I Can't Work With My PLN!

It happened again! I was in the middle of an amazing chat (this time it was #nctechat), talking to incredible educators, when suddenly I was overcome by the urge to throw my head back and groan loudly enough for my husband in the other room to hear me, “Why can’t I work with my PLN?!?”

I know, I am not the first person to feel this way. I am definitely not the first person to say it, and I am probably not even the first person to consider opening up my own school so I can make this dream become a reality... I can see it now…But enough of daydreams, back to the purpose of this blog.

As fate would have it, the topic for the #nctechat was, you guessed it, PLN!

People were sharing what a PLN is to them, the benefits, whether or not Ss should have a PLN (or SLN), and some ways they have continued to build their PLNs over the summer. 

About half way through the chat, the amazing Kristin Ziemke (@KristinZiemke) shared her thoughts about the fact that faculty meetings are often left out when discussing PLN.  She also suggested that this omission was due to the lack of choice with regard to who we actually work with day to day.

This was when I initially howled and said to myself, “See this is why I should work with my PLN!” 

But then I started thinking and came to a different conclusion: I can’t work with my PLN, I shouldn’t work with my PLN, it is a good thing I don’t work directly with my PLN.

Here are my reasons why:

Fantasy Football 

In professional sports like football, baseball, soccer, basketball, coaching staffs try to put together the best possible team to win a championship every year. In fantasy football and baseball you the fan get to put together your “perfect” team, and based on the points earned and lost by players, someone wins “the pot.” Now I may be biased, but I have to say that when I first thought about getting to teach with my Fantasy PLN Team, my reaction was, “We would smoke everyone!”  (Just kidding, but seriously…)

And then as I thought more about the whole What If Teachers Were Treated Like Professional Athletes scenario, I didn’t like how things were playing out in my mind.  I mean, yes, I love the idea of getting paid like a professional athlete (think of all the books I could buy for my students and the conferences I could go to without batting an eye!), but who would truly win here? Me? The teachers? The students at my championship school only? No, I’m not ok with that!  In order for all of us to “win,” every child should receive the best education possible, and that means that we have spread ourselves out and not become a clique that only helps our own.

Isolationism  

Countries have tried it in the past. They say to themselves, “We don’t need anyone else, we have everything we need right here! Our scholars are the best and the brightest and everyone is like-minded and wants the same things. Let’s just close our ports and gates and do our own thing!”

Yeah, that has never really worked out…to my knowledge. 

And no, I do not think that if I got to work with my PLN that we would shut out the rest of the world, but there is something to be said about only being surrounded by people who think like you vs. having dissenters in your midst from time to time.  People who challenge you make you fight harder for what you want and believe.  They also (should) force you to continue to check your thinking and make sure you still agree with yourself (yes I have conversations with myself about my thinking, don’t you?)

Fantasy vs. Reality 

We all have them. Fantasies are what keep us going or allow us to escape from a bad moment or day, but sometimes getting what you wished for isn’t as good as it was when you were only imagining it.  I remember when I was in middle school and Leonardo DiCaprio was my end all, be all (don’t judge). What if that fantasy had come true? I would have had to deal with paparazzi, no privacy, and girls throwing themselves all over MY boyfriend, no thank you! Plus, I had no idea who this person was in real life, only his public persona and that tells you SO much about a person! 

So how does this relate to teaching with my PLN? On Twitter and Voxer and Blogs and Periscope I get to interact with my PLN when it is best for me.  I typically get the best version of other people because they are interacting when it is the best for them also.  They have time to think about their answers, polish their responses, and aren’t having a conversation with me moments after a parent wrote them a nasty email, a child called them something they have to look up on Urban Dictionary, and they have not been able to go to the bathroom since 7 am and it is now 2:38 pm.  And what if I find out that my most favorite tweep habitually forgets to refill the copier with paper?!?

Some things are just better left as a fantasy.

Share the Wealth 

I think the biggest reason I can’t work with my PLN is that I believe it is our responsibility to spread out and share the wealth of knowledge and positivity we receive from one another to others who are not connected…yet.  If we were all at the same school, who would infect the rest of the education community with the Twitter Bug, or Voxer Virus, or Periscope Parasite (ok these sound bad, but I hope you get my point.)?   

By not working directly with each other, we are also exposing ourselves to other ideas and ways of doing things that we can bring back to our PLN like hunters and gatherers.  There is always a new idea out there (even unconnected educators have them (THAT IS A JOKE)). And even if all you bring back one day is what not to do, it’s a learning experience!

Lastly, by teaching in different schools and different districts, states, and countries, we provide our students with other classes and schools to connect with around the globe! It would be a pretty sad Mystery Skype if your only options were the students down the hall…but a pretty funny Mystery Vox (hmm may have to try that one…)

So while there is a part of me that will always fantasize about opening a school where my dream team PLN can teach in positive (if there is such a thing) isolation and not have to deal with the negative naysayers and the dreaded Ttwwadi Monster, I know deep down I can't work with my PLN in the same building... but thanks to social media and being connected, I also know we never have to work apart. 

Disclaimer: This post was written using hyperbole, sarcasm and humor.