UEN Homeroom - 2022 UCET Keynotes
Check out the latest UEN Homeroom episode with UCET Keynotes Mike Roberts and Cory Henwood
Join me on UEN Homeroom twice a month!
“Share and empathize with others.”
My first time at UCET was in 2018. I had just gone to SXSWEDU week with my district team and had a great time meeting people and really starting to understand the bigger picture of K-12 education. Coming from the higher education world I knew that conferences and working with others were a huge part of understanding the professional landscape and being able to establish yourself as a professional. Building those connections led to other conferences and ideologies. When I jumped over to K-12 the deep connections between conferences and professional learning/upward mobility were not as tangible. Coming back on fire from SXSWEDU, I wanted more.
So, I went into my principal’s office, and I still feel a bit bad about this, demanded more. I wanted to go to two other conferences I had heard about: UCET and ISTE. He quickly acquiesced and let me work on getting there. UCET was just a few days away, so I secured my sub and went. During that two-day period I met dozens of local educators, opened the door to discussions that I long wanted to have, and started thinking deeply about the larger educational picture in Utah. UCET inspired me to take the next few steps and build towards more connections within my community.
Mike Roberts and Cory Henwood spend a lot in this podcast talking about the transformative power of conferences for educators of all levels. What I didn’t get to say in the podcast is that I am living proof of that truth. Although I was already doing things outside of my classroom and building connections, the doors that the four-month triple shot of SXSWEDU/UCET/ISTE opened cannot be understated in my biography. I met other educators. I learned tricks. I started to understand the scope of education in the US. But perhaps the most important thing it did for me was to help to start sharing with others and empathize with as many educators as I can. Conferences help me to continue to affirm my love and need for community in education and that I need to contribute to the community.
So, if you are reading this and it is before March 15th, 2022, come join me and hundreds of other like-minded educators at UCET 2022.
https://ucet.org/
