Happy Friday!
I cannot wait for some downtime with the family. Tomorrow I get to wash cars with our oldest to raise money for the band while hubby takes the other children to a cousin's birthday. We'll finally meet up for lunch. All of the kids and I will get to see the last free beach movie at the beach.
Beach, sunset, free movies, reasonable concession prices, entertainers, an evening of family fun for 4 for less than $20...it doesn't get much better than that!
How do you reconnect with your family over the weekend? What fun time treasures did you discover over the summer?
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Shopping Spree
My Dear Husband bought me a gift card for Lakeshore Learning Store. At first, though I am ashamed to admit it, I thought, "what on earth is a high school teacher going to find there?"
I thought a little more.
I have been blessed with a husband who gives gifts to express love. I had a rough year last year and changed schools and subjects in an attempt to recapture my love for teaching. He wanted me to have nice, coordinated things around the room so that I would feel loved and accepted in my new environment. Rejecting his gift would be tantamount to rejecting him.
Today, I finally took him up on his offer. I purchased the following items:
How do you create a welcome learning environment for your students? If someone gave you a gift card to aid in that purpose, where would you shop, and what would you want?
I thought a little more.
I have been blessed with a husband who gives gifts to express love. I had a rough year last year and changed schools and subjects in an attempt to recapture my love for teaching. He wanted me to have nice, coordinated things around the room so that I would feel loved and accepted in my new environment. Rejecting his gift would be tantamount to rejecting him.
Today, I finally took him up on his offer. I purchased the following items:
- fade-resistant paper to line and create boards around the room
- a couple of coordinated bulletin board sets
- coordinated letters
- matching borders
- a record and planning book
- 150 "happy birthday" certificates
- and several dozen recognition certificates.
How do you create a welcome learning environment for your students? If someone gave you a gift card to aid in that purpose, where would you shop, and what would you want?
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Not There Yet
My second year of teaching was much more difficult than my first. I actually allowed myself to relax some that first year. I forgave myself for my ignorance and mistakes. After all, I was new to teaching.
As an ambitious perfectionist, I felt as though I should have mastered teaching by the second year. Been there; done that. I felt frustrated and ineffective because I was still making many of the same errors that I made the first year.
Then I took a class with a teacher with over 20 years of experience. On the first day, she told the class all about an awesome, detailed, seemingly perfect new strategy she wanted to implement. She followed that with "but I'm not there yet". Over the 4 months of the course, which we took in her actual classroom, we got to see her strategy grow through all 4 steps of the plan-do-check-act cycle. By the end of the course, the strategy was integrated efficiently in her normal classroom routine. Even before the seamless transition was complete, the teacher was talking about another brilliant strategy, but she "wasn't there yet".
I have had the privilege of taking another class with her. She had incorporated the last strategy and several others, and she was excited about something new. Of course, she openly admitted that she "wasn't there yet".
By seeing her patience with herself as she continued to reflect, learn, and grow as a teacher with over 20 years of experience, I learned that I too need to be more patient with myself and my process.
Now when I do not perform as well as I would like or I make a mistake, I do not beat myself up or berate myself to others. I simply smile and say, "I'm not there yet."
How do you show yourself patience and kindness? Do you have any tips or tricks that help you to move through your process of improvement?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
What motivates you?
Last night, one of my birth children (as opposed to one of my 150 school children) did not feel well. This one is stoic, never a whiner or complainer. We immediately took him to the doctor who helpfully pointed out that the child definitely had pain with no known cause.
This morning, my child was in more pain. My husband worked later today and was dropping off another birth child close to the doctor's office, so hubby volunteered for doctor duty.
This caused a dilemma for me. Emotionally, I wanted to be with my baby. Rationally, I knew that I could not do anything for my child that my husband was not doing well already. I went to school and left my cell phone on, explaining the situation to my students and warning them that I would take calls as necessary.
It turns out that my child had a simple, minor issue that will probably resolve itself over the next few days. My husband had the chance to actively participate in childcare without my overbearing presence, and my son saw a man acting as a capable and competent primary caregiver. My students saw my dedication to them (though with a baseline essay today, most probably lacked the proper appreciation;), and they witnessed firsthand how the value I place on being present impacts my decisions (my first rule is "Be here").
All around, it turned out to be a great decision. But it was an awfully difficult decision to make at 6 am this morning. I dragged myself through the 45 minute commute with half my soul with my husband and ailing child because I truly believe that the first step to being great is being around. I wanted my students to see that value in action, and I wanted them to benefit from it.
What motivates you to show up every day? Why do you make the commute and sacrifices when you have other claims on your time?
This morning, my child was in more pain. My husband worked later today and was dropping off another birth child close to the doctor's office, so hubby volunteered for doctor duty.
This caused a dilemma for me. Emotionally, I wanted to be with my baby. Rationally, I knew that I could not do anything for my child that my husband was not doing well already. I went to school and left my cell phone on, explaining the situation to my students and warning them that I would take calls as necessary.
It turns out that my child had a simple, minor issue that will probably resolve itself over the next few days. My husband had the chance to actively participate in childcare without my overbearing presence, and my son saw a man acting as a capable and competent primary caregiver. My students saw my dedication to them (though with a baseline essay today, most probably lacked the proper appreciation;), and they witnessed firsthand how the value I place on being present impacts my decisions (my first rule is "Be here").
All around, it turned out to be a great decision. But it was an awfully difficult decision to make at 6 am this morning. I dragged myself through the 45 minute commute with half my soul with my husband and ailing child because I truly believe that the first step to being great is being around. I wanted my students to see that value in action, and I wanted them to benefit from it.
What motivates you to show up every day? Why do you make the commute and sacrifices when you have other claims on your time?
Monday, August 5, 2013
First Attempt
Wow! I have a blog. I am officially a blogger. I am a teacher, mother, and wife in the middle of the process of starting a website (iheartteachers.org), and in this process, I have grown exponentially in my technical abilities. In just a few short years, I will know nearly as much as my 13 year old son knows now.
I have waded clumsily into the waters of the world wide web and have established rudimentary presences on fb, Twitter, g+, Pinterest, and here. (If I have learned anything from my high school students, it is shameless self-promotion: follow me! like me!) My goal for this week is to have a logo so that I can begin pulling my "social media strategy" into some semblance of coherence. Right now, my "strategy" is to congratulate myself for having accounts and hope that I can log back in with my logo.
Why a website, social media, and blog if I'm beaming at rudimentary? I have a goal, a driving desire to unite teachers and the education community around the world to enable collaboration and provide support and appreciation. To accomplish that, I have to create a real-time environment. The ends merit the means (even if it means the teachers I heart the most are my adolescent children).
Teachers, professors, students, parents, and members of the education community, I am willing to sacrifice both pride and dignity to show you appreciation.
When do you feel appreciated? I myself like a good swag bag. Today I scored a haul by going to training. The district gave me a bag, binder, notebook, pencil case, highlighters, pens, and sticky notes. (Oh, and I learned quite a bit about the new curriculum I'll be teaching this year too.)
I will post pictures as soon as I find the best way.
I have waded clumsily into the waters of the world wide web and have established rudimentary presences on fb, Twitter, g+, Pinterest, and here. (If I have learned anything from my high school students, it is shameless self-promotion: follow me! like me!) My goal for this week is to have a logo so that I can begin pulling my "social media strategy" into some semblance of coherence. Right now, my "strategy" is to congratulate myself for having accounts and hope that I can log back in with my logo.
Why a website, social media, and blog if I'm beaming at rudimentary? I have a goal, a driving desire to unite teachers and the education community around the world to enable collaboration and provide support and appreciation. To accomplish that, I have to create a real-time environment. The ends merit the means (even if it means the teachers I heart the most are my adolescent children).
Teachers, professors, students, parents, and members of the education community, I am willing to sacrifice both pride and dignity to show you appreciation.
When do you feel appreciated? I myself like a good swag bag. Today I scored a haul by going to training. The district gave me a bag, binder, notebook, pencil case, highlighters, pens, and sticky notes. (Oh, and I learned quite a bit about the new curriculum I'll be teaching this year too.)
I will post pictures as soon as I find the best way.
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