The Global Pen…full time!

Happy Summer, Global Pen fans!  Forgive my scarceness, but my Global Writing Block has kind of dominated my world these days.  But it’s summer now, and the livin’s eaz-ay!

I have something to add a little extra sun to your summer…The Global Pen will be pumping out plans full-time!  Here’s the scoop…

So….from my earliest days as a child, I’ve always had two big dreams…

1.  Be a teacher.
2. Be a writer.

Because I’m big on following dreams, I’ve been livin’ my creed as a writing teacher at Boca High for 12, glorious years.  Best of both, right?  The cup is almost full.  Almost.  Lately, I find myself daydreaming, though…there’s still SO much more left to do.

Therefore, the time has come for me to spread my teaching wings even further…I’ve decided to step away from the classroom for a while in order to delve more deeply into the potential of my lifelong dreams.  (Yes, you read that right.  Me, leaving Boca High…crazy, right?!)

Sometimes I feel like I’m a writer, hiding behind being a writing teacher.  Other times, I feel like there’s so much more I can do as a teacher. So I’ve decided to simply JUMP, and let the academic universe catch me.  In leaving the classroom, I’ll be writing a LOT more about education, but hopefully it will pave my path toward my true love for writing, which lies in fiction, believe it or not.  Meanwhile, I’ll also be training teachers, so I won’t be straying too far from the classroom after all!

I love to teach.  I love to write.  It’s time to separate and expand each of these.  Or so the voices in my head tell me…

For those of you Penners interested, here’s where my career path is headed (which mainly involves me working for you!):

1. I’ll be writing the textbook AND blogging full-time this school year!

I spoke with my Cambridge University Press (CUP) editor on Friday, and the General Paper textbook is back in full swing, which is GREAT news.  (For those of you who don’t know, it was scheduled for publication Dec. 2015, but my deadline was delayed because the GP syllabus is getting a re-vamp.  Since the textbook needs to reflect these changes, I had to hit the pause button).

There are certain things I won’t be able to put in the textbook, however.  One thing I have to keep in mind, for instance, involves timeliness.  If I suggest a URL for my textbook audience to visit, it could easily be gone from existence by the time the book is actually published; I’d be much better off blogging about said resource here at the Global Pen.

Also, textbook content needs to appeal to the widest audience possible, from here to Mauritius and back; I can’t rattle on about America’s minimum wage issues, for example, because this has little relevance to other people across the globe.

And one of the biggest hurdles I face in writing the textbook involves getting permission to re-print certain sources such as news articles.  This is where the blog comes in…you’ll be getting the best of both worlds when it comes to General Paper resources!

The major difference?  The textbook will be endorsed by CIE (#holler), but this blog-on what makes for successful and rewarding GP teaching and learning-is entirely my own opinion (I’m a credible source, darn it!).

I love to write.  I love to design curriculum.  Why not write about curriculum design and all things teaching?!  What better way to spend my time?!  #livinthedream

2.  I’ll be training teachers for Cambridge!

I’ve been selected to become an accredited, Cambridge International trainer.  This is SO exciting for me because part of my dream in being a teacher is not just about teaching students, but teaching teachers, too!  I love offering help and guidance (hence the blog!), and I’ve always enjoyed being a facilitator for the various workshops and roundtables in our state, so this will give me the opportunity to train nation-maybe even world-wide!

By the way, if you’re an AP Capstone teacher, I’ll be co-leading a workshop with my dear friend and colleague, Beth Rubin, at the AP Annual Conference this July 16th in Anaheim, CA!  Hope to see you there!

3.  I’ll be rolling out my very own consulting business!

I’m goin’ rogue, people!

One of the problems I always have as a classroom teacher is that summer is just. not. long. enough.  And I don’t mean R&R in the sense that most non-teachers think.  I mean (R)esearch.  I have so many ideas I want to whip (and nae-nae) together, but there just isn’t enough time to do it all before the year begins again.

You know how it goes…First you gotta Google it.  Then you find yourself printing a stack of cool materials a mile high.  Then you have to piece them together in a way that makes sense for your world, target your objectives.  Then you have to actually craft the synthesis of your materials found.  Then you have to scaffold the plans, pace ’em, prep the execution of ’em…oh, and don’t forget about creating a valid and reliable assessment to determine whether or not your kiddos ‘got it.’  With all this work, I’m lucky to get three projects off the ground before August hits!

As 21st century technology takes flight, I want to explore innovative ways to use this technology WELL in my classroom (and I’m not just talkin’ doc cameras and TED Talks); but who has time to learn it all, then design it, too?

So the point of my business adventure, I suppose, is to do all this work for you.  Good deal, right? I quit my job to research it all, then share it with you!  At the same time, this is deepening my dream because I’m not just enriching the learning experience of my own students, but for those of you who come along with me, I’ll be reaching out to your students as well.  And that makes me happy. #goforhappy

Therefore, this fall, I’m challenging my entrepreneurial edge by dipping into the world of consulting.  I’ll be offering a range of workshops, training, materials, and other classroom support options (including student support) to help you navigate this brave, new, 21st century world of learning.  Though my expertise lies in the AICE and AP Capstone programs, my work will focus more on navigating 21st century learning altogether, featuring tons of innovative ways to make learning matter for your students, AICE and/or AP or not!

Launch: September 2016

4.  And last but not least, I’m rethinking high school education altogether!

Yep, you read that right also…I’m building a school, people.  Currently, I’m part of the core team for the School of Leadership, Innovation, Creativity, & Entrepreneurship (S.L.I.C.E.).  We are a school, think-tank, and start-up incubator that focuses on content creation as opposed to content consumption.  In fact, a lot of what I’m learning will surface in the innovative plans I have up my sleeve for your 2016-2017 school year.  I simply can’t wait to share!  And I’ll be sharing FULL-time!  Woot woot!

We are piloting our program for the first time next summer in Dublin, Ireland.  More to come on this awesome, international adventure!

If you want to know more about S.L.I.C.E., visit our website or check out the awesome trailer I made for us. You can also follow my @edupavich Twitter handle, where I tweet a lot about rethinking high school education😉

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I suppose these are tall orders.  A teacher-slash-writer can dream, right?!  I hope you’ll join me on this awesome, new adventure.

To show how much I value your support, I have a little something extra special to celebrate the blog’s FOURTH birthday this June 18th…it’s a real doosey for those lovers of global writing.  Be sure to check in this Saturday for a special gift from your favorite education blogger

Taking time away from the classroom gives me more time with you, and I’m looking forward to it.  (Oh, and I get to spend more time with my two, amazing, darling, good-eatin’, sound-sleepin’ little ones, too!  Sweet!).

Many of you are new to these curriculums and just as many of you are seasoned in the ways of AICE and AP Capstone.  I can’t wait to collaborate with you.  All of you.  I don’t care if you’ve never taught a day in your life…send me your ideas and I’ll feature ya on the blog.

COMMUNITY, Y’ALL!!  COLLABORATE!

Genuinely,

Jill Pavich, NBCT