During my ten years as a classroom teacher, I kept a bright orange poster on display that asked two critical questions: Do you know it? Can you show it? Part of my new job as Innovation Specialist includes rethinking professional development for our school district. At the forefront of this conversation is that of micro-credentials; the platform being offered by Digital Promise is most interesting to me because it allows teachers to show what they know in a public way. In February, as I was preparing to apply for my new job, I started exploring. I signed up for an account at Bloomboard and tagged credentials of interest. I started a few. And then stopped. I was overwhelmed. I doubted myself. I ran out of a time. I originally read the details of each micro-credential and felt confident that I could demonstrate my proficiency. Then I became scared. Today, my office is quiet. Most of the staff has gone to a conference. This morning, I sat down at my computer and complet...

I am packing up my classroom bit by bit and folder by folder. Most of the contents of folders are ending up in the recycling bin. They were good ideas at the time, but so much time has passed since I first stepped into this classroom. I have to cherish the teacher I have become while not losing sight of the teacher I was. I treasure my time as a new teacher. I value becoming a veteran. I have classroom war stories, like the time a student climbed up my wall of windows like a monkey, just to see if he could. Or the time that students kidnapped Bear and left a ransom note in his place. All good things. Bear is in desperate need of help. My first year teaching, students completed tasks whose answers were completely “Google-able.” There were enormous point values attached to each. 100 points for a book project. Students earned points simply for completing the project. There were no standards. The 2006 ELA core was “new” and the targets were simple. We were learning, all of us tog...