Another edcamp in the books. This one? It was magical. Pun intended, as it was #edcampmagic. Truly. My tenth edcamp. But you know what? All the rest were just as magical. St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Jefferson City, Springfield, Houston, Central Louisiana. Across the midwest and through the south, with number 10 happening this past weekend in Orlando, Florida. And the icing on the cake was a few special meetups with Disney loving friends… and Dole Whip!
A day of learning at Windermere Prep School in Windermere, Fl culminated a year of planning with an amazing team that made the magic happen. Conversations. Sharing. Collaboration. Ideas. Discussions. People from around the country, around the county, and people who are interested in making learning better, making themselves better educators, and making school more… all in one place. I saw so many friends I hadn’t seen in such a long time, from my favorite ISTE Roomates, to people I’ve met at Microsoft, Google, on the ZeroG flight, and at various conferences. We were all there, in one place. Sharing.
There are days when I just don’t feel like connecting. There have been days that the last thing I’ve wanted was to reach out and connect. And on those days? I didn’t have to, because someone was reaching back. A tweet, a vox, a message, an email. A high five, a hug, a celebratory Starbucks. I’m so lucky to have these people in my life and so blessed that it doesn’t matter where we live, our connections are always there with us.
You all make me want to be a better version of myself each day. You make me want to share, grow, and continue to learn. You make me want to give back more each and every single day. Because that’s what it’s truly about to me. Sharing.
The days that are less than awesome? I’m not just okay. I’m better than okay. I’m connected.
And I’m beyond grateful.
