It has been an amazing two weeks in Australia, and I was in awe of the city of Sydney. Although we had little time to actually tour and see some of the sights, what I did appreciate was the connections we were able to make with some inspiring and amazing educators. I would love to list them all, but I would be EXTREMELY afraid of leaving people out.
Here are some of my reflections from the past two weeks.
Tap in
I think that every time I have an opportunity to travel and do some work with other schools, it is essential that I reflect on the process and ensure I bring something back to my own work. To just deliver a session and not tap into the wisdom of people that are actually sitting in the room seems like a lost opportunity. Many of the questions I asked and tried to facilitate conversations around, will help the kids within our own school division. Many of the people that I connected with were amazingly passionate about their schools, their work, and most importantly, their kids. The passion I saw from them is something we all need to tap into. Why would a presenter do it any other way?
This morning, I was watching this Michael Wesch video. He tells a story (starts at 2:11) that is extremely interesting. He told the story of how he does an informal survey with his students and asks, “How many of you do not like school?”, to which he will usually receive over 50% of them raising their hands. When he changes the question to, “How many of you do not like learning?”, no hands raise. With the people that I connected with in the past two weeks, you could tell they all had a sense of these concepts and there was an urgency to improve school for their students right now. That ‘push” is inspiring. The conversations we had in the last two weeks are something that need to, and should continue.
Appreciating Feedback
As a teacher, presenter, learner, etc., it is also important that we are open to feedback. I presented something for the first time and was extremely nervous about doing well and I know there is a lot of work I could do to get better in how I teach and learn with others. Earlier in my career, I know I would have taken any feedback to this work extremely personally and would have been crushed if everything was not perceived as “great”. Now I know that when someone actually sits down and takes the time with you to actually help you to get better, they are showing that they care about the work you are doing. I take it as an amazing compliment when someone wants to see me get better. If they felt I was a lost cause, they probably would not waste their time.
I have tried my best to actually try to push and challenge what others write, and it is not meant to discourage them, but to just push the conversation. I know some bloggers take offence to this and take it personally, but I guess the way I see it is that if I am actually reading your blog, I must value what you are saying. That is my way of trying to help someone get better. It is important that we always are thoughtful of the way we deliver these ideas, but if we are going to learn in an open space, I guess we have to truly be open to the conversation. (Read this post shared by Chris Wejr, that shares some really interesting insights on this topic specifically.)
My Words
If I could think of one word to sum up this trip, it would be passion. If I could choose a second word, it would be connect (thanks Malyn!). If we want to keep doing the important work in education, we have to continue to connect and learn from those with passion for the work we do with our students. If we create a culture in our schools that is for and about kids, this way will become the norm. This cannot just be one or two teachers; it has to be the norm we create. The focus always starts with learning.
Inspired by the passion of those I connected with in the past two weeks, I hope that I can continue to serve our own schools and continue to build this culture.
Thanks to all of those that inspired me in the past two weeks. I will do my best to share what I have learned from you with those back home.
P.S. Stay away from sharks.