Apple Distinguished Educator

Come See Us!

/ Kristi Meeuwse / Leave a comment

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death-Albert Einstein

group pic collageIn a recent post, I talked about raising the bar with iPads.  One of the best ways to raise the bar in education is having teachers learn from each other.  By seeing what is possible…truly possible, one can return to the classroom with a renewed sense of energy and purpose.  It is one thing to hear about something, but it is another thing entirely to see it in action.

My school, Drayton Hall Elementary, is an Apple Distinguished School.  We host visitors from all over.  These site visits have been very beneficial to those who have come.  Apple is hosting 2 such tours at Drayton Hall in the coming weeks.  The first one is March 28th and there is still space available on that tour.  The second tour is April 16th from 8:30-11:30. Click here to see the invitation. Drayton Hall April 16th

I’ve talked about the importance of kids learning from each other and it’s no less important for adults to continue to learn as well.  We have had teachers, administrators, board members and technology folks visit.  They have seen 1:1 iPads across all grade levels and across the curriculum working to personalize learning for our students.  When you can come away from a learning experience as a teacher and take it back to your classroom, the ripple effect has begun…not just with your students, but with your colleagues and their students.team work

Have you ever been to a workshop or professional development and walked away with a new idea?  It is an exciting feeling to try something new and fresh.  As an Apple Distinguished Educator, I am connected to some of the best educators in the world.  As they share what they do, I find myself raising my own expectations and in turn, raising the bar in my classroom.

Many of my readers live in other countries and I realize a site visit isn’t very realistic.  However, make a point to find a way to connect with other educators.  Twitter is a great place to build a professional learning network.  Teaching is hard enough…connecting and learning from others makes it worthwhile.

As we say in the South….y’all come!

Today, we will do exciting new things.  Let’s get to it!

It’s a New Day…I’m Still Me

/ Kristi Meeuwse / 10 Comments

Every new day is a once in a lifetime event. How much more exciting would our lives be if we embraced this truth and lived accordingly?-Steve Maraboli

emailTuesday, February 19th was an ordinary day.  School, cook dinner, answer emails and play my new game obsession Candy Crush.  (I can NOT get beyond level 30!) I had checked my email obsessively the last 3 weeks waiting to hear some news, and another day looked as if it would pass without hearing anything.

The email notification on my phone reluctantly pulled me away from attempting to crush those candies.  The subject line was: ADE Class of 2013-United States.  Holy cow…here it was.  The long awaited email.  I was home alone when I opened it and saw the first line: Congratulations and welcome to the Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) Program.  I stopped reading and started yelling.  My poor dog was certain I had lost my mind.  This application had been turned in since November and the waiting was excruciating.

So what does all this mean? ” Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs) are part of a global community of education leaders recognized for doing amazing things with Apple technology in and out of the classroom. They explore new ideas, seek new paths, and embrace new opportunities. That includes working with each other — and with Apple — to bring the freshest, most innovative ideas to students everywhere.”-Apple

I’m thrilled beyond words to be a part of this community and can’t wait to learn from the best of the best.  The honor is incredible, but more importantly, the ability to work with some of the most amazing educators in the world is priceless. ADE

Wednesday, February 20 was back to reality.  Still wearing my huge smile and excitement from the night before, it was apparent my children didn’t know the awesomeness of this distinction. They had no idea anything was different from the day before.  Because it wasn’t.  I’m still me.  I’m excited at the new role I will be wearing as an ADE and the possibilities of what new things I can bring into my classroom, but we are back to business.

My kids ask me each day “What will we learn today?”  My answer is always “Today, we will do exciting new things.  Let’s get to it!”

Thanks to all of you for all of the blog and Twitter love!  We have exciting new things to do…let’s get to it!

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