How Long? Developing Your System

I was talking with a colleague earlier this week as a group of us were going to grab a bite to eat before the Students vs Staff basketball game that we do every year. Don't ask if we won or not, but let's just say that I was sulking for a couple of days.

Anyway, after my third year of teaching I have come to the realization that it takes about three years to really get a handle on the standards that you teach. The first year, you're just overwhelmed with all the newness and getting accustomed to your building. The second year you're still overwhelmed but you have a year under your belt and you start to get in the flow. The third year, you know what you're teaching and have a solid plan of two years of what worked and didn't work that you can pull from. So, from my experience, I think it takes at least three years to fully understand the standards/content that you teach. All of this exists in a perfect world where your standards aren't changing every year, or you're teaching two different sets of standards at the same time, or some of the standards you're teaching are Common Core and some are Indiana standards. We know how that goes, but I digress.

Now, along with the standards, I have also come to the conclusion that it takes about 5 years (no I'm not there yet) to get fully comfortable in a teaching style. When you come out of college, you've read all about the "ideal and perfect" classrooms from your textbooks. You see and read 3,453 best practice articles or videos. You expect your classroom to function like that. Then you get a job. Then you realize that -

1. Those classrooms don't really exist (Ok. Yes they do, but those teachers who wrote the book make it look extremely easy)
2. The teachers in the classrooms have been doing this a long time
3. You have more than 15 kids in your classroom
4. There is a canyon between your room and the "ideal" rooms

I think we've all been there, but typically those authors of those books are older and very experience teachers. They have probably came to the same conclusions that I mentioned above. What they also did was realize that there was something not right about their teaching. They hadn't found their unique style of what works for them and their students. I would say that the great teachers design lessons and do the things they do because they see a need. Once they see that need, they fill the need. Out of that becomes their style. 

I love integrating technology into my lessons when I can. Why? Yes, I understand that I have love of technology, but at the same time, look around. What doesn't incorporate some sort of technology. I went to SportClips to get my hairs cut. (Yes, I do the "'Did you get a hair cut?' 'Yes' 'Just one or all your hairs?'" joke. I walk in and sign my name in. (I could have downloaded the app and signed in that way, I guess) She pulls up all my hair cut information from last time. I don't remember 3 months ago what type of haircut I had. (Fade. #2 on the sides. Finger-length scissor cut on top. For all of you wanting to know) Technology. Stored in some server far away. There is a need that was being met. Great teachers see the need and then fill the need. 

It also comes down to what you feel comfortable doing. I learned this by coaching basketball. I was an assistant for 9 years before becoming a head coach. As an assistant, you can try a lot of things. You can tweak and borrow and steal from others. But when you're the one calling the shots, you have to be comfortable with the type of system you are running. If you're sitting over on the sideline cringing the entire game because you're not comfortable internally with what your team is doing, it's going to be a nail-biter in more than one way. (Punny!) But if you are comfortable with the system and you teach to the system, then you can coach at ease knowing that your team and you are on the same page. (Getting your players to be on the same page as the coach is a different post, of course. It lies within setting them up for success early on within your system. I just let you in on a secret.) All in all, you must first be comfortable in the driver's seat. You must figure out what works for you and then teach using that system. 

Now, you can't always use the same system. You have to be willing to grow. Over Christmas break, I read Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. It transformed the way I teach. His system was born out of a need as well. He needed his students to be engaged. What did he do? He started engaging them! Now, he's sharing what he learned and it not only works for him, but it works for his students as well. 

What I'm getting at is that it takes time to understand the What of your content. Once your What is determined, then you need to understand the Why. Understanding the Why makes the lessons go much deeper. You have to move beyond the, "Because it's a standard, that's why." answer. It needs to be applied to life. Then you can start implementing the How. The How must be about the What and Why. 

It takes time to develop these things. It might even be called the culture of you classroom. I don't know. But if you're beginning your career, don't get too frustrated. Press on. Find your system. I think I know why most teachers leave the profession after 3 years. You just have to get through first 5 years. 

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End of Year Student Reflections

At the middle of the year and at the end of the year, I send out a Google Form Survey to my students with the intention of gaining feedback on my teaching. It's part of my self-evaluation that I go through every semester. I value the opinions of my students a lot. They are with me EVERY DAY. They probably know me better than I know myself. It also gives them a chance to be honest and upfront about issues and concerns that need to be addressed as I grow as an educator. I think teachers are more "fixers" and tend to want to fix the problems and improve in those areas in which the students say that I need to improve on. I also think it's very healthy to look at all the positive things that students say. I kind of set it up that way so you positive feedback and negative feedback. It's always good to be balanced, right? :)

I wrote about this last year - here

This year, I have done the same and am excited to hear back from them. I added one question to this year's survey: "What was your favorite memory from this year?" I have already had a couple fill it out on their own time at home. So far, I am liking what I received. On Tuesday, since we'll be in a lab during reading, the ones that don't check their Gmail will fill it out then. I can't wait to read them. I also need to come up with something else to do in the lab since it will probably be our last lab day (ours fill up pretty quickly. 850 students with only 3 labs + a media center lab) I just discovered Pear Deck (I'm beta testing it) that works with Google Drive that I might try. :)

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A Letter to Yourself on the First Day of Teaching

From SoulPancake and Edutopia -
Some great reminders.
I need to write myself a letter sometime.

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Questioning Answers or Answering Questions

I guess you could say that I had an epiphany. But that sounds too amazing. It also might be considered ridiculous. Either way, it's going to make my life easier and coincidentally, my students' short answer responses better as well.

Before I go on, I imagine that somewhere along the way someone has told me this, I have read it somewhere, or I learned this in college. I'm not really sure if the problem is my memory, but I am dressed up like a grandparent today for Make-A-Wish week. I think I'll blame it on that in this instance :) But seriously, I can't believe this thought has never resonated with me before now!

Here goes - when writing a response to a question that requires a paragraph or more be written/typed : you, or someone else if peer editing,  should be able to cover up the question that was asked and after doing that someone should be able to write the question just by reading your answer. You end up thinking backwards. . Your answer should so clear that you write the question. Genius, right? 

I guess I understand that on my own, but I have lacked getting some of my students to see the value in it as their answers haven't been really answering the questions lately. Maybe it's the summer-itis settling in? Maybe I don't teach it well enough? I guess if my students don't understand it, then it's the latter. 

I love the journey I'm on. Always learning. Gotta get to work. 

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Exploration, Inquisitiveness, and Creativity: Where Have They Gone?

I have an almost 2 year old. It's been a hard winter. We're finally getting to the point where we can go outside. The grass is turning green, finally. Enter exploration and inquisitiveness.

He's into everything. Rocks. Potting soil. The hose. Sticks. Dirt. Mud. Sand. Leaves. And on and on. A typical 2 year old playing outside after being cooped up all winter.

I snagged this picture of him as he is pointing the hose directly toward his face. For those of  you wondering if what you think happened actually happened, the answer is no. It wasn't hooked up to the spigot.

As this is happening, I had the inclination to step back and wonder about my students. I fear that some of them have lost the intuition to explore the world around them. After spring break, I had my students show, in any way they wanted, what they learned over break. You would have thought it was the toughest assignment they had ever been given. There were literally no strings attached. No required amount. No specific way they had to show me (like you must write 3 paragraphs). Completely up to them. There were some students who just wanted to write "nothing." I had to beg and plead them to really think about something they learned. It could have been as simple as you finally learned how to put toothpaste on your toothbrush without spilling it, or you learned how to put on your underwear without falling over. It didn't matter. It could have been something like how you finally learned that your little sister doesn't like cheetos. I could have been that you finally figured out how to get past that level you were stuck on in a video game. When I say it didn't matter, it truly didn't matter.

Why was it so hard for them to come up with something? Why did they not see the world around them as a learning opportunity? Why don't they see the world around them as something that can teach them something? Why? Did they lose the ability that 2 year olds have to explore? Was it something that I did this year that made them not want to learn "outside" the walls of the school? Was it the teachers they had before now? Is school the only place they can learn? ....

Then, I started thinking about creativity. I recently started a poetry unit that centers on the use of figurative language. I use a packet to record their thoughts and "data" that they collect about different poems to find examples. Yes, I said I use a packet. Shoot me now, packet haters. I also use poetry books that I bring in. I use web sources. (Although, not that much because I don't have 1:1.) I use poems from their textbooks. Anyway, a couple students said they had done something similar the year before. I then decided that it would I would let those select students do something that they could create on their own to show their learning.

Great idea, I thought. They could use the internet/apps/whatever and do whatever they wanted as long as they could "prove" they were learning the same things as the other students. What more could students want?

Apparently, it didn't suit their desires. But I don't think it was their desires, it was their lack of being creative skills. They didn't want to because they didn't know how to start. They had their canvas and their paint and brushes ( I let them use their phones for research) but they had no vision. No plan. No inkling to what they wanted to do. The worst part was that they looked like a puppy dog who didn't know his way back home.

Where have all the creative juices gone? Did I give them too much freedom? Has there never been a teacher ever do that before to them?

I think students see learning differently from inside a school and outside a school. I think they see learning outside of school as life. Not necessarily learning. I think they believe that they can only learn something inside a school. Maybe they don't see learning outside of school as learning. It's just what they do.

I heard http://www.coachmeyer.com/  say that you should keep a journal every day. And in said journal, you shouldn't write down what you did. What you should write down and keep is what you learned. Pretty good advice. Focus on learning.

Now, how am I going to get those students focused on learning instead of not wanting to do anything? Hopefully, I'll let you know.
Have a great week.

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Tech: Symbaloo, Tagboard, Tackk

Some techie things I've seen lately that I'd like to share.

1. Symbaloo

It's been around awhile, but I didn't really see the need to do use it. Not until I made a webmix did I realize the potential of it. I just saw it as a catch-all for my most used sites/bookmarks. I think when I started seeing it as a tool for projects and my classroom did it make more sense to me. I think it would be so easy to create a webmix for specific classes, projects, strategies, etc.

Here's some good ideas -
https://sites.google.com/a/eusd.org/bheil/symbaloo
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=symbaloo+in+the+classroom

2. Tagboard

from crunchbase.com

from crunchbase.com

Tagboard is a catch-all for hashtags used across different social media. In a nutshell, if pulls (aggregates) the same hashtags from twitter, instagram, vine, facebook, google+ into one site.

I tried to do a quick run-through over spring break to track what some of my students were learning outside the school walls. I had a couple of takers. If they tag on non-public social media (a lot of my students have private instagrams, it doesn't show up. That's a downside to me, but I get it)

Here's a tagboard I did for spring break #dcmsspringbreak - https://tagboard.com/dcmsspringbreak/163507

I found it useful for catching up with twitter chats like #tlap - https://tagboard.com/tlap

How about the #finalfour

I think it could be used for quick responses in class, sharing links with others in a class, collaborating together, as a backchannel, lots of things.

3. Tackk

Intro video - https://tackk.com/about

Tackk is a very simple quick and easy website builder. I think it's more like a one time awesome blog post. It's kind of like a digital storyteller. It's a way to get information shared in a very nicely done way. It looks very professional.

One of the cool things about it is that you don't need an account to use it. A lot of students don't like signing up for a lot of things. Another good login amazingness is that you can use your google log-in. All of my students have google education google logins. So there is no need to not be able to sign in.

In classroom use, I see this being used as a way to showcase a project, give an assignment out, do an assignment, send out a newsletter, etc. There are a lot of things you can do. I like the idea of using them as student portfolios. (something I'd like to do next year)

You can also hashtag it (no tagboard doesn't aggregate tackk yet, shucks) but you could search for a common hashtag, say like your classroom hashtag) making it easy to turn in an assignment.

How do you use Symbaloo, Tagboard, and Tackk? How could they be used?

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Sharing Loved Lives, Together

Tonight, my wife and I went out to eat. While we were there, there was a family of ten at the table next to us where the youngest in the party was turning 18. I'd say that the age ranges were from 18 to the 80s. Probably 3-4 generations. They were so upbeat the entire time. Not like annoying and loud, but more of a loud love type of buzz/hum. At one point they broke out into a song. I was never turned off by the loudness. What I did see, was a love of a family that was truly sharing life together. I enjoyed watching them interact. There were pictures being taken, presents, balloons, and cards exchanged, and lots of hugs. 

Our waiter, who was also the large group's waiter, was one of the best waiters I've ever had. He was very courteous, prompt, made us feel welcome, and did everything with a smile on his face. He even put our left over food in to-go boxes, brought us a bag, gave us to-go cups, and gave us some extra cheese to go home with us. He did a great job of serving us. Not serving us as in his waitering job. Serving us as in putting our needs, and probably wants, ahead of his to make our experience great. 

Through both of these interactions, I left the restaurant with a smile on my face. These two interactions chose to think of others first, to live life together, and to be positive while doing it. It was refreshing to be refreshed, even if those giving the refreshing had no idea they were passing on the positive energy. 

Serving others not only puts a smile on others' faces, but also raises the servee's energy as well. 

Share love. Live life together. Choose to be a positive influence on others. You never know the impact you might have. 

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Pride Bombs

I read this this morning and it was like a slap in my face. I tend to add comments to things to fluff me up. It's something I struggle with. It's interesting because I know that I struggle with it, but then continue to do it. I like trying to add my connection to things. I definitely need to work on humbling my "Pride Bombs."
________________________________

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” – Proverbs 27:2

Set: 

I did it again. I can’t believe I haven’t learned yet. I should know better, but it’s so hard not to do it. Everyone does it. I guess it’s considered just part of life, but I refuse to cave in and be like everyone else.
While I was talking on the phone the other day with one of my accountability partners, I got fired up because we were having an awesome conversation. For some strange reason, I felt the need to slip in a quick, small, innocent sentence. Or so I thought. We were discussing the response we received from a fellow FCA staff member, and I quickly inserted, “Yeah, and he is a GOOD friend of mine.” I wanted to make sure my accountability partner knew of my significant relationship with this staff member. I wasn’t letting him know that I was friends with him; I was implying that things worked out because of my tight relationship with him. I was making myself look good, bragging. I had dropped a Pride Bomb!
As soon as I said it, my accountability partner responded, ‘Why did you have to say that?” I didn’t respond. He then said, “Dan, if you need encouragement, just let me know, and I will give it to you.” Ouch. His accountability stung. But he was absolutely right! Not only was I praising myself, I was also fishing for praise. I wanted him to think better of me. My small, “innocent” comment screamed, “Look at me! I’m important! I’m significant!” T.S. Elliot was right when he wrote, “Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.” Not only did my comment turn the spotlight on me, but it also removed God from the situation. I’d blown up a great, God-centered conversation with a Pride Bomb.
Pride Bombs are unnecessary statements we make that puff ourselves up. Others can hear them go off a mile away, and they produce the most awful, selfish odor. They reek of self-glorification. In the world of sports, unfortunately, they have become a natural part of the language. Athletes and coaches often aren’t even aware that they do it, and, even if they are, they brag about it.
Why do we have such a need to brag? Do we really want people to think we have a big head or are on an ego trip? Do we want to be tagged as cocky, full of self and puffed up? Why is it so hard for us to recognize it in ourselves when others can spot it a mile away? Do we feel that we need to prove something to someone? Will others like us more if they know how important we are? Is there something missing in our lives that we desire others to fill? Maybe the reason is answered by the Spanish proverb, “Tell me what you brag about, and I’ll tell you what you lack.” What’s really crazy is that while we do this so that others will like us more, it only makes them want to avoid us. That is messed up.
As Christians, God has called us to a higher standard. He does not want us to go with the flow. He wants us to be humble and to speak with words of grace and thankfulness. Our conversations should puff others up. We should look for opportunities to slip in encouragement. I think it’s safe to say that God wants us to drop Encouragement Bombs instead of Pride Bombs. The two bombs are much alike with the exception of one small distinction: the replacement of the word “I” with the word “you.” Encouragement Bombs say, “You are great.” Pride Bombs say, “I am great.” It’s that simple.
Instead of letting our comments drip with self-exhortation, we should drench them in the edification and blessing of others. I can name several people in my life that I actively seek out because of the encouragement they offer. They are gifted to build others up with authentic, genuine Encouragement Bombs. When they go off, the effect is love, joy, compassion, blessing and motivation.
If we are truly walking in accordance with the will of God, we will drop Encouragement Bombs everywhere we go, and He will use them to bring healing and restoration. May we all be committed to bringing change to our teams, homes, schools or offices through priceless bombs of encouragement. I firmly believe that everyone is under-encouraged, so there is a lot of work to be done. Today, will you blow yourself up with a Pride Bomb or fill another up with an Encouragement Bomb? The choice is yours.

Go: 

1. This past week, did you drop more Pride Bombs or Encouragement Bombs?
2. Reflect on these conversations and recount the times you dropped Pride Bombs. Ask the Lord to reveal why you felt the need to do it and ask for His forgiveness.
3. In your own circle, who drops the worst Pride Bombs?
4. On the flipside, who drops the best Encouragement Bombs? What makes this person different?
5. Ask the Lord to help you identify when you drop Pride Bombs, then pray to become the world-record holder of the most Encouragement Bombs dropped in a single day!

Workout: 

Proverbs 25:27
2 Corinthians 10:12, 18
2 Corinthians 12:11

Overtime: 

“Lord God in Heaven, please forgive me for dropping Pride Bombs. They do not honor You or others. I know You want me to speak blessings, encouragement and love. Today, I have the opportunity to unleash favor upon others. Free up my tongue and unlock my heart, Lord. Let it flow so that others can be touched and impacted. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”

About the Author:

Dan Britton serves as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Executive Vice President of International Ministry and Training at the National Support Center in Kansas City. He has been on FCA staff since 1991, first serving for 13 years in Virginia and most recently as the Executive V.P. of Ministry Programs. In high school and college, Dan was a standout lacrosse player. He continued his lacrosse career by playing professional indoor lacrosse for four years with the Baltimore Thunder. He has coauthored three books, One Word That Will Change Your Life, WisdomWalks and WisdomWalks SPORTS, and he is the author and editor of eleven FCA books. He still plays and coaches lacrosse and enjoys running marathons. He and his wife Dawn reside in Overland Park, Kansas, with their three children: Kallie, Abby and Elijah. You can e-mail Dan at dan@fca.org.
Become a WisdomWalker! WisdomWalks.org

- See more at: http://fcaresources.com/devotional/2014/03/31/pride-bombs#sthash.hKzBlqj4.dpuf

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On Rules: Is Less More?

Every year, the administration sends out the call for changes that should be made to the student handbook for the upcoming year. I tend to not think much about it. This year, I wondered if having more rules was better. These rules that typically get changed deal with behavior and conduct and the enforcement of said behavior and conduct. (Side note - I mistyped behavior as behaviour in the last sentence. When I did, for some reason, I began reading what I was typing in a British accent. It took me until the end of the sentence to notice I was doing it. :) That's a look into my brain.) Where I see things struggle in our school is how different things might be acceptable with one teacher and not with another. From this, I wonder if it's easier to have less overarching school rules in place to allow for some creativity and autonomy in each individual classroom.

Upon graduation from high school, I attended Wabash College for about two months. I loved the school. It just wasn't the right fit for me. I had been dating my now wife since I was a freshman in high school, I am very close to my family, which leads me into feeling blue from homesickness.  Looking back, I wish I would have stayed, but I also love how my life has played out, as well. One thing that will always stick with me is this: Wabash College's all-male campus operates under one rule for conduct and behavior. One. That's it. Not two. Not an appendix of forty-five. One.

“The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen.”

This one rule fits everything. Yes, everything.

I'd like to see rule books in schools shrink to something like this. Of course there are drawbacks. What exactly is a gentleman? This could mean 500 different things to 500 different people. How does someone interpret what being a gentleman actually mean? The major issue is it's left up to interpretation by an individual.

What does it mean to be a responsible citizen? Once again, multiple viewpoints would exist.

Let's take a step back a moment and see this through the eyes of a student. The one thing students always seem to want more of is freedom. The next thing that students always seem to want is to be trusted. Isn't this what Wabash's Gentleman's Rule accomplishes? It gives students the freedom and trust they want, but also gives them the responsibility that comes along with the freedom and being trustworthy. If a student get's in "trouble," couldn't the teacher just simply ask one of these questions and it be covered by the One Rule?

• "Was that a gentlemanly thing to do?"
• "Were you being a responsible citizen?"

They are really yes/no questions. Simple, yet it encompasses so much. Simple. Basic. Focused. 

How about classes that teach kids what the expectation of  being a gentleman is all about? How about classes that teach manners? How about skills-for-life classes that teach students how to cope with stress, handle issues positively, study skills, interpersonal relationships, how to offer positive feedback to others, etc? 

Of course, there would have to be consequences if you answered, "No" to the above questions. I assume that would have to be looked at on an individual basis. I also assume that the freedoms would be then be limited and trust would then have to be regained over a period of time. 

Simplifying rules lets students not live in fear of breaking a rule, but to develop trust and responsibility as freedom increases. 

I really like the last line in the article at the bottom of this post. 

The challenge is great. From the first day you step on campus, our expectation is that you will live up to the example set by generations of Wabash men who have gone before and to set examples for those who will follow you.

There is no doubt that it would be hard to live up to, especially squirrely-minded middle schoolers. What I love most is this rule is actually telling you what to do. Most rule books tell you what not to do. It's a culture shift. One that flips the negative into positive. One rule that not only could be with you during your school career, but your entire life.

Are there any schools that operate like this? Could a middle schooler handle this? I'd love to hear your thoughts below.


For more information on the Gentleman's Rule visit - https://www.wabash.edu/eod/trust/

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Middle Ages Madness: A Tournament of Medieval Weaponry

I really like basketball, so I decided to do a little Middle Ages Madness to coincide with the NCAA's March Madness. It is centered on Middle Ages weapons and will pit 64 weapons against each other until the ultimate Middle Ages weapon is crowned for this season. I'm totally pumped about it. I got the idea from a #tlap chat and decided to rework it for my grade level.

I plan on doing some battles every class period until an eventual winner is crowned.

Here's the lesson if you're interested
LINK HERE

I'm excited to see how the students take control of it. They have already researched their weapons and next class period will be starting the battles (games).

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