As I update my blog and begin again, I am going to focus on the following bit of advice from Jimmy Casas:
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George writes about the power of keeping a blog by mentioning the article, Why Even the Worst Bloggers Make Us Smarter, by Clive Thompson. George and Thompson believe that though our writing may not measure up to that of Shakespeare, the power of writing has changed the way we process information. Our understanding of topics can be accelerated by reflecting, creating, and sharing our thinking with an audience. If we want students and teachers to actively participate and share ideas with the world, it needs to be modeled by the leader first. This is an idea I definitely believe! For the students and teachers that feel as if their work is not good enough to share, George asks, "Well then, how are you meeting the needs of your students?" Don't sell yourself short! The work you do and the ideas you share have the capacity to impact not only your students, but learners around the world. Derek Siver's short video, Obvious to You, Amazing to Others, is highlighted in George's book. It has a great message!
The past 14 months have brought us to this point! Tonight is a small celebration in what feels like a L..O..N..G journey. My classmates and I have completed our last class in our coursework towards earning an educational doctorate. The Liberty 018 Cohort from William Woods University has met almost every Thursday night at Liberty North High School to discuss leadership styles, redesign school districts, and evaluate educational programs. (Don't forget the qualitative and quantitative analysis that was in the mix!) Tomorrow we will begin preparing for the next phase of the program. Our day long comprehensive final will be here in 5 short weeks. This is followed by the independent writing of dissertations. This group has definitely taught me to persevere. Over the last 14 months, we have bonded as classmates, colleagues, and friends. We have seen each other through life's milestones and heartaches. Through it all we remember to just keep going and laugh...a lot!
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. -Mark Twain As the year draws to an end, I feel the PRESSURE to get back to my blog. Beginning in a new position in July, the reflections and stories form in my mind, but the publish button is never reached. So again, I will recommit to one post a month in 2015. Let's end 2014 with some positive thinking. I am fortunate to work with Cal Middleton at Smithville Primary Elementary this year. His background includes horse training, but due to a back injury, he has taken a full-time position working with a student. I know Cal as a smiling, patient, and caring adult in our building. He always has a book in hand that will better his craft and a kind word to share with any student or adult he meets. The following piece was written by Cal and is posted here with his permission. (My first guest blogger!!) As we pause for the holidays, this is a great reminder to share the best of ourselves with those we teach and love everyday. Thanks, Cal, for these thoughts and friendly reminders to smile, keep life in perspective, and stay positive. Happy holidays! Positivity - The Ultimate Holiday Gift By: Cal Middleton One sure fire idea I have learned over the years is the idea of staying positive while working with your horse. Positivity is powerful in many ways, and is a very under used tool when working with any animal. We all know that horses, cattle, dogs, and other animals as well as people, definitely respond to the energy of others. If you didn't know this, now you do. Energy flows from us freely to those around us, just as it does from us to a horse or to another pet. So, knowing that energy is flowing directly from you to those horses and people around you, you better make sure it's the energy that you want them to absorb and grow from. I've met so many people on planes over the years of traveling. I tell them what I do and they all have a similar story, "I rode a horse once, and he ran me into a tree, I think he knew I was scared of him". The truth is that the horse didn't know anything of the sort, but the horse sure responded to the nervous and anxious energy that the rider was emitting. Be sure your energy is positive rather than negative. THEORY: Why is positivity important? Training young horses, just as teaching children; is about ideas, emotions, attitude and energy just as much as it is about the turning, stopping, math or reading. They have to learn to focus on good things to end up good. A child, just like a horse, will not learn correctly when consistently scared, mad, or in a bad mood. They must be in a teachable mentality in order to actually learn something. That trainable frame of mind that we want them to be in, first has to start with us as the trainer/teacher. If the teacher scolds the class before each subject matter, the chances of actual learning drops tremendously. If you get your horse out each day and start off by spanking him around and you get after him for each maneuver that he's struggling with, it won't be long until he quits trying. Even if you get him "trained", he will not be a horse you can count on and trust consistently. Instilling fear in a horse or a child is never a good thing. We have to learn to use positive energy rather than negative to train our horses. We must embrace the philosophy of helping our horses rather than correcting them. Focus on what you want instead of what you’re getting. Tell them what to do, rather than what not to do. Direction NOT Correction. APPLICATION: So how do you make sure your energy is positive? There's a lifetime of knowledge to be gained on this subject but there is one simple thing you can do that will really get you on the right path; Think Positive Thoughts and Say Positive Statements! Really? That's it? Yes, really. Tell yourself and those around you that you have a good horse and he tries hard. When you get on your horse expect that he will be good, give him the benefit of the doubt. Each time he struggles then improves, forgive him in your head without holding a grudge. If you expect the worst, you will definitely get it. Saying positive statements to others will help you stay in a good positive mood. Too often I hear people tell me about some stupid horse that always does this wrong and that wrong and never gets better. Wake up, you are getting what you expect. A good teacher will never say how stupid a child is. A good teacher might say a child is struggling with a subject, then will find a way to help them through it. Remember, in each situation, to find a direction to give your horse, rather than a correction. Always focus on what you want your horse to do, instead of what you want them not to do. It's no different than good positive teaching of a child. Instead of saying "No" to everything that they're doing wrong and then ignoring them when they're good, try ignoring them when they're bad, and then giving them attention as praise when they are good. What they really want is positive attention or none at all. Sometimes the only attention a child gets is when they do something wrong, so they naturally keep doing it. This is no different than a horse. Sometimes a horse keeps jumping right because each time he does you kick him with your right leg, and it's that struggle/attention that he keeps looking for. Do not wait for them to act up so you can correct them. Instead, keep asking for what you want, then reward them when you get it. The key is to remember to keep a good attitude and think positive thoughts as often as possible. EXAMPLE: People, Dogs, Horses. Remember when working with children the word “NO” alone, should only be used as an answer to a question. The statement “NO” has no meaning otherwise. When a child is doing something you don’t want them doing like picking up your cell phone, rather than yelling “No!”, just tell them what you want them to do, like “Put that down, please.” or “Walk back over here to me”, then thank them politely and let it go at that. When a dog is performing an unwanted behavior like jumping up on you, instead of saying “No!”, use already understood direction words like “lay down” or “kennel”, and then reward him for completing the task; or simply move him into the next room then give him a chew toy or a treat once he is there. When you’re standing next to your horse and she starts to paw or bite at your clothing or rub her head on you as if you were a scratching post, instead of whacking her as a correction (as if saying No!), just tell her to move her feet by applying firm but kind pressure to her halter, face, etc, then release as a reward when she moves her feet. She is merely asking you what to do by trying these different unwanted behaviors, so tell her what to do, instead of just telling her to stop. Never focus on the negative behavior. Never imagine the worst case scenario or expect a battle. There are times a discussion is necessary, but a fight is never a good choice. Sometimes a horse, as well as a child, may be expecting a fight or even looking for a fight. It’s your job to not give him one. I always teach at my clinics that It takes two animals to fight. If your horse wants to fight and you don’t, there will be no fight. Peter Campbell says “A horse cannot go through something bad and come out good” Also remember, when an animal is frustrated, mad, scared, etc, back down a step, be sure to take a deep breath and control YOUR emotions first. Stay calm, move slowly and visualize the outcome that you are striving for. Just like a child, our animals learn to handle their emotions by the way we handle OUR emotions, as well as by the way we handle theirs. In short, keep your energy positive If you’re like me, money is tight this time of year, and sharing a gift with everyone I know would be great, but a little impractical. If only there was something I could share with all of my family and friends, as well as my animals, that didn't cost much and would help keep me as well as everyone around me in a great mood, and would last longer than any other gift; something that isn’t full of calories, something that makes a great impact and is easily passed on again and again. Oh wait, I've got an idea....... how about positivity? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Until next time, ride smarter, not harder. Email your questions to [email protected]. More info at www.calmiddleton.com. With recommendation from my principal, I recently read Rafe Esquith's There Are No Shortcuts. Mr. Esquith, or "Rafe" as the students call him, teaches in an elementary school in Los Angeles. Violence, poverty, and little English are what his students know. Rafe has chosen this job, this school, and these children to make a difference. It is his passion to do everything within his power to assist these students in developing their potential and seeing the possibilities for their future. Rafe's passion for students is very honorable, but I found myself feeling anger towards him and his actions while reading. While I respect the work of this phenomenal teacher, I have to describe him as INTENSE. I am afraid I would never measure up if I were the teacher next door. Rafe goes in debt because of supplies, resources, and trips he funds for his classroom. He exhausts himself to the point of vomiting blood (while being the only chaperon on a camping trip for students), and he cannot afford to replace or fix his old car, so he puts himself in dangerous situations while traveling to and from school daily. I made of list of adjectives that describe Rafe. I came up with exhausting, relentless, and excessive. Then I was forced to consider his "why". He does all of these things FOR HIS STUDENTS. His "why" is beyond deserving! I was forced to ask myself what I would sacrifice for students, colleagues, and families that I serve. This led me to discover the inspiration in Rafe's stories. 1. Be a freethinker. 2. Teach students to believe in a growth mindset. 3. Be selective about the text you read to/with students. Choose authentic challenging text that you personally love. 4. Explicitly model and practice correct behavior and provide exemplars to demonstrate correct behavior for different environments. 5. Differentiate instruction for students and adult learners. 6. Provide extra time that students require to learn. (There are no shortcuts!) 7. "Pretty good" is not good enough. Have high expectations and reach for greatness. Place the same demands on yourself that you place on your students. 8. Teaching kindness has to be part of the class mission. 9. Grow from the pain or the mistakes learned from teaching. 10. Let your students know that you will always love them and believe in them. There is nothing they can do to make you stop caring. 11. Be the person you want your students to be. If you want your students to work hard, be the hardest working person they know. If you want your students to be kind, be the kindest human being they ever met. Teach by example, not lecture. Rafe describes teaching as the easiest job in the world. You can let the administrators tell you what to do, let the teaching guides tell you what work to assign, and let the veteran teachers help with forms and classroom management. Within the ease of teaching you can also head home by 3:00 daily and take a 3 month vacation. On the other hand, if you care about teaching and make sacrifices for your students, teaching is the hardest job ever! There are no shortcuts! It's for students and adult learners!
The power of positive intention should drive our learning. Rather than dwelling on the struggle sometimes associated with learning from the Units of Study, our attitude should intentionally be positive as we approach this as an opportunity to learn something new and think creatively to engage students in real writing experiences. If we intentionally set out to be positive, accept and give grace throughout the learning phase, and set small attainable goals everyday, our teaching and student writing will improve. On the blog "Two Writing Teachers" Elizabeth Moore (one of the Unit's writers) recently posted tips for reading a unit of study. She discussed teacher autonomy within teaching the intended lessons and building the unit to meet your students' needs. Her most powerful idea includes choosing a lens or focus with which to read the units. This will change from year to year as you reflect on your lessons and improve. She also suggests and models the use of post-it notes to plan out the components of each lesson (connection, teaching point, active engagement, and link). The post can be accessed at this link:
What words come to mind to describe how you were taught math? ...MEMORIZE ...FLASH CARDS ...RULES ...PROCEDURES ...HOMEWORK What words do you want your students to use to describe math class? ...EXPLORE ...COLLABORATE ...LOVE ...REAL ...UNDERSTANDING This year I had the pleasure of learning about classroom Number Talks from Chris Esch and Pam Wilson, consultants from Math Solutions. Their trainings are based on the book Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computational Strategies, by Sherry Parrish. A Number Talk is a daily 10-15 minute routine that occurs outside of the math block. The goal is to develop accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility when solving computational problems using purposeful conversations. Students work to make their thinking visible when presenting and justifying solutions to problems they solve mentally. There are several suggestions to successfully begin a Number Talk:
For more information on Number Talks, see this article: Number Talks Build Numerical Reasoning, by Sherry Parrish. THE BOOK that hooked him... This is a story that I share with great pride. Brady, my son, has entered the world of constant nose-in-the-book reading. It started last summer as he transitioned to middle school. It wasn't that he disliked books or reading before this, but he did not participate in independent reading on his free time without necessary force or consequence threatened by me, his mother. (MS Ed. Reading is part of my credentials, so choosing to be a non-reader in our home was pretty much hopeless for this boy.) Completing a FABULOUS 5th grade year (thank you, Mrs. Caywood), where a love for reading and a belief in student reading choice was embedded in the classroom culture, started him on this trek as a motivated, independent reader. On the first day of summer school (a middle school transition clinic) he was naturally drawn to the school's library media center and there he found THE BOOK. The Last Thing I Remember from The Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan was written for my son! He came home talking about how he was unable to stop reading once he captured the first line, which he made me read. He recommended the book to me and his older sister (Yes, he held a "book talk" in our kitchen!!) and insisted I order the next books in the series so they would be ready and waiting for him. From this moment on my son's 6th grade year was full of reading!! His 6th grade ELA teacher, Mrs. Goulding, shared in his excitement over books and celebrated his reading success at the end of the year with this picture that depicts some of the books he completed over the school year. He befriended his school librarian, Mrs. Martin, and made suggestions for books that should be ordered for the middle school library, accepted her book requests, and engaged in meaningful discussions about books...like a real reader. This a success story that I wish for all hesitant readers. As educators and parents we must continue to help our students find THE BOOKS that will hook them. Brady's world has opened up in so many ways now that he is an avid reader. He found his connection in middle school to caring adults that support him, and his reading level has grown, which has also influenced his vocabulary, comprehension, and motivation for discovery. This summer my plans include feeding this boy's need to read!! Read on, Brady...I will celebrate you and share your story as your proud momma! |
Dr. Rena Hawkins
I am the Principal of Maple Elementary School in Smithville, MO, and co-host of the #ShareMOEdu podcast. I am passionate about teaching and learning while supporting a school environment that promotes a positive climate. #ShareMOEdu airs every Thursday on iTunes and PodOmatic, highlighting an educator who has a positive message to share. Archives
January 2020
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