Fostering Independence
From Catching Readers Before They Fall blogpost
http://t.co/t8WBTa1n
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Books That Heal Kids: Book Review: Beautiful Oops!
Books That Heal Kids: Book Review: Beautiful Oops!: Beautiful Oops! Author/Illustrator: Barney Saltzberg Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up Publisher: Workman Publishing Company From the Boo...
I've been following this great blog where the author recommends books related to children's feelings, hardships and diversity. I have this idea for my book club for our December meeting. Everyone choose a book recommended on this blog and bring it to book club. We'll share the books with the club members and then donate them to a charity or needy school. Be sure to check out this blog and get your own group of friends, church members, or teachers to buy and donate books this holiday season.
Merry, merry!
I've been following this great blog where the author recommends books related to children's feelings, hardships and diversity. I have this idea for my book club for our December meeting. Everyone choose a book recommended on this blog and bring it to book club. We'll share the books with the club members and then donate them to a charity or needy school. Be sure to check out this blog and get your own group of friends, church members, or teachers to buy and donate books this holiday season.
Merry, merry!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
It's All Crazy!
Why does the beginning of the year have to be so hard? We've done this for so many years you'd think someone would come up with the perfect way to start the school year. Would it be this crazy if we had year round school? Just asking...
Part of my craziness this past couple of weeks has been moving to a new school to a new position which I LOVE! But as anyone who has moved to a new school knows, it's still unsettling being in a new environment. I know how new kids feel when they move to a new school. Excited but nervous at the same time. This is my 3rd school in my 21 years of teaching and all three schools do things differently; which I think is a good thing. I enjoy the fact that our school system supports individual schools' autonomy to do the things that meets the needs of their students. Something I have enjoyed at my new school this week is being able to pop in to classrooms and to be welcomed so kindly by all the teachers who barely know me. They have been gracious to share their precious children and time with me. I'm also getting to know the ins and outs of being a Title 1 teacher. Can anyone say "TINA Survey?"
I've also been reminded this week about how precious life, friends, and family are. My mother-in-law continues to have her memory lapses and she asks the same questions over and over. We love her so we keep answering them over and over. One of our little cousins was hit by a car this week and we are praying for her recovery and that she has not been brain damaged. One of my sweet book club friends, Beverly Grisham, died of a massive heart attack this week. I'm so going to miss her enthusiasm over books and teaching. She has been a great mentor to many new teachers. Her family and friends are going to miss her terribly. She was also a friend to Dr. Lynn Kirkland who wrote this status update on Facebook, "life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Find the good in friends, family, and colleagues and tell them!" That is my goal this week. What is yours?
Part of my craziness this past couple of weeks has been moving to a new school to a new position which I LOVE! But as anyone who has moved to a new school knows, it's still unsettling being in a new environment. I know how new kids feel when they move to a new school. Excited but nervous at the same time. This is my 3rd school in my 21 years of teaching and all three schools do things differently; which I think is a good thing. I enjoy the fact that our school system supports individual schools' autonomy to do the things that meets the needs of their students. Something I have enjoyed at my new school this week is being able to pop in to classrooms and to be welcomed so kindly by all the teachers who barely know me. They have been gracious to share their precious children and time with me. I'm also getting to know the ins and outs of being a Title 1 teacher. Can anyone say "TINA Survey?"
I've also been reminded this week about how precious life, friends, and family are. My mother-in-law continues to have her memory lapses and she asks the same questions over and over. We love her so we keep answering them over and over. One of our little cousins was hit by a car this week and we are praying for her recovery and that she has not been brain damaged. One of my sweet book club friends, Beverly Grisham, died of a massive heart attack this week. I'm so going to miss her enthusiasm over books and teaching. She has been a great mentor to many new teachers. Her family and friends are going to miss her terribly. She was also a friend to Dr. Lynn Kirkland who wrote this status update on Facebook, "life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Find the good in friends, family, and colleagues and tell them!" That is my goal this week. What is yours?
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Are We Getting Better at Collaboration?
I came across the blog post below that I wrote on “The Big Idea” blog in 2007. Have things changed in 4 years? Read the post below and let me know what you think. Have we gotten better at collaboration?
I've so often heard teachers say, "I just go in my room and close my door and teach the way I want to teach." Is this because they would rather not discuss best practices, standards, and teaching for understanding? Is it because they are uncomfortable when people disagree? Perhaps they do not know how to engage in discourse with other educators.
It’s hard to believe that there are still teachers teaching like they were taught: standing alone and behind closed doors. People in the business world do a much better job of collaborating and engaging in professional discourse than we do as educators. Many businesses now outsource significant portions of work to external companies so it is important to them to increase the success of their employees’ ability to communicate and collaborate and to use the expertise of their co-workers. But it should be just as important to us as educators to jointly develop and agree to goals, essential questions, and to work together to develop authentic assessments and curriculum that enable students to demonstrate understanding.
“Seasoned” teachers are more comfortable “doing their own thing” while new teachers are used to working together and communicating with each other. Young teachers grew up collaborating at school and in their education courses. We taught them that! We teach students to work in collaborative groups yet some teachers fail to be comfortable with collaboration with their peers.
Our young teachers need for us to communicate and collaborate with them. I’ve read a lot about new teachers and the reasons that some of them give up before they’ve even taught for 5 years. They are changing professions because they find themselves in a climate of “stand alone” teaching.
Schools should have a climate where teachers as well as students are constantly learning and growing together. Teachers need to be talking about standards, best practices, and goals for our students and ourselves. When we as educators work together we can improve teaching and learning beyond what any one person can do alone.
One of my favorite quotes is by Alfie Kohn. “People do not resist change. They resist being changed.” Working alone and behind closed doors is a longstanding habit that needs to be changed. How can we change this mindset? Can change be mandated? It is up to us as professionals to challenge this habit and learn to engage in professional discourse.
I've so often heard teachers say, "I just go in my room and close my door and teach the way I want to teach." Is this because they would rather not discuss best practices, standards, and teaching for understanding? Is it because they are uncomfortable when people disagree? Perhaps they do not know how to engage in discourse with other educators.
It’s hard to believe that there are still teachers teaching like they were taught: standing alone and behind closed doors. People in the business world do a much better job of collaborating and engaging in professional discourse than we do as educators. Many businesses now outsource significant portions of work to external companies so it is important to them to increase the success of their employees’ ability to communicate and collaborate and to use the expertise of their co-workers. But it should be just as important to us as educators to jointly develop and agree to goals, essential questions, and to work together to develop authentic assessments and curriculum that enable students to demonstrate understanding.
“Seasoned” teachers are more comfortable “doing their own thing” while new teachers are used to working together and communicating with each other. Young teachers grew up collaborating at school and in their education courses. We taught them that! We teach students to work in collaborative groups yet some teachers fail to be comfortable with collaboration with their peers.
Our young teachers need for us to communicate and collaborate with them. I’ve read a lot about new teachers and the reasons that some of them give up before they’ve even taught for 5 years. They are changing professions because they find themselves in a climate of “stand alone” teaching.
Schools should have a climate where teachers as well as students are constantly learning and growing together. Teachers need to be talking about standards, best practices, and goals for our students and ourselves. When we as educators work together we can improve teaching and learning beyond what any one person can do alone.
One of my favorite quotes is by Alfie Kohn. “People do not resist change. They resist being changed.” Working alone and behind closed doors is a longstanding habit that needs to be changed. How can we change this mindset? Can change be mandated? It is up to us as professionals to challenge this habit and learn to engage in professional discourse.
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