Any Questions?

Second graders are full of questions. FULL OF THEM. 

My first few years, I thought that "nice" teachers were patient enough to answer any question from any student. Let me tell you, I wore my poor little 22 year old self out trying to field 120+ questions a day (24 students * 5 questions each). I wanted to be helpful, knowledgeable, and seem like I had it all together. In truth, answering every question was more about my "teacher ego" than doing what was right for kids. It built ME up to know that I had all the answers--not the students. It made them very dependent on me for everything. And isn't that the opposite of what we want for our children? Don't we want them to be independent and confident about their own answers?

One reason we might want to give our children all the answers is guilt. We don't like seeing them struggle, cry, or feel uncomfortable. It's downright painful to watch sometimes. We blame ourselves, shame ourselves into thinking that as adults, we have to rescue our charges by swooping down and saving the day. Now, I know this is heavy, and you could be thinking "What's the big deal about answering a few questions here and there during the day?" Trust me, I answer plenty. But I've been thinking about the bigger picture, here.

For instance, take one of those "interruption questions," when you're talking--or teaching--about something important and a child blurts out "CAN I GO TO THE BATHROOM?" or "GUESS  WHAT I DID LAST NIGHT?" and your train of thought runs right off the tracks. My kids get so distracted by those types of questions. I used to think I was mean if I didn't stop and answer. But I've learned that if you start to honor those blurt-outs you will pay for it all year long. Taking a more proactive approach by using silent signals seems to help quell some of the interruptions. Other times, simply ignoring the question until a more appropriate time does the trick, though that's easier said than done.

So what about the tougher questions? The ones that are more academic in nature or stressful for students? I can't tell you how many times a problem arises during the day. Broken pencils, misunderstood directions, a difficult task, you name it. Sure, I do answer a ton of those questions during the day. I know when my kids are pushed to the limit and need a boost from me. But there are so many moments that kids can figure out on their own if I step away and breathe through the guilt.

It's not that I want them to fail. Children are resilient. They learn and grow in spite of us, sometimes. So when the time is right, I look back at them and ask, "What do you think we should do?" I say we to imply that I'm on their team, but they have to take the lead. When they answer back "I don't know," I will nod and show some empathy, as if I'm saying I know the feeling, buddy. I've been there too. Keep trying. I'll turn the questions back on to the student until they find their own answers. Sometimes it's not even the same answer I'd come up with! Usually I'll end with, "Did you solve it on your own?" or "How much thinking did Miss Boyd really have to do for you?" Sometimes they'll smile and say "Oh! None!" Other times, it's an eye-roll and stomp back to their desks. Either way, they've proved themselves capable. They haven't given in to their fears of inadequacy. And I haven't validated my "teacher ego."

Seven years in, I'm breaking away from the know-it-all mentality of teaching. I am not the gate-keeper to knowledge. I don't hold the keys; I only have a faint idea where they are hidden. It's my responsibility to guide my students toward the answers, not deliver them on a silver platter with a side of pride.

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! 

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!  

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.

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.

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. 

Mind, Body, and Spirit

Teaching is a spiritual practice. We teach who we are--we can't help it.

Anyone who tells you that a person with "bad" insides can be a good teacher is a liar and their pants are probably on fire as well. Teaching is not a profession in which we can spread negativity and still be successful. Our students can and will pick up on the subtle personality traits we exhibit throughout the school year. At the very least, they'll begin to mimic these traits and pretty soon you have a class full of crabby appletons. 

Therefore, I propose that teachers spend as much time developing their teacher spirit as they do lesson plans (mind) or restroom stamina (body). I know, I know, add it to the never ending list that's written on a post-it somewhere in the piles of student work on your desk. But it doesn't take much effort to grow and maintain your teacher spirit. A fancy lady at my school told me that your spirit is like a cactus--it can store a great deal, but sooner or later it'll have to be replenished. 

So, how do we grow some awesome teacher spirit? The easiest way for me is to read. Two years ago I read a very interesting book called The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life. Not only did this book help cultivate some teacher spirit, but later on it also gave me the courage to leave a teaching job that was shriveling my spirit up like a little raisin. 

This year, I'm reading a new book, Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching. I'm hoping it has the same energizing effect on my teacher spirit. I guess I'll just have to listen very carefully to what my students are saying...that'll be the test.