One week ago I was able to attend a the Hawaii Schools of the Future conference, and work with Hawaii Mid-Pacific Institute. These were fulfilling experiences that I wanted to share in my first blog post. I hope to update this blog with musings on education, technology, and innovation! Thanks for reading...
Reflection on my trip to Hawaii: Good for the Mind, Good for the Soul, Good for the Community
On Sustaining Teacher Professional Development-
I feel that the best professional development connects educators to the core of what they do each day by having a chance to step outside of it and examine it from another perspective. In steeping out and visiting with the educators in Hawaii, I saw a vision of our school and myself. I returned to the roots of why I believe in our school model and I learned the importance of working to keep our core values strong while also promoting progress.
Our school is an inspiring model and a renowned presence in the global education community. The work that all of our teachers, directors, coaches, GSE faculty and students do has made a global impact. I met with countless educators who had so many wonderful things to say about our work with kids and teachers. I feel truly lucky to find myself representing our school and fielding these compliments that extend to all who put in the time and effort to create such a great reputation.
I found this professional development opportunity so rich on many levels. It afforded me the opportunity to:
In working with teachers at the SOTF conference, we learned that everyone was able to rally around supporting practices and opportunities that allow for teacher growth through conversation and workshopping new ideas to push our thinking.
In our work with educators at Hawaii Mid-Pacific Institute, we collaborated on an even deeper level and engaged in core value conversation and student work protocols that connected the work we do at our schools with those trying to do the same kind of work to help kids get the best possible education. This workshop led to deeper thinking on our own core discussions...
Core vs. Progress-
It was an amazing experience to see a school discuss their core values using the same model we did at HTH. It led to new discoveries not only for them but for me as well. I was reminded that the core is the essence of what we are all striving to continue. It's what makes us at HTH known to others and it's what keeps us true to ourselves.
However, the most remarkable thing happened when we realized that what Mid-Pac came up with in the core exercise was all core values and structures. Through a process of rapid brainstorm (The Yes And.. model), the educators we worked with came up with really groundbreaking and exciting ideas to push their school forward--and move towards progress!
I know that at HTMMA we are working hard to preserve and define our core, but what I would love to bring to our staff is a Yes And... dreaming exercise. We made BHAGS but I don't know where they went and what we are working towards in developing some of them into reality. This was really motivating and I hope we can move towards new action groups that fuel our progress into the future!
In conclusion, I feel so grateful to have had this time to reflect, recharge, regain momentum, and refuel for the course that we are steering...
We had the amazing opportunity to meet John Hunter, the keynote speaker and a teacher who wanted to challenge kids to find ways to engage in the real world through a world peace game simulation. He said something to the effect that believing that the students would make the right choices and be able to solve the world's problems was a necessary component for their own realization of success and if only they could leverage something good for the world through playing this game, they may save us all. He helped give credit to the work teachers are doing everyday, and said everything we do matters. We may not know our impact on our students until years later, but we all can remember a significant moment of learning, and we may just be a part of that for someone down the line.
If I can say anything about this trip, it would be the importance of keeping our ideals alive while stimulating progress and preserving the core...I came into teaching because I thought I might make a difference in the lives of others...and thankfully I know that I can if I can believe it...and I know that every opportunity I get leads me closer to realizing what is possible!
Reflection on my trip to Hawaii: Good for the Mind, Good for the Soul, Good for the Community
On Sustaining Teacher Professional Development-
I feel that the best professional development connects educators to the core of what they do each day by having a chance to step outside of it and examine it from another perspective. In steeping out and visiting with the educators in Hawaii, I saw a vision of our school and myself. I returned to the roots of why I believe in our school model and I learned the importance of working to keep our core values strong while also promoting progress.
Our school is an inspiring model and a renowned presence in the global education community. The work that all of our teachers, directors, coaches, GSE faculty and students do has made a global impact. I met with countless educators who had so many wonderful things to say about our work with kids and teachers. I feel truly lucky to find myself representing our school and fielding these compliments that extend to all who put in the time and effort to create such a great reputation.
I found this professional development opportunity so rich on many levels. It afforded me the opportunity to:
- Connect with Like-Minded Educators
- Learn new ways to implement technology in the classroom
- Engage in meaningful discourse with educators about the profession of teaching
- Share our best practices and model learning structures
- Reflect on my role as a teacher
- Feel valued in my work as a support and mentor to other teachers
- Have an impact on educational progress and be a change agent in our field
In working with teachers at the SOTF conference, we learned that everyone was able to rally around supporting practices and opportunities that allow for teacher growth through conversation and workshopping new ideas to push our thinking.
In our work with educators at Hawaii Mid-Pacific Institute, we collaborated on an even deeper level and engaged in core value conversation and student work protocols that connected the work we do at our schools with those trying to do the same kind of work to help kids get the best possible education. This workshop led to deeper thinking on our own core discussions...
Core vs. Progress-
It was an amazing experience to see a school discuss their core values using the same model we did at HTH. It led to new discoveries not only for them but for me as well. I was reminded that the core is the essence of what we are all striving to continue. It's what makes us at HTH known to others and it's what keeps us true to ourselves.
However, the most remarkable thing happened when we realized that what Mid-Pac came up with in the core exercise was all core values and structures. Through a process of rapid brainstorm (The Yes And.. model), the educators we worked with came up with really groundbreaking and exciting ideas to push their school forward--and move towards progress!
I know that at HTMMA we are working hard to preserve and define our core, but what I would love to bring to our staff is a Yes And... dreaming exercise. We made BHAGS but I don't know where they went and what we are working towards in developing some of them into reality. This was really motivating and I hope we can move towards new action groups that fuel our progress into the future!
In conclusion, I feel so grateful to have had this time to reflect, recharge, regain momentum, and refuel for the course that we are steering...
We had the amazing opportunity to meet John Hunter, the keynote speaker and a teacher who wanted to challenge kids to find ways to engage in the real world through a world peace game simulation. He said something to the effect that believing that the students would make the right choices and be able to solve the world's problems was a necessary component for their own realization of success and if only they could leverage something good for the world through playing this game, they may save us all. He helped give credit to the work teachers are doing everyday, and said everything we do matters. We may not know our impact on our students until years later, but we all can remember a significant moment of learning, and we may just be a part of that for someone down the line.
If I can say anything about this trip, it would be the importance of keeping our ideals alive while stimulating progress and preserving the core...I came into teaching because I thought I might make a difference in the lives of others...and thankfully I know that I can if I can believe it...and I know that every opportunity I get leads me closer to realizing what is possible!