Welcome to my blog. I share stories of educators from around the world. Hope you enjoy the jrney!
So often we try to take on the challenges of life alone. We tell ourselves that it will make us stronger, that we should be able to do it. But the truth is, we are so much stronger together, and Bronwyn Joyce's story this week reminds us that this is true. I'm feeling inspired to take on whatever comes my way this week, and I hope you are too!
To kick off the month of March, and a celebration of strong women educators, I'm thrilled to share Kimm's story with you. While I'm not a parent, I know many of you are and will be able to relate to the connections between parenting and teaching. Our students are our kids, no matter what.
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.
Last week, Nam Thanh shared the impact Skype has had on his classroom in Vietnam. This week, for part 2, he shares how to take something you and your students love and how to turn it into personal and professional development opportunities. Here are three ways to take your learning deeper and find ways to connect further.
Taking the first step in rethinking how you design learning experiences for your students can be incredibly difficult especially if you don't know where to start. Our story this week is from Mr. Nam Thanh who helps you take the first step with his JRNEY to becoming an innovative educator not just in his community but across the world. The beauty of this story is that anyone with an internet connection and a bit of motivation can be like Nam and open the world to his students. Here's part 1 of Nam's 2 part exploration of Skype in the classroom.
JRNEY is so excited to feature a story from Jodie Deinhammer to kick off 2018 because it focuses on something that I hope will become everyday classroom practice in the very near future. She weaves The Sustainable Development Goals into her year, not as something fun or outside of the curriculum, but an essential piece of it. World Water Day isn't until March, but it's never too early to start thinking about how to bring it into your classroom and school.
Happy New Year! Thank you for joining me on this JRNEY and the first post of the new year! If this is your first time visiting JRNEY, welcome! I hope you enjoy the stories and content here, and I hope you come back. For those of you who have been with me from the start, thank you, and welcome back!
