Staying Connected

I love my small town.  We are nestled in the corner of Eastern Washington...surrounded by the Blue Mountains, wheat fields and wine country.  There are times that we joke about living on an "island".  To get to the city, it's at least an hour drive (if you consider the Tri-Cities, a big city).  Spokane is 3 hours away.  Seattle and Portland are a 4 hour drive.

As I've moved more into the Teacher Leadership mindset, I realize that networking is a huge piece to my success, motivation and learning curve.  It introduces you to a new set of students, teachers and administration.  Their conversations are different than ours, and yet our love of students is the same.  It opens your eyes to new ideas, a variety of problems/solutions and a different way of systems thinking.

So what have I done to stay in touch with the big city folks?

1)  I use social media.  All of it -- Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and blogging.  In our neck of the woods, all we hear is "No Facebook. No Twitter."  I think it is frightening in a small district to post.  There really is no anonymity and pretty easy to deduct who might be the center of your story.  However, I believe that we are capable of being professional without avoiding it all together.  We know the norms.  We know to not use names and to be thoughtful in presenting our ideas.  If you aren't willing to say it in person to the person, you better not be putting it in print.  All of that being said, I don't only focus on education.  I like to write about my running, my family and my love of life.  I enjoy learning about the people that I'm connected with beyond the educational realm too.  This is how we build trust, understand our varied views and grow as people.

2)  I subscribe to a wide variety of news feeds so that I can be up to date on "offerings" and hot topics outside of my little neck of the woods.  National sites, national groups, state wide groups and county forums.  Once you choose one, it seems that the rest just naturally show up.  I am at the time in my career where administration and leadership and how the two blend together are in my sites.  Therefore, I spend my time reading and seeking that time of information.

3)  I find relevant opportunities to attend trainings, camps and PD (professional development).  The truth is though, I have to be cautious about what I choose.  I pay for these things out of my own pocket and travel from here to anywhere really isn't cheap.  I have been to CSTP retreats, CSTP/WEA/NBCT trainings, our ESD courses and WSU/Gonzaga opportunities.  They have been worth every penny.  It is investing in my future and gives me the ability to bring it back to my district--staff, community and mostly STUDENTS!

These networking opportunities have connected me with hundreds of educators.  It has helped to expand my knowledge of student learning and best practices.  I have been inspired!  Inspired to dig deeper, discuss further and take risks.  And I have met some really genuinely nice people who I know I will forever be friends with.  I have discovered so many more opportunities in education than I ever knew existed.  Roles that tug at my heart strings and let me see the impact I can have on our students.
So you see--whether you live on an island or not, staying connected will feed your soul, advance your teaching repetoire and inspire you to always move in a forward direction.  Stay connected.  It's worth it.