What's Your Passion?

Do you ever get lost in the day to day happenings at work and forget to pursue what you are passionate about? Many individuals in Education promote Passion Projects and Genius Hour, time dedicated to pursuing topics that the learner (student or adult) is passionate about. Did you know that Google has their company set up so that employees at headquarters are encouraged to pursue their passion for 20% of their work week? I wonder how this could enhance learning in schools.

Buddy Berry is a Superintendent of Schools in Kentucky, and his district has embraced the passions of teachers and students and embedded it into their learning. They focus on what motivates kids and spend time reflecting on how these passion projects can be incorporated into the school day. Along with this, their district has looked into the community for problems to solve and challenged students to create solutions for the problems around them. When kids have a say in what they do, they build ownership and often exceed adult expectations.

I love tech. I love giving kids a platform with tech to share their story and their learning. We work to empower kids using technology as a tool, whether it been through book trailers, a green screen and video or robotics. Kids step up when they see that an adult believes in them and is willing to give them chances. Is it perfect? No, but we learn from our mistakes and become stronger as we move forward.

Let's start with teacher passion. What are you passionate about? How can you bring that into your classroom and spark some interest in learning more? When kids see that you are a real person, with a life outside of school, you are building relationships that mean more than learning any one piece of content. I'd bet that at least one child in your class has the same passion as you, or knows someone close to them that has the same passion. Give it a try, share your love of something with your students, and they'll share their hearts and minds.

It's About the Experience

There are several reasons we work in schools and kids come to schools on a daily basis. The most important factor that many lose sight of, is the experience. I pride myself in learning to build a positive experience for not only our students, but also for the adults in our building that work and visit. As we aim to prepare students for life after K-12 education, we must focus on the experiences they have while they are with us in school.

I am lucky to be able to attend one of the best summer conferences close to my home in Indiana. The Southshore eLearning conference has been an annual conference for the last 4 years as part of the Indiana Department of Education's Summer of eLearning initiative. The School City of Hammond, along with a few other districts, hosts the event, which this year brought 1,000 attendees. One of the speakers was Ken Shelton. Ken focused on the student experience as part of his keynote. He challenged the audience to ask students, "what experience do you want to have in school." Actively engaging students in the planning of their instruction will not only inform the teacher, but it will help build the relationship between the students and the teacher.

When thinking back of our days as students in the K-12 classroom, we remember fun teachers, trips, things we did with our friends. We don't often remember a specific lesson that taught us a specific concept. So how do we focus on building the experience? First we must decide to talk about it. We have to focus on building positive relationships and a positive culture that fosters collaboration. We have to be willing to say, this is a priority.

An experience is memorable when the participants buy in because they are interested, excited, curious and willing. We create experiences everyday at #myjblions. Kids remember fun, they remember gross, they remember love. School isn't only about teaching requirements, it is also about building experiences that last a lifetime. Thanks for the reminder Ken Shelton!