3. A Lively Spirit of Adventure

3. A Lively Spirit of Adventure

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant. Challenging Curriculum

Our hallways were buzzing with energy and excitement yesterday. On Thursday and Friday of this week, students, who have been working all year, were putting last minute touches on their Science Olympiad (/www.soinc.org ) objects; and students who were part of Battle of the Books (http://battleofthebooks.org/ ) were drilling one another and reviewing the authors, themes, characters, and details of thirty-six books.

Science Olympiad and Battle of the Books are two national programs designed to allow students with a passion for science and literature to participate in competitions at the local, regional, state, and national levels.

One of my homeroom students streamed in saying, “I am here; but I am not here.” My response, “Thank you for letting me know. Have fun today.” This is a student who normally comes in passive, but in a positive mood. Thursday and Friday were different. He is on both Science Olympiad and Battle of the Books. Battle of the Books competition was in the morning and Science Olympiad practice was all day. (Competition is today, Saturday, at the local university!) The energy surrounding those involved was contagious. I felt like I had walked into one of those hotels that has the bass rhythm drumming. Students and faculty were pumped up for this day!

The Battle of the Books Team competed all morning. Science Olympiad participants were working on rockets and other presentations all day. Because my classes were a bit smaller we derived the formulas of triangles as they relate to rectangles and constructed and measured popcorn to explore the relationship between cones and cylinders on Thursday. On Friday, the technology coordinator taught students about circuits and at the end of the day my students were working on their “healthy and unhealthy foods” project. The entire two days were exploratory, integrated, and relevant.

At the end of the day Friday, a very hands-on day, a celebration day, our team rearranged the schedule to have “Clubs,” making the entire day a focus on exploration and innovation. I wish I could have captured the energy and the joy in our halls.

When our office coordinator came over the intercom to announce our Battle of the Books team won our District competition, there was as much celebration as we heard when our boys basketball and our wrestling teams came in second in the district! High fives were given as the members of the team passed through the classes. (It was right out of Konigsburg’s “The view from Saturday.”) What a fun day!!

Advice

1)   If your passion is in science, literature, math, or social studies there are competitions your students can engage in. Our school participates in these two programs.

2)   Celebrate the efforts and successes of teams!

3)   When competitions take students away from class, find ways to adjust the schedule and the curriculum so all students have a chance to engage in exploration and creativity.

4)   I have heard that college retention is related to being involved. If we encourage our students to participate in activities and/or get involved in an organization or club or activity, we are preparing them to stay in college.

5)   Resources are on line in all these areas. Consider using the resources to enrich your classroom.

7. It is about the journey, not the destination.

7. It’s about the journey, not the destination.

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Leaders are committed to and knowledgeable about this age group, educational research, and best practices. Committed Leaders

The Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) provides educators with a document that illustrates sixteen characteristics of exemplary middle schools. This post reflects the seventh characteristic and is found under the heading of leadership and organization.

I believe we have stories surrounding us that can be used to inspire and encourage beginning teachers. I was talking to one of our science teachers and asked if he would be willing to share advice for pre-service and in-service teachers. In our conversation he said, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” His words capture the purpose of a teacher is to enjoy and embrace the journey. The following are his words…

After a long career in industrial management, I made a career change at age 52 and pursued a career as an educator. Now at 65, I reflect back on 13 amazing years, and strain to see what next year may bring. If I could change anything it would be to have changed careers sooner.

Do not misunderstand, as a manager I had responsibility for a large knitting facility that ran twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all year. Staffing, inventory, quality, and production were my responsibility in a volatile ever-changing world; yet I can say with confidence that teaching is the most challenging and most rewarding job I have ever had or ever could have.

First year teaching is a year of discovery, adjustment, struggle, survival, growth, reward and reflection. The following are things I have learned.

1)      Be yourself. When I first started teaching I tried to be the teacher I saw around me or the teacher I had respected as a student. If you are pretending to be someone you are not, students, especially Middle School students, will see through you in a second. At Christmas of my first year I stopped trying to be someone else and started being myself; it got a lot better. (Clarification: find established best practices and model them; memorize the standard course of study and follow it; just be sure to follow it within your personality.

2)      Student behavior is not personal. My first year, I believed one young man got up early in the morning, every morning, just to figure out ways to irritate me. On the last day of school he walked up to me, hugged me, and said, “Mr. Childers, I sure am going to miss you this summer.” Student behavior is never personal, unless you make it personal. Taking things personal, by the way, is always a bad idea. Students are who they are, when they arrive in your classroom. Your task and potential reward is to find out how to reach each child and unlock his or her innate curiosity to learn. You do not have a classroom of twenty-five cookie-cutter students; you have twenty-five unique individuals in your classroom. Make it a point to know each of them.

3)      Always avoid negative teachers, okay negative people. Throughout your career there will be teachers and administrators who will encourage and support you. My first principal should be in the principal hall of fame. She made it a point to nurture and mentor me as I learned to navigate teaching and schools. My official mentor was not the person who truly mentored me my first year. I was very fortunate to have several wonderful, diverse teacher-mentors. I sat at their feet and drew as much knowledge as I possibly could. My mentors changed over the years; but I always made sure I found them. So  my advice is to seek out a mentor, a friend, in the building who wants to help you be better. Choose someone who cares about his or her craft, and cares about helping you grow. Positive mentors will figuratively hold you when you need to be held and figuratively kick your behind when it needs to be kicked. Find teachers with different styles, ask questions, and always be open to learn from good teachers. Positive mentors will inspire you and support you.

4)      It is not about the scores/grades. End of Grade (EOG) scores are how politicians, school boards, and the public judge students, teachers, schools systems, and states. You can never lose sight of that; but you must understand it. Understand that test scores can be destructive to you and your students, if you allow it. If you only focus on EOG scores your students become numbers, not unique living human beings. A student who may have challenges learning, engaging, and/or behaving may be perceived as someone lowering your scores and your response to them may be tainted. You may approach them with frustration, anger, disappointment; none of these emotions ever inspire students. In a test-score focused classroom, students are taught from the beginning to focus on grades. It creates stress, divides groups, separates students by haves and have not. It creates a student who learns how to make a grade, not a student who wants to master a topic. Focus on the process; focus on the child; make part of your goal to help students love your subject. It is not about the End of Grade exam; it is about the learning journey. Make it about the process, not the destination. If you embrace the journey, the destination will take care of itself.

Mr. Childers teaches seventh and eighth grade science at West McDowell Middle School in Marion, North Carolina.

11. You have to forgive them; you have to forgive yourself.

You have to forgive them.

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all.
School Environment

I was chatting with my principal last week. It was the week of Valentine's Day. My principal and I were talking about the mathematics of love. We agree that the foundation of love, hands down, is forgiveness. This week, I gathered a few of my challenging students, from each class, into the hall to have a chat. Very honestly, I shared that I want our class environment to be better; that I was thinking about how I sometimes get frustrated because I have very high expectations and sometimes take that frustration out on them. I told them I was sorry and want to find a way to work better. I then asked if they could work better in class.  One of my students said, 'You shouldn't apologize to us; we should apologize to you." The conversation was short and to the point, laced with genuine concern about them and our class. (We only have about 13 weeks of school left.)

I will say that the past two days have been very peaceful. I will keep you posted.

Advice

One thing I realize is that we all make mistakes. If you have a challenging class, consider your own concerns as to what it is that is challenging you.
Talk to your students about your expectations and hopes for them. Let them know what bothers you most (My pet peave is unkindness.).
Keep the lines of communication open. Your students need someone who cares about them and forgives them.
Finally, sometimes you have to forgive yourself. You will make mistakes. Learn from them.

11. Snow days in the south

11. Snow Days in the South

This we believe (NMSA, 2010)

* The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all. School Environment

The Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) provides educators with a document that illustrates sixteen characteristics of exemplary middle schools. This post reflects the eleventh characteristic and is found under the heading of culture and community.

     

For those of you who do not live in the south, snow and ice are particularly hazardous for school buses. Over the years, I have heard people complain about calling school off, or ridiculing a decision for closing schools based on expected weather patterns, when Mother Nature shifts and the day is sunny. (Those decisions do not happen often, but the laws of probability reign.)

We live in a region of windy (curvy not blowy), hilly roads and wooded terrain. Superintendents, chancellors, presidents, and other leaders often have to make decisions using the best evidence and advice from safety personnel and weather people. In the past month our children have missed five and a half days of school due to inclement weather. And while there are days built into our calendar as weather days, days missed are to be considered.

Prior to Internet and robo-calling techniques, people relied on the radio, television, and dialing the weather hotline. Today, and every weather day, we receive the news directly from our Superintendent on the website, through phone and email messaging, as well as in traditional formats. Yesterday he shared a little insight into the complexity of making the decision. Part of his excerpt follows.

Good Evening, please stay on the phone and listen. 
Ice is here but pretty soon will be missing.
Weather decisions don’t come lightly.
We monitor roads both daily and nightly.
Will it ever stop? You know so.
Temperatures rise and ice goes.
Winter extremes… I watch forecasts like a vandal,
and Light up your phones like a big Roman candle.

In a follow up conversation, our Superintendent also shared the following:

A couple of other points to consider when making a weather decision is morning visibility for buses and having inexperienced student drivers out on the roads.  A county's various elevations and topography also play a huge role.  When it comes to making a decision for staff, I always try to consider our folks who commute longer distances, especially those who live in western and have to traverse Old Fort Mountain.

Ultimately, the safety of our children trumps any other decision. We would much rather make a wrong call by canceling schools than make a call that results in danger to our children and staff. Welcome Snow Day! So next time someone ridicules a decision when they think the call was off, remind them that nothing can replace the safety of our children, ever!

Advice

1)   If snow is expected be sure and take your lesson planning and grade book home.

2)   On the first snow day, kick back for the morning, then cozy up to lesson planning or analyzing your students with a cup of tea, coffee or cocoa. (We have a parent night Thursday. My plan is to give parents a sheet of paper with their MAP scores (This is a Benchmark document.), their work ethic in class and a breakdown of their current grade.)

3)   March, the month, is labeled “Month of the Middle School.” Consider discussing plans to celebrate middle school!

4)   Today is a teacher workday. I co-teach an inclusion class. My teammate and I are planning a geometry unit, and we are going to go out to lunch! (Note: on Teacher Workdays, make it a point to go to lunch with your colleagues! This builds camaraderie and is good for the spirit! Trust me on this one.)

5)   Finally, make sure you are ready for your students to come back a little wound up. (Our students basically had a four day weekend.) Consider regrouping students, giving them something hands-on to work on, and a perhaps a little more structure when they get back! (:

6)   PS: I love snow days!!!! (: Yipeee.

11. & 16. The Talent Show

This we believe. (NMSA, 2010).

*The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all. School Environment

* The school includes community and business partners. Community & Business

This week we had a talent show. Students auditioned and sixteen were selected to perform. The band director worked with them to set up their music and to allow them to practice with the microphone. They performed in front of the entire student body and a panel of three judges, two alumni of the middle school and a teacher. One alumnus is in college, the second alumna is the current Miss Titan (the high school pageant winner).

We sat in awe of the talent of our young people, at the courage they demonstrated and at the respect of their classmates. The performances included: piano, singing, sign language, entertainers who shared jokes, a dancer and a student who played the piano and sang. Students performed individually or in pairs. They were introduced by one of the teachers who shared their interests. Three students were given honorable mention and the top three students were given monetary gift certificates. In class we celebrated each of the students who performed. Three of the singers came up to me and said, “We want a singing club.” I think that will be fun!

The following is a letter I have sent to our Kiwanis Club.
Dear Kiwanis Members,
This past week our students participated in a talent show. The students' talents, their courage, and the student body respect were delightful. Thank you so much for encouraging and supporting the young people in McDowell County as they develop their talents and interests. It was a wonderful display of their love of art, music, and dance! From the opportunity to perform, several of my girls now want a "music club" and want to perform. My hope is that they may be able to perform for you. They also want to perform for the local nursing home.  Bravo and thank you for all you do for McDowell County! Sincerely, Nancy Ruppert (teacher, WMMS).

Advice:

The top three students will now compete with the other middle school and will then go on to compete in a talent show sponsored by the Kiwanis Club in our county.

1.     When you begin seeking a job, consider who the business partners are in your school district. When business partners participate be sure and thank them.

2.     My students love to sing. Find out what your students love to do and find ways to integrate their joys into your classroom.

3.     If your team has “clubs,” consider having a music club. There is a nursing home in our area. My students want to sing to them. (:

6. Is this good for kids: The heart of middle schools

6. Is this good for kids? The heart of middle schools

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision. Shared Vision

About a year ago, I was working on my administration license. I was able to work with a principal in one of our local middle schools. I attended the monthly School Improvement Team (SIT) meetings, monthly technology and literacy professional development meetings, monthly PBIS meetings, and shadowed him on duty in the lunchroom and in the halls. I met with guidance counselors, assistant principals, beginning teachers, veteran teachers, interdisciplinary teams, administrative assistants, cafeteria and custodial workers, parents, and academic Professional Learning Communities. What I found, in every setting, was the philosophy: “Is this good for our kids?” I heard it often enough to speak with the principal about it. We agree that when decisions are made, this philosophy touches the heart of middle schools.

Teaching is not our only job. We must realize how important it is to constantly be reflecting together on ways to serve the many needs of middle school students. Middle schools address academic, social, emotional and physical development. The idea is that we must serve the whole child. There is much work to be done, which is why middle school teachers and administrators are so important.

Advice

1.     Every decision starts with, “Is this good for our kids?” I think if we can keep this motto close to our heart, we will make good decisions.

2.     When it is time to interview, be sure and examine the School Report Card, if your state shares them. Examine your school’s website. Find out what committees exist in the school. 

3.     It is possible you will be placed on an interdisciplinary team as well as an academic team. Listen to your teammates. Find those willing to work with you. Always be a team player. Always be respectful, even if your views differ.

4.     Take care of your teammates and administrators. They, too, have social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs. Your kindness and spirit of care drive your work ethic.

5.     Finally, take care of yourself. You, too, have social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs. When you take care of yourself, you will be better able to take care of your students.