Day 228 of 366: A Rambling of Thoughts on Teachers, Connections: those special traits that make teachers who they are

This isn’t a post about technology. But it is a post about why I love doing what I do…

Today was one of those days where I realize just how small the educational community is in Minnesota. I watched as people gathered for Roseville’s EdCamp today. And, I quickly saw faces I recognized. there were faces I knew from attending TIES KIC meetings. There were media specialists that I have “known” for years- from Twitter or MEMO conferences. And, after tracing back far enough, a college classmate.

Looking out at the audience, I felt comfortable. I didn’t really know any of these people. But, in fact, I knew them all. They are me. They are my mother. They are may father. They are all of the educators I grew up surrounded by as a child. They are the friends I have made over the years in so many schools.

I was invited out to lunch with a few of the participants today. One I have met a few times in real life, but who I follow on Twitter. While these people were new to me, eating lunch was like eating lunch with friends I had know for years. We talked about children, school, and life. Like old friends.

For while many different paths lead people to be teachers, there is something truly unique and special about a teacher’s heart. And, no matter who you can throw in front of me, I can see their love an dedication to students. And that is what can connect strangers so quickly at Ed Camps, conferences, and other gatherings of educators.

So, while the transition between the familiar and unfamiliar has caused butterflies inside of me, I am calmed tonight. Because no matter where I wander as a teacher-coach, I will always find familiar traits in the teachers I will soon call my friends.