So needless to say, my blog has not been nearly as active as I would have liked throughout the last few months (err… 8 is still few right?). What began as a slightly slower start-up to the school year ended up becoming the busiest and most powerful year of my teaching career yet.
Looking Back:
While this blog has not encapsulated the experiences and learning I have been taking part in as of late, Twitter has now become my first mode of sharing, reflecting, and learning. What began as a venture to bring awareness to my students’ experiences in the classroom, and eventually system work in mathematics, has now transformed into a true professional learning community. This community has joined me on the ride as I’ve explored a variety of initiatives, projects, and new ventures this past year including…
- Attending and presenting at the NCTM Annual Conference
- Joining the team of instructors as a Professor in the Western University Masters of Education in Mathematics Program
- Creating, organizing, moderating, and supporting TVDSB’s weekly (weekly!!) Twitter Chat #TVDSBChat with my colleagues @annettecann & @mistercooke
- Supervising and supporting over 2200 students and 60 teachers taking part in summer learning with the Online Summer School Supervisory team
- Leading the organization team for TVDSB’s second STEAM conference bringing 400 educators together to explore Sciene, Tech, Environmental Education, Arts and Math in the classroom.
- Attending and presenting at London’s first Google Summit
- Attending and presenting at OAME 2016
- Launching TVDSB’s Secondary Math Focus Project with our System Math Team
- Organizing Dr. Marian Small to visit and support Thames Valley educators
- Working with teachers on integrating inquiry based instruction in 3U and 4U mathematics (Yes… it’s possible there too!)
- Speaking the gospel of Math Talk and Student-Focused Instruction & Assessment throughout the Valley
- Working with a great team of passionate educators in my System Math, 7-12 and K-12 teams
- And more…
As you can imagine… it’s been a bit of a busy year!
Looking Ahead:
With that in mind, my colleague @SabrinaTyrer challenged me to return to this platform and share my #summergoals as I look ahead to the next 6 weeks.
#1 – Reading for Me: In my role I come across a new book or resource almost weekly and have an ever-growing pile on my desk. While I have skimmed (almost?) all of these resources and pulled ideas into my work, I am looking forward reading a few key titles in depth from cover to cover (and share my current thoughts on them here.) I am already in to The Classroom Chef and will be returning to Mathematical Mindsets and Creating Thinking Classrooms soon.
#2 – Reading for Me – Part 2: Everyone who knows me well knows that I am an avid – yet last minute – traveller. Along with experiencing the local cuisine (see below), one of my favourite parts of travelling is to sit in the sun along the water/pier/ocean/Wonder of the World and just read… for fun…!
#3 – Be a Student Again: My role provides me with a number of opportunities to work with other educators and explore ideas and learn with them. However, while I continue to learn with and beside my colleagues, I often have the role of a leader or knowledgeable other. This summer I look forward to continuing to be a ‘student’ and truly experiencing new ideas and concepts to challenge my own thinking. Following Twitter Math Camp 16 (#TMC16) has already challenged, substantiated, and questioned my thinking, and am looking forward to this continuing at the OAME/OMCA Summer Institute in August.
#4 – Food… Glorious Food!: As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Tuscany and Amsterdam I am ready and waiting to experience local restaurants, pasta, gelato, pizza, cheese, and wine!
#5 – Unplug: While my role as a university professor continues throughout this summer (along with my current role as a supervisor for Online Summer School in July) I look forward to fully unplugging from all work related tasks and emails later this month… at least for a full week! Anyone who knows me knows that is a challenge in itself, but this past year has taught me the utter importance of making the most of the time that you have to reenergize and rejuvenate.
What summer goals have you set for yourself this year? What learning have you already been exploring this summer, and just as (if not more) importantly, what are you doing for yourself between now and September?
Until next time…
Mishaal Surti 
Leave a comment