For about a year now, Bill Selak and I have been talking about him coming to visit Penngrove. I LOVE
having visitors on campus. There is just something incredibly meaningful about
connecting the numerous conversations that take place via Twitter, Voxer, etc.,
with a good old fashion visit. I’ve had the opportunity for some of the
educators whom I admire the most to visit my campus over the past couple of years.
Whether it’s a quick check-in, or an all day adventure, there is just something
about my friends being at Penn that is extremely humbling, exciting, and
encouraging. Last week, having Bill at Penngrove was absolutely full of
unexpected gifts.
While I was busy doing the
morning assembly, meeting with our amazing PTA President, and prepping for the
Penn News, Bill was en route in the pouring rain for what would be a three-hour
drive for him. Yikes. I had the Panther VP (Video Production) Crew in my office
when Bill arrived and they had been anticipating his arrival maybe more so than
I had!
As we toured around campus,
I told Bill from the get go, “If you see anything that needs immediate fixing,
or that I’m doing that could be done in a more efficient, better way, please
tell me immediately so you don’t forget!” And there began a day of learning,
ideas, dreaming, and sharing. After being on campus only two hours, walking and
talking as we were in and out of 14 classrooms, Bill gave me a bazillion
unexpected gifts. I’ll share just a few that stuck out to me.
Mr. Selak teaches 5th graders about www.photosforclass.com
The Boomerang
App which takes awesome video
A shortcut in
Gmail to compose an email (I still haven’t finished this one)
The chance to
watch him teach students about www.photosforclass.com
and then, a student he was working with taught the entire class about it!
A brand new
theme song for our PennNews recorded via Garage Band on my laptop (which I
didn’t even have installed on my Mac prior to Bill’s arrival)
A lighting
lesson in our green room
Tons of advice
and thoughts about EdCamp and Unconferences
Coffee tips
(milk goes first people)
A reminder
about all the loose hanging cords that need to be tidied up all over campus
A
thought-provoking conversation about computer labs
An addition to
my Amazon shopping cart with a new mic
Raspberry STEM
knowledge
One of my fav
Selak fun fact: he doesn’t like pickles (which came with his roast beef
sandwich), which totally rocked for me because it was all I ate for lunch!
Encouragement
that spray painted sidewalks are awesome!
Being able to
observe a student who has been having a really difficult year, tour Bill around
his 1st grade classroom like he was the king of the school.
Silly banter in
the hallway as students approached Bill asking, “Are you really famous?” (the
answer we gave them: “Heck yah! EduFamous!”)
A Google
Hangout with Amber Teamann who I have wanted to “meet” FOREVER!
Tons of support
and encouragement as we hosted our first ever unconference with teachers from 5
different elementary schools in our district
A little
periscope action during a random dance party in the middle of the raffle at our afternoon
PD.
Mr. Selak gets a tour from a 1st grader
Multi-tasking! Bill gives Amber Teamann a tour of my office via GHO while I schedule rainy day recess and chat w/ Mrs. Olufs!
A special interview after a lighting lesson.
Right?!?!?! Our education
community is just so incredibly giving. Giving of their time, resources,
energy, ideas, and sacrifices for the benefit of our students. I would have
LOVED to have had Bill at Penngrove for an entire school day so we could really
dive deeper. We didn't get to quite a few “big topics” I had been looking
forward to talking about. However, in just a few short hours, Bill left me with
so many unexpected gifts that I wasn’t expecting in the first place and that I will definitely
cherish.
I know this blog post is
about Bill’s visit last week and the specifics that took place but really, I
think that his visit was a culmination of the gratitude that I’ve felt for so
long towards those who have come to Penngrove and given a piece of themselves
to our students and staff. One of my favorite days last school year was when
I sat on the carpet in Room 3 watching my favorite Superintendent in the whole world,
share a story with a group of six year olds. To be given the gift of watching a
friend whom I look up to in so many ways interact with the students I do life
with every day…was absolutely life changing. Thanks Sanfelippo.
As educators, we invest our
lives in our students at our own schools, in our own cities, in our own
districts, in our own counties and in our own states. But when we take the time
to visit other schools, to discover what others are doing, to provide feedback
and suggestions along the way, we have the power to leave unexpected gifts
everywhere we go. And that my friends, is a gift you can’t wrap, ship, buy, or
earn. It’s the gift of time. The gift of friendship. The gift of belief in one
another. It’s exactly what we all need a little more of these days. Give. Risk. Learn. Trust.
Jen and Joe came to hang out during the first few days of school this year. So meaningful.
As a leader, I find myself constantly moving. Actually, it probably has nothing to do with being a leader, I think it's more about who I am as a person.
"You're always on the go, Amy." "Are you ever home?" "When do you stop?" "I was going to call you, but I figured you were off doing something fun." "I cannot keep up with you! Don't you get tired?"
These are common questions and comments that I hear on a fairly regular basis. Moving. It is a part of who I am, and for me, it's the only way I know how to function. I love being on the go, surrounded by people who fuel me, and sharing positive energy with others.
I've spent the last three days at Skywalker Ranch participating in an incredible learning opportunity with 80 other administrators. CUE Rockstar Admin. Holy cow - what a journey.
Move Alone.
Some attendees are here with a team, and others appeared to be lone rangers until they quickly made new friends. For me, I'm getting to live the best of both worlds. One of my closest principal friends, @chaugen, who I "principal" with in Petaluma is on faculty at Rockstar, but for the majority of the time, I've been able to float around as a lone ranger. I'm rarely alone, so this has allowed me to really quiet myself, reflect more than usual, and realize the power of movement.
Although I had to beg these two for a "Todd Sandwich" picture, I can't get enough of being in the presence of leaders who make me better. Just knowing that we're all in this together, despite the fact that we rarely get the chance to spend time together, is rejuvenating. The little bits of wisdom, the new ideas, the reminder that we're making strides in the right direction because it's "good for kids" is more than enough to fill my bucket. Besides the dynamic faculty at Rockstar, the small but mighty list of attendees is also an incredibly talented and passionate group of educators.
Move Out of Comfort Zones
In each of the 7 sessions I've attended, the lead learner has expected me to move out of my comfort zone. In fact, sometimes we were even told explicitly, "All I care about is that you do something out of your comfort zone." In thinking about this, although it can feel uncomfortable for a few moments, I think it's SO critical that as educators we constantly force ourselves to feel this level of discomfort. We do it to our students ALL the time. We expect them to learn something new, try something hard, persevere, and too often as educators, I don't think we acknowledge how hard that can feel.
Yep, I would bet money on the fact that most of us should probably do this more often. Even me. It's been fun to watch so many of my busy friends find little corners in random rooms, sit down, and just soak up the scenery here at Big Rock Ranch. Being "on the go" doesn't always serve me well if I don't take the time to stop from time to time and reflect. A goal for myself after this experience will be to stop moving from time to time and reflect on my practice.
View from a boat ride a group of us took after the
event to soak it all in.
My Fav: Moving for Fun!
Enter Jennifer Kloczko! Oh my goodness, girl! On Saturday, Jen showed up to inspire us all and set the tone for day 3. Let me just say that she ROCKED it. Literally. With her stereo on wheels in tow, her disco ball attached to the top, and a super fun movement activity from Go Noodle, Jen had the whole theater of educators (except for Todd Feinberg - lame!) dancing, smiling, and singing! What a great reminder that movement is all around us.
Alone. Together. In new places. Just for fun. Movement: it's powerful.
