My Thoughts Are Yours Now

Posted by Paula White ⋅ November 29, 2011 ⋅ 6 Comments

Sometimes a person says something, or you read something, that just resonates with you. I’m wondering if I began sharing with my staff the quotes I like or the sentences I read if it would cause any kind of change. Would others think about them? Would/could we have conversations about what they mean? Would there even be time?

I read all the time…I read books my kids are reading, and I read education books that make me think, and I read best sellers, too. My family room has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves I put in when I moved into this house, and they are full. I’ve recently discovered reading on my iPad, and I’ve spent a ton on Amazon in the past few months. Rarely does someone mention a book that I haven’t at least heard of, and often I’ve read it or parts of it, depending on the kind of book it is. I’m having a ball teaching literacy to fifth graders this year, partly because of the conversations we have about the books we read. But the fact of the matter is that I often forget the best words of the book or article because I do read so much…and so fast. So I’ve learned over the years to write them down–in a blog post or email to a friend or just somewhere–the very act of writing the words puts them more in my head. Would sharing some of these favorites cause more conversations with my staff?

“Real relevance, a willingness to allow learners to follow their interests, and a creative use of technology.”

“Technology is really about relationships.”

“When this relationship is supportive and based on engaging with learners and not controlling them then it can facilitate amazing learning.”

These quotes come from Oliver Quinlan’s liveblog. Check it out and see what you think. 🙂

As he says, These thoughts are my own, they are also yours…

Love that-my thoughts are yours now. I guess I’ll try sharing some of the quotes I like and see what happens!

About Paula White

grandma, teacher, Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE), DEN STAR, Google Certified Teacher, camper, Gifted Resource Tchr, NETS*T certified, lover of learning

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Discussion

6 thoughts on “My Thoughts Are Yours Now”

Share the heck out of your thoughts, for even if others do not find them to have a resonate quality, mere exposure to ‘new’ concepts has a way of working wonders.

Posted by Brent Snavely | November 30, 2011, 8:46 am

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You just described my online and offline life! I really do hope like you that most of what I share become yours. I think if more teachers took this attitude in their classroom. Instead a lot of teachers don’t share, they preach, they cram the knowledge in their student’s brains, and then test them on how much they remember. I read a lot also and glad I am not asked to recall all of it, but I do ask myself often to use it… part of that is being mindful and reflexive about what we are learning and what we are doing with it.

again thank you Paula for sharing with us!

David

Ps. Krishnamurti said something like don’t believe me until you know yourself, and when you do they are now your words, not mine. 🙂

Posted by dloitz | November 30, 2011, 1:37 pm

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I love that quote, too, Paula. One of the things I most appreciate about social media in general, and Twitter specifically, is access to those shared thoughts. Thinking about the teacher-student relationship: how valuable for students to get that their teacher is constantly thinking, reading, *and* sharing.
Thanks,
Jane

Posted by Dr. StrangeCollege | November 30, 2011, 3:04 pm

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- I forgot to say before, but we also need to listen more to the sharing of our students and youth people in general. They have lots to not only share, but to engage us with. We don’t have to allow our youth to share, we just need to stop prohibiting it in school and in life in general. Right now we hold up certain youth leaders as geniuses, or talented, or special, but the truth is, we hold down a lot of genius, talented youth voices with traditional methods of teaching and learning. The true transformation of education will happen when we truly enter into a partnership as learners, not just as students and teachers!
  
  Love to hear from more students on the Cooperative! If you know any ones ready to share, send them our way!
  
  David
  
  Posted by dloitz | November 30, 2011, 3:25 pm
  
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Thanks for sharing those quotes, glad you found them useful =). I agree so strongly that sharing is key these days, it always has been but now everyone with access to a computer can share their thinking then learning is there for the taking.

Posted by Oliver Quinlan | December 3, 2011, 8:01 pm

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