Professional Presence- Experience the Learning

Welcome back friends! I know it's been two weeks since the last post, but you will soon see why I purposely gave myself the two weeks for a break. The theme this week is to be present, and I wanted to fully embrace that mindset as I set off on my travel/presentation/conference adventures! 

I am fully inspired this November as I attended KDP Convocation and NJEA Convention. From presenting to networking, learning from others, and traveling, it’s been a worthwhile experience! I wish you all could've been there with me, so I’d like to share a few take-aways this week to get us motivated and inspired to continue our own journeys as lifelong learners- together!

We all know the importance of professional development, but what it means is different for everyone. For me, it represents the idea that professionally we all have room to grow, refine our practice and skills, and learn from others. In other words, let's spin around "professional development" into "develop professionally."

I also learned these past two weeks that we need to be fully present to do this. My fellow presenter and CTOY colleague always talks about being present in the moment we are in together.  Lately it's resonated with me because I realize that often when I attend a workshop, webinar etc., I tend to be thinking about other things or trying to work on something along side it. I notice that while I still get something out of the session, I know I could've been more present and perhaps learned even more. My CTOY friend inspires me to set aside all of the tasks, ideas, and “background noise” and to enjoy the moment I am in, and to make the most of it. I’ve learned that while this can be a challenge (like most things we tackle as educators,) is a vital move for us as we grow professionally. It's a skill we need to practice well in order to model it for our students, and even each other! It's our dream for our students to be focused and fully present in the moment of our lessons, so why not hold ourselves to the same standards? 

With this, I’ve fused together the idea of professional growth with Natalie Wexler’s idea of background knowledge for reading. It’s the learning experiences students get from outside the classroom that affect their knowledge and (therefore) their performance in the classroom; and you know what? It affects ours too! We are students ourselves to the world around us, and our experiences affect what we learn and how we learn it. After visiting The Arch in St. Louis this month, I can honestly say I had an “aha” moment how important it is to experience the learning, not just know it. As educators, we have to be creative in bringing these “experiences” to our students, especially since some students won’t be able to have the same opportunities as others. This is also why I agree with Natalie on how it's important to teach the content rather than just "skills" when it comes to reading. It’s in our professional growth and personal experiences we can learn how to bridge the gap for the students in our classrooms, and teach them being fully present in every learning moment is a key to success.

Let's consider ways we can (try, even just one step at a time, to) be fully present in our learning. Perhaps putting our phone on airplane mode, or not opening our emails are small changes we can make. Think about one way you can try this during your learning this week, month, or in the future. Share this with your colleagues and spread the word- it will also inspire you to try different ways as well! 

Final thoughts- Keep focusing on continuing to learn; teaching is lifelong learning. Keep pushing yourself to be fully present in the moment so you can keep your experiences at the heart of your learning. Keep sharing with your students ways to be fully present in a lesson or experience, and finally, Keep collaborating with others who inspire you, or who need a bit of inspiration. We are on this journey together friends!