An old African proverb (also coined by Hilary Clinton) stated, "It takes a village to raise a child." I believe that to be true. Mostly because I feel like I am part of the "village" as both a mother and as a teacher. Over the last 19 years as a public school teacher, I have taught approximately 900 kids. When the last day of school comes ends, it does not end my relationship with those children. They are MY kids forever. What is important to them is important to me. I celebrate their successes with
them and mourn with them through loss or defeat.
I have had the privilege of working in some great districts. When my family came to this district in 2009, my children immediately felt at home. I was hired 2 years later to teach 5th grade literacy. Since then, there has been no doubt: This is home. If you have never lived outside of our quaint town or had your child attend school in another district, then you may not realize the blessing this community truly is. This is a remarkable community with extraordinary people. I am blessed to be a part of this town and your children's lives.
Can you help our class?
With that being said, I now want to solicit some help from you don't mind. (WARNING!!! Shameless plug coming up!) I have felt that some of my students could benefit from a listening center in this class. I can get audio versions of my texts that can help students who may struggle with reading due to various reasons (dyslexia, fluency, reading levels below 5th grade). However, I do not have a way for my students to listen to these audio books. To get the necessary things for my classroom, I have registered our classroom on DonorsChoose.org, an amazing website where individuals can contribute to public schools. You can help me by spreading the word about our project to others who might be willing to contribute to the cost of the materials. Of course any donations you made would also be appreciated! I have included the link here: https://secure.donorschoose.org/mrstiptonliteracyhttps://secure.donorschoose.org/mrstiptonliteracy
Do you know someone who could donate to our project?
Huh? Do ya?
These materials will help create a listening center for my students and allow me to help all students succeed. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have regarding the project. Thank you for your support!
I like to use stories and analogies in my classroom to make a point, so I have decided that I will begin this blog post with a story.
Imagine a rancher who has 28 horses in a pasture. This pasture is safe from intrusive predators. It has healthy green grass for the horses to graze, and there is a beautiful, clean brook for the horses to drink and stay hydrated. The rancher has spent countless hours fertilizing that grass and protecting the water from pollution so that the horses can get what they need to grow and become productive creatures.
The rancher is proud of the fact that his team of horses is diverse. There are horses of every color, size and speed. The rancher has spent time with these horses and knows their strengths. He knows their challenges. This rancher is in tune with what each horse needs individually and does his best to provide for those needs.
Now, let's switch our focus. The horses have everything they need to survive and thrive. Some of the horses take care of their needs on their own. They don't need the rancher to lead them or tell them to eat or drink. A small few of the equine need the rancher's guidance to find the water, a time or two, but once they know where to go, they can make it on their own. But sadly, this rancher has a number of horses on his team that just stand in the stables waiting on the rancher to bring food and water to them. The rancher has shown these horses where to get their food and drink but they just won't leave the stables to get what they need. The rancher, concerned for his animals, pulls them where they need to go and even scoops the water and cuts the grass to give to these particular horses. After a while, the rancher gets exhausted dragging these animals to where they need to be. These horses, though capable, are unwilling to take care of their own needs. The rancher realizes that dragging them to the pasture and brook is not changing their behavior. Instead, it is creating a handicap in these animals that makes them unfit for any occupation that a horse might be called to do. What does the rancher do? How does he change this behavior in his horses?
Animals who are healthy in body and mind will not intentionally starve or deprived themselves of water. All animals, including horses, will instinctively find a way to meet their needs. So, what does this have to do with school? Well it is simple. I share this story with the students so that they can see that waiting on me to do everything or tell them the answer is not helping them. My goal is to help them become better learners. They need to know how to find information. As their "rancher" I will help guide them to the watering hole or the pasture, but they should not expect me to do all the thinking for them.
This is just one of the analogies that I have shared with my students. I tell another story about baby eagles learning to fly. But probably the favorite analogy this year has been the "stuck on an escalator" story. There is a video below that I shared with the students. When I first showed this video, students laughed and heckled the screen. When it was over, I explained that their reaction to the video is the same reaction I have when I've explained a lesson multiple times and they just sit and wait for me to do the work for them. We have now coined the phrase "don't be stuck on the escalator".
The kids in my classes are GREAT kids. They are talented kids and they are smart kids. But it is now time for them to take the responsibility of learning into their own hands. It is up to them to get everything from school that they can get. We are so blessed in this district to have a group of teachers K-12 who truly love and care for the well-being and education of your children (and my children). Even though we wish that we could just pour the knowledge into their little brains like Kool-Aid, it doesn't work that way. They have to pick up what we are putting down. Things are going to be hard. School won't get easier and it won't require less of them as they get older. They have to set their minds to accomplishing their goals. They have to be willing to walk to the pasture and drink from the brook. The students have to take the step up the escalator to reach their destination.
We have been working on our double entry journals (DEJ). Each day this week I have taken each question and I have answered it and explained my expectations. I have used 2 books from earlier in the year to model what I what from my students. Most students are getting it done. They are listening to my instruction. They are digging into their resources to help compose their answers. They are getting it done.
However, some are not. They are waiting on me to drag them to the brook and scoop the water for them. I will not do it.
Is this assignment difficult? You bet! This is one of the most challenging assignments (if not the MOST challenging) that we do all year. But it does not expect anything from them that they can not do. They just have to want it. Their grade will be reflective of their work ethic. Students who try and dig and write like I ask will make a C or better. Students who are not willing to put the work into this project will fail.
I've said all year that I am here to help your child. I will give 110% EVERY DAY. That's all I can do. They are going to have to take it from there.
them and mourn with them through loss or defeat. 
