The (TMC) Family Reunion - #TMC14

Have you ever been to your family reunion?  You know, the one where everyone gets together, regardless of where they're from, and tell stories about what's been happening in their lives?  Not just immediate family, but folks you haven't seen in years, and some you've never met (except when you were 3 and your mom really thinks you should remember that trip to Richmond when you met your 3rd cousins).  OK, so that. Remember?  That's what Twitter Math Camp felt like.

Day 1 TMC Archive of Tweets
Day 2 TMC Archive of Tweets
Day 3 TMC Archive of Tweets
Family Photo Album

How big of a tree would we really need?

For the past four days, I've had the honor to hang out in Jenks, Oklahoma with some of the most respectable and influential math minds on my radar.  I'd list them all, but that would be unjust. I'd share everything I learned throughout the conference related to math, but that would be exhausting and I would certainly leave something out.  Instead, I want to reflect on what I wasn't expecting at all - the inclusive feeling of family.

I joined Twitter a few years ago to poke fun at my brother.  I started a blog a few years ago to reflect on what I was doing.  Never did I think that either one of them would turn into a professional space and lead directly into a community that loved and cared for each of their extended family like the Math Twitter Blogosphere has done.

Since taking the plunge and reflecting more often, tweeting more often and more related to mathematics education and technology integration, I've realized that we look out for each other.  We push each other to get better simply because we're all sharing our best.  Some of us share the mess and the yucky days, so that helps even out the feeling.  Yet, buried in all of it, there's this:

#tmc14 observation: for as smart as we are, the mass majority of people in attendance severely underestimate our intelligence & impact

— John Stevens (@Jstevens009) July 27, 2014

We're constantly comparing our work to the absolute best in the field who are sharing on twitter, their blogs, in real life (shocking, I know), and elsewhere.  Truth be told, there are certainly even better teachers out there who haven't chosen to engage in the twitter conversation and we haven't had the chance to learn from them... yet.  Even with the small percentage of teachers who are on twitter, we feel inadequate.  Why?

To relate this thought back to the family reunion, I imagine that things are similar.  My life is great.  I've got a wife, a couple rockstar kids, a stable job, and outstanding friends.  However, there will always be a family member who shows up and has something within a subset that is cooler.  Maybe a better paying job, a kid who's more athletic/scholastic/advanced, a house that has a nicer view, whatever.  In reality, your life is good, and you probably prefer it over that life anyways.  But in the moment, that subset of your life isn't as good.

Will I ever create a graphing calculator as good as Eli's?  Ever present a keynote with as much humor and profound depth as Dan's or as much energy as a freight train, errr, Steve's?  Will I be able to use Geogebra like Jed, Audrey, or John?  Can I get to Hedge or Bob's level with stats?  Can my organizational ability ever compare to the outstanding jobs of Shelli and Lisa?  
Would I ever be able to hack it in the world of unschooling like Justin?  Could I even blog like Justin about my roller coaster of a what my classroom really looks like?  Is there a chance that I go off and start a business like Karim or become an employee like Matt?  Heck, even if I had those lessons, could I have my students motivated as much as Jessie or engaged in STEM like Heather?

The obvious and clearly unnecessary answer to that is no. NO.  And yet, I try.  I try, fail, and beat myself up over the fact that those slices of what I see on twitter, blogs, etc. are better than what I can offer.  And this is just the start of it.  There are many others I follow who I couldn't hold a candle to in their wheelhouse.  

However, I'm starting to realize more and more as time goes on that this is completely absurd.  When I show up to a family reunion, I expect to be proud of the person I have become and appreciate what everyone else brings to the table without letting it devalue the life I have led.  I'm proud of my wife, our boys, and the vast majority of decisions we have made leading up to this point.  This is all I can ask for.

I'm proud of the work that I've done in and out of the classroom.  I'm happy with the relationships made, the struggles I've overcome, most of the blog posts that I've written, and incredibly grateful for the opportunities to share and learn with some of the best in the business.  

So, TMC friends, I hope this is what happens the next time I see all of you.  I hope that I am confident enough to feel like a part of the group and feel like the work that I have done over the next 364 days is a worthy ticket to remain a part of the family.  You know what?  It will be.  Why am I so confident?  Because like all of you, I know that I am going to give everything I can to being a better teacher, and person, in that timeframe.  Regardless of the outcome, I can only assume that the 2015 me will be an improvement.

Thank you to everyone for helping me feel like family. Twitter Math Camp was incredible.

Happy "Meeting People Who Are Like Family" Fishing