Share, share, share (and take turns).  I find myself saying it to my students and my children all the time.  Maybe it’s time I take my own advice!

Share Your Stuff
As we clean out our rooms and spaces for the end of the school year, we come across so many things: lessons, materials, books…  Often I ask myself when faced with a poster I forgot about and lived without, “Do I really need to keep this??”

Often, as the teachers in my school are cleaning things out, they will leave things in the workroom for others to browse and take.  You know the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  Well, I often find a little something good to grab!

One year, I had my own kids with me on the last day of my classes and they found the treasure trove of things to grab and use to create some fun things: funky pieces of paper, random markers and stamps.  This year however, I got my chance to bestow a few things on other teachers as I cleaned up from teaching one grade and prepared for the next.

What would we do with out a community of sharing teachers!

Share Your Expertise and Experiences
Sharing what you know and asking for help and support is so important for teachers.  Facebook and Twitter are two amazing ways to connect and share with other educators.  I love my PLN!  There are people I “met” years ago when I was a Twitter-crazed teacher that I still like to keep in contact with and still learn from.

Even recently, I had the opportunity to share some insights about arts integration and SEAL with other teachers by hosting and attending a couple of #k12artchat s.  It was fun to share my own knowledge and learn what other teachers are doing with the arts to help students.

You can do this too!  Consider joining a specific Facebook group that specializes in your content or grade level,  And don’t forget to join OUR Facebook group: Inspiring Teachers!  This FB group is filled with teachers who believe in the arts and learning, who want to share ideas and support and encourage each other.  Here’s the link to check it out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/inspiringteachers/

Share Yourself
A post that was tweeted years ago, is titled “Give of Yourself” and tells some things students have said are the best gifts teachers have given them.  It’s a sweet post with a great graphic to remind yourself just how important you are to kids!

I would like to take it a step further.  It’s wonderful to know that your gifts are apprecitated by your students, but isn’t it nice to know what you offer your school is appreciated too?  Sharing with your colleagues is very powerful and rewarding whether it be a conversation, an idea or your time.  You probably do it every day and if so, keep sharing yourself and your gifts!

Sharing is such a simple concept, but with our busy lifestyles, sometimes we forget.  My goal is to not forget and to keep sharing, just like I tell my kids to do!

~EMP