I have been humbled for the past several summers to have been selected to work with some of the top teachers in the the state of Pennsylvania as a staff member at the Keystone Summit. These teachers come with a lot of knowledge about using technology in the classroom...but they leave with a tool box full of new ideas and some amazing connections...
I keep in touch with many of the attendees throughout the year...following their projects, offering ideas via twitter and skype and when they have success locally and globally, they turn to me with thanks and gratitude....but I am not the ONLY gardener....
One of the pieces of advice I give to folks when they are entering a coaching roll is that they have to choose where they put their efforts - what, when, how much, with whom. Find the rich soil, folks who are willing to be open to try new things. THAT is why I love the Summit so much.
I am not the only gardener... True, I am planting seeds in very rich soil...but it is the teachers going back to their districts who choose what they want to grow and what needs to be let go. We have to know how best to nourish what's important. They are the ones who decide what they need to prune and what needs to be given a chance to flourish and it is the impact of what they are doing in THEIR districts that will impact what we want to have happen in the future.
We need to remember to always pay it forward... to find the rich soil back at your schools...continue planting, watch the seedlings, anticipate potential draught, stay away from the weeds that can overcome they garden they are creating. Think about what tools you have when the garden begins to wilt.
And my stake in this garden...the reason continue to work so hard, planting seeds....
I am a mom first...and what YOU all do for children on a daily basis deserves to be recognized!
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I loved your title of this post because I've been doing a few posts about teaching and gardening. I like how you talked about the soil and teachers chosing what to plant. Thanks for this thought provoking post!
ReplyDeleteWhat "gorgeous flowers" you have tendered in your garden!
ReplyDeleteYou have completely worded a post exactly how I feel about planting seeds and remembering to pay it forward. That is such an underlying philosophy of my Web2.0 journey.
I had the pleasure to skype into one of those Keystone Summit Workshops to talk about Global Collaboration Projects - nothing (apart from my 3 children) gives me more pleasure than planting an ICT seed, nourishing it and watching it grow.
From one Mum to another, one teacher to another, one gardener to another - let's keep tilling the soil :)
George Harrison often quoted that he was 'just a gardener', when asked about what he was doing post Beatles. So, you're in great company.
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