Making the Next Three Weeks Count

It's that time of year again, magic is in the air!  All our students can think about is Christmas!  And, quite frankly, that's about all I can think about, too! Even before Pinterest was the twinkle in some crafty person's eye, teachers had tons and tons of hand-made items for our students to assemble out of construction paper, googly eyes and more Elmer's glue than the school supply bin at Wal-Mart in August.  We have all kinds of great things our kids could dump glitter and sparkles on!  And while it's tempting to tell ourselves our kids won't remember anything we teach them now anyway, we do need to keep teaching--and here are a few reminds why.

1) Every day is one more opportunity to prepare our kiddos for life.
Like most teachers who have students in grade-levels that will be taking state assessments this year, I am constantly thinking about preparing my 3rd Grade reading students for STAAR, the "big test" in Texas.  And while I'm not positive the students I see once or twice a week will retain much of what I teach them about comprehension and decoding these next few sessions, I do have the opportunity to teach them a few life lessons, like persistence, responsibility, focus, oh, and time management.  It would be really great if we could all just sink into a holiday coma for a few weeks but, just like each of us, our students still have work to do.  We need to teach them that the normal responsibilities we have each day don't freeze in time just because a major holiday is coming up.  Most of the world doesn't get a two week holiday like we do, in fact, a lot of people only get one day (if that!) so we need to keep working, too!  But, we can play some Christmas music in the background, just to change it up a bit! ;0)
2) Christmas literature is WONDERFUL! We can continue to build life-long readers through great holiday stories.
There are so many amazing Christmas books (assuming you still work in a school district that lets you read them, like I do!) that incorporate great comprehension skills.  One of my favorites is Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present by John Burningham.  It's sort of similar to Arthur Christmas, in that one present doesn't get delivered but it is a great writing prompt because we never find out what the present was!  What a great way to teach students about predictions and give them an opportunity to write.  I also love Auntie Claus by Elise Primevera.  Every year I find someone to co-teach it with.  It's a great story full of mystery where students can infer Auntie Claus's true identity.  It's also a great read-aloud because it lends itself so nicely to awesome character voices.  If you haven't read these two books, check them out.  I think you and your students will really enjoy them.
3) "Magic" can be incorporated into all subjects!
Do you remember what it was like to be a child those few weeks leading up to Christmas?  I certainly do.  Everyday seemed to last a week!  My parents always tried to make each day count with something special and magical, like making cookies or going caroling.   We have the opportunity to spread some of that magic and cheer into our lessons as well.  Teach a science experiment that has to do with winter, or freezing, or whatever you can come up with to incorporate what's going on in "the real world" into your curriculum without stepping away from the core content too much.  Do some Elf math problems!  If Santa needs to get 60 presents to Toronto in 2 hours, how fast will he have to go and how big will his sleigh need to be if the area of each present is 2.5 feet? Let your kids write their own Christmas themed math problems! If you are lucky enough to put up a class Christmas tree, forget the stand and see what your kids can come up with as a solution.  Give some geographical clues about where Santa is headed and see if the kids can come up with the town, state, country or continent.  There are a lot of ways to spread the Christmas magic into every content area with a little bit of planning, you just have to remember what it's like to be a kid at Christmas!
4) All that sparkles isn't covered in glitter!
I absolutely love it when my daughters make me an ornament, especially if it has their handprint or footprint on it.  I definitely think that students need time during the holiday season to be creative and make something special for their families. That being said, I also love it when my first grader brings home a story she wrote about our family, even more so if it is illustrated!  I love it when her teacher emails pictures of what she was doing in class, especially when it's something authentic and hands-on.  And, since my daughter is in a one-to-one iPad classroom, I love it when I see something amazing she has worked on with her group of classmates that incorporates an application or website where she can be creative and still apply the content of the curriculum to whatever she is working on. While it is tempting to haul out the Holiday word searches, color-by-numbers, and word-sort worksheets, please don't use Christmas as an excuse to knock Bloom's back into the dark ages.
5) If you don't use these three weeks wisely, you'll probably be wishing you had them back in a few months!
How many times have you ever said, or heard a colleague say, "Boy, I just don't know what I'm going to do with all of this extra time I have! My kids already know everything in this unit, I've covered it all completely, and the curriculum writers built in so much extra time, I'm going to have to scrounge up something else to incorporate!" Uhm, never! We never say that because there's always too much to cover, too much to reteach, and too much to squeeze in!  So, if we don't continue to teach to our fullest these three weeks (and pray that our little friends are focused enough and ENGAGED enough to stick the information in their brains where it can be retrieved again!) we are essentially giving up at least three weeks from the spring to go back over what we were supposed to have taught these three weeks.  And, let's not forget, teaching means a transfer of knowledge, so it isn't enough to just SAY the information, the knowledge has to actually transfer. The only way that is going to happen is if we get creative and find some fun ways to teach our students at a high comprehension level with authentic hands-on activities, like technology projects, writing assignments that allow them to choose a topic of their own interest to research and report on,  and real-world problem solving.
We all know that this is a difficult time of year to be a teacher  The kids are excited, we're both excited and exhausted, and we worry that our students just won't retain anything when they finally return after New Year's. Let's continue to work hard, encourage each other, and try to do something magical each day that will really give our students the opportunity to stretch their minds.   It really is the most wonderful time of the year so let's spread that wonder into the curriculum as well!

The Dreaded Month of October!

It's been quite a while since I found the time to post anything. There are a number of reasons for that. First of all, like all of you, I've been very busy getting back into the swing of things.  This is the time of year when students, teachers, and administrators need "stuff." One of my jobs is to help make sure people have what they need--in the form of resources and materials, information, or just a big pat on the back! That has certainly kept me busy.  It's also a time of information overload. Teachers don't have much free time to read a blog post and if they did, chances are they wouldn't have time to actually absorb the message.  So, I've taken a little break from blogging.  But now, it's October--that month when everything starts to roll downhill. It's time to refocus, re-energize, and remember why it is we chose this profession in the first place.

At the beginning of the year, teachers are still "high" from the fumes of crayons and new pencils.  Our passion for education has been softly simmering beneath the surface all summer, and now it's time to unleash all of that pent up energy and let the creative juices flow!  Over the summer break, we have thought of thousands of amazing and creative ways to insure that this school year is the best yet!  Through August and most of September, we were excited to come to school.  We loved seeing our kids, seeing our colleagues, and getting into the swing of things. Of course, we had a lot of information thrown our way all at once--new programs, new student expectations, new staff members, new procedures and protocols. We handled it pretty well for those first few weeks.  As time went on, there were more changes and tweaks, new things to implement.  We found out we were "doing it wrong" a few times or that we weren't quite meeting the standard for what-have-you.  "Oh, I'm supposed to stand right here when I hold the crossing guard sign?  I did not know that!" "I have to check both boxes and initial here?  Good to know!"  Now, the swing we were "getting into" is swinging a lot faster and it's getting harder to hold on.
Our kids are different, too.  They are no longer as excited to be here.  They do not greet us with the same enthusiastic smiles, nor do they hang on our every word to see what magic will pour forth.  Their energy supply has started to run low as well, not as low as ours but they are no longer running on a full tank.
Collectively, we know that Thanksgiving Break is out there somewhere. We can't really see it from here. It's like a distant dot on the horizon, more like a splotch than an actual form.  But we know it's there.  We also know that we have a long, long month of October to go before we can even think about tracing little hands and turning them in to turkeys.
So, how do we get from October 1st to Thanksgiving Break without losing our minds? It's not easy. If it were, there'd be no talk of  the "October Dip."  I have three suggestions that I hope will make your October a little more Spooktacular and a little less Dreadful.
1) Ask questions!  If you need help with something, please ask someone. Anyone.  And if they can't or won't help you, ask someone else.  Everyone has a lot on their plates right now but chance are, the things that are weighing you down are not the same things weighing down  a team mate, administrator, or instructional coach.  So, ask for help.  There are a plethora of people around you who are here to help and support you. Never feel like you are drowning without at least signalling for a life preserver.
2.) Help someone else!  Nothing makes me feel better than when I know I have lightened someone else's load. Even when I have a ton of my own work to get done, I never miss the opportunity to help someone else. Gratitude from others goes a long way toward changes our mood and our perspective.  Just a few minutes each day assisting someone else is sure to improve your own state of mind and their's as well.
3.) Focus on the kids.  Take a few moments each day to look around your room and appreciate the children that you work with.  Notice, I used the word children, not students.  As I grow older, I notice that time passes by much more quickly. Our kids have not reached that point of perspective yet.  For your kiddos, this may be a landmark year for them. You only get to be in kindergarten once. If they celebrate Halloween, they've got a lot to look forward to! This is a great time of year for family outings to apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Let your kids have the opportunity to share their lives with you.  Even if they don't have family experiences to share, they will still have autumn moments--crushing through leaves, feeling the changing wind on their cheeks, brilliantly colored sunsets--to discuss. Give them the chance to talk to you about all of the amazing sights and sounds October has to offer and you'll start to remember why it is that we are so lucky to have the opportunity to work with these amazing little people. After all, do you think there's anyone sitting in a corporate office right now who just got 22 hugs because she showed up for work?  Probably not!
If you work in CISD, you have 8 weeks until Thanksgiving Break. Make them count.  Take each day and make the most of it.  And if  there's anything I can do to help you get over the October Dip, I'm always a few clicks away!

TCEA 2014 Presentation

This blog was born at TCEA 2013.  For those of you who don't live in Texas, TCEA is the Technology Computer Education Agency and once a year they do a huge conference and expo in Austin.  There are thousands of educators there, all excited about learning how technology can benefit their classrooms.  This past year was the first time I have had the opportunity to attend and it was such an amazing experience, I was very excited when I was chosen as one of our district team members for the 2014 conference.  I don't consider myself a tech guru by any means but I do love to write so I use a lot of social media to talk about education.  I've been blogging for about 6 years but it was only while I was at TCEA that I realized that an educational blog would be a great benefit to other teachers in my district, and really anyone who is looking for additional resources to improve their knowledge of best practice in teaching. So, while I was at TCEA, I started this blog, and, so far, I've been very happy with the response I've gotten from other teachers in my district and elsewhere. I've had a lot of support from my building principal, former assistant principal, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in our district, and lots of other district staff and fellow teachers.  I know that people are benefiting from what I have to say, that it is improving instruction and making a difference in how they feel about coming to work each day. While there are lots of topics I haven't talked about yet, this blog has definitely given me the opportunity to have my voice heard and help influence others in a positive way.
In order to attend TCEA 2014, we were required to propose a session to present.  I put a lot of thought in to what I wanted to propose. Having only attended TCEA once before, I really didn't expect to be selected to present.  I wasn't even sure if my topic was something people wanted to know about.  I proposed a session titled, "Bloggers Lead the Way!"  It's about how to use a blog format to influence instructional practices on your campus.  I am a firm believer that leadership is not a position and that anyone can be a positive change agent, even in small ways, if they have great ideas and they are willing to accept that challenge.  Blogging is a great platform for sharing ideas, opinions, what works for you, what doesn't.  Some times it is difficult for others to admit they need help or they have questions but one can peruse a blog in complete anonymity. The goal of the session I proposed is to teach other instructional leaders and aspiring leaders how to use blogging to influence others and provide necessary information to help improve instructional practices.  I don't recall seeing any similar sessions last year, though there were several about blogging in general.  I wasn't sure if it was a good thing that I was proposing something different or if I would just be supplying the review committee members a good chuckle.
I was extremely excited when I received the email yesterday that my proposal had been accepted! It is a great honor to be selected to present at TCEA.  Even though I know that there are thousands of other people who will also be presenting, I know that these are extremely talented, dedicated educational leaders and to have the opportunity to join them is both humbling and exhilarating.  Of course, it's also a little nerve-racking and I'm happy that I have about six months to get everything together.
Over the course of the next few months, as I begin to prepare my materials, I would really appreciate your positive feedback.  What is it about this blog that makes you continue to read?  What types of posts are the most interesting to you? What do you wish was different? If you were going to start a blog, regardless of the topic you were going to cover, what information would be beneficial to you before you started? If you are willing and able to leave comments that will be of benefit to me, I greatly appreciate your help.
I am really looking forward to TCEA 2014.  If you are going to be there, please check out my session and if you are presenting, let me know so I  can attend!  It's sure to be an amazing experience!

Reflection and Preparation for the New School Year

It's still summertime for a few more weeks, but like most of you, I'm starting to think about the new school year.  Before we know it, we'll be back in the swing of things. Ah, the smell of crayons and glues wafting through the air, sticky fingers grasping our pants accompanied by requests for another ketchup packet, the sound of the pencil sharpener whirring as we try to explain an important concept. These are the sights and sounds of an elementary school and I can't wait to see all of those little faces, freckled from the beach or too many hours outside, smiling up at me as they march down the hallway. While I've certainly enjoyed the time spent with my two little smiling faces at home, I've missed my other children oh so much and I can't wait to hear how their summers have been.

These smiley, precious faces are on their way back to school soon.  Are you ready?

As we contemplate those first few days back, we need to reflect on the lessons we learned last school year. We need to consider all of the professional developments we've attended this summer, all of the books we've read, and figure out what we can do to incorporate those important pieces into the puzzle that makes up our school year.  Going back to school is exciting because everything is new, we have the opportunity to make corrections and re-write who we are as instructors.  If we've always done things a certain way and it has left us feeling incomplete, we don't have to do it that way anymore.  There is no routine or procedure set in place--yet--we still have the opportunity to establish what that is going to look like for this set of children. While they are spending these last few fleeting days playing and enjoying the sunshine, we are constructing a framework that will determine so many crucial portions of their futures. It can't be taken lightly.  Our planning, our preparation, or lack there-of, sets the course for the rest of the school year and if we don't take it very seriously, our students' year could be misdirected because of the choices we make now.
That's heavy stuff!  Luckily, we are all professionals who take our jobs very seriously and we are willing to do whatever it takes to insure our students are successful.  So, let's take some time to reflect and really consider what we need to do differently, what can stay the same, and what we need to find out before we ever have one teeny-tiny foot cross the threshold into our classroom. The following is a set of questions designed to get you thinking about last year, reflecting on your teaching skills, and considering what you might need to change.
1) In thinking about the physical layout of my classroom, what really worked for me?  Were students desks placed in a good proximity from each other and the things they needed?  Was everyone able to utilize all of the materials available to them?  Was there ample access to the word wall and classroom library?
2) What about my classroom layout was confusing, messy, or chaotic?  Were there any pieces of furniture constantly in the way? Did students have trouble accessing anything they really needed?  Were students constantly asking for my help with certain items? How could I rearrange furniture or materials so that this isn't a problem anymore?
3) During what types of lessons were my students most often authentically engaged? Did they seem to prefer hands-on activities?  Did they really like technology?  How did they react to my style of direct-teach? When I begin planning for the upcoming school year, how can I incorporate more of these types of activities into my lesson plans? Did I plan ahead by writing higher-level-thinking questions into my lesson plans?  Did children leave my classroom with better knowledge of how to think and problem solve?
4) When did my students tend to check-out or act-up?  Was it during a particular type or types of lessons?  Did I "stand and deliver" too often?  Did my students tend to yell out because they were bored? Did I challenge my higher students often enough with independent studies, differentiated lessons, or projects? Did I make lessons too difficult for my lower students because I didn't differentiate? How can I be better prepared this year so that I can avoid teaching to a classroom of disengaged students? What strategies can I use to re-engage students once I've lost them or prevent those students on the brink from slipping away? What activities could I put in place to create a better sense of community within my classroom?
5) How did I meet the needs of all students through my small group instruction?  Did I do enough differentiation? Did I challenge my high students?  What resources did I do a good job of utilizing last year for small group instruction?  What other resources are available?  How can I insure that students are using their time in small group most effectively?
6) Did I do a good job of using my data to drive my instruction?  How often did I disaggregate data or study data that was disaggregated for me?  Did I have a firm grasp of what I was looking at and if not did I ask appropriate questions?  Do I understand why it is important to use my data to guide my instructional practices?  If not, who can I discuss this with?
7) What types of discussions did my team most often have during planning sessions?  How much time did we spend off-task, if any?  How many of our discussions were truly meaningful?  Did we talk more about the "what" or the "how" of teaching?  What can I do to contribute more to team planning?  What types of conversations would it be most beneficial to have?  What items could we bring to planning to help facilitate better discussion?
8) Did I utilize all of the resources that I had available to me during the last school year? Did I do a good job of asking my teammates for assistance when I needed it? Did I rely on my team leader to help me when I wasn't sure what to do? What kinds of conversations did I have with other staff members who also teach my students, such as special education teachers, dyslexia teachers, reading coaches?  Did I meet frequently with specialists, such as Academic Coaches or Master Teachers, to talk about my lessons and how I can improve my instructional practice? Did I discuss areas where I can grow with my administrator and ask for advice about workshops to attend or literature to read?
9) How was my communication with parents?  Was my newsletter effective or was it just something I checked-off on a list of "things-to-do"?  Did I call parents for good behavior as well as to discuss problems?  Were we able to work together to problem solve or were we often defensive?  What could I do differently to create stronger bonds with parents and work more effectively?
10) What steps did I take to create lasting relationships with my students? Did I greet them all warmly each morning? Did I take an interest in their lives outside of school?  Did I have meaningful conversations with them about non-academic subject matter? Did I instill morals and values in each of them? Did I teach them to love learning and to always strive to learn more? Would they say they had a great year and that they learned a lot or were they happy to be rid of me at the end of the year?  How can I work towards building better relationships with my students this year?
As you read over this extensive list of questions, there may have been one or two that really stood out to you.  Of course, you could take the time to sit and reflect on all of them, but that would be very time consuming.  If you noticed a question or a set of questions that really stuck out in your mind, chances are, there is some room for growth on this particular topic.  I suggest you actually take out a pencil and paper and write down your answers to these questions.  Taking the time to write out your answers will help you reflect in a more meaningful way then simply thinking about it.  Through reflection, we make discoveries about ourselves that lead us towards being even better at what we do.  If you don't have the answers, reflection can help you realize this as well, and it can guide you to the person or people who can help you find the right answers.  I think many teachers are under the impression that they have to be perfect and that's unfortunate because it's only through embracing our areas of difficulty that we can truly grow and become stronger, better teachers.  Take the time to reflect, to think, to plan, to build a strong foundation and framework. Those cute little smiling faces will thank you for it later.  They might have sticky hands, but they also have warm hugs, and warm hugs trump sticky hands any day.

What Does Last Year's Data Mean for This Year's Kids?

Yesterday, I spent about 3 hours working on disaggregating end of year data to give to our staff.  I'm placing students reading scores on a scatter graph and also charting the difference between the middle-of-year scores and end-of-year scores so that teachers can see movement.  I'm also giving them over-all data, like how many average points each student has changed, what their over-all class average was on this assessment, etc.  As I am working on it, I am thinking, "This is really important and could be critical to our students' learning for next year. I wonder if everyone will understand why."
Some teachers might think, "Oh, well, that's last year's stuff. Those kids are gone.  I don't need to look at that."  But you do--for lots of reasons--but here are the two main reasons.
1) This data tells you where your strengths and weaknesses are as a teacher.
2) The data on the students you will be getting tells you where you need to start with your new class.
Let's look at these reasons a little bit more closely.
As teachers--as humans--we all have areas where we need to grow.  If you see that the majority of your class seems to be struggling in one or two areas, that's probably more attributable to you as a teacher rather than all of them as individual students. We can even look at this in  broad areas, such as fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. If you have a classroom full of speedy readers, congrats, you are awesome at teaching fluency!  I would like to tap into your knowledge of teaching fluency and work with you to help others improve in that area!  However, if you notice most of your kiddos are struggling in the area of comprehension then we need to work on that.  Luckily, you are not alone, for I am here to help you with that! So is the rest of your team and your administrators.  Isn't that awesome?  Chances are you have some strengths that you can share with the rest of us as well.  This is where that amazing buzz-word "collaboration" comes in.  You see, we don't need an administrator to come in, look at your scores and say to you, "You have got to improve in your ability to teach comprehension. Here are a list of workshops you need to go to. I will come in and watch you 45 times in the next three weeks to make sure you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing," etc. (That is not how my administrators roll, by the way, but y'all know what I'm talking about!) If you know your data before anyone else does, then working toward correcting the areas where you are struggling is in your hands and no one else's.  It leaves you open to be the conversation starter.  You can approach your team and say, "How are y'all teaching comprehension?  What specific types of questions are you asking? Does anyone have a great lesson for main idea?" etc.  We could get a lot more specific and look at student expectations one by one and see exactly where we need to work harder, but for the sake of this post, I think you get the idea. If you are really looking at your own data, more so than anyone else, then you will always be prepared to answer any questions that may be thrown your way.  Better yet, you will constantly be improving in those areas if you recognize that you need to.  The bottom line is, when one or two kids don't get it, that may be their fault. When the whole class doesn't get it, point the finger back at yourself because there are some changes that need to be made (assuming there's nothing wrong with the test or the way the questions were asked, etc.)  You aren't alone though and I, for one, am always happy to help teachers find resources, people to observe, books to read, etc. that will help them grow in areas where it is needed.
Let's talk about the second reason  why you need to look at last year's data.  This data has some really specific information about your new students.  Do I really expect you to take the time to look through the scores of every single one of your new kiddos?  Absolutely! Do I realize how much time that might take?  Absolutely! I always--always--looked at whatever data was available to me and made it my mission to know as much about each student as possible before school even started.  The second I knew my class list, I was in the cumulative folder closet looking at those files. If we had portfolios, even better.  Why?  This is my starting point. I'm going to forego the argument that kids lose ground over summer.  Of course they do (so do I!) but I am looking at the potential starting point--where I know they should be--soon--so that I know where we need to work and where I can help them excel.  This is critical.  If you can't get your hands on last year's data, start asking everyone you can. Last year's teacher, an instructional specialist, admin, the school secretary, whomever may have that information because it is critical to you.  You don't want to find out two months into school that the shy boy in the back is actually reading three grade levels ahead because you've just wasted two months of his time.  Likewise, you don't want to find out that you have a potential special education student that no one told you about or that Johnny is supposed to be getting ESL services but no one told your or that Sally is at-risk because she repeated kindergarten.  Is someone supposed to tell you those things?  Sure!  Does it always happen? No!  Whose ultimately responsible for these kids?  You! So get in there and make it happen.
Here's a little story to go along with my point.  My third year as a teacher, I switched school districts to Cypress-Fairbanks ISD outside of Houston and I was teaching first grade at Owens Elementary school.  Lovely campus, wonderful staff.  I didn't know a single child on the campus and I knew it was critical that I knew my kids.  Cy-Fair schools put pictures of the students inside their cumulative folders.  As soon as the principal handed out the class lists, I went into the records room, memorized names and faces and any other information I could find out about these kiddos. On Meet the Teacher night, the parents were amazed.  I knew all of the kids as they walked in the room.  I greeted them by name, shook their hands, made them feel welcome right from the beginning.  They were all apprehensive because I was new there and they didn't know me at all from the year before. This set both the students and their parents at ease. The parents were amazed.  One mom said, "How did you know who my daughter was?"  I told her I had looked at their folders because I was so excited to meet them.  From that point on this mother, and many others, new their children were safe, they were going to learn a lot, and they were with a teacher who cared about them immensely  because I took the time to know them. Wouldn't that be an amazing way to start your year off as well?
Know your students and you will know exactly what they need to learn just in time.  Find out this information from last year's data. It's critical to making sure you are at your best as a teacher and that your students are at their best as well. Besides, who needs to sit on the beach and sip a nice cold drink when you can be pouring through data like me, right? Hello?  Anyone? Anyone?

So, This is Summer. . . .

Every year, on the first day of summer vacation, I wake up confused, look around, realize the sun is up, momentarily think I am late, remember that I'm not, and attempt to go back to sleep.  Just about the time I am finally successful, either a child or a dog jumps on my bed and reminds me that, even though it's summer vacation, there's still lots of work to be done.
So, what will you be doing with your summer vacation?
I still have a ton of data to disaggregate
A guided reading library to re-build
Summer training to write
Beginning of the year training to write
A little girl who needs to practice reading every day
And of course I am thinking about how to decorate my classroom this time around
That's a lot to do for someone who is "off" for a couple of months.
The thing is, lots of people think that teachers are so lucky because they have the whole summer off, but we don't really have very long off at all and most of that time we spend working. I have a professional development to attend this Thursday.  That's three days with the fam and  then back to work for 8 hours--for free, mind you.
I'm not complaining--I signed up to go because I want to go, not because I have to.  But, my point is, teachers are almost always working, even when we're by the pool. We're thinking about our kids, this year's, next year's, every year's. We're thinking about what we can do better next time and new things we want to try.  While it is nice that we don't have to drive in to work every day at the crack of dawn for a few weeks, we are not sitting around eating Bon Bon's and watching television (much!).  Most of us are still working, a lot of the time.  While I'm not exactly sure that anyone ever actually got three months off, we certainly don't get that off now.  It's already the second week of June and we go back the second week of August, so that's two months at best.  People who say we get three months off exaggerate a bit, I'm afraid.
But I'm fine with not getting three months off. I'm ready to go back after about three weeks.  Why?  Because I love my job. I miss the kids. I miss the adults.  I miss having responsibilities other than the normal household stuff I have to do year round anyway.  I love the challenge of the new school year. My principal mentioned the other day, we work in one of the only professions that has built-in "do-overs."  That's not exactly what she said, her take was more eloquent, but you get the picture.  Don't like the way something went last year, guess what?  You get to start all over in a couple of months and try again.  That's awesome.
Teaching is exciting and rewarding. It's challenging and exhausting and it's the only profession where you still get to have recess everyday. It may also be the only profession where you can run down the hall and grab a ketchup packet if you forget yours at lunch, but with the unusual and crazy comes the amazing wonder of seeing a child learn a concept for the first time.
The guy who said the three best things about teaching are June, July, and August got the August part right, that's for sure.
I will continue to post from time to time over the summer but if you are too busy enjoying your family, sleeping in, spending time at the beach, and watching the sunset to read, that's okay. I'll be here when we go back in the "fall."
Take care!

TCEA Proposal

This blog was actually born in Austin at TCEA 2013.  I'd been considering starting an educational blog for several months and it was when I was away from my family, surrounded by colleagues, and tons of tech that I decided to go ahead and make it a reality.  For TCEA 2014, I am submitting a proposal for a presentation on blogging. I'm still not completely tied down to exactly what all that presentation would include but I am thinking my major focus would be on how to disseminate information and start discussion through blogging.  As an instructional support person in my district, I have found this blog very effective for both of these purposes.  I work in a fairly small district but it is always refreshing to hear someone from another campus (and my own!) say they read one of my posts and that it was helpful to them.  Also, as an aspiring administrator, I feel that this blog can be a great resource for potential interview committees in my future.  I know that there are other teacher-leaders out there who have a lot of knowledge that they would like to share and I feel that blogging is one way to let others know what is working, what we are reading about, the great things that are happening in our classrooms or in classrooms we have visited, and what trends we are seeing in education.  I would also cover how to use blogs as a classroom teacher and some of the basics for getting your blog started.  I would love to hear your opinions as to whether or not you think this type of presentation would be beneficial.Please feel free to leave a comment--yay or nay!
I have been getting a lot of anonymous comments lately and those are always welcome.  I would love it, however, if more of you felt comfortable enough to leave your names with your comments. I think this could be a great place for us to start some discussions. If you read something and you love it, please let me know.  If you read something and you think I'm way off, I'd like to hear that, too!   Summer is coming up and we know we will all be thinking about next year. What are you planning on doing differently?

Figure 19 is A Killer!

Maybe I've been watching too many court shows, but whenever I hear an educator refer to Figure 19, I immediately think of a lawyer submitting evidence in a court case.  "Your Honor, as evidence of our students' lack of metacognitive reading skills, I submit Figure 19." For those of you who do not fall in the category of Texas Reading Teacher, Figure 19 is basically a combination of every higher-level comprehension skill all rolled in to one student expectation or TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills).  It covers everything from author's purpose to inferring to summarizing and making connections.  There's so much packed into this one little gem that we actually have sub-skills broken down into parts A-F.  Though all of Figure 19's goonies are a rough crowd, the real mob bosses are Figure 19 D (inferences) and Figure 19 E (summarizing.) Both of these characters are relentless when it comes to chopping our kids tests scores on state assessments and we need to find a way to get them in check right from the very beginning.

Figure 19 is guilty of murdering our test scores!

It is extremely difficult to teach students how to infer.  Summarizing seems like it would be a bit easier but the way the questions on the state assessment (STAAR) are written, these are actually very tricky questions as well.  We cannot assume that our students know how to do any of these things. We have to explicitly teach the steps for each skill and break them down as much as possible.  We have to practice a lot. But most importantly, we have to teach our students how to think.

How do we do that?  Well, in my opinion, it starts with a very real discussion about metacognition, a term so foreign, my spell-check is telling me that's not a word.  But it is a word, an important one.  Kids need to be aware of their thoughts.  They need to understand the process we go through when we are thinking, particularly, in this case, when we are thinking about reading, and they need to know how to use their own thoughts to determine what others are thinking--such as an author or another student in their class.  This is complicated stuff!  To complicate it even more, we need to start these discussions in kindergarten, or sooner, in order to ensure our students have enough practice before they reach the all important third grade state assessment. State assessments are just a measurement of what the student already knows and we can all agree that these are skills we all need as adults, so if our children do well in these areas on assessments, we can rest assured they are prepared to use these skills in everyday life.

In order to teach metacognitive skills, particularly to little ones, I begin with a lesson about elephants. You may have heard this one before, but perhaps not in the same light. I tell them to think about elephants and I give them lots of scenarios to consider--elephants on skateboards, elephants playing guitar, elephants with big floppy hats on.  Then, I tell them, "In just a few seconds, I'm going to tell you that you may not think of elephants for 10 seconds.  You may not think about elephants on skateboards or with hats on.  You may not think about elephants playing guitar.  It will be difficult because you are going to want to think about elephants.  But you cannot think about elephants. Ready, set, go!"  Then, I count to ten in my head and ask them what they were thinking about. Most of them will say elephants but a few will try to pretend that they were thinking about something else.  I explain that I was trying not to think about elephants, but that as soon as I started to think about something else, I remembered not to think about elephants, and the next thing I knew, I had an elephant creeping into my mind.  They all laugh and beg to try again.  Why?  Because it is a challenge, it's fun and silly.  Kids like that stuff.  But the real important part of the lesson comes next.  We talk about how they were paying attention to what they were thinking about.  We talk about seeing pictures in our mind and what was happening when an elephant would try to sneak his way in to that picture.  I tell them, "This is called metacognition.  It means thinking about your thinking. It is very important to pay attention to what is going on inside of your brain when you are reading a book or listening to someone talk because we need to know what we are thinking about in order to  grow our brains and think even deeper."  

Don't think about elephants!

Over time, kids start to understand this. They model the language that we use.  When reading aloud, good teachers pause and say things like, "Do you know what I'm thinking?"  or "I'm imaging. . . ."  They describe the movie they are making in their mind. They ask the questions kids don't even know to ask. They wonder about characters' feelings and motivation. Eventually, you will hear their little voices echoing your own phrases.  This is like magic! They will start asking those questions we've always wanted to hear come out of their little mouths. "Why did the Hungry Caterpillar eat all that yucky food? Didn't he know it was going to make his tummy hurt?" That leads to answers from other kids! "Maybe he ate it because his mom didn't tell him he couldn't.  I would eat lots of junk food,  too, if my mom didn't stop me."  Real world connections, inferences, predictions--if you model it, they will get it!

The bottom line is, we cannot ask "knowledge" and "understand" level questions and expect to grow "analyze" and "synthesize" level kids. It isn't going to happen. Our classrooms need to be Think Tanks in the sense that there's a whole lot of thinking going on in there.  We no longer have the luxury of saying kids "learn to read" in K-2 and "read to learn" in 3-12.  We have got to teach them to read to learn from the very beginning.  These skills go hand-in-hand, we can teach them simultaneously.  It will take more preparation on our part. We must think of better questions than, "What color was the caterpillar?" but we can do that because we are amazing at what we do! It's our job to curtail feisty Figure 19 and keep our kiddo's test scores--and their brains!--out of harms way.

I would love to hear about your metacognitive skills lessons!  If you leave a comment as anonymous,  for some reason, those are not showing up.  I've checked that my settings say anonymous comments are welcome but it's not working so please use a name--even if  it's fake!

What Does Community Mean to You?

As the school year winds down, we start to have visions of beaches, pools, lounge chairs--lesson plans, classroom management techniques, and bulletin board decorations. After all, let's face it, we're teachers.  We may be sitting on the beach but chances are, we are thinking about next year all ready.  And the bell hasn't even rang for the final time this year yet.
It's been about a year since I took the position of Reading Specialist at NeSmith Elementary in Community ISD.  When I stop and reflect on where I was one year ago, I am reminded of how thankful and grateful I was--I am--to have the opportunity to come to work here each day, with this amazing faculty and these wonderful children.  There were a lot of factors that influenced my decision to make a professional change, but the bottom line is, I wasn't happy at the school I was at before.  The climate was terrible. We did our best to encourage each other and have fun--but there was a cloud of doom and gloom hanging over us.
Here, it isn't like that. Sure, there are Debbie Downers everywhere you go. People have bad days.  We get tired and sick.  But the vast majority of us come to work every day with a smile on our face. It isn't a stretch to plaster one on to greet someone in the hallway. You say "Hi!" to your co-workers with enthusiasm because you are genuinely happy to see them. We work together, we problem solve, we step in and help when we see someone else that needs it.  We don't knit-pick each other or try to bring each other down.  Admin believes in us, trusts us, encourages us to use our strengths. It's an amazing feeling to know that every time I work hard on a project, not only are people going to notice and appreciate it, they are going to tell me that I am awesome. I need to hear that I am awesome frequently or else I lose some of my awesomeness!  I get to hear that here, and I like it. It makes me tell other people how awesome they are!
Like every campus, we can continue to work on our school climate, every campus can.  On days like today, however, I am reminded of how lucky I am to get to come to a job everyday where I am valued.  I get to work with little minds that are open and receptive. I get to work with teachers who are eager to learn and grow.  It's a privilege I am very thankful for.
We have done some amazing things this year. Next year is going to be even better.  Sadly, we have some staff members moving on to other things but we also have some amazing educators joining us, including an incredible teacher I taught with for many years. I can't wait to hear all of her brilliant ideas. She will also be thankful to be here and that is contagious.
There is a reason we are called Community ISD. Community isn't a place, it's a vision, an idea, a feeling.  We are Community because we all come together, we lift each other up, we support each other, we are a team.  You can't find Community, Texas on a map because it exists in the hearts of those who belong here.  We are Community.  I hope that you are blessed to have a community as well.

The Mathematics Behind a Bathroom Break

As a classroom teacher, I never took whole class bathroom breaks.  I never had time! Whenever I heard other teachers talking about how they stopped at the bathroom on the way to or from lunch or specials, I thought, "How do you have time for that?" I would actually look at my schedule and what I would be doing while the other class was at the bathroom. I couldn't possibly miss (insert important activity here) to go sit outside of the  bathroom!  I asked, "How are they doing it?" But perhaps more importantly, I have to ask, "Why are they doing it?"
Most people, by the time they reach the age of three or four, know when they have to go to the bathroom.  Therefore, by the time a child reaches kindergarten, they should know if they have to go. I know there are a few exceptions to this but not many.  Keep in mind I taught kindergarten for four years (without full-class bathroom breaks!) So, when I see classes in other grade-levels taking bathroom breaks, it makes me ask the following questions:
What are the other students doing while everyone else is going to the restroom?
What could the whole class be doing instead of sitting outside of the restroom?
How much instructional time is being missed because students are sitting outside of a bathroom?

The answer to the first question is usually nothing.  Nothing. They are usually just sitting there.  Sometimes teachers let them take books or they quiz them on materials they have recently learned in class.  But most of the time the teacher is trying to manage whose turn it is and what the other students are doing (a.k.a. no talking in the hallway!) and so he or she doesn't get to spend a lot of time giving said quizzes. This leaves about 20 kids sitting in the hall while someone else is using the facilities.

What could they be doing instead?  Lots of things! We always say we never have enough time to cover everything, to squeeze all the materials in.  We could recover that time and use it for an extra station rotation, another guided reading group, more time to work on a project or to read a story.  There are infinite ways that we could better spend our time rather than sitting or standing in the hallway outside of a bathroom.

How much time does it actually take for a whole class bathroom break? Well, let's say for our purposes it takes 10 minutes.  That is probably conservative, but let's go with it. Most classes that take whole class bathroom breaks do it twice a day.  So we'll say it's just 20 minutes a day.  If we factored in transitions and all of those things, it's probably more, but we'll say 20 minutes. So, in a week, that's 100 minutes, or over an hour-and-a-half.  In a month, that's 6 hours.  In a nine month long school year, that's about 54 hours of time our students have spent waiting to use the bathroom.  That's over 7 days of instruction.  And remember, this was our conservative estimate of time. If we take that number up to 15 minutes per bathroom break, or 30 minutes a day, that's two and-a-half hours per week, 10 hours per month, 90 hours per year, or almost 13 instructional days.

I know I will ruffle some feathers with this post, but I'm willing to do so to make my point.  Can we afford to spend from 7 to 13 days standing outside of a bathroom? The students in my homeroom classes certainly couldn't.  I needed every minute I could find to teach them everything they needed to know.

So, what could we do instead?  A lot of kindergarten and first grade classrooms have bathrooms in the room.  Even if you don't have a bathroom attached to your classroom, you still have an alternative to whole class bathroom breaks.  When I was in the classroom, my class had two times a day when we rotated through bathroom breaks.  One was earlier in the morning during Daily 5 and one was in the afternoon during math stations.  The children had an order that they would always go in while everyone else continued to work in their stations. When a child returned from the restroom, they told the next student it was there turn to go.  If that student didn't need to go, they told the next person. I encouraged them to always try but I didn't make them go.  If someone needed to go at a different time, they could ask permission to do so. Our bathroom rotation time was before specials so the students weren't asking to go during PE or music.  Rarely did I have a student ask to go at a different time and even more rarely was there a break down in the rotation where someone forgot to tell the next person.  Even with five-year-olds, this works.

If your class is taking whole group bathroom breaks, ask yourself why.  Is it something you have to do?  Could you change it?  Why did you start doing it in the first place? I know a lot of fabulous teachers who still give whole group bathroom breaks and I just have to wonder if they've considered doing it differently or if they just do it because that's the way they were told to do it and they never thought about doing it differently.  It is something to consider. . . . Thoughts?

Enough

As classroom teachers, we often ask ourselves, "Have I done enough?"
Do my students know enough to . . . .
Be successful on end-of-year assessments?
Explain what we have learned this year in each subject?
Retain informaiton over the summer?
Read any on-grade level text?
Walk into the classroom next fall knowing they will be successful?

For me,  it wasn't just about my students knowing "enough."  I wanted to get them so far ahead of where they needed to be that they could not possibly fail this year--or next year. This didn't happen for every single student every year, but it happened for the vast majority of them. I always told parents, "I don't teach kindergarten (or first grade or third grade) I teach students. I will teach your child as much as I possibly can this year. If your child already knows the entire curriculum by February, then I will extend his or her learning." I didn't usually use a pacing guide because my students were the pacing guide.  If they had mastered the curriculum, we moved on.  If we needed more time, we used it.  Most of the time, all but a few of my students were reading well into the next grade-level or beyond because I continued to push them and challenge them.  The few that lagged behind got extra time with me and we worked until they learned everything they could in one year.

My point in saying this is, don't settle for "enough."  Keep pushing forward.  You have children in your classroom that need to be challenged and you have some time left this year to teach them something more.  We know that the sand in the glass is about to run out.  Most of them (in elementary!) do not.  Keep teaching, keep fighting, keep inspiring, keep challenging.  Enough just isn't enough.

Do You Hiaku?

I started working with a 1st grade extension group a couple of weeks ago.  (We call them an extension group because they have mastered the curriculum their teacher is currently teaching to the other studnents and their learning needs to be expanded upon!) We just completed a project about animal senses.  We read a book that discussed various unique or unusual senses from several animal species.  The students did additional research on their animals.  They each asked three questions pertaining to the information they had already gathered and then looked on-line to find the answers.  They used an iPad app called Haiku Deck to organize their information and present it to each other and the rest of their class.  This project was relatively quick, informative, and a lot of fun.  It gave the students the opportunity to work fairly independently but still collaborate with each other and with me when they needed assistance.  It also allowed them to integrate technology into their research project.
I think my favorite part about the entire project was when I utilized students from our 1st grade technology class to instruct the students in my group on how to use Haiku Deck.  My campus is lucky enough to have a 1st grade class that has been using iPads at a 1:1 ration all year.  These students are technology experts!  I asked their teacher, Mrs. Russell, if I could borrow four of her digital natives to explain the app to my students and help them set up their Haiku Deck. It literally took less than 15 minutes before I started hearing, "We're done!"  Of course, we had some editing to do (and that still did not get perfected, but it is 1st grade, so what are you gonna do!) and some revisions but they were actually done very quickly. The end result looks pretty amazing, too, as you can see for yourself if you follow the links below!
What are your favorit apps for presentations?

Fish Facts Haiku Deck

Celine and Cade's Fish Facts
Emma and Sienna's Animal Sensors
Karlee and Leah's Chameleon's
Izaiah and Jolee's Ibis

Tips for Engaging Your Students

A few years ago I was lucky enough to spend two staff development days at trainings by Eric Jensen.  If you ever have the opportunity to listen to Jensen speak, I highly suggest you go.  I know you can gather a lot from reading his books and from his website but actually listening to him present is even more powerful.  He radiates positive energy, keeps his audience engaged, and incorporates so many of his strategies into his presentation that you leave feeling  you can totally rock student engagement.

Much of Jensen's work has to do with brain research and states of mind

With two full days of slides and notes, it would be impossible for me to incorporate every single thing he covered into one post but I hope to incorporate some of the strategies I learned from Jensen into future posts.  Today, I want to talk specifically about ways teachers can help students to feel that they are in a safe environment in the classroom and to, therefore, feel more engaged and likely to participate. Jensen gives some very simple examples of the types of questions to ask and the way to respond when students answer questions, even if the answers are incorrect, that leaves students feeling positive and motivated to continue learning.
Through out Jensen's presentations, he uses prompts to keep the audience engaged and involved in what's going on. There are lots of partner and group activities.  He had us saying things like, "You're my partner!" and pointing at people and then thanking them for being our partner.  Or proclaiming, "Let's do it!" before we started a task. Little things like this keep people in a good mood, force you to pay attention, and make activities more fun.  We were patting our heads or putting our fingers on our noses to show we agreed or understood. I still find myself asking kids to signal their understanding in some goofy way because it's just more fun than the usual "nod your head" or "thumbs up/thumbs down." I also ask them to repeat things or say, "That's me!" or "I got mine!" They really like it and it's more fun that way!
Most of Jensen's research has to do with how the brain works and different ways we can capture students' attention.  He talks a lot about changing the students' state before we can activate their learning. Again, that's way too much to go into in this particular post but it really is fascinating information and it's very important for teachers to know as well. It's much more difficult to teach a student when their brain is in a state resistant to learning than it is when they are ready to learn.
Here are 5 quick strategies for encouraging participation you can begin using in your classroom today.
1) "Nudge" students for engagement.  Have your students repeat a phrase, such as, "Let's do it!"  or tell their partner, "Great job!" If you are lecturing, say things like, "Write this down, even if it's the only thing you write down all day."
2) Use social prompts. Ask your students to identify members of the group that they feel fit certain descriptions, such as "identify the one who has laughed the most" or is "the tallest."  This promotes team building and good will between group members, assuming the prompts are all nice and polite.
3) Allow students to use the phrase, "I don't know, but I'd like to know" if you ask them a question and they aren't sure what the answer is. Also allow them to guess if they're not sure and respond with, "I appreciate you jumping in," or "thank you for participating" instead of telling them they are wrong. Let them know it's okay to be wrong or not to know the answer so they won't be afraid to try.
4) Provide opportunities for movement.  Allowing students to move actually starts a chemical change in the brain and will lead to a more engaged state.  One idea you can use to easily incorporate this into your classroom is to simply form two lines and have the students walk around while listing, naming, or discussing items from a particular topic.  You can also just take brain breaks and have them do some cross-over movements, where they are touching parts of their bodies across their lateral points (left hand right knee, etc.)  Another great idea is to simply say, "Touch two circles and then find a partner and answer this question."  Simple, fun, easy, great for the brain.
5) Use compelling questions. The more interesting your questions are, the more likely your students are to want to answer them.  For example, instead of asking students to list facts explaining why Lincoln was a good president, ask them, "Why do we continue to talk about Lincoln's presidency 150 years after his death?" You will get the same information but the second question is more engaging. It's not a boring list, it's a conversation starter.
Above all else, always be positive. Continue to use phrases such as, "Love the effort,"  "Thanks for giving it a try,"  "Use a lifeline," all of these statements encourage students to stay involved.
For more information about Eric Jensen, please click here.
What other ideas do you have for making the classroom more fun and engaging?

The Sheriff's In Town: An Idea for Managing Kids in Large Groups

One of my daily duties is supervising lunch for one of our grade-levels.  Earlier in the year, I must admit, I was at my wits-end trying to figure out how to turn what could potentially be a fairly chaotic, unstructured time into an organized, pleasurable, relaxing time with friends.  There are two or three other staff members who have this duty at the same time that I do and we have tried several things to take it down a notch and make it as structured as lunch time can be without taking all of the fun out of it.  One thing that we implemented recently that seems to be working is The Sheriff.
For several months, I found myself trying to control about 120 little bodies when it was time to leave the cafeteria. Many of them could handle this just fine but there were enough runners, screamers, chasers, and ninjas that it took a lot of effort on my part to keep everyone in a line without anyone slipping and falling or playing too rough and hurting someone else.  It occurred to me one day that I was doing more work than I should be.  There were enough students in that line who could model good behavior, I didn't need to be doing all of the work myself.  I remembered I had cut out some golden, glittery stars for a project earlier in the year and I decided to put them to good use.  I chose a Sheriff from each class and asked them to patrol their line.  If a  student is talking, they get a warning, and then The Sheriff tells me and the rule-breaker gets a consequence.  Though it isn't perfect, it's been working and I'm hoping we can keep using it for the rest of the school year.
There are a couple of reasons why I think it works.  First of all, the consequence is a whopper.  Most of the time, it's lunch by yourself the next day, something I call Lonely Lunch.  If you earn Lonely Lunch, you're still in the cafeteria, you just have to sit at a table where the students are more spread out and they aren't allowed to talk. I know it might sound mean but it is a deterrent.  Secondly, kids know if they are quiet, they might get to be The Sheriff the next day.  Everyone wants to be The Sheriff.  Who doesn't want to be the one left in charge while the teacher is away? Most students will work to earn a reward that involves authority, recognition, and tattling.
But that has also created a little bit of a problem. I've had to be careful of the tattling. One has to know the students well enough to know if a Sheriff is just naming students they aren't particularly fond of.  I also have to be leery of Sheriff's who ignore their friends when they are breaking the rules.
Kids like novelty, they like props, and they like being in charge.  So far, this is working. Hopefully, it won't wear off and we'll be able to see it through the end of the year.  What ideas do you have for managing students in large numbers?

I bought a sheet of pre-glittered gold paper at Michael's for about $2 and cut the stars out from that. Pretty simple!

Light it Up Blue!

Today is National Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness month.  In support of everyone on the spectrum, please show your support by wearing blue or doing something "blue" with your family.  For example, frost blue cupcakes, pick some blue flowers, put a blue light bulb in your porch light and leave it on this evening.  Your support is much appreciated by everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the family, friends, teachers, and others who love some one with autism.

From the time my oldest daughter was 2, it was suspected that she might have autism.  We have walked the path of therapy, research, anxiety, blame, despair, evaluation after evaluation, so I know quite well how other parents with children who have special needs feel.  After a full individual evaluation, it was determined that Imma does not meet the criteria for an autism diagnosis at this time and in fact, she is doing tremendously well now and most likely never will fit that criteria. Nevertheless, she is a special needs child and I can certainly identify with parents who are in the process of having their child evaluated or who have received a diagnosis of autism.  It is not an easy journey by any means and these parents, like the parents of all children with special needs, sincerely need the support of the entire community. If you know a family with a special needs child, please consider finding a way to assist that family. Even if it's just bringing by a pizza or some groceries, taking the time to stay with the child while the parents go out, or bringing by something you know the child likes, your small act of kindness will mean so much.

My daughter at 2 1/2, just as we were beginning the journey toward evaluation

I have a personal blog where I've talked at great lengths about our journey.  You can find that blog here if you'd like to read more. I have spoken to many parents, teachers, grandparents, and family friends who have concerns about children and they are not sure what to do.  My best advice is to encourage parents to speak to their pediatricians if you suspect there may be some symptoms of autism present.  If you are a parent and you are having some concerns about your own child, a simple visit to the doctor can either relieve your fears or put you on a path toward diagnosis and treatment. Early detection is so critically important.  Trust me, ignoring symptoms or explaining them away will not help your child.  Only the experts can do that.
Early signs of autism can include, but are not limited to:
speech delays
regression in speech
lack of social awareness
repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or arm flapping
repetitive activities, such as sorting toys or lining them up
lack of eye contact
For my family, it was a regression in speech coupled with changes in social behavior and a lack of awareness that caused us to speak to our pediatrician.  Imma received therapy through Early Childhood Intervention and attended two years of the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities before starting kindergarten this year.  She also received outside speech and occupational therapy.  She continues to have speech services through our school district as well as support from a special education teacher.  Imma is extremely intelligent but struggles with language processing and some sensory integration.  Though we do not believe she has autism, these disorders can look very similar to autism and only trained experts can determine exactly what is causing the differences.  This is why it is critical to speak to a pediatrician as soon as one notices early signs of  developmental differences.
There are many sources of information about autism online but my favorite website is Autism Speaks.  It is extremely user friendly and straightforward. If you have questions or need resources, I strongly suggest you visit this website.
1 in 88 children is now diagnosed with autism.  Chances are, if you're an educator, you know several children on the autism spectrum.  If you haven't done so, please take some time to get to know these amazing children.  Thank their teachers.  Encourage their parents.  Awareness means doing what we can to make a difference and today is the day to do just that. Light it up blue!

Reading A-Z is an Awesome Resource

It's late in the school year and you may have already used the majority of your guided reading books. I recommend you look into Reading A-Z.  They have a huge selection of leveled readers and other resources and a year's subscription is only about $80.  Some schools can even reimburse you, or you could post a listing on Donor's Choose. I love using Reading A-Z books because there is so much to choose from and the topics are interesting to students.
Today, I had a group of second graders reading the book pictured below, "Gaggle, Herd and Murder."  I used it to work on fluency, decoding, and comprehension.  We reviewed --er, --ir, and --ur, as well as talking about vocabulary and multiple meaning words, like the word "murder."  The kids loved it because it had neat vocabulary, like "murder" and "smack" and it also talked about animals. It was a great way to work on the skills we really need to focus on and touch on a lot of other skills as well.

Leveled readers from Reading A-Z

I do have to share a couple of incidents that were quite humorous.  One of my students kept misreading "crows" as "cows."  "Cows travel in a group called a murder."  I could just see the Chick-fil-a cows dressed lika a band of marauders.  Another student said, "Wouldn't it be funny if those were cows in the tree instead of crows?"  Too cute!
Also, another student consistently misread the word "wolves" as "werewolves."  He did not understand that one was an actual animal and the other was a fictional creature.  This is why I love teaching! The kids are so much fun!
What are your favorite resources for great leveled readers?

Boosterthon FunRun Update!

Today was an exciting day at NeSmith Elementary.  The students participated in the Boosterthon FunRun.  Students from McClendon Elementary were also bused over to participate.  Everyone had so much fun. Boosterthon staff members made it so much exciting for the kids.  They played great music, danced, ran with the kids, and inspired the kids to keep going.  This fundraiser was a huge success, with our two campuses raising thousands of dollars to be used toward technology.  The Boosterthon team also brought us lots of character trait support, incluidng some awesome music videos. Overall, I would say this was one of the most successful fundraisers I've ever participated in, and it was probably also the most fun.
They also gave us one more night to collect pledges so if you haven't donated but you'd like to, please click here.  Your donation is greatly appreciated.
If your campus is looking in to new ideas for fundraisers, I recommend you visit Boosterthon's home page and see what they are all about.  It really was a rewarding experience for all of us.

My little runner, Imma

Imma completed 30 laps!

Reflection and Flexibility

A friend once told me that I think so far outside of the box, it's difficult for other people to see what I'm talking about because they can't see that far--the sides of the box are in the way. I think she was joking but I understand her point. Sometimes it is difficult to execute a plan when others can't always envision what we are talking about.  This late in the year, it is often easy to say, "I'll wait and change that next year."  My question to you is, "Why? If something isn't working, why would you wait to change it?  Change it now." In education, we are always asked to be flexible and we do a really good job of bending all sorts of ways to accommodate lots of people--students, parents, other teachers, administrators.  Are you being this flexible with yourself?  Here are some questions to ask yourself. If you take time to reflect on the answers to these questions, you might just find yourself way outside of the box as well.
1. What is working in my classroom?
2. What evidence is there to support the fact that it is working?
3. What is it about the way this process is executed that makes it work?
4.  Do I need to do any tweaking to make it even better?
5. What is not working in my classroom?
6. How do I know it isn't working?
7. Why isn't it working?
8. What would it look like if it was working?
9. Whose responsibility is it to change it so that it works?
10. What is preventing me from making those changes now?

What side of the box are you on?

These questions don't come from any leadership guru or educational genius. They come from me.  They are not a sure-fire, researched-based, be-all-and-end-all way to ensure your classroom becomes the Utopia we all strive for.  They are simply some reflective questions which may or may not get you a little closer to sanity, I mean,  a highly-functional, productive classroom.
I find myself often hemmed in by thinking things have to be a certain way, until I stop to question why things were  set up that way to begin with. If you really start tearing down walls and the restraints we have set around ourselves, you start to realize we are missing the solutions to a lot of problems that could potentially save us a lot of stress and problems if we could just see past the barriers.  I can give you an example of this. I worked at a campus where every year there was a struggle with what should come first, lunch or recess.  "Well, if they go to lunch first, they'll hurry through so they can play. But if they go to recess first, their hands will be dirty, etc."  The campus I am at now doesn't have a recess/lunch block at all.  Recess is scheduled at a completely different time. Someone along the way asked the question, "Why do these two things have to go together?  Because they always have?  Nah, let's do it differently."  Now, apply that same thinking to all of the other things we do a certain way just because that's how we do it and you'll see that much of what we do can be done differently--smarter, faster, better.
What areas would you like to improve?  Can you see any barriers you will need to get down?  Are you willing to be more flexible with yourself? Please leave a comment and thanks for reading!

What's the Word?

Just a quick post today, since we are all dreaming about the weekend!
I wanted to discuss word walls and some easy ways you can use them in your classroom to help support reading acquisition skills, writing, and vocabulary in every subject. Most of you probably have at least one word wall in your room.  How are you using them?  Are they a part of your direct teach lessons? Are students using them?  Are they just there?  Hopefully, this post will give you a few ideas for how word walls can be used.
The primary reason we have word walls is so that students can use them as a resource. If your word wall is in an area that is inaccessible to students,  you might consider moving it.  Kids should not only be able to see it, they need to be able to reach it.  They should be able to remove words, use them, and put them back.  I know this makes some elementary teachers cringe because they picture a disheveled word wall where everything is out of order and crooked!  But, that's what I love to see when I come into a classroom.  It shows me that the kids are using the word wall.  Magnetic words or Velcro are perfect because a student can take the word to his or her desk, use it for writing or whatever they need, and then put it back.  When a child actually has the opportunity to touch the word, carry it around a bit, use it, and then return it, they are more likely to own that word.  It really has a great impact on their ability to remember the words.
I also recommend you use it during your guided reading groups. I tell students that, if a word is on the word wall, they are responsible for it. If a student consistently gets stuck on a word in a guided reading book, and that word is on the word wall, I ask the student to go find it.  Again, more ownership.  I say things like, "This is your word.  You have to stick it in your brain so you can find it." We talk about the letters, the sounds, where we see that word and then the child puts it back on the word wall. Periodically, I will ask him or her about their word throughout the day so that they have constant reminders of what that word is, what it looks like, and why it is important.

Word walls should be accessible, kid-friendly, and organized 

There are all sorts of games you can play with the word wall during your literacy block, mini-lesson, small group, direct teach--basically anytime.  You can have students guess what word you are thinking of by giving them clues. You can do word sorts.  Have them sing the word wall.  We would sing, "I can spell "the."  I can spell "the." T-H-E, yes, I can spell "the." This same melody fits with just about any song. For centers, you can have them write the room, including the word wall.  Have them use the words on the word wall to make sentences.  They can take turn with a partner.  Word sorts work great here, too.  Have them take off a few rows and put them back on.  Anything that is engaging will go a long way towards helping them learn those words.
For vocabulary, I suggest a word wall for every subject.  Each time you have a new vocabulary word in science, it goes on the science word wall.  It doesn't have to be alphabetical.  In fact, it often helps if it is by unit. Rely on this word wall during your lessons. Point to it when you're using the word. Have the students create illustrations to go along with the word and hang those up, too.  It's okay to retire words from any word wall once your students don't need them any more but continue to make them accessible by hanging them on a ring or putting them in a basket so students can refer back to them.
Finally, I suggest you create a word wall for each student.  Just use a manila folder.  Each letter has a box and students can fill it in as they go.  Not every student will need every word but if you see that a student is consistently struggling with a word, add it to his or her word wall.  This is extremely helpful during writing when children constantly want to ask you how to spell a word and you are busy conferring with other children.  Write it on a sticky and have them transfer it to their word wall. Easy and effective.
I know there are many more great ways to use a word wall.  What are some of your favorite activities for word walls?

5 Ways an Instructional Coach Can Support You!

Whenever a parent or another adult asks me what I do, I always hesitate.  Most of the time they don't have any idea what a "Reading Specialist" or an "Instructional Specialist" is.  I get all kinds of questions. In fact, I usually just say, "I'm a teacher," and hope they don't ask what grade I teach.  But they usually do and then I have to try to explain, which I don't mind but people still usually don't understand exactly what I do. I can't blame them for not knowing.  I don't think we had any coaches or specialists in my school when I was a kid so they probably didn't either.  Though parents may not necessarily need to know what I do, teachers definitely need to know what a coach does and how coaches and specialists can support them in the classroom.  I have found that not all teachers are really familiar with all of the areas wherecoaches can provide support and many of them don't  ask.  So, this is a quick list of five ways teachers can utilize coaches and specialists to assist them in becoming even stronger teachers.

Like a sports coach, an instructional coach provides feedback and encouragement.

1. Coaches can offer feedback.  I've been teaching for a while now and if there's one thing I know about teachers, most of us are perfectionists.  We don't want to look like we don't know what we are doing and we don't want to be evaluated!  Luckily, coaches know this and they are never in a classroom to evaluate the performance of a teacher.  They can, however, offer some observational data that can be extremely helpful when a teacher is not sure s/he is using the best method to teach a specific skill.  Unlike most professions, we do not have the benefit of watching our colleagues work.  We don't have many opportunities to talk about the "how" of teaching because we are often talking about the "what."  A coach can come into a classroom, observe a lesson, and let a teacher know what went well and what he or she can do to make lessons even more powerful.  This should never be in a critical or judgemental way but in a constructive, positive conversation among colleagues.  If you feel like there is an area where you can improve, ask a coach to come and do an observation.  It's a great way to improve our craft!
2. Coaches can provide resources. This is one area where I feel many teachers do utilize their coaches. Personally, I try to have as many resources, or suggestions for where to look for materials, as possible so that, when a teacher comes to me and says, "How can I teach this?" I have something to give to them or a place to start looking with them.  I always assure them that part of my responsibility is to make sure they have everything they need.  Because I hate  dislike worksheets, I am very good at offering alternative methods of teaching and have collaborated with several teachers and teams of teachers to create lots of project based learning activities.  If you are looking for new and different ideas for covering a particular student expectation, consult with your coach!
3. Coaches are excellent collaborators! If you or your team are trying something new and you want input from an experienced teacher who has had the opportunity to visit lots of classrooms, ask a coach to sit-in.  Most coaches are very good at contributing to conversations without dominating the meeting.  If you want an expert opinion about whether or not a new approach or strategy is going to work, invite your coach to participate in your next team planning meeting.  You may even want to ask them to bring some resources or ideas with them. Or, if you just want someone to bounce ideas off of, coaches are great at that as well.  You should never feel as if an administrator or evaluator is present when your coach is attending your meetings because s/he is a teacher and is there to support you and your team.
4. Coaches can model and co-teach. Like our students, most of us learn best by watching and doing.  If you would like to observe another teacher but you can't leave your classroom, invite your coach to model a lesson for you.  It's a great way to see a fabulous teacher deliver a lesson without having to worry about finding someone to cover your class. Another great way to observe another teacher and still be with your class is to invite a coach to co-teach with you. Coaches love this because we miss teaching! We get to work with your kids and learn from you as well. I've never co-taught a lesson and not walked away with at least one great idea I learned from the classroom teacher.  Co-teaching is also great because of the collaboration that goes into planning the lesson and the discussion afterwards.
5. Coaches can work with a small group--in your classroom--while you are working with a small group. When I was a new teacher, I had no idea how to pull a guided reading group.  I went and observed an excellent teacher and it helped me tremendously.  As a coach, this is the area where I am most often asked to model and that's not surprising because it can be tough. If you have a coach available, ask him or her to come in and model a guided reading group, ask them to observe you teaching one, and then ask them to pull a group while you are pulling one.  Not only does it ensure more of your students are engaged while you are pulling a group, it also gives you the opportunity to watch the coach and adjust your lesson as you are working.  It' a fabulous way to learn from an expert while you are still teaching your own students.

There are lots of ways Instructional Coaches and Specialists can support you and help you grow as a teacher. I have often heard teachers say they don't want to ask for help because they are afraid they will look like they don't know what they are doing.  This is far from the case. The best teachers continuously look for ways to grow and they take advantage of the resources they have available to them. If you have an expert in your building, why not utilize that person and ask for their guidance?  A good coach will be excited to work with you and your kids.  We love talking about teaching, sharing resources, collaborating with other teachers, working with kids--and teaching! Don't be afraid to start a conversation and see where it takes you!

Teachers--in what ways have you utilized an Instructional Coach?  What was the result?
Coaches--How else can teachers use you to strengthen their teaching skills?

Why Skill Builders Works

I had a great conversation yesterday with my principal about Skill Builders.  We talked about why it works, why it's tricky, and why some love it will other teachers really don't like it.  I have experienced Skill Builders on grade-level teams as well as a campus wide program, and I really think it can be instrumental in meeting the specific needs of individual students--if it is implemented with fidelity.
Like all things in education, I'm sure there are other names for Skill Builders so let me define exactly what I am talking about.  In my experience, Skill Builders involves dividing students into groups based upon which student expectation each child has not mastered.  So, teachers examine current data carefully, assessments, running records, etc., and determine which student expectations need to be covered.  Keeping in mind that, in most cases, all of the students will need to be in a group, teachers choose or are assigned a skill that they will teach in their Skill Builders group. Since on-grade-level students and above-grade-level students will also need to be in a group, it is not just the low student expectations that will need to be assigned to a teacher.  Depending upon the number of teachers involved in Skill Builders and the number of students who are below-grade-level, there may be several low groups, a middle group and a high group.  Teachers need to look at each student's data and determine which group will most closely fit what the student needs to know next. The trickiest part is making sure that the lower-level students are in small groups.  If they are not, it will be much more difficult to make an impact on their learning.  When possible, make your higher level group(s) the largest so that they can work on an Inquiry Circle Project or some other type of project based learning activity.  This allows one teacher to have several students authentically engaged while the other teachers are working with students who really need more individualized attention.
Once you have determined which students belong in which groups, be conscientious about assigning teachers to the groups.  If you have a teacher who really rocks phonics, put her with the low group. If your have a teacher who works really well with gifted and talented or higher achieving kids, give her that group.  When possible, attempt to match your lower students with teacher who are not their homeroom teacher.  Sometimes these children benefit most from hearing another teacher explain the skills they are missing. If they are in a group with their own classroom teacher, they may be missing out on an opportunity.  Sometimes this will be unavoidable but it is something to consider.
It is important that all of the teachers have input into the lessons for each group if they have a child that will be placed in that group.  Ultimately, the teacher who is pulling that group of children will need to decide how she is going to address her student expectation but if the other teachers are not aware of what each group is working on, this can cause problems with overlapping lessons, guided reading books being read more than once by the same students, and too many projects for your higher kids.  When your team meets, talk briefly about what you are doing or make your plans available for others to see in a shared folder.
These groups also need to be very fluid. If a student masters a skill quickly, move that child to another group.  If you find that a child is struggling in one of the higher groups, perhaps there is a group focusing on the skills he needs work in.  In order for Skill Builders to be successful, it must be flexible and teacher have to communicate.
It is also essential that teachers communicate about student progress and what they are seeing in their groups.  As a Reading Specialist, I work with students from every single classroom on my campus. I am constantly communicating with teacher and letting them know how their students are doing in my groups.  We must discuss the child's progress so that we know what he or she is responding to and what skills or knowledge I am seeing that perhaps the classroom teacher hasn't seen, or vice versa. You would probably be very surprised to know how often I see something the teachers don't see or a child will be able to complete a task for a teacher but not for me.  Children are little enigmas!  Without constant communication, Skill Builders will not be as successful as it could be.
It is certainly much more simple to implement Skill Builders on a grade-level basis.  For example, the first grade team at our campus is currently implementing Skill Builders.  They meet every week for their Professional Learning Team and one of the things they talk about is their Skill Builders groups.  If they need to move students, they do so. If a teacher has a concern about a student, they can discuss it. If a teacher needs to select a different student expectation, she has her teammates to help her look at the data, decide what to cover next, and help her plan her lessons.  For this team, it doesn't take long for them to do any of these things because the work extremely well together, they communicate professionally and they own all kids.  This is the philosophy that must be adopted for Skill Builders to work well.
When attempting to implement Skill Builders campus wide, this is much more difficult.  Scheduling has to be considered.  Skill Builders cannot happen when a grade-level is at lunch, special classes like music, or at recess.  Likewise, teachers have to be able to communicate with colleagues in other grade-levels, which means there most likely will not be a shared planning time. Administrators will need to build this time into the teachers' schedule, either on an assigned meeting day or as part of their contract time.  Lesson planning is more difficult because students are covering various materials in their classes.  Logistically speaking, it is more difficult. Students may not know how to get to their Skill Builders teacher's classroom.  All of these things must be considered--but it can be done.  I've actually done it myself!
I served as summer school principal at a 3-5 campus and we implemented campus wide Skill Builders. I felt that it was very successful and the students loved it.  I did a lot of work on the front end to try to ensure the success of the program. I knew I had four weeks so I had a precise number of days.  I planned all of the lesson for the reading groups ahead of time. I looked at the student data, divided the students into groups, assigned the student expectations to teachers, and created folders with all of the lessons they needed, plus some extras just in case.  I asked the Instructional Specialist at the campus to do the same for math.  I believe all of this work before school began was very important to the success of the program.  The end result was that every educator on our campus (myself included!) spent 30 minutes in the morning in Skill Builders group for reading and 30 minutes in the afternoon in Skill Builders for math. I used the Library Media Specialist, the Instructional Specialist, the Special Education teacher, the Instructional Aides, everyone who could teach was teaching.  The kids had a passport and they earned a stamp each time they attended.  The kids looked forward to going to Skill Builders because we made it fun, it was timely for each of them, and no one was bored.  Everyone was learning exactly what he or she needed to learn at that moment.

If you build it, skills will come! (Pic courtesy of Builders London)

I will say that many of the teachers did not buy-in to the program and that was probably the only unsuccessful part of the experience. What I found was that the teachers that had worked with me before loved it and saw great results.  They were on the same page as I was. Some of the other teachers, mostly those I didn't know as well and those who were unfamiliar with the program were much more skeptical. Some of them felt that it was a "waste of time" and  didn't understand why we were going to "all this trouble." The bottom line is, Skill Builders will be as successful or as unsuccessful as we want it to be.  It is all determined by our attitudes and the amount of work you and I are willing to put into it.
In order to put a Skill Builders program in place for your team or campus, I believe you need to keep these key words in mind:
Communicate--with your team, with your administrators, with your students.  You can never communicate too much!
Plan--look at your data carefully and create a plan for implementation.  Who will teach what?  Where will they teach it?  How will the students get to their Skill Builders class?  Where will new students go?  When will we have Skill Builders?  How will this affect our previous schedule?
Be Positive--if you go into it with a stinky attitude, you will get stinky results. Believe in it, make it fun, and your kids will love it!
Believe in it--If you truly believe we own all kids and that we need to meet the needs of each student just in time, the question shouldn't be, "How can we do Skill Builders?" it should be "How can we NOT be doing Skill Builders??"
If you have implemented Skill Builders or a similar program on your campus, we would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or message me! If you are excited about trying this on your campus, we'd love to hear from you, too!