Was your Wednesday Worthwhile?

I have been contemplating what to write about since I hit Publish on Blog #2.  After our recent EdCamp in the district on our in-service day, I began thinking about Professional Development and what it should mean to us as educators.  I have been to numerous workshops and conferences through the years.  Some were motivating and thought provoking, while others left me questioning why I went.  A principal once told me if you leave a workshop with one good idea and you actually come back and make it part of your educational world, it was worth it.  I have found that to be true.  Think about it. How many of you have gone to a workshop and can only remember one or two things the presenter spoke about?  You are probably still doing that one thing in your classroom though. As I reflected on professional development and what it should mean to us, I came up with 3 main points I want you all to consider.

1) Professional development has evolved through the years and so must we.  Education is continuously changing and we must be prepared to meet the needs of our students. I now find myself on Twitter constantly.  I know . I know. I've told you all A LOT that Twitter is a must and here is why.  Many of the AMAZING things we have done this year that have changed HOW we do things at Carver have come from Twitter.  As I began following certain principals (such as the amazing Beth Houf) I began following other administrators who she follows. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and have tried many new ideas and it has made Carver even better than we were.  We were pretty amazing anyway, but we've gotten even better. If you haven't begun following other educators, you need to start.  It will change your world.

2) Your professional learning journey will last a lifetime.
We must keep learning as educators.  It is our responsibility to the students in our care each and every day to keep up with what is new and to evolve as educators.  If you find yourself doing what you have done for years and years and years with no change, I challenge you to ask yourself why.  What is keeping you from looking into new strategies and trying new ideas with your kids?  Be the difference now. We should NEVER stop learning and growing and getting better. Help others grow. Share the great things you all are doing.  There is so much happening that is worth sharing.  If you are scared to speak in front of people, try sharing with your colleagues.   You might even find you enjoy it. Someone will benefit.

3) School's must provide professional learning opportunities for educators.  A big shout out to Mandy Lybeck and Curt White for doing just this.  Edcamps are only as beneficial as the people who present and attend.  We all have to go in WANTING to learn from our peers.  This professional development provides us a great opportunity for teacher choice. We can choose what to learn about and then we have to go delve into it more.  I look at it as an opportunity to hear about something that interests me. I can't stop when I walk out the door.  I have to delve deeper.  I have to research the idea further. It's my responsibility. We decide whether to make it WORTHWHILE or not. Speaking of WORTHWHILE...Worthwhile Wednesdays at Carver are basically mini edcamps and I love that so many of us stay after EVERY Wednesday to learn from each other.  I truly believe this is one of the best things we do.  If you don't remember where this idea came from, let me remind you.  A few of us visited EPIC Elementary in Liberty, Missouri about a year ago.  I was intrigued about their concept. It was a K-4 building with 2 teachers in each grade level teaching collaboratively with 50 kids.  Sound familiar?  We met with the principal and during our meeting she mentioned every Tuesday after school, teachers stay to learn from each other.  I LOVED IT! That was the one idea I knew I was going to bring back to you all and we are still using it today. WORTHWHILE WEDNESDAYS are truly that...WORTHWHILE.

As I end this blog, I'm excited it's Wednesday and I will get to learn about QUIZZIZ from our third grade team, EMAZE from our music teacher and Chatterpix from a first grade teacher.  Can everyone else say their Wednesday was Worthwhile?