I’m very thankful that I have the opportunity to work with some amazing people, including Amy Illingworth, our district’s Director of Professional Growth. She recently wrote a blog post called “Five: A Survey” which is also this week’s featured #LeadLAP challenge. I met Amy a few months ago when she did classroom walkthroughs with my principal, and I was flattered at her genuine interest in my classroom, my teaching, and my students. I’m so lucky to get to work with Amy on a few technology-related committees and future events.
Here is my Five Blog Survey reflection:
Five Places I’m Dying To Visit
– Kayla Delzer’s classroom. Student-centered, flexible seating, filled with student choice and student voice.
– ISTE! Excited to check this one off this June in Denver.
– Smithsonian Museums. So much learning and science!
– Tijuana, Mexico. I’ve been before to volunteer at an orphanage in college, but that was rural and outside the city. Many of my students have immediate family and deep connections in this city, I know I need to experience it for myself.
– Finland. Both to visit my penpal of 10 years and to observe in their schools.
Five Tasks I Do Every Day
– Eat cheese, because it’s my favoritest food ever.
– Give hugs.
– Text, tweet, or vox with my best teacher friends. I’m grateful that technology can connect me with people, no matter where they are. We constantly push each other to be better teachers and human beings.
– Read, whether for professional growth or personal pleasure.
– Reflect on my teaching and how I can make my classroom a better place for my students.
Five Talents I Wish I Had
– Cleaning: I’ll do it, but only after I’ve done everything else on my to-do list AND taken a nap AND made another to-do list.
– Run on little sleep: I need 8 hours to function, 7 to sort-of function. Anything less, and I’m a zombie. I suppose this is a good thing, but it makes it tough when I don’t get enough sleep.
– Chaos navigator: I’m not great at handling chaos. I need calm to allow my brain to process, and then I can handle a bit more chaos.
– Balancer: I’m working on the whole work-home balance thing, and it’s tricky. My word for 2016 is “intentional” and I’m learning a lot about myself and my own needs.
– Handle the “WOO”: I’m an introvert, and those with the WOO strength (StrengthFinders top strengths) easily overwhelm me.
Five Leaders I Wish I Could Work With
– Greg Bagby: principal in Chattanooga, TN & co-host on our EduRoadTrip podcast.
– Dave and Shelley Burgess: I love Teach Like a Pirate and all the other books from Dave Burgess Consulting. If only I had the opportunity to work under these two amazing people!
– Shauna Pollock: Author of Creating Class Magic, all about using lessons from Disney and applying them to our classrooms to create innovative and learner-centered environments.
– Doug Robertson: He’s weird, unconventional, but 100% committed to making his classroom a welcoming place for all students. I admire Doug and his drive to challenge the way we approach education.
– Bruce Bochy: San Francisco Giants manager. I know he’s not directly in the field of education, but there’s so much I can learn from him. I’d love to be able to observe him in the dugout, making tough decisions under pressure and facilitating teamwork and camaraderie.
Five Twitter Hashtags I Love
– #FlyHighFri: Justin Birckbichler and I started FlyHighFri last summer as a way to push back on the negativity around us in our schools.
– #bfc530: Every morning at 5am EST, CST, MST, and PST there’s a quick 15 minute chat. I love joining in and doing a little learning before I start my day (ok, so usually before I even roll out of bed).
– #caedchat: Our weekly California chat is fast moving, but fun. I need two columns on TweetDeck, one for the live chat and one for where I’m at in the chat.
– #TOSAchat: My newest Twitter (and Voxer) community, filled with amazing TOSAs and coaches willing to share ideas and work together to make classrooms a better place.
– #gafesummit: I absolutely love that all of the GAFE Summits use the same hashtag. Every weekend, I am able to learn along side attendees at summits all over the world.
Five Blogs and Podcasts I Love (I changed this one to include podcasts)
– Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers (Podcast)
– Level Up Learning (Podcast)
– CUE Blog (Blog)
– Reflections on Leadership and Learning (Blog)
– Jon Harper’s blog and Bam! Radio posts (Blogs)
Five Phrases I Have On Repeat
– “Failure only happens when you give up”
– “Do one thing that scares you every day” -Eleanor Roosevelt
– “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday”
– “It’s bound to be an adventure”
– “You can have results or you can have excuses. You cannot have both”
Five Things I Always Have in the Fridge/Freezer
– Cheese. At least a few kinds.
– Peanut or almond butter.
– Ice cream.
– Apples.
– Frozen veggies.
Five Books On My To-Be-Read List
– Drive by Daniel Pink
– Teach with your Strengths by Rosanne Liesveld and Jo Ann Miller
– Mindful Teaching & Teaching Mindfulness by Deborah Schoeberlein
– The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros
– Wall of Fame by Jonathan Freedman
Now it’s your turn! Use the same categories, or create your own!
Mari Venturino 