The "D" Word

Greetings Apples,

I've got a confession to make...

I didn't always love school.  I was a relatively bright kid who teachers would probably say didn't work to her "full potential." I loved (and still love) the idea of school - the structure, the routine, the familiarity - but I didn't always dive into my work for the pure joy of learning. I did what was asked of me, with the minimal effort required to get the job done. I was a B student, though I was capable of more. This is not to say that I didn't have some exceptional teachers along the way who challenged me, let me be creative, made me think and work harder, and make me want to learn. (Shout out to Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Cooley and Mrs. Fleishman!) But overall, my experiences and memories of school are of the end destination, not the journey.

Looking back now, I realize that in general when I was a student, my teachers weren't differentiating to meet the need of all their students. (One of the many glorious buzz words we teachers hear and use constantly...) I wasn't being challenged or pushed to rise to my full potential. Even in college, when I got to choose my  course of study (English!), I still found myself bored in certain classes that I was required to take to earn my degree. I loved The History of Shakespeare, but had to choke down Chaucer, too, if I wanted that coveted diploma.  Much like my students today, if I couldn't find the relevance or the purpose in what I was asked to do, I wasn't engaged.

It wasn't until I entered my credential program that I became self-motivated and saw the worth in what I was doing. Yes, I was focused on the end goal of earning my teaching credential, but I also wanted to soak up every tiny lesson or bit of advice along the way to be the best teacher I could possibly be. I did all of my assigned work, and I didn't take shortcuts. I asked questions, I researched, I practiced. I wanted, and still want, to be one of the teachers I had along the way that made me feel smart and creative, and most importantly, made me want to learn. I know I am in the right profession (or at least in the right field) because I still want to learn. I want to know more and do things better each time I try them in my classroom.

I attended a GATE conference this morning (voluntarily...on a Saturday...). This is the first year that I have (what I feel is) a large cluster of GATE students in my classroom. Just like any other student in my classroom, I want to do right by them, but I am still feeling shaky on best practices. The conference this morning was just what I needed. I walked away with a ton of ideas to test out and a little bit more confidence that I can teach gifted children just as well as I can teach special needs children, English language learners or any other student that passes through my classroom.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I learned this morning that I am going to try to implement this year in my classroom. Hopefully the things I am trying will not only benefit my GATE children, but also set the bar higher for all of the students in my class.

1. Friday Math Challenge
Fridays tend to be a pretty lax day in my classroom. We are winding down from the week, and this is typically the day where I will assess, especially in Language Arts, whatever skills we were working on Monday-Thursday. This is also a big review day to reinforce whatever I think we need more of before I send the kids away for the weekend.

I typically don't introduce a new math concept on Fridays, but we may play a math game or do independent practice to reinforce skills. One of the presenters this morning talked a lot about Math Challenges that require and build problem solving skills and showed how easy it can be to differentiate.

So, my new plan is to do a weekly Math Challenge time on Friday mornings. I will have three leveled challenge problems that students can work on with a partner. Once they have solved their problem, they will need to be able to articulate what they did to get the answer.

Some recommended resources for GATE challenge activities were:

Websites

• http://www.world-english.org/puzzles.htm
• http://expandyourmind.com/logicproblems/logic_puzzles.shtml
• http://www.techinterviews.com/google-interview-questions
• http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/math-puzzles.html
• http://thomer.com/riddles/
• http://www.justriddlesandmore.com/Brainbusters/BB%20archive%201-25.html
• http://puzzles.nigelcoldwell.co.uk/
• http://www.mystfx.ca/special/mathproblems/
• http://www.syvum.com/teasers/

Books

• Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics by George Lenchner
• Math Olympiad Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle School Students by George Lenchner
• Challenge Math for the Elementary or Middle School Student by Edward Zacarro
• Become a Problem-Solving Genius by Edward Zacarro

I'd also recommend Marilyn Burns books for great problem-based math challenges and Marcy Cook math puzzles if you haven't already looked into these resources.

2. GATE Icons

I have seen the GATE icons around several times, but have been too intimidated to learn more about them or even try them out. I learned a great deal about them today and feel confident implementing one or two of the symbols in my classroom to get my feet wet. (If you haven't seen/experienced the GATE icons, you can look here to get started.)

My class already writes in their Creative Writing Journal on Fridays, but I think I am going to switch it out to every other Friday and alternate with an ethical dilemma. As one of the presenters demonstrated today, she effortlessly implements the GATE icons for every student across the curriculum. One of the things she does is an "Ethical Envelope" where she pulls a card out with an ethical dilemma on it and asks students to respond in a journal about what they would do based on the given prompt (i.e. You see that your best friends cheats on a test in class. What would you do? Why?) I think this is a great way get kids thinking. Things aren't always black or white, there isn't always one clear-cut answer to a problem. 

The other thing this presenter did that I really like was to give groups of students a poster with one of the GATE icons on it while watching a video in class. Each group was responsible for reporting back on what they noted in regards to their specific focus while watching the video. I think it's a great way to keep kids engaged when watching a video and hold them responsible for being an active-participant in their leaning.

I heard so many other great things today, but these are going to be my focuses for now. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten from a fellow educator was when trying something new in your classroom, focus on one or two things until you're comfortable with them, and they've become routine.

Do you have GATE students in your classrooms? What are some of the things you've done to keep them challenged and engaged?

Miss H.

Teachers Are People, Too...

Greetings Apples,

Tomorrow marks my four year anniversary of being cancer free.

When I was first diagnosed, I was in the middle of student teaching and had to withdraw from school in order to undergo surgery and a few months of recovery. After sitting out for a semester, I was able to return to the credential program, and finish one semester behind what I had initially anticipated. In a beautiful twist of fate, that one semester delay enabled me to be placed as a student teacher at a school in the district where I was desperate to get a job. I was very fortunate, especially with the current lack of jobs in education, to be hired on immediately at that same school, and I have been working there ever since. (Talk about a silver lining!)

A dear friend of mine, who is also a teacher and a cancer survivor, once told me that a parent put in a request not to have her child placed in that class in case the teacher got cancer again and had to go on leave. She didn't want her child to have a long-term sub.

I was shocked.

Our jobs as teachers are important, and the work we do in the classroom each day is crucial to the success of our students, but teachers are people, too. We have families and obligations and hobbies like you do. We get married like you do. We have babies like you do. We get sick like you do, too.

Our job is to teach your child, but we are also real people with real lives, just like you.

After hearing my friend's story, I was very careful never to make mention of my cancer history at school. I never wanted it to be something that overshadowed my work or reputation as a teacher.

As the years have passed, I've become less tight-lipped about that time in my life. I have realized that what I went through has not only made me a better person, but a better teacher, too. I believe I am more compassionate and understanding than I was before. I am able to more easily sympathize if a child has a major life event causing them stress at home. I believe I am more patient, and I am able to not take things (including myself!) so seriously.

What I have been through at a relatively early age in life has helped shape the teacher I am today, and that's something worth sharing and celebrating.

Happy Anniversary to me!
Miss H.

"Tummy Time" with my nephew in the hospital.

#ootd

Greetings Apples,

When I was student teaching in Kindergarten, I used to have to choose my clothes carefully. Could they withstand gluesticks? Dirty hands? Fingerpaint?

Now that I have older kids, I look forward to getting dressed each morning. Here are some of my recent outfits now that the weather is cooling down (finally!)

What are your work wardrobe essentials?

Miss H.

Over the Hump

Greetings Apples,

While I love the start of a new school year for its fresh-start-feeling (who doesn't love pristine notebooks and newly-sharpened pencils?), it is also the most strenuous time of year, in my opinion.

First, you have a group of new students to learn about and "train" in the routines of your classroom. On top of that, there are meetings and district trainings galore. Before you know it, your first set of progress reports are due and it's time to set up parent/teacher conferences.

Parent/Teacher conferences, in theory, should be pretty simple. You have a 20-minute chat with each child's parents about his or her progress in class. The kids have minimum days, so you are only teaching until 12:30 each day.

Simple, right?

In reality, I find parent/teacher conferences exhausting and my least favorite time of year. Yes, the kids leave at 12:30, but starting at 12:40 you begin back-to-back 20 minute sessions with a revolving door of parents. There are translators to be scheduled, talking points to be written, data samples to be copied for each parent, and a tight schedule to be made that is nearly impossible to stick to. Talking for two hours straight is even more exhausting than teaching! Plus, to accommodate working parents, I offer two morning slots beginning at 7:30. Which means that this not-a-morning girl had to get herself up between 5 and 5:30 each day to get to work in enough time for my 7:30 meetings.

This year, I completed 34 conferences. I averaged between 6-7 conferences a day, and found myself working until 5:30ish each night to get caught up on all of the mundane clerical-type tasks I had been putting off in recent weeks.

While I do feel caught up after this past week, I am mostly relieved conferences are over (with the exception of the two that I have to re-do this week).

Now I feel like I cam just solely focus on the kids and their learning needs. (Until it's time to write report cards, of course...)

What is your least favorite time of the school year?

Miss H.