Attitude of Gratitude, Day 5

November 5: What are my strengths? Which are you most grateful for?

My strengths are my sense of humor, my willingness to try new things, my dislike of boredom, and my creativity. 

In a school/educational setting, I am most grateful for my sense of humor. It has gotten me through kids who don't always have a sense of humor at the time. There are times when dealing with union issues, administrators, and people in general require a sense of humor - a well developed, Far Side sense of humor. Oh, this Far Side sense of humor goes pretty much everywhere with me; I enjoy being known for being funny. It's not always in good taste, I will admit to that. But at school, a sense of humor can tease a smile out of an unhappy child, can rebalance a teenager who really needs to be noticed. A sense of humor can help diffuse a tense situation. 

As much as I like to try new things, dump boredom, and get creative, I'll do all of those things with a smile and a laugh. Thank goodness for Gary Larson, who helped my sense of humor be a legitimate form of self-expression.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 4

November 4: What was the nicest gift that you received from student/parent/colleague?

I really had to think about this question. Over time, I've received a lot of gifts, mostly very small and personal things. Kids draw me pictures, and I always put them up in my office. I had a middle school girl, a new kid this year, bring me a very brightly colored picture that was a collaborative effort; her mom drew the picture, which was a goose in a library, and she colored it. Of course I hung it up right away! It was such a sweet gesture. I still use a Dr. Seuss coffee cup given to me by a student who was in my class the one year I taught fourth grade - he graduated two years ago. One mom kept me in very decent chocolate bars when I had her oldest son; I think she figured I needed the boost! A girl I had gave me a small piece of beading she wove - it's a nice piece of work, and one of her first pieces when she first began learning the craft. I always feel honored when a student gives me something they created, and even more so when they make something especially for me.

The nicest gift, though, is friendship - whenever one of my former Crescent kids, either a library kid or a student I taught, sends me a friend request on Facebook, I accept. It is wonderful to see these adults, my former kids, and how their lives have turned out. I appreciate the whole idea that I am let in to their lives, and see pictures of their kids and families. It is still amazing to me that adults remember me as a person who cared about them, and encouraged their love of reading and books. Honestly, I am humbled, and well as grateful for the reminder that what I do does make a difference in the lives of the kids I work with, and that as adults, they remember me as someone kind and encouraging. It kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it?

Attitude of Gratitude - Blogger Challenge, Day 3

November 3: What are you most proud of to date in your teaching career?

To date, the thing that I am most proud of in my teaching career is that I finally earned a master's degree. To be specific, it is a Master of Science degree, in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. I did it virtually, through Walden University, and I did it without accumulating a lot of debt. I started my program in the fall of 2007, after a lot of soul-searching, and finished 19 months later in 2009. Graduation was in Minneapolis, and while I wasn't sure I was going to fly out and walk, in the end I did, and I'm glad I did.

Ho, hum, some might say. Isn't a master's degrees what everyone is supposed to have? I could have earned one way back in the late 1970s, when I was earning my standard teaching certificate. However, back then, having a master's degree could cost you a job, with school districts setting the salaries, but the biggest drawback for me was that I had no idea what I wanted to earn it in. I was set on being a school librarian, and anything offered at the small state college I was attending didn't offer a master of library science degree. I did the next best thing and earned an educational media endorsement instead. After that, cost was a huge factor, as well as any program would have required travel (I had a young son), as well as the idea that $25,000 was just too much on my part-time salary. When the Walden program came up, I cautiously jumped.

What the master's degree did for me was put new energy into my career. I've been a librarian forever; for me, running the library is easy. As my supervisors gave me classes to teach, I needed to step up my game. About the time I earned my MS, I was selected to participate in a two-year grant called Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT). Now, I got to put my lessons from Walden together with technology. I have completely changed the way I approach teaching. I see myself as more of a facilitator. I believe in Constructivist Theory. I expect my students to use the tools that I know they will be using in their futures. Somewhere along the way, I turned into a high school teacher, which still slightly freaks me out!

Attitude of Gratitude - Blogger Challenge, Day 2

November 2: What is one small delight in the day that you always look forward to?

I look forward to students coming into my space. My second period class is U. S. History, and I have at least two students who come through my office to class instead of walking straight in. One of my boys, a chronic underachiever, started coming in announcing "Your favorite student is here!", much to my surprise. I had this kid last year, and he was not always my favorite. The first day he made this announcement, one of the girls, a tough little cookie, quickly countered with, "No, you aren't I'm her favorite student!" We quickly determined I could have one boy favorite and one girl favorite, and that's how it's been ever since then. The funny thing is, my Favorite Boy Student, who under-performs is just about all of his other classes, is pulling a B from me, and is bringing one more of his classes up to a passing grade. I'm not certain why this kid decided to work in my class (which he didn't do last year in the brief time he was in it), but I told him I would take it. I love the energy that comes into my room when the kids come in!

I also enjoy my primary library kids entrances. They are always so excited to be coming to the library, and I am told immediately that yes, the book came back, or no, it was forgotten. I'm also told when a book was wonderful, and that always comes with a great big smile. On the day before Halloween, when the kindergartners came in, they were wearing the coolest spider "hats" - a black headband with big paper eyes, and eight spider legs. They were pretty awesome hats, and everyone was so excited to come in with those bouncy legs going and scary spider smiles. This isn't the same hat, but can't you see those spider legs bounding?!How can you not love something like that?! That is more than just a small delight!

Attitude of Gratitude - Blogger Challenge, Day 1

November 1: What are the best aspects of being a teacher?

I've been an educator for a long time, since 1977, and always the best part of being a teacher has been connecting with kids. I started out as a librarian, and as a librarian, I've been lucky enough to connect kids with books. I've read a lot of books aloud to classes of kids, and it's been my pleasure to introduce literature to lots of kids.It's a blast reading to little kids, making Franklin or Clifford the Big Red Dog so exciting that little kids are on the edge of the story rug, and leaning in to hear more. I love it when a student comes up to tell me how much they loved the latest book they checked out from the library, and when kids recommend books for me to buy for the library. People do not understand that possibly one of the best jobs in a school is that of librarian.

I have to confess that I didn't really want to teach; I was originally hired to be the librarian, and really did not want to teach any kind of regular class. It took the district a few years, but I did end up teaching, starting with middle school, and now, somehow, high school. In a small, rural K-12 district, it's hard to escape the inevitable. What I enjoy the most about teaching is when a kid gets it. The light bulb moment. The Ah-Ha. In my history class, it's questions that tell me connections are being made. When I taught math, it was the look of joy when it finally made sense. The other day one of my history students told me that she loved that I do a This Day in History fact every day - she talks about them at home. I love that!

There are many moments at school that aren't always fun, but thank goodness there are so many more that are wonderful, and make it hard to think about walking away someday.

30 Day Blogging Challenge - Days 20 - 23

How do real bloggers do it?! I don't mind writing, and I enjoy blogging, but this has gotten away from me! Seriously!!

Day 20: How Do You Curate Student Work?
I will admit, I had to look this one up, so apparently I don't do this. I don't teach in a conventional classroom; my classroom is the school library. I flat out do not display student work, even though I know I should. I have done this before, when I taught elementary math (in the library), but since moving to high school classes, and essentially using an electronic classroom, I don't have a lot of paper. I am trying out Schoology, and I like not carting papers around. I need to figure out a way to display work, and I think that's going to mean having assignments that involve more than writing. But I like those creative projects, and this might be the way for me to switch things up a bit for more interesting learning!

Day 21: Do You Have Other Hobbies/Interests You Bring Into the Classroom?
I like to take pictures, and most of the presentations I've created have had some of my photographs on them. I also have pictures I've taken on my library website. My other hobbies don't really lend themselves well to what I teach, although I have used them in the past. I used to quilt, and I'd done a couple of math projects that involved geometry, so I've brought in quilt blocks I've made, mostly because they are geometry. I also use a lot of technology, including social media. Pinterest is something I like to use, and one project I did (before Pinterest got blocked at school) was to combine a six-word memoir with a six-image memoir on Pinterest. The kids loved it, and I'm afraid I did turn a few of them into Pinterest addicts. It was really touching for me to see their visual memoirs - so raw, in some cases, and always honest.

Day 22: What Does My PLN Look Like?
My PLN is online - Plurk. I was introduced to Plurk a few years ago, and have picked up so many wonderful ideas from the educators on that site. I also belong to a couple of educator groups on Facebook, and resources are always being shared there. We had a teacher at our school about ten years ago who wanted to start a PLN, but for some reason it never got going, and then he left to take another job. I've mostly had one or two other like-minded people who were interested in the idea of a PLN, but it was all very small and casual. Plurk has been the best resource for me lately. I have also dabbled in groups on Google+. I feel as though I've connected with some very good educators, and I would love to meet some of them in the future.

The Blog Challenge that got away from me: Days 16 - 19

I was seriously afraid that this is what was going to happen when I decided to take on this blogging challenge. Ironically, as much as I value consistency in my classes, I totally lack it when it comes to this, and that's why I admire bloggers who are on it. I understand why they need to take a break, though. So with that in mind, here are days 16 - 19, and I promise I'll do 20 tonight.

Day 16: If you could have one superpower to use in the classroom, what would it be and how would it help?
The superpower I would love to use in the classroom would be the Healing Factor. This is defined as "the ability to heal rapidly and with greater finality from any injury." Although a character with this superpower is most likely healing from a physical injury, I am more interested in having kids heal from mental or emotional injuries, because those invisible injuries and scars are what impact them in the long term.

Day 17: What do you think is the most challenging issue in education today?
In my mind, the most challenging issue today is top-down interference of the federal government into the public schools, including the Common Core State Standards. The issue I have is not the standards themselves, but rather the way they have been shoved down education's throat, as well as dollars that are attached to the movement. In Washington state, where I live and teach, we lost our waiver because the legislators refused to cave in on including adding student test scores to the new TPEP evaluation system. That waiver loss meant federal dollars needed to be shifted from Title I programs to programs designed specifically to "NCLB-prescribed remedies for low-performing schools, such as tutoring and school choice." In addition to this reallocation of funds, the majority of school in the state have had to send letters to parents saying that we are a low-performing/failing school. 100% of students are supposed to meet the standards set by the feds, including ELL kids, SPED kids, and other populations. The fact is we here in Washington have been making improvements in student growth and achievement, but apparently not high enough nor fast enough. I belong to a group on Facebook, BAT, the Baddass Teachers Association, and I am appalled by the stories that some of these people have to go through in order to just teach!!!! None of this is helpful for kids, and it's one of the reasons I will be glad to retire.

Day 18: Create a metaphor/simile/analogy that describes your teaching philosophy. For example, a “teacher is a ________…”
A teacher is a guide, who knows what the trail ahead looks like, knows what the potential pitfalls and problems might be, being ready to assist the student to reach their goal.

Day 19: Name three powerful students can reflect on their learning, then discuss closely the one you use most often.
I think this is supposed to read "three powerful tools", and that's what I'm going on.
1) Journals
2) Quick Writes
3) Questioning

The tool I use the most is Journals - I like to have students reflect on their learning at the end of any type of project, and explain to them that I do that all of the time. In fact, I am planning on redoing how I am presenting information in my U S History class, based on my experience with a new class, a new book, and a first chapter. I tell kids that if they can't reflect on and evaluate their own work, they will never do anything differently and will probably get the same results they have always gotten. I also want kids to think about more than just the product; I want them to think about the process. I got this from the Big6 Research Model/Process, and I believe it is a final step that is often missing in learning.