Saying Goodbye – A Consistent Journey

When I tell people I have the best job, I really do. Who else gets to play with robots, design and challenge, innovate as a rule and watch kids amaze you every day? So I knew it would be hard to say goodbye this year when my term was up, but suddenly the day is here and a small part of me just wants to scream ‘NOOOOOO, I’m not ready!’ 🤣

Endings always have me reflecting on the journey and then my brain starts thinking: What did you really do?

So as I reflected on the journey of course my brain went to the BIG MOMENTS with the community – from Pop Up Makerspaces to Transformational Practices 2.0, our Peel Spark event, the Empowering Modern Learners document to E3 Animation. These are the ones that are easy to measure. I have proof, an artifact, a number I can point to. P.S. How lucky have I been to be a part of so many great opportunities with amazing colleagues?

Then there are the ongoing pieces: the Twitter chats, online book talks, Tips in Two, #peel21st Pop Ups, monthly or weekly round ups, the yearly events like #peeleyc. Not as grand but still measurable I guess.

Something was missing. I stumbled on Simon Sinek’s clip below on Intensity versus Consistency when it hit me.  Maybe impact – change – innovation (whatever you want to call it) has just as much to do with the small interactions as the big events. So I started thinking of the great THIS IS IT moments: working through digital provocations with a grade team, the grade 5 friend enthralled in sharing their photographs asking for feedback, the learner that finally shines as we code a makey makey, the primary friend that so innocently shows me up with an app and reminds me to stay humble.

As much as I have loved all the big and not so big moments in this last decade, I hope most of all that I have been consistent. That the message over the nine years has stayed the same:

• Kids are amazing competent, capable modern learners who with the right tool, spark, question, task will be empowered and exceed all your expectations 
• When as educators we take that small step out of our comfort zone and jump in to the learning we show how amazing, competent and capable we are

This amazing learning journey couldn’t have happened with out the #peel21st family. Thank you to everyone I’ve had the pleasure to chat, collaborate, co-teach, co-design, co-present with. I couldn’t have done it without you. I can never thank you enough for giving of your time so freely, your willingness to learn and share. I have learned so much.

So off to a new learning adventure on Monday. I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn from colleagues at OCT and across the province. Thank you to Peel for lending me out. I’ll be back with the #peelfam before you know it. Grateful that with social media and all our online tools this isn’t really a goodbye, just a sign post in the journey.

For me it’s time though to step out of my comfort zone and jump in to the new learning ahead.