Honestly, there are plenty of days when doing what I do is an absolute joy. The lesson is seamless and effective. The students are attentive and productive. Discussion is vibrant and informative. Things are good, life is good, and working with awesome people plus getting paid? Solid.
Other times, doing this gig is altogether frustrating and maddening. The lesson wasn't as refined as I'd like and it missed the mark. Students are disengaged and disrespectful. As for discussion? Please.
And even on some other days, like today, all I can do is take a step back and laugh. Laugh at the absurdity of it all. It's amazing how in one class period, you can have a fantastic, in-depth discussion; students understanding and following the lesson and its finer points; then in the same period experience a flurry of irrelevant, off-topic, random questions/comments/arguments.
Sometimes doing this can feel like being a parent - proud of you, enjoy your company, followed by moments of fearing for the future of my own country!
Only in 6th Grade...
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Compassion, Insight & Purpose
I've been thinking a lot about the importance of these three elements within this 'digital age' we live in. Different aspects of recent news stories have probably brought this stuff to mind. Watching just how quickly the stories at Penn State have unfolded, aided by the power of social media, is a bit mind-boggling. Looking in from the outside, it seems like compassion for other people and a situation overall can get lost in the shuffle.
It's complicated, this social media-digital age-omnipresent news environment. No wonder things can get crazy in a matter of minutes. I don't think elements like compassion and insight can possibly keep up with the pace of the news-reaction-more reaction-commentary-news cycle.
But I think they should.
My role is obviously multi-faceted; there is no shortage of hats I need to wear. Well, here's another one: I need to foster in my students a spirit a mind-set of reflection. Of taking a breath, sitting back, and really thinking about what they are consuming digitally, especially before they react digitally. I have to coach my students up on the importance of compassion - or empathy - to really put themselves in another's shoes and see the situation from a different angle; to have insight and understand the subject matter so they can competently respond; to have a purpose for what they are saying/writing/etc.
It's complicated, this social media-digital age-omnipresent news environment. No wonder things can get crazy in a matter of minutes. I don't think elements like compassion and insight can possibly keep up with the pace of the news-reaction-more reaction-commentary-news cycle.
But I think they should.
My role is obviously multi-faceted; there is no shortage of hats I need to wear. Well, here's another one: I need to foster in my students a spirit a mind-set of reflection. Of taking a breath, sitting back, and really thinking about what they are consuming digitally, especially before they react digitally. I have to coach my students up on the importance of compassion - or empathy - to really put themselves in another's shoes and see the situation from a different angle; to have insight and understand the subject matter so they can competently respond; to have a purpose for what they are saying/writing/etc.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Birthday Wishes
Birthdays, for the most part, are very fun occasions. My students in school still love to advertise their special days, announce what they hope to get, and what fun plans they may have coming up to celebrate. For my own children, a birthday is huge - after all, there's two of them!
They turned 5 this past summer, and so far, every single birthday (and rightfully so) has turned into a multiple-day affair: fun party with some little friends, a day with relatives over, and a day with just mommy and daddy to have fun and be together.
Someone very dear to me is having a birthday today. It would of course be very cliche to say how she gets better with age like a fine wine, etc., etc. Furthermore, I probably couldn't blame you for cringing.
However, I've known this person for almost half of our lives. Considering that, I would argue I am very much an authority figure on saying that she indeed gets more and more amazing by the day. That said, without further ado -
A very happy birthday wish to...
-my very best friend
-an incredibly talented teacher
-a wonderful, loving mother
-someone who inspires me, challenges me, puts up with me, makes life that much better...
Happy Birthday KJ! Love you
They turned 5 this past summer, and so far, every single birthday (and rightfully so) has turned into a multiple-day affair: fun party with some little friends, a day with relatives over, and a day with just mommy and daddy to have fun and be together.
Someone very dear to me is having a birthday today. It would of course be very cliche to say how she gets better with age like a fine wine, etc., etc. Furthermore, I probably couldn't blame you for cringing.
However, I've known this person for almost half of our lives. Considering that, I would argue I am very much an authority figure on saying that she indeed gets more and more amazing by the day. That said, without further ado -
A very happy birthday wish to...
-my very best friend
-an incredibly talented teacher
-a wonderful, loving mother
-someone who inspires me, challenges me, puts up with me, makes life that much better...
Happy Birthday KJ! Love you
Monday, October 31, 2011
Overdue Check-In
It's been a while since I've written. Too long, as it turns out. A big part of that is a reflection of just how busy a month October has been. Another factor is distraction. One reason is fairly legit; the other not so much.
That said, there's been no shortage of things going on and things on my mind, and a couple of them I'd highlight:
1. This past weekend (Saturday morning, no less) I helped present at our district's Technology Open House. I have to say I thoroughly loved the experience. My conversations with district parents, kids and residents were excellent, had depth, and were quite heady on topics ranging from what I'm doing with technology in my classroom to how students are implementing technology in their own learning to big-picture 21st-century learning skills and the ideal classroom. What a rewarding experience to have intelligent conversations with so many people.
2. Keeping in theme, Nicholas Carr was in town last week for a national librarian conference. A big part of his time that day (or so it was reported) centered on his essay about Google's effect on intelligence.
Here's why those two items go together: it is incredibly important for me as an educator, parents as parents, my boss as an administrator, etc. to guide students as best we can on how to maximize technology tools for the benefit of their learning and growth. Our district's/community's focus on 21st-century learning skills has been a very important discussion - no matter the search engine, tablet/smart phone brand, or computer - students must have transcendent thinking & learning skills: collaboration, problem-solving, research, analyzing/synthesizing, evaluation, etc. to be successful. I'm glad so much of our focus is there, as opposed to being too worried about hardware all the time!
Finally, I've been thinking a lot about why I do this and the general importance/impact of teaching. I've always thought there's an immediate, local impact with what I do - tons of old students are always stopping by, babysitting my own kids, asking to be TA's, etc. Last week a kid who was up visiting from Alabama after her family moved spent a chunk of Friday in my room because some of her friends were on a field trip. It's nice to know your classroom can be a "home base," even for alumni. I recently found out, however, that my friend's little sister is teaching English to students in Africa (Djibouti), and I can only imagine the impact her efforts are having on so many people. To follow up her great efforts and the reflections from her experience, read her blog here.
That said, there's been no shortage of things going on and things on my mind, and a couple of them I'd highlight:
1. This past weekend (Saturday morning, no less) I helped present at our district's Technology Open House. I have to say I thoroughly loved the experience. My conversations with district parents, kids and residents were excellent, had depth, and were quite heady on topics ranging from what I'm doing with technology in my classroom to how students are implementing technology in their own learning to big-picture 21st-century learning skills and the ideal classroom. What a rewarding experience to have intelligent conversations with so many people.
2. Keeping in theme, Nicholas Carr was in town last week for a national librarian conference. A big part of his time that day (or so it was reported) centered on his essay about Google's effect on intelligence.
Here's why those two items go together: it is incredibly important for me as an educator, parents as parents, my boss as an administrator, etc. to guide students as best we can on how to maximize technology tools for the benefit of their learning and growth. Our district's/community's focus on 21st-century learning skills has been a very important discussion - no matter the search engine, tablet/smart phone brand, or computer - students must have transcendent thinking & learning skills: collaboration, problem-solving, research, analyzing/synthesizing, evaluation, etc. to be successful. I'm glad so much of our focus is there, as opposed to being too worried about hardware all the time!
Finally, I've been thinking a lot about why I do this and the general importance/impact of teaching. I've always thought there's an immediate, local impact with what I do - tons of old students are always stopping by, babysitting my own kids, asking to be TA's, etc. Last week a kid who was up visiting from Alabama after her family moved spent a chunk of Friday in my room because some of her friends were on a field trip. It's nice to know your classroom can be a "home base," even for alumni. I recently found out, however, that my friend's little sister is teaching English to students in Africa (Djibouti), and I can only imagine the impact her efforts are having on so many people. To follow up her great efforts and the reflections from her experience, read her blog here.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thoughtfulness
I've read a couple interesting posts/articles the last couple days. This isn't really unusual; I seem to do this on a fairly regular basis. You know, read stuff. Anyway, it is the content of these particular pieces that has me thinking. Thinking about HOW we teach what we do, and WHY we do it these ways.
Beyond this new information, there has been a lot of discussion at my school over the last six months centered around standardized grading and standards-based teaching methods.
Sometimes what gets lost in the debate over the merits of the 'flipped' classroom, allowing retakes and other educational issues is the simple fact that thoughtfulness is so extremely important. Worried that students will not study enough for the first testing go-around and take advantage of multiple retakes? Develop a thorough process students must go through to achieve ONE retake; make them prove they have evaluated what standards they are not proficient at yet, how they plan (with your support) to gain the needed knowledge, what sacrifices they are willing to make - before- and after-school help, lunchtime sessions, etc. - to reach this goal before they can have another crack at a retake. Worried that the 'flipped' classroom idea isn't a good one - not for you or other staff at your school? Again, think. Best practices still apply. Students still need to be engaged, the chance to problem-solve, collaborate, and apply content in various forms. Simply replacing a lecture format upheld by outdated teaching principals won't change too much...I liked what the author of the blog entry on the 'flipped' classroom had to say about this. It's exactly what this is all about - thoughtfulness.
Finally, I read an article written by Alfie Kohn last week - complete with snark - regarding some of the popular phrases teachers can say over time. Granted there's plenty of sarcasm, and probably extreme in some cases, but in a fun way it just drives home the point: thoughtfulness in what we do is important!
Beyond this new information, there has been a lot of discussion at my school over the last six months centered around standardized grading and standards-based teaching methods.
Sometimes what gets lost in the debate over the merits of the 'flipped' classroom, allowing retakes and other educational issues is the simple fact that thoughtfulness is so extremely important. Worried that students will not study enough for the first testing go-around and take advantage of multiple retakes? Develop a thorough process students must go through to achieve ONE retake; make them prove they have evaluated what standards they are not proficient at yet, how they plan (with your support) to gain the needed knowledge, what sacrifices they are willing to make - before- and after-school help, lunchtime sessions, etc. - to reach this goal before they can have another crack at a retake. Worried that the 'flipped' classroom idea isn't a good one - not for you or other staff at your school? Again, think. Best practices still apply. Students still need to be engaged, the chance to problem-solve, collaborate, and apply content in various forms. Simply replacing a lecture format upheld by outdated teaching principals won't change too much...I liked what the author of the blog entry on the 'flipped' classroom had to say about this. It's exactly what this is all about - thoughtfulness.
Finally, I read an article written by Alfie Kohn last week - complete with snark - regarding some of the popular phrases teachers can say over time. Granted there's plenty of sarcasm, and probably extreme in some cases, but in a fun way it just drives home the point: thoughtfulness in what we do is important!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Power of BYOD
This is probably going to be a shorter post, but one that I can't help but write. It is a really, really cool time to be teaching what I'm teaching where I'm teaching. Why? There are plenty of reasons for this: solid colleagues; understanding, supportive and flexible bosses; great support from curricular and technology people; and for the most part, sweet parent support and kids willing to learn.
Beyond all those reasons, there is a new one this year: because of our district's 'Bring Your Own Device' push for students, more and more of my students are taking advantage and using their own devices in school. The set-up is fantastic: students and parents must attend an informational/training meeting and get the device registered. Expectations are clear, from Admin on down. Our building is wireless, enabling students to access online course material, collaborate with other students, and utilize our district's strong Google Apps presence.
So far this year, students in my Language Arts classes with their own devices have shared rough drafts with me in real time, before they have even left my room; submitted assignments ahead of schedule - because they could, and also completed and submitted work from the online portion of my class. Why is this great? It's supported top-down, students are very engaged, work efficiency is increased, and collaboration goes up. What's not to like?! I can't wait to see how this continues to develop throughout the year!
Beyond all those reasons, there is a new one this year: because of our district's 'Bring Your Own Device' push for students, more and more of my students are taking advantage and using their own devices in school. The set-up is fantastic: students and parents must attend an informational/training meeting and get the device registered. Expectations are clear, from Admin on down. Our building is wireless, enabling students to access online course material, collaborate with other students, and utilize our district's strong Google Apps presence.
So far this year, students in my Language Arts classes with their own devices have shared rough drafts with me in real time, before they have even left my room; submitted assignments ahead of schedule - because they could, and also completed and submitted work from the online portion of my class. Why is this great? It's supported top-down, students are very engaged, work efficiency is increased, and collaboration goes up. What's not to like?! I can't wait to see how this continues to develop throughout the year!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
...And We're Back!
Greetings/salutations! It's been a while. So much to say and get caught up on. For now, I'll keep it short.
Summer was dynamite. Fast, furious, and fun. Lots of play and travel with the family. Really cool work finishing up the teaching and technology cohort with great teachers and colleagues.
We're 8 days into the school year, and I am still feeling quite a bit of excitement towards this new year. I think a big part of that is the great springboard effect from finishing the Tech cohort with such great people doing really cool things.
Incredible the difference a year has made. After being a part of the cohort, tech integration has been a part of my classroom this year from day 1. For example, every student is enrolled in and using my LA Moodle Course. Additionally, students have had access to my class website since open house night even before school started, when they and their parents could scan the Qr Code for the website with their smart phones.
Hopefully I will write more this year than last. I'm also considering an EduBlog for more networking and classroom features. More to come...
Summer was dynamite. Fast, furious, and fun. Lots of play and travel with the family. Really cool work finishing up the teaching and technology cohort with great teachers and colleagues.
We're 8 days into the school year, and I am still feeling quite a bit of excitement towards this new year. I think a big part of that is the great springboard effect from finishing the Tech cohort with such great people doing really cool things.
Incredible the difference a year has made. After being a part of the cohort, tech integration has been a part of my classroom this year from day 1. For example, every student is enrolled in and using my LA Moodle Course. Additionally, students have had access to my class website since open house night even before school started, when they and their parents could scan the Qr Code for the website with their smart phones.
Hopefully I will write more this year than last. I'm also considering an EduBlog for more networking and classroom features. More to come...
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