Teach Like A Pirate Chapters 18 & 19- Finding A Crew & Finding Treasure

What an exciting adventure this book study has been! I am so sad to see it end.  It has been so thrilling to read and reflect along with all of the wonderful teacher-bloggers, each adding their own perspective and experiences. Thanks to Gina and Jennifer for all their hard work putting this together! 

Chapters 18 and 19 are all about collaboration and sharing. When I jumped on this book study in May and started following along I had no idea how relevant this chapter would be for me on this day and time. 

I have been blessed with awesome, creative (and patient) teammates who are ALWAYS willing to share, offer feedback or lend a shoulder to cry on.  They put up with my slightly OCD/ control freak-ish ways and know that I march to the beat of a slightly different drummer.  

In "Finding A Crew" Dave credits his success to surrounding himself with a supportive "crew" and to seek out people who are experts in the craft of teaching and also those who might offer a different perspective. Dave also suggests to seek opportunities to hone your craft and attend conferences.  Put yourself in the same physical space with others who are dedicated to improving themselves.  I could not agree more.

Now... I have to share...  If you follow my blog, you will know that I got to spend the last few days at the I Teach K / Differentiated Instruction Conference in Las Vegas!!!! Super Exciting!!  I don't want to steal the thunder from the book study, but my experience cannot exemplify this chapter any more and I am still riding the wave of excitement. (Dave... you SO need to be there next year and present this book!!) 

The conference was packed with folks that are really at the top of their game. People came from all over!  I met teachers who were friendly and excited to learn. I met bloggers and SUPER Bloggers that I have admired stalked for years.  I got to rub elbows with some of the top experts shaping curriculum and education today. 

One (of many) of my highlights was spending time with the super amazing Debbie Clement. She was the opening Keynote for the conference and ROCKED IT!!! I have been a fan of her books and music for a long, long time. She is the real deal.

Jennifer from Simply Kinder and I got to spend a lot of time with Fran Kramer from Kindergarten Crayons. Not only is Fran an absolute expert in her field, but so insipring to be around! I could have talked to her all night. She is one sharp lady! 

and because it was Vegas... a bunch of us did see a show.

Everyone was SERIOUSLY so kind and sweet and genuine but most importantly we all shared the passion for teaching. It was ELECTRIC!  I highly recommend attending a conference in the near future. I have found that there are great teachers and even some experts that are willing to share and collaborate and pass on new ideas. The internet has brought teachers together who all share strategies, techniques, ideas and their hearts.

The last chapter in the book is Finding Treasure. Dave has a genuine interest in sharing and collaboration. He has shared his journey with us, and now he wants his readers to share their experiences with him.He is interested in hearing how you have set sail and adopted some pirate tactics.  I was tickled PINK when he commented on my last post about the first section. Super exciting!!! Thank you Dave for allowing us to take this journey with you. I can't wait to start incorporating all of your ideas into my teaching this fall.

If you are reading this, then you probably already know and value what the internet has done for teachers and the field of teaching. It has moved us from the isolation of one single classroom to being world-wide collaborators.  This is an exciting time to be a teacher pirate don't you think?