July 26, 2026 – What story do I want to tell?

I would often tell teacher candidates in some of my courses that you have “a brand” whether if you know it or not, or work on it or not. This premise was the underpinning for courses that I taught with e-portfolio and creating a digital narrative of their teaching and learning journey within the teacher education program. Last year (and my first year), I did not teach portfolio, but I am very cognizant of the importance of self-knowledge as part of good teaching. What we do as teachers matter. We can have a long lasting impact on students. We cannot predict what kind of impact we have, but it’s best to be “who your are.”

So, who is that?

Admittedly, I did not come to this understanding when I was teaching in K-12. When I was teaching high school math, I thought I was an extrovert. My Myers Briggs was ESTJ. Now, if I do my Myers Briggs, I am an ENFP. So, I’m still an extrovert, but every other preference have shifted. I’m not sure if it was leaving the practice, going into politics, or the pandemic that tipped me over to a new way of being, but what I do know is, my identity, sense of self, and self-efficacy are always changing and shifting. I was (and probably still am) horrible at “selling myself.” It’s not quite humility and it’s definitely not shyness. It’s more about feeling good about who I am, what I do, and what I have to offer others.

My pedagogical journal has taken me to many places since 2010. I left teaching in K-12 after 16-years of practice, I believe at the height of my teaching career. I was not happy. That said, I did not know where I was going, but I need to take the ups and downs of My Journey, and just be OK that my path is not like any other person’s pathway, which seems reasonable. I was too busy thinking about what other people are doing and comparing my work with others as a reliable metric. What I have learned over time is, the path I choose is the one I am meant to take and it’s my job to learn from the ups and downs, and take action.

Now in 2026, (wow… another 16-years later) I am feeling more like myself and I am happy with who I am, what I am doing, and what I have to offer others. I know that I love to teach and work with students as a co-learner and co-leader. I love action research and the work that is involved with that methodology and the people who are engaged in that work. I love conferencing, presenting, and collaborating with folks in K-12 education. In the end, I would consider myself as a RESEARCHER-PRACTITIONER. My scholarship is in teaching and learning, and at the centre of my research is my practice. Hence, I tend to write program evaluations, and would like to tinker more in self-study and autoethnography.

I am currently working on my CV and updating it in preparation for an application for funding. I was just reading an article about “how to write a CV for academia” and I am reminded of a conversation I had with someone a handful of years ago about these mish-mash of items need to align to a cohesive and comprehensive research agenda. I understand that conversation NOW… and how do I align these seemingly disconnected pieces into a map that is easy to navigate but also lend itself to future research that matters to me and the field. What I have learned in My Pedagogical Journey is, when I am comparing or thinking of others, I am compromising who I am and my work. I could not see its value.

Updating my CV has taken me many days to update, and I am stil updating, but what I am noticing is… I AM LEARNING. I have shifted some aspects of my CV and now I am looking at the university CV template and I am re-thinking how I want to present myself, my work, and my experiences. WHAT STORY DO I WANT TO TELL. For quite some time, I think I was trying to tell a story that someone might want to hear or read about. But, is that the story I want to tell? I am learning how to build my efficacy in research and academia. It’s taken me some years, but I love everything I have learned so far. I had to build a humility, but also understand MY WHY in the service of others. The goal with my brand is to be who I am… with authencity, wholeheartedness, and love, joy, and fun. 🙂