Welcome to my blog. I share stories of educators from around the world. Hope you enjoy the jrney!
Nam is a regular contributor to the JRNEY blog, and I admire him a great deal. In fact, I hope to be able to visit him in Vietnam in the very near future. In this blog, he discusses an important topic, within in context of Vietnam, that increasingly affects every educator around the world: migration. When homes are no longer safe or opportunities arise or diminish, people move. People have always moved, and they will always continue to do so. How education responds depends on you.
I met Greg in June at the end of a scavenger hunt as part of an ISTE Global Collaboration PLN event. And I'm so glad I did. Right away I could tell that Greg was one of the good guys working hard to find ways to make the lives of kids and teachers better. And his way was through analytics. Now this is not my normal cup of tea, but when I heard him explain what he was doing, I felt strongly about having him share his story here.
I had the pleasure of spending some time with Gina at the ISTE conference in Chicago this past June and seeing the result of her JRNEY in action. While my path to teaching was direct, my path out of the classroom has been meandering, to say the least, and I believe that these crooked, twisting roads lead us to our best selves both inside and outside the classroom. Gina’s story is a perfect example of how the process is the point.
Empathy is an important word in education, but what if it's not your strong suit? Fellow ASCD Emerging Leader, PJ Caposey, writes about his empathy jrney. I'm really proud of PJ's honesty in this post. It's so easy for empathy to fall to the wayside when our responsibilities increase and patience wanes. But this is a great reminder for all of us to take a step back and put ourselves in someone else's shoes.
This is exactly the kind of story I love to share on this blog, and it's perfect for the theme of the month, what's best for kids. Most teachers can relate to Tammy's story of Carlos and how one small adjustment makes all the difference in the life of a student. But what's truly amazing is that Tammy didn't stop there, she continues to reach children around the world on a grand scale, and JRNEY is thrilled to be able to share her story this week.
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.
This month, I wanted to focus on stories about what's best for kids. Last week's story focused on building relationships and being a support system and advocate. This week, we go global with teaching the Sustainable Development Goals. Ryan found me and sent his story immediately, and I can understand why. He's doing really incredible things with his students. The true beauty of it is that not only is he preparing them for life beyond his classroom, but he is able to create an interdisciplinary learning environment steeped in meaning and authenticity. Here's Ryan Churchward's story...
All educators come to teaching for different reasons. Maybe it's because of an inspirational teacher or to have a lasting impact on the world. Perhaps the choice stems from turning something negative into something positive. The stories I share each week are meant to showcase pieces of these educational journeys. This week, I take you on a full journey from beginning to now. It's a real treat to see each step unfold into the story of someone who I admire very much and the perfect story to share at the start of Teacher Appreciation Week. Here's Jennifer's story...
Numerous studies have shown that regular physical exercise promotes healthy growth, strong muscles, decreased risk of illness, But in addition to the physical benefits, physical activity helps kids manages stress, make connections to different parts of their brain, and even improves sleep among others. But it's rare that physical activity gets integrated into the school day outside of PE class. Peter Hede saw that as a challenge he wanted to take and began partnering with schools to make it a reality. Here's his story of how the Pulse Program came to be...
