Shine On!

Last Friday I was fortunate to be invited to ECET2 or Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching at Kendall College in Chicago.  Created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Friday was dedicated to connecting with teacher leaders in the Chicagoland area, celebrating the great work we all do as educators, learning from amazing keynote speakers and breakout sessions, and creating an action plan for the future.

I was inspired to start "gush writing" or writing for a set period time (like five minutes) without deleting, editing, or stopping--something hard for the language arts teacher in me who cringes at the sight of those little red squiggly lines under my text but something I highly recommend after having experienced it through my breakout session!  It's amazing how many great ideas come out of five minutes of straight thinking and writing--especially since my mind is typically running a mile a minute on a consistent basis.

I was given the opportunity to have a bit of fun and make a Bitmoji to share with the world.  Word.

I was asked why I teach--something I didn't really have to think about it because it's engrained in who I am.  I enjoyed adding my answer to the community board and seeing others' responses.  It was clear that I was surrounded by positive energy, people filled with passion, and educators who hoped to inspire our students for the future!  The enthusiasm in the room was contagious! 

And who doesn't love having a little fun in the photo booth?

But through this experience--connecting with others to learn and share, indulging in the amazing food prepared for us, and just celebrating how awesome it is to be an educator today--the one everlasting message from the day came out in that final hour of our day together.

We were asked to work with colleagues to figure out how we could fix education today.  After all, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation believes that in education, you should ask the experts--the teachers--for their valuable input.  After brainstorming and valuable discussion, it was pretty clear: mindset.  In this age of vilification of teachers, pressure to get students to perform well on tests, and teacher burnout, it's easy to get caught up in the negativity around us.  And that's exactly why we must shine on.  There are always going to be those people that are the naysayers, the ones who don't want to think outside the box or take risks, the ones who will stifle our excellence.  Sadly, we all know these people.  If we want to move forward in education, and in life, we can't let the negativity get us down.  We must keep an open mind, stay true to our calling, and let our light shine.