This is Mr. Funky Teacher with BeAFunkyTeacher.com. I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast. Funky Teacher fam, I'm coming to you from Lincoln, Nebraska. That's right. I'm in Lincoln this week where I am working on writing state assessment items for the Nebraska writing assessment. And it reminds me of how critical it is for teachers to be involved—not just in your own school, not just in your district, but at the state and national level. Those state and national conversations are so important. There are quite a few reasons why being involved at the state and national level is so important. I’m giving up a week of my summer to be here. Now, it is paid—I’ll give you that transparency. They’re paying me to write assessment items. They’re paying for my hotel. But I’m still sacrificing a week of summer. And why am I doing that? I think it’s for the greater good of education and the work I’m trying to do. One of the things I think about is that it truly helps me understand the bigger picture when it comes to state assessments. This week I’m focusing on science, and it’s helping me learn how the standards are measured and why certain tasks are chosen and written the way they are. When you spend a day and a half putting together a question set of six prompts in a deliberate order, it helps you understand the process. You think about content accuracy, minimizing bias, and designing assessments that are fair for all students. The second thing I think about is having a voice where it counts. State-level educator involvement ensures that classroom realities are reflected in large-scale decisions. Teachers should be shaping assessments and learning, not just reacting to them. It shouldn’t just be non-educators making those decisions. If we can influence assessments so they reflect our teaching practice, that’s powerful. It gives us a voice. And if we believe in teacher autonomy, then we need to step into these leadership opportunities when they arise. Another thing is growing professionally through real leadership. Contributing to assessment development, curriculum review, and state committees is next-level professional development. Even at the start of the week, the facilitators told us that this is meant to be PD. They want us to take what we learn back to our schools and districts. I love that thinking—that this is leadership through doing real work. These roles also give me influence and credibility beyond my classroom. I don’t do it for status, but it does matter. When I talk about assessments, how they’re built, and how to prepare students—not by teaching the test but by understanding how assessments work—it gives me credibility because I’ve been part of the development process. Another thing is building connections that fuel me. This week I’ve built relationships with teachers across Nebraska—some I knew, many I didn’t. One fellow fifth grade teacher has really sparked powerful collaborative ideas with me. As we write science assessment items, we’re also talking about what we do in our classrooms. That collaboration fuels me. It’s rocket fuel. And I hope I’m giving that back too. When teachers gather from all across the state and bring their expertise to the table, that’s where the compounding impact happens. We bring ideas back home. We share. We spread energy and momentum. And I want to bring back energy and impact. I am Mr. Funky Teacher. I want to bring that energy back into my district. There have also been some surprising moments. Today we did a chopstick and M&M icebreaker. After lunch we were sluggish, and our facilitator brought out chopsticks and M&Ms. We competed for a little USB fan. It was fun, lighthearted, and energizing. It reminded me that even serious professional work deserves moments of fun and play. High-engagement PD requires fun and play. I have to give high praise to our facilitator, Harmony, who’s tied with NWEA and works with the Nebraska Department of Education. She’s top-notch when it comes to assessment and understands how to help us perform at a high level by mixing serious work with fun. Another surprising moment has been getting to know Emily, an amazing fifth grade teacher from western Nebraska. She lives in a small town and has to drive over an hour to get groceries. I would have never met her without this experience. She’s leaning into administration next year—teaching part time and working as part-time principal. What a win to have these conversations with her. And there are many other educators here—12 to 14 of us in the room—who are all top-notch. So if you’ve ever thought about getting involved at the state or national level, do it. Your voice matters. Your perspective is needed. And what you bring back will ripple far beyond your classroom. With that being said, I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people and be a funky teacher. Bye now.