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| CCIRA 2018 |
"Teaching is hard, it's complex, and you don't have to do it alone!" Meenoo Rami
Hallelujah! Teaching is messy; learning is messy! Why would anyone want to venture out on this journey alone? Yet, that is what I think most of us do, at some point in our career. We get complacent, or just tired, and we shut our doors and put our heads down, and trudge on. Alone. It's unnecessary, and it's ineffective. |
| Meenoo Rami-Keynote 02/09/18 |
I'm not sure, but I'd venture to guess that holding this amazing literacy conference in February is not by accident, but rather brilliant design. For educators, at least for me, February is a difficult month. I'm beginning to lose steam, and focus. If I'm not careful, the thought that 'it's already February, it's too late for this, or that' resides in the back of my mind. I have to fight to keep it from creeping up on me. So HALLELUJAH for some mid-year inspiration, conviction, and challenge!
To adequately share what I took away from CCIRA 2018 would require multiple posts, and while I may dedicate future posts to this, for now, I just want to share a quick glimpse into what I took away.
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| One of the books I bought at the conference! |
In our district, our Superintendent has charged us with coming up with a sort of 'brand' for our schools. He asked that we think like entrepreneurs, and be innovative in what our schools could look like. This is a daunting task. But as luck would have it, one of the most innovative minds in education, Meenoo Rami, was the keynote speaker on Friday morning.
Meenoo was a teacher at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, and a teaching fellow with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Currently, she is a Manger for Minecraft Education at Microsoft (I shared this with my kids and they were ecstatic that I met
someone 'from' Minecraft).
Meenoo inspires and challenges teachers to think outside the
box and imagine what could be in education. She asks us how we can bring joy
and relevance to the classroom. Furthermore, she asks, "what does an empowered learner look like in your classroom?"
Of course, while sitting in the keynote, it's easy to get
excited, to laugh and cheer alongside fellow educators. But what do you do on
Monday morning? When you are alone again in your classroom, facing 20+
students? How do you maintain the mid-conference energy?
"Either you evolve, or you die" Meenoo Rami
Action Plan
First, I am going to make visible the gems I got while listening to Meenoo. I have captured several of Meenoo's quotes on sticky notes that I plan to put around my classroom, bathroom, car...reminders of what can be and what I can be a part of. Second, I purchased her book, THRIVE-5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your TEACHING, and I am going to ask our innovation team members to participate in a book study with me. Third, I'm going to see if we can invite Meenoo to our school. I was fortunate enough to meet with her after her keynote and I inquired about what our next steps might be as a school. She gave me some tips, as well as her card and said she would be happy to help, even offered to come do some PD with us! I was overjoyed and inundated my principal with emails! Fingers crossed that this is something we can make happen. And, finally, I'm going to keep my head in the game! It's already February, but yet, it's ONLY February. There is time to (Re)Invigorate!
"Conditions
shape outcomes. It is up to us to cultivate those conditions." Meenoo Rami
For a bit more inspiration, check out this short YouTube:Rubik's Cube: A question, waiting to be answered
For those of you familiar with my blog, I'm adding a wine note (I've completed a round of the Whole30, and I'm choosing wine as the 'food group' to reintroduce to my diet~don't judge)!
~Cab Lover (sipping a glass of 2016 MATCHLOCK Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles)
