There is so much going on with public education these days that now is a perfect time to really connect educators with the community members we service (parents, business partners, academia, and basically anyone with a vested interest in our kids). While many people revere their teachers in specific, both educators and our communities are commonly guilty of misunderstanding one another’s concerns as opportunities for dialogue about large issues are frequently absent. So much of the dialogue about what’s happening in schools occurs in isolated silos where we end up creating our own meaning of things, often based on limited or incorrect information and biased sources.
Nearly every topic that graces a newspaper headline regarding public education has an often unexplored consequence in each child’s classroom. Teachers can forecast many of these problems – and potential solutions – if they are engaged in the conversations early enough. Community stakeholders can inform educators of purposes that we don’t immediately consider from our classroom. Both can inform policy more wisely if we just talk a little more and seek to understand.
Many educators are using Twitter as a platform to chat and make connections that strengthen our practice, but if we only talk with each other we’re only able to affect our reactions to large issues. #MIpubED is an opportunity to encourage Michigan educators to use Twitter as a forum for joining educators and non-educators in dialogue. There will be four scheduled Twitter chats at 8:30pm on Tuesdays in March, using the hashtag #MIpubED to learn about the following topics:
March 3, 2015 – Creating #MIpubED Community – 8:30 p.m.
March 10, 2015 – Higher Standards/Common Core – 8:30 p.m.
March 17, 2015 – High Stakes Tests (are not Common Core) – 8:30 p.m.
March 24, 2015 – Community Concerns – 8:30 p.m.
Of course, time doesn’t need to bind learning anymore, so the hashtag is always available for anyone to submit questions, comments, or solicit educator opinions about any topic around Michigan public education! If you don’t feel comfortable asking staff at your building, find other educators at #MIpubED…if you want to know what a sample of Michigan educators think about an issue, find willing opinions at #MIpubED…if you have an idea and want a school (or company or citizen) to pitch it to, create a relationship with educators or the community at #MIpubED!
The purpose of the #MIpubED is to provide a location for the community to engage with public educators in an effort to understand collective interests in Michigan’s public education.
Join me on Twitter @sutterlearn or #MIpubED.