In Memory of Persistence (revisit)

Teachers,

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

In Memory of Persistence —

My best friend from high school passed away 3 years ago. He was pretty amazing. He was the kid in school that always had to do everything differently. It drove his teachers crazy. It was fun for us to watch. After he graduated he had many different jobs and adventures. He taught English in Japan for a year and when he came back he opened a clothing store with his own designs. He painted and drew art that he tried to sell and eventually took a job in the graphics arts field. He worked for a couple different newspapers and marketing companies while starting his own marketing company. He decided he wanted to help others so he became a life coach while still painting, using his graphic arts skills, and keeping up with his marketing company. All this while he raised his small family. He was a pretty amazing guy. The one big thing I learned from him was persistence. No matter what happened, how bad it got, or the roadblocks that showed up in his path, he went on to the next thing and made it work. Shaun had persistence. What I saw was that he did not get stuck if something went wrong, he pushed through it and found something that worked.

So how do we teach persistence with our students? Have high expectations and relate them to the students. Push them, but know when to stop. Persistence needs to be worked on like anything else. It takes practice. How can they push through problems if they only see problems that take a couple seconds to answer? Introduce problems that take time and might have more than one step are needed. Teach what to do when the going gets tough. Model what to do and have them practice it. Teach students to be positive and to tell themselves they can do it. Being negative teaches students they cannot do something that is hard. They can get that negative talk anywhere. We need positivity. Convince them they can do it. Students need to know there is a future that they control. Some cannot see past next week, or even the next few days, but we can expand their view with education. Show them where they can go. Give them a road map and take them on the trip. When they persist and succeed, point it out. When they persist and don’t succeed, praise the persistence and show them the map of where they are going. Give them the confidence that they can do anything with education. That builds persistence. Thank you Shaun for the road map you showed me. You were truly my life coach.

Quote I’m pondering —

“We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are ”

-Anaïs Nin

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Mon. Jan 13 - Pie with the Principal 9:30am Mon. Jan 13 - PTA Meeting 12pm Tue. Jan 14 - STEM, Music Char. Ed start up Wed. Jan 15 - Acadience Testing All Day (see schedule on your email) Wed. Jan 15 - Chinese PD 1-3 All day Thu. Jan 16 - Chinese PD 4-5 All day	Mon. Jan 20 - MLK, Jr. Day No School Wed. Jan 22 - Acadience Testing at Santa Clara (aides gone morning) Thu. Jan 23 - Acadience Testing at Santa Clara (aides gone morning)

Favorite Article This Week —

What’s the Real Origin of “OK”?

The precursor word of LOL, OMG, and WTSH. I love words and their origins.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you teachers for all the love and kindness and competition. It is so much fun to be a part of a staff that is all in when it comes to activities, lunches, and games. Thank you for all the fun you bring to school each day. I love being a part of such a wonderful school. Keep doing what you are doing. Thank you for all you do. Thank you. 

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

Why Do You Do This?

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. Sorry it was late this week.

Why Do You Do This? —

We are close to being done. This 5-Point Friday has been something I have done for a while. I based it on a 5 Bullet Friday that Tim Ferris does every week. His is more about items and ideas he uses to help people be better, but I wanted to do something that forced me to learn something new every week. This email is more for me to write about my thoughts and share the articles, videos, and a few ideas and share them with you. I feel that I need to model the learning I want teachers and students to do. If I am a Learning Coach and I expect those around me to learn, I need to model that by learning and sharing my learning with those around me. It has forced me to read more, keep my eyes open for things that would help you as well as me, and hopefully somewhere in these emails there will be something you can use in your classroom or just cause you to reflect about teaching. Some Thursdays I have not wanted to write, but I felt I needed to whether anyone reads it or not. I learned that I needed to do this early on. 

Quote I’m pondering —

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.-- Dalai Lama

What’s Happening —

Mon. May 6 - TAT 4th-5th Grade 8:15 Mon. May 6 - Dibels 9-12 Mon. May 6 - Assembly 9:30 Mon. May 6 - Kinder Program Tues. May 7 - Dibels 9-12 Tues. May 7 - Bike Assembly 1:30 Tues. May 7 - Kinder Program Wed., May 8 - Bike to School 8-9 Wed., May 8 - Kinder Program Fri., May 10 - Last Day Take Home Library Fri. May 10 - Bus Ride Karaoke 1:30	Mon. May 13 - No Kinder Tues. May 14 - No Kinder Tues. May 14 - Strong Man Assembly 2:30 Wed., May 15 - No Kinder Thu., May 16 - No Kinder Thu., May 16 - Fifth Grade Program 1:30 Fri., May 17 - No Kinder May 23 - Last Day of School
May 6-10 - Lunch Workers: Din and 2 from Tuitavuki/Marchant	May 13-17- Lunch Workers: Cox and 2 from Bringhurst/Seegmiller

Favorite Article This Week —

2 Ways To Think This Not That

We are our own toughest critic. A few changes in the way we talk to ourselves will help us be less critical of ourselves. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you, teachers. You are all amazing. Thank you for choosing this path in life. For caring about children enough to want to help them be successful. Thank you for endless hours of planning, preparation, helping students, and making sure each child is receiving gate best education possible. Even though what you have to do is difficult at times, you make it fun. You have the power to change lives and you take it seriously. Thank you for taking the time to shape the minds of students and your colleagues. Thank you for being teachers. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

Excitement in the Air

Teachers,

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

Excitement in the Air —

I don’t know about you but I am excited to see how well our students do next week on the DIBELS test. With the work that has been done in Power 50 and the lessons, Jennifer has been teaching us about learning intentions and making sure students understand what they are learning and why. With these new things we are doing, I hope to see improvement. There is a new part of the test for students to be tested on in the younger grades, but we should still see improvement in our students. I know many of you have expressed that you have seen improvement as you have been progress monitoring your students. I am excited to see what our next steps will be when we see where our students are now. Thank you for all you do.

Quote I’m pondering —

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

What’s Happening This Week —

Mon., Jan 14 - 8:15am HAL Testing for first grade

Mon., Jan 14 - DIBELS for K-3

Mon., Jan 14 - District Grade Level Training K-1 (optional)

Tues., Jan 15 - DIBELS for 4-5 in morning

Tues., Jan 15 - District Grade Level Training 2-3 (optional)

Wed., Jan 16 - District Grade Level Training 4-5 (optional)

Thur., Jan 17 - 1:00pm LRI Band for 5th grade

Thur., Jan 17 - 2:30pm Community Council Meeting

Mon., Jan 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)

Favorite Article and Video This Week —

This Teacher's Innovative Way Of Teaching 'Vowels' and 'Consonants' is Winning the Internet

A reminder that there is always a different way to teach something if the way we have been teaching does not work for some students.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you second and third-grade teachers. You have really put your work in with the students and with teaching two grades. There have been some special times that have given you the opportunity to learn and grow with4 your students. Thank you for all the time you commit to helping your students. Thank you for finding alternatives to help those in need. We appreciate all your work and time you put in. You are important for those students in your classes. They need you and you show that you care. Thank you for all you do and thank you for all you have done. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

What’s your Motivation

Teachers,

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

What’s your Motivation—

How do we get our students motivated to learn? Each class has a student or two or more that seem like they don’t feel what we are doing will matter to them. They feel unmotivated by education or anything in front of them. This is a tough situation.  I found an article that talks a little bit about how to motivate people in general. It is not what we might think would motivate someone. Sometimes we think that finding someone successful and trying to do what they do will get us to where we want to be, but a couple leading psychologists did research on motivation and tried something a little different. Instead of having the unmotivated listen to advice or someone that knew the concept, they had the person teach the concept to someone else and give advice to them. They found that giving advice or teaching increased the person's confidence and gave them a little more motivation in their lives. I wonder how this would work with students? If an unmotivated student can, in some way, help another student learn a concept it might give them a little more confidence to keep learning and teaching. Interesting thought about motivation. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
— Jack Kornfield

What’s Happening This Week —

Mon., Oct. 8 - Ballet West Assembly

Wed., Oct 10 - Vision Screening

Thurs.-Fri.- Oct. 11-12 - Fall Break

Oct. 18 - Dance Festival

Oct 25-26 - Jennifer Throndson Training

Favorite Article This Week —

How to Teach Self-Regulation

We are finishing up our Wellness Center and hope to have it ready to go right after Fall Break. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Heather B.for all you have done this week. Working two jobs (yours and Stephanies) to keep the Power 50 and Sped going at the same time. You have done an amazing job keeping the groups up as we search for a replacement sped aide. You are so positive with students, so helpful with teachers, and so flexible in your job to make sure everything is in place. And then to be planning for a wedding, what an amazing person you are. Thank you for all you do for students. Thank you for all you do for our school. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

Busy, Busy

Teachers,

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

Busy, Busy—

This year is moving along. It has been very busy. You have put in long hours and stressed over how you will get everything expected into your shortened day, and we are starting the Power 50 which will throw another wrench in the fire. Don’t forget to stop and take a breath. Get everything done humanly possible and just do your best. My mom told me once that Angels could do no better. We appreciate all that you are doing in your classrooms. If the students are not doing what you need, stop the program and restart procedures. The program will be there tomorrow or the next day. This is not a license to not teach once a week because you want a break, but to let you know that sometimes you need to stop and breath. Check the structure of your class. How is everything set up? Are students clear on how you want them to get places, pick up supplies, and get in and out of the room? If they are not doing those things the way you need them to, stop and retrain. After each long weekend, there should be a little retraining. Retrain on real long weekends and after Christmas and Spring Break. We are busy, and there is a lot to teach, but we are in the business of teaching students, not teaching programs. Teach the students how to learn and what they need to do to be ready to learn and they will learn. You are amazing at what you do. I just want you to know that. 

Quote I’m pondering —

You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. -- A.A. Milne (in Winnie-the-Pooh) 

What’s Happening This Week —

Monday, Sept. 17 - Constitution Day. Every teacher needs to teach a short lesson about the constitution. Read a book. Talk about how it came about. 

Monday, Sept. 17 - Power 50 starts. Hopefully, you have touched base with the Aides so they have an idea what they will be doing.

Tuesday, Sept. 18 - iReady Training (refer to your email for times. Please be ready and back to your class for the next group. Thank you.

Thursday, Sept. 20 - Jennifer Throndson Observations

Thursday, Sept. 20 - Literacy Night from 6:00-7: 30 pm.

Friday, Sept. 21 - Jennifer Throndson Training Day. (refer to Emil for training times)

Favorite Article This Week —

Teacher Learns Valuable Lessons From Students When One Smashes Cup on a Desk

Sometimes stunners can teach us more than we know.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you, Jeremy, for picking up when Kirby left. He has some big shoes and Jeremy has done well with lunch and getting the main things Kirby did for us. Thank you very much, Jeremy, for cleaning up the things we don’t really want to also. Teachers, please make sure you tell him thank you and let him know if there anything you need. We also have some substitute veering custodians filling in and Jeremy has jumped in when something has not been done in the evening. Thank you again, Jeremy, for your help. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

It’s Time to Address Your Behavior

Teachers,

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

It’s Time to Address Your Behavior  —

The district has been talking a lot about behavior the last month. Each of the trainings I have gone to have a piece about what they are doing to help support us int he schools when we have a behavior issue. So the questions that were asked of us today I will ask you. 

• Is there a foundational understanding across the building of what behaviors should look like? We did a PBIS training at the beginning of the year. How is that training being supported in the classroom? Are the lessons being taught in the PBIS videos being modeled and reviewed in the classroom? What can we do better?
• What are the gaps in the behavior system in our school? If you see gaps, please let us know. We want to improve anything that will help our students learn.
• What are the rules in our school and what are we doing to support those rules? Do you know the 5 PBIS rules? Do you know the cheer?
• Do kids know how to restore the relationship they have broken? The most important question I heard was this one. We tell them to say I’m Sorry, but does that repair the relationship? Will that make it better? Do they understand what they have done and how to repair the relationship?

So what we would like to do is know what we can do to support you? When are the bad behaviors happening? Is it during tradition time? During rotation time? When students line up? What is the catalyst? What procedure can be addressed to help students? One main idea Annette Brinkman taught me was that engagement helps curb bad behaviors and improves learning. Let us know your thoughts about managing problem behaviors in our school and your ideas to help improve them. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he's one who asks the right questions.”

― Claude Lévi-Strauss

What I’m reading —

When Reading is Trash or Magic

How do our students feel about reading? Do we listen to why they do or do not like reading? How do we change or encourage those truths?  

Favorite Article This Week —

How to Improve Your Self-Esteem & Self-Image...The Postage Stamp Method

There are some great ideas to use with kids in this article. Also to use with yourself. You are one of a kind and no one else is like you. You are extraordinary and engineered for success. Yes, YOU are. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Shelly. Thank you for taking on the Cultural Night and organizing the food and information to parents. Thank you for taking on these projects that always end up being amazing. Thank you for taking charge of the Safety Patrol and getting them organized. I haver had parents comment about how smooth it is when dropping their students off in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon. The students are also more confident as they do their jobs. Thank you for your hard work. We also appreciate all the work you have put into the science lab. Adjusting to the new rotations and managing the science skills needed as we improve our science information. As you work with teams and build our science learning, just know that we appreciate your help. Thank you for always wanting to do more to help our school. We appreciate all you do. Thank you for being here. Thank you.

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