Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Empower Your Teaching Year: Read Meenoo Rami's Thrive

Thrive by Meenoo Rami
Meenoo Rami's book, Thrive, provides rationale, learning paths, and personal stories to invigorate educators' professional network, study, and efforts. This is the perfect book to read as you reflect on your past work and set new goals for the year ahead. While reading you'll feel like Meenoo is talking to you as she shares story after story and research related to mentors, professional connections, intellectual challenge, trusting your voice, and empowering your students. Throughout the book, she poses thought provoking questions which will prompt you to stop and think deeply about your own practice as an educator.

Rami's intimate look at education reveals the important details of what it means to teach well today. She highlights classic learning avenues such as apprenticeship and mentoring as well as modern day methods of collaboration via Twitter, Google docs, and edcamps.

Personally I found that Rami's book encouraged me to focus more deliberately on the areas of my professional network, mentors, and listening to myself.  In addition, her words affirmed the changes and efforts I employ with regard to classroom teaching, student relationships, and learning design.

Although I read through Rami's book in one sitting, I will surely revisit the chapters throughout the summer days and in the year ahead as I look to her words for encouragement, direction, and details. Then I'm sure I'll reread the book again next summer to assess which goals I met, and what new goals I'll create.

Meenoo Rami encourages all of us to share our good work and ideas in order to build strong schools for all students, and she models that share well in her book, Thrive, a book that will surely empower your craft, vision, and effect in the year ahead. Thanks Meenoo!