What words of wisdom do you live by?

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” I love this quote, and I think this world needs more kindness, and we can all use this little reminder sometimes. I also believe in laughing – laughing a lot – and not taking myself too seriously.

Who is your mentor, and how did he/she shape your career?

Tom Murray, the Director of Innovation for Future Ready and the Alliance for Education, has been a role model and mentor to me. I followed his work early in my career and found so many of his ideas for changing education, in particular teacher professional development, cutting edge and inspirational. We ended up connecting on Twitter and having a video hangout meeting, which he had to reschedule once due to a meeting with former President Barack Obama. I couldn’t believe that someone at that level was willing to take time out of their day to meet with a stranger who asked him a question on Twitter! He is amazing, and I hope one day I can make a fraction of the impact he has made on educators across the country.

How do you continue to grow and be a lifelong learner?

I think lifelong learning is so important. Outside of continuing with my own formal education, my job requires that I am constantly learning, unlearning and relearning new strategies and tools to share with teachers and administrators. I read (and listen to, thanks to Audible) a lot of books, podcasts and blogs on a variety of topics. I’ve also learned so much from the education community on Twitter.