Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I've heard that phrase all my life, usually in cases where a loved one and I had to be apart for some amount of time. But I think it applies in other situations as well...teaching, for instance. While I'm enjoying my "off" time (as some would call it), I find myself continually thinking about the upcoming school year. It is the same every Summer. Although I've been extremely busy teaching numerous professional development sessions, attending conferences, and vacationing with family, I truly miss my classroom and the kids. I've even found myself buying classroom items such as picture books on my vacations! Its truly a blessing to be able to do the what I truly love.

What Did You Do to Brandon?!

In my early days of teaching I was scared to death that I would encounter a "Brandon." You've probably met him. He's the one you sit beside during assemblies, the one who requires constant redirection; the one whose name you say at least 200 times a day. In those days I didn't know what to do with him. What if I told him to do something and he didn't do it? What if he has a temper tantrum that I can't stop? WHAT IF I CAN'T CONTROL HIM?

Then one day I realized that I don't have to control him. I've learned that classroom management is less about "managing behavior" and more about establishing a sense of community and trust, and providing each student with what he/she needs.

That's the knowledge that came in to play this week as I've been blessed to teach the Kindergarten-age students during VBS at church. I have a "Brandon." He is a loving, sweet child, but he tends to overreact when things don't go his way. Once he gets worked up its almost impossible for him to control his emotions. We were in the middle of one of these episodes (not sure what brought it on), when without very much thought at all, I walked over to Brandon took him outside and just stood with him in the corner for a few minutes. I talked softly, yet firmly to him about calming down. I then showed him how to take deep breaths. In a few minutes we walked back into the classroom, Brandon rejoined the group, and my co-teacher asked in amazement, "What did you do to Brandon?!"

It was really only at that point that I actually thought about what I had done. Nothing earth-shattering or novel. I simply gave him what he needed. Adult one-on-one attention. Time away from the situation. Time to cool down. Tools to help calm himself.

I'm not sure how or when it happened, but along the way I've learned that behavior management doesn't necessarily mean doling out punishments and rewards. Instead of doing something TO Brandon, I did something FOR Brandon. Huge difference from the teacher I was in 2000. It's nice to be on this side of the behavior management fence. No longer do I fear children like "Brandon." I cherish them!

Could Your Classroom Run Itself?

Mine can. Not only can it run without me, but  yesterday for about 40 minutes it did! Picture the scene: I had previously (or so I thought) arranged for an aide to monitor my students while I work on our school's inventory. I'm in the office working. A colleague comes in and comments, "Your kids are amazing! I walked in there and they were all busy doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing!" Confused at first, I ask about the aide. "No, she wasn't in there...No one was in there, but they were quiet and working hard!" After a brief moment of panic passed, I must say I was overcome with pride. (Side note: Readers, please do not worry. There was a miscommunication with the aide, and the class was covered for the rest of the day).

When I walked down to my room and stepped in, I saw a student leading the Morning Meeting. She proudly exclaimed that they had completed their morning routines, finished (and checked) grammar, worked on writing, and were well into Morning Meeting. Seriously??!! It was 8:40 by this time, and they were right on schedule, about to begin math. Keep in mind that I teach elementary school (4th grade). 

In college we're taught that we should teach students routines and procedures to help them be more independent, but how many classes actually manage to get there? HOW do you get your kids there? What works for me is a combination of the advice and tools from the 4 following websites:

 When I stumbled upon this gem early in my career, it was known as Ms. Powell's Management Ideas for Teachers. She has since changed her site to The Cornerstone for Teachers. Much of the same amazing content, plus blog postings and more!

 Although I've had no formal training in the Responsive Classroom approach, I've read many of their books and whole-heartedly agree with this way of interacting with children. RC encourages careful, respectful interactions that focus on developing students' awareness of appropriate behaviors and social interactions. My journey down the RC road began about 4 1/2 years ago when I first implemented Morning Meeting.

 The 2 Sisters have a wonderful literacy model that they call "The Daily Five." It is highly adaptable across grade levels, and fosters independence, choice, and responsibility. I have used this system for 5 years now in both 3rd and 4th grade. I LOVE their 10 steps to independence!

 What a life saver this was! I found these FREE PDF books the year I had "that" class. (You all know the one I'm referring to). Whole Brain Teaching is a super common sense approach to classroom management. It encourages community, teamwork, active engagement, and accountability---all in a fun, up-beat manner. And if the documents aren't enough, Chris Biffle even has a Youtube Channel!

How about you? Have you used any of these resources? What do you think?

Swing the Other Way Already!

Before I begin, let me preface this post by saying that I LOVE reading and I truly love to teach reading. Reading is of paramount importance. I am a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in the area of-----you guessed it: Literacy. I structure my day so that students have multiple opportunities to read, write, and talk about their reading. I incorporate the Daily Five and CAFE and try to teach the required basal reader to the best of my ability.

With all of that said, I am  left wondering: When is the education pendulum going to swing back the other way? More senior teachers than I say that it eventually will, but I'm starting to wonder...

Maybe it is just my state, but we are in a "teach the reading program to fidelity, don't worry about science and social studies" system. Now, again, let me stress that I AGREE that reading is extremely important. But I'm about to say something somewhat controversial:

----------------Reading is not the ONLY important subject---------------

I am a fourth grade teacher. My students need science and social studies, if for no other basic reason than they need the background for middle and high school classes. I'm getting students at the beginning of fourth grade that don't realize that they live on a CONTINENT called NORTH AMERICA! I could go on and on about the lack of background knowledge my poor students have, through no fault of their own, but I won't.

Please don't think that I am criticizing the teachers of the lower grades. They are doing exactly as they are told to do, and doing a fine job with what they are allowed to teach. (I was told that our state superintendent said to focus on reading and not worry about science or social studies.) Hmmm....Am I the only one who is worried by this? 

Earwigs, Saguaro, and Polar Bears, Oh My!

Today in my class we took a free day. A day free from test prep. A day free of state testing. A day free of time restraints, schedules, and programs. Today we were free to learn what interested us, and what a day it was!

I planned to conduct a theme day with one of our science standards at the forefront: Discuss how living and nonliving things interact in an ecosystem. We started by reading Once There was a Tree, which led to quite an interesting debate/conversation about earwigs! It was spontaneous and one of those precious teachable moments that we crave. Without the time restraints of our usual schedule, we were able to research the earwig, find out what it looks like, where it lives, and that it DOESN'T enter a person's brain through the ear--although some students still aren't convinced. (Gotta love 4th graders).

Here in Alabama we're having gorgeous weather which was perfect for our next activity from Science Netlinks: Investigating Local Ecosystems Can you even imagine how excited students get to simply observe and record what they see in the schoolyard? Exclamations of "Look what I found!" and "Can you believe this?!" and "Mrs. Kilgo, come look at this!" echoed throughout the playground. Those precious children were SO excited to learn (and hunt for earwigs).

Soon thereafter, we settled into a reading of Cactus Hotel. Many of my students didn't realize that a pack rat is an actual animal. "Is this book true? Is there really a cactus that can grow that tall?" Of course this led to an exploration of the Saguaro National Park website. (Are there earwigs there?)

The mention of polar bears in a Brainpop video led me to ask, "Did y'all know that a polar bear can catch and eat a whale?" (This is amazing to me---I had to go into the story of how I learned this fact after reading a book to third graders). Guess what? There's a Youtube video for that! (I made sure to play it full screen so the kiddos didn't see the comments below the video).

Finally, came the best part of all: the making of terrariums. Back outside we went (3rd time so far) to gather pea gravel, plant our 2-liter bottle terrariums, and gather worms. Kids were everywhere! They found worms, crickets, and---you guessed it: earwigs! (Or maybe insects that look like them). Every group shared with the class about their terrarium, then we went out again for a long recess. What do you think my kids spent their recess doing? Checking out rocks, dirt, and other things outside!

It took a lot of planning on my part, which I really enjoy, but the freedom of being able to veer from the lesson plan and take little "bird walks" when the occasion arises is what made it really work. What a fantastic day of learning!

From a Newbie's Perspective

Every time I change schools I am amazed anew at the vast differences that each school climate has. The differences in schools' "personalities" never cease to amaze me! Perhaps my inner Sociologist takes over sometimes, because I find it fascinating to analyze the inner workings of social groups: What's acceptable? Unacceptable? Expected? Respected? Understood?

Here's what I've been pleasantly surprised to find at my current (and hopefully, LAST) school:

When the Principal talks, people listen: no biting "under the breath" comments, no sarcastic side remarks, no eye rolls or "Well, ____ just doesn't remember what it's like."

Teachers pay attention and are actively engaged in faculty meetings and trainings.

The faculty as a whole is unified: LOTS of vertical planning . Lower grades teachers even ask of upper grades teachers, "What can we do to better prepare our students for _______ when they come to you?"

Teachers aren't threatened by one another (at least not that I've seen). None of us know it all yet. None of us have "arrived." Teachers are eager to share and learn from one another.

This list could go on and on...So, what seems to be the personality of my new faculty? RESPECTFUL and DEDICATED.

Respect for authority, respect for the teaching/learning process, respect of parents, students, and the community, respect for the profession, and respect for individual faculty members, Dedicated to doing whatever it takes for however long to reach our students. How blessed I am to be a part of it!

Stop the Madness!

It was just one of those days today:

• Spring pictures first thing this morning
• Practice SAT (which couldn't start until 9 because of said pictures)
• Just as answer documents are distributed, office buzzes a student from my room
• Missing a "Testing Do Not Disturb" sign, so my door is opened during test
• Last minute picture all call includes teachers (Huh? Do I HAVE to?)
• Mad dash to cover any and everything that has print written on it in my room
• Date change to our very big field trip, so I had to type out a quick note to parents
• Test Prep---need I say more?
• SAT Testing Pep Rally
• State Tests start tomorrow!

I do not know how I made it home sane. Hopefully things will be a little calmer after testing is over.

Straddling the Reward Fence

I must admit I'm a little on the fence about Accelerated Reader rewards. I just don't know. I believe what Alfie Kohn says about rewards and punishments being two sides of the same coin, etc... But, it is really hard to put into practice, and I'm not so sure it applies to "surprise" rewards.

So, we had an AR party today for the students who made their goals (all but 4 students). No one knew in advance that there would be a reward (including myself), so it wasn't a carrot/stick scenario. When a child asked today, "Are we having an AR party?" I replied that I didn't think we could, since the ones who can't participate may feel they are being punished. Almost unanimously, the students said, "That's a head start for next 9 weeks. It's not a punishment. Reading is fun." Now if you don't know my kids you might think they're saying what I want to hear, but here's the thing: Those kids were sincere. They truly do see it that way. It is part of our class culture this year. They have very positive attitudes and for the most part are pretty mature in their thinking.

So, we did it. And we enjoyed it. The ones who were reading in the hallway had the opportunity to join us if they got their points before the party ended--they didn't. Right or wrong? I don't know...but I do know we had a great afternoon! Maybe one day I'll pick a side and stay on it. For now, I'm still searching and straddling.

Community Counts!

It's pretty amazing to me how schools that are less than 15 miles apart geographically can be worlds apart in student achievement, parent/teacher/student attitudes, expectations, and even available resources. 

The school where I teach now is the 3rd public school of my career (and hopefully my last-I LOVE IT). Before that I taught a year at a private school, and a year in a church 4K program. That's quite a bit of change for an 11 year career. And with all the change, I have learned that there is one constant. The community plays a HUGE role in the success and atmosphere of the school. It's one of those things that I was told, but didn't really GET until I witnessed it first hand. 

I've been at schools where I simply say to the students, "We need (fill in the blank)." and have it on my desk the next day and one where I provide the many of the basics. I've taught at schools where homework was expected by parents, and some where it was frowned upon, especially during sporting seasons. The list of differences could go on and on...

So why does it matter? Well, to me it matters because it gives me just one more perspective on reaching my students. If I'm familiar with my school's community and its expectations, I have a better idea of what type of activities I can do with and for my children. Is it worth my time to put study guides on my website? If I send home facts practice sheets for independent practice will they get done? If I need a parent to come help me with a project at the last minute, do I have one who is willing and available? Will I be able to send home the actual graded test with a student and know that it won't be saved for the little brother/sister? Can I count on parental support with behavioral issues or do I need to 'kill my own snakes' so to speak? Are Mom and Dad able to read the notes I send home? It matters more than I ever knew it could. 

I am very fortunate to teach within a super-supportive community that values education and the hard work that goes into it. Parent volunteers are in and out of the school constantly. If I send a note home, I'm pretty confident that the parents will receive it and read it. Parents generally support the teacher and students are respectful. This is due to parental influence at home. It makes a difference.