Last July I made a personally difficult, professional decision and chose to resign from my position as Canyons School District’s Director of Education Technology. After nearly twenty years working in the communities of others, I felt it was important for me to begin working with the schools that my own children attend, to try to make a positive difference, and to better understand why they do the things they do.
After eight years with Canyons, the time felt right for a change; not only for my family and my own personal growth, but for the good of the department, school, and district I had helped to create. I honestly felt like a shift would be healthy. All told, I greatly underestimated how much I would miss the many friends and highly skilled educators in Canyons – and sincerely hope our relationships continue to grow. As I watch their successes, now from these southern sidelines, I’m pleased to still call them friends and grateful for the growth they continue to enjoy.
Nevertheless, since July my professional life has been a whirlwind. I have loved every minute of meeting new and extremely capable people, and learning the policies, procedures, and culture of the Alpine School District! Alpine is a very large district, serving nearly 80,000 students; and is entering a very interesting period. Along with tensions about its size and its/our struggle to manage the changes that come with fluctuating enrollments, Alpine is steeped with such beautiful traditions and a very rich history.
https://twitter.com/kimberlybird22/status/917884295158435842
Up to this point, my involvement with the Technology, Curriculum, and Leadership teams in Alpine has been tremendous, engaging, and very fulfilling. I’ve been fortunate to work with impressive teams to:
- Lead a district-wide Principals Academy for both district personnel and elementary school leadership. This yearlong academy centers on Alpine’s new Vision for Learning and is built upon the big ideas of PLCs, along with many of the principles described by Fullan and Langworthy in A Rich Seam.
- Begin the district-wide implementation of instructional coaching, with our primary efforts focusing on Junior High Science (3D Science pedagogy), and Technology Coaching and support in a concentration of elementary schools.
- Substantiate plans for increased and improved technology integration and support. This will likely materialize in the system-wide adoption of both a learning management and assessment system.
I’m humbled by the opportunities I’ve been given to work with such strong district and school leadership so far in Alpine, and I hope for and look forward to a productive time working together in the years to come!
