It's only in the last week or two that I finally feel like I have a routine and I'm not constantly on the verge of drowning.
Maybe that's a bit melodramatic. See, I didn't feel like I was failing or about to crash and burn, just feeling like I knew I wasn't operating at 100% because there was just SO much to learn all at once. As much as I relished the practicum of my teaching program, the truth is, I didn't know most of what my daily life would be as a teacher. That's a subject for another post. So how am I doing? I have been inspired greatly by Wil Wheaton- He did a life reboot a year ago and gave himself several goals and then self assessed based on how he felt he achieved them. One of the best things that I liked about his self assessment was that he not only gave a grade, he gave himself feedback and allowed for his human-ness to shine through. To that end here are my goals: 1) Use my prep time to actually do prep. I spend way too much of my prep just trying to catch my breath and recover for the next sprint, and need to leave that to another time. 2) Find some me time and commit to it. Partly so that I'm not using prep for that, but also because I need to figure out a better work-life balance. Not something I've ever been good at, especially not when I'm as passionate about my career as I am about teaching. 3) Find some family time and commit to it. My family has not been the sole priority of my life in a long time. With a chronically ill husband, I need to be the sole income earner, so I doubt they'll ever be the sole priority again. That doesn't mean they have to be the last priority. To that end I need to find a better way to manage the balance so they know how much they mean to me. I need time with them so I can remember why I do everything else. Family dinners, going swimming, playing games, and just being together needs to move way up in my list. 4) Health. I lost 40lbs a couple years ago and with the stress of the final year of school and my first year of teaching I put it all back on. I want to lose it again, but also to get healthy. I bought a 90 day pool/fitness pass. I want to use it 2-3x per week. Maybe more. Those are my four goals for the next 12 months. Now to do it!
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My students and I have been studying Mars and the Solar System over the last few weeks. It's one of my favorite topics, and my passion for it has ignited more than a few of my students.
Today I came into the classroom and wrote 1:00 on the whiteboard. I just left it there and the kids were going bananas by 12:57 wanting to know what was going to happen. At 1 I turned on the Facebook LIVE presser and we watched as the New Horizons team talked to us about Pluto, the solar system, and beyond. About 5 minutes in I asked the students if they had any questions to ask. I reminded them to keep their expectations very very very low, because by this time there were 4 Thousand Viewers! and 1900 comments and questions. But I always try to model responsible use of technology and connecting to experts is one of the best things the Internet gives us! Several students raised their hands, I quickly combined some of the questions. One shy girl from my grade 4 group, who has struggled to find a voice in the classroom and who has struggled to find her path as a learner raised her hand and asked about a Rover on Pluto. You know, to be totally honest, I almost didn't include it. I had a short comment and wanted to let the 'big' and 'important' questions get into the mix. But I added it, because several of her classmates patted her back and told her what a good question it was. I hit enter and the question went off to the pile.
The scientists talked and we listened with rapt attention, but I knew I couldn't devote the whole afternoon to the conference, so I decided to give them 10 minutes of the question period, and then we'd move on.
And then the very first question they answered was ours. (25 minutes in) The class exploded in whoops and hollers when they said my name and read the comment. I stood in stunned silence before shushing the class and getting them quiet enough to hear. When my students realized whose question they answered, and when they saw the excitement and great enthusiasm with which the scientist answered, they realized that their understanding of the world had shifted. These weren't students anymore, they were scientists and dreamers and idealists and astronauts. They weren't grade 4s or grade 7s, they were humans with agency and connection and belonging. **Update** It's been almost 2 months since this, and that grade 4 learner is still smiling. Her effort, exploration, and resolve in the classroom has lifted off (pardon the pun) and she is on an incredible journey that will change her whole life. As part of my Social Studies methodology course I am creating a blog post about how to incorporate and give student voice and choice to an experiential based model of Cause and Consequence.
The Grade 5 new ed plan lays out several content choices that could be used for this model including • past discriminatory government policies and actions, such as the Head Tax, the Komagata Maru incident, residential schools, and internments • resources and economic development in different regions of Canada • levels of government, their main functions, and sources of funding However the one that I am choosing to build upon is: the changing nature of Canadian immigration over time As we know, Immigration can be the cause and/or consequence of circumstances, needs, and demands both domestic and foreign. In our experiential class, I'd give 5 "provinces" and let students build a list of needs for the inhabitants of each province. Then we would discuss how each province only had so many people and the needs for a growing country would require more people. How could we get those people? Where would they come from? How would we integrate them? So how do we use our Blog?
I'm excited to try some experiential learning in my humanities class. It'll be interesting to see how the students lead their own learning and make that thinking visible! George Courous has an amazing blog post about things that every classroom should have, and in reflecting on it, I realized how much of it my classroom does have.
Both of my brothers in law are programmers. Alex is amazing and works for Microsoft, Sam is amazing and is currently developing an app that allows musicians to find each other and jam or form a band. I always enjoy talking to them because I get to learn about the future, and it helps that they are talented, personable, and kind. They are the type of men I'd like my students to grow into, so I take stories from them and about them into my class. In fact, we just spent time Thursday going through a bunch of Microsoft prototype videos because The Future is part of my curriculum.
I was talking to Sam today and asking how his project was going. "The last place I worked used an agile model so that's kinda what I'm following. Organize projects into sprints, track progress using OKRs and the like." Being me, I opened a new tab and googled OKR. Turns out, it's pretty relevant to what educators call "Learning Objectives". You can read an excellent post about it on Kenton Kivestu's blog. In it, he summarizes what makes a good OKR and some common pitfalls that will spell disaster for your project. He mentions that good OKRs are measurable, focused, and worth doing. I want to go into why I think that's exactly how we should be structuring our classrooms. Measurable- If we have set learning objectives but don't give our kids criteria for success, what is the point? How will we or they know when they've met the requirements? Now of course there are some projects (inquiry, I'm looking at you) that it's hard to set an endpoint because you (hopefully) don't know where you'll end up. On the other hand, there is always something you know you want out of a project, or you wouldn't have started it to begin with. One point he makes is that not ever OKR needs to be explicitly quantitative, just as long as they are measurable. Focused- Your OKR must be directly related to what you are trying to get done. You need a clearly defined mission that sets all your tasks. If your mission is "I will work on writing." then your OKRs will be conventions, form, style, etc. A warning: "OKRs are like money. Mo’ money, mo’ problems. The surest way to negate any positive impact from a good OKR is to set 10 good OKRs." Isn't that true in education as well? If we set too many objectives for our students, how will they prioritize what they really need to focus on? Worth Doing- There is pretty much nothing I hate more on this entire planet than to be asked to spend time doing hoop jumping, irrelevant, archaic, ridiculous things. I'll do them, (with a lot of grumbling), but I will be pushing back and asking why I'm spending my time on this. (Report card letter grades, I'm looking at you!) Kenton uses an analogy of what would you put on a resumé, but in my class I constantly am asking why I am doing things, assigning tasks, requiring certain behaviours. Is it relevant to something in real life, is it for my comfort, is it for their safety, is it about following school culture rules, or is it something we can ditch? So I guess I have new presentation proposal material. Now I just need to find a conference to present it at! I'm in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School district for my final 8 weeks of practicum. It's been an absolute thrill to have a sponsor teacher who I've known for several years now, and with whom I've had previous classroom experience.
We are in a 6/7 class in central Nanaimo, which is a great sandwich for my experience in a 7th grade (middle school) lower SES class, and a 6/7 (elementary school) in a very high SES class. At the end of this term I am really interested to see how SES can significantly (or not?) shape the role of education, the relationship between student and teacher, and the input of parents into the educational trajectories of their children. Of course being in my final 8 weeks, I now can say that I'm looking forward to graduating and being in the job market. My final day of class is Friday May 6th, and then I'll be ready to jump into the game, and hopefully get my TRB clearance in enough time to start subbing before the year is out. I have so many plans and ideas, I am refining some previously taught plans, and creating some totally new units (I'm looking at you, robotics!!). This will be a great time. The students are fantastic, my sponsor teacher (the phenomenal Jeremy Inscho) is beyond supportive, and my enthusiasm to be back in a classroom is contagious. One other new thing is that this is the first time I'm not the only student teacher in the building! There are 3 other ST's here, and I'm looking forward to being able to collaborate, hangout, and spend time together. Building professional relationships is one of my focus' for this term, so I'm really looking forward to being able to start with my peers. What an interesting glimpse at the Community of Learners and introduction to Inquiry process that Lynn Brown is spearheading at Dover Bay! First I have to say that DBHS is the feeder that took my graduating grade 7 students last year, so in three out of four blocks I had former students. I also took a quick sneak down to the locker bay during lunch to say hi (and give a few hugs) out to my big grade 8s!
When I first came in to the classroom I noticed some really awesome and intriguing words and lists on the board. Each of the Four Cs had some concrete examples underneath that explained what the C looked like, sounds like, and feels like. Lynn had the students think and report out what they had remembered when creating the Cs. So what are the Cs? Contribution (of self), Communication, Collaboration, and Commitment. These were developed by the grade 8 team at Dover Bay when they looked at 21c competencies and how they could start to incorporate them from the first days of the high school experience for SD68 students. During the second half of the first block Lynn invited me to question the students and lead a class wide discussion around how these Cs show up in other areas of our lives. We talked about how they are important in sports (football, soccer, running, dancing, horseback riding), arts (drawing/painting classes, and theatre), families, and community groups (scouts, cadets). During the second block I had the opportunity to lead the whole class time, which of course I took her up on. It was a similar class, so we walked through another round of discussions, reflections, and identification. This was so important because I really wanted the students to feel that these are not some alien ‘school only’ concepts, but they are values and characteristics that are used in every aspect of relationships and work. Third block was the PE block, and we played Volleyball with another division. Thankfully I remember some tips and tricks and was able to pitch in. My final block of the day was grade 10,11,12 ELL. IT WAS AMAZING. I may have found a specialty calling. I loved working with the students from all over the world, and playing games, singing songs, and mixing the learning of language with the fun and games of theatre and the arts. It really made me reflect on how I can make my grade 7 LA/Humanities course more edu-taining. Overall I’m going to be taking a lot from my day at Dover. I spent over two weeks looking at how I can take the community of learners and 4 Cs with me into my practice, and really appreciate how starting the year with the mindset of collaboration, commitment, communication, and (self) contribution could change the dynamics of my class. I have always known that relationships to my learners are the cornerstone that I build my year on, from decorating the classroom to planning projects, it begins and ends with the learners in the seats. This would not only build a better relationship with me, but build a better relationship with each other, essentially networking, which I believe is one of the most crucial aspects of the generation we are raising. Today in our Social Justice class we've been talking about Invisible Identities, privilege, and the things that we take for granted about ourselves.
Something that I have already noticed in myself is that while I am in the majority in a lot of ways, I grew up and have exposed myself to many different circumstances and ways of knowing and learning over the years. When I was 11 my family moved from a very homogenous population to one of the most poverty stricken counties of California where my mom taught at schools where I was not only the minority, but overwhelmingly excluded and distrusted because of my previous life experience. At that age (and the few years that followed), it was extremely hard to be left out, teased, and constantly watching/wondering how people were perceiving me. Today I can see that I never want a student to feel that way in my class, my school, or my community. As I'm approaching my final year of my B.Ed. I've also been increasingly aware of how I perceive myself. For most of my adult life it has been in relation to others: wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, teacher. It is only very recently that I have been defining myself by traits and activities: generous, curious, open-minded, and my newest trait: Runner! For me this shift has been a natural progression, not that the roles I have with others aren't important, but that I have common traits that flow through all my roles, which aren't segregated based on who I'm interacting with. I think a large part of this shift has been directly related to my time in classrooms. Relationship is the single biggest strength in my classroom. I use discretion in what I share with my students, but if there is something I can connect with them about (ranging from Doctor Who to a friend who committed suicide) I will do so. For me, teaching is not only about the subjects, grades, and content, but the context which our humanity allows us to process and use the content we acquire. I am looking forward to my Social Justice class, and getting deeper into my role as a teacher in a socially dynamic community. I will also be presenting (with two of my colleagues) about social justice topics that Aboriginal Students deal with. We're going to be meeting with our faculty Elder(s) who are always amazing and supportive. Have I mentioned how awesome it is that our Faculty has Elders in Residence? The first week of my final year of university is in the bag. As excited as I am to be graduating in 7 months, 22 days and 17 hours, I am even more excited about the way that I get to lead my own growth and learning this final year.
Two of my professors, Paige and Allyson, have gone above and beyond to allow me to have a self directed study and field experience in Langley, BC. I'm teaching at H.D. Stafford Middle, with the amazing Jake Main as my sponsor. I met him briefly last June, and was excited (and nervous) to be in his classroom first thing Wednesday morning for the students first week of school. As it turns out, I had nothing to be nervous about. Jake is not only a phenomenal teacher, but I can already tell he is going to be a life-long mentor as I go through my career. We have very similar styles and ideas about the relationships between student and teacher, the classroom rules, we both love using technology in the class, and we have a very similar sense of humor, which was a bit dry for nervous 7th graders on the first day of class. My top three things I noticed (and adopted) from Jake this week: 1) He never says "that's good" or "awesome!" he always uses formative comments to help students grow. "I like how that picture you drew has balance and symmetry." "Good effort team, what can we do next time to confuse the blocker?" I definitely need to make this a priority in my communication with my students. 2) He is always assessing and watching students for ways that he can help, and times that he needs to back off. We only had 3 days of class, but already have a handle on ELL, LD's, reading and writing levels, grit and perseverance, leaders, followers, and a couple of special kids who just operate at a higher decibel than we would prefer in a small classroom. 3) He always has a plan, and ditches it when the students need something different. He knew what he wanted to accomplish, but was never so over planned that he had trouble letting go. Because his plans were written, he knew what he needed to come back to, and because his classroom is first and foremost about the students, he never hesitated to give them what they needed rather than what box he needed to check. Activities I managed and my reflections: Save Sammy- A perennial classic. I learned it from Dan Meyer, and I have used it in the last two classes I've been in. First, it's candy. Automatic win. Second, it's not overly challenging, but does require you and your partner to really communicate. For assessment purposes this right away tells me who likes to work with whom (I let kids choose their own partners), and also tells me who is A-type perfectionist (those who don't let their partner participate), and who is not assertive (students who only do as their partner instructs). It also shows me what kind of communication skills my students are coming equipped with, who can handle stress, who sticks to it and tries different things, and, perhaps most hilariously, who (usually boys?) wants to know a loophole or way they can meet the requirement without doing the actual work. Marshmallow Challenge From a Ted Talk, again, a great teamwork challenge, where teachers can observe the students and see how they work through a challenge, be creative, and communicate. This one also has a time component. It shows which students use their time wisely, and which self regulation strategies they have to deal with stress and anxiety. Wherein I totally forgot to wear my pink shirt. You see, my daughter is very sick and I was up most of the night applying cold compresses to her forehead and neck, so when it came time to drag myself out of bed after 2 hours of sleep I wasn't thinking about the pretty pink blouse I had laying out, I just grabbed the nearest school appropriate clothing and off I went.
So what did we do in school? First thing in the morning I played them Joss Whedon's Equality Now speech from 2006. "Because equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women. And the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who is confronted with it." We talked about the characters he writes and many in the class spoke about how they thought Black Widow was way more awesome than some of the other female superheroes in other movies. At the end of the day we also read Ray Bradbury's "All Summer In A Day", which I won't spoil for you, but was excellent to read and discuss in our class. We've all seen bullying, especially intellectual bullying (picking on someone for being smart), and it was good to point it out and declare that there is never anything wrong with being smart and owning that intelligence. We talked about other forms of bullying, and the students all walked out thinking about how they can contribute to not only stopping bullying, but how to create a more positive environment. Hopefully this will link us well into our Monday assembly and the start of Post It Positive. |
AuthorI respond to Sarah, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Smoore, Miss Sarah, (and sometimes Mom!). I have been an DL (homeschool!) teacher for 2 years and am now a proud member of the SD35 team! Archives
September 2018
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