Going Places

I have a dear friend who lost her mom last week. My friend is the epitome of the word "woman" - strong, vibrant, and full of life. She joined the estimated 250,000 in the Women's March in Chicago this weekend. She posted a quote from her mom on her Facebook page the morning of the march.

Previously posted on February 3, 2012...

What if...?

It made me think of a conversation we had at lunch the day my friend returned to school. We were commenting on a video that had her youngest child in it. Her daughter, as we said, is "going places. She'll do whatever she wants to in life." We all nodded, and I thought of my friend as I saw her agree, as well. Guess what? SHE, too, is "going places." She has done, and can do what she wants to do in life, as well.

She's in her 30s, and found her loving husband in the science department. She has worked tirelessly to achieve her doctorate. She is currently raising four children, and works way more than 40 hours a week. She is a leader in her department, and on her team. Her voice is valued in any committee or meeting she may join. She is looked up to by many. Some day, I fear, she will leave us for what she wants to do next - whatever that may be. She can do whatever she wants to in life - she is that kind of woman.

Next, I thought of all the other women and teachers I surround myself with. So many of them (us) are "going places," and doing what we want in life. Why do we sometimes feel as if we aren't? I believe it's the words we hear...

"She dresses like a teacher."
"She teaches middle school."
"She has children."

These three sentences could be translated like this:
"She's a hero."
"She's a hero."
"She's a hero."

Why don't some of us hear those words in our heads? I have realized I'm a fairly insecure person. I've been trying to "fake it 'til I make it," but it's a daily struggle. I know if I act confident enough, my students will believe I am confident, and I will be a better role model for them. So I continue to share what we do in the classroom that I believe is right for students. I continue to share others' ideas in order to give them a voice. I continue to be that person that quotes leaders and inspirational people.

Because we NEED the positive words in our lives. We NEED the support.

If you don't already, start leaving the room when the negativity seeps in. Smile, and then excuse yourself. If the meeting or family time has turned into a complaint fest, either try to offer a solution, or find those who will work with you on one. "Leave the darkness behind..." We are what we speak. If we sow seeds of what we CAN be, the fruit will start to grow. Focus on "hope and peace, empathy and kindness..." We need to start with ourselves.

What if we did "live in the light..."? Change your inside voice to say, "I am going places. I have already succeeded in my life. I am ready for more success. I am open to new ideas and insights. I am a hero to my children. I am a hero to my students. I spread good messages. I speak with kindness and compassion. I am an ear if someone needs me. I am passionate. I am confident. I am qualified. I am determined. I am strong. I am able. I am blessed."

Don't let those whispers of doubt in.
You can't think negatively and expect to live a positive life.

After the march, my friend said she felt "empowered."
Shouldn't we all? At all times? Don't we have a choice to be what we want to be?
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Made with Fotor

"Whispers of Doubt"

I was fortunate to meet and eat with Sara Donovan at Panera last summer. She chooses her words well, and I envy her skill. Read her thoughts on her blog: Ethical ELA.

Three words she said to me rang something deep in me. 

"Whispers of doubt." 

I wrote them down when I got in the car. I needed to process them and write about them some day. Today's the day.

Whispers of doubt seep in...
   when we try something new
   when we want to say "no"
   when a "good morning" is not responded to
   when a student rolls her eyes
   when students struggle
   when the timing is off
   when a coworker sighs
   when we feel alone
   when we don't feel we can commit
   when we work for 12 hours on a weekend
   when we get one negative parent remark 
          (even alongside six positive)

Whispers of confidence creep up...
disguised as an EdCamp
full of passionate teachers
   risk-takers
   pirates
   thieves
   foster parents
   counsellors
   facilitators
   guides
   leaders
   models
supportive - ALL...
If it's best for children.

If it's best for children,
shouldn't you...
   make time for what you believe works
   stand up and defend what's right
   speak out to the world
   share the ideas
   work on prioritizing the problems
   then work on solving the problems
   speak what you want to happen
   listen when others share

Even if you have whispers of doubt.

I love my career. Job. School. Coworkers. 

I wish we could get together in edcamp fashion more often.

I also love these "edcamp junkies" who are a special tribe.

Thank you Rebecca, Carrie, Maggie, Ben, Josh, Megan, Andrea, Michael, Heidi, Aggie, Ashley and Chuck Taft ;) for another stellar #EdCampMadWI

I am blessed.

Quick Tip #23 - Teacher Motivation

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Boston, Round Two!

I can't believe I went back to Boston.

Visiting in 2012 for BLC12 seems like yesterday!

Last August, I was asked to submit a proposal for a workshop or small sessions at BLC15 (Building Learning Communities in Boston). I put in for both, figuring one wouldn't be accepted. I was wrong. Here was my schedule this week:

Tuesday 7/14 - 8am to Noon - Genius Hour Master Class 

Wednesday 7/15 - 2:35-3:40
             and again   4:00-5:05 - Let It Go 

        (crowdsourcing to share ideas to let go of control) 

Thursday 7/16 - 1:10-2:15 - Genius Hour

I've been a nervous wreck. For weeks. Just look at these other speakers! And now it's all over.

So many ideas. So little time. Here are my take-aways...

From valuable meetings & presentations I attended...
   Dinner with Lesley Burnap
       We ate at Parish Cafe - Here the lesson to TRY SOMETHING NEW was enforced! The sandwich, that is... Although the food was great, the company was better. It's always sweet meeting people from your Twitter PLN face to face. We talked about Genius Hour and books! What better conversation?! I'm so grateful for the drive she took to meet us in downtown Boston!

   Tech Tool...
       Answer Garden - ask a question, have people answer, and can export to Wordle or other...

   Dylan Wiliam's Keynote
       "He that will be a leader, must be a bridge." Administration needs to give time for teachers to become better. Teachers are working harder than ever.
       Most often with PD - It's easy to change teachers in front of other teachers. It's more difficult to change when we get back in front of children.
       We already know what we're supposed to be doing, but we're not doing it.
       The greatest impact is minute-by-minute feedback. We don't do it because it's hard.
       Break up "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" into bite-sized pieces so they're easy to swallow.
       Start with bright spots - naysayers can't argue with what is working.
       Teachers need to engineer effective learning environments - to create engagement and develop habits of mind.
       If teachers don't think they can become a better teacher tomorrow, they should be fired.
       I need to read Switch: How to change things when change is hard by Chip & Dan Heath.

   Amy Burvall - "The Cloud is our Campfire"
       I am going to (or rather, ask my husband to) create a box. This box will be open on two sides. It will look much like a photo booth - maybe I can hang a curtain! An iPad will be secured somehow to the back of the box as you're looking at it. It will be positioned up on a wall or tall podium. Amy called hers a "Vox Box." Once students step toward, and put their head in the box, they will see a question posed above the iPad. They can then record their (short) response right on the iPad in the camera app. I can share these quips with parents during open house, and later on our class website. Here's my question now... What question should I ask students? I was thinking of, "What are you most looking forward to this year?" I don't think that's the one. Help?

   Lunch with Rik Rowe
       EdCamp fanatic, Rik Rowe, lives in the Boston area! He met Hubby and I for lunch on Wednesday! Ideas of communication and questioning were reinforced in our discussions. He did not help me relax at lunch - he pushed my thinking further.

   Erin Klein - Sharing the Student Voice and Personalize Learning
       Tell students, "This is going to be your best year ever! Now how can we make is so?"
       Learning needs to happen BY students, not FOR them.
       Every child in your classroom is someone else's whole world.
       I need to read Rafe Esquith's books...
       As for presentations? Add your personal stories - she had us hooked once she shared stories about her own children. Of course, I agreed with everything she said...!

   Lainie Rowell's Keynote
       When sharing great ideas with other teachers, invite them IN to your class. Share with them WHY you're trying something, have them watch it in person, then make sure you take the time to debrief with them. We all need to reflect in order to make things even better the next time.

   Darren Kuropatwa - The Fourth Screen
        I need him to come to our school, or I need to channel him somehow when I share his ideas with students. We need to make the social media experiences REAL for kids. You can tell them "fire is hot" for years, but they don't normally learn until they get burned. He shared stories of bullying, being negative in general, and reactions to bad decisions. He asked us to ask students, "What will you do with the power of the Internet?" He asked us to mention the terrible things, but then stress the positive actions.

   Walk with Dave Meyers to "Make Way for Ducklings" statues.
       Dave was the man who set me up with the iPad pilot I tried in the Fall of 2011... That was probably the start of my "aha" moments as a connected educator...
       My husband and I went for a walk with him after the sessions on this day, and we learned that colleges / universities were now going to have to report out how their educator graduates were doing in education. Because of this, Dave's new company is helping them figure things out AND will be connecting them to teacher mentors. Sounds like an interesting and valuable idea. It was nice to see him again!

   Jennie Magiera's Keynote
        Jennie is a Boston native, but lives in Chicago. I've never met her, and I should've said "Hello" and "Thank you!" in Boston. Her presentation was both hilarious and motivating. While most of the other presentations had me thinking of my students, hers had me thinking of the other teachers at my school and how I choose to interact (or hide) from them.
        Add three words to your conversation - "and... what if?"
        Choose to be bothered.
             Choose to be bothered.
                  Choose to be bothered.
        Don't be afraid to start over - even if you've invested a ton of time already.
        When you choose to be bothered, sometimes you have to do something nuts.
        Be vocal about your crazy. You can recruit friends and change the world together!
        Teacher question: How do we make kids stay in school?
        Student answer: Make school suck less.

From my own presentations...
    EVERYONE presenting is nervous. Know this. Then just do your best.

    I need to learn how to make my presentations on something other than Google Slides. I would love to go from one slide to the next, including videos, with one click of a remote button. Someone help, please?
    I think nine people in the workshop was a nice number. I would love a few more next time, but I think this group was cozy enough, but not too cozy. ;)
    I don't want to try something new in a big venue like this again - my "Let It Go" session went poorly the first time. Luckily I had a chance to try it again, and took the 20 min between the sessions to change things up!
    I will keep finding ways to INVOLVE the audience. I've sat through a few where I just sat and took notes, and looked at links. They were valuable, no doubt, but I saw a lot more sharing from the sessions that asked for audience participation and movement.
    Keep being humble. I don't pretend to know it all, and I hope I come across as making mistakes. I sat through one session where the presenter acted as if he was better than anyone else. I know I'll never know it all, and I hope my audience can see me as a constant learner.
    Time to infuse my presentations with photos and seamless transition of videos of kids.
    Keep the warm-up music prior to the presentation, and the last musical bit that everyone loves.
    Next time I'm nervous about traveling, I'll consider those that came to Boston from Hawaii, Australia, Russia, Taiwan, Istanbul, Finland.......
    Here's the one tweet (from my last presentation) that included a picture... I'm glad it's got Angela Maiers!

Thank you to Alan November and BLC crew for making me feel welcome in Boston.

Thank you to all the "old" friends I was able to hug, and all the new friends I made in Boston.

Thank you to the presenters and attendees, who stressed that it's about the LEARNERS, not the content.

Thank you to my husband, for all of your support, wonderful company, the walk for a cannoli at Maria's (and then again a surprise cannoli from Modern!), the almost crying at the awesome-ness of the Boston Public Library, and for reminding me to put on some pants before I head down to breakfast.

Communication

Definition:

My translation? -->   SHARING

We learn so much from sharing - our own stories and other people's stories. In many aspects of my life, I need to practice this art called "communication" - knowing when to share, and when to listen.

At home...
   We've got it made. My love and I know how to communicate. It's integral to our relationship. We are vulnerable with each other, laying everything on the line. And it WORKS. We have the best line of communication we've ever had with anyone. Ever. With my parents, it's close to the same thing. With my sister and other relatives... I've got some work to do.

In my classroom...
   I teach "LA/LIT" or "English Language Arts" or "reading and writing" in 7th grade. I once saw a post from either David Theriault or Sean Ziebarth (OH how I'd LOVE to teach with these two!!) that said they'd like to call their class "Communications." THIS is what it's all about. This is the place where I feel the next strongest when it comes to sharing and getting my point across. Ever since I read Choice Words by Peter Johnston, I've measured every word that comes out of my mouth in front of children.
   My first day with students, we take the 15 (?) minutes (very shortened periods the first day!) we have to read The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. I encourage thoughts, and call on students who do not have hands raised. The whole hand-raising idea is nice if you want a quiet room of compliant children. I like to have discussions instead. In "the real world," there isn't a whole lot of hand raising when people want to talk. One of my goals during the school year is to break students of this habit. We practice discussions without hands in the air. We practice how to interrupt, contribute, disagree, and support our opinions - while taking turns. If a class seems to need more support than another, we will take out the sock monkey and toss her for awhile, but then we let go of that security blanket soon enough. I don't know any other situation in which people having a discussion pass around a stuffed toy...
   While reading The Important Book, I also encourage disagreement with authors, and ME, as well. Disagreeing is definitely part of communicating. I, myself, disagree with the author when she writes, "The important thing about an apple is that is is red." Students themselves, before I turn the page, mention the words, "juicy, healthy, crispy, tasty" etc, and then they don't say a peep when I read aloud that it is "red." This is where the learning could stop, if I simply continued to read. Instead, I put the book down, and look out at my new students. I gasp, as I "can't believe you agree with the author - I didn't hear any dissension!" You can imagine how the rest of these few minutes go. My only lesson for the first day is that this class will be about communicating - sharing ideas, asking questions, disagreeing respectfully, using evidence to support our ideas, discovering and mending our misconceptions, and adding to our thoughts.

With parents of my students...
I have learned to be very transparent, and to send home positive notes every so often about their child. Just do it! It makes all the difference. 

At my school with other teachers...
It's when the communication STOPS that my frustration rises.
   When someone on my team says something and then says "End of discussion"... I can feel the steam coming from my ears, so I get up and excuse myself. Both of us are in the wrong here.
   When one person drops the ball on a yearly school-wide tradition and then makes the decision him/herself when it comes down to the deadline and virtually no changes can be made... What good does it do to complain, if it's too late anyway? I tried to offer a solution for NEXT year instead.
   This is the area where I struggle with communication the most.
What are my options?
   - Hide. I have times when I do this. Just shut my trap, don't say anything, and get on with what I need to do - focus on my own students. I'm not sure if this is healthy or not.
   - Keep an open mind. Know when to let things go, and when to keep the discussion open.
   - Ask for help. This is my next step. This is what I need to do.
          "Can we continue this discussion?"
          "Can we keep talking about...?" Perhaps put it off until another day.
          "This makes me think. Can we come back to this discussion on ____?" Get it on the docket.
          "I need to think more about this. Can we each do our own research and get back to it?"

In my district with administration...
   I try not to "bother" our administration. I know they've got far more pressing issues than any I might have! I really only communicate with them to ask how things are going, and to share some ideas I might have. They are busy with student issues, so I deal with the small issues on my own or with other teachers. I was upset at one decision that came down the pike, so I spoke to students (who were also upset, as it impacted them the most), and we came up with reasons to change the decision. I thought including student voice would help. We did not "win" the battle, but we fought a clean fight together, and students' voices were heard in a positive manner.

With my PLN...
   There are quite a few teachers who use Twitter as a platform for learning - basically learning how to become a better teacher, or better yet - how to make our classrooms better places to learn how to learn. I follow many teachers with whom I agree. We help each other by sharing our ideas. One of us will share, another will tweak and try these ideas, and then we share them back - including "upgrades" to these ideas. Sometimes we share what we'd like to do, and others share what they've seen done or what they've tried themselves. This is not just communication; it is also collaboration.

Three Ways I Learn from Communicating with my PLN...
   1) There are some teachers with whom I disagree. I know to not respond with anger. I used to ignore these teachers, unfollow them, or just complain to Hubby about them. Now I either share what I've found that supports my side, organize and write my own ideas, or ask these teachers questions to instigate more communication about the issue. At times, I find that my thoughts need to be challenged in such a way so that I can either grow and adapt my thoughts, or find more support for what I believe. These interactions have made me much more feisty, and also more knowledgeable! They're not my favorite interactions, but I make sure I take away something from each one.
   2) Some interactions with my PLN help me by giving me more resources. I consider these resources "ammunition" for those times I need to support my beliefs. Just yesterday, I saw a tweet about Kate Baker not grading tons of papers at home - and she teaches high school English!! I listened to this short podcast from ISTE2015, and tweeted it out. Kate came back with MORE help, as I wondered how this really looks in her classroom. She then created a new blog post that same day to help others who were wondering the same thing! All of her resources are on her blog, and all free, of course. That's what we expect from passionate teachers on Twitter. Now it's up to ME to put these ideas into action.
   3) My favorite interactions that really show me what "communication" means are those that are positive in nature, and push me to learn. These teachers help me take that next step. They help me put ideas I'd like to implement into practice. They get me off my butt and ACTING. Just today, I received a tweet from Oliver Schinkten, asking a tough question.

He really got me thinking. I didn't have any answer to give him. I put this tweet out of my head as I read more while getting my AM "fix." A few minutes later, I saw a tweet from a teacher I'd never met on Twitter. I read Gerard Dawson's post titled, "The 1st Steps to a Connected Reading Classroom," and was awed at all the ideas he shared. I tweeted it out with the #elachat and #engchat community. Words that I had to read more than once... 

"a connected reading classroom means using communication, collaboration and connecting to let students share thinking"

It was the next tweet from him, however, that made my head spin, and became the catalyst for me to write this post...

He did not ask what I'm going to use from his post, which would've been a tough one for me to answer. All I really thought of using (so far - from the first read-through) was changing the name of my classes to "Communications," and how to communicate that to parents and students! He went a step further in asking, "What were you left wondering after reading?" Does he want the truth? I'm really wondering "HOW IN HECK can I do everything I want to do with students???"

The answer is always there. I can NOT do everything. I don't have the time, resources, or energy to do all I would like to do with my students. As a result of reading Gerard's blog post, listening to Kate's podcast, and knowing what I know about balance in the classroom, my take-away today is to keep the focus on communication. Center everything in the classroom around communication.

In all things I want us to try in ELA - reading, writing, grammar, speaking and listening, Genius Hour, feedback instead of grading... if we continue to practice communicating well, every aspect of ELA will flourish. Let's continue to give students more and more time to practice the art of communicating. Let's share our mistakes and successes, and listen as other people share theirs. Let's learn from each other by learning how to communicate effectively. Maybe that's the purpose of school - to learn how to communicate in order to become lifelong learners.

Please share your ideas as to how you practice communicating in your classrooms, or where it's most difficult for you to communicate - and what you do about it. Let's continue to learn from each other.

The Phantom Tollbooth - Quotes

I've had it on my list for years... then good ol' fate stepped in!

I checked out three books from my local library, and two were semi-random. One of these was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It's been on my list, and I remember Paul Solarz saying he loved reading it with his kids. It was also on our "BOB" (Battle of the Books) list for our local library, so I grabbed it... not really wanting to read it, but feeling like I should.

As fate would have it, I was able to visit Paul's classroom this past Friday after a doctor's appointment! (Yes, he's local - in my district! How is it that I only see him at EdCamps?!?!) I could write all about all I noticed in his classroom, but that's for another post. Of course, I had to look at his fabulous library along one wall of his room, but then he showed me all the other books he had stashed away... Literature circle books for the year, and whole-class read alouds (and "read alongs," because he had enough copies). One of these, of course, was . When I got home, I began the journey that is called The Phantom Tollbooth.

Two days later, I've got my favorite quotes to share with everyone who hasn't yet read this one:

"...the way you see things depends a great deal on where you look at them from." p108

"...there's always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing." p213

"It certainly pays to have a good look at things." p217

"you must never feel badly about making mistakes, as long as you take the trouble to learn from them." p233

"What you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do." p247

My favorite, that last one, is going up on our ceiling in room 239 where we tape quality quotes from books we've read. My next step? Finding a photo I have taken (or take one!) that helps emphasize that quote. After that? Remembering that it truly IS a matter of what we WILL do...

EdCamp Chicago - Fall 2013

I've written about EdCamp before...
     My second - EdCamp Madison
     The International Phenomenon - EdCamp Home

But yesterday was the first time I'd ever helped plan an EdCamp, and I've learned so much more - I just have to reflect on how the day went from an insider's viewpoint...

Being Invited...
Ben Hartman (@bhartmanwd7) and Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) each DMed me back in... July?? I don't remember. But they asked me if I could help organize the next EdCamp Chicago, set for the fall. OH, YES! I'd love to help organize! I was put on a list, and was ready to be told what to do - I'm a great go-fer! ;-)

Our GHOs...
Oh, why are these so nerve-wracking for me?! I kept my microphone muted until I really wanted to say something, but I really tried to be quiet. It was great to see others who were ready to help plan.

What was left of the crew before we went out...

Our great crew:
     Jenna Hacker @jennahacker
     Bernice Homel @BHomel1
     Joy Kirr @JoyKirr
     Ben Kuhlman @bkuhl2you
     Allison LaFalce @Allison_Lafalce
     Shawn McCusker @shawnmccusker
     Eric Patnoudes @NoApp4Pedagogy
     Jen Vincent @mentortexts
     Bob (My hubby jumped in a
        TON to help out the day of!)

During these Google Hangouts, I tried to take notes in a Google Doc about what was said, and what we needed to do next. What I was able to help with was (a pretty large) sponsorship, small raffle prizes & items for the goodie bags, but I didn't feel too useful. So I volunteered to keep up the blog. Luckily for me it was Blogger! I also created a "Meet the EdCampers" Google form for the registration. I gave up the responsibility of figuring out lunch, though - out of my league. Setting up the day-of document, I put myself down for explaining what an EdCamp is all about, and also the raffle - I thought that would be FUN!

The Walk-Through...
Ben asked if any of us could help out with a walk-through, to see where things would be, how we'd set it up, which rooms we'd use for sessions, etc. I loved seeing the easy layout and becoming familiar with the place.

Mrs. Hartman's Design

What Ben (or some magical fairy in the night) did...
Acquired the wonderful Wood Dale Junior High School as our venue...
     This included insurance, custodial help, logistics about collecting sponsorship money, etc.
Eventbrite registration
Name tags
EdCamp Chicago stickers (his wife designed them!)
Made BIG signs thanking sponsors
Bought sticky notes and pens for the proposals (Hey, Ben - I still have the sticky notes!)
Acquiring sponsors, goodie bag items, raffle prizes, sorting all the money, keeping everything straight, and keeping calm through all of it!

Bag Stuffing...
Need I say more? This happened on the Thursday before, and we just walked around the table of swag, stuffing and talking, talking and stuffing. We used the nice bags Bernice acquired from the Wood Dale Public library first, then used the smaller bags from Barnes and Noble for the late comers. This was a great time to learn more about our crew as we shared some stories.

The Night Before...
Kimberly Hurd (@khurdhorst) came into town from Minnesota and stayed with Bob and me! We first went to dinner at Uno's with Bernice, her husband, and Tasha (@tasquires). Went back home for a few minutes to figure out what I was going to say about EdCamps, then went out again to the Sponge Reef in Schaumburg for some karaoke! I was not nervous at all, but could only imagine what Ben was going through...

The Day of...
Up early, at the school at 7am, and helping set up. Coffee and donuts were put up, tables and chairs were scooched over a bit, registration tables and name tags set up, direction signs were set up, and raffle prizes just kept coming my way. Set up the extra free swag on the tables in the foyer, panicked as people started coming because I'd just remembered the raffle tickets, then calmed as we found them, got invigorated just seeing people start to arrive...

Loved seeing NEW faces of the names I recognized from Twitter! Here's a list of SOME of them:
     Julie McGovern (@jamcgovern), Mary Jo Cline (@WDJHLMC), Susie Highley (@shighley), Adam Moreno (@USMDrama), Merri Beth Kudrna (@mbkudrna), Jason Hanrahan (@Teamhanrahan62), Brendan Murphy (@dendari), Matt Coaty (@Mcoaty), Brianne Koletsos (@B_KOL), Samara Silverman (@SamaraSilverman), Renee (@frnlrwme), Ed Casey (@ecasey77), Erin Jackle (@ErinJackle), Joy Olenick (@JoyOlenick), Christine Collins (@cmcollins13), Meg Van Dyke (@docV216), Mary Klepper (@MaryKlepper), Mary Yockey (@MaryYockey), Gail LeGrand (@GailLeGrand), Andrea WilsonVazquez (@wilsandrea), Jeff Zoul (@Jeff_Zoul), Steve Wick (@nvwick), Michelle Russell (@michellerussell), Jill Maraldo (@jmaraldo), Karen Gluskin (@kegluskin), Tricia Brawley (@GiVeAhOoT) who I haven't seen since she was a student at Thomas, Nancy Blair (@blairteach) from Georgia, and Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) from Massachusetts! OH MY GOODNESS!

Phew! After seeing all these faces and shaking hands or hugging them, it was time to begin in the auditorium. My role was the explanation of EdCamp, and then getting people started coming down to propose sessions. Easy-peasy. I had everything I wanted to say written down, and I love a microphone. When the first session was started, I pulled 100 raffle tickets so we'd have those people with those tickets come down to the stage at 3pm and choose their small prize. The other 40 or so raffle prizes would be chosen with everyone in attendance after the Smackdown. I did take the time to put those in (what I thought was) order of value. I was sorta off on that...! Loved that I had previously met & had lunch with the person who won the Chromebook, too - Garnet Hillman (@garnet_hillman)!

I attended the second session, but was (literally) called out early by a phone call from my parents who were traveling - I wanted to make sure they were okay, so I had to answer it and quietly leave! Lunch was next - I ate with Bernice, Tasha, Meg, and Bob was back from helping pick up lunch and deliver the trays back to Mario's. He seemed to be having a great time, too - he even held onto Kristie Bleers's (@kbleers) tickets for her, because she had to leave! I needed to attend the third session, because a woman from Palatine told me she HAD to talk to me about her 5th graders and ask me all kinds of questions about assessments (bad taste in my mouth) during Genius Hour. Great people were there - Allison, Paul, Ben K., and Michael Matera (@mrmatera), among others I just can't remember right now.

Then it was back to the stage to set up the small raffle prizes and get ready for the larger ones. Allison helped me divvy them out and organize, but she had to leave early, so she couldn't stay to announce them. Jenna helped me out when it was time.

My Big "Take-Away..."
Everyone in your planning group needs to use his or her own gifts for a successful event.
This was a huge lesson for me. I got out of doing lunch duty, but felt guilty for doing so. I just didn't think I could do it right, thought I'd have lots of trouble, and just felt uneasy about it. Allison did a GREAT job of securing the deal. I helped where I could, however, and did the best I could with it. I could've been more timely getting the tweets out for "Meet the Camper," but many of the people I added the Thursday before didn't even show anyway. I could've added updates to the blog, but didn't feel it was necessary. I could've called more companies for sponsorship, but that wasn't my skill set either, I'd thought. Everyone had a part to play, and everyone played his or her part very well. I would list what they all did, but it's just WAY too much, and this post is WAY too long as it is, in my opinion.

I had to reflect on this day... I equate it to going to Disney World, really.

Thank you to everyone who made it happen - our inspired organizers, our stellar crew, the passionate teachers who came from near and far to learn from one another, the staff at Wood Dale District 7, and my biggest fan, Bob. I fed off of your passion this weekend, and you've invigorated me once again. I'll be heading to school with a huge smile on my face - THANK YOU.

This is why...

Today I had one of those days... one of those "THIS is why I teach!" days.

Today was our first full Genius Hour day of fourth quarter. Students are expected to step it up a notch, and have a product at the end of this quarter, along with giving a five-minute presentation to their classmates, other classes, staff members, and parents that can make it. Projects include baking, creating simple machines, teaching lessons, learning an instrument, and many more. The fun in this is that many of these projects I would never have thought of doing myself! These kids give me my gray hairs, but they also keep me young, that's for sure!

I was able to speak one on one with most of my students today. What a great use of our time. Two students, however, stood out.

Nicholas... His original question was, "What makes us human?"
I'd discovered a video online over the weekend that I thought he might be able to use (about a family in a remote country who walks on all fours), and I talked to him after he'd seen the first few minutes of it. He stopped me, and said, "I don't know if I can use this, as my project has changed a bit already." Curious, of course, I asked him how. (Words are approximate, here, as I was not recording him.) "You know what I'm learning? I'm learning that we are surviving here, but it's more than that. I'm learning that we are really living it up. I mean, think about it - we don't have to build shelter anymore; we already have houses. We don't have to hunt and gather our food; we have grocery stores or restaurants, and we can eat whatever we want! We don't have to mine for metals; someone has already done that for us, and others are doing it now." He went on, but I was so flabbergasted that I can't remember all he said. I know how he ended it, however. "My hope is that when people are done listening to my presentation, they will feel lucky about all they have and all they can do."



Priceless.



Ethan... Ethan wants to perform random acts of kindness.
Yes. He wants to send out a survey asking if you've ever experienced someone performing a random act of kindness for you, what it was, how it made you feel, and if it made you want to "pay it forward." He will collect this data and share it in his presentation. He also wants to perform random acts of kindness, and then ask those people how they felt, or why they declined (if they did so). In his proposal, he wrote, "This project would be worthwhile because it would help people and give me experience helping people which could help me later in life." I don't know all the logistics, or how he'll be doing this, but the whole idea... Oh, it makes me smile! My hope is that some day he'll do these so much he won't even recognize them as random acts of kindness - I believe it could easily be instilled in him as "this is just the way to behave."

Seventh grade. In seventh grade, these students have come up with so many amazing ideas. I love the fact that they change them, too, if they don't think they're "good enough." I have high hopes for this quarter and the projects they'll be completing of their own choosing. Trust your students, and let them know you trust them. See what they decide is worthy of learning.

Half-Year Mark

We've tried Genius Hour with a gusto this year, and this is the longest our classes have gone with this consistency! The first one we had was in February, but I didn't dedicate a time each week to it. So... I've asked students to blog about what they've done this year so far, and tell about their future plans.

However, there are still a few students who don't yet know which route to take with their personalized learning. Therefore, this coming week, I'll be showing students this video from "Kid President" (that I think everyone should see!):

(Thanks to Krissy Venosdale for sharing this on her post!)

We will also be filling in our our bulletin board that has the following leads...
    "I wonder..."
    "I would like to learn about..."
    "I am a genius when it comes to..."

Addition to original blog post (2/19/13):
Students put their ideas on the wall!

"If I could create a new class, it would be called..."
     - Volleyball for Dummies
     - Potions Class
     - PATD (Photography, Art, Theater, Design)
     - Genetics or Geneology
     - Save the Animals
     - Inventions

"I'm a genius when it comes to..."
     - Basketball
     - Video Games
     - Art, music, and volleyball
     - Making Friends
     - Trains
     - Musical Theater
     - Horses
     - Hockey
     - Being Creative
     - Picking the Perfect Outfit
     - Beatboxing
     - Creating Stop Motions & Architecture

"I wonder..."

     - how the world came to be

     - how many pasta types there are in the world

     - if sloths communicate
     - how many apps there are in the world
     - why the Earth is a circle
     - what cave men ate in cave men time
     - why cows have spots
     - how many books there are in the world
     - when the world will end
     - why sloths move so slowly
     - how stop motions were invented
     - about the history of teddy bears
     - if everybody in the world made their dreams come true, how different the world would be

Twitter - My first year...

Twitter. Hah. Justin Bieber is all I could think of. Who wants to know about him or the Kardashians? I don't have time for this. Our principal, Brian Kaye, encouraged us in August to join before the 2011-2012 school year started. I did, because I (usually) do as I'm told. Used it for the opening-day activities, then stopped.

Started up again in February of 2012.


        I don't know why.

         I'm so very glad I did.


Since I started creating a PLN...
* I have been challenged.
* I have become more reflective.
* I have been inspired.
* I have had conversations with educators from around the globe.
* I have read more professional literature than ever before.
* I have fallen back in love with photography.
* I found out about free professional development edcamps & attended on a Saturday in August.
* I began a blog and use it to reflect, and share.
* My classroom is transparent.
* My students now have one day a week to learn whatever they want to learn.
* We've Skyped with and learned from four classes this year.
* Participating in the Global Read Aloud, we shared ideas on a Weebly with students from Canada.
* We are a connected classroom, sharing our blog posts through #comments4kids.
* Our classes now have a student station instead of a teacher desk.
* My teaching has transformed... and I hope to keep growing professionally.

Questions I still ponder...
* Why are the number of followers and people I'm following significant? Or are they? Isn't it the connections you make that count? Isn't it the things you learn from others that count? Isn't it the conversation that counts?? I'm currently following __ and have __ followers. Really?! Does it matter?
* What will be the next big shift I make in my teaching that comes from these connections? This scares me, intrigues me, and makes me anxious and excited all at the same time!
* Who will be the next teacher that inspires me? I have a few that I thanked personally today on Twitter, because I truly think of them as mentors in my life. Why do I feel like I know them? Why can't they come work with me?
* How much more learning can I take? Every day I'm bombarded with blogs to read, statistics to absorb, comments to share, books to devour, conversations in which to partake... When will I learn the balance so I don't feel so overwhelmed with this constant flow of information? How can I learn to not feel bad if I don't read someone's post or comment on his or her question?
* How can I get more teachers at my school on Twitter? How can I show them the value I have gotten out of it? How can I help them see that learning from more people than the 5 they work with everyday is so valuable? Is it okay if I can't do this? Is it okay with ME?

I truly love my life. No, not as a result of Twitter... as a result of people. My husband is the epitome of enjoying the heck out of little things and showing me the value of time. My seventh graders make me laugh every day, and give me multiple reasons to smile. My PLN is the other huge positive force in my life. They challenge me, encourage me, and strengthen me. This is just after 11 months on Twitter... What does the next year hold in store?

Be the person you thought you would become.

It's time to be exactly who I want to be.

As I sit here with an aching back, I know where this post is going. I'll be 40 next month. Time to do what is right - EVERY day, not just when it suits me, or is convenient. Not just in my words, but in my actions.

I'm starting with a simple idea I got from Kris McGuire. I can't find the website she cited, or pinned or tweeted out, so I have to make my own blog post about it. I created two "care packages" a few months ago, but today I went to the store with that in mind - to create more. My husband and I (is this fortunate or unfortunate?) were able to give one of these out in Schaumburg the week before Christmas, and it felt so good, I had to make more. And more...

What is it? A homeless care package. Did you ever hear anyone saying, "Don't give them money. They'll just spend the money on something they don't need"? This solves that problem, and helps you to not ignore what's going on.

How much is it? It costs just $10 a package.

How difficult is it to make? It is very easy. All but one item (the wash rags) on the following list were purchased at Target.

What does it contain? Here's a list of what's in mine...

     Three Microfiber Wash Rags

     Chapstick

     Shampoo

     Soap and Container

     Deodorant

     Toothbrush, Toothpaste, 

            Holder for Toothbrush, Floss

     Hand Sanitizer

     First Aid Kit

     Two Bags of Instant Oatmeal

     A List of Local Phone Numbers 

            & Address with Resources

Put the items in a large Ziplock bag, so the recipient can see exactly what you are giving. Keep the tags or wrappers on each item, so the recipient knows each is new.

The title of this post is from a book I received at Christmas from Mom... 8,789 Words of Wisdom by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I just opened it up and saw them on pg. 279. The book costs as much as one of these care packages. Erin Olson's presentation from Boston (July, 2012) is always on my mind as well. I want to be like her. She lives what she preaches. I need to make an impact on someone, as she has made an impact on me. Step by step... one foot in front of the other. One small step at a time!

So what's next? I need to make more. I need to make one for every car in my family (my mom's, dad's, sister's, etc.). I need to make people aware of this great idea! I'm thinking this will be my gift next year for my friends, as well. Would they scoff at it? Maybe. Will that change my mind? No. I'm going to start doing what I believe is right, every day. I need to be the person I thought I would become, and I'm not her yet. I know I'll never reach my full potential, but I've got to start trying. Like Erin's laptop says, "Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct." - Mohammad Ali

What are YOU going to do today to become closer to the person you thought you'd become?

We saw this while walking in Boston, July 2012.

"Babies" for Life

Thanksgiving break - time to look at my notes about what inspires me, so I could write a bit. I came across this video, "Baby to 12," created by Frans Hofmeester. (You may have glimpsed 30 seconds of this on a recent Sprint commercial.)

Frans Hofmeester (@FransHofmeester on Twitter) filmed his daughter Lotte every week, from when she was a baby to age 12. He then created this amazing time lapse video that shows what growing up looks like, as much as it's possible to do so.

I wanted to keep this video, but I didn't know what I'd do with it. My husband asked me, "What struck you about this video? Why did you keep it?"

These were my thoughts...

The foresight the videographer had... 

What a creative idea, and what dedication to keep it up! 

I wonder what she thought of the videos as she grew up... 

She has the same eyes... from start to finish. 

She'll always be his baby... just as my mom often reminds me.

              This, then, reminded me of a country song - 

                                          The Baby, performed by Blake Shelton.

In case you are not aware, I don't have any of my own children, even though I do have two grandchildren (Gabe is 6, and Hannah is 2 1/2). If it is possible, I did get a glimpse (albeit tiny) of what it means to have children when I lived with my sister for six months. My niece and nephew were only three at the time, and when I could spend time alone with them, I could see how you need to take the bad times along with the good. I could see the preciousness, the purity, and the innocence.

Every one of my seventh graders is somebody's baby.

   This I know.

   My days revolve around how I can teach these "babies" to the best of my ability.
   Our first day of the week, our day for Genius Hour, is my time to see these growing children shine... to allow time for their passions and geniuses to blossom, to give them choice to become adults anyone would be proud of.
   May my choices in teaching help these young adults put their best foot forward.

Disclaimer

Observations... Being observed by administration can be nerve-wracking for anybody. But when my assistant principal walked in the room and sat down, I looked at my class through her eyes. What did she see?

Yes, he ended up on the floor... still participating vocally, even if it's hard to see his hand raised!

No, she didn't see all of this - I took these pictures a few days later, when I could catch students unawares!

Of course, she did see the changes that have occurred in my teaching - I've never done a read-aloud. I've never had so many seating options. I've never had students "talk" with other students on a Weebly set up by a teacher out in British Columbia, Canada! After she left, I had my next lesson with the same students, and I felt things were more "normal." Students were doing what most teachers expected - me leading, students sitting up, following directions, writing quietly... But I've been doing it this way for years now. I should know how to teach in this fashion.

At home, I felt I needed to write a disclaimer for the outside of my door. Something like this...

I talked with her three days later, and she helped alleviate my fears. Even though she said when she first walked in she was "alarmed," (oh, how my stomach churned when she said this!) she stayed and observed the entire 40 minutes and kept taking factual notes. She assured me that I'd established an environment for learning. She reminded me that I gave students expectations.

I explained how during the first period she witnessed me teaching what I had never taught before, and how I'm still learning what is best for students in this regard. I admitted that I didn't know what percentage of students were actually able to multi-task (play games on iPads, doodle) while I read, and what students were not. She suggested a quick reflection for after the read-aloud, and I implemented this the next day. One of my hunches was right - one student only remembered the last bit of what I'd read...

The next few minutes of our discussion centered around Genius Hour. I told her we've got the routine down nicely, but I'd still like to see students follow their passions, and do something about it. I still have the goal for students to read, be inspired, and act on it. She then asked me such a simple question: "What do you need to do to make Genius Hour better?" The rest of the afternoon, this was my focus. My next step, I've decided, is to print out the pictures I took of the board during our first Genius Hour, and ask, during one-on-one conferences, which ideas were theirs. If they were bothered by bullying or animal abuse or racism or suicide etc... why aren't they trying to do something to help prevent it? Why aren't they reading up on the issues or reading books on the causes? Why won't they share what they've learned with us so we can help prevent these issues too?

Yes, I was nervous about being observed. I was nervous about the follow-up conversation. I still feel like I need to have a disclaimer on my door. I still question myself every day if this is the very best use of our time. I still reflect after each lesson to see where I could have done better. I'm still nervous when people come in to visit, as I don't know what they'll see and what they'll miss.  However... I still believe in what I'm doing. And I still need to be challenged, so I can keep figuring out if what I'm doing is right... or if I need to fine tune my ways once again.

[Author's note, 1/19/13 - Of course, not all of these pictures were taken on the same day. Most (with the exception of the laptop) were, however, taken during a "read aloud," which is the portion of the lesson I wasn't quite sure about, as I've never done read alouds during class so often.]