Woohoo TedxLangleyED

Finally… a moment to reflect on my professional learning in the new year… the year of the Monkey BTW. The year starts with a BANG with TedxLangleyED. It was so great to see my friend and former school trustee Cecelia Reekie be one of the speakers to share her story at this event. Loved it… and this was only the beginning. First of all, I love professional development and professional learning as it nourishes my soul and fills my cup like nothing else. Second, I love coming to events like these because it’s such a great opportunity to connect with those from my Professional Learning Network (PLN) face-to-face. I saw Ron Dorland, Janice Novakowski, Rose Pillay, Jan Malcolm, Shawn Davids, Janet Lauman, Michelle Hiebert, Karen Lirenman, Carrie Antoiniazzi, and D’Alice Marsh… to name a few. It’s like a crazy edu-family reunion. Way too much fun. Third, the speakers and presenters were super amazing and I loved the message… passion, do what you love, and find your strengths. The day was validating for me. I had just finished my draft Chapter 4 of my dissertation and TedxLangleyED added fuel to my fire. Listening to Ryan Radford and Harnessing your Geek… to Chris Wejr and Starting with Strengths… to Hugh McDonald in Keeping Kids in the Game… to Shelley Moore and sharing her practice from Under the Table. This is just a sample of the amazing speakers at TedxLangleyED (aka. phenomenal BC educators) who shared their passion, love, and strengths in/for education. Incredible. Do you know what was super crazy about this whole event? The first 5 rows of the event was a SCREENFREE ZONE, meaning no phones, no iPad, no laptops. Many of us were in a bit of a dilemma… many of my friends sat way in the the back. Not me. I am such a supernerd (and not shy about it) and sat in the front row, which was followed up by 2-hours of retweeting and downloading pictures on Twitter. Thank you PLN. And, thank you Superintendent Suzanne Hoffman, Principal John Pussic, and the SD35 Tedx CREW for making this all possible. Looking forward to next year’s event!!!