classroom Design to Build a Culture of Problem Solving, I wrote about how a colleague and I changed how we thought about the beginning of the school year. In this post, I write about the same group of students several months into the year and what can happen when foundations of independent thinking, solving problems, and taking action are established as integral parts of a classroom culture.
On the first day of school, the students knew what they were in for. Some of them took to the challenge of setting up the room beautifully, and some leadership emerged. Others clearly had difficulty working in an environment that was not controlled. This did not, however, sway me from my vision. Like me, they would just have to learn a new way of doing things. They would have to learn to trust their own thinking and trust each other.
In the spirit of sharing, and for you to get to know me a bit better, during the month of February, I’m going to share parts of my Jrney with you. I’ve lived a bit of an unconventional adult life, but I am a firm believer that each step along the way has brought me to exactly where I need to be right now.
So I’ll begin with a story about taking risks and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, share how travel has shaped me into the teacher and person I am, and how powerful student action can be. I’ll also challenge the role of the teacher and share with you one of my most challenging and transformative moments. I encourage you to follow along this month and add your own thoughts and reflections because the only way forward is together.
