Classroom Jobs

As the new school year is approaching, I am ready to get my classroom set up. For me, one of the most import parts of the way my classroom runs is classroom management. I work the best when I am organized and my students learn this very quickly. Last year, I had a job system for my students , but  I did not love it. Each week students elected a new person for classroom jobs. This became too time consuming so we switched every month instead. However, throughout the year I noticed that students often didn't fully understand their job descriptions which caused friction. This year I am determine to change this.
I created job applications that my students will fill out first week of school with 7 jobs that are crucial to our classroom running smoothly. Not every student has to apply and students who do not apply can change their minds later in the year and apply. Based on the applications I receive, I will pick the best candidates. Students are asked about why they are interested in each job, have to rate the jobs they are interested in and are expected to reflect on what challenges they will face in their jobs. Each student who is chosen for the job will hold this position for 1 month. Students in these positions are expected to be leaders and show appropriate classroom behavior. If they do not, they can be dismissed from the job held. After 1 month, I will go through remaining applications and select new students for the positions again. This will ensure that all students who apply have a chance at obtaining at least 1 of the 7 jobs available throughout the year. It will set clear expectations for the position students are applying for and will help students reflect and think about why they are interested in the jobs they are applying for. The job application component makes classroom jobs relevant to the real world and allows students to take leadership and responsibility in our classroom. My job application is above. I am happy to share the file with you if you send me an e-mail requesting it.

I hope you've had a wonderful and refreshing summer break!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Swanson

Days Leading to End of the Year Testing

As the end of the year is approaching, the days are getting longer, and my finger nails are getting shorter. For the past few weeks, we have been reviewing and getting ready for testing, but what I want to focus on in this post is confidence building. We can build academic knowledge through whole group, small group, independent work. We can be as creative as we want when it comes to content, but what we sometimes fail to realize is that often even students who are on grade level and know the content lack in other areas.

Confidence in particular can be a huge struggle. One of my biggest goals this school year has been to build my students' confidence and show them that they are smart, capable , creative, and should never let something like a test intimidate them. We've done many team building and confidence building activities throughout the year, but I can see the pressure of the EOG getting to them now that it is so close.

Here are a few activities I am doing this week (1 each day) to remind my students that they should always believe in themselves.

1. I took out popsicle sticks with students' names from my jar and gave each student one with someone else's name. They had to write why they are proud of the person they got, then wrapped their writing (on a sticky note) around the popsicle stick and I will pass them  back to the students they belong to the day before the test. My big goal is to create a community and have my students recognize each other's strengths and know that everyone has something good he/she brings to the table. I modeled a few appropriate responses to this writing prompt to pre correct .

2. I wrote an inspirational sticky note for each student for the day of the test (new one for each day of the test). I will place these along with a juice box and a granola bar on their tables the morning of the test. Students then will place their names and the stickies on the books they will pick out to read after the test. That way the sticky won't get accidentally left out in the middle of the test and after the test they can have one more reminder of how smart they are.



3. In the beginning of the year, I had my students help me write down as many adjectives as possible describing characteristics. Then, each student got a sticky on his/her back. They walked around and wrote positive adjectives describing each other. Each child had to write at least on 10 other children's stickies. Finally, we sat in a circle and students all took off their stickies at the same time. They each had an opportunity to share how the activity made them feel and what surprised them or to "pass". I always participate in this activity with my students. In the beginning of t his week (1 week before testing), I reminded my students about this activity and we went over adjectives again, completed the same activity except this time they shared what changed based on what other's wrote from the beginning of the year to now and what surprised them or to "pass". I saw their excited faces as they realized how well they've actually gotten to know each other and that students who were once described "shy" were now described as "funny," "creative", and "awesome". Here is what was on my back and it truly made me tear up because it helped me realize that I did my job this year and I did it well.




4. Finally, tomorrow I am going to have my students write down their fears about testing and the end of the year on a piece of paper, share them with the class if they feel comfortable, ball them up and throw them away in the trash. After they throw away their fears, they will pick up a "strength" from my basket and they will each describe how they will utilize that strength.



My goal is for my students to always know they are smart, they can do anything they put their minds to, and that they are cared about. Confidence can take us a long way and at the end of the day I want them to  make the choice to believe in themselves and have that confidence, the confidence I've had in them all year.

Sincerely,

A proud teacher

Teacher Appreciation Week

This year teacher appreciation week snuck up on me somewhere between tutoring, getting ready for end of the year testing, and all the other business that is the end of the school year. I completely forgot that today was "card day"until my students started pouring through the door with their cheerful smiles and cards. I was so thankful for their cards and their sweet hugs, but as I started reading them, something even more awesome happened.
If you know me well, you know that my biggest goal in the classroom is for every single one of my students to know that they are loved and cared about in my classroom. I love routines, discipline, and creativity. Students know my expectations, but I never want them to leave my room or come into my room and wonder if I truly care. Today, I knew 100% that this year I accomplished my goal-my students know that they are cared about whether they are amazing or terrible test takers, whether they are in my classroom for academics or because they need that extra hug in the morning, whether they are "easy" kids or "challenging" kids, they know I love them all and they are safe and cared about in my classroom.
As I started reading my students' cards, some were your typical " you're the best teacher ever" and that's always very sweet and makes me happy and grateful. However, so many were very different from the cards I've received in the past. I am posting a few on here because they were the cards that truly made me tear up and made feel like I reached my students this year. One was a heart with adjectives describing the way one of my students sees me. We did an activity in the beginning of the year where each student had a card on his/her back and classmates wrote adjectives to describe them. Then, we set in a circle and students shared what they expected, what surprised them, how they felt, etc. It was a team building activity and here it was. It made its way back to me. I know this student took it personally and remembered it. I loved what she made.
Another was from a student who was in my class last year. She was a transfer from another school and we worked on maturity and academics all year long. Getting cards or letters from former students is always special to my heart and I was so glad to receive hers.

Another card that made a huge impact on me was from a student who has been working all year on confidence, academics, and some days behavior,as well as  cooling off strategies. The words that stood out to me the most were " thank you for being there when I need you"..."thank you for calming me down when I am mad". If anything can bring happy tears to my eyes, that is it.
I am saving every card I received today and when I have those moments of self-doubt, this is what's going to stand out in my mind. I know, I am making a difference no matter

how tired I am at the end of the day. I know they know they are cared about when they enter my door. That's what matters. This has been a tough class. This has been a special class. This has been the best class I have ever taught and for that I am grateful.

Sincerely,

A Lucky Teacher

Something special for end of the year

As the end of the school year is quickly approaching, I have been trying to figure out what to do for my students that would be special and unique to them. We are going to have a class party, yearbook signing, play all kinds of games, but I really wanted to make something for them. I'm going to keep this post short and sweet. Here's what I am doing:

 I used this website  www.wordart.com  and created a shape with each student's name, 5 positive adjectives that describe him/her and fun colors. Then I printed each page. I am going to laminate each and write a personalized note on the back for each child. Then, I am going to bring these to school last week of school and will let students use sharpies to write short notes to each other. They can sign or write something. I am very excited about these and hope my students like them!

Mother's Day

With Mother's Day quickly approaching somewhere in between regular days standardized testing, I have been trying to figure out what would be fun and not too time consuming for my 4th graders to make for their moms.  I started thinking about what my own kids have brought from school for Mother's Day the past few years that I enjoyed and was able to keep in my memory box. I loved fingerprints, handprints, poems (it was the same poem printed by teacher for each student), but all of that felt a little too "babyish" for 4th grade. One year, my son brought me a playdough creation. Another, something out of clay. I've loved everything my  kids brought home, but what made it difficult is that being a military family we move so much. Often things break. Personally, what I love the most and what survives usually in our moves across the country is anything laminated. So with that in mind, this year for Mother's Day I am going to have my students make an article for the "Mom's Gazette". They are going to draw their moms and answer a few questions about their moms. Then they will decorate it using color paper, newspaper and magazine cut outs and I will laminate it for them before they take it home. Students will also have an opportunity to share their work and what makes their moms special with their classmates. This template was easy to come up with and keeping in mind that several of my students come from all kinds of home situations, if they would prefer I will make a few versions available... "Grandma's Gazette", "Aunt's Gazette", "Nanna's Gazette". However, instead of pre-making these I will wait to see what they want to do first and will edit it in google drive before printing . That way it is special to them, not something that is pushed by me, and is available only if they would like. Below is a screen shot of my template. Email me if you would like a copy of the actual template and I will be happy to share. Here's my e-mail address: swanmom86@gmail.com 

What are you doing for Mother's Day with your students? I would love to hear your ideas. 

Born to Teach-Reflection

Some people spend their entire lives looking for their "calling", that job that truly speaks to them. Others see work as something they have to do and that will never find enjoyable. I was fortunate to always know what I was meant to do. Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to be a teacher. Life experiences over time led me in different directions, yet somehow always brought me back to my true passion-teaching. I am that teacher whose brain never stops working. I am always reflecting, innovating, thinking about my class. This is so incredibly fun, satisfying, exciting for me. It truly makes me feel like I am finally able to do what I was put on this earth to do and no I am not perfect, I have a lot to learn, but I have all the time in the world to learn and become the best teacher I can possibly be. I love everything about it even if some days it comes with frustration, disappointment, and confusion. Knowing that I am making the difference, seeing those smiling faces, being their cheerlead makes it all worth it. 

People who know me react in two different ways. Some cheer me on and are supportive and just have accepted that this is a huge part of who I am. I am a teacher. Bottom line. It's what I was born to do. Others struggle to understand why I spend the time I do on work related tasks, get frustrated with me for how invested I come in my class, community, lesson planning , etc. They struggle to understand and no matter how many times I try to explain, I think the bottom line is work is different for everyone. For some it's what you do to make a living and for others it's a huge part of their life and not just something they have to do. 

One of the biggest realizations I've come to over the past year is that I have to be true to myself and not worry about pleasing everyone else. So when I hear, "you're going burn yourself out" or " why does this matter so much to you?" I have to be honest with myself first and then people making these comments and statements. Here's the thing, no one burns out on sleeping, eating, reading their favorite book, right? That's how I am with teaching; teaching is my drive to be a better person, role model, someone who makes a difference. 

Growing up, my teachers were the reason I made something of myself. They were the people I felt safe with. They were  my role models. I was lucky because I had them in my life. Over the past few years I've come across students who come from wonderful loving families and who are in my class to learn academics, but I've also come across so many who are in my class first to know they are cared about, safe, can say what's on their mind, and then academics. Those are students I often see the most progress in. They are the students who I know need me. Students from wonderful families are the ones who will succeed with any teacher because they are confident. They are ready to learn. They come to school to learn specifically. It's the other students that come to school to maybe feel safe or maybe to know they are cared about or whatever it may be before they are actually ready to learn.

So here I am , honest with myself and with you. I was born to be a teacher and I know it deep in my heart. I love every moment of it even on the most frustrating days. Seeing my students' progress and success is my drive. So no, I will not burn out. I will not get bored. I will not want to do something else. I may seem sometimes like I never stop , but I never stop because I love what I do. 

What drives you to teach? Why did you decide to enter this profession? 

Finding Motivation Before Standardized Testing

Last week before spring break was a struggle. I found myself frustrated more, students had a difficult time staying on task. They were not "bad" by any means, but just ready for a break. I knew I was too and I thought the break would help me get back into the swing of things, but as I started planning for review, thinking about testing and really focusing on test taking, I realized I was dreading coming back to work.

I love my job. Teaching is a calling for me. It's something I always knew I wanted to do and I can't imagine myself doing anything else. Yet, I found myself dreading going back and thinking about all other career options where I could still work with kids and not worry about standardized testing. Then I realized, I am dreading going back to work because I am not having fun in my classroom anymore. If I am not having fun, my students are not having fun. So I had to really reflect. 

Here is what I came up with. My students and I have been working hard all year long on curriculum closely aligned to NC standards. I teach to the standards. I make sure we cover everything, but we've been able to do daily hands on activities, laugh together, explore, integrate technology, and truly enjoy learning. We've done this together all year long so why would this be any different now that I only have less than two months with my students? The answer is simple, it will not be. 

This year my strategy to prepare for testing is teaching. It is not teaching to the test. It is teaching to the standards, to mastery, to understanding and when that's there, they will perform to their best ability on the test. These tests are boring enough. I shouldn't be making review boring on top of it.

So I will pull every tool out of my tool box for the next month to finish teaching the standards, continue with projects, and make review fun, leveled, truly student-centered. At the end of the day, the pressure is there, but I teach students not the test. So when they take the test, I want them to be proud of all the work they have done. I want them to know how smart they are regardless of how they do on this one measure of assessment and most importantly I want them to know that their hard work matters, learning matters,  and they are appreciated and cared about.

This school year I have been blessed with an amazing group of students. They are funny. They are witty. They love learning and just like they learn from me, I've learned from them every day. I am going to miss this group of kids so much when they get ready for 5th grade, but for now I have another month and a half and I will make the most of every day instead of letting the stress of testing effect them or me. 

For the next month and a half we will continue to learn, do projects, explore, and when it comes to review we will have fun. I am getting my scavenger hunts ready, pulling out math jeopardy, looking for hands on manipulatives and anything I can use that will continue to make learning authentic and will not make it tedious . So here's a question to you, what do you use to make this last month count? How do you review? How do you make memories? What's your plan? 

Sincerely,

A Motivated Teacher Who Just Found Her Second Wind

Pi Day Ideas

Pi day is one of my favorite days of the year!  This year my students are going to learn about Pi through a variety of interactive activities.

First, I am going to begin with one of my favorite books, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table.  One of the places it can be purchased is amazon:

 https://www.amazon.com/Cumference-First-Round-Table-Adventure/dp/1570911525/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489351631&sr=8-1&keywords=cir+cumference


 It is also available on youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ4MbU8928c

My class is currently working on comparing and contrasting traditional literature as well as sequence of events/timelines. Therefore, as a part of our discussion, we are going to look at components of this story and discuss its genre, sequence of events, practice summarizing, character traits , etc.

Next, we are going to put theory to the test. Does Pi really equal to 3.14? Students will work with variety of circular objects in small groups to figure out value of Pi. Here are a couple of examples of what I'll be using in class. Students will practice multiplication, measuring skills, and will discuss their findings in small groups as well as with the whole class. 

Pi day wouldn't be truly interactive without a S.T.E.M. activity. While searching on TPT, I found this exciting packet that I will be able to use for several activities, but for PI day specifically , I will have my students work in small groups to complete the "Plate Transformation" challenge. This entire packet is an excellent resource because it provides plenty of activities for critical thinking and discussion while requiring very few supplies. For example, "Plate Transformation" only requires paper plates and scissors. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paper-Plate-STEM-Challenges-Great-for-Pi-Day-3022280

After our S.T.E.M activity, students will work with a partner to complete  the graphic organizer activity poster. Each student will have their own poster, but they can work together to discuss. Students will present their work in small groups. 

This product is available FREE on TPT , grab yours while you can. I am certainly excited about using mine in the classroom!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Graphic-Organizer-Activity-Poster-Freebie-595161

Last, but not least, I am going to test my students' memory. Over the weekend, I posted on class dojo what Pi stands for. It will be also displayed on the document camera throughout the day. Their job is to memorize as many numbers as they can and on Tuesday (Pi Day) we are going to have a friendly competition. The winner and the runner up will receive, a pie of course! If you are short on time, one way to do this is to give each student an index card or a sticky note and have them write out as many numbers they remember that stand for pi. Then you can collect their cards and announce the winner when time permits. 

 

I can't wait to try out these Pi day activities with my students on Tuesday and will share with you photos of how it looked in my classroom.  I hope you found these ideas and resources helpful and enjoy your pi day!


I would love to hear your ideas and any resources you'd like to share to engage students in learning about Pi


Always learning,

Irina Swanson

Lucky Dolphin

"Aha" moments are so rare and so wonderful when they happen. Perhaps a part of the beauty of these moments is that you never know when you'll have one. Tonight, I was lucky to have one of those moments. Earlier, when I went running , it kept bugging  and bugging me that one of the most confident students I know is struggling with being nervous about  EBOB competition that's coming up. He brought it up to me at least 7 times last week and this is not a kid who is afraid of anything, except for maybe heights which I found out in the middle of a hiking field trip last year. I'd like to think I am a problem-solver and when the issue was heights, I walked with him last year down the stairs at Raven Rock and didn't make it a big deal in front of other kids. I just walked and told him about my fear of heights. I told him if I was taking those steps and I was okay, the same applied to him and he was okay. He was.

With EBOB, I can't do the same. I will be in the audience, but it's different. I will be watching. I will not be the one on the spot and so the same strategy won't work. So I had to think outside the box, maybe not too far outside the box because my immediate thought was "lucky socks". We've all heard of lucky socks, well I just feel like it would be extra creepy to give a kid lucky socks. Maybe I am weird, but I am just not doing that.

Then of course here I am thinking what's my lucky "thing"?
I know I believed in them as a kid, what was it? Finally, I remembered! There was my "aha" moment. Some people have lucky socks, I had a lucky troll! So here I was finishing up washing the dishes and trying to figure out what in the world I did with my lucky troll from 20 years ago and I remembered that it was in my memory box. So, I dug through the garage and found my troll collection (yes, I am that dork who collected trolls in the 90's) and here it was...my lucky troll with beautiful rainbow hair.

I sat there starring at my lucky troll , thinking about all the times I had it in my pocket when I needed that little bit of luck and thought okay, maybe if I give this student my lucky troll and tell him about it, maybe that will help. Then I looked again. Okay, this isn't going to work, my lucky troll is 20 years old. It's a typical naked troll with a butt! This kid is going to be so beyond off task if I give him this thing, there is just no way (photo in this blog). So there I was back to square one...not giving this kid socks because it's crazy. Lucky troll isn't happening unless I can paint clothes on it and that won't happen either. Finally, I had it, that "aha" moment again....lucky dolphin! I had this necklace on a million times last year. I know my students from last year's class have seen it over and over and over. It's a dolphin. It's made out of wood. It's gender neutral. It is not socks. It is not a 20 year old silly troll. It's perfect!  There it is, my  true "aha" moment.

So here is the plan.  I am going to give this student my lucky dolphin to keep in his pocket for the competition and I'm going to hope, just hope that it works just like lucky socks for those of you who've had those or the lucky troll that I grew up with and maybe, just maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and give the same dolphin to my student who won't stop second-guessing himself at the end of the year to keep in his pocket for the EOG.

So here's to "aha" moments and here's to hoping that this works. I'll keep you updated .

A little magic has never hurt anyone....so let's hope this lucky dolphin is ready for the job!

Yes, this is my troll from the 90's and there's no way this was going work, the dolphin is much cooler and more appropriate !      -

I Run.

 In life, running away is not a valid option. Sure, one can say, "this is too difficult" and choose to not do what's ahead or choose to regret steps taken and back out, but that's called giving up and when you give up, you say you're not good enough. Who's to say what you can accomplish, but you yourself? I choose the option of never turning back, never giving up. So, running away is not a valid option. I strongly believe that when you choose to run, the only place to run is forward. We can't take back time, thus we truly cannot undo anything that has been done and why would you want to? Life is a journey. Set a goal and never put less than 100% into achieving it because why should you be worth less than that? If it's important enough , make it happen.

Personally, and this time not metaphorically speaking, I've never been a good runner. I was that girl in high school that hid from running a mile or that kid out of breath when playing tag. As an adult, for a long time I said that running wasn't for me and then I got to the point where I just needed a way to blow some steam and whether it was from frustrating events in my life at the time or whatever it may have been, all of a sudden I was able to run. Of course things got in the way a few months later. Then I managed to hurt my ankle and couldn't run for two months, but now I am back. I am back as a super slow runner who walks more than runs, but I am back because I am overwhelmed with what's in my head. I am back because I am trying to find a balance between being a mom, a wife and a teacher. I am back because I have new goals and I haven't figured out how to accomplish them. I am back because I can only run forward. I cannot run away.

So here I was today, attempting to run in my neighborhood at 4pm after being up since 6am, having already had a busy day and my day even now is nowhere near over. I have a paper I need to finish tonight for my AG online class. I have a million ideas for teaching area and perimeter to my 4th graders that I need to put in writing this weekend. I need to find time to truly focus on the fractions Number Talks book because it's awesome and I can't wait to take teaching Number Talks to a new level with introducing this book to my class. I need to figure out what I am doing for tutoring next week. I can't seem to figure out how to help a student who told me at least 7 times this week how nervous he is for the EBOB competition in two weeks.  I can't figure out how to help another student stop second guessing himself every time he answers a multiple-choice question. On my PDP plan, I put that my goal is for 70% of my students to pass the EOG in math and 60% to pass it in ELA which doesn't sound crazy at all. In fact, that's a very realistic number, except for I am not sure that's going to happen and now I am at a point where I have 3 months left until the ultimate reality check , the EOG and , I am second guessing. I am not second guessing my students by any means. I am second guessing if I am doing enough. Did I teach the way they needed to be taught? Did I do everything I could? Am I doing everything I can? A lot of thoughts, a lot of questions and somehow in the middle of it all , I finally figured out what I want to write a book about, but of course knowing me , it's not an easy topic. Nowhere near and now I have to figure out how to make it happen because if I can , I'm going to be able to put my two biggest passions together, teaching and writing and I can't wait.

Did I mention all of this is going through my head while being a wife and a mom of 4? Here I am trying to cook dinner, fold laundry, spend time with my kids and be the best  mom I can be while being the best teacher I can be. So this is why I am running again. I am running forward. I am running to clear my head. I am running to create clarity , find a way to organize my thoughts and prioritize. I am running to find peace in my inner self. I am running because talking isn't working. I am running because that's my answer-run forward and find a way to accomplish my goals because I know that I can and that if the girl who used to hide from P.E. can run, the same woman can make the rest of her goals reality.

I run because running away isn't an option. I run because I have a purpose. I run because my goals and dreams are too big to stop running toward them.

Why do you do what you do? What helps you stay focused?

Two Stories

Some stories are meant to be told as they are and some are meant to be adjusted to fit the audience. I'm choosing to share this story the way I told it to fit my audience when it had to be told and below it is the story without adjustments. 

                                                                   First Story

I used to know a girl who didn't like going to school because she didn't see the point. People around her weren't doing anything related to what they learned at school. They didn't mind if she missed school or didn't . They didn't think school was all that important . So up until she was 12 years old she missed a lot of school, had bad grades , fell very behind in reading and then of course didn't want to read because it was too hard, always wondered what she would be  like when she grew up , but didn't really have a vision. Then one day, her family went through a big move to a new place and something clicked. She knew that being in a new place would mean no one would know that she didn't do well in school before or why she didn't care. She decided that this new move in a way was a new start for her. At her new school she had an awesome math teacher who inspired her to want to do her very best to show that she could handle the work because he pushed her to a very tough math class that he just knew she should be in , went with his gut feeling. This made her want to prove to him that she was what he saw in her and she did . She worked hard and earned good grades . All of a sudden she realized, it wasn't just in math , she was doing well in all her subjects because school was all of a sudden important and she was doing it for herself and the more she did it for herself, the more inspired she became. That girl later went on to be in the top 5% of her high school graduating class, to do well in college and to use her education in her career. That girl never regretted the day she chose for school to be about her and to prove to herself that she could do it.

                                                               Second Story

I was a girl who grew up in a home where education was not important because even though both of my parents had completed higher education , they didn't see it as anything important . They always talked about it being a waste of time and whenever I didn't want to go to school, I just got to not go. Homework wasn't important , grades didn't matter, other things mattered to them much more, but that's another story. I fell behind in all my classes , was below grade level in reading and at risk for retention. Then we moved to the United States , the biggest move of my life . I knew no one would know I was that girl who was failing, no one would know I was the girl whose parents let her write her own excuses notes, I was the girl who didn't care. I decided it was time for a new start. I was so incredibly lucky to have an awesome, awesome math teacher in middle school who pushed me to his algebra class because he believed in me and ironically I got to overhear his argument with my counselor and exactly how that went . He believed in me ( Mr. Aafedt) so I believed in me. He believed in me, so I had to prove to him , but most importantly to myself that I was someone who could handle the work, someone who could do well, and I did. I worked hard and I saw results and from then on I never stopped working hard because all of a sudden school mattered because someone believed in me doing well at school, someone whose education paid off, my teacher. So I began to see education as something that mattered . I went on to be in the top 5% of my high school, went to one of the best colleges in this country on a full tuition merit leadership scholarship for my BA and later completed 2 MA degrees . I am a teacher because someone showed me a long time ago that education matters , that choices matter and it happened to be a teacher . A teacher inspired me. A teacher opened a world of possibilities for me .

Teachers matter. Students matter. No matter how big or small our impact can feel some days , there's always that child out there whose teacher made a difference . That's why I tell the other story to my audience when appropriate , my audience being students , the background of the real story is too heavy but the moral is the same- you are responsible for you. You are responsible for your success and it's never too late . Education matters . Choices matter.

Focus Group -Students Living in Multiple Homes

 This is a copy of the power point assignment I completed for my AIG online class. It is designed to help with social needs of students in an AIG classroom. However,  I strongly believe that similar situations can be found across the board in any classroom and students who are effected by this situation can benefit from a focus group
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Breaking Down and Building Up

As many of you know, testing is  a huge part of the way we measure teachers' ability to perform their jobs and students' ability to show what they learned. Being a 4th grade teacher, I am not new to testing and the importance of student performance. Therefore, receiving test results is always nerve wracking. Students at the school where I work took their mid year benchmarks a few weeks ago and I knew how my class did, but it didn't hit me truly until seeing those results printed. I don't know what it is , but somehow everything is more real on paper.

After my kids went to bed, I started preparing for the next school day and I just froze up. I couldn't get past my benchmark scores. My students grew 7.5% in math and 2.8% in Language Arts. I sat there starring at the numbers, feeling numb, feeling at an absolute, complete loss and there it was- I broke down. I just sat there and cried. As a teacher, I know I put 100 and 10 percent into my work. I make sure to get to know my students, plan my lessons, use data. I stay up late at night to make sure I know what I'm teaching. I work hard to meet my students' needs and here it was the dreaded 7.5% in math and 2.8% in Language Arts.

For a while there the thought crossed my mind, maybe this isn't the right profession for me if this is all the impact I made having worked with these kids for half of a school year. I felt heart-broken, I felt at a loss. I didn't sit there and think about the fact that it was computer based test and it took my students over 30 minutes to get on the correct website or the fact that several of them had to restart due to poor connection or the fact that 10 year olds and very long tests don't always go well together. I didn't think of any of this-all I thought was that I failed as a teacher. That night I felt defeated.

The next morning, I got ready for work, made it there, walked into my classroom and I didn't know what to think. Then smiling faces started to pour into my room full of excitement to tell me about their morning, asking what we are doing today, full of stories. And there it was, the realization that should have been there the night before- they are not a test score and neither am I . I know I make a difference because they don't want to be absent even when we have Saturday school due to make up days. I know I make a difference because I see them learn and grow every day. I know I make a difference because I don't just teach math, language arts, science, social studies, and health. I teach how to think, analyze , work with others, make friends, take on difficult situations and conversations, how to properly play basketball or hold a football, when you need a band aid and when you don't and so much more.  I teach so much more than what I see results of based on a test score and I know I teach. I teach with all the resources and skills I have and I teach with all my heart so a benchmark score of what may seem like insignificant growth is not a measurement of my ability to teach and it is not a true measure of what they learned in the past several months in my class.

My test scores broke me down on Thursday and my students built me up on Friday just like I help build them up every day through building home-school partnerships, through teaching with integrity , through making learning fun and no I am not going to lie I will continue working hard to make sure my students perform their best on standardized test. My evaluations matter to me. Their test scores matter to them and to me, but I am not a test score and neither are they and thus a test score can't break who I am and should never define or break who they are.

Sincerely,

A hard working, motivated, inspired teacher.

Diversity

As I close my eyes,
People are what I see.
7 continents, 196 countries,
Over 7 billion people all represent the world around me.

Diversity is our world.
Diversity not a color, not a gender, not a language.
It is acceptance. It is education.
It is again the world around me.

Men, women, boys, girls
Black, white, orange, green , blue
Differences that describe the world around you and me.


Students, parents, teachers, people.
The world all around-diversity.
Blue collar jobs, white collar jobs,
Short, tall, curly hair, straight hair, no hair.
Blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes.
All I see is the world around me.

Friends, neighbors,
Realists and dreamers.
7 continents, 196 countries,
Over 7 billion people.
Yet all I see is our world around you and me.

Bonding Through Laughter

Most of us are not new to the phrase “laughter is the best medicine”. However, until this school year I have never thought of laughter as a way to bond with my students. I’ve done mad LIBS, engaging activities, had thought provoking conversations. I play with my students during recess. I always try to make sure my students know that I truly care about them, but I’m not someone who is often described as very funny or silly. 

This year, however, has been truly an experience where I teach my students and also learn from them all year long. My class is  a great group of kids with a lot of personalities and they absolutely have to be actively learning, staying engaged one hundred percent of the time to have a positive atmosphere and good discipline. 

This is my first year teaching 4th grade (as it turns out, my absolutely favorite grade to teach!) and between standardized testing, recreating the wheel with curriculum, differentiation, and a million other things that jump out at me throughout the day , so often I feel absolutely exhausted. What I’ve noticed though with this particular group is that when days get long, we struggle as a class to understand a topic, or we just need a break, there is always someone who will make a witty yet silly remark, say a funny joke, or will make a reference to an inside joke that’s related to something silly from that day or maybe a previous week. It always results in a good laugh and lightens the mood. From there, things go smoother. Conversations become easier to have. Focus and energy return. Laughing together; sometimes laughing so hard that we have to take deep breaths to stop, helps us bond, helps my students know I am a part of the class with them and that we are all a community growing, learning, and laughing together. They are quick to tell me jokes during recess, remind me of silly inside jokes based on class skits and other activities. They know exactly what will be funny and it’s not stupid or offensive funny, it’s funny, funny; the kind of funny where you say I am so lucky to be a part of this because this is an awesome group and they really know how to lighten up a situation, but can get back on task and be stronger, smarter, better after taking a much needed break. 

No matter how tired I can be some days, laughter has truly worked wonders in my classroom this year. It is true, every class is different. Dynamics in every class are different, but I am so grateful for the awesome group of kids I have in my class this year because as much as I love teaching them, I love learning from them just as much if not more. 

What helps you bond with your students?


Have you read “ The Book With No Pictures?” If your students and you need a good laugh, this book is perfect. An awesome teacher and someone I see as a mentor in so many ways let me borrow her copy earlier this year because she said it would be perfect for this class after I told her about the dynamics and she was so right. If your class is anything like mine, this book will be a favorite of yours!

What Does it Mean to be Smart?

I'd like to think that I am always learning, always growing as a teacher . Today, I had to admit to myself that I've failed . I've failed my students this year in a way I never thought I would fail them.
While I have been focusing on the academics and preparing my class for standardized testing , I failed to show my students that a test, a reading level, or a score on an assignment doesn't define who they are.
I work hard to promote critical thinking,team work, hands on experiences, and activities . I tell my students daily how proud of them I am and that everyone is working on different things.
For the past few months , I've had an issue with a couple of my students saying they are not smart or acting very surprised when I say they are smart. Today, we were describing character traits ( inner and outer ) of a new student from the book "The Watsons Go to Burmingham." Before going ahead and discussing character traits of the book character, I had a few students volunteer to have their inner and outer qualities described by classmates. When one particular student's inner qualities were described , one of the qualities mentioned was "smart". This student proceeded to tell me that it wasn't true . Later today, after having a conversation on this topic, I asked the same student "what makes you smart?" The response was " knowing multiplication, good grades, and high reading level."
While what the student listed is important in school and I am so glad was recognized as important, it broke my heart to hear this response. So I had all my students take out sticky notes and each one of them replied to the following questions:
What does it mean to be smart? What makes you smart? Students knew that they could write anything and they didn't have to read it out loud to the class. Over 80% of my students listed:
-good grades
-listening to my teacher
-my reading level
-knowing multiplication
-knowing how to divide
-fractions
-because my teacher says I am smart
These responses mortified me and at the same time they were the exact wake up call I needed.
I am currently taking an intro to AIG course at UNCP and I just finished reading about the theory of multiple intelligences; a theory I am familiar with and aware of, but definitely not something I thought I would be teaching to 4th graders, yet in a way, I need to.
Oh boy, did today just make the "wheels " in my brain turn. As a society, we spend so much time telling our young children that they are smart if they pass the EOG, if they are on grade level for reading, if they master their multiplication facts, etc. They can recite their reading levels by heart, and so often say they are not smart when they don't get that perfect grade on a test. As a society, we have become so focused on numbers and multiple choice tests, yet it seems that we have forgotten that life is never a matter of multiple choice.
After reading my students' responses, as a class we had a discussion about various ways one can be smart and my students were so incredibly surprised when I talked about technical skills, artistic and musical abilities, and interpersonal skills. All of a sudden a light bulb lit up and I can only hope that light bulb doesn't fade. It is my hope that all of them went home thinking about what it means to be smart and how being smart can show itself in so many different ways.
Today taught me that while all the testing we do and of course teaching academics is so important, I absolutely cannot take for granted my students' self-esteems or just assume they are confident and know that they are bright and smart no matter what reading levels they are or what they EOG looked like for them last year, or may look like this year or next. Being smart is so much more than a test or a grade. Perceiving yourself as smart is enabling and empowering, recognizing, and validating and I never want to see any of my students or any child for that matter feel not smart.
Therefore, I will continue to ask my students throughout the year "what makes you smart?" and hope to hear more and more creative and thought out responses.
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What are some activities you do to promote self-esteem of your students?
Team building activities?
How do you help your students feel successful through ice breakers, getting to know each other activities, thought provoking activities?
I would love to hear ideas....