Community+Leader



shareski@gmail.com Skype: dean_shareski Twitter: [] Blog: [|Ideas And Thoughts] Youtube: [] Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shareski/
 * Dean Shareski**

I'm in year two working with Sheryl and Will and while I've learned lots, I'm not done yet. If all goes well, I'll never be done. That's the lens and perspective I bring to this and pretty much life in general.

I'm in my 21st year in this teaching and learning business. If I could characterize that journey in a sentence I'd say I spend the first half teaching and the second half learning. The learning part is way more challenging but way more rewarding. I spend my first 14 years teaching everything from Kindergarten to 7th grade, the last 7 has been working for teachers and students in the district in a consultant role. I've been very fortunate to work in a progressive school district in Saskatchewan Canada that has rarely said no to any of the wild ideas I've had. Not that all of them work perfectly but they've been crucial in understanding what works, what doesn't and where we need to go to help kids learn better. In addition, I teach pre-service teachers at the University of Regina. Lest you think that generation is receiving an updated education that is preparing them for the challenges of the 21st century, think again. As I remind them often, they are the winners; school worked well for them so the impetus for change is sometimes hard to muster.

If there's one thing I've noticed in my work with teachers is that they are not selfish enough. (Will has written about this often too.) As they strive to meet the diverse and enormous needs of their students, they often neglect their own learning. Given the continued complexities and challenges facing today's classrooms, this is of great concern.

PLP is a tremendous opportunity to take some time for your own learning. We need models of learners for our students. The transparency and openness afforded to us by technology gives us a great way for us to share and model learning. That's what I hope we'll do together. I feel privileged to work with Sheryl and Will and all of you. My own selfish goals is to add a few dozen great educators to my personal learning network.

Just a heads up, I discovered that my name contains the word "share" in it and I share lots. You may get to know me better than you'd like. I've given you fair warning.