I (mostly) hate sports.

     Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like sports. I have lots of reasons, but I think mainly I don't like being disappointed after getting emotionally invested in a game. Also I have a lot of resentment towards professional athletes who make millions of dollars for doing something that isn't nearly as important to our society as teaching children to read, write, count, and think. Call me selfish. 
     Here comes the big confession....I've learned so much from watching my kids at practices and in games. Just because I don't enjoy sports doesn't mean that I want to deprive my own children from developing athletic talents if that's what they enjoy. So I've spent quite a few hours watching karate, baseball, soccer, basketball, and tennis even though my kids are only 5 and 8 years old.
     I blogged about the fantastic karate instructors my son had awhile back and this recent post by Lori Sabo from The Daily 5 website reminded me of the amazing things I've learned from watching coaches. Sabo's main points include:

1. positive reinforcement - who doesn't like a kind word or a wink or a smile??
2. modeling - show the right & wrong way
3. monitoring - keep an eye on your students
4. differentiation - meet your students where they are and push them farther
5. purpose - explain why 
6. element of fun - people (big and little) like games
7. celebration - verbalize what was accomplished
8. current research - be smart, keep up with your field

     Of these 8 elements, I think differentiation is the most difficult, especially if you're working in the Land of the Little People (K or 1st grade) where attention spans and self-direction are in short supply. However, the other 7 things on the list are EASY. 

     I've noticed in the last month as I've included frequent games, dance breaks, and increased eye contact that my class has soared. I'm working with a population that is mostly ELL, mostly poor, and mostly behind academically - but they have risen to the occasion EVERY time I've challenged them. I'm checking off 1. positive reinforcement, 3. monitoring, 5. purpose, 6. fun, and 7. celebration from the list above. Woot!

     As for 2. modeling...I am fortunate to work at a school that hit the technology jackpot. We all received Hover cams in our classrooms last month and let me tell you that it is a blessing! My students struggle with oral directions. Their language skills are weak, but if I show them on the big screen what I'm talking about they jump right in. So there's a big check for modeling. 

     8. Current research? Got it. Thanks to my PLN on Twitter I've read a couple of great books lately, but have also been exposed to lots of amazing ideas through a variety of chats. 

     4. Differentiation here I come! This is my first year teaching 1st graders and I'm still working on the management issues that arise with 20 busy little people. I've just begun to scratch the surface in teaching self-motivation and self-direction. 

     Maybe I'll get some good ideas at baseball practice tonight??

Speech?

My principal offered me the microphone and I should have humbly waved it away and just said, "Thank you." However, I am a bit of a ham and couldn't resist the chance to address our faculty. 

I've worked at this school for only a month and a couple of fantastic co-workers nominated me for this month's Crystal Apple Award. I didn't even know what the award was when the AP was soliciting nominations. Apparently teachers write nice things about coworkers and the AP reads the nice things at the meeting and then a decision is made on which one person receives a lovely little crystal apple WITH their name engraved on the base. Sweet, right??


I was super surprised to hear the AP read one nomination for me, but then when she read the second one I seriously teared up. 


I approached the principal who offered me the microphone, which I took. So....what I said was something like, "I love this school, it isn't like this everywhere, I've worked at 5 schools, I love my teammates." Really eloquent. NOT.


What I meant to say....
     
     In my relatively short career of 13 years, I've taught at 5 very different schools. It is apparent when you walk into a building where the focus is. From the moment I darkened the doorway at this place I have felt the love for the children. It's everywhere you look, but it is especially evident in the way the adults treat the children. 
     
     I noticed teachers hugging kids in the hallway during the first week of school and figured they were just glad to see each other after the long summer break. But no, this happens every day still and we're five weeks into school. At dismissal, it is difficult to exit the building because the teachers line the sidewalk and hallways and hug kids as they leave for home. 


     The principal is like a rock star - the kids absolutely swarm him wherever he goes. They hug him AND most importantly he hugs back and he looks them in the eyes and speaks to every one of them. 
     
     I've had to step up my game in order to live up to the standards set by these amazing teachers and administrators. One of the things mentioned in the nominations was that I'd been working on weekends and even Labor Day to be ready for my students. I put in the time because I would hate to let these people down. I'm not doing anything special or different than any of these other fine educators - I'm just trying to be one of them. 
     
     So, I thank you for the award. I cannot put into words how much it means to me to be recognized by my peers, especially when they're rock stars.

Are Your Notes Safe?

It occurred to me that I didn't know how far back on one's Facebook page you could go. I feel like I have mine locked down very well in light of my recent 'friending' of students. But what about those posts from a couple years ago before I allowed students to be my friend on Facebook?

I had one of those "Uh-oh" moments where I began wondering if a student could scroll back through my history and 'see' posts that were prior to "Student Lock-down". Sadly, I haven't answered that question, but I did discover another area of weakness on my Facebook privacy settings. (Side note...I did find an interesting site, archivedbook.com, that allows you to review your posts from forever ago in one handy place. It was reassuring to read through my old timeline and not see any moral faux-pas.)

Notes! When I first began Facebooking I completed several of those chain notes where you fill in answers about yourself or create lists of 'interesting' information. Those were NOT locked down to students!! Thankfully, I'm a sane and decent person so there were no glaring stains on my character to be found in those notes, but there was information I'd prefer not to share with 10 year olds. I did what every person does to find the answer to a question...I Googled it.

To adjust the privacy settings for your notes you have to actually go to the individual notes. You can't adjust your settings for notes from the privacy setting menus that include everything else on Facebook (pictures, posts, birthday, marriage status, etc.). Here are the official Facebook directions in case you need to adjust your settings.

We cannot be too careful as educators. There are plenty of stories out there about 'Teachers Gone Wild' without Facebook exposing details that could be held against us in the eyes of our students or their parents. At this point I still feel that the benefits of 'friending' students on Facebook outweigh the potential consequences (with the exception of joblessness!). But as I've said, I think I've contained students to a chunk of information that I'm comfortable sharing. If you are a teacher and you have not recently looked at your privacy settings, I urge you to do so! 


Information about the picture can be found here.