Tara Martin – T.R.U.E. G.R.I.T.

Here I am ready to host my first twitter chat. Some may think, come on Kristen what’s the big deal? Me on the other hand, well I see the big picture… the one that was built on L.E.G.I.T. relationships. Built on trust. This is a big deal to me. This chat isn’t just a chat for me. It is an affirmation of my growth. It signifies that I have taken myself and I have stretched my own limits. The ones that I bound myself by in my own mind. #TRUST

I thought I used to put myself out there by going to conferences or signing up for local workshops. Going to a conference is great, but let’s get real… it isn’t enough. It isn’t the conference itself that creates a new path for your learning, it’s the relationships you build while attending them and then continue to nurture beyond that point. The conversations that drive you to reconsider your own view point or maybe even your own philosophy. But even then I would find myself returning to school… to my room… to my own little ol’ opinion without ever seeing or talking to those educators ever again.

Fast forward… 2016 became the year that I found myself needing more. So much more in fact that if I didn’t find what it was that I was searching for, I would consider leaving the profession that once filled my cup on a daily basis.

This was the year

… the walls of my own learning broke down.

… that I reached out.

… I found that I had a world of educators waiting in the wings to move forward with me. #LEGITeduRelationships

Twitter itself has been a springboard to so many incredible relationships. Ones of inspiration and of immense respect. This is where I met the foundation to my #PLF (As my friend Tara Martin dubbed it… Professional Learning Family) in #IMMOOC. A Massive Online Community of Educators pushing the mindset to create change for the better. This community was formed around the inspiration and leadership of George Couros, author of Innovator’s Mindset. When IMMOOC came to an end, I had to find myself another book… another group of educators to add to my world… the ones willing to push one another as #IMMOOC did for me. That is when #tlap was sent my way. The fuel to my fire was right in front of me. With one simple Amazon search I had Teach Like A Pirate, written and published by Dave Burgess, in my hands the very next day. This is when the snowball started to roll…

I located my own coordinates on learning and found educators around the world to learn and grow with me. I questioned the coordinates of my students, parents, colleagues, administration, and community… was I meeting them where they were at? I empowered myself to take charge of my own learning. This was when I realized it had to happen for my students too! #30SecondEmpowerPitch was born! Yet, when I had a conversation with an incredible mentor in my life, I found that I was still not there… the place I was looking to be connected to in education. He asked me what my goals were and I didn’t have an answer… I had not created any up to that point! I had hopes and dreams… I had imagined a more powerful way of learning for my students and myself, yet the reality was I had not taken myself serious enough to create a plan… to commit myself to goals. That was when I jumped into another #twitter chat, and this one called me out on my dreams. This chat wanted to know more. Beth Houf and Shelley Burgess, authors of Lead Like A Pirate, questioned what I would be willing to do to make these dreams happen! This was my moment of truth. #LeadLAP

I sat down and gave myself goals. I felt these goals would push me to take risks and continue to ignite my learning along the way.

Create a book study for my colleagues to reignite and nurture their passion for learning/teaching. #tlap
Create a personal website with standards to hold myself accountable for connecting with others and building stronger relationships.
Blog on a regular basis (for me 6-7X/month was huge!) This past month was the first time in 8 months that I had not achieved that goal.
Enter into #PD that is of value to me and my students.
Create a class website to empower my students to share their voice beyond our four walls. #30SecondEmpowerPitch
Read ReAD and READ meaningful books that will create a stronger relationship between myself and my profession.
Engage in chats with others around the world to push my thinking.
“Fill buckets” full of thoughts on where I want education to go… create opportunities for all educators and students.
Build a #PD Lending Library for educators to borrow books (This is getting it’s final touches to be ready for red tape ribbon cutting in the fall… thank you Dave and Shelley Burgess)
Host a twitter chat #MasteryChat

Tonight I get to check off my last goal just in time to create new ones! Thank you to The Grid Method for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to chat about one of my many passions! Without L.E.G.I.T. Relationships, none of this could have happened! Thank you to my powerful #PLF… my family beyond my four walls. #tlap #LeadLAP #IMMOOC #MasteryChat #4OCF

Shout out to my awesome PLF!

Thanks Mike Mohammad (IMMOOC PLF) for creating the top pic and to Laura Steinbrink (4OCF PLF) for creating the bottom pic!

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation, Domain 2: Classroom Environment, Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities, Personal Learning

March Madness

March 10, 2018March 11, 2018 nankr1120

It’s March… what vibe are you giving? Have you gone mad with assessments piling up or yet on the horizon? Are your students feeling pressure or are they welcoming it… feeling empowered to take on the world? To show off their MAD SKILLS!

Where are you… your mindset? Are you on the countdown or upswing… planning life changing lessons (Dave Burgess, #tlap) and embracing the new life around you? The kind that is a steady reminder that we are always growing whether it is day 1, 80, or 180.

You know you have already heard it… ONLY X amount of school days are left. The countdown is on for students, parents and teachers. Don’t get me wrong I have those days when the sun is shining and I think… ohhhh poolside would be nice. Or the day that feels like 17 rolled into one. But that doesn’t mean my life with my students turns to madness. The question is…

if we had a March Madness bracket with awesome lessons planned for our students, where would yours land? Would you be willing to throw it in the ring with the competition?

if we had a March Madness bracket for EMPOWERED students, where would your students be? Would they be sprinting to the front of the line… stepping up to add their name to the bracket?

Is our role really any different from day 1 to 180? Just like day 1 our goal should be to create empowered learners that are off the bench, jumping, clapping, ready for their call to step up and shoot. Don’t leave before the buzzer. How would you feel if your leader, coach, or biggest fan stepped aside a quarter into the game… or when the last quarter started and the score was tied?! Every day is day 1.

If you are looking to bring your A Game in the last quarter try one of the following:

Grab a book! Dave Burgess Consulting, INC offers over 40 incredible innovative reads that are life changing to every child through educators like you! Are you into STEAM and Makers? Bring out your creative genius with books by Jacie Maslyk or Laura Flemming for go to quick action plans!
Join a twitter chat! #tlap #Leadlap #LearnLAP #MasteryChat #DitchBook #KidsDeserveIt #PlayLap #STEAMMakerChat #IMMOOC and so many more!
Find or create your own PD… look into #4OCF with Rich Czyz and find many ideas that can be implemented at the drop of a dime. Message me and I can add you to the incredible VOXER Chat led my Matthew Larson.
Locate an EDCamp near you! Close to Pittsburgh or ready to shake the winter blues with a road trip? Join us as my district host Pittsburgh’s very own camp coming up in 2 weeks! CLICK HERE to register!
Make a REAL connection with the your students by bringing #BookSnaps into your classroom! Book Snap Queen Tara Martin will walk you and your students through the learning process with one simple HOW TO VIDEO CLIP
What about starting your own BYOB to build relationships in your building? Bring Your Own Breakfast and hang out on Payday Friday!

Where is your creative spark (grab Katie Martin’s new book “Learner Centered Innovation” to help you find it) What are you doing to keep the momentum so you aren’t left on the bench when the driven are playing?

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

Be the Million Dollar Decision

January 16, 2018January 16, 2018 nankr1120

I remember my hiring day vividly. Jubilation for me and feelings of betrayal to the small community that did not get the teacher they had hoped for… the one that they nurtured through the district as a child, the one that learned from them, tackled hours in the classrooms with them, and was hand picked to complete a long term sub position that very spring. I was the new girl in town. The unknown. The crazy redhead ready to take on the world with one very big smile. The one who wore a pale pink suit with matching shoes to my interview to stand out from the traditional black. The one who didn’t know a single teacher to lean on or to have a glimmer into the mindset of a school not yet connected to technology.

I was not from the district… not from the county. This was NOT common practice. I was the Junie B. Jones, the Clementine, the Outsider.

Fast forward to 2016… the hiring process was about to begin and the buzz among the teachers was intense. Each had their own connections and experiences with whom they felt would best serve…

Ummmm…

well that is where I stop and question. Best serve… who?

students?

or them as teachers?

See the perfect sub kept the ball rolling. The perfect sub completed the task left by the teacher. The perfect sub kept children quiet and out of trouble. The perfect sub was compliant and maintained perfectly compliant learners. So what’s wrong with that? Who wouldn’t want to return from an absence to the work completed and no behavioral reports?

I was with several of my colleagues when an intense discussion unfolded… one that included our then new Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jacie Maslyk. Teachers started asking about the possible new hires and with all due respect Jacie just listened and did not comment. Then one teacher decided to throw out their pitch to have a particular substitute hired, which then opened the door to other names of “future ready colleagues”. This is when it happened…

With confidence like no other, without hesitation and very matter of fact, Jacie said,

“You need to understand that every hire is a Million Dollar Decision!”

Mic Drop! or was that a pin?

Silence settled over the room. Their eyes told a story. Were they thinking what I was thinking? Were they wondering the same thing as me in that very moment?

I sat there wondering, after 21 years of teaching… if I were interviewed today… WOULD I BE THE MILLION DOLLAR DECISION? I immediately knew the answer… NO! I was sick to my stomach. What had happened to me? Why wasn’t I good enough anymore? (This was not a pity party… this was legit!) More importantly, what on earth was I going to do to be BETTER?

PERSONAL CALL TO ACTION! I believe You must DO BETTER to BE BETTER! (spin on Maya Angelou) Where would I start? Who do I ask?

I started in-house by taking Jacie up on whatever she had to offer. Summer PD, opportunity to visit other classrooms, visit other schools, be a part of a team of teachers within the county striving for innovation, reading her book STEAMMakers, and yes, I joined twitter as Jacie had challenged each of us to do.

Now find time. I hadn’t read a book in years! GOALS! I was going to read this book… her book! I became engaged in the material… the words were jumping off the page because they reminded me of my childhood… I was a maker, as all children should be. My game changer with that book came when I was looking for a bookmark. I glanced at a dollar bill that I had laying on the table next to me. That was it… The Million Dollar Moment! I quickly snatched it up, folded in in half, and placed it in the book. That dollar became my reminder. My incentive. My mirror… if I were interviewed today, would I be the Million Dollar Decision?

I wasn’t in that moment, but I was determined to be.

Joining Twitter: CLICK HERE to connect with me

Why was joining twitter the biggest game changer? Well for one, I was as good as I was nurtured to be within my district, and this one is on me. (I own it because I was waiting for others to impact my learning when I could have been empowering myself all along to be better). I always took on new initiatives, I always volunteered, and I always tried new things. So why wasn’t this enough?

Simple… there was SO MUCH MORE OUT THERE! Twitter gave me a connection to discussion on NEW topics, opportunities to connect with others that opened doors to my learning, EdCamps galore, and an array of conferences that would fit me. Twitter helped me build relationships. These relationships opened my eyes to new ways that I could learn by reading life changing books such as Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros, Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess, EMPOWER by A.J. Juliani and Jon Spencer, and so many more. It gave me a chance to find EDUrelevance behind SnapChat by creating BookSnaps with Tara Martin. It encouraged me to join learning platforms such as IMMOOC, DitchSUMMIT, and personal Voxer Chats with an array of educators. Twitter connected me with society… entrepreneurs, universities, and businesses.

My journey over the last year and a half has set me on the right path… the one that takes me from hire to retire. The one that helped me point my EDUcompass in the right direction.

Do you want to be the MILLION DOLLAR DECISION for your students? What questions are you asking yourself to fulfill that vision, that goal, that EDUresponsibility? After inquiring as to what questions may come into play with hiring today, I was left struck by the following:

How do you use technology to enhance your instruction? Not add to instruction, but infuse. Not what YOU use it to instruct, but how your STUDENTS use it to create.
How do you collaborate with others… beyond the four walls of your building?
What is your digital-footprint? If your name was googled what would the world find? What would it tell the world about you as a person and educator?
What are you reading? How has it impacted you? your teaching?

I was hired by the Hopewell Area School District on a beautiful sun shiny day in 1997. Why did I get hired? I believe on that day, I was the Million Dollar Decision.

Today, I am ready for another interview, are you?

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

To TAG or NOT To TAG… that is the question!

January 1, 2018January 2, 2018 nankr1120

Do you tag your “PLN” when you post? Why? Please share with me!

I recently was given a challenge by someone whom I consider an incredible mentor in this crazy EDUawesome life of mine. The challenge was to make my writing so good that I wouldn’t need to tag anyone to my blog posts. I was floored! What about my relationships… my people? The ones that give me feedback, direction, and…

well enough said… challenge accepted. I cannot say no to a challenge! BRING IT!

It is so interesting to see how this unfolded for me…

My life as a blogger was born on September 27, 2017 during Round 3 #IMMOOC created by George Couros, author of Innovator’s Mindset. It was a natural path for me as I have been a lover of writing from the young age of eight. I wrote a lot as a child…

scraps of paper ( a LOT of scraps folded up as small as possible)

the back of composition notebooks

in my head… my safe place.

My first “legit” journal came in 1988 from a close friend. It was a birthday gift for my Sweet 16 (Thank you Amy). Whether it was intentional or simply a coincidence it was a priceless gift that I needed in my life. It was absolutely perfect… and it was for ME! MY EYES ONLY! This is where my darkest secrets were kept. Ones that I felt the world could not handle. This is where my break ups went down… my friendships were built… my dreams were first committed to a pencil mark. See, I never used pen… that was too final for me. I had to have the chance to let it all out and then tweak and code what I didn’t want others to really know if they stumbled across it. Yes, I still have it!

E2527BF5-732E-4614-8BFB-1E68450E73F9 — **This became my personal portfolio of emotions… my paper footprint.**

Fast Forward to 2017… the worst timing possible for me to give up MORE precious family time. I was just pulling myself back together from the loss of a dear friend, my beautiful extended family was living with me during a military transition in their life, my amazing mother in law had been ill with countless diagnoses including lung cancer, my dearest friend diagnosed with breast cancer, a commitment to book studies, a mentor, a Virtual Co-op, my sons need me, my husband needs me, and the list goes on and on.

So why sign up for IMMOOC? Best said by Tara Martin, the BookSnap Queen herself,

#IMMOOC Family Reunion

I like to describe #IMMOOC as a book study on steroids (aka huge muscles). This multifaceted learning EDventure is beyond mind-blowing due to the diverse talents, viewpoints, and experiences of each participant.

However, it’s so much more!

It really is about the connections; it’s ALL about the people. Every round, new members join the course, and together we become an EDU-family–spanning the globe. We encourage and challenge one another, and in many instances become face-to-face friends.

Round 3=#IMMOOC Family Reunion with new family members!

Including YOU!!

“No” simply wasn’t an option! See, I was a lurker Season 1 and 2. Why? Well, I didn’t know how to share my writing publicly. The only time I wrote I wrote for me… MY EYES ONLY!

Then came the first video… Alice Keeler! What a hoot! I couldn’t stop smiling, laughing, and learning! Wow, was this fun! I was nodding my head, talking to the computer, carrying on as if Alice was talking to just me… preaching the gospel of EDUtruth! The hour flew by and I was empowered to start my first blog.

What do I write? (That was my first question of course) That was when I knew I had to simply write from my heart… my experience… my belief. As one of my incredible mentors would say, write from “MY WHY!” This wasn’t about being right, or politically correct… it was about sharing… letting others into my world!

This was the day T.R.U.E. G.R.I.T. finally went down on paper. Prior to this moment, it was solely mine. In my head. My conversation. Mine to use in my classroom because it was my foundation for learning and so it became my philosophy for education. It was mine… and now it needed to be EVERYONE’S… at least an EDUspin for others!

Since that first blog, my writing and reflections have grown stronger, deeper, and more powerful for me. My thoughts need to come out. Just like the child in class that I pull to the side… where a journal is born… where we create a special cover for that “personal space” to write. Where we take a digital approach to this paper masterpiece and start blogging to connect… to build relationships in our isolated universe of thoughts!

So what about that challenge? To Tag or NOT to Tag? Here is how it went down:

Dec. 29th The Silence is Deafening no tags 175 views in 3 days

Dec. 30th The Elephant in the Room~ connecting with mental illness 142 views in 2 days with 6 educators tagged that are EDUconnected to this post

Jan. 1st #OneWord2018 pure “Goodness” no tags 36 views in 2 hours

Where does this leave me? I want to hear your thoughts. I know I need to follow my heart… because that is where others will “read” my writings. I love to blog, but it isn’t just about me. It revolves around my Why… and that in itself has changed. My Why is connected to people… my tags are different every time. They are personal. No doubt, there are a few that are tagged more often than others, but it is a connection. A relationship I have built. One that happened through #IMMOOC #tlap #DitchSummit and more!

Relationships within my #PLN have transformed my way of teaching.

EDURelationship Facts:

I had 240ish connections in September 2017 (one year of being on twitter)
After IMMOOC I had 700ish
Before my SAS Conference in Hershey (December) I had 800ish connections
During the conference I went over 1,000
Today I have an amazing 1,244 connections to incredible educators on #Twitter alone!
I have 400 TIMES the connections from #Twitter than I personally had in my own district from the start of the 2017 school year

I now have published 24 blogs in just over 3 months. A sense of pride has emerged, a desire for more, a need to grow. Yet I am left wondering…

To Tag or Not to Tag… that is the question!

Please share your thoughts with me

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation, Domain 3: Instruction

Student Voice Shines with Project Based Learning: Igniting Empowerment and Instilling Empathy

November 18, 2017December 31, 2017 nankr1120

Increasing student empowerment and engagement is wrapped up and delivered in “Life Changing Lessons“. The gift of Project Based Learning (PBL) is one of intense impact… the kind that continues to give, as if you are unwrapping it for the first time throughout the entire journey. It creates a student driven environment that is begging for more… more opportunity… more hours in a school day.

Project Based Learning is a connection beyond your four walls… a chance to open up the windows, blow off the door to learning, and ignite global impact with student empowerment!

I recently posted “A Walk In My Shoes” (One Ah Ha Moment within the Voice PBL) on twitter and have received countless DM’s asking how to get this VOICE PBL started. So this one is for YOU!

The Voice PBL that I teach is one of great magnitude. It covers concepts from every subject in a depth and understanding far beyond a worksheet. This is a way to take Common Core Skills/Standards and light a fire under learning! Before the Driving Question is even asked, I hook them in like a pirate …

It starts with the universal language… MUSIC!

Students are given a choice to write/draw/sketch their interpretation on a variety of music shaped cutouts or use of poster paper to sketchnote

Allow students the freedom to personal space in the room… on floor if desired
Quiet space… lights out… reflection time!
Copy and paste each URL into google for each song
I do not show videos. This is auditory only!

This is a quiet journey that typically lights up quickly because the students (UM… and ME) cannot contain ourselves… we end up singing and dancing… moving to the beat of our own hearts!

First up:

Man in the Mirror-From A Joyful Noise (It’s shorter than Michael Jackson’s version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9paJyh8t_sE

This is a WOWZER! Students stop in their own tracks when they realize that looking in a mirror can give them so many answers… so much POWER! (C-H-I-L-L-S)

Count on Me- Bruno Mars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc6T9iY9SOU

Every student responds to this song thinking of a time they needed someone or were there for someone. This is the moment most of them start putting the pieces of their voice together.

Firework Kidz Bop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2s-9Kyumgo

Thank you Katy Perry! What happens when you don’t light a firework? That’s right, NOTHING! Let that speak to each of us… we must light learning up if we want to see what is inside! Fireworks splatter their drawings with thoughts and ideas coming from within!

Fight Song Rachel Platten https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8qDOGLCSFo

Drop the Mic… this song allows every student and every teacher to connect! This is the song that opens up their little world to you. Are they struggling? academically? behaviorally? socially? Is there worry on their mind? Are they scared of something? Do they lack self-esteem? Are they the “little girl with the crooked pigtails?” (Getting R.E.A.L. with Tara Martin)

I actually play 7-10 different songs and it is never enough, but the song pick changes from year to year because my students change and I need to make sure that my choices will resonate with each of them.

So about that Driving Question…

DQ: Why Might Having A Voice Matter?

Empowerment/Empathy/Citizenship/Government/Family/Bullying/Debate

Where do we go from here?

Students pick a song and add creative movement to the lyrics. They now understand that they can express themselves in many ways. This is one more life changing moment for them.

This is a video of my amazing students from last year interpreting “The Fight Song”. (My current class in interpreting “The Man In the Mirror” which they will definitely post on YouTube soon!)

Is this “just a free for all” Ahhhh… NO! This is a creative way to connect an incredible amount of skill in a unique way to impact all students. Skills are endless!

ELA:

Books from Dr. Seuss’s My Many Colored Days to The Invisible Boy by Trudy Luwig
- This is where “Walk In My Shoes” was created. This very lesson is a blog in itself… soon!
Choosing a book that shows your voice in a way you haven’t been able to… we end up reading 30+ books in a 4 week time period!
Use song lyrics to discuss parts of speech (highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.)

Math:

Creating Conjectures and Arguments
Collaborating and critically thinking to solve a problem
Writing and reasoning

History:

Choosing a person of impact such as Rosa Parks, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr., President Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, and so many more.

Government:

Voting
Being a Good Citizen
Debate

Let’s not forget that doors are blown off to this process! Students learn (to):

blog
code
design
create
paint
draw
dance
sing
poetry
build
invent
4Cs

This list is endless because students CHOOSE their own project that in turn answers the Driving Question. They also choose their Authentic Audience to which they powerhouse to impress! My former students created this video showcasing ALL of their voices and then chose YouTube as their “Authentic Audience”.

I can’t wait to see what this year’s students choose!

While leading my book chat on “Teach Like A Pirate” by Dave Burgess, I posted this reflection for my fellow colleagues to ponder:

Untitled presentation — Teach Like A Pirate Book Chat #tlap

If there were a “Life Changing Lesson” that “I could sell tickets for” I believe this is the one! I hope that this was what YOU needed to get started…

Go light them up and find out what’s inside! #VOICE and #CHOICE

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

#IMMOOC Week 6: The Impact of Others

November 5, 2017March 21, 2018 nankr1120

The IMMOOC journey is the epitome of innovation! When you are having fun, are engaged, and find relevance in your own learning… TIME FLIES! After 6 weeks of breaking down and rebuilding my mindset, I find myself with more enthusiasm than ever before. I am full of ideas, reflection, and energy as I head into week 7 of “innovative leading.”

A NEW MINDSET. One that has been shaped and formed by many hands. I cannonballed into IMMOOC knowing that my life, not only as an educator but as a mother, wife, daughter, and friend, would never be the same. Little did I realize that the relationships formed through blogging would impact me in a way unlike any other.

If I am being R.E.A.L. , there are so many posts that have touched my life, from Mike Mohammad, Tara Martin, to Annick Rauch and countless others in-between It is so easy to continue to grow with their posts and views as they are the foundational family to my blogging. So I challenged myself weeks ago to read more, reflect more, and open myself to others as that is what this journey is truly about.

Then came the final blogging challenge of the season. George Couros asked us to reflect on 3 other posts. Challenge accepted. Here are 3 that resonated within me:

CHANGE STARTS WITH ME by Jillian Schulte

“The more we believe in the power of “me” (the power of our own ability to initiate change) the stronger will be our power of “we” (our collective ability to move the needle forward).”

Why Are We Still Assigning Homework? by Katie Martin

“As we think about what it means to be “smart” and what we will value, we have to acknowledge that information is abundant and rather memorizing and regurgitating content, we need students and educators who can learn, think, and act in ways that create new and better opportunities for those we serve. This requires that we examine traditions in education, like homework that may actually get in the way of learning and innovation.”

“In the spirit of trying new things, I’m going with Tumbler for my blog and sketch noting my takeaways from Innovator’s Mindset.”

I am not ending this #IMMOOC season with week 6… I am simply taking the fire lit under me and burning a new path in my journey! Let’s light the world on fire… together!

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

#IMMOOC Week 5+: When You Know Better… You Do Better

October 28, 2017December 31, 2017 nankr1120

When you know better, do you actually do better? Or do you tell yourself that somehow, some way you have been given this gift that supersedes all knowledge and experience of others in your path? Who is it that you imagine will show you a better way? Is that person older, wiser with age or experience? Are they new to the scene? Do you have an image of better in your mind whereby all others are unable to get in?

Do you allow all creators of “better” into your world?

Do you let others break you down?

Better yet, are you willing to break yourself down in order to build a better you? To repair with gold or silver knowledge and experience.

I look back at the last year of my life and I sit in awe! The people that have come into my life are absolutely remarkable! Let me rephrase… the people I opened my life up to are remarkable! Professionally, I have connected with over 700 other educators through twitter alone. But let’s get real, they weren’t knocking down my door… I was pounding on theirs! I wanted more! I wanted better! I needed them in order to find the better me!

I have read over 10 books affiliated with education in one year. May not seem like a lot to an avid reader, but for me, 10 books is like producing, filming and starring in my own movie! It takes time!

That wasn’t enough though… I have built an in-house PD platform for colleagues to borrow books from me. I am leading my first book study on #tlap in 10 short days for my district. This study will once again connect me with educators to help create the gold glue of knowledge that fills my better person.

I took the leap from lurker to full fledge #IMMOOC member with leading educator in innovation and author of Innovator’s Mindset George Couros! I have read, reread, chatted, tweeted, blogged, and found myself in passionate conversations about this life-changing experience. I have colleagues that have turned into friends… ones that have pushed me to push myself.

“Get R.E.A.L. … tell your Kristen Nan story!”, said Tara Martin

This gave me the desire to look for conferences that could connect me to my #IMMOOC #tlap family. Which takes me to the most incredible, powerful, unforgettable, “better me” transformation I could have asked for… yes, my last 2 unforgettable days with New York’s Time’s best-selling author of Teach Like A Pirate, DAVE BURGESS!

Let me tell you about this POWERFUL experience…

in my next blog! #hooks

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

#IMMOOC Week 4: Climb A Ladder or Take The Ride

October 14, 2017December 31, 2017 nankr1120

Relationships! RelationSHIPS! RELATIONSHIPS!

With a goal driven mind, there is always the question whirling around in my head of what will be next personally and professionally. Am I satisfied? Do I envision more? Is this enough… at least for the moment? There are times I feel accomplished. Other times I feel defeated by the mere expectation I had for the outcome that never graced the highest rung on my ladder.

“IF WE WANT TO CREATE A CULTURE OF INNOVATION, WE MUST FIRST FOCUS ON FURTHERING OUR OWN LEARNING AND GROWTH.”

–George Couros, Innovator’s Mindset

That ladder… the one with extensions that project beyond the ceiling of my ability. It doesn’t intimidate me. It doesn’t hang over my head giving me boundaries to my dreams. It is more often the driving force that fuels my fire to reach higher and higher. I am a dreamer. Dreaming matters. It helps me become what I aspire to be. I thrive on “greatness” in every sense of the word. I am driven to achieve beyond my own ability with the deliberate decision to place myself in the presence of opportunity. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, staying stagnant is my worst nightmare. Therefore I shall dream! Therefore I shall connect! #relationships

When the rungs of the ladder feel like a mile apart, how do I find the strength to pull myself up one more step? The ultimate pirate Dave Burgess says it best, “Find your crew! All Pirates travel with a crew; you can’t sail, navigate, and fight battles on your own.” Oh, is he right! My crew is what helps me to reset my inspirational compass so that it points straight forward.

My crew is how I gather the strength to place my hand on the next rung. That strength turns into inspiration. The inspiration fuels my dreams. My dreams turn into my reality. My crew is not limited to the boundaries of my district (although I have AMAZING people around me every day). My crew is global thanks to twitter (and blogging of course)! They may not even realize it, but they are my crew in every sense of the word: Dave Burgess, Tara Martin, George Couros, Katie Martin, Alice Keeler, Annick Rauch, Aaron Hogan, my IMMOOC family and many more. I am the teacher I am today because of this crew! Breaking down the walls… taking the ride! #twitter #tlap #IMMOOC

Yes, I must climb the ladder to reach my goals, but it is just as important that I stop and take the ride! It’s the ride that rejuvenates my soul. It’s the ride that makes me laugh uncontrollably… call it a joyride if you must. Just as the sea captures the spirit of a pirate, this ride has my hair blowing in the wind, with nothing but joy flooding my mind.