It has been a while since I posted another edition of “Students Say the Darndest Things.” (If you want to catch up, you can find past volumes here.) As a result of my own children getting older and working with other educators around the world, the next edition in the series was born.

1. Honesty

3rd grader: “Coloring isn’t my specialty.”

T: “What is your specialty?”

3rd Grader: “Asking for things.”

AND…

Me: “Do you know anyone who’s deaf?”
Kid: “Yeah, my dad is! I have to yell at him to get up and he just doesn’t listen!!”

2. Life-Lesson

While playing a card game I struggled to remember the rules. After being politely reminded numerous times by a sweet boy, he finally turned to me and said “Listen, I can’t do it for you.”

3. Song Lyrics

While discussing a story about a widow woman I wanted to ensure the new word “widow” would be remembered, so I asked students towards the end of the story for its meaning. A boy shouts out: Do you know what widow means?
Black widow baby!

4. Borrowed from a mom Facebook group

Mom: “I am 24 years old, is that a lot?”

4 yo: “Whoa, if you put that many hamburgers in a bag, they wouldn’t fit!”

5. Borrowed from the New Teacher Facebook group

This past week talking about veterans:

Kid 1: “Aren’t they the ones who eat all their vegetables?”

Kid 2: “No they are the ones who take care of your pets”

AND…

Let me preface this by saying I had a cold all week…

I got a message from a parent that one of my students was playing “school” and she overheard the student say: “Okay class (clears her throat) my voice is a little off today so bear with me.”

AND…

Teacher: “R, what’s a animal that starts with sk? It’s kinda small and black, has a white stripe?”
R:”…ZEBRA!!”

AND…

Me: “I swear, it’s like talking to walls sometimes.”
Child: “You’re not talking to walls, you’re talking to the board…”

What funny things have your students said?

The post Students Say the Darndest Things- Vol 10 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Being a teacher in an inner city environment for a decade, I know all too well the stories that catch media buzz about angry children’s behavior in and out of school. When hearing the stories, I always imagine my own students’ faces, especially ones that are troublesome but have good hearts when their guards are down. I know that an angry child is not a random happenstance; rather one that has been dealing with brewing feelings since a young age.

One day when relaxing on the couch and flipping through the TV channels, I came across an interesting documentary. It outlined the history of the two main gangs in Los Angeles, the Crips and the Bloods (similar to this video.) The show began by rewinding all the way back to the time of segregation. Hearing from this generation helped open my eyes to the emotional and physical pain that was caused by such poor treatment. One particular individual made an interesting comment about his parent’s generation holding their head high, taking the poor treatment, and not retaliating. I saw this play out in the video as the brutality of the past was just an accepted way of living for the African American culture- I can only imagine the damage of this on one’s psyche.  The same individual said later that that his generation was not going to stand for that passive response, instead they were going to stand up for their rights and fight back.

I can sympathize with that feeling. If someone treated my family poorly and my family didn’t stand up for themselves, that would light a fire inside me to ensure the buck stopped here (so to speak). I can see how the following generations’ anger started to build up. I imagine myself hearing stories from my own elders of unfair treatment and with each story my own pain and anger increasing. That’s not to say that acting out in violence with riots and gangs is the answer, but I can understand where the anger began and wish I could tell them that their feelings are valid. Maybe all they need is to be told they are heard and that its okay to be angry. Venting and having that support might keep them from acting on their anger and might keep young children from joining the Crips and or Bloods for protection and alliance against generations of torturous behavior.

Somehow, the game has changed though. Before, the African Americas were fighting for their freedom against the white population, but now they are just fighting their own kind. That is craziness. What sense does that make? You fought alongside your brother, but now you turn against him? For what? I think Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders of equality would roll in their graves knowing all that they fought for and now their own kind was turning on each other.

I must admit the gang life is a bit strange, considering its a tit for tat mentality of extreme violence, so I cannot understand how that would draw new membership. I understand the anger these folks feel from years of oppression, but now its directed at people who share the same hurt. I can’t make sense of that. Its almost as if the anger grew and grew and finally bubbled over and whomever is in the wake of the fury is the casualty, regardless of who they are.

Rise up.

Make the change.

If I could sit with these hurt children, I would say to them, “you segregate yourselves and make your future dim by the choices you make.” Then I would hug them and remind them of their worth. [spp-tweet tweet=” Every action we take has a powerful outcome in our future. “] We have to make every moment count.

We as educators must intervene. Our students are observing this behavior and adopting this perspective and all that is occurring is more violence, more hurt, and more of the same cycle. Our kiddos deserve to be happy and proud of who they are as people, not to be reminded that they are different or underprivileged because they are NOT. We have got to undo this mindset early so that these feelings cannot fester and do not turn to negative action with horrific consequences down the line.

I want more for my “angry” students. I want them to become who they were meant to be and that can only happen if we pour into them and give them a safe place to let those confusing, hurt feelings pour out. We are the change agents passing kindness down the ranks so that our future is brighter for everyone.

What can you do today to help an angry child find peace?

The post Angry Kids- Maybe Its Not Their Fault appeared first on Always A Lesson.

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Learning is something we cannot escape in this lifetime. It happens without us even trying- whether in a formal setting or not. But, there are some lessons that stick with us longer than others and there’s a reason for that.

[spp-tweet tweet=”When we DO learning, it sticks. “]

Most of my formal learning, especially when becoming a teacher, occurred in a classroom under the tutelage of an expert adult conducting lessons based on unfamiliar topics to me at the time. A book of some sort was often the tool these expert adults used to convey the new knowledge or skill. I refer to this process as ‘passive learning’ since I was the recipient of knowledge with little action required on my part.

The problem with passive learning is that learners do not interact with the material often enough or in the right ways for long term memory to hold on to this information. Being a passive learner means we can cognitively “get it” without being able to do it. There’s the gap. At The New Teacher Project [TNTP], we refer to this as the “get it, do it gap” meaning an individual can GET it, but can’t DO it yet. That’s because these individuals haven’t worked with the material enough for it to stick; they haven’t built the muscle memory in order to DO it.

The good news is that there is another mode of learning that is far more effective- ‘active learning.’ Unlike passive learning, the learner is in the driver seat actively learning how to do something new rather than learning about how to do it. When we experience learning in this way, our mind and muscles retain it for future use at a rapid pace. Its a more effective and efficient way to learn new knowledge and skills.

When I look back, the biggest stand out learning moments are active participatory events. I did not sit and listen to an expert adult and I did not refer to a textbook of some sort in order for the learning to occur. Instead, I immediately sprang to action, learning on my feet, applying feedback, and trying over and over again until I “got it.” I refer to this as ‘live’ learning because learning is happening in the moment or in live time.

For example, when I learned how to cook or ride a bike I did not sit in a classroom and listen to an expert teach me all the details necessary in order to perform these two actions. Instead I watched an expert for a short time show me what the final product would look like and once they provided quick tips I was off to the races trying this new skill out for myself. I did not do it perfectly or even correctly the first few times but as I was performing, these experts would talk through my actions and provide pointers. As I implemented these pointers in the moment, I got better. I repeated this step over and over increasing my skill level with every pointer implemented.

In the educational field, active (or live) learning is not often seen except for during student teaching experiences. That is why this semester in any educational program is the most exciting part of the journey because it is where the most learning happens. Its a shame active learning is not more present in the way educators learn to teach.

The second active learning opportunity I had after student teaching was when I obtained my National Board certification. I was required to write about what I was doing in my classroom and reflect on it. I also attended workshops and began to immediately implement their feedback with the techniques I was writing about. Just like student teaching, results were happening quickly due to these immediate changes. This was a huge moment of growth for me as a professional all because of the way the learning opportunity was designed.

[spp-tweet tweet=”Active learning is a must if we want to truly reach our potential in our field. “]

Knowing that active/live learning is a powerful tool, we must create the environment in our classrooms for students to learn in this way. As educators, we must step away from the front of the room directing students like conductors of a choir. We have to engage in a learning dance, where the teacher and student go back and forth exchanging information and guidance for performance and results. Students need learning to stick in order to reach their potential and active learning is the way to make this happen.

Come on educators, lets do this!

How do you help learning stick in your classroom?

The post LIVE Learning Helps Skills Stick appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Our nation is in a deep need for teachers- great teachers at that. However, as the years progress, less and less educators are entering our pipeline leaving our classrooms without leadership. That creates a whole bunch of new problems that I won’t go through in this particular blog post. Instead, I want to focus on why the teachers we do have are unprepared, or rather underprepared, and what we can do to prevent this problem.

My Perspective

I taught in elementary classrooms for nearly a decade. At that time I also transitioned into a coaching role of new teachers from the elementary level up until high school. New teachers are wet behind the ears and excited to learn new techniques so I truly enjoyed using my classroom experience to help prepare them for their own teacher journey.

A Shocking Reality

As I transitioned into my own consulting role as Always A Lesson, I started connecting with educators of all backgrounds and experience levels through social media. One particular avenue, Facebook, really showcased how big of a problem teacher preparation was through the types of questions educators were posing in private groups.

Many of the questions centered around WHAT and HOW to teach. This baffled me as I couldn’t imagine a teacher getting hired (or passing a preparation course) without knowing what they were to teach and how to do it. It pinpointed the lack of training the program provided to these teachers as well as the lack of support at the school level to answer these questions. Some folks were expected to roll out a new program in their classroom and had zero training on what the program was and how to do it successfully.

It outrages me that we expect teachers to do a remarkable job in an environment without support. You don’t know what you don’t know so how can we have high expectations of someone starting with a knowledgebase of zero? It isn’t the teacher’s fault. Its up to the the leadership of the school, district, and university level to provide this support. Our government needs to get a handle on how to ensure we attract high quality teaching candidates, provide adequate preparation and compensation, and how to continually provide professional development and support so that the bar of effectiveness continues to increase, not decrease.

I am thankful that these teachers are willing to reach out to someone for help so that they can snag a crash course and begin implementation immediately. But that is a survival tactic that will not encourage a long term career nor benefit our kiddos.

A Common Sense Solution

Preparation Programs

Future educators need…

• significant amount of hours observing effective teachers in real classrooms. If you are on a certification track for K-6, then you need to see a classroom for each of those grades that serve urban, rural, and suburban students.
• opportunities to sit down with expert educators and ask questions, plan a lesson and unit, and meet with parents in regards to behavior and academics.
• enough time in student teaching to truly “take over” a teacher’s classroom in a way that is natural and at a pace that slowly increases in responsibility.
• access to other new teachers in order to find camaraderie and support from others in the same boat.

School and District Level

Educators need…

• a mentor on their grade level or in the same subject area to provide resources, advice, and support for improvement.
• access to appropriate curriculum resources for planning purposes.
• ongoing support from administration that includes documented private meetings on ways to improve.
• opportunities to attend professional development in and outside the district on topics needing improvement.
• proper training on programs and techniques required to do the job.
• at least an equal to cost of living paycheck.

What Educators Can Do

It’s important that educators become their own advocates. No one is going to know if you are feeling unprepared and in what ways you need support. Speak up! When you let leaders know you are in need of direction, be specific about what exactly you need and how you need it. When you bring a solution to the table, it saves time and builds respect between a leader and those that they lead.

Here’s an example:

I noticed you mentioned on my walk-through observation form that I did not implement my small group interventions appropriately. Can you share the expectations you have for this type of instruction so I can be sure to implement immediately? Or can you point me in the direction of an expert educator who can show me what this looks like in action?

Now your leader knows that you have identified an area of needing improvement and took the reigns on how to close that gap. It will do wonders for your professional relationships as well as for your career. It might also uncover an area that the school or district needs to provide additional support to numerous other educators now that you have put a spotlight on it. Leaders need those in the trenches to help spot potential pitfalls as well as be the ones willing to rise up to the occasion and make everyone successful in the process of improvement. [spp-tweet tweet=”Educating our future is not a job for one person, but rather a community of professionals with a common goal. “]

In what ways do you need support and how can I help you?

The post News Flash: Teachers are Unprepared! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

There is nothing I hate more than inefficient processes. I guess its my Type A personality, but I like to make the most of my time and productivity is a major mood booster in my world.

The most inefficient use of time is a weekly staff meeting. People arrive late so the meeting doesn’t start on time, there’s endless talking, announcements are of a variety that do not apply to everyone in the room… and the list goes on. Before any worthwhile content is shared, its been 30 minutes and everyone is checked out.

Many school districts require “seat time,” meaning professionals have to sit in professional development meetings for one hour to earn one credit towards keeping their teaching license active. However, this rule focuses on quantity of time instead of quality of time. You would think teachers would be excited to sit through 30 minutes of wasted time as they are receiving the credit, but the truth is there’s way too much required of a teacher in a day to enjoy wasted time. During these meetings, teachers are to-do listing and stressing out over all that is left to do before they can go home to see their families instead of listening and learning the content being shared.

[spp-tweet tweet=”There is a solution if administrators are brave enough to embrace change. “]

A book called “Hacking Education- 10 Quick Fixes for Every School,” was written by Mark Barnes and an educator friend of mine Jennifer Gonzalez, author of Cult of Pedagogy. The chapter of interest is called “Meet Me in the Cloud” where announcements and other logistical information are shared on a back channel. Educators are expected to read this information prior to the meeting, so that the in-person time is spent solely on collaboration.

This is a brilliant idea! I know administrators worry about the accountability piece since many teachers rarely check emails or read school newsletters and thus this backchannel wouldn’t solve the wasted time during staff meetings problem. However, when rolling out the new expectations to staff, sharing the rationale behind the decision always helps get folks on board. They feel you are leveling with them, that you have their needs and wants in mind, and that you are a responsive leader. Plus, teachers will go crazy to know they can check the backchannel at a time convenient to them (as long as its before the meeting), and still earn credit towards their licensure. Coming to the staff meeting to roll up sleeves and get to work is a great use of time and the synergy created there will motivate any reluctant teachers to jump on board.

This solution is absolutely something I would want to have implemented at my own school. I imagine myself checking the backchannel from my phone as I settle into bed the night before staff meeting Wednesdays. I see myself showing up to the meeting early, excited for what we are going to learn and DO that day. I can sense the excitement in the air as all teachers are putting phones away, finishing a quick snack, and diving head first into the day’s challenge. The room is active and alert. Attitudes are happy and excited.

What a change this staff meeting time has become! The reward of saved time is an increase in staff morale and motivation. The rewards of this change are endless and all of them culture changing.

Start thinking about how to better utilize time together so that everyone is involved and participating. After all, we want classrooms a buzz with students doing the learning- isn’t that the same result we want from our meetings with teachers?

How could your school benefit from moving meetings to the cloud?

The post Virtual Staff Meetings are a MUST this Year! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

It is no secret that most people are petrified of public speaking. At first, for me, I didn’t mind getting up in front of people but I feared not knowing what to talk about. Luckily, as the years progressed, I found a deep LOVE for education. I realized that as long as I stick to that subject, my fear diminishes to anxious excitement- and I can deal with that

Since I have stepped out of the classroom into my new role helping new teachers gain effectiveness in their own classrooms, I have had the opportunity to speak in front of large groups on numerous occasions to provide professional development sessions. I enjoy speaking to people about education because I get pretty fired up and am delighted to help other’s hone their craft. Although I have a knack for public speaking, or so I am told, I know that I can be stronger and more polished.

As a podcaster, I get the opportunity to practice public speaking on a weekly basis. This has been my most recent experience that pushed me to thinking about gaining expertise in this avenue of communication.

One particular podcast I was listening to discussed Toastmasters. I had never heard of this before so I began to google it. Its a group that comes together weekly to practice public speaking. You receive topics, prepare a speech, and do improv. The part I liked most was the thorough feedback your receive. It doesn’t hurt that you can move up in ranking as you crank out your speeches!

I decided I wanted to check out a local club so I could gain skills and perfect my message so that when I am in front of a group of people (or coming over the podcast waves) I am clear, concise and coherent. This journey of growth is fueling my passion for education even more than before. The weekly Toastmaster’s podcast is full of tips and tricks of master public speakers (I highly suggest you check it out!).

It is important that any leader in education, in or out of the classroom, spends time honing their public speaking skills. I say this because there is nothing worse than sitting through a professional development session and the speaker is shaking in their boots, tripping over their words and mixing up their message. As an audience member, I became so lost in the content because of the poor delivery.

If we want teachers to become better, we need to perfect our delivery of the message. We do not need to be on stage for a lengthy period of time. Be brief. Be gone. Teachers learn best by doing, so its important to build in the majority of the session to include practice or implementation of the content that was presented.

To prepare for public speaking, one must:

• Have a clear goal in mind- what do you want the audience to gain from listening to you?
• Plan what you want- create a bullet point list of speaking points, then start filling in details to the depth at which makes you feel most confident
• Practice, practice, practice- stand in front of a mirror or record yourself while delivering your speech. This will help you perfect your stance, use of motions, eye contact, etc.

When delivering your message, one must:

• Connect with the audience- what do you have in common? use this to your advantage so the audience can see themselves in your shoes or on your journey (this will encourage them to take action)
• Speak slowly- you know your message so its easy for you to fire through your lines. But people need to process what you are saying. Insert pauses, speak at a slower pace, or emphasize important words to ensure you are clearly heard and understood
• SMILE- no one wants to look at or listen to a miserable person. If you smile, it shows that you believe in what you are saying and convinces the audience to do so as well.

Teacher leaders, I hope you realize the power you have to infuse greatness in those that you lead by perfecting your public speaking skills. There are TONS of resources out there to help you- maybe even join a Toastmaster’s group in your area!

Where do you stand right now with your public speaking abilities? How can I help you grow in this area? 

The post Leaders Learn to Love Public Speaking appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The strength of a teacher can be found in their silence. It’s often not what they say, but what they don’t say. [spp-tweet tweet=””]

You might wonder how I know that. Well, my first few years of teaching, I did ALL of the talking. I was putting on a show of my talent and desire to impart knowledge. Did my students learn? Absolutely. I thought I was a strong teacher and was told as such. But, I was not helping my students develop their own cognitive muscles. They were just memorizing the information I gave and then regurgitated it when necessary. That wasn’t REAL learning- that was sedentary learning.

As the years went on, I was passing more and more of the learning on to students. They were developing leadership skills as I delegated tasks and responsibilities since the classroom was becoming OUR home. The more chaotic my classroom became, the more students were learning about the content, each other, and life skills. It felt like a messy, out-of-control process. But, learning isn’t meant to be neat and streamlined. It is meant to be unique and exhilarating.

I feel bad about those first few years where I had a super structured class. I wish I could go back with all the knowledge I have gained over the years about what is best for students in terms of a learning environment. Unfortunately, I cannot turn back time.

But, I can help other teachers avoid the mistakes I have made. Here are 5 ways to start being a silent teacher who empowers students:

• Pose a question and step back. Let your students have time to soak in the question, formulate their own response, and then collaborate with their peers. They don’t need you to help with the cognitive process. A learner needs to grapple with ideas on their own first. This helps them get to know themselves as learners and strengthens their cognitive muscles. Its exercise!
• When a student asks a question, redirect it back to the group. Let their peers soak in the question, formulate their own response and collaborate with their peers.
• Step in to redirect, not to save. If you see students are stuck in their reasoning pathway or are having a hard time coming to consensus, provide a quick insight or pose another question to get students moving in the right direction again.
• Give answers and ask for the process. Students need to gain experience with thinking, not arriving at one right answer. So just give away the answer. Spend the rest of the class on how to get there. Many right answers will arise and students will realize that there are multiple avenues to solve a problem.
• Speak in terms of mini-lessons. Don’t instruct for longer than 10 minutes at a time. Give the most important information and send students off to work with it. Bring them back in to share more and send them back out to work with it some more. Repeat as often as necessary.

To be a silent teacher, it takes just as much preparation as it does to be on stage- its just different. Someones its a lot of prep behind the scenes to create scaffolded questions, know who you will be calling on or brainstorming strategies for student discussion. Other times it requires being flexible in the moment, to think on your feet and respond to what is happening in front of you. That means having multiple game plans prepped so you are ready to respond in the best way for students when the moment arrives.

This type of teaching requires a different skill set. You are still imparting knowledge, just without direct control. Its giving the class a bike with training wheels, coaxing them to get on, standing beside them as they figure out how to make the bike work, running along side as they gain momentum, chiming in with a quick touch to realign the bike to the track and then step back and let them ride around  gaining knowledge and exchanging ideas with their friends.

I am not sure that universities are teaching teachers in this fashion. I know there is a lot of focus on knowing your content, behavioral management techniques, and assessment strategies- all of which are important. Maybe this type of teaching is introduced during training the first few years in a teacher’s career. Regardless of when its introduced, every teacher needs to use it.

It drives me nuts that every sport or recreational pastime requires practice but we do not allow teachers to practice. We keep throwing them into the game hoping they just start figuring it out. We sometimes call them to the bench to “sit and get” a new strategy, approach or technique to then just send them off to the game again…WITHOUT PRACTICE! How in the world can teachers become better if we do not train them, allow them to practice, give them feedback, allow them to practice, hone in on an area, allow them to practice… ? You get the picture. No other craft is perfected by “sit and ge”t PD (professional development) + game time scenario.

I am so glad I came across The New Teacher Project. In helping new teachers learn to become outstanding teachers in our neediest schools, I became a better teacher. I learned how to prepare for rigorous lessons where students are engaging with each other and the material instead of just with me. I learned how to prepare questioning that layered a foundation of creative cognition. I learned how to pass the baton to my students so they controlled the pace and progress of the lesson (Eek! That was scary). Mainly, I learned to do what was best for kids and I learned how to truly practice my craft before being on stage.

No matter where you are on your teaching journey, I ask one thing of you: LET GO.

Let your students sit in the driver’s seat. Pull up a chair along side them. Allow them to struggle, grapple, challenge, construct, and solve. Be there when they need you. The best thing you can do for a child is teach them to think and to take action. They can’t learn that by sitting in your neat rows staring back at you putting on the show of a lifetime.

I learned its not about me and its not about you. Its about them.

Change one thing about your instructional practice today that puts students first. Tomorrow, change another. The day after that, change another. Soon you will have a new classroom where attendance is high, engagement is real, and students are happy. Learning is messy and unpredictable- just the way its supposed to be.

The best gift you can give a student is your silence. Your confidence in them will be the fuel that lights the fire for a life long learning journey. Embrace being a silent teacher- your impact will be loud, I promise!

How have you tried to be a silent teacher? Share your success and your struggles!

The post The Silent Teacher appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Many years ago, I read an article about high school start times. I found it very interesting in that biologically high school students are more alert and productive later in the day, which explains why they generally sleep in later. It went on to say that adjusting school times to match up with the circadian rhythm of high school students would be beneficial. Instead of groggy, unengaged students, delaying the start of school could allow students to learn during their prime alert hours.

For example, instead of starting school at 7:00 am as most high schools do, a start time of 9:00 am would be introduced. This would then affect after school sports and clubs so those would have to be adjusted or cancelled. The drawback here is that sporting events would start around 6:00 pm meaning many dark practice environments. This would also alter bus schedules and routes. The article came down to a decision:

• Option A: Work through the scheduling obstacle so that students are in classrooms when their brains are fully functioning
• Option B: Keep the schedule as is because it is convenient for transportation and athletic scheduling

What do you think?

I recently came across a similar article entitled, “Despite Proven Benefits Starting School Later is Still a Tough Sell.” The article focuses on sleep deprivation. Teens stay up later due to their biological clock. With early school start times, this means teens are sleeping less. We all know that teens have growth spurts and rest is necessary to aid in this proper growth. Parents are thinking that teens are lazy and unmotivated, but it really is the result of lack of sleep. Would you operate fully on less sleep? I know I wouldn’t.

They say 10:00 am would be the ideal time so that teens internal clocks match up with the academic day. If you still do not think this is a good idea, look at this fact:

“In 2014, the University of Minnesota released a study that examined data

from more than 9,000 students attending eight high schools in three states.

The study found that attendance and academic performance in math,

English, science and social studies improved at schools with later start times,

while tardiness, substance abuse, and symptoms of depression declined.”

Here is the proposal:

As a teen, I would LOVE to sleep in later. As a teacher, I wouldn’t mind it either. It does mean I would get home later, but I want to be awake when I have to teach just like students want to be awake when they have to learn. I am absolutely FOR a later start time!

Are you FOR or AGAINST a delayed start time for school?

The post Should School Start at 10 am? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

One day I was flipping through my personal Facebook feed and came across the photo above. It really spoke to me so I shared it on my fan Facebook page to see if it spoke to others like it did me [see all the comments here]. Well, I never realized the impact this photo would make on educators and parents around the globe. I went from 1,000 followers to 4,000 in a short few days just from posting this one photo with an important message. Whomever created the image that went viral- thank you so much for inspiring many of us!

Here is why the image spoke to me:

We live in a society where we have to keep up with the Jones’. It’s all about fitting in instead of standing out for our unique talents. Instant gratification is the name of the game and if something takes longer than one second to acquire or achieve, then its frustrating. As a learner, we feel dumb and inadequate and our peers make sure to point that out. Why?

I spent the summer tutoring my nephew in Wisconsin via Skype. This image reminds me of him. He is an intelligent, multi-talented kid (and I am not just saying that because I am his auntie and he is my first nephew..hehe). His main struggle is that because he catches on so quickly in numerous areas, the one time he doesn’t get something immediately (math) he feels like an utter failure. He withdrawals and his whole personality changes. He is so hard on himself. It absolutely breaks my heart.

It reminds me of this turtle image that is reminding us that we all learn at different rates and that is okay. Just because someone needs to hear something multiple times or in various ways, doesn’t mean they are inadequate or unintelligent. It just comes down to how their brain deciphers and encodes new information. For it to stick in short term memory and venture down the road to long term memory, repeated practice is required. That is normal! We are not computer systems that can crunch numbers in milliseconds- who wants to be that way anyway?

So when I saw this photo in my Facebook feed, I immediately thought of my nephew. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep trying, keep asking questions, keep at it because your effort will pay off and your comprehension will be deeply rooted in your brain for a lifetime- unlike others who may use it and lose it. I want my nephew and other students and children out there to know that…

its not about how fast you learn new skills,

its about how well you learn them.[spp-tweet tweet=””]

As a teacher, I want my students to have a thorough understanding of the material instead of just getting right answers. That’s why sometimes I give them the answer and tell them to prove how they know it is or isn’t correct. They are flabbergasted. All they want to do is give me the right answer. They want only ONE answer to be right. They get frustrated that many responses are accurate and that I want to hear about their rationale and their strategies instead of the final answer. In the end, I want to know how they think so I can help them make connections, draw conclusions, make inferences and deepen their understanding of the world around them. It’s not about speed, its about quality of comprehension.

My mantra is: Focus on “getting it” not about “getting it first.” 

Head over to this post on my fan Facebook page and join in on the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments section. 

The post My First Viral Facebook Post appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Have you ever reflected on your teaching practices from the point of view of your students? I think you might realize very quickly why knowledge and skill gaps exist, and it rarely has to do with the student.

OUCH.

I know that’s harsh to say, but it happens to numerous new teachers as they navigate understanding the content they’re teaching and how to teach it so students get it.

My first year teaching, my students were lucky because I did all the work. I mean if they didn’t understand my question, I answered it myself and kept moving. I didn’t pause and allow think time. I didn’t structure my questioning so it increased in rigor like a higher order thinking staircase. And I surely didn’t give my kiddos an opportunity to add on to each other’s thinking, let alone dispute it or give meaningful feedback to one another.

To answer the title of this post, during my first year of teaching I could absolutely be a student in my own class. However, I think I would be ill equipped for the next year so my answer would probably be… I could be a student in my own class, but I wouldn’t want to be.

OUCH.

At least I can say that I realize this now and have grown since that moment. If I were a student in my class now, I would be in for a rude awakening, especially if I were a student in my own classroom as a first year teacher prior to transitioning to my own classroom as a veteran teacher. In my current classroom, as a student I would have leadership duties to complete throughout the day to help me grow socially and developmentally. I would be required to remain organized as I transitioned from class to class and teacher to teacher. I would be expected to have excellent time management skills to ensure I complete my assignments by due dates and pace myself through longer testing sessions. I would be responsible for tracking my reading and math skill acquisition and growth. I would even get to walk my parents through my successful quarter of learning during parent-teacher conferences. But the biggest change of all would be that I would be doing all of the thinking. My teacher would facilitate instruction, while I would have to dig deep to understand it, explain it to a peer, and then demonstrate it myself. I wouldn’t be allowed to opt out of a difficult question or task and I would be encouraged to seek help from a mentor student or speak up during small group instruction. It would be challenging, but yes I could be a student in my own classroom (for the record thought I would definitely prefer to downgrade to the first year Ms. Schultek and let her do all the work!)

Although these two classrooms are very different, the teacher feels the same about her students. I still love them as my own kids, knowing their name, favorite pets and best friends. They know these things about me too. We are a family and everything we put out on the table, makes us all better. We have talents and strengths to add value to our collaborative whole. I am proud to be a teacher and I think as a student I would want to be in a classroom with a teacher who cares for me even if that means they are growing instructionally.

That’s where I take the pressure off myself for not performing at higher levels those first few years. I didn’t know better and I certainly didn’t know how. My advice to new teachers is this…

1. Step back and look at your classroom structure from the eye of the student. Is it pleasing? Does the flow make sense for the requirements of the class? Are the materials available for students all hours that they are in the class?
2. Step back and look at your classroom instruction from the eye of the student. Is it grade level appropriate? Is it differentiated? Is think time allowed? Can students collaborate to think through sticky content or share an opinion? Are questions presented to students to get them to discover the answer through a process or simply supply a right answer? Does instruction move at a pace of the average student? Can students opt out of hard work or questions? And most importantly… do you break down material into bite sized chunks so students can easily digest them- make meaning, then add on to it through application?

These two reflective focuses will ensure you would want to be a student in your own class because you would feel supported but held to high expectations academically and behaviorally. This is what sets you up for success in the long run. I think as a teacher if you are loving, kind, knowledgeable and attempt to see through a student’s lens to constantly improve, you have the recipe for success.

You will never arrive. You will never be perfect. You will never deliver the best lesson ever because there will always be a better one you deliver the next day. Growth for your students and growth for yourself should be the goal.

Start right now and begin to think about your class. Redesign every aspect that would keep you from wanting to be a student in your own class. If you deliver instruction in an outdated way or favor one learning style over another, its time for a change. If you teach interesting and accurate content but fail to establish relationships with your students outside the classroom walls, then its time for a change. And if you feel that your students cannot run class without you, then its time for a change. Step back and let your students step up. The more you guide versus lead, the better off they will be.

I want you all to say right now: “I can and want to be a student in my own class.” Put that on your mirror as you get ready in the morning, Paste it up on your computer screen as you work in your classroom. Use this visual reminder to empower you to go be GREAT each and every day for your students!

How can you become a stronger teacher so that you would want to be a student in your own class? 

The post Teachers, Could You Be Your Own Student? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I enjoyed my summer providing professional development to new teachers. I learn so much from their perspective and eagerness.

Instructors and teacher coaches had been sharing engagement techniques with them all summer long like stopping and jotting or turning and talking to get students engaging with material to solidify their learning as well as give the teacher an opportunity to gather quick data points on student’s comprehension. This was going well as we were seeing it being implemented live in summer school classrooms.

But there came a point where we needed to take it a step further. Instead of learning + jotting or learning + discussing, we wrapped it all up into one. We shared what is referred to as the Read-Write-Discuss-Revise cycle. This requires students to:

• Read a text
• Write response to objective aligned questions
• Discuss responses with a peer
• Revise original written response

This takes the ownership off the teacher and allows students to take responsibility for their own learning. The more thought they put into digesting the text, the more insightful response they can produce, the more in-depth conversation they can have with a peer, and a rock star revision results of this effort.

I found out that learning something and writing about it helps that knowledge grow. But learning something, writing about it and then discussing it starts solidifying that newly learned knowledge. However, learning something, writing about it, discussing it and then revising original thoughts is absolutely the most powerful way to make new learning stick so it can be applied again in the future.

Revision is the most important part of this cycle. It allows students to consider perspectives from multiple sources and adjust their thinking taking into consideration other people’s thoughts. Skipping the revision portion of the cycle is tempting to save time, but its like wrapping a present without a bow- you need to finish it off right!

I have to give credit where credit is due. Instructors and teacher coaches did not think of this cycle by themselves. The New Teacher Project [TNTP] provided the concept and resources for us to teach these new teachers and it went over amazing well. Teachers were providing opportunities for students to stop throughout their learning experience to process the information and reflect. Although this might sound like we are slowing down the pace of a lesson, it actually deepens the learning opportunity and students achieve far more than was originally intended. That is worth it.

If you are not convinced yet on this cycle, here is what TNTP says about it:

“The cycle provides time for students to synthesize their thinking in writing before sharing their answers verbally. From our own experience, we know that the first idea that pops into our mind is not always the best idea. The same goes for our students’ answers. Having time to process answers through writing has the potential to lead to higher-quality answers. This process time also can increase classroom participation. More students will volunteer to share their ideas because they’ve had time to think through them.”

I love the idea of think time. It can be awkward to pose a question in front of a room of 20+ kids and then stand there waiting. You so badly want to jump in and provide support, give a clue, take the first hand… but you can’t. That’s the worst thing you can do. I got a lot better over the years by never attaching a student’s name to a question because they would be the only one thinking about the answer. Instead, I just pose a question, wait and then if I want to call on a student, I say the name after all students have had the opportunity to construct a response.

This read-write-discuss-revise cycle forces teachers to use wait time. In fact, teachers really don’t even need to pose the question as its often designed with the text in mind ahead of time so teachers can circulate and work with small groups and let the class do their thing- LEARN!

Facilitating learning can be tough, but it really is in the best interest of the student to take ownership of the cognitive work. So I encourage you to find a rigorous, grade appropriate text. Design objective aligned questions. Then lead a lesson allowing students to grapple with the text at various points throughout- plan out exactly where ahead of time. Be ready for students to talk to each other which means you might need some sentence starters to get them going. You might also be thoughtful about student seating so students are learning from new peers of varying learning levels. Its going to take some getting used to on your end as the teacher but on the students’ side as well. Eventually you will have a well-oiled machine of quality learning experiences and excelling scholars!

Give the read-write-discuss-revise cycle a try and come back to tell me how it went! 

The post Cycles of Success appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I am trained in ABA therapy to work 1:1 with autistic children to help them gain the skills necessary to become functioning in the structure of our world. One little boy I worked with had so many wheels spinning, but couldn’t share what he knew and what he wondered with everyone he cared about most. His parents were relentless in giving him the best resources and opportunities to bridge the gap he faced daily. No matter how many people told them he would never learn to speak or go to the bathroom on his own, they forged on. The dreams he had for himself were more than is current situation could allow. HIs parents knew of his great wonder as they watched him look at objects in ways non-autistic learners do. He was intent, intense, and interested.

This little boy and his family pushed on and he was able to break barriers and reach milestones many people said he would never reach. I am lucky to know him. He reminds me to never judge a silence. Its often here, we have our best ideas.

If you have been reading my blog, you know I LOVE Ted Talks. I came across another one in my feed on Facebook about an girl named Alix Generous with Asperger’s syndrome, labeled under the autistic spectrum. She is high functioning and BRILLIANT. Best of all, though, she is hilarious.

She speaks out about the characteristic that brought obstacles, but how she created her own identify by using this characteristic to be her voice.

I want you to watch this before reading on (get ready to laugh and ready to cry in happiness for her will to succeed and give back to world that was so cruel to her.

She describes herself as a “lucid dreamer.” She names numerous heavy hitting innovators of our time and their perspective as being the same. Although I myself have been successful in terms of society’s standards, I can’t say I am a dreamer. And even if I had a dream, it certainly never came to fruition…yet.

Great minds create. They see the world through a different lens and solve problems we don’t even know we have. That’s Alix. She saw areas where her autistic characteristics created obstacles socially, and instead of allowing that to be the end of the story, she rewrote it. She researched and created her own company to provide resources and support to others fighting the same obstacles. She is solving her own problem by impacting generations of learners who stopped at the foot of the mountain, not knowing how to reach the top.

Due to her hyper focus she has been able to hone in on an idea and break it apart to its simplest form to then rebuild it better. An autistic characteristic that often hinders her socially created a path for her to achieve greatness.

Alix overcame a lot of torment and trial in her lifetime but that’s not the message she is preaching today. She wants us to know that her greatest obstacle has become her greatest asset and she’s here to bless others with tools created by her brilliance.

Let her message reach all students, teachers, leaders and everyone in between. Individuals are born with a skill set and its our job to foster those skills no matter how strong or “normal” that they are or aren’t. We are not to judge. We are to facilitate learning so that the world we leave behind is better than when we entered it. Alix is paying it forward and reminding us all that the wonder behind an autistic child’s eyes can be life-changing if we take the time to help them get it out.

Alix, you are a gift to many and I am so glad you blessed my life today and everyday going forward. YOU ROCK!

How is your perspective of a child with autistic characteristics different after watching the video?

The post Autism is a Characteristic, Not an Identity appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I have been coaching new teachers for the past three years, but more recently decided to break out on my own to provide private consultations to teachers of all ability levels. This required me to create my own resources.

Due to engaging in #educoach Twitter chats, I came into contact with numerous instructional coaches looking for resources. I decided to create a variety of products based on these requests.

If you are an instructional coach or in a leadership role at your school, you might find these resources helpful:

1. Coaching Conversations

2. Teacher Reflection Questions

3. Coaching Cycle Visual

4. Staff Survey

5. Goal Setting Meeting

6. Classroom Observation Notes

7. Pre-Observation Notes

8. Coaching Feedback Slips

If you like these products, you might like to purchase the entire Coaching Bundle!

What coaching resources do you still need?

The post Coaches: Fill Up on Resources! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Have you heard of Voxer? It’s an app for your device that allows you to communicate with others on a walkie-talkie type platform. I like it because I am always on the go and keeping in touch with others through text can be tricky and unsafe. But with Voxer, I can tap the ‘talk’ button and say whatever I need to say while I am doing whatever it is I need to do. Talk about a time saver!

You might be thinking, well if you have an iPhone you can just use the record feature in the text and talk that way. You’re absolutely right. But I am not always talking to someone on the other end with an apple device and they do not have this capability. Therefore, voxer ensures everyone can communicate through voice.

What’s even better is I am now connected to a network of amazing educators. Voxer groups are a cool way to group chat via voice. (I used to love the ‘Group Me’ app to have a text group chat with my friends and colleagues, but I am addicted to using touch to voice text instead of typing).

The app allows you to connect on a personal level with people without giving them your phone number- smart app makers! That means you can exit the app for peace and quiet at your will and you can even easily exit a chat if you do not want to continue communicating if need be.

Twitter was my first platform that allowed me to connect with educators I admire. But, Voxer kicks it up a notch and has allowed me to connect more personally with lots of educators I admire. Many days I just listen to the group chat and learn from the big dogs. Other days, I feel compelled to interact and share my thoughts. Either way, I am learning and growing alongside some pretty awesome people!

As Geoff Woods of the Mentee Podcast says at the beginning of his show “you are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with.” I have made it my personal mission to surround myself with top notch educators who love what they do and are dedicated to the mission of excellent teaching translating into successful student learning.

If you haven’t hear of Voxer until now, download the app and set up your account! If you already  have an account, I urge you to share your handle through social media and ask others to share theirs too. Little by little, you will start to collect Voxer handles that you can truly appreciate along your journey as an educator.

Join the movement that’s happening on Voxer. Let’s connect: gschultek

Looking for more information about Voxer? Check out these helpful blog posts:

Do’s and Don’ts of Voxer

How Can an Educator Gain Effectiveness through the Voxer App?

EdCamp Voxer 2015

Edcamp Voxer 2016

How have you utilized Voxer personally and/or professionally? Share your story!

The post My New Favorite Tech Tool: Voxer appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I enjoyed the #educoach Twitter chat that went down last night. I met some amazing instructional coaches around the nation. What I love most about them is that they realized although they have a lot of knowledge to share with teachers, they still have areas they need to grow as well. #lifelonglearner

Coaching is one of the most effective ways for a teacher to improve. When an expert teacher can go into a classroom while a teacher is instructing students live and provide feedback in the moment, that teacher instantly gets better before creating any unproductive habits. Because each teacher is unique in what their strengths and weaknesses are, individualized coaching is required. Teachers never stop differentiating!

In order for a teacher to get stronger instructionally, they need time behind-the-scenes to discuss their lesson and delivery with an expert teacher or coach. During the #educoach discussion last night, two coaches asked for specific resources to do just that. Since I use these resources daily, I promised I would share.

Coaching Cycle for Discussion 

A coach must follow a coaching cycle to ensure they help teachers develop through live coaching, discussion, practice and reflection. Within the discussion phase, is a process (or mini cycle) that I follow for each teacher I coach to ensure I am providing consistent support- not to be confused with an individualized approach.

Click here to access the coaching cycle for a discussion with a teacher.

Teacher Reflection Questions

Once a teacher has been provided with in the moment coaching, followed by a discussion (as mentioned above), they practice a skill that their coach has identified needed work. Practicing this skill in front of a coach to gain additional feedback is absolutely necessary. This ensures, again, that they do not create unproductive habits. The last part of the cycle is reflection. Each part of the cycle is important in its own right, but reflection could potentially be the most powerful step that one should never skip.

Click here to access the teacher reflection questions to close out the coaching cycle.

These two resources help me develop teachers of all skill levels. How much effort a teacher puts in to the process of becoming stronger instructionally will determine the effectiveness of these resources and the impact they can have on students’ success in the classroom.

I hope teachers and instructional coaches find these resources helpful, as they have really allowed me to uncover underlying issues and provide teachers with actionable steps to become better immediately.

What resources can you share that will improve teachers instructionally for the benefit of their students?

The post Teacher Improvement Starts with Personalized Coaching appeared first on Always A Lesson.

During the summer, I work as a new teacher coach for TEACH Charlotte under the non-profit company The New Teacher Project.

I love what I do. Just like students have the “aha” moment in a lesson, new teachers have the “aha” moment in the classroom while you’re coaching. It’s so rewarding to watch someone grow before your eyes.

I left the classroom last year so that I could affect more students by working with teachers. I felt I was only affecting the 20+ students in my class every year and any student teacher assigned to my class. So now that I get to coach teachers, I impact them which means I then impact each of their 20+ students in their classrooms. Now I feel I am really able to share ideas and lessons I have learned along my journey. I didn’t get to where I am by myself, and I own that. I make sure to give credit where credit is due and thats what’s awesome about education- we pay it forward.

These new teachers survived an extremely rigorous program being thrown into a summer school class learning to fly the plane while they build it. It’s not an easy feat. They received lots of support and guidance, but that didn’t make the long days shorter and stress levels any less. But some awesome, steadfast and committed new teachers will now be entering our district in our neediest classrooms to change lives this very month. I couldn’t be happier to be part of such a movement!

I wanted to take the time to shout out two outstanding new teachers who shared their experience at our closing ceremony [see the first post here].  So, I pass the mic over to Anthony Lampkin.

“The true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less.” Good afternoon distinguished guests, family, friends and 2015 TEACHcharlotte participants. We have come to the end of the road here at PST and oh how bittersweet it is. We began with 100 participants eager to enrich the minds of the youth here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and as we look around, we see that not everyone has made it to the end with us. However, it is important that we see our achievements this summer as stepping stones for advancement in unity, education and progression. We made it! It has been long seven weeks filled with excitement, joy, and laughter… but also anxiety, tears and even fear. But again, we made it! Coming from Baltimore, Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina was definitely a change of pace for me however, I was fortunate enough to be paired with an amazing coach whose presence during my time in PST has been a valuable resource. Jessica Smith’s energy and spirit made being a participant in TEACHcharlotte a pleasure, as I knew that I would receive feedback that would make me not only a better teacher, but a better person. I was also able to connect with my awesome CT, Ms. Cassandra Mayo, co-teaching with her made my experience great as I was able to pick up many things from her morals, values and high expectations for students. And to my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-and don’t forget the E… my Independence family, I am appreciative of each and every one of you and I truly would not have been able to make it through these past seven weeks without you all. It was teaching English I at Independence High School that I met Cameron McCauley. A bright young man with an eagerness to learn. Often times he would be the first one to answer questions I’ve posed to the class and was extremely competitive as well. Moments where I allowed Brain Breaks gave Cameron the opportunity to showcase his leadership abilities. I noticed though, that with portfolio work that he didn’t understand, or couldn’t complete on the first try, he would get frustrated and give up. I constantly found myself pushing him and pushing him and pushing him until eventually he learned to work through those challenges and more. We’ve established a bond and on the last day, he came up to me and told me that he learned so much from me and that he was happy to have me as a teacher. He also let me know that he wanted me to follow on Instagram, for some reason… all of my students did. It was great connecting with him and I am happy that I was able to teach him. Our success is not measured by our success, our success is measured by our successors. The beauty of life is not how good you are, but how great you can make someone else. TNTP has taught us that in order to ensure the success of our students, we must motivate and empower every single one and assist them in maximizing their full potential, and capitalize on their strengths. In doing this, it is the expectation that each student will turn that potential into progress and work toward a purpose for the advancement and success of that individual, which will in turn, benefit our society. In order to ensure that students are benefitting from our presence, we as leaders must nurture the talent, spirit and drive of those who come after us. Do not climb the ladder of success only to take the ladder with you, reach back and help pull someone else up. The more we have succeed, stronger is the legacy we leave. The time is now to stop accepting mediocrity for comfortability and consistency and choose reliability and productivity… and have students take accountability.”

For some clarity, let me explain some of two references Anthony makes: 

• PST is our seven week intensive summer training program called: Pre-Service Training.
• Independence High School was the location Anthony completed his student teaching. Each cohort (school site) created cheers and chants and these were shared during our Friday all cohort meetings.

I applaud Anthony for reminding us that mistakes are part of the journey towards success. Beginning his speech with a quote explaining that its not how we fall but how we get back up to keep going that matters is a powerful reminder for everyone. What I love most, though, is how personalized his speech was to particular individuals that made an impact on his progress as an educator. He first mentions his coach at Independence, Jessica Smith, and thanks her for being his guide. He also thanks his CT (cooperating teacher), who by the way came to closing ceremony to celebrate his accomplishment! He then brought up a specific child that stood out to him. He explains that student’s journey and the impact he had as a new teacher on the development of this child. What a powerful way to thank the individuals that made him great and then pay it forward by helping a child who can later pay it forward to someone else- what a beautiful thing!

He nailed it when he said its not about “you,” but how you use your own talents to make someone else better. Man… what a powerful statement! He mentioned turning potential into progress and this is the rewarding occupation of a teacher where you see a talent in a child, you provide opportunities to cultivate that talent and then you unleash them into the world. I absolutely LOVE this profession for that exact reason.

Thank you Anthony for being the change our students, colleagues, administrators, parents and community need.

What new teacher has blown you away with the passion to pay it forward? Shout them out and explain why! 

The post New Teachers Change Lives Too- Part 2 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

During the summer, I work as a new teacher coach for TEACH Charlotte under the non-profit company The New Teacher Project.

I love what I do. Just like students have the “aha” moment in a lesson, new teachers have the “aha” moment in the classroom while you’re coaching. It’s so rewarding to watch someone grow before your eyes.

I left the classroom last year so that I could affect more students by working with teachers. I felt I was only affecting the 20+ students in my class every year and any student teacher assigned to my class. So now that I get to coach teachers, I impact them which means I then impact each of their 20+ students in their classrooms. Now I feel I am really able to share ideas and lessons I have learned along my journey. I didn’t get to where I am by myself, and I own that. I make sure to give credit where credit is due and thats what’s awesome about education- we pay it forward.

These new teachers survived an extremely rigorous program being thrown into a summer school class learning to fly the plane while they build it. It’s not an easy feat. They received lots of support and guidance, but that didn’t make the long days shorter and stress levels any less. But some awesome, steadfast and committed new teachers will now be entering our district in our neediest classrooms to change lives this very month. I couldn’t be happier to be part of such a movement!

I wanted to take the time to shout out two outstanding new teachers who shared their experience at our closing ceremony [see the second post here]. So, I pass the mic over to Kelsey Ripley.

Want to connect with Kelsey? Find her on Facebook (Kelsey Ripley) and Instagram (@kmlamonica).

“PST was not what I expected. Honestly, I don’t know that it was what any of us expected. I didn’t expect to go home and start giving my husband What To Do Directions, or practicing Strong Voice alone in my apartment with my cat. I didn’t expect to be sore from carrying around a ream of paper, waiting for those golden moments when no one was standing at the copier or printer. I now start randomly snapping when I heard something good, even when I’m not at PST. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect to be so tired every single day, even after falling asleep at 9:30 the night before. And I didn’t expect that, even when I was so tired from practicing, and snapping, and Strong Voicing, and carrying around heavy reams of paper from building to building – I would still be so excited to be here, with you, and with our students every single day.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with our students so quickly – to have moments of life change within the tiny walls of my classroom. And I didn’t expect to feel such compassion and courage for our students this summer, to invest myself into their successes beyond my short 10 days with them. I want to fight for them in ways I wasn’t ready for – I have put faces to that passion that put me here in the first place, and I didn’t expect the boldness and strength that now fuels me.

And finally, I didn’t expect to walk out of here with this kind of courage and compassion not only for my students, but also for you. For this group of wonderful, excited, stressed, and brave individuals. We have experienced something extraordinary here in the past 7 weeks. We have done the unexpected, and we have done it together. We have shared every emotion, every challenge, and every level of fatigue with each other. We have sympathized with our lack of social lives; our grocery shopping that consists of peanut butter sandwiches and spaghetti; our stress over test scores and our excitement at job offers. We have bonded over our student successes and challenges. And we’ve given each other more “Glows” and “Grows” than we could possibly imagine. The kind of intimacy and friendship I feel in this room today, and that I carry with me into this new season, has broken open my expectations.

And so here’s a bit of batch feedback for us all: Expect the unexpected. Be prepared to walk into your classroom everyday with something different. Be ready for your students to change you, to shape you, to demand more of you. Be flexible. Be willing. Be expectant for change, because your students are worth it. Try something different in every environment you step into in the next few weeks. Be that difference in your hallways, in your workrooms, in your meetings and planning and practicing. Be ready for change, and be ready to be that change.

And so I leave you with that final challenge: Try something different. Expect the unexpected. Teachers, let’s be the unexpected. Congratulations to you all!”

I applaud Kelsey for giving such a moving and personalized speech. It is riddled with inside jokes that made the crowd go wild. That is what great teachers do. They make connections with those they are working with and these relationships are the momentum on which everyone succeeds.

For some clarity, let me explain some of those inside jokes:

• PST is our seven week intensive summer training program called: Pre-Service Training.
• What to Do directions and Strong Voice are Teach Like a Champion teaching techniques created by Doug Lemov that we use as our training foundation.
• The culture we built was supportive in nature to the point where we would snap when someone was talking and said something really great. Its highly addictive and a habit not worth breaking!
• Our summer school program is broken up into two sessions for credit recovery at the high school level, both being 10 day sessions.
• We provide feedback in the form of a “Glow,” something a new teacher did well, and a “Grow,” something a new teacher should improve upon. Sometimes we saw trends with the new teachers and would just give out “batch feedback” meaning not personalized but for everyone- the whole batch!

Beyond these inside jokes, Kelsey nails the life of a new teacher. She highlights the behind- the-scenes life in a way that is encouraging and inspiring. I have to admit that I cried, multiple times, listening to the passion in her voice as she spoke to us all. I so badly wanted to turn back time and be a student in her class this fall. She is going to rock it. She is prepared now to go out and affect our future and i couldn’t be more proud to know her and look forward to all that she will accomplish for our students during her career.

Thank you Kelsey for being the change our students, colleagues, administrators, parents and community need.

What new teacher has blown you away with their drive and compassion? Shout them out and explain why! 

The post New Teachers Change Lives Too- Part 1 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

One of my favorite past times is snuggling up on the couch and watching a feel-good movie. What is even more exciting is when a movie about education and/or an amazing teacher comes out and I can get re-inspired about my career choice.

However, as numerous movies have been created and hit the big screen, I have started to get a bit annoyed by a few common features of each of these films. In fact, a blog post was recently written about the discrepancy between such movies and actual teaching events in a classroom setting.

I realized after some reflection and reading the above blog post that I have a love-hate relationship with teacher hero movies and here’s why:

What I LOVE About Teacher Hero Movies

• Personal relationships– The reason I became a teacher was to help children grow up into the best version of themselves. A lot of times it requires a personal relationship so that you can not only get to know the child in order to motivate them in a way that will be effective, but that you can also have a kind respect for each other in which you are both willing to cash in your chips for the long haul. Teacher hero movies do a great job of showing that strong bond between teachers and their students and that is what draws me in as a viewer.
• Connect with culture and interests– Educators in such movies are willing to invest and immerse themselves into the student and community culture in order to reach students. You often see such teachers learning to rap, dance, or do double dutch on the playground. In the end, its evident that although interests and cultures may differ between the students and teacher, we as people are innately the same. Again, the personal relationship bond is formed.
• Ask students what they want to learn– Every kid loves the teacher that is flexible in curriculum and can take a break from the required topics to spice up instruction in a way that is interesting to students. This inspires teachers watching to do the same, but it requires creativity to ensure that same “spice” still meets curriculum standards and requirements. However, with motivation heightened and creative juices flowing, teachers leave watching these movies ready to hit the ground running revamping their material in order to draw students in and increase achievement in the classroom.
• Give students life experiences– Teacher heroes always take kiddos out of the classroom for learning experiences. Students get to see plays for the first time or travel outside their city limits in their Sunday best. These moments are life changing for students who do not have the same opportunities on a regular basis and this is the feel-good part of the movie where the teacher truly becomes the hero of this child’s life. Its the turning point where the personal relationship is established and the student’s life trajectory is forever catapulted into positivity and good will.

Who can resist a movie with such amazing characteristics such as those? Well…. there’s some other things that happen in a teacher hero movie that ruins that movie love for me.

What I HATE About Teacher Hero Movies

• Entering a class and all students are sitting rapping – First of all, after a decade of teaching I can inform you that I have yet to walk into a classroom as the last person there with students sitting in neat rows ready to learn. I can also tell you after working in high need areas where student culture is all about rap music that I have never had students sit in collective circles flowing rhythmically in harmony waiting for class to start. The major concern here is supervision. Students cannot enter classrooms without a teacher present nor would students sit patiently waiting for a teacher to arrive, let’s be honest. Teachers cannot just show up to school at 9 am when their class starts at 9 am. There is so much required of a teacher that I can guarantee any teacher is there far before their students show up at the door. In terms of the joyful rapping, well, it might have happened in a small group of friends but certainly in most classrooms those friends aren’t in the same class and any enemies aren’t going to sit in a rap circle to pass the time. Sorry to debunk such myths!
• Majority of students featured are African American and/or Latino in underprivileged school setting- Is it sad to say that we as a society think white people aren’t poor, needy or require government assistance? There’s always one white kid in the shot to ensure there’s some “diversity” but what about underprivileged schools that are predominantly white? I have worked in many schools with a variety of ethnic makeups and caucasian students are very prevalent in underprivileged schools unlike what is shown in the movies. Not every African American is poor and not every Caucasian is rich. The movies need to do a better job of breaking up this stigma.
• Happy Endings– Let’s be honest, life isn’t rainbows and roses. Not every struggling child will see the light and become a doctor after receiving multiple college scholarships even though they spent their entire school career failing and disengaged. Sometimes failing students still fail. Sometimes gang members die and aren’t saved to a begin a better life. Sometimes the teacher loves on their students without any return. Sometimes… it just doesn’t work out. I wish movies would stop the happy ending and be more realistic that you win some and lose some, but you always keep trying. THAT is realistic and THAT is what happens.

I realize that to sell a movie you need some Hollywood elements, but it really paints an unrealistic picture of what teaching is all about. It puts too much emphasis on the positive change of a student and not on the abundance of sacrifice on the teacher’s end. People are entering the teaching profession expecting to perform miracles because of such movies and its for that reason alone I wish the teacher hero movie would alter its money making mission.

But, have no fear… regardless of what I dislike about such movies, I will be the first in line when the next teacher hero movie rolls out!

My Favorite Teacher Hero Movies

• Dangerous Minds- I love Michelle Pfeiffer- who doesn’t? I love when the underdog rises to the challenge and problem solves until success. She was so willing to give of herself to get her kids engaged in a way they could understand and relate to and spent all of her free time helping students create a better life for themselves. Okay, so the likelihood that Michelle Pfeifer would be hired is somewhat laughable being that she had zero experience. Even in desperate school districts there are at least a few hoops to jump through. And the fact that the students are so willing to showcase their gang affiliations is pretty unbelievable.
• Ron Clark Story- Ron Clark is my idol and mentor for the mere fact that he never stops. I will never have his energy, but he is willing to make himself look silly to impact his students. When you put your ego aside to get on a child’s level and connect, the effects are unstoppable. This movie seemed pretty realistic and awe inspiring with his teaching methods. After reading many of his books and following his efforts with building his own school, I know this movie was more realistic than not and for that I appreciate the efforts of the production team!
• Freedom Writers- OMG, I loved Erin Gruwell so much I met her! I wanted to ask her if she and her husband really broke up due to her over-dedication to her students but I didn’t have the guts so I had her sign my book instead. I’m hoping that was a Hollywood add to the script and not reality. Erin is a Ron… she stepped up to the plate and did whatever necessary to reach her kids. She also has a ton of energy and gave all of her free time to her students. Although I don’t think this is a healthy way to live one’s life, it still is a tear jerker!
• Coach Carter- Again with the inner city vibe like Dangerous Minds… but hey, I didn’t grow up in such a school environment so I am drawn to see what its really like (yea right!). I love how coaches see students not only as athletes but as academics as well. They push for excellence in classrooms FIRST and then excellence on the court second. The extreme measures used to teach talented athletes to use their determination and perseverance from the game in the classroom to succeed is definitely a feel-good notion for a teacher. All adults are important in a child’s life and have an impact on their future. Thank you Coach Carter!

As you can see I love a good teacher hero movie just as much as I hate it. I think that cycle will just have to continue as I fall in and out of love with the next feel-good teacher hero movie!

What do you love and/or hate about teacher hero movies?

The post My Love/Hate Relationship with Teacher Hero Movies appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I used to rack my brain for how I could reach my students better. There were times that I felt no matter what I did I wasn’t effective, or at least I thought. What I learned through much trial and error was that it had less to do with what I was doing and more to do with the time of day I was doing it. Boom. Life-changing truth.

Prior to figuring this out, I always started my day with a class meeting with announcements and shout outs. I then dove in to whatever subject lesson I was dictated to teach at what specific time (elementary school generally gives you a schedule to follow instead of you making up your own flow on your own to ensure the appropriate amount is allocated for specific subjects and that support can be provided to teach these subjects at the time planned, etc).

My students were quiet in the morning and completed their assignments without much convincing on my part. But, by the afternoon they turned into different people- wild, full of personality people. I enjoyed this second version of my class, but with its perks also came struggles.

I realized my students were the most astute in the morning. As a third grade teacher, testing in Math and Literacy is a HUGE event that occurs at the end of the year. Since these subjects are higher priority, I need to teach them when student’s minds are ready to be a sponge (first thing in the morning). However, I had to be smart with which subject I taught first because students, although astute, were a bit sleepy and reading a book during literacy block might not be as productive as I would hope. So to maximize my time, having interactive math lessons start the day woke my students up and allowed them an opportunity to grasp new material while their brains were ready and open. I followed this up with a 2 hour literacy block that was broken up with read aloud, word work, guided reading and independent reading. This flow ensured my kids had the opportunity to excel at a time that their brain was ready to take the information, process it, and create strong outputs.

My student’s learning increased just from rearranging my schedule and placing prioritized subjects at the start of the day when their brains were ready. That is responsive teaching.

Luckily, my administration had noticed this benefit as a whole and reworked schedules so that this was possible for all students and teachers.

The rest of my day was spent with Social Studies and Science; both important subjects, but not weighed as heavily on testing. Students were able to have recess and lunch as well as specials (art, music, media, PE, computers) to break up the rest of the day. They knew if they could have a rock star morning, the rest of the day was a piece of cake. This was motivating for students. It was helpful for parents too because they were able to schedule all dental and doctor appointments for the afternoon to avoid pulling their child out during the instruction times of these important subjects.

Parent and administrative support ensured students received the best instruction possible at the time that was most beneficial to them and the way their brain learned. What a win-win for us all!

One quick caveat before I close out… music was a big part of my classroom. I played music during work time to set the tone for the noise level as well as control the activity and energy level of my students. If I wanted intense focus, I played classical or blues. If I wanted engagement and collaboration, I played KidzBop. My student’s behavior responded naturally to the tempo of the music. I was fascinated by this- I could control my Ss response on some level by the choice of music I played- Boom. Life-changing truth.

It’s important to mention that quiet music being played during morning hours can put a quiet, compliant kid to sleep. So avoid something very quiet and slow when your student’s natural energy level is low. The same is true in the afternoon. When kid’s have their energy boost, playing fast paced music can quickly turn a energized group into a wild and crazy bunch. So be cautious in what you choose. There are uptempo classical tunes that increase student’s output without having that energetic empowerment proposition.

So I leave you with this… responsive teaching means responding to students in the moment. Just because you have a plan, it doesn’t mean students will be receptive to it. Watch for clues that things are going well or they aren’t and adjust in the moment if you can. Your job is to help students learn and if something like the schedule is getting in the way, do something about it.

Best of luck on your journey to help students become their best. I love the job of an educator!

How have you been a responsive teacher in your classroom?

The post Responsive Teaching Saves Children appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I often get asked, “Gretchen, how do you do it all?” When I respond to this question, the person usually says “hmm…that makes sense.” Their response tells me that what I think is a logical solution or train of thought might not be as obvious to others as it was to me. Let me explain…

When I started developing my online presence, I was a full-time classroom teacher with numerous additional roles on top of that which left me with very little “extra time.” I prioritized what social media platform I wanted to try and committed solely to developing that stream of followers and developing my voice on that particular site.  Over time, I would add another social media platform and then another, but never before I was ready to handle it.

It would be very overwhelming to not have any internet presence and sit down to make a blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page at one time. Each of these platforms takes hours of time to plan, create and execute.

It made sense why someone would look at me like “You are all over the internet. How do you do it?” Well, I didn’t do it overnight. It look years (literally). I worked at the pace I was comfortable with, built natural and real connections and didn’t get caught up on “the numbers.” I love to blog and if people read it, great. If they don’t, I am not going to give up because it’s my hobby and my passion to share my educational journey with others in hopes it helps them become great.

Okay, so launching your online presence over time with one platform at a time makes sense. Got it.

But how do you keep up with it all once you have all of these wheels spinning at once?

Each time I added a new platform, I made adjustments to how I managed my time. So it never became overwhelming and the way I orchestrate my time is very different now than it used to be, but its important to mention this changed organically (when and how needed).

I have to admit that I am super Type A- my husband always comments on the many “lists” I make, but it helps me remain focused and productive during my day. So, no surprise to him, I made myself a list of what I needed to accomplish daily so that I did not over indulge on one platform more than the other. It is super easy to get sucked in and I needed to make sure I engaged but didn’t saturate that platform.

Here is a screen shot of a Weekly Cycle Schedule I made for my online presence:

As I grew my business, my list of tasks increased. Below is an updated screenshot of my weekly cycles (as of 1/17/17):

Each day of the week (except Saturday because I need a break to recharge), I have written out a few tasks to complete. I spend anywhere from 15-30 minutes on each task. By spreading out what I am working on throughout the week, I ensure that I can touch base on all my platforms without going “ghost” or getting sucked in for hours on end. This has really helped me remain focused and productive while not feeling exhausted.

If you find yourself barely managing your time on the many platforms you have, try this strategy of creating a weekly cycle. Step two is making sure you stick to it. You might want to set a timer for 30 minutes and stay committed to when that alarm sounds, you move on to the next task. It’s hard at first because you want to continue connecting, but its far better to give your best for 30 minutes than just aimlessly perusing a site for hours.

So now when someone asks me, “Gretchen, how do you do it all?” I can say. “Well, I divide up my tasks throughout the week and eat the elephant one bite at a time.” And every time, they say “hmm… makes sense.” It does. Now go do it yourself!

The post How Do You Do It All? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As a new teacher coach for TEACH Charlotte this summer, we often give feedback. My fellow coach and I felt like we continued to give the same feedback in the same area of lesson plans. This let us know that our expectations for what must be included in a lesson plan must be unclear to our new teachers. So we made a checklist for them to utilize to ensure all components of a lesson plan are included before turning them in to us for feedback.

I figured this might be helpful for many of us educators, so I thought I would share. Keep in mind if there is a phrase that is unfamiliar it is most likely a Teach Like A Champion technique from Doug Lemov’s book.

Ask yourself: DO I HAVE….?

1. A standard, objective, do now/exit ticket?
   1. Are they aligned?
2. WTD directions scripted for EVERY student action and transition?
3. What I am saying to students in bold or another color?
   1. questioning 
   2. directions
4. Opportunities for students to discuss content and demonstrate that they are learning?
   1. Is this the majority of the class time?
   2. Is it the majority of the students?
5. Time increments labeled throughout?
   1. Pacing of I do, we do, you do
      1. Think triangle- top of the triangle is the smallest piece (I Do), the middle is larger than the top (We Do), the bottom is the largest piece of all (You Do) 
   2. Countdowns
6. Work the clock or close reading strategy opportunities listed throughout?
7. The anchor techniques appearing often and throughout?

A few things to note… we encourage new teachers to script a lot of their lesson plan until they start demonstrating execution of a detailed plan when delivering their lessons live. [Need a lesson plan template? Snag it here.] New teachers find it very rewarding to “graduate” from scripting because they have made detail planning such a habit. They often continue to script in some form since they realize how impactful it is on their lesson delivery and overall student success. We also place emphasis on timing to ensure what a teacher plans, they can actually get through it during a class period. This is our largest learning curve as they often underestimate how long something takes, especially when student responses show they are not understanding. By having the lesson plan increments placed on the LP ensures they have thought through how long ideally these sections should take, but are not set in stone as student learning can decrease or increase those times. Lastly, the items in this checklist are things we have discussed with them in detail and are expectations for formatting requirements. That way our feedback can be on the “meat and potatoes” if you will- rigor, aligned activities and texts, scaffolded questions etc.

The new teachers really appreciated this “go-to” checklist and us coaches do not have to give feedback on the above areas any longer, allowing us to give feedback where it really matters

What would you add to this checklist for new teachers to include in their lesson plans?

The post Do Your Lesson Plans Have….? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

• “I wanted to become a special education teacher because my baby cousin is currently in an EC class and I help her with goals and learning. I also want to be able to help a child succeed to their full potential and be great because the disability shouldn’t define them.”
• “I want to become a teacher because of the teachers who helped me become successful. I come from a family of teachers and the passion for shaping lives has been passed to me.”
• “I’m a slight perfectionist and I believe in working hard for what you want in life.”
• “I have a desire to help children grow and develop into well round people. To be a guide or shepherd of others is what drives me to go into teaching and realistically impact the lives of youth.”

These are powerful statements. Many of us know someone who had a positive impact on our success, most often another teacher. We see them as role models and want to become that for someone else; in a sense, pay it forward.

But how do these sentiments get lost when real life starts to happen? They lose their power in motivating us to stay in the game and fulfill our desire. We end up giving up on our mission, leaving the kids’ futures behind.

So where do we go from here? 

We recruit top notch teachers but we lose those same teachers only a few short years later. This problem is preventable if we seek to understand how their motivation changed from saving the world to solely saving themselves.

• Problem- Many teachers picture teaching very differently than the reality they experience.
  • Solution- Get teachers into the classroom earlier in their academic journey so they have more experience in class with students but also behind the scenes experience with just the teacher. This will ensure future teachers adjust their expectations or realize this profession is not for them and exit without time lost or students affected.
• Problem- The administrative tasks take away from lesson planning prep time, resulting in poor teacher and student performance.
  • Solution- A teacher assistant can help lighten this load. However, budget cuts often reduce the amount of teacher assistants who generally help with the off stage administrative duties. Therefore, principals need to prioritize what tasks teachers need to complete while still being able to have time to plan and deliver rigorous lessons.
• Problem- Parents can get personal and hurtful in their interactions with the teacher.
  • Solution- Parents hold great insight into the child’s habits and growth since birth. They should be an ally. Things get heated because their child is a personal matter to them. Respect an emotional response as one that defines their love for their child and their desire to make things right. My father in a law, a retired principal, always says “an angry parent is a caring parent.” He’s right. Understand their words might hurt, but their intent is to help their child. Take a step back and check your emotions. Respond with facts and a solution. They will lower their defenses and work as a team when they know you are not judging them, rather here to help.
• Problem- There is a lack of support or explanation for how to improve from administration.
  • Solution- Principals and teacher leaders need to be explicit in their expectations, providing ample opportunities for teachers to demonstrate their capabilities. Showcasing desired outcomes and behaviors ensures all staff is aware of not only what to achieve, but how to achieve it. 1:1 support is a must, especially for newer teachers or teachers in their renewal year. We expect our students to be learners; we have to be learners too. We all need help and we have to be willing to give it.

There are other numerous reasons why teachers exit the profession frustrated and giving up on their mission they set before entering this career. Its important we find out exactly what those reasons are so we can problem solve and learn from our mistakes. The kids need these teachers, and so do we as a profession of life-long learners.

What are some reasons teachers have left your school? How could this have been avoided? 

The post Why did you Want to Become a Teacher? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I had a double aha moment today…double! I’ve always said the best professional development for me as a teacher has come from Twitter (specifically Twitter chats).

[See my previous posts on Twitter’s influence on teacher development here: Twitter Chat Firstie, Twitter Chat How-To, 5 Twitter Hashtags Worth Following .]

I know you might think its crazy that a social media platform could actually provide quality professional development, but it can. Let me explain how.

Twitter is a connecting tool, or more clearly a ‘networking’ tool. It allows individuals to connect globally without the logistical stress to do so. When you have lots of powerful minds meeting in one place, magic happens.

I have interacted with numerous educators in my district, state, nation, and around the globe through Twitter. I couldn’t have made that statement just a few years ago. Technology has allowed us many opportunities to learn in new ways, one of which is learning through meaningful connections through social media.

Let me give you an example of the level of quality discussion opportunity currently occurring on Twitter in the field of education:

1) Tweet 1: Dr. Justin Tarte shares a meaningful nugget to explore the level of teacher questioning:

In his statement, he cites another educator on Twitter referred to as a ‘Science Superhero’ named Ed Emmer (@EmmerGeo) who originally shared the idea. Giving credit where credit is due builds trust and safety in these professional connections.

He also cites a twitter chat thread #ISTE2015 (International Society for Technology Conference) so that others chatting about this topic see his contribution in their Twitter feed. This is a great way to extend your connection reach by including a particular group of people when you are posting about similar topics of interest – google twitter hashtags for ones that fit your interest or niche.

The reason this tweet caught my attention is because technology is an ever present obstacle in current classrooms. Using technology as a learning tool can be powerful if used correctly. Dr. Justin Tarte speaks about this. If a student can easily gain the answer to our question through google, the question is of a lower level not requiring thinking. Teachers need to devise questions where there isn’t one right answer or the answer isn’t easy summed up in a quick answer on google. Researching multiple texts to formulate one’s own answer ensures students are thinking at high levels and using technology to gain access to information to help provide context without providing the end result.

Thus my aha moment- we need to use technology to provide enriching opportunities for students to see the power that exists at their fingertips to strengthen their knowledge base and contribute meaningfully in a classroom environment.

2) Tweet 2: Dr. Jimmy Shaw shares a question during an ed chat that links the unique adjective ‘tenacious’ to S engagement:

Most likely, if Jimmy is scripting the question he is leading this particular Twitter chat on this day. Providing insightful questions for teachers to respond to and facilitating the conversation thread that will follow is the sign of a great educational leader. He cites the Twitter chat thread #ALedchat (Alabama Ed Chat) to ensure all the questions and answers on this topic are organized through this hashtag.

Jimmy brings up a unique perspective in looking at student engagement. He coins this type of student behavior as ‘academically tenacious.’ Talk about a powerful combination of words! Not only does it have a ring to it but it denotes a high caliber of interaction. Students engage together academically with tenacity. How do we create this? How do you motivate students? Once they are motivated, how do you create a sense or urgency to peak their motivation to increase to a new level of drive?

Because of all of my questions I had to go look at other educator’s responses:

• Darrin Lett @darrinlett “Academic Tenacity- Learning with a persistence to overcome any obstacle.”
• Jacquelyn Flowers @JackieAFlowers “Academic tenacity is about a mindset of learning and the productive struggle it takes to get there!”
• Christy Bice @Cbice_1 “If we want students to seek growth, we must provide them the opportunities and a supportive environment.”
• Ryan Huels @huels_ryan “Ss will be tenacious in whatever they do albeit misbehavior or doing meaningful work. Quality Ts can determine which that is.”
• Kelli R. Nichols @kelnichols “Academic tenacity comes with a willingness to fail and the ability to persevere.”

These educators helped define tenacity in terms of being presented with a challenge and pushing through to achieve success. That’s the motivation piece I was talking about- persevere when it gets hard. How do you make a student want to do that? These educators helped explain that as well, mentioning providing a safe place to work through a rigorous task. This, of course, requires relationships with students. They won’t work if they don’t feel safe. They won’t feel safe without a personal connection.

Aha moment- Creating engaging activities is different from creating tenacious learners who engage together. Teachers must plan and execute the opportunity only after building a safe place through forming solid relationships.

Both tweets mentioned brought me insight. This insight is what I refer to as my personal professional development. It is a topic I came across that interested me and I dug deeper to gain understanding. I now walk away with a greater sense of purpose in teaching and creating mindful learners. I would rather engage with these types of educators in this manner than attend a “Sit and Get” professional development session required by my school district.

I also want to add that this post isn’t to say that only those with a doctorate degree are worth connecting with or are the only ones that bring worthwhile content to the social media platform of Twitter. I find new teachers bring joy, excitement and new ideas so I like connecting with them. I also like connecting with administrators because their perspective on teaching provides a new lens in preparing quality learning experiences. Neither have to have a particular degree, its about the value they bring to the table based on their perspective and experience.

[Learn how to connect with knowledgeable individuals in your niche with my FREE Webinar. Click here.]

What would your response be to these two tweets if you were participating in these chat opportunities?

The post I Tip my Hat to you Twitter! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I love blogging, but I realized I wasn’t able to help lots of teachers because their busy schedules meant less time to read a blog. Since we are constantly rushing to and from our many obligations, having a BLOG ON THE GO (aka a podcast) is a great way to continue to help more teachers.

Teachers, whether you’re on the go to the gym or to school, head to iTunes and subscribe to Always A Lesson’s Empowering Educator’s Podcast.

There is something for everyone, including new teachers, teacher leaders, and teachers in distress or transition. My goal is to empower you to hone your craft and be the best teacher possible for the 20+ students in your classroom right now.

Tune in every Monday for a fresh podcast made just for you!  Check out my Podcast page on my blog for more details!

I can’t wait to engage with more educators while they live their crazy busy lives on the go!

if there is a topic you would like to hear on my podcast, let me know by clicking here.

Or if you are an educator interested in a guest spot on my podcast, then sign up here!

The post On the go? Listen to my Podcast Channel! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As a new teacher coach, I often forget to explain simple ideas because I assume adults know them already. This is often also true of a teacher making assumptions of students’ background knowledge. We realize in the moment that we made a horrible assumption and have to backtrack to fill in the knowledge gap.

That happened this week. We have been working hard on lesson plans and new teachers are incorporating lots of aligned activities and higher order questions to ensure students achieve mastery. However, I missed one important piece to share:

What do you do once you have finished your lesson plan?

I assumed teachers would print them off and leave it in front of them while they teach as a reference. Nope. They wrote them, turned them in, and never looked back.

Teacher Coach FAIL!

So I drafted a quick email outlining the life cycle of a lesson plan to ensure I was clear on what happens before, during and after the creation of a lesson plan:

1. Backwards plan on a blank calendar topics needed to be covered, paying special attention to how many days are required to teach it
2. Select a day and begin to script it to life, taking the big idea topic and breaking it down into bite sized chunks that include teacher and student actions and aligned activities
3. Continue flushing out the remaining days for one week
4. The night before delivering a lesson, practice delivering “What To Do” directions and any mini lesson (major content delivery)
5. Reflect and make changes to fit current needs based on the day before’s lesson and student performance
6. PRINT OUT THE LESSON PLAN
7. Highlight areas you want to ensure you say/do so it stands out when you are HOLDING the lesson while teaching
8. Teach with the lesson plan easily accessible to ensure you deliver it how you planned to deliver it
9. Repeat process making sure you adjust lessons to meet student needs
10. Leave reflection notes on your lesson plans as a reminder for what went well and what didn’t- this is helpful to refer to later on in the year as you often forget as time goes on

I hoped this outline helped the new teachers understand how to best utilize what they were planning. What a waste of time planning hours worth of lessons to never print it or use it while teaching!  In my opinion, why bother writing one to begin with?

I reminded these new teachers that as they got more experience, they didn’t need to script as much into their lesson and they wouldn’t need to have it in front of them. In fact, most days I had a few items listed on a notecard that I wanted to make sure I did/said, but that was it. But, I certainly did not start out that way.

I made sure to end with “you’ll get there too- in time. So follow these steps in the beginning to ensure you have a strong foundation and a strong start. GO BE GREAT!”

They were so thankful that I mentioned the obvious because sometimes they didn’t realize they didn’t understand until it was too late. This helped set the expectation and ensure they were able to fully use their hard work day in and day out.

Need a lesson plan template? Try this one here. Or if you want a checklist to remind you as you plan what you need to include, try this one here.

How can teachers best utilize the lessons that they plan to ensure they provide a strong educational learning opportunity for students? 

The post The Life of a Lesson Plan appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently listened to a TEDx Youth Talk at Brooklyn Free School by Seth Godin called Stop Stealing Dreams. It was on the future of education & what we can do about it. I found it interesting for numerous reasons.

But, quickly, let me share some insight Seth shared about “What is School For?”

• School used to be about respect and obedience. We trained people willing to work in the factory to behave, comply, fit in. School is like a factory. “Will this be on the test?” is asked often. Stay seated, behave, stop talking, complete your task. Repeat. You cannot vary from the curriculum, just do what you’re told and be like your peers. So students go through the learning process collecting dots vs connecting dots. They gain lots of unrelated facts and are expected to apply it in their job when they are older. Seth reminds us that “fitting in is a short term strategy that gets you nowhere. Standing out is a long term strategy that takes guts and produces results.” Those are the kinds of minds I want to work with- creative, bold, risky decision makers.
• Now is the first time we don’t need a human being to teach us because the internet connects us all. We no longer need to comply, we need to be creative. But can we be? Have be been prepared to be?

He shared 8 things that will change completely if we decide how to answer the question:

1. Homework during the day; Lectures at night

You can have world class lecturers teach more people. You are able to get one person to do it great one time. As a learner, you can sit with a teacher, ask questions, do the work and explore “face-face.” During the day you are applying what you are learning while attending learning courses at night via the internet.

2. Open book / Open note all the time

There is zero value memorizing anything. Learning is about gaining information and applying it in your life to become more successful in that particular area. That means assessments can’t be one right answer or one quick answer. It has to be a way for a learner to showcase what they learned and how it applies to their lives. Application over rote memorization. Seth mentions, “grades are an illusion, passion and insight are reality. Your work is important than your congruence to an answer key.” He’s right- what do you have to give that hasn’t been given by anyone else so far? That’s motivating rather than just regurgitating facts.

3. Access to any course, any time you want to take it

Instead of having to be accepted into a elite college and paying an inordinate amount of money to get there, subscribe to the lesson you want to learn by a top notch educator and BOOM- you’re in class learning. No lag time, no money is wasted. Its convenient, but purposeful. All you need is a monitor, keyboard and an operating system. Most people have this.

4. Precise focused on education instead of mass batched stuff

There would be no more multiple choice exams. Computers are smarter than that – they measure experience rather than test scores. This truly is the end of compliance as an outcome – cooperation instead of isolation.

5. Teachers’ role transforms into coach

Teachers deliver instruction a short period of time, rather they spend the majority of their time helping their learners take the information and apply it. They coach the learner through the experience until they are successful. A student might be in the same course for days, weeks or years depending on how well they are acquiring the skill. “Go build something interesting, ask if you need help,” says Seth.

6. Lifelong learning

You can learn something new everyday at the click of a key- so why not?

7. Work happening earlier in your life

Out of a normal school day, there is a lot of downtime transitioning from subjects or extracurriculars. When you are learning one course, this “dead time” no longer exists. That means you learn the main points, start applying, and begin your career earlier. You are more productive and more successful because you have really honed in on what skill you want to learn and every moment spent learning was chalk full of information necessary to acquire the skill. Remember point # 1- work during the day and school at night. You need to be DOING the majority of the day rather than sitting and learning. You can’t gain skills without doing them to create the habit. That’s where the majority of your time should be spent.

8. Death of famous colleges

That means the famous brand names have no relevance to success or happiness, which is actually true in numerous studies conducted. Just because you went to Harvard (or insert famous prestigious school) does not mean you are more successful for happy. It does mean you might have more connections or opportunities, but that does not always get followed by success or happiness. Its what you do with your life opportunities (the choices you make) that make your success. First define what happiness is to you and go out to seek that. Seth reminds of two important myths here: 1. Great performance in school leads to happiness and success. 2.  Great parents have kids who produce great performance in school. Once you can see past these myths, you can embrace a new way of learning and define what “school” really means.

So what I found so interesting about this TED talk was his question, “What is school for?”  For me, school is for learning. But then I broke down my day as a teacher and realized not a lot of time was spent learning. I was on stage a lot and my students were watching. That’s not learning. They need to be doing. So then I changed my approach and I got students doing the work. Their results were great. But I still was bothered by how much time was wasted in school. We had to be in session a certain number of days. Why? So what did we do? We went on field trips that were only approved by the district ahead of time that did not entirely fit in to the curriculum or add to student learning. We held spirit week and performances. These things were fun. We bonded and relationships grew. But, were they learning? No. So why not cut all that “fluff” out and just give students the necessary information and the tools to be successful, then let students grapple with it. Teachers can step back and facilitate. Students pass on in grades or courses at their leisure when they have achieved the skill. You might have varying age groups of students working on the same skill in your virtual classroom. That’s true differentiation. I am starting to warm up to the idea of REAL LEARNING. Although I think hiding behind a computer screen might not be socially productive or healthy, I do think maximizing every moment and coaching people through the acquisition of skills is true learning. Plus you now open your classroom walls to the global world- maybe socially its an opportunity to “study abroad” and make connections you couldn’t have made in a brick and mortar school in your neighborhood. When we are focused on learning, we provide unique opportunities to do just that. That is what school should be for.

In your opinion, what is school for? 

The post “What is School For?” asks Seth Godin appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The only thing I LOVE more than teaching students is teaching teachers, specifically new teachers. That “aha” moment when students finally get a concept are what teachers live for and it turns out, I live for that same moment when a new teacher finally gets an instructional concept.

I confess I never really knew that coaching teachers was going to be an option for me when I became a teacher a decade ago. My eyes were set on becoming a teacher, followed by a principal, and maybe one day a college professor. Well, along my journey I was able to come to the conclusion that administration was not going to be my preferred route for gaining leadership in the educational realm and I began to search for opportunities that afforded me the same responsibility but not in an administrative role. I applied for numerous literacy facilitator positions within the district and interviewed for a handful. It turns out many people were already in line for these few opportunities and if you didn’t have a personal connection it was hard to get noticed. That’s okay because like most things in life, there’s always a better plan. My part-time job of coaching teachers turned into my passion full-time. If I had been offered or taken any of those literacy facilitator positions I would not be able to see and experience the immense amount of growth of new teachers that my current position allows.

As a new teacher coach, instructor and evaluator I have the pleasure of meeting some amazing adults. Our new teachers come from a variety of backgrounds, none of which acquiring an educational degree. We do our very best to train teachers through an intensive summer program and help them gain employment in the fall in our own district. We specifically place these teachers in our neediest schools and subject areas. These kiddos need great teachers and we know we cultivate the best so we are confident in this pairing.

One thing is for sure, what these new teachers lack in teaching experience, they make up for in life experience. Their previous jobs and personal experiences lend themselves to being excellent mentors and knowledgeable instructional leaders. Many of these adults have intensely studied specific subjects and come with a wealth of concept knowledge to share with each other. I find myself learning a TON from them as I return the favor sharing best teaching practices both instructionally and behaviorally.

The intensive program can be frustrating and overwhelming, but these teachers, like their kiddos, grow like weeds! In just one four hour instructional session these teachers develop into a million times more effective teacher of their content area than when they walked in the room. And even after just one 20 minute coaching conversation that includes modeling, practice and feedback, these teachers jump leaps and bounds in their confidence and skill levels.

I wish I could say its all because of our program, our intentions or even our own skill level, but its not. It’s because of these new teachers. Their life experience, desire to make a positive impact on our students’ lives,  and most of all, application of feedback turns a new teacher into an excellent educator in just a few short, intense weeks. I have learned that the willingness to take risks and try new things is a huge indicator of progress, especially when that advice comes from trusted and knowledgeable source.

Just like teachers do with their own students, we track teachers growth. Man, do they sky rocket as they gain momentum and experience in the classroom! It makes the frustration, exhaustion and even possibly tears, worth it. When you work so hard and you start to see your efforts paying off, you can’t help but feel elated!

This growth often occurs after that sought after “aha” moment we all love to witness. In fact, over the years I have had the pleasure to witness plenty, but for now, I’ll name just a few that had the biggest impact on a new teacher’s growth:

• Ts making a connection from an in-class experience to our instructional technique demonstration
• Ts reviewing Ss exit tickets and pin pointing the exact point in the lesson that needed to be revamped
• Coaches modeling a technique the right and wrong way
• T’s giving feedback to each other (something they learned from us originally)

I think what puts a smile on my face the most is knowing that these teachers trust our experience and advice. They come running wanting ideas to become better. They feed off our feedback and in turn seek counsel as often as possible. There is nothing wrong with a teacher striving for excellence each day.

In fact, two responses stuck out to me this summer that made me laugh but also told me that these new teachers get it. They had their “aha” moment that would change their trajectory towards effectiveness immediately:

• “I am starting to think I can actually do this teaching thing…”

Yes, you can! In fact, you have shown the passion and desire to teach. I can help you do many things as a teacher, but I cannot teach you passion or infuse a desire to want to teach. You bring that to the table, and I am honored to be your coach!

• “Note for the day: GIVE EXAMPLES, THEN MORE EXAMPLES. FINALLY, ADD A FEW MORE EXAMPLES!”

Yes! You get it. Students need multiple rounds of practice before they acquire a skill. You need to provide various opportunities throughout a lesson to drive your point home. The more you can tie the content to real life or bridge other connections, the more your students will comprehend the bigger picture.

The “aha” moments and examples listed above are confirmation that I am doing what I can to give back to my profession. I love teaching. I love learning. And I LOVE coaching teachers.

Before I close out, I do want to share my own “aha” moment throughout this journey.

Our program doesn’t focus on reflection specifically, but it naturally fits into our model and we often find the teachers who are willing to reflect first, gain feedback from us, and reflect again make the most progress. It’s not so much the reflection or the feedback itself, rather the open-mindedness that comes with both of those things. Becoming better means humbling yourself and saying “I don’t know everything” and “I don’t do everything perfectly.” These teachers epitomize these statements. We all desire to just keep growing and when we do it together, we achieve great things for students.

For me, my goal this year is to continue to be open-minded, seek and accept feedback from those who come before me, and give my best everyday. I have learned that students grow like weeds; teachers grow like weeds; and coaches grow like weeds too!

GO OUT AND BE GREAT!

How have you or your students grown like weeds this year? 

The post Students Grow Like Weeds. Teachers Do Too! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently posted about our TEACH Charlotte opening ceremony for our teacher development program this summer. It was a powerful experience, especially when a new teacher shared her “aha’s” from her first year teaching with these new teachers. [See that post here.]

Prior to this new teacher inspiring future teachers, Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones from West Charlotte High School spoke to us all about ‘Teacher Biceps.’ She was quite an engaging speaker and I learned a lot from her experiences. Below is what she refers to as a teacher’s biceps:

• Bridge gaps and build relationships
• Inspire
• Compassion
• Empathy
• Positivity
• Support

Dr. Barnes-Jones is right! All of these qualities are necessary in order to reach students. And those teachers that strengthen their teacher biceps in the above ways demonstrate that with a strong heart, we can better an entire generation of children. She explained this type of love to be what the bible and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once referred to as Agape Love. It’s more than friendship or understanding… it’s a sacrificial love that intends good will for all men.

Teachers undoubtably play an important role in students’ lives. They help children develop a moral compass and navigate social norms to become their best selves. This requires teachers to provide instruction, guidance and correction with the opportunity to start over again fresh. Teachers don’t hold past decisions against students; they allow these decisions to be a learning experience for the student and then move forward with a clean slate. Most importantly, teachers give unselfishly on a daily basis for the betterment of their students. They do not expect students to do the same in return or even acknowledge this act. This is sacrificial love. Knowing that you as a teacher are making a brighter future by positively affecting the students in your classroom is rewarding. Eventually, this good deed will produce a better future which everyone benefits from later on down the road. It’s a gift worth waiting for- what a sacrifice!

Dr. Barnes-Jones closed with a valid statement: “you better love it because there will be days you don’t like it.” Absolutely! I love teaching, but there were days that were hard and I didn’t like it all that much. In my heart, though, I still loved teaching. There is a difference between liking what you do but not loving it, just like there is a difference between loving what you do but not liking it. The quicker you understand this difference, the better off you will be.

I know our future teachers are learning a great deal from a mentor like Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones. She has lead numerous students, teachers and administrative staff towards success with her daily model of Agape Love.

I can only hope we have more educators flexing their teacher biceps this upcoming school year with a heart full of Agape Love!

How do you strengthen your teacher biceps?

The post Have you Flexed your Teacher Biceps Lately? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

We recently began our summer teacher training program at TEACH Charlotte through The New Teacher Project. At opening ceremony, we had a previous participant share insight for new participants on what going through the program is like as well as that first year of teaching in the classroom.

Special thanks to Antina Johnson, a 2014 TEACH Charlotte participant, for inspiring this post!

Antina shared that the journey one goes through to become a teacher is a “set up.” The preparation is designed to set one up for success in a fulfilling career giving back to one’s community. Some general pieces of advice from a used-to-be newbie to a brand-new-newbie is this:

• In order to grow, you must have an open heart, mind and spirit
• Ask questions
• Remain humble and value the experience of others
• Remain focused on the end goal no matter how overwhelmed you feel
• Remain passionate to save a life by providing a space where students can begin to look past their personal lives
• Its not an easy road, but be intentional in all that you do
• Stand in expectancy for the goodness that will come from the fruit of your labor
• Students are always watching- be the role model they need

I agree with these statements. Any time you learn a new skill you have to be open to feedback and/or advice; this is the strongest form of  humility. That is the only way you can perfect your craft and grow towards mastery. Asking questions to better understand the purpose behind what you are doing or required to do is helpful in increasing your motivation for compliance. Having a goal on the horizon will keep you in the game until the buzzer rings and on hard days, is the only reason you keep playing. Working and living a life of purpose means you are intentional in what you say and do. This is an admiral trait of immense character. Students, colleagues, leaders and parents are watching waiting for any wrong move, but stand strong in your conviction of preparing students for becoming their best and showcase your talent and skill for all those watching. You are setting the stage for the greatness of a quality education. Expect your hard work to pay off because it will…maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will. Keep stepping forward in expectancy while doing the hard work.

Antina ended her motivating speech by saying “congrats on accepting the call and assignment to pave the way for students.” That is powerful. Teaching is a calling to help our younger generations step up to the plate and bat an unforgettable game- one that changes our future positively forever.

She reminded us that three things will see any teacher through training and that very first year in the classroom: “growth, focus, and passion.” I would even say these three things get you through every year after too. Passion is your gas, focus is your headlight and growth is found in your sleek design. All three together is quite a secret weapon. I would want that kind of teacher in front of every student in our nation today.

Aspiring and beginner teachers, we are so thankful for your service and dedication to bettering the lives of our youth. Hang in there, reach out for help, and feed your passion for helping others. You’re a special person with a special mission to complete and we applaud every step you take to accomplish that. Now, go be GREAT!

New teachers, what advice would you give to an aspiring teacher?

The post Advice from a New Teacher for a New Teacher appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently blogged about two great moments from our TEACH Charlotte opening ceremony. First, a new teacher shared her advice to incoming new teachers [see post here]. Second, a veteran leader in our district shared how we need to approach teaching by focusing on strengthening our BICEPS, an acronym outlining steps we can take to reach all Ss and make a lasting impact [see post here].

To add on to these awesome sentiments for incoming new teachers, our veteran leader had one more key idea to share. Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones honed in on a student we all often have, one that could be a missed opportunity or turn into our greatest transformation.

Meet Larry.

Larry was a troubled teen. He acted out daily and rarely completed his assignments. Teachers complained to the principal about having him in their class because he was so disruptive. They were concerned the other students weren’t learning because of how distracting Larry was being. So the principal coordinated a meeting with Larry’s guardian and Larry.

The guardian couldn’t make it to the school for the meeting, so she had a phone conference instead. It went something like this…

The principal shared the concern of Larry’s lack of attention to school work and missing grades for assignments. She also shared teacher’s concerns of other students in the class being negatively affected by Larry’s misconduct.

As the principal began to mention how bright Larry was and how it wasn’t translating in the classroom, she was interrupted by the guardian.

“That bleep’n kid! I cannot wait to get him out of my house. When he turns 18, I am letting him loose and never want to see him again.”

The guardian continued on ranting and raving about how she could not wait for Larry to no longer be in their lives.

As this response made it’s way through the speaker phone, Larry put his sweatshirt up over his head and put his chin to his chest, defeated. The principal’s heart broke listening to the guardian express their frustration and anger towards Larry.

He didn’t feel loved. The people that should love him want to leave him. It all made sense. He was acting out for attention and a sense of belonging.

The principal ended the conversation by sharing appreciation for the guardian taking time for the phone call. She immediately turned to Larry and said, “I believe you can do great things. I am here to support you and make sure you do the work and get good grades so you can achieve those great things.”

As Larry headed back to class, the principal got the original teachers who complained about Larry together for a pow wow. She shared the guardian’s response and their mouth’s gaped open as their hearts also broke for Larry. They felt awful for responding just like the guardian towards Larry, wanting him out of their classrooms.

Teachers started banning together. They gave him lots of praise and encouragement. Over time, they found out he was actually a really smart kid. In fact, by the time graduation approached he had achieved the following qualifications:

• the highest score of a “4” on the End-Of-Course test in Biology
• reading on a college and career level
• qualified for the Marines

Wow. Go Larry!!

This real story of a real student right here in my school district opened my eyes. It’s important to understand the root of the problem and not just bandaid the effects. Getting to know your kids and their parents will provide many puzzle pieces to help paint a complete picture. This will help you find an accurate solution, solve the problem quickly and get the student achieving.

Although it was sad to hear that teachers were banning together to get rid of Larry from their class rosters, it was absolutely beautiful that they later were banning together to get Larry to reach more rigorous goals he set for himself. Thank goodness for a second chance….for teachers.

Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones asked the new teachers, “what will you do with the power that’s been given to you?  Will you be a gatekeeper or a bridge builder?”

I love those terms. A gatekeeper ensures no one gets in or gets out. Those are the missed opportunities to help an individual child. Your preconceived notion plays out a scenario that never happened and paints that child in a particular way so they can never escape that particular label (these labels are generally passed down to others in the teacher’s lounge). A bridge builder is a teacher who learns who the student is and what the student needs. They then help create the bridge to get them where they need to be to achieve the goals they set for themselves.

When those teachers originally banned together against Larry, they were being gatekeepers. But, those same teachers learned a valuable lesson about not judging Larry until they had all the facts. When they later banned together to help close the gap by providing what he needed to succeed, they were bridge builders. He had the brains, he just needed the love and support.

Dr. Timisha Barnes- Jones made a generational connection for all of the Larry type students’ teachers:

“I’m not saying im going to change the world, but I will spark the brain that will change the world.” (Tupac Shakir)

It takes a great leader to quote a legendary rapper, one whom her students admire tremendously. But what Tupac is saying holds truth. Transforming children is doing your part as a teacher in a community so that they can grow up to use their talents to help transform the world in their own way. It’s paying it forward. You transform Larry so Larry can transform others. That’s how we build a better future by putting in the work necessary right now in the present.

I hope all the Larry’s I have had forgive me for not understanding what they needed. It is my promise that any Larry’s that come my way from this day forward receive my bridge building love and support because every child is worth the investment. Our future depends on it.

How might us teachers catch the Larry’s early and provide the necessary support before they start feeling unloved and unsupported? 

The post Everyone Knows that Student “Larry” appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As a new teacher, one word I used to always use was “overwhelmed.” There was always so much to do and so little time. I never felt like I could keep my head above water until the end of the year arrived.

My training and instruction manager always says that being overwhelmed “is like you are standing under a waterfall with a dixie cup.” He’s right. So much was coming my way, but my brain could only handle a dixie cup sized amount- clearly not a tool useful when under a waterfall.

But then, somehow over time I figured things out. I still had my dixie cup, but this time I was under a slow dripping faucet instead of a waterfall. I was not overwhelmed- I was confident. What a difference!

Many people think its okay for a first year teacher to be overwhelmed and that they will just figure it out on their own. Well, that’s not completely true. You can’t get better if you don’t know what to get better at or how to get better at it. That’s where a mentor teacher or coach comes in.

The same people that think being overwhelmed is okay for a new teacher also often think that the first year is solely about surviving, regardless of how the kids achieve. Also, not completely true. The first year of teaching is not a warm up lap, it’s a live race. It counts. There’s no time to pause the clock, its ticking and ticking fast. This year is about you honing your craft on what matters most- students’ development. You don’t have a chance to warm up, that’s reserved for the time leading up to your first year. Once that first year comes, you just have to dive right in.

I am here to stand up for all new teachers and say, someone help! Share your organizational systems to help that paper trap become manageable. Share your prioritizing practices to help tasks get completed by their deadline. Share personal strategies for how you balance your work and home life. New teachers, that doesn’t mean you can keep drowning waiting for a veteran to save you. You must attempt to create your own systems and best practices while reaching out to other teachers for help. Part of you receiving help is asking for it. The clock is ticking.

Once you start receiving help and better managing the intricacies of your first year, I guarantee you won’t see what’s coming as a waterfall anymore. #nolongeroverwhelmed #onlywhelmed

Grab that dixie cup and catch every drop from that leaky faucet! Tick…tick…tick

Have you ever felt like you only had a dixie cup standing under a waterfall? How did you overcome this challenge?

The post #overwhelmed appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I have a weakness- I love TED Talks! I could listen to a TED talk on any topic. The presenters are engaging, knowledgeable and passionate. I can’t take my eyes off of them the entire talk. It motivates me to think on a deeper level about what they are sharing. I want to dive into the cause and help eradicate change. I want to better myself in the ways that they describe.

It’s no surprise that the latest Ted talk that came across my social media feed had me chomping at the bit to check it out. Angela Lee Duckworth talked about “The Key to Success? Grit.”

Here’s a quick bio on Angela:

“Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success.” (www.ted.com)

At this current moment, this video has 6,498,156 total views. Wow. Just that fact alone, I know this video has got to be good! 

Grit she defines as the following:

• Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals
• Grit is having stamina
• Grit is sticking with your future day in, day out not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. Working really hard to make that future a reality
• Grit is a marathon, not a sprint

Below are some interesting facts she shared through the numerous studies she conducted on what makes a person successful over a long period of time:

• Talent doesn’t make you gritty
• Follow through on your commitments
• Grit is unrelated to measures of talent
• Growth Mind Set- a belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, it can change with your effort
• Persevere when you fail because failure is not a permanent position

What a great lesson for ourselves, but more importantly, for our kids. Many students have a self-fulfilling prophecy of being a failure. They walk into a classroom expecting an F. They walk onto the field or the court expecting to lose. They walk into an interview expecting to not get the job. And they walk into the admissions office expecting a rejection letter.

But, if they knew the truth that Angela shares in this talk, that all could change. They could have talent. They could have brains. They could have talent and brains. But, what if they didn’t have talent nor brains, but never gave up? What if they kept trying harder and in better, more productive ways? What if they created their successful future out of pure determination and perseverance? What if they only possessed GRIT?

As I am writing this, I realize we don’t even know if kids have grit. We know who in our classroom has talent. We know who has the intellectual power. But, its rare that we see grit. Grit has to be modeled, expected, and taught explicitly. Some kids don’t even know that grit exists. What a shame, especially if thats the one attribute that will save them from fulfilling their fear of failure.

Educators, demonstrate grit in your own life. Show children what it means to hang in the game until the buzzer dings. Show them quality study habits for every quiz and test. Show them accepting mistakes and failures, brainstorming what aspects are needed for change, and diving back in head first ready to take on the challenge. Teach them grit by having it yourself. You’ll open a new world of opportunity for them.

Angela ends her talk stating, “we need to take our best ideas, strongest intuitions and test them. We need to measure if we have been successful and be willing to fail, to be wrong, to start over again with lessons learned. In other words we need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier.”

She’s right. We have to be willing to try and to task risks, regardless of what we think will happen. Too much regret occurs when you don’t follow an idea through to see the result. If you fail, try again. If you fail, try again. If you fail…. try again!

Today, I challenge you to define grit for yourself. How can you manifest this in your own life? Then start thinking about how you can help those around you develop grit too. Before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by a strong counsel of gritty, successful people. It will be an honor because you started the change- you used grit to develop grit.  After all, that is the key to success.

How has grit allowed you to become successful in your own life? 

The post The Key to Success: GRIT appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As you all know, I love to read. I often blog about what inspires me about something in particular that I read. I love sharing these “aha” moments with you readers because I think it could make such a positive change in your life and work in education.

You also know I am transitioning into a new chapter of going out and leading teachers in new ways than I ever have done before. With that said, my dad passed on a book he thought fit my current situation and could provide some helpful insight. It’s called, “Lean In- Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg. She is highly successful with her numerous leadership roles at both Google and Facebook. She points out that women and men are just as capable for any job, but men tend to dominate higher leadership roles in companies because they are confident in their capabilities and go after the job. Women, for numerous reasons, don’t “lean in” to the opportunities, rather wait to be called upon. So, we have less women leaders not because of a lack of ability, but due to a lack of belief that they themselves can do the job. I think of it as women feel safe as backstage leaders and allow men to continue being the on stage leaders. We have to step up our game, ladies!

I have just started reading Sheryl’s book and can’t wait to see what truths she unlocks further in her book. But, for now, I want to discuss something that resonated with me. She happened to mention one interview question that separates men and women from landing “the” job. From the title of this post, you already know the question… “What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from a mistake you’ve made in the past?”

Men are courageous in answering this question, outlining their past mistakes and showcasing their skill to persevere through it to achieve success. Women hear this question and immediately start second guessing the reason they applied for said job and what they possibly can contribute. Hearing this question about a mistake they’ve made, they start thinking of every mistake and every reason NOT to have the job. Men only see every reason TO have the job. This internal struggle women face is what is holding us back from taking more risks that lead to more opportunities for success and career advancement.

I challenged myself to answer this question. I can’t say that I have the same immediate fears most women do about their inadequacy for the role they are applying for, but I do start thinking if my answer demonstrates the attributes they are looking for. In a sense, instead of just going with whatever comes to my head first, I start trying to outsmart the situation and give them what they are looking for. I realized I am wasting so much time trying to figure out what they want to hear, that I am wasting the opportunity to say what I have to offer. In essence, I hold myself back like Sheryl describes. I should be bold and share my first answer with conviction, whether I think its the right answer or not. The conviction and passion in my response could be what they want, not the actual answer itself. This internal struggle is a huge waste of time and energy. I’ve sabotaged myself before I even shared my answer.

Let me take the pressure off, and pretend its not for “the” job, but just a best friend asking me out of curiosity. <deep breath>

The most important lesson I have learned from a mistake I have made in the past is:

I don’t have to be in charge to be a leader. [spp-tweet tweet=””]

I spent most of my teaching career doing all the talking and orchestrating efficient and orderly classrooms. My students achieved their benchmarks and learned a lot of life lessons, but they were not in the driver’s seat… I was. Did I prepare them to be successful in the next grade level? Yes. Did I prepare them to be successful in the real world? Probably not. I wish I could take the last 3 years in the classroom and redo the first 5 so that I created opportunities for students to problem solve, critically think, collaborate and take risks. I made my classroom a safe place, but I was always in charge so my students never stepped up to the plate because they never had to. I held hands in more way than one. I wish I didn’t answer my own questions, come to my student’s beckon call, mark up their papers, or tell and show instead of probe and prod. My students did everything I asked of them, but they never learned to depend on themselves or work together to innovate and create. I could beat myself up over this but instead I think I’ll just say that its the most important lesson I learned from a mistake I made in the past and I am better off for it.

So, now I challenge you to answer the question. Be bold and act with conviction- you are worth of “the” job!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from a mistake you’ve made in the past?

The post “What’s the Most Important Lesson You’ve Learned from a Mistake You’ve Made in the Past?” appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Recently, I have been doing a lot of reflection on where I want to take my career next. In order to do this I had to assess what value I can offer to others. It can be hard to think about yourself objectively. Someone suggested for me to reach out to family and close friends to find out their perspectives on what skill sets and attributes they would say I have in terms of teaching and education as a whole.

Step 1: Collect Skill and Attribute Lists (yourself and others)

If you haven’t ever done something like this, I highly suggest it. You learn a lot about yourself. My closest allies described me in ways I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself. They saw strengths in me that I didn’t realize I even had.This exercise is not just a way to inflate your ego, but more importantly, its a great way to see how the world perceives you. This helped me realize my value- what can I bring to the table?

Here is a brief recap of some of my own answers:

• Skills: teaching, speaking, leadership, coaching
• Attributes: honest, direct, passionate

Here are repeated themes found in my confidant’s responses:

• Skills: teaching, coaching
• Attributes: passionate, efficient, driven, focused

Step 2: Use Repeated Skill Themes to Brainstorm how to use them Together Successfully

I bolded repeated themes on purpose. When collecting this data from others, you want to highlight words that continue to pop up. Those are your descriptors that will most likely turn into the value that you bring to the table.

Some answers that surprised me:

• change agent
• objective
• resourceful
• sense of urgency
• progressive

It’s not that these descriptors aren’t true in describing me, but they aren’t attributes I think shine when I work for and with others. They also did not show up as repeated themes so I knew that:

• Yes, these are part of who I am
• No, they are not going to be the driving force of value that I bring to the table

I had to get to work to see how these descriptors could work harmoniously to help me bring value to the table. I have been teaching for almost a decade and coaching for about 3 years. It’s obvious based on my answers and the answers of others that this is my sweet post and I should continue to do this.

Step 3: Use Repeated Attribute Themes to Maximize Effectiveness of Repeated Skill Themes

The skills that will help me continue to be effective are my passion, drive, focus and efficiency; but, how do I maximize these attributes while teaching and coaching? Being efficient is important so that I can manage my time in the best way possible. This will allow me to help others more often, broadening my impact base. My focus ensures I am not bogging down my time with tasks that do not help me accomplish my goal. Prioritizing is a major component of having focus. This fact partnered with my drive to chase my dreams while remaining focused will ensure I stay on course at a dedicated pace. Lastly, my passion is my fuel. If I do not love what I am doing, I won’t be effective or willing to put in the time necessary to help others.

Seems like I was able to identify my skills and attributes, hone in on the skills that will help me bring value to others, and utilize my attributes together to maximize my impact. Whew! I am exhausted from all of this thinking! But, this is such an important part of my journey because now I know exactly the direction I need to go next and have the evidence of my skills and attributes laying the foundation of this path. I can’t wait to see how this next chapter develops. I am extremely thankful to friends, family, and coworkers for helping with my homework so that I can continue to give back to others as so many have given to me.

So, now its your turn. Complete the following steps and come back to let me know how you did!

Step 1: Collect Skill and Attribute Lists (yourself and others)

Step 2: Use Repeated Skill Themes to Brainstorm how to use them Together Successfully

Step 3: Use Repeated Attribute Themes to Maximize Effectiveness of Repeated Skill Themes

What skills or attributes did others use to describe you that you didn’t know you possessed?  

Why might others see you this way?

The post Skills and Attributes- What do you Bring to the Table? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

High expectations is a phrase used often in education. Districts, schools and teachers are required to have such expectations and try hard to outline what those expectations are and what they look like in action.

I started thinking about my own work in the classroom for the past decade. I had high expectations of my students no doubt, but it usually had to do with my own prep.  I made sure my lessons were rigorous and that students were exposed to higher level thinking. However, there is one area I could have developed to ensure I CONSISTENTLY had high expectations of my students- student response quality.

Let me clarify what I mean exactly. I knew the answer I wanted my students to provide and I would take answers that were along those lines. Where I missed an opportunity for reminding students of my high expectations was in the quality of their response, which had to land exactly on the bulls-eye instead of just anywhere on the target. I could no longer give credit where credit wasn’t due. Would you give an A to a student that wrote the first letter of a sentence only? No! Would you give 100% to a problem partially worked out? No! So why do we allow students to respond with half answers?

I realized this missed opportunity when I started working for The New Teacher Project [TNTP] through one of their teacher programs called TEACH Charlotte based out of my hometown. They train future teachers using the work of Doug Lemov found in his book called,  “Teach Like a Champion.” One of the techniques Doug wrote about is what he called “No Opt Out.” The technique requires that students cannot opt out of answering a question 100% correctly. So that means, no half answers are allowed- man I would have been in trouble if Doug saw my less than perfect teaching implementation!

To provide an example, I will compare the old me without this technique to the new me with this technique. Let’s say I was leading a lesson in my classroom on Division of Labor. I ask a clarifying question to my students in order to determine if they understood the topic:

T: What is an example of a division of labor process in your own community?

S: A toy from the toy store came from a toymaker.

T: Yes, I see where you are going… [fill in the knowledge gap by providing a complete answer].

The student might have understood the topic on some level, but to which level exactly?  I should have capitalized on this opportunity to reteach or allow the student to provide additional details so I could properly assess how much of a knowledge gap existed.

Now that I have been exposed to Doug Lemov’s techniques, I know better. I should prompt the student to supply an answer with more detail by providing a cue or I might ask another student to provide a cue- I like to call this “Phone a Friend.” A cue could be a page number to find the answer, a synonym for a particular term used, or in this case a step in the process that was missed. This ensures not only the particular student providing the answer fully understands the concept, but the student providing the cue has to work at a higher level cognitively to think of a way to provide a cue to the answer without giving the answer away- killing two birds with one stone!

The key here is that I CANNOT move on in my lesson without going back to that original student for the full answer. This rehearses success for a student’s learning which can be quite motivating. So the interaction might look more like this:

T: What is an example of a division of labor process in your own community?

S1: A toy from the toy store came from a toymaker.

T: I see you gave an example of the result of a division of labor process and mentioned a contributor, the toymaker, to this result. [Student #2] can you remind [Student #1] about what else occurred in that process before it became a toy?

S2: Someone had to get the material to make the toy before the toymaker could make it.

T: Excellent. Thank you. [Student #1] I know its on the tip of your tongue! Let’s not forget about all the important people involved to make the end result of the toy. Try this one again… What is an example of a division of labor process in your own community?

S1: Oh right! Okay so someone had to go into the forest to cut down the tree to get wood for the toy. Then that person drove it to the warehouse. The toymaker used this wood to make his toy from a design he drew. He then gave it to a store to sell to us the customers.

T: Yes, now you got the process correct from start to finish. Nice work [Student #1] and [Student #2]!

As you can see, not only do I know that those two students have a firm understanding of the division of labor process, but I just provided an opportunity to solidify the newly learned concept by having one student explain it in detail to someone else (teaching a topic ensures you have a deep understanding) and then had the other student correct their misconception or incomplete answer. Now a students response can go from good to better and land on best all through your the support you build in your classroom.

You might want to try having one student cue by sharing the area of misunderstanding instead of leading them for what is missing. For example, “you forgot to mention how and where the toy started.” Now the student knows their mistake explicitly. The draw back of this response is that the student might not know where to go from here even though they now understand their mistake. This happens for two reasons: students cannot provide a clear cue or the original student has no additional details to share in their answer.

If this occurs, I or another student could simply supply the answer. But, remember, I must go back to the original student to ensure they have learned the difference between their response and a thorough, correct response. The tricky part with solely delivering an answer, is the original student might just parrot the answer without demonstrating if they truly understand. So requiring students to paraphrase a student’s response ensures they can explain it in their own words. This is a higher order skill where I consistently remind students of my high expectations for achievement.

Another aspect of this technique to remember are to provide wait time. I always want to jump the gun to keep the class moving at a quick pace. But, wait time provides think time. And think time produces more learners learning at the same time.

This technique has made the world of a difference in my classroom. I am more aware of the level to which students understand a concept and my students are able to demonstrate their understanding more often in class through these engaging opportunities to shine!

Are you ready for students to do the intellectual lifting in your classroom?

Are you ready for students to better demonstrate their mastery of a concept?

Then this technique is for you. Get started and come back to share how it went! 

The post Do Students Consistently Give you their Best? Or Do You NOT Require It? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

One day, I was getting things done around the house and listening to my Michael Jackson Pandora station on my iPhone. One of MJ’s famous songs came on called “Man in the Mirror.” In that moment, the chorus just hit me with its powerful message:

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change”

I have heard this song and sang it numerous times. But for some reason, this day, I realized what an impact this truth could have on students. Every child, everywhere should hear this message.

This ME generation is hyper-focused on what can others do for them instead of what can we do for others. Complaints override solutions. But as MJ reminds us, if we want something to change, we have the power to make an impact by changing ourselves first. Take a good look at yourself- what don’t you like? what do you want to change? Go do it. What are you waiting for?

I love the idea that we can grow to become our best selves through reflection: “if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself.” You are the change. So decide what needs an improvement and then make a plan, NOW. It could be your attitude towards tithing at your local church; it could be your ideals about the racial divide across the country; it could be your social circle of “sit and complain”ers… whatever it is, it starts with you. Recognize the problem.

Can you imagine the impact this would have our future if we became problem solvers by self reflection through the betterment of ourselves?! Wow- now thats powerful!

MJ put together a stunning video (see it here) that highlights the effects of poverty and senseless crime that has and is occurring around our world. Video and pictorial snapshots are shared of major historical events we have overcome as well as showcasing the religious and political leaders responsible for such change.

But, anyone can make a change without it having to be a highly publicized event. Small changes have power too. That’s the message I want kids to hear. You don’t have to end world hunger, but you can wake up every morning with a positive attitude and put your best effort into your studies. That models to peers the proper mindset and actionable steps to become a successful scholar. That change will pick up momentum and before you know it, social circles will be focusing on becoming college bound instead of planning the next brutal and unwarranted bullying attack. The most influential change happens with one step. So, make that step today.

Below are the rest of the lyrics to Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” song. I changed the color of some important phrases to blue. These are the message statements that anyone, anywhere can read to remind themselves that change can begin with an ordinary person with just one ordinary act or mindset shift.

I’m gonna make a change
For once in my life
It’s gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right

As I, turn up the collar on
My favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets
With not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind?
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard, a broken bottle top
And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya’ know
‘Cause they got nowhere to go
That’s why I want you to know

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I’ve been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It’s time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that they’re not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody’s broken heart
And a washed-out dream
They follow the pattern of the wind ya’ see
‘Cause they got no place to be
That’s why I’m starting with me

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that
Change!

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
(Oh yeah!)
I’m asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change)
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
You can’t close your, your mind!

That man, that man, that man, that man
With the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror, oh yeah!)
That man, that man, that man
I’m asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change

Oh no, no no

I’m gonna make a change
It’s gonna feel real good!
Chime on!
(Change)
Just lift yourself
You know
You’ve got to stop it
Yourself!
(Yeah! Make that change!)
I’ve got to make that change, today!
Hoo!
(Man in the mirror)
You got to
You got to not let yourself
Brother
Hoo!
(Yeah! Make that change!)
You know, I’ve got to get
That man, that man
(Man in the mirror)
You’ve got to move! Chime on!
Chime on!
You got to
Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!
(Yeah! Make that change)
Stand up and lift yourself, now!
(Man in the mirror)
You know it!
You know it!
You know it!
You know it
(Change)
Make that change

Help your students start reflecting today. What do they see when they look into the mirror? Who are they and what will they become? How will they get there?

Click on the icon below to use this classroom resource to start the discussion and help students put action into motion.

What change are you going to make about yourself that will benefit those around you?

What impact are you going to have on your community with this change? 

The post “Man in the Mirror:” What are you reflecting? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I’ve spent the last two years diving in to Twitter chats. It’s provided the best professional development I could have ever had as a teacher and leader- and it’s free! I’ve met some great mentors and colleague buddies along the way too.

I’ve seen others share their favorite list of websites, bloggers or even hashtags for their followers to check out. So, since I’ve found Twitter chats to be a worthwhile investment, here’s my list of educational hashtags you should check out:

#edchat- Individuals discuss educational policies in the US. If you love politics and policy, this is a great place to find likeminded people.

#educoach- For those educators in leadership/coaching roles this chat is for you. Educators share tips on how to be a more effective coach in order to help teachers become more successful in their classroom. 

#nced- Educators in North Carolina, this is the chat for you! Discuss all things occurring in education right here in the Carolinas.

#ntchat – For any new or aspiring teachers, come see what teaching is all about. Veteran teachers chime in, but the community is dedicated to any and all newbies.

#tptchat- Teachers Pay Teachers [TpT]  is a website many teachers use to sell or purchase teaching materials made by real teachers. This chat is mostly dedicated to sellers coming together to discuss tips and tricks of the business in order to become more successful. 

Post a comment using one of these hashtags any day you wish, but each hashtag has a weekly chat [see schedule here] where all are invited to log on to Twitter at the same time and a moderator will ask questions in relation to that hashtag’s purpose. (ex. Tptchat might ask “What product is your most popular and why?”) This is where you learn from others and get lots of helpful tips! They are usually an hour long and the time passes by so quickly!

If you have never participated in a Twitter Chat before, have no fear. Click here to read about just how easy it is or click here to access my FREE Webinar.

What Twitter hashtags have you found beneficial to follow? 

The post 5 Twitter Hashtags Worth Following  appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Interview with Adam Mark Bridgers, Husband of an Elementary School Teacher

I was recently working on a project where I had to be very reflective. Part of that process was to reach out to others to find out their opinion of my skill set and attribute descriptors. [See original post here.] That got me thinking about what the person who has to deal with me on a daily basis thinks about me and my crazy life as a teacher- my husband, Adam.

He has achieved much success in the challenging political arena as well as the intricate world of law. However, his greatest accomplishment is surviving being married to a teacher! It requires patience, understanding, support, and humor. Luckily, this guy has it all! And because he has it all, I am able to be better at my job educating our future leaders. Thank God for this man!

Below is an interview I conducted with Adam to find out his perspective on being married to a me, a teacher.

(bold – Gretchen’s questions / Italics– Adam’s answers)

1. When you hear the professional title ‘teacher,’ what comes to mind?

Societal foundation; Overworked and underpaid

2. Why do you think individuals want to become teachers?

Because they enjoy seeing people/kids grow

3. Why do you think your wife chose teaching as her career?

To help make a change and have an impact

4. Do you remember a particular teacher in your schooling career that stands out as your favorite? Why?

Dr. Combs- She gave me the opportunity to understand and see the world 

5. What do you think teachers contribute to students besides the content they teach? Why?

Moral foundation- because I believe a lot of kids in public education don’t get it at home; the opportunity to see or have someone impart on them what is right and what is wrong 

6. What did you learn about teaching that you didn’t know prior to being married to a teacher?

That you work a lot more than 7-3.

[My dad was a high school principal.] I understood what it was about, why people do it. You have to sit there and scratch your head- why in the world would someone be a teacher? The money isn’t great. The hours aren’t the best. You pour everything into kids that aren’t your own. Some of them give you joy; a lot are disappointing. You live with a lot of struggles that aren’t your own doing.  I have lived it; I grew up with it. My dad invested a lot of himself into the students. [So, being married to a teacher,] I knew what to expect. I didn’t walk into it blindly. 

7. How can husbands of teachers better support their wives?

Have high paying jobs – just kidding.  Be supportive and understanding of the emotional toll that teaching sometimes takes 

8. What advice would you share with new or aspiring teachers?

Don’t give up, we need you 

9. Why did you marry a teacher?

Because her work ethic inspires me. I believe in what it means to be a teacher. I believe in the mission. If I had enough money, I would do it myself. Or if my wife, the teacher, didn’t require money- haha

10. What is life like being married to a teacher? 

Full of interesting stories. A lot of lists and unsolicited instructions.

10a. What is life REALLY like being married to a teacher?

Sacrifice- I think when you are married to a teacher you have got to know you are part of the sacrifice too. In most teachers’ minds, the kids come first. A lot of the emotion gets poured into them and you have to be able to understand that your spouse mentally, physically, financially, emotionally pours into the school, and you should be there to support them- its not just them doing it, its a partnership.

Bonus Question:

Any other comments? 

Teaching in my opinion is a noble profession. It’s not about the money. It comes with hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Persevere – don’t give up.

My reflection of the interview with my husband:

• He understands the passion driving a teacher’s motor
• Outsiders realize the commitment involved in being a great teacher- and not just time and money
• Teachers need to reach beyond the lesson plan and show kids the world. Technology today allows for virtual field trips to bring learning to life. If his teacher exposed him to a world beyond the classroom, and he still remembers her to this day…well then, we all better start incorporating that opportunity into our classroom practices.
• Having money would definitely make ends meet a whole lot easier, but the fire in my heart would be out. So thank goodness, he is able to be my financial foundation.
• Teaching definitely has its interesting stories- many make us teachers laugh years later, especially the ones that weren’t so funny in the moment.
• A list is absolutely necessary for a teacher. So many moving parts and paperwork items due that its not only a life skill, but a survival skill. (He HATES my lists!)

What I learned about what he learned:

• Growing up in an educator’s home helped mold him into tolerating my life as a teacher. I am thankful his eyes were exposed to the educator’s life and he still wanted to have a teacher as his closest counsel- swoon!
• Unsolicited instructions have to be my favorite answer. He’s right. Sometimes, I can’t turn the teacher off. I’m assigning myself homework – Leave your teacher voice at work. Those of you who are teachers know this is most likely impossible, but I am willing to give it a try. After all, that’s what we ask of our kids, right?
• After all that he saw his dad give to his high school and after all that he saw his wife give to her elementary classroom, he still encourages teachers to enter the work force with excitement. Wow… he really values the work a teacher can do even after being personally affected (whether it be positively or negatively). We must be on quite a high pedestal that no negative part of the job can make him think any less of us!

Thank you to all the teachers out there, but more importantly, thank you for teacher spouses and family members who stand by us while we do what needs to be done to help kids reach their potential. We need more of you special people in this world!

Take a moment and thank a teacher spouse or family member for all that they sacrifice so a teacher can make a bigger impact in and around their community. 

The post Interview: “Why I Married a Teacher…” appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I came across an interesting article from EdWeek called “A Superintendent’s Perspective on Teacher Leadership” which was written by Jonas Chartock and Chong-Hao Fu who work for “a national non-profit organization that works with schools, districts, and states to advance teachers’ leadership skills and opportunities to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed in school and life.” 

The article title caught my attention as superintendents in my opinion tend to be heavily involved politically in education but not so much in the trenches with teachers. So, I wanted to read more to see how accurate this so-called perspective on teacher leadership would be.

The author started by saying, “I preach to my principals about nurturing the talent in their buildings.”  I have heard this phrase “nurture the talent in the building” before by my own principals. I know some principals are better at this than others, but I think it takes a selfless principal to really make it effective. I say selfless because as a leader you are allowing someone else’s ideas to drive the movement of the school. That’s uncomfortable for people; its a risk. However, empowering the people that work for you by pushing their talents to the forefront of the company’s mission is powerful. I have had principals that want credit for everything that goes on in their building and would never dream of passing the baton to teachers in areas of their strength (ex. running professional development sessions, community outreach organization, etc). But, then I have had principals willing to step aside and let the strengths within the building grow the success of the school- a true team mentality. What happened was teachers wanted to stay, they were invested, they worked harder and longer; parents were invested financially and wanted to help any time in any way they could; and the joy factor felt within the school was contagious and organic. Who wouldn’t want that? Well, I know… leaders who want control, are scared to take risks and who selfishly want all the credit for their school’s success. What a missed opportunity.

Chartock and Fu went on to say,  “They interviewed their teachers and asked them “what will it take for you to stay?”” HAHA! I have NEVER heard this question, ever. Maybe I am not talented enough to have been approached in this way, but I truly believe the mentality of principals (or superintendents for that matter) is not wired to ask such a question. Principals are looking for weak links and trying to figure out ways to get them out to bring in fresh talent. On a few occasions, I have heard principals say something to the effect of “we are so sorry to see you go, but we know you are going to do great things where ever you go.” No where in that statement is “what can I do differently?” or “what do you need from me to make this better?” or “what do you need to stay?” Principals are not problem solving, they are just mourning the loss of the talent in their building. Maybe they feel helpless to make the necessary changes due to district requirements. Regardless, wouldn’t you as a leader at least want to know what it would take to keep your talented teachers, even if you couldn’t do anything about it? I would.

What the authors found was interesting. “It wasn’t what we initially thought; it wasn’t money. The things were simple: to be recognized, to be involved in leadership decisions, to have a say in the school, to be given opportunities to grow. I challenged each of my principals to go out and have conversations with irreplaceables about what they could do to continue to help you grow.”

YES! Those are the reasons many teachers leave. I know they are why I ended up leaving. I loved teaching. I loved my kids. I loved my coworkers. But, I lacked opportunities to grow or feel a part of something bigger than myself. So, I had to get out so that I could find those opportunities on my own and I couldn’t be happier about my decision.

It could have been different if my past principals sat down a core group of teacher leaders and said “Here is our mission XYZ. How can you use your talent to make this grow?” Starting a conversation about “WE” is much more powerful than “YOU, DO THIS.” These short conversations make teachers feel empowered and worthy. Recognition does lack in schools, but more importantly what is lacking is opportunity and trust.

Teachers are the lifeline of a school. They are the source of the most current information on what is working and what is not. They are your biggest asset to a school’s success. Leverage this source by making them part of the mission, giving them a purpose through empowerment, and praise them for a job well done. You won’t lose teachers, I guarantee you.

I commend any leader that would take this approach and on behalf of all teachers out there, we thank you for giving us the chance to step up to the plate and contribute to the mission.

At the end of the article, I read the quick bio of the authors and loved seeing their mission of advancing teachers’ leadership skills as well as opportunities to lead so that students are more successful. This is a mission I could get behind. So many times, districts want to keep their teachers from leading because it often means later down the line, those teachers step out to hold other leadership roles which means it takes them out of the classroom. This is highly unsupported by many because we need great teachers in the classroom, meaning the door of incoming teachers is always swinging and schools can’t gain momentum. I can understand this concern, but stymying future leaders is selfish and has harsh long-term effects. In the short term, you lose a teacher. In the long-term, you gain a leader who is on fire to make the school, community, and district a better place for students to grow and succeed far past their original potential.

What a gift you gave back to yourself and others in the future by growing that leader here in the now. Don’t miss this golden opportunity!

What will it take for you to stay as a teacher in your school? 

The post Teacher Leadership- “What Will It Take For You To Stay?” appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I have been recently reading “The Teacher Wars” by Dana Goldstein that depicts the change of our educational system over decades of time.

One fascinating fact that Dana shared in her book was on evaluation systems. How boring of a topic, I know, but to be honest teachers complain the most about how they are evaluated. Many teachers wish the system focused on a checklist of items so they knew what to include when a principal would walk through their classrooms. Other teachers felt that type of evaluation system was not an accurate measurement of their performance when solely looking at whether or not that they had a particular poster mounted in the right hand corner of the classroom as noted on the evaluation checklist. The checklist has started to fade out and schools now use a rubric system based on “value-added,” meaning how much students are growing or how much value a teacher is adding to that student’s overall achievement. Sometimes this is hard to judge on a quick walk through of a classroom, which is what causes anxiety and discourse amongst teachers these days.

For these reasons, I thought it was interesting to see the difference in what a principal would be looking for in a teacher’s classroom in the 1920’s in comparison to today.

“Evaluation systems called for teachers to be judged on their personal characteristics and given numeric ratings in largely subjective categories, such as “obedience,” “honesty of work,” “dress,” “voice,” and “force of character. A teacher’s command of classroom discipline would also be assessed, by counting the number of students who were late or unruly, and even by measuring the number of seconds and minutes it took for a teacher to distribute or collect worksheets.” (Goldstein, 2014) 

WOW! Can you believe it? haha I wish a principal would come rate me with that evaluation tool. I am obedient, honest, have character, dress professionally and convey my ideas in an appropriate tone of voice. My discipline is strong and my tight transitions for passing out papers is quite efficient, although I am not sure how many seconds are required to hit the proficiency mark. As much as I would LOVE to be evaluated with this tool, I do not think it would predict my effectiveness as a teacher. I do think it is helpful in hiring teachers, but it does not guarantee students will learn and grow in that teacher’s classroom.

What is even less effective is what the principals had to do next with this tool.

“Principals would painstakingly record all this data on spreadsheets- then handwritten, of course- and higher-level administrators could subsequently grade principals by looking at the performance of an entire school.” (Goldstein, 2014)

I am pretty sure principals would not be conducting very many walk-through observations if they had to collect such lengthy and time consuming data just to show to their boss in order to be rated as a school. I wonder how honest they were about teacher performance since their observations are tied to their own effectiveness?!

So, what I have learned is although it might have been simple and easy to in terms of evaluation of teachers back then, it surely did not produce quality teachers or successful students. Although I am not a huge fan of the value added rubrics that are currently circulating schools for teacher evaluations because it can be open to interpretation, I do believe they are focused on cultivating strong teaching techniques and collaboration as well as providing students with numerous opportunities to master content. When you start hating the evaluation time of year, just think back to how it used to be and remind yourself that this rubric is making you a better version of yourself for your kids. Celebrate the school system’s focus being on the right attributes- can you imagine how awful it would be if teachers in your school were only rated on dress, voice or honesty? Yikes!

If you could add a characteristic to a teacher’s evaluation tool, what would it be and why?

The post Evaluation Systems- What’s Your Focus? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Hi teachers!

I am gathering some information on educational consulting so that I can make it cost effective, worthwhile and of interest to other teachers.

Please take a few seconds to answer these survey questions:

http://goo.gl/forms/RnGsPGJ7Um

I appreciate your insight and brutal honesty as it will help me create a quality, teacher-friendly business plan.

Any additional feedback you may have is greatly appreciated and can be written in the comment section below.

The post Teachers- I need your help! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I am currently reading a book by Dana Goldstein called “The Teacher Wars.” She examines the history behind education in terms of how it has transformed over the years. There are a few points she made in the book that I want to discuss in detail below.

First, she mentioned there being numerous issues with our current educational system: “Poor training, low pay, inadequate supplies, inept administration, impoverished students and families.” (Goldstein, 2014) I agree that these issues exist and are hindering student development and teacher success. However, the good news is that these are all solvable problems:

• poor training– Increasing rigor in educational degree programs; classes taught by actual teachers or administrators; and teachers being placed in classrooms for practice as early in the program as possible.
• low pay– Pay teachers based on their successrate
• inadequate supplies– Community donations; teacher creativity to use what is provided; non-profit school supply warehouses for teachers (see Classroom Central); teachers writing grants for needed supplies
• inept administration– Administration should be part of a learning group with a leader who has a successful track record for leadership of both teachers and students; receive professional development based on their schools needs; receive individual coaching by a mentor; cooperation with staff for improvements to leadership based on need
• impoverished students and families– This is hard for a school or school system to fix; however, providing food at school events and collecting clothing and food donations for families in need is helpful.

Second, she also mentioned that “Americans have debated who should teach public school; what should get taught; and how teachers should be educated, trained, hired, paid, evaluated, and fired.” (Goldstein, 2014) I thought that was an interesting point of debate. So much so, I’m going to add my two cents below.

1. Who should teach public school- An adult with an education degree (bachelor’s or master’s) who is passionate about making learning fun, connecting with kids and making selfless decisions for the betterment of the student’s development and needs. Too many teachers have a degree, but lack the passion or drive to get the job done well. They punch in and punch out without giving students their best. Every student, in all types of schooling systems, deserves a leader in the classroom with strong content knowledge and an ability to break down hard to understand material so one can be successful. They need to show their human side to draw students in and develop trust and understanding. Loving kids and having a desire to see them surpass their potential is absolutely necessary.
2. What should get taught– All standards need to be addressed on a deep enough level to ensure students can master the material when required. Rigor and higher order questioning must be delivered in every lesson so students develop strong cognitive processes. More importantly, manners, respect and perseverance need to be cultivated so students leave the classroom equipped with life skills in addition to academic competencies.
3. How teachers should be…

• educated– As mentioned above, teachers need to have an education degree. Many critics of poor teaching performance blame the poor preparation of particular educational programs. I agree to an extent that the program needs to not solely focus on educational theory and historical background but application and classroom practice. With that said, a teacher does not need to have a degree from a selective or elite college in order to be successful in the classroom. Having book smarts and excelling at an elite college does not always translate to strong classroom performance. Talent can be found in all types of undergraduate and graduate programs.
• trained– Training can be found in preparation courses, but much of the training is on the job through professional development. To first address the training of a degree program, aspiring teachers need to be in classrooms as much as possible. Observation hours help a teacher take in all the necessary aspects of a well-run classroom and competent teacher. Better than that though is requiring teachers to jump in and practice with an expert prior to student teaching. Teaching a mini lesson for 15-20 minutes or giving a spelling test are great ways for an aspiring teacher to get their feet wet so when it is time for student teaching, they can jump right in and use their previous experience to lead the classroom effectively from day one. Once hired, professional development training opportunities need to address the current needs of the school, requirements of the district, but more importantly, they need to be differentiated for staff. There is no reason to take a teacher out of their classroom to sit for hours on end learning about something that they are already doing well. That isn’t to say that a teacher cannot work on their strengths, but many schools do a one size fits all professional development session that is not a good use of time for the many in attendance. If 3-4 teachers need help with classroom management, they deserve to attend a quality professional development session led by an expert teacher. The other 45 teachers in the school that have mastered this skill, do not need to attend. Does this make more work for the principal and support staff to coordinate such differentiated opportunities? Yes, but isn’t that what teachers are required to do for their students?
• hired– Oftentimes, a team of teachers, principal, and support staff create a panel for teacher hiring. This allows the school to come together and make a collective decision based on each candidate. The interview questions are the same for each candidate to level the playing field. These questions are designed either by the principal and support staff or the district. Sometimes, once a sample of teachers pass the interview, a follow up interview with just the principal is scheduled to dive into any remaining topics not originally covered. This is a good way for the candidate and principal to feel each other out. A school tour or classroom observation can occur at this point in time as well. This thorough process ensures quality teachers are hired, but more importantly, that the right teacher is hired based on philosophy, skill set and personality. In her book, Dana mentioned there has been an “overhiring of underqualified teachers.” (Goldstein, 2014) I agree that this has happened in the past when the economy plummeted as desperate times call for desperate measures. The result when the economy started to rebound was schools needed teachers immediately. This meant they just started hiring people to get bodies in the classroom. As awful as that is to say, kids needed an adult in the room and teachers needed more reasonable class sizes. So teachers with an education degree were often hired on the spot, regardless of a track record of effectiveness or excellent references. Now schools are dealing with ineffectiveness across the board and need to hire qualified staff to replace the inexperienced. I should mention, this is not the first step as coaching is needed to help these teachers improve prior to being removed.
• paid– We all know teachers are underpaid. I personally like the idea of the initiative called ‘Pay for Performance’ that was rolled out in my school district so that if a teacher performs, they are compensated for it; much like other business structures. I only say that because I have witnessed teachers who make a lot of money due to various degrees and/or years of service but are underperforming when compared to other staff. They can be found doing as little as possible and bragging about it while extremely talented teachers are working over 10 hours a day, 7 days a week and being compensated on a minuscule level. My district is no longer paying teachers for their National Board Certification and are thinking about doing the same for Master degrees. Their logic is that these recognitions do not translate to classroom performance. There is a disconnect between learning and application. Therefore, the district wants to reward teachers who are currently performing in the classroom regardless of the amount of recognitions they have acquired over the years. Although I have a master’s degree and National Board Certification, I see the opportunity to make more than what those recognitions currently provide monetarily. That motivates me to do my best and enjoy the financial benefits of such. I think this approach will keep quality teachers in the classroom because they will be compensated for their time, effort and performance. I also think this will weed out any weaker performing teachers because they will not be monetarily rewarded for their time and effort.
• evaluated– This is such a touchy topic because many teachers feel they are not fairly evaluated. In order to ensure that all teachers are evaluated in the same way, an evaluation rubric should be developed, shared with and explained to all teachers. This ensures everyone is on the same page. When an administrator walks through a classroom, leaving feedback based on the rubric is not only helpful but encouraging for teachers because they know its not personal, its objective. For example, instead of leaving feedback that says “what a fun lesson!” it should read “lesson activity was aligned to objective and developmentally appropriate for students.” The teacher now knows they are meeting the requirements of the rubric and it shouldn’t be a surprise when the real evaluation period arrives. On the other side of the coin, if a teacher receives negative feedback it should still be rooted in the rubric and not a personal attack. For example, instead of saying “this is a horrible lesson” the feedback should read “the lesson lacks rigor which will not prepare students to master the objective for end of the quarter assessments. Stop by at the end of today to see your facilitator to brainstorm ideas on how to beef up future lessons in terms of rigor.”
• fired– I spoke briefly about this above, but firing a teacher is another tricky topic. If they blatantly break their contract or show a lack of character then an immediate dismissal is understandable. Examples could be physically hurting a student or using profanity in the classroom. Of course, this also requires a hearing and cooperation with the school district personnel. However, if a teacher is showing up late, not turning in lesson plans or having a rude tone when talking to students does not call for immediate dismissal. The teacher should be approached by the principal in a respectful, private meeting to discuss the area of concern. The principal should create an action plan of sorts so the teacher knows the required steps to improvement as well as the consequences if the steps are not followed. Getting a signature on this document is imperative so that the teacher is held accountable as well as the district will know this discussion took place and that all parties agreed to the actionable steps. A support staff member should check in often with the teacher to provide coaching and other supportive services to ensure the teacher is successful. An action plan should not be a threat nor should it lack follow up or support. This is meant to help the teacher correct their actions in order to meet expectations. If after the pre-agreed upon time frame, the teacher has not improved then dismissal is an option; of course, with the district personnel being involved in the decision. At the end of the day, whatever course of action occurs, it needs to be professional and not personal. (See “Crucial Conversations” for how to do so.)

Lastly, Dana mentioned that “we must focus less on how to rank and fire teachers and more on how to make day-to-day teaching an attractive, challenging job that intelligent, creative, and ambitious people will gravitate toward.” (Goldstein, 2014) I couldn’t agree more. We need to make quality teachers join the workforce and it will take while to change some of the deterring factors, but I am hopeful that any of the above mentioned solutions can put us on the right path to attracting and maintaining quality teachers for the betterment of our kiddos.

What are your thoughts on Dana’s findings in terms of what are the current issues in education and how we can overcome them?

The post Educational Debate – Who, What and How appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Do you ever have a dream but stop yourself from achieving it because of your own personal fears or insecurities?

That’s how I am feeling right now. I recently blogged about having a dream to be an educational consultant and FINALLY admitting to myself and others out loud that I was committing to my dream and taking steps NOW to make that happen. (See post here.)

Before I made this public declaration, which is very important for your own accountability by the way, I had so many reasons and excuses why NOT to achieve this dream. Think of it as a defense mechanism protecting myself from potential pitfalls or embarrassment. But, what if it didn’t end that way? What if I was protecting myself from success and being a valuable influence in my field? That’s much more of a failure than if I just tried and wasn’t successful initially.

I am sure you can relate to the below mentioned reasons I continued to tell myself over the past two years:

• I am too young (okay well, I am sorta young!)- After only 8 years in the classroom, who is going to hire me to be an expert? It took my dad saying, “anyone!” to realize that I shouldn’t sell myself short. Although that might sound bias, what he was saying is if you say you are an expert because of your experience, regardless if you’ve been at it for 1 year or 100 years. I think he has a point. I mean, when looking at my resume I have helped hundreds of people even though at the time I didn’t call it “consulting.” The fact that I am young means I bring a unique perspective. I still remember what its like to graduate college from lots of theory-based educational courses feeling ill-equipped to lead students to success in the classroom. That perspective allows me to have one foot in the past to help those in that transition but also one foot in the future helping teachers continue gaining momentum of instructional effectiveness in the classroom.
• I have never done “consulting” before– Well, that’s not true either. Like I mentioned above, although I didn’t market myself as an educational consultant before doesn’t mean I never consulted for and with teachers. I have been helping teachers for almost a decade through mentorships of student teachers and beginning teachers, team leadership, professional development instruction, teacher coaching etc. It’s not like I taught in a classroom with my door shut never collaborating with other teachers. What’s funny is that that is my passion more than teaching- helping teachers teach. So of course I am an expert and I have definitely done this before!
• I don’t know anything about owning a business– Consulting means I am an entrepreneur (or edupreneur as we call it in my field) and own my own business, but I am a teacher, not a businesswoman. I have no idea what my first step would be. This is also an inaccurate statement. Whenever I don’t know something, I google it. So why couldn’t I just google ‘educational consulting’ and find a mentor to walk me through what to do. I was right, everything was right there where I needed it. Thank you Angela Watson for your guidance! (see post here.)

So hopefully after reading this post you realize that your fears, whether they are the same or different, are also false. My dad calls that “head trash.” Stop talking yourself out of your destiny. Get out there, pull yourself up by your boot straps and take that first step, then the next. YOU GOT THIS!

What excuses are stopping you from achieving your dream?

The post Why I Am NOT Good Enough appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a teacher. I played school with my stuffed animals in my mom’s high heels, passing back blank papers to my living room classroom of “students.” I was hooked and in love with being the best teacher for students. I was inspired by my fun, beautiful teachers that made hard topics easy to understand. As I grew older, I took the necessary steps to become a teacher. I read TONS of books (need any? I have a library full!) and soaked up every moment I could get in a classroom with a real teacher. I had mentors and role models. I finally entered college determined to become the best teacher I could be.

I even began a new dream- I wanted to become a principal. Well, after 8 years in elementary classrooms of both an urban and suburban community, I realized that I wanted to make an impact in education through my leadership capability and teaching experience, but being principal didn’t feel like the right avenue.

I must tell you that I am the only teacher in a family of businessmen (even though our last name means ‘teacher’). My dad is super successful in dreaming big dreams and then taking the necessary steps to accomplish them. He beats to his own drum and is quite good at it. He has always told me to get into business, educational business that is. I had NO IDEA how to do that. To be honest, I am a risk taker like my dad, but that risk… nu uh. That was too scary.

The other day we were talking as I normally call him for all my life and business advice (lucky guy!). He helped me develop a big hairy goal and I know from much of what I have read that if you are not a bit scared of the new journey you are embarking on then you didn’t dream big enough. Well, its safe to say that I am scared out of my mind to forge ahead on my new journey as an educational consultant and not a teacher. (I mean, I spent decades planning to be a teacher, but being a consultant is a new dream that I haven’t prepped myself for- where’s my personal library on this one?)

With that said though, I am super pumped to make a bigger impact. I have loved blogging and interacting with other teachers through social media. I know sharing what I have learned is going to be helpful to lots of teachers out there so its worth a shot, right?

One of my mentors is Angela Watson of The Cornerstone for Teachers. When I stumbled upon her blog 3 years ago, I was hooked on what her journey was all about. She taught and loved it. But then she stepped out in faith and started reaching teachers in new ways, from blogging educational resources to providing professional development to districts of teachers. Talk about inspirational! So I spent the last 3 years developing my social media presence and blogging about my classroom experiences. I am now ready to start stepping out.

I declared to my dad that day that I was ready to do this, like REALLY do it. Well, wouldn’t you believe it, but a day later Angela blogged about how to be an educational consultant?! Awesome timing. She has mentioned this topic before in passing but nothing as thorough as her most recent post (see here). Obviously, I signed up for the full meal deal and CANNOT wait to start my journey.

Stay tuned as I figure this whole thing out, at least in a way that works for me. I encourage you to dream BIG dreams and hold yourself to them by taking that first step.. even if you have no idea where you’re going!

What have you been saying you were going to do but haven’t done yet? 

The post To Be or Not To Be… an Educational Consultant appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I have not been writing as often as I have in the past because I was planning my wedding. But, I am happy to say that I am now back in the swing of things as a MARRIED woman!

Here are a few captured moments from friends and family of our special day:

Stay tuned as I start cranking out blog posts as Mrs. Gretchen Bridgers!!

The post Update: I’m Married! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This past year i have been interviewing future teachers for The New Teacher Project‘s Teaching Fellows programs. At the beginning of the interview, I always share a brief background on myself before diving in to the real questions. So many times the interviewee was inspired by something I said we end up chatting about that a bit more before moving on.

It never occurred to me that what I have learned over the last decade in the classroom would be inspiring; its almost common sense. In fact, I recently wrote a book (Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College) and one of the readers left feedback on the website saying it was common sense and you could find that information on the internet somewhere for free. Although this reader could be right about that, sometimes the greatest inventions are simple and full of common sense, but we just needed someone to point it out. That’s exactly what I intended to do with my book and through sharing my life lessons in teaching with my interviewees.

So what I tell these future teachers is this….

“I have been teaching for almost a decade now, attended numerous professional development sessions on effective teaching techniques, and even lead some myself. But, to be honest, there is something we can all do from day one to be effective and it isn’t fancy or complicated. In fact, you might laugh when I tell you what the secret it… make connections with kids. 

I realized that the more time I spent with my kids outside of the classroom, whether it be at lunch, recess or in the hallway, the better teacher I became. I suddenly knew their interests and how to keep them engaged so I didn’t have to spend hours lesson planning at night. On the flip side of that, students started to come to class early, turn in assignments with extra credit attached, or help me run the classroom. They felt respected and valued because I invested in them as a person. 

I wish someone had told me how valuable making connections could be in the classroom. Students started blossoming academically but also personally. I wish I had realized taking a moment out of a lesson plan to connect was time well spent, you know just crack a joke, or ask about the baseball game last night. When I did these things, my teaching changed for the better. 

I used to think teaching was all about the lesson plan. Make it cool. Make it fun. Be THAT teacher that kids couldn’t wait to learn from. Well, without connections your super awesome lesson plan lands on deaf ears. When you have that foundation of a relationship, students surpass their potential because you are THAT teacher.”

So I share that insight with new teachers in hopes its somewhat helpful on their journey to become an effective educator. As I mentioned, its not rocket science but its something no one told me and so I want to be transparent with future teachers as my way to continue to give back to the profession I love so dearly.

What is one thing a new teacher can do from day one to be effective?

The post How Can I Be an Effective Teacher from Day One? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Please pardon this short rant.

While working out today, I happened to have the pleasure of watching a show with closed captioning as I ran on the treadmill.

I was overly bothered by the misspellings and improper grammar usage that appeared on the screen. It’s obvious accuracy and proper use of the English language are not a priority when one wants to become a closed captioning writer.

More annoying is the question of WHY?

Why do we allow this?

Why do we support this lack of skill for our children to observe?

It teaches them that mediocrity is acceptable and they can get a job doing tasks that require English mastery yet the powers that be won’t enforce it.

Maybe I’m being ridiculous. I mean, how many people use closed captioning anyway? Or who even pays attention to the errors when watching a program with it? In my opinion, if one person is being exposed to it, then that’s one too many.

Come on people, expect better and continue enforcing high expectations! Your future depends on it.

Where else have you noticed a lack of high expectations with English language usage?

The post Closed Captioning = Lack of High Expectations appeared first on Always A Lesson.

When interviewing future teachers I always talk about how important it is to develop a connection with students. I share my perspective, stating:

“I have taught for 8 years, spending 5 of those years in a high needs school. I learned so much about how to be an effective teacher, but more importantly I learned how to connect with kids. My 4^th grade teacher, Ms. Lofy, taught me that learning can be fun when it applies to your daily life, so it was important to me that I had a personal connection with each student- you know, finding out what mattered and was of interest to them. Then I could focus on how to make the content engaging and be of value in their current circumstances. I look back at those years as the moments where I really made my impact as an educator. They needed a consistent and caring role model in their lives.

I love working for TNTP now to help find teachers who want to make that same sort of impact. Our nation’s kids deserve the best and finding a quality candidate to put in every classroom is my way to continue to give back to the community.”

My company’s recent blog post entitled “The Bus to Rikers Island” by Dan Weisberg hit home when I read about his perspective on building connections with students:

“Part of my job was to interview clients to develop a personal profile that could be useful in arguing for a lesser sentence in a plea bargain. School often came up in these conversations. Not surprisingly, very few of our clients had strong academic records, but I was particularly struck by how few had any real connection to school at all. Some were fiercely intelligent: One came to the interview room with a dog-eared copy of Camus’s The Stranger, and I stumbled to answer his questions about the book, not wanting to admit that I hadn’t read it. But many of them hadn’t been to school in a long time. Very few could name a teacher or administrator with whom they had a connection, who might be able to vouch for them.”

Kids are in jail and that could have been avoided if one teacher had connected on a personal level with them… one teacher is all it takes to inspire and motivate a lost or broken child.

We have such an important job- educating the future. We cannot lose them to violence and other avenues where they feel valued or part of something. Those other avenues lure these lost children into a belief that they will be accepted, when in actuality its superficial belonging with high stake circumstances. For example, gangs manipulate others into thinking they can provide this sense of belonging only to truly provide a dangerous life of threats and fear. The same goes for unhealthy relationships – manipulation into a sense of belonging only to be crushed by violence or emotional damage.

We cannot wait until its too late to intervene. Every child is lovable and capable of achieving greatness. Look beyond their current behavior or attitude. That is most likely a cry for help. Don’t take it personally; take it as an invitation to draw closer. Learn their name, favorite food, or biggest hope in life. Adjust your lessons to engage this student’s learning style and include their interests into the classroom as much as possible.

As I mentioned in my testimony above, children just want a consistent and caring role model in their life. When you invest in them as a person and not just a student, that is exactly what you are providing for them. That’s the turning point. That’s where you change the trajectory of their path. They feel important and valued. They feel empowered to have a dream and then go achieve it. You are their life coach and confidant. Teach them their value.

Dan mentions in his post that “the school-to-prison pipeline is the root of the problem, and ending it is an urgent priority. “ He’s absolutely right. As a third grade teacher, I remember hearing how the state looked at our test scores to determine how many prisons they needed to build by the time this group of students hit the legal age of 18. As much as that notion nauseated me, it is a reality. I cannot shudder at the thought and do nothing about it. Research shows that low test scores are related to students who are disinterested in school and find other things to do to occupy their time. This usually results in criminal activity. Thus, the existence of the school to prison pipeline.

Let’s rewind. Why are the scores low? Are the students low performing because they aren’t able to learn? NO! Are the students unable to grow to achieve a level of mastery? NO! Are these scores defining their worth as a human? NO! So if we know these truths, how is the pipeline a reality? If students are able, can grow to a level of mastery, and have worth as a human, then we as teachers must be sure to make that clear. If the student believes any one of those statements, the system wins…we have lost them. Then, their wayward journey to prison begins. Yes, we can implement additional teaching opportunities for the student to grasp the content, but that does not fix the problem at its deepest level.

When I taught 5th grade, I looked into the eyes of one of my pregnant students and saw a young child. She carried a Spongebob backpack and wore ribbons in her hair, yet she was physically advanced in her development as a woman and as a result had acted inappropriately with a neighbor of legal age. Another lost, broken child. I knew her when I taught 3rd grade. Even then she was broken, but not as far along down her unhealthy path. The signs had shown that she placed more emphasis on socializing and doodling than asking a question to aid in her understanding. Her 3rd grade teacher had 20 other students with more apparent learning and behavior difficulties so this child got lost in the shuffle. She was compliant, quiet, and did not display a need for immediate intervention. By the time she had reached 5th grade, so much damage had been done. This child was seeking approval from a man that had convinced her that he loved her. Back to the sense of belonging. So many children do not know their value as a person because no one has told them. Had her teacher sat with her one-on-one and provided instructional support, she would have done better in school. However, the scars of a lost child were deep and already taking over. She needed more than academic attention.

Dan agrees, stating “research shows that strong school attachments reduce the risk of delinquency. Provide these young people with schools that help them excel academically and afford them opportunities to develop strong relationships with adults and they’ll be far less likely to end up at Rikers or incarcerated anywhere else.” He adds “we must also redouble our commitment to ensuring that all young people experience strong attachments in school—and fair school discipline policies—so we can reduce the risk that they’ll ever have to take that terrifying (and life-altering) bus ride. ”

To all of my students, I still remember you, each and every one of you. Each of you has specialized talents inside of you that are different than anyone around you. Tap into that talent and deep desire. Apply yourself. Ask questions and reach out. You are more capable than you know. Take action! I’m here cheering you on each step of the way. And most of all, know that you are loved.

What are some ways to build connections with your students?

The post Connections Breathe Life or Death into Students appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I have written about leadership for quite a while now. It’s not that I know everything there is to know about both effective and ineffective leadership styles and traits; however, I just have had a lot of experience recently with a variety of leaders. Each individual will come with their own bag of tricks. And with that, also comes their own load of baggage. Sometimes its emotional or realistic, but either way I know that no one is perfect as a person or as a leader. With that being said, I do believe the success of a leader depends on how they carry their load, make decisions and communicate.

I want to take a moment to highlight some characteristics I have come into contact with recently that have helped me strengthen my leadership potential and I hope that any leader out there will read this post and reflect so that they too can grow to be more effective, for themselves and those that they lead.

Communication

• Acknowledge feelings but require logical thinking– A lot of disgruntled employees state that their boss didn’t understand how they felt. Many would even say their boss didn’t want to hear about their feelings. However, when you are in the people business you have to account for feelings. It does not mean you allow feelings to win over or fuel the decision making process, but you allow for the opportunity for emotions to be present. In doing so, people feel heard and understood. Once you acknowledge the feeling, it increases the likelihood that everyone will be on board to move forward towards a fact-based, logical solution together. (Ex. “I hear you saying you are frustrated and I can certainly understand why that is so under the current circumstances. How can we move forward, past the frustration, into productivity and success?”)
• Be Open– One way to build rapport with staff is to share honest thoughts with one another- boss to employee and employee to boss. This means, when change is going to come, the boss should share details of the decision so staff can understand the process in making the decision and can then stand behind the decision. If your boss comes in one day and says, “I have just fired two teaching assistants,” the staff would be in an uproar, fighting against administration. Rather, say “I just got word that the budget has been cut by x amount of dollars. I have been looking at areas to cut and the one area that can account for this amount as well as have the least amount of negative impact on our success is to release two teaching assistants. I realize this is bad news and not an ideal situation, but any other scenario would not be in the best interest of students.” The second approach would not make the staff respond in an uproar. There would be tears or frustration most likely, but the staff heard the problem as well as the boss’ steps to solving it. Sharing the rationale as well as how one arrived at the solution is paramount for getting the staff to understand the scary changes that affect them as well as feel part of the mission that they are serving. No one likes change happening to them; they prefer to be part of the change.

Decision Making

• Be Fair and Consistent- Nothing can upset a staff more than a boss that plays favorites. Each staff member deserves the opportunity to thrive and grow, so a leader should invest in each employee equally. Then its up to the employee to maximize that investment to gain additional opportunities for success. Playing favorites also rears its ugly head in terms of not applying consequences for particular staff members who are not meeting expectations. Requirements are for everyone to adhere to and be held accountable to as well.  I have seen school leaders allow their favorite employees to arrive late or not turn in lesson plans, when the school requirement is to arrive on time and turn in lesson plans a week ahead of time. Employees cannot respect a leader that changes the way they make decisions (or hold staff accountable) based on the topic or personnel that it concerns. Or maybe the boss makes a pattern of decisions that are out of convenience. A leader must make decisions that are the best fit for their company’s purpose, that bring value to the whole. That means sometimes making decisions that are hard or uncomfortable.Choosing to support particular staff or initiatives at random will not bring about a healthy working environment, especially in the department of respect and willingness to work from the staff. I have seen school leaders make decisions based on their own interests, like pulling money together for the arts because they themselves were an art major instead of filling a real need at their school site, like installing a safety fence at the recess play area. The behaviors described here are unfair and unprofessional, so be fair and be fair consistently.
• Use a rubric to outline the decision making process– One way to be consistent in decision making is to establish a process for how a company will make such decisions. I simply call it… be transparent. It is even better to include staff in the development of the decision making tool. Once it is created and agreed upon, it must be implemented on a consistent basis. It’s almost like a budget with formulas. Each data point is treated the same way within the formula no matter the number. Therefore, a decision should be made following the same rubric or formula no matter who or what it concerns. If the intent of the process is to make sound decisions that benefit the whole, then believe in the process and use it consistently.

Personal Load

• Keep personal and professional life separate– One of the major rifts between a leader and their staff is the unclear divide of relationship. When you cross lines and become friends with those that work for you, not only is it unprofessional, but it is also a slippery slope. Emotions soar and personal arguments make their way into the working environment and then others suffer. The relationship is strained and before you know it, you can no longer see the line that separates personal from professional interaction. The second part of this equation is the unfair burden placed on staff to deal with the repercussions of a leader’s personal load that they carry to work; whether it be a struggling relationship or financial hardship. There is no reason that stress should be placed on anyone else’s shoulders, except for the one and only person that it belongs to. Grumpy moods because of an argument with a significant other, or an angry tone because of a cancelled babysitter are not reasons to project the stress of a personal load problem on to staff. Personal loads need to remain personal and not become the public’s problem. Check the stress or personal troubles at the door, put everything you can into the staff, and deal with the problem when leaving the workplace.

These are just a few characteristics that stand out to me as making a leader successful. As the title of this post suggests, the leader affects all those they come into contact with and if they are successful, then the whole group is successful, but if they are ineffective, then the whole group is negatively affected. It is so important that leaders require of themselves what they ask of others (be fair), are open to changing their perspective and methodologies (be open), and jump in to the thick of the matter with those that they serve (remain present without bringing personal matters to work).

Remember, each puzzle piece is integral to creating the whole picture. If one puzzle piece thinks they are more valuable than another piece, they cannot adequately fulfill their role as a cohesive group,  throwing off the result of the whole. A leader cannot and should not consider themselves to be more valuable than each person that makes the operation successful, unless of course it could operate solely on their own accord. To be part of something greater than yourself, I believe, is the highest honor. We need leaders that believe in this philosophy and put it into action.

Please share your thoughts on successful characteristics of leaders below.

I encourage input to help this list grow in efforts to impact all sorts of leaders!

The post Leadership Makes or Breaks the Whole appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Many people have asked me questions about the transition I recently made at the end of last summer to leave the classroom. I thought I would compile those questions and my responses into a post that will hopefully help someone else who might be in the same place I once was in.

Where did the idea to leave the classroom come from?

I had always planned to teach a few years and move on, I just didn’t really plan on leaving an elementary school to do it. However, after years of looking for opportunities to grow and expand my leadership capacity I came up short. During this same time that I was searching for my next step, I became very anxious and depressed. As you can imagine, a lot was surrounding me like a group of hungry sharks: new standards, changing standards, new leadership, staff changes, district politics, onslaught of required professional development and meetings, lack of time to plan and teach, etc.  My dad warned me that once I started looking for other opportunities, I might become very unsatisfied with my current work, especially if my search turned up slim results. That’s exactly what happened. Every closed door created a flood of anxious thoughts to the point that I couldn’t stand my current surroundings and state of mind. Enter depression. I thought depression was just an solitary emotion but it turns out it affected much more than my emotions. My creativity and drive were non-existent. I became very worried about my personal health- spiritual, physical and emotional. I knew I needed to do something fast before I had nothing left to give to my students, and that in my eyes would be unacceptable.

When did you know it was the right time to leave?

Funny you ask that. Let’s rewind a bit. A blogger friend of mine, Dana, has sort of turned into my mentor without even knowing it! We met up a few years ago at a blogger event in Columbia, SC when she was the writer of the 3rd Grade Gridiron blog. ( See also: 3rd Grade Gridiron Facebook Page and Teachers Pay Teachers store .) I had been following her blog due to us both teaching 3rd grade and I enjoyed catching up with her in person. We then collaborated on our own blogger meet up right here in Charlotte, NC. During this second gathering, she had mentioned to me wanting to take some time away from the classroom to regroup. She mentioned some of the same grievances I came to know very well. She took a year off from the classroom and regained her sanity of sorts while making products for her TpT store. I thought that was a fantastic idea! She eventually went back to school the following year to teach first grade. (See also: Primary Gridiron Facebook Page and Blog.) She mentioned how much the break reinvigorated her desire to teach and fall in love with it all over again.

That stuck with me. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to take a year off and sell on TpT because I was a fairly new seller and establishing yourself takes a while. However, it did inspire me to think outside of the box. You see, I had only been looking for full-time work elsewhere. I hadn’t thought about part-time opportunities (like TpT) that could help me make ends meet while gaining some time to seek out my next step. That was the beginning of my journey to where I am currently.

To answer your question, I knew the time was NOW (well really last August), but I had no path in front of me. I would not allow myself to leave a secure job without anything to turn to. Time was running out as the summer was ending and I needed to have a solidified job opportunity present itself. My gut told me to go, and at the 11th hour it all came together, so I left.

Is it all what you thought it was cracked up to be? 

Absolutely, yes! Our journeys are so interesting when you can look back and see how each stone lead to the next one, which eventually brought you to where you are currently. Years ago I received an email to my school inbox about helping a local educational non-profit (TEACH Charlotte) over the summer as a teacher coach. I thought “what a great idea!” I was tired of nannying, tutoring and taking on other odd summer jobs. This was tied to my passion and more aligned to what I wanted to be doing on a full-time basis. Although I wanted a break from kids to rejuvenate, coaching teachers would allow me that break! As the seasons changed, I continued to work with TEACH Charlotte in various roles. Each role was providing additional skills for my personal tool belt. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was being groomed for where my journey was leading me. Each role was a badge that made me more qualified for the next role.

Finally, all of my hard work paid off and I was able to take on multiple projects for the parent company The New Teacher Project as my next chapter. Each role I have had in the past gave me the skills to do the projects I am working on now. I am so thankful that I was being prepared before I even knew I needed to be prepared. (Someone is looking out for me!) The perks allow me to smile again and stay on fire for education! I absolutely love the flexibility from an in-home office to an open schedule. Over the holidays, I was still able to work while driving in the car to the beaches of Wilmington and up to the mountains of Blowing Rock, NC. I sat on numerous living room sofas with my lap top and breakfast to get hard to work. Although I work just as hard and probably longer hours, I don’t feel like I am working. That’s when you know you’re in your sweet spot. I love what I am doing and all the pain and suffering waiting for it to arrive was worth it!

What’s in store for you after this?

I don’t quite know. Like the stones behind me, I didn’t know that they were coming at the time. So, I assume my next step will also surprise me when I don’t even expect it. I can imagine it will be in education and potentially with working to help new teachers develop in their classroom effectiveness. I really love doing that! I hope to continue my work with The New Teacher Project, but I know the time I put in now is another badge that will propel me to the next role, wherever that may be.

What advice would you give to teachers who are feeling now what you felt then?

Reflect. You have to be able to identify what you are feeling and locate its source. Without that, you cannot make a healthy decision. Once you know what it is that is making you feel a certain way you can begin to problem solve. For some teachers, changing grade levels is enough to take the stress off (ie. testing). For others, changing schools allows for a sigh of relief (ie. change in leadership). And of course, there will be a small percentage of teachers that need to get out of the profession entirely (ie. job responsibilities/expectations). Like I briefly mentioned earlier, if you are not able to give your best effort which will not be in the best interest of children, you need an immediate change. Many of us teachers can hang on, but we look like hell doing it. It’s not worth it. When you feel your battery dinging for a recharge, listen. Its better to take time to rest and regroup while allowing a peppy, motivated soul to come in and take over, rather than you try to give 100% out of your empty teaching tank. Its like playing in a fast-paced game. You’re running out of breath and energy. You need water and a bench. There is a player on the sidelines fresh and ready to go. Ask to sub out. Allow yourself the break. Let the new energy of the other person to take over. Do it for the team. It’s what’s best for the whole, and the whole refers to all the students in your classroom. You might not need a long break, like my friend Dana, or you might need a longer reprieve. Whatever the time frame, knowing its time to go and acting on it is the best thing you can do.

Feel free to contact me if you are a teacher who is going through a similar situation. I am here to help! 

The post Insight on My New Chapter appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I was recently invited to speak on a 5-member panel to encourage future teachers to achieve their dream of becoming an educator through an alternate route program.

There were two representatives from the RALC (Regional Alternate Licensing Center), one from Teach for America, one from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Pathway to Teaching master’s program, and then I represented TEACH Charlotte.

It was an honor to speak to these career/degree changers about the impact they can have on our future. I am fired up about placing effective teachers in classrooms nationwide, so this was an opportunity to reach more instructional leaders who can influence and inspire our youth to make smart decisions and become successful in any avenue they wish.

Not only did I enjoy talking about TEACH Charlotte and its purpose and mission through The New Teacher Project, but I also loved hearing from all the other members on the panel about the benefits of the programs that they represented. To be honest, I didn’t even know about the RALC, so that was very informative about attaining North Carolina teaching licensure through that route. I also liked hearing from the UNCC master’s program as many of the teachers I have come to know have an undergrad degree in something other than education and decided to go back to school for their master’s to fulfill that desire in their hearts that they had been trying to silence for years. (Which, by the way, that desire only grows stronger the longer you try to silence it so you might as well give in now!)  However, sometimes individuals do not want to take the time to go back to school for a master’s degree so they are attracted to alternate route programs like TEACH Charlotte and Teach for America that provide certification in a few short months. Both programs are very similar, but of course I am a proponent of TEACH Charlotte mainly because its aim is to keep teachers in the classroom where Teach for America allows their participants to change careers after two years. I truly believe kids need consistent leaders in the classroom so that aspect of the program irks me a bit, to be honest.

I had a great time chatting with the audience afterwards and answering their questions. The major concern centered around finances and there are some great programs that offer loan forgiveness, like Teach for America. Some programs partner with school districts that offer a signing bonus, like TEACH Charlotte.  Most programs offer payment plans to help make the financial burden shrink. These options are wonderful and show how each program understands the roadblocks preventing future teachers from diving into their dream.

Overall, I am thankful for alternate route programs. Our nation is in need of great teachers and this avenue is quick and easy. There are lots of leaders out there that would make great teachers, but they think they can never use their talents because it requires too much time and finances to obtain a teacher certification. I hope to continue to get the word out about alternate route certification programs so that more adults will come join the forces of teachers who make such an extraordinary impact. Everyone has something to give and these programs are designed to teach you the necessary techniques to be successful in the classroom. Having years of experience can only be beneficial in the classroom as it enhances the content being taught by sharing its real world application.

Come be part of the mission to provide every child with a quality education provided by a quality teacher. We need YOU!

If you are currently teaching, how did you obtain your certification?

If you are interested in teaching, look at the some of the options listed above and leave your comments below!

The post Want to become a teacher? Try the non-traditional route! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I know I have posted about this topic before, but I truly feel this mindset shift can change education as we know it. Professional development is a lot of talking AT teachers. Even when a teacher gets support from a coach or mentor it is often by more telling. Rarely do teachers have time to practice or do what is being asked of them. Or should I say, they rarely have time to practice and get feedback on their technique before doing it live in their classroom with students.

Since I have chatted about that before, I want to focus this post on how a teacher can get stuck in the same place of telling themselves and others areas for self-improvement followed up without any action. What I am referring to is the “Get it/Do It” gap. Teachers might conceptually understand what is being asked of them and recognize it when they see it in action by others, but translating the skill to perform it themselves is where the gap resides. This is why its so important that teachers have accountability partners, and not just evaluators. They need mentors and coaches to help them put best practices into action consistently. A conversation or evaluative feedback is the start of helping a teacher, but be there to help them close the gap. They are the ones who know why they are struggling to implement feedback or specific techniques and oftentimes, they need someone to have that simple conversation with them. Don’t allow the excuses. Require honest reflection and then planning of next steps. Do Not Do It For Them. Part of the problem for the gap is teachers are handed scripted curriculum from the district or school-level and rarely do much creative planning themselves. Don’t feed this lazy monster. They are used to being told step by step what to do, but getting unstuck is actually a personal problem. The reason behind the “get it/do it” gap is different for each person. Therefore, there is no single recipe for coaches and supporters to give teachers. They must be there, host the conversation, require open dialogue, and hold a teacher accountable to begin stepping into action daily. Consistent accountability will help TELL become DO.

Do you know a teacher that often talks about great ideas but rarely puts them into action? Be their accountability partner. Help them figure out why they can’t put their ideas into action and then stay by their side throughout a consistent implementation. This isn’t a 30 minute conversation. This is a journey that lasts days, weeks, months, and/or years. If you care that students receive a quality education, care enough to help the teacher become their best self for their students. Its an investment from every stakeholder; one that benefits the community immeasurably more.

Here are some helpful questions to help a teacher become a Do’er:

• What feedback have you gotten lately about your performance as a teacher?
• What pieces of feedback have you begun to implement?
• What pieces of feedback have you yet to implement?
• Let’s start with the first piece of feedback you haven’t yet implemented. What barrier stands in your way to put this into practice now? (repeat with each piece of unimplemented feedback)
  • How did this barrier get there?
  • What can you do to overcome it?
  • What can I do to help you overcome it?
• What techniques/strategies/ideas have you dreamed about implementing into your own classroom, but have yet to try?
• Let’s start with the first technique/strategy/ideas you dreamed about. What barrier stand sin your way to put this into practice now? (repeat with each technique/strategy/idea)
• • How did this barrier get there?
  • What can you do to overcome it?
  • What can I do to help you overcome it?
• Now that we have figured out what you need to implement and why you have struggled to do it, let’s talk next steps.  After listing out each piece of feedback as well as technique/strategy/idea you have dreamed about implementing it is time to prioritize these tasks. What is the most important task on this list that will benefit the students the most?
  • What is your first step to implementing this step? (continue jotting steps until the task is fully implemented on a daily basis)
  • (complete this process with each task on the list and develop “check-in” points for you as the mentor and support to ensure the items are getting checked off the list)

Remember, changing a teacher from a teller to a doer is hard work and time consuming. But you’re not just helping one person. By helping the teacher you are affecting 20+ students in the classroom. They will have a more effective teacher that opens the door to more opportunities for their own success. Bravo for stepping up to the plate to give back to your profession. Before you completely rid yourself of the support to this particular teacher, give one last directive. Require that they pass it forward and provide the same accountability to a fellow teacher who needs the support. Now you can rest assured that a domino effect is in motion and more students will begin to receive the positive influence of having a strong teacher leader in their lives.

What other questions should we add to this list to help a teacher get unstuck and move to action?

The post No more “Tell;” it’s time to “DO!” appeared first on Always A Lesson.

So I had a few questions about how to interact on Twitter, especially through chats. So in addition to my first post about Twitter chats thats full of other helpful links, I decided to write more of a how-to post to help some of the educators out there take a risk and try something new. I feel so passionately about the PD that is offered through a Twitter Chat that I do not want anyone to miss out on it.

Download Tweetdeck on your Device or Load in your Browser.

Tweetdeck allows you to “watch” multiple chats at once instead of waiting for new posts to show up in your Twitter feed. Here is an example:

As you can see, I have columns of chats open so I can “watch” the conversations develop. (Don’t feel overwhelmed by this screen shot! I started “watching” one chat at a time and eventually learned how to multi-task “watching” a variety of chats. Your screen does not need to look like this one.) Each chat has a different topic so depending on my mood for the evening, I might tune in to just one chat or all of them. You can rearrange your tabs (drag and drop) depending on which chats you want to “watch” so that you do not have to scroll back and forth on the page. Obviously when you first open Tweetdeck no chats will be open because you haven’t added them. On the left hand side of the page is your menu. Click on the “+” button to add a column. It will prompt you with what TYPE of column you want open (I usually pick the “Search” button so I can type in the name of the chat I want to add). If you accidentally add a column you do not want, click on the icon on the right hand side of the column you wish to delete and a drop down menu will appear. Then click “remove.”

Find out what chats you want to follow.

There are a TON of chats on Twitter. You will want to start with one that you are passionate about. For me, I love helping new teachers so I began with #ntchat [n= new, t = teacher, chat = chat :)]. How did I find this chat? Click here. I found a schedule online that shows all the chats that occur in terms of day/time/duration etc. Talk about a Type A resource! THANK YOU! Log on to Twitter at the time of the chat and be sure to have the chat loaded in Tweetdeck so you can see it unfold. You don’t have to participate until you are ready. Just “watching” a chat is helpful!

Begin Chatting.

A Twitter chat is lead by a moderator, another Twitter user. They decide the topic they want to discuss and pre-plan a list of questions they want to ask the Twitterverse during an hour long chat, on average. (You can pop in and out of a chat; you are not forced to stay the entire time). All chats begin with some sort of ‘introduce yourself’ question so you can always have that typed up and ready to go (don’t forget, you only have 140 characters to work with so be concise). You must use the twitter chat hashtag in your answer or it will not populate in the chat feed. This means, if #ntchat asks an introduction question and I reply: Hi, my name is Gretchen. I am tweeting from Charlotte. Glad to be here. it will not show up to others who are chatting because I forgot to include the hashtag. It will show up for anyone that currently follows me, but not as part of the chat. So my post instead should read: Hi, my name is Gretchen. I am tweeting from Charlotte. Glad to be here. #ntchat. Now my answer will be seen by anyone participating in the chat because I added the hashtag. The chat will continue by using a universal format of Q1/A1 (Q = question, A = answer). That means the moderator will ask a question indicated by a number (Q1: Who inspires you?) and you respond with your own answer by the same number (A1: My 4th grade teacher who pushed me to try out for a play that allowed me to gain confidence in my public speaking skills). And if your responses are of interest to others they will favorite your answer (the star icon), retweet it (the recycle looking icon), or reply right to you (the arrow icon). They often will then click on your name and begin to follow you too!

What makes a chat useful is when you share your life experience and advice. I have learned so much about best teaching practices from ideas that other educators shared through a chat. So if you like something that someone else says, give it a star. If you really really love it, retweet it. And if you want to add on to what they have said, hit reply. Just don’t forget to add the chat hashtag to every tweet you place during that chat time frame.

What if I want to partake in multiple chats? How do I differentiate my responses? Good question. Although all of your responses will show up on your personal page and your followers will see each one, if you only hash tag one chat then that chat will only see that response. So don’t worry about your responses confusing other tweeters if its of a different topic because they are most likely following just that one particular chat hashtag. For example, let’s say I am participating in #ntchat and #edchat. I can respond to questions on both chats by placing the correct hashtag after my response.

Teaching is a struggle the first month of the school year because students are learning procedures. #ntchat 

<send>

I think parent communication can strengthen a student’s academic skills because they have leaders at home and school to hold them accountable. #edchat

<send>

Even though my tweets were back to back #edchat only saw the one that had its hashtag and #ntchat only saw the one with its hashtag. (Unless you mix up the hash tags, your responses will go where they belong and make sense to those participating or “watching” the chat.)

So, thats it friends. It’s very simple once you try it out. Remember, you do not have to set up your Tweetdeck to look my the screenshot above. Start small and easy with one chat. As you gain momentum and comfortability with twitter chats, add one more on to your plate. Before you know it, you’ll be a twitter extraordinaire!

As I have said multiple times on my blog and Facebook page, it is so important for educators to be life-long learners. The best PD comes out of these chats and the best part is, you don’t have to leave your couch to learn from it! So get on Twitter and give it a shot! Then come back here and tell me how it went!

[Learn how to connect with knowledgeable individuals in your niche with my FREE Webinar. Click here.]

What questions do you still have about Twitter chats?

The post Twitter Chat: How-To appeared first on Always A Lesson.

(Confession: I originally titled this post: “Building A Better Teacher” Book Review. However, I feel its important to get this book in the hands of many, and I know my thoughts below might persuade a few people to do so if only I had an interesting title to catch their eye.)

Recently, I stocked up on books I wanted to read about education and teaching and spent much of my summer devouring the contents (hence, the above photo I took at my neighborhood pool). Click on the following titles to read my previous book review posts: “Real Talk for Real Teachers” by Rafe Esquith and “The Smartest Kids in the World” by Amanda Ripley.

I just finished my third book: Building A Better Teacher- How Teaching Works (and How to Teach it to Everyone) written by Elizabeth Green. She is a journalist who provides insight on the many reforms of the U.S. educational system as well as what qualities make great teachers. The title caught my eye because as a Teacher Development Coach, my job is to build strong teachers through the use of effective teaching technique implementation and feedback. I like the idea “building,” you know, making good teachers great, especially because “life-long learning” is a buzz word in schools now. This book was right up my alley!

This first paragraph on the front insert sleeve reads, “Everyone agrees that a great teacher can have an enormous impact. Yet we still don’t know what, precisely, makes a teacher great. Is it a matter of natural-born charisma? Or does exceptional teaching require something more?” This has to be the best hook of an educational book I have read in quite some time! My passion for helping new teachers become powerful and effective educators is fueled by this statement. Yes, teachers make an impact more than we sometimes know. I also agree that no one really knows what makes a great teacher. That recipe is a mystery as various effective teachers are lined up next to one another. They are all unique and have a perspective and approach that’s unlike any other. Yet, each of them is successful. There must be something they each have in common. So off Elizabeth went to find this truth and I was sure to follow right on her heels!

President Obama once said “The single most important factor determining [a student’s] achievement is not the color of their skin or where they come from; its not who their parents are or how much money they have. It’s who their teacher is.” I couldn’t be happier that in my lifetime statements as bold as this are not only shared but believed by many. It’s meaning couldn’t be truer. The statistics for the ripple effect that a student endures from having one ineffective teacher is catastrophic. Multiply that by billions due to the many districts full of “paycheck” teachers; you know, the ones who show up, have a heart beat, and contribute little? Don’t believe me? Elizabeth sheds light on this point. “In New York, for instance, the pass rate for the teacher certification exam in 2009 was 92 percent. By comparison, the pass rate for the cosmetology certification exam was 59 percent.” We make it easy to become a teacher so we attract “paycheck” minded people.

Our children are our future and they deserve better. How can we expect our future to be bright if we do not sow the seeds for that to happen? Providing high quality teachers to each and every child is an investment, not only in them but in our future. We will not always be here, so our successors need to be as good if not better than what and who we are. They must contribute and innovate at a much faster rate to help the U.S. not only keep its global advantage but for the humane betterment of us all.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the educational system in Finland, mainly its teachers. The data suggests that students are outperforming the U.S. by great lengths. What’s even more fascinating is the view of education by its Finnish citizens. The Chicago Teachers Union shared this view, “Teaching is a respected, top career choice; teachers have autonomy in their classrooms, work collaboratively to develop the school curriculum, and participate in shared governance of the school. [Teachers] are not rated; they are respected.” WOW. Its as if describing another land where what teachers contribute is valued not solely by words but by actions. Americans SAY they support educators and admire the impact they have on children, but the money only trickles in for us to continue to provide high quality education. When it comes time to act on our believes and make our actions follow suit with our words, Americans fall flat. Teaching is not respected here. It’s certainly a popular career choice but not a “top” choice. Many people do it out of necessity for its schedule, but many also do it because college preparatory courses are pretty manageable and easy. Teachers will not be respected as professionals if the standards to become one continue to be lenient and lack rigor. Large school districts cannot give their teachers autonomy because they have to keep close tabs on all the moving parts. Thus, teachers become robots. States used to create standards, certainly not teachers, but with the Common Core its now the U.S. government dictating what to teach. Back to robots. Lastly, as if you couldn’t guess, teachers certainly have little to do with governing the school. Even worse, principals don’t either. We are all hamsters on a wheel. Some last longer than others, but most of us drop off when we just can’t take it anymore.

Elizabeth explains, “The cold truth is that accountability and autonomy, the two dominant philosophies for teacher improvement, have left us with no real plan. Autonomy lets teachers to succeed or fail on their own terms, with little guidance. Accountability tells them whether they have succeeded, not what to do to improve. Instead of helping, both prescriptions preserve a long-standing culture of abandonment.” No middle ground has been established. Therefore, “The average teacher will figure out how to become an expert teacher-alone” she says. Not much of an impact there, and at the expense of our children’s future.

HOW AND WHY IS THIS OKAY? 

It saddens me to think that nothing is urgent when it comes to education. Parents feel urgency when it comes to their own child, but suddenly when their child is lumped into the masses of students across the country, working quickly and efficiently to find answers falls on deaf ears with a lack of support. We need a solution and we need it now.

Connecticut Congressman Abraham Ribicoff agreed and responded, “increasing spending per pupil, more and better libraries and books, education devices- wont solve the crisis in our schools.” We keep throwing money at schools haphazardly thinking the new program, manipulatives, or resources will be the next big reform.”The same old wine in new bottles;” Elizabeth accurately described this reform merry-go-round. “Things” do not make students learn and achieve at high levels. “Things” alone will not reform our educational system. However, teachers, the ones providing a service from their talent, can overhaul this very corrupt and lost system. (Refer to A Nation at Risk written in the 1980’s to get an accurate picture of this.) But we must allow teachers to be the leaders in the reform; they’re the key ingredient.

“The Teaching Gap,” written by James Stigler and James Hiebert, said “Standards set the course, and assessments provide the benchmarks, but it is teaching that must be improved to teach us along the path to success.” They’re right. We need to dig into what defines great teaching and how we get more teachers doing it. One of the educational gurus and entrepreneurs mentioned in Chapter 6 of the book is my all-time favorite, Doug Lemov (author of the book for new and aspiring teachers “Teach Like a Champion“). He was able to create a successful link of schools named Uncommon Schools where he bred great teachers. They realized they couldn’t hire high quality teachers because that pool was limited and dried up once others began to get the same idea. Therefore, he had to create a team of people to help make any teacher great. His book is a list of teaching techniques that highly effective teachers utilize and therefore serves as an almost “how-to” book for newbie teachers. (Even after 8 years in the classroom, this book changed the way I taught and allowed me to not only have a stronger perspective on delivery of a high quality education every moment of each day, but I was able to share this knowledge with my mentees, student teachers, and multiple new teachers I coached through the help of The New Teacher Project.) “The job of administrators” he went on to say  “was not to punish bad performers for poor teaching. It was to give them opportunities to learn. To teach them.” Yes! Teach teachers. It’s a novel idea considering most people think teachers were natural born classroom leaders out of the womb and can figure it out on their own, but they actually can’t. Not only that, but most teachers are not born natural teachers, they are built through ongoing support and guidance. No other professional field puts an individual in the arena without proper practice and tools. Oh wait, that’s what happens to teachers. They’re expected to be great and if they’re not, they’re expected to figure it out. Good luck and good riddance. What a message this sends to the ones creating our future leaders’ paths of influence.

I found it interesting, through the various classrooms the book let you become a voyeur and all the stories shared along the way, that many successful people in our society were bred out of memorization and compliance. They did little thinking out of the box yet lived in an innovative world. How did their education prepare them for the work force they now face? What about the opposite experience; the example of the 12 year old Brazilian boy who was selling coconuts on the side of the road. He was able to accurately calculate a customer’s purchase with ease; however, once in the classroom with the same numbers and same multiplication equation he didn’t know where to begin. Some would look at this student as a failure. He can’t do math. On the contrary, he can do math in very authentic settings with accuracy and ease. That is something to celebrate and reward. He can function effectively in society, not the student that can crunch numbers like a calculator while sitting in perfect formation under a desk for hours. What do we value? What are we preaching? What will help students become successful in the world around them? That is what we need to teach. That is what we need to cultivate out of teachers.

What’s even more fascinating is that Japan had looked to the U.S. for how to make their educational system better. We had such knowledgeable teachers in the field writing and reporting on their findings. All Japan did was read and implement. Suddenly, they excel WITH OUR IDEAS. How is it that someone else can take our ideas and make them work but we, the originators, cannot make it work? This infuriates me. We have the knowledge. We have the tools. But we’re blind. Outsiders can make sense of our formula. We’ve had it all along. We just don’t know how to translate our own findings. What an embarrassment.

This book is full of stories of real teachers who have made an impact and helped our country’s educational system progress. But its also full of a lot of sad realities, especially when looking at the data, that will surely stir up some feelings inside. I highly encourage all citizens who care for their future to read this book, not only to understand where we came from but where its headed, because its bound to be the same place. We need a knowledgeable society to stand up for teacher’s rights for providing a high quality education to all students. That means higher standards for preparatory courses so that we produce quality teachers reflective of the degree they earned, higher accountability standards once teachers are changing lives in the classroom, but most importantly, expert teachers who can provide feedback to teachers in the trenches so that they all can grow to be the most effective asset to a child’s success both in life and learning.

Elizabeth Green is a talented writer and her work is an inspiration for what we must achieve as a nation. Go out and be part of the solution!

Any an all perspectives on the U.S. educational system are welcome to share! 

The post How Badly do you Want a Better Future? Are you Willing to Build it? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently read a book called “Building a Better Teacher” by Elizabeth Green. She journaled about the journey of the U.S. educational system. It was extremely thought provoking but infuriated me at the same time. I am thankful for how far our educational system has come, the funding and support behind quality teaching, and all the entrepreneurs out there trying to make newer and more effective schools through their investment of finding and producing quality teachers.

However, I think completely overhauling educational programs is not the answer. Teachers need to be trained and hired under more rigorous requirements and then held accountable through multiple evaluations of both the teacher and student. The only system that will truly allow U.S. students to gain momentum in the global achievement race is one that is multifaceted, accounting for multiple factors while allowing teachers and students opportunities to grow.

I do believe that some teachers are natural in the classroom. Some might even say that these individuals were born to teach. That doesn’t mean other teachers are not born to teach or that they will never be successful in a classroom. It just means that the ones where teaching comes naturally to them, are a step ahead in the training portion of the process. They still remain in the race because they also need coaching, it just might look different than someone coming in without any experience or natural talent. The commonality between all teachers is that they are coachable to become better versions from where they began.  Without this belief, we leave natural teachers alone hoping they teach themselves to be more effective. We all know that’s not realistic nor helpful. Then we focus all of our time evaluating beginning teachers thinking each observation or each assessment is going to magically make that teacher better. Both approaches make neither type of teacher more effective. In fact, it makes them both worse.

So, here we are… all teachers need to be coached.

I have fallen in love with coaching new teachers and am so thankful that I work for The New Teacher Project that allows me to help new and upcoming teachers! It has shed light on so much about my own teaching journey that I wish I could go back and change. [See my post here.] But, at least its better late than never and I was able to incorporate all that I was learning as a coach to perfect my own teaching practices. Thank you Doug Lemov and your fabulous book of highly effective teaching techniques! This book is one piece to the puzzle. Teachers need a mentor or coach to help prioritize the techniques outlined in the book. Trying to master all techniques just muddies the water and decreases a teacher’s effectiveness. Start with one technique, read about it, watch it in action from a mentor or expert, practice yourself,with experts and then receive feedback from these same experts.

Normally teachers are asked to read books for professional development purposes, most often in the summer as a project. A small discussion might follow, but generally that’s were the insight stops. Teachers don’t have enriching discussions to elicit more understanding nor do they see the approach in action. They certainly do not even practice it. They are told to bring the topic or strategy back to their classrooms and make it work. But even then, they do not receive feedback on how well they did it or how to improve. They might receive an evaluation with a score and a few sentences of how to score better on the rubric, but no connection to authentic learning and teacher effectiveness as a whole.

If you’re not a teacher reading this, you might find this laughable. Teachers, you know deep down how true this actually is and how damaging it has been to your own growth. If teachers are to preach life-long learning to students, then they must model that themselves by asking for help and then receive it from experts. Yes, Doug Lemov’s book was helpful, and because I am self-motivated I practiced by myself to perfect my craft. But, let’s be honest. Lots of people out there aren’t like me and thus need the guidance. Even after reading and practicing on my own, an expert’s insight on my performance and ways to improve were not present. So even with my drive and determination I fell flat. I had tools, but did not have all the necessary tools to lead to improvement.

This is why its so important that any educational reform be one that is multi-faceted. There is not one magic pill to cure it all. Education requires a skill set that is so intricate and extensive that a one size fits all, or one type of bandaid will not suffice. Whatever it might be needs to provide the necessary literature, discussion, practice, and most importantly on-going feedback. Don’t just tell teachers in the moment how they are doing, but follow up with them often. Hold them accountable for being better each time. That is how we revolutionize teaching, a step forward with each brick that we lay.

A teacher coach is one part of the equation, but a significant part. This is an expert in the field who can spot under par characteristics quickly and provide actionable feedback to get a teacher back on track towards effectiveness. Expert eyes and ongoing support, through modeling, discussion and feedback, will allow all teachers to become better for the sake of our children.

What forms of coaching can help more teachers quickly? How has coaching changed your teaching for the better?

The post Coaching- How a Teacher Becomes Better appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I’ve been reading a lot about how to mentor teachers and train them effectively, but what bothers me is that teachers deserve better. Why do they have to be trained after receiving a college degree in education? Why do they need to be coached in subjects in which they hold a master’s degree? How is it that all of these certifications leave a teacher unknowledgeable, so much so that a coach has to come along and work intensively with a teacher to get them up to par? HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? Why are we not intervening sooner? As teachers we are expected to teach students and at the first sign of “not measuring up,” we provide support. Then we continue to provide support until they no longer need it. But surely we do not release them into the world only to catch up with them after graduation and say “Hey! Congrats! By the way, you’re not quite ready yet so I am now going to train you.” What have all the past years of education been worth?

The same is true with a teacher education. Why spend so many years going through courses after courses if you are not set up to be successful in the classroom? How do so many teachers get passed on through a program, but then the districts have to clean it up? That is unfair to the students, administration, and most of all to the teacher themselves. It’s as if every teacher did not read the fine print about having to pay additional fees after paying the final bill. #penalty

I look back at my own educational journey and am very disappointed. I went to a great college, was extremely involved in educational clubs on campus, and even was placed in classrooms as early as sophomore year. But, I graduated still not ready to teach. I had to attend numerous professional development courses just to get the information about “HOW” to teach. Wait a minute…didn’t I just spend 4 years doing that? Then I received my master’s degree and continued to have to receive professional development sessions to hone my craft. Was I not learning? How is it that I am STILL failing? Where did all my years of education go? I later even received my National Board Certification and finally I felt like “Wow. I get it.” 5 years after entering the classroom I finally had it. Well I surely wouldn’t want a doctor operating on me if he still had 5 more years to “figure it out.” Why is this standard acceptable for teachers?

My current job allows me to coach teachers. I LOVE IT! I get to see the “aha” moments almost daily. Getting into a classroom and giving a prompt to tweak the teacher’s performance has proven to be highly successful for both the teacher’s effectiveness but also student learning. This is what all my college courses should have been like- get in the classroom, give it a shot, then the coach will help you. Instead we spent time replaying the history of education and praising major contributors to its development over the years. Although this provides an insight into where education has come from and where it is going, its not going to make a teacher effective. Student teaching should not be a few weeks at one or two schools. It needs to be a year long experience at multiple schools of varying student body composites and leadership styles. How else can a teacher hone their craft and ensure it applies in multiple scenarios?

If I could design a college program for training teachers, I believe it would look something like this:

• Year 1 (Freshman)- Attend “core” courses (subject basics) + intro to educ (history/trends)
• Year 2 (Sophomore)- Observations in local classrooms + methods classes  (“how to…”)
• Year 3 (Junior)- Observations in local classrooms + methods classes of rigor (beyond the basics of content delivery)
• Year 4 (Senior)- Student Teaching in 4 schools (1 per quarter; various economic and racial populations & administrative styles)

GRADUATION & ACQUIRE A JOB

• Year 1 (Novice)- Assigned a full-time coach to ensure rigorous instruction and effectively reaching all learners; a grade- level expert colleague is assigned as a mentor who checks in daily
• Year 2 (Collaborative)- A coach now groups teachers based on effectiveness and intervenes appropriately throughout the year based on need; same mentor checks in as needed
• Year 3 and beyond (Expert Mentor)- The teacher now serves as a mentor to other new teachers by observing and coaching as needed

Although this program is designed to ensure the teachers that graduate are ready to head into the classroom, coaches are still assigned for accountability purposes. This ensures teachers continue to improve and work towards mastery. Its a safety net that not all teachers will need, but if its not put into place as a precaution teachers will slip through the cracks. The following years decrease in the amount of support from both the coach and mentor. Some teachers might begin at this step or even pass by the support of the first two years; the hope for most teachers. But again, you cannot assume that all teachers will be able to hit the ground running at top speed. However, with a solid preparation and the support once on their own, teachers have the opportunity to succeed at a faster rate than what is available to them now.

I am passionate about coaching teachers, but I am even more passionate about doing justice in the preparation of future teachers. Give them what they deserve- the correct training. That way when they graduate and head into a classroom they are ready to excel and change lives instead of tread water and attend billions of professional development sessions. We ask teachers to step up the rigor in their classrooms. Well, how about we step up the rigor of their training so that they can be more rigorous in the classroom? It’s only fair to ask of them what we are able to give them.

What is the key to an effective teacher training program?

The post The Best Way to Train Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Guess what?! I just published my very first book! In college, I had an interest in writing children’s books and even went through a few courses during my free time. I enjoyed it and knew I would write a book at some point. Although, I didn’t get around to publishing any of the children’s stories I began to write, I never let go of the dream!

Once I began teaching, I wrote down ideas from veteran teachers and my mentors on index cards. These cards helped me at the beginning of each successive school year as a reminder of what I could do to continue being a rockstar teacher. A lot of the advice I had forgotten over the course of the year, so rereading these cards each summer to gear up for the next school year was helpful. I added so many ideas to this index card box that eventually I had to buy another!

I realized I had a lot of knowledge shared with me and I should probably share it with others. So, each student teacher I had I would allow them to go through my index card box and steal ideas. I knew this was part of my passing the torch duty but my audience was very few.

Two years ago, I began working part-time after school hours with The New Teacher Project via TEACH Charlotte. Here I was able to coach new teachers. Aha! A bigger venue to share my index card knowledge! This helped me feel like I was really paying it forward for all the help that was once given to me.

However, as you have probably guessed by now, I still felt there was more I needed to do to help other teachers. As I looked at the massive amounts of index cards in front of me, I realized that in order to be efficient and organized I should write them down in one file on the computer to alleviate the carrying around of multiple index card boxes. This would also allow me to share my knowledge with a mass audience instead of one person at a time (not to mention save time from having to reorganize the cards if not placed back correctly).

So here we are… the file of index cards in one neat and tidy book.! I am so proud that I followed my dream and am officially an author! I encourage all you educators out there to purchase a copy, add your own advice on the inside cover, and pass on to a new teacher at your school. We all have something to contribute to our future generations, and this is one way to ensure the success continues- no secrets here!

Don’t worry, I have already started on my next book and YES it’s a children’s book! I cannot wait to help children through the use of an interactive text, interesting pictures, and an inspiring message. I’ll be sure to post about it when its official too!

Thank you to all of you who have read my blog and encouraged me to continue writing. A huge THANK YOU to the company that made this all possible:

Click here to order from Outskirts Press at a 10% discount. Click here to order from Amazon at full price.

(Interested in writing a book yourself? Click here!)

I dedicated this book to all 5 of nephews in hopes that they will always have highly effective teachers to help them achieve their dreams. Recently, my brother sent me this photo of 2 of my nephews pretending to read my book. Such a sweet moment!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my book! Leave your comments below! 

The post Officially Published- my first book! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

My summer has been very busy with lots of reading! [See my previous post on “Real Talk for Real Teachers” by Rafe Esquith]

Yesterday I finished this great book: “The Smartest Kids in the World” by Amanda Ripley. It caught my attention in the “education” section of a local bookstore because of my current work with so-called “bright” students. The part of the title that made me pick up the book was “and how they got that way.” As an elementary school teacher, I wanted to know what else I could be doing to challenge my gifted learners so that they could continue to be successful both in and outside the classroom. I was especially interested in how I could help students become more globally competitive and I thought that this book might shed some light on just how to do that!

The author, Amanda Ripley, was interested in the educational system of the US and how it fared in comparison to the world. She was well aware that we are not on the top of the list for test scores or achievements when comparing students across the globe. As a journalist, she set out on a search to find out what the magic equation might be that our current educational system is lacking that could help us catch up with the rest of the world.

Amanda followed several American exchange students abroad to countries such as Poland, Korea and Finland. Hearing the research on foreign educational systems was eye-opening, but hearing the account of the personal stories from the exchange students is what was really captivating about this story. Check out video interview with the students here!

The best chapter of this book was Chapter 9, entitled “the $4 million teacher.” Because this chapter is my favorite and caused me to be astonished, I won’t share much except to say YOU GOTTA READ THIS BOOK, especially this chapter!

Don’t forget to read the appendix where Amanda Ripley gives you 5 ways to “spot a world-class education.” She is accurate and bold in her statements. Each characteristic is not earth shattering, but it is essential. America can make these possible changes, we just must all share the same vision and do our part of the process well.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

• “You cannot measure what counts in education- the human qualities.” father of Andreas Schleicher (German scientists who helped create the PISA test that helped compare the educational performance of students in various countries)
• “Spending on education did not make kids smarter. Everything- everything- depended on what teachers parents and students did with those investments.” Amanda Ripley
• “Without data, you are just another person with an opinion.” Andreas Schleicher
• “The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.” Korean policymaker
• “Kids who had high expectations for themselves, who planned to finish school and go to college, were significantly more likely to graduate high school.” Amanda Ripley

A few sad truths about the United States from Amanda Ripley:

• (Reference: college admission standards for the field of education) “To educate our children, we invited anyone- no matter how poorly educated they were- to give it a try. The irony was revealing, a bit like recruiting flight instructors who had never successfully landed a plane, then wondering why so many planes were crashing.”
• “The United States produced nearly two and a half times the numbers of teachers it needed each year.”
• “Once it became harder to be a teacher, it could also become more attractive. More people might want to do it, and fewer established teachers might leave the profession.”
• “Incredibly, at some U.S. colleges, students had to meet higher academic standards to play football than to become teachers.”
• “Less than 1/2 of American high-school math teachers majored in math. Almost a third did not even minor in math.”
• “American kids didn’t study much because, well, they didn’t have to.” (low requirements and demand of showcasing knowledge)
• “Combined with less rigorous material, higher rates of child poverty and lower levels of teacher selectivity and training, the glorification of sports chipped away at the academic drive among US kids.”

Thank you to Amanda…This is why I love Finland:

• “Finland had the smartest kids in the world.”
•  “Teenagers in Finland did less homework than Americans, but scored at the top of the world on international tests.”
•  “Being a teacher in Finland was prestigious, like being a doctor here.”
•  “The Finns rebooted their teacher training colleges, forcing them to become much more selective and rigorous.”
•  “The only way to get serious about education was to select highly educated teachers, the best and brightest of each generation, and train them rigorously.”
•  “Now that teachers had been carefully chosen and trained, they were trusted to help develop a national core curriculum, to run their own classrooms, and to choose their own textbooks. They were trained the way teachers should be trained and treated the way teachers should be treated.”
•  ” School leaders and teachers were free to write their own lesson plans, engineer experiments within their schools to find out what worked, and generally design a more creative system than any centralized authority ever could.”
•  “The government conducted standardized testing of targeted samples of students” instead of every student in every school like the U.S.
• “Without highly educated and well-trained teachers and principals, kids could make only limited progress each year.”

Amanda helped paint this picture about Finland : Selective teacher colleges –> more time spent on rigorous instruction instead of catching up and attending training –> stable teachers who are unlikely to leave the profession —> larger class sizes –>  pay decently –> turn out successful students. Well I can see the domino effect here. If we start by having rigorous standards who who becomes a teacher, then hire the cream of the crop, of course they can dive in to rigorous instruction because they are prepared to do so. We can spend our money on salaries instead of on professional development. This book has shown that the US spends more than other countries per pupil and the results are lacking. That tells me we are not making the right choice in what we pour money into- put it into the talent, the teachers!

I am so glad I did not grow up in Korea:

Students spend most of their days learning. It is such a problem, that the country had to put a curfew in place to cut students off from studying. Law enforcement patrols the study centers to ensure students are released and not hiding in a corner with a flashlight studying. I cannot even wrap my head around this! Students are so tired from the long days of study that they sleep through most of the regular school day (and mentioned those teachers are boring), helped clean up the school after hours, and then reported to a study center to continue the learning. Here the teachers are paid by the parents and make a really nice living. They are invested and creative. No sleeping in these classes. Students are in school until 10 pm daily. I cannot imagine learning for that amount of time in one single day. My brain would be on overload. I don’t blame them for sleeping in class! “Korean parents saw themselves as coaches, while American parents tended to act more like cheerleaders.” I can see how this is true as the Korean parents told their children how they can do something better and continue to achieve to be better where American parents are applauding for participation and a good smile. This educationally hyper focused society, also referred to as having “education fever,”  has been nicknamed “the pressure cooker,” and I can surely see why!

Cool Facts: 

No matter what country you come from. “When children were young, parents who read to them every day or almost every day had kids who performed much better in reading.” “Parents who discussed movies, books, and current affairs with their kids had teenagers who performed better in reading.” Amanda Ripley

Jelani Mandara from Northwestern University shares his research on the different parenting styles (authoritarian, permissive, neglectful and authoritative). It revealed that “Kids with authoritative parents had higher academic achievement levels fever symptoms of depression, and fewer problems with aggression, disobedience, and other antisocial behaviors.” “Authoritative parents trained their kids to be resilient, and it seemed to work.”

This book does a great job of making you think. What are your thoughts on what I presented or what you have read yourself on the topic of the quality of education around the world? 

The post “The Smartest Kids in the World”- Book Review appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Throughout the year, I had heard students speak of events occurring to them and around them as being “unfair”- lunch times, length of recess, not getting invited to a birthday party, missing specials for testing, etc. So I asked students to get two sheets of paper: one to brainstorm and one to write.

“Boys and girls, today you get to write about something you’re passionate about.” I began. Boy, did that get their interest. “You are to write about any topic that you view as unfair.” Lots of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” followed.

I had students brainstorm a list of topics that resonated with them as being unfair. I used the example of people who park in a handicapped space at the grocery store that do not have the appropriate tag to do so. We also discussed a few of the events that occurred at school that year that they had made mention of as being unfair. This got students thinking. They began to jot ideas on their paper for things that they found unfair, from home to school to the world around them.

I could tell the energy in the room began to rise as their pencils furiously wrote down their thoughts. Some students realized they struggled to come up with multiple points to support their idea of something being unfair and quickly began to write on another topic. (Hmm…maybe I should have allowed them to express their view points earlier? Then maybe they would run out of support and realize the decisions that adults had been making were not as unfair as they originally thought! Well, I can dream, can’t I? That’ll have to wait for another year!)

Students spread out on the floor to finish their writing assignments and included an illustration with a caption. As some of the final draft papers filled my desk, I glanced at their titles to get a sense for what events they viewed as being unfair. There were the traditional kid-like responses about stealing, cheating, and littering. Then there were some on topics we discussed often during the school year such as bullying and dog fighting. However, I was so surprised to come across some rather serious and mature topics such as cancer, woman’s suffrage, racism, and homelessness. Man, I couldn’t WAIT to read these papers!

Here are a few student samples:

What really stood out to me was not the topic, not the viewpoint, but the student. To know the child behind the writing is what moved me. One of my students had overcome cancer two years earlier. Wow, a cancer survivor writing with first-hand knowledge about how cancer is unfair. That’s moving. Or how about the African American student that felt the pain of how her ethnic group was treated and with woman’s suffrage on top of that. She felt she was facing an uphill battle that had little to do with her as a person. Wow, hit me in the stomach. These kids GET IT. Then there’s the kiddos that fell in love with a dog abuse survivor Gunny (see previous posts here: “Gunny and the Magical Pack- Teacher’s Edition” and “Surviving Animal Abuse: Go Gunny!“) and wrote about abused dogs and the underground world of dog fighting.

I am very pleased that students see the wrongs of the world, have an opinion, and provided solutions to overcome these problems. These children are going to grow up to be game-changers and I am proud to know each and every one of them.

What topics do your students/children think of as unfair? 

The post Students Share: What’s Unfair? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Have you heard of a fabulous teacher named Rafe Esquith? He is not only a talented teacher, but a writer as well. You might have heard of his book “Teach like your Hair’s on Fire,” which is helpful, entertaining, accurate, and extremely successful. As if that was not enough of an accomplishment, Rafe has seemingly done it again with his new book “Real Talk for Real Teachers.”

Some Quick Background:

Rafe has been teaching since 1984, as long has I have been alive! He found his home at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School in LA, California. As I am sure you can imagine, LA is not Beverly Hills in terms of economics, safety, or type of pupil. With that said, Rafe treated his 5th grade students as astute scholars capable of achieving their dreams and being as successful as other students around the world. Together with his expectations, patience, and dedication they helped his students soar, not only in test scores but in life.

He is so dedicated to his teaching that he often can be found working with students before and after school hours. One of this major contributions is a yearly Shakespearean production in which the actors and fellow students are referred to as Hobart Shakespeareans. Stop by the website to see videos and pictures of his students in action!

What I find so amazing about Rafe is his love of teaching. He loves it so much that regardless of how successful he is as an author or a leader, he will never leave the infamous “Room 56” classroom. He knows where he is needed and encourages all teachers to remain in the classroom. Many successful educators work their way up the system’s ladder to gain various leadership roles, but not Rafe. His impact is in the classroom and every year he follows through on his promise to provide a quality education to all students by instilling the belief that they can become more than their situation or environment. Rafe is truly inspiring.

Like I mentioned, he is a stellar educator. He has received numerous awards because of it, including the Disney National Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award! Check out this interesting Washington Post article and interview on Rafe, entitled “The World’s Most Famous Educator Blasts School Reform.”

My Review:

If you are not already convinced to read this book and the rest of what Rafe has written, I hope my review of his current work will remind teachers everywhere of how important they are to the development of our future.

The book is set up as a progression of a teacher’s career- “from rookies to veterans,” he calls it. I am passionate about working with new teachers so I was incredibly interested in the first phase of the book. Rafe spends time making it clear that the dream of being a teacher to save all students is not only inaccurate but unhealthy. That stopped me in my tracks. Huh? Who would say such a thing? If we are to have high expectations of our students then we should have expectations of our teachers and ourselves! But, then I was reminded of the numerous students that I helped, but did not save. Thats when it hit me…he’s right. If you put all that pressure on yourself to turn around the lives of millions only to be hit in the face with the reality that students are in control of their own destiny not you, no matter how hard you try to guide them down the right path. I would have lost many nights of sleep if I required myself to save each child. It’s impossible. You can inspire, but not save. That is up to the student themselves, and frankly changing that mindset is hard to do in just one year in your fabulous classroom.

But that’s what’s so great about Rafe! He is dedicated to the development of his students, especially when they are no longer in his classroom. His past students show up to help out in the classroom and always show up for the Shakespearean production at the end of the year. They even have Thanksgiving dinner in Room 56 for gosh sakes! He’s awesome. All of his students have a real chance to find their own version of success by his constant influence in and outside the classroom. This lifelong relationship is what might save a few students, but like he says…its an unrealistic dream and expectation to place on yourself, especially as a new teacher.

What I have come to love about Rafe is that although he is an expert in delivering enriching and engaging content to his 5th graders, he is passionate about creating well-rounded children. He teaches them the importance of using manners, being respectful and considerate of those around them, and how to contribute to society in efforts to make it a better place for all. He believes that teaching students how to be their best selves in normal everyday life situations will help them achieve their dreams. For example, he prepares his students months prior to their non-required weekend field trip to D.C. He teaches them how to close their hotel room door quietly so as not to disturb other guests, or how to place their bus ticket in the same location in their pocket so they never lose it, or how to properly ask a question when one is lost or confused. These life skills are essential to being succesful in the real world. WHY ARE WE NOT TEACHING STUDENTS THIS? Well, that is not a question for school or district leaders. It’s a question for us teachers. Even though the curriculum is demanding, these are essential lessons. These will impact students NOW. We must make time. We have to make it relevant. Rafe has mastered delivering content and life lessons that are always applicable in and outside the classroom. He’s right. He doesn’t need to leave the classroom. He is right where he needs to be. I hope he can help other teachers join in the mission to better prepare our students for life outside the classroom. Maybe then we will have a brighter future.

A Few of my Favorite Quotes:

• “It takes a lifetime to become a master instructor.”
• “When you have a bad day, you are not a bad teacher.”
• “We caution students to hang out with the right kids, you need to hang out with the right teachers.”
• “Simplicity and consistency will inspire the kids to great heights.”
• “You are never finished.”

If you couldn’t tell, I absolutely loved the book and of course Rafe! I highly recommend any works of literature that pertain to Rafe and his decades of experience in the classroom.

Share your own thoughts below on Rafe’s experience, advice or impact! 

The post “Real Talk for Real Teachers”- Book Review appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Third grade is my favorite grade to teach. Yes, I have taught it the longest so its bound to grow on me. However, in all honesty, its my sweet spot. The kids are at the perfect age where they still love school and want to impress the teacher but also are growing in maturity each day that you can give them more responsibility and joke around together.

My second love, besides teaching third grade, is teaching Literacy. I love to read myself, anything from educational topics to sappy love novels. I have a few chapter books on my classroom desk that I read with students each year. One book title I had avoided for a long time is entitled “The War with Grandpa” by Robert Kimmel Smith. I am not a history buff or even remotely interested in war so I pushed by this book every year.

Then one day, the illustration on the book caught my eye. It was a picture of a boy and an elderly gentleman sitting on a suitcase in front of a bedroom door. It didn’t look like feuding countries using heavy artillery, like I would have thought. So I turned the book over to read the back. That’s when my life as a third grade teacher changed!

The book is about a young boy named Peter who is forced to give up his room for his Grandfather that is moving in with the family. It’s an ideal story of conflict with an emphasis on the importance of communication. Its entertaining for children and adults as readers watch the battle unfold and undeniably pick a side- Pro Peter or Pro Grandpa? They play lots of tricks on each other during the war, but the end of the story leaves the reader with a life lesson worth learning.

If you haven’t read this yourself, DO IT NOW! If you haven’t read it with your class, check out my resource guide on Teachers Pay Teachers to help you bring the story to life (and meet those Common Core Standards in the process!). Hope you enjoy

What resources would you like created for this novel?

The post The War with Grandpa: one of my favorite books! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently read an article entitled “Dare to Live Greatly,” written by Brene Brown. It resonated with me for numerous reasons and made me begin a journey of reflection.

Below are quotes I pulled out of the article, followed by the thoughts it provoked inside me.

“Vulnerability is about uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.”

Most people are proud. We as a culture project confidence in order to convince others of our capabilities. So it’s almost counterintuitive to show vulnerability. We all suffer from it, but we have become masters of disguise. Brene continued, “I practice being vulnerable. Every time I give a talk, I have to consciously choose. It’s about…having the courage to see the armor I’ve put on and to take it off.” When we strip the act we’re trying so hard to portray, we expose our fears, anxieties, and insecurities lying within. Being vulnerable is uncomfortable because of this exposure. Its risky to have others see that we might not have it all together, or that we might not be all that we made others believe that we are. But, where does covering our vulnerability get us? We become unreachable to others. They cannot break down the wall we build. They cannot unmask our exterior. We block a relationship from forming because we keep others at a distance to only see our best, most collected side. In the end, things crumble. You’re alone without anyone to commiserate with and you begin to look back at your “perfect” journey and wonder where you turned off the main road. The moment you stopped showing your human side, you lost the connection. Vulnerability is relatable and makes others feel safe and connected. So really, a powerful leader shows their scars and insecurities. In doing so, a team of people is formed out of a shared emotional connection and the relationship catapults the collective mission onward.

“Relationship is the currency of leadership. Leaders who are willing to be transparent and authentic are people we’re eager to support.”

This summer I have enjoyed being a Teacher Development Coach for new teachers in the district. My instinct is to portray a cool, calm, and collected disposition in addition to being deeply knowledgeable. That makes it really hard to be approachable and relatable. I realized I needed to smile, laugh, and be as personable as possible in order to connect with my new teachers. They want my knowledge and expertise without the stoic persona. I had to figure out how to remain confident, yet vulnerable. It is hard to do both, in my opinion. But after a few months, I have been able to find more of a balance between the two and feel much more accomplished as a leader who is receptive to those I instruct.

It’s all about relationships and being your self even when in an authoritative position. When the mission changes from “you and I” to “we” you instantaneously become surrounded by a team of people pushing forward towards a common vision.

“Have the courage to show up, to be imperfect, be human, be seen, ask for help, own our mistakes, learn from failure, lean into joy, and celebrate success.” Who would have thought that the most effective leader is one who doesn’t know all the answers? Maybe it’s that they lean on their team and find the solution together. Not only does that raise accountability within the team, but the buy-in to the mission increases tenfold! Showing up to work when you’re uncertain of an outcome or how to solve a problem is risky and uncomfortable. But when you accept the fact that you do not know it all, you share that with those around you and move forward together. If you make a mistake, own it and keep moving. No one is perfect and there’s no reason to convey anything different.

My family is great about celebrating success, even in the little things. We have a red plate that says “You are Special Today!” This plate comes out of the cabinets for dinner in honor of something great happening to a member of the family. Together we eat and celebrate that person’s accomplishment.

This should prove true with leadership as well. Accept the things that don’t go well, make a new plan, and celebrate when things develop successfully. My dad always says that life is full of “peaks and valleys” and you need to enjoy each peak so that you can make it through each valley. The leader creates the culture for this shared failure and success mentality.

“A leader is anyone who holds her or himself accountable for finding the potential in people and processes. “

I couldn’t agree more. I have learned that a leader is not the most knowledgeable one in the room, but the one that brings everyone together, finds the best in everyone, cultivates opportunities for others to showcase their talents or grow in an area of weakness, and celebrate the collective efforts towards a common goal. This is unlike how I used to view a leader- one who had all the answers, a multitude of experiences in the field, and always made the right decision. I am much more excited to be a leader now that I know I can just be me without the pressure of being perfect. I need to focus on bringing others together through my vulnerability and vision.

What does effective leadership look and sound like to you?

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Well, its the end to another great school year. I am so thankful for the kiddos who come into my life and change me for the better.Enjoy the last edition (for this school year) of Students Say the Darndest Things! [check out previous posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8]

Conversations:

• S: Ms. Schultek, you ever feel fat? I get real fat in October after Halloween because of the candy. And then sometimes I just get fat for no reason. T: I know how you feel buddy.
• T: You eat a lot of candy. S: I know. T: You’re not going to have any teeth. S: Yes I will. See? I just have a lot of cavities.

A Little Background Needed: 

• [During a kickball game at recess as I walk in front of the pitch] – S: “Don’t hit Ms. Schultek! She’s too pretty to get hit!”
• [One of my previous students stopped by to hug me] Another S: “That girl will never take my place in your heart.” [shakes head]
• [After telling students their End-Of-Grade test score (on a scale of 1-5), a student that received a passing score of a 3 approached me] S: “Let’s talk about you giving me this 5.”
• [After hollering at boys for slapping each other’s necks] S: “Ms. Schultek…knock knock.” T: [Teacher stare]  Another S: “Um, I don’t think she’s in the mood for that right now.”

Hope all my teacher friends out there had a successful school year! Check back in the Fall for more funny things my students say!

The post Students Say the Darndest Things- Volume 9 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Do you tweet? If not, you should!

When Twitter first came out, it was the latest rage. However, I didn’t really understand the point considering it sounded similar to Facebook, which was very established at the time. Therefore, I never created a personal Twitter account.

But then my district continued to post about Twitter Chats in our weekly newsletter. I was curious about what a Twitter chat was so I clicked on the description and found out that it was a forum for educators in our own district to come together via the internet and discuss their thoughts and opinions on educational topics or current trends each week (otherwise known as a virtual Professional Learning Community or PLN). It sounded interesting, but I was not exactly sure how to tweet. How can I participate if I have no idea about Twitter? (Sort of kicking myself for never getting into the hype when it first came out!)

Thank goodness for some help from our district Teaching and Learning blog which posted some helpful info. Check it out here!

Once I set up my account, I made sure to log on during the chat hour on Wednesday evenings from 8-9 pm. I was told to type in #cmsk12chat in the search engine to watch the chat occur and participate when I felt ready. So I did just that. I watched as the chat began and got off to a rapid start. I was having a hard time keeping up just reading! But, I was eager to jump in and began to answer some of the questions asked.

I tuned back in each week afterwards to share my opinion and comment on other educator’s thoughts. I have virtually “met” some really inspiring educators who are passionate about our profession and engaged in making the best decisions for our nation’s students. I always leave the chat smiling and in a great mood. If only I could surround myself by such happy, talented, and caring educators each and every day! (By the way, our #cmsk12chat is named one of the top state Twitter chats!)

I have learned so much through these weekly chats that I encouraged my principal to require staff members to participate in two chats over the summer. Click here to see the proposed assignment and directions that you can tweak for your own school site!

I highly encourage you to GET ON TWITTER! Even if you just want to watch a chat happen, it is still worth it. There are tons of chats out there that you can follow or stop in to share your two cents. Start browsing some in the search bar that might interest you (elementary chat, edu chat, new teacher chat, etc). You’ll find educators all across the United States that think just like you do and love teaching just like you do. It’s invigorating and the best professional development I have had in all of my 8 years of teaching!

Check out our archives to get a feel for what a Twitter chat might look like here. Topics have varied from surviving your first year to challenging advanced learners; many topics to meet the needs and interests of educators of all experience levels!

It might be out of your comfort zone or it might seem like a fad. But I promise you, if you take a risk, try something new and give it all you’ve got…you’re bound to get something good out of it! Stretch yourself- don’t you ask your kiddos to do the same thing each day? Live out your own message to your students! YOU CAN DO IT!

[Learn how to connect with knowledgeable individuals in your niche with my FREE Webinar. Click here.]

Log on, participate in a chat of our choice and share your thoughts below! 

The post Twitter Chat FIRSTIE! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I truly believe if you ever want to really know how you are doing, ask your students! Kids are honest and if you ever want to do something better you need honest feedback. Plus, your students are with you all day long so their perspective is the most important as well as accurate.

I found a pre-made survey online from Worksheet Place, called “End of Year Letter to Teacher” that I wanted students to fill out. I left the room and allowed my assistant to give students the survey.

There have been times in years past where the feedback was hard to read but helped me grow as a teacher. This year, these kiddos really doused me with love. It reminds me that hard work pays off, especially if you are willing to put in the effort and time!

Their Cute and Honest Responses:

I really liked the way you taught…

The part I’ll miss most about this class is…

3 things I would tell students coming in to your class next year would be…

If I could change anything about this past year in your class, it would be…

A combo of questions…

Like I said, it is not always this sweet and endearing. However, their responses mean a lot to me because it took many tries before I found the “Sweet Spot” for firm yet loving classroom management. It seems I might have stumbled upon the secret recipe this year!

This experience helped me create my own reflection for next year’s students. Check it out here.

Have you asked your students for feedback about your teaching performance? If so, what did you learn to do better?  

The post Student Reflection = Teacher Feedback appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Tweet Me!

I had the opportunity to observe Rachel Harris at Irwin Academic Academy recently [see original post here].

One of the takeaways I had was her exit ticket chart. She utilized the exit tickets to form her small group instruction. I knew this was an easy implementation and adjustment to my classroom routine, so I began immediately.

Students have assigned numbers and they place their exit ticket post it on the corresponding number square. Here is the poster than hangs on my wall:

Today’s’ lesson focused on how different cultures shape an individual’s personal values behaviors and decisions. We read the story Johnny Appleseed and came to a few conclusions about his pattern of behavior and personal motivations.

Once the lesson was over, I gave students the discussion forum hashtag #culture to respond to the following question on their post it:

How has the culture and lifestyle of Johnny Appleseed shaped his values decision and behaviors? Cite 2 examples from the text.

Students wrote their number in the corner of the post it, responded to the question in under 140 characters (hey Twitter!), and then used the appropriate hashtag. Although the hashtag is fun and keeps with the twitter theme, it really serves an organizational purpose for myself. When I have multiple classes providing exit tickets on multiple topics, it helps me categorize the responses under the correct discussion forum. Let’s be honest, there are those students who’s answers are not specific enough for you to know what topic they are discussing. Also, rest assured, if the post it’s get jumbled, I can easily resort them. (Yes you can use different colored post it’s to do that too).

Once all responses were up on the chart, and students left the classroom I was ready to begin grouping their responses based on mastery (got it, sorta got it, didn’t get it).

GOT IT                                                                         SORTA GOT IT                                                              DIDN’T GET IT

My mastery students don’t need to get pulled, so I trash their post its (unless its a formal assessment and then I attach a rubric to it and send it home). I place my post its on a sheet of lined paper so that I can keep them in my small group evidence binder once finished.

I generally start with my sorta got it group because they catch on quickly and generally just needed a bit of support to extend and connect their thinking. My “didn’t get it ” group receives a full 20-30 min small group lesson to reteach the skill in a new way.

Then I return their original response and allow them to make corrections on it. This shows them where they missed the mark but allows an opportunity to redeem themselves and still achieve mastery.

This system has worked out great for my class. The students love to TWEET and show off what they know. I enjoy it because it gives me a heart beat on my instruction and allows me to intervene immediately.

How do you informally assess students?

The post Tweet Me! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

[See first year anniversary post here]

I am so thankful for my blog. It has been more of a gift to me than I ever realized. I have reflected and chronicled much of my educational practices over the years. I see the growth and that is due to the awesome bloggers and readers out there!

Thanks for following along on my journey!

As a gift, I am giving you some end of the year freebies:

• End of the Year Advice to Next Year’s Class
•  End of the Year Student Reflection 
• End of the Year Teacher Report Card 

Hope you enjoy! Keep following- I appreciate you!

The post Blogiversary- Celebrating TWO YEARS! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I was approached by Scott Ertl, creator of Bouncy Bands. My good friend Dana over at Third Grade Gridiron (as mentioned in the image above) referred him to me, and I’m so glad she did!

Bouncy bands are geared towards students who are fidgety and need motion to focus. It attaches to the two front desk legs so as to make a bouncy bar for students to kick or bounce on as they work.

 “Students can release energy while they read and write. Their feet can play while their hand work! Bouncy Bands recycle used bicycle inner tubes. They don’t make any noise. Students of all ages enjoy being able to move while working” (Bouncy Bands, 2014).

Scott was kind enough to send me a free set of Bouncy bands. I had one student in mind that I thought it was perfect for, but I realized that it was his mind that wondered not his body. So, I began to think of my class to determine who else might benefit from movement that helps concentration. Then I began to think about a student who was diagnosed with ADHD. I originally did not think of her because Bouncy Bands are great for kids who are not yet diagnosed and can be soothed through environment techniques rather than use medication. Even though she is medicated, she is still very mobile with repetitive movements, especially her legs and feet. The resistance of the band is enough stimulation to keep her muscles active so that her mind can focus on her work. It’s amazing how much more productive she is after utilizing the bands!

This student now works silently and independently during class time. I used to have to constantly say her name or redirect her attention, but the band is stimulating enough to keep her engaged for longer periods of time. Plus, the band absorbs the motion thus no sound! She is able to move and kick as hard as needed without disrupting others. What a great intervention to increase a student’s academic achievement!

Some concerns you might have are:

1. How do I introduce the new item to the class without it become a big deal?

I introduced the band to this child as my other students were exiting the classroom for recess. I showed her how it worked and she was excited to try it.

2. How do I keep the Bouncy Band purpose to myself so as not to embarrass the student when other students ask questions?

Not many students noticed the addition of the band to her desk. One student eventually stumbled upon it and happened to ask what it was and I simply said it helped her learn. There were no questions asked after that point. In fact, many students would prefer to have it so no worries about singling a child out. In my opinion, it saves students from their own destructive behavior and they want that more than anything!

3. Will it distract students who are sitting next to the student using the Bouncy Band?

As mentioned above, it is silent. I also play calming music during independent work time so it certainly is not heard.

4. How is my student supposed to use it?

That is the great part! There is no “one way” to use Bouncy Bands. Let the child decide how they like to use it. My student kicks it as she is thinking through math problems but then rests her feet on it and gently bounces during writing time. Allow your child to discover it on their own and they most likely will use it however they feel is best.

(Have additional questions? Visit the Q & A section of the Bouncy Bands website!)

As you’re reading this, are you thinking of your child or a particular student? If so, I highly recommend this product to you or someone you know. You won’t regret the positive change you will see in terms of the students’ productivity and relaxation!

 Have you used this product before? Leave your feedback below! 

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Introduction:

Last year [click here to see post] I read the most wonderful story by Amy Cranmer, called “Gunny and the Magical Pack,” about an abused dog who overcomes a treacherous personal journey. This story is so special to me because the author and main character, Gunny, live right here in my own town of Charlotte, NC. See how our community shares his story in this video clip.

Not only that, but the story is so touching and my students responded to it with so much empathy that I vowed to pass the book on to all 5 of my nephews and read it every year with each of my classes!

So, this year I decided to write a post more for the teachers out there. [Click here to access the Teachers Pay Teachers website to purchase my week long lessons with read-aloud sticky notes, activities and assessments.] Hope you find it helpful and please share with me what you have done as well!

Welcome to the Teacher Zone:

I began by introducing the book in a bending “every rule about good literacy instruction” kind of way. I say that because most of the time teachers complete a picture walk with students, read the summary blurb on the back of the book, locate any reviews written about it, etc. Nope, not me.  I knew that if I previewed the book for the students they would know too much of the story line and not be as “hooked” as I read each word of this powerful story. (Lesson learned- the benefit of reading books multiple times is I learn how to do it better each time!)

I had students set up their notebooks into 6 sections for each chapter. I read the chapter titles aloud and students mouths began to drop. They instantly knew this was not a happy story about a cute little dog based on the wording of the titles. (Cha ching! success in “hooking” them!)

We read the entire book in one week (could have been one day if I let them) and completed the following activities:

1) I needed to see if students could retell the story in correct sequence. So we used a time line!  Students were able to STAR important events that had a significant impact on the plot development.

2) Students then gathered together in mini book clubs to discuss the book. Ideally, each student should have a copy of their own book, but due to limited resources and the fact that the book is short enough for students to mentally retain all of the details with little confusion, they met without a book in front of them. We rotated for 15 min discussions so students could gather multiple view points and jot their book club notes on the following form [purchase here]:

3) One of the trickiest skills for students is to identify the author’s purpose for writing a selection. Students created a P.I.E.E. chart on their paper and labeled it accordingly (persuade, inform, entertain, explain). They then decided the purpose of Amy’s book by explaining their thoughts:

4) We have discussed character traits throughout each of our read-aloud texts this year, it only seemed appropriate to assign some to Gunny!

5) To ensure students were able to apply multiple skills to demonstrate comprehension of the story, I created this organizer [purchase here]:

5) As we closed up the unit, we needed to now share our knowledge with others. So, students created posters to inform the community about the effects of dog fighting and shared their ideas on how to help! 

6) Before we could officially close out the unit, students created cards to send to Gunny to praise him for his courageous attitude and perseverance!

Gunny received our cards and LOVED them! Amy wrote us back and even gave us free book marks! She later sent us some awards from Gunny! I chose two students who showed courage, compassion and perseverance, just like Gunny!

We truly fell in love with Gunny (AGAIN!) and his heroic story. I hope all teachers and parents out there take a moment to read this book with your family members and students. It really puts life into perspective and makes you thankful for all the blessings you have.

Please join in the fight to help end illegal dog fighting and cruelty to animals! 

The post Gunny and the Magical Pack- Teacher’s Edition appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I met Rachel at the NCAEE Region 6 conference where we were both presenting material to teachers. I found her session on differentiated literacy instruction very informative and timely as I desire to strengthen my literacy instruction from a status of adequate to AWESOME! I reached out to Rachel after the conference to ask if I could come watch her teaching techniques in action. She was extremely kind and willing to open up her classroom to help me grow as a teacher. (Thanks Rachel!)

I set up a visit to Irwin Academic Center and brought along my literacy specialist from my school. [A quick sidebar, “Irwin is the only CMS full magnet program for Learning Immersion (K-2) and Talent Development (Academically Gifted-grades 3-5) students. Both programs are accelerated and offer students rigorous and academically challenging curricula. Students are enrolled by entering a school lottery drawing which is held in early spring.” ]

We arrived early and had a chance for Lisa Pagano, the Literacy facilitator, to show us around the school. Of course, I snapped as many pictures as I could!

Their school mascot is an owl so many classrooms build school culture by incorporating the mascot into their own classroom. This 3D owl is inspiring!

Talk about “the life!” Who doesn’t want a classroom with this cozy nook ?

And this area of the room? Amazing! I instantly want to become a kid again and set up shop here as a reader. What a comfortable learning environment- not to mention this feeds my obsession of tropical locations!

Then it was time to visit with Rachel… She had two chairs set up in the back of her classroom to accommodate us. [Another sidebar: This school has varying sized classrooms, so many of the pictures are from the larger “apartment style” classrooms, where Rachel had the challenge of creating a large feel in very small quarters. Regardless, she had enough room for two additional adults without disrupting her classroom flow and instruction. Thanks again Rachel!]

Students were entering from recess and grabbing water before Literacy began. I made the most of this opportunity, and walked the walls of the classroom, snapping pictures of endless anchor charts and other instructional materials I found inspiring:

There are a couple of reasons why I appreciate this anchor chart. First, it is teaching students to utilize text evidence to support their reasoning. This is a higher-order thinking skill that many students struggle with. However, teaching them how and then holding them accountable for referencing the text as evidence of their thinking process is a job well done by teachers, in my opinion.

Secondly, coding is a great note-taking strategy and with a universal coding system students can collaborate easily due to familiarity.

Lastly, the whole point of this anchor chart is to teach students to think while they are reading. So often, students get “lost” in their reading which is why books are so entertaining. However, when we are not aware of our own thinking it is hard for us to get past the surface and dive deeper into books. This helps students realize the thinking they are doing, record their thoughts as they go, and then utilize this thinking map to come up with an overall theory or generalization supported by the text. EXCELLENT resource and a great artifact to support how education is helping students become thinkers instead of memorizers so that they can be influential contributors to society.

Speaking of metacognition (thinking about your own thinking), impressions of characters and people can change as you learn more about them. As a reader gains information and insight on characters by diving deeper into the book, recording their initial thoughts and how it compared to their feelings at the end can be powerfully insightful. This applies to life and the common mantra of “don’t judge a book by its cover.”

These anchor charts resonated with me personally because I am currently helping my students prepare for state assessments. Learning how to overcome text barriers, like those mentioned above, is a key to being successful on these upcoming tests and with skill application in general. I used this model to create my own anchor chart to help remind students that these barriers are normal and that we have strategies we can use to overcome them and WIN in the end!

Inferencing is another tricky skill. Often times, students do best with “right there” in the text answers, where the author feeds the reader information. It is especially tricky to make an inference when a student has no background information on the topic.

For example, if the text states “Johnny silenced his alarm clock and turned over,” students can infer that Johnny was tired because they have experienced this scenario before (personally or someone they know). Therefore, it is an easy inference.

But, what if the text stated: “Johnny visited the spot where Charley the dog was laid to rest daily?” This can be tricky. Students might not have lost a dog and might not know the yearning a child would feel about this loss, thus motivating the character to visit the dog daily.

But what if the author meant even more? What if the author was foreshadowing how Johnny deals with loss in a later chapter when he is forced to move a town away from his friends? Depending on a student’s level of understanding of “loss” will influence the depth at which they can pick up on the author’s message in this one sentence.

As a result, teaching students to read between the lines while they read is so important. [Sidebar, again: A great way to begin teaching inferences is to partner students up and have them face one another. Hand them a card with an emotion written on it and just like with charades, act out the emotion using their face. The other student has to guess the emotion and provide evidence as to how they came to that conclusion. This builds students confidence in the thought that they already make inferences without even knowing it!]

This anchor chart is a great way to organize inferences. Take the author’s words and illustrator’s pictures to record a character’s actions. Then, explain why the character behaved that way under “motivations.” Finally, utilize the motivations listed to come up with a theory that describes this character and their repetitive behaviors. This chart helps a student move through the higher-order thinking process by starting at the “right there” actions, infer the motivation through text clues and then utilize their background knowledge on the character to form a theory. AWESOME THINKING again!

Word work is challenging in my classroom, mainly because phonics is primarily taught in the K-2 classroom, but now is creeping up to third grade. I cannot remember learning these skills myself as a student and struggle to adequately teach this to students as a result. This quick vocab chart is incredibly helpful as a reference tool while students are working with various types of words and patterns.

We just began a unit on biographies and students are expected to create a biography mini book at the end of the unit. We are discussing chapters, headings, and paragraphing and I saw this anchor chart as a helpful way to remind students that when they transition from thoughts and ideas, a writer must create a new paragraph. I, of course, used this as a model to create my own anchor chart!

Teachers… can’t your students stand forever at a book shelf sifting through books? Ugh! I have used timers, assigned “check out” days, and many other ideas that have failed. I believe this anchor chart explains why my past attempts were unsuccessful. Without teaching a student how to go about locating the right book, they will take forever. So all of my efforts to rush them did not enable or equip them to make an appropriate choice, let alone a quick one. Now, I can teach them HOW to choose a book so that when it is their turn they have the tools to direct their shopping and make it an efficient check out process.

Remember how I said Rachel has a small classroom but utilized space well to make it appear larger? Above is an example. Why NOT write on the filing cabinet? Magnets hold the white board markers, and it erases easily! A great way to take a must have object and re-purpose it so that it has multiple uses. Shout out to Rachel for creative problem solving!

My FAVORITE instructional material is this Exit Ticket chart. Here student numbers are listed. Whenever Rachel wanted to check student’s understanding of a concept, she asked students to jot their thoughts in response to a specific prompt on the post it. Students would leave the post it under their assigned number. At the end of the school day, she would take the post its and place them in “not mastered,” “partially mastered,” and “mastered” piles. Then, she would create skill and strategy small groups for the following week based on these post it piles. What a easy way to collect and utilize data to drive instruction. Again, nice job Rachel!

The time then came to watch Rachel in action! She began with her mini lesson, that referenced the read aloud she did earlier in the day (Bunnicula). Students gathered on the carpet to listen to her teach about how readers digest and approach a mystery text. Her anchor chart began with the lesson’s topic (“identify the problem or mystery”) and each subsequent lesson will be added to this chart as a reference for students throughout the unit. Rachel tied in her book as she dived into identifying the problem in a mystery. She listened as students shared their thoughts:

She also read aloud sections from the book to model how to utilize the text to identify the problem as well as think aloud about what was read:

Students remained engaged by turning and talking with their assigned partners and stopping and jotting in their notebooks:

[Yes, another sidebar: Rachel had students set up their notebooks prior to this part of the lesson. They have 8 post it notes in their notebooks- 4 on the left and 4 on the right. The four on the left are numbered 1-4 as well as the post its on the right. Each post it corresponds with the mini lesson of the unit. Therefore, with 4 mini lessons, each one will be devoted to one post it. Now, you might be wondering why there are two number ones, two number twos and so forth? One side of the notebook is for students to jot about the read aloud and what Rachel models. The other side of the notebook is for students to jot about their own independent reading book on the same skill or strategy modeled in the read aloud that day. So this follows the lesson format of guided practice (post it # 1 with read aloud) to independent practice (post it # 1 with independent reading book). It increases the likelihood of students transferring the skill since the format is the same]

Students made their way to their seats for 45 minutes of independent reading and to stop and jot on the skill learned in the mini lesson (finding evidence of the problem in the mystery):

Rachel began meeting with her small groups as the other students were independently reading. These small groups were created based on a poetry assessment given the week prior, and then conferring meetings were set based on who she felt she needed to meet with individually to check in on reading progress in terms of fluency as well as skill acquisition.

Here is a picture of Rachel meeting with her small group to review the poetry assessment:

What’s great about her instructional approach is that she photocopied the poem on the assessment without the questions. This way she could help students dive in stanza by stanza to comprehend the text without focusing on what the questions were or how well they personally performed on the assessment. Nice job Rachel!

She modeled her reading and thinking about the first stanza, and helped students do the next one. She encouraged students to jot on their own paper to record their thinking. By the end of the session, all students had a deeper understanding of not only the text but the strategy to make sense of poetry text.

Next came one-on-one meetings with students. Each student is given a reading folder made out of a manila folder with a reading log attached as well as a page protector of goals and reading behaviors listed on post it notes. See below:

When Rachel meets with each student they review the goals they set last time and discuss progress with the goal. If mastered, they move it to the “habit” column as a way to celebrate skill acquisition but also as a reminder to continue using the particular skill or strategy. I think its a great idea to date the post its like Rachel did as it helps a child realize how quickly they are mastering skills and how much progress they are making when they look back at older sheets of post it notes.

At this point, Rachel listened to the student read a section aloud out of their independent reading book and made in-the-moment teaching decisions to help the student decode words, increase fluency, comprehend text, etc. Before the 10 min meeting was complete, Rachel jotted a new goal for the student, when appropriate. This was added to the “Strategies I’m Working On” section.

I noticed Rachel stopping and jotting her own notes before she called the next group or student to the back table for instruction. So, I peeked at her notes:

She created this awesome document to keep track of who she was meeting with and what she was meeting with them about. At the top is the lesson topics for the week, and below that she fit all of her students’ names on one sheet of paper. Next to the student names are 5 boxes open for each day of the week that she might potentially meet with a student, and then a large space to record notes during the actual meeting.

She explained to me that SG was code for “small group” and C was code for “conferring,” meaning meeting one-on-one. If a star was listed, that meant the student did something notable during her observation and she recorded it. If there is a T circled that referred to her main teaching point during the meeting. It is especially important to note that she placed a date next to the notes which can be helpful when you look back over the documents after a lengthy period of time. The major advantage of having all students on one page, versus a page solely dedicated to one student in efforts to see reading behavior trends, is that it helps visually see who Rachel is meeting with daily or often and who she tends to leave alone. This system ensures she at least meets with everyone once in a 2 week span of reading instruction as well as looks for trends of student progress with reading skills.

Rachel completed the other components of her literacy block in the morning before I arrived (word work and writing). Students began to transition into Science, but before they did she allowed them a brain break:

This is a great way to get students up and moving after a long period of learning. Before sneaking out, I peeked at a student’s Science and Social Studies notebooks:

I love the way she provides an outline for the lesson. It was quite apparent this is a normal procedures in class as students moved about without directions or reminders: receive notes, glue in notebooks, begin filling in missing information as the teacher explains the content. This is an excellent scaffold and could help students develop note-taking techniques. I am thinking of utilizing this with some of my slower writers and lower learners and then wean them off when they are ready to try it on their own.

I had a great time learning in Rachel’s classroom and am grateful that we have teacher leaders in our very own district to learn from. I hope you find some of these literacy materials and approaches helpful and use them to become more successful in your very own classroom!

What did you find most interesting about Rachel’s instruction? Why? 

What is something you plan to take away and apply in your own classroom?

The post Literacy in ACTION! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

In my work as a Candidate Screener and a Selector with Teach Charlotte I have asked many candidates applying to our program about their theory on the capabilities of children and their learning. It got me thinking about my own theory.

Based on my experience in two vastly different elementary schools, children are fundamentally the same. When you strip away environmental contributions, whether positive or negative, children are born with the same innate capabilities. Children who are blessed with financial and physical resources to aide in the learning process grow exponentially. Those without such resources grow, but not as quickly.

Think about it. When you till the soil to plant the seat, then nourish it with water and sunlight the plant will grow quickly to it’s intended size, or beyond. But, if you plant the seed in the soil without tilling or watering it plus neglect to water it, nothing much happens. Or of course, if you do a little care spontaneously the plant might grow, but it will not grow to its full potential.

Why would children be any different? If we consistently provide the nourishment their minds need they will grow to their full potential.

It’s our duty to ensure EVERY child receives what they deserve in education. Although our schools are no longer segregated by race, they are still very much segregated by financial status.

We can’t just throw money at schools or the kids. Yes, money helps purchase learning materials and knowledgeable staff. But, what children need most of all is free:

• Love.
• Stable Care.
• Motivation and Support.

It is inaccurate to say that a child was successful because they were born into an affluent family and attended Harvard University, for example. It is also inaccurate to say a child was unsuccessful because they came from a single parent home in a poor neighborhood.

With that said, children need access to the same educational opportunities and that begins with great teachers in every school everywhere. Teachers who are passionate about children, knowledgeable in their content, and persevere to ensure each child in their care grows leaps and bounds to achieve their fullest potential as an individual and a scholar.

We owe our children more than what the government allows, more than what taxes can provide, and more than what teachers are permitted to give. But that is not going to change any time soon.

However, what we can do is love every child enough to say “I’m going to help you become the best you.” Whether that means you donate your time to help tutor students at your local school, provide scholarship donations through your workplace, or show appreciation for the teachers that are working hard to advocate for all students in your area, we need YOU.

We need to stop blaming circumstances and roadblocks as the reason why some of our nation’s children are failing. We need to step up and be part of the cause to fairly educate every child.

Who knows, maybe the scientist and doctor teams that find a cure for cancer are currently children learning in an underprivileged neighborhood school with limited resources. Should we forget about them? Should we assume they can’t become some of the major contributors to our society?

Most children are told that they won’t amount to anything. Don’t allow that self fulfilling prophecy to take place. Be part of the mind shift. Be part of the change. Be a voice.

All children are worthy of an equal education and a fair chance at developing to their full potential. We must be their advocate.

Save lives. Believe in and support ALL children.

What is your theory on children and their learning?

The post Any child can learn…all it takes is YOU. appeared first on Always A Lesson.

To begin, I just want to say that I LOVE learning and enjoy getting better at my craft- teaching, presenting, coaching, blogging, etc.

An opportunity arrived in my inbox to present at a regional professional development session hosted by North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators [NCAEE] here in Charlotte. I jumped at the chance to reach more teachers and strengthen my presenting skills.

Preparation:

I decided to create a proposal for my session, entitled “Teacher’s Pass the Torch!” I planned for this session to help teachers learn how to increase student accountability in the classroom as well as pass more ownership onto the students. In my career, I have struggled with this but have seen the benefits it has on student learning and growth when done successfully. Thus, I feel there is a strong need for other teachers to take the risk and require students to do more of the heavy lifting in the learning process.

Nonetheless, my proposal was approved for the conference! I was so excited to share what I have learned and help teachers develop the skills to do the same within their own classroom. I began to set up my presentation through PowerPoint-boring I know. But, I promised myself I would be so engaging that the PowerPoint was more of a map to follow when needed but not the meat and potatoes of my presentation. [See PPT slides here]

Arrival: 

The morning started off great. I was greeted at the door by the leaders of Region 6 and shown to the “Presenter’s Lounge.” What a thoughtful gesture (and enjoyable perk!).

After I got myself settled into my assigned presentation room, I joined the guests to listen to Kathy Bumgardner speak. Not only is she approachable, charismatic, creative, knowledgeable, and realistic, but she’s so funny! I was engaged in her entire presentation because of the relatability in her stories and images that she shared. This was a great lesson for me on what makes a presenter effective, and I certainly took notes on both how she was presenting as well as what she was sharing with us about being great teachers of Literacy. I highly suggest you check our her website for freebies and classroom ideas!

Implementation:

After Kathy had shared her perspective and approach on Literacy instruction, as well as numerous resources, I headed back to my room to prepare to receive my guests!

I was so excited to share something that changed my teaching for the better- equip students to gain knowledge while the teacher facilitates! I believed this shift in teaching could not only benefit my own students, but students in every school, everywhere!

I had a group of about 11 elementary school teachers. I shared my reason for the development of this session, incorporated an ice breaker, and ensured my presentation was chalk full of engagement strategies (turn and talks, call and responses, graffiti walks, and Nearpod apps) that these teachers could bring back to their own classrooms.

I emphasized to teachers that we all learn new skills by practicing. It takes lots of practice to master a skill and even more practice to maintain a skill. So how do we expect to foster life-long learning in a child if they are spoon fed their knowledge? We must break away from that mentality and supply the knowledge but allow the child to discover it.

Think about it- your swim coach didn’t teach you to swim by being your personal flotation device. So, give access to the material, then step back and aide in the learning process. It is hard when you want to “save” a child, but they must struggle before being successful. When you finish an answer for them or guide their thinking to a place they weren’t headed to in the beginning is hand-holding. Its sabotaging the learning potential in a child.

My Advice:

Be there to prompt, then back away.

Be there to question, then back away.

Be there to listen, then listen, and listen some more.

But most of all, WATCH.

Interactions can be powerful if you equip students to bring something to the table and then take something away. Jump in when needed, but if you do the heavy lifting, expect their arms to be weak. Simply, teach them HOW to learn.

So after we all agreed that students need to step it up and teachers need to let them, we got to do some turning and talking of our own as we brainstormed ways to “let go” in our own classrooms!

(The shy teachers in the back of this photo crack me up!)

I reminded teachers that part of their evaluation includes fostering leadership in their classroom and that begins with allowing the students to take ownership. For example, in my district, to earn a higher rating in this standard a teacher would have to demonstrate the following:

So my plan was to help these teachers grow to the highest performance level by having students take the responsibility. With that being said, we came together in small groups to discuss ways in which to do just that. Each group had a different standard, ranging from elementary to high school, in a variety of subjects. Their goal was to discuss how to teach the standard by having students do more of the learning and teachers doing more of the facilitating. Everyone was a bit stumped to start, but as they rotated to different posters, they picked up momentum!

Then they began to stop and jot their thoughts on the posters.

To close the activity, we reported out on what the class had brainstormed on each particular topic. (Remember, pass the ownership right? Why should I have to lead the “recap?”)

Teachers had some really good ideas to teach these objectives! I added on to the discussion with a list of tools that I have found useful:

The NCAEE Region 6 team caught me in action in this photo! Here I am describing how NearPod works so that these teachers could gain insight into how to incorporate it into their lessons. [To see more on NearPod, check out my older post here.]

Teachers had their devices out, ready to participate in the interactive NearPod learning activity.

As I began to wrap up I reminded the teachers about the tools, strategies, approaches and ideas I shared throughout the presentation that they can begin implementing into their own classrooms TOMORROW. I encouraged them to think through how they currently instruct students and make any necessary tweaks to not only become more effective but also pass the learning ownership onto the students.

Of course, I couldn’t end my presentation without a little motivation! I reminded them that taking a risk is always worth the reward and that success comes from hard work and plenty of mistakes. “Go be GREAT, and Have Fun doing it!” I chanted.

Unfortunately, our time together had come to an end. To ensure teachers could apply their newly learned knowledge, they shared their implementation ideas as their exit ticket- some on the NearPod app and some on index cards. Here are some examples I received:

Reflection:

Overall, I felt I was able to communicate my message to the teachers. I was able to get through my entire content in the 45 min allotment and I enjoyed every minute of it! On my way out of the door, I was told “we heard great things about your session” and that was enough for me to feel like I helped make our classrooms in our surrounding area better.

However, I do wish I had asked for participant feedback about my presentation specifically so that I could continue improving my presenting and classroom instructional skills.

But more importantly than how I did as a leader is that I never realized how much I personally was going to get out of this experience as a learner myself. When I first signed up I thought I would contribute to the learning experience of other people, never walking into this experience thinking I was going to learn to the extent that I did. I joined in on the other sessions that teachers were presenting and found them so beneficial. I ensured I went to the sessions that focused on my current need, difficulty, or weakness. No matter if the session had 20 people or 1, I went where I needed to go professionally to become better. I will never regret doing that as I learned so much about being a great teacher through differentiation, data collection , and literacy instruction.

I was honored to be part of such a meaningful learning experience. When I look back, I won’t think “man I really helped those teachers,” I’ll think “man, they really helped me.”  Life is funny that way. Sometimes you get what you need when you don’t even know you need it.

I cannot express how much I appreciate the opportunity, NCAEE Region 6! Until next time…

How could this strategy help you and your students become more successful in your classroom? 

The post NCAEE Region 6 Conference: "Teachers, Pass the Torch!" appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 11,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

See the post to last year’s report here.

The post 2013 in Review appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I came across an article in a magazine called “Wilmington, North Carolina.” Amongst the beautiful beach scenery and southern architecture, came the article entitled “A Passion for the Classroom.” The author Jennifer Glatt introduced and interviewed three 2013-2014 Teachers of the Year from the New Hanover County school district.
She asked each educator a series of questions in hopes to inspire her readers by the passionate and exceptional leaders of education. As I was reading the answers from these educators, I saw much of myself in their perspectives. I thought I’d put myself through an exercise to reflect on my career journey as well as solidify my perspective on education.
Below are the questions from the article along with my own personal responses:

Quick Bio
Gretchen Schultek
8 year educator
3rd Grade
Berewick Elementary School
Charlotte, NC
Marist College/Psychology & Special Education B.S.
UNCC/Curriculum & Supervision M.Ed.

1. Favorite Quote?
“Dream Big!” I worked in a Title-One school for 5 years and had to instill in my students the opportunity and permission to dream big dreams for themselves, regardless of their current circumstances and/or influences. It has made me continue to dream and achieve as well.

2. Why did you choose to become a teacher?
My 4th grade teacher Miss Lofy made learning fun. I always played teacher as a child, but Miss Lofy solidified my goal to become a fun, loving teacher of elementary school students.

3. What or who inspires your teaching? Why?
I’m an avid reader and gain ideas from other educators who have published works. As a blogger, I learn a lot from other current teachers about what works and how to go about it. But mostly, my students inspire me. Their interests guide my instructional approach, their responses guide the depth of my questioning, and their weaknesses increase my creativity to effectively reach them. Each class is unique and I have never taught content the same way to any two classes- how I respond depends on the students’ capabilities and reactions.

4. What do you feel contributes to your success as a teacher?
I look at my teaching career as a leveled system, where each level is dependent upon the supporting layer below it. In order to ascend a level, certain achievements have to take place first which often are the result of a relationship with an inspiring individual. Let me explain…
As a learner myself, I had to acquire skills before conquering a level of achievement (elementary, middle and high school followed by undergrad and graduate school). Each of these achievements were a result of many inspiring educators and outside influences- like Miss Lofy’s engaging lessons to make learning easy and my dependable dual parental support system at home.
As an educator, each principal’s leadership style guided the development of my own leadership style in my classroom and within the school. In addition, the composition of team members with whom I worked each year strengthened my communication style and inspired the creativity behind my teaching techniques.
Therefore, as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village of people and a variety of life experience to make me successful as a teacher.

5. As we approach a new school year, what suggestions do you have for students to start off on the right foot for a successful school year?

• Bring as many supplies from your class supply list as possible that way you can focus on learning and not the obstacle of the lack of materials. (If you cannot purchase a particular item, let your teacher know right away as the school might have extras to lend you.)
• Come to school the first day with an open mind. You learn the most when you are willing to take in new knowledge.
• Dress your best because when you feel good your perspective reflects your positive attitude
• Give everything a try. You can’t gain skills without swinging the bat. Taking risks is when you learn best, whether you are successful or not.
• Check your past at the door. Create a new impression with your teacher and classmates.
• Learning is a collaborative process. Talk respectfully with others, share your ideas when appropriate, and ask LOTS of questions. Life is not meant to be lived alone and no one is successful by doing everything solely by themselves. Embrace others.
• Get ready to have fun!!

6. What qualities do you seek to nurture in your students so that they are well prepared academically?
I focus on making my students the best version of themselves, personally and academically. The relationship I create with each student is the vessel by which I can build the trust so that they follow my lead. Even though I model appropriate behaviors and decision-making, students learn best by doing. So getting them to follow my lead has a longer lasting effect.
Personally– To develop a respectful, honest, caring level of character within a dependable individual who also has persevering ambition.
Academically– To develop a fearless risk-taking approach to learning by collaborating effectively with others while investigating uncharted waters of their own interest.

Why do you believe reflection to be the major contributing factor to an individual’s success?

(Go ahead and try it for yourself- answer the above questions and then share the link below! )

The post "A Passion for the Classroom" appeared first on Always A Lesson.

When I say I am a teacher, many people respond in a way similar to “oh wow! I could never do what you do” or “man, they sure don’t pay you enough!” Although I know each individual has the best of intentions when saying this, it does bother me somewhat. Yes, it takes a special type of person to have the amount of patience it requires to teach children. And yes, I do not make the amount of money to equate to my 24/7 job requirements. But, instead of looking at the teaching profession as if it were the plague, step into my shoes and really see what it takes. Maybe you could “cut the mustard.” Maybe you would be “the next best thing.” But don’t knock it until you try it.

This brings me to the inspiration behind this post. I came across the following article in Ed Week entitled “The Cop Who Wouldn’t Take My Teaching Job” and realized some look at teaching as an opportunity for a triumph and others see it as a daunting task ending in tears. Which are you?

You see, to an outsider many jobs seem unappealing for various reasons. On the other hand, some jobs seem like a “cake-walk” in comparison to others. “Teachers get the summers off. If only that were MY job!” Well, that statement is highly inaccurate. I have to make ends meet, thus I end up searching for a summer job each year and it always comes down to the wire. It’s exhausting and stressful to find 2-3 months of full-time work. Many businesses hire college kids for such vacancies and who can blame them? They’re cheaper! Some might even say that they don’t want to wipe children’s noses all day or tie shoe laces. Well, there is a vast array of ages that you can impact, it does not have to be Kindergarten.

I see where the cop is coming from though. If all you ever see is the bad side of a job, yes I can understand how you might say “I could never be _________.” TEARS. As the teacher realized in the post, she too only knew the scary sides of being a cop and was thankful for her own line of work. TEARS. The lesson here is one I would teach my class: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Teaching is very rewarding. TRIUMPH. Yes, there are several drawbacks, but also many perks. At first glance you might find it daunting or you might find it exciting. Either way, there is more to the story than what meets the eye. What I would prefer to hear is that someone admires my TALENT instead of my CHOICE. Rather than fearing the child I teach, admit you do not have the skill-set to educate a young mind. Instead of glamorizing “summers off,” congratulate me on the hours I work beyond the time clock so that I can be the most impactful voice in a child’s life. Instead of fearing the chaos of one person maintaining a classroom of 20+ children, applaud my organization and leadership capabilities. Instead of glamorizing the Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day parties held at school, give thanks for the preparation of staff members who worked tirelessly to create the event and tie it to every Common Core standard so that little boys and girls could have some fun every once in a while. TRIUMPH.

What I am getting at here is that there a lot of skills required to be a successful teacher (notice I did not just say “a teacher”). If you do not think you could ever do a single job, what is the real reason beyond the cosmetic and superficial fear? You are scared of being out in public at night. You dislike the elderly. You despise getting dirty. These are EXCUSES, not LIMITATIONS.  You cannot be a cop because you lack the strength to run down  the bad guy in a wet, dark alleyway. You cannot be a pilot because you lack the concentration to focus for long periods of time. You cannot be a teacher because your are incapable of multitasking and dividing up your day into 20 minute bite-sized chunks of educational value.

When you give someone a compliment for doing a job you think you could never do, stop and think about WHY. Maybe you need to try it for a day to prove to yourself you are more capable than you allow and or imagine. Otherwise, think about the skill set needed to perform this job successfully day in and out, and then tell that person explicitly why you admire them. That is a meaningful compliment worth sharing.

Being an educator for me has brought tears, but that is because learning can be scary and confusing. But, when I look back at my journey, I see each tear as a triumph that lead me to where I am today. Teaching is a challenging job that impacts the individual in profound ways- some might even say it impacts the person more than the child. Triumph.

What job do you think you could NEVER do?

What if you were given one day to try- would you take the risk?

The post Teaching: Tears or Triumph? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I came across a post called “5 signs kids are struggling with entitlement” and my ears perked up (well, considering I read it maybe I should say that my eyes widened). I have been struggling with this exact notion for quite some time now. Generations of students have an attitude that is completely unfamiliar to me. When I grew up, I listened to my elders and never spoke back to an adult. When I look at the behaviors of my students, I struggle to understand where they are coming from. I never purposely did something to hurt a fellow student. I did not yell, scream, or kick in my classroom. I certainly did not argue with my teacher. And I can 100% say that my parents never took my siblings’ side when the school phoned home. These days the parents assume the school did something to set the child off and the repercussions are the result of the child being provoked. How is this socially acceptable? How has this attitude and perspective cultivated? Entitlement. 

I do my best to ensure my students are respectful of others. Many times throughout the day, I have to remind my students that other people live in this world and we must work together to attain goals. It is not a one-man show. It is not a world with one person at its center. That blows their mind. Why hold open a door for the person behind you? Why not take the item that’s on the floor- finders keepers right? Why not hit back when you are mad? Why not stand up for yourself, even if it means yelling at an authority figure? Why not “forget” about homework and shrug it off once at school? Why not lie to get out of trouble? WHY NOT? Entitlement. 

Why? Students listen closely:

Because you are one person and your actions affect others. You are a child that shows respect to adults and acts properly because following a code of conduct is an honor and a privilege, not a choice. You are better than the behaviors you exhibit. Stop trying to impress others by gaining attention or items. Focus on becoming your best self. Listen and learn, rather than act. You have your life ahead of you and each choice is another stepping stone on that path. Do not create a rough terrain for yourself because you let pressures and influences take hold of your decision making. Look to your parents for support and guidance- and if that is not available, you have a teacher that loves you and will be an aide in your growth as a student and person. STOP THIS NONSENSE, get yourself together, and be a humble, hard-working individual that is admired for their talents and character rather than their social status and immature behavior.  YOU CAN BE BETTER. 

Here is the link to the article I am referencing. The statement that stands out the most to me is how children expect society to fix all of their problems. This entitlement is what enrages me the most.

You made a choice. You acted on that choice. You got yourself into a mess. You fix it. End of story. I did not influence your choice, I did not whisper in your ear how to act, I did not create the mess for you, so I will not be fixing it. Stop and think about how the predicament unfolded and begin working backwards to fix it. You want everything to be yours anyways right? But, now when life isn’t going so well it suddenly it doesn’t belong to you? You cannot choose wealth, but deny your actions in achieving it. You cannot choose popularity, but deny your actions in achieving it. You earned it, you have to live with it. If you want positive things to happen in your life, then act in a way that allows that outcome to prosper. You cannot step on people and think it doesn’t come back to haunt you. You cannot take what is not rightfully yours and expect it to remain for eternity. I will stand next to you as you fight this battle to put yourself back on the right track, but I will not do it for you.. I cannot rescue you, nor do I want to. You need to know that you can rely on yourself and have the capability to solve life’s problems that come your way.

Glenn Beck says it wonderfully, here in “Fighting Against The Growing Entitlement Society.” In fact, his 4 concepts got me thinking:

a. Self Esteem- I think it is great that we encourage children. However, I will not lie to make a child smile. There is always something a child is great at that I can compliment. There is always something unique about a child. I give an honest compliment because there are factors that separate us as people, and that is okay. Sometimes you are smart, athletic, helpful, artistic, etc. Telling a child they are great at something that they are not to make them feel better sets them up for failure. I love you enough to accept your talents and your struggles. If you want to try something for the first time, I support you. If you want to practice something you are not great at, I support you. But, I will not flood your head with lies about being good at something in which you are not. If I did not realize my own talents, I might not be a teacher. It’s important that we acknowledge our gifts and use them to bless society. Otherwise, we drown in a promise that should never have been made. If my parents told me I was great at softball, I might be the most depressed athlete trying day in and out to be a world-renowned softball player. That is not my destiny. That is not my gift. I am not saying tell a child they are horrible at a specific interest. However, find out what they are good at and praise them for it. Fill their confidence bucket in an area that is specialized for them. That way they become what they were destined to become and all because someone believed in them rather than giving them a false promise.

b. Celebrity Culture- I am over the bling, twerk, and wild ways of celebrity life that fills my students’ heads daily. This is not reality. It’s not a healthy lifestyle. And it certainly is not going to make my kiddos achieve their goals and dreams by living a similar life. There is an emptiness and loneliness in this lifestyle that is covered up by the wild behavior and choices that many celebrities make. I wish for my students to not look to them for leadership or direction. Sure, enjoy the music and clothing, but leave it at that. It is not for young children to emulate, unless of course they are choosing emptiness and loneliness as their future. There are many heroes in our culture, and a celebrity is rarely one.

c. Media- Ugh. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Whatever the latest social media outlet is makes me skin crawl at all the young men and woman portraying themselves in a  dishonest manner. I wince when I see them trying to be a day older than they really are, especially with gobs of makeup. It is to enhance features not draw attention to particular areas. Clothing is to cover the body not to flaunt it. I tell my students, “If you spend all of your time attracting attention with your physical appearance you will in deed have attention, but it won’t be the kind you yearn for. Respect yourself enough to portray your true self, not hide behind a persona.” I’m hoping one day they listen to me before its too late.

d. Credit- The phrase that comes to mind is “keeping up with the Jones’.” What someone has may look great on the outside, but you have no idea the problems they are dealing with on the inside. Students do not need the latest gadget to be cool. They don’t need to be the wealthiest person on the block who flaunts their belongings. They should be remembered and respected for how they treat others, not by the stuff  they own. (By the way, I have to warn them about credit cards and online shopping that’s linked to their parent’s account. A plastic card does not symbolize the money you have, so don’t use it as such- no matter how BAD you want it.)

I get so aggravated when children do not take responsibility for their actions. The phrase I hear the most in my classroom is, “you never gave it to me.” Do you really think I gave the materials to 21 out of 22 students and purposely left you out? NO. You received the materials, made a choice, acted on the choice, and now are here without materials. Let’s walk back through your decisions and figure out what went wrong. 10 times out of 10, a student has misplaced the material and chooses the easy road to blame me for not giving it to them. Worse yet, once they find it in their disorganized desk they shout “here it is!” and beam with pride. Not once do they say, “Ms. Schultek, I am sorry I accused you. I misplaced my assignment, and when I went looking for it, I found it.” Nope. They are too proud to apologize and too wrapped up in their “finding” abilities as if they just scored the winning run in the World Series. Entitled.

I am not referencing one child here. I am referencing my students as a whole. These behaviors are exhibited by numerous children on numerous occasions. Its not a fad, its a generation. I do not see it getting any better if we continue to allow it. So stand with me and guide the misguided in honesty, integrity, perseverance, and respect. We have a lot of character building to do- one child at a time. Who’s in???

What seems to be your biggest annoyance with the current generation you teach? 

The post Entitled Children: Changing a Disposition appeared first on Always A Lesson.

An email came across my inbox a while back that was a quick read but had me reflecting for days on end. In fact, to this day I still think about it. I am sure you might have heard of the Charles Schultz Philosophy; the creator of the cartoon strip, “Peanuts.”

Take a moment and read it below (or watch the video):

“Something to think about – Charles Schultz Philosophy

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last six Academy Award winners for best actor or actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

Here’s some more things to think about. See how well you do on this quiz!

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

You’re right. I did much better on the second quiz. Factual information is hard to retain unless you give it meaning. The easiest way to give information and experiences meaning is by assigning an emotion to them. In my case, the second quiz was easily retrieved from memory because I felt the emotion as I read the words and I began to think about the people that contributed to that feeling. Inevitably, a smile came across my face going through those memories. They have made me who I am today.

As an individual, I realize the effects of both positive and negative relationships on my personal growth. I had some great teachers that inspired me to persevere, achieve my dream job, and take risks. I have a laundry list of friends as a support system that have stood next to me through the good, bad, and ugly. I have met many people throughout my life that stayed for a moment but taught me a lesson that would last a lifetime. I have on most accounts felt appreciated and special, especially from my family. And luckily, as a social butterfly I enjoy spending time with lots of unique people.

As a teacher, I realize that every moment is precious as I mold my students into their best selves. This message is urgent on my heart as I have to maximize these moments, reach more students on a deeper level, and give everything I have to provide a supportive foundation on which my students will wish, dream, and eventually become what their hearts desire. Like the individuals I could list that helped me become my best, it is an honor to show up on a list of the lives I come into contact with daily in the classroom. I hope I can give back a portion of what I was so wonderfully given.

The post "Something to Think About" appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I stumbled upon a passionate blog entry from a loving mother [see post here]. I immediately connected to her message- love your child just enough that they feel cherished but not too much that you disable them as individuals.

As a teacher, my philosophy has been and always will be to help a child become independent so that they can take charge of their life without excuses. I am passionate about children standing up for themselves and relying on their own skill sets to solve problems. I am a firm believer that if adults live their child’s lives for them then the children will never grow up. The children will wait around for mommy or daddy to rescue them in every circumstance. I will not be a teacher that handicaps my students by doing it for them.

I will teach you. I will help you. I will guide you. But I will not do it for you.

Third graders enter my classroom doors as babies. They have had their hand-held by their previous teacher and of course their parents. I am okay with that. Young children need adults to do particular tasks for them because they are not yet capable (tying shoes, picking out clothing, packing a lunch, etc). However, by 8 years old children are ready to transition into independence of smaller tasks, such as those aforementioned. I smile at my students and remind them that they can do the following tasks themselves:

• retrieve a Kleenex without asking for permission
• utilize the restroom without a buddy
• place unused materials back in their original placement without a reminder
• complete homework independently because it is a review of the daily topic(s) taught in class
• communicate their personal needs as I am not a mind reader
• foster friendships without a mediator
• listen and pay attention for longer than a 10 min span
• give life a shot before complaining
• use a “guess and check” method prior to asking for help

But most of all, THINK. Your brain worked in the womb. Your brain worked upon your arrival. Your brain worked from your first day in preschool up until this very day. Sure, I have the answer. Sure, mom and dad have the answer. But so do you too. Take a moment, and think.

My biggest advice during Parent-Teacher Conferences is for parents to step back. I remember a conversation with a parent whom I still adore to this very day and see on a regular basis. I was explaining my philosophy of  high expectations and why I push students to levels their parents are uncomfortable with (as seen in a comment a current parent made, “Ms. Schultek thinks her kids are in college!”), and she turned to me and said “this is going to be hard for me. She is my oldest. I want to do things for her because I love her. I know she can do them, but as a mom I enjoy doing them for her.”

And there it is.

Yes, LOVE your children in every way you can daily. Children succeed best when they are loved. I love your child too! But, love from a distance. Allow them to grow. When you step in and act for them, you cut off their branches. You are trimming away their potential. Let them try. Let them struggle. Let them learn. They will figure it out and they will be better off for it.

Think about all the lessons you have learned so far in life. The lessons that stick out the most to you are probably the ones where you felt the most alone or helpless. But, because of your struggle you learned that you can conquer anything that comes across your path, and you now have tools in your belt that you would not have had if you didn’t have to try strategies A-Y before finding the successful strategy Z!

Your child is just like you. They need to figure it out for themselves. Stand next to them and encourage them. That is love. Prompt them with advice if needed. But do not say “here are the answers to life and this is what you should do” because they will not grow up. You will deal with an adult who has child-like abilities and that is a handicap no individual should acquire.

So, what I ask of my fellow teachers is to continue pushing your students to the next level. They can handle it. They love and enjoy it. You will be astonished with what they can accomplish if you just ask it of them. Parents, I ask you to continue loving your child, but in a new way. A way that allows them the freedom and flexibility to explore life. Take a step back and have patience as they wobble and often fall. They are going to get back up and look to you for encouragement so that they can continue to take steps forward. Be there for them, but in a new way. Don’t swing the bat for them. Stand next to the plate, shout advice and praise, and watch your child hit the game winning run.

In order for a child to step up, we must step back.

What have you struggled to stop doing for your children/students? 

The post Children that Grow Up to be Children appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This year has been extremely challenging for me in a new way. Over my 8 year career, I have taught third grade for 6 of those years. I have seen multiple instructional programs and approaches come and go, and with these changes lots of new learning occurred for myself. However, this year, just when I thought I had a year free of learning, I got hit with a new challenge: Parents.

See, for five of my 8 years I taught in a Title-One school that had little to no parental involvement. My current school flirts with the cut-off line for being labeled Title-One, but in my opinion it is on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of student background and struggles. I chose this school after 5 years experience to affect a different type of child with other types of needs. I no longer teach content with a focus on manners and survival skills, rather I solely teach content. My students come from stable families, and even if parents are no longer married they co-parent as united adults.

However, with the increase in parental involvement at my current school it required me to navigate unfamiliar waters. The first two years at my school went great and my adjustment to an increase in parent presence in the classroom was successful. Parents lived in my classroom and we became a family.

This year arrived and so did a challenge- a pretty BIG challenge.

I was blessed with a small class size with the potential to grow to average capacity within the first month. I built my room so that it was cozy for the first 18 students on my roster, and added additional seating as students joined our class. As they would arrive, they met new friends and added on to our close-knit family. One day, my principal approached me about taking a third grade student from another class and switching them into my classroom. Of course, I had no issues with this and embraced the student upon arrival. This particular student did not have a positive experience in the other classroom due to some poor choices he decided to make. The parent felt the teacher had much to do with this negative experience and wanted him to relocate to another classroom (I can without a doubt now say that the teacher had NOTHING to do with his behavior choices). The first two months of this child joining our classroom were treacherous. The student was not interested in joining our family, making friends, following classroom protocols, or participating in the learning process in any capacity. This saddened me not only for the boy’s potential success and happiness, but it threw off our whole feng shui! (Isn’t it funny how one personality can alter a room?)

His mother loved him dearly, like a Mama Bear who loves her cub. She confessed over and over how smart he was and that he never told a lie. He was her middle and most mature child out of 5. I didn’t doubt that he was smart; he just did not want to put any effort into his schooling. This made me job impossible. My personality and communication style is “doors wide open,” so when I would provide a daily report of his choices and the ramifications of these choices, the mother would become very angry like a Mama Bear protecting her cub. We met with our school’s dean and principal on numerous occasions to talk things out, create a plan moving forward, and have the child set academic goals for himself. No one was on the same page- no one.

Many days I was frustrated with him, myself, parents, the school system, and anywhere else that I could point a finger. I couldn’t reach this child. I couldn’t make him care. I couldn’t get the mom to see from my point of view. “I am not a parent, so maybe I just don’t understand,” I would tell myself most days. I felt like she listened, but was defensive and in denial. She became so uncooperative that I stopped giving a daily report and just “sucked it up.” This of course, did not make anything better.

Luckily, another child in the class was very close with this family. The two mothers talked daily. The other mother raved about my class, my teaching style, and her child’s growth and success under my wing. (This was a parent in my corner- yesss!!) Little did I know that I had an ally that would help turn this whole situation around. After hearing positive comment after positive comment, in terms of parent and student opinion of myself as a teacher and the overall experience in my classroom, the defensive parent began to try to look at the situation differently.

Also, at this time, the boy began to try. I rewarded him for his efforts. He got a taste of appropriate and positive teacher attention and he enjoyed the support. He began coming to class on time. He turned in all of his assignments on time. He encouraged his mother to sign test papers, agendas, and field trip forms. IT WAS A WHOLE NEW CHILD. Why the change?

I may never know. I did not change the way I taught. I did not change the way I reached out to him. Something IN him changed. He stopped allowing his past to dictate his future. He saw me as a chance to start fresh and began to spend time with me 1:1 talking about his father serving our country, his hopes for particular Christmas presents, and exciting after-school plans. I began to laugh with him, hug him, and praise his efforts. We began to change the way we related to one another.

I realized that many times people react to a situation due to a past emotion or experience. Their finger might be pointing at you, but it has nothing to do with you. Boy, did this take a long time for me to understand. My tears stopped. My frustration died down. I began to see that situation differently, just like the mom had. He might not have been acting perfectly, but he was not a bad child. My reports felt like accusations to her and her son was becoming more and more unmotivated. (Mama Bear‘s claws began to come out!)

Life is great when it is easy, and so is teaching. But, it became difficult when I became stressed, depressed, anxious, and ready to move towards greener pastures. That is, until today…

(That’s all you need sometimes isn’t it? A golden nugget as a reward for persevering after something for so long. It keeps you in the game just a little bit longer. Well, I received my golden nugget today.)

She stopped by my room earlier today to see if I had time to talk after school. Of course, I had been wanting to speak with her since she failed to attend two parent conferences. We met and I shared his current grades, goals for improvement, and praised his growth so far. She was very happy and made mention on numerous accounts of his positive change in attitude. She even said, “I hope you know this was never personal. I just wanted what was best for him. I knew his was reacting because of his last classroom situation and I knew he was not guilty all of the time. He is my smartest one. I know with him that he does right. It was never anything against you.”

That is all I ever needed to hear. It might have been more helpful to hear it in the beginning, but it meant more now than if I heard it any earlier. Like a Mama Bear, she went to any length to get her child what he needed, wanted, and deserved. We stopped talking academics and began talking personal. We swapped stories of where we both were from, the student’s girl crushes in the class, family holiday plans, and the excitement of dad returning home from active duty. At the end of the conversation she said with a smile, “if you ever want to drop by, you can.” The youngest daughter even offered for me to stay for dinner.

WOW.

The transformations within my student, his mother, and I are noteworthy. Preconceived notions and miscommunication created this scenario. I am not proud that it took 3 months for things to turn around, but I am so thankful for this lesson. I know it will always stay in the forefront of my mind when situations arise with future students. It will help me continue to navigate these unfamiliar waters of Mama and Papa Bears, and allow me to take a step back so that I don’t take things personal. It’s not always about me, and that’s the truth.

What has been a breakthrough in your teaching career and/or life?

The post Parents: The Mama and Paper Bear Instinct appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Last year I had to opportunity to experience an in-house field trip. I normally do not find these events as engaging, exciting, nor memorable as going out into the community for a traditional field trip. However, this experience was like no other! [see post here]. So, I had to reach out for the opportunity again this year.

My team and I were able to organize this field trip around Thanksgiving and thus focused on the Native American culture. Below is an image recap of the event:

Look at our cool outfits!

Watch us make music!

Do you hear the rain?

Even the teachers joined in!

Chief Henrickson!

There’s Pocahontas!

Bringing the culture to life:

A Great Story: Do you know the song “Rock-a-bye Baby?” Here is where it came from… The Native American women had to complete many chores while holding a baby in their arms. So, they created a backpack-type carrying device to hold their baby that allowed them full mobility of both arms. The women would also hang the backpack from a tree (“in the tree tops!”) while they worked. If it happened to fall off the tree with the baby inside, (“When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. And when the bough breaks the cradle will fall”), there was a built-in head protector band to protect the baby’s head. (“And down will come baby, cradle and all!”) Brilliant! A built-in airbag!

What was your favorite field trip? What made it so wonderful?

The post In-House Field Trip #2 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Public speaking tops most people’s list of fears. Not mine. I absolutely love to talk to people. I may not know everything there is to know about a subject, but I know how to share information in a way that relates to people and comes off more like a story than a list of facts.

I have had the privilege of presenting to numerous groups of adults on various topics. I enjoy the opportunity to speak about education because I am passionate about it. My confidence comes from my background knowledge and first-hand experience in the classroom. Somehow through all of my presentations, I have learned to be cool, calm and collected. I believe achieving this confidence is what will take public speaking off many people’s FEAR LIST. If you are talking about what you love and what you believe in, how can you be nervous? I get lost in my own passion, thoughts, and dreams that I forget my racing heart beat, erratic breathing rhythm and the many eyes staring back at me. It drives me. It makes me interact with the audience and my pace feeds off of their energy. Every person should get the opportunity to reach a crowd and share their own unique ideas, especially if they are passionate about them.

I thought once I felt cool, calm, collected, and confident that I had public speaking all figured out; that I would be a HIT, a smash, and a natural. Well, I was wrong. Do you every accomplish a task to realize another one forms out of that one? That right when you cross something off of your “To Do” list, another entry appears? Well, it happens as a result of perspective and experience. When you achieve a goal, you are one step higher; thus, you have greater perspective due to that experience.

I have now realized I have the FEAR factor checked off my list and I need to dive into the skill set of public speaking. Sure, I can read lots of books and scour the internet for tidbits. But, watching a great presenter in action has brought all the technique I need to life. My church pastor, Steven Furtick of Elevation Church, is my public speaking role-model. I appreciate his dedication and passion to his life’s purpose and it speaks through his presentation delivery. He utilizes many techniques to relate to and engage with the audience. There is much to admire about his skill level, regardless of if you agree or appreciate the topic in which he discusses.

I will say that I do not wish to mimic Steven Furtick. I want to grow and develop my own speaking voice and approach but there are many techniques that he uses that I can learn a great deal from. I can tweak these skills to make them fit my personality and my audience. Listed below are some of the GREAT public speaking strategies my Pastor utilizes with each sermon delivery:

• Repetition- Often times Pastor Steven has some really good one liners; phrases the audience will want to write down. A GREAT public speaker will speak slowly to captivate the audience and even repeat a strong point so that the audience can not only digest the information, but think on it. When he repeats a particular point, I am able to let it sink in and have time to write it down so that I can apply or reference it later. This is true of any presenter- you want your audience to take what you are saying and utilize it in some capacity. Presenting is not a show, even though some people might view it as such. It is actually an avenue to connect and communicate with a large group of people. My students need to hear information multiple times, and so do adults. Repetition of key points increases the likelihood that your audience will not only listen but participate in thinking about your presentation topic.
• “Touch your Neighbor”- Out of context, I can see this phrase raising some eyebrows but I promise you it is appropriate, useful and effective. Pastor Steven emphasizes his key points further by having the audience repeat a portion of it. This way the audience hears it, writes it, and then speaks it. This further increases the likelihood the message is not only hitting the audience’s ears but they will do something with the information. For example, he might say something like “touch your neighbor and tell them “the best is yet to come!”” Then the audience complies. It keeps them awake, focused, and ensures that they interact with one another and the material.
• Relate to Life- The reason I LOVE my church is that I can relate to what Pastor Steven is saying. I grew up Catholic and learned to memorize phrases, sit, kneel and stand. I was a robot who utilized less than 1 brain cell during the entire experience. I do not want my audience to be lifeless zombies who routinely listen to me for no good reason at all. Pastor Steven utilizes his gift of public speaking to hook and engage listeners so that they look forward to coming to church and take something away from the experience. He does this by taking the Bible and relating the message to incidents in our own lives. This technique is applicable to any public speaker on any topic. Share your philosophical ideas, data, and important product updates but then share how this knowledge applies to the audience in more than one area of their life. Tell a story. Relate the quantitative data qualitatively. Make it make sense. Get the audience emotionally involved. Make them laugh. Allow them to connect. If they have a reason to hear what you have to say then they will do something with what you are sharing.
• Shrink the Room- Elevation is a large church, but Pastor Steven shrinks the room when he asks the audience questions, makes them engage with one another and even gives an audience member a “shout out.” It is easy to check out when someone is standing in front of a large room talking. But if they move around, make you interact, and personalize the message with the people that are physically in the room, how can you not pay attention? How can you not participate? Shrink the room; it’ll be the best tactic yet.
• Video Clips & Music- One of the other reasons I love my church is that it is current. Society operates on 4G and the church should represent its people. Therefore, my church sings and plays music in a way similar to the latest trends. They share audio and video clips to keep us informed of upcoming events, celebrate past successes, and emphasize sermon key points. The audience can relate because the presentation is speaking their language. If you speak to the culture of the room, they will get “it.”
• Alliteration of Points- So now that you have successfully engaged the audience and they heard your message, its time for them to remember what you said. It is helpful to make your main point short and sweet. But, it also helps if you use a play on words. Pastor Steven is King of Alliteration (where all of the words in a phrase begin with the same letter). For example, his latest sermon discussed “alertness, attire, and access.” 3 words and his sermon was ready to go! Plan ahead what you want to say and then make it stick!
• Take-a-Ways- Alliteration is catchy. The audience will remember it. But, how can we ensure they talk about the message or share with others? Give them a physical token of the conversation so that when they or others see it, the discussion begins. This ensures your message gets passed on and utilized. Keep the object small that they can carry it anywhere they go, and often wearing something is the best way to encourage discussion! “Where did you get that? What is it from? What does it mean?” Well, let me tell you about this awesome presentation I attended…

As a teacher, I get the added bonus of being able to practice my public speaking everyday with my students. They are a faithful audience who love me unconditionally. I can try any technique out and they will never know that I’m practicing my “on stage” delivery ideas. If it is a success, I know but they don’t. If it is a failure, I know but they don’t. It is the perfect environment to learn and take risks so that when I go out “on stage” I have studied, I have practiced, and I am now ready to D.E.L.I.V.E.R.

Who inspires you to hone your craft? What makes them GREAT?

The post What makes a presenter GREAT? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

During planning one day, my literacy coach proposed that my team engage students in a review of material in a manner similar to the game “Jeopardy.” However, why not have each student work on a device at their desk to answer instead of answering out loud as one large class? This was genius- why not?! The program she referenced was an app available on iPads called, “Nearpod.“

In order for students to all interpret the information and really think during class, they have to be held accountable in some way. Having students engage in a review where they each have to reply was ideal. (Besides on a test, when do we really have that happen?) Thus, my team checked out a cart of iPads (5 per class = 1 iPad per table group). I stood at the SmartBoard and manipulated the screen to showcase the questions, as students collaborated with one another and selected their answer on the iPod. The results graphed immediately in front of the class making it easy for me to see how we as a class were progressing towards mastery of the content. Students reinforced the knowledge by teaching each other through discussion of potential answers to numerous questions. “Oh, I get it!” or “You’re right, I forgot about that!’ was heard often. They enjoyed the instant gratification of seeing the correctness of their answer.

Below are some pictures of my students utilizing the Nearpod app on the iPad during our review game:

Here is an example of the student group names (creative huh? haha) and their score on question one:

Here is an example of the graph that shows how much we are “getting” it, which updates in real time (the reason for “no answer”) :

We can increase rigor too! We asked an open-ended exit-ticket type question to end our review session. I can quickly see the responses and the students can learn from each others responses too; quite the Win-Win scenario.

As if you couldn’t tell already, I think this is soooo exciting! I absolutely LOVED interacting with technology, providing content in a new way to my students, requiring all students to demonstrate mastery of the content, and having fun! My kiddos cannot wait to do this again with EVERYTHING (oh boy- this might not work out well for me! hehe).

It is really easy to do. Download the Nearpod app on your device and create an account. Then get started!

Check out this video for additional information. Want to know what other teachers think about Nearpod? See it for yourself here.

Share your experiences below with using Nearpod in the classroom.

[After this original post was released many of my teacher friends tried it out. They mentioned it was a great learning tool but that they were having a hard time familiarizing themselves with all that it is capable of doing instructionally (quiz, poll, video, draw it, homework, Q & A, slideshow, and web inserts). NearPod offers content already created so I suggest perusing it first before creating something yourself from scratch. So in my best attempt to help, I figured I’d share some “How- To” instructions:

1. Download the NearPod app on your devices (this will help you see what the students will see)
2. Access NearPod on the internet via www.nearpod.com to create your files and get familiar with the teacher view of the content
3. Sign up for an account through Google or NearPod (name, email, password)
4. Choose what you would like to do – view your library, join a session, shop in the store, or create your own presentation.
5. View your library- this is where all of your content is stored
6. Join a Session- when you are ready to make your presentation go live, a code will be assigned to you to share with your students. To join a session you will need to input the code
7. Shop- this is where pre-made content can be found (both free and for purchase)
8. Create- if you want to start from scratch begin here.

CREATING YOUR PRESENTATION FROM SCRATCH:
1. Click on “new presentation”
2. If you have a presentation already made you can upload it. Be sure to read the requirements first: “Upload a PDF or Powerpoint to get started. Nearpod supports all standard PDF formats and assumes one page = one slide. Slides are always displayed in landscape orientation. To use an existing Keynote document, you need to convert it to a PDF first.
Nearpod also supports image (jpg, and png) and zip files .” (http://np1.nearpod.com/presentation.php)
3. Or “start from scratch,” and click on the “+” sign to add a page. NearPod already gives you a beginning and ending page that you can edit to fit your presentation’s style.
4. You can add, delete, preview, and share your presentation at this stage
5. On each page you will be prompted to “add content”, “add web content”, or “add activity” (ie. poll, Q & A, mult choice)
6. FYI: web content requires you to upgrade, but you can use the free trial to explore it- inserting content already created on a website so that you don’t have to retype (almost like a screen shot)

* I suggest putting in all of your content first and then add in the engagement activities last once you know the flow of your instruction and where students will need a check for understanding or something to draw them in if they are sitting too long *

7. Once your presentation if full of content and activities, be sure to preview you it to ensure it is aesthetically pleasing
8. When satisfied, hit “publish” and your presentation will the show up in your library
9. Now you can edit, preview, access reports, assign homework, and make the session go live
10. Be sure to write down the code so that students can access the presentation (you will receive a new code every time you edit or log in)

I hope you found this helpful! If you have specific questions about your presentation click on “get help” as seen below:

Thank you for trying something new in your classrooms to help your students learn, grow, and succeed!

The post Death By PowerPoint No Longer…Nearpod TO THE RESCUE! [UPDATED] appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I’m fired up!!! It’s been a while since I stepped foot on my soapbox, but it’s about that time again!

I really wish our educational system was better. In fact, I wish our educational system was the best in the world. I wish our children had the promise of a better future because we prepared them not just to the best of our ability, but in the most successful way possible. I guess I will keep on wishing…

I recently heard about an initiative of adding 300 extra hours on to a school year as part of a pilot program located in the Northeast in hopes that students will become more successful; well, the goal is better test scores, let’s be honest. [You can access articles here or here- What I find quite funny about the second article is that at the bottom there is an ad entitled, “Want to be a teacher?” Whether it be poor advertising or dry humor, it sure sums up the article in my opinion!]

You can also take a glance at a video from news station WGRZ , but I must warn you that you will have to wait through the advertisement to get to the pressing topic. Education is so important, yet let’s wait to talk about it after this brief announcement from our sponsors. What is our priority here? Education should be conveyed as “Top News” stories because they affect the children that are our future- end of story; no pun intended.

We can continue to throw money at different aspects of education hoping it will be the magic recipe to turn everything around. We can even extend our school year with fingers crossed that it will produce better results. Although I appreciate the good intentions, I can promise that it will not have positive long-lasting results. I can say that with confidence after reading this statement from the aforementioned ABC article: “In many cases, they would be using the extra 300 hours a year for things there isn’t enough time for during a regular school day, such as trying out personalized learning technologies and studying world cultures, healthy living, foreign languages, fitness and healthy living, and even scrapbooking.” (Haigh, 2013) I am so glad students will be exposed to scrapbooking. That extra 300 hours is not only well planned and funded, but man is it purposeful and data-driven! Where is our focus?

I can see how providing courses that round a child out is of benefit, but let’s not use government money to raise our standards of education for courses in fitness and scrapbooking. I AM FURIOUS. I do not work long hours on a frozen pay scale to hear that there is money being pumped into a program called “Time for Innovation Matters in Education” that at the root of it masks a summer camp agenda. In addition, not once does the article cite evidence that these programs add educational value or enhance student’s intellectual performance or capacity. Is that not the aim of improving our educational system?

The root of our problem in education is that teachers are under-prepared and unsupported. We need preparatory courses that throw teachers into the classrooms right away instead of memorizing theories from famous educators in a lecture hall on campus. We need professors that are current teachers sharing their daily educational experiences  while they convey the content to the class. We need patient, encouraging cooperating teachers that provide specific, targeted feedback on instruction so that we can improve. We need quality teachers applying and being hired in all districts across the nation. We need knowledgeable coaches to join teachers in the classroom our first few years to provide in the moment cues to better a lesson in efforts to shorten the learning curve and get students achieving higher, faster. Lastly, we need to retain our most effective teachers by pouring our energy and support into helping them continually grow to best meet student needs. In other words, stop placing tangible resources in a school and expect them to work miracles. Teachers are your resource. Pour YOUR very best into teachers, so that TEACHERS can become their very best in efforts to prepare our FUTURE to develop into their very best. No textbook or single program will make a difference. Teachers make the difference. Start there.

I have been a passionate educator in the state of North Carolina for 8 years. I worked hard through college to gain the skill and knowledge to teach elementary students. I went on to teach third graders during the day and attend school at night to attain my Master’s degree in Curriculum and Supervision. I love what I do so much that I desired to continue to hone my craft and achieved National Board Certification in 2012. If that does not state my commitment to my profession and our future, I don’t know what would- it certainly is not from the decision makers who are pumping insignificant programs into our schools. What’s next? Yoga, pottery, and tiddlywinks?

Do you feel adding 300 hours on to a school year is an effective way to raise student achievement? Why/why not?

[*Disclaimer: There are many other articles and videos on the web that I did not attach to this post. Feel free to search this topic on any web browser and you will find lots of information to support your very own opinion. I merely chose the sources mentioned above because they spoke to me personally and solely represent my own stand on this issue.]

The post Improving Education: 300 Hours Added appeared first on Always A Lesson.

During one of our many staff meetings, my principal got up to speak. For whatever reason, she had quite the message to deliver that day and I raced to grab paper and pencil to capture her passionate, sage advice:

• You will make the school what it needs to be and we are here to support you.
• Its by design, not by chance.
• Everything you do must be strategic and all about the kids.
• There’s no excuse for a child to not be successful. We need to work harder.

I left that meeting feeling empowered. She was absolutely right. We must be purposeful in what we do. Children do not gain knowledge and skills by just showing up, drawing the lucky number, or by osmosis. What we do matters and how we do it is just as important. We need to work smarter to ensure we are reaching students and teaching the content required based on the Common Core Standards. Just because something is “fun,” does not mean it is going to help the child succeed in the college or career field. Each teacher affects 20+ students. If each teacher made purposeful, educated decisions about their instruction the school would begin to change. And with administrators who are on stand-by ready to lend a hand or ear, the school will begin to shift and gain momentum in the positive direction. We all are capable of teaching at successful schools, but we must begin to plan and execute instruction to our highest potential- the students deserve it.

What advice do you have to ensure a school becomes successful?

The post Encouragement from Administration appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Our educational system is ever-changing. We have many “new” ideas that turn out to be old ideas with a new name. If you stay in the profession long enough you will go through the cycle once or twice and think “is this Déjà vu?”  What is quite sad is that I have been teaching only 8 years and I already have seen the same trends come and go. However, a trend that is on the brink of changing our educational system that hasn’t occurred in the past is the notion of coaching teachers.

Teacher preparation is not equipping teachers to step foot into a classroom and begin teaching [see an earlier post I wrote on this topic]. In addition to teacher prep, we also have to care for our teachers once they jump in. Just like we reinforce skills with students, we must reinforce skills with teachers. That means we do not just drop them at the door, wave goodbye, and never check in with them. We must dive in their first year with them and help them navigate the waters; even with the best teacher preparation program in the country under their belts. No matter how many times I prepare for any life event, in the moment I have so many questions that I did not think to ask prior. I also want feedback on how I reacted so that I could be more efficient and effective the next go-around. The same goes for teachers. They cannot foresee every question they might have prior to going into the classroom. They also need to tweak their performance and without an extra set of eyes it is hard to see the areas of improvement. The longer a teacher practices a skill or technique the wrong way the deeper the habit becomes, thus making it even harder to correct later down the road. Coaches help teachers stop and reflect in the moment so that the poor habit never forms.

Education week wrote an article supporting my idea of coaching a teacher [see the full article here]. They even provide tips on how to coach teachers effectively [see the full article here]. Being a coach myself, I agree with each tip listed and encourage anyone in a leadership role to remember honest feedback is not criticism, rather advice. Creating a relationship with a mentee teacher and explaining how open and honest communication in the relationship will benefit the teacher’s overall performance is imperative. It is not an attack. It is not meant to belittle. It is an urgent message to help mold the teacher into their best instructional self. You know coaching is working when a coach gives a nonverbal signal to a teacher in the middle of the lesson and the teacher responds immediately. This one action can change the whole course of a lesson and help students succeed in the moment. My own teaching has improved from being a coach. I can now look at my classroom through a different lens and know exactly what areas need to be tweaked- who is/is not getting it; who is/is not paying attention; who needs a visual/auditory cue; who is/is not keeping up, etc.

School districts have to the see the need of pouring into teachers so that teachers can effectively pour into students- a domino effect. The New Teacher Project, known as TNTP, added their spin on why coaching works in hopes that many more school districts will see the need and provide the opportunity for teachers [see the full article here].

Does your school encourage coaching teachers? If so, how are coaches utilized?

The post New Teacher Coaches appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Students love to sit around the room to work independently. They often fight over who gets to sit where and run at light speed to the latest “hot spot.” With safety being at stake (and my sanity as well), I decided to allow students to remain in a secret spot for a length of time. I figured this will cut down on the rushing about and intense arguments that end in tears. I also am a big proponent of student ownership, so I did not want to just assign spots. I wanted them to earn them. A co-worker mentioned having her students “apply” for classroom jobs and it hit me… I can have my students “apply” for their secret spot! Thus, the “Secret Spot Request Form” was born!

Below are some examples of completed forms and student work areas:

I must say that once I put this application process into place, there have been no arguments between students. Everyone is respectful of the “Secret Spot” implementation and stick up for one another during a “Secret Spot” hijacking. Students spend more time on-task, complete their work efficiently and orderly, and I am able to focus on my small group instruction instead of breaking up arguments. The classroom is peaceful and routinized. I love every minute of it!

Every two weeks, the application process opens and no one is grandfathered into their old “Secret Spot.” You must earn your spot fair and square each rotation. A student may apply for the same spot, but their reasoning has to beat out another person applying for the same location. Competition, you might say? Sure. But, increasing student persuasiveness is a Win-Win in my book!

How do you organize/assign student work areas?

The post Secret Spots for Learning appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The Harlem Globetrotters organization has a program called, The ABC’s of Bullying Prevention- highlighting action, bravery, and compassion. Ant was a very engaging presenter as he worked the crowd providing information on stopping violence in schools.

He shared his personal bullying story of being in school when a jealous classmate bullied him. By the end of the story, he shared how the bully thought Ant had it all and badly wanted that for himself too. So, Ant taught him how to be a kind and respectful person and his life began to turn around. That same bully later became his body guard in college and remains a close friend even today!

Ant brought up a few kids and teachers to the center of the circle for a little fun! (My student’s face shows terror, but she did SO GREAT!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK4vh-gArCM&w=420&h=315]

Ant gets a teacher to try:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnMqNI_9Ml4&w=420&h=315]

Ant shows off his skills:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E0HuB6rvZc&w=420&h=315]

I highly encourage you to bring this program into your school. Send an email at info@harlemglobetrotters.com and make it happen!

What assemblies have been most meaningful to your students?

The post Harlem Globetrotters' ABC's of Bullying appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently had to create a “teaching statement.” I was not quite sure what this was really and assumed it was the new lingo for “philosophy of education.” Although similar in part, there are some distinct differences (a philosophy is more big picture where a teaching statement is defined by specific examples).

Thank goodness for Google! I came across this website that had tons of helpful information. Here is my brief synopsis of its requirements:

This website helped me answer specific questions like how I facilitate student learning, goals that I have for myself and my students, evidence of student learning, etc.  I then rearranged the answers so that the document flowed and best reflected my most salient points. With that in mind, here is what I believe about teaching (no judging!):

Teaching Statement

I am passionate about teaching and I love children. It is my desire to help students develop habits of becoming a life-long learner and a citizen of upmost character. I push each boy and girl to become the best student and human being that they can be every day. I have high expectations of the work they produce, the way they communicate with one another, and their development of an optimistic and excited approach to learning opportunities.

My classroom is my sanctuary. I use soft lighting from various lamps placed around the classroom in order to create a comfortable and soothing feeling. I use bright colors in my anchor charts and decor located around the classroom to invite students into the learning space. I play jazz and blues music softly in the background during independent work time to soothe anxiety and keep students engaged in their work. I spend every moment cultivating a safe environment where students can take risks, work together, and have fun while learning.

As a teacher, I strive to effectively provide instruction at or above each student’s developmental level.  I also take pride in helping my students set and achieve both personal and professional goals. I aim to educate the whole child and care as much about the level of their self-confidence as I do about their academic performance. I strongly believe that students should be pushed outside of their comfort zone and take risks as a learner. The most effective way I have learned to prepare students for success is to make them independent. They must rely on themselves and their classmates during the learning process rather than looking to me for answers. In everything I do, I ensure my students  assume ownership in the learning process. I continuously model academic strategies so that students know the expectation placed on them. I then require them to not only perform at this high level through multiple scenarios, but also hold their peers accountable to do so as well.

All students have the capacity to be successful in the classroom. As a teacher, it is imperative that I determine each student’s learning style and to teach to his or her current level of understanding. Students are strategically paired by learning ability so that they can learn from one another without frustration.  These achievement levels change constantly by topic and day depending on the acquisition of a particular skill. Students learn a significant amount by teaching one another. Therefore, having varying abilities in the classroom is of benefit to each student involved.

My teaching has morphed over the past 8 years from teacher-led to student-led. I have left direct instruction behind in favor of teaching students in small groups. Research and district requirements initiated my shift in teaching style, but as I learned more about best practices I realized first-hand how beneficial this instructional approach can be to students.  It individualizes the learning experience and although it’s more challenging to differentiate instruction due to the extensive preparatory work, it is truly what is best for students. I realize how significant each moment in the classroom is and a moment wasted moving too fast or too slow can disengage a student.

I break my teaching points into mini lessons to be taught over a series of days. After a 10 to 20 minute mini-lesson, I release students to begin to work independently and I pull a small group to dive deeper into the concept to ensure skill acquisition. This targeted instruction ensures that students who need additional practice on a particular skill receive the reinforcement and the students that are ready to extend their learning can do so. Collecting informal and formal data throughout a lesson allows me to know which aspect of the content needs to be re-taught as well as which students need supplemental instruction to extend or remediate instruction. Each day, I can see the rate of the retention of skills in my student’s performance.

My teaching style of utilizing a mini lesson format coincides with my belief that students need to become the captain of their learning journey. If I use direct instruction all day, I am doing most of the work and students are not thinking for themselves. If I step back, however, and allow students to think through a situation, they will be able to strengthen their critical thinking skills, accurately reference and utilize instructional materials, and persevere until they are successful.

The Common Core State Standards have enhanced students’ opportunities to think outside the box and apply what they are learning in the classroom to the real world. It pushes me to require my students to think in a higher-order fashion in all that they do. Technology is the wave of the future and getting students to compose their writing in a word document or present their historical findings in a Power Point presentation is necessary so that they are prepared for college and career field.

I know students are learning when they can teach each other, ask questions that not only clarify material but extend the topic, and most of all witness how they grapple with the content and assume leadership in their learning experience. I am less concerned with the grades students receive, and more concerned with the path they take to achieve. For me, it is about growth and development of a student’s thinking over time. This progress is what motivates a student and keeps the desire to learn burning throughout their lifetime. When I can get a student to take ownership of their learning, I know they have achieved success.

I absolutely love what I do for a living. Education is the most powerful asset an individual can acquire. Children are our future. I do not take for granted the bond I form with each and every one of them. I am truly blessed to be in the position to watch them transform into reflective individuals. They make a difference not only in my life, but also in the world at large.

 If you had to create a teaching statement, what would yours say?

The post Teaching Statement appeared first on Always A Lesson.

During our Writing Workshop, I conference with students about their writing. This is heavily guided with most of the prep work on my end. I realized that this went against everything I preach daily to my students about taking ownership over their work. It hit me that I needed to flip the roles and allow students to lead the conferences.

I provided a mini lesson on what a successful conference looks like for both student and teacher as well as how to thoroughly prepare for one. I knew that students needed more prep time than I did when I ran conferences because they had to squeeze this in during writing block when they also had to complete an assignment. So, I encouraged students to take 2 minutes at the end of each writing block to begin filling out their conference sheet (click here to purchase). By the end of the week all answers would be completed on the sheet.

At this point in time, students could go up to the board and sign up for a  conference time with me.

We are slow moving with the prep side of things, but like anything worth waiting for you must be patient so that it can be its best. With that said, the conferences I have taken part of have been …AMAZING! It is the cutest thing to watch these children morph into teacher-mode! I hear my language and tone in their voices. It cracks me up when they hit the nail on the head with phrases like, “I know I can do better, but it will just take some time,” or “Don’t worry, I’m really going to focus going forward.” They are maturing and growing! I am so glad I realized I had to let go of the control in order for this transformation to happen.

I highly encourage you to switch roles with your students and let them be the teacher. You’ll be surprised at how much they have been listening and care to become their best selves! Try it out and then come back to tell me how it went!

What went well? What did you need to tweak?

(If you created additional documents for this process, leave your link below!)

The post Student-Led Writing Conferences appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Hello *30*!!!

When I arrived at school, a teammate surprised me with this “Happy Birthday” sign to hang from my classroom door:

They then surprised me with lunch!! Yum, a delicious surprise! My teammate Brooke (former student teacher) asked me if I would be coming back up to the room after I dropped my kiddos off at lunch and I said I was going to make a parent phone call. Next thing I know the front office phone is ringing and the secretary is asking me how long I am going to be on the phone with the parent because Brooke wanted to know. Now, why in the world would Brooke care what I am doing?! And, I just talked to her 5 minutes ago, so I begin to think she must really need to talk to me about something! Low and behold, as I walk by another teammate’s room, I hear… “SURPRISE!!!”

(Take-out is a luxury in teaching in case you don’t know!)

They even wrote me the sweetest card and spoiled me with a gift card to my favorite store- Kohls!

For each of my student’s birthdays I place a “Happy Birthday” cover on the back of their chair for the day. My students made sure I had the same treatment, so I had to oblige!

And here come some of the funny, sweet cards that I received:

(a student from last year)

(a student from last year filled me in on her little secret…too cute!)

(At least someone is excited about me turning 30! haha)

I even had some love from past student’s parents on my teacher Facebook page:

It warms my heart that even though I might not be their child’s current teacher, that they remember me…some even 7 years ago!!

So, anyways… on to the REAL post! I made a personal “30 on 30” post of things I learned over the past 30 years, which inspired this post of  “30 on 30” educational things I have learned over my career.

Here it is:

30 on 30!

1. It’s all about the kids, not the paperwork

2. A child will always remember the relationship they had with you so make it count

3. Teach a child how to become an individual

4. Remember that children are like wet cement so provide sound teaching

5. A smile and a hug is treasured more than an A+

6. Show your personality

7. Spend your recess and lunch hanging out with your students

8. Find balance so that you can give your best each day (taking time for you is not selfish, it’s necessary in order to refuel to give back to the kids that mean the most)

9. Communicate with parents as often as possible as they are your greatest ally

10. Work as a team in all that you do

11. Invest in your coworkers- they are a wealth of knowledge

12. Appreciate the custodial staff because without them you wouldn’t be able to do your job

13. Create partnerships that pour back into your students in ways you are incapable of

14. Worksheets do not make a student smarter; time, patience and dedicated teaching does

15. Administration will respect you more if you are passionate and give your best every day, regardless of if it adds up to being the first one to school or being the last one to leave

16. Organization is half the battle

17. When you get stressed, think big picture and it will all fall into place

18. Jean Friday makes everything better

19. School cafeteria lunch isn’t half bad when you forget your lunch

20. Having a sub that can teach a class is a goldmine and should be held sacred

21. A colorful classroom is not only for the kids, but to lift your spirits too

22. The best gift a child can give a teacher is the moment when they finally understand a concept

23. I remember my years of teaching by the students in my class

24. Allows prepare for tomorrow before leaving the building- ANYTHING can happen in the morning

25. Even when you get stern with a child, they still say the sweetest things about and to you

26. A homemade gift is better than any store bought item

27. Teaching is a choice, but being a good teacher is a calling

28. Using the restroom at free will is a luxury so eat and drink according to schedule!

29. A day in the life of a teacher begins before the sun comes up and ends way after the sun goes down… oh and summers are spent working too (regardless of what others may think)

30. I LOVE MY JOB!!

(If you’re interested in the personal list, here it is:
1. Put others before yourself
2. Be thankful daily
3. Listen to your mom and dad- life has taught them a thing or two
4. Reflect on your actions and take steps to be better each day
5. Try your best in all that you do
6. You’ll never reach your dream if you don’t set one
7. Be a life-long learner
8. Smile
9. Be honest with others and yourself
10. Keep your commitments
11. Don’t take yourself too seriously
12. Find something good in everyone
13. Be passionate about something, then go do it
14. Spend time with your elders
15. Balance in life is key- there will always be work so take a break to rejuvenate
16. Family is your guaranteed support system no matter what
17. Surround yourself with the type of people that bring out the best in you and make you want to be better
18. Love yourself for the good and the bad.
19. Give back to your community
20. Your words can carry more weight than you intend; choose wisely
21. Get out of your comfort zone every now and again
22. Share your wisdom and mentor others
23. Celebrate your accomplishments, whether big or small
24. Think positive!
25. Do the right thing for no other reason than its the right thing to do.
26. LAUGH!
27. Character is a quality that is proven and earned over a period of time so make each decision count
28. Keep little problems little so that they do not morph into bigger problems (thanks Dad!)
29. Love what you do
30. Look forward in anticipation for all that waits you)

The post 30 Years Go By… appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Here in the Literacy Center, students are surrounded by ideas of great books to read before they even shop! I have realized that over the years, students are more influenced by their peers than by me. So, why not use that to my advantage?!

 Students can fill these out on any book that makes them say, “Oh my gosh! You have to read this!” Each week I add new book reviews to the board (even if the same title) so that students can see their work on display, get the latest scoop on the best books, and keep it updated so students continue to read it- nothing worse than a display that stays the same and soon everyone moves around it like its a statue.

Below are some student samples:

I highly encourage you to put the ownership on your students to help build up their interest in reading. When they are a part of the process, they are more invested and willing to put in the work. They learning in a fun,engaging, and motivating way!

You can access the document I created here. Enjoy!

How do you encourage students to read in your classroom?

The post Book Buzz appeared first on Always A Lesson.

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

Meet My Team:

BEFORE

AFTER

My Team Hard at Work Prepping the Bulletin Boards!

Welcoming My New Class!

Getting Ready to Show Off Their Hard Work!

My Former Student Teacher (who now is on my team) Made Me This!! <3 Her

(sorry so blurry) Our Motto

We earn Paws for Good Behavior from Staff-

A great Way to Build Student Accountability and Ownership by Graphing Our Progress of PAWworthy Behavior!

A New Set Up Allows for More Hands-On Learning

Get Ready- the Neatest it Will Ever Be!

Literacy Corner (read aloud, mini lesson, and guided reading groups)

Excited to Have Students Encourage Other Students to Read Good Books

by Enticing them Through a “Book Buzz” Book Review!

Welcoming Parents to Open House at the Homework Station!

Boring Cubbies but its a High Traffic Area so Keeping it Simple was the Right Choice!

Sporting the Bobcat Gear Thanks to Winning a Raffle! *I’m Ready!*

I can’t wait to post more of what goes on this year!

The post 2013-2014 Classroom Photos appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I have run out of patience with poor teaching. I can no longer sit back and allow it to happen. Over the years, I have turned my cheek and thought “those poor kids.” I’m ashamed I continue to pour love and quality instruction into my students while allowing the opposite to happen in classrooms around me.

I feel guilty and helpless.

 It’s unfair that a child’s success in the classroom can come down to pulling the short end of the stick. I realize teaching takes talent and passion. There are many educators that just go through the motions. You cannot be a QUALITY educator that just goes through the motions. I don’t understand how these people have a job or got one in the first place. There must have been great teaching at some point, but:

Where did it go?

Why did it disappear?

Why are they jaded?

There are numerous factors that contributed to the decline in instructional performance. They are the same factors that surround me daily, but:

Why am I not affected?

Do I choose a different attitude or does my passion push me through?

Whatever the case, there is no excuse for poor teaching. These are lives that are being affected. Children are wet cement and every impression sticks with them. We cannot allow one poor year of instruction to occur to any child- dare I say repetitive poor years of instruction either. I refuse to let it happen. No child deserves that.

This summer I realized that teacher preparation is a major factor; or shall I say the lack of teacher preparation. My TEACH Charlotte participants are so lucky to have a program that allows them to practice teaching instead of learning about HOW to teach. I did well in college as an education major and enjoyed my various observations in classrooms. I even enjoyed my two student teaching placements in a regular and Special Ed classroom. But, to be honest, I learned most from my first year teaching- which in my opinion is a tad late! TEACH Charlotte helps decrease that learning curve and allows teachers to practice their craft over and over until it makes it into their muscle memory so that when they enter the classroom in the fall they are solid teachers.

I wish this was available when I was becoming a teacher. But even more than that, I hope all future teachers have the opportunity to get into the classrooms sooner and begin practicing teaching techniques no matter through what program. Practicing the same section of a lesson plan over and over is what makes the techniques and the muscle memory stronger.

 It’s not rocket science.

Every professional practices hours on end to become better, so why not teachers? We can’t expect to teach educational theory for 3 years, allow 2 months to student teach and think it breeds quality teachers. Then once teachers are in the classroom we think we have done our job preparing them and cut all ties. What teachers really need is support throughout that first year.

Think about riding a bike… Do we sit our child down and talk hours on end about HOW to ride the bike, then put them on it, and wish them luck? No. We make them get on multiple times after they fall, and hold on to them as they navigate.

It’s a process.

Teachers deserve the same practice and support. But, our preparation programs and school systems fail at keeping the first year teachers afloat. Then, we lack the mentorships to ensure quality teachers are cultivated. We throw them in the deep end, say “good luck” and pass them through with average performance. We need to support them with a veteran teacher that is both qualified and encouraging. Slowly, we wean the teachers off the mentorship until they can do it on their own and return the favor to a newbie teacher in time.

Once teachers are on their own, some start making less than professional decisions from talking on a cell phone during class time to using up sick days to create three-day weekends. If you don’t want to be here, I beg you to go. Its what’s best for you and your students. Time is of the essence and every minute in the classroom must be excellent.

CALLING ALL PASSIONATE, RELIABLE, CREATIVE, INSPIRING TEACHERS!!

We need you, now. Help shape lives each day because you want to, not because you have to.

This post is not intended to offend, but it is in support of quality education for every child. Our future is in our hands; it’s not something to take lightly. Thank you to all the teachers out there that love what they do and help children become the best version of themselves. I am passionate about cultivating quality teachers to fill our district’s classrooms, and I will not stop helping until each child has a top-notch teacher.

How do you feel about teacher performance in your school, district or state?

The post Getting on my Soapbox: Quality Teachers Needed appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This summer has been a blast professionally. I had the privilege of being a Teacher Development Coach to 12 (which then later became 9) adults on their quest to become a teacher in our school district’s neediest schools. I learned so much about leadership and quality teaching. I am forever grateful for the opportunity.

This past week, our participants graduated the TEACH Charlotte program and accepted jobs in our Title-One schools. It was a bittersweet moment for many of us- a goodbye to the summer family and the strong bonds that long hours on the job create, but also a hello to the moment that all the hard work led up to…Teacher status!

At closing ceremony, two participants gave speeches on their perspective of the program and their experience of becoming a teacher. They reflected on students. Even after all the long hours, lengthy lesson plan requirements, and last minute schedule changes, none of these factors played a role in their hindsight reel. Every sentence was dedicated to specific students in summer school that changed them as a person and a future teacher. These individuals were going to be great teachers because they realized it’s all about relationships.

In fact, we even had two guest speakers from the school district. The principal of the school that we took over for the summer, mentioned in his speech to first year teachers that success in life and the classroom is all about relationships. I smiled knowing the two participants that spoke before him were successful before even hearing this nugget of wisdom. He also mentioned, “Scholars deserve the best version of ourselves” and “Every child that takes a breath has a gift. It’s your job to find out what that gift is.” Students in our neediest schools need love, a sense of belonging, and a role model. That is much more than teaching requires, but somehow the strong and dedicated embody it all with ease. We cannot give up on these children. They can overcome the harshest living conditions and toxic home environments to become noble, educated citizens. But, we must allow and require them to do so.

After the speeches, it was time for participants to receive their certificate of completion and give shout outs to their coaches and instructors who helped them along the way. Participants shared video clips, photos, sang songs, and even put on skits. My participants creatively rewrote “Oh, the Places We Will Go”:

“Hip Hip Hooray!

Today is our day.

We’re off to Great Places!

We’re off and away!

We have plans in our head.

We have tools in our shoes.

We can steer our students

any direction we choose.

We’re on our own. And we know what we know.

And YOU are the gals  who helped us go where we go.

We’ll  scan up and down rows. Look ’em over with care.

About some you will say, “I need 100% there”

With our heads full of lessons and our shoes full of tools,

We’re too smart to go down, acting like fools!

And we may not find any roads

we’ll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

we’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as we.

And then things start to happen,

we won’t worry. Won’t stew.

But just go right along.

We’ll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES WE’LL GO!

We’ll be on our way up!

We’ll be seeing great sights!

We’ll join the high fliers

at differentiated heights.

None will lag behind, because everyone is at speed.

We’ll scaffold the whole gang and we’ll soon take the lead.

Wherever we fly, we’ll be best of the best.

Wherever we teach, we’ll outscore the rest.

Except when we don’t.

Because, sometimes, we won’t.

I’m sorry to say so

but, sadly, it’s true

that off-task

and no-SLANT

can happen to you.

We can get all hung up

in a prickle-ly perch.

And our gang might fly on.

We’ll be left in a Lurch.

We’ll come down from the Lurch

with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then,

that we’ll be in a Slump.

And when we’re in a Slump,

we’re not in for much fun.

100%

is not easily done.

We will come to a place where the objectives are not marked.

Some students are daydreaming. But gone is their spark.

Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

…for students just waiting.

Waiting for what to do

Directions, corrections,

Something clear to do

NO!

That’s not for us!

Somehow we’ll get them back

from all that waiting and anticipating

We’ll find the bright places

where bright minds are engaging.

Oh, the places we’ll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things we can do with that ball

will make us the winning-est winner of all.

We’ll get stressed out, of course,

as you already know.

We’ll get mixed up

with many strange birds as we go.

So we’ll look when we step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life’s

a Great Balancing Act.

We’ll never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up our right foot with left.

And will we succeed?

Yes! We will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

HEY, WE’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!”

They also wrote a group card with each participant contributing one sentence.

As if that wasn’t enough, they even bought me a gift card to Staples to get ready for my own classroom!

But, there was one additional gift that really pulled at my heart strings. One of my participants struggled throughout the program with meeting deadlines and thinking on his feet (he had to translate my coaching tips into his native language, then problem solve in his native language, to then spit it out in English to his students…phew!). There were many times I thought he might quit or not reach mastery of the teaching techniques which meant not graduating from the program.  I provided a lot of “tough love.” It’s my pleasure to say he passed and took the moment to thank me for not giving up on him even though he could have slipped through my fingers at any moment.

So, it was my turn to return the favor. I wrote them the following letter:

It has been a wonderful experience that was so fun I could not believe I was lucky enough to call it my “job.” I love what I do!! Thanks to this group for going on the journey with me:

Thank you TEACH Charlotte for an amazing summer of fun and learning!

What summer job has been the most rewarding for you?

The post After an Ending Comes a New Beginning appeared first on Always A Lesson.

10. Teach me how to “Dougy” … just kidding!

9. Bring a positive attitude and open mind to school each day

8. Ask for help when you need it

7. Take a risk!

6. Embrace the learning experience by trying your best even in the face of failure

5. Teach a peer to understand in a way I cannot

4. Speak confidently; what you have to say is important

3. Make wise choices, not “cool” ones

2. Let me spoil you with knowledge and love

1. Think outside the box and *DREAM BIG* ; you are our Future.

Notice, getting the right answer was never mentioned. It’s not about being correct, it’s about the process you took to get there- the journey is worth more than the destination! SHINE ON!

Teachers, what do your students do that makes you the happiest?

The post Top 10 Ways to Please a Teacher- Student Edition appeared first on Always A Lesson.

10. Show your personality and humanness

9. Make eye contact, smile, and give a personal hello

8. Strike up non-educational conversation

7. Encourage a “pot luck” snack option at staff meetings

6. Reward hard work with a JEANS pass to be used any time throughout the year

5. Allow staff dismissal after buses on Friday

4. Leave a positive note after a walk-through observation

3. Differentiate requirements based on necessity and teacher ability

2. Ask, “What can I do for you?” or “How can I help you become better?”

1. Limit paperwork and “extra’s” so teachers can TEACH!

How can a Principal please you the most?

The post Top 10 Ways to Please a Teacher- Principal Edition appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I am currently in the process of writing my very first book for new teachers. It is going pretty well, but I keep adding details that I fear I will never finish! Teaching is something that is evolutionary and there is always something new to learn. I think I will force myself to have a deadline or else I will continue to add my newly learned lessons. (I’ll tell myself that I can save it for a Part 2 version! ) **Update: It is finally finished. Check it out here! **

Like I have mentioned many times, I am working as a Teacher Development Coach this summer for TEACH Charlotte (TC). I love, love, love my job! In the past, I have worked for TC as a selector to hire candidates into the program and an instructor to teach them Teach Like a Champion techniques from Doug Lemov’s book. Now, I get to take these participants and coach them in the classroom during summer school. It’s a powerful experience to help a teacher become better in the moment. I did not realize how much I had learned over the years until I started coaching. Many lessons I take for granted and assume participants know, but as I share my experiences I see their face light up in realization that what they are feeling and going through is normal and that there is an easy solution on the horizon. I now can say I am addicted to not only seeing the light bulb go on with my students but also with these newbie teachers.

So, one of my participants asked me yesterday if I could shed light on what its like to be a first year teacher. We show lots of videos of professional teachers who have honed their craft over many years. Although it is helpful to see what effective teaching looks like its unrealistic to expect that perfection happens when you first step foot into the classroom (no matter how successful a teacher preparation program is).

I compiled a laundry list of helpful hints for that first year and passed it on to my participants last night. Here goes:

YOU GOT THIS!

Fellow teachers, add on to this list!

Readers, stay tuned for the extended book version coming soon!

The post First Year Blunders appeared first on Always A Lesson.

During one of our weekly “Cohort Meetings,” TEACH Charlotte staff shared some of their background with participants, called ‘Teacher Diaries.’ It was inspiring to see such successful people tell about their most challenging moments and reflect on their naive start as a teacher. It really brought me back to why I became a teacher. So here goes my ‘Teacher Diary’ (I apologize if I have repeated myself somewhere in my many blog posts):

I always loved school. It was fun. I was social and school had lots of new faces to rename as “friends.” My teachers were nice to me and I did fairly well. *4th grade* was the year that solidified my future profession in my mind forever.

Miss Lofy was a beautiful, young 4th grade teacher. She was full of ideas to make learning fun and she made me realize that teaching was what I wanted to get into ASAP (a bit ahead of myself, I know). She even babysat us for extended stays as my mom accompanied my dad on business travel (a favorite memory, of course!). But, what Miss Lofy taught me is that success in life can be easy if you find a way to make it so. She took foreign content, broke it down, made the process of learning fun, and I remembered it all. Thus, I became a knowledgeable and successful student. This looked easy and I quickly learned that it required a lot of “behind the scenes” preparation.

After fourth grade, I had my eyes set on my destination: future teacher! I knew what I needed to do in order to successfully complete my journey as a student through elementary, middle and high school, even college. (If I had a day planner that mapped this out I would have had it color coded!) I was in love…with TEACHING.

All my extra time was spent gathering teacher items. Santa suddenly knew my infatuation and brought me a chalk board, wall map, and various teaching office supplies. (I wonder how he knew?!) As a child, I would dress in my mother’s high heels, pull her knee-high panty hose up to my hip and teach an imaginary class of stuffed animals. Sometimes we would have field trips and our van would have multiple stuffed animals buckled in! The grocery store attendant would kindly bring the cart to the car and open the door. Much to his dismay there was a lack of room in the enormous van due to my “school bus full of children.” (My mother still blushes forgetting about this precious cargo). I’d come home and go right back into my teacher role. My mom and dad would join me on their free evenings and jump into character as students. My mom was a perfect angel; raised her hand, completed her assignments; and had the neatest handwriting. My dad, on the other hand, constantly passed notes to my mom and talked out of turn. He swore it was to help me “practice,” but I knew deep inside he was a trouble maker!

I made decent grades through school, A-B Honor Roll at the least. I graduated college Magna Cum Laude and found my first teaching job with inner city students. I fell in love with diverse cultures because I spent much of my childhood in private school with predominately white students. I embraced diversity and launched full steam ahead into a job of molding the minds of  a melting pot of students. I had read numerous books about leaving a lasting impression and being an impactful teacher to needy students. Here was my opportunity to apply what I had learned!

The teacher I am now is far from what I had imaged for myself as a child. Students are not perfect. My papers are on always graded and passed out on time. My conversations with parents are intense and personal. My principal pushes me to amount to more than my dreams could carry me. I am loved. I am talented. But, man, is reality eye-opening.

I am proud I am a teacher. I smile when I think about a childhood dream becoming reality. I cherish it as I know many of my students hope for the same outcome. I love what I do. I am passionate about what I do. But my path was less than perfect.

My first 5 years I started in a Title One School in Charlotte, NC. My instruction focused more on manners and navigating the ways of the world, than it did on any content of a particular subject. I was where I needed to be. These students needed my background knowledge on life- the one gift I could give them for free. I would plan wonderful lessons but realize I might never teach them. Building relationships is what made these students succeed; not my lesson plan. I went to their games, dance recitals, and family get-togethers. I emailed, Facebooked, and texted them. They look to me as a mentor, not just a teacher. It was not just a one year thing… it’s a LIFETIME.

My story might not have lots of hiccups or a Rags to Riches fairytale, but what it does have is the result of handwork, perseverance, dedication, and a passion. Had it not been for a supportive family, an encouraging teacher, or Teacher Tips and Tricks resources I would not be here. I would not be impacting 20+ students per year. I would not be impacting 12 teachers with 20+ students per year. You do the math.

And if you ask me how it all started… as cute as the beginning of this story is, I’d tell you ‘relationships.’ I might have fallen in love with teaching long before, but I knew how to become and continue to be a successful teacher by building relationships. I know their favorite colors and TV Shows, their parent’s middle names, and the sky-high dreams of the youth. I know what they hold in their hand…their very own future.

I won’t give up. I’ll make sure their dream is their reality. After all, that’s MY story.

What is your story? Share your Teacher Diary!

The post Teacher Diaries appeared first on Always A Lesson.