I have been using Twitter for almost 6 years now! I have had my share of remarks like: “Oh Melisa are you going to tweet that?” Or “Melisa is so addicted to Twitter!” I have laughed it off & thought to myself the joke is on them! These connections are sooo real! I have followed not only amazing educators but amazing people! They have made me think, changed my outlook on education & made me think about life in general!
I remember meeting LaVonna Roth last year when she visited my class! Kids and I were on cloud 9. She definitely ignited my classroom with her positivity & Grace! Her personality is so infectious. She made me think of how to ignite others spark & how to continue to have my spark! I hope for her to visit more often! 
Another amazing visit was from my Flipgrid Fam! They were visiting my school & I could not sleep at all the night before! Adam, George, Ann, & Jess I have followed on Twitter & loved their personality, love for our kids, respect for educators and willingness to reach out & assist anyway they can to help OUR kids succeed💚Their visit was magical 🦄 and the staff, kids, & me couldn’t stop reflecting on how this one little contact & how it changed our day! Teachers were starting to use Flipgrid, kids asked when they were coming back & excited to use Flipgrid if haven’t used before. For me it was the magical feeling of seeing my twitter friends come to life & be everything I imagined! Only hope they come back to visit often!
Michael Drezek was someone I followed and knew from moderating our #OGC site ❤️. He is such a wealth of knowledge & would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need! He is that kind of person. To my excitement, he was in Ohio for spring break & I was so Enthusiastic to think we could meet up one day that week-he took it to another level when he visited my class where he taught my kiddos all about micro;bit 💥. Another perfect example of the power of connections! My kiddos LOVED & I was so appreciative❤️This man is so passionate about our kids but more than that, him reaching out to educators who need that extra support or just giving them that extra love & to know they are not alone! I have seen this daily on Twitter & heard stories from friends❤️ Alas, if I wasn’t on Twitter this connection NEVER would have been made! He is like my 3rd brother & can’t wait to see him again
My last connection just happened recently with the amazingly sweet & hilarious Alicia Ray❤️ My kiddos & I were fortunate to Skype with Alicia during the school year last year & fell in ❤️with her & her precious daughters! She loved Dave Burgess books & blogged about every single one so I just checked out her blog for the latest!
I left for a trip with my kids & parents to Mt. Airy on Tuesday & tweeted about the day we had on Wednesday & Alicia responded. She only lived 10 minutes away and was coming to our hotel. It was like Christmas. I was so excited I headed outside to meet her. As I spotted her in the parking lot I ran to her giggling & gave her the biggest hug! No, we never met in real life but the connection we had was undeniable! We chatted about school, life, her book- YES, she is writing a book & I can’t wait to read!!! We knew each other’s events like her daughter’s diabetes & my friends passing. As we were talking a 15 year old came up to her, gave her the biggest hug & chatted! It was undeniable the impact Alicia had on her & so many others! She is that kind of educator! Putting our kids first, relationships first & connecting outside the classroom & keeping those relationships ❤️. I was in awe & loved her even more❤️ It was another memorable moment that would have never happened without Twitter!
Now I would love to meet my #4OCFPLN fam IRL which most have met at ISTE or my #OGC fam in Australia next year. I stay connected with them thru Twitter & Voxer- So many connections I have made thru Twitter but continued the close relationship thru Voxer- I am a better person & educator thru these connections ❤️
I can’t wait to meet more of my family IRL❤️
Life is too short to stay in your bubble. How will you get connected & stay connected?
O 