Teaching Archives - Teacher's Planning Partner

Must Be Nice…

May 30, 2017 by Instructor

Ugh! Teachers are subjected to the words,”It must be nice,” each time summer vacation arrives. I could reply with the list of all the work teachers do during their summer “break,” but we teachers are well aware of the planning, classes, and meetings that fill our two months away from students. Non-teachers just think we sound whiny and defensive.

Believe me, I’ve done my share of defensive whining, but I must admit I love that we have this time to recharge, reflect, and reboot. The beauty of this job is that we have multiple opportunities for closure and fresh starts. We get fresh starts each quarter and semester as well as at the end of each school year, and summer break is the mother of all closures and fresh starts.

I just cleaned out my work emails of parent contacts, training requirements, meetings, evaluation updates, and all the other job requirements that have clogged up my in box. No wonder our teacher brains are fried. Taking time to recharge is not a luxury, it’s essential. My brilliant coach, Reggie, has said it’s all about choices. I choose to spend the beginning of summer relaxing. I address the heavy reflection and rebooting later.

(So I don’t forget important points, I do take a few reflection notes at the end of the school year). For example, one of my coworkers taped her students when giving their practice speeches. This gave students an opportunity to evaluate themselves. I would like to try this approach next year. Verbal feedback is more effective than written feedback. I would also shorten the time spent on my narrative unit next year to allow more time for their learning organizing writing and research.

As the end of the school year approaches, this summer can’t come soon enough. I just completed my evaluation year – Whoa! – I’m glad this happens only once every three years – There were new curriculum, new procedures, and new teammates – you get the idea. I want to reflect on the year to gain clarity on what worked and what I could do better. Then I need to pack up my stressed out brain along with my classroom. I’ve set a date in July to revisit my planning. Until then I am going to nurture creativity. I’ve created a summer bucket list of things I want to try, such as: finding a new bike trail, bowling again for the first time since forever, planning a friends’ night out and trying an art class. Nurturing personal creativity helps me foster my classroom creativity.

My teacher husband and I always plan an escape on the last day of school. The moment we walk out of the school doors, we jump in our pre-packed car and head to Eagle River, a pine-scented haven. Before sunset we are on the pier with a favorite beverage in hand. For the next few days we hike, swim, read brain candy, and shed stress like a Husky sheds its fur each spring.

Money experts will tell you to pay yourself first, so why not pay your mind, body, and soul first. Take time to recharge. If you can’t get out of town, then play cards with friends, visit a farmers’ market, do something that makes you happy. These happy deposits (another Reggie bite of wisdom) that you pay yourself will make it easier for you to give your students your best.

When the next person aims the jealousy fueled words, “Must be nice,” resist the urge to punch them in the throat, and respond, “Yes, yes it is,” and hand them a brochure for a teacher certification program.

What do you have on your “Summer Bucket List”? What would it take for you to give yourself the time to truly enjoy yourself over the summer? What do you anticipate getting in the way of your “Summer Bucket List”? What steps can you take to make this happen for you?

How would you respond to these questions? We would love to hear from you. Reply via Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn

Getting Your Mojo Back

May 1, 2017 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Is your creativity lacking? Are you feeling less than inspired? This happened to me recently, and it stinks. How do you get that mojo back?

One of the advantages of planning the materials and lessons for the quarter in advance is that you begin by plugging in those favorite lessons that can sometimes be forgotten when you get caught up in a myriad of job requirements minutia.

It can be too easy to fall back on worksheets and boring lectures. You begin to think, “I’ll just control the lesson by talking. Now, not only have I bored my class to death, I’m bored, too.”

One of the sure-fire ways to get inspired is to peruse some of your favorite teaching resources to remind yourself of some of the gems you have discovered and used in the past to inspire students as well as yourself.

The following are a few of my favorite resources:

Hollas, Betty. Differentiating Instruction in a Whole-Group Setting: Taking the Easy First Steps Into Differentiation. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs, 2005. Print.

The activities in this book get students moving, talking, and thinking. I love the step-by-step instructions and the way the author describes each activity, accompanied by an explanation of how the activity is differentiated.

Burgess, Dave. Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, 2012. Print.

The title says it all. Gathering ideas from this book is a shot in the arm. I have reread parts of this book when I want to re-energize my teaching.

Gallagher, Kelly. Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling & Mentor Texts. Portland, ME: Stonehouse, 2011. Print.

This contains great writing lessons that engage students and get them excited about writing for a variety of purposes.

Medo, Mary Anne and Marko, Jane Elizabeth. Classroom Strategies for Dynamic Teachers. Milwaukee, WI: Stone Cottage, 2007. Print.

This is a great reference guide when you’re looking for practical strategies to teach a variety of skills for a variety of contents.

Serravallo, Jennifer. The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2015. Print.

This is what the author calls “…a book of ‘reading recipes’… a clear, concise cookbook is a great model for what on-the-go teachers might need to pick and choose strategies, to target what each reader needs, and to support their differentiated instruction”

Letuchy, Sargy. The Visual Edge: Graphic Organizers for Standards-Based Learning. Print.

This resource contains comprehensive graphic organizers that are great visual tools for teaching the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Sometimes the descriptions of the CCSS can be difficult to understand. Letuchy’s descriptions that accompany each graphic organizer are very helpful. Personally, I have found these graphic organizers to be useful formative assessment tools. You can obtain a copy of this book through our website: www.TeachersPlanningPartner.com

Actions That Sabotage Teaching

May 4, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

While waiting in line for a tasty gyros sandwich, I watched a mother and a little girl in front of me. The girl was about three years old, and she was desperate to climb to the top of the counter. I watched as the girl reached while grunting and groaning to get to her destination. Her mom told her that she should not sit on the counter; the girl continued to struggle. Mom repeated that the girl should not be on the counter – more grunts and groans. Dumbfounded, I stared at Mom as she reached down and picked her daughter up and placed her on the counter. Speechless…simply speechless…

How many times do we place the kid on the counter? We tell our students one thing while our actions enable our students to continue the undesirable behavior. The following is a list of moments that reflect my own struggle with the temptation to place the kid on the counter:

Wanting students to listen to directions, but giving directions without waiting for their attention.
Telling students to not interrupt the lesson, but allowing the interruption. For example, when students forget supplies, how often do we disrupt the whole class to address the missing pencil?
Expecting students to be ready for class on time, but not following through on consequences when students are tardy.
Requiring students to participate in group work, but allowing them to coast by rewarding them with the same grade that the rest of the group receives.
Allowing students to bully us for an answer the moment the work becomes challenging for them.

Why do we do this? It’s easier than teaching appropriate behavior and following through on expectations. We want the annoying mosquito buzzing in our ear to immediately go away.

Are we more concerned with reaching the finish line than we are with stopping to take precautions like a review of classroom expectations? Bottom line – stop rewarding unacceptable behavior; stop giving in so that the buzzing will stop. Be mindful, and for heaven’s sake, don’t put the kid on the counter!

Three Ideas to Teach More by Talking Less

March 31, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Why do I sometimes have the impression that my students are baby birds with their mouths open waiting for me to fill them with wormy pearls of wisdom? Oh yeah, because sometimes I just talk too much, spewing out maggoty messages to fill my students’ heads with knowledge. It could be, once again, I’ve been tangled in helping my students create the perfect product and have made the rookie mistake of focusing on the endgame instead of focusing on the process of investigation and inquiry.

After reflecting on this problem, I’ve come to the conclusion there are several factors in play: teacher assessments are often based on products, contests that are won based on products, school assessments are based on data gathered from final assessments, and let’s be honest; focusing on a product rather than a process is easier to control. We teachers are evaluated and assessed on outcome, which is easier to measure than the process. How can we focus on the process?

We can allow our students to struggle.

While it is uncomfortable to not immediately answer when a student asks a question, it’s okay for students to wrestle with a problem…better than okay, this struggle is what grows the brain and allows students to become resilient and persist when the going isn’t smooth and easy.

My co-worker Bonny has a rule that her students are not allowed to ask for help until after they have tried to solve their question for about five or ten minutes. At first students angrily complain,”Why aren’t you helping me? Isn’t it your job to tell me how to do this?” (Yikes, have we been teaching them it is our job to immediately provide any and all answers?) After students have unsuccessfully tried getting us teachers to do their work, they often dig in and try. If students are still frustrated, ask students to make their questions specific. This encourages them to think about what they need and where there is confusion. Support students with guiding questions.

We can ask our students to summarize their learning.

When students struggle, ask them to summarize what they think needs to be done. This will give you insight as to where the confusion lies. Address the confusion with a question instead of explaining everything. For example, if a student does not know how to write a reflective, thoughtful conclusion to their essay, instead of rushing in like a star quarterback, explaining every detail, coach them by showing some examples, allowing them to examine good writing techniques.

We can require students to self-evaluate their work instead of addicting them to our praise.

Instead of telling students what they have just learned, ask them to reflect on what they gained from the process. Too often students wait for the nod of approval and acceptance from the teacher. We are turning our students into praise addicts. We should be teaching our students how to evaluate their own success, building their self-confidence instead of making them dependent on external validation.

When we keep our mouths shut, we help our baby birds build intellectual, problem solving muscle, and soon these birds will mature and fly on their own.

Word Power!

January 11, 2016 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Words equal power, so when people on Facebook and Twitter posted pieces on one word resolutions, I thought, “Oh, yeah, this is groovy.” Winter is all sludgy and freezy and the next significant break is months away, so my teaching energy could easily be poof, soot, gone. This one word resolution idea might keep me on track.

I thought if the one word resolution works for me, it would work for my students as well. I shared the one word idea with my students and how it could inspire them throughout the year. The students dove in and generated a list of powerful words.

Now, students were faced with the task of choosing their word. “One word? Just one? Can’t I choose like five? This feels too important to just randomly choose one word.” Many students stalled, unable to choose the one guiding word. I confessed that I had not chosen my word for that same reason. My brilliant virtual assistant, Beth Milligan, helps her clients focus on a successful year by using the one word resolution tool. Additionally, she suggests clients define their top three goals for the year as well as a theme to tie it all together.

Maybe my students should set a few goals. I asked my students to put their resolution word on the back burner and concentrate on their goals. Again, students rose to the task and generated goals.

While my students set goals for improving their athletic skills, or earning better grades, or maybe trying out for plays or cheerleading, I modeled for my students by writing my own personal goals using a document camera. When I reviewed my top three goals (reconnecting with friends, not letting work pile-up, and the traditional “I’m going to get healthy this year”), my first thought was that these goals seemed to have nothing in common. Then, “Bam,” the word balance jumped out at me. I need balance in my life. Since I came to this conclusion while thinking aloud in front of my students, my students started to find that after they set their goals, their words were easy to pick out, too.

Apparently, starting with goals aided in gaining clarity. Students excitedly shouted out words like “commitment”, “focus”, and “drive”. One girl looked at her goals, decided they would require much effort to accomplish, and said that the word “commitment” was her obvious choice. Another student said that the word “focus” would help him accomplish his goals.

What one word will guide you when you feel your teaching is veering off course and your workload feels overwhelming? The day after my classes completed their goal setting and one word resolutions, one of my students pulled me aside to tell me she had been in a horrible car accident the night before, but that everyone was alright. She confided to me that her one word was “survive”. Yikes, survive? Without context, that word made me wonder what she might be tangling with. She assured me that she saw this word as powerful and protective; if it were a stone, it would be her talisman. Wow, we both agreed that words can be powerful!

There is Much to be Learned From Bad Teacher Movies

December 14, 2015 by Instructor Leave a Comment

There are some things that might not be best for elevating one’s intellectual capacity, but one guilty pleasure I have is watching School of Rock, a movie starring Jack Black who gets kicked out of a rock band and ends up substitute teaching. He has no educational training or passion for teaching, but winds up becoming this great teacher, instilling passion and drive in his students….so annoying.

I have a love/hate relationship with bad teacher movies. It’s irksome to watch characters playing teachers who stumble upon some teaching trick, and suddenly they become “Teacher of the Year.” Often there are ridiculous scenes where teachers behave improbably. In School of Rock, Jack Black’s character walks into the teachers’ lounge where the teachers are earnestly discussing the merits of the Stanford Binet…Yeah, this is how teachers spend their precious fifteen minutes while shoveling in their Lean Cuisines. Yet, the movie researchers do get some things right, and the things that are right can be added to a solid teaching repertoire.

While Black’s character didn’t demonstrate educational innovations, he did remind me of a few good practices. He implements project based learning by creating a rock band with the students. He gives them a real world goal by entering them in the Battle of the Bands contest. He provides mini-lessons to give students background knowledge on classic Rock bands using complicated webs to show students how the roots of Rock are connected. He gives individualized homework based on the students’ needs, and provides students plenty of time to practice, explore their styles, and coaches the students to refine their skills.

Additionally, there is much student driven activity. While Black assigns students their jobs, he is open to students who argue their need to fulfill a different role. One student didn’t groove to his assigned role and argued his need to create the band costumes. Even though this student determined his own role, he still researched, practiced, and demonstrated the skills needed to create a successful outcome. Also, the would-be costume designer was still subjected to criticism (formative assessment) which pushed him to ~~refine~~ his skills.

Finally, it was time for the students to show what they learned (summative assessment); it was time to perform in the Battle of the Bands. Surprisingly, the students did not win first place, but they learned the big lesson. They gave a kick %$#@ show, and that, according to their teacher, was the pinnacle of a Rock band performance. In other words, they passed with flying colors.

I guess we teachers see lessons everywhere, even in some less-than-stellar movies, or maybe I’m just trying to justify my guilty pleasure.

Parents and Conferences and Time, Oh My!

October 26, 2015 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Parents and teachers conference week can be a brutal challenge with the long days of teaching and the long nights talking to parents. Sometimes I wish I could click Dorothy’s ruby heels to click myself home. I recently survived this physically and emotionally draining week, and miraculously hung onto my health and sanity. This, in large part, was due to the caring, supportive parents who came to find out how their children were doing. All in all, it was a series of remarkably low stress evenings.

Not every parent/teacher conference runs as smoothly. Sometimes parents can have a freak-out moment when they discover their cherubs are failing or disruptive or… After participating in a number of these conferences, I have adopted two valuable practices that have helped my students and me avoid an uncomfortable, confrontational event:

In my school, students lead their own conference. Students prepare for their conference by creating a slideshow that includes the students’ grades, test scores, accomplishments, goals, and learning adventures. The students begin the event by formally introducing their parents to their teachers; this gives the students an opportunity to polish their presentation skills. Next, students usher their parents to an available laptop and demonstrate their progress. We teachers drop in on these shows to emphasize the students’ accomplishments, make suggestions for learning growth, and answer parent questions. This puts the responsibility on the students’ shoulders and relieves the teacher from having to repeat the same things all night long.

Teachers, students, and parents are partners in learning, not adversaries. When parents become angry, embarrassed, or upset because their child is less than successful, we teachers are not there to gang up on our students. We are their partners in learning. I tell my students to be prepared prior to a parent conference. If they know they are doing poorly, they should admit it, but explain they have a plan for improvement. Students can share their goals such as seeking help before or after school, practicing their math facts, or spending extra time reading each day. When the students have their action plan ready, most parents will be proud their child is taking responsibility for their actions. I let my students know that I am their champion. I want them to know that I am not there for an “I got you moment,” but that I am there to support and coach them toward success.

What teacher would not prefer to be Glinda over the Wicked Witch of the West? We are not there to sugar coat the problems but to guide students to take responsibility for their learning so we can send them forth on the yellow brick road of success.

Taking the Eak(Eek) Out of Speaking

September 29, 2015 by Instructor Leave a Comment

This last weekend my husband and I went to see a play. Upon entering the theater, actresses in 1950’s era costumes gave us a name tag to wear that had an old-fashioned woman’s name on it. Mike was Eleanor while I was Petula. The purpose was to draw the audience into the era of the play. A man in front of us had refused to wear a name tag. He was adamant that he would not participate in the play in any way, shape, or form. It occurred to me that some adults are concerned about being embarrassed or having a spotlight on them.

We teachers are in front of people all the time; I suspect we love/crave the attention, so I am often taken by surprise when adults are adverse to attention. However, middle school student participation is another story. Adolescence is the pinnacle of self consciousness. Middle school students are always worried about becoming the focus of their peers’ searing ridicule.

Many of the Common Core speaking and listening standards require our students to present their ideas in front of groups. This requires Herculean efforts from our self-conscious students. To ease my students into the task of sharing ideas, I often have them turn and talk to the classmates sitting near them and allow them to process before they share. This gives them a chance to confirm their ideas. I know that most teachers have been using this Think/Pair/Share or Turn and Talk method for some time. In addition to talking it out first, I tell students they may share their ideas, or the ideas of their partners. This takes the heat off of students who would rather eat pre-chewed gum that has been scraped off the sidewalk than express their opinions in front of classmates. ( I gained this idea from educator Spence Rogers.) As the school year progresses and the class has had a chance to build their learning community, the students are more eager to express their ideas.

During third quarter I like to take my students on a field trip to this great place called Comedy Sportz, where an improvisation acting team performs. Additionally, these actors hold a workshop that shows how improvisation can be used to strengthen presentation skills as well as learning how to think on one’s feet during interviews. It is rewarding to watch my students support each other as they perform on stage; many of their fears have disappeared as they cheer for each other. When it comes time to present in front of the class, they continue to support each other. The result is wonderful presentations and a stronger learning community.

Eleanor and I have students who are still at the “Please don’t make me talk in front of the class or I will be mortified” stage, but we are offering our students opportunities to briefly present to build their confidence, gradually working toward proficient speaking (or sping if you take the eak out) skills.

Bloated Binder Blues

September 1, 2015 by Instructor Leave a Comment

Teachers love attending professional development (pd) seminars while simultaneously preparing to start a new school year, especially if the pd involves data or new curriculum requirements. It ranks right up there with surviving a zombie apocalypse. At least that’s what I can infer after viewing back to school Facebook posts.

When my brilliant team member, Kristy, (witness her brilliance at Educate My Heart) and I were asked to present the new curriculum that our team had produced, we decided to add a little theatrics to our introduction to ease the tension. We rolled in a gnarly, bloated curriculum binder and hoisted this bad boy on the table while excitedly announcing that there would be curriculum binders for everyone. Wincing and flinching from all corners of the room were evident. Team member, Lori, came in with an iPad on a silver platter, “Just kidding,” – cue nervous laughter. We had created assessments that aligned with the CCSS, and had included a teaching toolkit complete with lesson ideas, all of which could be accessed online.

We were thrilled that the new curriculum was well received as we had poured our hearts into this curriculum creation for over two years. I want to give a quick shout-out to this incredible team of which Kristy and I were lucky to be a part. Many thanks go to Jill, Jessica, the unbelievably hard working Lori, Kristen (who came to us from another district and we are so lucky to have her), and our ELA coordinator Sue, who has so much positive energy. Sue supported us in any way she could.

With the new curriculum at hand, the time for planning arrived. Good planning is essential for effective teaching. Whether you are planning backwards, forwards, or while standing on your head, planning helps you stay on track. It is worth the time. Too often I have heard teachers say that they like to “wing it”, to just see where the mood takes them. I’m not saying that inspiration doesn’t strike as the angels shine down on a teachable moment, but I’m fairly sure that teachers who frequently walk in the room without a plan are fooling themselves into thinking everything is cool. My team member, Bonny, is one of those teachers that is always in tune with what her students need at the moment, and her lessons flow into these accommodating tangents that hit just the right groove. However, she does not “wing it.” She coordinates her plans with Kristy and I, her teammates, while meeting the Common Core guidelines, plotting her lessons to align with the common assessments, and allowing her teaching tangents to dance within these guidelines.

Our district, like nearly all schools and districts, has parameters where we must reside. However, that doesn’t mean teachers can’t creatively teach and help their students master the skills and knowledge. In order to stay within a district or school’s parameters, but find unique, engaging ways to present the information, it is essential to spend time planning. Planning is hard, but using Teacher’s Planning Partner lesson plan books makes it easy to stay true to your school district’s requirements while empowering you, the teacher, to plan creatively. These specialized lesson plan books replace that gnarly, bloated curriculum binder with a useful “un-binder” that lays out the plan of action for you. The planning book may also be used as a shield in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

What Do School Administrators Really Want?

July 29, 2015 by Instructor

When you see an administrator poke her head in your classroom, do you catch yourself standing a little taller, your voice starts to sound like a radio announcer for a classical music station, and your gestures become more animated? If you aren’t working with a group of kids already, you quickly walk over to a student group, nodding your head furiously just to show you are coaching the heck out of that cooperative group. Yes, we know we do this because we want our administrators to recognize how darn lucky they are to have us on staff.

With the mountain of teacher evaluation requirements, we have a pretty good idea of what administrators need to see, but recently I had an opportunity to ask prospective vice principals what they really believed made a great teacher. Their answers were similar. They want teachers who use data to drive teaching decisions, know content, and are technology savvy (or are at least willing to learn). The number one quality they looked for in a good teacher was a teacher adept at building relationships with his or her students. Their message was loud and clear; if a teacher doesn’t care about his students, he’s toast.

Building relationships with your students can be the most gratifying part of your job. These are just a few of the strategies I’ve used to show my students that I care:

● Learn your students’ names early.

● Smile when they enter your classroom (even on days when you don’t feel like it). Make it clear you are glad they are in your classroom.

● Be sure to touch base with them as they are working. Checking in with students and asking them guiding questions when they are struggling is a powerful way to show you care.

● The Two-by-Ten approach works well with students who present you with a challenge. I have been using this successful technique for years. One of my teammates used this approach with a student who had trust issues with teachers. It is supposed to work after ten attempts; it didn’t. My determined co-worker decided to forge ahead, and on the twelfth try this student started to converse with her. Eventually he sought her out for discussions. How cool is that?

The famous school poster quote, “Your students don’t care how much you know until you show how much you care.” – anonymous, is to be your guide if you truly wish to be the kind of teacher an administrator would be proud to have on staff – more importantly – the kind of teacher you wish to be, even if a principal isn’t peeking in on you.