I had the privilege of attending Unplugd12 with 40 exceptional people in a place of exceptional beauty to talk about what really matters in education, to share our stories and to write a book - in one weekend. I'm certain that tweets and blogposts about this transformative event will litter the socialmediasphere for many weeks to come.
My first post about unplugd, though, tells a sidebar story but one that needs to be told because for me, it tells everything about what matters and what I want for my students, and frankly, for myself! It's Kim's and Jeff's story - our canoeing, biking, hiking guides at Northern Edge where the event took place.
Kim and Jeff used to live in the GTA. She was a pharmaceutical sales rep. He was a national sales manager for a well-known company. Just over 5 years ago, Jeff realized he was no longer enjoying his job. It had changed from a people job where he was dealing with customers face to face, to a desk/computer job where sales orders were handled on line. Jeff came home one day and announced that he would be leaving his job. Shortly after, Kim was downsized and they found themselves with an opportunity to change everything. They decided to leave the urban world behind and follow their passion. Their house was sold, they bought land near Algonquin, they built a small cabin that had no road access and they began earning all of their outdoor accreditations: whitewater canoeing, kayaking, dogsledding, high level first aid - whatever they thought would be useful. They joined an organization involved in the restoration of historic hiking trails and slowly became known in the area. This eventually led them to being hired at the Northern Edge as head guides.
Kim and Jeff are passionate about what they do. You could not convince them to ever move back to urban Ontario. They've carved out a rich and fulfilling life for themselves. This was not easy . It took work and there were many difficult days. But ... they did it!
This is what I want for my students. I want them to feel confident enough and supported enough to follow their passions, take risks and fulfill their dreams. Thanks Kim and Jeff for showing us the way.
My first post about unplugd, though, tells a sidebar story but one that needs to be told because for me, it tells everything about what matters and what I want for my students, and frankly, for myself! It's Kim's and Jeff's story - our canoeing, biking, hiking guides at Northern Edge where the event took place.
Kim and Jeff used to live in the GTA. She was a pharmaceutical sales rep. He was a national sales manager for a well-known company. Just over 5 years ago, Jeff realized he was no longer enjoying his job. It had changed from a people job where he was dealing with customers face to face, to a desk/computer job where sales orders were handled on line. Jeff came home one day and announced that he would be leaving his job. Shortly after, Kim was downsized and they found themselves with an opportunity to change everything. They decided to leave the urban world behind and follow their passion. Their house was sold, they bought land near Algonquin, they built a small cabin that had no road access and they began earning all of their outdoor accreditations: whitewater canoeing, kayaking, dogsledding, high level first aid - whatever they thought would be useful. They joined an organization involved in the restoration of historic hiking trails and slowly became known in the area. This eventually led them to being hired at the Northern Edge as head guides.
Kim and Jeff are passionate about what they do. You could not convince them to ever move back to urban Ontario. They've carved out a rich and fulfilling life for themselves. This was not easy . It took work and there were many difficult days. But ... they did it!
This is what I want for my students. I want them to feel confident enough and supported enough to follow their passions, take risks and fulfill their dreams. Thanks Kim and Jeff for showing us the way.
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