I've been working on my ISTE certification. The 9 weeks of online learning means many hours after school and on weekends and has already taught me much about time management and procrastination. I'm a procrastinator. I admit it. I don't want to be one but I seem to be incapable of doing things in advance of when they really need to be done. I'm so easily distracted that when I try to get started on something, I always end up going off on tangents or remembering something I've put off that needs to be finished before I can do anything else. It's really a handicap.
For the certification I need to be planning lessons, building a portfolio. I will have until the end of April to complete this. I want, more than anything, to make great lessons, ones that my students will remember long after they've left here. I want to be that teacher who inspires students to want to learn, to pique their interest in something, anything. But if wishes were horses...
So now I am facing my own challenge: to overcome my shortcomings and re-invent myself. Recognizing those shortcomings is a good first step but it remains to be seen if I can really pull this off. I'm old enough now that I don't need to be doing this. I can retire in a couple of years, but I won't. I can't see myself in a world without students and classes and learning. And the online world changes so much and so often that there will never be a time when I'm "caught up."
My students deserve to be exposed to every new technology. To have the chance to find what truly interests them and then have a path, and a coach, to help them navigate. I want to be that coach, I want to get them started on their journey of discovery, I want to learn with them and from them. Children can be amazing resources, their wonder and curiosity is inspiring. This is why I need to manage my time and learn as much as I can so I know how to help my students become lifetime learners and explorers. That's what it's all about!
For the certification I need to be planning lessons, building a portfolio. I will have until the end of April to complete this. I want, more than anything, to make great lessons, ones that my students will remember long after they've left here. I want to be that teacher who inspires students to want to learn, to pique their interest in something, anything. But if wishes were horses...
So now I am facing my own challenge: to overcome my shortcomings and re-invent myself. Recognizing those shortcomings is a good first step but it remains to be seen if I can really pull this off. I'm old enough now that I don't need to be doing this. I can retire in a couple of years, but I won't. I can't see myself in a world without students and classes and learning. And the online world changes so much and so often that there will never be a time when I'm "caught up."
My students deserve to be exposed to every new technology. To have the chance to find what truly interests them and then have a path, and a coach, to help them navigate. I want to be that coach, I want to get them started on their journey of discovery, I want to learn with them and from them. Children can be amazing resources, their wonder and curiosity is inspiring. This is why I need to manage my time and learn as much as I can so I know how to help my students become lifetime learners and explorers. That's what it's all about!
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