I’ve been thinking about this since I returned from ISTE, the world’s largest edtech conference where passion flowed down the escalators and through the wide open halls like a river. Excitement, hugs, pure joy over connections.
I’ve also been thinking about this since I read Pernille Ripp’s post “When Teacher’s Bully.” Pure heartache. What teachers do to each other in the midst of stress, competitive feelings, and jealousy. What people do when they lose their focus and teaching becomes about them. Stuff that rips people’s hearts out and stuff that’s just not good for kids or for the world.
The joy and the heartache.
Think about how powerful we all really are, together. How we each have thoughts and ideas that when put together? Are unstoppable. Sure, education has it’s problems. We could list a billion. But what else does education have? Us. We need to openly share and provide each other with the ideas and thoughts that can keep us going. Stoke each other’s fires. Fan each other’s flames. Share before we’re even sure what works because that’s what collaboration is. Open sharing. Open doors. Open learning. We’d provide each other the thing we need most: Support. Because what happens to a fire when it doesn’t get air? It’s extinguished.
I don’t think any of us get up in the morning thinking, let’s change the world today. We’re thinking, where are my shoes? What time is my meeting? I need to grab a snack in case that one student, or ten, didn’t get breakfast again. Did my own kid get out of bed yet? Is this donut healthy because it has cherry flavored sprinkles?
But, we CAN change the world. Never alone, because a tiny flame in the wind can’t light up the world all by itself. Together. Your shine. Plus my shine. Plus every other educator around us. We could light up the world with us and be the very thing our kids need. A community of sharing. Learning. Growing. Together.
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