Global Teacher Connect

This summer I had the privilege of getting together with a teacher-blogger from Ontario who I've collaborated and chatted with over the last few months. I live on Prince Edward Island, and when Tammy Aiello of Teaching FSL let me know that she and her family would be visiting the Island this summer, we made plans to meet up. It's funny how you really can feel like you know someone, at least in part, from the various discussions that happen in "Blogland", as I like to call it.

So, even though some timid family members thought I was nuts for meeting up with this person who I'd never even spoken to on the phone - our two little families met on a sparsely populated beach, on an overcast August day. The kids played around with their dads on the shoreline, while we shared in person about our own teaching adventures.




Tammy (right) and I meet up in my home province of PEI.

Something occurred to me after this unique little get-together: Teachers need to talk with one another more.


There's something to be said for the fact that the two of us (provinces apart) made time to meet up on a beach, in the middle of summer to talk about "teacher stuff". We had a great conversation because of all we had in common. Teachers are teachers - no matter where in the world they are.

It's fairly universal for teachers to want to talk, collaborate and compare notes with other teachers. I think the reason many of us don't get together more often with staffers at our own schools is because we see these people every day. We already have to meet with them after school for various reasons. Many of us don't have any energy left (especially during the school year) to just hang out and chat - which is really too bad.

Teachers need to spend more time talking. We are getting better at this, I think - but we still have a long way to go. Many of us still spend the majority of our days with our students - sometimes rarely speaking to other staff members. We need to get out of our rooms at the end of the day - even if for just a few minutes!

We need to talk with people who teach the same grade level and different grade levels, in the same place and also away from home. It can be so energizing to talk with someone else about your shared passion - teaching. You can learn so much in such a short period of time, and also get some actual relaxing time in as well! Thanks again for the meet-up Tammy. Next summer - your place!


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