The Blue Sky School Commmunity

Blue Sky School is a school built for, of and as a community. Central to everything that we do are our students' voices.

I have always known that the existing schooling system needs deep change. Through all of my previous projects, I have tried to lead this change. There has never been quite enough space for my blue sky ideas. I am so thrilled to see my lifelong, audacious dream of a totally new type of school coming true with the support of a magical co-founder, Karen Hill, 100 Action Team members and tons of community partners. Blue Sky School is the experimental prototype school of tomorrow.

Watching our community work together to build something this huge is truly inspiring. The most amazing thing to see is our learners collaborating with one another.

Three of our incredibly talented and thoughtful community members wrote, directed, filmed and edited a video telling our story!

Our learners of all ages will be contributing to a blog documenting our ongoing learning and the process of building a school from scratch.

The collaboration, community building and celebrations have already begun, before we've even moved in to our amazing innovation centre! Blue Sky School opens for full-time schooling of grade 6-8 learners in September 2017 with a Pioneer Class of 12.

Learning happens when passion and empowerment meet. Blue Sky School is an independent not-for-profit coworking centre for learners of all ages. We nurture the next generation of changemakers and partner with today's innovative leaders.

For more information about Blue Sky School, visit us online.

30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 9: Biggest Accomplishment

Day 9: Write about one of your biggest accomplishments in your teaching that no one knows about (or may not care).

This one is really hard for me. I'm struggling to think of the "biggest" accomplishment, and something that "no one knows about". It feels like this question is leading me into a #humblebrag trap. I already did all that in my "About Me" page. (Find it if you want.)

I think my proudest accomplishments are the differences I see in individual students that I work with over the time that I get to work with them.

I had one student in the past, who on the first day I was with her, could not even say her name aloud in front of the class. Not a whisper of it. Paralyzed with shyness.

By the end of two years of working with her, she was confidently presented her research in live streamed events. Not only were her classmates and parents there, live, she was speaking a loud, clear, proud voice about really important things.

Getting to be a part of helping kids "hatch" into ever better versions of themselves is a humbling experience that I don't often brag about in public. There's a newer, better version of the #humblebrag.

EDIT: Oh man, I forgot. One student's mom told me I was his "second mom". Made me bawl.
One tough former student cried in a video and told me he'd always thought of me as his mom. Ugly crying for that one (on my part, that is!).

30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 4: What I Love About Teaching

Day 4: "Respond: What do you love most about teaching?"

So much.

I love the journey I take with my students every year, learning with them and from them.

I love the relationships I form with students and their families. I tweeted yesterday that I call my students "my kids" because they really do feel like that. I proudly bring my family into my classroom to work with "my kids". Even when they move, on they still feel like a part of me. Running into former students, having class reunions and being the person they contact when they need something or want to share happy news is a true priviledge.

I love being the person who believes in a room full of kids, some of whom don't yet believe in themselves.

I love seeing them do things they never thought possible.

I love that every day of my job is different.

I love getting to be creative, innovative and experimental. Thinking of something or reading something one night and then trying it the next day is amazing.

I love being the Lead Learner and a Collaborative Curator with my students.

I love collaborating with colleagues in my building and around the world.

I love how much inspiration I get each and every day from my students, my colleagues and my PLN.

I love learning what parts of me stuck with my former students:
"Miss Pollock, I never swear because in grade 7 you told me that people who swear aren't creative enough to come up with interesting things to say." - one of my former students, who is now in grade 11

I love that today, I heard this conversation in my class:
"Are you finished your tweet?"
"No."
"Why are you Imagineering, then?"
"I'm actually doing my Dream Class right now."

I feel so lucky to have found a job that is so much more than just a job. Teaching is my hobby, my habit, my passion, my vocation and my calling.