Days 57 & 58 - Mothers & Motivation

Saturday & Sunday, May 9 & 10, 2020

My family celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday, as it was going to be a much nicer day out than today. It was proven true. Mom said she had a wonderful day and wouldn't change a thing. Bob and I brought some music, chairs, a cooler, cupcakes and gifts. My sister brought her family and bought the pizza. It was solid. The weather was perfect until about 6pm when the sun didn't bring the heat anymore.

Once again, I didn't hug anyone. I noticed that neither did my brother in law. My nephew almost didn't, but Mom encouraged him to, so he held his breath. I don't know when I'll feel as if Mom and Dad and Bob are safe enough for me to hug Mom and Dad again. This, however, is the worst of my worries and troubles.

We got a letter from our village about how they credited our water bill account by $200, and how we won't have to pay them back because they have the money. This could be two to three months of water service for many of us. Since I feel guilty about it (I'm still being paid), I'm going to donate that money.

I was able to put in many hours (four??) in writing to my former 7th graders who are now Seniors (for my genius hour project). It was kind of fun, but my hand hurts a bit and my nice light blue pen ran out of ink. I'm a teeny bit less than half-way done writing the messages inside the cards.

My motivation is L-O-W today. I'm not sad. I'm not crabby. I'm just... here. I listened a bit to my book on Libro.FM, I played a couple of games on my phone, and I looked up Seniors in my old yearbook and on Instagram to see where they were going to college (if they shared). I found out that one of them had a child, and one of them only went part time to their high school. It was fun looking through their pics and seeing how they've grown so much already. I'm excited for their futures!

It's 1:30. I've not nothing more to write and nothing more planned for the day. Sometimes during this COVID "normal," that's all there is. I get it. I get it when the kids say they're bored. Tomorrow I won't be bored. I'll find more to do. It's a decision I'm making today. Heck, we're eight weeks in. It's okay to feel this way.

Look for the Good

The following is a post I shared on a "Middle School ELA Teachers" Facebook group:

Hello, all. 

I don't regularly follow any group on FB, but many days a thread from this group pops up in my feed. It's usually a frustrated teacher. We all have frustrating drive-me-to-drink, can't-sleep-due-to-that-one-student days.

Here is [sic] my two cents on how I get through them. 1) Look for the good. Who IS doing what you asked and trying hard? They're there. 2) Acknowledge the good. Tell these students 1:1 how you appreciate them in the class. You might even want to send a good note home to their parents. That always helps me counteract noticing the bad habits of a student. 3) Notice exactly what the other students are doing that frustrates you. 4) Wait until you are calm (the next morning, perhaps), and in your free period, pull each child separately to tell them what, exactly, you are noticing. 5) Ask that particular child what he or she can do to improve. 6) Follow through.

That being said, we'll still have students who are frustrating. It's February. It's middle school. It will not be pleasant every day. These children's brains aren't fully developed, and won't be for another TEN years or so. We must still love them, because we never know if they're being loved at home. Be the rock they can all count on, even if you can't yet count on all of them just yet. Just my two cents.

Side note (one more cent): What you call/label them - even in your head - they'll become for you.

✌️ Peace out.

These frustrated teachers had been sharing that students were making them cry. One shared that her students were "monsters." I couldn't notice it and watch it continue. Imagine their mental health! Imagine the kids that needed them at their best! I wrote the book on shifting my own words; it was time to speak up.

After posting this, I left Facebook for a bit, thinking I wouldn't look at the comments. I was worried, because I'd stuck my head out once again, and these teachers did not seem like a happy group. I checked later this week and was very pleasantly surprised. I am looking through a new lens this week, as well. I've been listening to The Courage to Be Happy by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, and it's grounding me. It's showing me what I know in my heart to be true. This past week was one of my favorites so far this year.

I'd like to leave you with a funny story from Friday afternoon...

I love to look for (and save!) the good. 

The laughter my students provide (intentional or not) take me far...

Speed Dating - with BOOKS!

The first time my classes tried speed dating with books was in 2013. It's time for a new blog post!

Before we first started, I found these blog posts to be especially helpful:
Tips for Getting Kids to Do More Choice Reading: Book Speed Dating
          by Erica Beaton (@EricaLeeBeaton)
Building Our To-Read Lists: Book Speed Dating
          by Colby Sharp (@colbysharp)
Book Speed Dating: How I did it and why I'll do it again
         by Leigh Collazo (@MrsReaderPants)

We've usually got some kind of contest or challenge going on for reading at our school library. This month is no different. With the challenge in mind (and the new face lift our library has had), here's how it was set up (and now our teacher-librarians set it up for us!):

There were six tables, with different categories from our "TMS Tower" challenge. Here are the challenges:

We're hoping students will find this fun, fairly easy, and will get them out of any "reading ruts" they may be in currently.

The challenge was explained, students received a page where they can take notes on which books might look appealing (and from which category they come), and we broke into small groups (3-5 depending on the class size) and let students browse for about 3 minutes per table. Then students regrouped and the local library challenge (100 Books before High School) and prizes were announced.

I loved the twist this time with these fun categories. I also loved the incentive to complete the challenge by the end of the year - when you complete it, you get to choose a book to donate to a library in need. Mrs. Fahnoe shared how fortunate we are at our school to have such wonderful books (most in great condition!), and how it'll will be beautiful to see more books going to kids who need them.

Of course, not every child took this seriously. That doesn't mean we're giving up! The plethora of books should be a clue to them that there IS a book for them out there, should they choose to stop and take some time with it...

More Nonfiction

I decided last night, as I was soaking up Jack Andraka's Breakthrough, that I need to read and share more nonfiction with my students this year. I also finished Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder this week. I posted it on instagram, and one of my former students said she read it for a class her senior year. That one makes me simply want to do MORE to become a better person.

With Jack's book (I'm going to finish in two days), it's personal.

A dear friend of my husband was diagnosed (early, she says) in June with pancreatic cancer. A dear friend of my own's father passed from this terrible disease. I didn't really know about this type of cancer until June last year, and now I fear for our friend.

I've heard of Jack Andraka, and knew he did something remarkable with science, and I'd probably even heard it was for early detection of pancreatic cancer, but at that point, I simply didn't care enough to read it. It wasn't personal for me.

His writing is personal. Jack's close family friend he called an uncle passed away from pancreatic cancer. His work is personal. He spent months of his freshman year working towards this ONE thing. My reading became personal as soon as I stepped into this book. It wasn't simply "something on my to-read list" anymore.

There's so much more to say about this book (that I now need to purchase for the classroom), but I'm not here to write about the book. I'm here to explore - again - that this is how I'd love for school to be. I'm in the perfect position - ELA class - where we can read and write like crazy. I truly wish we could make it more personal for students - reading and writing MOST days about what we believe is important.

Some of my seventh graders need more guidance, I know. Some of them seem apathetic about so many issues; I get it. As I provide short video feedback on our last bit of teacher-directed writing however, I am catching some students who have the skills and asking them to move FORWARD. To not take my direction, but use the same skills to write about what THEY deem important. Great - you can tell me who the dynamic character is in your book and back it up with evidence and then explain it all clearly? Then NEXT time, write about a PERSON you know that is dynamic, and provide the evidence and explain. Better yet - write about something you want DONE - find your audience - and write to THEM about what you think needs to be done, and then share your evidence and your WHY. Make it personal. Do it because it's right and good for you and your life, or the lives of others.

What other nonfiction books are out there for our younger adolescent students? I need more nonfiction books that will get my middle schoolers (some of whom still think reading is not for them) feeling, thinking, and responding. Responding through writing, projects, actions... More along what I wanted our genius hour to be. More along the lines of Erin Olson's idea of - "Read. Be inspired. Do something inspiring."

Please add your favorites in the comments below - and tag another reader with this post so I may easily curate a bunch and pay for them when I can. Please share how you use nonfiction - and make it personal - for our students. Thank you!

Who Teaches YOU?

Getting my haircut today, I had to ask: "Who does YOUR hair?"

Hairstylist - "One of the gals here."

A couple of months ago, I asked my massage therapist, "Who gives YOU massages?"

Therapist - "Before I hire new therapists, they have to give me a massage."

Got me thinking... I teach 7th graders. Who teaches ME?

This summer, I've pruned my PLN a bit. I've made sure to center around those that teach me. And it's made me feel much better. Much like my hair cut today...

You may not be able to see the difference, but I can feel it. It's the same during the school year...

Tomorrow, I'm heading to my first #PatioPD, thanks to a generous teacher who likes to try new things and learn from others. How else do I make sure those that impact my teaching get my attention? I use a tool such as Feedly to follow their most recent blog posts. I put them on my "first" list on Twitter, so I'm sure to catch their good vibes (tweets). I check on the hashtags they're using so I can "hang out" (virtually) with those other teachers who have growth mindsets. These people teach me by being great role models, and I learn invaluable lessons from them that, in turn, impact my students.

So... who teaches YOU? 

Who helps you to be your best for children? Where do you go to keep refreshed, challenged, and positive during the school year? Please respond in the comments so I can always go back to this post when I need a pick-me-up! I can then share your ideas with more educators - thank you for helping me learn! A shout-out to Sean Scanlon and Rakhi Mistry for inspiring this post.

Update: PatioPD on Thursday had me like...

Quick Tip #20 - Teacher Motivation

Joy headed up to Madison to attend another EdCamp? You betcha.
If I look tired, it's because I had great fun learning with fellow passionate educators!

Full Transcript

Quick Tips Playlist

Spreadsheet View

Hacking Silent Reading Time

This school year, I tried four new "hacks" to get my 7th graders to read even MORE. These are in addition to TONS of book talks, reading alongside students, passing around a clipboard each day so students can write in what they're currently reading, and having set non-negotiable times each week for students to read independently for 20 minutes (in my beautiful 80-min. block) at a time.

Here are four types of students I have that do not exhibit habits of readers... yet. I have then listed the hack I've tried. I've experienced success with each one, and that's why it's time to share them with you.

The Great Pretender

She says she reads. At home. Each day in class, she chooses a different book. This book is usually one from my "browsing" shelf - Guinness Book of World Records, The Big Book of Gross Stuff, picture books such as Jumanji... I wouldn't keep these books on my shelves if I thought they were bad books, by any means. But this child exhibits all the habits of a non-reader. She'll try to fool you into thinking she reads. She might go so far as to give a book talk about a book the teacher read last year in class.

Hack:

Get the audio version of books, and download them to the classroom laptops (if you have them). I have six old laptops in our class (and two chargers that work - I rotate which get charged each night). On the top of the laptop, put a picture of the cover of the book. Book talk it, and let students read along while listening. My experience -- every time we read in class, my "Great Pretender" quietly gets a headset, opens iTunes, and is engrossed for 20 minutes.

Forgetful Frances
She's disorganized. She reads at home. (This is evident in the books she knows and her spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.) She doesn't remember to bring her book to class. Ever. She chooses a different book off the shelf almost every day, but then leaves it somewhere in the room and it takes me awhile to find it to put it back where it belongs. She can't find it the next time she wants to read it, so she chooses another book.

Hack:
Check out books you love(d) from your local library. Put a sticky note in them that says, "This book stays in room ___" so students cannot check them out. (I've been burned and had to pay for a book that never returned.) If this type of child is truly disorganized, she will not mind that the books have to stay in the room, because she would forget to bring one home or back to school anyway. Place them on the whiteboard (chalkboard?) shelf or another display. Make sure the covers face out - just like the end caps at the grocery store - make them VISIBLE! Have bookmarks on hand so she can save her spot in the book. My experience -- she's reading one book at school and one at home. In the books pictured below, there are THREE bookmarks (one for each of my three classes) in Fuzzy Mud (thanks for the rec, Sandy!). One bookmark is simply a corner of a piece of notebook paper. Now that I'm returning the book to my library today, students have said they'll check it out of their own library. (I will probably renew this copy, however... Am I an enabler??) I purchased a copy for the class, and it's currently checked out, with a sticky note inside of students who want to read it. 

The Distracted Diva

She only wants to read short, easy books. She starts books, and then abandons them after 20 pages. She'll read half of a graphic novel. She doesn't always bring a book to class. When she does bring a book, it might be one she's read before, or one in which she's had her bookmark on page 15 for a week or two before she abandons it. She likes to whisper and giggle with a friend during silent reading time or simply look anywhere but the pages of her book if her friends are too busy reading.

Hack:

Create an "article of the week" document that is viewable by anyone. Make a shortened, easy-to-remember link to it. Let students read the articles online using a device. My experience -- Our document is tinyurl.com/KirrAoW, and Scott Hazeu helps me add to it. My requirement if students use this source - they must tell us about the article(s) they read when silent reading time is over. Very few students have used this option, but a couple of them have, and that's good enough for me. Frankly, I think they've forgotten about it. I'll remind them of the link and where it is on our class website on Monday.

The Sports Hound

He loves sports. Sports. Sports. He doesn't bring his own book to class. He chooses fiction books from the sports section of our classroom shelves. He pretends to read. He succeeds at this until I decide to observe and then intervene. (I use this easy system, revised from Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild.) He's got a bit of the Great Pretender in him, because he sometimes gives a book talk to the class based on the information on the back of the book and the first chapter of the book. If you have a good relationship with him, he'll admit that he reads the first and last paragraph of each chapter. "That's enough to know about the book," he confesses.

Hack:

Use the computer at the front of the room for browsing articles. Have the student mute the volume so if there's an ad or video, it won't disturb the class. This student doesn't have to pretend to read anymore during silent reading time. This may even help him develop a daily practice of reading the news - at home. My experience - he comes in, excited for silent reading, heads to the computer, mutes it, finds his favorite sports site, and reads for the entire 20 minutes.

These children still may not read at home, but I'm going to do my best to be sure they DO read when they're in room 239. If nothing else, they know that developing the habit of reading for a solid block of time undisturbed is important to me.

P.S. This is all done without grades attached. Of course.

I'm Angry at the System We've Created

My first class was rough this morning.

Groans. Chatting. Complaints. Mean words. Arguing. Rudeness. Blurting. Actual tears.

In addition to all of this, 95% of them decided they didn't have to do the work. They never asked if it was for a grade or if they had to turn it in, because most of the time it is NOT for a grade and they DON'T have to turn it in. Most days they are more intrinsically motivated than they were today. Even the "nice" table in the back decided they'd rather READ than listen to directions.

I ended the period asking them to continue the day by being KIND. I also told them I'd evaluate my own actions and see where I can improve so we can all make tomorrow better. We'd have a fresh start.

From "They're Made Out of Meat" Movie

I came home, and I created a worksheet for this class for tomorrow.

A WORKSHEET.

Double-sided, no less.

WHY?

Because I want them to pay attention.
Because I want to save my sanity.
Because I recognize that they are extrinsically motivated.
Because I grew up in the system and I'm going to use it to my advantage.
Because I'm not perfect.
Because I'm angry.
     I'm angry at what this system has done to our students.

I've been reflecting on our actions in this class all day.

What did they do? What did I do? How did I react? How did they react?

I probably won't go through with it.

This worksheet has the stink of "punishment" instead of an opportunity for learning.

I might make a class set of copies. I might let students know that if they are NOT participating, I will then ask them to complete it. And yet this, my friends, stinks of a threat.

What I'll do for SURE:

1. Greet this class with smiles, like always.
2. Stay calm during class.
3. I'm going to ask students to reflect. After we do our weekly class reflection (plus / delta), I'm going to ask the evaluator (student who facilitates this discussion) to add one more column on the board. We'll have the usual: "What we did well" (plus), and "What we want to change" (delta). Then we'll add "What Mrs. Kirr can do to help us change." I will explain I only want serious answers. I will then stand outside the room. When the bell rings, I'll wish them a wonderful (long) weekend & take a photo of the board so I can look at it over the weekend and reflect once more.

I probably won't give out the darn worksheet. I want to be able to prove to myself - at least - that students WILL work in order to learn. I need to do a better job at giving them the reason behind the work we're doing.

We need to turn the ship around. We need to get more and more teachers on board so the system changes and kids stay intrinsically motivated throughout their school years.

I know it was "just a bad morning."
I just don't want it to happen again.
I'll do my best to keep trying to turn the system around - without using more worksheets or grades.

A Sticky Subject

Stickers.
I'm not a fan.
Other teachers use stickers - even at the middle school. I hear it works for them.
I made a mistake last week, and then it turned out to be a great lesson for the entire class.

When students ask me for "extra credit" or a "pizza party" or some other reward for doing something they SHOULD be doing, I cringe. Then I share all my sticky note tabs from Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn. I let them know I've done my research, and I'm done giving rewards to motivate them.

I wasn't feeling the best, and Millie (pseudonym) wasn't reading. She wasn't doing the ONLY homework I assign - read for 20 minutes. In class, she pretends to read. She has openly admitted that reading is difficult for her and she doesn't like it. I've sat one-on-one with her, explaining how practice reading will help it be not so difficult. I've informed her that in 8th grade and beyond, she'll be asked to read teacher-choice novels outside of the class... if she's not reading what she could ENJOY, she will have a rough time reading what teachers assign. She continued to pretend to read.

So I regressed - I offered her a sticker for each night she read. A few other girls heard, and suddenly they wanted stickers, as well. I sighed, and acquiesced, dusting off my years-old Ziplock baggie out of a bin from up on a shelf.

The next day, EVERY student who read the night prior received a tiny leaf sticker. (There's no snow on the ground, and the Sycamore and Oak trees are slowly letting go...)

The next day (Friday), students were not adding to our student-led reflection for the week, so I suggested using stickers for participation. (Hit head against wall now.)

Suddenly, students started asking for (then demanding?!) different COLORS of stickers. "I got the yellow one yesterday!" It started getting crazy. The reflection for the week became all about stickers instead. I thought this was a terrible way to end the week! I was so surprised at what happened next.

Realizations...

Lightbulbs went off as they started realizing what was going on. They saw my point about rewards - the more people give them, the more they want. They had been completely satisfied and participating prior to me pulling out my (very) old bag of stickers.

How did this activity and the week end? The students themselves added to their reflection - No more stickers.

Now....... what to do with these??

University School of Milwaukee - Summer Spark 2015

The inaugural Summer Spark Conference - what a BLAST!

I consider myself very very fortunate to be asked to present at University School of Milwaukee's Summer Spark this week on June 15-16.

I was fortunate because...

• I was able to hear from the pirate himself - Dave Burgess! I just don't know how he kept up that stamina for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT! 
• I am FUELED up for another year of teaching already! Being in the same room as Dave Burgess when he speaks from his SOUL will do that to a person!

  

  Yes, I brought my own sword to Milwaukee... Didn't need to get it through security, since we drove!

• I was able to meet passionate educators such as Heidi Jones, Sandy Otto, Chuck Taft, Tom Mussoline, Pam Nosbusch, Kenny Bosch, Matt Miller, William Piper, Sarah Simac, and Josh Gauthier. Heidi was the ABSOLUTE most excited & effervescent teacher I met!
• I was able to reconnect (however briefly) with Brian Durst, Adam Moreno, Michael Matera, Pernille Ripp, Andrea Payan, Brad Dunning, Jason Bretzmann, Jay Posick, Andrea Kornowski, Ben Brazeau, and Tom Whitford.
• I was able to meet COUNTLESS other passionate educators, who sometimes lurk on Twitter, are pretty new to Twitter, or not yet on Twitter. Connections ABOUND! I can't find my list of my new connections today, but I have already added them to my "met face-to-face" list so I can continue sharing ideas and learning from them.
• I was able to present on Genius Hour - nudging those who are not sold on the idea (yet). It just so happened that the ladies attending were already sold on the idea, so we just troubleshooted issues that could arise.



Heidi, Me, and Sandy

• I absolutely loved the "panel discussion" we had regarding Genius Hour - the four of us (April, Tyler, Tom and I) were asked some pretty tough questions that I loved helping to answer.

I attended some pretty amazing sessions, as well!

• Jason Bretzmann shared some amazing tools for connecting with students. I think I wanted to go to his other session on flipped /personalizing the learning, but signing up for the wrong one helped me win his book! (Next time, Jason... next time!) He also gave me a great idea to use the next time I present (which was today at my own district!) - Give the audience the link to the "handout," so they can copy and edit their own notes easily - with all the links provided! That way you won't have to worry about someone "borrowing" your slides without your permission...
• Sandy Otto shared very practical ways to help students speak in front of one another. Because of this session, I'm already planning on activities that help students practice the skills needed, instead of just expecting them to know!
• Adam Moreno's session on purpose-driven learning was his "swan song" at USM - and it was one I need to hear (again). 
• Michael Matera & Jason Strains shared their Super Google Forms they use to connect to parents and group students. W-O-W. I really felt we should have passed around the hat for tip money for the work those two have done and so readily shared. This is what Lucy Gray called "professional generosity." Because of their generosity, I'm ready to plug in new students' names and get rolling connecting to parents right away!
• Michael Matera's mini games session was full of energy. Look out, kids - we've got some fun review games for when we have a few minutes left in the period!

An "aha moment..."
I was able to realize something through a discussion during the "ELA pow-wow" session... We have teachers at our schools not on Twitter because they just don't know. They just can't know what we know about how it has changed our teaching lives. I had an "aha moment" while talking with Sandy Otto - she was just as frustrated as I am for working with teachers who are set in their ways and not open to new ideas.  I used to say that teachers will join Twitter "when they're ready," just like WE did. Something else dawned on me - they just don't know otherwise. Their eyes have not been opened - yet. I compared it to my first marriage: I didn't know how a marriage - or love - could be. If I could have seen what it could be - what I have now - it would not have lasted the eleven years it did. AND... and I would not be the same person I am today. I needed those eleven years so I could grow, learn, and see now what love really is - what it CAN be. Driving home with Hubby (MAJOR kudos to him for coming with on this trip, even though it was his BIRTHDAY!), he let me know that even if Dave Burgess did come to our district, some teachers would think that what he's talking about can't apply to them. Again... they're not ready for it. My next questions are - when WILL they be ready? How many students will go through how many classes of teachers who are okay with mediocrity?

That's not for me to figure out. I will focus on what I can do. I want to be the PURPLE COW! (Dave Burgess channeling Seth Godin...) It's not okay to be mediocre anymore - I need to be remarkable!
What can I do to help children love coming to school?
What can I do to help children get the most out of my lessons - about life and about the content?

I'll be starting the school year off with a bang once again this next year.

I'll be IMMERSED in the lesson - the LIFE lesson along with the lesson for the curriculum.

Thank you, USM Summer Spark - you have once again ignited the fire in this girl!

TLAP Definition from Jason Bretzmann on Vimeo.

It's Not Perfect

Elisa Waingort left a comment recently on one of my blog posts...

Recently I have been feeling disheartened at what I see during Genius Hour with my students. I feel that all they want to do is to use their Genius Hour time to socialize with their friends at the same time that they pretend to be doing something important. I have been trying out different tools to help them reflect on their projects and to get them to elevate their purposes for what they're doing. I'm not looking for a cure for cancer. I am looking for some thought and genuine interest in what they're doing.   

~comment abstract from Elisa Waingort

I've been there.

I'll bet LOTS of us trying Genius Hour have been there. We don't see much of it on the Twitter hashtag, but that may be because most of us don't share our failures (yes, I see us not being able to motivate kids as OUR failures even though there are so many influences...). Most of us share our successes and celebrations.

This "apathy" towards projects happens with an average of one-two students in each of my classes. What factors might contribute to this?
          - Never been asked to do anything like this in prior school years
          - Driven by grades, and this is not graded
          - No authentic audience to share their work with (yet)
          - Parents are not very involved
          - Can't find that one thing that he/she really wants to pursue
          - Isn't really in to any type of activity at home outside of school
          - Laziness / Would rather sleep

A few of us had this discussion just last June due to this reflection by one of my students in January of last school year.

Published with Student Permission

In fact, I created a new tab on the LiveBinder just because we DO have students who struggle (or should be struggling instead of what I think of as "wasting precious time"). #20time guru Kevin Brookhouser says "mixed success" during 20% Time is "pretty typical" in this impromptu Google Hangout. A.J. Juliani suggests we help students find a new purpose in this blog post about when Genius Hour fails. Karl Lindgren-Streicher writes about those "do nothings" and "The Suck" during your Genius Hour / 20% time. We've been there. I have strong doubts when I hear a teacher say that EVERY single student is engaged during this time.

I have a tendency to think of this type of student as a "slacker." I try not to label my students in any way ("He is ACTING like a slacker right now"), but this word keeps popping up for students who are not motivated to choose something to do/study and stick with it. My brain shouts, "This is supposed to be what YOU WANT TO DO! YOU are the reason we are trying this in class! It's for KIDS LIKE YOU!"

How I often feel... Photo by Joy Kirr.

Frustration mounts, and I try various tactics...
          - Have the student fill in these sheets to see what you like, and we'll conference afterwards
          - Have the student try out these websites, and we'll conference after they've tried a few
          - Have the student document what everyone else in class is doing and create a movie/advertisement to share
          - Have the student read through other student ideas and choose from there
          - Ask the student - what can we do about this?
          - Have the student reflect/document each week on what they did during this hour - if this still doesn't work, I attach a GRADE to it (against everything I've learned)
          - Have the student research "Why Genius Hour-type learning does NOT work for me"
          - When we get to fourth quarter, the threat of presenting in front of peers, teachers, and parents usually spurs on SOME type of project.

I feel that, although I am very calm with these one to two students in each class, they should be able to see the smoke coming out of my ears. I am THAT frustrated.

I agree with Elisa...

I'm having lots of second thoughts about Genius Hour. Phew! There! I said it.

I question what I'm doing EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Change which comes from some serious reflection helps make our classes better.

That being said, we've all got some students with great projects. Maybe our students aren't curing cancer, but many - no, I believe MOST - are doing what they LOVE to do, or trying many different projects to see what they think they might like to do. They are using this time to explore, plan, collaborate, create, make decisions, write, read, fail, and share.

Compare your students to adults you know. Some are very motivated self-starters. Others... are not. Some know what they want to do in life, and some are still struggling - big time. Some have the "go get 'em" attitude, and others don't mind sitting on their fannies and letting life come to them.

I will NOT give up on students who, during Genius Hour, act apathetic. These are often students who act the same way in "regular" lessons, but sometimes not. Sometimes these students just don't know what to do, and have a difficult time making decisions. I will not give up, because I believe it is our role to keep encouraging, keep challenging, keep modeling what perseverance looks like, if nothing else. If they learn one lesson from this struggle, it is that when I believe in something, I believe in in whole-heartedly. I believe if young people become self-directed learners and know HOW to learn, they can have the world in the palm of their hands.

There will also be people who cannot stand the happy mascot, and others who LOVE him (her)!

Quick Tip #3 - Writing Motivation

Using what I've learned from Choice Words by Peter Johnston, I've changed how I craft my comments to students on their writing...

Full Transcript

Quick Tip Playlist

Spreadsheet View

Quick Tip #2 - Motivating Readers

One way to motivate readers...

Full Transcript

Quick Tip Playlist
Spreadsheet View

Stepping it up a notch...

Oh, boy. I like calm waters. I don't like to stir things up. But I think it's time for me to step it up a notch...

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to see Rick Wormeli this week. Oh, the enthusiasm that emanates from that man! He came skipping into the room, and even asked, "Is Joy Kirr here?" (No, I'm NOT a Twitter stalker, just an admirer!)

My big take-away from the (stellar) professional development today: I need to bring these ideas back to my team. The strongest question I heard today was, "To what degree will you allow your colleagues to keep doing what they're doing, even if you think it is not right?" Team time can be difficult when there are many strong opinions in the room, and we all think we're right. I feel I need to stop staying quiet (because I get intimidated), and start speaking up.

I'm always the one that supports good ideas - I get on the bandwagon and cheer! I try to help out where I can. I'm not one to challenge others. However, Rick got me thinking. Later in the afternoon, I found myself on Twitter asking someone about their tweet & the name of a contest for students - It's called the "Smart Student Blog Contest." The name just rubbed me the wrong way, so after a three-minute struggle in my mind about whether to even go there or not, I replied to the person who tweeted it out...

As soon as I tweeted it out, I regretted it. And yet, I didn't delete it. I wondered, "What's the worst that could happen - he unfollows me?" I don't follow him (for various reasons), but he was on a list of mine that showed up on my TweetDeck - the reason I saw his tweet. Still, I wasn't looking for a fight. I looked back at my tweet and saw that it wasn't negative, just inquisitive. I received this in reply:

And I replied back, because I was still irked by the name "Smart Student..."

Phew! That tiny challenge took a lot out of me. It was time for met to get off Twitter for the day!

This morning, I saw this tweet from a very well-respected member of my PLN:

I smiled, and replied...

What ensued at 6:15am today was a valuable conversation between Jill and I about what our role is as educators. Do we want the best for only OUR students, or for ALL students?

What am I scared of? I'm worried I'll be known as the teacher who thinks she knows it all. (But if they really knew me, they'd know I have no clue what I'm doing!) I don't want to be the bad guy. I don't want to look like a jerk. I don't want to stir the pot.

Do I have a record for stirring the pot? No. I did one time, two years ago, on opening day. I remember it clearly. I asked another teacher why she would ask the teachers in the grade below her to give her notes on students before she'd even met them. I asked, "Whatever happened to a 'clean slate?'" She has just started talking to me again... I don't want to burn bridges. Heck, I want to be liked - especially where I work.

It is, however, time for me to step it up a notch. I now have Rick Wormeli's question taped to my open laptop. It's there to remind me, while speaking with other teachers in a meeting about students, to challenge ideas I don't believe in. But how? How can I do so - nicely - so as to not burn bridges and keep the conversations going? I think I'm going to start with another tip from Rick and from many others I've heard from in the last two years I've been on Twitter - ask the right question, and then let the answers go around the room. Once it's been discussed by others, reflect what I hear, and ask again, if need be. Or... is it better to have this conversation one-on-one? Hopefully my coworker who attended with me will support my endeavors.

I need your help now... How do you do find this balance at your school? Or do you not? Let's keep the conversation going and encourage each other to do the same!

5/27/18 - I need to add this article about LISTENING here - it goes so well with continuing the conversations from here on out.

8/4/18 - Update... what I left out...
The day after this workshop with Rick, I was approached by a teacher who was upset about a tweet I shared that day that said, "How can I share his messages the rest of my team who decided to not come today?" This person was upset and after tip-toeing around it for a walk down the hall, as we rounded the corner, finally shared, "We won't need to be doing this (standards-based grading / SBG) for years. Why should we care?" I responded, "Because it's best for kids." The conversation ended there. And here we are, four years later, on our way to SBG (still). After being the only one in my school going w/o points and marks through the term for three full years now, I'll be ready. I'll be soooooo ready.

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.

Book Speed Dating

Since my genius hour is centered around independent reading, I've GOT to get these kids to read. I've already done three sets of book talks (keeping track for the students here), but I wanted to spice it up. Here's one way I tried this week...

First, I did my research. 
The following two blogs I found tucked away in my Evernote notes were extremely helpful!
Tips for Getting Kids to Do More Choice Reading: Book Speed Dating
          by Erica Beaton (@B10LovesBooks)
Building Our To-Read Lists: Book Speed Dating
          by Colby Sharp (@colbysharp)

I then found a note I'd saved about putting a sign out on the door, so I decided to create the sign: 

"Be prepared to fall in love..."

From these two stellar resources, I created my own "How To" list.

That was the easy part. Now I had to implement it.
I had buy-in from the four other 7th grade ELA teachers, and we decided to meet Wednesday after school to pull books off the shelves. We didn't all make it, but we DID choose a TON of books! Next, we organized them by genre, knowing that our realistic fiction books were myriad, and we'd have to create sub-groups.

Here are the groups upon which we decided:
     2 tables - realistic fiction
     1 - sports/adventure/survival
     2 - nonfiction
     1 - memoirs/biographies
     1 - fantasy (in a realistic setting)
     1 - fantasy (not on this world or of this time)
     1 - science fiction
     1 - historical fiction

Todd H. moved the tables, Amy created the signs, Ashley cut off the lamination and helped hang them, and Todd S. and I put the books on the tables.

What I overheard...
     "Oh my gosh - that is SUCH a good book! You HAVE to read it!"
     "I already read these."
     "I don't want to read any of these."
     "Have you read this? It is soooo good!"
     "Mrs. Kirr, have you read this?"
     "I don't like the cover."
     "This book is too big!"
     "Woah! This one has ___ pages!"
     "Can I check this out now?"

One-liners from the 7th graders...
     "Mind if I 'check you out?'"
     "Fine! You're not my genre anyway!"
     "This book is out of my league."

 

What we learned:

     * If you are going with table groups, number them so students know where to go with each rotation.
     * If you are going with genre groups, know that some students will have a difficult time looking at books in a genre they "don't like" (yet!).
     * Three minutes per group may actually be enough! I thought it would be too short, but it seemed to be just right.
     * No more than 5 students per table group. Any more and students aren't as focused on the books.
     * Students who read often will LOVE this activity.
     * Some reluctant readers... will still be reluctant. I will keep working to find the book that hooks them!

What I might like to change:
     * Mix the genres so everybody has at least one book that interests them at each table. Maybe they can explore that one book in more detail.
     * Figure out a way to have my timer app automated so the alarm goes off and then resets the time once again.

Additional note 10/8/13:
I found another great wiki to help with Book Speed Dating here! There's even a score sheet! Enjoy.
And another from 12/9/13: Book Speed Dating: How I did it and why I'll do it again