I must admit, for the first time in many years I am feeling run down. It worries me as it is only November 9th, yet it feels much later.

In the last 3 years I have felt revitalized in my teaching. Both in the passion I have for the profession and in the curriculum and content that I deliver daily. I have jumped in the Maker movement, loving the inquiry that my students are a part of. Working hard to be student-led, allowing for mistakes and leadership. I have tried to create an environment that allows students to grow, flourish and go higher then they thought possible.

It has not been easy.

There has been some pushback, from other teachers, administrators, Head Office, and parents. The pushback has been because it looks different. Because my classroom is not a traditional classroom and that worries people. Not because it is bad, not because the students aren't learning...because it is different from what they picture school to be, and they don't understand or value it.

I believe that there is great value in how I am teaching. I allow students to find their way to learning and discovery with what they make. We talk real-world problems, and are allowed to struggle and fail. Answers do not come easily, as I am not a sage on the stage, handing out information for the students to regurgitate on tests and projects. 

Since June 2017, I have presented 19 times at 6 Conferences and M.Ed Courses. I have 2 more scheduled for the end of this month. I feel what I am doing has merit as there are many teachers and administrators who have heard me present and have asked me to present. Unfortunately most have been out of my region, which is historically resistant to change.

And so as I have parents questioning on social media the lack of homework I assign, or how can my students possibly learn without spelling tests and desks in rows, it chips away. There are teachers in my school who think I am a novelty act and shake their heads at what happens in my class.

And it is starting to drag me down.

But I won't give up. I will find time and ways to recharge. My family and fantastic PLN's give me energy and are always there to lift me up and catch me if I stumble. Just today I had to take a moment with a trusted colleague and talk about getting past negative parents. And the best pick me up came to me courtesy of Twitter. A reminder to be who I am, and that I am supported by amazing people.

So here we are, the night before school. Well, for the teachers of Nova Scotia anyway (I know that many of my American colleagues are already back at school). As I sit here and think about what the year will bring, my mind drifts back to a conversation I had the other day.

It was around some work being done at my house, we were having our kitchen cabinets refinished and the process was anything but smooth. Long story short we ran into a contractor that we will not be using again! I had reached out on social media about the contractor and was contacted by a few people who had had the same issues.

At the end of one of these conversations the person said "thanks for being a teacher". It was timely as we are preparing for heading back to school and meaningful because so few people thank me for being a teacher.

I have been thanked for being a particular child's teacher or thanked for leading an inservice but never for being a teacher. It really meant a lot to me. So I wanted to take a minute and thank all the teachers out there.

I want to thank you for being teachers, for taking on a difficult, important, and often overlooked career. Thank you for the hours of time you put in during your summer, for the sleepless nights worrying about students, and for the dedication to the Teaching Life.

​Have a great start to the year, and again, thank you for being a teacher!

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.

Brilliant Labs is simply that - brilliant. 

In case you haven't heard of them, Brilliant Labs an Atlantic movement to grow creativity,
innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit in our youth. They are a small team of people who have huge spirit and love for what they do. Check them out at https://www.brilliantlabs.ca/ to see more.

They are hugely important to the education of Nova Scotian students, especially mine. They are the backers behind Green Screen, Robotics, Sewing, and 3D Printing projects, which they have donated materials and support for. These projects have been amazing to run in my class and my students have created some great projects, developed amazing skills, and fostered a love of making and discovery.

On Friday April 21st, my class was visited by Sarah Ryan, the co-director of Brilliant Labs Nova Scotia. She brought with her a wearable electronic project for the class to do. Leading the project Sarah had the students hooked from the very beginning. They were captivated, engaged, and thrilled to show what they could do.

That is the beauty of Brilliant Labs. They are able to tap into resources to help classrooms bring in high interest, engaging content that builds skills that students need to have. Problem solving, creative thinking, collaboration, and success. Brilliant Labs also supports teachers, more than helping out with funding, they are there for PD and support during projects. The people of Brilliant Labs (Jeff, Sarah, Kim, Jacob) are personable and great to work with.

They have been a huge boost to me, my classroom, and most importantly, my students. Thanks Brilliant Labs for all help and support! I am looking forward to many more years of great collaboration!

And so it has come to this. Let me fill you in on a few details. The Nova Scotia Teachers Union contract expired back in the spring of 2015, and Teachers in Nova Scotia have been working without a contract since then. In the last few months negotiations with the government have not gone well. Well that is a bit of an understatement, they have been a disaster. I will spare you the gory details of it all, but what matters is that there is an impasse with Teachers and the current government. From all of this, teachers have voted to be able to do job actions, and the first that will begin on Monday December 5th is "work to rule".

This means that Teachers will be doing only what is outlined in our contract. Nothing more, nothing less. We will still teach, but no extras, no sports, no clubs, no holiday concerts, and the list goes on. It also means no extra time to prep, doing extras like answering emails, phone calls, or other clerical work on non-school time. It means arriving 20 minutes before school, and leaving 20 minutes after.

This will be hard. No, this will be awful. No, this will be a disaster. No, it will be worse then all those things. I don't have any polite words to describe what I am feeling and the impact I feel it will have on students.

I teach, I coach, I do lots of extras to make my day and the day of my students' exciting, fun and educational. Now I am being asked to limit myself, to prove to the world that Teachers work hard and should be valued.

I find that sad. I find it sad that I need to prove to people that Teachers work hard, that we are valuable and that the work we do is demanding, time consuming, and growing more and more challenging by the year.

I find it sad that my government does not seem to appreciate teachers, and are playing this cat and mouse game with the union, students and parents.

I find it sad that on the eve of my Sr. Girls basketball team's first game that we had to lock up the gym and say, "sorry, I can't coach you anymore". 

I find it sad that I will not be able to Tweet and share what is happening in my classroom. I will not be able to "like" or "retweet" what is happening in your classrooms. I will not be able to take part in my own Twitter PD, and I will be missing out on conversations and relationships with great teachers from all over the world, especially those in my PLC's of #xplap, #learnLAP, #5thChat and more.

I have given my time, my energy, my money, my heart and soul to this profession. I have been greatly rewarded by success of my students, by attending great PD, by being able to lead PD for other educators. I am happy each time I can see a student out in the community and they wave and say hi, or even just smile as I go by. I don't want to hear from anyone that my job is less then what it is, that I don't deserve anything, or that I am greedy.

I want my government to feel and show that Teachers are valuable. I want my Union to present reasonable and attainable asking packages.

I want to teach. I want to be excited to share what I do. I want to see what others are doing in their classrooms. I want to learn and grow.

I am hopeful that this job action will lead to a positive outcome, that both sides will sit down and talk.

Until that time, I must sign off and log out.

Here's hoping that there is light at the end of this dark tunnel.

The message these days has been loud and clear. Kids need to play more. They need to be in the mud, woods, waters, playgrounds, fields, gyms, and classrooms with the ability to explore and play. This play develops skills they need to succeed in life. They will learn collaboration, creative thinking, social cues, how to deal with conflict, they will use their imaginations, develop physical skills and have a great time along the way.

So why do so many schools have a problem with play?

I find myself fighting an uphill battle with my school and play. The playground has undergone a $35 000 renovation with a brand new play structure built this year. However, if it has rained or is damp the students are not allowed on it. They are not allowed to toss a ball off the brick wall for catch or other ball games, and throwing a football has been outlawed, and if they could, soccer would be out too. There are big beautiful fields that are quick to be called "off limits" just in case someone might get wet or dirty. Duties (or playground supervisors) tell students where they may play on any given day. There are so many rules that students are just as happy, sometimes happier, to come inside at the end of recess, or not go out at all.

If you want to find a contributing factor to kids not wanting to go out and play at home, don't blame technology, blame schools that don't allow them to build these play skills and find a love for outdoor play. We need to be encouraging students to run, jump, balance, and get hurt. Now I am not hoping for an injuries, I just understand that it is a natural consequence of some play. That does not make it bad, or need to be banned. A little injury can help set boundaries for kids or let them know that they need to do something different next time.

Schools need to take the bubble wrap off the playground and the students, and take a stand that lets parents know that play is welcome and encouraged here, and that their children may get a bit dirty from time to time. Injuries will happen no matter how many rules are in place. After all, they still sell bathtubs, and those things are the cause of countless injuries!

We need to expand the play idea into classrooms, and see educational discovery and play as good things. Students also need the opportunity to have free play and be kids. There will be enough time to sit at a desk all day later in life. 

Movements like Global School Play Day have helped bring these issues to light, but more is needed. Research is coming fast and furious, but schools are slow to adapt and change. Scared to "lose" valuable instructional time to drill curriculum into students, without realizing that students are building skills and learning academically through play.

Play can look different depending on the surroundings and that is good. We can play with technology to build a robot, program a computer or design wearable tech. We can play with writing, as we dive hands on into a topic before sharing thoughts, predictions, observations and stories about it. We can play with math, creating games the teach and reinforce skills. We can add gamification to our classes to draw in students, help with engagement and discipline. We can play freely with student created games, rules, and fun.

Students need this play, they need the skills developed through it. We as educators, parents, and stakeholders need to be on board with this. If you are in doubt about the value of play in or out of the classroom come visit me. My class loves to play, and we are learning more then ever!

I have been reading lots about "Pirate" education lately. Being a Pirate Teacher is all about being student-centered, creative, taking risks, and enjoying what you do and who you are. It has been life changing. If you have not heard of them or seen them, check out the Pirate crew, led by Dave Burgess, author of "Teach Like a Pirate", Paul Solarz, author of "Learn Like a Pirate", and joining the crew is Michael Matera, author of "eXplore Like a Pirate". They are awesome people who have written awesome books, that will light a fire under you and have you swashbuckling in no time!

Along the journey to being a Pirate I have debated about the use of Grades in school. Early in my career I would use Grades as the Carrot to get students working and on task, and also as the whip to accomplish the same goals. Now as I have re-evaluated my instruction, philosophies, and understanding of 21st Century Teaching and Learning, I feel that Grades should be eliminated from Elementary school. I even think that Middle and High Schools need a complete re-vamping on how they value Grades and give them out.

I have started to lead my students away from the mentality of knowing things so you can answer a question on a test. We are developing knowledge and skills that make us better people, better learners, and in turn, give us the skills to answer the questions on the tests, or find someone who can help us. Because in the end, that is what really matters. How many jobs are out there that you must work alone, without sharing ideas, thoughts, and information?

We need to do a better job at instilling the right values in our students, and teaching parents that Grades are not the be all and end all they once were. That asking a great question, can very often be more valuable then the answer. Students should want to do the work you put before them in class because it is interesting, relevant, and meaningful to them. Not because they will fail or get a low Grade because of it. 

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