Reflecting on the First Half

Teachers,

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

Reflecting on the First Half —

I’ve been watching a little football and I always wonder what the coaches say in the locker room at half time. It is half-time for us. Here are a few reflection questions to think about as we move into the next half of the year.

• In what area(s) do I wish I could better reach my students?
• Do I need to recalibrate my perspective on outside forces that I can’t directly control?
• Do I give my students the opportunity for frequent and authentic reflection?
• Is learning confined within the walls of our classroom?
• Am I doing all the “heavy lifting?”

Quote I’m pondering —

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”

–Helen Keller

What I’m Watching —

Chromebook Crashcourse

This video is only up until December 31. There is also a way to win a Chromebook at the end of watching this hour PD session about Chromebooks. I learned that by Clicking CTRL+Shift+T will bring back a closed tab…so when students try to click off a tab they don’t want me to see, I can click that keystrokes and see what the last tab they closed was. I don’t use this often, but there are a few that I have talked with that I will check on. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Rediscovering Your Fulfillment as a Teacher

Sometimes we get into a bit of a funk and need a little pick me up. This is a good article to help get the focus back.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you do. It is a pleasure working with all of you. Thank you.

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

Happy Holidays

Teachers,

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

Happy Holidays  —

Have a wonderful couple weeks of time with your family. It has been a busy year so far. The wonderful thing is that I am seeing changes in students and from what many of you are saying, the changes are starting to pay off. I get a snippet from students during lunch about what they are learning and many of the answers they give are positive. Students love you. You are all amazing teachers. Have a wonderful break. You deserve it.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Don't try to be perfect; Just be an excellent example of a human being.”

— Anthony Robbins

What I’m Watching —

Howe to Make Learning a Game

The author of “Ditch that Textbook” is having a free summit for educators. This is one of the online presentations. The Summit goes all this week and is available online until the 31st. Just thought I would offer a little online PD for you, if you want to do a little learning during your break. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Eating an Elephant

One bite at a time. A few words from Dave Burgess about eating an elephant.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you have done this year. There has been a few changes that have been hard to adjust to and the testing we have done has given us a lot of data to look at. You have taken these changes and made them work. You are amazing teachers. You deserve all the thanks I can give. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Instructional Focus

Teachers,

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

Instructional Focus  —

One of the questions we asked at the training was about what our Instructional focus was at Dixie Sun. At our training this last week we learned from Patti Montgomery that this is an important part of our school is to have an Instructional Focus and to remind teachers of it often. What is the focus of our improvement in our school this year that has to do with Instruction. 

As Kim, Alma, and I looked at our needs in the school, and after having discussions with Jennifer, Sara, Patti, and Annette, we came up with three that we think need tightening up on. They are Engagement, Lesson Planning, and Explicit Instruction. At the training on Monday only ½ knew these. That is our fault. We should have been discussing this more with you. These are the three we will be talking about asking about as we come to PLC’s. We will be asking how your planning is and are you making sure you have the Explicit Instruction spelled out in your plans. As we come into your classrooms and see the great things happening, we will be looking at students to see their engagement levels in the activities they are doing. We should be able to ask your students what they are learning and they should know the objective and why they are working on this activity. We understand that there will be 10-20% of your class that might not know because they are learning to learn, but as engagement, and explicit instruction increases, most students should know why they are working on each activity and where they are headed.

I think one of the teachers put it well in a PLC this week, they said that “we are doing most parts of explicit instruction, lesson planning, and we are getting better at engagement, we just needed to be reminded which parts we were missing so we can improve.” I agree. We just need to be reminded of the parts and make sure we have them all included in our classrooms. You are amazing teachers. One of our goals for the rest of the year is to remind you of our objectives (Instructional Focus) to make sure you know what we are concentrating on. It is not subject based, it is Instructional based. We appreciate all you do.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

What I’m Watching —

Teach Teachers How To Create Magic

Don’t get stuck on the music part of the video and listen to the overall message he is saying. Create magic in your classroom. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Why Student Data Should Be Students’ Data

What should we do with all this data we are collecting on students?

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Julie, Jaime, Elena, Diana, and Teryn for helping in our training on Monday. As we talked with the teams throughout the school the one comment was made throughout was that they got to see teachers that used these strategies and skills in their classrooms. They also mentioned there needed to be more time. I appreciate that you were willing to take the time, from short notice, and share one amazing thing you do in your classroom. We have so many strategies and skills that are being used in our building that we can learn from. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being the amazing teachers you are. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

It’s the Hap, Happiest Time of The Year

Teachers,

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

It’s the Hap, Happiest Time of The Year  —

Seriously? The kids are wired, the air is freezing, and the stores are crammed with crazed shoppers. Yes it is the happiest time of the year. This is the time of year when the students are going crazy because art is close to Christmas, and the change in the weather. Weather has an effect on everyone. With the change in the weather comes children getting sick and that changes a child’s (and adult’s) attitude quickly. Everyone gets out of sorts this time of year. The key is to remember we as adults have the same things happen to us and we need to remember that can change how we act and react to normal situations. Take a step back and remind yourself that they are children. You might have to tell yourself that over and over again. A few more educational activities are great this time of year. They will come back after the break the same child, but more ready to learn. We can do this. It is only a couple of weeks until the break. Hold on. Keep it together so the students know that you still love them. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.”

—George Washington Carver

What I’m Watching —

Don't Eat The Marshmallow!

A quick lesson on how to be successful in life, using a marshmallow.

Favorite Article This Week —

100 Blocks a Day

Nothing like our day laid out into 100 blocks. A little math. A lot of thought. Something to think about, track, or make it an activity for you or your students. Graphing, adding, multiplying, dividing, changing, growing, or do nothing. whatever you want it to be.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Amanda for putting together and coordinating the Warm the Soles night. The happiness as students opened their packages from America First Credit Union was priceless. I saw fist pumping, jumping for joy, smiles, laughter, and parents just happy their kids have shoes this time of year. Some of the shoes they took off have been ready for the garbage for months. Thank you for setting that up. Thank you to the teachers that were there to support and help that night. I know everyone is not able to be there, but I hope you are able to help when these activities come up. The students love to show off to their teachers their new kicks every year. Thank you Amanda and everyone that helped that night. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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