Take Advantage

Teaching isn't easy, but some years are just easier, and I've learned that when I have one of these years, I need to take advantage of it!

If some years are just easier, then naturally some years are just harder (I blogged about one of these years, a few years ago, here) -- sometimes because of particularly needy kiddos, sometimes because of demanding families, sometimes because of new coworkers, and sometimes because of personal life outside of school. Whatever the challenge, some years it takes longer to get into routines, more time to teach new concepts, and it may never feel like you can fully relax in the classroom. This is hard, but it's part of the job. Looking down the hallway, and talking to other teachers, I suspect that the next few years are not going to be so easy. All the more reason to keep pushing myself to be creative and try new things. Of course, it's all made so much easier with the help, encouragement, and support of amazing teammates -- so that's another thing I'm trying not to take for granted! 

Last year, for me, was one of those years.  Looking back, it was a combination of kiddos and coworkers, and some new things for me (like having an intern and using new curricula).  I tried to take advantage of those challenges by pushing myself to be especially reflective and honing my management skills.  It was still a great year in a lot of ways, but truthfully it wasn't too hard to say goodbye. 

This year, on the other hand, has been one of those rare years that, frankly, is just going smoothly (knocking on wood)!  I've got the same team (plus an incredible addition) that I had last year, this is now my third time teaching a full-year of our curricula, and most of our kiddos are pretty easy-going.  This is a crew that can handle open-ended activities without getting too crazy; they can adjust to a flexible schedule without getting overwhelmed. They work together well and can reflect on their own learning without too much structure or encouragement. 

So what have I been doing new this year? Let's see... we started the year with a collaborative growth-mindset oriented math challenge. We've done an "Escape Classroom" at the end of each of our math modules. We have had open-ended math lessons, launched from read-alouds and inquiry questions.  We've have had free-writing afternoons and "class-keeping" (i.e. "housekeeping") chore charts. 

These activities have been great for the kiddos and I definitely want to do them in the future, even if I have a less adaptable group.  Fortunately, now that I've had some success (and learned from some of the less successful experiences), I'll feel more confident trying these activities again. Some teachers are comfortable with a fair amount of chaos and uncertainty in their classrooms, but try as I might, I am not one of those teachers. 😬

Me by the Numbers

Of course, at the beginning of each year we always start with those obligatory "getting to know you" activities. Now that we are departmentalized, I wanted to do those general "meeting and greeting" activities with my homeroom, but I also wanted to do some more math-specific activities with each of my three math classes.  We did not rotate classes for the first two days of school so that we could have a little more time to bond with our new homerooms, and then on day three we did a "practice rotation" with slightly shorter periods and extra time for reviewing expectations. Our math activity on this day was something I called "Me by the Numbers."

This activity was particularly important for this year because, for the first time in a few years, I had never taught any of my students before.  Because I've moved grades a few times, I've had quite a few classes where I've actually already taught at least half of my kiddos. Even when I hadn't taught a particular kiddos, I had known all of the students in the grade reasonably well and could often remember anecdotes or details about them from their previous teachers. This year, though, I had never taught this cohort -- I'd moved to fourth grade by the time they were in first.

The connections I build with my students and their families is one of the things I value most, and it's a huge contributor to my classroom management approach.  So this year I was really nervous about how I would connect and bond with so many (58!) new kids and families. Granted, I'm still at the same school, so there were a few kiddos in this crew who I had known as babies when I taught their older brothers or sisters, but for the most part, we were all new to each other.

As it turned out, I had no reason to worry because these kiddos are such loves! They wanted to know everything about me as much as I wanted to know everything about them. I shared my own "Me by the Numbers" and added in some stories about my pets, where I went to school, and how long I'd been teaching. They were so into it!

Then, while the kiddos were working, I got to walk around, ask questions, make connections, and learn more about each them -- how many siblings do you have? what are your hobbies? how long have you lived in the neighborhood?  Instead of sending these home after we completed them, I held onto them so I could refer back to them during the first few week as I tried to put names and faces with personal details. I've found it really helps to know who likes sports, who loves to travel, who has pets, and who is an only child.  I don't necessarily use these facts all the time, but when I want to write a meaningful word problem or share a great book, I know who I can turn to!

 

Teaching On Stage

Teaching is often compared to other service professions -- like nurses and clergy -- and there are certainly similarities there.  Teachers work for the public (i.e. our students and their families). The results of our work are largely intangible, and while it can be very rewarding, it's often thankless work as well.  I've been thinking recently, though, about a different comparison I heard a few years ago. In many ways, the career most similar to teaching is acting.

Fourth grader teaching her Pre-K Book Buddy!

The preparation teachers go through before a lesson is similar to actors learning their lines.  We study and rehearse to ensure that we can deliver a teaching point precisely or present a math skill clearly.  We then perform our lessons for a critical audience and have to be ready to accept their feedback and tweak our performance for future lessons, innovating while teaching the same standard.  Like actors, we are often seen only as our final performance -- and most people never even know about the the hours of research for the role, the rehearsals, the costume adjustments, the staging, or the last minute script changes.

Like an actor in a play, teachers try to build a genuine connection with our audience while portraying a character. Stage actors, like teachers, have families, histories, and issues that they bring into their role. While this background makes us into the performers that we are, sometimes our personal lives don't mesh with our role.  I have days when I'm emotional or exhausted, yet when I step in front of my kiddos, I'm "on stage" -- I need to smile, speak calmly, and focus on the content I'm teaching, regardless of what's been happening behind the scenes.

I'm often reminded of this comparison when I'm overwhelmed by working late, stressful morning meetings, or personal issues.  The reality is that all teachers have good days and bad days, and children they click with and those they don't.  Being a "responsive teacher" means knowing that my students and I will all have days we don't feel like working our hardest or doing our best. It means knowing that my students' families and experiences are as important and inextricable from them, as mine are from me. I hope that, like a stage performer, my vulnerability, honesty, and life experience shine through in my performance and ultimately make me someone who my audience (students and parents) trusts, appreciates, and supports.

Eleven Weeks

Eleven weeks. It took eleven weeks for my class this year to start feeling like my class. Eleven weeks to feel like I was finally really teaching, not just managing, handling, urging, or corralling.

A couple of weeks into the school year, I had seen a post on the Responsive Classroom website about the difference that the first Twelve Days can make with a new class.  I remember thinking, "we are so far from there! Will we ever get there?"  Week after week, I'd try to confer with my readers during Reading Workshop but would get distracted or interrupted by other kiddos.  At six weeks, I'd tried to open all of the activities that I'd planned for Word Study but found that my kiddos could not handle making choices. At the end of our second writing unit, I still had a number of writers who were struggling to produce complete stories. My kiddos were still regularly tattling, pushing, complaining, and teasing.

I kept hoping we'd get to a point when I could relax just a little during transitions or make it through a day without feeling like I'd lost control. So I scaled back, modified plans, did more modeling, had more discussions. I added tools to my readers' book bins to help them stay focused.  I limited the manipulative options during math to ensure the kiddos were able to use them appropriately.  I reviewed how to "Fill a Bucket" to encourage cooperation, patience, flexibility, and responsibility.

Finally, after eleven weeks, I was able to sit down next to one kiddo and talk about her reading while the others read quietly.  I was able to open all of the Word Study centers and the kiddos actually practiced their spelling words and worked together without the crying, whining, confusion, and throwing from a few weeks earlier.  I allowed the kiddos to select their own manipulatives during math and no one made them into weapons.

It finally feels like this class is my class and I'm no longer constantly reminiscing about previous classes.  My kiddos are doing more listening and helping than tattling and teasing.  I know that I will still have difficult mornings, afternoons, maybe even a whole day or week, but at least I've been able to experience some successes, which gives me hope for more. Phew!

Teaching is Hard

We are 4 weeks into the school year.  It hasn't been the easiest four weeks of my teaching career.  In fact, I've been feeling a little like I'm back in my first year when it seemed like a couple of kiddos were running the show.  It didn't seem to matter how much I planned, or how exciting our monthly theme was, or how I set up the classroom, these little guys had other ideas.  During that first year, I didn't have many tools in my toolbox for teaching an ordinary class of 4-year-olds, and even fewer skills to manage the extreme behaviors of a few students.

I hadn't yet read Gartrell's Power of Guidance, or Positive Discipline, or Teach Like a Champion.  I hadn't learned how to practice procedures until we got them right, or how to call kiddos back to the carpet when things go out of hand.  I hadn't figured out that a "teacher look" or a silent signal could refocus students during a lesson.  As a result, I spent most of that year in tears, feeling pretty hopeless about how each day would go.

But it's not my first year -- far from it -- and the difference is tangible as I look around my classroom.  I've set up clear expectations for entering the classroom, transitioning, working with partners, and reading independently.   I've taught the silent signals for "SHINE," "track the speaker," and "wait your turn," so I rarely need to interrupt my instruction for minor misbehavior.  I've created charts to show how I expect the kiddos to keep their seat pockets, book bins, and writing folders neat.

I now have a much larger arsenal of teaching tools, including the experience to know that some years are just like this.  During my first year, when it felt like nothing was going right, my roommate would insist that I find out at least 3 positive things that had happened each day.  I learned to focus on them, articulate them to myself, and try to foster more of them.  I know now that I won't always have to search for the good things, but I also know that there will always be at least a few good things even in the worst days.  The majority of my kiddos are falling into the procedures easily and getting used to the routines of the day, even though I am constantly on my toes to ensure that that the distracting and disruptive behavior of a couple of kiddos doesn't throw off an entire day.  I now know that, beyond a point, another hour of lesson planning at 11pm, or spending another weekend rearranging the classroom yet again, or reading another article on behavior management techniques, won't  "solve everything."

Because teaching is hard. It just is. It's like no other job in the world, and also a little like every job.  As a teacher, I often feel like part doctor, part lawyer, part parent, part police officer, part minister, part manager.  I don't think teaching ever gets "easier," but we become more comfortable with not knowing everything, not doing everything, and not being everything.

Sometimes on my worst days, I still get notes like this: "The Best Day of School" 

Rules in School

"Rule Creation" is one of the primary Classroom Practices within the Responsive Classroom Approach.  I've created class rules with almost all of my classes, but this year I took a slightly different approach.  Instead of jumping right into "what rules do we need?" I began by asking the kiddos to think about why we come to school and what we want to accomplish together.  We went through this process as adult learners at the Responsive Classroom Course this summer, and I found that it gave more purpose to the rule creation routine that I had had before.

I started on Day 2 by asking the firsties, "Why do we come to School?"  Their answers cracked me up; things like "to become a good adult," "to do plusses," and "to teach kids." After we had established our purpose for being at school in general, we thought about what types of school work we might do in First Grade. We made a list (I forgot to take a picture) of things like subtraction, art, field trips, and writing stories.  The kiddos created individual "hopes and dreams" for their first grade year based off of this list.

Then we got to the step of thinking about rules.  I reminded the kiddos about all of their goals and all the things that we hoped we would get to do together in first grade.  I asked them to think about how we would need to work together to reach those goals -- what rules would we need to be successful?  They came up with a very comprehensive list ;)

After we had a complete list we went through my favorite task of grouping the possible rules together.  I circled each of the topics in a different color and we came up with an all-encompassing rule to describe the topic.  For instance, "never hit," "tie your shoe laces," and "don't run" became "Keep Yourself and Others Safe."  "Don't lie," "don't bully" and "talk nicely" became "Use Kind Words."

During this process, I always guide the kiddos toward the rules that I want our class to use. For the last 3 years, I have ended up with the same 5 rules.  This year, we decided to make our 5th rule "Work Hard."  I'm still not sure if I'm thrilled with the switch because the "take care of your classroom and school" rule was so helpful in the past; however I like that now we have a rule that directs our cognitive work.  By now, the kiddos are getting comfortable with the language of the rules and I just love hearing them remind each other to "use kind words" and "follow directions." 

Super STARs

I posted about our STAR cards (here) a few weeks ago, but I realized that I hadn't yet posted about what the kiddos have actually been writing!

Here are just a couple examples of the unbelievably adorable things that my kiddos have been writing to each other on their STAR cards.

 

It has been so sweet to watch them notice each other doing kind things around the classroom.

It's also wonderful to see them acknowledge each for working hard.  We've just introduced subtraction problems, so we've been talking a lot about the importance of trying and persevering, even and especially when things are hard.  It's really sweet when the kiddos get recognition for pushing themselves, and as much as I try to be an encouragement, it seems to mean more when it comes from a peer.

Definitely love this new part of our class character program!

A Miss Nelson Moment

During my first year teaching, I kept track of funny quotes and situations from the classroom as a way to stay optimistic.  It was easy to get lost in the difficulties of first-year teaching, and neglect the lighter moments with my kiddos, so I learned to pick out at least 1 positive moment each day.  I'm grateful that I no longer need quotes to keep me afloat, but there are still some hilarious moments that I don't want to forget.

Fortunately, I now have this blog to help me keep track of them!  One of these moments came last week...

I had intended to be out of the classroom on Thursday to observe in other teachers' classrooms for the morning.  I had prepped my kiddos the day before and didn't plan on seeing them in until the afternoon.  However, about 20 minutes into my first observation, I learned that another teacher had called out sick, so the substitute scheduled to cover my class was going to pulled for the rest of the day.

I happened to have worn my glasses that day and a new button down shirt (not my contacts and usual version of a knit top), so as I walked into the classroom, I got some sideways glances from the kiddos.  When the substitute left the room, one of the kiddos asked cautiously, "Are you our new substitute?" I had a flash of the classic book, Miss Nelson Is Missing, where the sweet teacher "disappears" for a few days and is replaced by the mean Viola Swamp who straightens out the unruly students and makes them realize how much they love Miss Nelson.  I decided to give it a try...

"Sure," I answered, "Show me what you are supposed to do." For the next 45-minutes, I watched as my kiddos lead Morning Meeting, dismissed themselves to their Literacy Stations, and then cleaned up from Literacy Stations and went to their reading spots for independent reading.  I gave a few cues and prompts, but resisted the urge to step in much more. Instead, as the kiddos worked, I took the opportunity to give a few one-on-one assessments.

Of course, I didn't really have most of the kiddos fooled, and unlike Viola Swamp, I didn't have to be a nastier, stricter teacher to get the class into shape.  In fact, it was impressive to see how capable they were of taking over many of the classroom routines.  It was actually a relief to take a break from the nagging and reminding that I've been doing way too much of over the past couple of weeks.  Lesson: I just might have to be "out of the classroom" again sometime soon...

Buddy Classsrooms

Last year I posted about our "Chill Spot" when my classroom got flooded by Hurricane Sandy.  Hopefully this year, we will avoid any natural disasters coming into the school, but just in case, I've been carefully to pick up the carpet and pillows from the leaky corner before I leave for the weekend :)

Although it's a couple of weeks into the year, I've been taking my time to introduce materials, classroom structures, and routines, so I actually just introduced the "calm down corner" (as we are calling it this year).  We read When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry and sang a great song called "Full of Lots of Feelings" which I got from a teacher at a KIPP school a few years ago.  Then we discussed the importance of having a place in our room to calm down.

We also talked about how sometimes it can be helpful to calm down away from our friends and classmates.  The kids quickly identified that it can be hard to calm down when you are feeling angry at someone, or other kids are playing around you, or your friends are trying to make you laugh.  When I asked my kiddos where they think they could go to calm down, they immediately thought of their Kindergarten or Pre-K teachers' rooms and other rooms on our floor. I love that they know they'd be welcomed and safe all around our school.

Our school has relied on "Buddy Classrooms" for awhile (read more about buddy teachers and classrooms from Responsive Classroom).  Most of the time, however, our teachers are not able to step away from their classrooms to invite a student or bring a student to another room.  In fact, when a student needs to take a break, we want to send them off quickly and with as little disruption as possible.  Last year, I began to think about a way to make this practical, and purposeful so that students could receive the best support.  So I came up with the idea of Buddy Classroom passes...

These passes quickly and easily indicate to the receiving teacher why a student has come for a "time out."  Sometimes, the student just needs to calm down in a different space, other times he needs to finish some work, and sometimes she needs to talk to an adult about a particular problem.  On the back of each pass are suggestions to the student for how to calm down (check them out on TeachersPayTeachers!).

Last year, we started using the passes on the second floor (with first and second grade only), but this year, we have extended their use to Kindergarten through 5th grade.  Most of us have attached the passes to a lanyard or string so it can go hang around a student's neck and act as a "hall pass" when they travel between buddy classrooms.  While we try to make every student feel welcome when they come into our rooms, it is helpful to know whether that student is coming in with excess energy or anger that needs to be diffused.

Of course, our hope is that our kiddos can function appropriately and productively in our classes all the time, but realistically we know that there will be times when we all need a little break. A couple of hours after I'd introduced the Buddy Classroom Passes, a 2nd grader with significant behavior challenges came into our class wearing his Calm Down Pass.  I knew the student had been being disruptive, and possibly violent, so I silently sent to put his head down at an empty table.  Immediately one of my cuties came over to me with the biggest smile, "I know why he's here," he said, "he gets to calm down!"  Yup! :)

Back at it

Tomorrow we go back to school after 2 weeks off for Winter Break!  I'm excited to see the kiddos and my colleagues, but also a little anxious about everyone getting back into routines and learning.

Often I use Winter Break as a time to tweak my classroom routines and procedures, but this year, thankfully, I didn't really have to do that.  Things were going pretty smoothly before the break, so I'm hoping that we can pick up where we left off.  Nevertheless, I'm planning to reintroduce each part of the day, and I know I'll spend a good amount of time reviewing and reminding.

First thing in the morning, we are going to review our Class Expectations.  For the first six weeks of school, we went over these each morning as a class.  We chant the expectations "Whole Brain Teaching" style using motions I created for each one to help the kiddos recall them easily.  Tomorrow, we will review our chant and also discuss examples of how scholars follow each expectation.

I will also be reminding my kiddos about how to be a "STAR" in our classroom. I created the acronym "STAR" to teach the little guys about important character traits I want them to exhibit (More about this here). I moved these posters to our classroom door right before break to make sure the kiddos see them as soon as they enter the room.

Before we left school, I also brought out two of the anchor charts that I used at the beginning of the year to introduce workshop routines.  I'll be reviewing these with the kiddos tomorrow to make sure they remember our jobs during workshop.  I think it's important to talk about the the kiddos' jobs as well as the teachers' jobs so we all know what the expect from each other.  I also think it's helpful for the kiddos to see that our workshop routines are very similar.  I didn't plan very complicated mini-lessons for tomorrow either to allow plenty of time for reviewing expectations and getting the kiddos back into the routine.

  

Here's hoping for a smooth re-entry and a fast week!

Problem Solved

Last week during Morning Meeting I noticed a disturbing habit developing among my kiddos.  Some of the kiddos were shaking their heads and saying, "Not me," under their breath when it was coming up on their turn to be selected.  I brought this observation to the class and I saw lots of recognition around the circle.  The kiddos were quick to share that sometimes they don't want to switch seats and move away from their best friends and sometimes they want to be the last one standing (when we do an activity that has us sit down after our turn).  Then we talked about how this might make everyone else feel and how it might affect our class community.  We agreed that this was a problem because it did not make everyone feel welcome.  Finally, I asked the kiddos for suggestions to solve the problem.


We have been working on problem solving all year.  I started by teaching the kiddos that solutions always need to be related, respectful, reasonable, and helpful (this language comes from Positive Discipline).  This is a challenge for little ones who often think of punishments before solutions.  As we started talking about possible solutions to this problem, the first few solutions were not surprisingly more like punishments, such as, having the culprits sit out of future greetings and activities until they were being kind or skipping offenders in the circle.  However, the more we talked, the more the kiddos began to consider ways to prevent the problem from even occurring.  Eventually we settled on two possible preventative solutions: 1) the kiddos could come to the circle separately and choose a place to sit away from close friends so they wouldn't be tempted to resist moving and 2) we could make assigned seats around the circle so that no one would feel uncomfortable about moving if necessary.

At this point, I told the class I would consider both solutions.  Of course, it seems that I've taught them too well about how to solve problems fairly because immediately one little sweetie suggested that I let the class vote.  It was hard to argue with her logic since truthfully both solutions were acceptable to me.  So this morning we had a vote.  I had the kids close their eyes and raise their hands. The kiddos voted (20-3) to have assigned seats.  When they opened their eyes and I announced the winning solution the kiddos started fist-pumping with excitement.

I couldn't help but smile.  I could never have imagined such a positive reaction to the idea of assigned seats for class activities. In fact, I suspect that had I forced the idea of assigned seats on them as a "punishment" or consequence, I would have heard lots of complaints and frustration.  Yet when they could appreciate the problem and come to the solution on their own, they were more than willing to accept the idea.  We immediately created a chart with assigned circle seats and by the afternoon the kiddos were already reminding each other where they needed to sit.  Love it!

Chill Spot / Hurricane Relief

Last week, the northeast got slammed by Hurricane Sandy.  Our area was very fortunate and I was able to spend our two days out of school making soup and brownies.  My apartment building had no damage but my classroom wasn't quite as lucky.  When I got back to school on Wednesday, I discovered that my carpet and a corner of my classroom had been flooded.  I helped the lovely custodian move the carpet out so it could dry out and be cleaned, but I had to toss the small rug and pillow that I kept in the corner.  The corner of our room is where we have our "Chill Spot" so I figured now would be a good time to post about this invaluable part of my classroom.  The "Chill Spot" is basically "Time Out" but it's not a punitive area. 

Early in the year, my students and I talked a lot about feelings.  We read some of my favorite books, including Wemberly Worried and When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry.  We talked about different ways we can deal with our feelings in safe and appropriate ways.  Then we decided to create a place in our classroom where we could go and deal with our feelings.  This year, our Chill Spot has a very soft teddy bear, a box of tissues to dry away tears, a book about feelings (The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!), and a sand timer to help distract students and give them a sense of time when they are in the Chill Spot.  I do have guidelines for the Chill Spot: students can go here to calm down when they feel sad, angry, or nervous; it is not a place to play or be noisy.  Students are still responsible for all of their work when they are in the Chill Spot and they are not allowed to go during mini-lessons.  I have had a similar spot in my classrooms as long as I've been teaching, and I'm always surprised and impressed by how well students utilize the area.  Some student will ask to go the Chill Spot and sometimes I will encourage a student to go here if I notice him getting angry or upset.  If a student has been in the Chill Spot for awhile, I'll tell her to turn the sand-timer over two more times and then re-join the class.  Sometimes I talk to the student in the Chill Spot, other times I'll ask another student to check-in on a friend.

I've gotten most of the ideas for my Chill Spot from Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelson.  (I'll post more on how I use Positive Discipline another time.)  Jane stresses the importance of making your "Time Out" a comfortable place.  Hopefully our Chill Spot will be back to full comfort level soon!

In the meantime, we're getting by with tape marked on the floor to remind the kiddos where they would normally sit on the carpet. One of my very good friends and I hit up BJ's to get some items to donate to the Hurricane Relief efforts so others can get back to full comfort as soon as possible as well.  And in the future I will remember to fold up the carpet and put the pillows on top of the desks when a big rain is predicted!