Telling Our Stories

I was so fortunate to be able to have a career that I loved. As an educator for 45 years - the last 15 as a principal - every day was a new beginning, an opportunity to make a difference for someone. From my first day on the job until my last, I continued to learn. I chuckle at my naïveté when I began; I didn’t realize how challenging it is to be a teacher and how much effort it takes to truly make a difference for our students, their families, and the school community. Even on the most difficult days, though, I was able to reflect and find something positive that happened that day. That’s what kept me going all those years.

The role of educators is not easy; we are entrusted with our nation’s most precious resource - our children. Our students’ perspectives - their voices - are so important as we seek to engage them as learners. Our responsibility is to work with our school community to empower our students with the skills and tools they will need to solve the problems they will face now and in the future. We prepare them for the world they will inherit.

Schools around our state and in our nation are reinventing themselves to become relevant in the 21st century. Social media provides the opportunity to learn with and from other schools and educators.  It is not enough, however, to just share photos of our school, our students, our staff, or our events. Let’s share our stories as well - our challenges as well as our successes. Additionally, social media can be a vital part of our professional development, and by sharing links to blogs, articles, podcasts, or videos, by participating in edchats, asking questions of our colleagues, starting discussions, or sharing resources, we are elevating the education profession. And it doesn’t cost any money, just a commitment of time.

Let’s get more educators on social media!