Before I embark on another school year and head into my 20+ year of teaching, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on this past summer. For me it was a summer unlike many other summers I've had. At the start of the summer I celebrated 25 years of marriage to my wonderful husband with a few days away. And while I did have some days at the beach and lots of good times with great friends, I started something brand new this summer: graduate school! Getting my Masters degree in Educational Technology is something I've wanted to do for many years but could never find the time or energy. Not that I have more energy now, mind you, but with my youngest child entering her junior year of high school and my two oldest out of school, I thought 'it's now or never'!
It was definitely a whirlwind of classwork as two regular semester courses were squashed into seven weeks. Even with the fast pace, I learned so much and I'm heading back to school with plenty of new ideas for the classroom.
But outside of the core subjects themselves, I learned something else: There is an amazing community of teachers out there willing to support you and offer encouragement along the way. Whether it was collaborating on a group project, offering advice on my blog posts, or giving me that 'You can do it!' speech when I thought that I might lose my mind, these teacher friends demonstrated the true meaning of camaraderie.
So this post goes out to all of you out there cheering one another along on this journey. A special shout out goes to my Group A Edtech 501 colleagues: Linda B., Kendal C., Michelle A., and Glenndon W., to my blogging buddy Lisa M, and to all of my fabulous PLN friends: Dennis, Marilyn, Akilah, and Teresa (who was kind enough to write a guest post for me). I aspire to the likes of A.J. Juliani, John Spencer, and Dave Burgess. To all of the teacher community: thank you for continuing to inspire, support, guide, and cheer. Continue to be AWESOME!
Before this gets too warm and fuzzy, I will sign off for now.
Best wishes for an amazing school year!!
Joanna