But what's the takeaway? I feel like I just wrote a long paragraph to toot my own horn. I guess it's that if you put yourself out there, like duck, and try something cool, don't be afraid. You're not the only one who wants to do the cool stuff! Be big hearted, full of sharing, and brave. As long as you are, as long as you're kind hearted, as long as you reflect honestly on your mistakes as well as your successes, you're doing the right thing. And when you've done it, you'll be Duck, too. Not all leadership is loud and pushy. The best rarely is. If you lead by doing the right thing, the best thing, the awesome thing, the best people will follow.
Today's Blog to Follow is Teaching Now by Tammy Neil. I've spent the year working to increase student voices. My aim is to help students find what they care about, put their feelings into words, and share those words wherever they can.
Tammy is that leader for teachers. So much of what I know about here comes through places where she collaborates. She moderates numerous chats, she blogs, she works to build teacher connections. I don't know if she's put it into these words, but it is clearly one of her missions to help teachers know that they're not alone in their classroom, and that by connecting and collaborating, we all become more powerful. Scroll through her posts - so many of them are about helping people connect, or examples of how she uses her PLN to make her teaching practice better. Tammy is a fantastic example of what being a Connected Educator. So if you've got some time, and want to get more connected, check her out!