Student Education Planning

Teachers,

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

Student Education Planning  —

Meeting with parents to discuss how students are doing should be an amazing time for everyone. Providing parents with great things that their students are doing and showing their progress helps students and parents see what is happening at school and with their education. There has  to be good in every parent meeting. That being said, parents also want to know if there are issues they need to address to help their child be the best they can be. Showing parents data will help them understand what their student is working on and where they should end up. They also need to know what we are doing to help their student improve with their academics and behaviors. One thing we need to be careful about is holding back with parents. If there is something the student needs or needs to change, parents want to know. We do not need to be mean, but parents do not like to be surprised when they are told great things about their student and soon after the meeting the student is not doing so well. Show them the data, tell them what we are doing to help their student, and let them know what they can do. Be specific with what parents need to do. Some parents don’t know how to help their child run at home and might need to be shown. Make these meetings as positive as possible. And always end on a good note. This is one of 3-4 times some parents are in our school and we want them to know their student matters to us. They also need to know we are doing everything possible to make their student the best learner and the best person ever. That is all we parents want. To know that our children are progressing and will make it in the world.

Quote I’m pondering —

'As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.'" — Marianne Williamson

What I am Watching —

Easy DIY projects for kid engineers

These are some pretty amazing projects and ideas for extensions or even problem solving.

Another Favorite Article This Week —

Always Err on the Side of Positive

The power of being positive is always in our best interest.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Heather for all you do. Tis the season for IEP’s and it is hard for you to get them all scheduled when there are so many that need to be scheduled. For being a first year resource teacher, you are doing an amazing job. There is so much that needs to be done in your job and you have shown that you will do most anything to help students and be flexible for teachers. We appreciate your hard work. Thank you for all you do for the students. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Safety Checkup

Teachers,

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

Safety Checkup —

Another school tragedy happened this week and our hearts go out to the families, students, and school staff of the high school in Florida. Every time I hear of something terrible happens to a student or teacher, I feel for those that are involved. They are a part of us. They are a part of what we do every day even though they are not a part of our school. Whenever something happens at a school I always thing about how we can make our school a little safer. I think about how important the little things we do that keep our students safe. Monitoring students before school as we are on duty. I wonder if we need to do the same thing after school as students head home. Keeping our outside doors locked and making sure our inside doors can be locked quickly in an emergency. Keeping track of students so we know where they are at all times. Having a teacher in each area of the playground during recess duty. It is a great time to talk, but keeping track of students helps keep them safe. Lunch duty teachers and aides keep track of students in many different areas, especially at the playground area. That is an area that we wish we had a gate to minimize people coming through or playing during lunch and recess, but being a city park also has made it hard to get something to close off that side of the grounds. So we have someone there to monitor students and others that might show up. Fire drills are important to get students an d teachers ready if there is an emergency. Even though it is a drill, students need to understand that in an emergency they need to be able to hear the teacher so they can hear instructions. Moving students in an organized manner helps keep track of who is there and who is not. Safety is so important. A student on the news made the comment that it should not have ever happened in their school, but it did. The little things we practice and keep up on are the little things that will keep us safe. Even though they seem to be an annoyance, they keep us safe. This is why we practice a reunification drill each year. We still have things we need to work on. Students are worth our time and efforts to keep them safe. They need to know they are safe. Thank you for all you do to help them feel loved and safe.

Quote I’m pondering —

Want to be great? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation. Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. 

—Augustine

What I am Watching —

10 ways to have a better conversation

I love TED talk. Conversation skills are important for students to learn. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Tom Brady Summed Up His Super Bowl Loss With One Word. You Should Steal It

This is a word we should teach more to our students. I should also live it more in my own life.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Julie and Sandy for all you do. I know you two are taking a class and Julie comes in to teach Kim and I about the new things she is learning. She has also taught us a few things about letter sounds and a better way of teaching spelling. We will have Julie talk about it in a rotation during our PLC Monday training. I know there are many of you taking classes and learning new things you are implementing in your classroom. We love when you are learning new things. Julie we appreciate your excitement in telling us what you are learning. Thank you for sharing. Thank you.

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

Build Your Structure

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

Build Your Structure  —

I learned a lot about what Classroom Management was at the training a couple weeks ago. The trainer Trish let us know that we need to start with the teaching. I talked about teaching a few weeks ago. Teaching students how to behave in the classroom. Procedures and expectations in the classroom. The next piece was structure. Trish described structure as the way we arrange our classroom and activities to help students with behavior. There are a few points that she made about structure I wan to share.

• Why ever irritates you, make a change.  It will not get better unless you change it.
• More teacher involvement to be successful. Keep practicing and training.
• Physical, Procedural, scheduling. How can these things have a positive effect on student behavior. 
• Don’t give students down time.

As we set up the rooms we need to keep a eye on where are the places that students have the most behavior problems. Are there specific times they act out? What change can be made to help students. How can we arrange the room to make sure students are successful?

One of the things she really hit us with that was the myths we believe about students that we need to stop believing.

• Myth: Students are old enough to behave.
• Myth: Kids are fine if they know the expectations.
• Myth: Students should be able to figure it.
• Myth: If they haven’t gotten it by now…
• Myth: I shouldn’t have to repeat myself.

Remember the lesson about how long it takes for the brain to fully form. If the brain is not fully formed, can we expect a child(or 24 year old) to "get it" the first time? We are helping students form and grow. Within the teaching and structure it is important to remember everything should have important interactions with students. Positive interactions. Positive interactions are reinforcing the actions we want. Review the structure of the classroom and see how it works with the students. Sit in their chairs. Move where they move. See if any changes need to be made to accommodate their needs. Structure the room for the students to learn in. It was a great learning experience for me. Next on the list will be Observing student behavior in the classroom. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“The problem is not to find the answer, it's to face the answer.”

- Terence McKenna

What I am Watching —

60 second strategy: TUMS at the Door

A follow up on meeting students at the door. This can be a little much, but it is effective. Fist bumps and high 5’s.

Another Favorite Article This Week —

Teen’s surprising ‘worst day ever’ poem goes viral

How we look at things can decide how we act on things. I love this poem. One day top to bottom. Most days, bottom to top.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you teachers for taking a student (or more) under your wing to get to know a student that can be a challenge for you. This is not an easy task, especially in the beginning. It has been a wonderful experience for Kim to come into your PLC’s and hear how you will take these students and build a relationship of caring and learning for everyone. Thank you for stepping out and taking the challenge. The students you have picked will be better for it and you will see the change they will make over the next month. It just takes a little love and caring. Kim and I talk about the changes we have seen in the few students we see each morning before school. The relationships we have built and the sides of them we never saw before. Thank you for all you do for students. Thank you.

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

Scheduling

Teachers,

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

Scheduling  —

The one thing I have learned over the many years I have taught and mores since I took the job as a Teacher on Special Assignment, is scheduling. It is a nightmare. Trying to get everything in and not having someone get left out or have more than another is impossible. I am getting ready to start looking at how we will schedule or week next year with PLC’s, PE, and anything else we need to add in as we go through the year. WIDA is always crazy because of the amount of students we have that need to take this test. Scheduling DIBELS in two languages and then the Core Phonics in each language can also take up some time. We will also head into the SAGE testing in two months that will take a little time, but fortunately we have enough technology in our school that will keep our computer lab free. I tell you this because of the reactions with the scheduling. It has been generally positive and I understand when it is not. I have been there when my students had the worst times to do things and it always seemed that there was never a perfect time for anything. I have appreciated the input I have gotten with the schedules we have put together. We are trying to make them so that you have the most time possible to do what you need to do, teach. IF you have suggestions, please let me know. As we start the scheduling for next year, please let me know if you have suggestions. I do appreciate your flexibility and your understanding when it comes to the scheduling. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

 —Margaret Mead

Favorite Article This Week —

Want to help your kid ace the big tests? Make them laugh, not study

I am not saying students should not study. I am saying kids also need to laugh/. Interesting article.

Another Favorite Article This Week —

The New Reading Program Implementation Blues

We will be getting a new reading program next year. This is an interesting article from Timothy Shanahan about implementing a new program.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you do. We have really done a lot of testing over the last couple weeks and everyone needs a big thank you for giving the tests, working with the schedules while we give the tests, and just being understanding. This is a big thank you for everyone in our school. Thank you.

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

Oh, Flip

Teachers,

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

Oh, Flip  —

Kim is taking a Principal's tech class, and in braving the class she will be given a little money for our school to be used for technology or professional development for technology. So the idea we came up with is to have a few classes for teams to implement blended learning/flipped classroom. The blended classroom/flipped classroom is using tech to provide more differentiation using video and tech activities mixed with traditional teaching, small groups, and rotations to differentiate learning in the classroom. I have seen it work from kinder to high school in different formats and to varying degrees.

We would provide the time and professional development to build lesson plans and build the tech for the classroom. I know everyone is thinking, this is a great idea. Learning about using the tech in my classroom and having the time to build the curriculum that will be used in the classroom? Sign me up… but wait. When will this happen? Will we be paid for our time? The thought is there are a few options. 

1. Get subs and take a few half days or a full days to work on the curriculum. 
2. Take time after school with a few options for times and days and get a stipend. 
3. Take a half or full day Saturday here and there with a stipend. This would be optional, but we would like teams to decide to do this. 

This is optional, but would be an opportunity to implement differentiation using tech and to build the curriculum to fit your classrooms. We have a google form for you to fill out on this subject. It is short, but will give us an idea what your thoughts are. Be a part of a way to provide a way to differentiate or personalize learning for your students. If you want more information, I can discuss it with you and your team. There are many articles on both subjects, especially in edutopia.org https://goo.gl/forms/fqfKngqoWILIQPLv2

Quote I’m pondering —

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare

Favorite Blog of the Week —

Steve Borney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission

I found this blog this week and it has some amazing math ideas for lessons. Look through some of his older posts. Some great ideas here.

Favorite Article This Week —

Should We Test Reading or DIBELS

We have just tested DIBELS for K-3 and will be testing 4-5 next week. This was an interesting article about testing Literacy.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Lisa, Cami, Jaime, Jana, other helpers, and a host of Fifth Graders for helping with the afternoon snack. Lisa has taken the job of managing the snack and gets it to K-1 as well as handing it out to the students, with the amazing Cami, Jaime, and Jana. There are a few other helpers here and there and I really appreciate them also. With the meetings we have had which takes us away from the school in the afternoons, it is nice to have helpers to give the snacks to students. Thank you all for just takin over the snack and getting it out. Thank you for all you do in the school. It is the little things that make the big differences and keep everything in order so teachers can teach. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Glen Andersen

Title 1 Coordinator, Dixie Sun Elementary

Oops, Your Reflection is Showing

Teachers,

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

Oops, Your Reflection is Showing  —

One of the other topics Trisha talked about in our training was reflection in the classroom. One suggestion she gave to us is to have teachers reflect own their individual classroom engagement. What is the best way to do this? Video. Don’t freak out. Let me explain. She mentioned that each of the teachers in our present day has a video camera with them every day. It is your phone. All teachers need to do is set it up and video them teaching. No one else in the world needs to see it. No one else needs to hear it. But just watching ourselves will not give us the information we need to make us better teachers. We need to watch with intent to learn. No one else needs to see it…ever. So this is my suggestion. I purchased some wonderful tripods that hold phones. I also have a paper that goes with the tripod for reflection on the video. All a teacher needs to do is set it up in a corner of the room to video the class during a whole group lesson. I would even suggest putting gate camera in a couple different places over a couple days to get good data to reflect on. Then the teacher watched 15 minutes of the video (or a couple videos) and collect information on the paper. Look for opportunities to respond for students. The teacher asks questions and  during the reflection tallies each time a student responds. If the whole class responds with whiteboards or thumbs or chorally, a C is entered for whole class. Then the teacher looks for positive or corrective interactions. Positive interactions are comments or actions with students that are doing what they need to be doing. Corrective interactions are getting students back on task with a positive or firm correction. The last is how many distractions are there that take the instruction off course. From this information collected, a teacher can reflect on how students are reacting and acting when the teacher is teaching. If coaching is needed or wanted, the teacher contacts Alma, Glen, or Kim and we support, offer strategies or resources, and coach the teacher to increase student success in the classroom. This is an optional strategy to help teachers see what we just can’t always see. If the teacher is perfect, this will only show that in the video. If they are not, it gives them an opportunity to get better at teaching and increasing the success in the classroom. I thought back at how many times I had myself videotaped and the reflection process I went through with my coach. This is an opportunity to collect data on how students work in the classroom. If you are interested, please let me know and without question I will hand a tripod and reflection paper to you and will even take a few minutes to explain the paper to you. Make peace with reflection.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Whatever you’re doing, don’t give a voice to things you’re not able to change.” – Vince Vaughn

What I’m Watching —

This Is Water

This video was shown to the Tech Endorsement class on Tuesday by Tony. David Foster Wallace gave a commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005. These are a few excerpts from it.

Favorite Article This Week —

Teaching Adding Decimals:What If You Gave The Answer First

A blog article about teaching decimals with an interesting idea that goes against how we were taught to teach. How do we scaffold to help students understand. This is a lesson that provides the scaffolding to get students thinking.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Kindergarten for all the opportunities you take to learn more. Thank you for being positive about teaching when you have half the time to teach your students. Only being able to teach each class twice a week is not an easy prospect when you have so many Standards to teach. Thank you for taking the time and asking the hard questions to make sure you understand what is expected. Thank you for taking care of our little ones and creating a great introduction to Dual Immersion learning at our school. Thank you for your time and efforts. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

STOIC

Teachers,

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

STOIC —

The training Kim and I went to the last couple days was an amazing reminder how important classroom management is to student learning. It provides a safe, civil, and productive school. The trainer, Trish, gave us amazing ideas that we will talk about in small doses and then do a full training on it the beginning of next year. We know that you do many of the things she talked to us about. The great things we learned were clarifications of ideas and information we have been using for years. We just need to tighten up on a few things. This includes  The first idea I want to share with you is stoic. It is an acronym for Structure, Teach, Observe, Interact, and Correct.

The first two are what we what we talked about the most.Teaching students how to behave responsibly in the classroom. So here are a few questions I want you to think about and if you say no to any of these questions, reteach your class. It is a great time of year to reteach the procedures and get them in the right way to learn. 

• Have you created lessons on expectations and explicitly taught them for classroom activities and transitions?
• Have you created lessons on expectations and explicitly taught them for classroom routines and policies?
• Have you provided teaching and reteaching as needed?

The part she stressed is creating lessons. Are they explicitly taught and expectations explained and practiced. The other part is Structure. Organizing the classroom for success. The thought I want to leave with you is the story Trish told about most high schools that have a rule about not wearing hoodies on their heads during school. But in the school store they sell hoodies. The lesson here is that if we are giving students the tools to break the rules, we are part of the problem. So the structure needs to be looked at and changed. One area we are addressing is playing tag during lunch recess. We take away tag and don’t put something in its place that provides the running and playing students need, they start getting in trouble play fighting, or playing tag again. So we need to change the structure. We are looking into adding some organized games during lunch recess to give students options to play and run. We hope to have these in place in the coming weeks. That is one area we needed a change. Look in your classroom and look for areas, times, or procedures where the most misbehaving happens. How can the structure be changed to avoid these behaviors? We are doing the same thing in the in all areas in the school. I will write about Structure and the rest of the STOIC framework in other 5 Points.

Quote I’m pondering —

“We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are.” —Anaïs Nin

What I’m Watching —

The Fastest Way to De-Fog Your Windshield

I love science. This is a good refresher course on the water cycle and condensation. I watched this a couple days ago and I am going to try this over the next couple days.

Favorite Article This Week —

Op-ed: Escaping the provocative self

I found this interesting and yet very informative. I need to look at situations this way. Especially when my kids are not happy with me.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Kirby for all you do. The care you put into this building and grounds to make it beautiful and safe makes you so important to our school. Thank you for helping everyone at lunch to open milk, open tacos and frozen juice. To clean up after all the students each day. Keeping our floors clean and shiny. Keeping your eye on all the little things that keep us safe. I appreciate your humor and putting up with all the crazy things we all do. We appreciate your helpers Jack and Nick as they take care of us at night. We appreciate their help and support as we do evening activities. We appreciate all you do, Kirby. We also appreciate Jack and Nick. Thank you for all you do to make our school a better place to be. Thank you.

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