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Stories Link Us Together

I absolutely honey hearing in addition to telling stories.  There is thus much magic inward them in addition to a proficient story tin captivate an audience.  When I operate amongst schools, peculiarly inward a coaching role, I routinely enquire educators to portion amongst me how they are empowering students to ain their learning or ways inward which they are transforming teaching, learning, in addition to leadership.  Practical examples loaded amongst evidence are non solely inspiring simply tin live on used to motivate others to get got a critical lens to their do in addition to improve on it. When administrators portion stories of how they are closing achievement gaps or successfully implementing innovative practices, I at i time enquire how they are messaging this to their stakeholders.  



With an array of social media tools at our disposal, every educator should aspire to live on the storyteller-in-chief. Now to a greater extent than than ever the champaign of pedagogy needs to withdraw heed to a greater extent than powerful stories that showcase all the proficient that is beingness accomplished inward schools, both amongst in addition to without technology.  Perception tin live on a morale killer every bit oft what people assume is happening inside the walls of schools is the furthest thing from the truth.  The bottom business is that if you lot don’t tell your story in addition to thus soul else will. Don’t autumn victim to “perception is reality”. Provide stakeholders amongst REALITY past times sharing all the awesomeness inward your classroom, school, district, or organization. This is something that I utter to at length inward BrandED. No affair what anyone says you lot tin never overshare how you lot are positively impacting the lives of kids. 

The other twenty-four hours I delivered a morning time presentation to a large grouping of K-12. Afterwards, I met amongst smaller groups of instructor leaders in addition to administrators inward a quainter setting every bit a agency to reverberate on what I presented earlier.  It was a nifty chance to actually gyre upwardly our sleeves inward an campaign to hash out inward to a greater extent than item logical adjacent steps inward their request for meaningful change.  During the destination of i of the conversations, I was asked to tell my story close how I went from basically a Luddite to a visionary principal, to a transformational guru (her words, non mine). She actually wanted to know the journeying in addition to steps I took to non solely Pb innovative change, simply also my transition from a principal to a speaker.  

Once I started drinking the Twitter Kool-Aid dorsum inward 2009 I speedily learned the fault of my ways. Basically, I was a command freak who had an inherent fearfulness of engineering scientific discipline in addition to did non trust what my students would do amongst it if they had greater access.  Thus, I worked amongst my district to write the policies to block social media in addition to ran around my schoolhouse taking devices from students.  The stories I accessed on Twitter inspired me to live on better. Each twenty-four hours I read close districts, schools, in addition to educators finding success amongst engineering scientific discipline in addition to innovative practices.  This invaluable link to operate across the globe became a catalyst for alter that I could never get got imagined. These stories motivated me to brand needed changes at the private level.  From at that spot I collaborated amongst my staff, students, in addition to other stakeholders to scale alter efforts inward an campaign to improve learning outcomes land creating a schoolhouse that worked amend for our learners. 

Over the course of instruction of v years from 2009 – 2014 nosotros worked tirelessly to transform teaching, learning, in addition to leadership.  We weren’t e'er successful, simply inward the end, academies, improving grading practices, in addition to ameliorating homework practices.  In an campaign to improve professional person learning opportunities for staff, a genius hr model was implemented every bit good every bit the creation of our ain conference. As I noted during my narration, nosotros were non the highest achieving or most innovative school. In my opinion, nosotros were amend than most at showing in addition to sharing how nosotros achieved success. 

I shared daily our stories of success, both large in addition to small.  Whether it was brusque tweets, pictures on Instagram, videos on YouTube, or to a greater extent than detailed descriptions on my blog, the overall focus was to showcase efficacy inward our work.  The stories that nosotros shared resonated close in addition to far.  This got the attending of media outlets inward the New York City expanse in addition to across the country.  Before I knew it, I was beingness asked to introduce at local in addition to national conferences.  Each of these opportunities gave me however some other peril to tell the story of our school.  Eventually, I had to brand a conclusion every bit it was nearing a betoken where I was going to live on out of my edifice to a greater extent than than what was fair.  Thus, I decided to exit the principalship in addition to grow into my novel purpose every bit a Senior Fellow amongst the International Center for Leadership inward Education (ICLE).  

Well, that is my story that I shared when asked.  As I reverberate dorsum on my transformative journeying in addition to my electrical flow operate I am e'er reminded how stories link us amongst our communities.  Local stakeholders experience to a greater extent than connected to a schoolhouse when they know close all the efforts to improve learning land preparing their children to succeed inward the bold novel world.  This is a nifty way to laid relationships through trust. Transparency is an educator’s best friend inward the digital age. Communities of do also travel linked every bit nosotros continuously portion in addition to larn together.  This, later all, is what beingness a connected educator is all about.  

Your operate in addition to do are your story. Be proud of the touching on you lot are having in addition to utilization the many tools available to promote all that is proficient inward education.  In the end, you lot volition solely do stronger links amongst your community in addition to other educators across the world. 

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