March Madness...

March Madness makes most people think of basketball for sure.. but for me, it has a totally different meaning. March madness, in the realm of an elementary intervention specialist, means testing and lots of it. We have to show academic achievement and growth from the beginning of the year until now. This is definitely necessary, yet it is extremely exhausting for not only the children but myself. When you are used to moving around and including a lot of kinesthetic learning in your day, sitting for hours in a chair becomes cumbersome to the core- no pun intended.

I wish there was a way for me to show our students' learning, but in an outside the box kind of way. A portfolio of their best work throughout the year, a song writing portfolio with a presentation of material, or providing instructions on a new video game they created. If we are trying to prepare modern day thinkers, why are we still asking multiple choice questions? I know this kind of learning and assessing is not for everyone. However, I do not want to sit idly by while my students try to stumble across multisyllabic words they are not familiar with. 

So... if I were to compare this to the big dance.. It would be a little like having me play starting point guard for Kentucky, just to see how I would do compared to where I was before. I would never be ready for that kind of stress and pressure because I came in so much further behind everyone else. Does that change the expectation of trying to make it to the final 4.. NO! 
I know that is an awkward analogy- anyone who has seen me dribble a basketball would understand. This is how our kiddos feel though. We prepare them the best we can but some are just not going to be ready at game time. It doesn't matter how many tests we give and how much we practice, they just need more. 

Can I get a timeout????

Tis the Season...

I have really been slacking lately. My goal is to do at least a monthly blog, which hasn't been happening. TBH I would love to do a weekly video blog, I just never have the time or make the time to do it. Isn't that the way life goes, we have the best intentions... and then BAM! Life happens and we let a lot of stuff just get away from us.
For me, my focus right now is hope. It is important during this time of year. We think we need to get this or that to make others happy... in reality the best gifts we can give are hope and love. Wow! I know, right? In addition, some amazing elements about these gifts are they are always available and do not cost a thing. It can be the most important item we give one another. 

So while making out your list and checking it twice don't forget to incorporate these features into the season... 

1. A smile- It goes a long way. This gift can brighten anyone's day, regardless of previous circumstances.
2. Hope- It's contagious, you give a little and someone else can pass it on as well.
3. Love- We can all use a kind gesture. It just gives a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Now, I would give my loved ones and kids at school the world, but on a teacher's budget that just isn't possible. However, I can give these 3 gifts and still have some to spare, and knowing they are being passed along to others as well....

And isn't that really what this time of year is about..

Everything is Fair... At least for Coshocton it is!

Oh yes, the fair is here, and the kids are excited. I think, next to Christmas break, it may be their favorite time of the year. I love the weather associated with the fair, I love some of the smells. However, I do not get into the fair quite as much as some of my friends and students do. Of course, some of them like to tease me about it, but I'm okay with that. I am very proud of the young ladies and gentleman who have projects and animals to showcase. It takes a lot of time and effort, I wish you the best of luck.

For the kick off to fair, River View Local School District had some great professional development for their teaching staff. We were graced with the presence of Ms. Jamie Meade, from Battelle for Kids. She did an amazing presentation on hope and how we must instill hope in ourselves and our students in order for them to be successful. It was followed by some of our very own colleagues talking about growth mindset, hope at RV, working together as one, technology surveys about how we interact with our kiddos in the classroom, and some safety components being implemented. It was a great day and some interesting topics to ponder over our short break. I hope everyone has the most amazing break and can come back refreshed, ready to learn.

It's that time... again;-))

I try to blog at least once each month about the happenings of what is going on in my school life or trending in the world of education. I am not usually strongly opinionated or controversial, just putting stuff out there.. My goal this year is to blog at least once each week- maybe even sneak in a video now and again of what I am doing or what works. Every year when I start school, I have lofty ideas that slip off to the side because I just don't have time to do the extra stuff. This year I HAVE to make the time. I really want to make a difference in the lives of the children I come in contact with and share the awesomeness with other educators around me. We have so many good things happening at Conesville ES. However, I am particularly excited about one adventure as a parent. Last year my son really struggled in the mainstream setting. He is labeled gifted but experiences difficulty with staying on task, fidgeting, and disruptive/frustration behaviors- I like to call this twice exceptional. He will be taking on the task of an independent study. This incorporates our gifted coordinator setting him up with online classes, our gifted teacher providing some project based learning support, a reading specialist/former high school social studies teacher putting together some ideas to meet the indicators, and a principal who supports outside the box thinking. These professionals are going above and beyond to challenge my son. They want to ensure he is engaged to the maximum and still receives a quality, public education. This is the whole personalized learning situation where a child needs something and we provide. It is that time again. We will give your children the best education possible and at their level. Conesville is an amazing place to see innovative thinking develop and take shape. I am proud to work in this environment and have my children attend this building. 

It is going to be a smashing year! 

It's Been a While...

I saw this and thought, "what a perfect fit for what I was wanting to blog". 

There are baseball, basketball, spring and fall seasons- which we love... However, there is also a season for the lovely state standardized testing. We have now entered this testing season in full swing. I never look forward to testing because it seems to stress people 

out!@#!

Even though it happens every year I am never truly prepared for the mental fatigue it creates. I know the students feel overwhelmed at times, but the tests are truly just a measurement of what they learn over the past year. 

Having said that, it just feels like this year has flown by. I always get to testing time and think, 'Wow, it's already time for this!'
Believe it or not, I do not get stressed out and I hope this transfers over to the kiddos.

 
I am truly convinced, they are more than prepared for what is presented. They absorb above and beyond what we give them credit. We need to make sure they know how to show what they know... and not just the week before testing, but all year long. My teaching partners do a great job of preparing the kids all year long and not trying to cram right before the test emerges. Remember the key to success is allowing them to be critical thinkers and solve problems on their own. 

One of these days we will solve all the problems of the world with this simple guide;-))).

Thinking.. about thinking

I titled this blog a couple days ago because I was thinking about how my kids think in class... How they respond to different elements they come in contact with. I am trying to understand why they react the way they do. I also struggled with the lack of thinking my students want to do or how much they rely on me to tell me what they should be thinking. The children I come in contact with on a daily basis become frustrated at times because I ask them why something is or how they came about this answer. I do not want to prove them wrong but want them to prove themselves right. They act as though no one has ever asked them to support their thinking. I literally feel like they dislike me with extreme intensity when I ask them to "explain" something to me. I get responses like "that's just what I got" or " that is what I read". They never really dig deeper or want to really give me the meat of the story.

This made me think about my own 3 children at home and the things they ask me or what we talk about. Visualizing how one piece of information we begin with can lead to something so off topic to what we initially started talking about, it's nearly impossible to believe. Sometimes we even stop to think about the process it took to get from where we started to our end result, always chuckling about how that can even happen.

Ironically, a coworker sent me an article about learned helplessness this morning and it talked about students not being able to think. (http://catlintucker.com/2016/01/learned-helplessness/) This was an interesting read and I appreciated the fact there are others experiencing the same unfortunate circumstances. Do I think we can help this epidemic? Definitely. However, we have to start at a young age so we can help these youngsters develop into the innovative thinkers this society so desperately needs. 

So if a kid gets a little upset with me because I want to grow their brain and make them branch out into that thinking zone... then I guess I will just have to deal with some anger issues until they understand the positive repercussions of it all. 

 "No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof." - Henry David Thoreau

Finding what really WORRRRks...

I have struggled this year with finding what strategies will work for my students. Each year my students are so unique and their needs are just as diverse. One thing I realized over my few years of teaching stays the same, I have to change things up each year...
Right now we are implementing personalization into the curriculum. This is definitely beneficial but requires a good bit of work. We are moving from differentiation to personalization. Each of us have unique ways of bringing different items to the table and in my case I always try to find ways of thinking outside the box to get kids motivated. I want them moving- dancing, singing- and creating real life situations to understand what the indicators mean. We also like to play games... I have some seriously, competitive spirits in my groups, I love it!
What I find to work is ASKing them. "How do you learn best?" Sometimes if we ask them, they do not understand the question... 'what do you mean, you are the teacher?!?' However if we explain... you may get the most astounding answers. When I was in high school my English and government teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers, would allow us to emerge into the era we were learning about... writing letters to civil war generals, learning the 'Charleston', and arguing about Civil rights... They created a passion within me to provide this same love for learning in my students.
Overall, I hope to ignite something in my students that makes them crave to learn and at the most optimal pace. We have kids in one classroom who range from a kindergarten level all the way up to 5th or 6th grade... in some classes it can be even more of a spread. We have to break the mold if we want to make a change!