10K

10K tweets ago, I was in a mall food court, reluctantly being preached to about the limitless possibilities and professional value to actively utilizing my dormant Twitter account.  {I didn’t care, didn’t want to hear it.} It was like walking in 5 minutes past your curfew and instead of hearing your parent’s voice and words of worry and discipline, all I heard was Charlie Brown’s teacher-- “wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.” A few prods about “Why aren’t you using it?” was all it took to send me over the edge, and blast this irritated message BACK to the preacher (aka Dave Burgess) and say, “I DON’T have time, DON’T give a flip about what someone is getting in their latte at Starbucks, and I DON’T care what the Kardashians are doing in Hollywood!” His response: “I get it. But did you know that there is an entire world on Twitter for educators?”  With my arms crossed, I reluctantly looked up and shook my head “no”.   He went on to say, “Stephanie, you’re moving to a small island in the middle of the Caribbean next month. Who will you connect with professionally?  As a principal, who have you connected with outside of your district?  You’re about to teach 1st grade. Have you ever taught 1st grade?  How many 1st grade teachers are going to be at your school.  Where will you find resources?  Who’s helping you grow?”  And in that moment, the scoreboard looked like this:  Dave Burgess 1, Stephanie 0.  He was right and I was completely ignorant and filled with misconceptions about one of the most powerful professional development social media tools on the planet.  Did I mention free, powerful, AND accessible 24/7/365?  

That one conversation changed my career. It changed my life.

Today, June 9, 2016, I hit two milestones in my Twitter journey: 10K tweets and 5K followers.  Neither were intentional, yet both sent my mind spiraling back to that mall food court and the people and resources that Twitter have placed in my path.  Even more memorable: It all happened as Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd) was delivering his #KidsDeserveIt keynote to a group of educators at the Know Your Impact Summer Conference in Mabank, TX, just down the road from my small Texas town.  I’ve wanted to meet Todd since I first started following him, you guessed it, 10K tweets ago.  Today, I did.  In his keynote, Todd said, “Twitter is like Disney World.  You don’t get it until you’ve experienced it.”  Truer words have never been spoken, and, thank you Todd...I’ll be using that statement from here on out.  It’s remarkable to think that 10K tweets ago, I had never heard his name or been inspired by his countless accomplishments and drive to be an unwavering champion for kids and fellow educators.

My Twitter journey initially began as a timid lurking experience in the #tlap (Teach Like A PIRATE) hashtag. Quickly (as in about 2 weeks later), this changed to “Stephanie, I need someone to moderate the #tlap chat on Monday.” What? Moderate?  I barely know how to tweet and you want ME to moderate? I have no clue.  I quickly sent a DM (direct message) to one person that had reached out to me my first few times lurking, Matt Barry (@MrBarry628).  He didn’t make me beg too long before agreeing to co-moderate the upcoming #tlap chat and help me manage the responses that fly by the second on Monday nights, 8 CST.  Matt is now a close friend.  10K tweets ago, I had never heard of him.  

10K tweets ago I had heard mention of an up and coming author named Don Wettrick (@DonWettrick).  His book Pure Genius was soon released and I met him face-to-face at ASCD 2015. 10K tweets ago Don Wettrick was just a name.  Now he’s a good friend that I can call upon for inspiration and support.

10K tweets ago I didn’t know one of the most genuine and inspiring educators I’ve ever met, LaVonna Roth (@LaVonnaRoth). Her compassion for me (a total stranger) was evident the first time that she sent me a DM.  St. John was in the path of a hurricane and she knew that this Texas girl was well versed in tornado warnings but not hurricanes.  As the winds howled outside of our island villa, shutters shook and patio furniture flipped over, LaVonna took the time to message me, keep me company, and let me know that someone was there, still awake stateside, and cared.  It was 1:00 am.  10K tweets later, she is one of my closest connections and someone that I can’t imagine not knowing.

10K tweets ago I was on an island, literally and figuratively.  Ironically, my time on that little Caribbean island propelled me forward and forced me to either completely disconnect or connect globally.  Guess which one I chose?  I built my PLN from the ever-changing and spotty wi-fi connectivity  on St. John, USVI.  I taught, lived, connected, and shared like a pirate, but I wasn’t alone.  I had teachers, specialists, curriculum coordinators, campus and district administrators, authors, and so many more at my disposal, at my fingertips, each and every day.  [Until I was forced to sink or swim in my pool of professional development, I hadn’t been challenged to reach beyond what was familiar and nearby.  Twitter became a game-changer.]

10K tweets ago I had never connected with any of these individuals or people like Todd Whitaker, Ron Clark, Kim Bearden, Julie Smith, Matt Miller, Brent Clarkson, Daniele Massey, Jay Billy, Dr. Wendy Claussen, Lori London, Beth Houf, Manuel Scott, Quinn Rollins, Ryan McLane, Lisa Milstead, Andi Kornowski, Hal Roberts, Dr. Adolf Brown, Ben Brazeau, and the countless educators who have impacted, inspired, pushed, and supported me through my connected educator journey.   As a connected educator, I’ve been a teacher, campus administrator, professional development speaker, and district communications coordinator.  However, on Twitter, it doesn’t matter who you are or what title you hold--we are all better when we contribute, learn, and grow from one another.  

10K tweets ago, my island students had never Skyped or followed the global travels of a NYT Best Selling Author.  Twitter made that possible.  10K tweets ago, I had never promoted or shared the story of my classroom/campus to the world.  Twitter made that possible.  10 tweets ago, I wasn’t half the educator that I am today. Twitter made that possible.

It’s amazing how Twitter places people and opportunities in your path that would have otherwise been missed. I’m forever grateful for the lecture and persistent push that I received in the summer of 2014. We all need a PLN and at least one relentless individual to kick us out of our comfort zone.  The best professional development decision that I’ve made in my career, with the greatest impact, can be summarized in 7 letters: Twitter.

If you’re not already connected, start today.  Eliminate the excuses.