This week I read a post by Dr. Brad Gustafson ( @gustafsonbrad ) describing a special moment akin to the “and one” in basketball. A moment where something excellent happens, and more excellent things happen after that!
I told him I could not possibly respond to that in 140 characters as there were so many “and one” moments in my year.
I will start with my experience participating in #KoryTellers a digital reading connection where teachers and classes have connected with @tritonkory ‘s Kindergarten classroom. Getting to read to Kory’s class was so much fun. In return she read to my class. They were mesmerized. This amazing moment lead to the idea that I could get readers to visit my class all across America for “Read Across America Day” What an AMAZING day for my kids. We were visited by 1 local reader and 9 readers from various states and Canada. We learned about the places and asked questions to our readers about where they lived. Not only was it an exciting, educational day for my kids, it was also a highlight of my year!
The second “And One” moment definitely came when my class connected with @rosy_burke ‘s class in Kansas City, Missouri. She was hoping to find an audience for teaching diverse holiday traditions from all around the world. I was hoping to provide more diverse ideas about holidays for my kids. It was a perfect match! Both her class and mine loved the experience. Later her class sent my class books. We had the chance to read to each other’s classes several times throughout the year, and I truly look forward to connecting with her class again next year.
Next would be the inspiring opportunity I had to present at the NJ/PA ECET2 Conference this past fall. As someone who is still fairly new in the global world of education, having the opportunity to become a presenter was an incredible experience. It motivated me to want to be a bigger part of the educational world and it inspired met to try becoming a presenter at other conferences. I have since presented at another conference and I am hoping to expand that to several more next year!
Finally, having the chance to be a part of the team putting on the inaugural EdCamp South Jersey was incredible. I had the chance to collaborate with incredible people and learn a lot of great things. The “and one” was when I recruited our new science teacher to come to the event. She then took the knowledge and inspiration and created an “Upcycling Makerspace” for our school for Earth day. It was incredible, the kids loved it, and it has potential to launch some great new things at our school!
This year has been filled with ups and downs, but there have been many amazing moments, and a few that had some great “and one” opportunities. I am fortunate that I have great people around me to make those opportunities a reality.
The Teacher's Journey 