If You ask, They will tell you!

I got brave and created a form for students to evaluate me.  I promised the students that it was totally

anonymous and it was, although after reading the results I wish there was some way I could track who answered a few of the questions.  If you are faint of heart or thin skinned, I am not sure you are ready to ask your students to do this.  They are  bluntly honest but it does give them a voice and you something to think about.  I learned a lot from the results, some made me happy, 100% of students reported that they knew exactly why their grades is what it is.  There was other data that upset me, like the fact that one student feels I do not treat them with respect and five report that I am not fair to them.  These two pieces of data drive me to wish I could find out who reported this.  What would I do if I knew who answered in that way?  The students that do not feel I am fair, I would like them to explain why so I can do some evaluation and decide if their complaints are justified.  Next time I do this I think I will keep it totally anonymous but I will add a question for them to explain if they feel they are  being treated unfair or are not respected.

Another thought is that I should have them identify what class they are in.  A student complains that I move to fast and it would help a lot to know what class they are currently taking.  I would like to repeat this evaluation every year but next time I will open it up on a day I have a sub so they feel they have plenty of time to complete it without me in the room.

I found out that I wanted perfect scores in everything.  I was freaking out about one student response that most of the time I was fair regardless of race or religion and five saying I wasn't fair but my principal assured me that I should be very pleased with the numbers.

Ninety six percent of the students reported that they believed they would use what they learn in the class they will use in college or work and 43% reported they learned something new everyday in my class.  They also shared comments that are constructive criticism and others expressed their love for the class or the fact they felt at home in my classroom or they wanted to spend the day in my room.  That is good to know as well.

I am glad I did the evaluation.  I learned a lot and I will use it to make me a better teacher and improve my classes.  It also gave us a chance to discuss the fact that in college, they will be asked to evaluate all their teachers.  I will do it again and I encourage others to try it.

Attention for the Good Kid

Sometimes it gets easy in an busy day to overlook the "good kids".   We get busy grading, creating lesson plans, completing paperwork, modifying lessons to match IEPs and managing students that disrupt.  We work to help our students of poverty and those living in a challenging home life.  Along the way we cannot forget about the "good kids".  Many times there

A sample of one of my postcards

are overlaps, for example, many sped kids are also the good kids.  The good kids are the ones that help you look forward to going in to work each day.  They also hold on to us on days we are "threatened to jump off the cliff".  I do my best to not overlook them.  Now many of them I see in FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) which I sponsor and I get a chance to interact with them and get to know them but what about the rest?  Sometimes it can be a simple as a pat on the back or a comment on an assignment or report card.  You know the ones, those short comments on a paper like, "thanks for turning in your assignment on time again" or "excellent following directions".  The report card comments to show your appreciation and recognition for their politeness, kindness or attention to details.

I have found one quick and easy way to acknowledge these kids and they tend to love it.  I have postcards made up and I keep a stack on my desk.  They are not elaborate, just thanks for being a
good kid, but many of the kids are thrilled to get them!  Some have told me they taped theirs up inside their locker or on their locker doors.  Some put them in their senior books and others put them in the front cover of their binders.  The first year I printed myself on cardstock but last summer I ordered a 50 when vistaprint.com had sale, best 10 bucks I spent!
 Friday I took an idea from Facebook and recorded telling some of my students that they were one of the reason that I came to school each morning.  It only took a few minutes and I am not sure who loved it more, me or the students.

Take a minute, do something to remind yourself of those wonderful kids that are the definition of "good kids".

A Student's Reality

I have always said I grew up on a rose colored street.  I am from a big family that loves each other and would do anything for each other.  My parents were married 45 years when dad passed away.  They were always proud of us and they were awesome parents and I have lots of happy memories from my childhood.  We assumed everyone lived pretty much like we did.

I got a blunt reality about how far my home life is from some of my students this week.  Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is sit and listen.  One boy was telling me about the violence he witnessed on the streets the night before.  He talked about seeing the victim on the street and how upset some were, but he had seen a lot and he was used to it.  Really?  He is 16 years old and he is used to seeing bodies in the street!  I am 53 years old and have never seen a body in the street!  As my jaw was sitting on the floor, I listened as he talked about the fact that he feels safe at school and that he could act like a kid but when he was home he had to act like an adult in order to stay safe.  He went on to talk about when a teacher gets upset with him, sometimes the "crib" comes out and he gets defensive and mouthy like he would when he is in the community.  He went on to talk about how he can be sad or broken inside but smiling on the outside.  He talked about the number of people in his family that had died because of violence and how his dad is almost nothing to do with him.  His dad has even told him that he does not want him.  He rarely sees dad but he comes around wanting to spend Father's Day with the kid.  He talked about if he dies it will kill his mother and how close he felt he was the night before to that reality.  He was concerned about the violence in the community that night but he promised me he would stay in the house that night to stay safe.

He is 16 years old!  He is only 16 years old and seen so much that I never have!  I was shocked to my core that a kid in my class is "used to seeing violence".  This is the kid that I am trying to teach.  This is the kid that gets into trouble at school.  This is the kid that has trouble getting his homework done or his device charged.  This is the kid that struggles to pass classes.

And we wonder why?

The Power of Words

When anyone hears a teacher talk about the power of words everyone assumes either there is bullying going on or the teacher is going to go on and on about how teachers need to choose their words carefully when speaking to their students. I do not want to talk about either.  I want to talk about events that happen in school and few hear about, words students say to teachers, specifically high school students.

There are so many kind, sweet and caring teenagers in our high school.  I teach a College Readiness class that I totally enjoy teaching but is completely and totally exhausting.  I guess I looked exhausted after a particularly busy class because a student (I will call  Anne) followed me out to the hallway to speak to me after class.  She talked about a recent graduate and how much he loved being in college and how much he gave me credit for helping him build confidence to attend college.  She went on to say that she knew teaching the class was hard and exhausting for me but I should be proud because I am changing lives.  What a sweet and kind young lady!  She not only recognized someone who needed to hear something positive she also took the time to say it.  It made me week!

Teaching high school has it's challenges, like all jobs, but it is the place to see some absolutely wonderful teenagers.  There are teenagers that truly care about their teachers and classmates.

They volunteer their time.

They look out for students that are hurting.

They tell adults when students need interventions
They hold the door for teachers that have their hands full.
They sign emails " Hope you have a marvelous Friday"
They greet teachers in the hallways.
They make me smile.
They are beautiful inside and out!

My job may not be perfect but I could not imagine doing anything else!

New School Year, New Ideas!

School starts tomorrow and the past three days of in-service has me coming home sore and

complaining.  In the midst of my complaining I wonder about those women who work in jobs that are not off for the summer and how do they manage to get everything done.  Food for thought before I complain to much.

A new year brings on lots of changes, the seniors I got attached to are gone, this year we have several new teachers, I am teaching a class I have not taught in several years but no software changes this year.  Every school experience some type of change each year, it may be major or minor, but every teacher needs to change as well.  I do not believe any of use are perfect teachers and none of our classes are perfect, if nothing else our world is changing all the time and our lessons should change with the world.  So as a computer teacher, I like to incorporate some of the new technology that students are interested in.  This summer I played PokemonGo, yes I am over fifty and a grandma, but I wanted to know what the kids are up to.  I am working on a project involving the game and hope to have it ready by morning.  I also wish to incorporate blogging into my College Readiness class so they can blog their journey to college and they can read about their fellow students' journey.

Another goal of mine is to require my Advanced Computer Applications classes to create an electronic portfolio and to find funding for them to get IC3 or MOS certification.  Both would serve them well in the workforce.  My students being successful in the workforce is a large goal of mine.  Time to stop talking and finish up lesson plans.  May everyone, students, teachers, parents and administrators have an amazing year!

Summer Melt

Summer Melt is a term used to refer to the growing trend of students not showing up for college after they have been accepted and scheduled to attend. During their senior year of high school seniors get lots of information from colleges.  There is lots of peer pressure to choose and apply for a college.  The problem is that after high school graduation, teacher support disappears, peer pressure reduces and there is limited communication from the colleges.  The question is how do we get our high school students to follow through and show up for college classes.  I have been very disappointed to learn about students that I had worked with during their senior year and they never showed up for college classes.  I have decided to follow up on some of my students, especially those with limited support at home or those who have shown a history of indecision or low self confidence.  Social media can be used to help with this a lot.  I have sent my kids Facebook messages to ask if they have everything ready for college.  I took one of my kids to the local college and we walked his schedule because his parents had never gone to college and he was stresses.  I have called graduates to see if they have completed everything for college and sometimes meeting with them to help them finish it up. or threatening to call their parents if they don't.  During their senior year of high school I encourage them for follow the college on Twitter, Facebook or SnapChat so they are kept in the loop with what is going on at the college.

Early college credit also seems to help with the college summer melt.  With Early College Credit,
students take a college class online during their senior year of high school.  At our school they can take that as part of their high school schedule.  The advantage of that is that they have a teacher that can assist them with the basics and give them some support.  This way the kids realize that they can do the work and they earn college credits so they have something already invested in the college education.


The biggest thing to remember is that this happens and students need that continued support to get them to into that first class!

Special Ed Kids

NOTE: Today's blog is published without pictures because of legalities.  It is sad that our society is such that getting special services so you can learn your best is something to be hidden.  I may not be able to include pictures of my special services students but they are very special to me.  

I am not a core teacher but a computer teacher.  This means most of my classes are hands on and are electives; not sure if that makes a difference or not but I enjoy these kids just as much as any other students.  I will gladly take a hard working student any day.  Most of these kids have an amazing work ethic because they have to work so hard for everything they learn.  Unfortunately, a large group of them also come from poverty and / or rough home life leaving them with limited support from home.  They all need modifications and many time that can be done with less stress then many assume, or maybe it is just easier with my curriculum.  If we are learning to type business letters, they can learn all the formatting of a business letter even if I drop two paragraphs out of the body of the letter.  They still learn every part of the letter and the formatting.  A student that reads at a 3rd grade level is not going to be able to type 60 words a minute because they simply cannot read that fast so how can we have their typing speed the same as everyone else.  Have them do a timed writing at the beginning of the semester and set them several goals for the semester for improvement; your goal for the rest of the class is improvement so everyone has the goal of improving.  These students can also teach the rest of the students to appreciate what they were blessed with and also to do a bit of tutoring.  I try to spot those non-sped, kind kids and sit them by the kids that need extra help.  If I get busy with other students, many times those students will help the others out.  It is also true that when you show someone else how to do something, you remember it longer so both students benefit.

I love my sped kids, they may be more work but many times I get to see students that struggle in all their other classes excel in the hands-on computer class and that is wonderful.  And in reality these kids are just like every other kid, they want to know someone cares about them; they want to be accepted; they want to have friends; and they want to be happy.

Commitment

Any student with enough commitment can graduate high school.  They may have to be willing to put in extra work and many hours of homework for some, but anyone can graduate if they are

committed to do so.  But how much easier is it if everyone is committed to that student and every student graduating.  The student can have fewer hurdles if others around them are also committed to them graduating.  If the parents are committed and at a young age stress the importance of an education.   If they also make regular school attendance a value and a habit at a young age.  Parents need to support their child’s efforts by expressing how proud they are of their children.  But is also is not all on the parent’s shoulders. 

School boards should be committed to making decisions that will benefit the students.  They are in the situation that they make decisions based on the student body as a whole and rarely make decisions based on individual students but their decisions to make an impact on the student and how successful they will be at hitting their graduation goal.  Administrators must do their part in the commitment process as well.  Superintendents must be committed to making decisions that are in the best interest of the students.  Building principals have more connections with the students than other administrators so their commitment is more personal.  Principals need to have the time to get to know the student.  Their commitment needs to include the student’s background, goals and history.  Sometimes they need to be committed to working outside the box to benefit the student.

But when it comes down to it high school teachers spend at least 45 minutes a day with a student and therefore see the individual student more than other staff.  Therefore, teachers must always be committed to their students.  That commitment must be part of their job every day.  Teachers must always be prepared for class and make sure lessons are understood by all, as well as communicating with parents.  Teachers need to be committed to making sure students understand that you are on their side, you want them to be successful.  Students need a teacher or staff member they can go to when they need advice or help with a problem.  You cannot teach a student that comes to class hungry everyday yet a teacher or staff member may be able to solve the problem and allow student to learn.  The student may need extra help or tutoring to understand the concepts better and quicker.  If a teacher is able to do that for the student, the student’s graduation goal will be easier for them.  Many times a student may have much bigger issues at work blocking their graduation goals.  Some students do not have committed parents, some have parents that work a lot of hours to make ends meet, some are homeless and others fight depression and anxiety issues.  If a student has just one teacher or staff member they can go to and share these struggles, that person may be able to help, or just listen or direct them to resources or specialists that can assist them with these serious issues.

If a student wishes to graduate, they must be committed to doing the work to earn the diploma.  We need to also remember that when it comes down to it, I will quote Hillary Clinton “It takes a village to raise a child” likewise it takes a village, or an entire school staff and parents, to be committed to a student’s graduation if the student is going to reach their goals without excessive stress added to their life.

Thanks to Jeremy, one of my students, for suggesting this topic.

A Teacher's Summer

My Summer Lunch Series!

Summers off, nothing to do.  Most good teacher laugh at comments like that.  Summer is a fantastic time to educate, re-energize and pre-plan.  I always look forward to several conferences that I attend and many times present, for opportunities to network with other education professionals as well as learn new technology and teaching techniques. Some of these conferences waive registration fees if you present.  This is one way to contradict district cuts for professional development. especially if it is a local conference that does not require hotel expenses.  I realize many learn a lot through PLN on social media, or youtube or other online options but I still need those live conferences to re-energize my teaching passion.  Speaking of re-energizing, by the end of May some of the negatives in education can get you down, paperwork, jumping through hoops that don't really help students, unmotivated students, but summer gives me time to forget that.  I like to spend the summer cleaning my rose-colored glasses and focus on the good in education like students that I will never forget, improving lessons or classes, helping struggling students and watching students learn and mature.  I spend a lot of time in the summer cleaning and reorganizing my classroom.  There is always a stack on good notes, thank you notes, and memories that need to be added to the memory book.  I also have new ideas for FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and set up some meetings with my officers.  I will research new teaching techniques and find ways to implement them in my classes as well as doing some reflection on my classes and fix any lessons that need improvement.
I look forward to spending some time with those that I wish I made more time for during the school year.  I call it my Summer Lunch Series.  I have lunch with wonderful people, one at a time, to reconnect and laugh.  I enjoy lunch with my children (well, they are actually adults but...) my sisters and brothers, colleagues, friends, nieces, nephews, and former students.  

Grand kids are a joy!

My advise to teachers, refill your bucket.  If that means catching up on housework, reading your book list, or spending time with family and friends, but take some time to plan and re-energize for next school year.  It will make you a better teacher.

Attending Extra-Curricular Events

Students are involved in way more than just class and they are very proud of those activities and it does not matter if it is BETA Club or the high school baseball team.  That provides a great way for teachers to get to know their students outside the classroom and build a relationship with those kids.  I know it means a lot to those kids and especially if you have a student that you are struggling with.  You don't have to go to every baseball game, just pick one to attend.  Plays and music concerts are not so plentiful to pick dates from but the kids still appreciate your attendance.  Or watch for jerseys, if you have half the freshman basketball team in your class you can cover a lot of kids with one event.

If you really, just do not have the time to go, then at least ask students as they come in to class, how
did the game go last night or I heard you had an amazing solo last night.  With social media, some of the concerts may be found on YouTube for you to listen to at least part of a concert.

Whatever you do, try to attend some events, the kids will appreciate seeing you and knowing they also have your support outside the classroom.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Someone was really smart when they made Teacher Appreciation Week in early May!  This was the best Teacher Appreciation Week I have ever experience.  We had apples on our desk one morning, the workroom was decorated, we had lunch several times and even coffee and donuts on Friday.  The greatest part was how the administration publicized it to students using email and Twitter.  Students were also handed index cards and encouraged to write something and give it to a teacher.  I am sure some students stuck them in their book bag never to be seen again but many followed through.  I received one from a student who I had only in class this semester and she was usually quiet.  She wrote how much she enjoyed my funny stories and how amazed she was at the patience I showed students.  It made me feel so good!  A boy wrote me a letter thanking me for what I had done for him and how much he was looking forward to his class with me next year.  How awesome is that!


Thank yous are priceless and appreciation is always a good thing! In the process of Teacher Appreciation Week, we are continuing to teach students by showing them how show their appreciation and how much it is valued by others.

I fought burnout this week, what a coincidence.  Those letters are prized possessions that will go to my memory book next week. But more importantly, they cured my burnout and reminded me that I am making a difference and that is why I went into teaching.  I do love my students and I will cry next week when many of them graduate but happy that I have helped them grow into amazing young people that will make the world a better place.

Building Relationships

Several years ago I sat and listened to an international student talk about the differences between teachers in the United States and those in his home country.  He talked about the limited interaction between teachers and students.  Months later I sat in a Ruby Payne workshop as they presented research on the link between grades and if a student likes the teacher.

I, personally,  am a big believer in building relationships between students and teachers.  Teachers should not be a student's friend but teachers are more effective when they have a relationship with their students and know more about the student's background.  That relationship can be built on something as simple as attending a band concert or cross country meet to support the students you have in class.  Congratulating them on an award or victory will show the student that you do care about them.  If a student suddenly changes, then stop them for a moment after class and ask them if everything is okay or if there is a problem they need

help with.  It also helps if you make it known to your students that you arrive to school early and stay after if they need help or have questions.  You can also talk to counselors, attendance clerks and nurses about students that have been absent or that you are having learning or behavior problems with.  Many times they can shed light on health issues or home life situations that affect the student's daily lives.  I have even made postcards that say "Thanks for being a good kid, your cooperation is priceless.  Mrs. Taylor".  I randomly give out the cards and

many value them so much the brag about getting one or post them in their lockers.  The students realize that they are noticed and their behavior is appreciated.  

All these things together work together to give students the confidence to come and talk when needed.  Many times that something is simply an adult to talk to, or someone to listen or give advice.  Sometimes its a breakup, sometimes family problems, personal problems, class issues or to share good news.  The result is the teacher understands the student more and therefore the teacher is more empowered to teacher that student is a way that is more successful.  Or maybe the student will respect the teacher more so when that same teacher needs to discuss grades or behavior with the student, the student will respond more positively because they know the teacher honestly cares about what is best for them.  And lets be honest, no matter how much work we put into that amazing lesson, what the students really want to know is does the teacher really care about me or not.

The teacher wins to because it is so satisfying to see the students succeed and come back and tell you how successful they are and thank you for taking an interest in them and contributing to their success.

Community Service

It is so important for students to get involved in community service!  They do not realize what they also get out of it until they actually get involved.  First they need to locate a volunteer organization or activity that fits the student's interests.  If they love animals, check out the human society.  If they love to play music for an audience, check out the retirement homes, they love music and visitors.  If they have a tight schedule, look within their own community to rake leaves, shovel snow or babysit for neighbors.  Students learn the value of giving back to their community.

There is another advantage to students, most college applications and scholarship applications also ask about community service.  I teach a college readiness class and I encourage students to keep a log of community service.  A simple list of what community service they did, when, how many hours and the name of an adult that could verify if needed.  It may be a good idea to keep some kind of contact information on that person as well, a phone number or email for later use if someone needs verification.  The student may also use that contact information to request a letter of recommendation for a scholarship, college or job.

I recommend students start giving back to their community when they are young but start documenting when you become a freshman in high school.  Start small and investigate lots of opportunities to decide what is the best fit for them.  If they do not know where to start, call the local United Way, they usually have a list of organizations needing help.  Also check with high school teams and organizations, swim teams need volunteers as timers, clubs need help with their competitions and many club do community service as part of their regular activities.  If that does not yeald enough ideas, start contacting local organizations, retirement homes, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, March of Dimes and the list goes on and on.  Just get involved!