I have an exciting and personal PBL showcase today about a young man coasting in school until a PBL unit inspired him to step up and become the leader he was meant to be. It’s a PBL unit about helping parents get their questions answered after their child's genetic disease diagnosis. They want to know if their child will be okay and everything else they can learn about the condition. 

That’s where my class of 8th graders jumped in, and a remarkable young man named Skyler Wagoner stepped up. The idea of helping people motivated him to be the learner and leader he was meant to be. You’ll also enjoy my answer to today’s “need to know” about what type of professional development you should be doing this summer. 

Episode Highlights: 

[01:13] Need to know: What kind of professional development should I be doing over the summer?

[01:19] You should probably get some rest. Leaders and staff both need to take care of themselves. Teachers need to take care of themselves, because they just had a rough year.

[01:51] Leadership always flows downhill and self-care is the first step. Take a break and maybe try some active rest like an activity you enjoy.

[03:15] Decide if you want to jump into an in-person workshop. True collaboration comes with people. Find some good books to read. 

[07:27] My favorite PBL unit is the genetics unit. Everyday some parents find out that their child has a genetic disease.

[07:49] 1. They want to know if their child is going to be okay. 2. They want to find out everything they can about the disease. 

[08:26] Being an eighth grader is a hopeful time where they can make a big shift. We asked 8th graders how we can best help these parents.

[10:16] This project showed Skyler, who was smart but underachieving, that he could help people. When he became engaged, he was a great leader.

[12:57] Seeing this is why I wanted to get involved in education.

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