This week has been a really rewarding and exciting experience for me. Engaging with people from all over the state who are passionate about their work has been a major highlight for me. Whether it was Paul opening up the world of Twitter, Nikki taking literal ownership of the PBL brainstorm, Daniel defending Brian Williams, or Jamie kicking around ideas about our internship, I have had so many great opportunities to learn from the people in and around this cohort. It is little pieces of these diverse passions that I hope to take back to the classroom with me. I’d love to use Goose Hunt in school, but the variety of small-group team-building activities can come with me regardless of whether or not the app is in play. I am also, in my quest to emphasize learning over point-acquisition in Senior English, so jazzed about some of the techniques that compel students to reflect on the “why” of their work that this institute allows me to take away.
As I reflect on the power of the week, a thing that stands out to me as unique is the reality that the entirety of the leadership structure is formed by those who have, in many cases, very recently been right where I am now. This institute is the first time I have really seen sustained leadership turned over to my peers in a way that feels truly authentic.
I am excited for what the future offers all of us and look forward to continuing to learn from the relationships I have started to form this week.