I love all the typical things about teaching high school math. I love seeing those light bulb moments. I love having kids leave class with a bit of spring in their step because math class was "fun". I really love when I have set up an activity so well that I don't actually have to do any teaching and the math-magic just sort of happens in class. But recently, I have been thinking about finding a different role. Trying to grow and flex my teacher muscles in a different capacity.
Over the last few summers, I have been really diving into some personal PD, reading books and blogs, watching videos and going to a conferences. Every time I finished a book I felt was particularly inspiring or left the last day of a conference I kept coming back to "man, I need to share this with EVERYONE!" So lately, I have been kicking around the idea of instructional coach or math coordinator as a potential move. The idea of leaving teaching, which I think I am getting better at each year, and getting to an area that is completely unknown really makes me nervous. So I decided to dip a toe this summer and volunteered to co-present a 2 day (12 hours!) PD focused on the book, Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You Had by Tracy Zager. I was lucky enough to present it with our K-8 math coordinator, who is amazing and supportive and inspirational. She actually facilitated a book study, which I was a part of last semester, and I was inspired and wanted to bring it to people in the district that were interested but weren't available to commit several weeks to the book study. So jump ahead a summer and here we are at the end of day 2. I feel really good about how it went and I really enjoyed presenting. I think the group left feeling just as inspired as I often do when I leave those kinds of PD opportunities. I just may have gotten bitten by the teaching teachers bug. But we will have to see how it all plays out. But for right now, as my last few days of summer slip by, I am thinking about how I can motivate, encourage, and inspire the my department one teacher at a time. I think I may have hooked a couple at PD. I hope it sticks!
Over the last few summers, I have been really diving into some personal PD, reading books and blogs, watching videos and going to a conferences. Every time I finished a book I felt was particularly inspiring or left the last day of a conference I kept coming back to "man, I need to share this with EVERYONE!" So lately, I have been kicking around the idea of instructional coach or math coordinator as a potential move. The idea of leaving teaching, which I think I am getting better at each year, and getting to an area that is completely unknown really makes me nervous. So I decided to dip a toe this summer and volunteered to co-present a 2 day (12 hours!) PD focused on the book, Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You Had by Tracy Zager. I was lucky enough to present it with our K-8 math coordinator, who is amazing and supportive and inspirational. She actually facilitated a book study, which I was a part of last semester, and I was inspired and wanted to bring it to people in the district that were interested but weren't available to commit several weeks to the book study. So jump ahead a summer and here we are at the end of day 2. I feel really good about how it went and I really enjoyed presenting. I think the group left feeling just as inspired as I often do when I leave those kinds of PD opportunities. I just may have gotten bitten by the teaching teachers bug. But we will have to see how it all plays out. But for right now, as my last few days of summer slip by, I am thinking about how I can motivate, encourage, and inspire the my department one teacher at a time. I think I may have hooked a couple at PD. I hope it sticks!
Such an awesome book! I just finished reading it and chatting it on Twitter and I have several take-aways! Glad your PD went well :)
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