My Mission Call

Teachers,

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

My Mission Call—

Baruti Kafele (@PrincipalKafele), a presenter at the Title 1 Conference, asked some important questions that I want to relate to you. 

• “What do you do that demands school-wide excellence?”
• "What is my purpose for being in this school and does it drive what I do and say?”
• "What is my educator mission? What is the thing that I want to accomplish and will stop at nothing to get it done?”
• “ Do I treat my teaching/leadership as a job or a mission?”
• “Am I being intentional?”

These are tough questions to answer. This takes a lot of thought and reflection. The easy answer would be to educate children. But what are the answers to these questions?

Some of these students have more on their plates than we will ever understand. Education takes a back seat to their issues at times. Relationships with students are important. They need to know they matter. that is my mission. That is what I want to improve on and make sure students understand. They matter.

So what are your answers to these questions? I am still working on my answers. When I find them I am sure they will evolve and change. Reflection on them will take time. Take some time and reflect on these questions, then make your answers your mission. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“It’s lonely at the top. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for ‘realistic’ goals, paradoxically making them the most time- and energy-consuming… The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals.” - Tim Ferris

What I’m watching —

Road Tripping with Kids

This is similar to road tripping with Administrators. Everyone has been a part of this somehow. Enjoy. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Splat!

This math-based website has free lessons that make students problem solve the answers under the splat on the page. These are great for collaborative centers for students to find the answers and explain their thinking. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Shelly, Alma, Anita, Inez, and Amanda for helping at school while Kim and I are learning how to make our school better. We have information to bring back and help our school be the best ever. We have ideas the share and programs to suggest and for you to look at. We cannot do this without amazing people that help lead the school while we are home. Thank you. We also appreciate every teacher for all you do. We know that while we are gone the students will be cared for and taken care of like they always are. Thank you for being the best teachers. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. It will be wonderful to be back in the school. Learning. Have a great weekend.

It’s a New Year

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

It’s a New Year —
Each day brings many opportunities for us to see what we need to do to be a better person. We should be encouraging ourselves and others to be better. Becoming a better person is what making resolutions is all about. What can we do to better those around us and ourselves? Traditionally we put together a few resolutions to get the year started off right and within a few days or weeks or even months, the resolution becomes part of the history of our lives. Something we look back upon that just brings us to the realization that we are who we are and there is no changing our habits and patterns.

We just need to set goals that will help us in our lives. Resolutions get broken. Goals are achieved. We need to set goals. We all have a few goals that we want to help us do better in our daily life whether it be exercise, eat better, stop a bad habit, or start a good habit.

I listened to Hyrum Smith, of Franklin planners, a few years ago give a talk about how to manage finances. He pulled out picture of what he called the spending matrix. He also uses it for time management. He told me he uses it for many decisions he makes. I have started doing the same with many of my decisions.

Draw four boxes on your paper. Label above the two top boxes, Urgent and Not Urgent. Next to the left side of the boxes label them Important and Not Important.
Urgent/Important= Crisis, deadlines, pressing problems=Needs.
Not Urgent/Important=Prevention, Values, planning relationships=Needs.
Urgent/Not Important=Meetings, activities, some pressing matters=Have to do.
Not Urgent/Not Important=Trivial, Time Wasters, “Escape” activities=Wants.

We will work from left to right, top to bottom and write in all the resolutions on your list into the proper boxes. What have you written in what boxes? Are there things that you think are urgent to change or improve?

Life gets itself made up one way or another. We should set goals that will help our lives get made up the way we want it to be, not to have it made up for us. I will encourage you to use the matrix if defining the urgent/important things in your life. Concentrate on the top two boxes. Those are the most important resolutions. Place your creation somewhere you will see it. most of all, write some goals.




Quote I’m pondering —
“What people need to keep their morale up to par is the ability to throw away their dime store glasses and begin looking through life with the long lenses of eternity. We need to acquire the power to live beyond the “terminals of the day’s happenings” and in the words of Emerson, “to hear what the centuries say, not merely the days and the hours.”
― John Miller

What I’m watching —
Mapping out the Shape of a Story
Graphing out a story based on what you are learning in class. Fun. Exciting. Mathematical. Amazing. Try it.

Favorite Article This Week —
So You want to do Mystery Skype
Mystery Skype is a lot of fun. If you just want to do it with Kim or I am sure we can work it out. There are a lot of classrooms and people around the globe that will do it also. I love technology.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Kim. I have learned a lot about being an administrator, but especially being an administrator of a school that in not your run-of-the-mill-traditional-classroom school. Dual Immersion is tough. It has schedules that can be nightmares for administration, and two different language and need to be one for team teachers. I have learned about budgets and meetings, and working with parents and families, and taking care of families in need, and so much more. Thank you for taking me in and letting me learn. I love being here. Thank you Kim. Thank you for working with me. Thank you.

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

Planning for Substitutes

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

Planning for Substitutes —
I was talking with the Community Council on Wednesday afternoon and we were talking safety and a concern came up about how substitutes will know what to do in case of an emergency in a classroom. So I thought about this. I would like for every teacher to put together a Substitute Information page that you can leave out whenever you have a sub. It is page that will not include daily plans, but will include information that a sub might like to know to help run your classroom better. Procedures that are used all the time and are not written into lesson plans. Topics like; procedures during an emergency fire drill or any emergency drill, How do students line up, How you deal with situation in your classroom, procedures for students using chrome books or iPads in the classroom, how you call on students, procedures for specials and PE, and any specific times students go to ELL, Resource, Speech, or other places, How you line up to go to iReady… There are many things that are procedures we see everyday that you might like a sub to know when they come to your room. When you put this list together just print it and put it next to your sub plans when you have a sub. If you would send Anita a copy of the Sub Info also she can print it if there is ever an emergency. The biggest piece of information we would like on this page is what to do in an Emergency. Where to go, how to line up, who to they report to, and anything specific they need to know that will help them through an emergency.

Quote I’m pondering —
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

What I’m watching —
Taylor Mali: What Do Teachers Make?
If you have not seen this, you need to see it. We are in a tough profession and you do an amazing job teaching our little ones.

Favorite Article This Week —
15 Questions to Replace “How Was School Today?
These are great questions to ask our on kids when they get home from school. Which tells me that we need our students to be able to answer these questions before they leave school each day. So how do we do this?

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Shelly. There are so many things you do at this school that it is hard for me to say thank you for just one thing. Thank you for everything. For setting schedules, for preparing lessons six grade levels of science and teaching them each week, for housing and cleaning leftovers from animals in your room so students have the opportunity to see animals up close, for taking a morning or afternoon duty when someone has a meeting or is not feeling well, for helping in the office and doing odd jobs when we need them so the school will keep running. This list could go on and on. Thank you for all you do. I thank you, we all thank you Shelly. Thank you.

I appreciate all your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.