When I arrived at MGI, I had no idea what to expect. Though I'd sent along a goal memo prior to the institute, I hadn't actually put much thought into them, thinking that, as in most other professional development classes I've taken, they'd more or less be provided for me.

Instead, I found a team of facilitators devoted to helping me find my own path...

But unwilling to find it for me.

At first, I found this approach very frustrating.

I spent the first two days of the institute working my way through the the many enticing modules offered on the institute's web site. My planning shifted over and over again: I'll design a PLP! No, wait: I'll come up with an advisory program! No, that's too much. So what the heck am I going to do?

My team and I had already done a lot of work earlier in the summer, so I decided that trying to create another new initiative would be too much. Instead, I chose to focus on developing a plan to gather data about our first foray into an integrated study. That goal became the focus of my Action Research Project.

Perhaps even more importantly, I learned a lot about myself as a learner.

This fall, I'll take my plan back to Woodstock and, with the help of my colleagues, implement it. But I hope it won't end there. My intention is that my team will commit to making data collection a regular part of our practice so that we can work to better engage our students throughout the year.

I also hope I'll be able to bring my colleagues back to the institute next year so that we can continue our journey as middle grades educators on the path to personalization.