I agree that the badge is not what educators should strive for. I look for the light in my students eyes; that look. You know the one that says “I get it!” I like the joy of knowing that I am making a difference in my students lives. I am not looking for awards or bages from others. I want to hear from my students (or their parents) that they are or have learned something from me that made helped to change their thinking process. I still remember the parent that came to me to tell me that her son was still appreciative of the way I acted when he fell backwards off a swing and pulled his pants off in the process. I began by giving his “friend” a stern talking to because the friend laughed at him instead of helping him. I treated the boy with respect and helped him to regain his dignity. His mother talked with me over a year after this happened. Until that point, I did not even know that I had had any impact on the boy, let alone that much of one. I am glad you won the award and you should be proud of that, but you are correct — the real reward is with the students.

1. I never get it from anyone within my own school or district: The culture of equality within schools drags all us frisky crabs back into the pot.

2. They help me to gain credibility from decision makers beyond the classroom: Those in positions of power see all teachers as the same—mediocre thinkers that need to be told what to do. Even after working hard and earning all kinds of more meaningful honors—National Board Certification, Regional Teacher of the Year (a portfolio and interview driven process in our state)—-I’m still not taken seriously by many people.

I think what I’ve learned is that if I’m going to stay in the classroom and have an impact beyond the classroom, I need to collect as many badges as possible. Only when I can start to line titles up behind my name will I be seen as the equal of those who work beyond the classroom.

Frustrating? ABSOLUTELY.

But also absolutely true.

Anyone else have these feelings?
Bill

Early on, one of the most successful people I know said, “Everything you get in life is about who you know and how much money you have.” While this isn’t the most positive thought, it rings true to a certain extent. Since money isn’t important to me and I will never have a lot, I focus on who I knew. I have tried all of my life to surround myself with highly qualified and educated people. Several of these organizations that offer badges have allowed me access to learn from a lot more! I identify with the group of people that I have access to and not the name brand.

Another admired colleague of mine gave me some advice upon taking a new job that I think is invaluable. He told me, “Focus on developing relationships with your staff first”. I can’t think of anything better to do. Developing relationships with our virtual colleagues is just as important … Hmm… Shouldn’t there be a post soon about “blog rolls” and how we choose who is on them? I guarantee there are more than enough people out there that have their blog rolls devoted to their personal “in crowd” and not always for those that are the most highly qualified or for those really making an impact in their classroom.

Well … I am off to post all those old “web award logos” again from the early days of the web from every unknown web source. My blog is going to be at least another 5 inches longer than everyone elses! Perhaps I will put up a “visitor count” again while I am at it … I just hope I don’t get horizontal scroll on my web page now.

I’m a badge guy. When I was a kid I envied people with a lot of credentials. I wanted to have a license for everything imaginable when I grew up. I loved walking into someone’s office and seeing their diplomas and/or awards hung on the walls. I wanted to have bumper stickers all over my entire car announcing where I’d been – whether it climbed Mt Washington or survived Death Valley, I wanted the badge.

As I got older and experienced life, the *meaning* of the badges changed. No longer did I look at those people as “better” than everyone else, but instead as “more experienced”. Just because I don’t have my NASCAR license doesn’t mean that I couldn’t out-drive someone who does. Just because my car didn’t have that Mt Washington bumper sticker doesn’t mean that I couldn’t drive up it time and time again…

I still want to have badges all over the place. I work hard to achieve most of them, and I want to remember that hard work every day. But I want them for myself, not necessarily for others. And when I see badges on other people’s sites I don’t ever think differently of them. There are a few that I really, really want, including the GTA one (if they ever have another one!) I may believe that it’s not good to be too overly pious – but I also believe that being proud of my accomplishments and showing off a little is good for my soul, especially while here on earth as a teacher

And by the way, even if it seems like people are sellouts for displaying badges from businesses or politicians I think most people truly stand behind their endorsements. I’d post nearly anything that Google or Apple or Ford asked me to because I believe in their products. I also have my 2010 ISTE Newbie badge on my site because I stand behind the effort, not because I was coerced into putting it there by anyone else.

I don’t think it is much different than your ClustrMap, Blogroll, Delicious or Flickr widgets that you display on the sidebars of your blog. It gives a visitor a little more information about who you are and who you might be influenced by. I am proud of my accomplishments and am glad that I now have a space to display my badges.

I do understand where you’re coming from. But people like connecting with each other. Is it any different from joining groups on Facebook? Putting stickers on your computer? Wearing a T-Shirt of a favorite band?

Perhaps you’re taking it a little differently than I do, in that I don’t see it as a brag point per se, but more of an identifier. “These badges represent who I am, what I’m a fan of, and what I represent.” When I arrive at a new blog, I can scroll right along and get a glimpse of who they are based on their affiliations and who/what they link to.

Would a full blog post and reading through their bio provide more detailed information? Sure. But I sure as heck don’t want to do research about the author of EVERY blog I visit.

After all, I could write a story about how my dad, sister and I used to watch football together every Sunday as I was growing up and ask everyone I meet to read it…. Or I could just wear a Bears hat. It gets the message across.

The event that I went to, where I earned my best-known badge, began a new chapter in my professional life that opened my eyes to the world of plugged-in educators that existed before Twitter. Many of us exist in solitude or limited numbers in the schools and districts where we work. It’s this new fellowship with like-minded educators around the country and world that helps us to become better teachers and to evangelize to those we see day-to-day and bring them up to speed. We’re the ones attending the conferences you speak at; we’re the ones who read your blog and follow you on Twitter. You are only reaching a tiny fraction of your potential audience. And we have badges.

I am not a bought spokesperson. I love the free online collaborative tools provided by the company whose event I attended and whose badge I proudly display. But I didn’t simply write a lesson plan to become a part of that group, and I don’t just display the badge because of one even I attended nearly three years ago. It’s an ongoing process, and it only began with the initial event. The people who have all these badges are getting the exposure and training their employers can’t afford, and they’re passing along what they gain to the rest of us. They’re the people who answer my questions and send me links. And they’re the people presenting at conferences I attend.

So I think your perception is not entirely accurate. Those badges are a symbol of recognition among our community, and do no necessarily indicate unflinching loyalty to any company or entity.