Educators Staying Connected

So looking back on my blog, I did exactly what I said I wasn't going to do! I quit writing (again) and did not even give it one thought in my mind. I let myself get busy with school and coaching. When I first started the blog I was very excited to try something new, but yet again I let life get in the way of doing something out of my comfort zone. Even though I have said it before, I am going to try to keep up with my blog this year. I am currently taking an online class that focuses on the book, "Ditch that Textbook", by Matt Miller. So far, I am loving the class and the information that Matt writes in his book. I highly recommend it to any teacher! It is giving me new ideas for next year and more importantly more motivation to switch up some things and try new activities that might be out of my comfort zone. The class is being led by two great educators from our school district and this week they have posed the question, "Why should teachers be connected to educators?". We had 10 choices for how we wanted to answer this question so I thought that doing a blog post would be the best option and a great way for me to get back into blogging this year!

My top 5 reasons why teachers should be connected to educators!

1. New Ideas: This is probably the most obvious reason, but by being connected you can find LOTS of new ideas that you might not have thought of. Not only should you be connected to other educators at your school, but there are SO many ways you can be connected online. I am already a big Pinterest user, I love looking for new blogs online, I have connected with some sellers on TPT, and this year I am going to try out Twitter. Follow me @msjhistory   ( I am new to Twitter, so I am excited to post more during the school year!)    I have found lots of new ideas through these sites and I am excited to learn even more. 

2. Feedback: Trying new lessons and activities can sometimes be a little daunting. It is easy to get stuck in a rut and continue to do the same tried and true lessons. However, by being connected with educators you can get feedback and suggestions that might help take an activity to a whole new level. If you try a new activity and it doesn't go as planned, you might find a way to make it success by sharing with other educators. You might even have a lesson that goes AWESOME, but another educator might find a way to make it even better! Constructive criticism is something that helps all educators and by being connected you can allow others to help you do better in your profession.

3. Motivation: We have ALL been here before: Classes that we can't seem to inspire, piles of papers to grade that seem to keep getting bigger and bigger, finding it harder and harder to get the desire to try something new, etc. 

By being connected to educators (more importantly, POSITIVE educators) we can find people who can help us get out of a slump and get back to doing what we love. Can we get motivation from people don't teach? Of course we can! However, fellow educators know how to relate to each other and can really find the right things to say and do to get us motivated again! 

4. Expand Possibilities for our Students: By being connected to other educators we can expand the world for our students. I teach social studies and by being connected I can show kids a world that they might otherwise never experience. You can connect with teachers in other states, countries, etc. and help expose your students to new people, ideas, and cultures. 

5. Praise: Who doesn't like to be praised when they do something well? By staying connected with other educators you can cheer on other's success while also sharing your own. Your best friend might not understand the joy that comes from hearing a student tell you that the lesson you just taught was the main conversation at their dinner table, but another fellow educator would. It is always nice to hear some acclamation when you have a victory (no matter how big or small) and doing this with others in your profession is one of the best ways! 

Those are my top 5 reasons why teachers should stay connected to other educators! There are many more reasons besides those. What are some reasons YOU think we should stay connected? I would love to hear your thoughts and hope to continue the blog journey this year!