The Closer

“Professional learning is BETTER THAN PHO.”

Thank you @GabrielPillay1 (and side-kick sister @RosePillay1) for asking me to speak at #Edvent2017 #getfED. I was honoured and delighted to learn that we were to talk about “food and professional learning.” Hello? I thought this was a serendipitous moment. FOOD + PROFESSIONAL LEARNING = WINNING COMBINATION. I felt validated. My food pics took front stage as I talked about professional learning.

Of course I wanted to take a play on words with my 5-minute pecha kucha presentation. For those who don’t know what that is… it’s 20 slides, 15 seconds each and the slides are automated. You have to make your case in 5 minutes. There is no time to meander or be indecisive. You have to have a point and getter’ done in 5 minutes. Not only did I get the opportunity to highlight my favourite food pics, I was going to title my presentation after my ultimate favourite food from Kien Giang Vietnamese Restaurant in Sechelt, BC… medium #5 soup… beef and meatball Pho.

Why wouldn’t I compare professional learning to my favourite food? They go hand in hand. I look forward to a warm bowl of Pho. It’s warm and inviting. Pho tastes super good like someone spent a lot of time and LOVE preparing it. You can enjoy a bowl by yourself or in the company of others. It’s something I look forward to and can eat everyday. I am never disappointed. This is how I feel about professional learning.

Even preparing for #Edvent2017 (and this blog entry) brought me much joy. I take a lot of food pics. I don’t know why but I do. I try not to post every pic on social media, but I am compelled to take a picture of my meal. When I look at the picture I am immediately brought back to that restaurant and the good memories that were attached to it… like this one. This is my favourite cheese burger from The Village Restaurant in Sechelt, BC. It reminds me of my mom’s cheeseburgers when she owned a coffee shop in Prince Rupert, BC when I was a young child. Now, I bring my daughter to The Village Restaurant to spend time with her and enjoy a cheeseburger and vanilla milkshake. It brings me back. BTW: this pic did not make my #getfED Powerpoint. It’s was tough choosing my best 19 food pics for #Edvent2017.

What a great way to start #Edvent2017. I love this quote… “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” All of Julia Child quotes during #Edvent 2017 were awesome and so appropriate to #getfED. That was my personal challenge. How was I going to connect my love for Pho to professional learning? I’m a math teacher for goodness sakes. Could I pull off a 5-minute metaphor? I was about to find out. It was an interesting process as we approached the event. Speakers were asked months in advance to participate. Look at who I presented with? https://findinganswersinlife.com/archive-edvent-2017/  What a phenomenal group of educators presenting at #Edvent2017. I was truly honoured.

What blew my mind… like this delicious shrimp salad roll and deep fried roll with peanut sauce from Kien Giang… was that I was THE CLOSER. What was Gabe & Rose thinking??? I was expecting to speak, but the Closer? You know what people remember the most, right? UGH. No pressure, of course. I was the last to speak at #Edvent2017. I did not know about this until a week or so before the event. By then, my PowerPoint was submitted and there was no looking back. I’m the closer.

Seize the day. Carp diem. Hello CANDY BAG… “Life itself is the proper binge.” Just live life to the fullest and JUMP IN. Of course, as the day approached… I was at a meeting in Vancouver all day… and more meetings before this event… and little time to prep for this event. Classic. It just seems to work like that sometimes. And of course, like any good educator, you just make it happen. So, when I arrived to the WINGS Pub & Restaurant in Burnaby, I cracked open my computer and started “practicing.” There comes a point where I had nothing to read from and memorizing was not an option. My secret… just remember what your BIG IDEAS are and proceed from there.

Like this bowl of curry chicken from Saffron Restaurant in Sechelt, BC… the speakers at #Edvent were HOT. Oh my goodness… when you want to see educators with passion speak… Go to an event like #Edvent2017. The topics were diverse but the drive for our love of education was definitely the same. Topics ranged from teach with passion to making kids hungry to Aboriginal Education to inquiry based learning to Buns & Roses. One speaker even talked about not being able to eat anymore and that life is a CHOICE. Soooo powerful and I loved her message. So True!!! Life is a choice.

Going to events like #Edvent2017 is a wonderful way to meet people within your PLN face-to-face. Here is a picture of me and @MsOlwenCowen. Below… is a picture with me and @dspyksma (Darren Spyksma) and @perfinker (Gillian Judson).

Below is a picture with me and @CraigMah and @RosePillay1. It was at the inaugural #Edvent2016 where I met my #bcedchat co-mod @CraigMah face-to-face for the first time. Craig was one of the speakers that year… and the topic was “What did I learn from Kindergarten?” That was a doozy. My answer would have been don’t jump at the mobiles during break time or else you don’t get to go to gym class. True story. Craig is a super nice guy and an awesome #bcedchat co-moderator. I was so glad to see him again at #Edvent2017. (Rose is a pretty awesome person and super educator too).

Tough to capture the night… There was appetizers, candy, and lots of people enjoying the learning experience. #Edvent2017 is organized and facilitated by a bunch of very passionate educators who will attract a very passionate crowd. The event was so well thought out. We had speakers Skyping in and other speakers with a HUGE fan-base. Love that. Speakers even walked away with some pretty awesome SWAG.

Not going to lie… the speakers were outstanding. I was so inspired by their love for education and their creativity. Wowza. Tough acts to follow. I had to remind myself to BE MYSELF and that my strength is to just go with the flow and ad lib if I need to. No one knows your script. Keep to your message and everyone will understand your BIG IDEAS… that professional learning is BETTER THAN PHO… go out and try new foods… find new favourites… and not everyone likes the same food as you.

Thank you @GabrielPillay1 for your vision and passion… and thank you @RosePillay1 and @kvkerrigan for SOUS CHEFFING… and thank you to all those who volunteered and supported Gabe’s vision. The evening was incredible, thoughtful, and inspiring. Once again, SUSHI did not make my #Edvent2017 PowerPoint or my edu-blog entry on #getfED. (photos were just deleted prior to publishing this blog… #bummer).

Looking forward to next year’s #Edvent2018… on sitcoms or sitcom songs and professional practice… Stay #tunEDin. https://findinganswersinlife.com/