Maybe this time . . . #edcamphome reflection

I love many things . . . musical theater is one of them. Let's see how many times I can title a blog post after famous musical lyrics. Perhaps that will get me going! I was initially going to name this blog: 50 New Best Friends after the following tweet . . .

I sent that tweet out after spending my afternoon with the folks of #edcamphome. While I was excited about #edcamphome today, it's always a little tough. It's the last few days of winter break. I can see the grading I've put off stacked before me. I'm feeling excited about going back to school, but not excited about my days filling up to the brim again. I was close to missing out on the experience just so I could do "something else," but I decided to go for it. #Edcamps always energizes me, and this one was no exception. Yet, as I sat down to reflect on the experience . . .why was I so engaged in #edcamphome . . . it took me a moment to figure out why. Yes, excitement is contagious, and the excitement the educators had at this event was more than contagious. Yes, it's always great to see passionate people talking about what they love. Yes, learning is always reinvigorating. But there was more . . .

I felt safe within the group of educators I met today.
As though I had friends . . .colleagues . . . a cohort.

Via Kevin Ashworth (@SLOlifeKevin)

That feeling of a cohort, of new friends, is exactly what everyone needs to thrive in their profession. Many of us are lucky to have that in our physical spaces, whether it happens in your classroom or a faculty room. That colleague ready to grab a coffee with you. The one who shares a funny story from his/her Facebook feed. Or the one who nods in an understanding manner at your latest success/failure/frustration. You build connections over a common mission, vision and goals. #Edcamp allows a group of seemingly disparate educators to do so in a few hours. How? We are allowed to choose our mission, vision and goals for the day. We can create the path that suits us. Make the connections that work best. The perfect blend of networked and autonomous. 

That feeling of community is built so quickly and so well in the #edcamp model. Always. That's why I'm drawn to it. Always. I am so glad I was able to put ahead my "something else" for today because I always gain as much as I expend from my edcamp friends. 

So why, "maybe this time"? One of the things I was inspired to do is start to blog. As I mentioned in my session, I've been trying to be Doogie Howser since I was 10 to no avail.  I want to thank those who inspired and encouraged me to start today. Particularly, Susan Spellman Cann (@SSpellmanCann) for giving me the idea of using my own Twitter feed as perhaps the inspiration for my posts. I hope that I can keep this up. I hope that my 50 new best friends can keep me accountable. Just like a colleagues in a faculty room.

Maybe this time . . .