Blogging through the Fourth Dimension

Do High-tech Gadgets Improve Learning - What a Dumb Question

2012-02-01T14:03:00.000-06:00

I love Time For Kids; this magazine invokes deep discussion in my classroom, it lets the kid explore career opportunities and it delivers news to us every week. This week's blaring headline was "Technology Takeover...Schools Nationwide Are Using Technology to Teach Lessons. But Do High-Tech Gadgets Improve Learning?" At which I immediately scribbled on a post-it - what a dumb question!

Dumb because the gadget has nothing to do with the learning. Dumb because any new thing introduced to a classroom could be considered a "gadget" which makes it sound not quite serious, not quite ready to be used by students properly. Dumb because it has nothing to do with the access to a new tool but rather how you use it. In fact, you could change this headline to truly show its idiocy thus "Do Paper and Pencils Improve Learning?" Well no, not really, but how you use them do! We have all witnessed classrooms where paper and pencils do nothing to enhance the out-dated instruction being lectured. Many of us have rebelled against the stale classroom by bringing in technology tools to connect our students with the world, to give them the tools they need to succeed, while still using paper and pencils. So no high-tech gadgets do not improve learning but how you use them can.

Yet this question keeps popping up in media and school conversations. Can tech gadgets really improve learning or is it all a rueful ploy orchestrated by Apple and its minions to get us to spend more money on it? Should we be getting rid of textbooks in favor of iPads, will students ever use paper and pencils again, what will becomes of this generation? Magazines discuss these topics as if technology means a farewell to everything else we hold dear, to everything else we know and trust. But it doesn't. Technology adds (if used properly!), technology deepens, and it can enhance. That can lead to improved learning but only if the facilitator uses it right. Like with anything else we bring into a classroom, we determine whether it is worth it, or whether it should be forgotten. We must embrace the future but that the tools of it will be the magic pill. A poor instructor remains a poor instructor with or without the technology.

Giving the Classroom Back to the Students

2012-01-30T15:38:00.000-06:00

I am super excited to be giving my third webinar for the awesome blue bunnies group; SimpleK12 this Saturday during another one of their Days of Learning. This time I will be presenting on something incredibly near and dear to me; student-centered learning and teaching in this type of a classroom. I have done other webinars for SimpleK12 and they are a wonderful creative way to get PD for free! So consider joining me Saturday at 1 PM ESt/2 PM CST for this webinar. See how to register below.

Giving the Classroom Back to the Students: Letting Go and Learning More

Would you like for your students to connect at a deeper level with the curriculum, to really love school and learning? Then this session is for you - a beginning guide to student-centered learning.

To Register, please click here

I Am the Job Creator

2012-01-29T08:03:00.000-06:00

As the rhetoric fills the airwaves, I keep hearing two words over and over... job creators. The job creators need tax breaks, the job creators have the right to be heard, we must focus on the job creators. Well I am here to tell you something...

I drop my child off at daycare every day with a wonderful woman that teaches her how to be a member of this society - I am a job creator

I drive my car to work and sometimes stop for diesel at the local gas station, I am a job creator

I go to school and teach students the skills they need to be successful, I am a job creator

I shop for groceries to feed my family and try to stay local as much as possible, I am a job creator

I spend my extra money at the mall chasing the American dream, I am a job creator

When the economy dries up, my paycheck gets cut so that I can feel the pain of the real world. Well I have felt the pain all along working a job that pays me little in money but much in love. So don't tell me I am not a job creator, because I am the one the spends the money that keeps the economy going. I am the one that keeps it local, buys American made, and worries about how my actions in my community affects those who held the jobs. I am the job creator with everything I do.

We Need More Courageous Conversations

2012-01-27T10:14:00.001-06:00

I am wrong. I made a mistake. It didn't work. These are all words I have had to say frequently in all of the years of my teaching career. They are not easy to say, nor easy to swallow, and yet those words are what have made me the educator I am today; someone who reflects, someone who realizes they are human, someone who admits fault.

In education we often put ourselves on pedestals, assuming no wrong. We have all of the answers because that is what we need to have. We have the solutions, the right ways. We are trained professionals after all. Except we don't always have those answers, or the right way to do something. Things may not always work and the students do not always get the best education.

We must learn to admit when we are wrong. We must learn to reflect upon our mistakes and make ourselves better. We must realize we are not perfect and that others don't expect us to be. We must have these courageous conversations about our own teaching, our grade levels, our classroom, and our schools. We must reflect, we must discuss, and we must learn. If we all fall under the illusion of perfection we will never change the way we do teaching. We will never change to be better. Our students will never learn from s that mistakes are glorious occasions that move us forward. Start the conversation with yourself and then spread it. All it takes is one courageous person to set the example.

And right after I sent this out Chad Lehman reminded me that we need courageous actions. He is so right; take your courageous conversations and turn them into action.

When Students Speak Do We Even Really Listen?

2012-01-25T18:10:00.000-06:00

Get us out of our seats. Less homework. Not so many tests. More projects, more hands-on, more fun. All things students will tell you if you ask them how school should be. All things we have heard for years and yet many of us have yet to react to them. We chalk their statements up to students being lazy; they don't want to work, that is why they want less homework. They don't know their curriculum so they don't want to be tested on it. I have too much to cover so they have to listen and stay in their seats while I lecture. We have a plan, a program, and students are just another piece to plan for and to fit into everything we need to cover. They are obstacles to be conquered, to be molded and shaped until they fit perfectly into our round holes whether they started out square or triangular.

So as the education debate rages and more and more voices join the discussion, I wonder why we don't listen to the one that should carry the most weight; the student. Where are the children at these meetings. Where are the future generations? Not even invited. And I don't mean just the high school students but the young ones, the ones that have just started school that still like to come, that still like to be excited, the ones that haven't been burned by a system that progresses whether they are with it or not. Those students should have a seat at the table and when they speak we should really listen. We should stop with our excuses and our assumptions of why they say these things and want these changes. We should listen to their message and then actually believe it. Let them speak, let them be heard, and let us change.

It is possible to make school fun through projects and student choice. It is possible to cut out homework and still cover everything you need to cover. It is possible to not test and still know where your students are academically. It is possible to stop talking and let them be the leaders, the guides, the teachers. It is possible...if you believe in it.

You Don't Have to Be A Technology Whiz But You Do Need to Be Fearless

2012-01-22T07:37:00.001-06:00

As we find ourselves surrounded by more and more technology in our profession as teachers, we see teachers react in strong ways. You have the embracers, the ones that think any tech tool will enhance their teaching whether it really will or not. You have those who are open but sceptic, who look for tools that will create deeper meanings and not just be another flashy gadget. You have the hesitaters, the ones that will not request but will use the tool when they get it. You have the hand-holders, those who stare at something and do not use it until someone else walks them through the entire process, multiple times. Then you have the skeptics, the ones that do not think any tech will enrichen their teaching because they don't believe in gadgets. Finally you have the resisters, those who resist pretty much any change, whether technology related or not. All of these types of teachers have their reasons for being who they are, all of them base their perceptions on assumptions and on past experience.

So for all of them I offer some advice.

Don't blame the tool. Often we hate the tool before we have even tried it, it is like a gut reaction to change in education that one develops. "Oh, here they come again with their fancy new ideas while the old ideas work just fine." And while there is some truth in that, it is not the tool's fault it was placed in your room, so the least one can do is explore it. Otherwise it leads to...
Judge first, condemn early. How many teachers have gotten upset over new initiatives or things being introduced before they have even tried it? Sometimes it is easier to get upset rather than just wait and see; many words have been eaten this way.
You don't have to love it but do try it. I don't love every piece of tech in my room (SmartBoard I am thinking of you) but I do use it. After all it is there so I might as well. I may just prefer to teach in other ways and use different tools.
Mess with it. Too many times teachers are afraid to even turn something on, let alone push several buttons. This approach can no longer be accepted. We should be guided by many of our students' approach to tech; turn it on and mess with it. You never know what you can discover on your own.
Give it more than one try. Even with my SmartBoard I continue to explore it, hoping I will have that aha moment where I embrace it. It hasn't happened yet, but I will not give up on it. It is there to stay and so am I.
Ask questions, but don't gripe. Yes, satisfaction can be reached through commiseration over the latest tool but will that really push us any further toward figuring it out? Start a conversation, reach out to others, but leave it productive. You will feel better when you walk away.
Get help. Sometimes teachers are too proud to ask others for help but not me. I ask my students to help me figure stuff out, I ask other teachers whether globally or in my school. Somebody else is bound to have run into the same problem at some point so why not solve it together? Team approach works best with technology.
Be fearless. Technology is not the master of us and it never was intended to be, and yet, how many teachers are deathly afraid of it all? Yes, you may break something but so what? At least you attempted to use it. Again look to our students for how we should embrace technology; try it, use it, make it work for you.

Being a 21th century teacher means we have to equip our students with the know-how of technology, there simply is no excuse to not fulfill our job. Our students learn from us, even the way we react to change, so think of your approach as the newest thing is shown to you. Will you model how to be fearless?

I Know Worksheets are Bad and Yet I Assigned One

2012-01-19T15:08:00.000-06:00

There they lie; staring at me with their guilty weight of uselessness, reminding me how I made another mistake. I thought I had them beat, that I had conquered the urge to assign them, and yet I slipped and now that pile of 32 math worksheets reminds me of why I gave up on them in the first place. I don't know why I thought they would be a good idea, why I found them necessary that morning, but I did and now I have to come to term with what that means for me and for my students. I know my good intentions of practice is hidden in there somewhere but I forgot to listen to my common sense, to look at my past mistakes, to think of the students.

We reach for worksheets when we want to make sure that students get something, when we want to have them practice, to secure a skill. And yet who assigns worksheets with just a few problems? After all, you want a lot of problems to make sure they really get it, that they will never forget. So why didn't I just assign them 5 problems to show me they knew, why the need for a double-sided sheet with 32 problems on it? The time I must have robbed from my students outside life haunts me.

So I take my pride and put it aside and I realize I made a mistake. Tomorrow I am going to have to tell the kids that, own it, and apologize. It shows that i am still learning, that I make bad decisions too, I am nowhere near perfect as a teacher. And I learn, I learn from my mistakes, from my good intentions gone bad. I learn from the feedback of the students and I admit when I mess up. That's what makes us better teachers. That's what builds better classrooms. Humility, humanity, and reflection.

In Which I Reveal My Biggest Project Yet

2012-01-17T20:43:00.000-06:00

I have a hard time keeping secrets (because I get so excited) and did let this one slip to a couple of people but we are finally ready to reveal my biggest project to date. Brandon and I are thrilled, astounded, and utterly in awe that we are expecting twins this summer. For those who know, infertility has been a long journey for us and we have long considered Thea to be our miracle baby. Thus the idea of two siblings for her is enough to make me cry with joy (and yes, there has been a lot of crying - double the hormones...).

So while my dedication to changing the world of education remains the same, my pace may slow down a bit. After all, I can't remember where I put the milk anymore let alone try to stay awake past 9 PM. So bear with me these next few months of life-changing adventure and thank you all for all of the wonderful thoughts you have sent our way. It worked!

The nurse actually said, "Ummm, I have a surprise for you..." and then showed us this. She sure did - two beating hearts.

Yes They Grew But Can I Take Credit For It?

2012-01-16T07:44:00.001-06:00

We are in the midst of testing season at my school. The students are doing MAP tests, as well as their writing assessments and we gather to discuss the results, to think of strategies. To rank, to sort, to file. To highlight, to shine a light, and to discuss what is working and what isn't. We pat some teachers on the back - look at that growth, and we wonder what else we can do. We wonder if merit pay is on the horizon and how we will be ranked, filed, and sorted. That will be based on these test results on those students gains or losses and yet, can we really take credit for the gains that our students may have made? Can those test results really be accredited to the teacher?

I often wonder how much growth my students do on their own? How their brain creates new connections, new ideas, and new strategies for conquering the learning we do? How much of that growth can be attributed to their parents or home environment rather than the school? How many of those new connections can really be chalked up to their natural development as a growing child who all of a sudden gets it more? Or even how much of their growth should be attributed to their first teachers, perhaps in daycare, pre-school or kindergarten? Those teachers set the foundation, taught those students that school was safe and an environment they could continue their learning in. Can I take credit for any of the growth shown a piece of paper? I don't know.

What Dreams Reminds Us Of

2012-01-15T07:35:00.000-06:00

Last night I lost control of my class. It was a dream, of course, it being Sunday today, but I have had this dream before. The students are older - nothing likethose older students to be disrespectful. The classroom is crowded - poor teaching conditions. The task is simple and yet they don't understand. They talk amongst themselves. They get up and move around to talk. They are too busy, too bored, to listen to me.

So I raise my voice and I yell at them. Except in this dream I always start to lose my voice thus leaving me feeling powerless. The students proceed with their misbehavior.

They rush into the task I have created, they do it wrong. I signal for their attention by yelling but I cannot yell over the crowd. They ignore me and we do not get through what we need to.

They start to answer my questions but they are doing it all wrong and the frustration increases until finally the bell rings; class dismissed. the students are upset, I am ready to quit teaching, and my heart is pounding.

The first time I had this dream I thought it was a reflection of me and it was; how I used to be. How I used to control my classroom. Yet this dream is nothing like my now classroom. The students are the perfect age for me, they are moving around because they learn better that way. They pay attention when they need to and I barely ever raise my voice. Instead I wait until I get their attention and then provide them with the task. But the biggest difference; the task itself. In the dream the task is meaningless, not tied into anything, and totally controlled by me. In reality our tasks are building blocks, shaped by the students and with a bigger purpose.

So I wake from my nightmare shook up but aware that i have changed my reality. That I no longer thrive on controlling my students but relish the freedom they have in my room. Relish the community we have built. relish the learning happening. My brain may be playing tricks on me but it does serve a reminder of why I changed my classroom philosophy; I did it for the students.

Won't You Be Happy With Me?

2012-01-13T15:57:00.000-06:00

Whip cream, a quiet classroom, students reading, my daughter crashed in the car, Amos Lee...all things that have made me happy in the last 13 days. How do I know this? I have been documenting all of these small moments on my new blog The Happy Streak. This is not a blog to write on but one used for personal reflection through cell phone pictures. By then posting pictures of all of those small, usually insignificant and quickly forgotten moments of happiness, I am making myself a happier person overall.

Had you asked me on January 1st whether I had ever gone 13 days in a row being happy every single day, I would have said probably not, after all, being a teacher, a mother, a partner, a friend, a daughter all causes stress. And yet here I am, 13 days into my happy streak and every single day I have indeed been happy. Every day I have found smile inducing, grin bearing moments that have taken over the mood of the whole day.

This new adventure lets me record those small moments that bring the smiles. Seeing my husband come home from work, a beautiful sunset, needing sunglasses in January, even the first snowstorm - all part of my happy streak. By doing something as simple as taking a picture of that moment they take over my life and become the focus. I catch myself all day now finding happy streak moments, wanting to record them, smiling about them. I am so lucky, I have such a wonderful life, I am glad I finally realized this. So won't you be happy with me? How will you realize your happy moments? When will you begin your very own happy streak?

I Don't Want to Be Superwoman

2012-01-11T08:54:00.000-06:00

We worry about whether we are enough. Whether we plan enough, whether we know enough, do we grow enough or are we outdated? We worry about whether we are reaching them, teaching them, and always making them feel like they can do it, like they matter, like they belong. We worry because that is what teachers do. Did we do enough? Did we listen enough? Did we let them speak, find their voice, share their passion? Did we uncover their talents and boost their weaknesses? How will they remember school? How will they remember us? Will it matter all of the tears, the time, the trouble we went through so that they knew they were important?

I know I am not superwoman, and nor would I ever want to be. Superwoman isn't human, she is too busy to sit down and listen to a story or see a lightbulb moment. Superwoman has to save the world and my shoulders cannot carry that. So I would rather be human, be me, be here in this classroom, at this time, working with these students. Being there for them, catching the moments, guiding and stepping back. Letting them fail and learning with them. I would rather be me, thankful for this time, for this moment, for these challenges that I know I can carry. Superwoman cannot invest, but I can, and I do, every day, every moment, even after they are gone. They are my children and I grow with them. That is what teachers do.

Teachers Do More Than Teach - Why Technology Can Never Replace Them

2012-01-09T17:18:00.001-06:00

I hate that technology and education seem to be at odds with each other as presented in some media. This "either or" mentality is, in my opinion, detrimental to the future of education. We should embrace technology when it serves its purpose, but not treat as a replacement for teachers. Computerized tests may be better at accurately assessing which reading skills my student needs to focus on, but a computerized test will not know why that student has not mastered that skill. It can dictate a learning program fit to fix that gap, or to propel them forward, but hitting rewind and watching it over and over will not always guarantee that a student masters a concept. So when we let videos be the only teaching tool for a child, or a computer program, then we stop figuring out why that child is not understanding. We lose that human connection that teachers provide.

We need the human connection for that, we need some form of a teacher to sit down and figure out what is happening in that child's mind. To figure out how we keep them engaged and interested. How we keep them invested. A computer program will always analyze but forget about the human aspect. It will assess the problem from a deficit standpoint whereas lack of understanding may be as easy as lack of vocabulary or lack of sleep.

In high school, I failed math and I repeatedly asked my teacher for help to explain the concepts to me. She would explain it the same way she had explained it before and I finally stopped asking, it simply didn't make sense to me no matter how many times she repeated it. Mind you this was before YouTube and vast internet communities, before Google, and Twitter. The only other place I could turn was the library. And yet we let tools that do nothing but repeat take so much value away from the job that we do every day as teacher. We have let the media portray it as the saviour of education.

A frightening future to me would be one where teachers are nonexistent or serve a secondary role to the almighty computer. Where students are greeted by machines from their own private spaces and curriculum is served through a computer program. Lunch is served by themselves and extracurricular activities are gone by the wayside. Drastic sure, but scary nonetheless. Teachers don't just teach the curriculum; they process it, they analyze it knowing their students' skills. They invest their time in it so that students will want to invest their own. They make it meaningful, relevant, and they make it fun. Technology can help with that, but it shouldn't replace. Teachers do more than just teach; they shape, they mold, they model behavior, and they connect. Often that connection is worth more than any curriculum. Worth more than any computer program.

So the path of the future is our hands; we can show the way of how to use technology correctly as a tool to help propel us forward as practitioners or we can hide from it and lament its coming. Technology was never meant to replace teachers, but it slowly is, it is up to us whether we let it.

Why Trusting Your Gut Can Be the Best Classroom Management Course You Ever Take

2012-01-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

A year and a half ago, I went through a radical change in the way I am as a teacher. The whole foundation of what my classroom was was discarded and re-born, all on the basis of my gut instinct. It told me that to increase student motivation and increase buy-in that my method of teaching and, indeed, the whole feel of my classroom had to change. That to see motivation increase and excitement build that the old method I was using was so far away from what I wanted that it simply should not exist anymore. So instead of dismissing what some may have viewed as a crazy whim, unsafe territory if you must, I pursued, I went there and I took the chance of implementing it into my classroom and my unsuspecting students.

I trusted my instincts and my own desire for how my schooling should have been; projects, team-work, choices. And now in the second year into this implementation I am the proof that it works. I am the proof that if you believe in your students, if you believe in their ability to make great choices, to work together as teams rather than as individuals their learning will benefit. I have students who love coming to school, and not just those 50% that love you no matter what they do. I have kids that had given up, that believed that they could not succeed, that they were not smart enough to go to school, now tell me that they love coming, that they cannot wait to learn. That they cannot wait to be challenged. They may not ace every single assignment but they try and they grown. They may not get the grades that others get but they participate, they share and they know that their voice is just as important as those who used to be the top-kids, the stars of the room. They smile, they belong, and they own the community. School is a place they want to come to, not somewhere they have to go.

I cannot take credit for all of this because the students trusted me as well. They trusted me with their dreams of school and of learning. They trusted me with how they want to learn, how they see themselves as individuals and the paths they want to take. That speaks a lot of the relationships we have created. Those children trusted me enough to let me in, and to make our classroom their second home. So my classroom is the proof that these strategies work, even if you do not know that is what you are doing. My classroom is the proof that sometimes following your gut is more important than following any college class on classroom management. My classroom is the proof that even though your mentor does it one way, it is ok for you to do it completely different. We can change the way we do school and we can make school all about the children. We just have to be willing to change ourselves.

Can Older Teacher Still Be Innovators?

2012-01-04T19:52:00.000-06:00

This morning when I looked in the mirror I saw a new wrinkle. Right there inching along on my forehead, something I swore was not there before. I look younger than I am and yet the signs of time will cover my face slowly but certainly. It makes me wonder when will people think that I am outdated? That my teaching no longer is fresh or new? When will parents request the other teacher simply because they seem to have more energy?

Teachers seem to have a shorter shelf life these days. Like our glory days of innovation are numbered and one can only have so many new ideas, and only when in their prime years. Yet, I see teacher much older than me generate ideas that I could never even fathom. Come up with lessons that students talk about years later. And yet the credit goes to the young, the fresh, the energetic but only if they look it.

Can an idea still be fresh if thought of by an older mind? Will the general consensus continue to be that new must come from the young, the innovative, the ones that are most tapped in? Can we change the stigma of the aging teacher and how their ideas lose merit with the years of use? Or is this simply a product of my aging imagination that wonders whether I will be old and my ideas will lose their luster? Are teachers judged more on their ideas than their age? Can innovation be embraced when it comes from someone older than you or must it always be packaged as coming from the next generation?

The Story of the Child that Changed Me

2012-01-03T12:59:00.003-06:00

If I could go back and undo what I did to a child some years ago I would. This child, who so desperately needed to feel in control of something in their life, came to me and only got more of the same. Less control, more demands, more punishment, rather than a safe haven to feel like they was ok, like they belonged, like they were listened to. They say you learn from your mistakes, and this is one of those kids I have learned from the most.

    Peter wasn’t always unhappy, as evidenced by the smiling pictures I saw of him from younger years. By the time he reached the third grade though life had gotten in the way and those smiles were far and few in between. The first time I met him, his mother dragged him into my room late for orientation and started to tell me how I would have a hard time with this one because he was lazy and didn’t care. I don’t think any child’s shoulders have ever slumped more than that. As I nodded through his mother’s complaints, I swore that I would be different, that Peter would start to love school again, that I would help turn this kid around. Looking back, I see now how failed this notion was given the constraints I had placed myself under in my classroom. I was a novice teacher, someone who still believed that I should run my classroom like those who had come before me, like people I had read about in textbooks, like they had taught me in college. I believed that the teacher was the power, the one with all of the knowledge, and the best way for students to learn was to listen to me dole out wisdom. Sure there would be fun, we would have parties and rewards for homework turned in and good behavior. There would also be punishment for those who misbehaved or dared to not hand in their homework. Grades would be motivation and threats would be the norm. Nothing like building a relationship with a child by telling them if they don’t comply they will get an F.

    So Peter put his trust in me and at first I got him to smile, to open up a little, to have some success. Days passed and I thought I was helping, I was fixing, I was changing this child’s life. That is, until he didn’t do his homework. I didn’t take the time to find out why, I didn’t ask any questions, but just told him to put his name on the board and to stay in for recess. During recess he worked so slowly, punishing me for calling him out in front of the class, that the next day his homework was still not done. Again, I didn’t ask any questions but just called him out, embarrassing him a little and then told him again that recess would be mine until this math was done. Again slow and painful work meant that he barely finished. What I didn’t know was that our power struggle had just begun and it would last the whole year. Me in the role of enforcer, as supreme teacher that took away instead of gave, that punished rather than asked questions, that wanted more control rather than let him have some. You see, I think all Peter wanted was control. He wanted a space where he could come in and feel that he had a voice, that he mattered, that he belonged. But by removing control from the classroom and even more so for him, I didn’t let him find his voice. I didn’t let him invest himself into the classroom. I didn’t change his mind or change his ways about school, I just let him live up to what his mother had so thoroughly predicted; that he was a no good troublemaker.

    Peter made me almost quit teaching because I saw what I had done to him. I saw by the end of fourth grade how my decisions to run my classroom in a traditional sense had taken all of his pleasure out of learning. I knew that summer that I had to change and one of the biggest things to go was the passion for control. Students had to feel they belonged because they had to feel it was their room. They had to have a genuine voice that listened to their needs and let them shape the classroom. They had to have room to grow, to fail, and to embrace each other’s strengths through collaboration and hands on exploration. No more teacher as the sage on the stage, but rather shine the light on the students. Had I given Peter classroom like the one we create now, he would have had a reason to speak up, to get invested. He would have loved the choices, how his voice mattered, and how his creative side could be explored. He would have perhaps taken a small leadership role to show the other kid that he was worthy, to show them that he did belong on the team, he would have cared.

I run my classroom now with the mantra of students first in everything I do. Their voice matters, their choices matter, and their opinions matter. I do not punish and I do not reward. Students work together when we can and always have a choice in how they do things. They sit wherever they want and we try to eliminate homework. If you work hard in our room you do not have to bring the work home. They belong, they own the room, it is theirs and that is what I should have done from the moment I started teaching. I realized it isn’t about me, but about them. I can never undo what I did to Peter and those other students before him but I can make sure I never do it again. I have changed my teaching style because of this child and for that I am grateful, even if he will never know how much he influenced me.

Go On - Be Happy With Me

2012-01-01T09:22:00.002-06:00

The new year smells of new opportunities, new promises, hope and change. And yet I know that no grand sweeping resolutions will stick. Heck I broke my first one about 30 seconds after midnight when I swore, oops. So this year I am keeping it simple, along with my mantra to slow down I want to enjoy more, to smile more, to laugh more, so here comes the happiness streak. (And no, I cannot take credit for that awesome title, it is from Josh Stumpenhorst.)

So every day I promise to notice my happiness moments, I promise to share them (hashtag #happystreak), and to show that the true happiness in life does come from those small fleeting moments. So for the first day of the year I will have a luxurious breakfast with my family and I will read Thea a book. Those will be my happiness moments today, what will yours be? Start your happiness streak today.

So to make it more official, I will do a 365 photo blog of my happiness streak - check it out here.

What is Your Sentence for the New Year?

2011-12-31T08:21:00.000-06:00

The other day I thought aloud on Twitter of what my sentence or words for the new year would be. After some time I realized my sentence would be "Slow down." Slow down to me means relax, say no to projects, cherish my time, and enjoy the moment. Slow down to appreciate. Slow down to enjoy. Slow down with the expectations. 2011 was an incredible year for me as an educator but a very tough year for us personally, so this year, as I work on one of the biggest projects yet, I will be slowing down. And I will cherish it.

What will your mantra for the year be?

Let Them Film - Another SimpleK12 Webinar Presentation

2011-12-27T11:47:00.001-06:00

I am thrilled to have been asked back to do another webinar for SimpleK12 entitled "Let Them Film - Promote Student Ownership in Learning with Video Cameras." The description is as follows:
How would you like to get rid of the packets and worksheets and offer students an interactive way to learn? Would you like to have students participate in the learning conversation, becoming more aware of their goals and challenges? Then join this webinar and discover ways to integrate video cameras into your curriculum. With this simple tool, students can go on grammar hunts, report their science findings, and teach other students how to do math. We will explore how to integrate the cameras without changing your learning goals, as well as discuss some meaningful activities that you can begin with.

This webinar will take place on January 12th at 12:30 - 1:00 PM ESt and is free! All you have to do is register so to register just click on this link. I hope to see you there.

Give 'Em a Break

2011-12-27T08:39:00.000-06:00

I used to be that teacher that thought breaks meant more time to do work. I used to be that teacher that thought that vacation meant the students would forget everything unless I assigned them work to do. I used to be that teacher that thought school was the most important thing in a child's life and I therefore had the right to all of their free time, as much as I needed, to make sure that they were always learning. Then I had a child and as I see the world through her eyes I see the constant learning. I see the exploration. I see the boundless curiosity. And I am ashamed of my past decisions.

Vacations and breaks are not for school, otherwise students would not get them. They are for living, for being with family, for recharging and letting the world sink in. They are for going outside, for reading for fun, for exploring whatever one chooses. School is not the most important thing in life; living is. So I give my students a break over the break. Read a book if you want, blog if you want, sleep in, have fun, and relax. When you get back we have much to do but until then you deserve the rest.

So give your students a break.

Remember the Wish for My Brother

2011-12-26T19:24:00.000-06:00

In November, I wrote a post asking for help in giving my brother Paul a very special Christmas. He was at the time deployed to Afghanistan and expected to come home before Christmas. Besides being an incredible trauma nurse and studying to be a doctor, he is also the biggest Maple Leafs fan I have ever seen. So in my post I asked if anyone could help me get a shirt for him and lo and behold it all happened due to the power of Twitter. Watch the video below how it all went down and thank you again if you were part of the journey in getting the word out.

The Ones That Meant the Most

2011-12-24T09:48:00.000-06:00

We can all see our statistics and see which posts are the ones people read the most. And yet those numbers don't always convey those that meant the most to the author. So I thought why not highlight the ones you may have missed, the ones that speak the loudest of the last year, the ones that meant the most.

Those Things We Carry
The Story of My Brother The Onion Boy How there is no such thing as meaningful punishment.
What is Their Sentence? We often discuss what our own motto would be but I would rather think of what my students' sentence would be.
What Type of Difference Do You Make? We all know that teachers make a difference in others' lives but do you think of what type of difference you make?
He Was Right There - Words to My Father. How one man choosing me to be his daughter changed my life.
Saying Goodbye. Letting go and giving thanks to my cat.
Do Teachers Have the Right to Privacy? The title explains this fascinating discussion.
Teachers Save Lives Too - We Just Don't Get Paid Like We Do.
An Ode to the Lost Saying goodbye and letting go to the child that never was.
We Say and Yet. How our words do not always match our actions.

So there you go, some that meant the most to me this year r came from the most personal place. I do not know if I will take a break here from blogging, I will blog if the mood strikes me. So thank you for reading this year and take care.

How We Became that Room

2011-12-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

“...And if you walk into our room you may be surprised at the noise and the mess, but to me that means the students are engaged.” So ended an elementary teacher’s presentation to my class on classroom management and I was horrified. Noise? Mess? Not this teacher! I was going to run my classroom like a machine. Those kids would know routines for everything, even down to when they could sharpen their pencil, and they would love me for it because that was part of my expectations as well. Equipped with all of my Harry Wong ideas, I was ready to whip these kids into shape and they would be so thankful. After all, how could anyone possibly learn in noise or out of their desks?
Now some years later I look around our room and we are that classroom. The one you can hear coming down the hallway, the one where students are splayed out on the floor, discussing, laughing and gosh golly sharpening their pencils whenever they like. There are no laminated rule posters hanging on our walls, there are no reminders of how to get their stuff or how to come into the classroom. There are no sticks to move or stars to give. Just a classroom being run with the students and by the students. To the untrained eye it may seem chaotic. After all students crave routines, even in their classrooms. But if you look closer, you will notice they are there. Students get to work and stay focused, they treat each other with respect. They tell me in the morning when they forgot to do their homework and they ask to work on it during recess or to get it to me the next day. They have their things organized, they know when I need their attention, and they know how to treat each other. Behold, the managed classroom without the overt rules.
I did not start this way, in fact, I am not sure any new teacher should. As a new teacher it is so important that you discover who you are as a teacher, that you discover your own best practices and then start to question them. Question the ideas you are taught and see how they fit into your vision. I was taught that I should post the rules of my classroom so that the students would be continually reminded of what the expectations were. Except I like clean walls, and I don’t think students need constant reminders. Down came the posters and my room somehow got uncluttered. I was taught that I had to be the ultimate authority in the classroom or it would turn into Lord of the Flies, except I found out that by sharing the authority I created autonomous learners that were much more engaged. I was taught that students would learn better if they were rewarded with stickers or A + but found that we didn’t need the extrinsic motivation if the learning was worth it. How did I learn all of this? By watching my students and questioning my own practices and then trying it. I was terrified the first year I threw out the rules. When I told my students there would be no rewards and no punishment I thought I would have a riot on my hands, kids who refused to work, homework that would be weeks late, and instead? No change. In fact, the kids shrugged, no big deal, they knew they had to get to work.
So this year I did the unthinkable; I didn’t tell the kids the rules. I instead asked them what the routines should be and what type of classroom they envisioned. They discussed without much of my input and that was it. We didn’t make a poster, we didn’t all pledge to follow the rules, we moved on to more exciting things. Now students live up to the they expectations set and they help each other work well in the classroom. If a day is louder than normal, then I know we need to get out of our desks and I adapt our learning to their moods. By being clued in to what their behavior is telling me, we have a lot smoother days because I am not trying to squeeze them into my box of expectations. They are in the truest sense of the word active learning and teaching participants.
So how can you make this work for you? Start to question what you have been taught. Question those tips and tricks you were given that didn’t seem natural to you. Ask yourself how do you learn best and then ask everyone else you meet. The answers may surprise you. Ask the students; their voice is the most important one in the room. Yes, that’s right; their voice, not yours. Create a space where the students feel comfortable, welcome, and have ownership. Show them you trust them to make great decisions and then give them an opportunity to do so. Change your curriculum to fit their needs and get them moving; long periods of stationary work lead to restless bodies which means their minds have long since wandered off. Have i fit their age; I teach 5th graders so I can expect a lot more autonomy than I can from a roomful of kindergartners, but even our youngest students can own the room. And most importantly; believe in your students. Believe that they have buy-in in the room, believe that they care about it, and then give them a learning experience that they actually do want to care about. Tear down the authority between you and them and give them a chance to prove you wrong. Give them a chance to show that they can work without the overt rules, that they can set the expectations, that they can rise to the occasion.

It's the Least We Can Do

2011-12-21T16:33:00.000-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

In this numbers obsessed society, test makers have figured us all out. They have realized that if they make the test long enough, tedious enough, and fill them with multiple choice or scantron-able answers then we will assume they are valuable. What more is that they have figured out that they can even sell us software that will grade the tests for us, break down all of the date, and create a nice graph. Testing done. Results at hand.

Except if we are to test students, then at the very least we should look at those tests. We should try to decipher their answers, create our own data, and meet with them to discuss it. Yes, a multiple choice test is cleaner and easier but it also provides less of a view into the heads of our students, into their thoughts, into their learning. A clean test that a machine can correct provides us with data, nothing else, points to be graphed with no clear direction or at the very least not a very detailed one.

So if we must test the children, then do them the favor of correcting it yourself. Give their work the time and effort you expect them to put into taking the test. It's the least we can do.

How We Fail Young Students with Facebook

2011-12-18T12:52:00.000-06:00

Image via CrunchBase

A gaggle of 5th grade girls all sit around a lunch table obviously in a deep discussion. As I walk past them, one word makes my ears perk up and my step slow...Facebook. Immediately the teacher in me wants to interrupt, remind them that they are 10 and 11 which according to the law means they are not allowed to be on Facebook, and yet I don't. I let them and their conversation be and instead head to my room and ponder the hypocrisy that is the age restriction on Facebook.

To be a legal member of Facebook you have to be 13 years old. The site makes this very clear, and yet we all know that the this rule is being broken on a daily basis as 4th and 5th graders sign up and start using the site. And while we can sit here and discuss how kids are just too young to handle to the responsibility of such a decision at that age, I think we should instead move on and discuss the real ramification of these sign ups: Kids that are not being taught how to use the site safely, because we choose to pretend they are not signing up. And yet, they are signing up, and they are using it to their full potential; the good, the bad, and the bullying. So rather than releasing educated students onto a social media site, we stick our heads in the sand, cover our ears and pretend it isn't happening.

So as teachers we are once again put in a situation where we cannot teach kids skills that would be beneficial to them in the long run. Skills they for sure will need in middle school. Rather than confronting Facebook head on in the classroom and discussing how to use it, we ignore it, give stern warnings, and move on as if this will stop kids from signing up.

In America we seem to have a tendency in general to cover our ears and pretend kids are not doing things they shouldn't, rather than actually teach them how to do it safely. Just look at how sex ed. and underage drinking is being treated. So as a society we would rather hold up the rule and say, "Well, they shouldn't be doing this!" rather than face the facts and give them the proper education to handle it well. Again, this discussion isn't meant to be about whether kids are too young to be on Facebook, much smarter people have written oodles about that. It is to bring up how we as a society should be giving kids an education in social media before they start to sign up rather than trying to patch things up later in life.

We fail these children when we pretend that they are not on Facebook at ten years old. We fail to teach them right, to show them how to behave and move around in a virtual social media site. How to deal with being friends with people or un-friending, how to post properly, what not to post, and how to treat others with respect. By being a restriction that is still so easily accessible to children, it becomes the ultimate must do. And perhaps Facebook isn't what is so scary about this whole thing, but rather kids that have no idea how to use it properly. And that is for us to fix, if society would let us.

How Do You Get Kids to Pay Attention?

2011-12-15T15:35:00.000-06:00

I see a lot of articles discussing how to get the attention of students and am continually amazed at what these advice pieces seem to miss. Often the advice includes asking questions, which I agree with if they are the right kind of questions; please don't ask them what page you are on, that does not count as a great question. It also includes giving students an incentive "The first 5 kids to buckle down will get to pick what we do next!" Or even to have a vote on something totally irrelevant to snap them out of their boredom; "Raise your hand if you like Christmas!'

It is not that I am better knowing, but I shake my hand at all that is missed through these suggestions. How about instead of bribing or tricking students into pay attention, we offer them learning opportunities that they actually want to pay attention to!

I know most of us are under guidelines for what we need to teach, but, a lot of us also have a choice in how we teach that. How about we transfer the choice to the students? How about rather than telling them what to do, we explore it with them, thus creating natural buy-in. Now I am part of a scripted math program as well and there the rigidity is more noticeable. Instead of bribing the kids, we work hard and then we get to do more in-depth explorations. I change it up often, even if it just means having the students move around and we do a lot of $2 whiteboard activities that involves all of the students rather than me standing up in front talking.

The point is; if we want students to pay attention, make it worth their time. We cannot keep expecting them to pay attention just because we want them to. Just because we were forced to pay attention in class doesn't mean we should do the same thing to our students. It is our chance to not do school to them as it was done to us. Take it.

Keep the Focus as the Break Nears

2011-12-15T11:29:00.001-06:00

We are all a little antsy and just a little busy as the holidays draw nearer. To keep the focus in school and still have some fun here are some things we have been doing in my room.

Start a lunch time book club. All three 5th grade teachers did this so that the students had some choice in book. We meet once a week to eat and discuss the latest chapters. I love the extra connections being created between classes.
Get up and move. We have increased our dance breaks as the break gets closer. Except now we tend to listen to holiday music from around the world, nothing like "Julebal i Nisseland" to get their bodies moving.
Participate in something global. we are doing the holiday card exchange this year and the students are so excited to see the mail we are getting. They are also learning about other parts of the country and world through the letters. The cost: 30 stamps!
Take the time to appreciate. We don't have a lot of time but I try to tell the kids either face-to-face or via post it note how much I appreciate specific things about them. It starts a wave of appreciation which boosts morale.
Keep busy. The less we have to do, the more we can focus on the upcming break. So we keep working to reach our deadlines and the reward is no homework over break.
Mix it up. Our schedule has been a little more flexible to fit our moods more these weeks. So if the kids are super antsy we get out of our seats and learn in a different way. This is not the time to force them them to sit still and listen (is it ever?).
Have some fun. I love to show educational videos when we have minutes left at the end of the day or during transitions. This week we started watching crack us up videos as well to get us in the spirit. George Couros shared this video to my students' delight.
Relax - it might not all get done. Teachers seem to get more controlling and more frantic the closer break gets. The exact opposite should happen. get excited with the kids, set the tempo and then have some fun. Learning is meant to be fun, so do your part.
Let them choose. Buy in is much larger when the students get choice. I scrapped my original social studies project this week so that the kids could work on something of their choice. They get to work right away and stay focused through the whole period.

What do you do to keep students working and have some fun?

When the World Continues to Turn - Goodbye to My Morfar

2011-12-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

Today I woke up and received the news that my incredible morfar or grandfather had closed his eyes to the world in the middle of the night. This man who lived 95 years and was married to his soulmate for more than 60 slipped away peacefully, certain that he had fulfilled whatever destiny he had been given. So as the world continues to turn and I still gather my things to go to school, I move forward honoring his memory and cherishing the moments where he made me feel like I was his favorite grand child of all. I really think I was.

Grief is a selfish emotion. We grieve because the world does not stop and take notice of the giant hole we feel all around us. We grieve because we get no more time, no more memories, no more chances to ask them to tell that story again. We grieve because death is cruel and necessary. Grief pierces our heart over and over until we hopefully as ancient people ourselves finally feel our hearts give in to the world.

We honor this man as we move on and pick up the pieces. As we circle around my 98-year-old grandmother who now stands alone against the world. We remember him and his love for us every time we look at my daughter, Theadora, who shares his middle name. She too loves life fully and stubbornly. She too makes you feel like you are her favorite in the whole world. Through her eyes, the world continue to spin and the night sky gains another star. Sleep well Morfar.

A Father Helps His Son With Math

2011-12-12T09:12:00.000-06:00

Last night as I sat in the San Francisco airport waiting for our flight home, I could't help but listen in on an exchange happening across from me. A father sat with his child helping him with his math homework. My curiosity was first peeked because the lesson they were doing was one I had just taught that week which meant the boy was a fifth grader. And yet I stared fascinated as the dialogue continued:

Father - how did you get this solution?

Boy - I am not sure...

Father - Well, if you don't know it is not right! Erase it properly and do it again.

Boy starts to erase the page...

Father - Now how are you doing this problem?

Boy starts to explain how he has been taught but is interrupted.

Father - That is not the correct way, why can't you understand that! That is not how you do it.

Boys' shoulders visibly slump.

Father - You need to get this done right now and do it right or we will erase it again.

As I sat there, horrified at this exchange, I almost jumped in and offered my help. But I didn't because it wasn't my place. Yet in my head I could not help but go there. How do parents expect us to teach a child to love math when this is how they help with homework? Obviously this father was frustrated, it was a Sunday evening and they were traveling, so that time was not the best to do anything that required brain power for the boy or for the father. Why do it in public like that? Why humiliate your own child with a raised voice? The effect on the child were immediate and very apparent. That child did not want to do his math anymore, he did not want to learn the method the father wanted to teach him. That child lost a little more faith in his education and I wonder how he felt? I felt horrible for him and I felt bad for that child's teacher who had no idea that this boy had struggled with the math and that his father had helped him in such a way.

We do not always see the damage that homework creates outside of our room, or how well-meaning "helpers' distribute their knowledge. All we see is how it affects the child in the long-run, how their love of learning diminishes and we wonder what we could have done differently? Well sometimes not assigning the homework is a huge step in the right direction.

Thoughts on Professional Development

2011-12-10T19:43:00.000-06:00

Why do we even call it professional development? Being in education is so much more than just being a professional and development happens continually around us. Perhaps we should call it something different like expanding as an educator or how about just growth? Either professional development smacks of something that can only happent at a set time and is just not true, which leads me to my next point.
Why the limitations on what counts as pd? I often learn more spending an hour with my reader or even engaging in a twitter chat. Depending on who you immerse yourself with provocating thoughts abound, as does reflection. Go into a teacher's lounge and engage in a conversation, I think they have gotten a bad rep unnecessarily.
Who says you have to be an expert to conduct pd? I think there are many people in educations that are experts at something, oftentimes, they just do not know it because nobody gave them the title. Go to an edcamp and see how many experts are there, heck, go to a school and be amazed at all the knowledge. We don't need a fancy title to have something valuable to share.
Get rid of the limiting agendas. There seems to be a perpetual fear that if administration or whomever is putting on this pd doesn't set an hour-by-hour or question-by-question agenda that all of the time will be worthless. That the conversation happening will only be moaning and procrastination. Maybe sometimes but not all the time, let those involved set the agenda and then trust them; there is far too little trust in education overall.
Enough with the crazy buzzwords! I don't feel like listening to someone discuss what a 21st century learner looks like...hmm 5 foot 2, brown hair with a smile? Or even how the flipped classroom is going to save education. Common core standards, differentiation, value-added learning, PBIS and any of the other billions of acronyms hunting us all. Just give me titles I can understand and a discussion worth participating in.
Give me a chance to participate. Much like our students crave the recognition that their voices matter, so do PD participants. How else explain the back channels happening at even the tiniest of conferences? I have been tempted to pass notes even, anything really, to ask my questions, get some feedback and get the discussion started.
Enough with the stories. Educators love great stories and we all have them. Our aha moments, that kid that we stayed teaching for, those parents that challenged out assumptions, yep we all have them so let's acknowledge that and move on. I love a great story over dinner but not the ones without a point and sometimes at PD sessions they just drain time.
Fair enough if you have something to sell but perhaps keep it to the end. I had the chance to sit through an inspirational speech where the much paid presenter kept starting stories only to never finish them because we could read how it turned out in his book. Seriously. If you are sharing a story make it relevant and tell the whole thing.
Do you really need a Powerpoint? I know it is so cool to bash Powerpoints but I think there is a huge reason for that. If your message is short, sweet and to the point give me some pictures to go with it, have dancers perform it behind you, or skip it altogether. Images behind you are a direct competition to your words so pick wisely.
Keep it short. And not just for my attention span, but also because even the most incredible learning opportunities will lose their luster after the message is repeated over 40 minutes. Shorten your message and open up for conversations, participation or even brainstorming.

I Can Understand Those Parents

2011-12-10T09:34:00.002-06:00

We are in California, visiting with my family, and Thea is socializing with her 2nd cousins. Watching from the sidelines is this nervous mother. I want to jump in. I want to explain that Thea is really loud and excited because she loves playing with other kids. I want to apologize for her rambunctiousness, chalk it up to nerves, and then make them embrace her. Except I don't. And I won't, because I know that this is how children learn to develop friendships. That this is what parents do; let go and hold their breath.

I know my daughter is a little whacky, she has oodles of personality flowing out of her like a river run wild. She loves people, she loves to give hugs, and she loves to be the center of attention. She is willful, stubborn, and loud. Qualities that may harm or help later in life. I know that when she starts school I will have to fight every urge to be "that" mother. I will have to stop myself from emailing her teachers on how best to engage her, on how best to calm her. I cannot be the mother that fixes the friendships or the assignments. I cannot be the mother that stops by just to check in.

I don't know how other parents do it. I do not know how they can place so much trust in their chld's teachers and just let go. I don't know how we as teachers can just expect it every year on the first day of school. But we do and we get upset when parents intervene too much. We shake our heads at their long emails,take a deep breath when they surprise us with another visit. I now understand the parents better. I now get the need to explain, to protect, to guide. I do it for my own child.

Those Little Words

2011-12-07T17:12:00.000-06:00

I am proud of you.
Look at what you did.
You can do this.
Explain this to me
What else can happen?
Thank you for today.

Small words, big meaning. Those words we choose to share with those we surround ourselves with every day. Those words we do not ponder or carefully measure out. Those words we do not plan for, study, or write down lest they be forgotten. Those are often the words that carry the most weight to our students, to our colleagues, to ourselves.

A smile, a hug, or even a look in the eye. Those speak volumes every day. The little things we do matter more than we know, so be aware and give enough of the happiness you should feel waking up every day knowing that you are part of the change, of the hope, of the incredible world that is ours.

Why I am Not Going to Win an Eddie - And I am Ok With That

2011-12-06T06:10:00.000-06:00

Ahh the Edublog Awards, affectionately known as the Eddies, are upon us and with that comes all the "Vote for me!" tweets and posts as well as the misgivings people have about awards. And boy does that get boring after a while. But let's be real here for a second, it is nice to be recognized by someone that your blog is worthwhile. In fact, it is really nice. I was lucky enough to be nominated in 3 different categories, all new to me, and all way out of my league. Most influential post...did you see who I am in company with? So that is why I am certain I will not win, and I am ok with that.

The thing is, I am still fairly new to this blogging world. I started 1 1/2 years ago not intending to write to anyone but just as a matter of reflection for myself as I changed my teaching dramatically. In that time I have shared many personal stories as well about losing a pet, various competitions, and even the heartbreak of losing a pregnancy. This blog has morphed into a true reflection of my life, my dreams, and my fight for students first in education. And for that I am proud. I look at some of the contenders in the awards and I realize that I have far to go, many miles to walk and mountains to climb before I reach their level. It simply is not my time.

So if you stumble upon the EduBlog Awards take some time to read the other people. Discover new blogs if you feel like it and weigh their contribution. Don't worry about how long they have been blogging but rather whether or not you have been moved by their writing. Worry about whether it speaks to your heart, or whether it changes your mind. Then vote for them or maybe don't even vote but add them to your reader. Celebrate the diversity of the voices out there and know that being nominated is indeed an honor, but not a necessity to be a great blogger. My biggest prize from blogging are the connections I make, the comments I get, the ways I am challenged through discussion. I win that every week, and that I am ok with.

Damages Done

2011-12-05T21:04:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking a lot about damages lately, and particularly the damages we sometimes inflict on our students unintentionally. Those things we think we are doing for the right reasons or because someone told us we had to and how they end up hurting the very kids we are trying to help. Things such as testing, report cards, missing recess, and other work-ethic creating tasks. Or what about the words of wisdom we share with our students when we discipline? Or the call out of a kid in front of the whole room because they weren't paying enough attention when we wanted them to? Rewards or honor roll to make sure some kids feel valued while others do not? Those damages that we don't think much of but that over time are sure to change the kid somehow. Those are the damages I ponder.

In the end, I think back to the kindergartners that come into our lives the first day of school and I wonder what we do to those kids? How do some of them turn into troubled adults when they started out alright? What part do we have in the mess that is created? How much damage do we do fooled by good intentions? I don't have the answer but it is making me think.

The Dangerous Weapons in School, Or When You Remove the Permanent Markers......

2011-12-04T06:47:00.000-06:00

Recently, and no I am not making this up, we were asked kindly to confiscate all permanent markers from the students. It wasn't that there had been a huge problem with students using these to write on things, but there had been a couple of incidents and it was therefore deemed necessary to ban permanent markers in the 5th grade totally. After all, it is much easier for us to ban things rather than teach appropriate usage. To say I was perplexed at the approach is an understatement.

So this got me thinking, if we remove the permanent markers, what else should we remove from the students?

Paper - not only can this create dangerous paper cuts but it can also be used to communicate secret messages or ideas. Highly subversive stuff if left in the wrong hands, and let's face it, all students hands are wrong.
Pencils - this master weapon can be used to write these aforementioned dangerous messages, and also if you sharpen it really really well it is a dangerous weapon in itself. (For more bad usage of pencils duo check out #pencilchat on Twitter - there is some scary stuff there)
Rulers - ever see a kid spin a ruler on their pencil - 'nuff said.
Compass - sharp points and the ability to poke things, no more of these.
Scissors - who allowed this stabbing and scratching tools into the classroom in the first place? Gigantic bad idea.
Erasers - these things can be thrown at other people and also used to erase things we want to see such as notes being passed and wrong answers.
Textbooks - these mammoths of knowledge create backaches for kids, they can be torn apart by devious students and dropped on someone's foot.

The more I think about this more I see the problem here. These kids are not equipped to handle any of these tools maturely and I am sure there are more out there that need to be banned. Think of how wonderful this will be; then all the students will have to do in a classroom is listen tot he teacher filling them with knowledge. Win!

Merry Christmas from Us

2011-12-03T09:18:00.002-06:00

Some Questions to Ask Yourself as You Prep for the Week Ahead...

2011-12-03T07:26:00.001-06:00

Ah the weekend, and for most educators that means lots of prep getting ready for the week ahead. As I prep this weekend, these are the questions I ask myself...

What is the goal of the lesson?

This essential question was one I learned the hard way when I student-taught. My principal observed a lesson that just fell apart, a big horrendous mess, something that could not be salvaged. After the lesson he asked me what the goal was for that hour? Met with a blank stare and no answer, I swore I would always know what the goal was of something I subjected my students to. We owe it to them.

How will the kids be involved?

I moved from sage on the stage to student-driven last year so this question is huge in my prep. In fact, I often ponder assignments for a while before I write anything down just so I can figure out what my students' roles are in it.

How much talking will I do?

We know there is essential information in each lesson that needs to be communicated but do I have to be the one communicating it or can it be discovered or explored? This changes widely from the concept being taught, but I do try to limit my lecturing as much as possible. Teacher talk goes down = student engagement goes up.

How will I change it up?

I need change as much as my students, so how can I make this concept fresh again. The students have been taught many of these concepts before (we work a lot on a spiral) so how will it look and feel different this time? This questions also leads to how many different activities can we do within the time?

What will they work on?

What will the students be doing during this lesson? Are they note-taking, creating something, researching etc? What supplies do I need and how much time do they need to be successful?

Will there be a product?

Does this tie in with something they are creating? Is this a longer-term thing or very short? I realized this week with the Hour of Wonder that students do not need that much time to create something meaningful, what they do need is for the teacher to stop talking and let them explore.

Where can the students decide?

This questions drives all of my instruction decisions. How can the students take ownership of whatever we are doing? After all, I already have a successful education, now it is their turn; school has to be about the students and not about the teacher. Often they have better ideas than I do!

A peak into the mind of Pernille as I prepare for next week's lessons. What types of questions do you ask yourself as you prepare?

An Hour of Wonder

2011-12-02T05:47:00.001-06:00

Innovation Day is something my students have already started asking me about. This fantastic day, also known as FedEx Day, is a day set aside for the students to explore whatever they choose, create something and then deliver a presentation. However, Innovation Day will not be until the end of the year. So welcome Hour of Wonder instead.

Hour of wonder is rather simple; the students get one whole hour to explore whatever they have been wondering about tied to a certain unit, within that hour they must create something and then present it the following day.. We were studying the European explorers and they had quite the list of questions, this therefore wrapped up our unit much better than any test could.

So how did it go? Brilliantly. The students were engaged and teaching each other new information. Two boys discovered that James Cooke was the first European in Australia and in Antarctica and they thought that was really neat. Others built ship models, created posters about other people and whatever else they had wondered about. I had supplied construction paper, anything else the students had to figure out themselves.

Innovation Day can be harder to fit into your schedule but Hour of Wonder is not. Think of all those hours leading up to vacations or disrupted blocks because of assemblies or something else. Why not turn those over to the students? Have them explore what they are curious about and then share it with the class; you will not be disappointed.

PS: Little prep went into this. I revealed the project Wednesday, they brainstormed and then did it on Thursday. They didn't need approval or anything like that.

Pete decided to create a stop motion video

What's so Bad about "Smart?"

2011-11-30T10:16:00.002-06:00

I once had a student tell me they were not smart. They would never get good grades, that they would never be a success. This 4th grader, already beaten down by the school system and themselves, thought they would never be successful. That school was for kids that got it, for kids that already understood, for kids that were born smart. Smart was not something you became, it was something you already were, and it was completely outside of their reach.

How many of these kids walk our hallways? Those kids that no one ever told they were smart? Those students that come into our classrooms thinking that they are not smart, have never been, and will never be. Beaten down by lack of success in an overly rigid school system, having few academic successes and little curiosity left. Those students need to hear the word "smart."

Research tells us that we shouldn't use the word "smart," that students instead should be heralded for their work ethic, their creative problem-solving skills and their perseverance. The evidence shows (simply stated) that if you tell a child repeatedly that they are smart they will take the easy way out, give up more easily and not like challenges. But those students that already have given up? Those students need to hear it over and over when they do have successes so that they can start believing it. So for those I make an exception.

I tell them they are smart when they conquer a math problem, when they raise their hand timidly at first but then more and more confidently. I tell them that they can do it, that they too know things when they grow, when they share. So that they can believe that they are worth something, that they are capable, that they are smart. And I don't regret it, no matter what the research says, because later on we can work on the creative problem-solving skills and never giving up, but for now; they need to believe they are smart.

Students Define Letter Grades

2011-11-29T12:55:00.000-06:00

My students took some time today to discuss what the different letter grades mean to them in preparation for their determination of their own grades. I was absolutely captivated by what they thought and to me it once again speaks clearly as to why letter grades are not the solution to reporting progress. (Note: F's are not attainable in my class since I have yet to meet a kid that isn't learning something).

So an "A" means:

A students understands completely
Participates in the discussion
Is enthusiastic about school
Always gives best effort
Shows lots of progress
Understands almost everything
And has a great attitude

A "B" means:

Understands concepts most of the time
Fulfills most of the things to get an A but not all
Has good effort but could do more
Shows a little bit of progress
Understands a lot and gives a great effort
And has a good attitude

A "C" means:

Pays little attention
Could try better
Developing as a learner
You are not trying your hardest
Could use some improvement
Average attitude

A "D" means:

Does not understand content
Do not show their knowledge and strengths
Needs to listen more to better understand
Only understands a little
Is not focused
Needs a lot of help
And works poorly by themselves

What a stigma change between "B" and "C!" This definitely is providing me with food for thought.

We Pass on Our Wondering

2011-11-28T17:34:00.002-06:00

My grandfather always told me that a little girl lived in the water-tower by his house and that if I paid enough attention, I would notice her stocking hanging out of the little window to dry. To this day, when I go home to Denmark, I pass that water-tower knowing that his story is probably not true and yet I wonder. My grandfather gave me that gift; that little spark of curiosity that kept me focused and interested even beyond my curious years.

I try to pass that on to my students. I don't make up stories as much as he does, but rather leave them with a spark of curiosity. I proudly exclaim that I do not know the answers and how will we ever find out? I ask them to seek their wonder, to allow their mind to ponder, and to take some time to reflect.

The day passes by and we do our curriculum and yet we try to squeeze something out of every minute we have to give us some extra time to wonder. We wonder out-loud, we wonder silently, sometimes alone, sometimes as a group. We speak of it because that provides it a legitimate place in our classroom. We cherish it and we laugh about it. Not all wonderings are meant to be explored. The gift that my grandfather gave me I now pass on to my students. A fitting legacy for the man that means the biggest part to me, the man whom we chose to name Theodora after, the man who now is in the twilight of his life. Every time I drive by a water-tower I wonder if there is a little girl upset that her stockings are always wet, looking for a window to hang them from and then I wonder whether he remembers?

As my grandfather slowly succumbs to ill health, I keep him in my thoughts, knowing that I made him proud.

No Size Fits All - Some Thoughts on Prescribed Systems in the Classroom

2011-11-27T08:30:00.001-06:00

I am sometimes asked what system I used in my classroom; which system do you prescribe to to get them to act this way, which system do you believe in for your philosophy. I always feel like a disappointment when I tell them, "None." It is not that I am pioneer within education, or a maverick, but rather that I don't believe in systems. A system to me means prescribed, a system means rigidity, rules to follow, and scripts to use. I tried that for 2 years when I first started teaching and it failed, horrifically and miserably. My classrooms doesn't work that way, it doesn't fit into a book description. So while some people may say I fall under whatever system they think, I always giggle a little because the truth is much simpler.

I follow the Pernille system. The one that says to listen to your students, give them a voice, get out of the way, and then change your mind when needed. The system I use has no book or no guidelines but only common sense and a lot of reflection. I don't manage my children, they are not stress I must constrain. I guide them, they guide me and we trade spots more often than I can count. I do not read a book to see how I should train my students the first week of school; they are not circus animals getting ready for a performance. Instead we get to know each other and we laugh a lot because laughter is a key ingredient in my life. I do not hide the "real" Pernille from my students because I believe education must be authentic to be meaningful. My students share their emotions and opinions whenever they can.

I know that if I wanted a book-deal or masses of followers I should call my system something, my husband jokes about that all the time. That way people could refer to it and ask themselves, "Well what would Pernille do?" And then they would be confused as to why my system wouldn't work as well for them, because a system has to be as personal as your classroom. You borrow, you steal, you get inspired by others, but in the end your voice and that of your students is the one that needs to shout the loudest and it needs flexibility and adaption skills. So trust in yourself, sure read the books, ask the questions and then reflect; what will you do and what will your students do? Hint: It requires conversations with your students to create your own system. Good luck.

Why the Report Card Should Be Getting an F

2011-11-25T15:41:00.000-06:00

Several days ago I quickly jotted down thoughts on how one of the major components of education; the report card, may just be becoming obsolete. Immediately the discussion that followed was one that spurred me to think a little deeper on this institution, particularly as I approach the deadline for writing 25 of my own.

The report card used to be useful. Before the age of Internet and faster communication with parents, the report card was the communicator of success or lack of it from school. We have all heard the stories of what happened when a bad report card was brought home and can probably remember our own anticipation or dread when it was handed to us. This was it; the ultimate report on how hard we had worked, how much we knew, and how much we cared about school. The was no conversation, no goals, just grades and teachers recited missives which on mine included the usual, "Pernille should really try to apply herself more.". Whatever in the world that means.

Yet now, faced with the ever-evolving tools for communication and also teachers own increased visibility and feedback giving, it seems it has lost its purpose. That is if its purpose was to report how the child is doing academically. Instead many teachers have running grades online; which I don't actually think is necessarily progress either, or feedback is given to the students or sent home regularly. In my own classroom, I meet with students regularly setting goals and discussing how they are doing, not even handing them a letter grade but rather feedback and meaningful conversation. This does get communicated to parents as well either through email, phone calls, or even small meetings. Conferences also act as a communicator of progress and goals. I may be in the minority of how I handle progress in my classroom, but I think I am in the growing minority. So why also do a report card? It seems to be a duplication of all of the work we already do although it does provide an easy out for those who choose not to communicate throughout the semester.

So if the report card's purpose is solely to communicate to parents how their child is doing, there are certainly other alternatives. How about a weekly email or note, penned by the student? Or a shared Google doc where parents and students can add notes and questions? Conversations can be recorded using a Livescribe pen and emailed to parents as well, which also creates another record. In my team we already send home unit math scores breaking down each skill the student has been practicing. Writing assignments are handed back with a rubric attached and comments on them. To me, it seems that we already do all of the reporting that is duplicated for the report card. What about a report card created by students? I often wonder what they would put weight on and choose to report, and also how it would look. Either way I think it is time for a change, do you?

So is it time for the report card to disappear or at the very least lose its formality? Is it time for it to no longer be the final product and instead be a piece of information in a long line of information. Should we hand back the power of goal communication to the students so that they can take more charge of their education? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Is the Report Card Obsolete?

2011-11-23T16:50:00.000-06:00

Today I was asked what I have against report cards and as I stood there explaining my stance on grades something dawned on me; if we keep parents informed throughout the semester or trimester, do we really need report cards? After all, I continuously meet with my students and offer them feedback and we set and work on their goals. I send home more detailed feedback for parents to peruse so then doesn't the purpose of the report card become obsolete? In fact, the report card may work against our philosophy of students as developing learners since we chunk their development and their learning into artificial calendar dates as determined by the district. Something unnecessary and just a tad bit redundant.

So I leave with this thought; could we abolish report cards altogether? Or are they a necessary component of our reporting to students and parents? Are they simply an overview or a snapshot rather than the entry ticket into college and free pizza?

Awards for All Means Students Still Lose - No Matter How Well Meaning They Are

2011-11-22T06:14:00.000-06:00

I recently read Matt Ray's post titled "Awards for All" (and I encourage you to read it as well) and although I know that his intent is pure, after all, he loves those children like no one else, I question the idea of providing an award for all. Awards can be a sticky mess for me. I know I don't want them to be a part of my classroom, particularly from an academic standpoint, but I am also starting to believe that really we shouldn't be concocting "fake" ones either However, I got the impression that Matt created these rewards because otherwise his students may never actually receive any form of reward. So then that makes it ok, right?

This society with its emphasis on making someone the best means someone is always the loser. This competition for adoration starts young, when students are subjected to enforced spelling bees and honor rolls in elementary school. It is not that I am opposed to celebrating students, I just don't understand the need to always give them something. To hand them a diploma stating that they are indeed number 1 at whatever we decide. While personality awards like the ones Matt discussed may seem harmless, I wonder, how does the child feel that really wanted to most improved in math and didn't get it? Or the child that has been working hard to be kind toward all but is not recognized for it? We are also making losers out of them.

Awards are a slippery slope and while we as teachers think that it boosts students self-esteem, how often does it hurt it? How often does the innocent title that we give a child in order to raise their self-esteem end up boxing them in instead? When we choose to focus on one trait of a child's personality, no matter how kind our intentions were, we in essence tell the child that this is the one thing I have noticed and all of these other things, you did not quite excel enough in. Why the need for recognition? Can we not through our own words and actions give these children enough recognition without having to do it in awards form? Is this society so entrenched in awards and making losers out of someone that we have to make up awards just to reach all children? If that is the case, then I guess I am not doing my part.

10 Ways to Make it "Their" Room

2011-11-20T08:29:00.001-06:00

Visualize a flow - do you see students moving around a lot, or will they be more sequestered? Either way, make sure people can get by each other without any issues arising.
Create different spots - I learn best sitting in a comfy chair or sprawled out, as do many of my students. Some though prefer the rigidity of a desk. Offer options within your classroom to fit all of their movement needs, which leads me to the next point.
Let them use your classroom in whichever manner they see fit, as long as it is within safe reason. My students don't ask whether they can move, they know that they can, as long as it is not disruptive or unsafe. I love that they feel like it is their room.
Talk about it as our room not your room. Language matters and how you label the classroom is huge. Do you have a sign that says welcome to "my" room? That sends a message. I still catch myself saying "my" even though I know it is ours.
Have them set the expectations. We all work better when we decide our working conditions. I have the students discuss routines and expectations for the year and then we adjust them as necessary. Again, this is their room, not my room.
Un-clutter. At the elementary level there seems to be a need to cram as much stuff on our walls as possible to help the kids or inspire them. I chose instead to give them room to create and to only put up things that are vital for our learning at that time. Our room is by no means bare but it does reflect what we are working on and then provides calm.
Get rid of your desk. I cannot tell you how the energy of my room changed when I did. I still have a table for my computer and planner but it is against a wall. The students use when I don't and they also use the computer. I was worried I wouldn't have a place to put all of my stuff and it turns out I have had to get a lot more organized because of this.
Give them space. Make sure the students feel they have enough room for their things, we just have bins and cubbies but it works for us. The kids spread out more when they need to but they also clean up after themselves. I had to let go a bit of how clean the classroom is but have noticed that the kids now take more pride in the room.
Stop managing and controlling them. You control animals and manage tasks, not children. How about guiding or leading them instead? Language matters because it changes your own mindset. I don't do classroom management, we instead have classroom routines and expectations. The power of words is immense.
Believe in it and prove it. You cannot talk about their room but then act like you are the queen bee. It just doesn't work. So if you truly want students to take ownership of their learning and their room, get out of the way. Let them experiment with how the tables are set up or where they gather for a lesson. Let them figure out how it works best for them. You can direct obviously but have them discuss and try.

From the Mouths of Babes - My Students Discuss Homework

2011-11-19T07:39:00.000-06:00

Thanks to a wonderful Time For Kids article this week, my students engaged in a 30 minute discussion on whether or not teachers should assign homework (we ran out of time or it could have gone longer). I started out taping the discussion, hoping to share it, but the camera stifled them, so I turned it off and instead just listened and asked a couple of questions. And the result? Well, it was mixed.

Many students believed that homework was a necessary evil at first, and by that I mean, they think they should be assigned it so they can learn responsibility. However, when I asked them whether they could be taught responsibility in a different manner they all agreed they already were responsible in school. After that they started changing their mind. Some highlights for me were:

We already work our hardest at school and deserve to be done with school when the bell rings.
We are tired when we get home so homework does not represent our best work.
Some times our parents cannot help us and we end up more confused.
Teachers do not own our time outside of school, but why do they think they do? They can't for example order us to go to Target.
I want to have a life outside of school and pursue my activities.
It is ok to have homework during the week but never during the weekend or during holidays.
If a student works hard during the day and is responsible, they should be able to not have homework after school.
It is ok to assign reading and special projects but they have to be super fun and have student choice.
Homework does not teach us responsibility but instead teaches us to get it done fast.
Homework should not be graded since it is just practice.
Homework should be assigned because school has to come first and that is our job.

I love the level of thinking I am seeing in these students as they develop their discussion habits. They are figuring out when to speak and reacting to each other's comments. I also love how they are evaluating the world and learning to speak their minds. I believe the camera stifled them because some were nervous in stating their opinion, after all, they are only 5th graders, what do they know?

The Global Read Aloud - My Session From The Global Education Conference 2011

2011-11-18T19:57:00.000-06:00

This week I had the thrill of presenting at The Global Education Conference on my passion; The Global Read Aloud. This 30 minute or so presentation was recorded, so if you would like to hear it "live" here is the link.

You can also see my slides below, I am not sure they will make much sense though without the audio. I tend to not do a lot of text.

Want to Shut Educators Up? Tell Them "It Is For the Children..."

2011-11-18T08:49:00.000-06:00

The oldest excuse in the book for change in education is, "We do it for the children." And it works! Throw that baby on the discussion table and people just go silent. After all, if it is for the children then it must be good. If it is for the children then if we decide against it we are deciding against children. If it is for the children then it must be researched and proven to benefit them. And yet, we have all been fooled by this statement. Purchasing a Smartboard - it is for the children. Creating more tests - it is for the children. Slashing school budgets - it is for the children. Proposing merit pay - it is for the children. Common Core standards - it is for the children. Asking teachers to take pay cuts and freezes - it is for the children. Bigger report cards with more homework and tests to report - oh yes, it is for the children.

Except most of the time it is not. Because when were the children ever asked? We say it is for the children and yet they never enter the actual decision-making or even discussion. If you asked a child if they wanted more "rigor" in their education, I can almost guarantee that most of them would look at you like you were crazy. If you ask them if they needed more grades or more tests, their answer might surprise you. When teachers are asked to take pay cuts because otherwise our children will get hurt, most children would be sad to hear it.

So let's cut the crap, sorry. Most decisions in education is not for the children, but for the test company, for the district to look good, or for someone's life to be easier. It is not for the benefit of the children. And yes, of course, we know more than the children but the fact that their voices are left out of the education debate and reform should be frightening to us all. So start small; ask the children in your room and then tell me it is for the children.

But How Do I Pick - EduBlog Awards

2011-11-17T20:44:00.000-06:00

The year is waning and that means we are getting ready for all of the best of lists and with that also the 2011 EduBlog Awards. And while I had the honor of being nominated last year as best new blog, and I even nominated my own choices, I just can't pick this year. There are so many blogs that uplift me, provoke me, inspire me, and there are so many blogs deserving of attention that I do not even know about. So I thought instead of an official EduBlog nomination - sorry folks - I would just share some of my favorites... If you have a moment, visit them and add them to your reader, they are worth it

Are You Ever Going to Stop, Nope There's Another: This goes to Matthew Ray who really picked up steam this year with his 60 days or something like that of blogging every day. While you would expect that your posts would get diluted after writing so many days in a row, his instead seemed to reach deeper as he started to question his own beliefs. Keep writing Matt, and keep challenging yourself (and me!)

The Coolest Cat Around: John T. Spencer blows my mind weekly at least. The humble ramblings of an inspired teacher who realizes that being human is one of his biggest strengths calls us all to action. I cannot count how many times I have tweeted one of his posts and I am just a little bit excited that I get to call him friend as well.

I Can't Believe They Wrote That and Why Didn't I: This has to go to the mind of Joe Bower who's eloquence and passion for getting rid of gradesandtests, and other insanity in education pushes my own thinking. Thought provoking, always interesting, and definitely worthy of your time.

You Mean This Can Actually Work? Has to go to Chris Wejr and his blog where he brings on parents and students to discuss how to make a school a community while getting rid of rewards. His leadership leads more than just his school.

Dude, I am So Stealing that Idea: Goes to Josh Stumpenhorst who recently won Illinois State Teacher of the Year, (whoa), the coolest thing about Josh is that he runs an insanely successful classroom. No homework, focus on learning and students rather than your basic social studies curriculum is what makes him stand out among the rest. And I cannot count how many ideas I have stolen from him.

I Can't Believe I Get To Be a Part of This: Has to go to both the funky Cooperative Catalyst where I once in a while post my rants and the whole #Elemchat group. Both of these groups push my thinking while still taking care of me. The work that both groups do is invaluable to my world and the world of many others.

I Can't Believe How Much Your Top Ten Made Me Think: This goes to Edna Sackson, who with her top ten lists impacts me and my students regularly. Not only is she insightful and focused; she really thinks about the process of teaching and pushes us all to change, all with the power of the top ten.

Man, You Must Not Need Any Sleep Because You Just Keep On Sharing: Has to go to 3 people who share, share, and then share some more: Kelly Tenkely, Larry Ferlazzo, and Richard Byrne. How they manage to have day jobs and still share as many resources as they do is a puzzle to me, but I am grateful for what they do.

Your Words Keep Running Through My Mind and That is a Good Thing: Goes to Angela Watson and her book "Awakened" as well as her blog. I read that book and just nodded the whole way through. Banish those thoughts of negativity and steer yourself toward positivity, I am not one for messages, but this one stuck.

Oh Dear There's a Person in that Sub: Mike writes this blog set in Michigan, but it chronicles the life of a substitute teacher and is one of the best new blogs I have read this year. Many blog ideas and how I work with my own subs have been spurred from these posts.

Of course that is not all and I could keep on going, but that isn't the point really. I just wanted to share some of my favorites. I have many more so my deep apologies if yours is one of my favorites and I missed it; I am only human. And to all of those who do want to be nominated for the EduBlogs; I am sorry I wasn't the one to do it.

This is My Room - How Controlling Ones Classroom Can Send the Wrong Message

2011-11-16T20:28:00.001-06:00

I used to be the ruler of my universe; my classroom, the queen of the systems. You need to sharpen your pencil? There's a system for that. You need to leave the classroom? Here is the system for that. How we walk down the hallway, how we get our jackets and backpacks. How we act when others come into the classroom, how we borrow books from the library, how we borrow supplies. Don't answer the phone, don't sit in my chair, don't eat your food now, don't, don't don't...Everything had a protocol, rules to be followed, always designated by me, and I was exhausted. I was so busy keeping track of all my check out sheets and reminders that I forgot to just enjoy what I was doing with the students. I was so wrapped up in managing my space that I lost focus on what was important and instead wasted time getting upset when my system wasn't followed. It was time-consuming, overcomplicated, and downright ridiculous.

Yet I feared what I knew had to be the opposite of my contrived systems; chaos. I feared what would happen if I just let a kid check out a book without having them sign it out and leave it in their desk at the end of the day. I feared what would happen if I didn't know who had which manipulative, or how many pencils someone had borrowed from me. Add that fear drove those systems forward until they got me so lost that I didn't know the teacher I was anymore.

So I stopped the endless control. I "let" students borrow books from my library and take them home. After all, the worst that could happen if a book was lost was that another child might read it. I showed the students where I kept all of the supplies and let them grab what they wanted. I had them unpack and come in from the hallway in the way that suited them best; some need one trip, some need more. I stopped obsessing over our systems and gave the room to the students instead.

And the result? Not chaos as I had feared, but ownership. It turned out that these students knew exactly how to take care of our space and actually were a lot more invested when they felt it was theirs. They no longer come into my room, but into our room. They no longer ask permission to use a stapler or use some tape, they just do it. They fight me over my chair, and take pencils when they need. They now welcome others to our room, answer the phone with their name, and take over the space every day. I don't manage them, but instead focus on our learning. Giving back the classroom to my students righted a wrong I didn't know I had committed; I had taken their space from them. I often remind myself that teaching is not about me but all about them, and now our room reflects that. Does yours?

For the Kids Who Struggle with Division

2011-11-15T17:46:00.000-06:00

I need help; Some of my students struggle so with division. They get that division means to divide into equal parts, they get the concept, and we practice, practice, and practice long division until our eyes are weary. And yet,I can see their despair, they do not understand why we are doing the steps we do. So I need a different approach before we move on and put them further behind.

What can I do to make them see the light? I have them explain it to each other but even doing that doesn't seem to change their understanding. We practice but that is not enough either. There are many smarter people out there, please lend me your ideas.

Those that Matter

2011-11-15T07:09:00.000-06:00

I often think of the labels we bestow upon each other...hero, leader, expert, inspiration

And those we give to our students...smart, lazy, underachiever, confused, creative

And I wonder how often we miss the mark altogether?

How often does the label describe the whole person? How often do we truly know the whole person?

I do not do well with labels, and I laugh when others give them to me, but there are some I carry with me always, in awe that that I have them; mother, wife, teacher.

Those are the labels that matter

Every Day I Make a Choice

2011-11-14T07:24:00.000-06:00

Every morning I choose how I see the day. I could view it through the lens of most that I will not do enough to help my students, I will not be able to get them where I need them to be because the system is against us.

I could view the students as obstacles that need to be conquered and my colleagues as people who take up too much time or none at all. I could view my administration as the enemy, and my standards as chokeholds around my teaching. I could blame the system for my lack of progress and I could feel good that at least I tried. But I don't.

I choose every morning to believe in my own abilities as a teacher and as a human being. I choose to be positive, thinking that today will be the best day I could ever make. Today my students will conquer mountains and guide me on new paths. My colleagues will inspire me if I reach out, and then will support me through my journey. My administration will hold me to high standards because they believe I will soar. The standards are simply guides and they can be worked with much easier than worked against. The standards do no tell me that I have to prep my students for tests, or even how I should teach, but only what our goals should be and those can be reached in many ways. I choose to fight the system from within and change it the way I can. I do it for my own sanity and for the curiosity of my students.

Every day I have a choice in how I will view the world, and although I wake up grumpy (just ask my husband), and bogged down by all of the forces working against me, I slip on my teacher super power suit and I stay positive. The last thing schools need is another person bringing it down. The world is already trying to do that. So what do you choose?

A Student-Led Conference

2011-11-13T07:23:00.001-06:00

There they sit, hands clutching the paper, eyes shifting a little back and forth; the responsibility clearly weighing on them and yet...If you look a little closer, you will also notice poise, presence, and a sneaking calm. The students are ready to state their goals, to own their learning; welcome to student-led conferences.

Most of these students have never been given the control of their conference so they are more nervous than they need to be, in fact, I think they get a little glimpse of how many teachers feel. They want to do well, they want to be able to answer the questions, they want to offer their parents hope and positivity. Yet they are not afraid to bare their shortcomings, they are not afraid to discuss what the path ahead looks like. They own their education.

I leave the meetings exhilarated and proud, we shared our journey and we previewed our path. Parents had tough questions but the students were honest in their answers. Parents leave feeling satisfied, proud of their children, and part of the process.

As educators, we wonder how we lose the engagement of our students and then do conferences to them. We do education to our students acting as if they have nothing at stake, pretending to be the one true expert that will fill the empty vessels. Even if we do student-centered learning, we then forget to shape our conferences on the same model; less me, more them. I could never go back to the old conferences.

I promised I would share the document the students use to prepare, so here it is, feel free to use.

Why I Make My Life Harder

2011-11-12T07:43:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I wonder why I make my life so hard? Why do I let the students explore rather than just dictate what they are supposed to learn? Why do I fight for them not to be graded at every turn when just writing that percentage or that letter would free up so much of my time?

Why do I insist that we work things out rather than just punish them without a conversation? Why do I force myself to get the learning done in school rather than sending it home as homework?

Why do I fight for the creative spirit of these kids? Why do I challenge myself to change and grow when really I know that I am a decent teacher, isn't that enough? Do they really deserve the best of me so that my family only gets the rest of me?

I make my life hard because our future is at stake. We are modeling the future of the world and I want it to be a beautiful one. I want it to be one where children believe in themselves as learners, where their creativity shines, and they are unafraid to fail. I want the world to be one in which I do not fear sending my own child to school, afraid that our system will kill her curiosity. I do this for my daughter and for all of the other children.

And Then They Were Challenged

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

Cross posted on Inquire Within

Today something amazing happened; I didn't have to teach. Or at least I didn't have to follow the lesson plan to stay on track because all of this week we have been doing our state tests. But today we were done and we had 90 minutes of time just for math so where some may have done review or front-loading, and yet others may have played math games, my team and I decided to challenge our kids instead. So rather than their normal math problems where every single step it hammered out for them they were given problems to solve. Problems that didn't tell them what to do. Problems that weren't broken down into easily digestible bits. Problems where they had to try and fail and try again. Problems like we solve outside of school.

At first the kids moaned, hesitated, and then they got involved. Then they got excited, and then they worked on it for 90 minutes straight until they had solved every single one of them. This was not by force from me, they were told to do as many as they wanted, but they wanted to solve them. They wanted to share their solutions, they wanted to mess with them, to play around, to try something. They beamed. They couldn't wait to show me, they couldn't want to explain how they had tried something and then something else. They asked if they could take them home. Math! Home! Wow...

So I ask myself, why can't math be like this every day? I like our math program but that is exactly what it is, a program, something prescribed and broken down. Where is the time for our real exploration? For our trying and failing? I have to find the time.

How One Idea Connected 4,000 Kids - I Present at the Global Education Conference

2011-11-10T11:26:00.000-06:00

I am super excited and freaking out just a little bit over being a presenter at the Global Education Conference happening November 14th - Nov 18th, 2011. Not only is this another incredible professional development opportunity, it is also a chance to connect with educators around the world all from the comfort of your own home. Oh and did I mention it is free?

My session will be a window into the Global Read Aloud; how it started, how it grew, and ultimately how it continues on. I hope to inspire others to create global projects by showing how easy it is with the use of social media, and also to promote getting involved in global projects.

So join me, join the conversation, and get inspired! I will post a link to my session soon but it is Tuesday, November 15th at 8 PM CST. Here is a link to the entire schedule.

We Say And Yet

2011-11-10T06:05:00.000-06:00

We say we don't want to be micromanaged as teachers and yet then we do it to our students.

We say we want democratic schools, where our voices are heard, and yet we rule our students with an iron fist.

We say we are working as hard as we can and that merit pay will not boost our dedication or our effort, and yet we dangle grades in front of our students to try to incentivize them.

We say we work too many hours as teachers without getting paid for it and yet we assign hours of homework to our students.

We say our voices are not being heard in the educational debate yet we do not listen to the voice of our students.

We say we want to be invited into the educational policy decisions being made and yet we do not invite parents and students into our own decisions.

We say that we want freedom to teach and yet we allow little freedom to our students in learning.

We say we want to teach in our own way, infused with our passion, and yet we expect students to all learn the same way.

We say that we need to time to teach and to learn all of these new things being thrust at us and yet we expect our students to all find the time and to master it at the same time.

We say we want to be respected as individual teachers and yet we show little respect to our students as individuals, expecting them to fit into whatever we have decided the perfect student should be.

We wonder why our students are losing interest in schools and never stop to look at what we do to them. Education should not be done to them, it should happen with them. Give back your classroom to your students; give them a voice.

But Wait, You Didn't Tell Me I Wasn't A Disappointment

2011-11-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

Today I was embarrassed, so utterly left without words and ashamed that I didn't know what to say. A child did this to me and I deserved every moment of it. That child and I had had an interaction more than 3 weeks ago where I had scolded him for improper video camera usage. The task had been simple; film a short film telling me everything you know about a topic. This child had decided to goof off and create bloppers and then forgotten to delete the evidence. In my best teacher voice, I had reprimanded him and told him how very disaapointed in him I was. I had then left it at that and dismissed him thinking nothing more of it.

Today, as he walked down the hallway, I stopped him to ask him about a rumor I had heard and whether it was true. When he affirmed its validity I couldn't help but tell him I was surprised he had been involved, that it seemed out of his nature to make such choices. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Well, Mrs. Ripp, I thought you didn't care because you were disappointed in me." Confused, I asked him what he meant. "You told me you were disappointed in me back in social studies..."

And then it all clicked; this child had never been told that I was no longer disappointed. This child, whom I care for deeply, had never been let off the hook but instead I had left him dangling, wondering where our relationship stood. I stammered out a hurried reply about not being disappointed any longer and then walked away ashamed. How could I have left him to think that for so many weeks? How many times have I done this before? How many other kids assume that I view them unfavorably because of how they have been spoken to?

So as I sit here defeated, I vow to change, to speak to these kids and then follow up. When we use such heavy sentences as "I am disappointed in you" do we ever come back to tell them that we no longer feel that way? Do we repair the void we create with our words or do we just let it grow? As for this kid, I wrote him a note saying I was sorry. What will you do if this happens to you?

Can You Help - Fulfilling my Brother's Wish

2011-11-06T18:02:00.002-06:00

My brother, Paul, is returning from Afghanistan this month where he has been stationed in the middle of absolute nowhere for the past year. Paul is a trauma nurse, one of those guys that are on the front lines working in a tent with no running water saving the lives of soldiers. To say that having him in Afghanistan has been hard for my family would be an understatement but now with the count down finally happening we are hoping to see him by Christmas. This is where I need someone's help and I figured this would be the easiest way to do since it seems I have many connected people in my personal learning network. Paul is a massive Maple Leafs fan, in fact, I have not encountered many people who are more loyal to their team. So I would love to get him a signed Maple Leaf shirt for Christmas. It is a small gift but it would be the biggest surprise for him in the world. This would be a way for my family to celebrate that he is around to watch another season of hockey...

So can anyone out there help me get a signed shirt for him? I would pay for everything, he is a size large, but it is the signatures that would make the whole world of difference. I would appreciate it if you would pass this on to anyone who could possibly help. I hope you don't mind me asking.

Update: 2 days after posting this I was contacted by both Dallas Eakins, Head Coach of the Toronto Marlies and Jon Sinden A social media marketer for the Maple Leafs. They have promised to help me fulfill this wish. This could not have been done without the massive power of my PLN, there was no official route to do this through since I am not a charity. I cannot tell you how absolutely thankful I am to all the people who have helped.

I will update more when I know more. This again shows how we must all pay it forward. I look forward to helping someone else out.

Does Teachers Having Background Knowledge on New Students Harm Them?

2011-11-06T08:07:00.003-06:00

Early on in my life, I was labeled smart, something I have discussed in other posts. This distinction wasn't given to me because I proved myself in class or because I excelled in all academics. The label had in fact been bestowed upon me because I had started school when I just turned 5, rather than the normal age of 6 in Denmark. Unfortunately, I was the perpetual underachiever that just floated by unless I really, really cared about something such as creative writing and yet the label stuck through all of my years of schooling.

That label "smart" though had its advantages; teachers viewed me with a favorable lens, even when I really had no clue what I was doing. I was assumed to be not working hard when in all actuality I really was so lost I couldn't explain many things. And the teachers did most of the work for me, it worked perfectly since from year to year my old teachers would tell my new teachers that I was smart and so the year was set. I didn't have to prove anything to anyone, just sit through the barrage of parent teacher conferences where my mother was told numerous times how I wasn't applying myself.

Some may say that my teachers saw something in me that I had not recognized myself yet, and to them I say, sure... But what is more intriguing here is really that label teachers bestow upon children and how it tends to stick with them. They say that first impressions count and nowhere is that truer than in an educational setting. Often by the time our students start in our classrooms, we know a little about them, maybe not all of them, but most. We may have spoken to their previous teacher or we may know their family, or in the very least have heard of them. Sometimes they come with a file thicker than my arm, other times they are a vast mysterious until we have our first class. And yet, we think we have them pegged very quickly. I often wonder how much of a different perspective one could get of a student if the first class you had with them was one in which they excelled?

So can we move away from our assumptions? Are we, in fact, creating a barrier between us and the real student by having "background knowledge" about them? Can we stop labeling students or is this hardwired into our nature?

Proud to Present - Creating Global Citizens with Meaningful Blogging

2011-11-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

On November 12th at 3 PM EST, I am proud to be presenting for SimpleK12. A description follows of this 30 minute learning opportunity that you don't want to miss.

How would you like to invite the world into your classroom and expose your students' writing to an authentic audience? Do you want your students to be global citizens who are connected with other children around the world? If so, then student blogging is for you! In this webinar we will show you how to get started with student blogging, as well as how to connect with others throughout the world. We will explore some examples of how global blogging can be used in the classroom and share some tips to make it easier.

To register for this webinar, just click on this link

The Emerging Age Bias - a Post for Edutopia

2011-11-05T08:16:00.000-05:00

This was posted on Edutopia this week - what a thrill

"You know I was worried at first, because she was so old, but it turned out she was really good..." A friend and I are discussing her child's teacher. Her words resonate with me because I have heard them a lot lately; she was so old...old... and I wonder since when did being a veteran teacher become a negative quality in America?

Rewind to my first year of teaching and how I wished to be a veteran, how I yearned for years of knowledge and experience that could really wow parents and engage the students at such a high level that they would love coming to school every day. Instead, I bumbled my way through, figuring out my style, using the students as test subjects to all my untried ideas and staring wistfully into veteran teachers' classrooms. I envied their orderly, calm lessons, their seemingly endless project ideas and angles to reach every child. I could not wait to be a veteran.

The Case for Veteran Teachers

Now it appears a new trend has emerged; veteran teachers are no longer "experienced" -- they are simply "old," with every negative connotation of that word. The media and politicians portray these older teachers as stubborn and stuck in their ways. They are labeled static and washed out. The way to resuscitate America's "failing" education is now to get rid of the veterans and pave way for the new teachers, those with boundless energy, passion and fresh ideas. It's truly a case of out with the old and in with the new.

But those working in education can see just how flawed this method of thinking is. Those of us who breathe education recognize what these veteran teachers really bring to us all -- knowledge, expertise, methods that work, and a deep-seated passion for a job that has done little to reward them. We realize that by creating a bias against experience, we are all losers in the world of education. Now before I forget: yes, there are experienced teachers that do fulfill the stereotype, much like there are new teachers that do. However, the majority of experienced teachers do not.

Thanks in part to the rhetoric of the "reformers," the anti-veteran bias seems to be taking root in society, too. Now when teachers are searching for work, the more years they have, the less likely it seems that they will get an interview. Some districts say tight budgets are to blame, which as a teacher in Wisconsin I can appreciate, and yet, you would think that a district would spend the bulk of its money on getting experienced teachers in front of our students. Instead, we see a stigma that says the more years of teaching you have, the less open to new ideas you must be. Parents eagerly tell us how they want that new young teacher because he or she will have something new to offer. Students hope for the young teacher because they are sure he or she will be more fun.

Our Most Valuable Asset

So what can we do? Youth is the ultimate desirability in America, and it is warping the educational world as well. Youth now seems to be the one trait that everyone agrees will save our schools. Get rid of tenure, and with it the more experienced teachers, which frees school districts to hire as many brand new teachers as they want. Brand new teachers that also happen to cost less. Brand new teachers that come off as confident and brimming with new initiatives. Brand new teachers that lack the foundation that only years of teaching can provide them with.

I think back now to what I put my students through my first year -- and I shudder at the thought. There were the make-no-sense rules just to ensure control, tests upon tests because I thought that was the only way I could assess, and just a small stockpile of ideas to pull from. I had the confidence but lacked experience, and the only thing I knew that would make me a better teacher (besides more years) was turning to my mentors, veteran teachers that shared their knowledge and inventiveness. In those master teachers I saw everything that had drawn me to teaching: passion, dedication, innovation and an unstopping sense of urgency to reach all students.

That is what we'll be removing from our educational system -- experience; because in the view of society, old = bad. So when we dismiss and run out our master teachers, we drain our schools of one of their most valuable assets -- knowledge. When we place teachers with experience at the bottom of our respect pole, we set students up to be every new teacher's test subject over and over, throughout their years of schooling. Yes, new teachers bring new ideas to the table, but so do veteran teachers. How anyone can claim otherwise baffles me.

Thankfully, there are others in our profession who agree with me. Veteran teachers are joining social media such as Twitter to reach out to new teachers. They are blogging about their experience, thus creating a database of knowledge accessible to anyone in need. They are creating networks within their schools, ensuring that new teachers have someone to turn to. They are not being run out of education quietly, and we should all be grateful for that. We are only as strong as the weakest link in our schools, and our mentor teachers are doing everything they can to empower the people they work with. That power transfers to our students.

Are You Smart?

2011-11-02T15:56:00.000-05:00

Every day we journal in our classroom, sometimes it relates to our curriculum, sometimes it is to start a discussion. Yesterday I asked my students to answer the question, "Are you smart?" Stunned students looked at me. Then the comments came flodding in...what do you mean...I don't know....what kind of smart....in fact one student was so flustered by the question that he was unable to journal about it.

Now make no mistake, I knew the question would be difficult and yet we, as teachers, often use the label "smart" to describe students in conferences and on report cards. So can we answer what it means to be smart ourselves?

My students struggled through the journal prompt and today I had the opportunity to read their thoughts. I was blown away by their insight. Many lamented the fact that they did not know which smart I was referring to; was I referring to the school smart or to the logical smart? By smart, who was I comparing them to? They feel smart compared to a 3-year-old but not compared to a teacher. Many kids disucussed that school can make you smarter but one pointed out that it is not the only thing that makes us smart and my heart rejoiced.
Some discussed, again so thankful at their wisdom, that smart is something you grow into, not something you are born with. Some unfortunately compared their smartness to how well they do on tests, and my spirit dropped a little.

In the end, no one student had the same answer but they made me think; how do we define smart? How do we show our students that they are indeed smart? Is their any point in even discussing it with them or should we be focusing instead on the abilities they have; their problem solving skills, their work ethics, their creativity? Do students need to feel smart to succeed? And how do we stop tests from robbing them of their self-esteem and faith in themselves?

I may have asked my students one questions, but they asked many more of me. It was a great day for thinking.

But We Get So Excited....

2011-11-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

We are in the middle of writing boot camp, that back to basics training that my 5th graders all need. They have these incredible ideas just bursting onto their blogs, their journals and anywhere else they write, but they lack the basics. The organization, capitalization, and other things that make readers stumble and lose interest.

So as we go through another lesson on paragraphs and the students correctly put all of the pieces together, I ask them, "Do you all know this?" A resounding "Yes!" greets me. "Well, then why don't you use it in your writing?" Silence and then this answer, "Well, we just forget because we get so excited..." I smile and move on.

I wonder how many times students don't show their best work because they are so excited...

Why Giving Second Chances Should be Second Nature

2011-11-01T06:38:00.000-05:00

We have all had the phone call, "Tommy studied so hard but didn't do very well on the test, is there anything we can do?" How many of us have said, "No, sorry..." I know I used to. I used to be the queen of no extra credit, no re-takes, no second chances. That is until then I realized how this didn't reflect adult life. In my job I get second chances all of the time. If a lesson doesn't go as planned, I re-do it or teach it again. I don't get observed only once to have my teaching career decided but instead multiple times by various people. If we have a bad day, we go back, fix it, and then move forward. Every single day I get to learn from my mistakes. So why is it we are so hellbent on not giving our students the same second chance? Yes, I know that standardized tests have inane rules we have to follow, but nothing else does. We decide the rules and for some reason a lot of the time those rules do not involve allowing students to learn from their mistakes mistakes.

Last year, my students got to fix everything they handed in. Stupid mistakes became teaching moments, sloppy work was enhanced, and gaps of knowledge were filled in. It was certainly more work for me, but what it taught the kids was invaluable; perseverance, dedication, and not being afraid to try something. More learning occurred in my room last year than ever before. And this year is no different, my students give me their best and then we figure out how to learn even more. By giving them second chances, they are proving to me how much they really know, outside of the anxiety, the pressure, and the rigidity that can occur. So why not try it? Give your students back that test and tell them to fix it, give them back their work and tell them to enhance it. Give them another chance to learn.

Oh Wow - An Adventure with my Livescribe

2011-10-30T08:40:00.000-05:00

Recently, thanks to a wonderful member of my PLN (I won't name him so he doesn't get inundated with requests) I was mailed a LiveScribe pen. I have wanted one of these little wonders for a long time thinking it would help me assess my students, keep a record of their progress and also let them hear my thoughts about their work. Having 25 students in my room means I simply do not get as much time to sit down one-on-one with them to give them all of their needed feedback. The Livescribe pen allows me to record my thoughts and then have them listen to it so we can start a dialogue.

Life has gotten in the way a bit, though, so I haven't had enough time to really get to know the tool and thus had not used in a professional sense yet. The opportunity finally came Monday where I was involved in an integration day for one of my students with special needs. This is where the genius
of this little pen shone brightly; during the meeting I was able to take notes and record the goal discussion that was happening in the room. I, of course, informed the meeting participants that I was recording and then we started to work. I now have notes and a recording of what we discussed should be this student's main goals accessible to me at any time. Sheer brilliance.

The recording has already been shared with other members involved in the child's education and I am planning on referring to it throughout the year as we try to keep him engaged and involved in the learning. One click of the button and now my memory can fault me all i want, I have it all right there.

PS: In a way you can say this is a sponsored post since I was given the pen for free to try out, but the enthusiasm is genuine. I am already excited about the other possibilities of using the pen; hello post-observation conference!

Giving Grades is the Easy Way Out

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Somewhere in the grade debate, colleges came into the picture. As in if you don't grade a student, they will never be able to get into college. However, this simply isn't true, in fact Alfie Kohn just discussed it in his latest article "The Case Against Grades." In it he also makes the point that even if a college did require grades, they don't care about the grades from middle school or elementary school. And yet as a nation we are obsessed with numbers and ranks. We love to sort our children and compare them to others. Unfortunately because we have so many to get to, we do it the easy way; by assigning them a letter grade based on a percentage.

Now, you may think that I am bashing teachers who grade, but no, I am discussing the system that requires us to do so. I grade. I have to for trimester report cards, that is also the only time my students see a letter grade. It is decided upon through a conversation between the student and where we discuss their progress and their goals. Also, don't confuse this for an attack on assessing students, because it is not. Grades do not equal assessment at all times.

So let's be frank, it is way easier for me to grade my students than it is to properly assess them. Grading means I can tell them when something is due, collect it from them, take it home and based upon a rubric or key I assign their percentage which then translates into a grade. All I then have to do is enter it into my gradebook and hand it back to the child. Assessment done. I don't need to speak to the child about their work because it would not change how they did. I could also dock them points if they handed it in late, or didn't have their name on it. I could dock them points for neatness or creativity, because I am the judge of both of those.

True assessment is messy and time consuming. It involves speaking to the children about their work and their progress. You have to find the time to speak to all of them about whatever they are working on. You have to actually listen while they speak and brainstorm together. And this can't be a one-time visit either if the project is larger, then you have to find the time for multiple check-ins. When the project is finished you look through it with the child. You discuss its strengths, its weaknesses and how it could be improved. You discuss what they have learned, what they have discovered, and sometimes you even let them take it back and work on it some more. Those conversations don't translate into neat percentages. They don't translate well into grades because my "A" is going to be different from anyone else's "A." Together you assess and perhaps even find new venues for learning. You walk away feeling that you know the child, their knowledge, their passions and what they need to focus on. Percentages don't tell you that.

Now I know what some will say; I don't have time to discuss all of this with my students, especially people who have more than one classroom. And to them I say; who decides what your assignments look like? Who decides how the time is spent in the classroom? We have more power over how we teach than we think, even with all of the crazy standards and regulations we all face. We decide how the time is spent in our rooms, how material is covered, how students learn together. We decide more than we know.

So next time you sit down to grade an assignment, wonder whether it can be done a different way. Wonder whether this is truly giving you the best perception of the child's learning and growth. You might be surprised of what you realize.

Please Don't Mark It Wrong - How Our Society Raise Children Afraid to Fail

2011-10-26T19:36:00.002-05:00

Another child stands by me asking for my help, 5 seconds after the assignment has been given, "But I just don't get it, Mrs. Ripp..." And I ask, because this is the 3rd time today that this child has come up to me immediately into work time, "Well, did you try?" She hasn't, she is scared, and she admits it readily; "Please don't circle it. Please don't mark it wrong." So upset, she raises her voice, pleads with me as if my circle matters. As if my marker holds the power. And I am stumped because how does a 5th grader get that scared of failing?

The truth is we are doing this to kids, we, this society in pursuit of perfection is doing it to our kids, because it was done to us as well. My daughter, who granted is only a wise two and a half year old is not afraid to fail. She gets frustrated sure, but she tries and tries and then sometimes tries again. We encourage this at home, urging her on, urging her to explore, to pick herself up. Again, again, again. Will she be the child in 8 years that stands petrified in front of me, asking for help because trying seems too daunting?

No teacher or parent tries to make their child afraid of failure. Yet our practices in schools support this notion that failure is the worst thing that can happen. An incorrect answer on a test pulls down your grade, you get enough, and you get an F for failure stamped across it for the world to see. That F means nothing valid, nothing worth reading here, nothing worth. Homework that is meant to be practice is tabulated, calculated, and spit out on our report cards. The child who gets the answer right is heralded as smart, the child who gets it wrong is told to keep trying and maybe they will get it someday.

How we run our classrooms directly affect how students feel about themselves. About how they feel about their own capabilities and their own intelligence. I fail all the time in front my kids, not on purpose, I try stuff and it doesn't work and we talk about it. And yet, I am not perfect either. I catch myself in using practice problems as assessment, where really they should be viewed just as practice. I praise the kids that get it right and sometimes don't praise the ones that kept persisting but never reach a correct answer. I don't alway have enough time to explore all of the options so I guide the kids toward success knowing that some venues will lead them to failure. I shield them from it sometimes because I don't want to crush their spirits.

We have to stand up for our children and we have to turn this notion around that failure is the worst thing that can happen. Failure is not the worst; not trying is. We have to keep our kids believing in themselves and having enough confidence to try something. If we don't we are raising kids that follow all of the rules, that never take risks, that never discover something new. And that failure is too big to remedy.

So You Want to Do Mystery Skype?

2011-10-25T15:48:00.000-05:00

Mystery Skype is one of those ideas I wish I had thought because it just so fun but instead I was lucky enough to hear about it from Caren MacConnell. The concept is simple: classrooms Skype call each other and try to guess where the other classroom is located either in the United States or in the world. There are many great resources out there but for my own sanity I am creating one list for future reference:

Before the call:

Sign up - there are many places to sign up and some are even grade level based. I signed up a couple of places but also tweeted it out; the response was immediate as a lot of people are doing this. If you would like to sign up:

Decide on a date and time - don't forget to consider in timezones.
Prepare the kids

We wanted to know facts about our own state so that we would be ready for any question. We therefore researched the following questions: climate, region, neighboring states, time zone, capital, famous landmarks, geographical location. All of this gave the students a better grip of what they might be asked.
We also brainstormed questions to possibly ask. We like the concept of the questions having to have yes or no answers as it makes the game a little harder and has the students work on their questioning skills. Questions we came up with included whether they were in the United States, whether they were east of the Mississippi, Whether they were West of the Rocky Mountains, If they were in a specific region, whether they border other countries, whether they are landlocked etc.
Give jobs. I think it is most fun when the kids all have jobs, so this was a list of our jobs:

Greeters - Say hello to the class and some cool facts about the class - without giving away the location.
Inquirers - these kids ask the questions and are the voice of the classroom. They can also be the ones that answer the questions.
Answerers - if you have a lot of kids it is nice to have designated question answerers - they should know their state facts pretty well.
Think tanks - I had students sit ina group and figure out the clues based on the information they knew. Our $2 whiteboards came in handy for this.
Question keepers - these students typed all of the questions and answers for us to review later.
Google mappers - two students were on Google maps studying the terrain and piecing together clues.
Atlas mapper - two students used atlases and our pull down map to also piece together clues.
Clue keepers - worked closely with answerers and inquirers to help guide them in their questioning.
Runner - A student that runs from group to group relaying information.
Photographer - takes pictures during the call
Videographer - I had two students film the call
Clue Markers - These students worked with puzzles of the United States and maps to remove any states that didn't fit into the clues given.
Problem solver - this student helped students with any issues they may encounter during the call.
Closers - End the call in a nice manner after guesses have been given.

During the Call:
During the call you just have to step back and trust the kids. My students were incredible, both with their enthusiasm and their knowledge, I think I was more nervous than they were. I did have to fact check some of their answers so I did stay close by but otherwise it ran pretty smoothly. We decided which class would go first with their first question and then there were two options:

Yes answer: They get to ask another question.
No answer - Other team's turn to ask a question.

Students were allowed to guess whenever they thought they had a great answer (and it was their turn). In the end, both classes were able to guess each other's location.

Resources:
For our preparation for this, I showed the kids this video on Linda Yollis' blog - it really gave the students a concrete example of what to expect and they got very excited. Also Mr. Avery has a great discussion of jobs he had students do during the call.
Jerry Blumengarten also has a nice collection of links on one of his many pages that was helpful to me.

Here is a video of our first call with Joan Young's class

We are already excited to try it again!

So We Lost...But We Didn't Really

2011-10-24T19:08:00.000-05:00

So what do you think when you see you are no longer in the running to win The Great American Teach Off? Bummedness at first, after all $10,000 is almost half my net salary and would go an incredibly long way in my school, but then something else... relief. You see, who would want to be at their most innovative 4 years into their teaching career? Who would want to peak at such a young age when I have so many years of teaching still left in me? I hope that when I am 70, I can look back at my years of teaching and see the change, the progress.

So while my students were so disappointed, I was just fine with the news. We have new challenges to face, new ideas (and old ones) to explore, and new things to learn. We are on to the next adventure; thank you for believing and thank you for voting for us.

Why Are So Many Students Absent?

2011-10-23T08:16:00.000-05:00

Today Education Week is running a poll on their Facebook page asking the question:
What do you think would be the most effective in combating absenteeism?

The choices:

Reaching out to parents
Harsher discipline for students
Establishing truancy officers
More before - and after-school programs
Community-based efforts

And while some of these ideas are not bad, the most effective method isn't even mentioned:

Have engaging curriculum with student choice. Until we make school worth coming to, students are not going to be invested.

Really, Education Week, you couldn't think of that?

The Creation of the Lifelong Learner

2011-10-23T07:22:00.001-05:00

Crossposted from The Cooperative Catalyst

“Mommy!!! BUG!!!” Thea screams at me as we walk around our deck. ”Lookit mommy, bug,” she runs to me grabs my hand and pulls me near. Behold; the lifelong learner sans education.

Children are naturally curious; if you give them a box they are not allowed to open, they will beg and beg until they finally get to peek inside. If you tape a box on the floor of your classroom, they will continue to guess at its purpose even past the big reveal. Children do not need rules to be curious, or even strategies. They are born with this ability. Now as educators we may fine-tune these skills but schools cannot take credit for their natural curiosity.

So why is it so many schools have a vision statement that includes “creating lifelong learners?” Why this need to take credit for something they have not indeed created? Do schools really think that children are not learners when they first enter the hallowed hallways and they therefore need to be fixed? What an offensive statement to parents everywhere. Yet schools and the rigidity of some classrooms can often be the reason that the lifelong learner is stymied. Schools end up breaking the child’s curiosity only to try to take credit for it being re-built.

I would like to see a school with a vision that declares they want to “maintain lifelong learners.” I would like to see a vision in which children are recognized as the insatiably curious learners they truly are. We have to change our schools to allow time for curiosity and true exploration. We are not in the business of creating robots, and yet, that is the direction our government wants to push us. Bring back the curiosity, maintain the lifelong learner, and perhaps then our system wont seem so broken.

Come Into Our Room

2011-10-22T07:16:00.001-05:00

You say our kids are failing, not learning enough. I say come into my room and see these kids. Come into my room and tell them to their face that are failing, that they are not doing enough to learn. To maintain, to comprehend, to test better. Those kids you talk about happen to be my kids as well. Those kids you mention in your articles, in your rhetoric, in your posts that tell us teachers that we are not doing enough, those kids are in my room. And those kids.... they work and they work hard.

They get so excited sometimes that they yell out. They get so loud in their planning that I just let them work because I don't want to intrude. They break their pencils because they just want to scribble so fast when inspiration strikes. They come to me and wonder what else can we do? What other things may we try? Is this idea any good? And I say yes, try it, do it, think it, dream it. You may not think that our kids are doing enough in school. You may not think that our kids are learning enough. I say, come into my room and we will prove you wrong.

When We Compare Test Scores

2011-10-21T06:21:00.000-05:00

When we compare students based on test scores, we assume that when they took the test...

They have had a good night's sleep
They are not hungry
They do not have any family or friendships issues distracting them
They have all had access to the same information
They have all had the same chance for practice
They have all had the same teaching leading up to the test
They all have the same type environment in which to take the test
They all speak and understand English at the same level

What if just one of those assumptions is incorrect, or worse, what if they all are?

Ability Grouping Versus Tracking - What's in a Name?

2011-10-19T20:29:00.000-05:00

For a while now I have been wondering about the language we use as we group our students. Not so much the labels we use but the method of grouping used. For guided reading, you are supposed to group students at their reading level, which then in turn creates ability groups. This is considered a great thing for teaching students at their targeted levels. And I tend to agree, I do some whole class book discussions but for deeper teaching of reading strategies I like to meet with smaller groups to discuss pertinent strategies with books they can understand. And that according the guided reading is what I should be doing; placing students with similar leveled students or similar skilled students so that they can work at the same task.

For math you can do flex grouping, also based somewhat on ability as determined through pre-tests and personalties, and this too is totally permissible. It allows for smaller groups and different pacing of curriculum, as well as remediation and enrichment.

Yet, if you take away the gentler names and introduce the word "tracking", then both of these scenarios lose their luster. So I wonder, out loud as usual, is ability grouping really just tracking with a kinder name?

If we ability group in elementary are we setting students on their path for the rest of their academic career or are we indeed teaching them within their zone of proximal development and then spurring further growth? Are we able to group students in such a way that all are challenged at their level without breaking them apart? Can we effectively meet every single child's needs within in a classroom setting during our instruction time without identifying which skill they specifically need to work on and them grouping them to work on them?

I would love your thoughts on this.

Theirs

2011-10-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

As I look around the classroom I see the piles, the papers, the snack wrappers. I see the posters in progress, some ideas scribbled out, doodles and even a wayward shoe. Computers that have been left on, carpet squares haphazardly stacked, and pencils on the floor. When I started teaching this would have stressed me out. I would have spent a half an hour or more straightening, re-hanging those posters and throwing out whatever I saw fit. I would have wiped, sanitized, and organized. Perhaps I would even have labeled and checked my supplies that nothing was missing. I would have made a note to myself to talk to the kids about how they needed to clean more, how we need a clean and organized classroom to function well. How their stuff shouldn't be messed in with my stuff.

Now I organize myself, leave their piles, smile as I shut off the lights and think, "This is their room now."

We Did It to Ourselves

2011-10-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

Play nice, don't fight, don't whisper and give compliments. Share, take interest and never, ever be critical. Highlight others before yourself, don't ask for special treatment, share your voice but take turns. Rules we teach our kids? Sure, but also rules that we teachers are expected to follow. So when we look around and wonder how we as a group get such little respect by some politicians, by some media, even by some parents, administrators, and fellow teachers, the truth is; we did it to ourselves.

Teachers are their own worst enemy it seems. We are not expected to share our successes in case someone gets offended that they are not being highlighted. We are not expected to shine a light on the things we do well in our jobs, and there are many, because someone may get jealous. We shouldn't draw attention, rather pass it to our kids. We shouldn't tell people our pay, or how many hours we put in but rather stand as saints hoping someone might notice. Indeed we are expected to stand up for our students, but not for ourselves because it is just so uncouth. We are supposed to be selfless, with no wants besides the basics; food, shelter, and maybe some respect. We are not supposed to say that we would like better pay for the incredible amount of work we do. We are not supposed to say; look at me, look at what I do, and give me some respect. (Which yes, can be done in a nice manner, that then can be easily dismissed).

Teachers should play nice, like we tell our students. Don't cause too many waves because it is unbecoming of our profession. Don't raise your voice too much because you may offend. Whatever happens to us, happens, because we choose to not raise our voice, to not band together, and instead waste our time fighting amongst ourselves. It is time to rise up, it is time to raise our voice, to occupy our classrooms and stand tall. To highlight the incredible work we do, to get the respect we deserve. To be treated like we treat our students. So as I give my students a voice, I allow myself to speak as well. We are the 99% and together our whispers will become a roar.

Our Second Week Video

2011-10-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

We made it into the third round of the Great American Teach Off. If you are one of th epeople who voted for us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! The kids are so excited and are coming up with fair ways we could spend the $10,000 to have the biggest impact on our school. there are so many things that could be used. So here is last week's video that ensured our survival.

Why Students Should Blog - My Top 10

2011-10-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have written about it before, I will write about it again I am sure, so here is why students should blog:

They have an actual audience to write for. The writing is no longer just for me but the whole world. When we write science diaries, we have scientists write back to us and push their questioning skills. When students write about a book they are reading, other students ask them questions and give them more recommendations. When students go on vacations they write to us to tell us all about it. You get the idea.
You can track their writing progress. I have always had them keep track of their writing in their binders but invariable papers got lost. Here I can see their growth, print it out and hand it to them. I can have them focus on specific skills, just like regular writing, but they can go in and edit on their own time. They can see their growth and the electronic version seems to appeal to them more.
It opens a dialogue. Students have a direct line to their teacher and to anyone else they are connected with. Blogging helps us write back to each other, but great blogging is like a conversation with questions and critique. My students are learning how to engage in written dialogue with topics they care about.
It establishes their internet identity in safe manner. Students are getting on the internet earlier and earlier so as teachers it is vital we embrace this opportunity to teach them safety. My students know the safety rules by heart and help each other follow them. By being on the internet and establishing a presence they are actively practicing staying safe rather than just talking about it.
They teach each other. Numerous times my students have corrected misconceptions or created new awareness of concepts being taught within our room. They become teachers rather than just students in our classroom and blogging allows them to continue that outside our classroom walls.
They are global citizens and global collaborators. We speak of creating global citizens but then forget to actually connect kids with kids. My students know where places in the world are because they speak to kids from those places. We have connections around the world that we can use when we study other places and this year my students will even be working on a project together with another classroom.
Transparency. Too often teachers shut their doors to the world rather than sharing the amazing things we concoct along with or students. Blogging opens up that door and shows the whole world what is happening. My students have more than once inspired other teachers to try a project.
They become aware of themselves as writers. Students start to create their own essence as a writer first playing around with fonts but then creating tag lines for their blogs and deciding how they want to present themselves to the world as writers. This is powerful at the elementary age.
I can easily check in on their learning. When my students blog about a concept I can quickly see whether they are understanding the essential concepts or need another learning opportunity.
You give them a voice. Students need a way to express themselves to take ownership of their learning, so through our blog students tell the world their thoughts on education, their learning and their needs. I am a better teacher because of their blogging.

I could keep going but I hope that this inspires you to try it. Reach out, connect, I will gladly help anyone that wants to try blogging with their students. My students tell me now that blogging is one of the best things that has ever happened to them. To see their work and their thoughts visit them here

For more reasons why students should blog, check out this post:

10 Reasons Your Students Should Be Blogging by Matthew Ray

Why I Oughta....

2011-10-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

"If you don't hand this in tomorrow, I am taking away two recceses..."
"If you don't quiet down and focus, I will give you extra homework..."
"If you don't start doing your work, you will not go on the field trip...."

These statements all came from me my first 2 years of teaching. Always threatening to reach compliance, always promising the kids doom and gloom if they didn't do exactly as I said. I thought I had control. I was wrong, what I had instead, was compliance. I didn't have buy in or engagement. I didn't have kids that were excited about the learning, I didn't have kids that couldn't wait to come to school.

So what changed? I did. I realized that the classroom I wanted to be a part of couldn't be one of threats. It couldn't be one where students felt they had to do something because the teacher said it and not because they found it interesting or worthwhile. I couldn't have a classroom where the kids just went through the motions, worked within the system and just survived school. I didn't want them to just survive, I wanted them to thrive. So I decided no more" if you don't do this then this bad thing will happen." No more "Why I oughta's" out of me. No more fooling myself into believing that the kids automatically should respect me, I had to earn it from them.

So that next year I had the kids set the rules, they already knew them after all. We didn't write them down or post them on our walls. We discussed and moved on. We changed the rules when we needed to. When a child didn't finish their homework, which there was very little of anyway, they had to tell me in the morning and take responsibility. If they told me they had left it at home, I believed it. The kids would choose how to get their work done, they could stay in for recess if they needed help otherwise they knew it was expected the next day. I was honest with the kids, I sometimes forgot to do stuff as well or life got in the way. My kids didn't become less compliant by me removing the threats, they started to work harder because the work was worth their time. They knew that if I asked them to do something it was because I had deemed the work worthy of their time.

It wasn't perfect, but guess what; nothing ever is. But is is me and it is us and it works. Those kids, I respect them and I have earned their respect. I have set a healthy example for them that hopefully they can use outside of school. Don't just demand but build a relationship, how them that you respect them as learners and as human beings. Show them they are worth it.

Our First Week Video

2011-10-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

Now that we have made it into the second week of the Great American Teach Off, I promised my kids I would share our first video on my blog. So promise kept kids!

When Students Are Afraid to Try

2011-10-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today it smacked me right in the face; what I am so disheartened over, what I am fighting to end, what I think is one of the downfalls of the way we educate. It wasn't something grand, nor something I had expected and yet there it was; taunting me to do something about it, making me feel oh so powerless. What was this beast, you ask, fore it must have been epic? Well, in my world it was because it was kids afraid to try...

My kids, those who I fail in front of all of the time. Those kids who are not afraid to try something new, to create, to think of wacky ideas. Those kids that try again and again and again every day, they just froze. Came to me in droves, asking for help, giving up without even putting their pencil to the paper. The culprit? Having to create a data-set that fit the clues; one math problem. Frustrated at first I told them to just try, mess around with some numbers, attack it whichever way they thought made sense. Just do something. And yet they didn't. They had given up, they had surrendered to this math problem, it simply made them feel stupid.

So this evening, sitting at the dinner table I shared my story with Brandon, who does more teacher reflection than the average teacher it seems. I asked "Why? Why were they so afraid to try?" He stated, "Failure." And I think he is right. My kids, my adventurous, smart 5th graders, were afraid to fail. Were afraid to not get it right, so instead of trying it, they simply refused. That way I would have to show them how, I would never know that they were not smart enough to do it, I would never know that this itty bitty problem had matched them, even if none of this was true.

So what do we do when the kids are afraid to even try? What do we do when all of the times we have failed in front of them is forgotten? When they have started to believe that if they cannot get it right, they should not even attempt it? I have a classroom were we thrive on failed attempts, learn from our mistakes, and always pick ourselves up and yet today that all vanished. Tomorrow it will be back, I am sure, those kids will be daring again, but today, they were simply scared and all I can think to myself is; what have we done to our kids?

One of My Happiest Places

2011-10-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

What Happens to the Doodlers?

2011-10-10T19:24:00.001-05:00

Recently Richard Byrne shared the fantastic short TED video by Sunni Brown called "Doodlers Unite." (Shown below). Being a lifelong doodler myself, and also one that has realized how much my students do it, I was eager to share the video with the rest of my school and see how they reacted. So imagine my delight, when my principal emailed me the following story today:

The framed pencil sketch of "Mr. Rykal's class" on my wall is from my first classic doodler. When he was in 4th grade, I went to him, ripped a doodle page from his notebook, and then stapled it to my bulletin board. I told him if I couldn't stop him from doodling, I was going to be the first person to own his original work. The result was the portrait.

Later, when he graduated from HS, he sent me a note, thanking me for recognizing that he had to doodle.

He is now an artist who illustrates children's books. I purchased one for our library, and a couple years ago emailed him a picture of the portrait on my wall.

As a new teacher, I was always the one that would try to "catch" students not paying attention and doodling was definitely one of my many "clues" as to who was aptly listening and who wasn't. I assumed that if they were busy with their hands there was no way my fascinating lecture could be captivating them as well. Often, my doodlers would be embarrassed by being called out in front of the class like that and their doodling would disappear. I wanted control so badly of my room that I confused it with controlling my students' every move as well.

It wasn't until two years ago, when I realized that some people focus much better when they doodle and perhaps I had just given doodling a bad name. What was an annoying habit that I needed to get rid of, was something I myself do when I sit in meetings. Oops. Big learning moment when I realized that. And now I wonder how many students grow into be artists when we let them doodle? How many students discover their love of using tools to create when they doodle? How many students focus more aptly because their hands are busy? I now encourage doodling in my classroom as we work and have had students share their doodles as well.

So there we have it - Doodling isn't wasteful, it is an art-form, something that helps students focus. Rejoice and celebrate the doodling.

10 + 1 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

2011-10-09T07:55:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life smacks you in the face and makes you change your ways for the better. Fortunately in education, this happens quite a bit, unfortunately it is not always in the most pleasant way. I present a list of my lessons I learned the hard way.

You may be really excited about something but that does not mean anyone else will be. I joined Twitter more than a year ago and I have yet to convince anyone close to me of its value. I remain undeterred in my plug for Twitter but at the same time also realize that perhaps they just don't want to join.
When you make a lot of changes, not everyone will think they are great. I have changed many things in my classroom and while I see all of the amazing benefits, not everyone does. I have many critics and my skin has grown a lot thicker, and yet, ouch.
Not everyone wants to hear your opinion, even if you think it s a good one.
Not all parents want less homework. I thought every parent would stand up and cheer at my decision to nearly eliminate homework, but no, some want a lot of homework for their children for various reasons. I now encourage open dialogue on it and help out where I can.
Lecturing does not engage - and neither does raising your voice and scolding the kids when they tune out. I figured this one out after 2 years of teaching with glazed over eyes and less than enthusiastic students. Now I look back at those two first years and shudder.
Rewards diminish the learning. I used to be a rewards fanatic but realized that kids focused more on which sticker they got then the feedback I gave them. I also created a class divide in my room with the have's and the have not's. If only I could tell all of those kids that I am sorry for what I did.
When you think everything is going great, you are about to crash. I don't know how many times I have been on a teaching high only to crash and burn wickedly. Life changes quickly, so enjoy the "high" while you can.
Putting your thoughts on a blog means everyone wants to debate with you. Some will cheer, some will challenge, and some will just downright criticize. Either way, you have to take the good with the bad; it is all part of developing your voice.
Even the best classroom can have a bad day. I used to beat myself up wondering what went wrong when the day feel apart. Then I realized that sometimes there is just nothing to do it about it that day, what matters is that you start over the next day.
I am not always right, even if I really, really want to be. I have some pretty strong opinions and fortunately for me, sometimes they change. That means I have had to apologize to people, publicly state the change and eat crow in a number of ways. This is a not a bad thing, but a human thing.
I am not the only teacher in the room. I thought I was the ultimate authority on everything in my room, and loved to share my vast knowledge into those empty vessels that were my kids. What a rude awakening when I realized that my students are not blank slates. Now I remind myself daily to step aside and let them explore and teach each other and me.

An Ode to the Lost

2011-10-08T12:24:00.002-05:00

Warning, this has nothing to do with education and everything to do with that which makes us humans. It has to do with what shapes us, those life experiences that continue to haunt and fold our lives even long after they happened. It may be too personal for some, but I share the story nonetheless so that others may feel less alone.

Yesterday, you would have been a year. I am the only that knows that as others have moved on, away from the tragedy that is a pregnancy lost. That child of ours, a year full of firsts again, of sleepless nights, of crying fits, of moments captured by cameras and film. A year we never got.

And so I grieve privately. The world would not have known that yesterday was the day we should have welcomed you one year ago, celebrated the miracle that would have been you. I carried on, smiled over all of the blessings I do have, and I hugged Thea just a little bit more, knowing what a fine sister she would have been. They say that losing a child is the most awful thing that can happen to you. I never lost a child but I have lost the dream that becomes a child. And yet the grief you feel over a miscarriage numbs you, changes you, while the world turns and continues. It is so private, so hidden, particularly when it happens early, that you do not know what to do with your raw emotions, who to share it with, who to cry with. And so us mothers to be, who lose the baby, move on as if nothing happened. As if those days where we remember mean nothing special. As if our grief has melted away along with the memory of what could have been.

And yet, I carry it with me. I no longer cry, but I wonder what you would have been. I wonder what our family would feel like? How much more love there would be in this home? We are doing fine, life treats us with kindness, and yet, I wonder about you. Those dreams of you and what to do with them. Yesterday you would have been a year, and instead there is nothing. So this is to all those should-be mothers out there who have not forgotten, you are not alone, we remember together.

An Easy Statement

2011-10-08T06:48:00.000-05:00

You know what is easy to say? That our education system is broken. It is also easy to say that it is because of standardized tests, because of politicians, too much red tape and clueless administrators. We need more money, we need smaller class sizes, more time, more enthusiasm. I could go on listing all of the things we need.

And yet, at some point we must own up to our own responsibility. At some point we must change our statements and no longer just say that the system is broken. At some point we must say, I am part of the solution. That perhaps not everything in the system is broken but that there are flaws and we can do something about it.

Saying the system is broken is too easy. It removes responsibility. Take the responsibility, be the change, and then spread the word.

Blogging Gave Me an Audience and Then Some

2011-10-07T15:28:00.001-05:00

I never was a writer until I began to blog. Perhaps I was a poet or at least I liked to call myself one as I dredged through hour upon hour of teenage self loathing in my journal. I never was a writer though, just someone who liked to write but didn't know where to do it or what to even write about. Then one day I blogged. My husband told me to, said it would be good for me and I trusted him so I thought why not? Little did he know how big of an effect blogging would have on our lives and on our family.

To blog is to bare ones soul, to have a conversation with the world; a conversation where anyone can become a critic and anyone can become an inspiration. I quickly realized you have to have thick skin to blog honestly. And yet, blogging has allowed me to create friendships and work relationships with people globally. Blogging has allowed me to send seeds of inspiration into the world and I have been lucky enough to be told that I have inspired others. We choose how we represent ourselves to the world, and I represent myself through blogging. I am not always right. I am not always coherent. I am not always positive even though I strive to be. But I am always honest. I want my blog to be a true reflection of the world I live in, the classroom I get to call home, and the incredible children that get to be part of my family. So through my blog I invite others in to our world. I invite others to see how a classroom can function with respect, love and honest communication. I invite others to be the change, to be positive, and to give those children a voice. I am no longer shouting to an empty room; blogging has given me an audience. I am no longer alone, there are others out there like me. What a relief.

This blog is in response to the Rockstar Meme on How Blogging Changed My World - thank you for the inspiration.

I now invite these 5 people to share their journey and their story as I feel it is an important one:
Josh Stumpenhorst
Matthew Ray
Chris Wejr
Greta Sandler
Katie Hellerman

I Can Change the World

2011-10-06T15:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's true, we are small but we are not insignificant. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change my classroom. I can change my philosophy, I can change myself.

So when I look around my room and I see those faces, I know they deserve the very best of me. I know they deserve a room where there is no punishment, where there are no inane rewards in place. They deserve to live life outside of school free from pointless homework and they deserve to know their progress and their goals.

So through my change I change their school experience. I change their minds that learning is static, boring, or pointless. I change their perspective that teachers are out to get them. I change myself so that I can help them go on their path. Though we may think we cannot change the world, we can through our students. The change starts within ourselves.

We Made in On the News

2011-10-05T19:13:00.002-05:00

I Am Not Sorry

2011-10-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

As an educator, it seems I spend a lot of time apologizing. I apologize for trying new things. I apologize for speaking my mind. I apologize for seeming too busy to help, too frazzled to form sentences sometimes. I apologize for doings things differently, or for going out on a limb. I apologize for being a union member, or for fighting for my kids. Just the last couple of weeks I have even been apologizing for being a finalist in the Great American Teach Off because some people may be upset at the recognition. All that time spent worrying and wondering if someone is upset with me, always ready with an I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

So I am going to stop apologizing and just try that for a while because the truth is I am not always sorry.

I am not sorry for trying new things to spark the imagination of my children.

I am not sorry for listening to them and changing our learning to keep them engaged, involved and excited.

I am not sorry for standing up for my kids and getting them the help they need.

I am not sorry for trying to be innovative and for spreading the ideas.

I am not sorry for my passion and my deep belief that together we can be the change.

I am not sorry for my mother believing in me enough to submit me for a contest where someone realized that having a student-centered classroom, with no punishment, no rewards, limited homework and student driven grades is an innovative thing.

So this educator is standing up for herself and for my kids. There are many things to be sorry, but changing one's educational philosophy to something better is not one of them. While I remain passionate, I also retain my humility. I am not the only change agent. I am not the only passion cultivator. But I am ones of the ones saying I am sorry for changing things anymore. Join me.

But Wait, I 'm Only One Person

2011-10-04T18:35:00.002-05:00

As I am continually awed by the incredible educators I get to teach with not only in my school, but also in the world, I am renewed in my already strong belief that we are the change.

We are the change for all of those children whose lives have been determined by assumptions, circumstance, and test scores outside of their control.

We are the change for all of those teachers who don't think they have a voice. You do. So although you may just be one person, there are so many things you can do to change the system. To bring the focus back on the kids, on improving teaching conditions, and keeping our students passionate and curious. So

Stand up for yourself.

Speak up - one voice joins the chorus and together we are louder.

Blog, write to the paper, get it out and spread the word. Change will come if we continue to fight for it.

Join together - enough of the us versus them debate. Enough with tearing other teachers down. Show me a perfect teacher and I will show you 10 people that disagree. We are not perfect nor should we ever think we are; embrace each other, and stand together, this is for the kids.

Tell them they matter.

Realize that you matter.

Try your ideas and then be proud if they work. Be proud if they fail, at least you tried something.

Believe in them, believe in you, and believe in your team.

Be the change. Be the change. Be the change.

You may be just one but think of how far one person's words can go, the ripples they can start, the waves they can become.

5 Easy Things to Do to Cultivate Passion

2011-10-04T11:13:00.003-05:00

I have been called many things, some wonderful some not so much , but passionate is one of the things I am most proud of. And it is true, I am a passionate person. I love my job, I love my kids, and the people that I surround myself with. I passionately believe in student voice and active learning. And yet passion in itself is not enough to change the world, we somehow need to pass it on. So every day, I do these things to help my students stay passionate.

We speak. Without a relationship, they will never trust me enough to unleash their passion, so we take the time to cultivate one.
I get excited and loud and really, really into it. If I do not show my own passion, how can it spread?
We disagree. Knowing how to discuss is important for defending, articulating, and discovering ones passion, so we leave room for intense debates and pondering. They must have time to think.
They blog, they journal, they speak and they share. This is where I see the seeds start to grow.
They discover new worlds with their hands, their eyes, and their brains. Some students are passionate already, others are not so sure, but how will they ever find out what they are passionate about if we do not give them time to explore, break, build, and create?

What do you do share the passion? To ignite it or to keep from distinguishing it? Our classrooms should be passion cultivation areas; how do we get there?

To see how our room runs, and perhaps vote for us in the Great American Teach Off, please go to this website. We have the chance to win $10,000 for our school which is sure to create some passionate debates.

But Wait, I Thought You Hate Rewards?

2011-10-02T07:11:00.001-05:00

I am in a interesting predicament. This anti-rewards teacher has the potential of being rewarded through the Great American Teach Off and win a $10,000 classroom grant by being declared the winner over 9 other innovative educators. So not only would I be singled out as a good educator but I would also be recognized at the expense of others. So how does that all work? Do I declare myself a hypocrite and say "whatever" to people may raise an eyebrow over the fact that I am celebrating being in this? Or do I reflect and discuss exactly how it feels? Yep, I chose to discuss, so some truths I have realized in this process:

It matters how the recognition happens. I was nominated by my mother, which in my mind is about the greatest achievement there is. The fact that someone I admire so much sees what I do every day and wanted to write someone and tell them about it, just floors me. She took the time to highlight what I have done in my room, my vision for education, and all of the adventures my students have without wanting anything in return, without there being anything in it for her, without being told. For some reason this resonates with me when I recognize my students' achievements. I try to do it without prompt, without rewarding me in any sense, and also because I am proud of them so I take the time to give them time and really let them know how proud I am. That's what makes them know they matter, much like my mother did.
There is a difference between recognition and rewards. Yes, I am excited to be in the running for $10,000 for my kids because let's face it, I make what an average telemarketer makes a year and cannot buy the supplies I would like for my kids. And yet what really excites me is that someone is recognizing that running a classroom with little homework, little grades, no punishment and no reward system is actually a good thing. That giving students a voice is a great thing and that trying to create hands on learning opportunities for kids within a public school setting can be done. So if that means being in a contest to get more validity behind what I do in my classroom; so be it, it then helps the cause of changing education. I would be in this contest even if there wasn't a prize (and yes I was asked whether I wanted to be part of it when they called me to tell me of my finalist status because of all the work I had to do).
Recognition is different when it is after the fact. I did not change a single thing in my classroom with the intent of being recognized for it. I did not change the way I teach and the way I think about teaching because I hoped that someone would read my blog, or be inspired, or think I was doing a good job. I did it because I had to. All of those things that I am being recognized for I did because I knew it would benefit my students, help them continue to love learning, and drive their passion. I did it because it was urgent for me and something that had to be done if I was to continue as a teacher. Had I known there would be a contest at the end of it, I wonder if I would have been less fearless, more subdued in order to not upset anyone? Perhaps I wouldn't have been so honest incase anyone got offended - and trust me, people get offended. Perhaps, I would have done a Pernille Lite version of all of this. And so I am glad I didn't know because when all of this is over (which it could be in a week), I am continuing on my path, doing what I do, and continuing my educational journey.
Wait...what I am doing? Self-doubt and buckets of time, yes, this contest is an anxiety producing time consumer. Five 90 second videos take up a lot of time and add a lot of stress to someone who is an overachiever. And yet, the day moves on and the kids and my family has to be my priority. Their educational experience cannot suffer because I am distracted so shut it off. Think of how our kids must feel if there is a competition within the room? How distracted, anxious or excited they must feel. Yeah, adults go through the same and it is hard to control it.
It is still a competition and honestly competitions makes losers out of all of us. The fact that this is a popularity contest has not escaped me. We get voted out of the contest by the public, not by how we have raised test scores (thankfully) or how engaged our students are (bummer), but by the impact of our video and how many people we know. That bothers me. And that must be exactly how our students feel when we have student council elections, prom queens, and any other vote. Yes, it's great to be nominated but what if you don't win? Or how do others feel because I was nominated and they weren't? This does not mean I am better teacher than anyone else and yet that is what contests wants us to believe. That you can declare a winner...but within education there doesn't seem to be any fair winners. And I wonder whether there can be? Is there a way for teachers to be recognized without hurting other people's feelings? Do we even need to recognize teachers or should they just be happy through the love and admiration of their students? Can teacher contests bring about change or do they just produce scorn within the education community?

So there you have it. An honest self-dialogue laid out for the world to see. Feel free to jump in, it is an interesting dilemma to be in, and I certainly do not have all of the answers.

Why Have You Not Given Up Rewards Yet?

2011-10-01T16:58:00.001-05:00

I used to be the queen of the awesome board, the gold stickers, and definitely the special lunches and privileges. I thought my kids loved it, and sure some did, but after a huge hallelujah moment, I realized the harm I was doing to my classroom and I ended all individual rewards. So have you stopped handing out rewards in your classroom? If not here are some reasons why you should consider it.

Students don't actually need rewards to work. Sure they work in the short-run but guess what after a while you have to up the ante and keep going up because it just isn't going to be very effective for long. And yes, students will take rewards if you offer them, but they will actually also work without the perpetual carrot dangling in front of their noses. And you won't believe me until you actually try it.
Rewards tend to go to the same kids over and over and over. We say that it is really up to the students to get the rewards but at the same time we can probably all list the kids that would have a hard time earning one. So then who are we fooling?
Rewards split the students. If you ever want to create a class of have and have not's in your classroom just hand out rewards; the students will quickly figure out who the "smart" kids are and who are not. Or worse, who the teachers like and who they don't.
Rewards devalue the learning. By attaching a reward to a learning task, you are telling a student that the task is not worth doing if it weren't for the reward. That is not how learning should be. Learning should be fun, exciting, and curiosity driven, not mechanical and focused on the end point. When a reward becomes the end point, then that is the focus.
You keep giving rewards; the students won't work without it. With rewards you create a culture of "what's in it for me?" and the learning just isn't enough. And yet the learning and experience should be enough for the child, provided it is meaningful and purposeful. So set them up from the beginning to earn rewards and soon there will be hardly any extra work or deeper digging into concepts. If the child knows that they "just" have to do whatever to get a reward, or an A for that matter, then that is what they will do. The learning stops wherever you dictate it to.
The students will argue with you. My first year students would get upset over which sticker I gave them because in their minds certain stickers were worth more. A sticker! Now equate that to extra recess, or books, or special lunches and think of the conflict it creates. You want to make sure your struggling learners keep feeling more disenfranchised; keep up the rewards.
Rewards become the measure of success. If you don't reward a child then they don't think they have succeeded. No more handing them back a project with great feedback; if that sticker or some recognition isn't attached then it just isn't enough. I had students collect stickers and notes to showcase to the other students, it became a competition of who could gather more. It wasn't about what they had learned or how great a project was, it was only about that note.
Students lose their voice in the learning process. When a teacher is the only one deciding on success shown through rewards, the classroom does not belong to the students. That teacher is therefore the ultimate power within the room and the kids know it. If you want to create a student-centered classroom, you cannot have such a vast difference in learning authority. To build the kids confidence they have to have a voice.
But they all get rewarded.... Some schools run weekly recognitions of students for whatever reason, or some classrooms do. And while this may seem innocent enough, after all, there is nothing tangible tied to it, it still causes jealousy and anxiety. If a program calls for recognizing every single student for the same things, then why are we recognizing in a public way in the first place. Wouldn't it be easier just to state the expectations and then tell the kids that we are happy they are all living up to it? There is no need to create weekly recognition if we are doing our jobs right as educators; making our students feel valued and respected as part of the learning community.
Rewards create more work for the teacher. I was so worried that everyone had been on my "Awesome board" that I kept track = more paperwork. I also had to make sure that I was eating lunch with all of my students = more paperwork. I also had to make sure I could justify to parents why one child got a certain privilege and another didn't = more paperwork. Do you see where I am going? Rewards and trying to keep it "fair and balanced" creates more work for us without providing any long-term benefits.

So you may assume that my classroom is one stripped of rewards and recognition, yet it isn't. My students have parties, except they get them after the fact, when we have something to celebrate. I don't punish them if they are being rowdy, uncooperative or downright disrespectful, but we have circles where we discuss our behavior and how we perhaps need to adjust it. I have high expectations for my students to "represent" as much as they have for me. We strive to create a learning environment where we all feel comfortable messing up and trying again, because we know that the learning journey is the focus and not just the end result. So I recognize and I reward but I do it through the learning and the conversations. I don't have a classroom where students expect things to do their jobs, I have a classroom of kids eager to learn, on some days more than others, but who are always willing to be a part of what we consider our second home; our classroom. All without the use of rewards.

A $10,000 Opportunity

2011-10-01T09:50:00.002-05:00

As some of you may know, a couple of weeks ago I was told I was one of 10 finalists in the Great American Teach Off. This contest was created to highlight great elementary educators across the nation and I am frankly astounded to be part of the group. And yet, here I am super excited, super proud of the work I do and very eager to showcase it. Not only that but the grand prize in the contest is $10,000 for my classroom.

The last two weeks I have been very busy creating videos highlighting my students and how we are innovative and making a difference and now I need your help. The final part of the contest is a nationwide vote-off. Every week they post a video and the lowest two vote-getters will be eliminated until finally one is left standing. I do feel like I am on American Idol right now, but thankfully it is not my singing chops being evaluated but rather me as a teacher.

Voting starts on Monday at 1 PM at www.good.is/gato and you can vote once a day for the week. If I survive the first week then I have to get people to vote the following week and so on.

So if you have a moment, would you please consider voting for my classroom (on Monday)?

These students work their hearts out, sharing their journeys with the world, and we try to be innovative within the very rigid public school framework. I am proud of the accomplishments of my students, their eagerness to try and fail, and their willingness to share it all with the world.

$10,000 for us would mean more books in our library, perhaps a new gym floor, or even carpet in our classroom so we could snuggle up with good books. There are many deserving educators out there and I am one of many, so here is our chance to get more money into a public school and that is a wonderful thing.

We Have It All Backwards

2011-09-29T08:19:00.000-05:00

When the solution to budget problems becomes to bring in new unexperienced teachers because they are cheaper - we have it all backwards.

When decisions that affect our children on a day to day basis are made only at the government level - we have it all backwards.

When teachers performance are closely tied in with test scores created by test companies that making millions of dollars in profit off of their tests and programs - we have it all backwards.

When administrators try to build trust and collaboration but then take away the time to do it so that we can teach more - we have it all backwards.

When teachers try to restore discipline by setting more rules - we have it all backwards.

When we give our students even more homework to cover all the stuff we didn't have time to cover in class - we have it all backwards.

When we blame technology for not being the magic pill to raise test scores - we have it all backwards.

When we buy more stuff for our schools rather than raise teacher salaries - we have it all backwards.

It is time to go forward not backward.

I Am the Solution

2011-09-29T07:59:00.000-05:00

With every footstep I take down our long hallways, every time I walk past a door filled with noisy children learning, I hear, "I am the solution."

With every meeting, every set-back, ever promise fulfilled or spoken, I think "I am the solution."

With every child's dream shared, with every hope delivered, those visions conjured, and faith fulfilled, I believe "We are the solution."

I could be the problem, and some times I am, but I would rather be part of the solution than working against it. So I remind myself to be part of the solution even when I don't want to be.

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