#CASTEM15 Experience

I had a great time at the Anaheim Convention Center for the California STEM Symposium. The highlights of the conference for me were facilitating a round table discussion with Gina Silveira, Betha MacClain and Kim Kern. 

The title of our discussion was "Creative Play, Maker Education, and STEM: What is the Connection?" Notice the Jenga game in the picture? We wrote talking points on each piece. As people came to our table, they would pull a Jenga piece and our conversation would go from there. It was a fun way to talk about topics like arts integration, school culture, risk-taking and collaboration. Our conversations were bidirectional in that I learned something from each person who stopped by our table. This was the first time I had participated in a round table discussion at a conference and it is an experience that I will participate in again at future conferences.

On day two of the conference, I presented with Gina, Betha and Matt O'Donnell. The title of our session was "Creating & Sustaining 21st Century Learning Classrooms: Pedagogy, Assessment and Design."

It was a great opportunity to share about the work our district has done with professional development. Here is the link to our presentation: http://tinyurl.com/pwkwkgo 

The session was interactive in that we allowed time for participants to discuss their thoughts about what 21st Century Learning looks like, sounds like and feels like. Participants shared their responses on Answer Garden. 

I was fortunate to be tasked with speaking about one of my favorite #edutopics, authentic assessment. What is the point of assessment? What is the assessment trying to accomplish?

Inspiration is a theme for me this year. The opening keynote was given by Leland Melvin. His story about going from the NFL to NASA was inspiring and motivating. The mindset he shared was powerful. 

The conference was a great opportunity for me to collaborate with my colleagues from Sonoma County Office of Education and Piner-Olivet Union School District. I appreciated the opportunity to connect with educators from across California.

Today Was A Good Day! #FutureReady #edleadership

This is a reflective post. The point is that I ultimately reflect on my voice/input as it pertains to education.

The story begins yesterday with the Raiders victory over the Chargers. Part of me relates to Amari Cooper because I'm a "new" principal and part of me relates to Charles Woodson because we are the same age (IRL) and veterans in some aspects. Whenever the Raiders win, I know it's going to be a good week! Little did I know what the foreshadowing of this victory would mean for today....

Today started off like any other Monday. I checked in with Mr. Malone, our PE teacher, to see how PE was going, as well as to debrief the Raiders victory. He is the only other Raiders fan on my staff of approximately 35. He always has some insights to offer about the Raiders and football in general, which I appreciate.

Next, I went to both 4th grade classes to read them my fall mystery story titled, Soup. I think it is valuable for students to see me as an author and talk about the writing process with them. I like to think they are inspired by me taking the time to talk with them about being a writer, as well as sharing my work with them. I appreciated their enthusiasm, questions and applause at the end of the story!

That afternoon, I went to the District Office for a follow up Re-Imagining Learning Collaborative meeting with district admins and twenty-one highly motivated teachers. I was excited to have the chance to share my perspective on the relationship between learning environment, pedagogy and authentic assessment with everyone in the room. Currently, my focus is on the social-emotional aspect of learning and how that directly impacts the learning environment.

As the meeting was coming to an end, I checked my Twitter feed. I noticed a #FutureReady chat moderated by U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, was coming up. I thought the chat sounded interesting because I work in a #FutureReady district and an opportunity to participate in a chat with Mr. Duncan seemed to be too good of an opportunity to pass up. 

Long story short, Mr. Duncan retweeted/quote tweeted me twice during the conversation. Here are the screenshots: 

So...first, Mr. Duncan said, "Great point." I almost fell out of my seat at the District Office. I can't really explain the impact of that. I am still at a loss for words. I'll need a little more reflection time.

Next:

Well, to be thanked by the United States Secretary of Education is affirming (to say the least). My dad really put it into perspective for me. I called him to tell him about the Twitter chat. He responded, "(expletive!) That's the equivalent of a Supreme Court Justice acknowledging my work!" (He's a lawyer.) Thanks, Dad! 

My brothers, on the other hand, had differing views:

Mark Reynolds  interviewed Buster Posey when he was a blogger for Bleacher Report. He has an understanding of the magnitude of today. John Reynolds, well...he has an interesting sense of humor. Everyone says he is the funniest person in our family, and I'll leave it at that. 

They say timing is everything, right? Just when I'm feeling a little overwhelmed (Ignite speech & #CASTEM15 session/round table coming up) and questioning myself, today provided some reassurance via unrelated events that what I'm doing is making a difference for students and my community.

I used to question my contributions to district committees. I used to say, "I'm not sure if I'm the best person to have on this committee, I don't really have an opinion one way or the other...." Eventually I realized my ideas, voice and opinion matters. I've had great mentors along the way. I credit Catina Haugen for her guidance in supporting me develop my voice in education. She has been my mentor and supportive in ways she may never know, but I will be sure to tell her! I also credit Jennie Snyder for being a #FutureReady Supt, as well as innovative and collaborative.