Quest for the Perfect Pencil

Few things torment me more than a stubborn wooden pencil. 

I'm serious. I consider the standard #2 wooden pencil to be my adversary, my arch nemesis, the villain in my superhero teaching story. It interrupts my class, assaults our ears with the help of its trusty sidekick, the electric sharpener. It taunts me with promises of unbounded lead, only to break said promise at the slightest pressure. 

But I've not yet given up on the noble quest for the perfect pencil. I've met many worthy opponents over the years. Let's take a look at some of them, shall we? 

The Scratcher

This specimen starts out as a regular pencil. Perhaps you didn't select it on your own but it looks just fine at first glance. You touch lead to paper and start to write. You think Wow, things are really looking up for me today. But after a few short minutes, you hear the wretched sound of wood on paper and you know that the jig is up. You've been duped by "The Scratcher." The point is half-lead and half-wood, genetically engineered to ruin your day. 

The Underachiever

There was never a hope with this particular breed of pencil. You knew from the start that it's never going to work, so there's no real let-down. Sure, with the right amount of guidance, this pencil could have turned out okay. But let's face it, you were in a hurry. You wanted the sharpener to do the work and so you didn't apply the right amount of pressure, you didn't feed it into the sharpener the way the instruction manual suggests. Deep down, you know it's your fault. That's why you--like me--tear the wooden part off and use it anyway. 

The Heartbreaker

I find this to be the most offensive pencil of all. Fresh out of the sharpener, The Heartbreaker appears to be the whole package. Walking back to your seat, you daydream about the wonderful things it will create. (Your handwriting will be neater, your ideas will sparkle, your paper will become the answer key, etc.) You decide that this is your favorite pencil. This pencil has promised you the world. You take a deep breath and--SNAP--the lead breaks out and onto your desk before the fairy tale can even begin. No happily ever after for you!

The Lovely Bones

The pencil bucket in my room is a graveyard of sorts. There resides all the "pencil bones" from fruitless attempts to create the perfect pencil. I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't throw them away. I share a special camaraderie with these little guys. One of my former first graders used to hoard "pencil bones." She'd wrap them up in a tissue and call them her babies. Pretty imaginative, if you ask me. 

So, what's the perfect pencil look like?

My quest for the perfect pencil today took somewhere between 24-30 attempts with three different sharpeners. Sharp, works under pressure, wasn't reduced to a stub during the sharpening process--this one's the winner. I'm not ashamed to admit that a pencil like this can change my world. 

Is this seriously what you do with your day, Miss Boyd? 

Yes. This is what I do with my day.

I can't begin to explain to you just how important one perfect pencil is, let alone twelve. The perfect pencil reduces interruptions, prevents students from becoming distracted or sidetracked, and--just like in my case--creates a sense of magic about the writing process. 

One more thing...

In my obsession to find the perfect pencil today, I've been confronted with the argument that my beef is really with the sharpener, not the pencil. Maybe so. I'll save that for another day. 

**Thank you Coach Speer, for taking AMAZING pencil pictures for me today!**

The Light

I think that a growing mind is like a light bulb. But not in the stereotypical sense. You know, the way most people would describe it--where you're just sitting in class, listening to the teacher talk and....SNAP, your "light bulb" goes on and you just magically know what the teacher's talking about. No way, I do not believe learning is like that kind of light bulb. 

To me, it's much more like those lights that flicker for a minute before they snap on. As a teacher, I see quick glimpses of light as a child learns. There are moments when I think, "Yes! She's got it!" or "Yep, he can do it!" and I'm thrilled--the light bulb is lit. But days later, I'm thinking "What happened?! They knew it two days ago and now, I have to reteach it!" and suddenly I'm not so sure. I convince myself that the light bulb burned out, or maybe I didn't know how to turn it on in the first place. 

However, on glorious days like today, I'm reminded that children's lights flicker first before they truly start to shine. Those moments of darkness, confusion, or uncertainty are only temporary. I shouldn't be discouraged or deterred just because I'm watching a student's light flicker on and off--that flicker precedes a brighter light--one that will never burn out.

One of my college professors told me that confusion is a good thing because it means that understanding is right around the corner. It makes sense, doesn't it? When I'm learning something new, something really difficult, I'm normally confused at the beginning--hence the "flickering." The dissonance, uncertainty, it means that I'm learning something completely new--and it's totally blowing my mind.

So on days like this, when the bulb's flickered for days but is now glowing steadily, I sit back and enjoy the light. 

Ron Clark Revelations

This time of the year always gets me thinking about my most memorable teacher experience outside of the the classroom. Two Octobers ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for the Ron Clark Academy Conference. 

Talk about memorable. 

That conference rocked my socks off. I was completely amazed at the things that this small, independent school was doing! 

I was able to observe numerous teachers instruct their classrooms during the conference. They were dancing on their desks, singing at the top of their lungs, and most importantly, sharing their love for learning with the students every day. Now, I'm a fairly energetic teacher, but Ron Clark and his staff put me to shame. They were "on" the entire duration of the conference...they wore me out just watching them! 

But you know what? It totally made me step my game up as a teacher. After watching the RCA staff at the conference, I knew that this was the kind of teacher I wanted to be--Every. Single. Day. 

So every October, I revisit either my notes, a video, or books I received from the RCA conference to reflect on the commitment of excellence (and energy) I made to my students and to myself...here's my pick for this October--RCA staff puts on a "Step Show" for their students on the first day of school. Enjoy! 

Just Jazzed

We visit the American Jazz and Negro Baseball League Museums tomorrow.

I have NEVER been so excited for a field trip! 

First of all, this trip ties in so well with our social studies curriculum! We've been studying influential figures in Kansas City's history. This is the first year we've focused on a specific time period (1920-1950) and group of people (Jazz musicians and Negro League Baseball players).

I'll be honest, I didn't know much about this part of Kansas City's history before we started this unit. Sure, I've been to 18th and Vine to listen to a friend play at the Blue Room. I've attended performances at the Gem Theater and even danced at the Rhythm & Ribs Festival behind the two museums. But I'd never spent a Saturday afternoon at either museum.

Well, that's just what I decided to do. 

I spent two hours on a Saturday morning at the American Jazz and Negro Baseball League Museums with my teaching partner. We decided to preview the museums to prepare ourselves--and in turn, our students--for the upcoming field trip.

We armed ourselves with notebooks and pens, ready to record all of the information we'd learn along the way. There was so much to see, I couldn't write fast enough. There were so many objects, facts, pictures, and displays to connect to the information we've learned in social studies class. We were practically pressing our noses against the display cases, hoping to absorb as much jazz and baseball as possible. We wore headphones, pressed buttons, and whispered, "Hey, over here! Wouldn't they like this?!" to one another. Partially through our self-guided tour, we wandered into the Blue Room, a traditional-style jazz club that is part of the museum exhibit. We ran into a maintenance staffer--Elliot, I believe, was his name--and he imparted so much knowledge about the Historic 18th and Vine District, I thought I was going to run out of pages in my notebook. I mean, the man lived this history--he was there, he saw it, he knew the very people we'd been studying in class. For goodness' sake, his own sister married the son of one of the baseball players we're studying! Needless to say, this preview trip fired me up about bringing my students to the museums.

As if I needed more of a reason to be excited, my very own mother, a talented artist and poet, will be part of  American Jazz Museum's "Beyond Words: A Fusion of Poetry, Visual Art, and Jazz" exhibit. My students will actually get to see my mom's work at the museum--how's that for a tie-in, eh?

During lunch, we'll walk stop by the Mutual Musicians' Foundation, a spot that I just recently discovered over the summer with some of my musician friends. Talk about history, this place has been around forever and has housed some of the world's most famous musicians. Now, this is still a working establishment, so there's no way I'd bring my kiddos inside, but we'll stand on the steps and just imagine the jazz goin' on in that place.

I swear, just thinking about tomorrow's field trip gives me teacher goosebumps. But you know what, that's because we planned this field trip the right way. We taught the information before the field trip--that way our students will engage in the material on a much deeper level. Because they've heard the stories and studied the facts, they'll have answers--not guesses--to the guide's questions. Their eyes will light up when they see Charlie Parker's plastic saxophone because they know what it's made of and what it's worth. They know to look for the neon signs hung in the museum; they know these signs belonged to just a few of the 50+ jazz clubs that covered a four-block area of the jazz district.

Oh, did I mention that in addition to all that, my students will get to participate in a Jazz Storytelling session before their tour? Just go ahead and add it to the list of amazing things we're doing tomorrow.

Multi-Taska

If I could give myself a cookie award, it would be for multi-tasking. And I'm not the only teacher who deserves that award...

                  

Teachers are tremendous multi-taskers.

And truth be told, I never realized it--I always thought of my multi-tasking abilities as normal. That is, until two years ago when I served on jury duty. I spent a full week at the courthouse listening to a trial and boy, was I shocked. Sure, the trial was interesting, but I was more intrigued by the amount of time we spent on breaks and lunch. We started around 8:30 am  and by 10:00 it was time for a 15 minute break. We had an hour for lunch at 12:00 and then another break by 3:00. We wrapped for the day around 5:00 pm. This dragged on and on for a very long week. 

I remember thinking "Um, was that it?" every day as I walked to the car. I couldn't believe that we had two full hours of down-time between a late start, a lunch, and two breaks. I mean, sheesh. Teachers work non-stop! And it's not because we've got someone looming over our shoulders--it's because if we don't, kids don't learn. Nothing lights a fire under your seat like a child's well-being. 

I'd sit through the prosecution's cross examination of the witness, taking notes and discerning the facts of the case (I was thoroughly interested, both as a citizen and a lawyer's daughter). But during the breaks I'd imagine all the things I could do in fifteen minutes at school: 

• Prepare the room for the day
• Take attendance and lunch count
• Greet each student at they come in the door
• Collect homework, forms, and parent notes
• Answer emails from colleagues and parents
• Help students get on the computer, start seat work, spell a word, read a hard word
• Write down a few notes or ideas to improve the day's lessons

Normal? Sure, in a teacher's world. I mean, that's fifteen minutes! Imagine what we do in a day! I think that teachers develop this multi-tasking skill over time--I can remember being overwhelmed as a first year teacher. It was difficult to juggle my daily responsibilities and remain calm. Now, I enjoy the fast-paced gait of my day--it doesn't phase me to do two, three, or ten things at once. Of course, there are days--like in any other profession--that seem to get the best of me, but I understood after the jury duty experience that I enjoy and value splitting my energy, my attention, and my creativity twelve different ways. 

So teachers, if I could bake you all cookie awards for multi-tasking, I would. Cheers! 

If I Had a Dollar...

So, I'm having a normal evening conversation with a dear friend from college--the usual "What'd you do today? How's work? What're you eating for dinner?"--and I mention that the last day of school is right around the corner. Cue the most cliche statement teachers deal with this time of the year:

And then you get 3 whole months off!

Puh-leeze. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say that, I'd have enough to treat you to a fancy dinner and fill up your car at the gas station! Of course, I know that my friend meant well, but it got me thinking about a few of the misconceptions about teachers I've heard over the years: 

Miconception: Teachers have three months of summer vacation time. 

Truth (according to Miss Boyd): Many teachers elect to teach summer school and others attend professional development seminars/conferences over summer vacation. Additionally, teachers may catch up on reading the newest educational book, work a second job, or plan/reconstruct/write curriculum for the upcoming school year. I spend my summers coaching, working on my classroom, retooling my instructional practices, and meeting with colleagues. I think the bottom line here is that teachers work all 12 months. We just have students for 9 of 'em.

Misconception: Teaching the primary grades (K-2) is easy.
Truth (According to Miss Boyd): This is a tricky one for me. Most of my friends say, "Oh, I could never teach a primary grade! I don't know how you do it--I don't have the patience." I'm sure that sounds like they empathize with my job, but I think it makes me sound like a baby-sitter. I've never had a friend or family member ask me, "Wow, so how do you teach the basics to a young student? I bet it's really difficult to help them understand something that seems so simple to an adult." The truth is, teaching a primary grade stretches your mind--not your patience--to the limit. Teaching a small child is like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Each piece gets me closer to creating a picture of how that child thinks, processes, feels, and behaves. While I'm concerned about maintaining a behavioral "status quo," I feel that if you address academic needs first, the behavior often falls into place. Baby-sitting, shmaby-sitting.

Misconception: Young teachers are inexperienced.
Truth (According to Miss Boyd): It's all about how we define "experience." Does experience mean you've taught at least 10 years? Does experience mean you've taught a diverse group of students in a wide variety of schools? Does experience mean you've been trained in an array of methodologies and instructional practices? Or does experience mean you know how to do something cool I don't even know about yet? Personally, I think it's impossible to judge a teacher's experience solely on his or her chronological age. We're always searching for a way to quantify a teacher's experience to reassure ourselves that a teacher knows his or her "stuff." And, of course, I think that the aforementioned criteria is important but points to even more important standards--Does the teacher understand his or her craft? Does he or she adapt well? Can he or she confidently make decisions based on best practices? A definitive "yes" to these questions overrides any doubt about quantitative experience.


...of course these are only a few of the many misconceptions I hear from non-teacher acquaintances, but they are some of the "greatest hits." Happy Summer!  

Teach Me Somethin' Tuesday

This week we begin learning about what I consider to be the "underdog" of math curriculum: probability. Talk about a concept that's often pushed aside, watered down, and forgotten about! It always seems to be the last on the list of math items to teach, it's rarely assessed in standardized tests, and goes little beyond the "colored marbles in a bag" realm. But I'm here to tell you that even though I'm teaching about it in the last part of the year, probability holds the top spot in my math heart!

As a student, I loved probability because it didn't seem as cut and dry as the other math concepts. Numbers and operations, geometry, measurement, they appealed to the kids who were satisfied with applying a formula to arrive at the right answers the first time. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated getting a correct answer just as much as the next kiddo, but there was something so intriguing about probability. I totally dug the idea that while I could predict the most likely outcome, there was a small chance that it (whatever "it" was) would go the other way. For me, probability was the "wild child" or "rogue" of the math world--it appealed to my brain. (Disclaimer: With progressive movements in the educational field, however, I do feel that all mathematical concepts can be just as intriguing with the right instructional approach). 

I still feel the same way about probability as an adult and I don't think I'm the only one. Our culture is crazy about probability. It comes up more frequently in conversation than the other math concepts I teach about. I mean, look at all the hysteria over the Mega-Millions lottery...We couldn't go five minutes without hearing that we were more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lotto. But people still bought tickets, didn't they?

So I thought I'd search the Khan Academy website to polish up on my probability knowledge. Of course, I got hooked on their entire probability section. I've attached the first video from the probability series. It's super easy but the videos start to get reeeeeallly tricky after the first few.

ITBS: I Teach Beyond Standardized (testing)

Let's get one thing straight--I am reminded on a daily basis how lucky I am to be at my current school. But this week I'm grateful on another level: it's ITBS testing week.

Our school chooses to use standardized testing for exactly the reason it was created: to measure specific academic skills and to gain information about students and classes for instructional planning.

Trust me, this is an absolute rarity in the education world. In public schools, standardized tests are required as part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Without going into too much detail, NCLB requires that states carry out annual testing for public education and more importantly, that each classroom, school, and district within each state shows "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) toward a proficiency goal.

In Missouri, proficient means scoring an 80% on a standardized test--equivalent to a B grade. Each year the schools are required to meet a certain "goal" of proficiency. Last year it was 75%. Now, here's the rub:

That's not a 75% average, that's 75% of a class/school/district scoring proficient on a test. 

So 75% of my 24 students last year (18 kiddos) needed to earn a "B" grade on the state test. My class score was combined with the other 3 classes in third grade to determine whether we "met" or "didn't meet" our AYP goal.

I could argue that it's unfair, that our kids were behind one or more grade levels to begin with, or that the testing material was culturally and economically biased, but I'd really like to explore the level of anxiety teachers face about standardized testing:

Everyone, everywhere experiences some level of "on the job anxiety." I think it's just part of being an adult. But these days, many public school teachers fear for their jobs because of the NCLB testing. I remember starting my mandated after-school tutoring for the MAP test (Missouri's standardized test) in October....the test isn't until APRIL! I heard horror stories about teachers fired over the summer after their dismal test scores surfaced. Being the perfectionist that I am, I worried myself sick over the test. I knew that the two weeks in April meant more to keeping my job than the entire rest of the year. And trust me, I'm not the only one. This type of anxiety can make amazing teachers doubt their talents, change their methods of teaching to "fit the testing style," and greatly reduce instructional time for developing skills such as reading fluency and expression, which aren't measured through standardized testing.

That's why I am unbelievably grateful to teach at a place that celebrates real education and learning over a standardized test. Sure, it's a valuable measurement tool we use to gather information about our students. But we care about SO much more here. And truthfully, it shows. Our students are capable of so much more than performing well on a test!

The Power of No

Last school year I sat down for coffee with a parent of one of my most rambunctious students ever. Our conversation started out as a brainstorming session on behavior interventions for this particular student, but soon shifted to a philosophical dialogue on the power of language.

She told me that over the years, her student--often classified as a troublemaker--frequently heard "Don't do this, don't do that, stop it, etc." from teachers, administrators, and even family members. She argued that the word NO "just didn't work" for her student.

She continued on by explaining that as we speak, our brains create mental images to go along with the words we hear. For instance, if you hear, "She went on a bike ride today," your brain would produce an image of a bike, a woman on a bike, a bike trail, etc. When you use the word no (or any type of negative) in a sentence, your brain is unable to create an image of nothing. In essence, your mind goes blank. She explained that when we tell our children what not to do, they have no mental representation for the action. 

It blew my mind! It made total sense...what a simple way to look at classroom management. If I'm telling students "Stop talking, no pushing, or don't run," I'm negatively impacting their ability to carry out those tasks. However, if I replace the negative command with a positive statement, my students are able to create a mental image and carry out the task as they see it in their minds.

This goes beyond putting things into positive terms (which I'm all for, by the way). This means changing the way I think and speak to improve student achievement.

On a related note, I'm interested in reading the book Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives. That is, once I finish Awakened and Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

Confession

Let me preface this blog entry (blentry?) by apologizing for the frantic tone--I'm writing this in the last fifteen minutes of my plan time right before the subject of my entry is set to take place. 

I am terrified of symmetry!

There seems to be one or two topics (especially in math) out there that a teacher gets really nervous about teaching. For me, that's symmetry. It's one of those concepts that seems really easy in my head but is mad difficult to explain to an 8-year-old. 

Like a rectangle, for instance. It has the vertical and horizontal line of symmetry, but explaining that a doggone diagonal line doesn't work as a line of symmetry...for me, it's like explaining rocket science. I don't know if I was sick the day my college professors taught "Symmetry: Revealed" or maybe I was just doodling "Miss Boyd," on the back of my notebooks, but somehow, I developed a nervous "tick" when it comes to this subject. Honestly, I think it's that we spent so much time in college talking about students' misconceptions that I worry about setting my students up to misunderstand concepts.  

Four years later I've developed a strong sense of confidence as a teacher, but I think the fear still lingers. It's silly, really, but I think a good educator should admit to weak spots in his or her instructional practices and learn from past mistakes. So in five minutes time, I'm ready to churn out the most rockin' lesson possible and make symmetry shake in its boots. 

Wish me luck! 

Mr. Clean

CLEAN DESKS MATTER! 

We started writing this morning and as I walked around the classroom, I could sense that something was amiss.  Normally, my students are hard workers, but today, it just felt different. They were moving and shaking--their squirming was audible. I thought to myself, "What in tarnation is going on here?" as I paced around the room. 

And then it hit me.

No really. A folder from someone's desk hit my foot on its fall from grace. I stopped to inspect what could have been a scene from Hoarders, Junior Edition. This desk was so overstuffed that my mere presence created enough of a wind current to send its contents flying. I looked around and almost every desk looked the same way. 

Uh, helloooo? Where have I been? 

How could I let these desks get so messy?

Well, for starters, it isn't always high on my list of priorities. We move so fast and cover so much each day that we don't always have time to keep things organized and neat in our desks. Also, I'm not too strict on desk organization--if they know where items are and can located them quickly, I'm okay with that. 

But TODAY was another story. I stopped the entire class and called for an emergency desk intervention. We spent 15 minutes purging our desks, ridding them of unwanted scraps, graded papers that should have gone home weeks ago, and god-awful pencil shavings.  

I tell you what, after those 15 minutes of organized chaos, it felt so different in my classroom. We got back to work--you could have heard a pin drop. 

Never underestimate the power of cleaning. 

Agent of Change

I came across this article today:

Judge rules Paterson, N.J. teacher Jennifer O'Brien can be fired for Facebook comments

Before I dig in, I have a small problem with O'Brien posting negative things about her school/students/career on a social media site. Next time she should write it down in her journal instead of assaulting my eyeballs with her negative viewpoints about our noble profession.

Now to the BIG point:

At first, I was indignant about her comment that she was a "warden for future criminals." I thought, How could she limit her students like that? But honestly, after I got to thinking about it, I realized the only person she was limiting was herself. I almost feel sorry for teachers with that mindset.

And trust me, I came across my fair share of teachers (during my first year of teaching) who think the same way as Ms. O'Brien. It's not exactly an isolated opinion.

I mean, just think about it. How pointless would your job seem if you believed that your students' futures were already decided? You couldn't be an agent of change. I've felt like an agent of change in every single school and classroom I've taught in, no matter the demographic. But that's because I believe in the students. I trust that they have an exciting and unexpected journey ahead of them. Of course, it's fun to guess their future profession (I once imagined that one of my first graders would be a t.v. meteorologist--he was such a snappy dresser), but I leave it at that.

I was pleased to learn--in later reports--that the aforementioned teacher was dismissed from her position as a first grade teacher.

Give me an A!

Okay, here's the down and dirty truth:

I loathe grading. 

EEEEEEK! I can just hear the over-achievers (especially those that attended MU with me) start to stir and cry: 

"But [insert my first name here], you're supposed to love grading so much that you brag about how late you stay up each night marking your students' work with precise and constructive feedback!"

Well, dear friends, that's just not the case. I've developed an anecdotal record-keeping system that helps me assess my students' progress, determine what my next instructional steps will be, and assign grades for each quarter. Personally, I think the formative assessment style is much more effective when it comes to student growth. Using anecdotal notes, I can identify a weakness and attack the academic problem long before it becomes a poor habit (i.e. only using the beginning sounds to decode a word). 

The problem I have with grading is that by the time I sit down to grade something, the student already moved on to something else and already forgot about the assignment I'm grading. Many times it's my fault--I wait too long to grade something. Hours, days, weeks, they just move so quickly when I have a stack of ungraded papers on my desk. I'll pick one up and think: "YIKES! How did I let an entire week pass and I haven't even touched these with a red pen yet?" Other times, the assignment was completely snooze-worthy and no one--not me, not my students--are chomping at the bit to assign or receive a grade. 

Now, before you mentally assign me a "horrible teacher" grade because of this particular post, hear me out. 

Over the years, I'm realizing a few things about grading: 

• Summative assessments (the kind you receive grades or written feedback over) are important and useful. They can help you assess your students as well as your performance as a teacher. 
• Grading is more effective and timely when your assignment comes with a scoring guide. Your students  can approach the assignment with more direction and you can be more deliberate and focused with your grading. 
• When you spend your time creating interesting assignments (and corresponding scoring guides), you won't mind grading them quite as much. Create assignments that allow for your students' personalities and talents to shine through--you might even look forward to assessing the final product!

Okay, so my suggestions are totally cliche and expected, but here's the final (and most important) piece: 

• Start small. Think about the one assignment that gives you trouble each week. (For me, it was the weekly book report. Totally snooze-worthy after 5 months of the same format.) Change up the format of the assignment. Create a rubric. Make the assignment more open-ended but then place higher/stricter expectations so it doesn't backfire. 

Ultimately, my goal is to have a nice balance between summative and formative assessments in the the classroom. My new book report assignment and scoring guide, which I started today--is just a step in the right direction. 

Happiness: A Work in Progress

Love Love LOVE a teacher blog called It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. I've been following the blog for about a year now and find the blogger, Mrs. Mimi, interesting, somewhat controversial, and always funny.

Yesterday she mentioned The Happiness Project in her blog. I researched the project a bit, and I'm totally interested in how it can help me develop as a teacher. Now, I'm all for working hard developing new lessons, reflecting on student achievement, or collaborating with fellow teachers, but you should know by now that I am extremely invested in nurturing a teacher's spirit. (Refer to my mind, body, spirit posts if you need a refresher.)

Because I'm emotionally invested in teaching, I think it's incredibly important to keep myself healthy in every way possible. I think that many times, teachers neglect the "soul" part of staying healthy because honestly, it's the easiest part to overlook. I'd move to to argue that most professions neglect the "soul" part as well. It's tough to admit to others (and yourself) that you need some "soul work," but I've found that taking some precious time during planning to read a book like Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching is just as valuable as planning a lesson. It may not happen every day, but I'd like to participate in the Happiness Project just to give my teacher spirit a boost during the winter months.

Food For Thought

I came across this video while searching for new and exciting teaching strategies on YouTube. I can't say that I agree with the "what good teachers don't need" portion. I think that an outgoing personality, a master's degree, and teaching experience certainly add to a well-rounded educator, specifically when communicating with parents,  writing curriculum, or handling difficult teaching situations. But I do agree that making sure all students keep up, changing lesson plans as needed, and setting high goals are tremendously important for student achievement. In any case, it's good to see that teachers are being recognized for their outstanding work!

December Post Hiding in My Blog Drafts

Happy New Year! I found this little stinker hiding in my blog drafts this morning...I thought I'd published it, but in the chaos of pre-Christmas teaching, I neglected to double-check. Enjoy!

Don't take it personally.

These four little words used to make my blood boil. Truth be told, I used to be one of the most emotional, reactive, and sensitive teachers ever. Anything, EVERYTHING that happened in my classroom used to send me over the edge or melt me down. We're talking the good and the bad, here. You used a period after 6 months of run on sentences? I'm crying. You continue a disruptive behavior I've repeatedly asked you to fix? I'm yelling. Let's get honest, folks. I made my students' behaviors about me. Every choice they made was a reflection of me, of my instructional skills, of my worth as a teacher and as a person. So when colleagues told me "don't take it personally," I just couldn't understand. 

Over the years, I developed rationalizations for my distorted thinking. I told myself that it was okay to take my students' behaviors personally. I excused the ups and downs because "Hey, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that's real." Other times, I told myself that "Nobody wants a Miss Mary Sunshine Teacher all  the time, especially if she's faking it." At the end of every day I'd mentally assign myself a grade based on the choices my students made. The grades were almost always negative because there was NO way all 24 of my students would do everything I wanted them to do every day. 

Let's get real, people. This is NO way to live, professionally or personally. I was torturing my fragile teacher ego on a daily basis. And like I've said before, my teaching and personal life is so deeply intertwined, there was no way to keep this habit from affecting my personal life. I'd cry on my drive to school, while my kids ate lunch, on my way home. Somehow, I had managed to break my own teaching spirit. (The negative environments I taught in didn't help, either.) The saddest part is, I'm not alone. Many teachers feel and act this way!

Luckily, I've turned things around this year. As I've been reading Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching, I'm reassessing some of the behaviors I've written off or rationalized. And although the advice this book offers is geared towards teachers, I feel like it's beneficial for anyone and everyone. The author, Angela Watson, writes:

"Recognize that the way people treat you is mostly a reflection of how they feel about themselves and their own lives."

This set me free! It gave me permission to stop judging, grading, hurting myself. Now, I'm also blessed with a wonderful class and school environment, but I have to give myself some credit. I try not to take things personally anymore. I don't make student behaviors about me. I make their behaviors about them. This in no way means that I'm tougher or meaner, rather, I'm more efficient. My students understand that I am here to help them. Ultimately, I realize that not taking things personally benefits me and my students' progress.