Connected Educator Christopher McCurry

Christopher McCurry was recently named as one of The Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky's Innovative Teacher Leaders.
Read more here.

Christopher McCurry High School English Fayette County

In what ways are you a connected educator?

Continual professional and educational development outside of the classroom is one way I’m a connected educator. I really enjoy attending conferences: TALK and AWP being among my favorites. I appreciate how they allow teachers and writers to lead.

I spend summers in at the Bread Loaf School of English working in a professional network grounded in graduate level content studies at Middlebury College. The relationships built in these environments lead to multi-state, multi-school collaborations throughout the year enhanced by technology.  

I teach my students to reach out to our community for funding and support. I’m a big fan of Donor’s Choose and crowd sourced funding for the classroom. To allow students to engage in the community and for the community to trust what is going on inside the classroom is a valuable relationship to build and maintain.

How does being connected impact your practice in schools/classroom?

It’s a process of continual feedback. The reciprocity of being connected through technology is analogous to the way we are connected in the classroom. A successfully funded Donor’s Choose project demonstrates that I have found an aspect of English education that the community finds valuable and worth supporting. The students then respond to this message from their communities with engaged work in the classroom and writing about their experience in Thank You letters.  

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

The Bread Loaf Teacher Network is a student-centered network that thrives through social and digital media. The chance to collaborate with teachers and students from diverse backgrounds around the globe enhances my pedagogical skill and content knowledge, preparing me and my students for a world that is increasing digital.  

What advice or resources would you recommend to colleagues interested in becoming connected?

Use what you have in place already, but don’t be afraid try new things. Talk about your classroom. Don’t be afraid to reach out beyond the walls of your building. Try Donor’s Choose! Join a Network!

Bio

Christopher McCurry is a teacher at Lafayette High School in Lexington, KY,  a student at the Bread Loaf School of English, and an Editor at Accents Publishing.