If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?

O.K. so it has been a really long time since my last post. Since the last time I posted I have had a lot going on. In particular, I attended The Solution Tree’s 2008 Learning Summit: Learning By Doing. This conference took place in Anaheim, CA at the Disneyland Hotel and was an incredible professional experience. The focus was on the formation of Professional Learning Communities in schools and the impact they can have on student achievement. I was very inspired listening to all of the speakers (Rick DuFour, Becky DuFour, Rick Stiggins, Bob Eaker, Robert Marzanno to name a few) and came back to my school on fire to make real changes (I started a new blog for the school “A Journey Worth Taking“). Since that time as a school we have started to have some really good conversations about the purpose of our school and the direction we want the school to go and some action has started to take place. One of the best things that has happened is that teachers are starting to truly collaborate and use each other as a valuable resource. In 5th grade we are working on aligning our standards across the grade level and we are developing common assessments. In fact, on the next Science unit we are about to start we are going to use common assessments and compare results and use this data to help us figure out how to address the students that have not mastered the content.  It is funny how all of us have come to the realization (it seems so obvious now!) that working together makes us more effective teachers and holds great potential for impacting the learning of ALL students.

So, while I am in the middle of these great gains in my professional practice I am also considering a career path change for the next school year. I have recently applied for a job in our school district known as a Technology Integration Specialist (TIS). This is a position that I have always had an ambition to pursue, I just didn’t know that I would be pursuing it so soon in my career. I really would enjoy this position because it would allow me to share my passion for educational technology with other teachers and help show them the many benefits of these powerful tools. It just feels weird to be considering leaving the classroom when I am in the middle of creating real change in the system. My concerns are definitely premature since I haven’t even reached the interview stage for the TIS position, but it is just such a weird internal struggle that I am feeling. I really want the TIS position I just don’t want to feel like I am abandoning the journey for change that I feel so strongly about.