Sharing, Learning, Inspiring

Photo Copyright by Moyan Brenn

I have not had the opportunity to participate in any online ETMOOC sessions to date due to my time zone and a lot of after school commitments. However, I’ve been meaning to participate more than I actually have. I saw Dean Shareski present at our school district’s Digital Learner Series earlier this year and his message about sharing really resonated with me. His online session for ETMOOC was equally inspiring. What I took away from it was that I better share something soon!

I’m still new to the teaching profession. Because of this, I find it very easy to fall into the “no one is interested in my ideas” trap. Thankfully, I have finally been able to begin building a sense of confidence this year and I am finally feeling as though my teaching and learning is beginning to be a true reflection of who I am. Dean shared this YouTube clip at our dinner series in September, and it instantly changed my outlook on the value of my contributions. It is a wonderful reminder that we all have something worth sharing.

As educators, it is so important that we share our experiments with each other. I say experiments because there are many days when I feel as though I have failed and I have to remind myself of the bigger picture. I am not perfect but I care about my students. Deeply. Ridiculously. I truly want what’s best for them. I want them to be creative, passionate, and independent. I want them to be critical thinkers. I want them to love learning. I want them to understand that we live in a world that encourages collaboration and inspiration like never before. And I want them to know that you don’t need a fancy job title to be an inspirational leader. How could I ever possibly convey this message to them if I never collaborated with other educators? If I never tried anything new? How could I dare teach them that we live in a world made for sharing if I never shared myself?

I am not sharing as much as I should. I struggle with time management. I also continue to feel self conscious about my contributions. The point is that I want to share and I am trying to share as much as I can right now.

So for all of you who are worried about what others think (because I know you’re out there…) you are not alone! But it is only through sharing SOMETHING that we can motivate each other to continue on our journey.