Next Level

Well peers, the end is in sight. With half of the semester gone so far, it is becoming more real, a little scary, and a little surreal. At this point, I am truly trying to prepare myself for what comes next. I love that I have been able to spend so much time getting to know my kids, learning the schedule, learning procedures, learning how my CE teaches, and becoming comfortable in my classroom. Like many of you, I have begun taking over small portions of the class. I feel myself doing a little better, being a little more confident, and little more prepared each time I step in front of the class, but I still struggle with some things. One thing that my CE does SO well is ask questions. The questions that she asks the students are simple, yet extremely effective questions. They are questions that make the students think, use their brain, and teach them beyond the basic lesson. The question may have nothing to do with the 'topic' at hand, but it is always asked for a reason, even if teaching students a life lesson. I can't help but think sometimes, 'how does she come up with these questions?!'

Dr. Clark mentioned this kind of questioning in one of our meetings. I know that this is definitely something that I need to work on and truly be intentional about while I'm teaching. My CE assures me that this is something that comes naturally with time and becomes something that you don't even think about. In the mean time, working towards that place is a specific goal of mine. 

I found a short, but helpful article that talks about 'Questioning That Deepens Comprehension'. The author talks about 4 different kinds of questions that we can ask our students. 

"

• What does the text say?
• How does the text work?
• What does the text mean?
• What does the text inspire you to do? "

She goes into much more detail about each of these questions and also gives examples of each. Of course depending on grade level, you have to adapt these questions to fit your students; some maybe more so than others, but either way, these are the types of questions that take students to the next level and deepen their comprehension. 

If you have any strategies on developing effective questions, I would love to hear them!

I really want to connect this to standard 4. This is really about facilitating learning for students. We can help build problem-solving and critical thinking skills by making them use a higher order of thinking and taking them to the next level. 

Check out the full article below to read more about the four kinds of questions!

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/questioning-that-deepens-comprehension-douglas-fisher-nancy-frey

Field Trips

Well... this is my second time being sick this semester. That was particularly hard this week, because I had to miss the class field trip. I'm not complaining too much though because I only had strep. A few of my students were reported to have mono, so I'm just thankful I didn't catch that! I really don't have time for all that!

The sad thing was, I was really looking forward to the field trip! The students were going to an orchard to pick apples and look at pumpkins! Luckily, I already went on this field trip once this year with the kindergarten class at the private school I use to work at! Still, I was looking forward to seeing how my CE planned and managed this kind of event. 

The first field trip that you go on can be a little scary. You basically are taking a large group of kids into a public place, are responsible for all them, have to keep them safe, keep them calm, all while not losing anyone. Luckily, this has become a pretty second nature thing for me, because I have gone on A LOT of field trips. At the summer day camp that I worked at the past two years, we go on 2-3 field trips a week. It's always nerve wracking going on a trip for the first time with a new group of kids, but it gets easier. 

It's important that you PLAN, PLAN, PLAN when you go on a field trip. What is the schedule going to be like? How much is everything go to cost? How is transportation going to work? How will students sit on the bus? Where do you go when you arrive? Will there be a guide? There is really A LOT to think about. More than you actually realize. It is important to think about all the small details before you start planning!

I found a really great website that talks about planning a successful (and EDUCATIONAL) field trip. Its important that your field trip that you're planning supports the curriculum. Have learning outcomes, align with NCSCS, have essential concepts, and have key vocabulary. 

You then want to prepare your students. Introduce the trip as a part of a lesson, stimulate students' interest for the trip, discuss your expectations for learning and behavior, prepare students with a twenty-four hour "staging period, develop a schedule of activities, and create a packing checklist. 

Preparing others is also a big step in this process. Obtain parental permissions, complete medical permission forms, prepare chaperones, and hold a meeting with the bus driver. 

Finally, prepare yourself! Conduct a pre-visit to scout the site, develop a participant checklist, check the weather in advance, and reconfirm travel and accommodations. 

The website provides a lot of explanation and more great tips for planning. Other things to take into consideration is a list of things to bring or not to bring. Also consider not fundraising. Don't make the process more complicated than it needs to be! 

This really connects to so many of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers must show leadership by taking initiative to plan the trip and also be a leader to students while on the trip itself. Teachers also need to provide a safe environment and respectful environment to all students while on a field trip. It also connects to standard 3 by teachers connecting the field trip to curriculum and NCSCS. Teachers should also make the instruction and trip relevant to students. Teachers should also facilitate learning. By planning a field trip, teachers are using a variety of instructional methods and planning appropriate instruction. All of this included standards 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

I encourage to read the entire article to get a more in depth understanding for things to think about and things to plan for!

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1824

Tired.

The past couple of weeks have been rough. I honestly just feel tired and overwhelmed. I know that many of us are feeling that way at this point. It's not that I'm unhappy with what I'm doing, it's simply that life itself is taking over and many different feelings rush in. There are so many things that are going on that it is difficult to maintain a steady pace and stay ahead. No matter how hard I plan and organize, I find myself discouraged and drained at the end of every day. While trying to juggle my family, my friends, a home, lesson plans, fall festivals, 5 classes, learning experiences, and work, you tend to forget about yourself.

There are a few things that I want to share with you this week.

First, I want you to understand that I don't regret anything that I'm doing. I love the path that I have taken. I love the place where I'm headed. And I appreciate all of the opportunities that God has given me. I simply want to make sure that I am living a healthy, positive life, while also keeping in mind what is important.

Next, I want you to learn how have began to cope with this stress. My biggest life support over the past few weeks has been my quite time. Let me say that I am so thankful to be a part of a Christian University where I can share this kind of thing with you all. Without the grace of God, I literally could not go another day through this chaos. Taking time each day (especially at the beginning of each day) to pray and talk to Jesus makes my day 1000 times better. I find that if I skip this time, it often results in negative thoughts and bad attitudes. I use this time for different things every day. Maybe I'm praying about my students, maybe I'm praying about a particular learning experience, or maybe I'm simply using this time to say thank you. Either way, this is the most important part of my routine.

Next, I want to share a very special book with you.

“What kills a soul? Exhaustion, secret keeping, image management.
And what brings a soul back from the dead? Honesty, connection, grace”
― Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living

Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist has been an inspiration to me over the past few weeks. This is book about finding what is necessary, finding who is important, forgetting the busy, concentrating on grace, settling for simplicity, giving up on being perfect, living in the present, and enjoying God's peace. This is something that 21st century people aren't use to doing (especially American's), because the expectation is that we go go go. Why though? What's the purpose? Finding what is important to you and focusing on those things will change your life.

Finally, I found a simple blog on eduptopia about rest. The blog basically talks about a first year teacher that found herself exhausted and almost broken. She wanted to find a way to build herself back up and become the best teacher that she could be. After 20 years of teaching, she has found a way to keep herself healthy, sane, and thriving. Her three recommendations are:

"1. Sleep is imperative.

Author Arianna Huffington writes about the importance of sleep in her book Thrive. Fifty-nine percent of women report being sleep deprived, and 50 percent say that they sleep less than six hours per night. Men aren't far behind. She reminds us that when we're sleep deprived, we're prone to illness, stress, traffic accidents, and weight gain. So during the past year, I've overhauled my sleep practices, researching and renewing my commitments to nurturing great sleep habits.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to feel fully rested. Clinicians suggest improving our sleep patterns by keeping a regular schedule; sleeping in a dark, quiet, well-ventilated space with a comfortable temperature; avoiding stimulating activities within two hours of bedtime; avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol in the evening; and avoiding going to bed on a full or empty stomach.

2. Create sanctuary.

You can give yourself the gift of creating sanctuary: a moment or experience with spaciousness. Maybe it's on your morning commute, curled up in your favorite armchair, or mindfully indulging in a hot cup of herbal tea. Maybe it's the first five minutes of the day -- just five -- set aside for meditation or journaling. Finding ways to create sanctuary are necessary, restful practices giving us the room to rejuvenate.

This week, I sat with one of my teachers who described checking into a local hotel, indulging in a king-sized bed, ordering yummy and healthy room service, and just enjoying the space to breathe. Her experience reminds me that designing what we need to nourish our sacred work is an important investment.

3. Cultivate gratitude.

Listing my offerings of thanks in my journal is something that I've done for years. For my 40th year, I cultivated a more intentional practice of handwriting a quick thank you note each weekday morning and mailing them all at once on the weekend. It was the discipline of noticing people around me who were contributing, making a difference, going above and beyond. However you practice gratitude, it requires moments of reflection, focus on the good, and a perspective shift. Practicing gratitude helps us focus on what matters most.

Research shows us that cultivating a gratitude practice is restful and rejuvenating. In the study "Counting Blessings Versus Burdens" (PDF), Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough describe how, each evening over a seven-day period, participants wrote down what they were grateful for. At the end of that week, participants in the gratitude group reported fewer health complaints and even spent more time exercising than those in the control groups. Other descriptors of the gratitude group include: more joyful, enthusiastic, interested, attentive, energetic, excited, determined, and strong."

Maybe this blog doesn't seem like a lot to you this week. Maybe you don't find yourself any better of a teacher now than you were before. Maybe you didn't find it meaningful or with any depth to it. If that's the case, I'm glad, because that means that you haven't reached this point yet. However, I have a feeling that at some point, you will reach this feeling of exhaustion. At that point, you're going to be looking for some relief. I really hope that these small, simple, yet truly effective points will help you push through. 

Rather we really realize it or not, this really applies to many of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards. I would argue that it applies to all of the standards in some way, but especially standard 2. If we can't first take of ourself, we won't be able to take of our students. Teaching them ways to cope with their own stress, learning to take care of themselves, and the importance of rest will take students a long way. We can create positive and nurturing relationships with students by teaching them things as simple as this.

Click the link below to read more:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/rest-the-antidote-for-discouragement-karine-veldhoen

Classroom Management

Well today was the day! Dr. Parker, Dr. Clark, and Dr. Wesson all came to observe me today. I mean, overall I think it went okay. I think it definitely could have gone a lot worse, but there were obviously some things that I could work on and address. Strangely enough though, I felt my class falling out of control. I have always felt that I had a relatively good grasp with classroom management in the past, but today was not one of those days at all. They were extremely talkative, fidgety, and talked over me quite a bit. I do have to remind myself that this was a rough week for the students. They had a lot of changes in their schedule the entire week with a lot of visitors and activities. However, they have to learn that this is never okay.
The thing that makes me feel a little better is that this not only happened with me, but also with our phonics teacher. I have noticed that many times the other teachers simply ignore the conversation and keep pressing on, which is what I tried to do, but that didn't work today (not even with the phonics teacher). She eventually chose to move every clip down of the students that were talking over her. Maybe I could have tried this as well so that they would have known that I meant business. I guess I've still been hesitant to take this step with the students, but it very well may be a necessity. This is definitely something that I need to address before student teaching and also before I have my own classroom.
I found a website that might help me prep for this and also make some small changes that might make a big difference. Of course I believe that every grade level is different, but I think that with a little tweaking, these could fit with every classroom.
I'm not going to go through all of the strategies, because there are 19 of them, but I really encourage you to take a look at them to get some ideas. Also, as we are tweaking and making final touches to LE 5, these will be very helpful.
I think that this applies to several of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, but the one that I connect it to the most is being a leader. I want to be a strong leader in my classroom that students respect and also love.

Check out the website below!
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley