Why Hate?

Charlottesville, VA happened today and I must comment or vent before I burst!  The thought of hating or hurting someone because of  the color of their skin makes me sick.  The thought that someone would hurt one of my students or friends because their skin is not white makes me literally sick to my stomach.  The thought of getting a call that Sam, Alyssa, Moriah, Andre, Nita, Tyrus, Stephon, Jennifer or Thomas or any one else was the victim of a hate crime is more than I want to even consider.  Who freaking cares what color a person's skin is?  It is no different than the color of someone's eyes or hair.  No one is born a racist, it is learned.  Whoever is teaching this hate, STOP IT!

Teacher's Must be Lifelong Learners

Teachers value education and learning, its what we do!  If it is so important for students to earn

everyday, should it not also be important for teachers to learn everyday?  The world in changing and technology makes it so easy to learn.  Part of encouraging students to learn is to make sure that they know we are also learning.  How do we do that?  We are busy people. The best way to learn is what works for you.

Conferences, like Google Summit #edtechteam or METC etc are very traditional way of learning and works for many of us.  Sometimes I just need to get out of town and concentrate on learning and a great chance to network with other educators.  Check in to traditional conferences, some are a day or two while others are a week.  Some are local and others are hours away.  I think every educator needs to attend at least one national convention.

Another option is twitter.  My #PLN on twitter has been amazing!  I follow and have followers from 29 states and 9 different countries.  I have learned so much from chats with all these amazing educators.  They answer questions and help refill my bucket.  I participate in at least two education chats each week.

Maybe online learning that you have complete control of works better for you!  Pick a topic and search youtube for lectures, Ted talks or videos that you can learn from anyone in the world on the topic you need to earn.  I have used this method to teach me PhotoShop after that class was added to my schedule and I continue to use it keep me up-to-date when new versions come out.

The important thing is if you truly value learning, don't just preach it, do it.  Be a lifelong learner!

A Teacher's Summer

“Oh, wow!  You have three months off, must be nice to be a teacher!”  I get so tired of hearing this.  First of all, it feels like they are saying that I have an easy job and I do not work hard.  I do!  Secondly, it is a career choice and anyone that is willing to get the education and pass a background check, can apply for a teaching position.  Thirdly, you do not really understand my summer vacation.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my summer!  I have flexibility in most of my days, I get to spend some time with those who I do not make enough time for in the school year and a get to unwind.  But what about the rest of that vacation.     So how do I spend my summer.  I will be teaching summer school half a day for four weeks.  I also have a class during the regular year that needs revamped so I will take care of that.  The Moodle page for my PhotoShop class needs to be cleaned up and updated; that will take most of an afternoon and I want to reorganize my College Readiness class for next year to make it better.  In late June I will take two FBLA members to National contest for 5 days, and before that make all the arrangements.   In mid-July I will be going to a two day Google Summit.  There is a one-day leadership conference I want to take my FBLA officers to and I also want to meet with them for a day-long meeting in July to plan for next year.  In late July I will go to a business teachers conference for most of a week.  Senior orientation starts on July 31^st.

Now in between those activities, I will also welcome my 8^th grandchild into this world!  I will visit my oldest son and his family so I can watch a t-ball game or two and hopefully a dance recital.  I have several projects to complete at my home and some serious housework to get done.  I will also have lunch with several former students to catch up on how college is going and most importantly, I will “fill my bucket” and be more than ready to return to my amazing students in August!

The Bad Side of Building Relationships

Those who know me may be shocked at this topic until they think about it.  We have all been encouraged to build relationships with our students and I agree that students work harder and teachers are better teachers when both groups have built a relationship of respect, understanding and getting to know each other but it is May.  In May, seniors graduate and go away.  Graduation was a whole lot easier way back when we did not do all this relationship building!  Now we know that Bennett is going away to college in Kansas and what a big heart he has.  Sam is off to Missouri Baptist and I will no longer see his smile every morning.  It is hard!  I have grown to know, respect and love these kids and to see them walk out the door for the last time is sad.  Some I will see again.  Some will come back to visit.  Some I will see on social media and some I will have an annual lunch with the in the summer.  Some I may never see again.

So off to graduation I went today, determined that I was not going to shed any tears.  Then I got a shout out from one of the senior speakers and one of the kids brought me a heartfelt card, another told me how much a difference I make to my students.  Another student had gone to alt school after she had wore out many staff members; she cried when she saw me and told me thank you.

Then their are the past students that have come to graduation.  Every year there are few that are there and for them to come and look for me to say hi, or introduce me to their husband or tell me how college is going.  Those small things mean a lot.

.I wish them all the success in the world and I hope they know, they will truly be miss, especially by this teacher, but it is really sad to say goodbye to them!

And Any Other Required Duties

What does that sentence really mean?  Every teacher has read it on their contract and we assume that means morning duty, dance duty etc but this week I have thought a lot about that sentence.  As a high school teacher we do a lot that is not listed as a duty on our contract.  Prom is coming up the end of the month and each year somehow I end up in the middle of Promposals or someone that wants a date or wants a date with someone.  This year I ended up with the job of stopping a promposal to avoid public embarrassment when a student was going to say no. Guess that is “other required duties”.   Last week I noticed one of my students standing in the hall looking in my door with a desperate look.  I go to talk to her and she collapse in tears, ten minutes later she was feeling better after a heart to heart talk.  Guess that is “other required duties”. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am glad students feel comfortable coming to me if they need to talk, cry or get adult opinions!  When my own children were in school, I know they had teachers they would go to if needed.  

What else do high school teachers do that the community and parents do not realize?  There is the laughter and the high fives over test scores, athletic success and displays of their personal talents.  We advise students, write recommendations for college and scholarships.  We spread the word of job openings and follow that up with agreeing to be a reference.  We give tips for job and college interviews, and help them look up answers to all kinds of questions.  Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, teacher bonuses come in the form of thank you cards.  Take the time and write one or send an email to a former teacher of yours or your child’s teacher.  

Student Voice

You arrive at a PD meeting, you have no clue what is going on today except that you must be there are 7:30.  Someone else decided on the topics, when breaks are, how long they are, when lunch break is, how the information will be presented or anything else..  We as teachers feel we should have a voice in what we need to learn and how best to learn it.  Students feel the same way, they want a voice as well.

Now we all know that in education, sometimes students can have a say and sometimes because of rules and regulations we just cannot change some things.  It is still good to give them a chance to voice their thoughts and opinions.  They may have an idea that you had not thought about. How do we go about giving students a voice and more importantly convincing them that their ideas and opinions are welcome?

The first thing that must be done is to create an environment where students are comfortable having an open discussion.  The first day of school in your class would most likely not be a good day.  They have not had time to trust the teacher.  When you work in class, you let the kids get to know you and understand that you are willing to take their opinions and not judge them or put them down for what they said.  They need to know that your room is a safe place to offer ideas, thoughts and opinions.

Next we need to give them a voice.  Ask for their opinions; listen to what they have to say.  If a project is failing, ask them what they think is the problem.  If you are going to try something new, like gamification, ask them what rewards would motivate them most.  One of my classes will do almost anything for food but another class wants 10 minutes of free time.  It is much easier to ask than to guess and be wrong.

You can also give student's a voice in the big things.  Why are college students required to evaluate professors but high school teachers almost never ask students for an evaluation?  If a school is run for the benefit of students, why not have a student group that administration can consult with for ideas and suggestions?  When students are frustrated over a desision, why not ask students for idea.  It may not change anything or it may, either way at least students feel empowered.

How have in incorporated student voice this year?  First of all, I did have students evaluate me.  There were a couple surprises and I guaranteed students that it was anonymous and it was.  The problem was that a student made a comment that I would have liked to discuss more in depth but I could not figure out who the student was.  I have also asked students how we could improve our new Advisory hour, and how do they best learn, what distractions are in my room and how could I reteach a topic so they may better understand.  Or how would they learn better in groups, peer tutoring, lecture, investigation.

Student voice can also apply to a one-on-one conversation.  A student says they hate school, ask them why, give them paper to write down suggestions to improve school.  Make sure they know that you are not only going to read the list, you are going to investigate your ideas to see if any are realist.  Sometimes that voice is a quiet voice asking you to check on a student that is more quiet than normal and sometimes it is that loud voice that yells that he is going to drop out.  Sometimes it is an entire class saying this project makes no sence or a few students saying that the project does not work for them and can they tweek the assignments.  What is more important, learning or completing the project exactly the way you created it and used it for ten years?

Don't Kill Student Curiosity

Okay I admit it, I have not read a book in a while, I have gotten very busy with other things.  Having said that, I am addicted to reading The Innovator's Mindset and even joined a book study, #IMMOOC.  I teach high school and hear on a regular basis how students hate school.  I know some of them are more frustrated for the day verses every day but there are those who really do hate it.  How many hate it because they have lost the love of learning or maybe they were never sparked to love learning?  I do not know but I can do my part to make learning fun.  Hopefully that will ignite the curiosity of those who love to learn and those who have lost it.  Students today need to accept that they must be lifetime learners.  If they have lost their curiosity and love of learning, what are the chances of them staying involved in learning?  Sometimes that fun is a simple as corny jokes that are tied to the curriculum to help them remember the concepts.  One of my database jokes, you cannot create a new relationship if you have the old girlfriends around.  That helps them remember that they cannot create database relationships while they have tables open.  Yea it is corny and the kids agree with that but they laugh and remember the concept.  I believe that if laughter is associated with learning, it is a good thing.  Also so many students have very little in their lives to smile about, much less laugh. 

Sometimes is means having snacks for hungry students, they cannot learn if they are hungry.  Sometimes it means taking time to listen to a student, it is tough to teach a student that is stressed out or upset.  I want students that walk in to feel more like they are at home, low stress and safe.  Students are then more willing to try something new, or accept failure, or feel free to speak up if they feel safe and welcomed.


I also decorate my classroom with various hand made quilts and student paintings.  I tell them the theme  of my room is find your talent and put it to use.  I tell them the stories of the quilts and paintings and the skills required for each.  Then I encourage them to explore what interests them and to put forth the time and effort to develop their interest and skills. 

Currently I have the honor of assisting one of my FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) students this week and last as he finishes up a project for competition.  His event is 3D Animation and I know nothing about it.  My job was things like have the lab open for him and install the software that he needed on computers.  He has worked on this project for months just because it is his interest and he is self taught.  He has spend a huge number of hours on this project and has loved every minute of it, even the failures.  It is so much fun to watch him work and I love to listen to him explain what he is doing.  This is what learning is all about!  He was curious about animation and went on to learn about it, that is so exciting.

We must teach students to love learning so they continue to learn.  Hopefully they do not look back at their school years and cringe.