Attending the Apple Distinguished Educator Institute was a transformative experience and a highlight of my educational career. It’s difficult to put into words the magic of the event, but I’ll try my best.
I want to start by saying that I’m humbled to be selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator for the class of 2023. It’s an honor to collaborate, create, and inspire with an elite group of global educators who share the same passion for enhanced and innovative teaching and learning practices.
There were 200 ADEs who attended the Americas ADE Institute in Dallas, Texas. The ADEs from the class 2023 blended with former ADEs from various classes in the past. There were ADEs from the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. With four languages being spoken (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese), language was not a barrier. We used the Translate app to share our stories and hold important conversations about the work we all do to elevate learning around the world.
A few things stood out to me while attending ADE Institute. First was the warm welcome the new ADEs received at the start of Institute. I came to Dallas feeling like I wasn’t worthy to be there, but my feelings were quickly eased. The ADE community is warm, welcoming, and inclusive. Every educator deserves to feel appreciated in the way ADE Institute welcomes their new class.
Another aspect of ADE Institute that I deeply appreciated were the people and relationships that were created. For years, I’ve been inspired by ADEs all over the globe. I follow them on social media, download their books, and implement their ideas into my teaching. It was surreal to meet them in person at Institute. I also made many new friendships. I was introduced to even more talented educators from the US and all around the world. I forged relationships with like-minded peers from my 2023 class. A highlight was meeting Jordyn. She is the other ADE for the class of 2023 from Ohio. I knew her story and connected with her before Institute, but meeting her in person and spending time together was special and we formed a life-long friendship. Jordyn shared her powerful story at Institute. She is an inspiration and her advocacy is important. I’m honored to be her friend and ADE colleague.
So what’s next after ADE Institute? We’re all working towards our One Best Thing. Mine is an Apple book called Comic Creations. In combination, all of our One Best Things will create a collection of resources to inspire thousands of educators worldwide. In her keynote, Dr. Alice Wilder encouraged us to make ripples. This sums up the ADE community. We are trusted advisors, authentic authors, global ambassadors, and passionate advocates. We create ripples and work together to create a tidal wave of ideas, best practices, and resources to reimagine teaching to make learning meaningful for every student. I’m humbled to call these people my colleagues and tribe.
I’ll end with this . . . The ADE class of 2023 is the BEST CLASS EVER!!!
