Kentucky Connected Educator Day 29

 Brandon Abdon

Highlands High School

Fort Thomas Schools

 In what ways are you a connected educator?  

Professional connection starts in my own building.  My colleagues work so closely together that we regularly text, email, tweet, and blog with and about one another and our practice. It also means connection with students, but within the ethical considerations of that relationship.  This means a teacher Twitter account for class updates, Edmodo for assignments and materials, Remind101 for text message updates, and so on.  Beyond that, my work with the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, both the National and Kentucky Councils of Teachers of English, the National Writing Project, and teaching courses in pedagogy and English at the University of Kentucky have been key to establishing and maintaining my relationships with teachers across the state and the country. Through Bread Loaf alone I count a dozen friendships with teachers in other states with whom I regularly share ideas, writings, and so on.  In fact, the BLSE supports a group called the Kentucky Bread Loaf Teacher Network that is connected to the international network (BLTN).  They offer full fellowships to attend the school for teachers who are willing to work on developing and fostering connected classrooms and professional distance collaboration.  Feel free to email me for more details.

Mr. Abdon working with his students

 How does being connected impact your practice?

 I am never lacking in resources, support, or feedback.  I know that others who seek to be connected themselves have the dispositions to work beyond the walls of their classrooms and share the responsibility of teaching.  Because of work done through my Bread Loaf fellowship and other collaborations with colleagues beyond my school, my students are well aware of their connection to a world bigger than their school and community.

 How does being connected impact you as a professional?

 The professional relationships developed at conferences and meetings have been invaluable. Opportunities to connect my classroom, pursue interests in my field, and seek answers to problems I might face in the classroom are endless through the myriad of connections I have made over the years at conferences, BLSE, and other gatherings of professionals looking to make themselves and their students better.

What advice or resources would you offer to colleagues wishing to connect?

Just keep track of people and never be afraid to ask a question.  Once they know you are asking questions and that you want to hear from them, they will then seek you out.  That's a great thing about twitter.  People retweet you ideas of comments and then other like them and see them and then follow and/or retweet.  Be careful not to get caught in the idea of just talking and not asking for help or sharing ideas.  People want to grow and improve and help.  If you give them that, they will give it back to you.  That's how you build a trusting professional network. 

Currently a student in Northern Kentucky University’s Ed. Specialist program, Brandon holds a BA in English and Classics and a MEd in Curriculum from the University of Kentucky along with a MA in English from The Breadloaf School of English @ Middlebury College, Vermont. Originally from Greenup, a small town in rural eastern Kentucky, he currently lives in the Cincinnati area. He has taught 9-12, all skill levels, as well as electives in creative writing, philosophy, and black writers. Beginning his career in the urban setting of Lexington, Kentucky for four years, he is now in his seventh year at suburban Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Along with high school, he teaches courses in English and Composition Pedagogy at the University of Kentucky. A reader for the national AP Literature exam, Brandon also consults with a number of districts on curriculum and instruction. A former president of the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English, he currently serves as the Kentucky state liaison for SLATE, or “Support for the Learning and Teaching of English,” and on NCTE’s Committee Against Censorship.  He regularly takes himself too seriously, to an ironic fault.