tToday is a day I look forward to every year. Today is #edcampcitrus, my chance to spend the day being a studen of educational technology. I get to hang out with some of my favorite colleagues, meet some people I only know though Twitter, and I get to play. It isn't a vacation, but it definitely feels like a break to me.
I am, at my core, an idea person. I like coming up with ideas, talking about them, using them to shape and reshape the world I move through. My work ilke doesn't lend itself to that easily. A lot of my mental space is take up with administrative detail: are my lesson plans addressing all the targets for fidelity, did I remember to sign that one sheet, have I called Billy's parents yet or do I need to hang on before writing that referral for tardiness, and what the heck did I change my password to THIS time? Edcamp gives me space to really consider my classroom practices, reflect on the pieces of my craft that bother me one way or another, and time to just breathe in the strange, exhilarating air of having a hand in constructing tomorrow. When I am at edcamp I feel free to focus on what I think is the most important: the human beings in front of me. I have a unique position, in that I teach special education classes and am somewhat freed from standardized tests. I don't mean that my students don't take them; they do. What I get is the ability to focus beyond the tests and honestly address my students where they are.
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Ms. Thea MannHi! Welcome to my blog! I'm an 18-year veteran teacher Archives
December 2016
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