The Unsettling Stomach Lurch of Teacher Branding

Recently eduawesome Refranz Davis shared this recent post she wrote on her thoughts of the need to be "visually appealing" as an female edtech speaker. Refranz has been a champion for the underdog and I admire her for it. She posted the above post on Facebook and a few of us edtech women jumped on it and ran with the idea of "branding." Refranz quickly said that wasn't the direction she was going with the post, which we understood, but I find it interesting how quickly the three of us found the connection to branding.

I just googled "teacher branding" and in .36 seconds 13.8 million results came back...no lie. What is teacher branding? To put it succinctly it is marketing yourself, your skills, your knowledge as an educator in a way that establishes a positive presence in the minds of others.

The idea of needing to brand oneself as an educator makes me feel uneasy. During Christmas break I shared that fact in a Twitter chat with a tweet something like this: "I struggle with the fact that edus feel they must brand themselves to be heard. We all have value." I was amazed at the number of people that this resonated with. I am realizing this statement rings true to a many in the educational community.

I then found myself digging deeper into the thought of branding. What bothers me about it? What good things come from it? And I will be honest, my t-account of debits and credits felt fairly equal. The pros: It allows an educator that's doing great things to have a larger and louder voice. It potentially opens up another form of income for these educators in leading professional development opportunities or having the ability to be an edtech speaker. Branding makes the school system these people come from look like an innovative thinking school. Branding actually leads to giving credit where credit is due in a world of easy Internet searches.

So why does it cause an unsettling lurch in my stomach? Truthfully, I struggle with the vanity of it. I struggle with the need to put myself out there to receive accolades before I am seen as a valuable educator. I struggle with the way some educators are doing this. I struggle with the idea of becoming an "ambassador" of any app/group/ website because I worry it dilutes my appearance of being unbiased in the field of education.  Over Christmas break I was on the phone with Ditch That Textbook author Matt Miller (@jmattmiller) and I shared my concerns. I appreciate Matt's humble heart and what he said resonated with me. In my words, not his...he basically said he agreed. He said he finds it important to focus on the things he wants to share in his branding approach, not on himself. I get that. Hence the hashtag #ditchbook not #jmattmiller.  I also understand that if an educator is going to put forth the time, effort, and expense to write a book, create a website, start a learning curriculum, speak at conferences that it comes at a price. We give up something in order to do this. It might be family time, coaching opportunities, vacations, etc but everything we choose comes at a price.

I find it interesting that before I was added to the 2015 list of top 50 k-12 I.T. blogs by Edtech Magazine, I was just Julie- tech coach/coordinator in a private school in Chattanooga, Tennessee doing her best day by day. I'm not saying I am a different person but I am amazed by the validation that simple list seems to have given me in some circles. I'll be honest, it was one of my most amazing honors since becoming an educator. But I leave you with this... I don't think there is a correlation between Twitter followers and great educators. I don't think there is much of a correlation between a dynamic public speaker and an Edtech guru. I don't think that just because someone is published they are a better educator from those that are working day in and day out in their classroom to do what is best for their students.

I'm not saying don't value and follow these great Edtech names on social media, all I am saying is make sure you are also listening to the quiet guy, the twitterer with 100 followers, the voices that ask the questions that make the rest of us ponder. Do not be pulled into the power of branding because someone is selling themselves well. A rude educator is a rude educator with or without their own website. There is value in all of us. I strive to remind myself of this everyday.

A New Year- A New Difference Maker

It's a day of looking forward as the new school year starts tomorrow but for me, today was also a day of looking back. I woke up this morning and saw the obituary for a young man named Clark that I taught when I did my student teaching. He was a senior taking Economics and I was a brand new pre-service teacher with big ideas on how to make a difference. There aren't a lot of names I still remember from 13 years ago but he stands out still.

I still remember him because he made a difference to me. I was trying to make my Economics class unique- we made homemade pies one day in class for me to introduce the concept of "pie charts," then one day I had a stockbroker friend of mine speak to the class. That's why I remember this student. He purposefully asked questions in class when most of the other kids could really care less. I could never decide if he was doing it for me or to make our guest feel more comfortable but his "care" in that moment has stuck with me all these years. At the age of 30, he tragically died this week but as I see others post about him on Facebook the last few days I know he was known for his kindness. I just reaped the benefit of that personality trait on that teaching day so many years ago.

The 2015-2016 begins. There will be students walking in your door that need to be loved, heard, gently admonished, challenged, prayed for, side-hugged, encouraged, and respected. Some of our students don't get those things at home. Some of our students, like Clark, can teach us a thing or two about caring for others. As educators, we have a responsibility (and often power) to change the course of a kid's life for the good forever. We can't take that lightly.

As I go into this school year my prayer is that I would be a difference maker, that the students I teach, the teachers I support, and the families I serve would know my heart's goal is to be a positive influence in the lives I touch. Sadly, we can be difference makers negatively as well. My goal for this year is to get "ME" out of the equation and to focus on the tasks, needs, and people before me. My goal is that I would teach, lead, react, and listen with an open mind and discerning heart. It's asking a lot of myself sometimes because my nature is to feel threatened, hurt, or protective of the things I do professionally when challenged. This year I will strive to be a positive difference maker. Will you?