In just a little over two weeks I will celebrate my one year anniversary on Twitter and the beginning of my PLN. This is one of those posts that I am writing more for myself. It is to remind me of why I invest so much time in my network. It is my small way of saying thank you to some of the people in my PLN. I wish I could thank everyone who has made an impact on me, but I don’t have enough room. If you are not on this list please do not think it does not mean you are not an integral part of my learning network. I am picking a few people that I have had some very memorable interactions with over the last year. This has been the best year of my teaching career and it is because of my PLN.

• mrplough07 You took so much time last spring and summer to make sure I got off to a good start. I could not have asked for a better mentor. I am glad you have returned to your PLN. (I am not sure if I have told you that yet, have I?)
• StonyRiver You have added a completely different perspective to my PLN. Your work in Australia is so inspiring. I enjoy getting the emails that you send and my students absolutely love hearing about you.
• woscholar For the last year you have given me great advice on a number of topics which has helped me make a solid case to bring change to my school. You have no idea how large your impact has been on my school.
• michellek107 and j_allen I have loved getting to know my colleagues from the central and eastern part of Nebraska. You guys have really taken the time to get to know me and include me in things like NETA. I cannot wait to meet you someday, Josh. Michelle and I get to meet Michelle next month.
• budtheteacher You moved to the top of my list of favorite people on Twitter when you tweeted about your quest to find fresh, hot doughnuts on your family trip last summer. That tweet stuck in my mind because it was one of the first noneducational updates that came across Twitter. (I had only been on for three weeks at that point.) You are the only person who stepped up and questioned the purpose of the Newbie to NECC project. Thank you for challenging me on that!
• karlfisch I was sitting in the Bloggers’ Cafe in San Antonio last year and someone asked me if I had seen Karl. I said “Who?” and they said “You know, Karl Fisch. The Shift Happens guy.” I could not believe that I was in the same location as one of the people who was responsible for that amazing presentation!  I was a little intimidated. I also wanted to tell you and Bud that the conference you put on in Colorado back in February let to some connections that have changed my life.
• a_dowling You have been part of my PLN for as long as I can remember. You seem to always know when I need a Starbucks and a hug! I cannot wait to meet you in a few weeks.
• kyteacher I feel like I already know you because we have so much in common. I am glad that we will finally get to meet in DC.
• npratt We met quite by chance last year. Who would have ever guessed that being interviewed by Pearson Learning would have helped create a friendship. Guess there is a silver lining in every cloud.
• bksmith, anschutzrm, marydobro You have all helped make this year the best year of my career so far. I cannot think of three people that I would rather work with everyday. I am so proud of all three you for finding your voice on Twitter.
• missmarista You have reminded me that not every teacher can be as open and honest with their students as I am. It seems like alt.ed. teachers have a lot of latitude. I am looking forward to following you on your journey to Dubai.
• TeachaKidd I have looked up to you ever since I started following you last year. You always share such useful information! (Like the pictures of your trainer!) On a serious note…if it were not for you the NECC Newbie project would not have been as successful as it was. Your connection to the great people at VoiceThread helped make the project a success.
• rmbyrne I am so glad that you believed in my crazy Newbie to NECC project enough to agree to be the focus of it. It took a lot of guts to trust me and believe in this project. THANK YOU!!! You and I have faced some of the same challenges this year and I am so excited to get to meet you in DC next month. In fact, I think there are a few people who are excited about meeting you next month!
• oswego98 It is hard to believe I talked to you on Twitter for 3 months before finding out your real name. I have learned so much from you since you became an active part of my PLN. And just think….I was supposed to be the one teaching you. Some mentor I turned out to be! The projects we have worked on collaboratively have convinced me that it is possible for people who are separated by distance to work together to share their knowledge and passion to come up with fantastic ideas. Your suggestions, ideas, and energy have helped me more than I can say.

These are just a few of the people who have been part of the amazing journey that I have taken this year. In hindsight I almost regret writing this because there are hundreds of people that I have learned from over the last year.  I just wanted to recognize a few people that have impacted me or my career. Thanks!

A few months ago I wrote a post about the meaning of the word friend. We tend to use the term so loosely and it has taken on an entirely new meaning in the world of social networking. It is evident to me now that true friendships can be formed with people that we have (and may possibly never) meet f2f. In fact, sometimes these bonds are even stronger than the ones we have with the people we work with everyday. Now that is a topic for another post!

About a year ago a young man named Mundo Munoz enrolled at the alternative school where I teach when his traditional school was not meeting his needs.  In the course of getting to know him I found out that he wanted to go into law enforcement.  I happen to have some connections in the law enforcement community. My husband, Kris Still,  is a deputy sheriff so I made arrangements for Mundo to interview him for a school project.  He was also able to interview Jason Perkins, the K-9 handler for the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Department. Mundo’s genuine interest in law enforcement opened up an opportunity that high school students rarely get to experience; he was able to go on a 10 hour ride-along with my husband last summer. It was a great experience for both Mundo and my husband.

Mundo was one of those students that my husband and I both took an interest in. We could both see so much potential in him and we wanted to see him fulfil his dream of becoming a police officer. I thought Mundo was on the right track until he dropped a bomb on me in late September when he told me he was dropping out of school. I spent over an hour trying to convince him that he needed to stay in school and that he was throwing his life away. I have never broken down in front of a student, but I cried. I felt as if I had failed miserably as a teacher and mentor.  I was supposed to be able to make him change his mind. I was suppose to know exactly what to tell him to make him change his mind, but I couldn’t. In the end he walked out of my room and left town. He did what he felt was the right thing for him and as much as I disagreed with his decision I had to respect it.

He was just 10 English credits away from a high school diploma. My principal and our English teacher, Brenda Smith, agreed to let him finish the classes online. In the weeks after he left we tried to contact him, but without any success. The online classes remained unfinished and Mundo remained unreachable.

On February 10, I hosted a college planning night. I just happened to be on MySpace the night before. I hardly ever get on there! Something in the back of my head told me I needed to check my messages. I noticed Mundo was online at the same time so I sent him a short message asking how he was doing. That started a series of messages that went back and forth for about an hour. It turned out Mundo was miserable where he was living so he moved back to town. He was actually just blocks away from me! I told him about the college planning meeting that was going on the next night. He said he would be there. He worked with my husband for the entire evening and it paid off! Mundo was awarded the Western Nebraska Community College Board of Governors Scholarship, the WNCC Outstanding Leadership scholarship, and a third scholarship. The Board of Governors scholarship will pay his tuition for two full years!

Mundo will complete his two English classes at the end of this week and on Thursday he will officially graduate from high school. I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I am right now! I feel like my own son is graduating from high school!

Please feel free to leave some comments for this very special young man. He has a very bright future ahead of him.

*Mundo gave me permission to use his full name and photos.