Missed Opportunities

Teachers,

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

Missed Opportunities  —

I have done a little teaching in a couple classrooms over the last couple of weeks and I recorded myself. It is hard to watch myself teach and look at all the missed opportunities. Annette Brinkman taught about missed opportunities in the classroom and how they can help us see the things we could be doing in our classroom to help students. A couple of the missed opportunities I saw in my recordings were stating and restating the Objective in my lessons. I did it in one, but not in another. I also need to Keep checking on each student to see their successes and where they need help. The little things in our lessons can turn into missed opportunities for students to learn and succeed. I have handed out a couple cell phone tripods to record yourselves teach. If you have not done so, please do and take a few minutes and set it up. No one else needs to see it. If you have questions about a missed opportunity in your video, ask Alma, myself, or Kim. We are always willing to coach and help you improve. If you would like to use a tripod to record yourself with your phone, ask and I will loan you one. Recording yourself should be used as an opportunity to see what you are doing and to find those misses opportunities that will help you be the best teacher you can be. You are an amazing family of teachers in an amazing school with the best students. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Behavior change is the only real apology.” – Mel Robbins

What I am Watching —

LEARN HOW TO FOLD A WORLD-RECORD-SETTING PAPER AIRPLANE

Just in case you wanted to know. A pretty cool math measurement experiment.

Favorite Article This Week —

We Must Maslow Before We Bloom

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Bloom's Taxonomy are important in education. Maslow must come first so we can Bloom.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you did at Literacy Night for parents and students. As I walk around I was able to see the parent lessons going well and the fun activities for students were fun. Thank you for taking the time and teaching the parents that came to the literacy night. Thank you for taking the time to help with parents. 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.

Time to Recharge

Teachers,

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

Time to Recharge  —

We do have many breaks as we go through the school year, but as a teacher it was always great to use it as a time to recharge. I hope that you are doing something fun and taking time to be with your loved ones, or at least talk with them. Get your mind off school for a little bit so when you come back you are fully charged and ready to go. Balance is always a difficult thing to maintain and manage as a teacher. There is so much to do and yet we need time to get our balance of home and school into focus. Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you Monday morning!

Quote I’m pondering —

“The only true voyage would be not to travel through a hundred different lands with the same pair of eyes, but to see the same land through a hundred different pairs of eyes.” 

–Marcel Proust

What I’m Reading —

Stop Stealing Dreams

This is a book in PDF form. It is a manifesto from Seth Godin about school. If you are looking to be a pirate and want a different look at different thoughts about teaching. This is a good start. Pick a few headings and read a little. Maybe you agree, maybe you don't. It has some interesting thoughts here. Seth wrote the book “Purple Cow” which is an interesting book about how to stand out from everyone and be remarkable.

Favorite Article This Week —

The Power of the Positive Office Referral

As we start using our new Check-In-Check-Out System in the office, I thought this might be a great article to keep in mind when and why you send students to the office.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you do. There is so much going on in our school and I see everyone working hard to help their students improve and be successful. I talk with students as they walk around the track and I always ask how school is going for them and what they are learning. I don’t any students tell me they hate school and are not learning anything. They love school and they love their teachers. They love you. Thank you for making them feel loved. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful 4 day weekend.

The Improvement Plan

Teachers,

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

The Improvement Plan  —

Our grade has dropped from a C to a D as a school. What does that mean? It means we need to help our students go deeper and build their successes. As Kim and I reflected on last year we found a few  hints we needed to adjust to make students more successful. The first hung we needed to do was find time for interventions. With our schedule it is not easy to find that time in our limited day, so the thought came to build in a club time for all students to participate in. This gives students intervention time as well as an extension for every student sometime throughout the year. The next thought we had was we needed to change up our English strand classes. This would take extra help moving students into a couple different classes as well as changing schedules around. This is still a work in progress, but the idea is that it will give everyone an opportunity to learn and it would mix the classes up in a way that every student succeeds. Scheduling has been an interesting challenge, but in he end it should provide great results. The third idea that came up was that Shelly needed help with the science. 30 minutes a week with every student does not build science mastery, or even come close. So we thought that science needed to be more prevalent in the classroom in the form of informational ready, which everyone is doing anyway. Adding more science practice, background knowledge, and science vocabulary in the classroom will help students be more successful in understanding the world around them. And the last idea was one that came as we read through what you wanted as teachers in the survey last year. More PD for Phonics, Language, reading comprehension, and writing. So we called in the big guns, Jennifer and Sara. Actually everything we reflected on came from thoughts teachers had as we talked about how to make our school a better, more successful learning environment. One last piece that we think will help us providing snacks and Tan’s Treats for our students. These programs will give food where it is needed for our students. I don’t like to say that we are teaching to any teat. What we are trying to do is make our school a more successful place for students to be successful in, especially as they leave us. We want them to be ready for everything life will throw at them. Education is a game changer for many students. Anything we can do to up their game is a bonus. If you have any ideas or thoughts about this plan, please let us know. We are always up for ways to make our school better.  

Quote I’m pondering —

“Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, ‘What else could this mean?’”

― Shannon L. Alder

What I’m watching —

Imogen Heap's Mi.Mu gloves will "change the way we make music"

I love Imogene Heap’s music. When I saw a video about Imogene using gloves to make music I had to learn more. This, to me, is what our students are going to be doing in the future. Creating something to make life better, or more fun. I also wonder how this might change how we teacher or how students might learn…with a pair of gloves.

Favorite Article This Week —

Why Multilingual People Have Healthier, More Engaged Brains

This is our students. They have strong brains. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you. It has been a busy year so far and as we get deeper into the year I see how amazing the teachers and staff are at Dixie Sun. Working with many different staffs over the years it has been hard to get some engaged in trainings. There has been many times when the teachers would not get up and engage in the activity we were involved in. Not so here. We realize that if we expect our students to be engaged, we should also. When we are learning, we need to be learning. I appreciate the support you give whomever is teaching the PD. We get comments from everyone that comes to teach us that our teachers are engaged and wanting to learn. I just want you to know that you are amazing teachers. Thank you for all you do. Thank you. 

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

Addendum: I was reminded that another part of the plan was to add Mindset to our learning in the classroom. Teaching students and teachers about a growth mindset helps each understand more about how the brain works. It also builds persistence and that it is ok to make mistakes. Growth Mindset can increase learning in everyone because of their outlook on learning.

On My Way to Death Valley

Teachers,

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

On My Way to Death Valley —

I hope you have taken time to do something for yourself. You deserve it. I hope you had a wonderful week and are looking forward to finishing it strong through the weekend. I am heading to Death Valley where it will be 95˚ during the day. But the wild flowers should be great. Lowest point in North America. Salt formations all over the place. Sand Dunes used in Star Wars. Did I mention it will be 95˚? I can’t wait. Really, I love it. I hope you have had a great week.

We are heading into the last few months and the students can feel the change in the weather and the end of the year coming. As long as we can keep them focused and learning we will do well. This might mean to add in a little extra movement during the day. Find a Go Noodle movement video and let them move a little. Remember to review the rules in your class and if you feel you want to watch a few videos to remind the students of our school PBIS rules, GO for it. We have a video for Responsible, Respectful, Resourceful, and Safe.  Here is the link to watch them all. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMicLepdb-nJbD1-b_FbkZA. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“The cure for anything is salt water - tears, sweat, or the sea. ” —Isak Dinesen

Favorite Website This Week —

My Fridge Food

Have you ever looked in your fridge and wondered, “What do i make with this?” On this website you enter what you have in your fridge and it gives you recipes to make. Interesting recipes. Lots of fun. 

Second Favorite Website This Week —

Do Nothing for 2 Minutes

This is just a reminder that we all need to take a couple minutes and just reflect, or just step away. Use this here and there to just take a moment. Let the waves wash over you and recharge. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you do. You deserve the breaks you get because of all the work you do at school. I hope you know how much we are thankful for you. If I don't say it enough, I should. You deserve it. You matter to these students. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Good Job

Teachers,

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

Good Job —

I hear this sometimes and I wonder, what does that mean? I find myself saying that also and I wonder, what did I mean? Was I not paying attention enough to add more detail to my compliment? I need to do better at being more specific in my compliments. What specifically did I enjoy about what someone did? What specifically do I like about the thing this person is doing? Specific feedback gives more depth to the compliment and provides something for the complimentee(I know, not a word) to enjoy about what they did. So I need to create an instant rubric in my head for everything I see people do so I know what to compliment them on... no that is not correct, I just need to pay attention and see what is happening. I need to not look at situations as a judgment call, but as enjoyment. Complimenting others with a blanket "good job" give nothing specific for them to celebrate. It just leaves them wondering wheat part was good and what part needed improvement. I can do better. I need to do better. Those around me deserve better compliments. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." — Abraham Lincoln

What I’m watching —

Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children

This video tells about the difference parents can make by just talking to their children. The research is astounding. The difference between a child that is talked to when they are young compared to a child that is not makes a huge difference in literacy. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Vocabulary: The Missing Link Between Reading and Literacy

I read this article and thought you should read it also. Here are a couple questions to think about when you read this. Why might vocabulary be the missing link between phonics and comprehension? What implications for instruction does this article present? How will this affect the way you teach vocabulary?

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Jaime. Hearing you tell about how you try to help students be a part of music even when they do not want to be a part of the dancing is wonderful. Every student has a notch somewhere and you are helping them find their place in music class. Thank you.

Thank you third grade for helping Kristen A. get climatized to our school. Coming in this time of year is always interesting, which Derrell has found, but she has done well.Thank you for getting her up to speed and keeping the focus on the students. Thank you.

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

My Teacher Forever

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

My Teacher Forever —
I was participating in a #youmatter chat on twitter and a comment came up that interested me. It was from Justine Tarte from St. Louis Missouri. He said "Highly effective teachers don't just have students for one year; they have students who view them as 'their' teacher for life...". I thought about this for a moment and it is true. The teachers I remember that I consider "my" teachers are the ones that really had an impact on me. Mrs. Durbin my kindergarten teacher took time with me and helped be start out to be a pretty good reader. My third grade teacher Mrs. Fanning really helped me understand math and we had some great waffle parties. Sixth grade was Mr. Neighbor and he pushed me to do better. I wasn't fond of him because he was mean, but he was "my" teacher because he pushed and I grew. I had others but the one teacher I call mine was Mr. Frieberg. High school music teacher. I had him for 3 years and my friends and I got to know him pretty well. He took time to explain life to us. He scolded us when we were making bad choices. He praised us when we were doing well. He took time to find out who we were and we found out who he was. He took time. I don't remember most of my teachers. I would have to look back to see what they even looked like. So who are "your" teachers? Who made an impact on you? And what are you doing to make an impact on your students so they will consider you "their" teacher after they leave? What a badge of love to get from a student. My teacher forever.

Quote I’m pondering —
“Don't look—you might see. Don't listen—you might hear. Don't think—you might learn. Don't make a decision—you might be wrong. Don't walk—you might stumble. Don't run—you might fall. Don't live—you might die.”
― Anti-Risk Campaign Poster

What I’m watching —
Through the Eyes of a Teacher before Christmas
Kim showed me this and I thought everyone can relate to this in fact this is usually what happens during a full moon. Enjoy and laugh.

Favorite Article This Week —
6 Potential Brain Benefits Of Bilingual Education
I read this and found that our kids resemble these benefits. One other thing have read is that the benefits of dual immersion show up more as the students grow older. We are doing an amazing job teaching dual languages to amazing students. They will benefit. We are hearing about the benefits from former students. It will be more evident in the years to come. Keep up the great work.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Cynthia and Teryn. Having the whole day classes, you are doing an amazing job. Seeing the successes you are having and the growth with your classes is exciting to watch. Being in a full day class with one group of kids after being in half day classes with two groups is a daunting task. It is a huge schedule and curriculum reset. But you have taken the task and have done some pretty fun things that most classes are unable to do with half day classes. Thank you for doing such an amazing job. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Little Things

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

Little Things —
I am a huge fan of the band Van Halen. I have been since a friend played me their first song on their first album. They were a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners type of band. They innovated and created their own path through rock and roll history. But there is a story about them that always intrigued me. It goes something like this (From entrepreneur.com, ):

Buried amongst dozens of points in Van Halen’s rider was an odd stipulation that there were to be no brown M&M’s candies in the backstage area. If any brown M&M’s were found backstage, the band could cancel the entire concert at the full expense of the promoter. That meant that because of a single candy, a promoter could lose millions…
To ensure the promoter had read every single word in the contract, the band created the “no brown M&M’s” clause. It was a canary in a coalmine to indicate that the promoter may have not paid attention to other more important parts of the rider, and that there could be other bigger problems at hand.
Whenever the band found brown M&M’s candies backstage, they immediately did a complete line check, inspecting every aspect of the sound, lighting and stage setup to make sure it was perfect. David Lee Roth would also trash the band’s dressing room to prove a point — reinforcing his reputation in the process.
Van Halen created a seemingly silly clause to make sure that every little detail was taken care of. It was important, both for the experience of the fans and the safety of the band, to make sure that no little problems created bigger issues.

As teachers we need to look for the little things that need our help. There are times we find something amiss in a student's learning and we need to search every aspect to find what is needed and address it before it becomes a bigger issue. The band did not put that clause in to be funny, they put it in to make sure the experience of the fans and the safety of the band was taken care of. Everything we do is about the experience we give our students, the learning we design, and the opportunities we create for our students and their future. It’s the small things we sometimes lose track of in our lives. Even the little things like a smile or a positive comment makes a difference. A little thing like a smile at any given moment can make a student feel good and know that someone cares. If things do not go right you don't get to trash your room, but you can check and recheck what you are doing to make sure you are doing the little things, because those are things that can help as our students learn.

Quote I’m pondering —
“If the cat wishes to leave the room, he makes no fuss about it and does not annoy you with vocal opportunities; he selects a position near the door. Now you may change his position, but you cannot change his purpose: his purpose is to leave the room; and he knows that opportunities come to those who are ready.”
― William Lyons Phelps

What I’m watching —
What Homeless Keep With Them
We have a small population of homeless in our school. This article with accompanying videos put more of a face and background on who we are working with when it comes to the homeless.

Favorite Article This Week —
10 Things High School Teacher Can Learn From Elementary Teachers
This is more of a reminder of all the things you do as an elementary teacher. Nice job.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Kindergarten. I love that you problem solved how your grade level would increase your imagine Learning usage. We appreciate that you came up with a solution and then came to ask its that works with the schedule. First grade also mentioned how well the students are coming to them more ready for first grade. Thank you for your hard work.

Thank you Amanda for the Shoe project. It went so smoothly and the students had the biggest smiles on their faces. Thank you for taking care of our students and helping to keep them warm, shoed, and giving them a place to feel listened to. thank you for watching out little ones.

An one more thank you to Fourth grade for having everything put into CSIP and putting together a plan to get it put in each week. That really makes our meeting more about the students and not about entering numbers into CSIP. Thank you.

There is so much going on in our school that is wonderful. thank you for all everyone does. Thank you.

I appreciate you and your the work you put in for the students. Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S. I just wanted to use Van Halen in one of my messages.

Being Thankful

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

Being Thankful
It is a great time to reflect on being thankful. Halfway through the school year and at the end of the calendar year makes it a great stopping point to reflect. So what am I thankful for? My family. The time we spend together and the opportunity for me to see them grow and progress through their lives. My family send out a Christmas DVD instead of a Christmas card to our siblings and a few friends. It is a montage of pictures that we take through the year. It is a good reminder of what we have done and where we went this year. One of our favorite activities is watching our past Christmas videos and seeing how we have grown through the years. I am thankful for them. They remind me that I am not the center of the universe, they are.

I am thankful for a job that does not seem like a job. I get to have recess every day. What other job does that? I get to work with wonderful people everyday. I get to see where our future will come from and I have to say that even with the problems we have, I see a bright future in our students. I am thankful for students that do not always fit in the same box as other kids. It is those kids that will take us to new places in our world. I am thankful for teachers that give of their time, look for new ways to teach and are willing to do whatever it takes to help students see the light they have never seen and some thought was never possible to see. I am thankful for others that have patience for my shortcomings. I am very thankful for good friends. We always need someone to help us through the times when it seems a little too rough for us, and I have had a few of those times, and friends guide me and, when needed, set me straight. I am truly thankful for life and the opportunity I have to live it. And it is worth living, at all times. So at this time in the year, what are you thankful for? Who are you thankful for?

Quote I’m pondering —
"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child." ~ Dr. Seuss

What I’m watching —
20 Things We Should Say More Often
I love the kid President videos. They are amazing and this one was a life lesson for me. I try to share corn dogs with my kids often.

Favorite poster This Week —
Life Is Full of Surprises
There are so many people on our way through life that help us or that we don't even know that they notice who we are and what we do. Sometimes we need to take a moment and talk to the people that we see each day and don't recognize. Such a great article. Some many little things that I need to remember.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you everyone for all you did during the Reunification Drill. We appreciate your patience and help to keep the students safe and looked after. Drills can be so boring and unwanted, until there is a time we need it. It only takes one time to need it. Thank you for all your help. Thank you teachers for keeping the classes organized so the students were easy to find for the runners. Thank you runners for being quick and detailed. Thank you information collectors for being so detailed and quick with your job. Thank you everyone. Thank you for being a huge part of making this whole drill run smoothly. Thank you. It is all about keeping students safe in situations that might come up. Thank you.

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

The Little Things

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

The Little Things —
On April 26, 1986, Reactor 4 of the Ukrainian Atomic energy power plan in Chernobyl exploded, polluting the surrounding territory and all of Europe with radioactive particles. There are 211 control rods that regulate the reactivity of the core. As a safety measure, there must be 15 rods inserted into the core at all times. Through the 1600 channels carved in the 4 million lbs. of graphite run water that absorbed the intense heat produced by the nuclear fuel rods. The water absorbs the heat, boils, turns to steam and is used to turn turbines, creating power, and then returns as it cools back into water to restart the process. At the time of the explosion the reactor was due for maintenance. The reactor was slowed down and the emergency cooling system was shut down. Kiev requested to keep the reactor up because of extra power was needed. When the reactor was taken off the grid and slowed down, it had slowed to below the allowable limit because the operator wanted to slow it down manually and the cooling system was shut down. The operator "oversteered" the reactor by trying to regulate the "situation" and not the "process". When the engineers tried to bring it back up it was not going up fast enough, but they decided to go on with the experiments. This was the mistake.

Why? Because they violated the safety rules. They possibly violated the rules because they had done it before and since nothing happened, breaking the rules was reinforced. They did not have to worry about the rules and could act freely to finish the needed work. Safety rules are designed so the violator is not blown sky high but might find their life easier, but the likelihood of disaster increases. The violations had become habits and routine. The operators did these things because they had always done these things. They were of the opinion that the safety rules were designed much too narrowly for an experienced team. By the time they had finished their experiment and reduced the flow of water, the reactor was still too low and there were only 6-8 rods left in the core. When they realized they had made a mistake, they started shoving rods back into the core, but the built up heat in the core had bent the tubes and there were two explosions. It is the little things we need to do to keep everything in check. Keep an eye on the process and procedure and don't let a situation change everything. We may not think something is important, but in the big picture, it can be very important? So what the little things we need to keep track of?

Quote I’m pondering —
"The most valuable thing you can do is make a mistake. You can't learn anything from being perfect." Adam Osborne

What I’m watching —
Another Lex Prin Video
One more Lex Prin video. I love the way he says Halloweens and bless your colleague. Keep them coming Lex.

Favorite Article This Week —
Do You Know What Accountability Really Means
This article reminded me the difference between accountability and punishment. Short article, great information. Especially as we look for student accountability in our classrooms.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you First grade. Your idea of inviting parents every month to be a big part of the classroom has been a big success. so many parents come and participate in the activity with their student. We appreciate you inviting parents into our school to make them comfortable here. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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