I have recently read that we have to acknowlege ourselves and the work that we have done for teachers and students. Although I reflect often on the work that I do as an academic coach, it usually is about what I can do to be more effective and better support teachers in meeting expectations that will benefit students. I have rarely taken the time to think about the successes I have experienced and how I am making a difference. It feels weird to pat yourself on the back. That may be the reason that I haven't participated in twitter chats or other interactive media forums. I didn't think I had anything to offer.
Well, last night as I was checking up on how the Bulls did on twitter, I came across the #educoach chat that occurs every Wednesday. There were many good ideas and resources being shared by some very experienced and enthusiatic educators. I will usually lurk and just be on the outside looking in, but for some reason I found myself typing on my phone to respond to a question. Well, it didn't happen that fast. I typed something then deleted it. Wrote something again then paused. Finally I just got the courage to hit 'tweet'. BAM! Just like that my Professional Learning Network began to grow. I started following more people and people started following me, I didn't know what was happening, but it was good.
I didn't solve the any problems or blew anyone away with some awesome epiphany, I just joined a conversation with dedicated learners that made me stretch my thinking. It was cool. People acknowledged my thoughts, added theirs and even asked questions to make me think (thanks @kathyperret ). If it wasn't for social media I would have never been able to learn from these people that are scattered all over the country. This resource is here; I'm going to start using it!
I know that I am going to go through a learning curve on how I am going to participate in these learning experience more often, but now that I have tried, I want to make time for it. I even put the #educoach chat on my calendar, "repeat every week". As leaders of learning, we are asking our teachers to stretch themselves and try new things that are outside their comfort zone. I have to do the same. Being an active participant in a twitter chat with people I don't know fits the bill and I definitely learned from it.