#ECET2: Thank you for your story!

"This is a simple story but not an easy one to tell.  Like a fable, there is sorrow...and, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness." While I wish I could take credit for this heart-warming confession, I must humbly acknowledge that it is from the stunning Italian film, Life is Beautiful; however, it might as well have been the guiding theme of this year Gates Foundation "Elevating and Celebrating Teachers and Teaching (ECET2) Convening. You see, while each of us was invited because of what we bring to the classroom, it became the stories we passionately shared  that left us all knowing  we can change the world.  The inherent power of the narrative we wove together is much more far-reaching, much more powerful, and much more long-lasting than any flawed piece of educational legislation, district mandate, or misguided piece of media coverage that may not so subtlety and yet tragically creep its way into our profession.

I have long felt that people, inherently, learn best through the power of the story.  So, it is my hope that you can learn as much as I did at #ECET2 through the stories that forever changed me as a person and professional. These are the real, honest, and heart-warming narratives that helped make me a better teacher, deeper thinker, and overall more passionate and caring person. I know this isn't a short blog post, but let's be honest, what good story is. So, first I want to thank each of you for sharing your story with me; it will not be forgotten.  Second...sit back, relax, and enjoy the life-changing power of STORY.

Story 1: The Courage Within-- We all know what it is like to be frustrated in our job; after all, my guess is that the vast majority of my audience to this blog (or the probably non-existent, yet in-my-mind huge audience) is teachers.  I don't know about you, but I often feel as if they could rename our job to "frustrated ones."  Well, let me share with you the story of someone who has every right to be frustrated.  This is Joseph Bolz (@josephbolz).  This guy defines courage.  He has the will, desire, and internal values to ask the difficult questions about gate-keeping (academically and racially) in his district.  For Joe, ignoring the problem, making the data say things it really isn't, nor saying we are "ok" just isn't good enough.  He inherently believes that ALL students can learn, and he is willing to put his neck out there to do whatever he can to ensure that is the case.  Joe, thank you for showing me what true courage in education is.  You have helped me see there are fights I need to go fight, and you have given me the courage to do so!

Story 2:  Humor Wins--  Take any undergrad class in education and some high-flatulent professor will unequivocally announce that humor and sarcasm have NO PLACE in the classroom.  I have spent most of my teaching career troubled by this edict, and so I was ecstatic to hear the story of Dan Ryder (@wickeddecent).  This guy could make a 95 year-old, depressed patient in the lock-jaw ward of a hospital laugh like he was sitting front row at a Chris Rock show.  So, Dan's story has showed me two things:  1. this guy is WICKED funny and 2. damn, I wish I were a student in his class.  Let's be real for a second: learning should be fun...very fun. And the reality is it just doesn't get much more fun than Dan's humor.  So Dan, on behalf of your students, thank you for being funny.  And, from me, thank you for showing me it is okay to laugh...to laugh with others, to laugh at ourselves, and to laugh at all life can and will throw at us.

Story 3: Be a Parent--  I don't have kids; to be honest, at this point in my life, I don't want them either.  However, I have heard several times in my life that you will "understand" when you become a parent.  Well, let me share with you Julia Wilson's story (@juliawwilson).  She isn't a mom; in fact, she has only been married for a few years, but if you met her and heard her talk about her kindergartners, showing pictures of each of them (yes EACH AND EVERY KID), you would want go back to whomever told you  that you will "understand" once you become a parent and punch them out.  Her maternal instincts, unapologetic passion for her students, and overall compassion as a person would make anyone feel as if they were the most important person around.  So, thank you, Julia. You taught me just how much one doesn't need to be a parent to be a passionate teacher.  The love you show your students is true, pure, and at the core of who you are as a person, and because of that, I am blessed to say I know you!

Story 4: Keep Your Promises:  What's in a promise?  For most of us, it is a word we toss around loosely because it sounds good and/or is easier than admitting the truth.  Let's be honest, we have all been on both sides of the failed promise (making one we don't keep or being burned by one not kept).  Well, let me share with you Jon Spencer's (@jonspencer4) story.  You see, this guy has INTEGRITY!  As a teacher in R.E.A.L ville (don't ask...just know it's an amazing title for a classroom), Jon made a promise to a troubled elementary-school student that when she finally found her way to the high school graduation stage, he would joyfully be there to watch her proudly walk across that stage...little did he know that said stage would be over 1,200 miles away due to the fact that this student moved out of state. For so many of us it would just have been easier to not go, ignore the invites, or make up some simple lie that was just good enough to pass as a reason to not be there.  But not for Jon.  He made the trip, he made the graduation, and he made her feel like she matters...because SHE DID.  So, thank you, Jon. You have reminded me that all students matter, all promises matter, and that we are only as good as our word.  Keep it R.E.A.L (ville), Jon!

Story 5:  Be Cultured--  It is so easy in today's society to raise a child on pop-culture (or at least I assume, since I don't have one). The ability to access bad TV, even worse movies, and "literature" that should make an educated person want to throw up is basically omnipresent. That doesn't even get into all the mindless ways social media have been used to promote an societal agenda in which education and academia are little more than an afterthought.  So, let me tell you Jennifer Orr's (@jenorr) story. This isn't a story of her role as a teacher (at least not formally...and if it were it would be amazing because she is as a teacher) but rather her role as a mom.  It was so heart-warming to hear about all the ways she has brought culture to her daughters' lives. Be it the texts she reads, the music she plays, the museums she visits, or the websites she creates, I was left saying to myself, "damn, I wish I were Jen's daughter" (ya, I know...you figure that one out).  Jen, thank you!  You restored my faith in our society that there is a value in arts; culture; and what sadly most would call, high-brow endeavors. Your belief in true culture makes you an amazing mom and your daughters so super lucky to have you as such!

Story 6:  Let Your Emotions Show--  For some reason, we live in a society in which showing your true, unfiltered emotions isn't okay.  It's a sign of weakness--one who lacks strength and coping mechanisms.  Well let me tell you, that is just a giant load of crap, and allow me to share Jessica Wright's (@jessicampitts) story.  Life is hard; it's beautiful; it's painful; but mostly, it's emotional.  Jessica understands and embraces that.  While she may believe her emotions are a weakness of hers, she is SO GREATLY mistaken.  I sat next to Jessica on a bus while she teared up reading students' tweets that demonstrated their skills with close reading and their passion with the text.  I was at the same table with her when her soul couldn't navigate the horrific statistics about foster children in the US, and the only sensible reaction was tears (a reaction that mirrored mine at the very same moment).  When I really think about Jessica's story, it is one of being YOU. She is so greatly assured in who she is as a person that she can allow her true emotions to come forth.  Her ability to unharness her emotions allows her to listen openly, think critically, and embrace those moments that are worth caring about. Jessica thank you for helping to give me the strength to let my emotions show, for without my emotions, I have realized, thanks to you, I have nothing.

Story 7:  Care for your Kids--  I strongly believe that there is a sadly perpetuated belief in education that all teachers are doing what is best for kids.  Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly believe that the vast majority of teachers are doing what's best for kids; however, it is over-simplistic and bordering on insulting to those who are to say that every teacher is. And that said, let me tell you Emily Land's (@eland1682) story.  When she says she cares for kids, it isn't because she is supposed to say it nor is because the media is watching (even though she is brilliant enough to where that has been the case several times in her recent career) it is because, at her core, she knows absolutely nothing else but doing what is best for kids. To try to tell you the story of just how amazing of an educator she is here in these short paragraphs would be an insult to her and the work she has done; however, I am tasked (thankfully--and so very unofficially) with the role of sharing her story, and that is what I will try to do. You see, for Emily it isn't about the fact that the principal or assistant principal are around and trying to have a conversation with her, or that the teacher in the room next to her is not so secretly begrudging the work she does, it is about truly, at the humble core of the statement, doing what is best for kids.  And that is what she does, not because its "sexy", trendy, or popular, but because it is the damned right thing to do.  So Emily, thank you for being you. Thank you for having the courage to stand up to those who are not doing what is right for kids; thank you for going out of your way to make sure that you are; and thank you for helping me see the true power and meaning behind "doing what is best for kids."

Story 8:  Be Yourself-- I walked into the ECET2 Convening knowing no one, and yet I walked out of there with friends for life. I walked into this conference with an uncertainty of why I was even there and an even bigger fear in the fact that I wasn't sure I should be. And yet, whether he knew it or not, Dr. Irvin Scott (@iscott4) took a chance on me.  On Tuesday morning, he spoke out to one of my tweets and so kindly asked me if I would deliver one of the closing remarks.  So, this isn't his story as I could never do that justice, but this is my story. I went into ECET2 with a new mindset for a conference.  For the first time I wasn't going to work to impress people; I wasn't going to try to get noticed (sadly, that had been my approach at previous conferences).  I was going to BE ME. I was going to say what was true to me, listen as much as possible, and do all I could to leave there knowing I stayed true to what I believed and who I was.  The result...well, the story speaks for itself.  So, Dr. Scott, thank you for taking a chance on me as a closing speaker, and ECET2, thank you for accepting me for ME.

I want to close this blog (I know, I know...it's long enough already...it's fine...feel free to stop reading) by saying two things:
1.  THANK YOU...the above stories aren't mine and yet, somehow, I am the lucky one to tell them.  So, to everyone above, thank you for letting me tell your story.  And to every amazing story I heard but didn't tell, share your story!
2.  Never underestimate the power of the story and of YOUR story.  And, because I have the ability to actually look up the quote (and not just pull it out of my memory for a speech), let me leave you with these lines from the song "For Good" from the musical "Wicked."

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us must to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Thank you to ALL of ECET2 for being my FRIEND!!! SHOUT OUT!!!