Tannenbaum Tech - 1/2/2022: Building Momentum through Stories

Building Momentum through Stories

In my third blog post of my #oneword2022 #momentum series, I am so excited to write the first official blog post of 2022. In my last blog post, I shared some amazing opportunities to address my second mini goal: Grow and enhance my leadership skills as an educator by engaging in experiences that will help me broaden my perspective. Did you attend any of these opportunities or check out any of the books I recommended? I hope so.

For my #oneword2022 #momentum, I will be focusing on four specific ways that I can build and maintain #momentum. They include:

In today's post, I want to focus on #momentum maintenance as I share my reflection on the learning experiences of the past week: the inspiring Road to Awesome pep rally and an amazing book that I just read, Lead with Instructional Rounds by Vicki Wilson.

All three of these experiences are vital for us to keep in mind as we begin this year. Like most educators on the Sunday before winter break ends, I am concerned about the uptick in COVID cases and how it will impact the return to school after Winter Break. These three experiences that I will share I hope will inspire you and help fill your bucket as we navigate unchartered waters yet again.

Jay Gross- "This profession is a gift. Are you learning from your students? What will people remember about you? How are you getting them to that point.

Making Every Moment Count in our Story

What an amazing experience the Road to Awesome Pep Rally was. It was exactly what I needed to get ready for the 2022 return to school.

I loved the keynote and the truth that Jay Gross shared. The quotes to the left are things that we need to remember as we return from winter break. Yes, there are challenges, but remember as you wake up each day that being an educator is an amazing gift. We need to take advantage of that and learn with and from our students. We are the author of our story? We determine what people will remember about each of us? We get the opportunity to craft our story in such a way that others can experience our story.

Don't be afraid to share your voice, your story...

I truly loved this segment because it resonated with me so strongly. In this segment, Livia Chan, Dana Goodier, Chris Hobbs, Chad Lang and Brian Martin shared about the importance of sharing your voice using both podcasting and blogging.

Almost 3 years ago, I started blogging at TannenbaumTech.com. It was one of the most terrifying things I have ever done- putting my voice out there for anyone to see, but it has led to so many amazing opportunities and connections that I am so grateful that I went past the fear and pressed PUBLISH. It truly changed my life!

Yes, putting your voice out there is scary, but you, like all of us, have a story to tell. I started with blogging and maybe one day, I will add podcasting. Pick the medium that works best for you and feels the most authentic. But all of us need to hear or read your story too.

Learning from those who we serve with ... their stories

In addition to the great live events that I participated in, I also read a fantastic book this past week, Lead with Instructional Rounds by Vicki Wilson. This book was recommended to me by Lindsay Titus and it did not disappoint. I love this approach to professional development where teachers learn with and from each other by observing and reflecting. Often times we feel like we need to go to "Professional Development sessions" to learn, but this book shares so beautifully how short visits as part of an instructional rounds framework can not only help educators learn and reflect, but provides many unintended rewards as well.