To Deserve or Not Deserve

I have heard the word "deserve," quite a bit lately as others found out that I will be receiving one of ISTE's Emerging Leaders award at this year's conference in San Diego. Technically I knew since early April and tried to keep it under wraps for as long as possible. Words cannot express how grateful I am from all of the lovely messages from my PLN who really made me the educator I am today. At the same time, I am still wondering whether "deserve," is the right word? It seems more like I found the golden ticket to a career I really enjoy.

"Lucky" might be a better word. It seems like some of the events that put me where I am right now was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Before being a Tech Integration teacher, I was teaching sixth graders to be true readers and writers. Just happened to be one of the few teachers that would put in the work with the mobile labs. So I was offered the new position and lucky to have an AMAZING, supportive supervisor that has put up with me for five years. Lucky to win so many grants to build up from a set of desktop computers to a multimedia lab.

"Fortunate" would definitely describe my journey of instructional technology. The DEN, Discovery Educator Network, has been so wonderful to me over the years! Some of the absolute best people in my PLN, I met at a DEN event. Not only did they share their expertise, but they have the best positive attitude about changing the world of education one classoom, school at a time. Being a Google Certified Teacher and Trainer has expanded my network to include more fantastic educators. As I see so many tweets from those that can't make this year's ISTE conference, I am fortunate that I have been able to attend 5 years in a row.

When I submitted my application at the beginning of this year, I knew I didn't "deserve" any award. There are so many young educators that are working hard to try and change the face of education, they deserve awards too. Going through the application was actually the best part because I could reflect on what has happen and decide where I want to go in the future. When I submitted the application and now receiving the award, there is so much more to do. I vow to work even harder to earn the word "deserve."