A man among giants

Last night was the Bammy Awards.

I was a finalist in the School Technologist category.

I am but a man among giants. There were 5 of us in the category. Four people of amazing skills, knowledge, and reputation. And me. A more self-effacing person might say I bring down the bell curve, so to speak. That's not what I'm driving at. I just think its amazing to see my name listed among those four others, those four that I look to on a daily basis for ideas, inspiration, and knowledge...

Shelly Sanchez Terrell. Lee Kolbert. Steve Dembo. Steven Anderson. And me. Humbled to be included among such a list of educators pushing the edtech boundaries and supporting the teachers around us every day.

The ceremony was a bit of a Moonlight Graham moment for me. Reverting back to that wide-eyed kid stepping on to the field with Shoeless Joe for the first time. By the end I was happy to cross over to the more adult version of myself, the one who will forever relish the fact I had the opportunity to step on the same field as some of the greats. And no, I didn't get to wink at any of them...

We were supposed to prepare a two sentence acceptance speech. I didn't. I never expected to win, it was never about that for me. In a profession that is so often isolating, sequestering us on our little islands of school buildings or districts, it is great to get out & connect to the world beyond. 

A lot of the nomination process had to do with public voting. Colleagues voted for me. Parents of my students voted for me. I'm sure if my students were old enough to have Facebook accounts they probably would have voted for me too. That's what means the most. The nomination was great, and I can't thank Lisa Nielsen enough for that, but the support of the staff and parents at my school, PS 10, is what will stay with me the most. 

Congratulations to Steve Dembo on the win (as well as congratulations to all the nominees and winners). And thank you to the Bammys. Had a blast, honored to have been a part of it.