Soulful Sunday

Yesterday I was reading a book (Linchpin) by Seth Godin and had this ah ha moment.  It is a book about business and as I read - I realized I was reading about the state of education.  I just had to share it.  Listen to this (I will be replacing the word "business" with the word "education or teacher":

You want a cookie-cutter (education) that you can scale fast, without regard for finding, nurturing and retaining talent - it is the Rule of Ordinary People.  Here's the problem, which you've already guessed.  If you make your (education) possible to replicate, you are not going to be the one to replicate it.  Others will.  If you build an (education) filled with rules and procedures that are designed to allow you to hire cheap (teachers), you will have to produce an (education) without humanity or personalization or connection.  Which means that you will have to lower your quality.  Which leads to the race to the bottom.

Indispensable (teachers) are the race to the top.

Godin's point is that the whole focus in business has been to produce products as cheaply as possible.  In order to do that - you have to make employees easily replaceable.  You have all watched the fall out as thousands of jobs were outsourced to the lowest priced labor in the world.  The good news is that Godin is saying this model of business is dead.  There is a new way - the way of indispensable talent.

I assert that this old business model of the easily replaceable labor is what education is currently experiencing in its financial crisis.   Larger classrooms, fewer rights, no raises . . . . more accountability.

But I just love Godin's point of view.  It applies to education.  The race to the top can only be realized in the indispensable talent of teachers.

So my message to you today is simple.

You are indispensable.  

You are the source of all that works in our educational systems.

Thank you for teaching in this high pressure, high stakes environment.  Thank you for bringing your heart and soul in the face of unreasonable pressure.   You matter.   If we strip away all the assessments, the data, the evaluations - the truth rests quietly waiting for acknowledgement.   Education is a journey of the heart.  An exceptional education is born from passionate, inspired educators who commit themselves to the task of learning with their students.

You have a gift to give.

A deep stirring to make a difference.

You were born for this work.

We cannot allow the machine of education to deny us our task.

Reflective Teaching - Free Journal!

Click on reflection page to download.

I think if there is one thing that has made the most impact on my teaching - it would be my reflective practice.  At the end of the day I always take a moment to look at how the day went.  I do not linger on my answers.  Rather, I write down what immediately comes to mind.  It does not take long to quickly review your day.  (This is also a great tool to use with student teachers in your care.)  Here are some of the benefits of a reflective practice:

• your teaching becomes more like research - learning along side the children
• attention is given to those areas that might otherwise be overlooked
• the social and emotional climate of the classroom is addressed daily
• teaching becomes more responsive to the children's current learning needs
• you will develop an more observant eye in the classroom
  

Motivation Magic!

Good Morning!  Einstein, my sweet cat, says "Happy Sunday!"  Of course, everyday is the sabbath for Einstein.  ;)

I have a trick to keeping the classroom tidy and clean.  It works wonders!  I use two strategies - procedures and group tally marks.

PROCEDURE STRATEGY:

Clear procedures save hours of struggle in the classroom.  It is one of my best tips for classroom management on multiple levels.  I love the book "The First Six Weeks of School" from the Responsive Classroom folks.  It gives great tips for setting up those procedures.  Here is how I employ procedures to keep the class tidy:

My students are divided into five color groups.  Each group has their own table with their own "supply tub."  (Tubs are from Mardel's and I found little matching cups for each color group at IKEA!)  Gotta love that place!)  There are rules or procedures for keeping the supply tub.  I start the year with just crayons, glue sticks and scissors.  The procedures are:

• crayons go in their cup with the point up.
• scissors go in their cup with the point down.
• glue sticks go in their cup with the cap side up (so I can see that the caps are on!)
• name tents go on the side of the cups.

Once they have these mastered, I add pencils and markers.

• pencils go in their cup with the point up.  The erasers and pencil sharpener are kept in the same cup.
• markers go in with the cap side up.  (so I can see that the caps are on!)

 You can see the pencil sharpener in the same cup as the pencils - all points up.

MOTIVATION STRATEGY:

I have my color groups posted on my white board (this is a photo from several years ago).  The names of the color groups are under the color marker.  The color groups sit on the carpet together in a row.   

• I give tally marks for groups who are following procedures on the carpet, during table work, and other special activities.  (Table procedures - all chairs pushed in, table cleared off, and nothing under the table or chairs.)
• I mark those under their group on the white board.  
• I check their supply boxes and tables after table work (several times a day) and give 5 points the best kept table and supply box.   Some days the groups can have up to 35 - 40 points.

I begin the tally marks as the reward itself.  I like the group rewards vs. individual rewards.  I do not use rewards for individuals in my classroom as a rule.  I love the team work of the groups and the holding each other to account to care for their group resources.  

After 6 to 8 weeks I move into - the groups "earn" the reward of markers.  Next comes glitter glue pens.  We are still here.  (There is one time a day when the groups are free to use the glitter glue pens.)  Oh!  Get this!  I have the group vote on the glitter pen they want!  It is so cool to see how after the first few times - they figure out how to get the majority rule!  Each group has about 4 glitter pens now. I found them at Michaels - very cheap!  Next the groups can earn colored pencils.

The tally marks are put below the row of each color group.

 There are those prized glitter glue pens!

It astonishes me how much pride and work they take to make sure their group's table and tub are in good tidy order.  Recently, the children have taken to cleaning the table and chairs with baby wipes.  Go figure!  But rock on!  Love the cleaning vibe happening!

Next Sunday, Guest Blogger Kerry Weisner shares her procedures that she uses to order her class.   So excited to share her wisdom!

Have a blessed day!

Sally

Preparing For My Week

Happy Sunday!  How is your Sunday going?  I love Sundays!

I don't know about you - but Sunday is a critical day in preparing for my school week.  Here is my Sunday essentials:

WEEK OF MEALS:  I plan, shop, and cook my entire week of breakfast and lunches!  This week I am making pumpkin spice protein pancakes for breakfast and butternut squash soup for my lunches.  This saves me the stress of preparing breakfast or lunch as I get ready for my work day.   It gives me the space to be creative and cook up some yummy food!  I am working on taking off about 10 pounds.  The next 8 weeks are my biggest challenge with holiday treat abounding.   Typically I gain 5 to 10 pounds - yikes!  I am going to work on maintaining my weight this season.  

Source:  http://fashionjerseygirl.blogspot.com/

WEEK OF OUTFITS:  This is a must because I am a night owl.  When I get up in the morning - I will be honest - I do not have a lot of mindfulness.  I have been known to wear a shirt inside out and not know it.  What can I say?  I love staying up late and it has its consequences!  My remedy?  On Sunday - I put together my weekly outfits.  I am currently having an issue of not enough clothes!  The sweet pain of weight loss!  :)

WEEKLY PLANS:  Every Sunday I write my lesson plans, plan my blog entries, shop for any materials I might need for the school week.  AND of course - this week I am planning my big blogiversary!  I am even writing my next year of blogging goals, visions, and dreams.  

Check back tomorrow!  The celebration begins! 

Hugs!
Sally

Self-Care

Photo taken at Ten Thousand Waves Spa, 10/29/10

It has been a difficult week.  My daughter, a teacher herself, has had an unusual onset of numbness on the left side of her body.  She is undergoing testing and we are confident we will find the cause.  But it reminded me of how important self care is as a teacher.  As an educator, she has been under pressure with pending changes, classroom demands. . . the usual these days.     I asked her if she was feeling stressed because I know stress has shown its mark on me in the past.  She said yes.

When I find myself in a worrisome place - this time about my daughter - I do not function as I normally do.  My response time, my ability to process conversations, the desire to blog - everything is affected.   What to write on my blog?  I pondered yesterday and drew a blank.

Ten Thousand Waves Spa, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Today I woke up and it was there.  Self care.   I need it, my daughter needs it - I think homeschool moms need it, public school teachers need it - we all need it!  So today I am sharing a few things from my Waldorf training which addressed self-care very powerfully.   These work wonders:

•  Walk daily and preferably in the morning before teaching for 20 minutes.  This clears your thoughts and revitalizes your energy.  It also provides a space for intuitive thinking to arise.  TIP:  Be observant of nature as you walk.  Notice the sounds, movements, and other details of nature.  When I first starting doing this in my city neighborhood I was shocked by the volume of urban wildlife.  I even spotted a fox.   In the middle of the city.   Amazing.  

• Get as much sleep as possible before midnight.  The prime sleeping time is the hours before midnight.  If you are feeling exhausted by the end of your school day - look to see how much sleep you get before midnight.  Aim for two full hours.  It will take three successive nights of this kind of sleep to restore strength.  (I am a night owl so I am working on this one!)

• Practice ruckschau daily.  This is an evening practice that is very effective in reducing stress.  Before you fall asleep each night, go backwards through your day, and remember all the significant activities (and without judgment!).  Move backwards beginning with going to bed and ending with what you did when you woke up that day.   This clears the mind of stress and worry.  It also opens up the intuitive and helps you to let go of the day.

• Take a detox/de-stressing bath once a week:
• Cleansing Bath - to detox and clear negative moods
• 1 cup Epsom salts
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of ground ginger
• Mix together and add to bath water.  Soak in tub for 30 minutes and then rinse.

• Etheric Bath - to rebuild and revitalize
• Beat one organic egg into a cup of organic whole milk
• Pour into a drawn bath.
• Stir with your hand making lumeise (figure 8) seven times.
• Cut one lemon under running bath water and squeeze into water.
• Soak in tub for 15 to 20 minutes.  Rinse.

Sipping Education

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel”

Socrates 

 

 

Recently a friend of mine told me she had roasted her own coffee.  Immediately, I was going to try it myself.  As an avid and committed coffee drinker, I love the process of making coffee.  Oh by how I love the smells that waff through the house when I grind the beans - can a cup of coffee exist without it?  I can’t wait to roast my own beans - to smell the roast!

It is the mindful process that makes my morning cup of joe so magical.  Likewise, it is the mindful process of learning that gives education it’s power.  Currently, we are in a culture of teaching to the test.  Schools scurry to meet minimum measures and to avoid being put on the at risk lists.  Each year, NCLB raises the bar and the pressure to teach to the test increases.  The process of learning is going out the door as we welcome the latest and newest methods of skill and drill.

I can’t help but think of how it feels when I buy a cup of coffee at a fast food restuarant.  It is insulting to my tongue.  I can’t bear to consume another sip.  The disregard for what it takes to produce a vibrant cup of coffee is evident in the end product.  

We are in a period of time that we are disregarding what it takes to produce educated well rounded human beings.  We are disregarding why we teach in the first place.  We are in crisis. 

I love tea as well.  Yesterday I made a tangerine green tea.  I purchased organic tangerines and hand pressed the juices.  I stirred and mixed my special blend in french glass bottles.  Just looking at the end results makes me feel more alive.  The taste of the tea is vibrant.

I am committed to delivering an education that is vibrant and full bodied.  There is a process and a developmentally appropriate sequence to the education of the young child.  Let us not produce the “fast-food” kind of education.  The real power of education is in the process not in the end results - for if a child “gets” the process of learning - the whole world is theirs.  Anything is possible in life.  

Who is it that teaches?

Today I read this passage from Parker Palmer's book, "Courage to Teach."  It nails what I have been thinking about and I wanted to share it:

The question we most commonly ask is the "what" question - what subjects shall we teach? When the  conversation goes a bit deeper, we ask the "how" question - what methods and techniques are required to teach well?  Occasionally, when it goes deeper still, we ask the "why" question - for what purposes and to what ends do we teach? 

But seldom, if ever, do we ask the "who" question- who is the self that teaches?  How does the quality of my selfhood form - or deform - the way I  relate to my students, my subject, my colleagues, my world?

I think it is important as parents, educators, and really, participants of this dance we call life - to ask who is the self that is dancing?  I know that when I have been up against a challenge with a student or my own children - my first step is to distinguish what barriers stand in the way of me understanding that human being before me.  There is that automatic response I initially bring that is colored by my own experiences, opinions, and ideas of what is the "truth."  These things alter my ability to understand what is really, in truth, the issue.  

An example:  there was a boy in my class one year who refused to come to group time.  He would tell me or my colleague - "No, I don't have to!" and march into a hiding place.  At first glance, I thought he was being stubborn and rebellious.  As a young girl, I was taught that you did what the teacher told you to do - NO questions!  I was raised to believe to tell a person of authority "no" was disrespectful.  As I stood there with this young boy, I put aside my belief and just watched.  He went to his cubby and hid behind his coat.  I followed my instincts and did not interfere - I gave him time to be in that alone space.   He did not move.  I noticed he did not like whole group times.  He would only come out of hiding when it was time for centers.  

I wondered what was missing for him?  Daily, he seemed to need a hiding hole.  A week passed and he would regularly hide.  I kept giving up my need to control him and "make" him "respect" the "rules."  I would tell him, "When you are ready, I would love to have you join us."  I think it was the 6th day of this behavior when the breakthrough happen.  He came up to me, tears falling, and said, "My dad died in a car accident."   My jaw dropped!  We were into the third week of school and no one had told me!  In fact, the family was in deep crisis and were too paralyzed to discuss it!  His father had been killed just two months earlier and his mother was expecting a baby any day.  In that moment, I was so grateful that I had not taken the actions that were my first impulse. 

When I understand the "self" I bring to the party, so to speak, I have greater access to seeing what the other person is really saying in their speaking or behavior.   To ask the question "who is the self that teaches?"  gives me the opportunity to take off the tinted glasses of my own version of reality and actually be fully present, in the now, with another human being.   

It is a gift we can give - to be fully present to each other and to our children.  I wonder, is this the true curriculum? 

Why Educate?

To be capable of wonder is to be fully human.

  - Carlina Rinaldi

Photo taken by my dad - Arlen Fowler in Utah.

Today I drove from Tulsa to Dallas and had a good five hours to think.  Lately, my thoughts swirl around our educational system and such things as the movies "Waiting for Superman" and "Racing to Nowhere" that point to the troubles we face.  And as I thought about it, I kept coming back to the question, "Why do we educate our children?"  Really.  What is our aim? 

I looked in the dictionary to find the root of educate.  According to Webster's "to educate" means "out to lead."  Makes sense!  When I educate, I am leading the student.  Where am I leading them?   Where are you leading your students?

I remembered my own education, specifically, high school.  I would cram for tests, memorizing the content, take the test, pass, and quickly forget the material.  It was all short term memory.  Clearly, teaching is more than the content of the curriculum.  Webster's defined teaching as "to show how to do something."  As an educator, I am committed to delivering more than the memory work.  Teaching a child to read does not mean you have taught a child to think, to wonder, or to be amazed by learning new things.

I have a sticky note posted in the front of my lesson plan book that says, "A good education gives you goosebumps."  It reminds me to not forget to add a little wonder and curiosity in the plan.  In my world, assessing, dibeling, and benchmarking kindergarteners is not producing goosebumps.  

In her book, Bringing Learning to Life, Louise Boyd Caldwell, says this about the schools in Reggio Emilia and people's responses when they visited - "most adults feel awestruck, speechless, often moved to tears. . . (they) immediately sense the extraordinary meaning and beauty of everyday life in a school for the youngest citizens."  

Where am I leading my students?  Maybe to be awestruck and speechless by the extraordinary beauty of everyday life.   Not a bad place to start.