teachers who don't share ~ Wait, do what??

I was told by one teacher that good teachers don’t share.

This sentence from Steven Anderson and Tom Whitby, The Relevant Educator, struck a chord with me.

How can an educator NOT share their best practices, their failures, and their successes with other educators?!

When I started using Twitter, I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew there was a lot of information out there for me, at the time a 2nd grade teacher. I had the opportunity to hear Will Richardson and David Warlick speak at MECA (MS Educational Computing Association), and their keynotes got me excited about and pondering education. This excitement forced me to dive into Twitter even more. Today, I am able to connect with authors, edtech leaders, fellow technology integrators, teachers, and administrators. I share what I know and learn about what they know. I am connected!

So I go back to my question... How can an educator not want to be connected and share?!

- the unknown
- time

These are two big reasons I see as obstacles for educators becoming connected, or more connected.

So what can I do to help, I don't know just yet but for the moment I will continue to share my excitement and story of why it's so vital to be a connected educator.



These were my thoughts while flying to FETC 2015 in January. I wanted something to read and decided to download The Relevant Educator.  Little did I know that download and the Twitter post about it would lead to some YAY moments for me!  That is another blog post though!

While at FETC, I had the opportunity to hear the authors, Steven and Tom, discuss the book.  There are days that I don't feel very relevant at all, but then there are others.

The statement "I was told by one teacher that good teachers don't share." still makes me wonder. Why are teachers afraid to share.  Are they afraid of coming off as bragging? Are they afraid someone will criticize their work?  I do not have the answer to those questions and I really wish I did!

Sharing is not a bad thing.  Just look at how many teachers share items on Teachers Pay Teachers! Look at all of the teachers on Twitter who share on a daily basis.  Sharing is not a bad thing.

How can we get teachers to realize when they share with others, they are growing and helping someone else grow too.

- the unknown
Sometimes you just have to jump into the water feet first!  Everyday is an unknown, especially with the introduction of new innovations. Just today, I saw a video for Corning Glass.  WOW! We have to embrace the unknown, cautiously embrace the unknown, and make it known.

- time
Well, Brad Currie wrote a great blog post about 100 minutes a week.  Time is not a problem if you look at in smaller chunks.  Think of it just like you would a large pizza.  You can't eat the whole thing at once, you have to take small bites.  Do the same thing with becoming connected.

Open your classroom door and share something!

Eva Harvell