A Metamorphosis of Educational Proportions

Before this school year started, a colleague I respect asked me to attend a training session with him for a new grade book program our district was going to roll out.  Little did I know that my quick response was going to trigger a metamorphosis in me.

Before I go any further, let me provide you with a little background:  I have been a professional educator for the last seven years.  For the last six years I have taught freshmen and sophomore language arts.  I have always thought of myself as an educator who was able to get the job done with students, but I was light years behind most of my more experienced colleagues.

Fast forward to the grade book training:  After two days of training provided by the school district, we were on our own to answer teacher, student, parent and administration questions about this new program.  While I never considered myself a building leader of any kind, I was quickly thrust into a leadership position in regards to the new grade book.  My partner and I hosted numerous faculty and parent training sessions and helped colleagues building-wide troubleshoot grade book problems.  Somewhere along the line my interest in #edtech started to intensify.  My Twitter stream became less social and more professional and colleagues I always viewed as the veterans I asked for help started coming to me with questions about using technology in their classes. 

Today my district had its final professional development day of the year.  I hosted two sessions on blogging and online animation and found myself in a now-familiar position.  I presented information to my colleagues, facilitating a discussion about the concept of being a life long learner.  As soon this discussion began, I realized that a metamorphosis had occurred.  I wasn’t nervous about presenting information to my colleagues or asking them to think and discuss education-related topics like I used to be.  I realized that I am becoming one of the people in the building who can help teachers, both novice and veteran become better educators.  The best part of that equation is that every discussion I have, every problem I help someone with, helps me become a better teacher. 

While I will never shout from the rooftops that I have all the answers (or even a portion of them) to the problems that face teachers in my building, I am glad to know that I have grown as an educator and a person.  I have grown enough to be able to share with my colleagues (almost) as often as I borrow from them.  I have grown into the role of facilitator and information-sharer.  Maybe I have even inspired some of my colleagues to take a similar path in the future.

Hopefully this is a metamorphosis that continues.