What's Best For Kids

Right now is a tough time to be an educator.  Between state assessments, moving to the common core standards and new evaluation systems there is a lot coming from many different directions.  All of that can be very overwhelming and I know has even caused some educators to question how much longer they should stay in the profession.  We can easily drown under this wave of reform.  But we should not.

Everyday we should ask ourselves, "Are we doing what is best for kids?"  In the end, that is what matters.  Are we preparing our kids for the future?  Are we teaching them the skills they need?  When our students leave us, will they be better off?  Will they look back and say thanks?

I'm not saying we should ignore the changes.  As a matter of fact, many of these changes, although overwhelming, are pushing us to do better for our students.  What I'm saying is do not get bogged down in the hype.  Do what you know is best for kids.  Let your moral and professional compass be your guide, and in the end everyone will benefit.    

Image credit: http://helenotway.edublogs.org/2011/01/02/different-compass-point-same-ultimate-direction/

Loved, Cared for and Safe

I had the most amazing conference with a teacher and a family recently.  The teacher explained that she wanted to make sure that a new student in her class feels "loved, cared for and safe" while he's here at school.  I loved that.  Those words were exactly how I hope every student in our school feels.  I want every student to come to school everyday knowing that we are thrilled to have them here and that we are going to take care of them.  The smile on the parent's face assured me that she was delighted to hear those words as well.

The teacher talked about the importance of relationship building with her students, and she is so right!  Just like we as adults would never want to work for a boss who seems cold and uncaring, our students are the same.  Our students need to know that we care about them, that we want to be with them and that we want to help them.

I am lucky to work with such caring teachers and thankful that I have a job that allows me to be a part of so many students' lives.

http://flyontheclassroomwall.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/student_clipart.gif

Advice to Job Hunters

Looking for a job in education?  Whether it is a teaching job, classified position, or substitute position the job market is very competitive.  As someone who interviews and hires staff, I have some advice.  I am not an expert, but you never know it just might help.  :)

1. Proofread your application.  Even better, have someone else give it a second glance for you.  Typos are not the first impression you want to give. Please, please capitalize your name and other proper nouns.
2. Sell yourself as much as possible in your application.  Tell me all about the responsibilities you held in your previous and current positions.  Your application needs to stand out from the crowd.
3. If you get an interview, do some research on possible interview questions ahead of time.  You want to go into the interview confident.  Know your stuff, sell yourself and once again stand out from the crowd.
4. If you know you are going to be job hunting, you need to do some leg work ahead of time.  Participate in professional development activities.  Do some reading.  Learn from other educators through social media.  Do what you can so you can speak about what's going on in education.
5. Be prepared to talk about technology.  Think beyond using word processing.  How do you have students use technology to engage, learn, and create?  
6. Be positive and show your enthusiasm!

The hardest thing about interviews is that really you only get about 20 to 30 minutes to demonstrate why you would be a good asset to the team.  That is no easy task, but you can do it, especially if you do some prep work ahead of time!

Watching Our Garden Grow

Let me begin by saying, we love fruits and veggies at our house, but I was not blessed with a green thumb.  A gardener, I am not.  I can grow some fairly attractive flowers, but if I manage to grow a handful of cherry tomatoes, I am overjoyed.

When two staff members told me they wanted to put in a school garden, I knew I would be no help to them on the gardening front, but I thought a garden was a great idea.  Our students could learn about plants, see where their food actually comes from, and maybe develop a taste for some healthy fruits and veggies while they were at it.

The garden began with a set of grow lights in the front lobby.  The students watched the seeds sprout and were intrigued.  Now after lots of hard work digging and preparing the soil, the plants are in the ground and they look amazing!  I can take credit for none of this hard work, but I was very impressed watching it from the sidelines.

I am so proud of the staff members that took the initiative to get this started.  I have heard so many positive comments from staff, students, and community members.  I can't wait to see how the plants and this project will continue to grow.

Journal of Memories

This year my daughter and I started a very low tech form of communication . . . a mom and daughter journal.  I wanted to create a fun way to encourage her to write and a way to record some of our memories.

We started the journal about mid-way through her first grade year.  I let her purchase a special notebook at school - which she was SUPER excited about.  Something about putting quarters in that vending machine just makes her day!  We used the notebook to write letters back and forth to one another.  Nothing fancy.  Sometimes the letters are only a few sentences long, but she gets so excited when she gets a new letter from me.  We write about the events at the time, her thoughts, whatever.  It's just a fun way to communicate.  We don't write to each other everyday.  If we get to it once a week, that's great.  There was even an unfortunate period when I cleaned the house and put it in a "very safe place" that I couldn't remember.  Yikes!  Luckily I found it this week, so the letters have begun again.

It has been interesting to see how her handwriting and writing skills have changed over just the past few months.  I hope the journal is something we continue doing.  I know she probably won't want to write to me when she's a teenager, but I am going to cherish this time while I've got it!

February

June

I will remain calm, I will remain calm, I will remain calm ...

The past few days, I was able to attend trainings on two different crisis related topics.  Last week, our entire school district was trained in ALICE. The information we received was both informative and overwhelming.  It's not easy to think about how you would react in a dangerous situation.  

For two days this week, I also received training in CPI - Crisis Prevention.  This training dealt with how to prevent and/or de-escalate a crisis, as well as how to handle a student that poses a risk to themselves or others.  Once again this training was really informative but also hard to hear at times.

When I look back on these trainings, one of the biggest messages I received was the vital role that we as adults can play in a situation.  Our reactions can make a big difference.  In our CPI training, the instructor gave us the example of the child with the bloody knee.  If we as adults look at the bloody knee and start freaking out, then the child isn't going to react well either.  If we calmly clean the knee, bandage them up and get them ready to play again, then the child will be calmer too.  (I need to remember this when my daughter is riding her bike with no training wheels.)  We can be the example of calm and strength, or we can let our emotions take over and basically make the situation worse.  The thing I need to remember is to practice modeling this calmness on a daily basis, not just in potential crisis situations.  Whether it is the student that is being rude or my own daughter throwing a temper tantrum, I need to be calm.  If I get mad and yell it will usually just escalate the situation.  The crazy thing is I'm pretty good at this at school, but I need to work on it more at home.  Those temper tantrums can really put me over the edge!

Our roles as parents and educators mean that we are faced with difficult situations on a regular basis.  The important things for me to remember is that my role is to stay calm, and as my dad, the sailor, would say - steer us all to calmer waters.

sailboat clip art.gif

Baby Teeth and Constant Change

Do you know how much time my husband and I spent waiting for those little teeth to pop through on our baby girls?  I remember being so excited when the first tooth appeared.  Afterwards, we spent years helping to teach our oldest daughter to care for those teeth.  Brushing, flossing, healthy snacks.  And now what's happening? Those teeth are falling out and the tooth fairy is taking care of business.  I wasn't ready for that, or was I?

Often I think we don't realize that we are more ready for change than we think.  Whether it be my role as mom or educator, change is a constant.  No day is like the last, but as long as I face each day with a positive outlook, I can meet those changes.  As educators we continue to learn and grow.  As a result, we are often much more prepared to face a change than we would have thought.

As a mom, I prepare for changes by reading parenting articles, talking to other parents, and picking the brain of my own mother.  As an educator, I prepare for changes by reading about education initiatives (many of which I first hear about on Twitter), talking to other educators, and picking the brain of my colleagues.  Different resources for my different roles, but the same result... preparing me for what lies ahead.  Preparing me for those inevitable changes.

Thanks and Goodbye

I took it for granted.  I thought it would be there forever, and now I find out it won't.

When I tell my current friends and colleagues about my high school experience, they often think I'm joking.  I graduated with a class of 23.  Yep, 23 students total in my senior class.

I attended Marion Catholic High School, home of the Fighting Irish.  We were small in size, but big in other ways.  For me, those other ways were opportunities.  In a school that small, no one is turned away.  You want to be in show choir, but you can't carry a tune?  Come on in, we'll still teach you all the songs and cheesy dance moves.  You want to be a cheerleader, but you are a quiet, reserved person?  We'll teach you how to stand proud in front of the crowd.  My list could go on and on.

For some, I know a small school is confining.  For me however, it opened up the world.  I was able to try things I might not have been able to do in a different environment.  I felt supported and encouraged to become the best person I could be, and I am so thankful for that.

I was sad to read this week that my alma mater will be closing at the end of the year.  I am thankful for all that Marion Catholic gave me.

I hope that now as I guide my own children and students, that I can give them the same support and encouragement that my teachers, parents and classmates gave me.

Thanks Marion Catholic for giving me the foundation I needed to be strong and the support structure I needed to grow.  You will be missed.  

http://www.marioncatholic.org

Our Specials Teachers are Special!

I have a daughter that is one smart cookie and does well in school, but she LOVES her specials classes.  She loves to come home and tell me what she did in Art, Phys. Ed., or Music class.  To her, these classes are just as important as reading, writing and math.  I agree!  They are helping to make her a well rounded person and exposing her to new ideas and ways of thinking.

At my school I am blessed to have amazing specials teachers.  They care about kids, energize students, and are awesome at what they do.  This year, I have been overwhelmed by what a great job they have done collaborating with one another.  They work on projects, brainstorm grants, and bring their classes together for great experiences.  It is amazing!

One more thing I have to brag about them . . . All 3 have worked hard to share what they are doing with families.  When you teach 600 kids a week, it's not easy to communicate with all of your students' families.  These teachers however have harnessed the power of technology to share their classrooms with our families.

• Our Art teacher has a great blog: whyiloveart.blogspot.com
• Our Music teacher puts pictures, videos, and games on her webpage: http://www.amherst.k12.oh.us/harris/teachers/perry/
• Our Phys. Ed. teacher maintains a Facebook page for his class: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harris-Elementary-Gym

They are an amazing group!  

The Lone Blogger In the Room

Over the weekend, I attended a leadership seminar for school administrators.  One of the speakers spoke to us about tech integration and asked how many people in the room were bloggers.  I raised my hand, looked around, and realized (gulp) that I was the only one with a hand raised.  I didn't know whether to feel proud or foolish.  After much thought, I've decided to go for pride.

I think blogging has allowed me to become more reflective.  It has given me a venue to share my ideas, and it has helped me to grow professionally.  When I go to write a blog, I know that whatever I write is going to be out there for my co-workers, parents, and the world to read.  So if I'm going to write it, I better live it too.

I'm hoping that some of the other administrators that were in the room this weekend will join me in the blogging process.  It reminded me of a video I saw at last year's seminar about how leadership really happens when the second follower joins in and acts as the spark.  Check out the video below.  Will you be that spark?

Stick-It Notes & Reading

I have two loves (besides my husband and beautiful children) - stick-it notes (I go through them like nobody's business) and reading.  Feeling inspired by Principal Jessica Johnson's Twitter posts (@PrincipalJ), I have merged these two loves.

Principal Johnson recently tweeted pictures of how she decorated her door to show her students what books she was reading.  Since my office door is tucked away, this didn't work for me.  However, our awesome librarian allowed me to use some space in our library instead.  I created the poster below to show students what I finished reading, what I am currently reading, and to get their suggestions of what I should read next (enter the stick-it notes).  Here's a look at my poster.  On the finished reading section, I included a summary of the book.  On the now I am reading section, I put some information about why I picked the book.

Then the most awesome thing happened.  Just a few hours after the poster went up, our librarian told me the kids were loving writing recommendations.

After two weeks, I have received over 130 book recommendations.  I'm not really sure how I'm going to read that many books, but I'm really excited that the kids are talking about reading.  Many of the stick-it notes have explanations of why I should pick their recommendation, and often kids are working with friends to write recommendations together.  Which means they are talking about the books together.  Awesome!

Enough typing.  Time to get back to my reading.  I have quite a long list.

I Lied to a Girl Scout Mom

I admit it.  I did it.  I lied to a perfectly nice, lovely Girl Scout mom.  I didn't mean to do it.  It just slipped out.  It wasn't a mean lie, but it was still a lie.

What is this horrible lie you are probably wondering?

The mom commented on what a good reader my daughter was, and I responded with something about how we were "lucky" that she "just happened to love reading."  Not the big, juicy lie I am sure you were anticipating, but it was still a lie.  My daughter does love reading, but it wasn't a result of luck.  It happened because we read each night together as a family.

Why didn't I tell the mom this?  I didn't want to brag.  This is something that I think happens with a lot of educators.  Whether it is with our families, our classrooms or our schools, we have good things happening, but because we are humble, we don't talk about it.  We don't want to appear to be too boastful or full of ourselves.

What can we do to change this?  After all, we should change this attitude right?  If something is working, we should share it.  We need to change our mindset.  Sharing our accomplishments shouldn't be viewed as bragging.  It should be seen as sharing.   

I think social media is helping us learn to share our successes.  Through Pinterest, Twitter, and blogs, more and more educators are sharing with one another, and this is great.  Let the sharing continue!  Now I just need to be brave enough to share face to face.  No more lying to Girl Scout moms for me.