As many of you already know, I am in the process of renewing my National Board Certificate. It is a very daunting task. It requires me to look back at 10 years of teaching and write about any professional development that has made a significant impact on my practice. I have to show video taped evidence of how I have grown as a professional. I have spent the last several weeks writing my professional growth experiences. This is approximately 12 pages of me telling what I have been doing to become a better teacher over the last 10 years since my initial National Board Certification. Beginning later this week and next week, I will be video taping parts of my instruction. If your child has not turned in a permission slip to video, please do so as soon as possible. I do not want to accidentally video someone I do not have permission to video.
This process is long and tedious, but I can honestly say that it has made me a better teacher. The best part of National Boards is the focus on student achievement. Everything I have learned over the last 10 years has been geared toward how I can help my students learn as much as they possibly can. It taught me to cut out all the activities that don't have a true purpose. It is all about the students!
My portfolio is due by 11:00 pm on May 18. I will be working very hard and drinking lots of coffee over the next few weeks to get things complete. I don't like putting things off to the last minute. You never know when something can go wrong! Soooo, like I tell the kiddos, I've got to work on a little bit at a time so that I'm not kicking myself and needing blood pressure meds in May! If you have any questions about what is happening, please feel free to contact me. Until then...
Okay...so I admit I was a little on edge this week. I don't really have a good reason other than things just really got on my nerves! If your child came home this week and said I was in a bad mood, then they were speaking truth. It seemed like EVERYTHING just rubbed me the wrong way from extra talking in class to a fire drill. Emails (that were just daily housekeeping stuff) led to exasperated sighs and eye rolls. The same for the standard daily, "Mrs. Tipton, I can't find my book (or pencil, or RRJ...)." The point of this blog post is not a confession. It is to explain that I understand when we all have a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.
Kids sometimes come to school, and just like everyone else, can't get "life" off their minds. They just can not focus on the character analysis of Angus Tuck or what significant event led Stanley to run away. They are pre-occupied with other things. It is important for me to be sensitive to these things. I know when their pets died, when home life is bothering them, about the bully on the bus, and when they are worried about a sick relative. You know...LIFE.
This week the stress of life got me. I am tired. Honestly -okay, now we are getting into confession- doing these small groups and work stations ALONG WITH my usual whole group lessons is wearing me out! However, looking at what I have learned about the kids from these small groups, it is worth it. These small groups allow me to see just exactly who understand the concept and to what extent they understand. This allows me to tailor lessons specific to the needs of the group. This is my job and I love it. I just feel that my tank is on empty right now. I need a little boost. And I'm not sure there is enough coffee to make it happen! Maybe we will get ONE MORE SNOW DAY and I can rest! If we don't get any more snow, well then, I'll just have to make the most of my weekends. (Thankfully basketball season is over and we DON'T play baseball or softball!) Until next week...
We will soon embark on the dreaded "Double Entry Journal". In the past, this has been the most challenging task my students have encountered. This is not because the task itself is that difficult, it is because the assignment takes stamina and independent thought! [GASP!] I have devoted 2 weeks of my class time to this project. I will make sure that students understand what is being asked of them. What I will not do, and what frustrates the students the most, is that I will not tell them what to write. I will not spoon feed the information to them. I will clarify the questions. That is ALL. What the kiddos fail to understand about this project is that it is an assessment. I am looking to see if THEY can find the information and articulate THEIR thinking to me. As I tell them, "I already know the answers." This activity is so much better than a "test" as a measure of their understanding. I can truly see the depth of their comprehension by reading their responses to the questions. When it is time to work on this project, I will post the questions, format, scoring guide, and an example to this blog. This will allow you to see what my expectations are for the "Journal". This project will be worth 200 points. The score on this will make or break their grade in literacy. I want you as parents to understand that these questions and skills have been reviewed and discussed in class. This has been done in both whole group and small group sessions. Although I will be here to help them understand and guide them through the journal, it is an INDEPENDENT project. It will show me who truly understand the lessons that we have gone over for the entire nine weeks. Like I said, it won't be easy...but it is do-able. I have high expectations and I know that the kiddos ARE capable of doing a good job!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
It happens every year. I don't know why I am always surprised. I think I hold out hope that maybe this year...this year will be the year that my students don't go brain dead during the 3rd quarter of the year. Well, I'm glad I didn't hold my breath...this year's crew is no different.
I have harped on work ethic all year. I want my students to understand that they have to work in order to get the things they want, including grades. Since returning from break, many students are neglecting their work. I have taken many recesses lately because work is not being completed. This is helping some. Since returning from break, we have been spending the first 30 minutes of class in work stations. Students work in 5 stations over 3 days. One of the days is spent in small group sessions with me. The kiddos have to learn how to use the time allotted wisely in order to complete the work that is assigned. Another issue we have been having is coming prepared for class. Since the beginning of the year, I have had a large black board with all of the necessary supplies posted. This is on my door where students can see it PRIOR to entering the classroom. This allows them to check and make sure they have everything that they need for class and if they forgot something, they still have time to go to their locker without penalty. I don't understand. I don't get why so many are coming to class and telling me that Tuck Everlasting is still in their locker. IT'S ON THE BOARD!!! We only read it or discuss it everyday!!!!!!! Students are leaving pencils, papers, books, clothes...you name it, they are leaving it lying around wherever it falls. This drives me NUTS! My own children are the same way. I know it is because they are 10 and 11 years old, but Good Golly Miss Molly it gets old. Yes, it is a lot, but that is why I have a list. And the list only changes once in a 9 weeks...it has been the exact same list since beginning Tuck Everlasting and book clubs. So when your child tells you that he/she is not going to the behavior party because they had too many marks, my guess would be that they came to class unprepared too many times.
Okay...rant over. I know I addressed it last week on my "lit" page. Sorry. Now on to Genius Hour. Genius Hour is an idea that stems from something designed at Google. At Google, employees are give 20% of their time to work on passion projects. The only restriction is that these projects must be related to Google and have potential to become a new product for the marketplace. Genius Hour takes this philosophy and applies it to student learning. Students will be allowed to have 1 hour a week to work on a project they are passionate about. This time will be on Wednesdays. Wednesdays are our library days, so any research that needs to be done can be completed while either in class or during library time. Here are the requirements:
Students must research. If it can be found in one Google hit, then it is not a deep enough question for Genius Hour.
Students must create something. This can be anything from a PowerPoint to a model to a demonstration.
My hope from this idea is to let students use all the skills that they have learned about research, reading and writing and use them to learn more about something that is important to them. Last Wednesday, students brainstormed ideas. This week, we will work on our research proposals. The kids seemed to be very excited, so I hope this becomes a springboard for motivated learning. I have included the video that I will be showing students on Wednesday. This will hopefully help you see how students can share their projects. I also included a pep talk that we watched at the beginning of our Genius Hour last week. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Until then-
This process is long and tedious, but I can honestly say that it has made me a better teacher. The best part of National Boards is the focus on student achievement. Everything I have learned over the last 10 years has been geared toward how I can help my students learn as much as they possibly can. It taught me to cut out all the activities that don't have a true purpose. It is all about the students! 
My portfolio is due by 11:00 pm on May 18. I will be working very hard and drinking lots of coffee over the next few weeks to get things complete. I don't like putting things off to the last minute. You never know when something can go wrong! Soooo, like I tell the kiddos, I've got to work on a little bit at a time so that I'm not kicking myself and needing blood pressure meds in May! If you have any questions about what is happening, please feel free to contact me. Until then...
