Mom said look for experts to help.

Special thanks to @sylviaduckworth for permission to use this graphic.

A year ago, if you'd asked me how I liked my PLN, I'd have blinked, politely, while my brain scanned my index drawer of acronyms trying to figure out what the heck you were trying to get me to talk about.  Fast forward to 2015, and not only do I know what a PLN IS, I can proudly tell you where I find mine.

To start the explanation process, I turned to Twitter, and hit up @sylviaduckworth for permission to use her amazing graphic today in this blog.  It could not be more perfect, as it illustrates the depth and diversity of a Professional Learning Network, and offers the vast connection network offered to teachers through social media.

In the last year, I've had discussions with present and former teachers, both face to face, and on social media, as a result of prompts posted by the folks at Te@chthought, or articles posted by Edutopia, Mind/Shift, of Smithsonian Education.  Recently, I participated in my first Twitter-chat, connecting with educators from around the world.  I picture myself in the gold shirt, standing just north of Pennsylvania, connecting with Justine in New Zealand and Tony in Spain.  (Wearing teal and olive green, respectively).  I know that standing near me are people in my own district, community and state, that are now part of the conversation that is education in my world.  

As a result of questions raised, I've sought input from others.  I've had breakfast or lunch with students, parents, and colleagues, connecting and finding inspiration in the brilliance that exists in others.  Yes, My PLN includes my students.  I truly learn more from them than many other more formal sources.

My mother may be confused by yet another acronym, although she seems willing to accept the flaw in her daughter that causes me to communicate primarily without the use of vowels, much of the time.

Except this time, mom, my PLN is offering HELP.  And you taught me a long time ago to look for the experts when I need help.

So I did.

Zen. Just Zen.

Two spectacular days.  I saw my principal in the cafeteria, while working lunch duty, and he asked me how my day was.  He seemed a bit taken aback by my enthusiasm.  Usually at this point in the year, two days in, teachers are tight-lipped, with cautious optimism.  The secret to my happiness this year?

My PLN Zen.

After two consecutive days, I have met all of my assigned students in all five class sections.  My greatest challenge will be to remember which discussions took place in which class, so that I am not redundant when leading Socratic discussions.  This is an interesting time of year, as I get to see class members come together and gel as a group.

Period 2, led by White Book Lover, Taylor, BEGGED for the issuance of the magical books before I had planned to distribute them.  Can you see the Zen on Taylor's face?  It does a teacher's heart good to see such love for metacognition. 

Bare Books (aka the White Books) give exactly what we all hope for:  infinite possibilities for the school year.  Given that this is my second year using these amazing tools for learning, it was especially fuzzy-wuzzy to have the book lovers in my room introducing the newbie members to the class to the white books, without me having to convince anyone of their value or importance.

My PLN (Professional Learning Network) ,that has expanded exponentially in the last year, has led me to challenge my reservations and structure -- and all for the good.  Green chairs, "standing" tables, a stash of lap blankets in the closet, and the magical white books, all create a less than traditional classroom that welcomes learners and encourages learning, with an emphasis on the individual learners reflecting each and every day on their metacognitive process.

I'm in my happy place, in Room C108.  It's not to say that there aren't bumps in the road, or times of frustration, or times when, well, there just isn't enough time.  For some people, buns in the chair and feet in the sand is the perfect happy place.

Who would have imagined that mine is a neon green camp chair in a circle of high schoolers, talking about thinking, after a summer of thinking about thinking?

On Feral Hogs and Corpse Flowers...

I spent three summers in Connecticut and learned:

• The best deli is Rein's.
• Feral hogs in Texas are capable of killing me.
• The corpse flower is not something to cultivate at home.
• The Dairy Bar needs to be located 6 hours from my house to avoid overdosing on ice cream.
• The movie Bad Teacher was aptly named.  (And you could drop the word Teacher from the title).
• Women who have been out of college for more than half their lives can still hold their own in dormitory living.

The Te@chthought blog prompt for the #reflectiveteacher challenge today lets me celebrate my UCONN Cohort.

Day 22

What does your PLN look like, and what does it to for your teaching?

 I was hired as the "Teacher of the Gifted" in 1999.  To be honest, my knowledge at that time about gifted education was pretty much the on the job training I had received as the primary teacher (aka parent) of an identified gifted child.  Fortunately for me, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania didn't seem to mind that I had no qualifications, other than an elementary education teaching certificate, and so I gained the title.  I did what I could to seek out in-service and graduate class opportunities that seemed to relate to the needs of the G & T (Gifted and Talented) population, but the offerings were pretty sparse.

The fine folks at the University of Pennsylvania offered a 12 credit Leadership Certificate in Gifted Education, and I jumped.  It was 2005, and  I was able to connect with other Teachers of the Gifted -- which was a luxury for me, as I was the only TOG in my district -- and understand a bit more about testing, what makes "THEM" tick, and how to understand the twice-exceptional, the OCD, the perfectionists, and other alphabet soup style acronyms that many gifted kids possess.  That cohort was largely made up of other Pennsylvania teachers, and we still gravitate to each other at conferences -- some of us even collaborate and present at conferences for other teachers -- both as a means to connect, and to reflect upon the good old days.

Fast forward to the best thing that happened to my Teacher of the Gifted self -- the discovery of the University of Connecticut (UCONN), the mega-capital of gifted education.  I discovered that I could complete a masters degree in three summers through a combination of online and on-campus classes.  I truly learned as much about myself as I did about gifted education.

UCONN is a magical place for me where everyone speaks my language of gifted, and no one grumbles about education. No one says "I can't believe (insert under-performing student's name here) is GIFTED!  He/She does NOTHING in my class!"   Instead, it's upbeat and positive.  Instead, it's wonderful and supportive.  Instead, it's a place to meet a cohort of people that validate and support you, that have your back when you don't realize you've lost it, and that you truly grieve the loss of when you have to say sobbing goodbyes in a parking lot along the Willimantic River on a Sunday afternoon.

These people (pictured above following the dreaded "Supercomp" exam required at the culmination of our degree process) are my Professional Learning Network. They live all over the country -- literally from coast to coast.  (Carrie is on Bainbridge Island, and Nina's hanging at MIT right now.)   I am a better teacher -- and a better person -- for having had the privilege of meeting and studying with these educators.  We have each other on speedial, we know where the experts are, and we cheer each other on as we attempt new things.  We go out of our way to connect with each other, just because we need our fix.  We connect on facebook on our own private page almost daily with questions and answers, and cheers of support. 

If you haven't worked with a cohort on a shared passion, find one and do it.  Today.  You will be a better person for having made the effort, and the world will shine a bit brighter for the extra light in your life.