I found out last Tuesday (May 29) that TodaysMeet was officially closing their doors on June 16th. In reading the blog post by James Socol, I was surprised to find that this awesome platform for participant engagement was essentially a one-man-show. Wow.

And what a show it was. I first started using TodaysMeet back in 2014 for the professional development sessions I hosted for my district (see image). Seeing first hand, how this tool worked with adults and how a backchannel helped to facilitate conversation, I decided to bring this into my middle school classroom.

Talk about super cool.

My district blocks Twitter so I sold this tool as a Twitteresque platform for my students (and colleagues). It was all about real-time, concise statements about their thoughts. Sometimes I had students reflect on their readings; other times I used it as a way to give all students a voice when viewing video clips about historical events. To make it more relevant to the lingo of my students, I typically ended our TodaysMeet sessions with a prompt asking students to sum up their thoughts using two hashtags. It was a fun way to get a quick glimpse into their reflections in only 140 characters.

I was hooked.

In fact, I was so hooked that I even purchased a subscription for Teacher Tools.

Even with the plethora of new technology tools coming out, TodaysMeet remained a classroom staple. In fact, I recently introduced it to my student teacher (who LOVED it) only to find out that she can only use it until June 16th. Bummer. Sorry, Lauren (@Ms_ltnle)

Without a doubt, there are many technology tools that come and go, but TodaysMeet was special. It was easy. It was quick. And better yet, it was free. I will miss TodaysMeet as a backchannel option for PD, but more importantly I will miss TodaysMeet as a classroom staple for my middle schoolers. #sigh

Good-bye old friend. Thank you, James Socol (@jamessocol). You created a useful kid- and adult-friendly product that more than served its purpose.

Just three days ago, I started my 23rd year as a middle school history teacher. When people ask me what I do…my answer typically transforms their faces into a look of horror or sympathy. They then lament about how horrible middle school was for them and that they gave their teachers a run for their money…to which I reply that I love teaching middle schoolers and I can’t imagine doing anything different. And this year is no different.

As the hopeful, shiny, scared, and baby-faced students timidly walked through my doors this past Wednesday, I greeted them with a huge smile knowing that we are about to embark on a fantastic journey through the middle ages…or as I like to call it, “The Study of Super Dead People.”

Middle schoolers get my humor. And to a large extent I get theirs. And all I know is that these kids are awesome. The world hasn’t beaten them down yet…they still harbor elements of creativity and outlandish ideas…and they are still very much innocent. Even the horrors of current events don’t quite shatter their belief that if people could just get along that everything would be fine.

As I reflect on my first three days with my kiddoes, I’m feeling grateful for the opportunity to be their teacher. My goal this year is to encourage creativity and inquisition. And I’m looking forward to what they will teach me in the end.

First off, I love summer because it gives me a chance to rest, recharge, and basically get caught up on everything that I couldn’t get done during the school year. Second, summer is all about relaxing…napping, sleeping in…going to bed because I want to and not because I have to get up at 5:30 AM. Third, summer is about family and enjoying the little things. I’m lucky in that I get to spend the summer far away from home at our second home in a quaint little town located on Lake Michigan.

This summer has been different than others in that it’s not necessarily all about relaxing…it’s also about research, and learning, and writing, and revising, and reading, and more research. I hope my family doesn’t feel sorry for me when I have to read studies, research articles, write, and then rewrite my drafts. Because I love it. I love learning…and I can’t complain about the view. If I’m not in the kitchen looking at the East Bay, I’m on the deck looking at the East Bay, on the porch at our “farmhouse” (I’m using that term VERY loosely) overlooking West Bay, or as I right now, looking into the woods behind the house. Sometimes if I’m lucky a beautiful bright red cardinal will keep me company.

I’m taking a break from researching, reading, and writing to enjoy this moment because I’m thankful for everything that I have. The road hasn’t been easy, but even when I’ve had to traverse the gravel or unpaved path, cross rickety bridges, or leap from rock to rock over a madly rushing stream, life has been good to me. And I love that I get to work with children for the better part of the year, and I love even more that I get to learn along side of peers in this doctoral program. There are only two more weeks before Residency…and there is still much to do, but I’m excited. I’m excited that I am surrounded by nature while pursuing one of my passions–learning. I’m excited that I have the drafts of two assignments already done with still one more week before they are due. I’m excited that my Year 1 paper is coming along nicely and I’m excited that I finished the draft for my poster session presentation at Residency. I’m excited about the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights tonight (yay!). But most all, I’m excited (and super thankful) that I have the summers off so that I can enjoy being a “full-time” doctoral student yet still have time for a good book and a nap (both of which I plan to enjoy after I publish this post).

I’m excited that I am surrounded by nature while pursuing one of my passions–learning. I’m excited that I have the drafts of two assignments already done with still one more week before they are due. I’m excited that my Year 1 paper is coming along nicely. I’m excited that I finished the draft for my poster session presentation at Residency. I’m excited about the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights tonight (yay!). But most all, I’m excited (and super thankful) that I have the summers off so that I can enjoy being a “full-time” doctoral student yet still have time for a good book and a nap (both of which I plan to enjoy after I publish this post).

Whether you have summers off or not, I hope you find time to enjoy the little things because it’s most certainly the little things that count.