Change Doesn't Have to be All or Nothing

I remember the first orientation day when I had to face parents and explain to them that their child would probably not have much homework in my classroom.  I remember the fear that almost made me choke on my words, the way I had to remind myself to look up, the way I held my breath waiting for a reaction.  Then I added that instead of letter grades students would get feedback and we would set goals, grades would only show up on trimester report cards and no where else.  By now I was breaking into a cold sweat, my stomach churning, hands were clammy.  Somebody had to react, and then...nothing.  No raised hands, no sour faces, just a quiet wait for what else I had to share. 

Big changes for sure coming from this sophomore teacher.  Big changes that I felt had been necessary for me to be a better teacher and to provide a better education for the students.  Big changes that I had decided to do all at once.  And yet, you don't have to.  Even though I speak passionately about how throwing out grades or limiting homework has been the best decision I have ever made, that is exactly it; it was my decision.  Something that I knew I had to do to restore my sanity, my passion for teaching.  And yet, that doesn't mean it is going to work for you.  Perhaps my ideas are too extreme, or just do not fit with your educational philosophy and that is perfectly fine.  But maybe, just maybe, you would be willing to try it for just one little assignment?

Perhaps you are curious but just not ready to go all out.  Perhaps the idea of limiting homework overall sounds insane but maybe it could be tried for a unit?  Perhaps rather than a letter grade, for one project, feedback could be given or students could assess themselves?  Perhaps just trying something different one time will work better for you?  Perhaps, you might like it, perhaps you wont, but perhaps one time will change your mind?

As a first year teacher, if someone had told me to limit homework, or to get rid of grades, I would have rolled my eyes and not listened.  I would have thought them radical, extreme, or totally clueless.  I was not ready for that type of teaching.  I was not ready to take my teaching in that direction.  That direction had to come from within me, the timing had to be right, as did the purpose.   And that is ok.  It is ok to not embrace what Alfie Kohn says.  It is ok to have faith in whatever one believes is the way to teach, there is room for us all in education.  But perhaps, we should all try something else, just once, and then see if that change is meant for us or not. 

If We Would Just Stop Talking We Might Learn Something

Image from icanread

Note: After publishing this post today, its original title "If They Could Just Sit Still They Might Learn Something" didn't seem to fit it anymore.  After all, that title once again puts the blame on the students.  Thus this new title which focuses on where the problem lies; within me.

You know the group of students; those impulsive, blurter-outers that poke each other during class and never quite seem to be listening to what you are doing.  Those kids that are in every class who the more we yell, the less they do.  Those kids I thought I had figured out until recently.  Well those kids have been teaching me quite the lessons lately.  Those kids have reminded me why I changed my teaching style in the first place and now I stand renewed, refocused, and definitely re-humbled.

First lesson; Don't assume they don't know something.  After a few days lessons with some students I kept thinking that their gaps were huge, that their knowledge was lacking, that they had missed out on so much.  Until I started to pay attention.  Then instead of whole concepts missing, I realized there were small misconceptions that needed to be tweaked, things that needed to be defined, items that should be refreshed.  It wasn't that they were missing entire units, rather that some of their remembering was just a little off.

Second lesson; Talking more will not teach them more.  I kept droning on trying to cover everything that I thought they had missed or needed reinforced; is it any wonder that they grew more and more restless?  When raising my voice didn't seem to change the situation, it dawned on me that I needed to stop talking.  Let them work, switch up the task, and stop hogging the lime light.  Have mini projects, get them moving, even use mini whiteboards, anything to make them active.  Switch it up!

Third lesson; Give them time to think.  I was so excited when one student knew the answer that I called on them to be more efficient.  That way we could cover more material since all I was looking for was the answer anyway.  When we take away students' time to think though we rob them of the chance to explore their procedures, to gain confidence, and to learn something.  It is not about the answer, it is about how you get there.

Fourth lesson; Bring back the fun.  Often when faced with students who seem to be struggling with concepts we switch to drill and kill mode.  We take away the "fun" projects because that wont teach them enough.  Unfortunately those projects and hands-on activities are just what we need.  These students have already been taught something the traditional way, now lets think of another way to explore it.  Anything hands-on activity always seems better than just more and more practice.

Fifth lesson; Let them teach.  When a student gets something, let them explain how they did it.  Let them get the confidence they need to speak to a whole group of peers.  Let them boast a little to build confidence.  Don't just tell them, "Good job," let them have their moment because perhaps that hasn't happened very often.

Sixth Lesson; Don't punish.  When students were blurting out and drowning me in side conversation, my brain immediately switched to consequence mode.  Amazing how it still lurks below the surface, ingrained somewhere, even now after almost 2 years with no classroom punishment.  Instead of punishing though, I came up with a solution; a simple post it on their desk.  Now when they blurt out an answer or jab at each other they have to put down a tally mark.  I just make a check motion with my finger and they know, it is between the student and I.  Nothing is done with the amount of tallies, it is simply a way for them to see how much they blurt out.  Several students have already told me after two days of this that they cannot believe they blurt out so much.  Self-awareness beats punishment any day.

When students are loud, out of their seats or simply not focused, we tend to blame the student.  We tend to think that something is wrong with their concentration rather than looking inward and wondering what can we change about ourselves?  What can we change about our delivery?  And while these lessons are not a fix all plan, they are helping me teach these students better.  They are reminding me what it feels like to not understand something and still want to learn.  They are reminding me that I can be boring and dry as a teacher and that it has a direct effect on the students.  Once again, my students taught me something important and for that I am thankful.

Related articles

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Our Limited Words

Image from here

One of my dear friends posted this as her Facebook status last night, I immediately asked her if I could post it on my blog as well.  Thank you Amy.


"For whatever reason, I keep losing things!!  I will walk around the classroom, put down a coffee cup or teacher's manual absentmindedly and then have to search for it.  One of my students recently made an interesting comment as I was walking in circles looking for my misplaced items.  She told me that if our steps were numbered, and if we were only given a limited number of them in our lifetime, then we wouldn't want to waste them.  I guess my walking in circles made her think I was wasting my precious steps!  She didn't have a solution for me, but she did make me stop and think.

Although she spoke of steps, I thought of words...What if we were only given a limited number of words in our lifetime?  Do we choose them carefully?  Do we use our words to encourage those around us...inspire our family, friends, and students...brighten someone's day?  Or do we use words that could hurt others without intending to do so?


I know I will waste words now and again, but I plan on trying my best to use them wisely from here on out...just in case my student is correct and they are limited."

Why Trusting Your Gut Can Be the Best Classroom Management Course You Ever Take

A year and a half ago, I went through a radical change in the way I am as a teacher. The whole foundation of what my classroom was was discarded and re-born, all on the basis of my gut instinct. It told me that to increase student motivation and increase buy-in that my method of teaching and, indeed, the whole feel of my classroom had to change.  That to see motivation increase and excitement build that the old method I was using was so far away from what I wanted that it simply should not exist anymore. So instead of dismissing what some may have viewed as a crazy whim, unsafe territory if you must, I pursued, I went there and I took the chance of implementing it into my classroom and my unsuspecting students.  

I trusted my instincts and my own desire for how my schooling should have been; projects, team-work, choices.  And now in the second year into this implementation I am the proof that it works.  I am the proof that if you believe in your students, if you believe in their ability to make great choices, to work together as teams rather than as individuals their learning will benefit.  I have students who love coming to school, and not just those 50% that love you no matter what they do.  I have kids that had given up, that believed that they could not succeed, that they were not smart enough to go to school, now tell me that they love coming, that they cannot wait to learn.  That they cannot wait to be challenged.  They may not ace every single assignment but they try and they grown.  They may not get the grades that others get but they participate, they share and they know that their voice is just as important as those who used to be the top-kids, the stars of the room.  They smile, they belong, and they own the community.  School is a place they want to come to, not somewhere they have to go.  

I cannot take credit for all of this because the students trusted me as well.  They trusted me with their dreams of school and of learning.  They trusted me with how they want to learn, how they see themselves as individuals and the paths they want to take.  That speaks a lot of the relationships we have created.  Those children trusted me enough to let me in, and to make our classroom their second home.  So my classroom is the proof that these strategies work, even if you do not know that is what you are doing.  My classroom is the proof that sometimes following your gut is more important than following any college class on classroom management. My classroom is the proof that even though your mentor does it one way, it is ok for you to do it completely different. We can change the way we do school and we can make school all about the children.  We just have to be willing to change ourselves.

Related articles

• The Story of the Child that Changed Me (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• What Would Pernille Do - Some Thoughts on Prescribed Systems in the Classroom (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• How We Became that Room (mrspripp.blogspot.com)

Give 'Em a Break

I used to be that teacher that thought breaks meant more time to do work.  I used to be that teacher that thought that vacation meant the students would forget everything unless I assigned them work to do. I used to be that teacher that thought school was the most important thing in a child's life and I therefore had the right to all of their free time, as much as I needed, to make sure that they were always learning.  Then I had a child and as I see the world through her eyes I see the constant learning.  I see the exploration.  I see the boundless curiosity.  And I am ashamed of my past decisions.

Vacations and breaks are not for school, otherwise students would not get them.  They are for living, for being with family, for recharging and letting the world sink in.  They are for going outside, for reading for fun, for exploring whatever one chooses.  School is not the most important thing in life; living is.  So I give my students a break over the break.  Read a book if you want, blog if you want, sleep in, have fun, and relax.  When you get back we have much to do but until then you deserve the rest.

So give your students a break.

Related articles

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• The Ones That Meant the Most (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
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How Do You Get Kids to Pay Attention?

I see a lot of articles discussing how to get the attention of students and am continually amazed at what these advice pieces seem to miss.  Often the advice includes asking questions, which I agree with if they are the right kind of questions; please don't ask them what page you are on, that does not count as a great question.  It also includes giving students an incentive "The first 5 kids to buckle down will get to pick what we do next!" Or even to have a vote on something totally irrelevant to snap them out of their boredom; "Raise your hand if you like Christmas!' 

It is not that I am better knowing, but I shake my hand at all that is missed through these suggestions.  How about instead of bribing or tricking students into pay attention, we offer them learning opportunities that they actually want to pay attention to!

I know most of us are under guidelines for what we need to teach, but, a lot of us also have a choice in how we teach that.  How about we transfer the choice to the students?  How about rather than telling them what to do, we explore it with them, thus creating natural buy-in.  Now I am part of a scripted math program as well and there the rigidity is more noticeable.  Instead of bribing the kids, we work hard and then we get to do more in-depth explorations.  I change it up often, even if it just means having the students move around and we do a lot of $2 whiteboard activities that involves all of the students rather than me standing up in front talking.

The point is; if we want students to pay attention, make it worth their time.  We cannot keep expecting them to pay attention just because we want them to.  Just because we were forced to pay attention in class doesn't mean we should do the same thing to our students.  It is our chance to not do school to them as it was done to us.  Take it.

Some Questions to Ask Yourself as You Prep for the Week Ahead...

Ah the weekend, and for most educators that means lots of prep getting ready for the week ahead.  As I prep this weekend, these are the questions I ask myself...

• What is the goal of the lesson?
• This essential question was one I learned the hard way when I student-taught.  My principal observed a lesson that just fell apart, a big horrendous mess, something that could not be salvaged.  After the lesson he asked me what the goal was for that hour?  Met with a blank stare and no answer, I swore I would always know what the goal was of something I subjected my students to.  We owe it to them.
• How will the kids be involved?
• I moved from sage on the stage to student-driven last year so this question is huge in my prep.  In fact, I often ponder assignments for a while before I write anything down just so I can figure out what my students' roles are in it.
• How much talking will I do?
• We know there is essential information in each lesson that needs to be communicated but do I have to be the one communicating it or can it be discovered or explored?  This changes widely from the concept being taught, but I do try to limit my lecturing as much as possible. Teacher talk goes down = student engagement goes up.
• How will I change it up?
• I need change as much as my students, so how can I make this concept fresh again. The students have been taught many of these concepts before (we work a lot on a spiral) so how will it look and feel different this time?  This questions also leads to how many different activities can we do within the time?  
• What will they work on?
• What will the students be doing during this lesson?  Are they note-taking, creating something, researching etc?  What supplies do I need and how much time do they need to be successful?
• Will there be a product?
• Does this tie in with something they are creating?  Is this a longer-term thing or very short?  I realized this week with the Hour of Wonder that students do not need that much time to create something meaningful, what they do need is for the teacher to stop talking and let them explore.
• Where can the students decide?
• This questions drives all of my instruction decisions.  How can the students take ownership of whatever we are doing?  After all, I already have a successful education, now it is their turn; school has to be about the students and not about the teacher.   Often they have better ideas than I do!

A peak into the mind of Pernille as I prepare for next week's lessons.  What types of questions do you ask yourself as you prepare?

Related articles

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It's All About Choices

At this weekend's Comic Con, I stumbled onto this print which captures my sense of humor very well.  I immediately knew it would have a place in my classroom amongst my new 5th graders because they too would get it.  And let's face it, every day in our classrooms, it is all about the choices we make; this is my quirky reminder.

Print created by the awesomely talented Paul Friedrich

I Choose

The failing of the American teacher.  The crisis of our educational systems.  Headlines blare, people believe, and yet we can still make choices.

I choose to be a teacher because it is the only choice that ever felt natural.

I choose to think of my students as family, not numbers, or just kids, but my own.

I choose to let parents in, not exclude their voice, as mine gets excluded sometimes.

I choose to not label students but think of them as individuals who have talents and needs specific to them.

I chose to give my students a voice, to let them know they matter, that their thoughts shape our classroom.

I choose to not be punitive, knowing that trust, respect and relationships will take me much further in this journey.

I choose to have a team because I know that I am powerful in the greatness of others.

I choose transparency and honesty above all so that others may think they can do it as well.

I choose to change when needed, bend when it makes sense, and believe at all times.

I choose to put connections first, to not forget about standards but make them work for me rather than become a dictation of my classroom.

I choose to not let labels break me, to not believe in the naysayers, to believe in our system even though it is flawed and fight for change from within.

I choose to let others evaluate because even among our critics we can find ways to grow.

I choose to not be the pebble, but let positivity run my days and smile, laugh and work to make this world a better place rather than one discarded.

What do you choose?

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5 + 1 Things I Learned This Year

I was recently asked what would be my top 5 things I have learned this past year in my journey to radically change my classroom.  So after some deep pondering and gut checks, here are the lessons I have learned, or the top 5 + 1.

1. Give them choice (and a voice).  The number one thing my students said they loved was the fact that they had a choice and a voice.  As teachers we are taught that we are the only experts but this is so far from the truth.  My students have a lot of background knowledge and a lot of enthusiasm so letting them choose the type of project they wanted to create or how they wanted to learn something meant there was buy in.   No longer was learning mandated, there was actual buy-in from everyone.
2. Trust your students.  I was not sure that my students could handle all of the responsibility I was giving them but throughout the year I was proven wrong again and again.  In fact, my students could probably have handled even more.  Trust also means that if they tell you something not so nice, you should celebrate it, not get upset.  The fact that my students trusted me enough to tell me something was boring is something that I relish and then learned from.  
3. Trust yourself.  I knew I had to make big changes in my room and yet I questioned myself throughout the year.  was not giving them a letter grade really benefitting them?  Was not having punishment in my classroom better for all of us?  Were we accomplishing as much as we should have?  My gut told me I was doing the right thing and yet doubt snuck in sometimes, in the end, do what you believe in and then stand behind it.  There is a reason your common sense is telling you something is amiss and needs to be fixed, so fix it to suit you.
4. Ask yourself the tough questions.  I asked myself whether I would be a student in my own classroom.  Before this year, the answer would have been a resounding no.  Now that answer has changed.  In fact, I love being in my classroom as much as my students do.  School should be about learning, yes, but that doesn't mean it can't be engaging and enticing at the same time.
5. Give yourself a break.  There were days were I sucked as a teacher.   Days were I pined for inane punishment just to make them behave or were I raised my voice.  There were days were I didn't feel like giving feedback or having lengthy conversations about projects.  Some days I just wanted to lecture and be done with it.  Thankfully my students snapped me out of that really quickly.  You are not perfect, you never will be, and that is ok.  Trust the direction you are taking and make adjustments as you see fit.  
6. Be Quiet!  Teaching should not be about teachers pouring information into the heads of students, but rather teachers as a guide letting students explore, create, and make connections.  When we let the students own the classroom and the discussion they also take ownership of the learning, and that is a beautiful thing indeed.  So get off the stage but set it up for them to learn and then stop talking.  Much like we ask our parents to not help with homework, we should also ask ourselves to not take away the pleasure of learning.  

So there they are; my biggest lessons this year.  I am already excitedly planning for my transition to 5th grade next year and reevaluating what worked, what sucked, and what will I definitely do differently.  A new year brings new challenges and for that I am thankful.

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Today I Choose to be Happy

Image from I Can Read

This morning as I woke up. I chose to be happy.  It was not a hard decision, the temperature has finally reached above 60, the birds were chirping, my husband was there.  And yet, I made a choice to be that way.  When I get to my classroom this morning, I will also choose to greet my students with a smile, give them a run-down of our day and end it with a "I am so excited for today."  I do this every day and my students crack up, after all, how can one teacher be so excited about every single day?

The attitude we bring into our classrooms is a choice, and a very important one.  There has certainly been days where I have chosen to be in an awful mood, stress will do that to you, but when those kids walk in our door, then I choose differently.  I don't believe in putting on a show for the kids but I do believe in giving them my best, after all, they choose to come to school excited as well.  So together we get excited, sometimes we choose to be mellow and snuggle in with books in our special reading spots, other times we meditate on the floor, whatever we do, we choose it together.

So today I choose to be happy and just a little bit goofy.  The school year is winding down, my students are having  harder time focusing, so together we will not just get through the day, we will experience it.  Every moment is a choice we make, whether we acknowledge it or not.  What do you choose?

Don't Look at Me - Why Blogging is Not for Self Promotion

Perceptions abound when you come out as a blogger.  Particularly if you happen to blog about education like I do.   Some people embrace what you do and find it fascinating, while others shy away from you afraid that they somehow will end up in your blog.  Others just condemn, perhaps not to your face, but in conversations or comments, either way, perceptions about blogging and the people who do it are plenty.

Today, Lyn Hilt wrote an amazing piece regarding why she blogs as a principal.  If you haven't read it you should, in fact, it is much better than this piece.  A comment in it though started my wheels spinning, Dwight Carter wrote,  "Excellent post and a wonderful defense of blogging as a reflective practice."  That statement really struck me, "defense" indeed, how often do we defend the act of blogging itself, as if you are not supposed to reflect, or at the very least not in public?  This perception then of bloggers taking something private, the inner-workings of a classroom, and publicizing it can therefore not always be understood by others who do not blog.  In fact, often, it is viewed as a sheer act of self promotion.  And yet, I find that hard to believe being a blogger myself.  I don't do it to promote what I do, in fact, if I had taken my mother's advice I would have still made the changes in my classroom but kept my mouth shut about it.  Instead I chose to reflect openly and honestly abut my decision, my journey, my mistakes and my successes.   Put it all out there for others to judge, to inquire, and perhaps to inspire.

So I think it is time we stop tearing down others for decisions that they make that perhaps we do not understand.  I think it is time we view blogging as another way to reflect upon educational practices and not see it as a tool to get attention, or even a tool used for condemnation.  The bloggers I follow don't set out to divide educators but rather start a conversation about what is happening in classrooms across the world.  Why this is not only viewed as an asset is hard to fathom.

So I guess I am done defending my blogging, instead I want to celebrate all that it has provided me with in the last year.   And I am also done negatively viewing those that don't blog.  I know many exceptional teachers that reflect in other ways than blogging, who would never think to put their thoughts into cyberspace.  This does not make them bad teachers, perhaps just more private.  I also know some teachers who blog whose teaching style scares me a little, yet I applaud their effort in bringing it all out there.

So once again, we can be the change we want to see:  Blogging shouldn't be the thing that divides educators, it should be viewed as yet another way educators work and reflect.  What makes one person stronger will in the end strengthen us all.  Isn't that what we want; a strong group of educators?

A Thought on Shutting Doors

When that door shuts, I come alive, not because I am afraid to show my true colors with an open door, or because I am worried what strangers might think, but instead because then I can truly focus on what is the most important; the here, the now, the kids. So when I lose my focus and worry too much about what others think it shows up in my teaching, sneaks right in and settles in the back of my mind. I must forget to take my own advice at times; choose who you give your attention to. Choose who you give power to. Choose who you let lift you up or bring you down. Because those choices also influence your students, those choices we seemingly make separately from our classrooms are never quite separate. We carry it all with us, whether we want to or not. Or at least I do.

So I choose happiness. I choose to focus on everything that is astounding in my life. The incredible deep love from my husband, the unmistakable faith from my mother, and my daughter's incredible joy for life. The student who finally gets it, or cracks me up with a new joke. The coworker that shares yet another success in their teaching or brings up a new idea. I choose to focus on my own mistakes and weaknesses because those I can do something about. And I choose my own words more carefully so to not bring others down.

So now when I shut that door I also make a conscious effort to make myself open it again. To let the world back in, to show those kids that I am there wholeheartedly no matter what passes by our door. To remind myself that my choices are their choices, and that's the way it should be.

Choose Your Message

With the waves of uncertainty surrounding us, I remain steadfast in my commitment to my students. I remain steadfast in my commitment to my family, to myself, and to my dream of positivity. To say that life is stressful would be an understatement. Personal life-changing issues abound, as well as professional ones, yet I remain steadfast in my dedication.

We choose what we portray. We choose the message that we bring. And although life may be very hard, we choose how we deal with it. This time has tested me to the core, and yet I choose to smile. I choose to exhibit hope and positivity, fore I choose to stay above water and not get pulled down. So ask yourself, what do you choose? What do you bring in with you when you show up at work or at home? What is it people will leave your conversations feeling like?

As teachers we affect more than just our students. We affect all the staff in our schools, and we affect how the children entrusted to us, go home and in turn affect their families. We have an immense opportunity and indeed responsibility to have a positive effect on all the paths we cross. So yes, I get how tough it is right now, and no, I am not a saint. I have bad days, I have horrible days, but I cannot focus on those. I have to remember why I am here in the first place; to make a difference, and not a bad one.

We speak of peer pressure as if it is a always a bad thing. I exert my peer pressure but use my powers for good rather than evil. I choose to continue to focus on a message of positivity, of challenging oneself to not be the pebble, and hope that I can influence others to do the same. Perhaps it will be cool again to smile? Perhaps laughing will become the new "it" thing to do. Who knows? I choose to remain dedicated.

What Have I Done?

I wish I could say that I run my classroom like a well-oiled machine,after all isn't that what effective teachers do? In truth, it is more of an adventure as our day unfold. Sure the destination has been determined and even a tentative path, but often my studentts' questions or wonderings are just too juicy to pass up. So we veer off the path and in the end, end up with more knowledge than I could have planned for.

I teach the way I hope my daughter is taught one day. I teach my students to find their voice, to speak up, to share their ideas. At first this seemed like a trap to them, like if they really spoke their minds about schools, they were going to get into deep, serious trouble. Now, about two thirds of the year has passed and these kids are not afraid to tell me the truth. If I am speaking too long, they ask me to let them work. If a lesson is boring, they tell me so, but even better, often offer up suggestions on how to make it better. The same thing goes for praise; if they love something, the tell me, they blog about it and they tell their friends.

And so I wonder what have I done? What have I set my students up for? I will not be passing on students who are used to sitting in their desks listening to a teacher deliver all of the learning. My students will want a voice, a choice, and a goal presented to them. My students will be demanding, honest, and have high expectations that their input will be valued. What have I done?

As we change our approach in the classroom and get more in tune with how we think education should be, are we instead just harming our students by showing them a different way to learn? Would it be better if we shelved our ideas for more student-centered learning and let our students remain in the mold they have fit into for so many years? When we reform are we really just setting our students up for failure? I would love your thoughts on this.

How Homework Destroys

It finally happened; a parent decided to disagree with my new take on homework. They do not feel that I am providing enough and thus am doing a disservice to the students by lulling them into a fake sense of security in their skills. My response at first was indignation; how dare so and so question my fantastic educational shift in philosophy. Why are they not enlightened or believers as well? And then it dawned on me; I have not shown them the way.

I spend a lot of time speaking to students about what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what the goal is for their learning but not enough explaining that to the parents. And while I hope that parents have faith in me, I cannot take it for granted. I am, after all, messing with a system that has been set in place for many years and that these same parents are products of. So, of course, my system may come as a shock at first, and without the proper explanation it will continue to be so. After all, parents have been trained to think that for every grade level you figure out homework load by multiplying the grade level with 10 minutes. So by 4th grade, students should at the very least be doing 40 minutes of homework a night. And yet, my students don't. They do most of their work in class, even staying in for recess so that I may help them, and I never willingly send home a piece of homework that I know they will struggle for hours with.

Homework should be practice, a showing of skills. It should not be a two hour time consumer where both mom, dad and the encyclopedia gets involved. I explain this to my students and the sense of relief is visible in them. They know that I will challenge them in class but at home they may pursue life instead. So if you work hard at school then the reward is rest, family time, and a pursuit of happiness. And it works. My students are still learning everything they should for the year, albeit in a more hands-on manner. I am shying away from worksheets and instead having conversations about learning. Our favorite tool is our dry-eraseboards that allows me a quick check in for understanding. And the students are noticing the difference. No longer dreading the afternoon because I will continue to haunt their day. No longer dreading school because it means so many extra hours of works. No longer dreading learning because they are realizing that learning is something you do at school and that it doesn't come form worksheets.

When I recently welcomed 9 new students into my room, one "old" student told me that she was looking forward to seeing how the newbies would react since I "teach a little crazy." And perhaps that is true. I am loud, obnoxiously so at times, and I have high standards. I push kids to learn, I push kids to understand, and then I back off. I let them think about it, let the learning resonate within them, and then I challenge them to dredge it out again the following day.

By no means, am I the perfect teacher. I have many years of learning to come, but I do know that I am on to something here and I stand at a fork in the road signaling a massive shift in my whole educational philosophy. I believe these students are learning, I believe I am preparing them as well as any other teacher, and most importantly I believe I am letting them be kids at the same time. My students know that if something is homework it is for the benefit of their learning and is important to do, not just another piece of paper that their teacher didn't get to in class. They know that I only assign it if it is truly valuable, and not just something for me to use for grades. They know that we will meet and discuss their learning, always knowing what is missing, what is accomplished, what the direction should be. They know that if I assign something to them it is because they have the skills needed to do it. Do yours?

I am the Reform

I am the reform when I trust other teachers.

I am the reform when I stand united, and not divided.

I am the reform when I discuss, assess, and learn with my students.

I am the reform when I trust in others.

I am the reform when I ask for observation, feedback, and growth opportunities.

I am the reform when I discuss, even with people with whom I disagree.

I am the reform when I reflect, reject and reinvent.

I am the reform when I ask for help.

I am the reform when I learn more.

I am the reform when I am not afraid.

I am the reform when I listen and I speak.

I am the reform when I believe.

Are you the reform?

Give Them Strength to Grow - Chris's Aha Moment

This week's aha moment is shared by Chris Wejr, a K-6 principal in Agassiz, BC, Canada.  Chris is always quick with an understanding word, encouragement and advice even in non-school matters.  Never too busy to discuss or care, he is a wonderful person to have in your PLN.  This is his first time as a guest blogger do make sure you comment, follow him on Twitter at @mrwejr and add his blog to your must read list mrwejr.edublogs.org


“We don’t know who we can be until we know what we can do.” - Sir Ken Robinson

How can we truly see the potential of our students if we fail to provide the environment to bring out their talents?

I have always wanted to be a high school teacher and I was exactly that for 7 years. You never know where your life will lead you and, while completing my Master’s Degree, I was offered the opportunity to work with an amazing principal at an elementary school. Roxanne taught me to seek out the strengths in people and bring these talents out from within and opened my eyes to the power of strength-based, rather than deficit-based, teaching and leadership. My aha moment came in my first few months of being an elementary school teacher and a new vice principal.

When I did the tour of the school I was to be a teacher/vice principal, I met Daniel (pseudonym). Daniel had a smile that was contagious but was disengaged and struggled in school; the reason I met him that day was that he was in the hall after being asked to leave class. I never asked him why he was in the hall, I just started asking him about his life outside of school; we talked about music and friendships in the few moments we shared together on that day.

The next year, I was to teach a 5/6 class (in addition to the vice principal duties) so when we were creating the classes, I requested that Daniel be placed in my class. To be honest, in the first month, I really struggled with the transition from teaching 17 year-olds to teaching 11 year-olds. Many of the students had behaviour, social, emotional, and academic challenges so I spent many hours bouncing ideas off Roxanne and other teachers trying to find out how to reach these kids. I specifically started to talk about Daniel as he was so withdrawn in class - always refusing to take part in any learning activities and that smile that drew me to him seemed to have disappeared. She asked me what I knew about him; the truth was that I knew very little about him other than he struggled in class and liked music. She encouraged me to find out more about him; find out what he loved, what he was good at and try to bring that out in him.

During the next week, I spent a recess having a snack with Dan. I found out that he lived in a nearby community in which he spent two hours on the bus each day, lived with his Grandmother because his mother was far too young, and we shared a common interest in Johnny Cash. We spent much of the recess singing a variety of Cash songs and just laughing. Later that day, I was speaking with the First Nation Support Worker (Nelson), sharing with him about the moment that had occurred, and he let me in on another strength of Daniel: First Nation drumming and singing. He said this was something that he recently witnessed in his community but maybe something that we could support. The FNSW asked me if he could take Daniel and a few others to work on this interest; I believed this was a great opportunity so for 2 weeks, Nelson spent a few mornings a week drumming with Daniel and two others. What progressed after this changed the way I teach and live my life.

I asked Daniel if I could come watch one recess. I was blown away. Daniel was so into the drumming and singing that he would actually be sweating with pride as he was doing this. A few weeks later, I asked him if he could perform for our class - he unfortunately declined. Nelson encouraged him to sing and drum with him in front of our class. He nervously agreed and blew us all away when he performed; other students cheered when he finished and then asked if they could be part of “his group”. Daniel was now not only working with his strengths but also leading others to do the same. His group added girls and grew from 3 to 6 and then 8, including 2 students from another class. They played for our class every Monday morning, to start our week, and every Friday afternoon, to finish our week. They even gave themselves a name, Sacred Connections, and began to play for other schools and community events.

The moment that brought me almost to tears was right before Christmas. Each week, 1-2 new students would join up front in the singing and drumming. We often don’t see the impact of small changes but right before Christmas, the group actually had no people to play for, because every single student was up there singing with Daniel! To create an audience, I invited Roxanne and a grade 4 class to come and see the performance. We all sat there in awe of what Daniel had done not only as a performer, but also as a leader.

The other parts of Daniel’s school and life were drastically changing too. His friendships grew, his efforts in school improved and he became very engaged in learning activities. His reputation grew as a leader in the school and community and his group was asked to play at a local pre-Olympic Games (2010) event and in the spring he was asked to perform with Pow Wow drummers at a huge event in front of our entire school and community! Daniel had gone from a disengaged, quiet student who refused to take part in the learning to a proud leader and confident learner in our school.

That year was one that changed my life. It was not just one aha moment but a series of moments that shaped me as a person. I want to thank Roxanne, Nelson, and most importantly Daniel for teaching me that, as educators, the most important thing we can do is provide the optimal conditions for people to grow, bring out their strengths, and truly flourish.

Don't Be the Pebble

This week I was told by a dear friend that she envies how positive I am in in the face of all the changes happening in my classroom. She didn't know how I did it. Instead of lurching into a long philosophical debate about my chosen attitude, I simply answered, "I don't want to be the pebble that starts the rings of negativity."

So think about your words; stop yourself before you unload the negative,the tiring, the unhappiness. Of course, reflect and vent about it, but don't spread it. Be conscious of yourself and your affect on others because all it takes is one negative person to undermine a whole school. Don't be the pebble.

Your child will not become a thug because he listens to Snoop Dogg

I will be honest; this is a rant post and it is not meant to offend but it might.  Today while reading a new blog I came across a post on how we should monitor our children's ipod content because heaven forbid they had anything inapproporiate on them. Well guess what; get over it.  I get that we are supposed to protect our children, being a mother and a teacher I feel that heavy burden every day.  And yet, we have to allow our children to breathe.  If we constantly monitor every little thing they listen to, read, or watch, we will have children who will want to break free of our rule. 

Yes, I was raised in a very trusting, nurtutring household that had rules.  They were sensible rules though, my mother had 5 children to raise and could not be bothered to check the music we listened to.  She also knew that even though I listened to Snoop Doggy Dogg, as he was called back then, I was not going to go out and emualte his lifestyle.  She trusted me to realize that it was music; an artistic exporession, and that was it.  Not a lifestyle, not a role model, but entertainment. 

Growing up, I had a friend with wonderful caring parents that wanted nothing but to raise her in the best way possible.  So they blocked MTV, stopped her from going out of the house after 9 PM (because nothing good ever happens after 9 o'clock) and monitored who her friends were.  Guess what happened; she snuck out and got into a  lot of trouble repeatedly. She felt suffocated.  And I don't blame her.  I know as parents and teachers we want the best for our children but we have to let them grow up and make choices.  If we make those choices for them, they will not be able to do it on their own, or at the very least it will be a lot harder for them. 

So let your child make decisions about the clothes they wear, the music they listen, the books they read.  They are forming their identity and if they don't get to explore somewhat then they will rebel.  I thank my mother for the way I was raised all the time because she trusted me to make good decisions.  Of course, she would have stepped in if I had made horrible choices, but I never felt the need to.  I knew that she believed that I would make a good life for myself and not feel the need to screw it all up just to spite her.  So relax, and stop listening to their Ipods.  It is just music after all...