As the craziness of back-to-school starts to settle into routine, I often find myself reflecting back on last year – my first at Rosseau Lake College – and think about how this year will hopefully feel less scrambled and more ready for what comes next (if that’s possible in the teaching game). It was also around this time last year that I was approached about Cohort 21 as a potential professional development opportunity. Having taught in Seoul the year before and never having heard of the Cohort, I had no idea what to expect. When I think of how far along in my teaching journey I’ve travelled since my decision to attend Cohort 21, I can’t help but feel immensely grateful for all the ways that Cohort 21 propelled me forward in ways I never could have accomplish on my own. Here are some of the ways I moved through my ongoing professional journey during my time with Cohort 21 (which I’m so happy isn’t finished!).

1. Walking Behind (Coattails): Maybe not the most comfortable way to travel, but they sure are helpful when you’re feeling like you’re standing still. Cohort 21 gave me access to brilliant teachers from all over the CIS Ontario community. Working at a boarding school 90 min. north of Toronto, it can often feel like I’m stuck on a very picturesque Muskoka island. How better to feel motivated and excited than to see benchmarks and hear stories of success and attempts from so many other respected teachers and schools? The tech tidbits from Justin and Garth alone are worth the drive and there are so many take-aways that can have positive effects in your classroom the very next class. The “homework” from the Cohort is carefully planned so that it isn’t burdensome or intimidating in any way, but it also holds you accountable to the process and helps you recommit when you’re apart from the rest of the Cohort 21 community.
2. Walking Together (Group Exploration): One of the best aspects of the Cohort 21 experience is that it’s about being at the cutting edge of education, and that often means that there isn’t a map of how to get there. There is no better way to get there then working through ideas with other passionate and insightful professionals. This community doesn’t just end at the end of a face-to-face session, but it extends through blogging, Twitter, Google+, Diigo and other technological resources that don’t just keep the Cohort connected, but also plug teachers into great educational thinkers and communities all over the world. I’m in no way a professional blogger and I get readers from all over Canada and the US and as far away as India, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia. I’ve also been able to find out about other great professional development opportunities, such as the Klingenstein Summer Institute.
3. Walking Ahead (Leading): For me, the most amazing aspect of my Cohort 21 experience was the empowerment and confidence I gained as a professional. You leave every face-to-face session so charged with great ideas and positivity that you can’t help but share with colleagues, students, and anyone else you can trap in conversation. Soon, these practices – reading blogs, (re)tweeting ideas and insights, sharing articles and new tools – become habits of mind and you start to see the positive effects it has on your school culture, your professional sanity, and, most importantly, student learning in your classroom.

I can think of so many reasons why schools should send representatives to Cohort 21 and I remember thinking last year as I looked around the table at all the prestigious schools and amazing faculty in attendance, “What possible reason do schools have for not sending people?”. Ask, beg, plead, fight, or some other wonderful verb to be your school’s representative for a truly transformative professional development opportunity.