Anyone in education knows we live in a world of buzzwords and acronyms. Walk into any meeting in an elementary school, and it's like witnessing an episode of Sesame Street highlighting alphabet soup. Unless you live and breathe in our world, it often sounds like we're speaking a foreign language.
Some of those acronyms are short-lived... and some stick around for awhile and reshape our world as we know it.
Like PLCs and CFAs.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) were the "new thing" back when I was still in the classroom. Our reaction? "Sure, okay, we'll try it, but this will probably just be a trend and disappear eventually."
And then I started graduate school, with a whole class focused on PLCs. I learned so much... mostly that PLCs just MAKE SENSE. And if you think about it - and learn about it - they're COMMON SENSE. And I jumped right on the bandwagon. A bandwagon that quickly parked to let us all know it was here to stay.
We no longer live in a world of "MY classroom" or "MY students." It's about "OUR students." It's about taking ownership of not only all of the students in your grade level... but all of the students in the entire school. In order for that to work, we must collaborate, discuss, share, and believe in each other and what we can do for our kids. And that happens in a PLC. I've seen it happen, and have the opportunity to witness it each week in our building.
As our PLCs have grown, we've finally gotten comfortable with Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) which also just MAKE SENSE. How can we improve our teaching, our methodology, without knowing how are students are progressing? Marrying the arts of assessing and collaborating is key in creating a school environment in which we care about every kid in the hallway. A school environment in which teachers make themselves vulnerable to each other in order to grow. A school environment in which we, the adults, are continuous learners. A school environment in which it becomes less about the buzzword, and more about making magic happen with our instruction.
I am SO proud of our teachers and their willingness to jump on this bandwagon with me, to learn the art of CFAs, to find the beauty in an effective PLC.
Because at the end of the day, all acronyms aside, these kids depend on us. And if we're asking them to learn and grow, we should do the same.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Common Core Ate My Baby!
Growing up, I always loved a good urban legend. Particularly the scary kind that made butterflies flop around in my stomach. One I will always remember has to do with driving over a bridge in my hometown... We spent many afternoons testing that myth! Now, being much older and wiser, I'm a little more keen on when a myth is just that - a myth.
In the world of education, with new things coming and going before we even find firm footing, we're used to the, "Well I heard this is going to happen..." or "Well I heard THIS is coming!" What I think all educators will agree on is that the only thing that stays the same is things keep changing.
One big change we've been working with this year is the adoption of the new Common Core Standards, standards that are dominating classrooms across the country. This change has brought hours of extra work, sleepless nights, and, you guessed it, urban legends.
In their December 2012/January 2013 issue, Educational Leadership put out an article titled The Common Core Ate My Baby and Other Urban Legends. You can find the article here:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/The-Common-Core-Ate-My-Baby-and-Other-Urban-Legends.aspx
In case you don't have time to read the full article, here are some of the urban legends surrounding the CCES that are addressed...
1. The new standards prohibit teachers from setting purposes for reading or discussing prior knowledge.
And for what it's worth, the Common Core did NOT eat my baby. Just sayin'.
In the world of education, with new things coming and going before we even find firm footing, we're used to the, "Well I heard this is going to happen..." or "Well I heard THIS is coming!" What I think all educators will agree on is that the only thing that stays the same is things keep changing.
One big change we've been working with this year is the adoption of the new Common Core Standards, standards that are dominating classrooms across the country. This change has brought hours of extra work, sleepless nights, and, you guessed it, urban legends.
In their December 2012/January 2013 issue, Educational Leadership put out an article titled The Common Core Ate My Baby and Other Urban Legends. You can find the article here:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/The-Common-Core-Ate-My-Baby-and-Other-Urban-Legends.aspx
In case you don't have time to read the full article, here are some of the urban legends surrounding the CCES that are addressed...
1. The new standards prohibit teachers from setting purposes for reading or discussing prior knowledge.
- TRUTH: There is no ban on pre-reading; however, the new standards require students to read more challenging texts and engage in close reading lessons, in which REREADING is a hallmark. Let students give the text a try without over-preparing them. All too often the preparation to read a story is far more extended than the story itself. Let the students try to interpret the author's message on their own. Pre-reading preparation should be brief and focus on providing students with tools to make sense of the text on their own.
- TRUTH: Anyone who looks through the CCES will see the section titled Reading: Foundational Skills. The CCES start with reading comprehension and end with foundations.
- TRUTH: The standards suggest that 70% of older students' reading should focus on nonliterary texts, but that refers to ALL school reading (in all subject areas). Students will need to spend more time reading informational texts, but that includes science and social studies classes.
- TRUTH: Students should have an array of reading experiences in the same way that a long-distance runner has a varied training schedule that mixes different distances and speeds. Such varied schedules enable a runner to build muscle, speed, and endurance - three key skills of reading, too!
- TRUTH: We STILL have to make significant changes to our practices. We've only just begun to realize the rigor of the CCES, and it's going to take time and hard work to meet the demands of the new standards.
And for what it's worth, the Common Core did NOT eat my baby. Just sayin'.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Rock On!
When I took the job as Curriculum Coordinator and completed my Master's program in School Administration, I promised myself I would NEVER forget what it's like to be a teacher.
To be on the frontlines of education... where the magic happens, where the kid remembers you for the rest of his life, where you see light bulbs go off after hours of teaching...
Where you work harder than anyone else in the professional world.
I think sometimes those of us out of the classroom can easily forget what it's like to be on the battlegrounds, and I don't ever want to let my memories become too hazy. I want to always be able to understand and relate to the second most important people in the school (sorry, teachers - the kids came in first!).
So, during a time of year when we're all running out of steam, and patience, and mindpower, and energy - I just want to say THANK YOU to all of the awesome teachers in our building.
As we head toward the end of the first half of the school year, I'm so proud to work in OUR school. It's been the most challenging year yet in education - at least as long as I've been a part of the educational world - and our teachers have taken things in stride, kept the kids first, and even managed to keep smiling.
I'm so honored to be a part of this staff, and so excited about all of the progress we're making as a school. So during a time when you feel overworked and underappreciated, know that I ALWAYS appreciate what you do and will ALWAYS remember what it's like to be you.
And you're doing awesome. With Common Core, PLCs, CFAs, new testing, TRC, DIBELS, conferences, report cards, progress reports, oh yeah - and teaching - You're not only surviving, you're doing a GREAT job.
Rock on!
Don't Forget!
December 7th - 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Classroom Spelling Bee Winners' Names Due to Peele
December 11th - TRC/K-3 Assessment Training for PRTs 9:00-10:30
December 12th - Set up Science Fair
December 13th - Science Fair Judging 9:30
December 14th - All Classes/Parents Invited to Walk Through Science Fair
December 18th - School Spelling Bee 1:30
January 7th - TRC/K-3 Assessment Training for ALL K-3 Teachers 3:45-5:15
January 10th - PLC Training for Facilitators at Kernersville ES 3:30-5:00
To be on the frontlines of education... where the magic happens, where the kid remembers you for the rest of his life, where you see light bulbs go off after hours of teaching...
Where you work harder than anyone else in the professional world.
I think sometimes those of us out of the classroom can easily forget what it's like to be on the battlegrounds, and I don't ever want to let my memories become too hazy. I want to always be able to understand and relate to the second most important people in the school (sorry, teachers - the kids came in first!).
So, during a time of year when we're all running out of steam, and patience, and mindpower, and energy - I just want to say THANK YOU to all of the awesome teachers in our building.
As we head toward the end of the first half of the school year, I'm so proud to work in OUR school. It's been the most challenging year yet in education - at least as long as I've been a part of the educational world - and our teachers have taken things in stride, kept the kids first, and even managed to keep smiling.
I'm so honored to be a part of this staff, and so excited about all of the progress we're making as a school. So during a time when you feel overworked and underappreciated, know that I ALWAYS appreciate what you do and will ALWAYS remember what it's like to be you.
And you're doing awesome. With Common Core, PLCs, CFAs, new testing, TRC, DIBELS, conferences, report cards, progress reports, oh yeah - and teaching - You're not only surviving, you're doing a GREAT job.
Rock on!
Don't Forget!
December 7th - 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Classroom Spelling Bee Winners' Names Due to Peele
December 11th - TRC/K-3 Assessment Training for PRTs 9:00-10:30
December 12th - Set up Science Fair
December 13th - Science Fair Judging 9:30
December 14th - All Classes/Parents Invited to Walk Through Science Fair
December 18th - School Spelling Bee 1:30
January 7th - TRC/K-3 Assessment Training for ALL K-3 Teachers 3:45-5:15
January 10th - PLC Training for Facilitators at Kernersville ES 3:30-5:00
Friday, October 26, 2012
Wait for it...
Last week I was meandering through classrooms, observing and enjoying the view from the frontlines. In one particular classroom, a teacher was giving a math lesson. She asked a question, and called on a student who eagerly raised his hand.
He spouted out the wrong answer.
The teacher urged him to rethink his answer and rework his math.
Other than his pencil scribbling on his paper, the room was silent.
We waited. And waited. And waited.
I wanted SO badly to help him, give him a hint, call out the answer.
But we waited.
And finally...
He got it.
And the teacher moved on to the next problem, and the class went about the rest of their day as usual. But I was so affected, by something so minor.
Because the teacher had given this child some wait-time, let him think through the process, given him as much space as he needed, he was able to find success. Even moreso, the teacher had obviously conditioned her students to this type of practice, as not one student huffed or puffed in frustration at how long it took the little boy to answer, nor did anyone call out the answer.
They waited, too.
Giving students - children - this window of wait-time, this opportunity to take their time to think, explore, try, fail, try again, succeed... is imperative. And sometimes we're all so consumed with moving on, getting to the next question, checking things off the list - we fail to allow for the awkward silence, the minutes when a child's brain is ticking, connecting, figuring things out. But it's SO important to do that... let them figure it out without us always doing the figuring out for them.
So, remember, when we're wanting to jump in, and help, and hold their hand, and give them the answer...
Just wait for it.
He spouted out the wrong answer.
The teacher urged him to rethink his answer and rework his math.
Other than his pencil scribbling on his paper, the room was silent.
We waited. And waited. And waited.
I wanted SO badly to help him, give him a hint, call out the answer.
But we waited.
And finally...
He got it.
And the teacher moved on to the next problem, and the class went about the rest of their day as usual. But I was so affected, by something so minor.
Because the teacher had given this child some wait-time, let him think through the process, given him as much space as he needed, he was able to find success. Even moreso, the teacher had obviously conditioned her students to this type of practice, as not one student huffed or puffed in frustration at how long it took the little boy to answer, nor did anyone call out the answer.
They waited, too.
Giving students - children - this window of wait-time, this opportunity to take their time to think, explore, try, fail, try again, succeed... is imperative. And sometimes we're all so consumed with moving on, getting to the next question, checking things off the list - we fail to allow for the awkward silence, the minutes when a child's brain is ticking, connecting, figuring things out. But it's SO important to do that... let them figure it out without us always doing the figuring out for them.
So, remember, when we're wanting to jump in, and help, and hold their hand, and give them the answer...
Just wait for it.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Whew.
My AP is always telling me that Dr. Oz says you're supposed to take something like ten deep breaths every now and then to keep yourself calm and stable and healthy and happy and who has time to remember to take ten deep breaths when you're a full-time working mama to a mobile, constantly-moving eleven-month-old and a wife to a husband who works almost every evening and life feels like a race I'm never winning?
Or was it take deep breaths for ten seconds?
Something like that, right Mr. Maglio?
Anyway, lately it seems as though I've needed to breathe-in-breathe-out to a calming rhythm all day long. Life has felt like, well, A LOT lately, TOO MUCH, even... So I can't begin to imagine how the teachers are feeling! Because if you think about it, EVERYONE has their own "stuff." Everyone has stress outside of work... and just because my stress is different than your stress, that doesn't mean one of us has more "stuff" than the other.
Sometimes we get so caught up in our own worlds, our own little bubbles, we fail to realize that the world is continuing to spin on its axis around us. I am guilty of getting lost in my bubble... struggling to come up for air and letting the little things throw me for a loop and pushing on, and on, and on without enjoying the view. Case in point - I have eaten lunch while furiously working since school started about a month ago. I've never been the kind of person who works through lunch!
Breathe in - 1, 2, 3...
I think we're all in that place right now in the world of education. The beginning of a school year is NO JOKE. Especially when we're introducing a brand new curriculum and everything seems like it's changing. Not to mention whatever else is going on in our lives outside of the walls of Moore.
But let's try to encourage each other to follow Dr. Oz's advice - I may give him the side-eye for some of his health recommendations, but I think he's on to something when he urges deep breathing. Let's try to pause, take deep breaths, and know that this too, shall pass. And while we're doing all this breathing, let's also try to remember that whether the person beside us may seem to have it all together or may seem to barely be hanging on, we all have our "stuff." And sometimes the only way to get through the stuff is to lift each other up...
And, of course, breathe.
Or was it take deep breaths for ten seconds?
Something like that, right Mr. Maglio?
Anyway, lately it seems as though I've needed to breathe-in-breathe-out to a calming rhythm all day long. Life has felt like, well, A LOT lately, TOO MUCH, even... So I can't begin to imagine how the teachers are feeling! Because if you think about it, EVERYONE has their own "stuff." Everyone has stress outside of work... and just because my stress is different than your stress, that doesn't mean one of us has more "stuff" than the other.
Sometimes we get so caught up in our own worlds, our own little bubbles, we fail to realize that the world is continuing to spin on its axis around us. I am guilty of getting lost in my bubble... struggling to come up for air and letting the little things throw me for a loop and pushing on, and on, and on without enjoying the view. Case in point - I have eaten lunch while furiously working since school started about a month ago. I've never been the kind of person who works through lunch!
Breathe in - 1, 2, 3...
I think we're all in that place right now in the world of education. The beginning of a school year is NO JOKE. Especially when we're introducing a brand new curriculum and everything seems like it's changing. Not to mention whatever else is going on in our lives outside of the walls of Moore.
But let's try to encourage each other to follow Dr. Oz's advice - I may give him the side-eye for some of his health recommendations, but I think he's on to something when he urges deep breathing. Let's try to pause, take deep breaths, and know that this too, shall pass. And while we're doing all this breathing, let's also try to remember that whether the person beside us may seem to have it all together or may seem to barely be hanging on, we all have our "stuff." And sometimes the only way to get through the stuff is to lift each other up...
And, of course, breathe.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Will You Sleep on Sunday?
Someone once told me that if the time comes when you can sleep well the night before the first day of school, it's time for you to get out of the profession.
Whaddya think?
I always, always, always toss and turn and wrestle butterflies in my stomach on the first-day-of-school-eve. Even now in my job as Curriculum Coordinator, there's just something about the anticipation of the first day that gives me the excited jitters.
I get SO excited to see the kids -- some rubbing their sleepy eyes, some holding back tears of nervousness, some bouncing up and down the hallways as if they never left.
I LOVE seeing their new school goodies - their clothes, shoes, bookbags, lunch boxes, and even their new 'dos.
I REVEL in the energy that quickly fills the school as those new shoes squeak across the freshly waxed floors. As I've mentioned before, a school is just not right until it's full of children.
I BASK in all of the sounds that echo down the hallway as the day gets going - children talking, laughing, saying bye to their nervous mamas... the sounds of bookbags unzipping, pencils being sharpened, rules being taught.
You see, as hard as it has been to leave my little girl to come back to work, I honestly enjoy the first day of school as much as the last day. And sure, on the last day of school, we were dancing and cheering and singing and grooving on the back sidewalk, shouting, "SCHOOL'S...OUT...FOR...SUMMER!"
But let's bring that same energy, that same excitement to our kids on Monday.
And I can guarantee that if you're tossing and turning on Sunday night, batting at butterflies instead of counting sheep... you're not alone.
Whaddya think?
I always, always, always toss and turn and wrestle butterflies in my stomach on the first-day-of-school-eve. Even now in my job as Curriculum Coordinator, there's just something about the anticipation of the first day that gives me the excited jitters.
I get SO excited to see the kids -- some rubbing their sleepy eyes, some holding back tears of nervousness, some bouncing up and down the hallways as if they never left.
I LOVE seeing their new school goodies - their clothes, shoes, bookbags, lunch boxes, and even their new 'dos.
I REVEL in the energy that quickly fills the school as those new shoes squeak across the freshly waxed floors. As I've mentioned before, a school is just not right until it's full of children.
I BASK in all of the sounds that echo down the hallway as the day gets going - children talking, laughing, saying bye to their nervous mamas... the sounds of bookbags unzipping, pencils being sharpened, rules being taught.
You see, as hard as it has been to leave my little girl to come back to work, I honestly enjoy the first day of school as much as the last day. And sure, on the last day of school, we were dancing and cheering and singing and grooving on the back sidewalk, shouting, "SCHOOL'S...OUT...FOR...SUMMER!"
But let's bring that same energy, that same excitement to our kids on Monday.
And I can guarantee that if you're tossing and turning on Sunday night, batting at butterflies instead of counting sheep... you're not alone.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Remember?
We made it! We did
it!
The last day is here…
We’ve officially survived
Another school year.
But wasn’t Open House
Just yesterday?
Didn’t we just meet each other,
And shyly say, “Hey…”?
It seems as if the school year,
Just got off to a start…
But now it’s already time
For us all to depart!
But before you pack up,
and race off to the pool…
Let’s highlight some memories
From this year in school.
Remember the decorated doors?
And Curriculum Night?
“Happy
School Year!” we shouted,
As we started the year off right.
Remember when three mamas-to-be,
Waddled around the school?
Now their babies are here,
Full of babbles and drool!
Remember Jump Rope for Heart?
And cool Mr. Hicks…
Teaching us ways to be healthy
So we don’t live life sick.
Remember our awesome music teacher,
Guiding our productions, so neat!
Mrs. Noisette is so talented!
Always keeping us on beat.
Remember the way you learned to draw?
Our resident artist, Mrs. Wiles!
Who taught us to paint, color, and mold,
All with a smile.
Remember when you were having a bad day,
And needed an ear?
Mrs. Collins was there for you,
Ready to hug and hear.
Remember when you really wanted to read?
Or needed to find an AR book?
Mr. Brandt was your man,
Taking the time to help you look.
And what would we do without the ladies in the office?
Giving us a hug, a smile, or a band-aid.
Taking our money, calling our parents,
Letting us know it’ll all be okay.
Remember when you got into a little bit of trouble?
Or maybe needed help with your bus?
Mr. Maglio was always there for you,
Helping you while being fair and just.
Remember when our own Miss Hennings
Won Teacher of the Year?
She was so deserving, so special…
We’re all so lucky to have her here!
Remember when Mrs. Smith was all dressed up,
Like Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat?
She even had whiskers and a tail…
I bet you’ll never forget that!
Then there was Multicultural Night,
Birthday balloons, tie-dye, and hat days…
Field Day! One of
everyone’s favorites,
As you got to go outside and play.
Games, cotton candy, and the dunking booth…
Spring Fling was a blast, too!
There was so much fun to be had all year long,
What sticks out the most to you?
Most importantly, though, are the relationships formed,
Between students, teachers, families, and staff.
So please always remember each other fondly…
The good times, the hard times, the times we’ve laughed.
It’s time to bid farewell… for now.
So say goodbye to all of your friends…
Summertime is officially here,
We’ll see you in August when we begin again!
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