The life and times of a family pet (abridged)

In any family where pets are members, there is a day that everyone dreads. I don't even really feel I need to say what that day is, but when you introduce a pet into your home, you know that inevitably that they are going to leave you.

Today is that day in my house. At the end of the day today I'm going to pack up our beloved KitKat (yes, I have a dog named KitKat) and take her to the vet to ease her into that "good night" to borrow a line from poetry.

After a long heartfelt discussion with our daughter on the reasons why, it's hard not to reminisce. The good times, the bad times, the downright hilarious times. And when one reminisces, it always amazes me what comes to mind. My wife would tell you that I can be a truly random person, and that's okay, it is just the way my mind works. As we finished discussing why we made the decision, I started thinking to myself, oddly enough, about numbers, which brought this song to mind:

Seasons of Love - Rent

The first time I heard this song was thanks to a Music Ed major friend of mine (I'm betting she's reading this and grinning) who instilled in me a love of Broadway Musicals. So as we started talking about the life and times of KitKat, numbers entered into my brain. So I grabbed my laptop, and here they are, or at least what I think are some of the highlights.

The life and times of KitKat (abridged):

13 years and some change - KitKat has been in our lives for that long. She entered our life in the summer of 2004, just as we were settling into our first home in Austin, TX. So many memories from that little house.

6.5 months - The vet's estimate of how old she was when we adopted her. We don't know much about KitKat's life before she entered ours, other than she was abandoned and found along the side of a road. Looking back on that, it explains so much about her early days, and just how far she's come.

30 dogs (I think) - When we made the decision to adopt, the group that we got her from came highly recommended as they had great animals looking for great homes. That recommendation was true, and we've been in love ever since. I'm pretty sure they had 30 dogs at the time, all in fosters or other living arrangements. We spent a lot of time on their website looking for "just the right mutt" so to speak...

4 dogs in an outdoor pen - The day we went to check out dogs for adoption, we'd landed on a different dog that was being fostered. A black lab mix that was pretty young. On our way to look at the puppy, this scrappy looking dog that was in a large pen with 3 others stopped what she was doing and came over to see us. We gave her scratches behind the ears, and thought she was nice, pretty goofy looking, and well just plain interesting. I remember saying "she looks like a hyena from The Lion King" and little did I know that would follow her for the rest of her days. But we had our heart set on this other puppy (or so we thought). It didn't work out and as we left, a little dejected, we walked by the same pen and that same goofy dog (a good friend always refers to her as "Scooby Doo") came back over to get our attention. Little did we know, our fates were sealed from then on.

14 steps & 24 hours - For the longest time, KitKat was deathly afraid of stairs, and so she was a downstairs dog. As we were preparing for my folks to visit our house for the first time together, we thought this would work out well, as my parents could just have the upstairs to themselves. Best laid plans.... KitKat overcame her fear of those 14 stairs roughly 24 hours before my parents arrived, and she spent the next few days exploring this whole new world. It wasn't long after she conquered the stairs she discovered the comfy futon, the comfy bed in the master bedroom, the trash cans, and my collection of YuGiOh cards.

1 "Bring Your Dog to Work Day" - because if your department head just happens to be gone on this most epic of days, your whole office participates. And let's face it, when part of your office is a huge library, you've got to take your dog to work! I'm sure every one of my former co-workers would agree that was a great day at the office, though we didn't get much accomplished. BEST DAY AT WORK EVER.

3 houses - From our first home, to a short lived rental, to our current home, KitKat has lived in them all. She's had her favorite spots, and the yards have always been hers.  However she gladly shares them with squirrels as long as they agree to be chased, a lot, and often.

2 cats - KitKat's first "little brother" so to speak, was introduced into her life about 3 years after we got her. He was a streetwise rogue we named "Ed" and he liked our house on the block the best. We were never quite sure what happened to him (he was a rogue after all) but I think deep down KitKat missed him. Our current cat Callie entered our life not long afterwards and they've been "frenemies" ever since. But I truly believe deep down they care about each other, though neither would admit it.

4 (or more) escape attempts - In her lifetime she's been Houdini a number of times. The first time was on a spring Saturday morning in Austin. The yard gate had come open, and she took advantage. We were frantic. My wife took off in one direction, retracing their normal walking route. I took off in my truck scouring the neighborhood. I found her first, lounging under a shade tree just around the corner. I picked her up, and then we went and found my wife. One of the more recent times was how we really met our neighbors of several years now, and we've been friends ever since. They had thought that if she was a stray they would adopt her.  I had to break it to them that no, that was in fact our dog. She's since made one other escape, and ended up on their porch. For a while I questioned her loyalties...

2 puppies - A good friend of mine got a dog not long after we had KitKat, and that puppy's name was Bo, and they were pals from the get go. The trouble they got into was legendary, including a visit from the Austin Police Department that required a whirlwind trip back from San Antonio (yes all of that actually happened).  Jon, I hope if you're reading this, I hope you laughed as loud as I did while writing this. I'm certain that the first dog KitKat will seek out in the afterlife will be Bo, all dogs go to heaven after all. The second puppy would be the other canine family member we added to our home in March. KitKat has helped raise Abby just as much as we have, and just like any siblings they have their good days and bad. They may not always get along but they are always there for each other, unless bones or treats are involved, then all bets are off. I think Abby may just miss her the most.

1 daughter - The day we brought our daughter home from the hospital is a day I will never forget. KitKat just HAD TO KNOW what this tiny human was all about. Though she did not appreciate smelly diapers, tail pulling, and loud crying, she did appreciate feeding time, especially when our daughter fed herself. Oh, and of course whenever she cried the looks we would get from KitKat as to why we weren't acting fast enough to soothe the baby were downright hilarious. I swear if she'd had opposable thumbs she would've said "You two relax, I got this". They've been friends ever since, actually no, they're more than that, they're pals.

Numerous Hearts - Today those hearts will break, and there's no way around it, probably none more than that of my daughter. In 13 years since she joined our family, KitKat has seen a lot and touched a lot of lives. There were several calls/texts/messages that went out last night, and that have come in today that have been comforting.  To all of those folks my family and I thank you. But there's comfort in knowing that everything that KitKat has been going through as of late will end, and end peacefully. I've already referenced one song in this post, but I'm going to reference a line from one more: "a heart that's broke, is a hear that's been loved". - Ed Sheeran "Supermarket Flowers".

Goodbye sweet girl, we love you, and you will forever be a good dog, forever our dog. Enjoy your rest, you've earned it.

The importance of filling your bucket - the need for summer professional learning

The importance of filling your bucket? Really?

I know, this title, it’s weird right? I thought the same thing as it popped into my head, but given how my summer professional development related travel was coming to an end, it was the perfect metaphor. Now of course it is the perfect metaphor in MY mind, but as all of you aren’t in my brain (at least I don’t think you are, unless this is The Matrix) I’m going to explain.

When it comes to educators, I see all of us as “buckets” of sorts. Our buckets are deep, and carry many things. On a basic level, our buckets contain our hopes and dreams for ourselves and students. Sprinkle in our different skill sets, ideas, beliefs, teaching methods, life experiences, and a whole host of other things (I hit the highlights, but look into yourself, you’ll see what your own bucket contains) our buckets are pretty full. Now I believe that an educator’s “bucket” is probably at its fullest right as we walk across the stage and get our diploma to begin our career.  Over time the contents of our bucket begin to drain as we pour ourselves (see what I did there, told you it was a great metaphor) into that first year of teaching, our career. As the years go on, and the teaching endures, that bucket begins to empty gradually.

So, how does an educator “fill their bucket”? Well there are numerous ways. I wholeheartedly believe one of the best ways is professional development, or professional learning however you classify it. Unfortunately, with times being what they are, and the state of education funding being what it is, a teacher’s opportunity for professional learning (especially in our “off” months) is getting more and more difficult. However, that doesn’t keep the dedicated, hard working teachers from finding ways to expand their horizons, often by finding the means to attend summer conferences. Why? Because they realize the value in it, and I don’t mean dollars and cents.

Now I could go on about this, but instead I reached out to amazing folks in my PLN, shared my idea for this post and I asked for their thoughts/input on how/why/where they fill their buckets. So rather than me keeping the mic, I’m going to hand if off to them. I asked them to give me 100 words or less (most succeeded, others went over, they shall remain nameless, but you can count if you like…) as to when/where/why they fill up their buckets, and how they do so.  Read below, you won’t be disappointed.

Felix Jacomino - Gulliver Schools - @felixjacomino on Twitter:

Early in my career, I used to joke, "The three best things about teaching are June, July, & August!" Har dee har har. I now facepalm thinking of the message I was conveying, "I prefer NOT having my students around." I recently Tweeted about a commercial I can't stand because of the way it depicts a Kindergarten teacher's chaotic environment. Well, I've grown up and now I will continue to say that those three summer months are great for other reasons... Awesome PD! There's no shortage of choices and nothing re-energizes one's professional batteries than face to face interactions with like-minded educators from diverse parts of the country and world!

http://felixjacomino.com

Kyle McClure - Kansas Educator & Tech Integration Specialist - @kylemcclure on Twitter:

Summer is an incredibly valuable time for teachers. Obviously, educators never have enough time to plan and find resources. Summer gives you the white space to reflect, plan, strategize, and LEARN. Conferences like ISTE provide fantastic opportunities for teachers to launch their practice lightyears ahead. During the break teachers have decompressed and are able to have such fantastic and real conversations about their classrooms with others without the stress of their next week's plans. The collaboration and connection that happens is truly next level. Obviously, these conferences are PACKED FULL of content to spark idea and even deeper discussions to transform learning. There is nothing better than the conversation and inspiration that happens during summer professional learning.

Brett Salakas - Educator from Down Under, founder of #aussieED - @MRsalakas on Twitter

The concept of the ‘Summer Conference Season’ for me as an Australian is quite novel. In fact quite literally it doesn't work for me. Being on the other side of the world it is winter in Australia, but that doesn’t impact on the importance of making the ‘long’ trek over the Pacific and joining in the learning.

Too often in our school or our systems we are exposed to the same ideas. Learning in silos can result in a sensation of us ‘swimming in the same water’. We all need to have fresh water to thrive. We need to swim in new ponds and be exposed to new ideas. We need a cross-fertilisation of thinking and learning that can only occur at a large conference where you can meet, network, learn and grow!

Richard Wells - Author, New Zealand Educator, Educational Blogger - @eduwells on Twitter

The number one joy about teaching is seeing student faces light up when genuine learning takes place. The joy of summer conferences is seeing the excited faces of educators as they connect, share, and reconnect themselves with the same joy of learning. To see laughter and excitement on the faces of other educators makes one happy to be an educator. Regardless of how much you might retain from the sessions you return to the classroom for a new school year not just rested but re-energised. This is so important because modeling that excitement and energy towards learning is exactly what students need to see in their teachers. P.S. Who knew I would return to my New Zealand classroom this July and be using improvisation to teach app development!

https://eduwells.com

Mena Hill - Fellow Kansas Educator, K-5 Instructional Learning Coach, - @MenaHillEdu on Twitter

iPadPalooza was like summer camp for educators. It was seriously my first EDU-camp! For the first time in my entire educational career, I was surrounded by like-minded educators who were not only on fire for education, innovative, and ready to ROCK students’ worlds, but these were also some of the coolest and most interesting people I have ever met from across the globe. My time spent at iPadPalooza resulted in turning Twitter-colleagues into an EDU-family. Not to mention all of the amazing ideas that I have brought home to share in my district. iPadpalooza seriously rocked my EDU-world!  I am #onfireforeducation

menahill.weebly.com

http://gph.is/1UFCkzn

Chris Parker - Tech Savvy Art Teacher, Keystone School, San Antonio, TX - @kreyus on Twitter

Hello all. I have something to admit. I’m an art teacher and I like going to summer tech conferences.  Wait? You’re what? An art teacher, you say? I know. I’m supposed to be focused on paint brushes, printmaking brayers, and other creations tools.  I do. But I also do enjoy learning about different lesson plan ideas, technology integration, 3D Printing, and listening to people that are as passionate about the teaching profession as I am.  As a teacher, we’ve all heard, “At least you get your summers off”, right?  Well, we do.  Some just choose to work and better themselves by attending conferences like ISTE and iPadpalooza.  Summer Professional Learning has been extremely invaluable to me and I look forward to doing it every year!

keystoneschoolarthouse.weebly.com

Carl Hooker - Director of Innovation, Godfather of iPadpalooza - @mrhooker on Twitter

The importance of "Summer PD" as told from the perspective of a provider.

This year wrapped our final iPadpalooza (although our many spin-offs are still going strong). Educators' summers are so valuable to recover, recharge, and replenish their learning that those providing Professional Learning have to make the most of those valuable hours. Running a learning festival like iPadpalooza means making the most engaging experience possible for the adults in attendance. Learning via "sit 'n' get" shouldn't be the only option, but many times at conferences, that's all you get. Making learning fun for adults shouldn't be a bad thing, it should be the norm.

Kelly Hart - Fellow Kansas educator, 7th Grade ELA - @MrsHartSMS on Twitter:

As a classroom teacher, events like iPadpalooza bring out my inner Linda Belcher. Being able to connect with others and grow my PLN is invaluable in terms of what I gain: free PD, new ideas, shared resources, and support. This year, I was able to access free trials of Nearpod Gold and dooplii (a new student planner app with teacher and parent portals!), play with the gang from SpheroEdu, and attend sessions about using native apps like Keynote in entirely new ways. The hardest part about these great events is coming home and figuring out which new ideas to implement first!  Proud #edtechsuperhero and wanna-be Linda Belcher

Tara Martin - Fellow Kansas educator, queen of #booksnaps - @TaraMartinEDU on Twitter

As educators, we give so much of ourselves to serve those we lead. However, when summer arrives, it's time to recharge, rest, explore, and learn. It's what we crave during the school year, but as a servant leader, our hearts and minds are completely overloaded.

Why would teachers want to learn in the summer? Easy. It's a chance to collaborate with like-minded individuals who "get you"--your time to be as one with your EDUtribe. It doesn't have to be a traditional professional development session that revives or inspires. It's also during the informal conversations. You see, educators rarely stop thinking about their line of work. Crazy but true. I'm thankful for the many opportunities to attend summer professional development. It not only fills my bucket with new ideas and lifelong friendships, but it gives me space to explore and plan for the upcoming year. Read Tara's own thoughts on the need for summer conferences below.

http://www.tarammartin.com/reaping-the-benefits-of-a-hookers-dream/

Get it yet? Do you understand why as an educator you’ve GOT to fill your bucket?

There you have it, plain and simple, or is it? If you go back and re-read these posts, you’ll see a common theme, and it’s not “learn the latest and greatest gizmo/tech”. Instead rather it is the CONNECTIONS that we as educators all seek. We come from different backgrounds, classrooms, subjects, districts, even countries, but all of us are educators at our core. Knowing this, we’ve landed on a universal truth, we’re better together, we’re better connected. It is those connections, for the majority of us, that help us fill our buckets, keep us coming back day after day, week after week to do what we do for our students.

So if you’re an educator who follows any one of these awesome folks already, congratulations, you’re connected, and if you don’t follow all of them, what are you waiting for? But if you don’t, and you stumbled on this by happenstance, for the sake of your “bucket” and the students you serve, GET CONNECTED. Be it at a conference, a webinar, on social media, whatever, just get it done. What are you waiting for?!?!

If you’re fearful, afraid, or feel like a novice, seek out another teacher in your building, in your district. If you know what to look for, you can always spot a connected educator. And I bet if you ask them, they’ll gladly lend you a hand, and help you bet connected. If you don’t believe me, just go back through and read these posts again, you’ll see what I mean, what we all mean.

So if you’re a teacher looking to fill YOUR bucket, try making some new connections first, in whatever platform/conference/venue you choose. You’ll be surprised how quickly that bucket fills up, but watch out, it might just overflow.

Thanks again to all of my contributors to this post. I am continually amazed and inspired by all of you day in and day out. You are my PLN, and most definitely my global EduTRIBE.

One Last Time - an iPadpalooza Retrospective

“Write what you know" Sam had read in a book about writing. 

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite children’s books. If you’ve not read “Library Mouse” (or any of the sequels, though the first is the best) by Daniel Kirk you should.

So I’m going to take my cue from Sam the Library Mouse, and write what I know, and that is iPadpalooza. Of course I can't write about iPadpalooza without mentioning Carl Hooker, the founder, Felix Jacomino, a likeminded inspirational educator, and of course Richard Wells, my favorite New Zealander who got his blog post about iPadpalooza out before I did! Kudos mate. I blame the airport wifi....

I KNOW six years ago, a man named Carl Hooker had a dream. That dream was simple, re-imagine the typical educational technology conference.  If you’re teacher, let alone a teacher who uses technology in the classroom, you know as well as I do that there is “good” tech PD, and then there is “not good” tech PD. The “not good” was what Carl set out to change, and he achieved it in iPadpalooza. If you ever go to Austin, you get a different feeling in that city. Having lived there for 10 years, I’ll confirm this. If you were fortunate enough to go to iPadpalooza the same can be said, it just “feels” different than anything you’ve been to.

I KNOW that “It’s not a conference, it’s a Learning Festival” is the tagline that used to adorn the iPadpalooza advertisements. Headquartered near Austin, deep in the heart of Texas, Eanes ISD (the district that Carl and his “iVengers” call home) has been the home of this festival for 6 years. I would say that being near Austin with its many festivals, had a direct influence on the “feel” of iPadpalooza. And I’m sure if Carl reads this, he’s nodding his head in agreement.

I KNOW that I count myself fortunate when it comes to iPadpalooza. I’ve had the means and/or opportunity to attend it for numerous years, and it is by far one of my favorite summer learning opportunities. By my count I’ve been to all of them but two, the first inaugural year, and one in the middle, as far as I can tell. Every year I walked away with something different. I always left feeling energized, engaged, and connected. iPadpalooza is a great way to get tons of ideas to bring back to your school, district, classroom, or library. It draws innovative educators from across the globe to present, and the knowledge and mindsets they bring with them are game changing. But for me it has always been about the connections that I make at iPadpalooza that have served me the best, and the reason that I made it a priority to attend as often as I could.

I KNOW that iPadpalooza has become a bit of a “juggernaut” in the years since its creation. It has spawned numerous other “Paloozas” as Carl is always one to share his passion for quality learning, and the need to shake up the learning status quo. He’s quick to offer help, and as the questions came in from other districts about “How can we do this?” Carl saw an opportunity, and a way to share. He excels in these things, and we’re all better for it. This past year iPadpalooza even went international, as the first ever iPadpalooza Gold Coast was held in Australia.  

If you haven’t grasped it yet, iPadpalooza, the environment it fosters, and the founding “Godfather” Carl Hooker, are all “kind of a big deal” in their own way. In addition to the other “Paloozas” that are a direct result of the original, numerous other conferences and learning opportunities have been modeled after it. My own district modeled our “Little Apple Tech Fest” after we took a group of educators to the event, and I’m pretty sure if you were to ask Felix Jacomino, his own learning experience/festival, known as “Miami Device” was his own take on Carl’s dream. I believe that this is why the two are such good friends, and such a powerful force in the realm of learning and educational technology integration.

I KNOW that educators who have been fortunate enough to attend iPadpalooza walk away changed individuals. Over the years, if one does the math, between the original iPadPalooza, all of the offshoots, and the countless other professional development opportunities inspired by it, Carl Hooker’s dream has made an impact on education on global scale. Let that settle in for a minute. Very few educators can claim that, but Carl most definitely can. I can also guarantee that if you’re an educator fortunate enough to get to go to iPadpalooza, you can’t wait to go back. The relationships that you forge there are lasting, and those people will influence the way you approach education and how you teach, and you will influence them as well.

I KNOW that this all sounds fantastic, and it is. And I will sing the praises of iPadpalooza for many years to come. If you’ve not heard yet, or you weren’t in the audience last week, this marked the last official “iPadpalooza” that is going to be held in Eanes ISD. I know that I wasn’t the only one in the audience that made an audible noise when Carl made the announcement. And now, a full four days later, after letting it settle into my brain, I am okay with that, and I hope that others are too. That may sound a little defeatist, but hear me out.

iPadpalooza was founded on the idea of change. So if one follows that line of thought, then iPadpalooza too must change. Carl Hooker, and those that he surrounds himself with are visionaries, and it takes that type of person to realize that change is necessary.

I count myself lucky to have attended, presented, and most recently “keynoted” at iPadpalooza. Those opportunities don’t come along that often, and I know I’m a better person, better educator for it. From the lessons learned to the connections made, I’m a better individual because of that learning festival.

So I’m going to end with this. 

For all of us that had the opportunity to attend, we were lucky that we got to see and learn everything that we could from the educators that came together to make iPadpalooza what it was. I will say that we all did our best to share everything that we took away from it. I feel a bit sad that others won’t get to experience the “original” iPadpalooza moving forward, because it was truly unique.

However, if iPadpalooza was that great, just imagine how promising the next adventure will be that comes from Carl Hooker, and the collective talent and knowledge of his EdTech “dream team” that he’s assembled over the past 6 years via iPadpalooza.

I will always look back at iPadpalooza fondly, but personally, I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

Because sometime, you've got to rescue a book, even if it goes into the abyss......

Today is one of those days where I can honestly say "I've never done that before!" and frankly, those days are worth talking about, sharing, and recording for posterity.

The backstory: I have a librarian who will be missing the start of the year due to her second daughter being born, so we've been putting together some instructional/how to videos for new students next year as a way to introduce them to her and the workings of the library while she's out.  We had just wrapped up filming for the day when a class came into the library to hear about our FABULOUS Summer Reading opportunities here in Manhattan, KS.  

I love our Summer Reading Program in the schools, and of course the rocking Manhattan Public Library program that kicks off around the same time we do. Check out their site for details if you're in the Manhattan area, because our Public Librarians are awesome!  www.mhklibrary.org 

So about that title, like I said, sometimes you've got to rescue a book, am I right?  Now in typical Dragnet style, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, and here's "the rest of the story"... (with those two references, I have just dated myself something fierce)

The case of the vanishing Library book:

Teacher: Mrs. Librarian, I’m not sure how to tell you this, but one of my students lost a book.

Librarian: Oh that’s fine, I’m sure it will turn up, books do that, especially at the end of the year.

Teacher: This one might not, my student lost it down a wall…..

Librarian: *blinks eyes* What??

Me: I’m sorry, say that again, they lost it down a wall?

Teacher: Yes. We were in line to come to the library, we had paused to let another class pass, and well the student dropped the book, and it landed perfectly in this gap between the wall and the stairwell, and well, it just vanished.

Librarian and I: *blinking eyes*

Teacher: We tried to look for it on “the other side” but didn’t see it, though my students swear they saw the pages of the book hanging down from the ceiling.

Librarian and I: You say pages were hanging from the ceiling?

Teacher: Yes, at least that is what my students said, they swear that there were pages hanging from the ceiling.

So after a brief huddle, we decided to divide and conquer, there was a book to be rescued after all! The Teacher and I left the class with the Librarian as she was talking about Summer Reading (yay, see above link) and we went to investigate.  I was taken to “the scene of the crime” and sure enough, there was a gap big enough for a book to go down. Kudos to the kiddo, because this was a 1 in a million shot to make, and after looking down the gap, it looked a bit like a void of nothingness, straight out of an R.L. Stine book. (remember those?)

So we looked down the void, and saw nothing. Then the teacher and I went one floor down, below the “scene of the crime” and true to the student’s words, there were in fact what looked like pages, hanging from the ceiling.  As luck would have it, a teacher right next to the area just happened to have a tall step stool (hurray for random tall step stools in classrooms that are just the right height in areas where you need them). 

We borrowed the step stool, I moved a ceiling tile, and was ceremoniously rewarded with a shower of dust, cobwebs, etc., (I felt a bit like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, minus my trusty fedora). Well it was dark, and creepy, but with my handy phone flashlight and camera, (used like a periscope, MacGyver has nothing on me) low and behold, there was the book, complete with bookmark, safe and sound!

There was also a poster, a pencil, two rulers, and a package of Smarties candy….

We left the Smarties where they lay, and felt like donating the rulers and pencil to the library was a good idea. 

So we’ll add “book rescuer” to the list of “other duties as assigned” and I can honestly say, that was a first.