Cider House Rules

Whenever someone thanks me for helping them, the line I often give them is stolen/paraphrased from John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules..."we all must be of use." Since I graduated from high school 15ish years ago, I've been trying to figure out how I can best be of use to this world. I know I'm still working on this journey. My first attempt to be useful was in journalism, writing for the hometown newspaper, then the student newspaper at UW-Oshkosh the Advance Titan. I didn't see it as a career, so I moved onto the School of Education to be a social studies teacher. I never fell in love with that, but knew I my career path lay in schools. After graduation it was off to grad school to get my library media license, where I found a career that was a fit for me.

Or at least for a while.

As a library media specialist I loved interacting with all the district's students, staff members and families. I was working on information skills with high school students, technology integration with middle school teachers and fostering a love for reading with elementary classes. The variety was great and I was surrounded by wonderful people for my first two years in public education.

Next, I moved onto a more technology centered role in a large high school where I met different challenges that I was looking forward to meeting. There was less structured time and more opportunities to flexibly meet student and staff needs. Sometimes that's good, sometimes its bad (when the phone won't stop ringing). For four years I had a great time becoming a part of that school community - working, coaching and living there for most of my four years in this role.

Three years ago when budget cuts came down my district repurposed me into an instructional technology support teacher (I think that's the official title). Now I provide support to all buildings in the district and offer professional development opportunities as well.

I've enjoyed all my jobs one way or another, but even now I'm still trying to find new ways to "be of use." This spring I'll wrap up my Master's in Administrative Leadership with the hope of earning a administrative job in public education in the near future. I started the program as a means to get my technology coordinator license, but I've really fell in love with the work principals do. There are so many opportunities in that role to really make a difference in the lives of young people. I have no idea what it will bring, but I just see it as another chapter in my career story.

When I kicked around the idea of blogging I thought I'd do an Ed Tech blog. After thinking about it I felt that it doesn't make a ton of sense because who knows what tomorrow's challenges will hold for me? I have a interest in many areas, not just technology. There's no sense pigeonholing myself into one aspect of education/the world. I think it's more appropriate to simply write about what I'm doing to be useful to students, staff and stakeholders wherever I'm at.

I lost weight last year, so I'm making this my resolution...to try and offer something of substance to the blogosphere.