2017 was a year of transitions and change in a lot of ways for me as an educator.
One of the biggest shifts happened because of a surge of new teachers that joined our department, some of whom were former students. Having colleagues that were once bright eyed grade nines in front of me means that I've passed another threshold in my career.
I'm no longer green, new, or inexperienced. And because of those years of experience, I'm beginning the journey as a teacher to a different group of people; new teachers.
I found myself, more distinctly and consistently throughout the school year, offering guidance, feedback, and materials for teachers who could have been me in my first few years of teaching. I thought a lot about the ways I had been supported and how that support had laid a foundation to help me become a better teacher. That was the intention I had when I sat with young colleagues who were hoping to see the lessons and assignments they were designing succeed within their classrooms.
The side benefit to that new role was the ways it challenged me to see my own current practices and reflect on ways I could also continue to grow. Throughout last year, I explored new projects and developed tools and tasks, I participated in multiple professional development days, explored topics that interested me; I especially focused on my passion for media literacy education across the curriculum.
The one piece that I pondered throughout 2017 was the ways that our network of support is highly dependent on the people we are physically surrounded by (especially in our first few years of teaching). I have wanted to see a network extend beyond the walls of the school (it's part of why I firmly believe in social media like twitter for connecting educators). As a teacher of English, I have lots of other English subject teachers that have resources that I can easily reach out to during the school day. In my other subject areas, however, I'm on my own within my building. That seed or spark that can come from a brief discussion or debate can be harder to find.
This is one of the reasons that I decided to set up a discussion forum for teachers as an additional platform to share ideas and hopefully resources.
So, with that in mind, for 2018, my word is: Amplify.
Its definition is to make larger, greater, or stronger; enlarge; extend. It's also to: expand in stating or describing, as by details or illustrations; clarify by expanding.
That's what I'd like to do this year. I want to amplify great ideas, expand spaces for sharing; help to amplify those voices in my classroom that may otherwise not be heard, strengthen those great ideas happening workrooms, across school boards. This word has me consider the voices that may currently be unheard, and to challenge myself to listen more deeply for them.
I would also like to use online platforms to amplify those speakers and writers and thinkers that help us to think more broadly, more inclusively, and more humanely about our place in the world.
I look forward to amplifying the year ahead!