PROFESSIONALIZING YOUR PROFESSION!
In 2018 I was fortunate enough to attend the last Student Achievement Partners National Core Advocates Convening. There were so many great sessions!
Recently, I found notes from one of the sessions presented by Melody Arabo. I had completely forgotten how beneficial her session was for educators. It's so true that as teachers we downplay ourselves as professionals. I have outgrown doing that, but finding these notes was just what I needed.
BE COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
IDENTIFY YOUR EXPERTISE AND MAKE YOURSELF AN AUTHORITY IN THAT SPACE. (Let go of the saying, "I'm just a teacher.")
DEFINE YOUR PLATFORM THROUGH YOUR PASSION. (Think about what your platform is built on.)
DESIGN PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS CARDS TO REPRESENT WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU WANT TO BE.
CREATE A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE TO SHOWCASE YOUR LEADERSHIP.
START A BLOG TO SHARE YOUR VOICE.
DEVELOP A PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SAY WHO YOU ARE. TWEETDECK helps you follow conversations.
RESEARCH EDUCATION ORGANIZATION AND ENGAGE WITH THEM IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. (Webinars, Twitter Talks, Etc.)
ADVOCATE FOR ROLES THAT DON'T YET EXIST. Develop your dream role and pitch it.
Hopefully these tips can help you as well. Of course, she provided elaboration with each point. However, I didn't write down all of the elaboration and this session was over four years ago. Considering that sometimes I can't remember what I wore yesterday, I wouldn't dare try to quote her stories. The points themselves are pretty self-explanatory, but also feel free to visit her website for more information.