Celebrating Community

As a connected educator, I celebrate community. I honor all aspects of it. From online Twitter chats to written word to face-to-face communications, I feel the joy of being a member of a thriving tribe of passionate colleagues. What powers this feeling? Perhaps, the gifts I receive and the contributions I make that fuel my joy. I receive new knowledge, collegial support, and inspiration and in turn, offer positivity, creativity, and engaging opportunities to share voice. It is a win-win situation in which I can retain my individuality while being part of a greater whole.

Communities foster togetherness, as noted by the new hashtag, #bettertogether2018, and honor all members. From isolated voices to a collective chorus, community members move within a trusting culture toward risk-taking, difference making, and growth as unique individuals with heart. 

This week, I celebrate community, those I write, converse, and chat with on a daily basis. I honor the mentors, colleagues, writers, poets, and leaders in my community that have helped me develop my skills as one voice among many.

What else have I received from my community partners:

• #NYEDChat, #satchat, #whatisschool, #G2Great for instance provide knowledge and current information that supports me in becoming a better educator
• #SpiritChat, #DareToBe, #INZpirED, #ImpactMatters, and #PeopleSkills offer inspired conversations and listening ears to grow as a caring and authentic individual
• EdCampLI, EdCampLeadershipLI, LiteracyEdCamp offer professional development to hone my leadership skills
• @Wonderopolis and the Wonder Lead Ambassadors spark my curiosity and celebrate wonder with me
• Celebrate This Week (#celebratelu), Slice of Life (#sol18), and Poetry Friday offer spaces to develop my writing through blogging, whether it be small moment narratives, poetry, or positivity texts 

As you can see my communities provide me with a range of topics to become a better practitioner of life. Within these communities, I push myself out from comfort zones, moving me toward becoming a risk taker of thought and actions. It is within communities that I grow as an authentic human open to feedback to move forward. It is also the place where I encourage others to enter. 

There are many more communities that I belong to in life beyond the ones mentioned. Family and friend communities are vital to my well-being and growth as well as my professional communities. When I reflect on all of my communities that I belong to, I am grateful for being part of such a vast array of personal and professional communities where collaboration counts.

This post is dedicated to one of my writing communities that fosters a sense of positivity while reminding me that writing about my weekly celebrations are important. Thank you to Ruth Ayres for creating a space, Celebrate This Week, for sharing weekly moments and thoughts. 

This message honoring my one word for 2018 came from a member of my Poetry Friday community, Mary Lee Hahn. I pass it on to all as a reminder for 2018.

Elevating Voice

Over the course of years, I have learned the merits of noticing and wondering. From seeds of wonder, curiosity grows and inquiry paths shape thoughts. 

After a three day retreat for the Wonderopolis Wonder Lead Ambassadors in Louisville, Kentucky, I have gained a new awareness on the topic of wonder with its multilayered dimensions. I reflect on the power of voice to spread a universal message: wonder is the underpinning of inquiry. With this message comes a call to action-ignite the flame of learning for every child and adolescent.

(Note: The above digital composition started as an original photo taken from airplane as I wondered about the clouds floating by. Digitalizing the photo gave it a new perspective on the impact of noticing and wondering on the creative process.)

Today, Poetry Friday is being celebrated at Carol's Corner, hosted by my writing colleague, Carol Wilcox.

The Wonder of It!

Sometimes in life days are heavy and sometimes they are filled with wonderful news. This week I was blessed with good news and an announcement.

It all began with a last minute reminder from Wonderopolis that the NCFL organization was looking for wonder ambassadors and the deadline was closing. Sounds intriguing, I thought, but would I have the time to fill out the application. Well, I did, and then I was notified that a video interview conference would follow. This was a first. I never participated in a virtual interview but times are changing. Make-up, hair, and a smile were on the must list for that experience. Since tech does not always work the way it is supposed to, during the interview we had to go to Plan B, a phone interview. 

Then, I waited for a response. I must have missed the email at first. It did not arrive in my inbox but then, popped up in another tab in gmail.

What a honor I thought after reading the email. Yesterday, more emails followed, a stream of good will from the other Wonder Lead Ambassadors whom I will meet soon. The fifteen-member team comes from across the United States and Canada. While I only know one person on the team, Paul Hankins, who was part of my roundtable team at NCTE 15, I am eager to meet the others and create a cohesive plan for the year under the leadership of Jon Reigelman, Wonderopolis' Creative Director. You can find the names of the team and news about the Wonder Ground here.

Being part of the Wonderopolis team is certainly exciting. 

When we clear a path, we can wonder with the same curiosity that leads children to new discoveries. This post is the 6th in my Clearing a Path series for the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Please visit the site here to read slices from other educators around the country.