Progress Reports?

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Progress Reports?  —

At Community Council meeting today there was a concern that was brought up and I want you to think about how we can address it. A parent wanted to know how we as a school can communicate with parents better the things we are doing at school and the progress their students are making. The suggestion was brought up to use powerschool and input all the tests and assignments we do. I mentioned that we are looking at progress in skills and not just numbers on a test. My philosophy in elementary school is that when we test we are not just looking at how many problems students are missing, but which problems they are missing and why they are missing them. So 7/10 does not always mean they are proficient because they earned the 70%, but that they master the 7 and now it is the 3 we need to look at to help in that area. Observations are also a little hard to input into Powerschool. Numbers do not always tell the full story. But the concern is a good one. How do we let parents know between SEP conferences how students are doing? If there is a concern with a specific concept that parents could help with at home, do they know what it is and how they can address it at home? There are some great things happening in our school in this area. What can you do as a teacher that does not take a lot of extra time, but will give the parents some information about how their student is doing, especially if they were told their student is struggling during an SEP? Communication is important. How do we keep the parents in the loop throughout the year? It does not have to be daily, or even weekly.  Talk about this in your teams and discuss some ideas.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Encouragement is oxygen to the soul.” — George M. Adams

What I’m Watching —

YouTube Channels for Elementary Students

These are some good resources for math videos. I am not saying hand them over to your students and let them go, but there are some great videos here to show or to embed in Powerschool Learning. Make sure you watch them first if you use them with students.

Favorite Article This Week —

The Secret of Effective Feedback

This has an interesting thought about what we are expecting when we assign work. What we do with that work can turn it from an assessment of what the child can do to how we can help the student be a better learner. Interesting article. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Fourth grade teachers. for all you do. I appreciate the work you do in your PLC as you work through what is best for students. I appreciate the work Diana does with engagement, getting the students up and moving, discussion with each other, and being excited when you do it. I appreciate the hard work Kristen puts in as she works with her team to form a plan that will carry through the year. Changing what is needed as she learns what needs to be changed. And I appreciate the ideas and tenacity Derrell has to be a teacher everyday after deciding one day to see what this teaching thing is all about. Thank you for being a strong team. Thank you for being willing learners and amazing teachers. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.

Building Student Understanding (Again)

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Building Student Understanding (Again) —

We have done great work working on our GVC and Learning Targets. Bob mentioned that he loved working with all the grade levels as you worked on your GVC last year. I don't think we can ever be reminded of the PLC questions enough. 

• What do we expect our students to learn?

• How will we know they are learning?

• How will we respond when they don't learn it?

• How will we respond if they already know it?

Using these questions, we set our GVC and Learning Targets. Once we have the what we want them to learn we set up our program and find our tools that help us teach so we can move to the next question. GVC is the one thing they need to learn on that subject, Learning Targets are the Steps that lead to the GVC, and daily lessons are scaffolded to reach the Learning Target. Teachers throughout the district met this summer and found the “Nonnegotiable” GVC fro each grade and subject. From those we need will look at what we have done as a school and see where we need to adjust what we have. Remember that our GVC will change a little as we find a more clear picture of what is important in our teaching. Scott had a great question a couple weeks ago. He asked, “Do we go deeper in our subject or do we teach everything”. Deeper is better. We have taken the most important curriculum and that is what we are teaching. To find out if they learned what we wanted them to learn and to see if we taught it well we assess the students. From that data we look at who did not get it, who did get it, and what we going to do next. The hardest part of the assessment is looking at our teaching practices as a team and finding out if there is something else we can change or tweak to improve our lessons. When we answer these questions we find our next steps and get to work. The work Bob did with us was the first step in this process. This is the first step in knowing what we want our students to understand. And that is our calling as teachers. To help every student, no matter their circumstance, no matter their behavior, no matter their attitude, is to give them the opportunity to learn and understand.

Quote I’m pondering —

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.

–Haim Ginott

What I’m Reading —

How To Win An Argument According To Science

This infographic has great information about the steps to arguing. Might be some good steps to teach students as they discuss concepts in class.

Favorite Article This Week —

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

I love language and where we get words in English. We have collected many words over the years from many different languages, which makes it hard to speak for some of us.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Cami, Jaime, Shelly, and Lisa for taking the time to help with the afternoon snacks. After working on your club we appreciate taking little time to help pass out the snacks to all the students. for all you do. Sometimes you are there for a while as you wait for safety patrol and other stragglers. We also want to thank you for helping with Tan’s Treats every week as we go from class to class handing out weekend lunches and dinners. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.

The River’s Song Is Sweet

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

The River’s Song Is Sweet  —

Sometimes life can be tough. There is so much that happens around us and too us that it makes it hard to focus on the thing in front of us. Something happens at home with s child or a member of the family. Sometimes it happens to us when we have a set back or something presents itself that is hard to get around or get away from. It happens. We are all human and life happens. It happens to all of us. So how to we handle situations that happen and take our focus away from our daily schedule? I heard a saying once, “The river’s song would not be so sweet without the rocks.” What are our expectations of others when problems happen. How do we help them? How do we help our littles ones in our class each day that have life happen to them on a daily basis? Sometime life can be tough. I think the answer to this is to know that we are loved by those around us. To know that someone or many someones are around us and make the difference in our lives so we know that we have somewhere to feel safe and know that there are people that will keep us going with the things that should and do matter in our lives. Our students have these things happen and we need to know that they need a soft place to land at our school. It’s funny, but sometimes, as a teacher, I did not think about students when they left the classroom. It was just like the student that sees us in the grocery store and does not realize we do not live in the school or that we could show up somewhere else besides school. Our student’s songs are sweet and we need to keep them sweet, with or without the rocks. And just know that you are all an important part of our school. You are important to everyone at our school. Everyone needs a soft place to land, and I hope you feel that our school is one of those places also. You make everything happen at our school.  You help create and maintain the culture we have here. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Life is not designed to make things easy for us, but present challenges that help us grow.”
– Terry Laughlin

What I’m Watching —

A Study on Praise and Mindsets

Just a reminder about how we praise and what our personal mindset is can determine what and how we learn.  

Favorite Article This Week —

How to Take Risks In A System Not Built For It (What Teachers Can Learn From Elon Musk)

Interesting idea from an amazing thinker. How do we teach our students to take risks  hat will further their opportunities in life? How does this relate to education?

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Preschool. Thank you for starting our little ones off on the right foot and having them know which foot it is and what letters spell the word foot. I was able to sit in on a parent meeting tonight and be able to watch to amazing interaction and love you have for the students and parents. Thank you for taking the time to teach the parents and students. Thank you Preschool for preparing students for success. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.

You Can Do Magic

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

You Can Do Magic  —

I have been thinking about some of my favorite places I have been. Walking through the woods with my family in New York State. Attending a concert with my friends in high school. Watching a play with my wife at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. Playing Uno with my music teacher and friends in high school. Singing in a cathedral in London with my college choir. These are amazing memories. They were magical times for me. But when I think about what it is that I loved about each memory it was the people I shared it with. Being able to talk to them, learn together, and enjoy the time together. I feel the same way about how our students learn and grow in our classrooms. Are they comfortable in our classrooms. Are we creating an environment and situation that students will remember fondly while they learn? Do they feel the magic in the room and the learning that is going on. Do they know that what is happening is all about them and that their teacher is designing lessons about them? This is the magic that you bring to your class. Students knowing that when they walk in the room, something magical will happen that day for them. Sometimes we think students are looking for entertainment, but in reality they are looking for comfort and love. They want to know that someone believes in them. No matter what they do. If they know someone believes in them, their attitude will change. It might take years, but it will is the magic they will feel. So, teach the students explicitly with the best strategies, teach them in a systematic way, and in the best sequence and they will learn. Make your students feel loved, respected, and comfortable and they will remember you and what you taught forever. You can do magic. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished,  the people will say 'We have done this ourselves.”

― Lao Tzu

What I’m Watching —

Believe in You Maths Potential — Set Yourself Free

I really like Jo Boaler. She sheds a little more light on how believing in your possibilities will set you free. It is a month Video, but it has to do with anything we do in education. Adults have a big influence on how children feel about everything in their lives.

Favorite Article This Week —

If Schools Don't Allow Mistakes, Where Are They Supposed To Happen?

We have talked a lot about Mindset and mistakes over the last year. This is an interesting questions that goes along with this idea. George is an amazing education blogger.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you third grade. It is wonderful how we can always find you as a team working together before school, after school, and at other times planning and going over what needs to happen in your classes that will help students. We appreciate your work and all that you do for students. Thank you for taking your time to get the most out of the time you have. And thank you for taking your schedule and making it fit to your students and to what is best for them and for you. It is a hard schedule, as 4th and 5th know. We also want to Thank Scott for all his work he has done with 5th grades schedule. Thank you Scott. Thank you Third Grade. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.