Ambassador

Jessica ReedBlog, Connect Better

TL;DR:

  • Read Jessica’s story about applying to be a Teach Better Ambassador, what being an ambassador means, and the impact of becoming one.

Ambassador

This word means so many different things to so many different people.

What does it mean to me? Ambassador means someone who is in favor of a program, talks about how awesome it is, or even recruits people to experience the awesomeness of a program.

When I learned about the Teacher Better Ambassador program, I applied and was sadly rejected for the initial class. I knew how awesome of an organization Teach Better was. This rejection gave me the drive to reach more and learn more. When I applied the second time, I got in and I was so excited. I didn’t really fully understand what I was going to get into…and it was a great decision. The second time I applied, I was hopeful because I watched some courses, listened to the podcast, and was aware of the great message that several of the Teach Better community were trying to share.

Ambassador means someone who is in favor of a program, talks about how awesome it is, or even recruits people to experience the awesomeness of a program. Click To Tweet

Being accepted into the second cohort was such a cool experience because it made me feel like I was recognized for the qualities that I can bring to a group.

The entire opportunity to meet, hang out, and have group support was worth the risk of putting myself out there. One of the biggest misconceptions about teaching is how much you work with others. While that is true, teaching is lonely and can make you feel like you are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nothing else except for a phone. Sometimes you have to look and see if you can find a life preserver, whether it be attending a conference or using Twitter to contribute to a discussion.

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Being an ambassador has been one of the coolest things I have had the opportunity to participate in because I got to learn new things in a fun and collaborative environment. The group hangouts have been so much fun and so non-judgmental. I hate when you participate in a discussion and you can see the judgment on others’ faces when you give your thoughts.

We have had the opportunity to see each other monthly. I even had the opportunity to share my knowledge of special education for inclusion and technology with the other ambassadors.

The ambassador program has given me a sense of my tribe.

Being able to work with a group of people has made my teaching career that much more enjoyable! If you ever get to be a part of the group, you should definitely do it!!

 
“What I love about being an Ambassador boils down to two simple things: (1) the amount of teachers who are willing to help each other for free. The amount of things shared, the time they took to share from 5 minutes to over an hour to sit down with me to go over questions. So I love the constant willingness to share. (2) What drew me to the Teach Better Team, they want to help with everything and they don’t charge a fee for it. Most of the time when you visit education sites, you are offered a basic membership package but if you want the premium version, you have to pay. I know the Teach Better Team has a wealth of knowledge and resources and 99% of it is free. We don’t have to pay a premium. Of course, if you want to join the Academy, that is different. If you were to send Chad an email directly, he would almost hop on a call next minute and tell you how to get through something even though he doesn’t know you. That shows what type of organization there is and what their standards and beliefs are. So those are the two things that stand out.
 
I like being an Ambassador because I just want to help because others have helped me.” – Joe Gonzalez, Founding Ambassador
 
 

About Jessica Reed

Jessica Reed is a special education teacher in Georgia, who has been teaching for 12 years. Jessica’s undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education from the University of Kentucky. She has a Masters of Arts in Collaborative Teaching (6-12) from the University of Alabama. She received her ED.S. in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University. Jessica is a certified Google for Education Trainer and a Google Innovator (#NYC19). Jessica is married to Robby and they have one daughter, Elizabeth. She is an avid UKY alumni who loves to present at conferences and make connections with teachers from all over the world to discuss how collaboration can be effective in the classroom.