Something New
Why this, why now
I started my Twitter feed in my first year as a school psychologist. In addition to trending news of the day and the latest drama from celebrities, Twitter provided me with an amazing source of professional learning. To be in my first year in a challenging profession and to have access to so many amazing educators worldwide was tremendous. Twitter chats gave me focused opportunities to share my ideas and see the ideas of others. It exposed me to so many views and perspectives, and I always found actionable advice that I could use right away.
For 12 years, Twitter has served as an extension of my personal and professional development. It’s where I grew a connected community. Where I developed my advocacy voice. Recently, though, Twitter turned into a less positive place for me to spend time. The educational value of Twitter remains, but the sludge that the rest of the platform has become no longer feels worth the positives.
So, I sought to find a new way to share my thoughts and views on education, leadership, and advocacy. And I found this.
My hope is that this Substack will allow me to continue to connect with educators of various perspectives without having to wade into the murky underbelly of social media all the time. This will be shared through Twitter and those channels, but I like the idea of conversations taking place elsewhere.
What to Expect
If you find my ideas interesting I hope you will subscribe to my Substack by entering your email below. A personal goal is to increase my reflective writing, and I expect a lot of that will find its way onto this platform in one way or another.
I intend to use this space primarily for thoughts on leadership in education with a focus on results, relationships, and advocacy. I’ll share my opinions and perspectives, but also the real-life processes I use to make decisions in my career. My main audience is myself, as I try to clarify my understanding of educational leadership, but I do hope others find it useful, too.
Oh…and Why Byson Education?
When coming up with a name for this, I considered various options but nothing really fit. However, since I was little, I’ve always loved Bison and the imagery around them. When I got into educational leadership, I learned that the bison is a symbol of stoic leadership, and I’ve adopted this as a reminder of the leadership qualities I hope to present within my organization. It seems fitting to stick with that through this channel, but of course, the alternative spelling is a way to put my own twist on the image. What do you think of when you see bison?
