Leave it in your car

The chapter that resonated the most with me from this reading of Kids Deserve It by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome is Chapter 8: Leave it in  your car. I agree that Kids Deserve that we leave our troubles and stress in our car before we enter the building each day. I chuckled when I read the list of possible stressors that I might leave in the car because it's not uncommon for me to be low on gas or have spilled coffee on my shirt.  What's even worse is when I leave my coffee at home and have none in my car!

My students count on me to be there for them.  I need to be happy to share their day and help them learn science and language arts.  I need to be ready to laugh with them and ask about the books they are reading.  My students look to me to see if everything is going to be okay.  I need to be 100% there for them.  This is easy for me.  I love coming to work and I love what I do.  Every day I get inspired by my interactions with kids. It's easy for me to be positive and assure them that I see hope and I see their best self shining through.  When I was in college I thought I'd be a teacher for - oh - ten years or so.  Then I thought, hm...then I will write books.  But I love it too much to stop.

Sometimes, not lately, I've had encounters with teachers who don't leave their troubles in their car and it stresses me out to no end. Why are they even teachers? I think being a teacher is the most important job in the world.  Why complain? Why let your troubles seep into the classroom? Our kids deserve better.  As Chapter 8 reminds us, our students deserve our best every day.

I am lucky to work with some of the most amazing teachers around!  I'll tell you the most challenging day I had with "leaving it in my car."  It was September 11, 2001.  By the time our students arrived the planes had gone down and the country was aware that terrorism had us in its grip.  I was lucky, though.  I stood in the hallway with Mrs. Schiellack, Mrs. Holty, Mrs. Taylor, Mr. K. and a few others. We had our radios on (ha! radios!) and we heard, "a plane has crashed into the Pentagon." Stunned, we looked at each other. We were at a collective loss for words. Horror washed over us and the enormity of the day started to press itself on our shoulders. Could we keep it together for the kids?

Just at that moment, the doors at the end of the hallway opened. Bright September sunshine glinted off of the glass as fourth and fifth graders streamed towards us with fearful faces and outrageous chatter. The big kids on the bus had told them Merton was next.

I will never forget it.  The teachers exchanged the briefest of glances to acknowledge the task of "leaving it in our car" so to speak.  We smiled, we welcomed and we reassured.  It's going to be okay.  You are all right. Merton is not next.

I tell that story because it helps to have a strong team. A few years ago my husband had an emergency surgery and I was struggling to talk about it at work.  It meant a lot that my principal, Mr. Posick, had my back and supported me no questions asked.  I couldn't talk about it because then I wouldn't be leaving it in my car. I would be bringing it into the wide open hallways and I would be at risk of falling apart in front of the kids.  My partner, Mary, took charge and control of what needed to be done so that I could keep it together and "leave it in the car." My teammates Brian and Dan offered hugs but didn't make me talk because they respected my need to "leave it in my car." If I had allowed that fear and stress to leak into my classroom it would have affected my kids.  They deserve better than that.

I am so lucky to work with educators who are willing to forgo their stress, problems and panic to be awesome for our kids every day no matter what.   Yes, we should be awesome every day. Kids deserve it.

Inspiration Past and Present

November 26, 2016
Dear Mrs. Kasprowicz,

I don't know if you remember me but I was in your 5th grade class in 2010. I moved to Florida in the middle of the year and it was devastating for our class. I definitely remember you because you are still the greatest teacher I ever had. I'm writing this because I just wanted to thank you for believing in me. The Press Room was the greatest thing I ever got involved in. I wanted to thank you for allowing me to be in that program and helping me realize my potential in journalism. I am currently in yearbook at my high school and I was one of the only two people ever at my school that were allowed in as freshman. This year, I am an editor on the yearbook staff and I couldn't be happier. This program helped me realize that I love journalism. I have decided that want to major in journalism and my family and I are looking at many different colleges. For example, the University of Pennsylvania and the Northwestern University of Illinois. They keep making jokes about how I need to get a scholarship or they'll be living in a shack. But hey, go big or go home. I miss Wisconsin. I hope I can see you again. I guess in all, I just wanted to write this to thank you because I know teachers don't get enough credit on what they do to student's lives. I want you to know that you made a huge impact on my life that I will never forget. 

Keep in touch

Sincerely, 

Bailey S.

*******

So this is how my work session started last Sunday. 

I was hemming and hawing and avoiding my lesson planning for the week because I was feeling a bit discouraged. It was the weekend after Thanksgiving and I didn't have a lot of time left in the day to spend hours on my plans. I wondered to myself if I was still going to be able to make a difference for my students and should I just close my computer and go with the plans Jena and I had outlined the week before.  The Innovator's Mindset has gotten me to uberanalyze my effectiveness and I am routinely questioning if I am making an impact or not. It was tempting to just close my computer and watch House Hunters International.

I topped off my coffee, sighed, and fired up my email.  And there it was. The email from Bailey S.  Of course I remembered her and was instantly reminded that as teachers we might never know the impact we have on a child. Sometimes we are lucky and get an email like Bailey's to kick us in the butt and get us back on track to putting in 150% for every child every day.  It could be that her parents encouraged her to write a thank you since it was Thanksgiving weekend...or that she was writing as an assignment for church or some other obligation.  But I don't care.  She picked me and found me and wrote those magic words that let me know I did make a difference for her.

That was enough to inspire me to redouble my efforts to reach my students and let them know I notice their strengths.  I was reminded that my Press Room incorporated many of the tenets of The Innovator's Mindset: choice, relationships and trust. I realize I need to go back to go forward, in a sense.  I need to go back to incorporating more choice and getting my students more involved in their learning.  I need to provide opportunities for my students to innovate and take a bit of a backseat and facilitate their passion and growth. On page 127 Couros wrote "Great Leaders Practice Balancing Trust and Autonomy While Providing Strong Mentorship." I believe I used to do more mentoring and need to get back to that.  In some ways my project is not innovative because I'm doing some things I USED to do more than I do them now.  I have been too worried about getting through curriculum.  On page 40 of Innovator's Mindset Couros writes, "As educators we can create better experiences for our students by tapping into their passions."  I used to do that when Bailey was in my class...but do I do that now? 

I think the answer is, "Meh."

I have put together a Genius Page Google Site Template for my students to use.  They will link their Genius Page to their Middle School Portfolio website, but be able to send out the Genius Page link on its own and therefore protect privacy (their portfolio has their first and last name and other identifying data on it). I am contemplating getting a Twitter handle for my Genius Page because I think it important to share and network along the way. I am not an expert on many things, so my students could possibly pose questions to experts on their research topics or look for resources on Twitter. Note to self: Ask Jay about that. @mertongenius is available.

I am bringing back Genius Hour, but will improve it by amping up the requirements to link the work to our Essential Outcomes in language arts.  I will link my Science Scholars student-centered idea to the Genius Page in order to encourage more students to research, experiment and share their knowledge about science.  I will add the option of linking the Genius Hour work to the Next Generation Science Standards, our Essential Questions in social studies and make sure that the Genius Page information gets shared globally and locally.  I will make sure to allow some time in school each week for students to pursue their passions, link it to their learning and share it with their classmates as well as the world.

Here is the link to the template: https://sites.google.com/a/merton.k12.wi.us/genius-page/

Thank you, Bailey...for reminding me that Couros is right.  I can and should Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity.

Innovator's Mindset: Part 2

The second section of The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros hit home for me in many ways.  I thought it was interesting that there were parallels between education and business.  The Starbucks example and the discussion about trust is important.  When teachers are given the power to make changes and decisions to better the experience for their students we see improved empowerment for all.  I believe it is true that truly innovative administrators trust their teachers to make needed changes.  If a school doesn't empower teachers to innovate across the board, innovation will only occur in pockets and only for a limited time.

It is interesting to note the difference between school vs. learning in this section.  I do want my students to start with questions and pursue deep exploration (p. 102).  It really got me to reflect on the question, "Do I want to be a student in my own classroom?"  I believe I need to improve in this area and make sure I don't have my students "sit and get" as much as I do.  I need to inspire the kind of innovative thinking I appreciate myself in my professional endeavors.  Would I want to be a student in my own classroom? Yes, some days, but not all.  I need to get to the point where I think I'd rather be a student in my classroom than anywhere else.

The graphic on page 116 "Things to Look for in Today's Classroom" is valuable because it provides a reminder about what is important to my students in order to feel like they have a voice in our classroom.  I have started to do more self-assessment in language arts this year, but I need to do more in science.  We do have digital portfolios, but how can I increase the level of empowerment for my students?  I believe that this is something I should work on all year every year and not be satisfied with the status quo that I have put forth so far.

Inservice and bank robbers are on my mind

The coffee in my cup has a chance to grow lukewarm this morning as I dawdle and daydream about the upcoming school year.  My mornings to stretch out my head start with three cups of Starbucks squirt-brewed through my Keurig alongside my People magazine or HGTV are coming to a close for 2016. It's not like I haven't been working. I've spent my summer researching my next book and I've been collaborating on a new STEM Education company with three amazing partners which will hit the Lake Country scene in two days.

Inservice is tomorrow. 

Yup.

I'm not sad.  I love working on my book and STEM curriculum, but there's nothing like teaching.  I miss it over the summer.  Not enough to teach summer school, but...it's good to be back!

This year brings many exciting changes and challenges in my world of sixth grade science and language arts. My son will be in sixth grade at our school, which is an opportunity not many teachers get! I told him that I can give him a detention for not cleaning his room. He half believes me. This could be awesome.

I have a new/old teaching partner since Mrs. Iwanski has moved into a STEM Integrator role in our district.  Our sixth grade team made her promise to always consider us "her team" because there's no replacing her energy, expertise and ability to make things happen.

Miss Koch, my new/old partner, has been on our team for a couple of years but this is her first year teaching science in our district.  She's not replacing Mrs. Iwanski, she's just expanding her reach in sixth grade. Miss Koch is exciting to work with because she's kind of an idea factory. Her open-minded and caring approach will add a lot to day to day planning and unit design.  So far we've cooked up (pun intended) Science Presentations ala Mr. Klink and Mr. Hanrahan's CNN projects, a peer review website to align to NGSS and blogging is back on the table.  Miss Koch even thought of a few ideas to go with our Open House theme: "6th Grade Rocks!"  #poprocksareback #photobooth

Back to my book research for now.  I've decided to write a historical fiction novel set in Rochester, Indiana in the 1930's.  Writers write what they know.  Right now I know next to nothing about Depression Era life, so I'd better hop to it.