Educon 2.3: A Letter to My Daughter

hows educon? what do u do? is it just a bunch of smart people meeting and talking or is it something different?

The text message above was sent to me by twelve year old daughter as I sat in the second session of EduCon 2.3 this afternoon. To me, her text encapsulated the very idea of EduCon.

Here’s my response:

Dear Anna,
     Thanks for your text. EduCon is great, thanks. It’s more than just “smart people meeting and talking.” It’s about smart and passionate people not only talking, but listening as well. The key to EduCon is the conversation.
     Well-meaning, passionate people, who are driven to improve education gather at this outstanding little school, this exciting family under the banner of Science Leadership Academy. Here, the conversation either starts or continues, and that fire is taken back into schools across the country, to ideally, inspire change.
     Actually, honey, Educon is about you, your sisters, and the millions of students just like you. These adults, meeting, talking, and listening, truly care about you and your future. These adults truly care about you finding your passion, connecting in a digital world, and personalizing your learning. This is why I missed your soccer game today. Congrats on your goal, by the way. This is why I am here. I care about your present and your future, as does everyone gathered here. This was some text, eh? I love you. gtg.

Love,
Dad

4 thoughts on “Educon 2.3: A Letter to My Daughter

  1. Perhaps if more of us thought about our child, or a grandchild, or a neighbor’s child, we would be even more passionate about the great things we learn at conferences like educon 2.3.

  2. True, Larry. When I teach my class, I do so as if my daughters were in it. Can we do this with our schools?

  3. Jim,
    I love this letter to your daughter; this is one to treasure and to keep.
    In your comment, you asked can we do this with our schools– my response is we have to, we need to, we have a moral obligation to–
    Now we need to help teachers find again their passion, their reason for teaching and it will happen–
    Lani

  4. Wow! You have a very smart daughter. Your response to her question spoke to me: it is why I became an educator though at times I wonder about the intention of those who are our appointed leaders or the reformers of late. What kinds of conversations are they having behind closed doors? I can’t help but think that they sound like the phone conversation Governor Walker had with one of the “Koch brothers” on the phone. Shameful! Thank you to all of us in the trenches who haven’t lost sight of our students and ourselves.

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