Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs. In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year. Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home. I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms...
As we prepare for our 4th EdCamp Elmbrook , I realize how every year it seems like the number of first time EdCampers continues to grow. I love this because I feel that EdCamps are an amazing source of PD. But, that puts greater responsibility on those of us that are EdCamp veterans to help model what a great EdCamp can be. EdCamp Elmbrook is March 7th in Brookfield Wisconsin at Brookfield Central High School. We'd love to have you there. Click here if you'd like to register. I will always remember sitting in my first EdCamp opening session in 2013 and having no clue what I was in for. So, I’d like to take this space to go over some of the basic rules of EdCamp. No One Will Pitch It for You EdCamps are unconferences. By this I mean that they have a blank slate of sessions for the day. There may be a few predetermined sessions, but ultimately the session topics are determined by attendees during the pitch & plan session that opens they day. If an idea ge...