Every new beginning ...

Moving on is hard. Change is hard. Leaving is hard. I am someone who enjoys consistency and a sense of familiarity. I like digging into someone, growing roots, so that whatever I am doing, where I am, whoever I am with, means something. I become socially, emotionally, and even physically invested with my whole being. 

For the past seven years, I have been growing my roots deep in Green Brook Township Public Schools, first as a teacher and the last two as Technology Coordinator and Supervisor of Instruction. These roots have dug deep as I have had the chance to personally teach over 500 students in that time, work with nearly 100 teachers, help improve the learning and education of nearly 1000 students and be involved in a fantastic small community. I have gone through many life changes here that I will never forget - marriage, home ownership, the arrival of my two children, rescuing a few pets along the way, finding out I wasn't that good at soccer (you get the picture). 

As the start of school is right around the corner, I cannot help but think about new beginnings, fresh starts, and the eagerness that I know I hold dear to my heart about this time of year and the good feelings it brings along with it. I think about new teachers, new students, and returning educators and the excitement they bring each and every day.

I am excited to start the school year off with my Green Brook family one last time but it is bittersweet knowing that it is my last one. Writing an email to my Green Brook family to let them know I has resigned as Supervisor of Instruction and Technology to accept a position in Princeton Public Schools as a Supervisor of Social Studies and Global Education was, and will always be, the hardest task I have had to do in my years there. 

I don't like saying goodbye - I don't like "uprooting" or "removing" my roots. I am thinking of this as a chance to plant new roots, but never forgetting to water my old ones as well. My family in Green Brook will never, ever, leave my heart and mind. I have made some near and dear friends that will be with me the rest of my life. 

New beginnings happen because something ended – it’s like that band Semisonic’s line “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”

Thank you, Green Brook for the journey we took together, through all the ups, downs, laughs, and cries we shared together. 

So while this journey may be coming to an end, I am excited to start a new one in Princeton Public Schools come this October. 

Timothy J. Charleston

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Recently, and by recently I mean today, a good friend of mine and fellow connected educator, +Jay Eitner, challenged me to the #strikeoutALS #ALSicebucketchallenge. I accepted his offer with great pleasure.

Here's the proof below:







After doing it, and watching so many others, from Governor Chris Christie, the NY Jets, and so many others take the challenge, I became overwhelmed with good feelings. THIS is what social media is meant for!

So often, social media is demonized for being so negative and being the first to break bad news but this is something that is not only positive, it is for a great cause, to find a cure for ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease.

Bravo, Social Media. Bravo, Society. You have taken one, very large step in redeeming yourselves.

Guest Article: Google Classrooms and Beating the RUT

In this weeks installment of guest posts, I have found two, GREAT articles from blogs of fantastic educators. 

First up, have you heard about Google Classroom? No? WHY NOT? 

Seriously, Google Classroom is going to be the game changer in education when it comes in intergration with Google Apps for Education. But don't take my word for it. Check out what Bethany Petty wrote:

Teaching with Technology: Classroom by Google is AWESOME!: I finally got my invitation to join Google Classroom! Have you? I never thought it would arrive! Of course, I dove right in...literally I ...

Next up, a great, though provoking post by Tony Sinainis about the upcoming school year and what you can do to get motivated for it and to get yourself out of the summertime blues and sadness. Tony is an award winning principal in New York who focuses on motivating learners to be their best and who they are. Check it out. 

Leading Motivated Learners: Rut: Dear Fellow Educators, As I sit down to begin officially preparing for the upcoming school year, there are a lot of ideas and questions...

Finally, a guest Video Post from Hillsborough, New Jersey, the town I live in! Hillsborough is doing some wonderful things with Google and with their Chromebook and Nexus tablet initiatives. They have put out a few great videos documenting how they use it and this one is right up there. Its all about using Google Forms for Math!

Can't wait to send me kids to school here!