What connections are you making with your students?

 Every Fall I make a batch of pumpkin bars. I have made them as bread and this year I'm trying them out as muffins, but every year I make a batch of some variation.  While I do think they are yummy, I don't think that the taste is the real reason I make them every year.  They take me back to a very happy memory!  One day in second grade Mrs. Frick took us to the cafeteria and we made pumpkin bars!  It was sooooooo much fun!  I was so proud to take the recipe home and share with my family.  I made it for my parents and older siblings and it was a hit.  I smile every time I think about the way it made me feel!  I hope that I'm making memories with my students just as Mrs. Frick made with me all those years ago. (42!)

Last Friday, I celebrated my first Carpe Diem Day with my students.  It was a very blessed day.  We had extra recess, practiced being kind to one another and shared what we liked about each other.  The students had time to draw, color, play, enjoy each other and relax.  We talked about how we were going to really enjoy the day living in the present. We made a mantra for the day "Be kind and choose to be happy" and discussed how we would try and continue that mantra for the rest of the year.  I'm thankful that I got to experience this day with my students.  I know it was a memory that they will hold on to for a while.

That day was special, but I'm not sure that it was on the same level as the baking of the pumpkin bars with Mrs. Frick.  When I reflect on that day with her, what I think made it truly special was the fact that she was sharing HERSELF with us.  She shared a love for baking with us.  She shared a recipe from her family.  She bonded with us through this activity.  I still feel connected to her and that class today when I bake those pumpkin bars each year.

That makes me wonder.... am I connecting with my students?  I think so.  If you know me well, you know I love the Houston Astros.  I started watching them with my son about 10 years ago.  He was already a fan and playing baseball was his passion.  I wanted to connect with my son as he grew into a young man and so I decided I would learn all about baseball.  I began to keep books for his team and watched the Astros with him and talked about the players and the stats (they were bad back then) and it worked!  He and I remain close and baseball is one of many topics we enjoy talking about.  I also THOROUGHLY enjoy watching every game I can throughout the season.  Ok, sorry, I got sidetracked talking about baseball and Trent (two of my greatest loves).  But I want you to know that I also really enjoy sharing my passion for the Astros with my students.  As the playoff season began in September, I've talked to them more and more each day about what makes the Astros so fun.  As they began to near the end of the ALCS championship, I even showed a couple of highlight clips from the games during snack time/ indoor recess.  On my morning slides, I tend to ask "trivia" type questions about the past night's game and give small prizes to those who know the answer.  I have a couple of bobble heads and a pennant from the 2017 World Series in my room and gave Houston Astros as the bonus spelling word on our test last week.  It is part of the culture in my classroom.  Not only do I love them telling me that they watched part of a game, or asked their parents to turn on Sports Center during breakfast so they could catch the score of last night's game, but sharing it with them has made me love the games even more.  I can't wait until tomorrow when I will hear their excited screams when we discuss the fact that the Astros are going to the World Series!!!  And I'm super excited to talk about Yordan Alvarez winning the ALCS MVP trophy.  He is one of the players that I have highlighted to my students and one of the bobble heads in my classroom!

Are my students struggling academically after the past couple of years of "Pandemic restricted" instructions?  Yes.  Am I having to teach them expected behaviors at school as many of were instructed virtually from home for the last 2 1/2 years?  Yes.  Does every data point we screen them point out deficits that need to be made up as soon as possible?  Yes.  Do I have to spend an exorbitant amount of our instruction time testing them to obtain data to be examined to show these obvious gaps?  Yes.  Does this mean that I can't take time to enjoy connecting with them because we have too many academic skills that need to be taught?  NO!!  These connections are one of the only things that keep me going to school with a smile every day.  Making these connections are what allow them to feel safe with me and their peers so that they CAN LEARN and close these gaps.  We HAVE to PRIORITIZE these connections.  My students are valuable.  They are smart.  They can learn.  They will learn.  I will continue taking time to have fun with them, engaging with them and creating opportunities for us to connect!

I see so many of my colleagues on social media that are becoming burnt out.  It is not an easy time to be a teacher y'all.  Almost every day we have absences from staff members where no substitute can be found to help out.  I see administrators and support teachers stretched thin.  I see so many people in the education system working hard to help students close the academic gaps.  I hope we don't forget that the connections have to be made too. 

5 Things I learned as a Camp Invention Connect Coach!

 Five years ago I was given the opportunity to instruct for a week at Camp Invention in Katy, Texas.  It was such a fun experience, I can't imagine not being able to do it every year!  Last year, when the world "shut down" due to the Global Pandemic, I was able to witness the amazing transformation that the National Inventors Hall of Fame made to their camp to allow it to be taught virtually.  It was challenging, exciting, engaging and fun for instructors and students.  This year, I jumped at the opportunity to be a National Coach again.  It has been a highlight of my Summer!

Here are 5 things I have learned:

1)  Collaborating gets kids excited.  They learn so much from talking to each other (as humans, we all do, don't we?)  Camp Invention Connect is devised in a way that guides me to help them collaborate.  I'm not overloaded with curriculum to "shove at them", but just to spark interest and ignite their creative fires!  The learning happens when they feel free to share with each other.  They support each other and push each other all at the same time.  Sometimes, I feel like I'm just an observer myself, often times learning the most from my students!  I plan to remember this in the school year.  I don't want to hinder my students by "teaching" too much.  I want to make sure that I give them plenty of opportunities to collaborate to the fullest degree!

2)  As a coach, I'm reminded of why I became a teacher in the first place.  I really do get my energy from interacting with kids.  During the school year, if I'm not careful, I can allow myself to be bogged down by data, grades, planning, intervention, TESTING, and blah blah blah.  With Camp Invention, I'm given opportunities to support children growing, learning, exploring, failing, succeeding, trying, sharing and growing.  It refuels my energy and excitement to teach again next year!

3) I'm constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone.  Daily, I have to help students build, design, and trouble shoot their inventions.  We work with motors, batteries, wires, solar cells, pulleys, and so much more.  I'm not naturally a builder.  I spend most of my personal "hands on" activity time being "crafty".  The lessons of Camp Invention push me to reverse engineer and create things that I would have felt were too difficult for little kids (and maybe even me sometimes!).  They give such clear instructions and guide me with trouble shooting tips.  I also have all the supplies and make sure that on camera isn't my first time to experience the build so that I'm ready to support them towards success!  Every student has been successful in every build this week.  I'm so proud and happy for them.  Some of them were skeptical at times too!

4)  I love meeting new kids!  It's funny, but all these years, I'm still excited to meet them with their quirky personalities (kids don't hide their quirks the way grownups do) and to enjoy learning with them.  I'm so blessed to meet kids from all over through Camp Invention!

5) Hands on is important!  Kids (ok, everyone) learn by doing!  Camp Invention has designed a program where kids are constantly creating and building with their hands and I am witness to the powerful learning it creates.  This inspires and challenges me to integrate more hands on creating and building in my classroom!  Students work through the Design Thinking process in Camp Invention and I plan to incorporate this practice into my Project Based Learning in my classroom.

I want my students to love learning at school as much as they love learning from Camp Invention.  To make this happen, I must be brave and inventive.  Thank you Camp Invention for inspiring me and supporting me to be a better coach and therefore teacher.

By the way, if you have school age children you should check out Camp Invention and find a program for them either in person or online.  (There are programs designed for Middle School and High School students as well)    It will be worth it!

Check out the fun I had on Road Rally day!

I also enjoyed Solar Bot!

And yes, I had fun with Duck Chuck too!

By the way, I'm super excited about this upcoming school year!  I'll be opening a new building and learning every day with a new group of third graders.  I'm going to enjoy my last few weeks of Summer, but can't wait for this new school year!  

What are we learning?

Ok.  So I want to start off with this- I'm not happy about the "Remote Learning" that we are doing.  I miss my students desparately!  I miss interacting with them, monitoring their progress closely, being able to have a "feel of the room" of how the lesson is going.  I miss celebrating their successes with them and I miss consoling them through the power of "failure".  I miss eating lunch with my colleagues and sharing a laugh or sentiment as I pass them in the hall.  I miss seeing parents in the hallwary or workroom, so anxious to help out at our school.  I miss the feel of energy that is EVERYWHERE in an Elementary School (the library, the playgroud, the classrooms, the hallway, everywhere!!!)

However, it is now time for me to practice what I preach.  I tell my students that I am a life-long learner and that is my hope for them as well  I remind that there are opportunities for learning in every situtation.

So, what am I learning?  I am learning new skills.  I have taken several webinar PD classes over the last few weeks and I'm learning new ways to deliver lessons.  I'm tweaking my technical skills every moment of every day!  I'm learning new ways to connect with my students online.  We have fun on Zoom, we comment giggles over posted jokes, and they brighten my day with every comment on my video read aloud.  In fact, on that note, I have learned to overcome a lot of self- insecurites to post a video of myself reading a chapter (with permission from the publisher) on Seesaw.  I have also learned that I really enjoy an evening walk with my husband.

What are my students learning?  I hope that they are learning that their education is essential!  When almost everything else has shut down, the value of them continuing to learn has pushed us all to be innovative and find ways to teach them.  I hope that they are learning some independence and owenership in their learning- that is so powerful!  I hope that they are also learning some ways to enjoy time with their families.

What are our students' parents learning?  I hope that they are learning how exciting it is to watch a child grow and learn.  I hope they are learning that their teachers are working as hard as they can to provide well thought and engaging lessons in this brand new format.  I hope they are enjoying this extra time with their children and making memories to last a lifetime.

What are our educational leaders learning?  I hope they are learning that teachers will work diligently, even when there is no standardized test in sight.  I hope they are learning new ways to support teachers, students and parents in this challenging situation.  I wonder if they are learning that we don't have to "cancel' school for a day when there is hazardous weather?  I wonder if they are learing that maybe someday we could save lots of energy if we had school in the building 4 days a week and one day at home?  I feel like one day a week of Remote Learning would be ideal- just my opinion!  It would be the best of all worlds for me!

I have full confidence that we are all learning.  I am hopeful that we are learning things that will help us become better future teachers in all situations, better students and better educational leaders.

I'm sure that you have thought of so much more that we are learning... I'd love for you to share your thoughts!

Joke of the Day

Have you ever tried to implement a Joke of the Day in your classroom?  This year, in my 25th year of teaching, I have put it in for the first time.  To be honest, I have a different group of kids every day in my position, so it is actually a Joke of the Week for me, but I love it!  I think it is a tradition I will keep for as long as I teach.  If I move to a position where I teach the same students every day, I may only do it once a week, but I will for sure keep one in my plans regularly!

Why?  You may be wondering why...  Well, here are a few reasons that I love having it in my routine.

1.  My students LOVE it.  At least a few every day walk into my room asking, "What is today's joke of the day?"  This reason alone is reason enough.  I know that having my students excited about any part of their day with me will help them be engaged and ready to learn.

2.  I get to hear them laugh.  It might seem to be the same reason as number 1, but it it makes me happy to hear them chuckle.  A happy teacher is a better teacher.  I know that for sure.

3.  It makes them think.  Even the most simple cartoon like the one above provokes conversations among their peers.  "I don't get it"... then someone else begins to explain.  Explaining something as simple as a joke is such a great mental exercise for my students.

4.  It creates a "classroom culture".  I love having them refer to a former joke.  Its like old friends getting together and telling a funny story about the "good ole days".  My 3rd graders will weekly refer to their pencil as a "wireless keyboard" in reference to this "Joke of the Day" from more than a month ago.

5.  

5.  It gives them a routine.  When they see the "Joke of the Day" on the screen it is a mental reminder that we will be starting class soon.  I can leave it on the screen while they talk about it, laugh, gather pencils and journals that they know they will need.  It is a much more pleasant routine than me starting right off with a slide that I expect them to write or do work on.  I don't have to verbalize those reminders, "get your pencils and expandables" over and over again as I once did. 

6.  Google makes it easy!  While watching Netflix (usually Grey's Anatomy), I can search joke for kids, or joke for kids technology (our past unit) or whatever kind of joke I want.  There are so many at my fingertips within seconds!  I usually gather 5 or more at a setting and save them to keep and plug in at a minutes notice.  You can easily do inspirational quotes ( I do this as well), riddle of the day (I have done these before and they were very popular), a quick word puzzle, an analogy, any quick thing you want!

Maybe you want to implement it slowly and just have a Joke of the Day on one day of the week.  Watch and see how your students react when they start to expect a joke up on the board every Thursday (or whatever day you choose).  Maybe you make up a schedule, joke on Monday, inspiration on Wednesday, riddle on Friday... whatever works for you.  Don't make it too hard on yourself, though.  Teaching is hard enough.

I do hope you like adding a little laughter to your classroom.  It might make your days a little more enjoyable.

What are your students saying about you at the dinner table?

As a parent, I treasure those family conversations around the dinner table.  It is where we connected as a family and I learned about my children and spouse's day.  The vacations and the 'big" moments are fun, but I feel like it is those nightly meal conversations where we made our connections that will last forever.

Teachers- you need to know that you are in those conversations.  My children told stories about class.  They told me about funny things their teachers did, times they felt unfairly treated, and how their teachers reacted to stress and behavior issues in the classroom. 

I have also have had many parents tell me that their child tells them about me around the dinner table.  Often times, it is a story that I thought was something very incidental or some I can't even remember when they happened!  Sometimes they are about things I do all the time (sing silly songs, tell silly jokes, talk about my love for the Astros or the color purple) but it seems it is NEVER about the way I taught a concept! 

No matter how many hours I spend on building a lesson, tweaking my presentation and defining the objectives, that is NOT what they are going home and talking about.  That is not what is resonating in their mind.  Now, mind you, I do believe it is sticking with them!  I do believe that the work it takes to make an engaging lesson is worth it!  But, it is not what they will remember about you. 

However, I do believe that if you make positive connections through your actions, they are more open to learn those well developed lesson!  I've seen it work.  I've witnessed it in my own children.  The teachers that they loved to tell funny stories about are also the ones that I watched them grow in their expertise of that subject/ grade level.

Making connections works.  Have fun with your students.  Let them get to know you as a person.  Get to know them as a person.  They will talk about you at the dinner table regardless of how you treat them, but the tone of the stories is up to you!

Have a great week!

Treasure the beautiful moments!

A beautiful moment happened in my classroom the other day.   I keep reflecting on it and appreciating it.

We ended a unit last week, and the students had completed small research projects to share with each other.  They were allowed to choose their presentation piece.  Many chose Google slides shows, but some chose posters, iMovies, or just a prepared speech.  My teaching partner and I were happy with any of those choices, we just wanted them to be able to share their knowledge with their peers.  Now, we learned some things about the way we were teaching research, and we will definitely be helping our students learn to be better note takers in the future, but that is a different blog!  On Wednesday, we witnessed a beautiful act of kindness in our classroom!

The third graders were being chosen randomly, and 36 of them had presented.  They had listened to each other respectively and been a good audience.  (yes- we took a few brain breaks!)  The last boy was called and he had chosen to give a speech.  He stood in front of his peers, said the title, and began to "freak out" a little.  He began shaking his head and saying, " I can't do it.  I can't do it."  I went and stood next to him and put my hand on his shoulder, "Yes you can do it.  I'm here with you".  That didn't seem to help him.  My partner teacher said, "We are all here to support you, no one is judging.  We just want to learn from you. "  She and I continued to try and calm him and get him to present to no avail.  Suddenly a voice from the crowd, said, "what if we close our eyes?"  We said, "let's try it!" and 36 heads went down with hands covering their eyes. 

The student took a deep breath, and began.  He read the whole thing and they all looked up and clapped for him. 

I'm not going to lie.  I think a tear welled up in my eye.  The students went on to pack and clean up to head back to class for dismissal (as usual we were running late).  I just kept reflecting on that moment.

What if we hadn't listened to that voice from the crowd?

How did they know what he needed when I didn't?

I'm so glad they felt safe giving an idea.

I'm so glad that he felt safe accepting it and went on.

I'm so glad he has this triumph to remember next time he has to speak in front of a crowd and to build on this success.

I'm so thankful for those sweet children supporting him.  They could have been cynical, "we had to do it with people looking", but they weren't!

I'm going to keep that beautiful image in my bank of thoughts that I turn to when something is not going perfectly in class.  I'm going to treasure this beautiful moment.  I hope you treasure your beautiful moments too!

Teaching- it's worth it!

Being a teacher means loads of paper work, and lesson planning, and data and parent conferences, and grading, and and and and....

But- more importantly- being a teacher means hugs from so many students!

It means seeing someone at the grocery store and they run to say hi to you!

It means seeing a student from many years ago and they seek you out to talk to you and tell you how they are doing.

It means feeling like a celebrity on your birthday.

It means heartfelt notes of thankfulness for caring.

It means a license to be silly and laugh with your students.

It means continuing to learn with the challenge to reach every student.

and.and and.and.

So- if you're a teacher and you're reading this and you are frustrated because you have a meeting scheduled during your planning period every day this week- remember the hugs.

If you're so tired of grading papers that you can't keep your eyes open, (go to sleep!) and remember the student that came to see you and thank you for the help many years ago.

If you're at your wits end from a parent complaining, or making excuses, or not stepping up to help their child- pull out that handwritten note from last year thanking you for touching their child's life. And read it several times!

So many days, and weeks, and maybe even months are frustrating as a teacher....

BUT.... the perks make it ALL WORTH IT!

Remember, you are in the greatest profession!  Thank you for all the hard work you do for your students.  I know that is who you do it for!  You are making a difference.