Look before you leap. It has been said many times by many people in an effort to reduce injury, stress, loss, and more. This phrase has served as a cautionary tale to many as they start out on a new adventure or journey. It can be a great reminder, or it can be incredibly limiting.

I am thinking about look before you leap in an educational context. There are many cases for trying lessons and material with your class that are tested, proven, and known. But these do not always work the best for the learners in the room, and it can limit the opportunities and potential for the class.

Over the lat 2 years I have been learning to leap, to let go of the fear of failure, fear of the unknown, and embrace the possibilities of a great adventure by leaping into the unknown.

One of my biggest jumps has been into Maker Education. I have been inspired by the maker movement and the impact that it has on students, and the great possibilities for real world learning and passions that will last a life time. To take part I was going to have to venture into a place where I was not the expert of all the material, where I would not have answers to all the questions. There were some nervous moments, but the excitement when something went well and got figured out more than made up for the unsure beginnings.

Students have loved jumping into maker projects, exploring, building, coding, sewing, and so much more. They have not been afraid of not knowing, they learn, ask, and solve questions as they arise. The look of determination and joy when they have accomplished something, even better if they get to explain it to others, and the best when they get to explain it to me, the Teacher, and teach me something I didn't know.

Leaping into the unknown can seem scary at the beginning, but knowing there are others jumping helps create a network of Teachers and Professionals who can help when some questions come up. Forming a network with like-minded people is a key to the success of new projects. 

For my Maker Ed leap, Brilliant Labs has been essential to the success of the program. Brilliant Labs has been available to help secure funding for different projects, they have visited my school and classroom to check into see how we are doing. They are great at responding to email and Twitter to stay in contact, for ideas and problem solving.

It is a huge step to take a leap into something that is new, when all the details are not completely known, but knowing that you aren't jumping alone, makes it that much easier to do. Brilliant Labs can act as a parachute, opening and catching you if you feel you are falling too fast, and tucked nearby if you think all is going well.

Jeff, Sarah, and Kim make up the great Brilliant Labs team working in Nova Scotia. They are all great to talk to, have great ideas, and best of all are wonderfully supportive of classroom projects. They are a wealth of information and skills, and are always happy to share with you and your students.

So as you are looking things over this summer, planning and preparing for the next school year, take a look at Maker Ed, Makerspaces, and making in general. Don't be afraid of not knowing, be reassured in the fact that Brilliant Labs is there to help, and join me in taking the leap.

I subscribe to a few different blogs. The type that send you an email with the blog post, or most of it, to save you the need of searching the author's page each day. I get almost daily updates from George Couros, A.J. Juliani, and John Spencer. I fully recommend all 3, as they provide insight into educational practices, but best of all, they give me something to think about.

One recent post by A.J. Juliani was titled "7 Things Every Teacher Should Do Before 7AM". I took special notice of #5 - Write or Read to get out of the bubble.  This struck a chord with me, as I have been trying to make blogging a priority, but have as yet failed to make any traction. I am happy to say that this is my 3rd post in 4 days, so I am getting better.

The idea is to write a certain amount each day. Not necessarily on a particular topic, but any topic that happens to come to mind, which is why it fits so well with blogging. Usually I only blog when I feel strongly about something, a thank you - as in the case of Brilliant Labs, or a vent, as in the case of the labor strife that my Province encountered this year. I am hoping to get better at blogging ideas, and thoughts. Not to say that I don't feel strongly about my ideas and thoughts, just trying to get more of them out there.

So my goal, blog once a day, or at least every other day. And, more so, keep it positive. I am sure a rant or two will pop in over the course of the year, but hopefully this blog will be about educational ideas, thoughts, and the people who help me on the journey of teaching and learning.

I hope you will join me for the ride, and share any comments, thoughts, ideas, and links to your own blogs.

It was at USM Summer Spark in Milwaukee when I first heard of Kevin Honeycutt. He was giving a keynote and was phenomenal. He spoke about connections between teachers and students. He talked about his own life (which he turned into a book, and book worthy it is!) and he had you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Kevin gave me lots to think about and many messages to take away. One the really resounded with me was the need for teachers to speak up and share their stories. Share the amazing things happening in your classroom. Share what amazing things your students are learning and creating. Share what amazing things YOU are learning and creating as a teacher. And that we, as a profession, must stop being meek and mild about everything that is happening in our rooms. We owe it to our students and ourselves to share with the world what we can do.

So I would like to propose the idea of the Super Hero Teacher. Now I know this is not necessarily a new idea. Cards, posters and mugs designed for teacher appreciation time often make the case of teaching as a super power.

I feel that is not enough.

I want teachers to be seen as celebrities, to be seen in public and respected, revered, and celebrated. Great teachers have such an amazing impact on so many students over many years, that they deserve to be recognized for it.

Teachers have a huge job. They care for 20-40 students 6-8 hours a day for 195 days a year. Sometimes students see more of their teachers than their own parents. Teachers take on roles of educator, parent, mentor, and so much more. 

There are television shows that follow Veterinarians, Scientists, Carpenters, Truckers, Hairdressers, Mechanics, Realtors, and so many more reality shows. But none about teachers. How interesting would it be to see what teachers do from sunup to sundown? To see the stories play out, for the world to be captivated and gripped by the stories of educators and students. To cheer the successes and console with the failures. To root for the underdog and be just as proud at the end of the season when you can see how kids have grown.

That is a show I want to see.

Teachers are super heroes, it's time to lose the masks and let the world know who we are.

Well the bell has rung, the buses have left, and the teachers and students have gone off for the start of summer vacation.

What a year it has been. For me personally this has been one of the hardest of my 11 year teaching career. It has been filled with strife, contract dispute with the Government, Work to Rule, a strike and imposed contract. Then it was with uncertain expectations and a sense of not knowing who was looking for what, and the dangers of being different.

Fortunately, I had a great group of 28 students over the course of the year. This group was up for a challenge and was happy to step foot into the unknown and embraced my trials of Gamification, MakerEd and Project Based Learning. We tried, explored, created, failed, and learned. And it was fabulous! 

I have had many allies along the road that was 2016-17, too many to list here, but some that stand out are my wonderful PLN's from an awesome group of local Nova Scotian Teachers, to the global networks of #xplap #5thchat #learnLAP #games4ed. I gained a great sounding board with a teacher at my school. And of course my family. Who understand my love and passion for education and how it goes all day and all night.

Now as summer vacation has officially started I take a quick look back over the year and smile at the students I taught and the experiences that I had with them. I think I will take a 2 day break, where I watch NBA free agency and recharge. Then, its back to work, prep for next year, for as you all know, a Teachers Day is never really done.