I can’t believe that this is the final week of #IMMOOC and maybe the last season ever! I am very fortunate to have stumbled upon this and cliff dived into participating. I have enjoyed learning from the video chats, the book, twitter chats, and others participating.
Here are some amazing posts that resounded with me!
Get Away From the Shoreline by Crystal Slaughter
- Photo via via VisualHunt
This post really resonated with me because I am feeling quite LOST these days. I have been teaching since 2005. I love being an educator and cannot imagine leaving the profession. I enjoy teaching and building a rapport with students. BUT something feels off. I believe some of it has to do with still struggling to be a dedicated teacher AND a dedicated wife AND a dedicated mother AND a dedicated friend/family member. I also know that I need to be more intentional in also taking care of myself. Crystal’s 3 points helped me to be more open to the #IMMOOC course and also as a reminder of why I chose this wondrous profession.
#IMMOOC: I Used to Think, but Now I Think…Shifts in My Teaching Practice by Judy Imamudeen
- Photo credit: aaronmorganphotography via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
I loved reading this post by a fellow IB teacher. Her 10 beliefs that changed over the years helped me to realize I had changed WAY more than I thought. It allowed me to reflect even more about my current ideals. The way she summed the IB philosophy was uncomplicated and compelling. I was able to reflect on what I was allowed to accomplish when I had more autonomy in teaching. It also allowed me to think about ways I can give my students more autonomy within the umbrella of the flexible MYP guidelines.
Change Starts With Me by Jillian Schulte
- Photo via via VisualHunt.com
Jillian starts her post out with where change should begin: within ourselves. As a teacher, I have been frustrated with system. That many of the things required of me, prior to leaving US education, was not always what was BEST for the students. That has reversed somewhat drastically since teaching abroad. With the autonomy to be a professional, I did alter many of my practices. I grew so much my first year teaching abroad that I was a completely different teacher. As someone who is very much a rule follower, I found it difficult to “buck” the system and just do what I knew was best as an educator. Still happens to this day! It was refreshing to see that Jillian recognized the risks that students take on a daily/regular basis. As teachers, we should also take risks and model what we want our students to accomplish. She points out that modeling our own learning takes risks and requires vulnerability. “Modeling is not about showing off a skill or a tool, but about sharing our struggles and successes for the sake of our learning community.”
Ms. Marcum's Mission 