Me Makeover?

I've been to New York City more than a few times, but have never timed my visit with a visit to the Window on the World at the TODAY show.  Read that to mean, I would live in fear of a Stetson-wearing hairstylist shaving half of my head and adding purple highlights, all in the name of bringing me into the 21st Century.

The Te@chthought Blog Challenge question for today, January 7th speaks to the "New Year, New You" phenomenon so prevalent this time of year:

How am I going to update myself professionally?

I've spoken before at my resolution to keep more organized.  Today was my first day back after two weeks, and my desk looked, at 4:38 when I left to go to meetings #6 and #7 this evening, much like it looked every day since late August.  Let's face it, updating my makeup, the organization of my desk, or adding a "teacher voice" to my repertoire just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me.

Having finished with my confession time, I can honestly say that today was the most productive day of my school year.  I worked smarter, instead of harder.  I'm still overwhelmed, and I think I thrive a bit on that added pressure.  Heck, I've written some of my best papers in the 11th hour, and I know that I'm not the only educator who has written detailed lesson plans a week in advance, or more, only to be struck with the PERFECT motivational lesson in the shower 2 hours before the class, scrapping plans in favor of inspiration.

The robots (Dash and Dot) arrived, and were unboxed.  After doing the unboxing, I pretty much admired their pretty colors, grabbed my ipad, and boxed them back up to take to school today.  As soon as the bell rang, I rang for Zach.  Zach has been obsessed with robotics and programming for years.  He worked through his study hall first period, and came back to give me a crash course over lunch.  I now feel confident enough to introduce Dash and Dot to 1st graders tomorrow.  (As long as their voices aren't too creepy for five year olds!)

I was reminded, today, that sometimes the most productive days seem like the most unproductive.  Whether it be a series of seemingly chaotic meetings happening simultaneously with five separate groups of NHD students working on major research projects, to robots, rotting apples in bell jars, and final papers being resubmitted for the second time to recover missed points, I resolve that my makeover will be to celebrate the little things, instead of staring at the wake of debris on my desk that rivals the back lot of TWISTER.  (Yes, my head is back in the subarctic temperatures, but parts of my mind are still dwelling in the heat of Orlando -- even if it is on the cheesiest attraction at Islands of Adventure.)

I'm still a teacher, and I'm still a learner.  Zach taught me a lot today, and made me a better teacher in the process. Tomorrow I'll seek a new adventure, from other students, continue the renovation makeover.

Distinguished isn't Home.

	I awoke this morning on my last day of a five day vacation with my family in Florida.  Palm Trees, Warm Sand, Margaritaville desserts larger than my head, and Facebook posts from teachers at home lamenting and criticizing the lack of a two hour delay due to the slick roads and falling snow.  About eight hours from now, their nightmare will be mine as well.   Meanwhile, this morning, we've heard tales of the anticipated "frigid" temperatures expected here.  FORTIES!  Last night, you could tell who were the natives and who were the vacationers, based upon the layers worn on CityWalk.  Those of us from PA decided on long pants.  Floridians had puffy NorthFace jackets, scarves, and gloves. It's amazing how perspective influences reactions.  The Te@chthought Prompt for the day plays nicely into this reflection on perspective: What advice can you give a new teacher as to the priority or focus for energy as they begin their careers? For the last five days, I've been "Living in Distinguished."  Warm, but not too hot, surrounded by family, answering to multiple requests from someone who calls me Beanie, and eating desserts for dinner.  It's been a great vacation, but I know it is coming to an end. What's that "Living in Distinguished" stuff about, you ask?  Well, it's my advice to new teachers.  The new framework for teachers makes for an easily-discouraged teacher.  Teachers, by nature, expect perfection of themselves -- especially when it comes to evaluations.  Charlotte Danielson's framework has taken the joy out of teaching for many, simply because there are very few smiley faces ever placed in the margins of what we do these days.  If you spend your days attempting to live there, you won't ever be at home.   There are few teachers who actually make it into the classroom these days who are teaching for any reason other than answering a true calling.  It's too tough a job to do as a J-O-B.  Even if you do get "summers off" and 2 hour delays or closings when the roads are icy.  Sure, these things seem like perks, but most of the time you have to find your own.  Here's a short checklist of some inexpensive things to do to survive your first year. Teaching is one of the few professions where you spend more on supplies for work than your employer.  School tissues and paper towels are tools that teach students the quality of absorption of their sleeves, as everyone knows that these devices are not fit to be touched by humans.  So spend a few bucks on tissues when they're on sale, and make the day of a sick student by showing you care.  It's not on the framework, but it will be worth the investment. Eat lunch in the faculty room.  There are teachers in my building that I never see.  Some because they eat a different lunch than I do, and others because they choose to scarf down lunch while hunched over their desks.  Shake it off.  You can really rejuvenate quite a bit in the 28 minutes at lunch. Friend your coworkers on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. I have developed some amazing friends through interactions on social media -- but the relationships developed because of shared interests in the world, not through interactions in our classrooms.  Consequently, we now share quite a bit in the way of resources with each other as we encounter them, knowing the quirks and passions we share. Arrive early OR leave late. Don't do both.  You can spend hours and hours doiing everything that needs to be done.  The reality is YOU WILL NEVER be on top of things, so do what you absolutely need to do for the next day, and then find time to be a human being.  Nobody expects you to work 24/7, even if you do get summers off. Keep a Happy File.  And throw away the crap.  When you get a thank you from someone, put it in a file.   If a student leaves you a smiley post-it note with a goofy greeting, stick it inside a closet door. If you get an email, save it.  But only if it is positive.  Throw away anything that ticks you off.  When life is overwhelming, go to your Happy File. Save your class photos (elementary teachers).  Save the senior pictures that kids give you (high school teachers).  Put student pictures inside your closet door, and realize how many successes you've taught. Consider leaving an epic mark by pulling a Dale Kirby. Every journey worth taking begins with a single step.  And walking around someplace you've made feel like home is so much better than attempting to Live in Distinguished.

The Day of Positivity

I had no idea when I suggested the blog topic for today to the folks at Te@chthought, that January 5th is actually "The Day of Positivity".  (Or, at least, it appears to be the case in a pineapple under the sea....)  I found this out because it is actually a trending topic on Twitter.

Some of the better suggestions include the possibility of winning waffles for a year, donating blankets to an animal rescue facility, and wearing shirts, comprised of the elements to spell BaCON.  Some skeptics surmise that this Day of Positivity thing is all dreamed up by Twitter to trend something on a dreary day, that for many is the first work day in the new year.

For me,, no one said it better than Jaco Marais:


Jaco Marais ‏@JacoMarais4 5h5 hours ago

You Can't Live A Positive Life, With A Negative Mind. #DayOfPositivity

 While I don't know Jaco personally, I fully embrace his mindset.  (Bring on Carol Dweck!)

How do I stay positive and share/encourage that positivity in my students?

Nothing makes a teacher more discouraged than a discouraged student.  It's easy to walk away from the kids who simply DON'T CARE, and mumble something about attitude adjustment, hoping for a new start on a different day.  For me, the most devastating thing is when I see a student glum, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.

It's a bit like answering a crying newborn:

• Hungry?
• Uncomfortable?
• Tired?
• Overwhelmed?
• All of the above?

 Yes, even high school kids can exhibit the signs.  Except now, in addition to being able to shatter glass with ear-piercing decibel screams, they can also announce themselves via social media.

Julia .. ‏@onewaygilinsky 7h7 hours ago

#DayOfPositivity NO THIS CAN NOT TREND TODAY SCHOOL IS NOT POSITIVITY ITS HELL.

Poor Julia.  I don't know her, and I am still devastated for her.  Somebody somewhere in that school or her house is letting her down.  The fact that she is starting her day DREADING a positive school experience before the sun is even up is downright wrong. 

Sure, there are days when my life is less than sunny.  But the contagiousness of negativity can suck the life out of me, and if I am miserable, so are those around me.  I truly think that I could conjure up an angry mob after an 82 minute period of captivity in my room, unleashing them into the crowded hallways, but I feel a responsibility to the world, so I do my best to suppress that energy.  

Allowing student collaboration in their learning certainly breeds the excitement necessary for many -- including me.  Student-created rubrics for projects and papers almost always result in finished products far superior to the rubrics I create for my classes.  Is it positive psychology?  Is it bribery?  Am I fooling myself?  If it works, I don't need to answer any of those questions.  I do know, however, that when my students design their own rubrics, the quality of the work is vastly better -- often as much as a full letter grade higher when scored on the "old" rubrics I had used.  I also use humor and motivation whenever possible.  Some of my motivational tools are seemingly more educational -- like Shawn Achor's TED Talk, and others are just those little "human" touches that teachers get to share every now and then, like Pearl, the Opossum Expert.  (I've actually bought clothing from her website.  Try to be negative after watching Pearl!)

In reality, I love my job, my district, and the kids with whom I work.  (Almost all the time!)  I do my best to create an environment which is a shared experience for learning, rather than a dictatorial regime with me at the helm.   Establishing some basic amenities for focus or distraction (like a spare piece of fruit or two in the closet for someone who missed breakfast, or blankets for when the air conditioning/heat is less than desirable) has nearly won me the yearbook superlative title of "Coziest Classroom" (although I understand I'm neck and neck with Amanda Shaffer on this one...)

So, on this Day of Positivity, how can we stay positive?  Let's start by realizing that we're all human.  And that somehow, we make a difference.  Some of us when we arrive in a room, and others when we leave.

Here's hoping Julia found something worthwhile today.  She deserves some happiness, and I don't believe that Spongebob, no matter how terrific his movie is,  will be the key.

Fist Bumping the Captain.

Even Batman carries his own luggage

  I watched my grandson wait in line to see his current favorite superhero, Captain America, yesterday.  He was nearly jumping out of his skin with excitement, and when he was about ten people from the front of the line, his mom pulled out his full Captain America costume.  The jumping, twirling, and assorted exuberant gestures escalated as he moved closer to the front of the line.

Suddenly, he was next.  The second he was greeted, he became quiet and shy, staring in awe at Captain America.  (Who was, in my opinion, the BEST Captain America ever.  Great costume, and got down on the level of the kids to talk to them, making everyone feel special.)  Captain America did most of the talking, and Carter did a LOT of nodding.  When it came time for the picture, he got totally stoked, made his anti-bad-guy face, along with the Captain, and struck the pose, complete with pretend shield.

(If you know me and SEE me, I can show you the awesome picture on my phone, but I'm not posting it here on the internet...)

The Te@chthought Challenge for today:

What is one area of my learning and teaching I want to develop this year?

It occurred to me this morning that I am much like Carter meeting Captain America when it comes to the use of technology.  I get myself giddy with excitement, (although I rarely have a special outfit), as I anticipate the arrival or use of the new gadget or gizmo.  As I think about this blog, I navigate through the pages to do what I do every day, without considering or exploring options that would probably make my page more navigatable, or make it easier for me to search and find something I've written during the last 100 + days, but I haven't taken the time to figure out or learn the options available to me. 

When new technology arrives, I try to convince myself it is better, stronger, faster, and I am in charge of it.  The reality is that I treat new technology like IT has some control over me instead.  
 Several weeks ago I mentioned the impending arrival of my robots.  (Originally called Bo and Yana, but now named Dot and Dash by the manufacturer.)  The box arrived at my house on the 16th of December, and I  didn't even open them until January 1st.  They're cute, they have great potential to teach coding, and I'm completely overwhelmed.  I exhibited a similar blank stare when our IT department handed out new Yoga Thinkpads before Thanksgiving.  I loved my Sony Vaio, and had no desire to give it up.  

I forced myself to go cold turkey, and am slowly adapting, although nothing is more embarrassing than being connected to a projector and lose your ability to navigate through Windows 8 in front of a bunch of students.

So this year I'd like to really focus on overcoming my fear of exploring possibilities with technology.  I want to be intentional about scheduling time to explore new options, and integrate them into my teaching.

And maybe fist-bump Captain America while making eye contact, just once.

Blame the Clutter Fairy

 School opens for 2015 on Monday.  Many of the Facebook posts I've seen have been from fellow teachers lamenting over the still giant pile of grading and lesson planning brought home to "work on" over the course of the break.


For most of us, the quantity of work completed is disproportional to the to the size of the pile, and this makes us sad angry at ourselves for not making better use of our time.  The reality is, every moment not spent on schoolwork during the break actually served to re-energize us as we head into the home stretch of the first semester!  (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

One thing for which I am grateful is the January supply of Te@chthought prompts for blogging.  Quite frankly, my mind is a bit numb, and it's difficult to write about school and teaching when I haven't been there since the 22nd of December.  So today's prompt is:

What is one area I know I need to work on? What actions am I going to take to improve?

Given the haste with which I departed my classroom on December 22nd, after receiving a phone call from my sister who said "Mom's been hit by a truck while walking...", you can only imagine that the chaos of my desk and room, one day pre-break, matched the chaos of my mind after that phone call.  I have recently gone to an elaborate system of post it notes on which I lay out my "TO DO" and overview of Lesson Plans for each class over the course of a week, each post it representing a different day.  We were two days from vacation, and there were FIVE post it TO DO lists representing the previous week.  The problem is that the post it is only disposed of when the list is completed -- and often it is just moved to the next day until, two or three days later, the TO DO list is completed.  Clearly this system is just another attempt at organization for me.

I am a random abstract person.  I've known this most of my life, and it was confirmed when I took the Meyers Briggs test while working on my certificate in Gifted at U Penn.  There aren't too many of us in education, though, because we drive people crazy  forcing people to abandon us   tend to burn out when we can't juggle all the balls we need to juggle without dropping more than a few.  In fact, when the class finished the analysis and the professors sent us into separate corners to meet our classmates with similar traits, it was just Kevin and me standing in one corner.  (For the record, we've stayed friends, mentors, and colleagues with each other since 2006, because we understand and forgive each other for our randomness, appreciating the creativity and insanity that we share.)  

There are people who walk into my room and cringe.  There are even more who ask me for a paperclip or a pass, or GOD FORBID a BLUE pen, and I scurry though drawers and cups in search of the elusive item.  Remember when I did the commentary on my two desk drawers?   Sure, I can clean them up, but is it really worth the time?

So what am I doing about this insanity?  I bought a lined blank book (not to be confused with the Virginal Bare Book to unleash my creativity).  This is a brilliant technique mentioned to me by the desk organizer, Sarah, herself. I write student names, upcoming deadlines, and what we're looking for on the left hand page, and the subsequent followup done on the opposite right hand page.  It's pretty easy to glance through, gather data for GIEP reports, and confirm attendees and meeting dates all in one place.  So far, it's worked for 3 weeks -- two of which have been spent at home, resting in my school backpack.  But I'm on a streak, and may make it a full month!

Can I find a paperclip in a hurry?  I can now -- because there is ONE (count it, ONE) on the first page of my blue lined book.  

2015 is my year to stay organized.  If only with data, meetings, and post it notes.  Meanwhile, I will keep myself grounded in my random abstractness by chatting with Kevin when I feel the need for a 12 step program in organization, and take baby steps from the tips that Sarah shares about organization.

Heck, I've already maintained my new car with a new clutter-free lifestyle for a month.  Perhaps I can transfer that to my classroom and my backpack.

 

YOU nique

Imagine my delight this morning to discover that not only has Te@chthought come up with a series of prompts for bloggers for the month of January, but they've also chosen some of my suggested topics for their prompt list!  You can view the entire list HERE, and consider joining this #reflectiveteacher adventure.

Today's Prompt:  What do I consider unique about my teaching?

My first reaction to this prompt is probably going to shock the average bear:  I have a goal for every student to be able to produce Quality B.S.  Yes.  Being able to produce well-written responses to any prompt is a skill that I hope to instill in every one of my students.  The first time I tell them that this is my goal, I am met with more than a few odd stares, but then we talk about the number of times in life when one is required to answer a question that is unpleasant, uninteresting, or just plain boring.

Along those same lines, my uniqueness doesn't have two personalities:  the person that I am in the classroom is the same person I am in the faculty room, the grocery store, and around town.  (Okay, I do not discuss religion, which I am prone to do with friends or at church, but that is simply because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- and, I guess, the United States of America in general -- frowns upon public school teachers discussing religion in the classroom.)  I don't have a "teacher voice," that I know of.  It's probably easier to be only one person, simply because I don't have to remember who I am at any given time.  It also helps that I'm not 23.

Finally, there are no other teachers in my district, that I know of, that have the diversity of projects happening in their classroom at any one time.  Consider this:

• I have a rotting apple under a bell jar.  It's been there since September, and has been drawn, painted, or sketched every week since Labor Day.  Last time I saw it was December 22nd, and it was actually furry.  I promise to post a picture sometime this week.
• My bulletin board is currently covered with coloring book pages from Frozen.  It might seem weird at first glance, especially if you look closely.  It was actually part of a Right Brain/Left Brain presentation by students, and shows a lot of insight into which students are right vs. left brain dominant.
• There are a fair number of gnomes that pass through my room.  One of them is motion-sensored, and talks.  (Travelocity Gnome!)  
• My bookshelves have the single, most eclectic  collection of reading material.  From a smashed Tinkerbell head, books on conspiracy theories and espionage, to the cartoon history of Paul Conrad, there's no way a detective could deduce what I teach based upon the contents of my bookshelves.

I'm sure others will contribute other ideas, but I think you get the idea.
Oh, and how do you catch a unique rabbit?

you neek up on it, of course.

 

Yet to Be Written

Happy New Year!

I am hoping that this is the year that I overcome my fear of blank pages.  I've encouraged forced my students to overcome theirs in my Themes in Literature classes, giving each of them a Bare Book in which to work throughout the semester, and intentionally put my own on my desk.  

There are two weeks left in the semester, and that book is still virginally blank.

Yet to Be Written.

 Yesterday, there were dozens of memes and other posters on Facebook proclaiming that "2015 is a blank book, waiting to be written."  I'm sure you've seen them, or similar posts, encouraging reflection and intentionality.

Do I regret that I am currently on Level 690 of Pet Rescue Saga?  Okay, maybe a little.  (And mostly because I used to be further ahead than any of my friends, and now Jennie and Liz have left me in the dust.  I'm pretty darned competitive.)  I suppose I could argue that the time I spent saving those huggable little critters (who, when clicked on in the maze, emit sweet faces and gush hearts), kept me from eating cookies.  Yes.  That's my argument, and I'm sticking to it.

I read an interesting article on intentionality, and how many, (including me), embrace the idea, but never seem to find time to put it fully into practice.  That blank book on my desk is a tangible symbol of someone who is planning to live long instead of living wide.

And before you make a snide comment about the width of my hips, I'd like to remind you about yesterday's encouragement.

Maria Popova, the mastermind behind Brain Pickings, shared this thought about presence in her blog about reflection and intentionality:

Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that. The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living — for, as Annie Dillard memorably put it, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

So yes, it's 2015.  I'm trying something new, and finishing something old.  I'm taking risks, writing in a virginal notebook, and if the handwriting doesn't look perfect, it's because I'm left-handed, distracted, and messy.  And if, generations from now, some great great grandchild of mine looks at that book, at least they'll have tangible evidence of who I was, and know that while I did what I did, I was doing it with presence and intention.

This year I will give the gift of reflection to me -- it started with this blog, and can now expand into the rest of my life.  After all, I'm not getting any younger, I hope not to get any wider, so the only direction to go is deep.

Want to take the plunge with me?