I LOVE this list and the explanations of each of these 10 ways to flip a child's day. It's a must read!
We all have rough days, when all we want to do is hide beneath the covers and turn off the lights. Kids have those days, too. I remember kids sulking into the classroom, putting their heads down, and not engaging with anything or anyone. I often was concerned and frustrated, but didn't know what to do to help except give them a hug and let them know I was there.
I LOVE this list and the explanations of each of these 10 ways to flip a child's day. It's a must read!
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Gratitude is powerful and necessary. I find that it's something we don't do enough of, but when we do, it can transform everything. Check out this student assignment given by 2014 National Teacher of the Year Sean McComb. He calls it "one of the best assignments" he's ever given, and after reading his reflection, I understood why. Here's another class engaging in gratitude journals. I was a big Oprah fan, and loved this idea of building culture through sharing gratitude. This video popped up repeatedly as I scrolled through my social media accounts this past week, and when I watched it, I understood why. It was a beautiful reminder of the power that genuine, kind words from a teacher can have on a child. Watch these kids faces as their teacher looks them in the eye and speaks from his heart to theirs.
I had the opportunity to visit a first year teacher's 4th grade classroom this week and watch and listen to her students engage in a discussion about current events and 9/11. Every single student in her class was actively sharing and listening during the discussion. The teacher passed out blue and yellow "chips" (1 inch math tiles) to her students prior to the discussion and told them that the blue chip was to be used for a question they had and the yellow chip was to be used for a comment to something they had heard on the video (CNN Student News Report) or a response to something that someone else in the class said. I was curious about this talking chips strategy because it worked so well in her class, so I did a little digging and found more resources here: http://wikiwomi.wikispaces.com/Talking+Chips https://myteachinglife.edublogs.org/tag/talking-chips/ Here's another strategy I came across in helping reluctant students engage in collaborative conversations. Click on the picture to see the Teaching Channel 2 minute strategy in action!
There were three big expectations (aka "rules") at the last school I taught at- to Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful. When you think about it, those 3 B's really encompass everything we want our students to be, in and out of school.
At the beginning of the year, I spent a LOT of time modeling, discussing, and reflecting on these expectations with my students. I realized that it helped to be really explicit about what we'd be doing, seeing, and hearing as we practiced safe, responsible, and respectful behaviors. The students charted them, acted them out, drew them, wrote about them... and eventually lived them. I love this Teaching Channel 2 minute video showing how a teacher "teaches" respectful talk in her classroom. There are also "accountable talk stems" that are fantastic! I attended a growth mindset session at a conference this summer and it really got me thinking about my mindset as a teacher and how to help instill a growth mindset in children. I came home searching for even more! Here are some resources I found:
6 ways to teach growth mindset from day one of school (with a great short video you can share with your kids!) Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation and Growth Mindset in Writing PIcture Books with themes of Growth Mindset REFRAMING NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES: 6 QUESTIONS THAT HELP KIDS LEARN FROM FAILURE Closing time Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end -Semisonic With only 7 days left of school, I KNOW you are beyond busy. There are grades to do, assessments to give, and projects to finish, all while the students are getting all too excited about summer vacation.
When I was in the classroom, every year at this time, my thoughts were mixed... "7 more DAYS!" Just get me through all this stuff so I can SLEEP." and "Only 7 more DAYS? There's still so much I want to do with these kids!" In the end, I always pushed the envelope and kept delving into more with my kids. Closing my gradebook did not mean that I stopped teaching and that we stopped learning. 7 days is just enough time for one more STEM investigation, another chance for the kids to share their understanding of a new concept learned, and an opportunity to meaningfully reflect with my students on our journey together. Some of my favorite things to do in the last days of the year was to have the students write letters- to their parents, myself, and my future students- reflecting on the year and their growth, do math data collection and analysis about the projects and activities they most benefited from and those they thought I should revise (or get rid of altogether), create video projects of their learning, and set goals (both academic and fun) for the summer. On the last day of school, be sure to save time for you to just sit with your kids and talk with them about the year. Start your own tradition! I would play a video recapping our year together, then pass around cups of celebratory apple cider to sip on while we each shared a favorite memory. I made sure to tell my kids how much they meant to me and the great things that that I knew awaited them beyond our classroom doors, and handed them letters that I'd written for each of them sharing how much I valued them. I never sent them off without a few tears, but my heart was always full. Those last few moments with my kids always grounded me and energized me during those summer months to make the next year even better because they reminded me of my purpose. Check out these links for some great ideas on closing up your school year! 35 Things Every Teacher Should Do Before the School Year Ends Reflective End of Year Activities Ending the Year on a High Note This story has been making rounds online, and I'm so glad. It stresses the importance of taking the time to know your students' stories.
I did this at the beginning of the year, and wish now that I had done it more often. I learned so much from those first letters I had the students write, when all I asked was "tell me things you need me to know." Somehow the "need me to know" brought out all kinds of raw, honest emotions and words. I remember a student who wrote that he was sad a lot because he didn't get to spend much time with his dad since his parents divorced. Another student wrote that she didn't like to share in front of the class because she was shy, but she wanted me to know that she was always listening and thinking. A boy who had just moved to Hawaii from Chuuk shared that he wanted me to "help him become smart" so that he could become a teacher when he grew up. These glimpses into our children's lives are precious keys that can transform our teaching and understanding. Check out this video and article to see the impact that the prompt, "IWishMyTeacherKnew," had on a third grade teacher and her students. This is a quick, powerful read about the importance of creating a classroom culture where students' voices are valued. I believe that the most important thing that we can do as teachers is to help instill in children that their voices do matter and need to be amplified and shared.
Click on the image below to take you to the complete article! There is something I say to my 4 year old son Daniel each morning before I leave him at preschool for the day: "Remember to be kind and respectful." We've talked a lot about what that means- what kindness and respect looks, sounds, and feels like.
Last week, Daniel's class went on a field trip to the airport and they were able to tour an airplane. He came home reporting everything from meeting the pilot to seeing the airplane kitchen. And then he asked for his crayons and drawing pad and said, "My friend Haruki really loves airplanes. He was so excited when we were on the plane, but when we had to go, he cried because he thought that we were actually going to get to fly. Mommy, I'm going to draw Haruki a picture of an airplane and give it to him tomorrow to help make him feel better." That was a proud Mommy moment for me. It hands down beat the day he came home and counted to 100 for the first time, or the time he finally held his pencil correctly and wrote his name with a capital D and lowercase a,n,i,e,l. Evidence of kindness, compassion, empathy... those are the things that fill my heart and leave me the most hopeful. One of the things I love about teaching are the many opportunities your students have each day to practice kindness and empathy with one another. Here are a couple of amazing resources from one of my favorite education sites, Edutopia. Please check them out!: Resources for Learning About Empathy on Valentine's Day Teaching Empathy: Turning a Lesson Plan into a Life Skill |