What Teachers Make

     This post is in a series of #d100bloggerPD posts about What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali.  I had three different sections to read as part of our book study.

Thinking it Through: The Timeline at the Back of the Classroom

     This section is about looking at a child's way of thinking, and allowing it to guide you as a teacher.

     He talked about going through the history book in rough chronological order.  He went through each section, and the kids loved it.  But, he began to realize that all middle schoolers thought that all of ancient Chinese history happened long after everything in ancient Egyptian history.  They couldn't comprehend that they happened at the same time in history because they learned about them in two different parts of the school year.  They assumed that what they learned first happened first.

     I noticed this in our fourth grade, when they taught about the Revolutionary War and King George, and then added a unit about the Middle Ages after that.  They could not comprehend that the "kings" in those time periods were not the same king.  They were SO confused, and it made us really analyze not only the information we teach, but also how it is delivered, and how it is received.

    Mali described creating a giant timeline in the back of his class.  He made a 12 foot blank timeline, and measured 350 decades in centimeters, labeled them, and sealed them with packing tape.  The year started with a blank stretch of 3,5000 years, and he slowly added post its about the size of a stick of gum after every lesson.

     He then says:

     Does this chapter mean that everyone should make a giant timeline in the back of their room?  You could.  It's a great idea, and one that our 4th grade teachers actually started to do after we had that King George dilemma.  (They also stopped teaching about the Middle Ages, but that's another conversation.)  But, what I took away from this chapter was that Mali watched how his students received the information he was teaching them, thought about what he REALLY wanted for them to take away, and changed his teaching to make it happen.  That is way more that just making a timeline.

What Teachers Get: Presents From Parents

Hilarious misspellings, thank-you notes years later, confessions of tipsy parents at holiday parties, and the laughter of children: these are some of the lucrative benefits that are never mentioned in anyone's contract.

     Teachers never become teachers for the gifts, or if they do they quickly realize that they need to find another reason to teach.  Teaching is a work of heart, not a work of gifts.  I've had a fair share of presents throughout the years, and they all come from the heart, not matter what the object is.  He tells us about a gift certificate that he got for dinner, and how he wrote the parents a thank you letter and they framed his thank you letter and gave it back to him.  And, it kind of confused me, as it did him.

     It made me think of my favorite gift of all time.  It wasn't the gift certificate to the movies, which I loved, and it was ALMOST the Staedler pens (ok... that might be a tie).  The most meaningful gift I ever got was this:

     It is a broken music box shaped in a heart, from a student that challenged me to see things in so many different ways.  He taught me more about classroom management than any college course ever did, but he also gave me hope that teachers can make a difference to those that need the difference the most.  He was in my second grade class, and I kept in touch with him all the way through 5th, and tried once he went to middle school.  Sadly, he is also the one who showed me that sometimes, the difference we make isn't enough, but that we have to keep trying.  So, as I snapped that picture today, I remind myself that all children bring their own unique struggles, and that them sharing those struggles with us and building a relationship is the REAL gift.

Fighting Back Against the Attack on Teachers

We live in a country of unchecked greed and excess, where everything and everyone has been slowly squeezed bloodless so as to maximize earnings for a tiny fraction of the population.  Profit in the short term has come to trump sustainable and equitable long-term growth, to say nothing of environmental preservation.

     Wow, doesn't that just paint a bleak picture of our world today.  I actually looked at the publication date (2012) to see if the word "trump" in the quote was purely a coincidence or a craft move.  In either way, he said that in a world as greedy as ours, of course "the machine" would eventually set their sights on teachers.

     He takes great offense to the words "greedy and lazy" when complaining about teachers, and he goes into details explaining why those words are inaccurate.  As this blog is read by teachers, I won't even go there.  It would be preaching to the choir!  What he does say, though, is that we work so hard that we actually end up with a workweek that is not SUSTAINABLE.  That we, as teachers, are so on the opposite of lazy, that we work for free so much that we end up burning ourselves out and sometimes leave the profession because of it.  So, this year, remember to take time for yourself, too.  Sleep matters.  Your health matters.  YOU matter, just like your students matter.

     The next segment of What Teachers Make #d100bloggerpd is up tomorrow!  Make sure you stop by Grammar Momma with Amy Gorzkowski and read more!

July Blogging Reflections

Day 31 of #btbc16
Reflections on Writing

I'm going to be honest: I didn't blog all 31 days.

Oops.

There were some PD sessions that pre-occupied my time, and then a few days in Michigan where I left my computer at home on purpose.  I made up a few of those days on other days,  but not all of them.  I'll forgive myself, though.  I *almost did it.

Instead of blogging in Michigan, I played with toys. :)
This is my family and my sister's family in Playmobil form in Michigan .
Aren't we cute?  Totally worth the unplugged time.

This round of blogging was a bit harder for me.  There is just so much going on in the world, and it really affected my thinking.  I had a hard time following the prompts at times because my mind was on other things, yet I didn't really want to share the things that were on my mind.  Writing is supposed to liberate you and allow you to express yourself, but recently I have seen too many arguments over social media between people I love.  There were a few days where I drafted posts that I just could not publish.  I suppose I am choosing to censor my own freedom of speech a bit in order to prevent arguments these days.  It makes me sad.  I guess I would prefer to express my feelings on some of these big government and social issues face to face, I suppose.  

Thanks Michelle Brezek at @bigtimeliteracy for getting me to write a bit more on my blog.  Maybe I will even write those posts that I never wrote in 2015-16 before 2016-17 begins.  Maybe.  :)

The Last Time

Day 30 of #btbc16
The Last Time

     A friend of mine, +Kathy Ross, posted this on Facebook the other day, and it brought tears to my eyes.  As a Mom, I have already had some of the "last times" that the poem mentions.  In some of those moments, I was aware that they would most likely be the last time, probably because I have held on to these moments a little longer than most.  Friends have teased me for delaying next steps to my own kids' independence.  Don't even ask how long I kept them in the baby bath tub... My kids have always been on the small side, so I guess that has helped me keep them little.  There is this fine line between wanting them to learn to be independent, and them needing you when you are a mom.  You want both, and time flies.

     As a teacher, sometimes I think we forget to look at those "last times" when we look at our students' growth over the course of the year.  It is easy to talk about the things that they can't do in the moment.  Maybe it would help us to remember the things that we used to do, and no longer do because our students don't need the scaffold anymore.  The beginning of the year is coming, and the "first times" will be happening.  With our students, we only get a year to measure their growth.  But, there will be some "last times" too.  With responsive teaching and student goal setting, our students gain their independence and apply what we teach them.  

     As the year starts, I challenge you to allow your students to reach independence.  Don't be a helicopter teacher.  :)  Let them grow and reach new levels of self directed learning.  Just don't forget to notice those "last times" from time to time.  And, don't worry, unlike parenthood, the year will start all over again in a year.  Teachers get to repeat history each year.  Parents don't have that opportunity.

     As a parent, try to enjoy the journey.  It goes too fast, and it matters.
  

Glass Ceilings Break, Too

Day 29 of #btbc16
Hopes and Dreams

     So, a while back, I realized that my daughter thought all bosses were men.  Read this post here.

     Fast forward a few months, and Hillary Clinton was made the Democratic nominee for PRESIDENT.  Here are some headlines from today:

     This is not a post choosing a political side (although I have my opinions).  This is a post about breaking barriers and making things possible that were never thought possible before.  When a barrier falls for a woman, it actually clears the way for everyone.  It makes things possible for all.  It makes my daughters' future brighter, whether Hillary wins or not.  

@JuddLegum via Twitter

     So, last night, as Hillary Clinton was accepting the nomination for President of the United States, I called my daughter downstairs.  Yes, my 6 year old was up that late.  We had just gotten home from our vacation in Michigan, and we were still on Michigan time.  She was awake when history was made, and I remembered that conversation in the Walgreens a few months before.  I called her name from downstairs.

     "Yes, Mom?"

     "K, come here.  I want you to see something."

      "What?"

      "I want you to see that women can be bosses, too.  This woman might be the next President of the United States."

      "The president?  Really?"

      My family then sat and watched balloons and confetti fall, as a woman broke down a barrier, with help from many women before her.  My kids probably don't understand what happened, and they won't remember it on their own, but I will.  That glass ceiling was shattered, and the pieces fell like red, white and blue confetti from the sky.  #GirlPower

      

Learn

Day 23 of #btbc16
Learn

     I found this awesome little sign at the Target dollar spot this week, which happened to be the week that most of my summer PD sessions fell.  They had one that said TEACH, and one that said LEARN.  And, as I was preparing for those sessions, I definitely felt myself learning as I prepared to teach.  Isn't that the goal we can have for ourselves as teachers?  It was $3, but sends such a great message.

Teachers are learners.  

All the time.  

     Every student, every coworker, every article, even every mistake we make, helps us learn something new.   I love that about our profession.

     This week, I got to spend my time with dedicated teachers who gave up time in their summer to learn something new.   That's a pretty phenomenal way to spend some time.  

(Don't worry, I have been doing lots of summer things, too.)

     My first session was on Balanced Literacy.  Teachers and admins discussed the "balance" in Balanced Literacy, and then we looked at each possible component and what those pieces could contribute to our literacy plates in the classroom.  

     My next session was on Sketchnoting in the Classroom.  I channeled Mike Rohde and we practiced some sketchnoting skills before we made some sketch notes ourselves.

     Next up was a session of Differentiation.  This was a thoughtful group, ready to take on the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson.  We know that differentiation is a long term way of thinking, not just a set of strategies,  and we sure got ourselves thinking about our students and their needs.

     My last session for the week was on the new ISBE Social Science Standards, this time paired with +Rachel Letizia.  We talked about the standards, and inquiry, and challenged our participants to change the narrative by adding social studies into their classrooms.  Thanks, Rachel, for all your ideas and help!

     I also had the pleasure of working with some talented middle school ELA teachers as they come together across two schools to work on Single Point Rubrics.  They unpacked the standards, and we worked to get their curriculum map ready for 2016-17.  I don't have a picture of them, but they were pretty awesome to work with.  I'll just call them Team Awesome.

Teachers learn, even in the summer.  

Thanks to all who chose to learn alongside me this week.

Thanks, +Sue Butler, for getting the Summer Sched up and going this first week of #d100PD, with a  shout out to +Jennifer Boyajian for keeping us all organized in the process!

Balance

Day 22 of #btbc16

Balance

    Last year I wrote about finding balance for #btbc15.  Here's that post.

     I just re-read it.

     But, most times I feel like this elephant on a beach ball.  Confident but precarious.  A strong wind might knock me over, but at least I'd be on the beach. 

     I'm still an elephant on a beach ball.  Go figure.

     The two things that I did a little better at this year were prioritizing things, and being present.   Well, at least I recognized that those are the two areas that would help me find balance, and I made a concerted attempt to do those two things.

     Around my house and around my school I tried to prioritize my to do list for the things that were most impactful at the time.  Sometimes, that led me to saying no to things, and other times it helped me be honest with people about the timeline they could expect.  That's harder to do around my own children, but I am trying.  They don't seem to take no for an answer as well as my colleagues.

    My One Little Word for 2016 is Present, and that has helped me the most with my family.  When I am with them, I try to be in the moment,  Unlike now, when I am blogging while they play around me...  So, I am working on it.  (But, I missed a few days of the challenge! I had to log back in.)

     I wonder if I will still be that elephant during the #btbc17.  Only time will tell.



    

     

Classroom DIY

Day 17 of #btbc16

Classroom DIY

  

     The Classroom DIY creation that I have made myself and am most proud of is the Carousel Spinner iPad Thingy that I used for book clubs this year.  That is its unofficial name. 

     I was about to start modeling lessons to get kids ready for book clubs in a few rooms in my school, and one of my favorite things to do is use student video with the kids to reflect and make new goals.  With book clubs, though, it is sometimes hard to do that.  The noise level in the classroom is loud when multiple groups are talking, so just propping a computer up and hitting record in PhotoBooth doesn't end up with quality footage.  I had remembered seeing a video that someone made using a lazy susan and an iPad, but I didn't have a lazy susan.  So, I thought to myself, what do I have in this house that spins?  

     A utensil spinner!  

     Attempt #1: Originally, I used the spinner in a PD with staff members and I didn't have my iPad.  I needed to prop my phone in there, and our music teacher suggested I tape pencils to it, and my secretary thought to cut a red solo cup and prop it in.  Neither were very secure.  So, I borrowed a ruler and taped my iPhone to it, and then stuffed the middle of the utensil spinner with a little plastic pot of gold I had so that the ruler wouldn't move.  It worked, but my phone never has space on it to take videos.  

     Attempt #2: My iPad has a case on it with a stand, so I just put the stand in one of the spinner compartments and it was ready.  I actually felt silly that I didn't think to try my iPad first.  We set the video to record at us, and pressed start.  Whenever someone had something to say, they would just spin it towards them.  When the conversation was over, we pressed stop.  Then, I would just airplay the video to our smart TVs and watch segments of it with the class.  I  only have 1 utensil spinner, so not every group would get recorded each day, but I did move it from one group to the next sometimes.  

     Here is a time lapse video of a book club, with me as a participant.  The person who started recording accidentally pushed time lapse, so we ended up with a nice 13 second video to show how people take turns in a conversation not in order, but as they have a thought that will grow the conversation.

     That's about it!  I made a portable movie studio out of an iPad and a utensil spinner.  I may not be MacGyver, but I was pretty thrilled with it.  Until the stand on my iPad cased broke off...  I'm still not sure what my son did to it.  But, fixing it will most likely be my next DIY project.

     In all seriousness, I thought about not posting today because of the events in Baton Rouge.   A silly book club spinner seems not important enough to write about, but the prompt was Classroom DIY.  And I'm tired of feeling hopeless about our world.  My whole reason for wanting book clubs to succeed this year was to teach our students to have a conversation where we can agree to disagree.  And, you know what, we did.  They had some great, difficult conversations, sometimes about books and other times about historical events.  So, I am going to hit publish.  Perhaps our students will become adults who know how to solve problems through conversation,  not violence.  It has to start somewhere.