Allegiance and Allies Uplift Teaching and Learning

Planning ECET2-MA2016 has deepened my understanding
of education allies and allegiance.

Many years ago I wrote a post about allegiance. At that time, I noted that I was reluctant to ally with any one group or set of principles. Now, several years later, I find that I am ready to ally with multiple groups--groups who have proved to be tremendous allies to me. Those groups include colleagues at the school system where I teach, edcamp, ecet2, teacher2teacher, WTA, MTA, NEA, CTQ, DESE, TAC, TeachPlus, #edchat, #edchatma, #satchat, Educon, and NBPTS. There are other organizations I'd like to get to know more too including FSU, NCTM, ATMIN, and Math Circles.

When I wrote the earlier post, I had not reached out as much to participate in organizations. I didn't know many organizations well. I was teaching and working mostly in my school environment. Since then I reached out more, and this is a case where "More was More" as the more I reached out, the more I recognized how I could participate and how I could also benefit from what those organizations had to offer.

As educators today, it's important to reach out to teaching/learning communities to develop your craft and your Professional Learning Network (PLN). In this profession, we can't do it alone or even with our local school district only. We have to reach in and reach out to do the job well. Yes time is limited, but I've found that if you reach out to some, you energize the work you do and find many that both feed your spirit and aid your craft. That collaboration and support creates capacity and makes teaching and learning more enjoyable and successful.

What groups invigorate your teaching/learning efforts? How do you contribute and benefit from these allies and allegiances? These are important questions to consider as you continue to teach and learn.