The Importance of Connecting in 3 Ways

Only one more day until I have students in my classrooms, and I can barely contain my excitement (or my stress)!  I've spent the past 2 jam-packed days in training, meetings, and the like preparing for school with my fellow teachers...so I felt the need to reflect a little bit.  I've realized the importance of connecting with people over the past 5 years of college, and with my newly found connection to Twitter and blogging found even more of a reason to be connected.  So I'm going to reflect a little on the three ways I feel like we should all invest our connections...and this is especially for aspiring and new teachers.  Because, trust me...I wouldn't be about to start school in this amazing school district (and be prepared) without any one of them.

1.) Internet & Social Networking Connections
This is of course why you are reading this at this very moment.  There is an infinite amount of wisdom and experience available to teachers both new and old from many different mediums.  Whether you are on a listserv, reading a blog, Twittering, or just Google-ing websites..there is something out there for everyone.  Find one connection to get you started and build from there.  The rest will come from experience and sticking to it.  Don't be afraid to try new things, to pull in your peers, and to start something of your own.

2.) A Variety of Subject Area Connections
This is a commonly known fact.  The more connections you make for students the more they will learn.  Right?  Well it sounds nice, until you have to do the collaboration and the planning.  It is however VERY worth your time.  Especially if you are an "elective" or "specials" teacher as I am, and that's for 2 reasons.  First of all it really does help students.  Students use technology in all areas so teaching it while using the content from their other classes is just common sense.  Secondly, the other teachers appreciate it, a lot.  Just in the time that I've been working with teachers so far they have all praised me for being willing to collaborate with them and take some of their suggestions.  It validates what they are doing, and it helps them out!  So...don't forget while you have a million other things going on to keep making those connections for students.


3.) "Physical Human" Connections
Remember these?? Before all of this Internet stuff if you needed help you got up out of your chair and went and asked for it.  This is still extremely important.  It seems like a "duh" factor once you're teaching...but I want to talk about getting you to the teaching point.
The market is difficult for teachers right now, so for all you pre-service teachers, when people tell you to get to know your professors... They are dead serious.  Let me tell you why =)  I had only been an education major for 1 1/2 years before student teaching, so only 2 before getting a teaching job.  Some of my good friends who were education majors for all 4 years....are still struggling to find a job.  Not only did I find one (that I didn't go looking for), I was the only person interviewed, and I was hired the same day.  How you ask?  Connections connections connections!! It really is all about who you know.
Ever since I became an education major I stopped by my advisor's office frequently, sometimes for things that I could've waited to ask about or things I could've asked a classmate.  I also always talked to my professors before or after class multiple times a week. And of course the obvious speaking up in class, doing what I was told, and going a little beyond.  This all led to me having leadership roles in my College of Education (again only after one year in the building), eventually getting multiple scholarships to participate in an International Teaching Experience, multiple awards from the College at graduation, and now...TA-DA my very own classroom.  I literally added lines for references on my job application because there was no way to narrow them down.  When I mention other of my fellow teachers' names to professors (who've had those students in the past) they don't know who they are...or can't remember.  And those my friends, are my peers still searching for jobs.

I know life is hard, your broke, your tired, and you just want to have fun in college.  But my good friends out there...please listen when I say make LOTS  of connections.  Don't stop when you graduate, don't stop when you get a job.  Keep connecting, keep learning, and you will keep on being happy. =)