Be a DOer, Not a Dreamer... Or Be Both

As award-winning writer and tv producer Shonda Rimes said to the 2014 graduating class of Dartmouth College, “Be a doer, not a dreamer,” I’m a doer.  I like solutions.  I like decisions.  I like to make decisions and try solutions and if they don’t work, I like to try a new solution.  I like to help other people make decisions and find solutions, and when I found myself “taking a break” from the only career I had ever known (teaching students with mild, moderate, and intensive disabilities), I had to DO something.  I found myself in a job that I found lackluster; something about doing the same reading interventions over and over with little technology integration didn’t thrill me.  While I have found ways to make it more entertaining for students, I still find the process a little dry.  I needed to DO something else.  I needed to DO something else that could integrate all students, all types of learners and DOers into the school community.

What I started DOING with my professional (and personal) learning network blossomed into a movement at Highland Drive Elementary School (grades K-3) in Brecksville, Ohio that I had never planned for or imagined.  Six to ten educators hanging out on the weekend at a community woodworking shop in the city moved to a “club” during lunch and recess time which then transformed into the Highland Drive makerspace (aka “the STEAM room”); an entire classroom space complete with a mini library of “makers” books like Ish by Peter H. Reynolds, The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Gary Rubinstein, Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, and the Smithsonian Maker Lab by Jack Challoner.  

Thanks to donations from parents and staff, a grant from the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Schools Foundation, and an additional grant from a group called the GPD Employee’s Foundation (an organization that provides grant money to Northeast and Central Ohio as well as Atlanta, Indianapolis, Louisville, Phoenix, and Seattle), our makerspace boasts three desktop computers, access to 14 iPads (shared with the Reading Intervention program), 15 LEGO Education WeDo Kits and accompanying software, scrapbook paper, pipe cleaners, scissors, glue, googly eyes, a LEGO wall, and more!  

The makerspace is used for every Thursday and Friday at lunch and recess for “Makers’ Club.”  With help from my reading co-teacher Sharon Wiesler, second and third grade students are invited to the makerspace to work on a “challenge” or “project” each week during their lunch and recess times. They follow the design process and start by identifying a problem.  They then take time to brainstorm and plan, create, and then evaluate what they’ve created.  The room is also open for teachers to sign up to bring their Kindergarten, first, second, or third grade classes in to complete science experiments or complete the “Project of the Week” on a daily basis.  With every project, we try to make sure that students are engaging in the design process while also learning how to share, collaborate, and solve problems with other students.

Projects have varied so far, in length and intensity, but have been largely successful. Problems we have worked to solve and projects we’ve done this year have included:

• Using marshmallows and toothpicks, design and build a phone stand for the teacher’s cell phone that is at least 6 inches tall and will hold it up off the table for at least 10 seconds.
• The weather is changing (discussion on seasons).  What happens to the animals when the weather gets colder in Northeast Ohio?  What can we do to help? (Bird feeders and houses were created and placed in our “Highland Island,” an animal and plant sanctuary at our school.)
• Plan for and create LEGO “robots” using the WeDo kits and software
• Using the available materials (cups, cotton balls, straws, pipe cleaners, string, tape, glue, and a few other items), create a carrier for a ping pong ball that will carry it down the zip line (fishing line) in 4 seconds or less.
• Learn to use hammers and screwdrivers along with other basic tools.
• Create “Sticky Slime” that hardens quickly, but softens again based on heat from your hands.
• Using ten straws and ten inches of plastic wrap, can you build a boat that can hold 25 pennies without sinking for X number of seconds?

In the fall, the makerspace teamed with the Kindergarten teachers at our school to plan “pumpkin investigations” that were then modified for each grade level to complete during the week before Halloween.  Students were able to describe the pumpkins, use synonyms, measure the pumpkins using standard and nonstandard measures, determine if the pumpkins would sink or float, estimate the weight and then weigh the pumpkins, touch the insides of the pumpkins and count seeds, sketch different kinds of pumpkins, smell the pumpkins AND even taste the roasted seeds of the pumpkins.  There were lots of sensory opportunities built in and even the students with moderate-intensive special needs took a trip to the makerspace for this adventure; exactly the purpose of this “multi-purpose” space.  Just as Lisha Kraft states in her article “The Way We Talk About Education Today Reflects Growth of the Maker Mindset” in Make Magazine on Oct. 17th, 2016, “As more and more educators see the limitations often set by a typical worksheet, and they utilize such strategies as, project-based learning, differentiated instruction, inquiry-based instruction, collaborative learning, and student-centered instruction, educational barriers will continue to crumble and disappear.”

While I continue to take a break from teaching students with mild, moderate, and intensive special needs, Mrs. Wiesler and I encourage ALL students to both read and DO something every day.  Using the mindset “Create more than you consume,” we encourage students to use simple and recyclable materials to create while finding their own passions for learning.

The Dichotomy Between my Fixed and Growth Mindsets

 Saturday was a busy day.  I went to my woodshop "class" and then met with my supervisor as a BCBA candidate. It strikes me that these are two very different worlds. And somehow I am immersed in both. But one familiar note strikes me- I need other people to help me with both.

At Soulcraft, we're pushing each other outside of our boundaries. This week, I learned how to use the jointer ("with a T"), the planer, and the table saw to mill the wood AND I actually used them! Five different people helped me to mill the wood for the sides of my shoe rack and none of this would've gotten done without each of them. Karen and Julie helped me with the math. Peter and Jim helped me use the machines for the first time (and not be afraid), and Sean and Julie helped me with the planer. I couldn't have done any of it without them. 

At 12:15 as I was speeding to meet my BFF (and supportive BCBA candidate in crime) and my supervisor at Starbucks, I thought, "I sure needed a lot of help today. This makes me uncomfortable, I'm used to being the "helper," not the "helpee!" I promised myself that next week, I would help someone else instead of only work on my own project.

And then in our conversations at the coffee shop, I certainly needed my people. Group contingencies and the pros and cons of them do not just discuss themselves...

So, it strikes me that I needed people. I need people! I need people? I guess I do need people.

You see, I pride myself on being really self-sufficient. Typically I do not ask for help and try to get lots of things done efficiently and effectively on my own. I like being the helper and the expert. I like knowing what I'm doing and doing what I know. I even shy away from asking people for help in stores because I should be able to figure things out on my own. But then I get stuck. "I am independent female, hear me roar!" I don't need your help... Until I do.

I need to get rid of my fixed mindset that leads to thinking that needing help is showing weakness. Isn't it actually being human? And isn't that actually okay???

It has to be. I needed help. Now I'm better for accepting it. 

Growing Into My Growth Mindset

Oh no!  I almost cried again.  But I didn't!  I will NOT cry in this wood shop.

This week, we spent the first hour talking.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, someone asked me this week why I wasn't teaching special ed. this year.  I gave a short version of the story. I will NOT cry in this wood shop. For the first time telling this story, I didn't cry. I DID NOT CRY IN THIS WOOD SHOP!

And then we moved on to learning about the machines in the wood shop. THANK GOD.

Whoa.

Wait Peter!  PETER!

WAAAAIT.

I got the jointer. Joiner?  Jointer?

I got the planer.  Planer? Planar?

Hmmm... I think I got the table saw. Maybe.

And then it was over. My head was done.  Peter had 6 more machines, but my brain was done.

Wait, is this how people feel when I try to teach them how to make a website?  

Is this how my students feel when I ask them to write a sentence? 

Well, it's a good thing Peter said we won't be having a test on these, although won't USING them be the ultimate test?

Oh well. The machines are long gone in my brain because then we started "sketching."  Cool. I can draw well enough PLUS Jim is helping me.

And then we're figuring out how to calculate how much wood we need.  Cool. I am sweet at math.

And then...

Then...

And then I COULDN'T DO THE MATH!!!!!!!!!!

No, really. I couldn't do the math to figure out how much wood I would need.  I couldn't visualize the cuts in the wood and I couldn't even problem solve to figure out the math to help me figure out the other math!

OMG.

Thank goodness there's a former math teacher around and also a math intervention specialist and also some really awesome furniture makers because they helped me with the math.

But they also helped me realize that this is what's wrong with school.  I did learn this math.  I could ROCK THIS MATH on a standardized test.  But now, using this math in context, WHEN I ACTUALLY NEED IT and I can't do it.  I am horrified to admit and totally embarrassed.  I have a Masters' degree PLUS 29 credits AND I COULDN'T DO THE MATH.

And then I thanked God for putting me in this situation where I don't need to be embarrassed because I am learning with these people who are also learning.  AND FAILING IS OKAY.

This is exactly the message I need to take back to my students who HATE to read out loud in front of their peers:

Let's let it be okay to mess up.  Let's laugh when we make a mistake and try again the next time.  Let's use our peers for their talents and then shine in another area.  Let's make it okay to do stuff you're not good at it, solely for the purpose of getting better at it.  Let's take it easy and learn for fun, rather than learn for a test or a score.  Let's CHILL OUT and stop worrying.

A Way to Express It All... May 15th, 2011

It's been awhile since I've written a blog post because I have been such a mix of emotions this school year.  There have been issues that I would love to write about, but so many are confidential or just plain unprofessional to post publicly.  Some are just frustrating and can't be expressed in any sort of words that would appear as anything more than complaints.  And I can't complain about my life, my job, my work.  I love this work, but there is so much more work to be done...

So today, I have just created a word cloud of what I am thinking and feeling in an effort to express myself this May 15th, 2011.

Challenge Me with Chapter Books!

After reading the book Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, I couldn't help but wonder...

What are my students thinking that they can't express to me?

Is our content watered down?  Are they wondering why we are learning similar concepts year after year, sometimes with the same trade book, the same Brain Pop Jr. video, the same SMARTboard lesson?

What have my third graders been trying to show me, or tell me, that I haven't been listening to?  Have I challenged them enough?

And so...

We started a new adventure.

Chapter books.

Chapter Book #1- Freckle Juice by Judy Blume. 

I wasn't fully prepared, but I was ready to learn as we went along.  I figured the kids would show me what they needed and I would adjust as we went along.  We started with predictions, a picture walk, an explanation of what a chapter book is, a reminder of what authors do, and how famous an author Judy Blume really is.  Homework included "Googling" Judy Blume and writing down other book titles and also rereading the chapters we read during the school day.

We also began to fill out a graphic organizer on EDU Glogster which can be found here-  http://morgank18.glogster.com/frecklejuice-graphic-organizer/

Then, as we read the first chapter and I prompted my friends to have "listening ears," to "keep listening," and to "listen for two more pages," I realized that perhaps we needed more visuals.  Why didn't this occur to me earlier?  I know my students are visual learners, they need visuals, right?  Yep.

This prompted us to create "notebooks."  We added pictures as we read each chapter to make the reading come to life, visually.  We also visually defined the characters, the setting, and some vocabulary.

We also decided that, after reading these short chapters, we should take smaller comprehension quizzes, rather than a summative quiz at the end of the book.  The quizzes were also visually based, using most of the same visuals created for our "notebooks."

Then, we started adding to our e-portfolios.

We added "Wordles" and some "Thinking Stems" that we wrote together in class, then typed individually.

As a final project, we created simple "portraits" of the main character, Andrew.

Lastly, we created a file folder to put in our "Independent Work" area to be able to maintain the vocabulary words we learned with this chapter book.

All in all, I think I learned some valuable lessons from my third graders with autism and Down syndrome here. 

First, USE VISUALS.


Second, REREAD AND REREAD AGAIN.


Third, REVIEW NEW VOCABULARY REPEATEDLY.

Fourth, THEY CAN DO IT!!!

Hooooooray for us!  We'll next be venturing into reading a chapter book on the Kindle for iPad App.  Wish us luck:?

TGIS- Thank God it's Saturday.

Today is Saturday and Thank God it is.

I will preface what I am about to write by saying this- I really love my job.  I feel like it is not a job, it is actually a calling.  I know that many people would argue that "good teachers" can be made and I believe that as well.  But I actually believe that I was born and meant to be doing this job...

...right now.

But after a week like this week, I wonder... is there more for me?

How long will I be able to continue to do this job? 

I've heard the warnings and the stories- "special ed. teachers burn out quickly."  I've heard 5 years, 10 years, 15 years... And I always believed that those people were a little weak. I mean, this is the best job in the world.  These kids... these kids are amazing.  They make me smile and they say funny things, and every success is worth celebrating!  And I mean cheering, clapping, and yelling horraaaaaay type celebrating...

But what about all the other stuff?

I keep hearing business people (and other "non-teachers") say that it must be nice to work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, with summers off.

Riiiiiight.  You'd think it would be nice.

But I've already written a big blog about what I do, how hard I work, how much I work, how I don't take days off... So, I won't do that again.

But, I will say... THIS JOB IS HARD.

Staff meetings are hard.  PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) are worthwhile, but hard.  They're hard when you feel like no one in the room can possibly understand what you do.  Sure, they all do grades, they all grade papers (though maybe they would have less grading to do if they stopped giving so many papers), they all deal with behaviors and challenges and lots of kids and parents.  But can they really understand? 

Can they really understand that in 39 days of school, one parent has written me 33 emails, 25+ handwritten notes, and called 5+ times?  And our district has a policy of responding within 24 hours. 

There's communication. With parents.  With service providers like OT, PT, SLP, Therapeutic horseback riding instructors, and Music Therapists.  With special education coordinators.  With specialists.  With outside/private therapists.  With home program coordinators.  With SST3 staff.   With homeroom teachers and principals and special education aides.

And that's just the beginning.

There's paperwork.  Not grading the papers you hand out, but actual legal documents that must be completed within a time frame. IEPs. IEP progress reports. Report Cards. Doctors' forms about ADHD. ETRs. MFE reports. Alternate Assessments.

You get the point.

So how long can you go on like this?

I turned down a date last week because I didn't have the time to go...

How do I separate my calling from my life?

How do I refresh and recharge?  And will I need to refresh and recharge every 39 days this year???

And I just need to know... do you get tired... exhausted...

And do you feel guilty for feeling this way?

Because I do.

REBELS Day!?!??!! Ideas for Positive Educational Reform

Today, Sunday, October 17th, has been named "REBELS" day by blogger Tom Whitby.

REBELS stands for Reforms from Educational Bloggers Links of Educational Suggestions... A day for teachers/ bloggers to share ideas for positive educational reform.

A great idea. And I'm jumping on board.

Here are some of my ideas for Positive Educational Reform (although slightly uncreative in list format):

1. Pay teachers based on merit. What? NO!  Pay teachers based on a different kind of scale.  How many trainings did you receive that year?  How many educational books did you read?  How often did you participate in a collaborative group?  How often did you volunteer to lead a committee or facilitate a group discussion?  Were you willing to participate in PSO (Parent-School Organization) or PTA activities?  Did you make yourself available to parents via phone, email, text message, twitter, blogging, a website?  Did you integrate technology this year?  How? For what purpose?  WHAT IF WE WERE PAID BASED ON OUR DESIRE TO LEARN? OUR DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY?  HELPING OURSELVES LEARN WHILE HELPING OUR STUDENTS LEARN?

2. Inclusion. Real inclusion. Not the theory or the "idea" but actual INCLUSION.  INCLUDE every student because ALL students can learn.  Real Inclusion should include at least TWO teachers in the classroom!!!  Co-teaching, co-planning, co-workers!  Two heads are better than one when it comes to finding the best ways for students to learn.

3.  Teach EVERY teacher to DIFFERENTIATE. Again, because ALL students can learn and it shouldn't be the job of JUST the special ed. teacher to figure out how to teach ALL students.

4. Initiatives starting from the GROUND UP.  Teachers and aides are the ones in the classrooms yet mandates come from those people who spend the day in offices on the hill.  Why not ask a teacher?

5. Formative Assessments.  USE your assessment to DRIVE your instruction.

Those are my ideas for positive educational reform.  Simple list but incredibly complicated to complete.

But as a teacher, I just have hope.

Yes, there's teacher bashing. Yes, there's union bashing.  Yes, I get emails from parents who don't trust me or who question my teaching methods or who question everything that is done in my classroom.

But I have hope.  For my students.

Last 2 ideas for Positive Educational Reform:

* Have hope, for every student.


* Get your passion back.  Be passionate about learning.

Reflections of Summer Vacation 2010

It's the night before school and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a...

Well, that's a lie.

The washing machine is running on overtime as my sister (a HS guidance counselor) and I are trying to do loads of laundry.  The dishwasher is buzzing because, well, you can't start the school year with a dirty kitchen.  The dog is on edge because he knows something is about to change.  The fridge is full of healthy lunch choices (because I vowed to stay away from the school lunch line this year).  The toenail polish is freshly drying and the meditation DVD is set and ready for a few hours from now.

It's the night before a new school year; my 8th school year as a teacher.

And I'm excited.  Or anxious.  Or excited and anxious...

I've been trying to reflect on what I've actually done this summer; laying in the sun, cleaning out the garage, reading fiction novels, doing yard work, watching reality TV shows, attending the Reform Symposium from the comfort of my own bed, visiting friends in Marblehead, walking for the Easter Seals Zoo Walk in July, walking in the Buddy Walk sponsored by the Upside of Downs of Greater Cleveland, playing with the dog, eating ice cream, building my PLN, consistently writing blog posts, learning loads of new technology that will fit nicely into my classroom, reading blogs, articles, and books about technology, web 2.0 tools, and special needs, exploring new teaching and assessment strategies, and trying to relax.

Here are my top 5 highlights from the summer of 2010:

1. I started to build a PLN.  This personal learning network is helping me to learn new things every single day.  I read their blogs.  I read their tweets.  I participate in discussions with them on Nings like the "Educator's PLN."  They are from all over the country and even the world.  And they are bringing new ideas to education every single day.  This year, on the days when I feel like my ideas are ridiculous and my beliefs about education are in the minority, I can sign on to Twitter or read these blogs, and know that I am not alone.  I can share ideas, borrow ideas, think through new strategies, and be part of a group that helps me grow.  I am so thankful to have found this world, these people, these blogs, these ideas...

2. The class swim party I had at my house was awesome.  I invited some students from past years, along with my class for the 2010-2011 school year.  In all, 10 of my students, past and present came, along with 9 of their siblings and at least 10 parents.  Our key club helpers also came, along with two of our special education aides.  My sister could not believe how many people were here!  We had so much fun!  The kids were so happy to swim and thought it was exciting to be at the "teacher's" house.  The parents got to chat, meet one another again, network with each other, see the other students, and catch up.  The new parents got to see how our classroom works and how supportive everyone is.  The principal even showed up!  It was a great night!

3.  I read two fantastic books this summer (I actually read 3, but only 2 were fantastic.)  House Rules by Jodi Picoult is one of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson was also a great book, much different than my usual read, and I can't wait for the movie!  I also wrote a blog post about House Rules...

4. I taught my dog to swim. (Well, it couldn't all be school related or intellectual, could it?)

5.  Thanks to the PLN that I've been working on, I've found some awesome blogs to read that inspire me.  First, the blog written by "Teacher Tom" is just incredible.  This man has ideas that I couldn't even dream about.  Imagine how he empowers students!  Another blog, "Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning" has helped take my lesson plans for this school year to a whole new level.  While I've read hundreds of blogs this summer and added at least 20 to my Google Reader, two more worth mentioning here are "What Ed Said" and "Connected Principals."  I, finally, got my boss to read the "Connected Principals" and he even thanked me for it (although he did note that he reads only 1/10th of the blogs that I actually tell him about).

So, I didn't take any grand vacations or any wild road trips this year, but I did gain a whole lot of knowledge.

I did, indeed, spend a lot of the summer working... My plan was to keep learning and working all summer so that I won't feel so stressed during the school year...

And if this plan works, it will all be worth it.

Maybe it was all worth it anyways...

My Reflections from the Reform Symposium 2010

I seem to be having some trouble starting my reflections of the RSCON10 in written form, though it seems like the only thing my mind has been focused on since the conference ended at 5pm EDT yesterday, is the wealth of information that I gained over the two days that I was able to participate.  

I originally thought I was going to go through each session I attended, summarize, and tell what I learned.

I seem to be laughing at myself now.


All of the presentations are running together, but my ideas are also moving and shaking inside my head.

Instead, what I think I'll do is, first, make a list of the presentations that I attended with links to their archives (or I will link them as they become available) so that you can view them too.  Then, I will make a list of things I learned/ Ideas I've had as a result of the sessions.  This way, I have some things in writing, instead of just swimming around inside my skull.


Presentations I attended on July 31st and Aug. 1st of the Reform Symposium 2010 while still in pajamas in the comfort of my own home, for FREE:


1. What the Heck is a 21st Century Skill Anyway? presented by Angela Maiers

2. Backchannel in the Classroom presented by Richard Byrnes

3. New Teacher Survival Kit presented by Lisa Dabbs and Joan Young

4. HOTTS (Higher Order Thinking Technology Skills) presented by Kevin Creutz

5. Playing to Learn presented by Maria Anderson

6. Students Redefine School presented by Monika Hardy and Students


7. Abolishing and Replacing Grading presented by Joe Bower


8. Innovative Practices in Education- The Power of Students Producing for Authentic Audiences for Authentic Assessments presented by Paula White

9. This Ain't Your Mother's Classroom: Why You Need to Use Social Media In Your Classroom presented by Tim Gwynn

10. Education: Timeless and Priceless presented by Steve Anderson

Things I Learned/ Ideas I Want to Try/ Ideas I've Had as a Result of RSCON10:

1. Hello Wolfram Alpha.  Why have I never heard of this math site before?  And why do none of the teachers I work with know about it?  And if I get to school and someone already knew about it and didn't share, I am going to be pretty upset... Wolfram Alpha.  I'm not exactly sure of all the ways I can use you yet, but I know you'll be valuable.

2.  I am not alone.  Although I feel alone in my school building many many days, I am not alone.  With at least 105 or so people in every session that I attended, and people keeping up with the backchannels during the sessions, and then following up on twitter and writing blogs about ALL OF THIS LEARNING, I can clearly see (or read) that I am not alone.  This gives me hope.  Hope keeps me going.

3. I've always been strongly against grading, but I need to do my homework and research.  As a special education teacher, I spend so much time assessing and all of my assessments are formative.  I am constantly assessing throughout each and every month, constantly recording data, constantly making notes, doing informal observations, having to remember to write data down from the playground, the hallway, the gym, the cafeteria, the lunch line, etc.  I report data quarterly to parents, produce a narrative 3 times a year, produce an entire IEP with present levels of performance data, and do 4 report cards.  I hate the report cards because so many of my students don't meet the proper criterion for their grade levels.  They get "adjusted grades," but what does that even mean?  They get an adjusted curriculum with adjusted expectations and take an Alternate Assessment in the state of Ohio.  Grades are... useless.  But, I need the information and the opinions and the research to back up the statements I make... Joe Bower inspired me to do that homework. And when I do, I will join his Moratorium on Grading.  But I want to have a definitive stance.


4. One of my goals for the year is to show another teacher how to backchannel.  My thought is that I would like to teach our computer lab aide how to backchannel and see if she can get it moving in the computer lab.  I am still brainstorming all of this, but I think third graders would be able to do this.  I think they could be discussing the story they read each week, the social studies topics, the science topics, questions about math topics, etc., etc., etc.  


5.  I also think that backchannelling is a great way to differentiate.  If all of the students have "pen names" or code names (think Justin Beiber or Miley Cyrus), and the teacher has a list of all the code names, then students are able to share their opinions or questions freely.  As the teacher lectures, the students can ask questions anonymously (though the teacher would know who is asking).  I also believe that backchannelling could be used for formative assessment.


6.  I attended the New Teacher Survival Kit session although I am not a new teacher.  In 3 weeks, I'll begin my 8th year as a teacher.  But, I think the things discussed in this session were worth hearing again.  Plus, it reminded me of the positive attitude that I need to start the school year with.  Sure, we might be in the middle of negotiations.  We might be facing some difficult editorials written by community members.  We might even be facing over 35 RIFs in the last 2 years.  And yet, I need to start the year with a positive attitude in the interest of my students.  I want the best year for my students.  Start positively (and stay out of the teachers' lounge).

7.  I loved the reminders about Bloom's Taxonomy from the HOTTS presentation.  I think that I don't think about this enough.  I think about developmental milestones and Ohio Content Standards and functional skills and components of an autism program and all of the needs of all of the students with special needs, and I don't think often enough about incorporating higher order thinking skills.  I want to incorporate these skills more for our students.


8.  Although this quote was attributed to Cel Foster, a teacher from Fremont, Ohio, she says that is was not her quote, but someone else's (no matter whose quote it is, I LOVE it), "We need to stand in front of students, NOT as master teacher, but as a MASTER LEARNER."


9.  Awesome quote by Monika Hardy - "Learning is the New Teaching."


While there were certainly more than 9 things that I can take away from this weekend's Reform Symposium, I need even more time to process it all.  I need to read others' blogs, revisit the things I saved, revisit everything I tagged in delicious, and start the school year to see what challenges lie ahead.


What I do know?


This weekend's Reform Symposium was well worth the time I spent laying in pajamas in front of my laptop.


I learned more this weekend than I have in the last  year's worth of PD at my school AND in the 2 years of my Ed. Tech. Masters Program.

Thanks to those who presented, organized, participated, moderated, and listened. Thank you. Thank you!