The X is For Xtraordinary- Reflecting on TEDxKitchenerED

I published this on Oct 5, 2017. I had just returned from TEDxKitchnerEd, and I was so moved by the experience. I wrote:

As soon as I read that TEDxKitchenerEd was coming up in September, I knew I wanted to go. I love TED Talks, and a night of inspiration from fellow educators was sure to make the drive to Kitchener worth my while. I was approved for tickets and made my purchase, counting down the days to the event. Thank goodness, they provided the audience with notepads as there was so much to take in. By the end, I was overwhelmed with thoughts. I would need to time process and reflect. I have recounted the talks of the members of my PLN in order of their presentations, and I hope that I do justice to some of the key ideas they shared in this powerful forum. The TEDx videos from the talk would be ready in a month, they said.

Only two of the presenters were from the York Region District School Board (YRDSB), but staff came out in droves to support them. I knew it was a special place to work, but this is further proof of the kind of nurturing people who work there. They playfully Tweeted it as a YRDSB takeover.

Matthew Oldridge wants to bring a sense of play and wonder to Math. There are no limits to one’s imagination, so he asked the essential question, “What would a pedagogy of playful mathematics look like?” Wouldn’t it be incredible if every learner could find flow in mathematics? His talk was a great reminder that a mathematical mindset is a worthy pursuit. He both asked and asserted, "Math is surprise and wonder, and playing with numbers?"

Amy Smoke found her voice through a series of life experiences that brought her back to her First Nations roots and culture. She put herself through school and is giving back to her community with important messages like “Nothing about us without us.” She encourages education about First Nation, Metis and Inuit Peoples by them, through their oral traditions and by decolonizing education overall.

Nada Aoudeh spoke of loud silences and quiet voices and how powerful it can be when the silence finds you. She mentioned embedded experiences and valuing voice. Nada's words were poetry about her life, her sons and her wish for people to be seen and feel connected. Silence scars. She taught us that we have to be strategic, but we also have to be brave. In theory, children have voice, but it is on all educators to create a space for them to use it. “We need to live the value of voice.”

It’s hard to contain Garfiled Gini Newman’s talk to what I saw on the TEDx stage because I have been learning from him for many years now. He may have made the single most impactful thinker on my teaching practice in the last few years through his role at my former school vas a consultant from the the Critical Thinking Consortium. He supports the walking, talking, meeting, noting that getting out of the box leads to thinking out of the box and, “ Fresh air drives fresh thinking.” Garfield shared that there can be a balance between the basics and inquiry-driven learning. He encouraged all educators to consider the concept of video games as a metaphor for powerful learning scenarios requiring us to: set clear objectives, engage with the problem, and create genuine opportunities to learn through failure. He also encouraged us to make learning real/ real: real product, real audience. Learning deepens when it’s problematized, so we need to give kids time to live with the problem and get beyond notions of correctness. We must also design assessments that excite.

At this point it was dinner, and I had to run to the car to charge my phone. I was so sad to miss out on the #TeamDebbie photograph, but I was back in time to get my Reclaiming Space shirt from Mark Strong- thank you again for including me in this. Walking inside, I saw Garfield and was able to connect with him briefly before rushing back to my seat for the next set of brilliance.

Jonathan So began his talk with an image of his daughter. I remember first learning about her through his blog. He mentioned books like the Explosive Child and Stuart Shanker’s Self Regulation, jostling back between his fatherly experiences and those of an educator. He began with the bold and beautiful statement: Children want to matter. I want to take a step back from that to make it even more universal: People want to matter. I had just interviewed Jonathan for the Personal Playlist Podcast, so we had just discussed how much he values connection. When wondering about the difference that makes a difference, to learners and to each other, So reminds the audience that it’s all about relationships. He added, “Be with people who make you better.”

Matthew Morris began with a personal narrative about the change in how he was received from high school to university in response to his bravado and identity assertion. Matthew coined the term the Fresh Prince Syndrome, which he explained to be an urban aesthetic style and about young, black, urban males “trying to survive education and keep their identity intact”. It leaves urban Black (he capitalizes Black in his blog posts) males invalidated and voiceless. Matthew rhythmically versed the challenges that he sees facing kids like he once was, and he is determined to help Education see and value them. He is an essential voice on this landscape and one that really gets you thinking about "explicit rules and implicit curriculum".

Debbie Donsky riveted the audience with her heartfelt narrative of growing up “taking up space”. From being mistreated by teachers to society's judgment of the overweight, Dr. Donsky flashed a spotlight on a portion of the population who experience exclusion. “While we are told we take up too much space, we are often unseen.” She believes in each person’s possibility and not limits. That is why the summation of her talk was about “reclaiming space” for her and for everyone who has been made to feel “othered” by societal norms where being fat is seen as a sign of failure. Debbie called it out as only she could do: right here, out loud, without apology.

Andrew Campbell explained why he meets students at the door, both really and metaphorically. He understands that it’s an important difference to make, especially for youth at risk. "While society would like us to believe that schools are powerful, our ability to change things is actually pretty limited." Through support and care, individuals can really make a difference in the life of a student by building relationships, listening to their stories and just being with them. That's why he ends his class by, "...saying their name and telling them to be careful. I want them to know that I see them and that they matter." In the end, Campbell shared, we need school to help students be more fully human.

When I got into my car and started heading back to Thornhill, I felt satisfied with my investment, satiated in my curiosity of what this experience could hold, full from inspiration, and curious about the topic of the talk that I now aspire to present. These educators are shining examples of what it means to have and use their voices and platforms to share their good work. It's wonderful that TEDxKitchenerEd exists. Now, I have a lot of catching up to do on previous presenters and the ones I missed that night. I am so glad I went and encourage anyone reading this to check out the talks of these educators who are modelling the echelons so many of us dream to reach in our professional and personal lives.

Now, I look forward to less that a week away from TEDxKitchenerEd 2020. I have loved TED since I saw my first talk by Sir Ken Robinson. I have used TED-like Talks as a culminating task for my Grade 7 and 8's, and TED had been on my bucket list. Since that event in 2017, I dreamed to take that stage. I feel very lucky to be given the chance to do that this Saturday, Feb 22nd. My WHY has become more than joining the ranks of these impressive speakers. From the dream to the hundreds of hours of work writing and rehearsing, I am so committed to this, and I can't wait to share it.

This is an event worth attending. Besides listening to amazing people speak about ideas that matter, you get to meet people in your PLN face to face. Even better, in a climate like the one we have in Ontario right now, it's important to find spaces to stand together as educators without defined groups or boards. Just together.

This Thursday, on OnEdMentors, we have a panel that includes the organizer of TEDxKicthenerEd, Andrew Bieronski, the advocate for TED Clubs and a TEDx speaker himself, Will Gourley, and Lori Campbell, another TEDX speaker at the upcoming event. Tune it at 9pm EST.