Hit 'em with the old song and dance...

Let's talk about gimmicks. I'm not a big believer in using the proverbial "teacher's bag of tricks" to facilitate learning in the classroom. I don't really like using "when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking," or "don't ask why, just reverse and multiply" to help my students understand a reading or math concept in class. Because that's the thing--they're not really understanding anything. They're just memorizing a rule, not building to their schema. Gimmicks just make our jobs easier, but not in a good way.

With that being said, I do believe there is a place for song and dance in the classroom. Used correctly, I don't think it's gimmick-y at all. I've seen first-hand what song and dance can do for a learning environment, and the results are unbelievable. Last year I attended the Ron Clark Academy Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. (Check out www.ronclarkacademy.com and click on "Watch RCA in action." Amazing.) I watched teachers dance on desks, wear outrageous costumes, and sing along with the students. Never once did I feel like their students were being duped into learning. They were active participants, engaged in mathematical, language arts, or scientific content. I was blown away.

After that conference, I vowed to incorporate song and dance into my classroom as much as possible. Of course, it doesn't take the place of modeling, critical thinking skills, or paper and pencil practice, but it really does add something special to a unit. Take today's upcoming lesson on skip counting, for instance. I plan on using something similar to this rolling numbers video (from the amazing KIPP schools, check 'em out at www.kipp.org) in class today. We'll talk about what skip counting means, why we need it, and how it will help for skills later on in the year. But when it comes to actually teaching to skip count, there's nothing better than hittin' 'em with a little song and dance.

SUPERSTAR

Teaching vs. learning. Which one is more important?

If you had asked me that question one year ago today, I would have told you that both teaching and learning are equally important. I would have stressed that without teaching, learning can't take place. I would have fought tooth and nail for that fact, because in reality, I searched for validation through my aptitude for designing and delivering a great lesson. I'll be the first to admit that I like to be the center of attention, so it felt great to be "running the show" in front of my class everyday. (That's not to say I wasn't a great teacher or didn't do a fantastic job, because I did!)


Luckily for my students, I learned to get out of my own way. This amazing teacher I worked with last year told me that she "spent more time worrying about what the students would be learning" rather than what she would be teaching. I interpreted her statement to mean that I shouldn't concern myself with being the focus of the lesson. The students should be taking matters into their own hands--practicing, working, thinking, talking, assessing, connecting, and challenging their own learning. I grappled with this idea over the summer and pushed out of my comfort zone as I reflected over the previous school year. The most important question I answered was, "How can I shift the focus from my teaching onto the students' learning?"

I'm happy to report that I can now describe--in detail--what shifting the focus looks like. For starters, I spend maybe 5-10 minutes per subject talking in front of the whole class. Fifteen minutes is really pushing it. From that point on, my students are working and I stay out of their way. Of course, I'm there to help, I'm there to conference or to intervene, but otherwise I'm just some old lady in the classroom. The kids are the superstars. Their brains are working harder, creating stronger connections and soaking up more new material than I could have ever planned for in one of my old "look-at-me" lessons.

Now, before you refer back to yesterday's post in an attempt to catch me contradicting myself, wait a minute. Like I mentioned yesterday, I am constantly reflecting, reworking, and improving my lessons. Sure, it could mean that I'm striving for a personal level of success, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm revamping these lessons in the hopes that maybe--just maybe--I can create the right conditions for exceptional learning to take place.

Flight of the BumbleME

Any teacher can tell you...no matter how much you've planned, prepared, assessed, reflected, studied, copied, sorted, filed, stacked, stapled, graded, or organized, sometimes your day will feel like the flight of the bumblebee (see video).

But that just means you're doing it right.

Because honestly, teacher friends, let's admit that if you do it right, this job is harder than you ever imagined it would be, if only for the simple fact that our work is never done. Your lesson could be the most amazing, spectacular, news-worthy piece of educational material the world has ever seen, but if you're a teacher-to-the-core, that means your lesson still has room for improvement.

I'm reworking or revamping my lessons at the most inopportune times (wide awake and making mental notes at 3:31 a.m., writing down ideas on the back of old receipts stuffed into the bottom of my purse, sacrificing my first restroom break of the day to make copies of the new and improved lesson). But when inspiration strikes, teachers-to-the-core take full advantage. Somedays I'm buzzing around my room, my building, or sometimes just my own thoughts, trying to keep up with an idea that has just surfaced. I'm on a mission, I'm the bumbleME.

And while it may seem exhausting to watch a bumblebee or teacher-to-the-core in flight, remember that this is what we were born to do. To us, it's a way of life, the only way we know how to live.

Strength in Numbers

Let's begin with the cold hard facts: 

'08-'09 school year: 24-25 3rd grade students**

'09-'10 school year: 18 1st grade students

'10-'11 school year: 24 3rd grade students

'11-'12 school year: 11 2nd grade students

I'll elaborate:

It's barely the second day of school, but having fewer students makes a world of difference. Of course, there's the obvious benefits:

• Increased one-on-one attention from me
• Less "traffic" in the classroom
• Decreased noise level 
• Fewer issues among students
• Family-like atmosphere

All of these benefits are wonderful, but expected. What I didn't expect, was the following:

I am a different teacher--already.

I'm experiencing a calm that I've never felt before. This calm allows me to enjoy special moments that I'd otherwise try to stifle with larger groups. It's okay if my students laugh gigantic belly laughs, and I join in with them, because we're not operating on the "mob mentality" that comes with a class of 25. We'll settle down soon enough. 

I'm relaxed enough to appreciate movement in the classroom. I don't feel the need to keep everyone in his or her seat so as not to disturb or distract others. That means if one 2nd grader needs to get a pencil, another needs another sheet of paper, and one needs to blow his nose, they can be responsible for taking care of business. I'm not running around finding a pencil, paper, tissue, and trashcan. This frees me up to do the one thing I really love to do: teach. 

So now that I'm getting to actually teach, I can't even describe the surge of confidence I get from working with my new students. I feel stronger than ever as a teacher. I'm not constantly pulling from my teacher "bag of tricks" to quiet the room down or keep all 25 students on-task. I can appreciate unique personalities in the classroom, revel in the organic nature of the educational process, and smile at the small things. And this, this is why I became a teacher. 

It's only the beginning, friends! 

**This year I did not end the year with the same 25 children I began with. Students withdrew, were unfortunately deported to their home countries, left for weeks at a time, enrolled mid-year, etc.

Winston Steals the Show

What an amazing first day of school; probably the best I've had in the last four years! My class is intelligent, well-spoken, polite, and respectful. Not to mention FULL of personality! We were meant for each other. I could go on and on, but I want to touch on one special moment from today.

Winston the class pet. He's a Webkinz sea turtle. And probably more popular with the students than I am. I couldn't believe the enthusiasm and excitement this stuffed animal generated among my class. I introduced him after we returned from music and although I'd only planned for a few minutes, we spent about 20 minutes discussing his well-being and maintenance. Let me explain.

I got the idea for a Webkinz class pet from a former colleague. She used Webkinz (and the accompanying website program) to provide students with the experience of having a class pet without any true risk to the classroom environment. It was a win-win situation; students could practice responsibility without the added stress of food, illness, death, or even worse, babies. Her Webkinz, Bubbles, became a huge part of the classroom community. I knew that was something I just had to try.

So here we are, on the first day of school, and I'm thinking I'm winning my audience over, but one look at Winston, and I knew I had lost to a stuffed sea turtle. They passed him around with such a gentle hand. They smiled and welcomed him our room. And when I explained that the class pet manager would be taking him home over weekends? Forget about it. My students explained in great detail exactly how they would care for Winston when it became their turn as his manager...they sounded like little adults. I felt SO grateful to be grouped with such a sensitive, caring, and giving class.  

At that point, it didn't matter that Winston stole my thunder.

It never gets old...

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! It sneaks up on all of us, and before we know it, we're saying goodbye to summer and hello to school. We ask each other "Are you ready?" over and over again, perhaps to remind ourselves that ready or not, the first day of school is coming.

As a child, the first day of school was a momentous occasion. I meticulously labeled every item from my school supply list, planned my first day attire, and spent the entire night before school wide awake, imagining exactly how the day would go. I didn't need any prompting, coaxing, or encouragement from my parents that next morning, either. I'd be up and at 'em before my parents were drinking their morning coffee.

Now, I'm not sure about other teachers, but for me, I pretty much follow the same "back to school" tradition from my childhood. I label everything, plan my outfit, and spend a great deal of time imagining how this year will be different, special from all the rest. You see, it's my job to create this new world, this unique moment for each class that comes to me...I don't worry about recreating the same experience over and over again. Each new class breathes a new life into my teaching, reshapes my educational philosophies, and revitalizes my passion for my profession.

I could say that this will be my fourth year in teaching, but I'd much rather describe this as my twentieth year as a student.  I've been a student much longer than I've been a teacher, and so I feel comfortable standing next to my students rather than in front of them. Many times, they're teaching me what it means to learn--kids are AMAZING. So, materials labeled, outfit chosen, school year imagined, I'm ready to begin my twenty-first year of school.

Happy first day of school!