Dear Black Sheep,

My name is Karen and I wonder a lot about you and your struggles to fit in with the teachers you work with. I want to help because I've been there too.

I know what it's like when you feel that the people you work with closest don't seem to understand you. They listen when you share the exciting things you're doing with your class but when you ask them if they want to give it a try too, they might not seem all that interested. And as much as you offer to help them discover different ways of teaching, at this point they aren't yet ready to learn. You need to know they might be watching you more than you realize and that they are learning from you in their own way too.

You are not alone with your passionate ways. I too feel like a black sheep in my school. But I no longer feel alone. Why? Because I became a connected educator and I haven't looked back.

One of the first places I got connected was on Twitter. It is a pretty amazing place. It is filled with passionate learners just like you and I. The people I interact with really get my passions, and me because many of them are black sheep in their own schools too. I must admit at first it did take a bit of time to find these like-minded people, but if you give it a bit of your time you'll find them too. You should give it a try.

I initially found my flock of sheep through a grade one chat on Twitter with other grade one teachers who shared in my passions. These are people willing to share their best practices, and in turn they encouraged me to share mine. We are equally curious to learn. While we may not always agree on the best way to teach something, we push thinking and ultimately have become better educators because of it.

One of the things I learned through Twitter was about a blogging platform for children. This platform allowed all of my students to have a voice heard by the world. I would love to share the stories of how powerful this was for my students, particularly those who had difficulty communicating orally.

I encourage you to give Twitter a try. It has completely changed me as an educator and I think it will do the same for you.

So if you sometimes feel like you are the black sheep in your school, like I often have, don't fret. There is a wonderful flock of colourful sheep hanging out online just waiting to meet you.

Power to the teaching black sheep!

Sincerely yours,