I had so much fun capturing my 2023 highlights and then turning them into a song, blog post, and poem using Canva! I first wrote my highlights in this template:
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2014. It was the pivotal year I was contemplating escaping education. I had lost my joy for a profession I once loved. A set of ipads and an edtech conference began a series of steps to rediscover my joy for teaching and unlock a magic I'd never experienced. Today as I take a moment to reflect on the past ten years, I am humbled and filled with gratitude for every person who has showered me with encouragement, provided me with opportunities, challenged me to take risks I never dreamed of, and believed in my full potential. The past 10 years have been magical, but I dare to dream that a new era of magical possibility is just beginning. 2014: Ipads entered my culinary arts classroom. Attended my first two edtech conferences Discovered Teacher Twitter 2015: Began disrupting what learning looked like in my classroom. Wrote my first blog post. Began co-hosting #XPLAP Twitter Chat with Michael Matera. 2016: Began taking big leaps by embracing innovation and connecting with educators from around the world. My gamified culinary adventures began. Presented at my first edtech conference. 2017: Fueled by a renewed joy and passion for education, I embraced the power of play in my classroom and committed to tell my story. Signed my first book contract with Dave Burgess Consulting. GratitudeSnaps with Tara Martin was born. Delivered my first conference keynote at Washington Family and Consumer Science Conference. 2018: My first book, Make Learning Magical was born!! Recipient of the Medford School District Golden Pear Secondary Educator Award 1st place winner of the Henry Ford Innovation Nation Educator Award Began a new adventure as a district Tech Integration Specialist in the Medford School District. 2019: The Make Learning Magical Podcast was born. Celebrated 100 blog posts 2020: Found Magic in the Midst of the Madness. Interviewed many amazing guests on the Make Learning Magical podcast 2021: Created new games for remote learning, Blended like Mary Poppins Said goodbye to a magical educator and friend, KathiSue Summers 2022: Began consulting for Canva for Education. My son, Tommy Richmond, and I signed our first children’s book contract with Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. Co-founded Southern Oregon CUE with Lisa Yamashita Earned my Principal license through Southern Oregon University 2023: Moved fully into educational consulting. Began the Spark Joy in EDU podcast with my friend and colleague, Elisabeth Bostwick. Collaborated and published the EduProtocols Companion Guide, Book 1 with Jon Corippo and Marlena Hepbern through Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. Our children's book, Dragon Smart, is born! 2024: The year of the dragon! I will be presenting with my son, Tommy, for the first time at IdeaCon 2024! Excited for a year of new opportunities and magical adventures! It's time for our 7th annual #GratitudeSnaps Challenge! Each November of gratitude has found us in a different chapter of our story and yet, it always seems to come at the perfect time. When people begin to flood the Twittersphere with an outpouring of gratitude and love, you can't help but feel the joy. I am almost giddy with excitement to announce that #GratitudeSnaps 2023 is launching Wednesday, November 1st! Listen to Tara Martin and I share the #GratitudeSnaps origin story on the Make Learning Magical Podcast and read our original blog post! Then, join us! It will bring joy to your heart, I guarantee it!! We are also excited to share new custom Canva templates that you and your students can use to create and curate your #GratitudeSnaps! Click on the buttons below for the template and a video tutorial! Co-Written with, Tara Martin @TaraMartinEDU
What? The #GratitudeSnaps Challenge is as easy as 1-2-3. Focus each day on one thing for which you are grateful. It could be a thing, a person, a feeling; it’s personal to you. Who? Educators, students, community members...anyone who would like to participate is more than welcome. The more positivity we can flood the world with, the better. How?
Post it to Twitter including #GratitudeSnaps & tag us @TaraMartin EDU and @tishrich. When? Let’s begin our 24-days of #GratitudeSnaps on Wednesday, Nov 1st, 2023. It will last until Thanksgiving, November, 23rd. You're welcome to keep it going; there is certainly no "time frame" on being grateful. The world has plenty of negativity, let’s spread a grateful attitude! We have so much of which to be thankful. It was August of 2006. I was shopping in the produce section of the grocery store when I received a call from a vice principal at a local high school asking if I’d be interested in applying for a half-time Career & Technical Education/Family & Consumer Science position teaching culinary arts and interior design. I will never forget that moment because it had taken me completely by surprise. Five years prior, I had taught high school Family and Consumer Science in San Diego, but had decided to stay-at-home with our daughter, two at the time, when we made the move to Oregon. Our son was born a year later and I settled into life at home with our littles. I was content and hadn’t been thinking at all about going back to teaching, but something was beckoning me to pursue this call. My son had just started preschool, I would be teaching two subject areas I loved alongside my own high school Family & Consumer Science teacher, and I would still have flexibility to help in my children's classrooms. The weeks that followed were a whirlwind as I accepted the job and was swept back into the world of public education. I'm so glad I decided to take that leap into the unknown. The past seventeen years serving in my district have been the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. I have taught thousands of amazing students, led both our CTE department and a small school within our high school, and transitioned to a district role as both a Tech Integration Specialist and Student Engagement & Professional Development Specialist. I've grown exponentially as an educator and leader as I’ve collaborated with incredible colleagues and have been led by amazing administrators that have mentored and supported me. In two weeks, I'll be turning in my keys and my badge. My email and Google Drive will disappear. I’m stepping out of public education into a world of educational consulting that is uncertain. I’ve resigned. I don’t know why that word sounds so negative to me. Every time I hear it I cringe a little. I am not leaving because I’m unhappy…not even a little bit. I’m leaving because something is tugging at my heart much like it did that day in 2006 when I was in the produce aisle. There are people beyond my district that I need to serve. There are passions I’ve yet to pursue. There are dreams I need to chase. Is it scary? Absolutely. Am I sad. For sure. I’ve invested my whole heart into each school and district role that I’ve served. I’ve partnered with incredible educators and leaders that center their work around what’s best for kids. I’m a completely different educator than the one who ran out of a grocery store on an August afternoon to pursue something new. However, the last ten years have taught me that outside of my comfort zone is where the magic happens. Every leap I’ve taken has brought me to new learning, new opportunities, and more magic than I could have ever imagined. I know that this leap will be no different. If I take the risk, I will find magic on the other side. To every colleague I've had the honor to work and collaborate with, to every school and district leader that saw something in me that I didn't, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will forever be grateful to all of you for believing in me, supporting me, and helping me grow into the educational leader I am today. It has truly been an honor to serve with you. It has been an incredible journey rich with memories that I'll always hold dear to my heart. It's hard to say goodbye, yet, suddenly I know..."It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings" -Meister Eckhart
I recently had a 2 hour layover in the Seattle/Tacoma airport; one of my favorites because of the awesome food, live music, and the cutest little gift shop to browse in. I was perusing the jewelry in one of the many cases when a silver necklace caught my eye. It had two little bars hanging from a chain. The words were hard to make out, but when I put on my reading glasses I saw two little words etched in each. No risk. No magic. Woah. If any four words in the English language could sum up my last 8 years, it is those. I was hit with a burst of emotion as so many memories of the risks I’ve taken began swirling in my head. First time trying a new edtech tool in my classroom First edtech conference First time hosting a Twitter chat First time flying alone First time presenting at a conference First blog post First published book First podcast episode First keynote ...the list goes on Each leap has been both terrifying and exhilarating, and none were executed perfectly; not even close. However, none of them will be my last. I tried another edtech tool. I flew alone to another edtech conference. I hosted another Twitter chat. I wrote another blog. I recorded another podcast episode. I presented another keynote. And, I would love to publish another book. With each consecutive leap, I've jumped a little higher, became a little braver, and further refined my skills. And, you know what? The next time wasn’t as scary. In fact, each risk led to... More opportunities to leap More people to learn from More people to impact More adventures More passion More joy More magic I admit there have been times that I have let my fear and insecurities almost convince me that I wasn't worthy or capable. There have even been stretches where I've let other's people's negativity and doubt, cloud my thinking and temporarily steal my joy. However, over time pushing past what was comfortable into the unknown has helped me to realize my own strengths and passions, discover truths about myself that I would have never known, and become more of who I was made to be. As I look back on 2022, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the risks I've said yes to that have led to incredible adventures around the globe, amazing new friendships, and magical opportunities. As I peer around the corner at 2023, I see a whole calendar year of adventure and dreams that are waiting for me. What adventures are around the corner for you? What dreams are waiting for you to pursue? What opportunities can you say yes to? What friendships are waiting to be developed? And, yes. I bought the necklace and have worn it almost every day since. Will you say yes to the risk? You never know what magic awaits.
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Tisha RichmondStudent Engagement & PD Specialist in Southern Oregon, Canva Learning Consultant, Canva Education Creator, and author of Make Learning Magical. I'm passionate about finding innovative ways to transform teaching and create unforgettable experiences in the classroom. |