It's the end of the quarter. That means the last day of classes with these students. I feel like we have finally gotten into a "groove", know what I mean? And now, POOF they are all done, gone and onto the next quarter class.
I teach in a school that have block scheduling. While there certainly are times that it's nice to have an 80-90 minute class period, I do not like that my classes are only one quarter long. The longevity of developing a relationship with a student is not there. I do my best to make an impact in the 42-45 days we have together, but it does not always happen, I must confess.
But as we all know, an ending is only sad if you let it be, because each new beginning started with an ending of something else. So I'll come to school tomorrow, I'll take down my walls, put up new things, finish grades and prepare for 4 new groups of students to come through my door on Monday. 3 new classes to teach, to engage students in the content of my area, to start scaffolding relationships with these students (that I will have for 47 days in Quarter 3).
It's at the end of a course that I really look at what we accomplished, what I would like to have and what I want to change for the next time. Of course that next time will be a year away, so I have to be sure to make good notes. I start my summer work notes at this time, what can I do then to improve the classes.
I'd love to hear from other teachers how they reflect after a course is over, and their process for improving it.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Thursday, January 10, 2019
It was a Good Day
In education we know there are no two days the same. Honestly that's what's most enjoyable about it for me. Yesterday I got to take a group of BPA students to their regional competition. This is the first year that my school has had a BPA organization, so for these 19 students to take a chance on a new organization says a lot about their character.
BPA stands for Business Professionals of America. It is a student organization across the US and Puerto Rico (Check out the national website) intended for students interested in business careers. They get to compete individually and/or in teams in topics such as Accounting, Business Law, Website Design, Parliamentary Procedure,etc. We had 19 students complete in 6 individual and 3 team competitions (wonderful considering they had never done this before), and 16 qualified for state competition March 7-9. OUTSTANDING!
To say I am proud of these kids would be an understatement. I cannot take credit for their hard work and dedication, all I did was provide an opportunity and gave guidance, they had to do all the hard work. Check out our BEA BPA web site for more photos an updates.
So to say yesterday was different than any other day would be correct, not had a day like this before. Yesterday was a good day.
BPA stands for Business Professionals of America. It is a student organization across the US and Puerto Rico (Check out the national website) intended for students interested in business careers. They get to compete individually and/or in teams in topics such as Accounting, Business Law, Website Design, Parliamentary Procedure,etc. We had 19 students complete in 6 individual and 3 team competitions (wonderful considering they had never done this before), and 16 qualified for state competition March 7-9. OUTSTANDING!
To say I am proud of these kids would be an understatement. I cannot take credit for their hard work and dedication, all I did was provide an opportunity and gave guidance, they had to do all the hard work. Check out our BEA BPA web site for more photos an updates.
So to say yesterday was different than any other day would be correct, not had a day like this before. Yesterday was a good day.
Monday, January 7, 2019
It's a New Week....
It's Monday. It's a New Week. Things appear to be brighter on a Monday, regardless of what the weather is like outside. I have learned through the years that whether the sun is out or not has a huge affect on my outlook for the day. (And today is not looking so hot!)
But I have 9 days of this quarter left, 8 with seniors, and we have things to accomplish. Web Design has a Photoshop Unit to wrap up and a final Website to create (good thing we are on a block schedule). Accounting has a simulation to complete (we'll be working right up to the end on this one) and IT/Game design has, well you guessed it, a game to design and prepare for their classmates to play.
I love PBL work. I love that students use the skills they've learned to create something real, or use their knowledge to analyze real problems. What I don't love is how a group of otherwise capable students suddenly look at you as if you had lobsters crawling out of your ears and you were asking them to hike across the Grand Canyon on an invisible bridge.
Schools mostly have consisted of students learning and regurgitating information, following step by step instructions to complete a task, or following a rubric. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these methods (they all have their time and place) it has created a contentment to follow a path created by someone else, instead of forging ahead in their own direction. Employers today want the employee that will create and collaborate without being told to, the employee that can think for themselves, can find the solution before the problem exists. PBL lends itself to that, if you allow the student the freedom. This is where they start to freak out.
Right away they all want to know about the grade, what am I looking for, what do they HAVE to do. Whoa, back up there, when did this project become about me? This is your class, your project. Don't you want some say so in it? Why are you so ready to hand the power over to me? Now I've done class created rubrics, giving the students some say in their grade, but again it's coming back to a grade. I get it, there is a bigger monster called GPA that affects so many things beyond my little class, but how can I get my students to see that the work they are doing is far beyond what a grade on a transcript says they did?
This is not new, I realize this. And I don't know what the answer is, but I'd love to hear what you all think.
But I have 9 days of this quarter left, 8 with seniors, and we have things to accomplish. Web Design has a Photoshop Unit to wrap up and a final Website to create (good thing we are on a block schedule). Accounting has a simulation to complete (we'll be working right up to the end on this one) and IT/Game design has, well you guessed it, a game to design and prepare for their classmates to play.
I love PBL work. I love that students use the skills they've learned to create something real, or use their knowledge to analyze real problems. What I don't love is how a group of otherwise capable students suddenly look at you as if you had lobsters crawling out of your ears and you were asking them to hike across the Grand Canyon on an invisible bridge.
Schools mostly have consisted of students learning and regurgitating information, following step by step instructions to complete a task, or following a rubric. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these methods (they all have their time and place) it has created a contentment to follow a path created by someone else, instead of forging ahead in their own direction. Employers today want the employee that will create and collaborate without being told to, the employee that can think for themselves, can find the solution before the problem exists. PBL lends itself to that, if you allow the student the freedom. This is where they start to freak out.
Right away they all want to know about the grade, what am I looking for, what do they HAVE to do. Whoa, back up there, when did this project become about me? This is your class, your project. Don't you want some say so in it? Why are you so ready to hand the power over to me? Now I've done class created rubrics, giving the students some say in their grade, but again it's coming back to a grade. I get it, there is a bigger monster called GPA that affects so many things beyond my little class, but how can I get my students to see that the work they are doing is far beyond what a grade on a transcript says they did?
This is not new, I realize this. And I don't know what the answer is, but I'd love to hear what you all think.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Starting Again
It seems like people are always making resolutions, vowing to do better, eat better, exercise more, write more, whatever it is. And of course this time of year is "the time" to start over.
But really, what does it matter when you start the change to do / be something different? What matters more is if you're still doing those things you changed a month from now, 6 months, a year. The change is only a true change if it becomes part of who you are, your daily routine.
And so I begin again, writing on this blog. I have several blogs, one for school, one for personal, one for me as my journal, maybe that's my problem, too many. For now, I'm going to concentrate on my school one. When I was working on getting my master's degree many years ago, journaling/reflecting was part of most of what we did. I enjoyed it, it helped to decompress lessons I'd tried, struggles in the classroom, embrace the triumphs. Wish I would have kept up with it then, but everyone knows how that goes with one thing or another.
I will find the time to do this for myself. I will make time to do this for my students.
But really, what does it matter when you start the change to do / be something different? What matters more is if you're still doing those things you changed a month from now, 6 months, a year. The change is only a true change if it becomes part of who you are, your daily routine.
And so I begin again, writing on this blog. I have several blogs, one for school, one for personal, one for me as my journal, maybe that's my problem, too many. For now, I'm going to concentrate on my school one. When I was working on getting my master's degree many years ago, journaling/reflecting was part of most of what we did. I enjoyed it, it helped to decompress lessons I'd tried, struggles in the classroom, embrace the triumphs. Wish I would have kept up with it then, but everyone knows how that goes with one thing or another.
I will find the time to do this for myself. I will make time to do this for my students.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Filters in Gmail
My district is a 1:1 with Chromebooks and we use GoGuardian management software. For those of you that use it, you know that after each class, or session, you get an email with the data what what happened during that hour. Now granted, we are on a block schedule so it's only 3-4 emails a day, but that is still 3-4 emails to sort through.
So I put together a video showing how to create a label and then a filter to send those emails directly to the label instead of the inbox. The technique can be applied to any email that you get on a regular basis.
So I put together a video showing how to create a label and then a filter to send those emails directly to the label instead of the inbox. The technique can be applied to any email that you get on a regular basis.
Keep in mind you can apply this to any emails you get. Hope this helps you organize your emails and become more productive.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Continuing to Persevere
I started this year with Perseverance as my #OneWord. Who would have thought it would have the meaning it does to me today.
I have learned to never say never ever again, because you just don't know what hand life is going to deal you. I have switched schools. I've heard people say I've moved on, moved up, left town, abandoned my colleagues, promoted myself, etc., etc. Bottom line is I have taken a job with a different district 15 miles down the road.
I am starting my 22nd year in education in a new district. The emotions I have experienced since accepting the position have had me on a roller coaster the past three months. This was not planned, I could not have foreseen this, but the card was dealt and played, and I had to pick it up and go for it, Persevere.
So I am sitting in my new classroom, looking out the window (Yes I now have a WINDOW, you have no idea the game changer that is) and mentally making lists of the things I want to have done before students come in two weeks. I think about new teacher in-service starting tomorrow, and the in-service meetings and open house next week. I'm putting together my morning routine and timing how long it will take me to drive to school each day. I feel genuinely excited about the new year, and truthfully it's been a long time since I've felt like this.
And then I stop and think about my former colleagues and wonder what they are doing to get ready for the new year. What new tech tools will the Science guys be trying out? Teachers getting chromebook carts this year, are they excited about the possibilities? My Math neighbors, are they ready to tackle the LMS systems with their students? I haven't forgotten you all, I've just moved down the road.
I have my cup of sunshine, I WILL Persevere.
I have learned to never say never ever again, because you just don't know what hand life is going to deal you. I have switched schools. I've heard people say I've moved on, moved up, left town, abandoned my colleagues, promoted myself, etc., etc. Bottom line is I have taken a job with a different district 15 miles down the road.
I am starting my 22nd year in education in a new district. The emotions I have experienced since accepting the position have had me on a roller coaster the past three months. This was not planned, I could not have foreseen this, but the card was dealt and played, and I had to pick it up and go for it, Persevere.
So I am sitting in my new classroom, looking out the window (Yes I now have a WINDOW, you have no idea the game changer that is) and mentally making lists of the things I want to have done before students come in two weeks. I think about new teacher in-service starting tomorrow, and the in-service meetings and open house next week. I'm putting together my morning routine and timing how long it will take me to drive to school each day. I feel genuinely excited about the new year, and truthfully it's been a long time since I've felt like this.
And then I stop and think about my former colleagues and wonder what they are doing to get ready for the new year. What new tech tools will the Science guys be trying out? Teachers getting chromebook carts this year, are they excited about the possibilities? My Math neighbors, are they ready to tackle the LMS systems with their students? I haven't forgotten you all, I've just moved down the road.
I have my cup of sunshine, I WILL Persevere.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Your Legacy via #DIJ
Each day I receive an email called the Daily Impact Journal. It's generated through a company called Humanex Ventures. My daughter works there and one of her duties is to create these. Today this was the meme and reflection questions I received:
WOW! Powerful message for a Friday.I looked at the child in the picture, concentrating so intensely on that sparkler. The symbolism here is not wasted. Each of us, in the big picture of life, has the power to make an impact on someone or something. It's not hard, and I think it's taken for granted most times. Ever step we take, every word that comes from our voice, is making an impact on something or someone.
Creating a legacy is not a lifelong plan, you don't have to conscientiously make those efforts. Of course you can, but you'll be overlooking the everyday actions that say more about who we are and what we do. These are the things that truly make an impression on people, and what they take away. In less time than it takes for the sparkler to go out, you have started your legacy.
Students watch everything thing we do, every where we go, like it or not. In the hallways at school, at the grocery store or gas station, at a restaurant, we are leaving a legacy. So in a blink of an eye, say that positive or inspiring word, give a smile to everyone you see, use Please and Thank You every time, set the expectations of your students high, support and guide them, hold them accountable, celebrate with them each time they achieve a milestone, be a shoulder to lean on during struggles, and make sure they always know you support them, you care for them, that you have their back. Make that your legacy.
Go out today and start creating the legacy you want to leave behind.
Reflections to Guide Your Journey
What have you done today to contribute to the meaningful legacy that you are leaving behind?
What path is your team paving for those who will follow in the future?
Do
you know what legacy your organization wants to be know for? How can
understanding this help you contribute to the excellence of the
organization?
WOW! Powerful message for a Friday.I looked at the child in the picture, concentrating so intensely on that sparkler. The symbolism here is not wasted. Each of us, in the big picture of life, has the power to make an impact on someone or something. It's not hard, and I think it's taken for granted most times. Ever step we take, every word that comes from our voice, is making an impact on something or someone.
Creating a legacy is not a lifelong plan, you don't have to conscientiously make those efforts. Of course you can, but you'll be overlooking the everyday actions that say more about who we are and what we do. These are the things that truly make an impression on people, and what they take away. In less time than it takes for the sparkler to go out, you have started your legacy.
Students watch everything thing we do, every where we go, like it or not. In the hallways at school, at the grocery store or gas station, at a restaurant, we are leaving a legacy. So in a blink of an eye, say that positive or inspiring word, give a smile to everyone you see, use Please and Thank You every time, set the expectations of your students high, support and guide them, hold them accountable, celebrate with them each time they achieve a milestone, be a shoulder to lean on during struggles, and make sure they always know you support them, you care for them, that you have their back. Make that your legacy.
Go out today and start creating the legacy you want to leave behind.
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