Sunday, May 25, 2014

A Summer of Learning

Inspire. 


It's what I hope I've been able to do in the last 19 years as a teacher, and it's my continued pledge going into my 20th year this fall.

To engage my students in active learning, inspire them to be all they can be and more, and to lead them as well as my colleagues into believing there's always more we can do to learn and grow .... that is my goal.


Inspired.


That's what I've been in the last 2 months since actively joining Twitter. Although I've made some random posts over the last 12 months, I've been happily surprised at what Twitter has open my eyes up to in a short amount of time.

From connecting with amazing educators in my state, country and beyond...
..... to joining Twitter chats, book groups, starting this blog, and signing up for my first EdCamp.... 
..... the possibilities seem endless!

On my summer checklist:
1) Committee work on revising math curriculum & assessments for 4th grade
2) Attend 2-day class on student engagement
3) Co-teach 2-day summer class on Close Reading and Writing to Learn
4) Teach a week-long summer class with Camp Invention
5) Attend a 2-day ISEA Summer Leadership Conference
6) Participate in my first Twitter book chat & GHO
7) READ! ~Digital Leadership by Eric Sheninger, Rigorous Reading by Frey & Fisher, and Close Reading in Elementary School by Diana Sisson

And those are just school-related things. I'm also committed to finishing some scrapbooks, being the parent organizer for my daughters' swim club, and spending as much quality time with my family as possible!


Inspiration.

It comes from many places, people, and ideas. I've been challenged, somewhat out of my comfort zone, to start this blog which I hope will help me lead others into believing they can take small steps to engage and inspire their students to love learning!

* Be who you are & inspire from near or far *

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have a busy summer planned! I look forward to reading your take on your summer reading and conferences in your future posts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow Jen! Way to jump in! I'm so grateful for Ben's idea about the 10 summer blogs. It will open up a world for us to reflect, inspire others, and be inspired by our blogging PLN colleagues. Bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad you joined the Twitterverse it is career and life changing. Love that you have a lot of great goals for the summer. I find summer a great time to reflect, evaluate, make changes, and implement newc ideas. Might I suggest to find time to relax and unwind as well. I think that maybe as important as anything. Good luck. Will be awaiting your next post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow. You have a busy summer planned. Make sure you take time to relax :). Happy to be blogging with you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great first post! First one is done :) you have great goals and projects for the summer! I have the Close Reading book in my pile for the summer too! Swim clubs keep you busy! My daughter swims as well. It's why I'm up so early today on a day off, she has 8am practice! Off to get my run in:) have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like you're ready to go! Enjoy this journey, and here's to your 20th year teaching (mine, too!!)! :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great blog. It's so nice that even after NINETEEN (wow!) years, you still inspire, can be inspired, and find inspiration. Balance is key, though, so I hope you have some fun planned inbetween all that awesome learning. Great post, Jen. I look forward to reading your blog this summer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations on your new blog! I have been blogging for a little over a year and it has been a life-changing experience, especially in terms of my teaching. After you get your feet wet, you might want to head over to Two Writing Teachers. Every Tuesday they host A Slice of Life where you write a small slice or story about your life. It is a wonderful writing/teacher community and has been a wonderful source of connections for me!

    You have done the hardest part - getting started! Now you get to write! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post! You have a lot going on this summer. I do hope you post about your class on Close Reading and Writing to Learn. I'd love to read more about these.

    ReplyDelete