My students have the fortune of getting to go to the middle school for two weeks every year for swimming lessons. The program is really great and, while it takes up a LOT of instructional time (I know, I'm a nerd), it gives the students a valuable life skill and an extra outlet for their energy. It also teaches some of my less sports-inclined students that there are other options for physical activity and motivates them to get moving.
Here's the catch: Swimming time forces you to practice what you preach. That is, if you feel like it's important to do so.
On Fridays the students are granted Free Swim. It is on these two days that the teacher is invited to come swim with the students. Last week I was not feeling well for a variety of reasons that impeded my ability to swim comfortably so I opted out. Today, however, it was put up or shut up time. My students were practically begging me to join them, so of course I used it to my benefit and offered it up as incentive but the real reason I jumped in that pool today?...
Swimming is scary for 5th graders, especially 5th grade girls. You have to take off all of your clothes in a locker room with a group of people who are invariably judging you in order to feel better about themselves or judging themselves against you. Then, you have walk out of the locker rooms wearing barely anything only to meet your classmates of the opposite sex and become painfully aware that you have very different parts and that nobody has any interest in demonstrating that so obviously.
Well heck, I'm 26 years old and I have no interest in displaying my body. Not only do I not want to do this in front of people my own age, but I definitely don't want to do it in front of a group of students who certainly might have something unflattering to say about it. But there are two things that I have tried to make apparent to my students over the course of our time together. 1) I feel like it is really important to be healthy. (We have had many conversations about this, including when we had our picnic lunch and I brought fruit and vegetables and they brought giant bags of chips and didn't understand when I did not partake.) and 2) I LOVE to swim! Based on those two very fundamental concepts, there is no reason in the world that I shouldn't have been in that pool having fun with some of my favorite people.
You see, I was a little bit nervous to be so far out of my comfort zone. But if I don't push myself and act darn confident about it, I'm teaching my students that there's something to be ashamed of and that confidence is not warranted in this situation. Most importantly, I don't want my students to ever look around and realize that they are holding themselves back from life because they are afraid or uncomfortable. I have a feeling that they would miss out on a lot of great opportunities if I taught them that it is ok to let something/someone get in the way.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
4 Simple Strategies
I realized that, for a while now, I've shared some anecdotes and I've demonstrated my passion for education and my students, but I haven't really offered up anything of substance. One of my personal goals for writing is to grow professionally and help others grow if it is at all possible to learn from me and my experiences. I haven't done that for a while, so here goes...
4 Simple Strategies that work for ALL learners:
I've found that often times we go to workshops and find exceptional strategies that we just couldn't possibly implement without moving heaven and earth, changing our systems completely, and putting in a ton of work in advance of said implementation. These are STILL great strategies, and important to consider during breaks or while planning for next year. But sometimes there are small things that we are missing, things that would give us a spruce and a little bit of an edge when trying to conquer some of the concepts that we are teaching right now.
1. Use Color
No matter what grade you teach and what subject matter you're introducing, students respond well to color as a distinguishing feature in separating ideas and chunking information. A poignant example of this would be the map in the back of my room that has the United States broken down into regions by color. When we were studying Westward Expansion, one of my students raised his hand and explained that the people in the yellow states were beginning to explore a way to get to the purple states. In any case, he got the concept. Color can be used in math as well, especially when organizing complex problems into steps. I also have my students take notes in color as a study strategy. Each color represents something different (such as: important people, key events, vocabulary to know, etc). Integrating color can be fairly simple and it plays an important role in giving students immediate feedback about the role of a piece of information and its function.
2. Implement Routines:
Now ideally these would be established at the beginning of the year, but as this is a list about what you can do right now, do not despair; it is not too late! Start small. Pick something like spelling for example. Day 1: Pretest. Day 2: Pronunciation and Definitions. Days 3: Pictures to represent the meaning of each word. Day 4: flashcards and study with a friend. Day 5 : Spelling Test. Students will get into a pattern where they are comfortable with what is about to take place and can spend more time focusing on the meaning of the new content than on what's going to happen next. This is not to stifle creativity or ask that you never change things up. It is to give students some stability and responsibility for their own learning. Not only will this help with classroom management (my students walk in every day after lunch, get out their word dictionaries, and get to work) but this also allows students to forget about the "how" of things and focus much more importantly on the "what."
3. Have Students Show What They Know
I work with bilingual students, so sometimes (especially for my newcomers) language output can be a barrier. But I have found a quick way of getting information from students that allows me to assess for comprehension. Basically, before a unit to demonstrate background knowledge, during to check on what students have understood so far, or at the end to assess overall grasp of the material presented, I have my students create a web. This can be done in a number of different ways but the most important thing to do is allow for creativity (some of our learners are very linear sequential, but not all of them!). I give them a blank piece of paper and a topic, and students are allowed to organize information in any way that makes sense to them. The best part is, they get to DRAW the information (but writing can always be added if you feel that it is pertinent to the task at hand). Yesterday I had students web everything that they have learned about mummies in our Read 180 unit. Some of the students started at the beginning of the mummification process and drew each step sequentially until it was complete. Some of my students simply drew a mummy in the middle and connected lines around it of facts that they had learned. Either way, students were able to show me what they had learned and I was able to assess the areas that we clearly had not covered well enough.
4. Have Students Present What They Know
This is the brother of number 3. Once a student creates something like a web of information, the most efficient way of cementing the knowledge in their brains is to be able to present or teach it to someone else. I go about this a number of different ways. If I feel that it is important for my students to work on presentation skills, I have them present to the whole class. Sometimes I just have them share with a partner or get into a small group. No matter how it's done, it gives students an opportunity to learn from each other and gain pieces of information that they may have been missing in their own work.
4 Simple Strategies that work for ALL learners:
I've found that often times we go to workshops and find exceptional strategies that we just couldn't possibly implement without moving heaven and earth, changing our systems completely, and putting in a ton of work in advance of said implementation. These are STILL great strategies, and important to consider during breaks or while planning for next year. But sometimes there are small things that we are missing, things that would give us a spruce and a little bit of an edge when trying to conquer some of the concepts that we are teaching right now.
1. Use Color
No matter what grade you teach and what subject matter you're introducing, students respond well to color as a distinguishing feature in separating ideas and chunking information. A poignant example of this would be the map in the back of my room that has the United States broken down into regions by color. When we were studying Westward Expansion, one of my students raised his hand and explained that the people in the yellow states were beginning to explore a way to get to the purple states. In any case, he got the concept. Color can be used in math as well, especially when organizing complex problems into steps. I also have my students take notes in color as a study strategy. Each color represents something different (such as: important people, key events, vocabulary to know, etc). Integrating color can be fairly simple and it plays an important role in giving students immediate feedback about the role of a piece of information and its function.
2. Implement Routines:
Now ideally these would be established at the beginning of the year, but as this is a list about what you can do right now, do not despair; it is not too late! Start small. Pick something like spelling for example. Day 1: Pretest. Day 2: Pronunciation and Definitions. Days 3: Pictures to represent the meaning of each word. Day 4: flashcards and study with a friend. Day 5 : Spelling Test. Students will get into a pattern where they are comfortable with what is about to take place and can spend more time focusing on the meaning of the new content than on what's going to happen next. This is not to stifle creativity or ask that you never change things up. It is to give students some stability and responsibility for their own learning. Not only will this help with classroom management (my students walk in every day after lunch, get out their word dictionaries, and get to work) but this also allows students to forget about the "how" of things and focus much more importantly on the "what."
3. Have Students Show What They Know
I work with bilingual students, so sometimes (especially for my newcomers) language output can be a barrier. But I have found a quick way of getting information from students that allows me to assess for comprehension. Basically, before a unit to demonstrate background knowledge, during to check on what students have understood so far, or at the end to assess overall grasp of the material presented, I have my students create a web. This can be done in a number of different ways but the most important thing to do is allow for creativity (some of our learners are very linear sequential, but not all of them!). I give them a blank piece of paper and a topic, and students are allowed to organize information in any way that makes sense to them. The best part is, they get to DRAW the information (but writing can always be added if you feel that it is pertinent to the task at hand). Yesterday I had students web everything that they have learned about mummies in our Read 180 unit. Some of the students started at the beginning of the mummification process and drew each step sequentially until it was complete. Some of my students simply drew a mummy in the middle and connected lines around it of facts that they had learned. Either way, students were able to show me what they had learned and I was able to assess the areas that we clearly had not covered well enough.
4. Have Students Present What They Know
This is the brother of number 3. Once a student creates something like a web of information, the most efficient way of cementing the knowledge in their brains is to be able to present or teach it to someone else. I go about this a number of different ways. If I feel that it is important for my students to work on presentation skills, I have them present to the whole class. Sometimes I just have them share with a partner or get into a small group. No matter how it's done, it gives students an opportunity to learn from each other and gain pieces of information that they may have been missing in their own work.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Boosting Confidence
Today in our C.A.R.E. meeting I chose the topic, "How do I know if I'm being a bully?" This has, of course, spiraled off of my own students' actions lately and my belief in the need for them to take responsibility for themselves and the changes that need to be made. Instead of just starting in with all the doom and gloom and making my students feel bad about themselves (though I always stand up and admit the bullying tendencies that I too have exhibited in life when applicable so they're not totally out there alone) I decided to start positive and asked my students to take a minute and think about one thing that they REALLY LIKE about themselves.
Now, I walk around my classroom with an insanely over exaggerated sense of swagger now and again. My students would probably have to dig deep to find insecurities that I think are as glaringly obvious as the sun. Regardless, I'm often full of flash, show, and more than a little hot air. It helps me compete with the best of them frankly. I've got one little boy who doesn't know when NOT to talk about himself and his belief that his looks are God's gift to women. It fact, when I was teaching angles in math a couple months back I couldn't say the word "acute" without him loudly and proudly pronouncing, "Like me!"
But for all that bluster, as I went around the room today asking students what they most liked about themselves, most of them shut down. They couldn't think of a single think of worth or value. I had to have other students come up with a litany of reasons for many of my normally bold and outrageous students. After hearing them all, they were hesitant to pick one that they actually identified with.
So I guess we all like to put up a front now and then to hide any failings we might feel burdened to carry. Now I'm wondering if my next meeting should be about finding value in ourselves...because it doesn't really matter how many nice things we have to say about each other at the end of the day if, in our hearts of hearts, we don't really believe it.
Now, I walk around my classroom with an insanely over exaggerated sense of swagger now and again. My students would probably have to dig deep to find insecurities that I think are as glaringly obvious as the sun. Regardless, I'm often full of flash, show, and more than a little hot air. It helps me compete with the best of them frankly. I've got one little boy who doesn't know when NOT to talk about himself and his belief that his looks are God's gift to women. It fact, when I was teaching angles in math a couple months back I couldn't say the word "acute" without him loudly and proudly pronouncing, "Like me!"
But for all that bluster, as I went around the room today asking students what they most liked about themselves, most of them shut down. They couldn't think of a single think of worth or value. I had to have other students come up with a litany of reasons for many of my normally bold and outrageous students. After hearing them all, they were hesitant to pick one that they actually identified with.
So I guess we all like to put up a front now and then to hide any failings we might feel burdened to carry. Now I'm wondering if my next meeting should be about finding value in ourselves...because it doesn't really matter how many nice things we have to say about each other at the end of the day if, in our hearts of hearts, we don't really believe it.
Monday, April 26, 2010
I Celebrate You!
I absolutely love when teachers celebrate each other. Sometimes I feel that we are so mired in what we've done wrong or what is going wrong (in the classroom, at home, and in life) that we don't stop to appreciate the amount of awesome that we work hard to put out and that we're lucky enough to be surrounded with. One of my favorite bloggers overs at Confessions of an Untenured Teacher decided to celebrate me in a much appreciated community gold-star-giving activity and I would be delighted to pass on the tribute!
I was so happy and honored to read that my little re-up blog was awarded so soon after I came back to it! And, in keeping with the stipulations of the originator of this online accolade, I must share some random get-to-know-you information about myself to keep you all engaged and coming back for more. Here goes:
1. I can be found playing (and looking forward to) an online baseball simulation every Monday night with some of my favorite people in the world that I've never met before.
2. I traveled to Spain for 3 weeks last summer (my first overseas trip) and spent almost the entire time in my various hotel rooms with a debilitating ear infection.
3. I found out last year that I am actually allergic to the sun (after having spent my entire youth being the lucky one who always tanned easily) and get ugly itchy red splotched when outside for too long.
4. I have always secretly wanted a tattoo (probably because it is completely out of character for me to want or have one).
5. I spent my entire childhood watching the WB (now the CW) and now secretly still watch One Tree Hill because, back when it started I was at a socially acceptable age to watch it.
6. I want to write a book (and have one started) but I fear I might never have the time or motivation to finish it.
7. My boyfriend is stationed in Italy for three years with the US Navy.
8. My heart is in Mexico and someday I want to have the confidence to live and work there.
9. I speak French and Spanish and every day I hone my Spanish skills as a bilingual teacher I worry about how much French I'm losing (even though I never have cause to use it).
10. When I'm upset, sometimes the only thing that calms me down is putting on some of my favorite music and singing/screaming along as loudly, ridiculously, and irrationally as possible.
Moving on to the important part of this award ceremony... I'm happy to direct you to some of the most dedicated, clever, and fantastic professionals out there. Enjoy!
Look At My Happy Rainbow : This is a new add to my list but I love everything that Mr. Halpern puts outs there and I'm always so surprised about how much correlation there is between lessons learned in kindergarten and my own lessons learned with fifth graders.
The Cornerstone : If you haven't been reading this blog all along (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't have been) then you'll learn that Angela Watson is now out of the classroom and doing awesome work to help teachers in professional development. Her candor is always genuine and it is exciting to get a new perspective at her journey out of the classroom continues.
I'm a Dreamer : This blog, written by an 8th grade English teacher, is also one of my favorite must-reads. It is obvious that this blog is written by someone who is incredibly passionate about reaching the students that she worked with and dedicated to things so far beyond "job requirements." Make sure to check it out!
I was so happy and honored to read that my little re-up blog was awarded so soon after I came back to it! And, in keeping with the stipulations of the originator of this online accolade, I must share some random get-to-know-you information about myself to keep you all engaged and coming back for more. Here goes:
1. I can be found playing (and looking forward to) an online baseball simulation every Monday night with some of my favorite people in the world that I've never met before.
2. I traveled to Spain for 3 weeks last summer (my first overseas trip) and spent almost the entire time in my various hotel rooms with a debilitating ear infection.
3. I found out last year that I am actually allergic to the sun (after having spent my entire youth being the lucky one who always tanned easily) and get ugly itchy red splotched when outside for too long.
4. I have always secretly wanted a tattoo (probably because it is completely out of character for me to want or have one).
5. I spent my entire childhood watching the WB (now the CW) and now secretly still watch One Tree Hill because, back when it started I was at a socially acceptable age to watch it.
6. I want to write a book (and have one started) but I fear I might never have the time or motivation to finish it.
7. My boyfriend is stationed in Italy for three years with the US Navy.
8. My heart is in Mexico and someday I want to have the confidence to live and work there.
9. I speak French and Spanish and every day I hone my Spanish skills as a bilingual teacher I worry about how much French I'm losing (even though I never have cause to use it).
10. When I'm upset, sometimes the only thing that calms me down is putting on some of my favorite music and singing/screaming along as loudly, ridiculously, and irrationally as possible.
Moving on to the important part of this award ceremony... I'm happy to direct you to some of the most dedicated, clever, and fantastic professionals out there. Enjoy!
Look At My Happy Rainbow : This is a new add to my list but I love everything that Mr. Halpern puts outs there and I'm always so surprised about how much correlation there is between lessons learned in kindergarten and my own lessons learned with fifth graders.
The Cornerstone : If you haven't been reading this blog all along (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't have been) then you'll learn that Angela Watson is now out of the classroom and doing awesome work to help teachers in professional development. Her candor is always genuine and it is exciting to get a new perspective at her journey out of the classroom continues.
I'm a Dreamer : This blog, written by an 8th grade English teacher, is also one of my favorite must-reads. It is obvious that this blog is written by someone who is incredibly passionate about reaching the students that she worked with and dedicated to things so far beyond "job requirements." Make sure to check it out!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
It's Real...and it ain't always pretty
This is the kind of post that I thought should be shared because it means something. It is also the kind of post that gets me in trouble. For this I must write the disclaimer that my school is where I have my experiences, but in these circumstances, it could easily be any school that I'm referring to.
So I recently referred in another post to my students who have become more and more derisive and catty as Springtime swings into full bloom. I imagine it's something like waking a hibernating bear after a long winter only to find that he's hungry and grumpy about the disturbance to his previously scheduled program.
In any case, I find that it has become increasingly important to model positive development for my girls especially. I even talk to their parents at conferences about how I want to see (and have been encouraging) my girls make good choices with regards to their friendships. The simple reasoning behind this being that the drama of girls only gets worse as girls get older. There is some poisonous little seed in the back of our brains which can be wired in such a way that we are cruel and manipulative if not guided (and intrinsically motivated) to be otherwise.
This is the mental place where I found some of my girls two days ago when this fateful discussion occurred once again in our class. And it occurred to me that no matter how young and hip I am (haha), there are times when students don't really believe that I can connect to them on their level. So I tried a new approach.
I hunkered down with my class and I whispered real conspiratorial-like, "I'm going to tell you guys a secret. I'm new this year. Do you think every single teacher in this building was nice to me when I walked in the door?" To which they responded with things like "Sure. " and "Probably!" I looked at them and rolled my eyes at their naivete (for grand effect, you see) and proceeded on, "Absolutely not. Some people have been together for a long time and they are comfortable with each other. It is more work than they think it is worth to let someone new into the group so they ignore you. And it has happened to me this very year is this very school!" The students of course gasped in shock at the fallibility of TEACHERS. "What you are doing in this classroom is showing me the kinds of people that you are choosing to be in this life. You are all old enough to make decisions for yourself and you are all strong enough to go out of your way to show respect and human kindness to another person. It is up to you what kind of person you want to be and prove to yourselves that your future it not going to be filled with meanness and the willingness to exclude others."
Maybe I stepped over a line. Maybe that was too much reality and they're going to go forth distrustful of the people I'd love for them to admire and respect. But I don't think so. I think they think pretty highly of me and were genuinely confused that anyone wouldn't befriend their dear teacher. I think it shows them that they're not wrong and the human nature and the love of being comfortable is a pretty strong motivator. I hope it showed them the value of putting in the work to being kind to someone who might ultimately become pretty important to them.
So I recently referred in another post to my students who have become more and more derisive and catty as Springtime swings into full bloom. I imagine it's something like waking a hibernating bear after a long winter only to find that he's hungry and grumpy about the disturbance to his previously scheduled program.
In any case, I find that it has become increasingly important to model positive development for my girls especially. I even talk to their parents at conferences about how I want to see (and have been encouraging) my girls make good choices with regards to their friendships. The simple reasoning behind this being that the drama of girls only gets worse as girls get older. There is some poisonous little seed in the back of our brains which can be wired in such a way that we are cruel and manipulative if not guided (and intrinsically motivated) to be otherwise.
This is the mental place where I found some of my girls two days ago when this fateful discussion occurred once again in our class. And it occurred to me that no matter how young and hip I am (haha), there are times when students don't really believe that I can connect to them on their level. So I tried a new approach.
I hunkered down with my class and I whispered real conspiratorial-like, "I'm going to tell you guys a secret. I'm new this year. Do you think every single teacher in this building was nice to me when I walked in the door?" To which they responded with things like "Sure. " and "Probably!" I looked at them and rolled my eyes at their naivete (for grand effect, you see) and proceeded on, "Absolutely not. Some people have been together for a long time and they are comfortable with each other. It is more work than they think it is worth to let someone new into the group so they ignore you. And it has happened to me this very year is this very school!" The students of course gasped in shock at the fallibility of TEACHERS. "What you are doing in this classroom is showing me the kinds of people that you are choosing to be in this life. You are all old enough to make decisions for yourself and you are all strong enough to go out of your way to show respect and human kindness to another person. It is up to you what kind of person you want to be and prove to yourselves that your future it not going to be filled with meanness and the willingness to exclude others."
Maybe I stepped over a line. Maybe that was too much reality and they're going to go forth distrustful of the people I'd love for them to admire and respect. But I don't think so. I think they think pretty highly of me and were genuinely confused that anyone wouldn't befriend their dear teacher. I think it shows them that they're not wrong and the human nature and the love of being comfortable is a pretty strong motivator. I hope it showed them the value of putting in the work to being kind to someone who might ultimately become pretty important to them.
Friday, April 23, 2010
We shouldn't work...but we do!
"People say that it can't work...; well here we make it work, everyday." -Remember the Titans
I was watching that movie on TV last weekend and I couldn't help but think of my little group of 4th and 5th graders forced to comingle and work together to create some semblance of a whole. The developmental differences between the two age groups are glaringly obvious. The rift that having more students of one grade level (the older students!) than the other should divide us to a point that we can not recover. But it doesn't. My class shouldn't work together as a cohesive unit. But it does.
In the past week, especially with my girls, I have noticed the type of catty behavior that begins to divide people (not students, PEOPLE) into an us vs. them mentality. It disturbs me a great deal to see groups of people tearing down what we have worked so hard to built. Instead of letting that happen, of course, I had to step in yesterday and remind my students of where we once were and how far we've come. I think that self-sabotage can sometimes be our greatest enemy, but they have already gotten a taste of what would happen should we let our hard work crumble.
"If we don't come together right now, we too will be destroyed. I don't care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other."
The screen writer might as well have written my speech yesterday. If nothing else, the words are powerful...and hopefully, just maybe they'll ring serious enough to make a change. We shouldn't work, but when I look around at my students working in cooperative learning groups and sharing ideas, and when they come back from recess beaming and boasting that they all played a game together that day (boys AND girls), I know that we can...and that we do.
I was watching that movie on TV last weekend and I couldn't help but think of my little group of 4th and 5th graders forced to comingle and work together to create some semblance of a whole. The developmental differences between the two age groups are glaringly obvious. The rift that having more students of one grade level (the older students!) than the other should divide us to a point that we can not recover. But it doesn't. My class shouldn't work together as a cohesive unit. But it does.
In the past week, especially with my girls, I have noticed the type of catty behavior that begins to divide people (not students, PEOPLE) into an us vs. them mentality. It disturbs me a great deal to see groups of people tearing down what we have worked so hard to built. Instead of letting that happen, of course, I had to step in yesterday and remind my students of where we once were and how far we've come. I think that self-sabotage can sometimes be our greatest enemy, but they have already gotten a taste of what would happen should we let our hard work crumble.
"If we don't come together right now, we too will be destroyed. I don't care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other."
The screen writer might as well have written my speech yesterday. If nothing else, the words are powerful...and hopefully, just maybe they'll ring serious enough to make a change. We shouldn't work, but when I look around at my students working in cooperative learning groups and sharing ideas, and when they come back from recess beaming and boasting that they all played a game together that day (boys AND girls), I know that we can...and that we do.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Inspired
The thing that I am possibly most proud of this year is my involvement in our Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee. I have been granted the unique opportunity to learn from and provide perspective to a group of parents whose commitment to their children is unwavering. At the same time, I feel that I am representing my dedication to their students and the idea that education is truly a team effort.
Yesterday we held our last organized event, a workshop featuring the fantastic and powerful Ferney Ramirez, a psychologist and inspirational speaker. His books, videos, and tapes are geared towards providing a model of parenting that gives parents back the power to create guidelines and be the life model that they hope their children will emulate when asked to make decisions for themselves later in life. While I am constantly in conflict about my own place in a teaching world without having personal parenting experience, I can not begin to express the amount of good that I get out of knowing and learning what I hope to implement in my future.
Yesterday we held our last organized event, a workshop featuring the fantastic and powerful Ferney Ramirez, a psychologist and inspirational speaker. His books, videos, and tapes are geared towards providing a model of parenting that gives parents back the power to create guidelines and be the life model that they hope their children will emulate when asked to make decisions for themselves later in life. While I am constantly in conflict about my own place in a teaching world without having personal parenting experience, I can not begin to express the amount of good that I get out of knowing and learning what I hope to implement in my future.
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