Record the Journey

Lesson: Everyone you meet has something they can teach you. Yes, everyone! It doesn’t matter how old they are, or if some people think they are super successful or not. Everyone knows something you don’t. But here’s the trick: you have to really listen and be open to learning new things.

Image created by text description written by Kelly Croy in Chat GPT 4

Sometimes, we think we know a lot about something, but there’s always more to learn. So many teachers, young and old, just do things their way. Teaching is about collaboration, an eagerness to learn and apply it.  It’s important to listen and keep our minds open to new ideas.

Everything good I’ve accomplished as a teacher I learned from someone else. Sometimes they were teachers in my school, or people I met at conferences, or even someone I learned from online. I saw the awesome things they did, and I wanted to learn how to do them too. So, I asked a lot of questions and tried my best to learn, put my spin on it, and try them out. Sometimes it took many attempts, and a few times it worked great the first time.

Sometimes, people teach us exactly what to do. Other times, they show us what not to do. Both are really helpful.

Don’t be shy to ask others when you need help or have a question. And if you find something that works well, share it with others! That’s how you can be a leader.

Watch what other teachers do and learn from them. Try out what you learn in your own way.

Challenge:  No matter where you are in school or what you’re learning, try to keep track of your adventures in learning. You could write it down in a journal, make a video, or even keep notes on your phone. When you learn something new, write it down and think about how you can use it.

I’ve been keeping track of my teaching journey by making podcasts, writing blogs, and speaking at educational events and conferences. I’ve even written a couple of books. It’s been really fun! I’ve met so many awesome teachers and learned so much. It has even helped my students meet experts in areas they are interest in and learn about places all around the world. It’s provided me with opportunities to travel the world and even helped my family with additional income streams. Most importantly, it made me better and my district better. When we listen to learn and share to help, we level-up and make a difference in the lives of others.

I’m going to write some short posts here about what I’ve learned about teaching in a series titled: Excellent Advice for Teaching. I hope you enjoy them, and maybe even comment and share.

Every single person has something to teach you if you’ll listen and have an open mind, but the thing is most people don’t ask, don’t listen, and don’t apply. An eagerness to learn is better than saying, I’m a life-long learner. Let’s practice learning and model it.

Record the Journey.

Always forward,

Kelly

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Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
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I had this idea over the weekend to  take a few minutes each day to jot down a short piece of advice I believe I have learned about teaching and post it on @wirededucator to pass it along to the next generation of teachers. That’s how I learned. So, here is my first. (This will be a good practice in consistency too.) #LeadEveryDay #WiredEducator