I’m Finally ‘Mobile’: Reflecting on a Dozen Years at Rogers Communications

Tags

cell phones, Galt Collegiate Institute, Kubrick, mobile, Rogers Communications, Rogers Plus, sales associate, teacher, telecommunications

Across the ocean, they refer to televisions as ‘tellies’, french fries as ‘chips’, and cell phones as ‘mobiles’.  Different words for different folks I guess, but it intrigues me that in the third example, we in North America employ a term that describes what the object is while they utilize one that approximates what the device does or is capable of doing.  A similar dichotomy exists between my ‘workplaces’ pictured above; seemingly oceans apart, one represents (for me) a space in which significant attention is paid to the present interaction–the ‘experience’ we endeavour to create for our customers–while the other looks ahead to the untold lives we diligently equip students to navigate.  I’ve enjoyed tremendous success in the retail environment, but admittedly, it’s liberating to finally be mobile–investing energy and passion where I am certain it will have enduring value!

The fact remains, a dozen years is more than a third of my life thus far, and consequently, a period of time worth reviewing as I take this pivotal leap forward.

My career at Rogers Communications Inc. began around the dinner table one evening when my mother mentioned that she was in a Rogers Video store paying her bill that afternoon and had heard a clerk mention that they were ‘short-staffed’.  I ran down after dinner with a resume and was hired a few days later.  A truly unremarkable story, variations of which are likely to be told by many teenagers in search of part-time work.  I was 19 years old, halfway through my first year of a B.A. at the University of Waterloo, and it was February of 2000.

Today, I worked my final shift as a ‘Sales Associate’ for the Rogers Plus chain. On Tuesday morning, I will begin teaching at Galt Collegiate Institute in Cambridge, Ontario.  Many of my students will be working tirelessly to earn coveted positions in the university programs of their choosing, and I am determined to give their education my full attention.  From where I stand, this transition is definitely a remarkable one, and despite my burgeoning excitement to greet my new students, it seems fitting to mark and reflect upon the end of an era.  

As I look back at the 12+ years since my telecommunications career began, I am utterly amazed–not only at the changes in communications technology that I have witnessed and to which I have adapted, but at the life changes that have coincided.  I never expected to still be working for the company at age 32, married, with 2 children; I couldn’t even envision these days back in 2000, but the way I see it now, there were a few forces at work that fuelled and prolonged what has proven to be an incredibly rewarding working relationship:

Passion

When I worked my first shift at Rogers, we stocked about 17 titles on a ‘new’ format called DVD.  (That’s 17 more than we stock today!)  The other 5,000+ looked like this picture.  I remember purchasing a DVD-ROM drive for my computer with some of my initial earnings from Rogers and buying my first DVD, “Eyes Wide Shut”.  I was (and still am) a HUGE Kubrick fan, and had weirded out my new girlfriend the previous summer by dragging her to the theatre to see it.  (She mustn’t have been scarred too deeply because she agreed to marry me 7+ years ago!)

Though I spent the majority of my time selling cable television and high-speed internet services at that time, even working in a centre within a video store was a dream come true!  Movies were such an influential force in my life, and the thought that I might be paid to discuss them daily with co-workers and strangers was simply too good to be true.  (Thankfully, those film discussions/debates didn’t end, even as we sold off the last of our Bluray discs this spring.)  In many ways, I mourn the death of the video rental business because I think that discussing movies with total strangers, even if they have wildly different tastes than we do, is a ritual that will be sorely missed in our society.  How many places can you go where it’s appropriate to strike up conversations with random people merely because you saw their hand reaching for a particular product?  “You have got to try that yogourt!” probably won’t spark the appreciation and follow-up conversation that ensues when you point out a hidden gem to to a fellow patron in search of that perfect popcorn flick on a Friday night.  Netflix and iTunes and On-Demand services offer wonderful new ways to consume entertainment choices, but at the cost of treasured social interactions?  I hope not.

Addiction

Without a doubt, I had the best part-time job of any university student I knew because I made commissions and worked for a company that offered lucrative incentives!  In truth, despite the many weaknesses that detractors will eagerly point out, Rogers has proven time and again to be quite generous to its employees.  I have literally lost count of the cell phones, televisions, iPods, tickets to sporting events, gift cards, cameras, and endless other gadgets that I have collected over the years in addition to a healthy paycheque.  I mean not to brag about anything but the company that doled out these goodies.  I merely encouraged our customers to try out our new digital cable service (requiring a box with a surface area roughly equivalent to that of a picnic table!) or our blisteringly fast 5mbps hi-speed internet service, and I was repeatedly rewarded handsomely for my efforts.  (Check out the heatsink on that modem!)  When Rogers shifted its focus toward the sales of cellular products under the ‘Rogers AT&T’ brand, my addiction to sales took off and I never really looked back!

Most of my friends worked jobs where they knew exactly how much money they would make from a Saturday shift before they even left for work in the morning.  They poured coffee, or set up banquet halls, or folded jeans for a pre-determined hourly wage.  Conversely, I could push myself to work faster, engage more customers, and present complicated products and services in ways that made them easy to digest, and my paycheque would increase in proportion to the effort I exerted.  I jumped at every opportunity thrown my way and took pride in my sales results.

In 2005, upon completion of my grad studies, my then-fiancee and I decided that in the absence of a clear career path, Rogers would be an excellent place to work full-time while we prepared for our upcoming wedding and adjusted to the responsibilities of married life.  Blessed with a strict but inspirational manager who joined us at this crucial juncture, I embraced the idea that though a sales position was not my calling–was not what I had sweated through grad school to spend my life doing–I would pursue excellence in my workplace and my attitude and competitive spirit would enable me to push myself (and oftentimes my co-workers!) to new heights.  I was reminded of the importance of ‘attitude’ many times throughout the 5.5 years that followed.  I passed up several job opportunities that felt like compromises, and occasionally questioned whether I was moving forward or backward, while I continually reached for the sales crown in our area, our province, our country.  Addicted to sales?  Not really…but it had certainly become a way of life that was comfortable and afforded a degree of confidence.

Familiarity

My final two years with Rogers have proven to be an exceedingly long exercise in ‘letting go’.  As I began my year as a Faculty of Education student at the University of Western Ontario, commuting and working long into the night on lesson plans and assignments, I still maintained a position at Rogers. In hindsight, I see that it injected a normalcy into the craziness that characterized that taxing academic year.  As I ventured forward into my first year of teaching last fall, getting my feet wet in a profession where job prospects are often difficult to come by, again, I was allowed to continue working for this company.  It was as if I was reassured to know I had a ‘fallback’ if my educational pursuits fell flat.

I mean not to suggest that I stayed with Rogers only because it was convenient or because there was something in it for me.  My sentiments lean closer to the original meaning of the term ‘familiar’, which evokes an intimacy, a friendliness, or a sense of being ‘on family-footing’.  I was privileged to work alongside one co-worker (who turned out to make a pretty decent manager!) for 12 years.  Together, we have weathered many storms loosed on us by the business and everyday circumstances of life.  I’ve been told that I’ve filled the role of big-brother, confidante, and debate-partner for a host of others.  As the perks of the job began to evaporate with my decreasing involvement, one powerful reason to ‘stick around’ was to continue to dwell among people I genuinely enjoy!  I know friendships need not crumble in the face of changes such as these, but as life leads us in different directions, the relationships we have can’t help but undergo modification. Hopefully a few of our long-standing traditions will endure.

As my anticipation of the upcoming school year peaks this weekend, it definitely stings a tiny bit to sever a bond that has grown strong over the past 12+ years.  I will remember fondly my time with the innovative company that is Rogers Communications.  I think our relationship has proven to be mutually beneficial!

There are many unknowns that still plague my venture into the field of education, but of one thing I am certain.  When that empty classroom pictured above is filled with inquiring young minds on Tuesday morning, I intend to bring the same dedication and pursuit of excellence to the craft of teaching that has been my practice for the last dozen years.  Here’s to mobility!

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“It’s a mystery! It’s magic! It’s divinity!”

Tags

Alexander Tsiaras, birth, conception, Juno, miracle, technology, TED, visualization, Yale

“It was hard not to attribute divinity to it.” — Alexander Tsiaras

What a curious statement for a renowned mathematician and Chief of Scientific Visualization at Yale University’s Department of Medicine to make while speaking about the intricacies of the structures that sustain human life. After all, he and his colleagues at Yale would undoubtedly be among the foremost experts on the biology of the human body in the entire world!  Any time the ‘experts’ admit that something is “beyond human comprehension”, it’s difficult not to sit up and take notice.

Usually, if I come across a powerful TED Talk, I am content just to share a link via Twitter, but I simply can’t escape thinking about the images that Tsiaras and his ‘new kinds of scanning technologies’ have made available for us to feast upon and ponder.  I invite you experience them for yourself.

Humility and wonder were my natural responses to these ‘visualizations’.  I have long agreed with the statement that Jason Bateman’s character makes in the movie “Juno” suggesting that motherhood begins when pregnancy is first discovered, while fathers often don’t experience a strong connection to their child or a heightening of parental instincts until they hold their babies for the first time.  Even with our second child (born less than four months ago) I felt this to be true, which might serve to explain why I am left speechless when I consider what transpired before I first set eyes on her in that hospital room.

I expect that these different responses have something to do with the fact that as guys we are so visual!  I wonder if my wife had some innate knowledge of this process at a rudimentary level despite it being concealed from her sight and understanding.  (I asked her, but she ultimately found it difficult to put into words the emotional connection she had with our girls prior to birth and her non-scientific understanding of their foetal development.)

Perhaps the mystery of life and birth is one that will continue to evade scientific explanation–one that will “marvel” us for centuries to come! Perhaps it is good for us, amidst our seemingly never-ending pursuit of knowledge, to once in a while encounter and recognize an event or phenomenon that can best be described as ‘a miracle’!

Goals for ‘Online Sharing’: Community, Visibility, & Authenticity

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authenticity, autobiography, blogging, community, digital citizenship, digital footprint, education, online sharing, teaching, Twitter

It’s an enlightening activity to sit back and review your ‘online sharing’ for a two-month period.  I did this last week over a couple of days instead of posting to this blog, in an effort to evaluate whether my contributions to the Twitterverse and Blogosphere were really bearing fruit, were really moving me closer to the goals that initially prompted my participation.

I am acutely aware that this task proved much easier for me than it would for many friends, colleagues, and fellow ‘tweeps’.  For one, I don’t have a Facebook account (never have!)  My ‘sharing’ since August 15th–when I posted my first tweet–has consisted of six (lengthy) blog posts, almost three hundred tweets, and a dozen or so photos on Instagram.  Content I shared spanned topics such as education, movies, music, sports, my kids, coffee, and my affection for Apple products, among other things.  In a mere two months, my online sharing increased by about 5000% (a made up number, perhaps, but I’d only ever helped my wife post pics of our family to Facebook, so that hardly counts!)

If you google ‘trends in online sharing’, you’ll no doubt come up with many reliable statistics surrounding the exponential growth in the frequency and amount of content individuals share online.  The term ‘digital citizenship’ resonates with us because we have a growing sense that we are inhabitants of a digital world wherein we are increasingly living our lives online.  When I signed up for Twitter and began blogging, I was very deliberate about how much of my life would be available online for public scrutiny, and the practical purposes and goals I had for broadening my ‘digital footprint’.  It turns out that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my entrance into the world of social media–more so than I ever expected–but have I stayed true to my self-imposed goals and limitations?

Goal #1: Join an Active Community

I am convinced that Twitter is, at present, the most powerful tool for connecting with talented, like-minded educators from around the world!  I am reminded daily how extraordinary it is to be listening in on, and at times interacting with, educators from places as far away as Indonesia (@intrepidteacher) and Australia, and all throughout the United States and Canada!  What keeps me coming back is the feeling of fellowship–of camaraderie even–that emerges due to the common interests and values held by those involved.  Of course, the members of this community will question and challenge one another, and they won’t always agree, but a welcoming atmosphere and attitude of mutual respect supersede any significant differences that may be present.

I grossly underestimated the strength and maturity of such a community.  I never dreamed that there was a 24/7 Professional Development conference going on via Twitter.  I thought this medium was for superstars and the kids who adored them.  Now I wouldn’t want to live without it, and as I get further into my career and my teaching responsibilities increase, I know that growing a strong Personal Learning Network will sustain me in ways that co-workers and administration are, at times, unable to.

Fortunately, this well-meaning community is even bigger than a bunch of educators sharing resources and best practices.  It extends into almost any arena imaginable.  Of course, forums and chat rooms based around particular special interests have been around for decades now, but Twitter takes these platforms to an entirely different level.  You may comment on the characterization of a particular villain in a television series, then receive a message from the actor who plays that part!  A few weeks backs, one of my posts that merged education-related discussion with film criticism was referenced and quoted by a film blogger whose work I’ve enjoyed for years.  A wealth of ideas coupled with the ease of dissemination fuel the creative energy of an ever-growing community of which I’m thrilled to now be a part!

Goal #2: Increase My Visibility

In his introduction to The Facts: A Novelist’s Autobiography, Philip Roth wrote that, “the person I’ve intended to make myself visible to here is myself, primarily”.  The irony is that despite this stated purpose, Roth eventually submitted the book for publication and exposed the details of his modest upbringing, failed relationships, and early days as a writer, to readers around the world.  Likewise, I had no illusions that I was blogging merely for myself, though I have relished the opportunity to document and reflect upon precious thoughts and happenings over the past couple of months.  I have enjoyed journalling in the past, but have only disciplined myself to journal regularly while on significant trips or before major life events such as marriage or the birth of my first child.  While those events are certainly worth contemplating and writing about, so are many other smaller ones in-between, for as much as we believe that the huge, life-altering events are what shape us, the day-to-day happenings have just as much impact on our ongoing development.  In education, we talk a lot about reflecting on our practice, and like Roth, I believe that a record of thoughts, feelings, and events is invaluable if we are ever to “[use] the past as a basis for transformation”.

I am also certain that one of our primary roles as educators is to educate our students about monitoring and maintaining a positive Digital Footprint.  My aim to increase my visibility stemmed from the fact that my ‘footprint’ was nearly non-existent, and I was convicted about failing to practice what I preach.  I quickly went about updating my LinkedIn profile, and took great pains to establish a blog I could be proud of and a Twitter stream that reflected my personality and interests.  I realized quickly that I need not be concerned about feeling exposed or losing my privacy even if I tweeted about things going on in my personal life.  As I watched others interact on Twitter, I recognized that revealing little tidbits about who I am and how I think and what I do with my time allows others to connect the arguments and opinions I express so passionately with the life of a real person.  By sharing the personal elements we do, it allows all of us to subscribe to and follow PEOPLE, rather than just nicknames and thumbnail images.

As educators, we are called by our society to a higher standard of morality and conduct than members of most other professions; however, we are not required to be invisible.  The integrity and ethics that determine our conduct on a daily basis are directly applicable to where and how we participate in the digital realm.  Going forward, I will model what it means have a vital and visible online presence.

Goal #3: Maintain Authenticity

My greatest fear is that in the midst of all of this ‘sharing’ we risk surrendering our authenticity.  In her wonderful TED Talk, titled “How to Spot a Liar”, Pamela Meyer declares, “Oversharing? That’s not honesty!”  It can indeed get rather ‘noisy’ as everyone is ‘talking’ at once about whatever pops into their minds at a given moment, and the danger is that these lives we exhibit online become estranged from the true lives we lead.  For some, this disconnect between an ‘online persona’ and their ‘real life’ may be intentional, but I want to be authentic in any sphere!

Still, I can’t help but ask, do I unconsciously exaggerate to compose a more eye-catching tweet?  Is it difficult to resist the urge to dramatize the mundane?  Am I giving off the impression in my blog posts that I have more teaching experience or pedagogical wisdom than I really do?  I believe we should be mindful and concerned about these temptations, as I am.  Another ‘buzz term’ that we’re repeatedly confronted with these days is talk of our ‘personal brand’, but is it not a brand’s job to elevate itself in the minds of potential customers in order to increase profits?  I suppose I want to market my skills on some level, but I am wary of perceiving my identity in the same way that we recognize brands.  After all, we are not commodities.

Perhaps our online ‘lives’ do to some extent render us ‘walking texts’; the partial versions of ourselves that we lay bare for all to witness and judge can not approximate the whole.  We must choose what to share/write and what to omit, and whether we are motivated by inhibition or reluctance to expose too much, we are tempted–expected maybe–to present the most favourable ‘version’ of ourselves (not unlike Roth, or any autobiographer).  As I sift through my tweets and posts and pics, I can’t help but wonder if others looking in see the real me, or an idealized but heavily-edited version.  If we are unconsciously engaged in the maintenance of a personal brand (or the concealment of a ‘countertext’ that is less attractive but more authentic) then I can only guess at the long-term effects this behaviour will have on our self-image and the ways we interact both online and off.  My hope is that we don’t sacrifice honesty and truth in favour of online ‘followers’.  As Meyers rightly identifties, “character [and] integrity” are “still what matters!”

Without a doubt, remaining authentic is the most difficult objective of all, and as I forge ahead and fashion new goals for my participation in social media, I will continuously aspire to portray an image that others can trust.  

Why do YOU participate in social media?  Have you identified goals with regard to your online sharing/tweeting/blogging?  How do you evaluate the your own digital citizenship?  Whether you’re ‘experienced’ or not, please share!

**I would be remiss not to acknowledge the indelible influence that Claire Ortiz-Diaz’ wonderful book, Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time, has had on the thinking that prompted this post.  Though her book is directed at companies and not-for-profit organizations that seek to successfully employ the powers of social media to their desired ends, it also guided my thinking about personal goals with regard to online sharing and participation in social media.  I have also drawn substantially from the conclusion of Philip Roth’s autobiography as it applied to my analysis of maintaining authenticity in online sharing.  

Avoiding ‘PowerPoint Overload’: Improving the Use of Slide-Ware in the Classroom

Tags

Edward Tufte, Jean-Luc Doumont, Keynote, PowerPoint, presentations, sentence headlines, slide-ware, target audience, teaching strategies, visual evidence

‘PowerPoint Overload’ results when we utilize what some have called the ‘Banking Model of Instruction’, wherein we treat our students as vaults into which we will deposit knowledge!  Quite clearly, this type of behaviour opposes much of what we believe constitutes effective pedagogy, yet we continue to employ these tools–oftentimes poorly!

Must we avoid PowerPoint (or my personal favourite–Keynote) or simply change the way we use ‘slide-ware’ in our classrooms?

Personally, I really dislike writing on the chalk board.  I prefer an overhead projector, or better yet, a slide presentation ANY day!  It’s not because I have terrible hand-writing, or am afraid to turn my back to students for a few moments to write something on the board.  I think it has something to do with feeling prepared for a particular type of lesson, and in the situations where notes or other materials DO need to be transmitted to students visually, I want what they are looking at to be aesthetically pleasing.

On the other hand, I have many reservations about using the software (Keynote/PowerPoint) because I’ve witnessed the ways in which it has become a crutch in Academia.  The speaker need not memorize his/her talk or speak from notes because it’s easier to just throw everything up on screen.  The students need not pay attention or take notes because ‘it’s all on the slides anyway’.  This is a dynamic that destroys any hope of real learning emerging from lessons delivered this way.  Much ink has been spilt in the last decade exploring this phenomena, and I think that as educators it pays to have even a cursory knowledge of what has been discovered and continue the discussion of how we can employ these popular ‘slide-ware’ packages for the good of our students.

In true PowerPoint fashion, I’ve organized some of my thoughts below in a format ripe for easy scanning.  Please feel free to engage me in further discussion on any of them by way of a comment on this post.

Purpose – to promote reflection and discussion surrounding our use of PowerPoint (PP) in our classrooms and how this ‘tool’ can be used more effectively to enhance student learning.

The Debate:

“Power Corrupts.  PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely.” – Edward Tufte

“What comes out of PowerPoint depends largely on what goes into it; and the tool will likely neither improve poor thinking nor corrupt sound reasoning.” – Jean-Luc Doumont

The Research: According to a large sample of university undergraduates, learning increases when instructors do the following:

• use PP as merely an outline
• incorporate discussions or activities into PowerPoint
• allow time for questions
• show connections and associations between the ideas presented
• use PP to help students visualize the material

Before you prepare a slide-ware presentation, ask yourself these questions:

• What is the message I want to convey?
• Can I use PowerPoint effectively to enhance/clarify this message?
• Will I be respecting my audience as I seek to do so?

In Practical Terms…

a) Create your PowerPoint presentation LAST! — Instead, focus on target audience, message, and which teaching strategies to adopt, followed by structure and timing. 

b) Defy conventions and templates built into the software.

c) Break the mould of standard presentations!  There is no ‘perfect’ model.

How We Can Improve: ‘Alternative Design’ and Narrative/Argumentative Structure

1. Use Succinct Sentence Headlines (a claim, an argument, a statement) as opposed to a phrase headline.  A clear sentence headline will clarify the slide’s purpose and how it relates to the overall message of the presentation.  Read More…
2. Follow the headline with visual evidence as opposed to a bulleted list.  Visual evidence is memorable and the combination of word and image leads to efficient and persuasive communication.  Read More…
3. Include a conclusion slide that remains on screen throughout the question and answer period and contains the key information that you want your audience to take away from your presentation.
4. Determine whether your presentation should best be conceived of as a narrative or an argument.  This decision is based on an evaluation of your audience and your content and will dictate the structure of your presentation.  Read More…
5. Each slide should represent a single thought and the audience should be able to grasp easily how each slide relates to the narrative or argument that drives the presentation.  Read More…

Conclusions:

• We don’t need to stop using PowerPoint (and other slide-ware softwares), we just need to do a better job preparing our presentations!
• Audience & Message must guide our decision whether or not to use the software and how we go about using the software.
• Design and Structure are the keys to a successful presentation!

As we aim to prepare compelling, engaging lessons for our students that harness the rhetorical power of technological tools within our grasp, let us take the necessary time to contemplate our students’ experience of the lesson and what type of presentation (if any) will best enhance their learning!

The Final “One More Thing…”

Tags

Apple, commencement address, death, innovative, iPhone, iPod, legacy, Steve Jobs, Think Differently, tribute

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by carriera01

Steve Jobs uttered many catchphrases and memorable quotes over his years as CEO of (arguably) the most innovative company on planet earth.  In recent years, audiences around the world would tune in to his keynote addresses to discover what revolutionary ‘one more thing’ Jobs would charismatically unveil.  As memorable as the many products and inventions Steve shared with us over the years, is the pure delight he displayed at the opportunity to bring them to us!

Many wonderful tributes will be spoken and written in the coming days by those who were privileged enough to know Steve Jobs personally, or remember the beginnings of Jobs’ indelible influence on his company, his industry, and his world.  In the scheme of things, I am a relatively recent Apple ‘convert’ (though I do remember holding the 1st generation iPod Touch on the day of its Canadian release and feeling like nothing short of a magician as I demonstrated it for family and friends!) but I stand with many who appreciate his staggering accomplishments and recognize what an inspiration he has been to his generation.  After hearing of his passing earlier today, I am prompted to reflect on the subject of legacy–the ‘one more thing’ that remains at the end of a remarkable life.

If we define legacy as a gift ‘handed down’ after our passing, it is logical to consider what ‘gifts’ Steve Jobs has left for us?  Will we remember him for his aesthetic sensibilities and attention to detail?  For his emphasis on ‘user experience’ with each new Apple product he helped to develop?  Or perhaps, his inspirational battle with cancer and his many motivational speeches to students?  Will it be the 300+ patents he holds for breakthroughs such as the computer mouse and the iPod click-wheel?  The president of the United States, Barrack Obama, suggested earlier today that “there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented” (National Post).  Members of his family are quoted as saying that “In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family” (Washington Post).  I would suggest that acclaim and wealth pale in comparison to the truth implied by these final eight words–Jobs was keenly aware that people are to be valued most of all.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed the passing of several close family members and experienced the inevitable clinging to memories that follows such losses, as I’m sure have we all.  Each time I’m reminded of my own mortality, I’m forced to ponder what gifts I will bestow upon those who succeed me.  What will be my legacy?  What will be your legacy?  As a father, husband, teacher, son, I hope that I will be remembered as a man who loved generously, worked passionately, and lived faithfully and vibrantly.  As we seek to digest the meaning of Steve Jobs’ life and death in these coming days, I suggest that we would honour him best by focusing on what he valued and who he loved.

In his commencement address to the Stanford graduating class of 2005, after already confronting and surviving pancreatic cancer for the first time, Jobs spoke these words.  I believe that they speak volumes about how he was able to consistently marvel us with his creativity and share his passion–his delight–for technology and the ways it connects us to one another:

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Thanks, Steve!  Thanks for helping us to ‘Think Differently!’

Professional Development & Potty-Training

Tags

education, learning, occasional teacher, professional development, student, teacher, teaching, technology, Twitter

The first thing you must know about me is that I belong inside a classroom, day-in and day-out, promoting all manner of relevant literacies and exploring/dissecting literary texts with highschool students! My personality, gifts, and academic training all serve to confirm this statement! At present, as a privileged member of the Waterloo Region District School Board’s ‘Secondary OT List’, I am spending a fair amount of time at home (I’m told constantly that as the year progresses, demand for Occasional Teachers will increase). Generally speaking, I’m not a home body.  I have a burning desire to be active and social, so these last two weeks have indeed been challenging. As motivation grew to establish this blog–to do something productive with my extra time–it occurred to me that despite being at home, my time over these past few weeks has largely been divided between the two activities I most enjoy, teaching and learning.  

Professional Development:

The latter could not have come in a more unexpected fashion! If you had tried to convince me a few short months ago that one of the smartest decisions I would make this summer would be to join the ‘Twitterverse’ (coming soon to an Oxford English Dictionary near you), I would have responded with the verbal equivalent of an eye-roll. Not me! Never.

As the start of the school year grew nearer, I began to crave the stimulation and professional growth that a life-long learner simply cannot live without! I recalled a presentation made at our Faculty of Education last winter by Danika Barker (@danikabarker), a highschool teacher from London, ON who has harnessed the tools of social media and utilized them in her classroom in truly innovative and inspiring ways. At one point in her presentation, I believe she referred to Twitter (and the Personal Learning Network she has established using this medium) as her ‘lifeline’. I also read a blog post that my cousin, Carly Bumstead (@c_bumstead), had posted months earlier called ‘How Twitter Changed My Life’, in which she called it “an inspirational headquarters for creative minds” and an opportunity to “network with perceptive individuals just like yourself”. I concluded that to join, observe, and contribute to a community of passionate educators from the comfort of my home was an opportunity too good to pass up!

I can not overstate how impressed I have been with this tool we call ‘Twitter’. In the 38 days I’ve been ‘tweeting’, I have observed passionate, brilliant educators freely and happily sharing their resources, experiences, and wisdom with the community. My attention has been directed to excellent articles/blog posts/discussions spanning a wealth of pertinent topics: advice for new teachers, technology in the classroom, presentation advice, how to manage/promote effective group work in the classroom, and the list continues endlessly. Even as a new member/contributor, I was on the receiving end of some sound advice the weekend before a job interview. Only recently have I begun to interact and contribute, but I am doing so with the utmost confidence that my participation will be welcomed.

Of course, there are many ways that we learn as teachers. Sometimes, as we reflect on our practice, it is startling to recognize that we often learn as much from our students as they do from us! In the absence of these daily interactions, however, we need not wait around for a board-approved P.D. workshop to reflect upon how we might improve our craft. My growing PLN (Personal Learning Network) now includes teachers, administrators, and university faculty members from throughout Canada and the United States (I’d be happy to make some recommendations regarding who to follow on Twitter if you are interested in growing your own PLN). To some of these individuals, I may be one of thousands of followers–they may not yet know my name–but already they have taught me much about what it means to be committed to the task of educating our youth. I know that I will never cease to be a student, and my primary goal as an educator is to awaken in my students this same realization–learning never ends!

Potty-Training:

It may not be “Hamlet”, or essay-writing, or instruction regarding effective communication in an increasingly-digitized world, but it is teaching nonetheless. Our oldest daughter is potty-training, and since my wife’s time is largely consumed by caring for a 7-week old infant, I find myself taking the lead in ‘Operation Anticipate-and-Act-Before-a-Mess-Ensues’. We’re employing a host of positive-reenforcement techniques, engaging in much open conversation about the entire process, and remaining positive despite the discomfort surrounding soiled clothing. It is not easy, but then again, teaching done well rarely is! Energy, patience, creativity, and conviction are required whether the student is 2 1/2 or 17 years of age. The same strategies for engagement and motivation apply. What little success we’ve had thus far has come with allowing our daughter to dictate the pace of her learning by indicating her readiness to proceed and confirming her understanding of the concepts we are trying to teach.  In effect, we are facilitating a ‘student-centred’ approach.

Years from now, my darling daughter will not be able to recall the circumstances surrounding her ‘learning’ this most basic of human habits. She won’t recollect the effort that went into ‘training’ her to control her bodily functions. What seems like such a tremendous milestone at this young stage of her life will nary be remembered when she looks back upon her accomplishments and pleasant memories of childhood. She won’t thank me publicly at her wedding for the many stories I read to her while she sat proudly upon the potty. None of this discounts the fact that right now my wife and I are very much engaged in a significant teaching role, and likely will be for the better part of the next 20 years or so (if not, our whole lives!)

It is reassuring to know that in the course of my career, these few weeks at the start of the year (and whatever amount of Occasional Teaching I must do before I land myself in a classroom of my own) will likewise be remembered only as a stepping-stone toward my maturity as an educator. The unrelenting pull toward the classroom serves as constant reminder that teaching truly is my vocation, and all teaching and learning experience I accumulate now, (be it in various classrooms, in front of my computer, or as I parent my daughters), will some day benefit my students. On one level, it has been humbling yet satisfying to conclude that though I may not be a young man (most of my comrades in teacher’s college were much younger), I am a young teacher, and we all must take baby steps toward maturity regardless of who we are and what craft we seek to master.

When I mention ‘work’, my daughter often will confirm, “You’re a teacher, daddy?” Despite my present ‘pitstop’ on the way to what I know will be a wonderfully satisfying career, I will continue to answer with a resounding “Yes!” and seize every opportunity to nurture my growth and practice my calling.