As I flew back from Australia a few days ago, a land I had not visited since I left my post at Pearson, I realized that I missed this kind of travel. Working for a university does not really provide a ton of opportunities for international travel and so, like 99% of academics, I did not leave the US during my time in Florida except for a cruise to Grand Cayman with my family, which just isn’t what I’m getting at here.
But as much as I missed seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and enjoying new foods and sights, it was not the best thing to happen to me this year.
My mind immediately goes to Rwanda and my time spent with the faculty at Davis College’s Akilah campus. As I wrote when I returned, it was the most satisfying professional development experience I have ever undertaken. Those faculty were hungry to learn and anxious to transform their practices for the betterment of their students. It was simply an amazing experience. And that is on top of my first visit to Africa, seeing very new and interesting things along the way. (The genocide museum alone will stand out in my memory for a very long time.)
But I have to say that is not the best thing that happened to me this year. It was right up there, but not at the top.
Sticking with the international theme, I have to consider three trips to Canada in a single year. While Toronto is always enjoyable, it was the trips to Vancouver that ranked high only my greatest hits list for 2019. Speaking with teachers and staff from a district on the first trip and all of their Principals and administrators on the second one was quite enjoyable. They are well ahead of many places I usually speak in terms of strategic thinking, arguably more authentic assessment and instruction, etc., so challenging them to “go beyond” was really fun.
But again, it did not hit the top target this year.
I am obviously not counting personal life here as it has been fantastic to watch my wife and daughter flourish since returning home to Colorado. To put it in business terms, they are “killing it” in Denver in terms of friends, family, school, and just everyday life. It’s amazing to see them so happy and it warms my heart. But again, I’m talking about professional “bests” here.
I could mention that both the institute and Campus are taking off. I really believed that would happen, but it is always reassuring to have tangible evidence. We’re building products and services that actually solve needs for educators, so both should be successful. From doubling our conversations at Educause to tripling our partner base to the big contract IICE had in consulting with a university in NY, helping them determine a pathway for eLearning, our efforts are being rewarded.
But still, neither of those successes are my “best” occurrence in 2019.
Perhaps it was being accepted as an author on not one, but two chapters for curated books! Readers of the HETL book, “International Perspectives on the Role of Technology in Humanizing Higher Education” should see my chapter titled, “The Science and Technology of Educational Interconnectedness” come out next Fall. And those who download “Early Warning Systems and Targeted Interventions for Student Success in Online Courses“ should see my chapter regarding “Non-Academic Warning Signals,” which outlines a better way to assemble a learning ecosystem, in the next six months or so. (Of note – I will be presenting some of the findings reported in the book at OETC 2020 and League of Innovation 2020.)
But not even those chapters qualify as my first place ribbon this year.
So what was the best moment of 2019 for me? Have I held you in suspense long enough? Are you even still reading? Well, if you’ve stuck with me so far, here is the payoff.
Do you remember a few blogs ago when I mentioned that humans focus largely on the negative? We remember it longer, it gets our attention faster, and we tend to dwell on what did not work, what insult was thrown our way, or what embarrassed us far, far, FAR more than the positives. (This is one reason educators need to double or triple their compliments as criticism is so easy to find and so consistently administered, but that’s another blog.)
The reason I ask is that every once in a while, a positive comes along that is absolutely grandiose. I would imagine it is a similar feeling to a Purple Heart recipient, a National Award winner, or some other merit that only comes when recognized by peers or by leaders. While I cannot compare what I’m about to share with you to heroic acts of bravery or above-and-beyond work, the feeling I got was as significant as any award I have ever won and any recognition I have ever received. I compare it to the letter I received my senior year of college from my father, telling me in explicit detail how proud he was of me. In my mind this likens to being asked to speak to Congressional leaders due to my vision and understanding of holistic education. But you must know, the act itself was very small in comparison to those things. And it relied on a great deal of serendipity.
The best professional moment of 2019 was a picture sent to me by a long time colleague and friend. My colleague (‘almost’ Dr. Jeff Harmon as he has successfully defended his dissertation and now has a few revisions to make it all final – congrats!) was at OLC Innovate this past November and he saw something that made him stop and take a picture, then send that picture to me. Unfortunately I was unable to attend as I was doing some PD for a university. What was it that he had to capture digitally?
It was a session’s whiteboard.
I couldn’t tell you what the session was about specifically. But the session seemed to be about creativity or innovation or idea generation or all of the above. And so, the whiteboard contained some thoughts from leaders and/or practitioners specific to tools, techniques, and ideas. But it’s the lower half of the board that really warmed my heart. Like other parts of the board, there is a question. But unlike the other sections, underneath is a single response. The question, “Who or what is inspiring you right now?” was answered by someone with MY name.
Man, oh man.
I quickly posted the pic to Twitter, trying to see if anyone could tell me what the session was titled or who posted that answer. I desperately wanted to thank them and perhaps even try to understand better what or why. But I got no answers – only a few other kind words from colleagues.
But that one whiteboard actually brought tears to my eyes.
I’m guessing you all know what it’s like to wonder if you’re making a difference or doing something positive for the world? But I hope you also know the feeling that comes with some assurance that you are. They don’t come along very often. I have far more moments of doubt and self-loathing than confidence. I get occasional email from haters just as I do from supporters. But usually the work that I do is…well, it’s just there. It moves forward with measures in place, but those measures will likely not be recognized for months and sometimes years. So it’s just work.
So this one little light of recognition, from an anonymous supporter, just made my day. Heck, it made my year. It wasn’t over the top or ornate or obvious. But that is part of what made it special. It was real. And it was not intended for my eyes, making it about as genuine as any professional award I have ever experienced.
I hope that isn’t too anticlimactic. And I also hope it’s not overly self-serving. Yes, I know it’s bragging a bit. But it really did touch me. And I am hoping that whomever wrote it is a reader of this blog. If so, please know that you gave me a much needed shot in the arm.
To everyone else, just as I hope you get a comment like this in your near future, I also encourage you to dole one out. Who has inspired you? Who has made you correct your course or perhaps even blaze an entirely new trail? At the same time, be on the lookout for those little moments that come your way. Maybe it’s a comment from a grateful student. Maybe it’s from your Chair, Dean, or Provost.
Wherever it comes from or whomever shares it, I hope it makes you remember why you do what you do and provides a boost to keep doing it. And may you find more and more of those moments in 2020.
Good luck and good learning.