Expand Your Influence

• I've been influenced and encouraged three weeks in a row by the Christian Educators in our Thursday night chat (#ChristianEducators). It has been a joy to converse with several new tweeps and deepen communication with individuals already in our Professional Learning Network (PLN). We look forward to sharing, hearing about and supporting each other in our challenges. Dr. Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler) has led our chat and welcomed us graciously!

• Jasper Fox Sr. continues to be one of the most influential individuals to me in our PLN! Not only does he take time to join us in our #COLchat (Monday's at 9pm ET) and #SBLchat (Wednesday's at 9pm ET) weekly, engages in educational conversation in Google Hang Outs (GHOs) when he and I need them, but he takes the ideas we're brainstorming about and field tests them in his classroom or on his blog! Jasper has been a great encouragement and an individual I know I can count on for fresh ideas, needed corrective criticism and someone who models what I believe a real educator should be. Jasper, you're the Man!

• A group of individuals at Gradeable (www.Gradeable.com) on St. James Street in Boston created a collaborative learning environment for educators this last Thursday to discuss assessment, its benefits, its variations and its affect on students and teachers. The influential panelists included Jennifer Spencer (educator at Match Charter School), Alexis Rosenblatt (Director of School Support at the Achievement Network) and Jonathan Ketchell (Editor at Hstry). Our discussion of Formative Assessments (FAs), Summative Assessments (SA) and the continued state mandated standardized tests was eye-opening as well as the need for regular and varied FAs. There were also opportunities to discuss how the Gradeable website provides support for educators and grading assessments. 

• Then Friday rolled around and I had the opportunity to share with Daniel Hakim, an individual working on his Administrative Practicum. To say we had a mind-blowing conversation puts it mildly. We both learned a great deal from each other about educating youth, services available to our youth and sometimes the number of students that more than fall through the cracks. I was dumbfounded to become aware of youth that are not being given a fighting chance to become educated and contributing members of society. Our brief conversation really opened my eyes. 

• Our Twitter Professional Learning Network (PLN) continues to expand virtually daily. The Professional Development (PD) I've experienced over the past year with these dedicated educators, administrators and various leaders has transformed my learning, our classroom and the mental horizons I've had the opportunity to view. I feel compelled to express my deepest and most humble appreciation toward Jasper Fox Sr., Darin Jolly, Garnet Hillman, Michele Corbat, Rodney Hetherton, Adam Hartley, Brian Durst, Catherine Morrison, Steve Mefford, Jim Cordery, Dave Burgess, Kimberly Hurd, Bethany Hill, Dave Mulder, David Culberhouse and Lisa Palmieri. There are countless others. But the appreciation for these consistent contributors to my professional development is more than I can put into words. 

• This post would certainly not be complete without expressing my appreciation for the dedication, perseverance and culture of our Wilmington High School students. This year I've had the opportunity to learn from and with students who bring a tremendous desire to learn, an appreciation for all we do together and an unending willingness to go above and beyond! With their grit and zeal for learning, I've been able to transition from being their math teacher to a facilitator of learning with math being our content. Their ability to question, collaborate and communicate so effectively has transformed our learning environment. I am honored to have learned so much from these exceptional students! Thank you all!