![Just That Simple]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Mar 30, 2015 | Reflect
Maybe it is this simple. Uncomplicated. Beyond the complex standards and busy data charts, is raw learning. Cardboard tubes. Masking tape. Rulers. Stop Motion created with clay. Video reflections on the iPad. A construction paper invention explained in a series of photos with an app to record the voice. Choices. Different outcomes, various products, a focus back on the process. Honoring passions and letting students drive. Learning isn’t an event. It’s a process. In it’s rawest form it’s so complex that it’s beautifully simple. And when it’s right? It hooks in every kid and every teacher. Just that simple.
![The Mess in the Moment]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Mar 28, 2015 | Thoughts on Learning
What a Learning Moment Looks Like In Our Plans:
Organized.
Clear.
A Goal Attained.
Birds Chirping and Breeze Blowing.
Like this girl’s selfie with her beagle.
Say Cheese.
A single moment captured.Easy. Quick. Perfect. Clean.
Photo: http://terriblyterrier.com/smart-phones-vs-dogs/
What a Learning Moment ACTUALLY Looks Like:
Like my attempt to take a selfie with my Weimaraner, Lulu.
Say Cheese. Huh?
Unexpected.
Perspectives change. Plans make shifts, twists, and unexpected turns.
Uncomfortable.
A Goal Loosely Attained…kind of. I mean, it is a selfie.
A mess in the midst.
Tangled Leashes and Some Sort of Chaos.
But, then… 22 attempts later, I let go.
I let go, and something different unfolded.
Moments captured.
A process, not an event.
Just like learning.
Life is messy.
So is learning.
But it’s a beautiful mess.
![The Contagious Cycle of Engery]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Mar 27, 2015 | Dream Big, Reflect
Passion. It’s that loud voice that sings inside your head and the sound of your heart beating when you are doing work that you love. It’s the thing that wakes you up at 4 in the morning with an idea that won’t let you get back to sleep. It’s the crazy feeling that takes over when you get in the middle of something that you forget is a challenge and you just keep going and get through it. It makes work feel more like play. Like a five year old swinging and sliding down the slide kind of fun. It takes your job and makes it fun. So when you have passion for what you do, what makes it even better?
Sharing it. A colleague with the same passion? A member of your PLN that you tweet. A friend in another district that you exchange Voxer messages with? When you have passion and you get together with others who share that passion, it’s like catching contagious energy that can’t be stopped. When your motivation wanes, they will reinvigorate you. When you get inspired, you will return the favor. Passion is a contagious cycle of energy that runs through your veins, feeds your soul, and reminds you why you’re alive. And sharing it with others? It reminds you that you are never alone.
![What’s Your Message?]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Mar 20, 2015 | Matters of Creativity, Reflect
I believe each of us has a message to the world. It’s not a brand. I’m not a Hershey bar or Nike. And my message is not chocolate or colorful shoes, although I love both. I suppose there are days when we believe that message is something that doesn’t make a difference, and on other days, we know our message is one that can change the world. It’s on those days that we make bold moves. If we’re lucky, the days of being bold outnumber the days where we hold back.
I’ve made bold moves before. But, mostly the kind where I keep the ship tied to the dock, and pull myself back in. I believed so much in dreams that I succumbed to voices that told me creativity was a waste of time, and that the very person I was, was too focused on creativity. So, I held back. I tried to become something I wasn’t. I tried to turn off a part of my heart. And it broke it. This has happened more than once in my life – and it happened in school as a kid, and as an adult. I think it’s the entire reason why the passion inside me for changing school and making school more burns so very strong. It’s why things like Project Based Learning, Design Thinking, Technology, Innovation, Maker Movement, and STEAM give me so much hope. Because I waited for those things as a kid. And I know that kids are waiting for us.
The fact is, an invitation is never going to come to truly be yourself. That is all on you. And you can start right now. This journey? It’s happening right at this moment. Your soul speaks YOUR message and once you commit to it, you’ll have nothing else to worry about. Every twist, turn, failure will only make you stronger. That strength will lead you toward your goals. That’s right. When you totally fail, it will become a rock of failure that you can climb to the top of.
And before you know it, the message on your heart will be clear because you’ll be living it.
My message is clear to me. Creativity? It Matters. It draws out the uniqueness in every single one of us that the world needs. When it’s missing from learning? We’re not really learning, or living. It’s the very thing that draws me into schools, technology, global connections, gifted education, Swatch watches, colorful scarves, poster-making, metaphors, duct tape collections, robots, colorful Converse, creating ultimate learning experiences for teachers and kids, and having a Lego iphone cover. It’s the little things and the big things. It’s who I am.
And, never again in my life, will I allow the voices of others to drown my soul and try to squelch who I am, nor apologize for it. Because I’ve felt what happens when I do, and that’s a darkness that is unbearable.
I’m far from perfect, but I’m perfectly imperfect. Because I’m in that space where there is failure, accomplishment, collaboration, support, love, growth, and the kind of joy that’s there when the sun rises. I’m in that space where raw honesty makes me happy, even when it’s uncomfortable. Because that uncomfortableness? It’s me.
And that’s about as bold as I can get.
![We Are the Ones We Are Waiting For]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Mar 19, 2015 | Reflect
This video is learning. Pure, simple, wonder. You can see it on her little face. The light in her eyes. The excitement that isn’t just a look on her face, but that moves her. All of her. Remember the last time you had that kind of learning experience? I hope so. Because we need that kind of wonder in our schools. Not just from the kids, but from us.
Last time I felt that was the day before Spring Break, watching a kindergartener describe “energy” in the Squishy Circuit dough. I’m pretty sure my face looked just like that little girls, and I may have shrieked, too. It’s not that I refuse to grow up, it’s just that I refuse to stop wondering.
There is only one thing that can save our schools. It won’t be an expensive program. It won’t be Common Core. It certainly won’t be some expert coming in from another state to “teach us how to test.” It won’t even be selling or downloading standardized teacher-created things on websites. It won’t even be a law, a device, or wifi. Standardization will never work because kids are not standard. We need one thing.
That one thing? It’s us. Every. single. one of us. We need to start with a conversation and change things one day a time. We need to get creative and change what we can. Even in the face of what seems an insurmountable scale of testing, standards, requirements, and evaluations.
We need to get back to the raw creativity that is cardboard. Tape. Rulers. Scissors. Writing our reflections in a thinking journal. Collaborating on designs. Empowering kids to change the world, not change answers. The Maker Movement holds this promise, but the responsibility lies with us.
We need to join together, collaborate, and change what we can. We need to redefine the American classroom. Rethink what we do in our public schools. Make learning about what it is really about. Wonder. Joy. Raw creativity. Authentic Experiences.
When you watch this video, do you think what she really needed was someone to stick a piece of paper in her face and tell her what standard she was experiencing? Or ask her to bubble in what she saw?
Of course not.
We are the ones we are waiting for.
