I grew up in a rather competitive family. My cousins and I competed over everything. It wasn’t just about sports or card games. The competition extended from who could state their multiplication facts to a rhythm to who could match up their clothes the best. It was always healthy fun, but it also pushed us to improve.My parents and extended family have always stressed the importance of growth and improvement. I’ve learned that no matter how great I become, there is always room for growth. That same mentality has spilled over into the professional setting. I don’t ever want to become comfortable with a plateau. There is always so much to learn. Our world and our students are ever-changing.The students pick up our belief patterns even when we don’t stress it. They follow the example that we set in front of them. Does your example show that constant growth and improvement is important? Do you think it is possible to become so big that you don’t grow anymore? Can we reach a place where we are too perfect to get any better? How do we encourage others to stretch and grow, if we’ve stopped? Plastic milk cartoons don’t change. That gallon of milk looks the same as it did, when I was a little girl. There is no stretch or difference in its capacity. A rubber band is far different. The stretch of it extends far beyond what people think it will be able to go. The degree that it extended to yesterday is not necessarily the same limits that it will stretch to tomorrow.What category would you see yourself in?
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Not too long ago my niece got into a disagreement with one of her friends. Her parents were talking to her about her behavior, and she apologized but it wasn’t sincere. Just before the conversation ended, her mom says, “I’m going to tell your aunt.” She burst out into tears, and asked them to not tell me. She said that she just didn’t want to disappoint me. She loves me and always wants to make me proud of her. Children have a unique ability to determine what expectations you have for them, and rise to that level of expectation. If you don’t expect much…They don’t give you much. If they know you love them, and you have high expectations for them…They will give you the world (or at least the very best that they have to give). They see what’s in your eyes, and they feel what’s in your heart. If what you display externally conflicts what you really feel internally, they’ll always know. They have a tendency to respond to what you feel inside. Children have a true gift of discernment. They also know if the expectations you have for them are different from their classmates. I’ve always learned that you have to see a thing in your mind before you can actually see it manifest. It’s very similar to a business or school having a vision statement. You have to dream the end result you want to see, and then begin to work in that direction. What type of vision do you see for your students? Where do your expectations lie for their growth and success? What does that picture look like for the student with the most challenging behavior?
Light stand out because it is different from its surrounding environment. Even in the darkest of nights, the smallest light creates change. A spark is the beginning of something bigger and greater. Do we allow those flickers in our children to shine, or do we smother the match before it can ignite anything? As long as I can remember, I've always walked to the beat of my own drum. I don’t fit nicely into anyone’s box. I never have. I laugh as I see my nieces grow up, because clearly it’s a family thing…LOL! I’m not sure if it’s in the DNA, or if it is because of how we have been raised. While I understand and appreciate the power of unity, I can never disregard the beauty that comes with individuality. What happens when we make all of our students move at the exact same pace and stifle them from moving ahead? What happens to their creativity when they are discouraged from being independent thinkers, and force them to do everything the same? What happens to the excitement when they are not able to share the ideas, thoughts, and processes that are bouncing around in their head?
I’m sure you have to recall a time when you were excited because you grasped a concept and you wanted to practice, but your teacher said wait until the entire class is done? Oh yeah…and in the meantime just sit there quietly. What types of flames were extinguished with that request? I’m sure the teacher was just staying organized and meant no harm, but how far did the effect go? As you go through life, you learn so many lessons. Many of them become a part of who you are as a person. Other things you decided just really aren’t for you, but yet they still stick with you. I remember a quote by Leonardo Da Vinci that says: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. I wonder what truth lies within that. Then there’s the acronym, KISS, Keep it simple “Simon” How often should we utilize that concept? I also remember learning as a teen that the root of beauty means: order, everything has a set place, and is put together well. My Godfather says the secret to a woman’s beauty is that everything is in the right place. So I wonder, if that means things lack beauty, when they are all over the place. If there is beauty in simplicity, can chaos ever be beautiful? We are in a time period where there is a lot of pressure and accountability placed on teachers. Some things are good and other parts are challenging. We may feel the pressure of creating a song or dance to make sure that we look good to those people that are watching us. There are times, when we feel like we should be over the top for evaluations, parent visits, or walk-throughs. Does it really take an act to be effective? Do our kids need us to be a performer to gain their attention? Do we lose our authencity, when we are over the top? Is less really more? How much is too much, and what is just enough? I honestly don’t know the answers to all those questions, but I know that being true to yourself is the best gift to give to others.
I love that I walk to the beat of my own drum. I very rarely fit in any box at all, and I happen to think it’s one of the coolest things about me. However, I have to admit that I am a part of one bandwagon…The Thursday night, “Scandal” TV watchers. I happen to be a gladiator on the Olivia Pope team. I don’t like everything about her character, but I love the way that she is able to swoop in and fix everything like a superhero. It’s somewhat admirable. Usually the idea of being a “Fixer” just denotes intelligence and craftiness.
I think as teachers we have this innate desire to be fixers and superheroes. We are the Olivia Popes of our classrooms, if you will. It’s what we do naturally. BUT….I wonder where the line can be drawn between FIXER and ENABLER. If we swoop in to be the superhero for our students, do we take away their ability to persevere through problems? If we rush in to fix things, do we rob them of their chances to be problem solvers? If we don’t allow adequate “think time”, do we stop the creation of ideas, learning, and thoughts before they are fully formulated? Finding the balance between helping and enabling is quite a difficult act, because honestly it’s going to be different for each child. More so, I think it’s extremely difficult, because it will require us to fight against our natural instincts. As the children say so often: The Struggle Is Real…LOL! If you take time to really self-reflect, where do you fit on the balance scale in your classroom? Let me begin by saying...Welcome Back!!! I hope that your summer was everything that you hoped it would be. I also hope you rested up, because this is going to be a full year of leaning; not only for our students, but for our teachers as well. I know that having so much to learn can seem overwhelming initially, because you have a lot of responsibilities. Just know that help is available and training is on the way. It seems like the big thing to do these days is: Participate in "Challenges". YouTube offers a new challenge almost every week. People are joining in on the ALS challenge, the snow challenge, etc.... I decided to participate in the Positive Thinking Challenge last week. This challenge required you to state three things positive about your life, and each day you should nominate three people to join you. Initially it was difficult for me. It wasn't hard because I don't have amazing people and things in my life, because I do. it was hard, because sometimes the negative things weigh so heavy on us, that we forget all the positive things going on around us every day. I literally had to push to change my mindset to see things differently. I had to learn to stop allowing the "current situation" to alter my perspective of the "Big Picture". Sooo....while I know that learning all this new technology, curriculum, and materials is very difficult...I wonder what new perspectives we can come up with, if we look at the BIG PICTURE.
For years we have asked for the resources that we need in order to be effective in our classrooms.Now the time has come. We now have updated supplies for every core subject area. We have online access, manipulatives, brand new books, iPads for all teachers, and Apple TVs.Now that we have it, what are we going to do with it? I'm sure you all know that even things that we receive without monetary cost to us, has a fee to be paid at some point. Whether it is paid in time or task, we always incur a cost. The good thing is, that most of the time, we don't mind paying the cost, because it's worth it. I'm hoping that the added value that these supplies will bring to our teaching and our students will be worth the extra time and effort that has to be extended to learn how to use it all. I was listening to the radio not long ago, and the radio personality said...Can you imagine having the best toy in the world, but not having the batteries? I laughed so hard, because I remember Christmas morning, when my dad had batteries, but they were the wrong size. It was pure torture! That scenario made me think about our current situation. Having all these new supplies, but not knowing how to use them effectively would be equivalent to having a toy without batteries. There are a series of PDs available to help you become familiar with the resources and how to use them. While I know, saying that the end of the year becomes very hectic, is an understatement, I hope that you can find the time to pick up the "batteries" for you new "toys".
My world is surrounded by beautifully amazing young ladies. I have three nieces, two Goddaughters, and two mentor groups for girls. The ages of the different sets have full range from 4 to adulthood. They are all completely different of course, but a few things remain consistent. One of those commonalities is their desire to be spoon-fed answers. They all look for the easy answer to every type of question...from where is the toothpaste to how do I solve this quadratic function? What I've learned is: Just answering the question is quick and convenient for me, but it also keeps them coming back...which is not so convenient. Giving them time to struggle and figure things out on their own requires more patience on both ends, but it's also the option that causes them to be independent thinkers. I believe that the same concept can be applied in the classroom. Struggling in the learning process can be just as effective. This concept is not something that you can just leap into overnight. It takes time, because I think it's natural for us to want to jump in and help, especially if we see a genuine desire to learn. The children have to be trained, and we do too. They have to learn to see themselves as investigators, and we have to see ourselves as facilitators. Learning to figure things out on their own will help them retain knowledge, and topics will have more meaning to them. It's a struggle, but I believe it's a healthy struggle...
I hear a lot of talk about Everyday Math. Some of the talk is good, and other talk...well, not so much. I've tried to analyze the basis for some of the "not so much" and I think I've categorized a lot of it into a group called misunderstood. I call it that, because I've sat on that "not so much" side as a middle school math teacher. I didn't understand it all. Here's the thing: If you think of Everyday Math as a curriculum, then it would be very disappointing. I actually don't know one resource that can serve as an entire curriculum. Everyday Math was never meant to serve as a math curriculum. It is a resource that we use to accomplish the goals that we have for our students' learning process. After doing a lot of research and listening to a lot of vendors, the district and county decided that it was a valued resource that included many components we desperately need to include in our classes: Hand-On Activities, Writing in Mathematics, Use of Math Tools, General Skill and Drill, Repetition, Computer Accessibility, Consumables, lessons that allow the teacher to act as a facilitator, and a consistency that weaves throughout grade levels. There were areas that needed improvement, like the spiral that didn't allow students a lot of time to retain information. However, the enactment guides improve the area of concern. This new flow allows you to actually teach units and provide time for repetition and increased retention. So...curriculum can be found in Atlas Rubicon. Everyday Math is the resource we use to teach it.
One of the most amazing things about the human race is that, although we have a lot of commonalities we are not all the same. Everyone has their own "swag" if you will. We have our own styles and self-expression. The way we wear our clothes, the language of love that we speak, the hairstyles we try...it's all different. It is usually contingent upon our personality and environmental experiences. Just like those things vary between people, learning styles vary as well. How can you take all these different unique individuals and expect them all to learn, gather information, and communicate understanding the exact same way? Our individuality is what makes us special. I can remember some topics being so difficult to grasp in college. It wasn't necessarily because the subject was beyond my understanding, but more so the delivery of the information was confusing. It's not that the teacher was providing incorrect information or even that they didn't take time to plan the lesson. It's just that there was a disconnect between my learning style and their delivery. If there was variance in the lesson, more students could have grasped the concepts better and performance on assessments would reflect that learning. Interest Surveys, Tiered Lessons, Differentiation, Hands-On activities, etc... are tool as that help us meet the needs of the different children in our classrooms. Our students are not as simplistic as a box of cookies, so our lessons cannot be cookie cutters.
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AuthorJuantonia Hill is the Math Instructional Coach for Southfield Public Schools. This blog represents the latest headline story inside of the monthly edition of Teacher Talk. Archives
March 2015
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