R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - Find Out What It Means To Me

It seems like the rest of the week would just go down hill from there, but it didn't!  We awoke early on Wednesday and headed to Rosslyn, Virginia for our Smartboard training.  We got to learn about the newest software and cool updates and then we spent the afternoon working with our peers to create a presentations getting to play with the newest boards that were part of the TOY package.   I have decided to gift my package to Cordova School District, because I think it will serve the staff well here.  I hope to get to share all my learning before I leave as well.    As always, it was a blast working with the other science and math teachers and listening to the others creative presentations.  I am continuously awed at the caliber of my TOY peers!

It was our team's turn to present and of course several of our peers were chatting it up in the back of the class.  So I gave my best teacher look to get their attention.  Of course in typical student fashion, instead of behaving they took a picture of me and posted it on Facebook:)  Teachers are the worst students!

When we returned to the hotel we quickly transitioned to "glamor mode."  We got dressed up in our best clothes, my first time seeing John in a tuxedo, and got to get a professional picture taken.

 We all felt like we were at prom and even more so when we boarded our bus!  We arrived at the US Institute of Peace, a beautiful building and we were greeting with musicians, wine and some of the best hors d'oeuvres I have ever had (spoons of lobster in butter - yum!).   Our dinner was filled with amazing speakers that made me cry and feel so damn proud to be a teacher.  From Arne Duncan to the Vice President of NEA, Lily Eskelsen, to Rebecca, again making us so delighted that she is our voice. 

Thursday dawned with the wonderful arrival of my parents.  I was so happy to be able to introduce them to the other Teachers of the Year.   I am not sure they got to eat after touring them around the room.  After breakfast, I left John and my parents and headed out to a day full of Education Policy and Reform and hence you finally get to find out what it means to me...

The Department of Education hosted the TOY's in an amazing round table discussion about the RESPECT project that has been developed to help inspire conversation and future policy reform.  RESPECT stands for Recognizing Education Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching and it encompasses so much of what I believe needs to be involved for a sweeping transformation of our profession.  We were invited to give our critical feedback in small groups with a facilitator from the fellows that helped develop the project.  We then shared our group talking points with each other and realized we have a lot to do to continue the momentum beyond the day.  We have to carry the ideas to our schools, our communities and our states if we want to see this reform to fruition.   I am hopeful that the Education Policy workshop in July will further our discussion and work on the awesome project!

Didn't get a chance for a photo opp with Arne in the White House so when I found him standing in the hall of the Department of Education, I grabbed him!

I left DC already missing my friends and excited for our next time together.  They are 52 of the most positive and inspiring people I have ever met.  I am not sure I am able to fully reflect on my trip yet, as I am still quite jet lagged and possibly still a little adrenaline rushed.  For now it is back to reconnecting with my students (who I am excited to share my stories with) and of course mountains of grading!

Let Me Be Clear...It Can!

When I was 18 years old I went skydiving.  I jumped out of an airplane by myself and remember all my senses being overwhelmed.  The plane moved away from me in a blur as I fell and then my parachute opened.  When I touched down on the ground I had a smile stuck on my face for days.   Never had I experienced such a surge of adrenaline and emotions.   I would have to say meeting President Obama in the White House last week was a bit akin to my skydiving experience!

From the moment we lined up outside the gate to get in, we were all thrilled and excited and pinching each other to prove it was real.  The day before, they had lined us up by height, shortest was going to meet the President first.  Well, rain tends to change plans and it made the Rose Garden a bit too muddy for guests.  I was bummed not to get to see it, but it meant that the entire ceremony was inside the White House itself.  We entered the West room after wandering slowly upstairs, perusing the amazing pictures on the wall and taking time to use the bathroom.   In the West room we learned of the change of plans, the tallest was going first and the shortest last.  We lined up and because of my wonderful high heels, I ended up 4th:)  The TOY's from D.C., Nebraska and Iowa beat me out with their flats!  We were closed in the room and anxiously waiting the start of the ceremony, when Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, came strolling through the line, shaking hands and striking up conversation.  We chatted for a bit about Alaska, that always seems to be a good conversation started!

A hush came over the room as we saw the President walk into the Red room and headed to the Blue room for our meet and greet.  The line began to move and my senses started to be overwhelmed!  We each were individually introduced to the President, he shook our hand, said a few words and then gave a nice hug for a picture.  Of course we only had one picture opportunity before being shuffled out to the East room for the ceremony, so I am now anxiously awaiting the pictures arrival, wondering what my face was doing at the peak of my adrenaline rush.  I don't quite remember walking out, other than that I almost tripped and fell when I entered the room, not on the steps I had to cross of course, but rather on nothing!

The crowd was big and the camera flashes were bigger.   We were all holding back tears the entire time.  Finally President Obama came out with Arne Duncan and took the stage with our most amazing National Teacher of the Year, Rebecca Mieliwocki.  President Obama and Rebecca gave awesome speeches which I hope you will check out at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOcA90SERk8 Of course since the cameras were right next to me, I am not in the video too much, but watch close and you will see me! 

I swear I did not Photoshop my head in here, I just circled it so you could see me:)

After it was done we got one final picture and then were shuffled back out.  

We paused in the Blue room again taking in the idea that we were looking out through the windows that millions look into.  As we were standing there, still in a daze, the Marine 1 helicopter began its approach.  We stood in awe as it landed right in front of the window and Obama boarded for his next meeting in North Carolina.  Wow.

After leaving the White House, I quickly headed back to the hotel to meet my appointments with Senator Begich and Murkowski at the Senate buildings next to the Capitol.  Looking back, I now realize I was still quite blurry-eyed during my meetings.  Too much to take in in one day.  I was really appreciative of the time that both Begich and Murkowski gave to me considering it was quite a busy day on the Hill and I gave them such short notice.  We were able to chat for few minutes and hopefully establish some contacts for future meetings in the fall when I am in Anchorage. 

The sunny day wrapped with me smiling and realizing how lucky I am to have been chosen as Teacher of the Year and to have the opportunities I have had.  It was a dream come true for me to meet the President, but it meant so much more to me that it was President Obama's hand that I was able to shake (and what a soft hand it was!). 

Can It Get Better Than This?

Things are happening so fast here if I don't post now, I feel like I will never be able to capture how meaningful this has all been, and we are only 2 days in!  We arrived in D.C. on Saturday afternoon to a balmy 75 degrees.  We hitched the convenient Metro to the center of the city and started searching for the Willard Hotel.  I had no idea just how famous and cool this hotel would be.  It is literally 400 yards from the gates to the White House and the walls whisper with their history.  I can't even list all that has gone on here over the years, but the 2 things that jump out to me are that the term lobbyist was coined right here in the Willard and that MLK stayed here the night before his march on Washington and his "I have a dream" speech!  We feel a little spoiled and definitely out of place walking past the high tea every afternoon.

Within an hour of checking into the hotel, our doorbell (yes, I did say doorbell!) rang on our hotel room.  The first of many gifts arrived.  A bag of goodies from ING, one of our amazing sponsors.  An hour later, another ring and my Target bag arrived with my red target Teacher of the Year t-shirt, underneath the t-shirt the real surprises emerged: a D.C. tour book and a red canon camera to photograph our journey! 

We headed down to dinner and were able to briefly see a few teachers and their families, reconnecting with all the TOY's has been wonderful.  Soon after dinner though, John and I succumbed to the lack of sleep.  Sunday dawned early to Cordova weather in D.C., 45 and raining!  I had a video and audio filming to do for Pearson foundation at 11:15 and so John headed out after breakfast for his touring time.  The filming was for a Pearson sponsored program called Jumpstart's Read for the Record.  In October there will be a national reading event of a selected book to try and support early childhood literacy and they invited each state teacher to participate in the promotion.  We were recorded reading the book and promoting it with PSA's.  My peers told me how difficult the video portion was and that the book reading was a piece of cake.  Well, for me the book reading was a tongue twister and the video portion was not too bad at all.  I am not sure I ever want to watch myself - but I think that being able to support the program was an honor.

I was able to get rid of a little stress by taking a 5 mile run in the rain around the National Mall - quite a change in scenery from Cordova, but no less breathtaking!  After a quick turn around we boarded the Target buses meant just for us to head to the Newseum. 

John and I headed over a little early to tour the museum before our evening began at 5pm.  We all wore our red shirts so it was easy to pick out the teachers in the museum.  The museum was great, we didn't have quite enough time to explore, but I was very excited to see a piece of the Berlin Wall and moved by all the original Pulitzer Prize photos from the past 50 years.  At 5pm the museum closed and we had it to ourselves, just teachers and our guests.  They had originally planned for a roof-top picnic for us but in the downpour, they moved things inside.  They have the larges TV hanging in the lobby which doubles as a web cam and they lowered it to the floor for us and we were able to do a group shot in front of the capital!  Our photographer for the week is Bill Clinton's photographer during his term in the White House - I think we will get some good shots.   We then moved to the roof where they had an awesome dinner set up for us - very creative Target style.  We were able to mingle and socialize and smile and laugh.   I was most proud to have on a Target red shirt when I learned about their amazing support of education.  By 2015, they will hit 1 billion in donations toward education and are one of the top supporters of the NTOY program each year.  At about 7pm, we then boarded the buses for an evening wet bus tour of the monuments.   Even in the rain, the monuments are beautiful in the evening:

 Monday broke similar to Sunday, gloomy and cold with threats of rain.  All the southern TOY's are walking around shivering and I feel right at home.  We had a wonderful breakfast with live TV airing of our superior peer Rebecca from California being honored in Manhattan as the National Teacher of the Year.  She made us so proud with her first words and we know she will represent us well.  It made us thrilled at the idea of Tuesday morning at the White House.   We then were shocked as the University of Phoenix, who has just recently blessed us all with the gift of giving a scholarship away, graciously gave each one of us a Kindle Fire!  I am not even sure what to think of all of these gifts, I can't begin to say Thank You enough.

We headed over the Smithsonian Castle after breakfast and our guests headed to a day on their own.  We were dressed in suits and excited for our day.  We were broken into groups and my group was to visit the National Herbarium at the Natural History Museum and also learn about a Tree Banding Project.   We entered the museum and were immediately ushered into the backrooms to see the behind-the-scenes of the museum and get hands on!  I was blown away by the Herbarium - an almost archaic looking area with rows and rows of metal cabinets full of about 5 million pressed plant specimens from around the world.  When I first thought of museum I thought history, but what I learned was how much the specimens are beneficial to conservation work around the world.   I held my breath as I photographed the oldest plant specimen in the collection, from 1594!

We spent the next hour our so learning how the entire process works and how it continues to work.  We were wowed when we got to watch 3 women mounting brand new specimens, they were artists in motion and they are all volunteers.  We learned that one of the main reasons the Smithsonians are successful and completely free to the public is because of the volunteers which make-up 50% of the staff!  We headed outside for our last hour to learn about a fantastic citizen science project called the Tree Banding Project.  We were able to not only learn but take part by banding a tree for the project in the gardens of the museum.   We rejoined the other groups for a closing session and delicious lunch in the Castle.  We all shared what we had learned and how the amazing programs could be incorporated into curriculum.   We left with a different view of what a museum means and how learning, conservation and interactivity are really at the heart of the Smithsonians.

We actually didn't quite leave the Castle, we were swept and guided out:)  We were actually locked in by the Secret Service until each one of us could be checked and swept to head to the Vice Presidents house.  We were quite abuzz as we finally got to board the buses, but the buzz got a lot louder when we realized how fast we were going through town at rush hour on a Monday night.  It must have been the lights and sirens of the motorcade guiding our bus that did it:)  We were flying through red lights because we were running late to meet Dr. Jill Biden and that is not a good idea. 

We arrived at the Biden residence and all of us were blown away.  We entered the beautiful home and began photographing away.  The fires were lit in each room and food adorned the table.  Moments after we arrived Jill arrived in the foyer and spoke to us.   She has been an educator for 31 years and we felt not only connected to her but also that her words were extra special.  

 As soon as she finished she began mingling with us and then we each lined up to have a meet and greet with a quick photo opportunity (which I think will be emailed to us).  What a whirlwind that 30 seconds was, I think it was good practice for tomorrow morning.  I now know I need to practice:) 
After our 30 seconds we were able to take it all in by moving through the rooms, drinking tea, eating food and sharing our excitement with each other.  Many of us took the chance for a photo opportunity at different points in the house.  Here I am in front of the dining room fireplace!

  

We left after an hour and a half.  An hour and a half that will forever be imprinted in our lives.  My mind is swirling and I still can't believe I am here.  I am honored every day and so proud to represent Alaska.  I don't think any one of us is going to sleep much tonight as we await a lifelong dream come true, but I better go try...

An Amazing Gift

A week has passed since my trip to Fairbanks, and I am now sitting in Washington, D.C. getting this post written.  I was home for 3 days and barely had enough time to check in with my classes before leaving again for 10 days - phew!

Part of the incredible honor of being Teacher of the Year is getting the opportunity to give away a full tuition scholarship ($60,000) for the University of Phoenix to a person of our choice!  Back in November, when I first won the award, I had a conversation with the 2011 Teacher of the Year and she told me about FEA, Future Educators of Alaska.  FEA is modeled after the national Future Educators Association, which is operated by Phi Delta Kappa International.  In Alaska the effort focuses on inspiring Alaska Native youth to pursue careers in education.  FEA is unique in that it has culture-based activities from around the state.  Currently there are 60 clubs in the state representing over half of our school districts.  Last year the Teacher of the Year worked through FEA to give her scholarship away and encouraged me to do the same. 

I recognize the importance of growing more teachers from our state for our state and decided to work with FEA for my scholarship give away!   I worked with FEA starting in January to develop the scholarship application and have it sent out to all the advisors.  In March, the deadline arrived and I began reading applications.  I was invited to Fairbanks for the annual FEA gathering to give a keynote speech and to present the surprise scholarship winner. 

It was wonderful to see the gathering of diverse students from around the state.  Over 150 students attended with their coordinators and they were excited about there visit to Fairbanks.  My keynote speech was about 20 minutes long and despite a few technical difficulties (now speaker sound, no remote control access and having to sit in front of the computer) I think it was well received.  I was definitely more nervous keeping the attention of this audience than I was at the legislature!

The moment finally came at the end of my speech, in which I wasn't sure how I would get through the emotional feelings.  My teaching journey has been amazingly fulfilling allowing me to
interact and make an impression on thousands of students.  However, that day was one of the most rewarding days of my career.  I was giving the most amazing gift a teacher can give. The gift of education!  Good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher and I was moved as I read the candidates essays as her identity and integrity came shining through.  Her name is Isabella Booth and she is from the small town of Metlakatla, in southeast Alaska. 

Isabella was shocked and overwhelmed as I presented the award to her.  She is passionate about becoming a middle school special education teacher and working with Alaska Native youth in her future. 

It was thrilling to speak to a group of youth who are enthusiastic about education.  I shared with them my teaching story and I hope that as they listened they began to envision a positive passionate teaching story of your own!

Finding My Voice, Finding The Time

Well, I have learned a lot in the past two months since my return from Dallas.   First and foremost, being Teacher of the Year is quite a time commitment!  My lack of posts over the past month and a half have not been due to lack of things to say.  In fact, I have sat down many times to write and realized that I had pressing school work that needed doing the day before and I quickly let the blogging go to the wayside.  I think one of the problems is that on top of teaching 5 preps and six classes and having a lot of new commitments for Teacher of the Year, I have also been trying to find a job for next year and finish the renovations on our house so it can be sold!  So, here I am on a sunny Sunday afternoon, finally finding the time to share what has been going on since Dallas...

In February I attended the annual ASTE (Alaska Society for Technology in Education) conference again.  This time instead of being sponsored through my school however I was representing the Department of Education.   I had the wonderful honor yesterday of attending the first Leadership Summit as an invited guest. The summit was a new design for ASTE in which the leaders from schools around the state were invited to learn from each other and evaluate and discuss technology in our districts and our state, where we are and where we are going.  In addition to 25 superintendents from around the state (not bad since there are only 53 districts), there were also a variety of principals, tech directors, the Commissioner of Education, a representative from Senator Begich's office, the ISTE representative from D.C. and a multitude of amazing keynote speakers.   It reminded me a lot of our leadership meetings that we had in Dallas and so I felt more prepared for the conversations.  I was able to speak briefly in support of the Consortium for Digital Learning and my experience with the 1:1 laptop initiative.  This led into a most exciting portion of the day which was the transition to iPads and mobile devices for education.  A more sustainable initiative for our students in the future.  Since I was one of the first 30 registered guests for the conference I was given a brand new iPad 2 to take home!  Quite a surprise and what a gift.  We all used the iPads at our tables for awhile and were guided into the amazing opportunities for their use in the classroom.   I must say, I am excited and overwhelmed at learning to adapt to this new tool and explore how I can use it in my classroom with my students.  Of course this will take some time and I haven't had much of that lately.

ASTE continued with many inspiring keynote speakers and a successful presentation of my transformation to a more dynamic classroom using technology.  I had a full room and a lot of great questions.  I have pretty much done this similar presentation over the past few years, just adding to it as I have adapted my classroom.  I worry that it will get old, but each year there are more and more people attending and I have gotten great feedback.  I know next year will be a huge leap for me, changing curriculum completely and starting with a new technology framework in the classroom.

Returning from ASTE, I was swamped for what seemed like weeks.  It is always hard to get back in the groove after having a sub for a week!  Grading piles up and lessons need to be revisited and retaught sometimes.  I learned one lesson - never have the sub try and run labs while you are gone:)  It took me 2 weeks to find my Sea Biscuit from my Marine Biology lab - the specimen somehow up and jumped in a drawer and was found randomly by a student looking for scissors!  Sigh.

I immediately had to get down to business preparing for my trip to Juneau.  I was invited by AASB (The Association for Alaska School Boards) to attend their spring fly-in to the legislature.  It entails 4 days of meetings of school board members and some superintendents from around the state.  The first two days are all about professional development, listening to speakers, discussing education policy and brainstorming how to approach the legislature with a shared message.  The last two days are spent up at the capitol building having meetings and speaking on behalf of needed education funding.

I was fortunate enough to get to present on Saturday morning and also was graciously included in the rest of the sessions. I had a one hour and forty-five minute time slot on Saturday morning so I prepared about an hour presentation and hoped that we could go to lunch a little early:)  I created a visual presentation entitled "From Static To Dynamic Education Through Technology."  I filled the presentation not only with a lot of pictures but also videos, including one amazing one from one of my students that wowed the audience.  I had some great questions in the end and a lot of great feedback.  It was really a practice presentation for me - the true test was my Monday morning presentation in front of the House Education Committee at the Capitol.  I had to squish this presentation into 10 minutes max, a difficult task that took me hours.

I really enjoyed participating in the rest of the AASB conference, especially Sunday afternoon as we brainstormed what our needs were in our districts and for our students and how we could effectively share this message with our legislatures.  I felt honored to be included in the discussions and everyone made me feel so welcome and valued as a classroom teacher with a different perspective!  I shared that I think seeing and hearing the board members perspectives is quite valuable for a teacher and I hoped that they would continue with this type of inclusion in the future.  

Monday morning came fast, and it was my time to go to the Capitol and share my voice.  I was quite nervous, not knowing the protocols and worrying about the questioning portion.  I think it went pretty well overall, but there were definitely some tricky questions that I now know how to answer post-haste of course!  I am including the link to the archived video of the session here: http://gavelalaska.org/media/?media_id=HEDC120326A&type=leg as well as the actual power point presentation (in movie format) to view along with my speech:

After my speech I was able to visit with several Representatives and Senators with Pete Hoepfner our school board president.  This was a great experience and I felt quite comfortable speaking with confidence about the needs for education.  I was quite surprised with myself at how much I enjoyed lobbying!  Not a role I ever envisioned for myself, but like someone said, when you are truly passionate about something than advocating for it comes naturally.  After a crazy two hours of running between appointments and floors of the Capitol building we were briefly introduced on the House floor and then I was whisked away to the airport.  I wished at the time that I could have stayed longer, but I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me at home, just being away from school for one day.

Back home again, I am looking forward to my next task, picking a scholarship award winner and traveling to Fairbanks in 2 weeks.  I have a twenty minute presentation to prepare for students, quite a different audience than I have been speaking too.  Also, the day I leave for the trip I have a brief layover in Anchorage, during which I will interview for a job at King Career Center.  I am thrilled for the opportunity to teach in such a unique setting and in the Advanced Health Sciences curriculum.  A lot of do over the next few weeks and Washington is just around the corner as well.  It is all about finding the time!

Reflections on Dallas

Well, here it is two weeks after leaving Dallas and I finally have caught my breath enough to sit and write.  Being away from class always leaves me feeling so far behind and this time I had so many other things on my plate to catch up on.  It was actually hard transitioning back to reality from the experience in Dallas.  I think I needed a whole extra day off just to reflect on all that I had learned and all the amazing people that I had met.  Instead I have been grading papers and planning away each night looking woefully at my notes I took at the last sessions on Saturday.  So here I go, back to Saturday...

We had one of the most amazing speakers on Saturday morning.  His name was Rick Melmer and he grabbed our attention and emotions.  He presentation was titled: Teachers, Learners, Leaders: Working with Policy Makers.  I know this sounds like it wouldn't be an exciting topic to listen to, but he was an incredible presenter!  He gave us succinct advice on not only how to bring our message back to our state policy makers, but also how to deliver an effective message period.  One of my favorite parts of his speech was about where we are facing in life as individuals.  We stand at any point with the option of facing our death or facing our birth.  If we face our birth then we are staring at hard concrete.  How many people live their lives or professional careers facing this side.  Ahead of us is death, but also a lot of wet concrete.  We can make of it what we choose.  I know which way I am facing!

Our last speakers in the morning were a dynamic duo that spoke to us about the "Media Inside and Out!"  It was entertaining and enlightening.  The presenter Doug Dooner's message to us was "find our message" and "use our voice."  It made me realize you don't just have to be speaking to the media or the legislator to need and use your voice and message, that it could be used locally just as powerfully.

After a wonderful lunch, we had an afternoon with all of us together hosted by 4 National Teachers of the Year who have been our facilitators in our homeroom meetings over the past week.  They are all so unique in their style and had so much to share with us.   We were broken up into groups called pinwheels to role play scenarios, such as dealing with teacher evaluation changes and funding issues.  We each represented different perspectives, such as parents, school board members, policy makers and teachers.  It was a fantastic experience to be part of and learn from.  So often we are stuck in our one perspective, especially when faced with issues that demand change.   Some of my colleagues are pretty amazing actors too - there was a lot of laughter in the reality of the characters that we played.  We walked away reminding ourselves of the importance of an open mind in working for reform.  I also walked away with an awesome tool to use in the classroom for my students - pinwheels!

The last thing that left quite an impression on my were the closing words by Mike Geisen.  He showed us a quote by Shumryu Suzuki - "In the mind of the beginner there are many possibilities.  In the mind of the expert there are few."  Which should we be?  In our role as Teachers of the Year we have to choose between humility and boldness and we should choose both.   We are given a chance to be speakers and leaders for our profession with this amazing title.   He reminded us that we are only experts when we have a beginners mind and that this is a message we can share with our colleagues, our students and others!

We closed the conference with a fantastic dinner and a moving speech by Michelle Shearer the current National Teacher of the Year.  It turns out we have very similar paths.  She went to undergrad with an interest in pursuing medicine and found her calling in teaching.  She currently teaches Chemistry in Maryland.  She was bold and confident and reminded us to be proud that we are in the very best profession. 

Before leaving for Dallas I was told by many people that this year would be life changing and that I would make life long friends.  I was honestly skeptical of the loftiness of all of it.  Well, I left feeling that I met not only outstanding teachers but outstanding individuals who I am confident will be a part of my life for a long time.  I am already anxious for D.C. to arrive, until then I have a lot to accomplish in my classroom and in my state.  I need to find my message and use my voice.

Getting To The Core

Today started with an intense 3 1/2 hour session on the Common Core State Standards.  Our presenter Joellen Killion did a nice job at getting us actively discussing, thinking and questioning during the session and I actually learned a lot by the end in terms of where our place is in all this, as Alaskans and non-adopters. 

The goals for our session were to explore what the Common Core is and the role teacher leaders must play in its success.  Another goal was to develop an understanding of how to respond to change.  At first I felt detached from the conversation around the first goal, but then I began to see the light.  Alaska has new standards and our standards are very similar to the Common Core.   Although we still have room for growth in our standards development and refinement, the purpose of our standards is the same as the Common Core: to provide our kids with high quality education and make them college and career ready in the 21st century.   No matter which name our standards carry, the successful implementation of these standards by teachers is the key next step.  What is needed for successful implementation is the same in every state in the nation: Effective school leaders, high quality teachers and the development of "professional learning community" that is engaged in a continuous cycle of improvement, all made possible by state support.  Phew!

After learning about this, we turned our minds to thinking about how to effect this change in our states.  We were introduced to a model for change called the Stages of Concern.  It applies to anyone experiencing change, such as policy makers and teachers (Hall & Hord, 1987; Loucks-Horsley & Stiegelbauer, 1991).  The idea of the model is that we evolve in our care, understanding & buy in for changes, such as methods of teaching, assessment and evaluation.   The first level is about self concern, with the first step being Awareness: "It does not concern or interest me now."  The last step in the first level is Personal: "How will this innovation affect me? How will I benefit?   Progression through these levels brings one to reflecting on how use is impacting students and finally working toward continual improvement through collaboration and refocusing.  I did a lot of thinking on this model today.  I started with where I was on the model, then thought about where my colleagues were at on this model and then thought about where the majority of leaders and teachers may be on this model.  It seems like a powerful tool to use by education leaders (administrators and teacher leaders) to bring about successful implementation for reform.  In order to effect change in our students, we must first know where they are at, socially, emotionally and intellectually.  We are no different as adults.  I think the key to evolving along this model is a gradual cultural change that encourages positive meaning for Self so that we can in turn have meaning for our students.

After doing a little reflection on this, our presenter had gave us an assignment.  We had to pick a "twin" in the room and go have a discussion with them. We could pick any feature to represent our twin, such as similar clothing, similar content, similar shoes, etc.  I picked my short twin, Luisa from Nebraska, which also happens to be a non-adopting state.  We had a great discussion about how to create positive buy in for change.  Up until that point the focus had been on how to move teachers and administrators through this model.  Luisa brought up a great point on how to show the students in simple terms what the standards were so that they were meaningful to them.  It made me realize that we had not been thinking about the students, parents and general public and their role in a successful reform model.  They are critical, especially in a time when there is confusion about why the changes are needed and what it will mean for all parties involved.   I know part of sharing our voice needs to be focused in this direction.  To share the positive aspects of where we are headed in education to move them from Self to Collaboration.

We ended this intensity by walking away to a wonderful luncheon put on by the People to People Ambassador Program.  We finally were introduced to Michelle Shearer, the 2012 National Teacher of the Year, who spoke to us about her amazing cultural experiences with this program.  They then honored us with a wonderful gift, a gift card for the Donors Choose program.  Donors Choose is an online charity in which public school teachers submit ideas that need funding and philanthropists decide which to fund.  By giving us the gift card, we get to act as the philanthropist and fund a project that inspires us!  I can only imagine how hard it will be to choose.   I am continually overwhelmed by the gifts bestowed to us, especially those that allow us to give back, which seem the most life changing of all.


We ended the day in our TOY home rooms.  Our home rooms are made up of TOYs from our region.  How can the West not be the best?

From Left to Right, Back to Front: Chad from Hawaii, Tom from Montana, Mark from Washington, Brent from Wyoming, Rebecca from California, Kristie from Arizona, Kristin from Colorado, Me from Alaska, Deanna from Nevada, Lita from American Samoa, Leigh from Utah, Elena from Oregon & Erin from Idaho

In our home rooms each day we work with a different National Teacher facilitator to debrief and "agitate" over what we have learned, what has surprised us, what we are thinking.  Today our session focused around effective teacher evaluation and accountability.  We really wanted to spend hours on this one, it seemed a hot topic for all of us.  I think the most valuable tool is collaboration time such as this, because we all have ideas and experiences that can generate a potential successful future model.  We all know that the future will entail teacher evaluation being at least partially tied to student achievement.  I agree with this if the achievement is made on the basis of growth!  When we compare achievement in different demographics based on growth, the results may be surprising.  In 3 states in our room, the affluent schools in large example districts may be proficient, but they are not showing growth, where as the poverty stricken schools are showing growth changes of up to 20% in student learning, even though they may not all be proficient yet!  Which should be rewarded or given a positive evaluation?  Seems quite logical to me!  Another key point that we felt needs to be part of a reform in teacher evaluation is that the methods of evaluation or indicators for success must be decided with teacher input.  With active participation there will be more buy in on the teachers part to move forward.   I hope that I can be one of these teachers!  I feel strongly that with a new, consistent, well-rounded evaluation tool that both teachers and students will benefit, and isn't that our goal?

As Much As It Takes

Another amazing day of learning, sharing and eating too much.  The morning was full of intense discussions about the hot topics in education right now: reform, the Common Core, teacher evaluations teacher value in America and how our voice can have an impact.   Janice Poda from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) spoke to us about the State of the States.  She shared a little about Gates Foundation MET (Measures of Effective Teaching Project) Report and how it was eye opening in terms of what works for teacher evaluation as well as student assessment.  I immediately downloaded it - but haven't gotten used to reading 40 pages on a computer yet - so I will be posting my reflections on this later!  Peter McWalters, a fellow Rochesterian, and also a consultant for CCSSO, was gritty in his discussion of where we are headed in education, I found this refreshing.  He highlighted that there have been years of reform movements in the US, but they have all been impulse techniques.  Now we have come fill circle and we are realizing "Its the teacher....stupid."  Meaning what really makes a difference in our student and school successes is the teacher in the classroom.  One might jump to say that if there are failing schools and students then the teacher should be removed.  On the contrary, "we can't fire away to Finland" as Peter states, but rather work to improve what we have.  Each one of us sitting in the audience represents the best in our state, yet we all know and feel that we have so much to learn and improve on.  We ALL as educators need to be on a continuous improvement model to better serve our students.   What does continuous improvement mean exactly?  Well, one of my peers compared it so eloquently to updating the apps on your iPhone.  You continually do it, not because the older app is bad or wrong, but to improve slightly on the model that is there.  You don't throw out the app, you simply update it.  Teacher evaluation should be based on a continuous improvement model.  Just as we work to take each of our students and move them forward in their learning and assess their progress, we should take ourselves forward as well. Scott Palmer of Education Counsel, LLC, pointed out that we can't reform education in a way that is "anti-teacher."

Since his focus is educational policy in Washington D.C., Scott spent a lot of time discussing the Common Core standards.  I listened quite intently during this conversation that has been coming up again and again during our conference.  As of today, 45 states have adopted the Common Core standards set up by the CCSSO and the State Governors.  Alaska is one of the 5 that has not!  For better or worse, Alaska is quite a diverse and independent state that feels the Common Core doesn't meet the needs of our students.  However, I am left wondering what that means for us.  Where will we settle out in the long term?  Will we be slighted from funding for not jumping on board, will we lose opportunities for our students, will our students be comparable with other states?  I look forward to hunting down Minnesota, Virginia an Texas to hear their thoughts since they are also opting out.

Scott also spoke about the lack of value for education in the US compared to other countries and that it was a cultural norm.  I immediately wondered if a paradigm shift was necessary.  I say we should just get away from the word "education," since it seems to be such an impassioned term and let us substitute the word knowledge.  How can anyone deny the value of knowledge?  Let us be the "facilitators of knowledge" for our youth and for each other!

After our postprandial depression (a.k.a food coma), the day shifted to learning about our year of opportunity.  Just the mere mention of our Washington trip and I get goose bumps.  We are tentatively scheduled for April 23rd-27th, but being an election year that could change at a moments notice, so no plane tickets yet.  We then heard that the most exciting and sleepless week of our year will be in Alabama in July at Space Camp.  We will get to experience weightlessness (and a lot of vomiting I imagine).  An unexpected surprise was a special invite to the Education Commission of the States National Forum in Georgia in early July.  We are all invited to share in workshops on education policy and reform and that is an exciting opportunity.  Instead of being spoken to, we will get to use our voices to lead transformation. 

Sarah Brown Wessling then shared a wonderful resource that I am excited to share with all my fellow educators, the Teacher Channel.  You are probably saying, "oh, I have already been there, its teacher tube."  But it is so much more!  It is a non-profit organization that works to video inspiring and effective teachers in their classrooms.  There are a variety of videos, but what I love most is that there are a variety of uncut videos as well.  Seeing real teachers in their classes that aren't perfect, just like our own.  I have always said that my dream professional development would be to take a year off and attend classrooms around the state and country in all content areas and grade levels so that I could truly learn how to be a better teacher.   Obviously that will have to remain a dream, but I feel this resource really gets me a step closer.  I have only watched a few videos but I recommend sifting through it, its enlightening!

After all this writing you would think my day would be over, that just brought us to 3pm!  We boarded buses at 5:30 and drove to Dealey Plaza, the site of the JFK assassination.  It was a somber spot for a dinner, in the floor above where Lee Harvey Oswald fired his shot.  The somber mood was quickly turned around by the beautiful sunset, the amazing food and the surprised and overjoyed faces of my colleagues as they learned about the University of Phoenix, Teach It Forward scholarship we get to give away to a student of a our choice.  It has everyone abuzz as we end for the evening, what a life changing gift we get to give.

What stuck with me the most today was a quote from George W. Bush.  If you know me, you are probably very confused that a quote from Bush was meaningful to me.  When asked many years ago about how much the war on terrorism was going to cost us, President Bush replied, "As much as it takes."  I would like to apply that quote to education.  First of all, can you imagine if our government or our country had that perspective on education?  How much will it cost to turn our schools around and not leave any child behind?  Shouldn't the answer be, "as much as it takes?"  How much should we as educators be willing to do to turn our profession into the most respected in the country?  Shouldn't the answer be, "as much as it takes?"  How much am I willing to do to have a positive impact on my students and help them move forward in their learning.  The answer is, as much as it takes!

Blinded By The Light

A few of my admirable peers: Hawaii, Alabama, Oregon, Nevada, Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska & Washington

I have been sitting here for over an hour trying to figure out how to express my reflections on my day.  It is times like these that I wish I was a wordsmith like my friend Erin!  Today was full of learning, inspiration and emotions.  The individuals I have met here are truly stellar educators that make me proud to be in their company.

I am thankful every moment for the support that has brought me here.  Representing Alaska is a surreal experience.  I am not sure I am the best representative but I am enthusiastically educating my peers about our great state.  I am up against a plethora of reality shows, but I think I am making progress!
As for my education today, I will try and summarize..

I learned that despite vast differences in demographics we have so many things in common across the states, many of them are the challenges we face with funding, assessments, evaluations and most importantly struggling students.  I learned that we are all here, not because we are the best of the best, but rather that we reflect what is best for our students.  We are diverse in our content yet we all share a common vision of creating a safe and caring classroom environment in which we can foster critical thinking, appreciation for self, appreciation for learning and most importantly life.

I also learned that together we have the will and the voice to be agents of change.  Tomorrow we will be exploring how to make our voices heard to work toward positive growth for our profession.  Sarah Brown Wessling, the 2010 National Teacher of the Year told us that we all reflect the light of our students and peers and I truly feel blinded.

I will close by sharing that Minnesota made us all laugh, Tennessee made us all cry, Illinois has Jedi powers, and middle school English teachers rock...

Sharing A Cab With A National Finalist

I wondered which State TOY I would meet first.  I walked out of Dallas Fort Worth airport into the balmy 65 degree weather and to my cab.  I must have had the teacher look on because immediately the man across from me said "which state are you?"  I think I will simply be known here as Alaska - and that is okay with me...
It turns out that the gentleman is Alvin Davis, a music teacher in Florida, who I recognized immediately as one of the four national finalists they announced last week.  We had a great ride chatting with each other and a friendly clothing designer sharing the cab with us.  It turns out Alvin has been on sabbatical since August serving his duties as Florida teacher of the year.  He has been touring districts, meeting with senators and generally getting involved in a lot of education funding and policy for his state.  I was in awe of his duties!
We arrived at our hotel with some down time before our registration.  I was left humbled after only meeting 1 and I have 53 more to go.  I am ready though and very proud to be "Alaska."
On another note, Alvin did ask me what the main food was in Alaska...
I said salmon of course:)

Congratulations to the 4 National Finalists!

The official press release came out from D.C. this morning.  The 4 National finalists are Gay Barnes from AL, Rebecca Lynn Mieliwocki from CA, Angela Wilson from the Department of Defense - currently teaching in Italy, and Alvin Aureliano Davis from FL. 
I am sure they are all quite overwhelmed at the idea of being National Teacher of the Year, as I can only imagine the feelings I felt as a state finalist magnified tenfold.   They will be interviewing in March and the announcement comes in April during our Washington D.C. trip.  President Obama will name the National teacher in the Rose Garden after we each individually get to meet him in the Oval Office - what a dream!
In just a few days I get to meet these fabulous 4 as well as 51 other outstanding teachers in Dallas.  We are already starting to communicate via a National Teacher of the Year online network.  Get ready for a lot of posts from my daily learning!

A Community Celebration To Kick Off The Year

Alaska Commissioner of Education Mike Hanley presents me with an award.

I started my tenure as Teacher of the Year today with an amazing community celebration this morning.  The Commissioner of Education honored us with his presence in snow-bound Cordova and presented me with a wonderful plaque and clock.  I was so flattered by such a supportive community attendance and overwhelmed by the well wishes as I start my amazing year. 

4 Alaska Teacher's of the Year and 3 are from Cordova! Patricia Truman 2001, Jerry Bendzak 1984, Myself and Trudy Bendzak 1975

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am thrilled to represent our community and State as I begin my travels for the National Teacher of the Year program.  The Dallas trip is fast approaching and I am excited to meet all the other teachers from around the country.  I have a feeling it will be inspiring and humbling at the same time!