Legacy

While reading Fewer Things Better by Angela Watson, I came across the chapter of "Aligning Time with Priorities to Build a True Legacy," and I stopped reading. She caught me off guard. I hadn't a clue what I wanted my legacy to be, nor had I ever really stopped to think about it. I've always wanted to "be a good person," but HOW do I want to do this?

Another question I had to consider was, "What do I want to accomplish in my life?" I took out my notepad and jotted down my accomplishments up until this point. Of course, the first things I thought of were all the things I have NOT done. You don't need to see my list - go ahead and stop reading to create your OWN.

Next came the wondering... have I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in my life? Well, not if I don't even know what legacy I want to leave. I checked out Angela's workbook pages that go along with this chapter, and still had a difficult time. I had to think of "legacy" as not something HUGE, but small somethings. What would people say about me when I'm gone? What will they think I stood for?

As I wrote down the ideas that came to me throughout the day, I considered their importance. I feel as if they're all connected, as they all work with each other. As I wrote each one, I considered my school days as of late. Some students are in the mindset that school is already over for the year. It seems as if they're asking, "Why should I care about Mrs. Kirr or her class?" It's been difficult to be patient with the disrespect I've been seeing - towards me and towards classmates. This week, however, when I began to write this information down about who I want to BE, I saw my students differently. I acted a bit more purposeful. I wanted to show them who I wanted to BE. I wanted them to know that I'm not budging from these priorities in my school and home life...

What do I want people to think of me once I'm gone from their lives? I hope they say "Joy (Mrs. Kirr) was...

• caring, kind
• inspiring to teachers / a leader
• a role model for kids and peers
• herself - and proud of it
• a reader, a writer, and a constant learner
• grateful, which made her happy... and
• present in each moment." *

* I'm currently working on doing this at all times - it's difficult for this multi-tasker, but it will keep me mentally healthier and happier, I believe. I've been working on it since reading Teach Like a Pirate in 2013 when Dave Burgess talked about IMMERSION!

Oh, I want more, for sure. I want to be more giving - of my time and resources - to those outside of my profession. I am not in that season of my life right now, however. I feel that will come more when I'm retired and can focus on others in my community and at large. What do YOU want? What kind of life do you want to lead? I believe we all have our own legacy living in our hearts. Once we get the words straight in our minds, they will affect our actions. And once we know we're doing what we need to do for our heart, we'll be able to take care of ourselves and those young learners in front of us so much better. Things will fall into place. Our profession won't seem as overwhelming. We'll be able to be better teachers of students first, and curriculum next.

I've noticed that since I've written these down, I have already changed a few of my actions. Word choice on my tweets has changed even further, because I'm practicing being more present, I'm less judgmental, I'm more at peace with what is, not thinking of what could be, and I'm calmer. Simply calmer about issues that arise. It's only been a week, but considering what I want others to think once I'm gone has (dare I write it?!) helped me mature.

Resistance - Revisited

I was on my way to visit a group of local teachers who'd gotten together to for a Shift This book study. I had been asked to share stories of the resistance I've come across from our community.

I hadn't prepared anything, and didn't think it was necessary. If someone asks me to do a video chat with their group who read the book, I gladly agree if we can make a time work. No cost - it benefits me just as much as it does them, as I always hear something new or am asked a new question that helps me think and reflect once again. This time I wanted to show up in person since they were from the high school district that my own students will attend when they get to ninth grade. It's so much easier to feel the vibe in the room in person than through a computer screen.

I was driving the ten minutes or so and wondering... what is it about resistance that makes the shifts I've made so difficult? Why is it so hard for me to deal with resistance? Why does any sort of resistance break me down a bit (and often even make me cry)? Am I that unsure of myself and what I'm trying in the classroom?

Thinking back to the huge shifts I'd made (namely genius hour and going gradeless), I realized something that will help me the next time I encounter resistance. I would not be making these (difficult!) shifts without huge reasons for doing so. I made these shifts because I want my students to learn more of the curriculum. I made these shifts because I want to help make the curriculum stick. I made these shifts because I want my students to be lifelong learners. How can that be wrong? If parents or other teachers have a problem with that, I simply need to go back and share my "WHY."

I told this to the group at the high school, and also told them that if it does NOT work for a child, I'm free to backpedal. I'm free to discuss with them what's going on and make a decision with them as to what to do next. I truly want what's best for students, and I'm doing what I can in the limited time I have.

It's been a quiet year this year when it comes to resistance (knock on wood). Maybe it's because I communicate with parents every two weeks and also send good notes home. Maybe it's because I've been "gradeless" for a few years now, and parents have talked about it and figured it won't kill their children. Maybe... just maybe... it's because they, too, think it's a good idea and will help their child focus more on the curriculum and less on a letter or number.

It's time I shift my own thoughts about resistance. It's time I looked at resistance as simply another chance to chat about what we (together) believe is right and good for the children in front of us.

Let me know when you have a Shift This book study and want a virtual (or real) visit! I'd be glad to answer any questions and share any resources I can.

Teaching Well

I'm in the midst of Spring Break.

I want to do it all.
I want to read books that my students might love.
I want to write blog posts that teachers can read and be inspired by or learn something from or question and comment.
I want to catch up on movies I've been told are great - DVDs from the Library, as we don't have Netflix. I know - I'm on the "older side."

Knowing that I'm on the "older side" of teaching, I want to do more than school work. I want to live a full life BEFORE I retire. Currently, my husband and my students are my entire world. I am constantly seeking balance between school and home.

Today I'm doing a bit of both... it's part of my newest mental wellness plan. It's time for another book review - thank you to Lisa Bush for this next one. It was such a surprise to see it in my mailbox, and I got reading right away this January! (Because I was trying to take care of my mental health, I put writing about in on the back burner until I felt sure I would follow through with her ideas!)

I haven't yet shared about a book I was provided called Teaching Well by Lisa Bush (@purplesemicolon on Twitter and YouTube). If you can take just ONE of her ideas for having a healthier work life, you can probably be a bit more balanced with home life. One quote that stuck with me right from the start: "We have a right to live a rich and creative life beyond the classroom walls." Work for teachers does not end. There will always be work to do. At some point, we need to close the door and leave work behind. Instead of just surviving, we'd should be able to thrive. Therefore, we need to make the difficult decisions to put ourselves first. We are better, stronger, kinder teachers when we take care of ourselves. We canNOT run on fumes.

Another idea stuck with me - when we are the most overwhelmed with work is when we NEED to stop and make time for ourselves. Simply 30-60 minutes is all we need in order to recoup some of the energy we need. Lisa shares four pillars of wellness:
     1. Prepare for a good night's sleep.
     2. Manage stress.
     3. Put nutrients into your body.
     4. Stay hydrated.

When I began Teaching Well, I had two of the four figured out (sleep & nutrients), and I was working on the hydration. (I've been hydrating well since January!) I knew I needed to work on managing stress better, so that is one reason why I felt the need to end the #ShiftThis chat. There are other things I've done since then, as well, such as try to get outside every day. In the winter months, it gets dark so fast - so I've made walking as soon as I get home a priority (running is done for me - too much on my knees - waiting for biking weather next). Since many days I could not walk in the daylight, I got out in the dark anyway, and I've learned to like walking in the dark (no worries, Mom - I'm safe). This March, my husband has come on many more walks with me than in the past, as well, and it's helping his life, too.

What I loved most about Lisa's book is that she's got the science behind the ideas - the PROOF that teachers need to do a better job of taking care of themselves so that they may better take care of their students. As I flip through it again for this blog post, I have many notes that say "share with students." I have not yet shared these parts with them - probably because I had not yet practiced what I would be preaching. This is another point she makes. We, as teachers, need to practice all of the things we wish our students would do - whether it's reading for pleasure and research, writing, or getting a good night's sleep and eating healthy.

She's got some great ideas about working collaboratively with other teachers, changing the way we look at learning, and chunking tasks for preps and after-school time. We cannot "do it all," and we need to be okay with being mediocre at certain things, so that we DO have the energy and time and patience to give our students AND our families our best selves. Bonus - if you teach ELA, English, or the Humanities, you'll truly appreciate the specific ideas she throws in for us.

A bit of this book reminded me of The Zen Teacher by Dan Tricarico (@thezenteacher on Twitter) that I had read just this past November (see more here). This school year has been the year I've really wrangled with doing what I feel I need to do to stay mentally healthy.

I wish the same for you - Do your best while remembering to take time for yourself!

#ShiftThis... The Chat

The #ShiftThis chat is coming to a close a month from today. I need to explain my reasons WHY.

I. Love. The. People. The group of teachers that show up want to change things in education. They want to shift students' audiences (get the community involved!), assignments (towards more relevance!), attitudes (growth mindset, anyone?) and much, much more. You know who you are. I am so very grateful to all the passionate educators that have taken on moderating the chat on Tuesday nights. Take a look HERE at all of the fabulous moderators! We couldn't have had those wonderful chats without your valuable contributions.

So why is it ending? Technically, it doesn't have to end. Anyone can pick it up at any time and use the hashtag to share questions or ideas about shifting the classroom, school, district, or education in general. I am stepping down as facilitator, a year after I stepped down as the moderator. YOU can still be a moderator and I will support you by helping you publicize your topic and date and time!

I haven't answered the question, I know. There are myriad reasons why I feel the need to step down from the chat.

• I do not like to "sell" the chat. I feel that my Twitter feed should be much more than that, and yet I feel that when a person looks at my feed, all they see is #ShiftThis. I want to be able to celebrate others' ideas more than my own.
• I didn't write the book so we could have a chat dedicated to it. I am glad we had the two-year stretch so people now use the hashtag to share their shifts, and I hope to continue to see shifts educators and administrators are sharing.
• I feel out of touch with teachers on Twitter lately - I've lost touch with some educators because I'm totally focused on the one hashtag and creating tweets for advertising it that I miss the time browsing my feed and checking on those people that were there from the beginning for me. I know our connections morph as we use Twitter more, yet I don't want to lose sight of those educators who mentored me and have always been there. I want to support THEM now.
• I need to put my feelers out for other chats I could jump into and out of as they come by. I'd like to try some that I haven't been able to attend, since I often feel that one hour a week online in the evenings is enough for me. Tuesday at 7pm CST is a VERY popular time for Twitter chats. Sooo many good ones going on at that time. I'm excited to be able to join and learn from other chats and educators I feel I've been neglecting.

I have gained so very much from the inspiring educators who have joined the #ShiftThis chat the past two years. Thank you for all you contribute - to our chat and to many others! I love the fact that we are #BetterTogether, and I hope you continue to connect and contribute - #YouMatter!

Teacher Evaluations - Circumstance and Privilege

I've got an observation coming up. I'm just fine when someone pops in our classroom to visit or say hi or ask for something, but observations make me fret. This is not a summative year for me, so it's just an informal one, and I asked my administrator to surprise me, because I just cannot choose a date.

Anyway... I was thinking about the labels we use to evaluate teachers. To tell the truth, I don't even know what the first two (of four) are on the Danielson rubric, but the next two are "proficient" and "distinguished." These are the two where we want to be. Some teachers like to talk about other teachers and where they fall on the spectrum. I heard from a teacher friend of mine that I was "distinguished." Really? It was news to me!! (Oh, how I can't stand rumors!)

Some educators want feedback in order to grow further - if we're not "distinguished" in one or more of the four domains, how do we get there? Some people don't worry about it. Some teachers are satisfied with "proficient," and I believe they should be. I'll explain why.

I've been reading teacher wellness books lately. In The Zen Teacher, the message I received loud and clear was to make time for YOURSELF - EVERY day. In Teaching Well, the message I received was to not over-do it.

When we have four domains, it's as if we have four grades. If, in two domains, I received a "proficient," and in the other two, "distinguished," who's to say what the "final grade" should be? Isn't this just as varied depending on the teacher as the difference between an 89% and a 90%?

Consider the teacher that is "proficient" in each of the four domains. "There is room for growth," are the first words we think, and we do not recognize that sometimes all we can do is "proficient" - and that should be very okay.

Consider the opportunities afforded that could affect your evaluation.

• Mrs. Kirr got a grant to turn her tables into white board tables! Mrs. Nelson got one of our new classrooms, and so they had to purchase new furniture for her. Sweet! Mrs. Powell found a great kitchen set of chairs for only $25, so she brought them in to add to her hodge podge flexible seating. Mrs. Maxwell still has the retired teacher's math desks that are hard to get into if you're not skinny. All of these are due to circumstances and privilege. 
• What about the extra "outside school hours" you work? You'd better chaperone a dance or help out at a game at your own school and then also do the same for your own child at his school. Don't forget your bus duty this week when it's going to be 5 below. 
• Your car had better get you to school or your students will be without a "guest teacher" because they are in high demand. Sorry - your babysitter / daycare bailed? Too bad you'll have to take a sick day - it's good our after school club meets tomorrow and not today. No worries if you yourself are actually sick - it's often easier to go in to school than to write sub plans (not the best idea if you want to take care of your physical and mental health, however). 
• Oh, and I'm not going to sit next to a student on the floor anymore, because my back hurts after a while. Stinks that I have plantar fasciitis due to all the walking I'm doing around the room every day. A tennis ball being rolled under my feet each morning helps. 
• No, I'm not going to attend the three day, two night trip because I have a family I'm supposed to be taking care of first. 
• And this year - no coaching track, because I realized last year I really have no clue what I'm doing, and it's so unfair to the kids. 

Circumstance and privilege. Seriously. I remember signing up for every after school activity I could when I was young. I desperately needed the money, I could stay up all hours of the night and still work well during the day, and my parents were glad to have me out of the house (or I didn't really care for my roommate).

Consider the teacher that is "distinguished" in all four domains. How is this teacher not more highly regarded at school automatically? We should be observing her classes and learning lessons from the best of the best! Those who couldn't attend could watch the video broadcast on their own time! Tell me she has a Golden Apple already... If a person received "distinguished" in all four domains, we don't believe it. We think there's something sneaky going on. ... Because NO ONE could earn "distinguished" in all four areas. Seriously. You would be breathing and eating teaching 24/7. Then WHY DO WE STILL STRIVE FOR IT?!

Why isn't "proficient" in all four domains okay? Maybe this is the year your child took all of your time. Maybe this is the year a family member is sick. Maybe this is the year you needed that dental work. Maybe this is the year you had to clean out your parents' house.

Why isn't "proficient' in all four domains okay? Sometimes all you can work is 60 hours a week. Doing more than that will wear you out - mentally and physically. We need to take care of our own selves before we can care for others.

Why isn't "proficient" in all four domains okay?

Because.

We know we can do better.
We want to be the best for our students.
We don't want to be in a rut.
We want to feel good again.
We want to feel rejuvenated.
We are passionate about what we do.
Good enough will never be good enough.
We will always strive to be master teachers.

And yet...

We should be okay if we are "proficient" in all four domains. We strive to do the best we can in the amount of time we have available. If I've learned anything this school year, it's that at this point in my life and career I cannot - and really should not - do it all if I want to stay mentally and physically healthy.

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...

10-Minute Teacher Podcast

I spent some time with Vicki Davis this month... we ended up talking about change...
Ten minutes? Sure, you've got time to listen!




Here is @CoolCatTeacher's podcast page.
Here is our first meet-up back in 2013.

Conference Musings Q2

Once again, it's my busiest time of the year. One-on-one conferences with my 7th graders to decide what tiny little letter represents all of our work and learning from the quarter. (Past reflections on conferring with students are here.)

I've conducted 61 one-on-one "grade" conferences with students the last two weeks. I need to meet because even though I've gone all quarter without points or scores averaged together, I still need to put a final letter grade in the online gradebook. Some conferences go faster than five minutes, and some go slower, and they all leave a paper trail for students to take home and explain to parents. This quarter, we used pages 6 & 7 of this document. These were the second grade conferences we've had this year, so they were a teeny bit faster than first quarter. It's still quite the learning curve for some! 

Here are some snippets (all names are changed)...

Alan -

     I know he's got an "A." There's no doubt. He had trouble with his writing, but followed the feedback and improved it dramatically in his first revision. He asked me if he could average the numbers for the scores he had. Sure - even though this is one thing I think is wrong with typical grades. He came up with a 94.5%. "Yeah, I'll take that," he said.
     Me - Hey, [Alan], since you like to average the numbers, would you like to just simply go with a regular grade next time?
     Alan - Hmmm... Will I get the same feedback?
     Me - Nope. It's either grades OR feedback, as it's too much for me to do both, and the research says it doesn't help, anyway.
     Alan - Then I'd rather stick with the way we've been doing it. I think the feedback helps me learn.
     Me - (with a tear in my eye, I swear) Thanks for making it all worth it. It sure is a heck of a lot more work, but when I hear it's helping you learn, it's all worth it.

Paul -

     Similar to the conversation with Alan, except Paul actually said he "crunched the numbers." When I asked him if he'd like to go to normal grading, he thought about it and finally said, "No. Let's wait one more quarter. If it doesn't work out in my favor, we can switch over fourth quarter." (Seriously. I can't make this stuff up. Oh - and this is the kid that reminds me of my one and only nephew.)

Ally -

     Oh, how Ally was nervous. Her legs were shaking up and down, her face was blotchy red.
     Me - [Ally], what do you think when you see all this evidence? What does it tell you?
     Ally - (quietly) I don't know... I don't know.
     Me. - Let me change the question. How does this make you feel?
     Ally - (straightening up) Proud.

Upton -

     This quarter, he's been blowing off directions, asking me every day to repeat what I'd already said (and what was on the board), going on YouTube so often that I had to block it for our class, and has been talking a ton while I'm sharing how we're going to work each day. I haven't talked with him about it, as he's not the loudest one in the class. He's also a huge reader, so I don't worry about him figuring out the directions or following through when he gets down to work.
     These were the comments he chose for his report card:

He knows. 

He knows. 

This, in itself, helps me to realize, once again, how important it is to take time to reflect.

Mike -

     He, too, has been ignoring my directions, distracted as heck at ANYthing happening in the room or outside the room. Head turning this way and that, busting out laughing at things I cannot see or hear. He's not distracting the class - only himself.
     For our "analysis of evidence" writing, he wrote three sentences. I marked it as "incomplete" and let him know I was available before and after school, and during lunch. The day before we were to meet about his final grade, he "wrote a new one." When we sat down to chat, I asked him where his paper was with the page numbers for the evidence he'd found for his writing. He mumbled that he didn't do it. When I asked who he went to for peer editing, he said he did it on his own. When I asked why there was a blog post about something totally unrelated to ELA, and yet he didn't yet post his reflections on our book clubs, he said he didn't get to it. We looked at his evidence. He did not try to inflate it. He was honest and reflective. We agreed on his grade. Then he set a goal to "use class time more wisely."
     Yes. Yes. Yes.
     I will help him with this goal as we move forward.

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!

Quick Tip #31 - How to Mute a Twitter Conversation

Quick Tip Playlist

Spreadsheet View

Best Books of 2018

My list is not extensive by any means, but I need to share out my favorites from 2018 like I have the past four years. I read a bit for myself this year, along with books I thought my 7th graders would enjoy.
     2017 Favorites
     2016 Favorites
     2015 Favorites
     2014 Favorites

Here are the books I would most recommend from my list of 100 books I've read this year (I don't count picture books in my count - this is the most I've read in one year yet!)... I tried to whittle it down to one or two per genre, but I read some genres more than others! I'm not going to describe them for you - you can check out the complete list with my thoughts for this year here.

Fantasy
     I decided to try one of my favorite authors again, and she didn't disappoint - The Scorpio Races

Graphic Novel
     Bit memoir/biography, my seventh graders will relate to Shannon Hale's Real Friends.

Historical Fiction

     9-11 isn't an easy topic to explore. Wendy Mills does an excellent job with All We Have Left. 

Mystery

     Totally NOT my favorite genre, so I'm surprised I have two favorites this year! Our small after school book club read The Naturals (#1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and I also enjoyed (although the first page shows the maturity) One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. What's even more cool is that many of our students read the entire Naturals series, and I've seen eighth graders in the halls with McManus's book! I've also got another one from her on my nightstand...

Nonfiction

     I truly have so much more to read, but White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism was definitely my favorite nonfiction (not professional) book I read this year.

Poetry / Books in Prose

     I was exposed to a TON of poetry and books in prose this year. Katherine Applegate's Home of the Brave

was my favorite. it's got two covers - both so different!

Professional

    For two very different reasons,Being the Change: Lessons & strategies to teach social comprehension by Sara K. Ahmed and The Zen Teacher: Creating Focus, Simplicity, and Tranquility in the Classroom by Dan Tricarico make the list.

  

Realistic Fiction

     A quarter of my books this year were in this genre, so I chose five of the twenty-five... Just an FYI- Deadline was very mature, and Small Great Things was an adult read.

Science Fiction

     Can I add a book in here AGAIN - that I RE-read?? (I never re-read!!) I'd love to add Scythe to this list (again!), but will tell you that the sequel, Thunderhead had me longing for the third in the series to come out in 2019!! (Again- I'm not good with reading the second book in a series lately, either!) Anyway... I did love these two as well - Genius: The Game (#1) from Leopoldo Gout and Insignia (#1) from S.J. Kincaid (thanks to my nephew for this suggestion).

Self Help

     Oh, this one I bought for the classroom - good for young and old alike! From Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, The Way of the Warrior Kid: From wimpy to warrior, the Navy SEAL way

Sports

     I still need to read more sports books - what are YOUR favorites? One that had an athlete with ADHD is Diana Harmon Asher's Sidetracked and one that a student (self-proclaimed nonreader) a couple of years ago read TWICE was Carl Deuker's Heart of a Champion.

So...

     What have I missed this year? Please leave YOUR favorites of 2018 in the comments below! I've got a library card and some Amazon gift cards, and I'm excited to use them!

Goodreads Challenge from 2018
All Books Read since 2013 HERE. :)

Troublemakers

Labels irk the heck out of me.

The fact that we label students as "troublemakers" really irritates me, even though I've done it myself.

I've been waiting (why have I been waiting?) to read this one for a bit, and it did not disappoint, as I read it in two days...

The canary and cage on the front have two meanings. The most obvious is from Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," and the less obvious is the one that distressed me the most. Miners used to take canaries down in the mines with them, as they served as warnings about the air quality. If a canary were to die, the miners had to get out. When a child is singing loudly, we need to heed that as a warning that something is wrong in this classroom. Most likely, it's the imbalance of power.

Most of what Carla Shalaby shares is about a child's need to feel free - to feel as if they're in some sort of control - to feel HUMAN.

The four students the author chose to focus on were in what seemed to me GREAT schools. She asked the principal to share two teachers of high caliber. And to those teachers, she asked, "Who of your students is the most troublesome?" These are the four she shadowed for a bit - at school, and when possible, at home. What I found kind of amusing and kind of sad is that the behaviors these four first graders exhibited were some of the very same behaviors I see in some seventh graders.

I can see and understand the messages she shares about the young black students not having any adults at school to look to for models. I can see how schools are conforming students to ... basically act white. When I think of my own students, the ones that I lose sleep over happen to be white. My school has a high white population (and I, too, am white). The author is upset about students' exclusion to a different part of the room or a different room altogether. I do not worry about physically excluding students, but I may exclude them unintentionally if I call them out on something in front of the entire class.

What I was really struck by was the conformity we expect of our students.

The author points out that educators want compliance because that's what's expected in schools. That's how we can get our lessons across, and that's how the school culture simply IS.

While she was sharing the stories of the four seven-year-olds, I couldn't help but think of my own students, and I was reminded of a few things:

• Students really don't have much control at school, especially compared to at home. No matter how much we think we have student-directed learning or choice or voice, this book forced me to consider how much I actually control, and how much the school culture actually dictates.
• Many students learn that the culture of school is to listen and obey.
• Some students are simply just being themselves. Their personalities may differ from those of the majority of the class, or else the majority has figured out it's safer to hide or squash their true personalities at school.
• "Different" is often perceived as causing trouble.
• Many (most?) children have a natural tendency to want to learn. What do we do at school that dissolves that initiative? We have a curriculum to teach. I wonder how many times our curriculum is not something each child would choose to learn each day...
• Teachers often pigeonhole children into doing what we do, and doing it how we do it.
• We may have 25 students in class. We don't always make the time to help answer questions from inquisitive minds, and yet we encourage them to be inquisitive. We want them to think for themselves, and when they do, it can cause a disturbance. We want them to be independent, but only under our parameters.
• We need to listen to individual students.
• We need to get to know our students even more.
• We need to let them know when we are proud of them.
• We need to notice and name the good they do.
• We need to see them (or imagine them) outside of school - how does what they're doing in school look like outside of school? Might what they're doing actually help them somehow outside of the school setting?
• Stop labeling students! Making trouble is a verb - not a noun. It's not something to fix. It's something to explore.
• Just because a student is a "good student" does not mean that he or she will succeed outside of school. Compliance does not always equal success. We put so many limits on students in school - how will they succeed when they're left on their own? We want children to find their identities, to figure out their strengths, to be confident, to have a voice in decisions... We need to give them the room to do so - without fear of punishment, or worse, exclusion.

At the end of the book, I still wanted MORE. I wish I could copy the entire conclusion and her note to teachers here. Instead, this will be your advertisement to read this book if you have not yet. The author does not solve our problems with these so-called "troublemakers." She leaves it to us and our students. I have a tiny idea of what I can do when I return to school after this two-week break, and yet I know my students will have to help me figure it out. They have many more ideas than I ever will, and maybe we can get to the root of what they need from me.

My favorite quote: 

How stressful it must be to be a young person in our schools! How unsafe and frightening it must be to wonder - as you witness the next punishment and rejection of one of your peers - if you will be next. That kind of conditional acceptance, subjective belonging, contingent care, must feel terribly threatening to children, whom we know are biologically wired to make illogical choices as their brains continue to develop. They make mistakes and they make bad decisions - don't we all? Especially when we are stressed, feeling unsafe, and suffering?

White Fragility

As some of my readers know, I started another "passion project" of sorts after reading Being the Change by Sarah K. Ahmed and Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things. I explained it in this post.

As part of my growth, I just finished White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism by Robin DiAngelo. Wow. If you're white, you've GOT to read this.

Here are two powerful quotes that hit me, and if you'd like to read my rambling notes, here's the post on my other blog.

Contributions to this other blog of mine are still welcomed. Just let me know when you've got something you'd like to share. I'm open to feedback.

What Our Students Think

Oh, how I love seventh graders!

In preparation for another book I'm writing (you read that right! Wha...?!), I decided to go right to the source, and get my students' voices!! Here's our latest question of the day - done a bit differently! I hope you can read them all.

The purple one about asking if the student has talked to their locker lately... is mine. 😉 I ask that and then help out by talking nicely to their locker and pulling pixie dust out of my pocket to blow on the it so it opens right up!   🔑 Doesn't everybody??

Spelling Bee Bumbles

I always have challenges with the classroom spelling bee, and often would rather it be voluntary and after school. I've written about it before here.

Yesterday, I added a new tidbit - that I'd like everyone to participate in the warm up, to feel that little bit of stress that they KNOW will go away by the end of their word. We talked about how a teeny bit of no-risk stress is good for us, and it helps us be prepared for bigger stressors when they do arise. I let them know I would be there to pick them up should they fall off their chair from the anxiety...
😉

When provided a word, students can ask for:

• the part of speech
• the definition
• the word in a sentence
• any alternate pronunciation

I just had to share the two best questions from students yesterday during the classroom spelling bee. The first I always get once in each class, and the second is my new favorite that was new to me...

1. Can you please spell the word?
2. Can you please give me a different word?

I love these seventh grade "honey" bees...

The Zen Teacher

I'm only 2/3 of the way through The Zen Teacher, and I had to write about it.

First let me confess - I didn't think I needed this book.
And I don't buy books willy-nilly.
This one was donated by either DBC Inc. - or the author himself - to an edcamp I attended (and donated Shift This to as well) at Concorida University, in Wisconsin last month.
I was the lucky recipient!
Then it sat on my shelf.
Like I said, I didn't think I needed it.
Then I left my young adult novel at school over this Thanksgiving break, so...


So... what do I think?

I think, if you are frustrated on a day-to-day basis, you need to read this book.
If you are bogged down with work on the weekends, you need to read this book.
If that one student is still getting under your skin, you need to read this book.
If your mental health - or physical health - is declining, you need to read this book.

The first section is titled "Zen." I feel as if I've been slowly figuring out what he's talking about in this section for the last couple of years. This is my best school year yet. It's due to the group of students I have, but it's also due to my mindset going into school. It's due to the baggage I stopped carrying, and it's also due to the times I can stop and soak up the craziness that school can become. I could wallow in the "if only I'd have gotten this book five years ago" mindset, but I'm learning how not to. This first section of the book is what I feel I am doing this year that's different from past years. I love that I can now put a name to the myriad things I've been doing in order to get glimpses of this sense of Zen.

The second section is titled "Meditation and Mindfulness." I've been practicing more of these ideas this year, as well. Breathe... or walk... and notice.

The third section is titled "Space, Stillness, and Self-Care." Although I like to purge once in awhile, this section got me to put the book down and declutter other parts of my life. There was a new app I'd just uploaded yesterday. Today, I re-evaluated it after reading one of the chapters, and now it's gone. Good riddance - I'm already relieved it's absent from my life. I also figured out something I'll be sharing with everyone in 2019 - how to give away some of my books that are taking up space now that I've read them.

I still have to finish this gem.
I'll take my time with it.
I'll be excited to loan it out to at least one teacher at my school.
Thank you, Dan Tricarico, for the words you shared that I'll remind myself of again and again.