At times throughout our lives, we fail to realize the importance of togetherness and the value it holds. So often, our lives are filled with one thing after another, and far too often, when asked how we are by others, our answer tends to frequently be “busy”.
We have, in many ways, become accustomed to a fast paced lifestyle, and while there is nothing wrong with that, we tend to forget how important it is to lift up the people around us.
We thrive when we feel like we belong somewhere. Throughout our lives, we find solace in the various communities we belong to. Especially in times of difficulty, we realize just how meaningful our community is. Belonging to a community is having a support network. It gives us a purpose. It’s filled with people we know we can turn to who lift us up and lend a helping hand without looking for anything in return.
When we freely share our ideas with our community, we are stimulating innovation and growth encouraging others to do the same. That’s one of the most rewarding aspects of being a teacher; the ability to create a community within our classroom and witness the benefits our students reap from the sharing of ideas and resources. As a teacher, I crave that feeling for myself as well. I want to learn, to grow, to find new and innovative ways to help my students, but I also want to add value to the community of educators that I have the privilege of belonging to.
Education Blueprint has been that source of inspiration for me this past year. The ability for educators to come together to share what they know or find what they need creates a community so valuable to many of us especially during a year where we are facing insurmountable challenges. Knowing that I have a place where I can turn to colleagues throughout the country to support me is reassuring, for the “togetherness” of teachers is one of the strongest communities that exists!
1 Nicole Kelly, Education Blueprint Chief Content Curator