Starting the Year

Jim Tyson. https://unsplash.com/photos/r9T0LZv8xWQ

The title photo was an easy choice for the first edition of Web Wanderings, volume 3 . At the beginning of the school year, everyone is standing on Start.

But the questions become how will we proceed through the year? Will it be basically the same as  the last one, or will we create a new, completely revised version of our individual Hopscotch?  Will we hop from one square to the next, being able to avoid barriers and bumps in the road, or will we have a misstep along the way?

I just finished reading Your Back-To-School Messages Are Hurting Teachers* by Shanna Peeples, the 2015 National Teacher of the Year. She articulated so well  many of the thoughts I’ve had lately. I seem to have created my own echo chamber of educational cheerleaders. It can be overwhelming  thinking that all librarians are super stars and  thinking that if I do everything faster and better I could qualify for at least one Distinguished level in the new Texas Library Guidelines and Standards.

Sue Kowalski‏ @spkowalski  said recently, “If we keep doing the same thing because it's comfortable & people know what to expect, are we really moving forward?”  I’m not suggesting that we must plan on reinventing the world or even moving a small mountain. Individually we should look for a molehill or two to level. Some of bigger challenges may just have to wait. 

* ShannaPeeples/your-back-to-school-messages-are-hurting-teachers-44508cfda269  Takes 6 minutes to read

Right now, I’m on Start and figuring out what to do with my first hop!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vicr748hwgqknja/Vol3_Issue%201_Webwanderings_Share.pptx?dl=0  or http://bit.ly/2vAV1wg