Who am I?

As the 2015-2016 school year is getting underway, many educators are taking time to reflect.   We ponder the years gone by and make decisions for the upcoming year.  As academic coach at Smithfield Middle, I am thinking about campus and district goals in order to plan professional development to kick off the year. Blogging is a common venue for teachers and school leaders to share their ideas and collaborate on issues. 

I recently read a blog written by my principal, Kyle Pekurney, and was inspired to write about his topic from my perspective.  He shares a personal anecdote in order to remind us of a common question that many adults routinely ask children, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  He suggests that we should be asking "who" they want to be.  Kyle goes on to challenge us all, "It’s time we lead our children, our students, our staffs, and most importantly-ourselves, on a journey to answer the question-WHO do you want to be?" That is a difficult question that encompasses many aspects of a person's life.  It gets to our core values and beliefs.  It takes courage.

This post is my attempt to answer the question concerning my professional side.  Who am I as an educator?  To answer this question, I took a step back and did some soul searching. If you had asked me as a young child, what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would without a doubt have said a teacher.  By the time I was in high school, I may have said something different; I don't think I would have been certain during those years.  Nevertheless, when I started college, I knew that I would declare an education major.  So, for the most part, I have always known WHAT I wanted to be when I grew up.  No one ever asked WHO I wanted to be, so in a way, I guess I am answering this after the fact but I am accepting the challenge.

This search for myself proved to be very personal as I thought about who I had been in the past.  Some of my memories helped me to realize that I have not always been true to who I want to be.  So, I am choosing to not let my past define me.  With a clean slate before me, I considered how others perceive me and how I want to be perceived professionally.  I am reminded of our purpose as educators and the students who are at the center of our work.  I gave some thought to how education has changed over time and the students that we are charged with preparing for a global society.  Though the task seems daunting, this challenge is at the heart of who I want to be.  I want to be the educator that steps up to this challenge.  I want to continue to grow and learn.  I want to keep this passion burning.  I want to ignite the passion in others.  I want my work to matter!

Who am I professionally?  I am a connected educator with an addiction for learning and a pursuit of excellence.  As I type this statement, a little voice is pushing back and questioning whether this is who I actully am or who I "want" to be.  Clearly, who I want to be and who I am on any given day may not always be synonymous.  The line between the two might be a fine one, but to keep the line in focus, this declaration will be my mantra.  Going forward, I will hold myself accountable by my actions.

 Kyle's Post

#ThankfulThursday

 by maryhadley8

In Birdville ISD, I am thankful for our forward-thinking district vision. In our mission statement, three key terms are used to define the desired culture: integrity, innovative, and responsive. When one stops to think about these words, they describe a strategic intent, a preferred future, something that we aspire to become. @eclark1980 @dsolley1 @PedagogyOfficer. Our leaders are dedicated to creating a culture of collaboration and trust. They are leading an intentional shift from a Teaching Platform to a Learning Platform. I am thankful for their purposeful decisions that reflect this effort like adopting a student-centered coaching model to support campus teachers and ultimately increase student learning. I am thankful to be an academic coach and have a role in this transformation. I am thankful for my campus admin team @kpek5 @tjfib04, faculty, staff, parents and students @SMSRaiderNation! Looking forward to an AMAZING 2015-2016 school year! I am thankful for our recent leadership conference where we learned with @E_Sheninger. I have many new tools to support my work this year! I am thankful for our digital learning team @birdville_DL; I think they had a part in getting Eric Sheninger here. I am thankful for my Twitter PLN.