By nature, I am not big “hugger” when I first meet someone. Which is why I am always so shocked that every time I meet one of my Tweeps in person, I feel the overwhelming need to give them a hug. I always wonder why that happens….I mean, I have just had online conversations with these people, right? Wrong.
Over the past month it has become crystal clear why my tweeps will always get a hug….
1 – They care about my learning. They challenge my thinking, give me wonderful new ideas, and continually make me feel like I have a team of teachers working with me to improve my practice. For example, just the other day, I threw out this tweet:
and what I got in return was this amazing conversation: https://storify.com/TracyZager/multiplying-fractions AND then two fantastic follow up blog posts: http://tjzager.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/elementary-teachers-as-math-learners/ and http://bstockus.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/of/ Talk about professional development at its finest! I LOVED it and left with so many ideas to think about!
2 – They care about my students as much as I do. Recently, our district is working through opening Twitter on our network. Wanting to be as informed and prepared as possible to defend the use of Twitter in schools, I reached out on Twitter with this post:
I tweeted it, went to bed, and woke up to over 40 notifications in response. I had teachers sharing how they use it as PD and in the classroom, as well as superintendents and principals (Thank you @gcouros and @joesanfelippo) offering to chat with my superintendent to offer their experiences. These tweeps are from all over the world, they don’t need to care if the students in my class get Twitter, but they do. They took the time. It is so touching to know that the heart of education is alive and well on Twitter with the students in the forefront.
3- They get as excited and passionate about math work as I do! You can read these fun, nerdy conversations all over my Twitter feed, passionate people talking about what we love, math. After trying Talking Points that I have blogged about recently, I could not wait to tweet @cheesemonkeysf because I was so excited about the conversations in my classroom:
My tweeps have become so much more than online conversations, they are my colleagues, mentors, and coaches. They are open and honest and allow me to feel safe being open and honest.
It is personal. It has changed my practice. It is hug-worthy.
I could really keep going on and on about how much I adore my tweeps, but being a school night, it is time for one more Big Bang rerun and bed!
Happy Almost Friday,
Kristin
MathMinds 
SUPER-LIKE!!!!!
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