Take Time To Listen

It's nearly that time when our kiddos will return to us.  Buses will start rolling soon, week long professional development will happen, etc.  It's usually a bittersweet start, wishing we had more summer time, but happy to be back to our routines or maybe a new challenge, as in my case.

This week, I wouldn't say I've learned to listen, but others have been teaching me, stressing the importance of it.  I can usually tell when I've been on the computer or my phone too long, because my husband will lean over and say, "Did you hear them?" Or my youngest daughter will come and put her forehead on mine and repeat herself for probably the 5th time, although it's my first time to hear her.  That's how I know it's time to unplug and listen.  And then today at summer school, one of my students was telling me about what she does after school while we were cutting out pictures to sort.  She said that her Dad works at Wal-Mart and she goes there after school to be with him.  That stopped me in my tracks, so of course I had to find out more.  She said it just in the regular discourse of our talking, like it was no big deal.  Another student chimed in and said that his Mom works at a restaurant and he goes there with her after school.

I believe that in our busyness of life or work, in an effort to be more efficient or more productive, we miss opportunities to really listen to people.  We miss opportunities to hear what they say, and try to understand the place they are coming from, what makes them tick, why they feel that way.  We don't take time to just stop, look them in the eyes as they speak, with no agenda or need, and not just listening as we pass to somewhere else.  Simply that.  Just listen.

You ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I'm a "doer",  I have a really hard time just being still, not being wrapped up in new learning or a project of some kind.  So, for me, as I head into a new position this year, a new challenge, I task myself with taking time to listen.  Listen to our students, first and foremost.  They're the reason we have are there with them day in and day out.  (If you're not there for students, it might be time to find a different career path.)  Secondly, take time to listen to staff.  Part of my role this year involves technology, so if I don't take time to hear staff, how will I ever know what they need, what's important to them.

Since my campus is a Leader in Me school, I would be remiss to leave out how this task I've put out there for myself relates.  Habit 5-Seek First to Understand, Then be Understood

And a great article I read today about starting the year caught my eye today.  3 Organizing Tips for a Great School Year 

They're my monkeys, time to fix this circus...

Except they are my monkeys...and it's time to fix this circus!

Well, not every day can be roses and sunshine and unicorns and rainbows.  Today, was day 8 of 12 for me to teach my 1st grade bound summer school students.  Day 8 for me, but day 20 for them.  In my district, SS is 6 weeks long (Mon-Thurs), 24 days.

I should have seen the bottom falling out coming, like seeing the hand writing on a wall, or a full moon on picture day at school...it's just going to be a bad behavior day from your students so you have to plan for it.  My kiddos were on day 20, with temperatures with a heat index around 105 degrees.  It's so hot, I keep expecting my tires to melt into the concrete each day as I head home.  The kiddos are tired, I'm tired, and it's hot...a great recipe for grumpiness.  So, they are my monkeys and I had to fix this circus today.

By lunch time today, I was in grumpy teacher mode.  I'm sure you've been there yourself...whiny, complaining, nagging, allowing every little thing to bother you.  I didn't want to eat lunch with myself, much less in the lounge with other folks.  My remedy?  As my daughter once said, "If I go to my happy place, it's not so bad."  And as a former Superintendent in my district once said, "Fake it till you make it."  No matter what buttons they were pushing, it was my adult responsibility to buck up, get it together mentally, and move on.  So, after lunch, when we still had problems in the hallway sitting in a line, walking without running or touching others, tattle telling, or shouting things out just to shout, we practiced walking, we worked together to earn a dance opportunity with some Minions so we could all go to our happy place.  I kept my cool, reminding myself that's it's water on a ducks back.  So, when it's 104 degrees and all your buttons are getting pushed and your blood pressure is rising, I implore you to reach for something (legal of course) that makes you happy.  For me, it's laughing with kids, and an Orange Julius.  Find your happy place, be the difference maker for kids, because it's usually the tough cookies that need us the most.

To Twitter Or Not, That is the Question

First off, let me just preface this with saying that I am in NO WAY a Twitter aficionado, having just really taken to it in Jan 2015, but Oh My Word...has it broadened my horizons in the educational world.  I'm not sure how most people make separations for social media use, but for me, Facebook is personal...sharing pictures with long distance family, funny stories of my 4 year old, etc, while Twitter is my professional side...following educational greats, learning from others, reading articles, etc.

This past week, I participated in 2 Twitter chats for the very first time ever.  Last Tuesday, July 7th, I participated in #pisdedchat, thinking it was for Pasadena ISD, just across town from me.  Maybe I would learn some new things, meet some folks in my regional area?  No, well, this chat ended up being for Plano ISD, 5 hours away in North TX, but nevertheless, I learned, I answered Q's, I retweeted what I liked, even engaged in some dialogue with a lady who uses GoPro cameras in her 5th grade classroom and began following her blog...so can't wait to see how it all turns out for her this school year as she makes some adjustments!

Tonight, I participated in #edtechchat, and so glad it wasn't my first Twitter chat to participate in...so many people, conversation so fast to keep up with, even with the help of Hootsuite and TweetDeck.

So, to Twitter or not to Twitter, that is the question...well, it's not really a question if you consider yourself a "Connected Educator" in any sense of the words.  Twitter has helped me learn something new every time I visit.  I find something useful, someone with a fresh perspective to follow, and on and on.  You'll never hear me brag about number of followers, retweets, etc, because my only favorite numbers have to do with my family.  But here's some numbers for you: 16, 17, 1, endless.  I've been in my district going on 16 years, 17 years in public ed total, only on Twitter really 1 year, but have learned endless things in this short time on Twitter that has given me a second wind to my professional side.  Twitter is place to PD everyday!  As an educator, there's really no excuse not to learn something new and learn often.  Here's some great articles I read just this week alone from Twitter.  Consider this quote and read/learn something new everyday!

1. 10 Things Experienced Teachers Want New Teachers to Know
2. Official Twitter Chat List
3. Go Pro Fun!
4. ISTE 2015 Presentation: Creating Interactive, Student-Authored, Digital Publications
5. The Game Layer on Top of the World
6. Gamification Does Not Mean Playing Games
7. You Are Not "Just" a Teacher
8. How Educators Can Begin a Social Media Journey
9. Speak Into the Lives of Others
10. Education Secretary Duncan's Children to go to Chicago Private School He Attended
11. Edublog's Step 3 Twitter Chats
12. Growth Mindsets via Sports Slogans
13. Dear Administrators, Can We Tear Down the Great Divide?
14. Transparency Builds Trust
15. What are Students' Biggest Motivation Killers? We Asked Them Point-Blank
16. Why are you Still Not on Twitter? #KidsDeserveIt
17. The Most Important Thing I Learned at ISTE, was in a Taxi
18. 3 Reasons Why Your Twitter Ego Could Destroy Your Message
19. How Dream Coordinators at Schools Help Students Reach Goals
20. 12 Unexpected Ways to Use LEGO in the Classroom
21. 6 Social Media Templates to Save You Hours of Work
22. Postcard Exchange Sign Up with Aus/NZ
23. Smarter Thinking: 10 Ways You'll Know You're Doing It Right
24. 10 Venomous Thoughts That Are Quietly Killing Your Happiness
25. 31 Things You Can Make With A Cardboard Box That Will Blow Your Kids' Minds
26. 5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners
27. A Student Shares What It's Really Like Being In Our Classroom

Go Fish & Frog Eggs

Ok, this week, I began teaching Kindergarten summer school with some kiddos heading to 1st grade.  They are a group of One Way Dual Language kiddos from a variety of campuses in my district, and so sometimes, coming from 5th grade where I taught Science last year (among other roles), I find myself thinking they can do all the things my 5th graders could, but I've learned (well, re-experienced) some valuable lessons through Go Fish and Frog Eggs this week.

Go Fish: It still amazes me that kids don't know what this game is, so I take the time to teach them, using animal cards that go with our Science units.  So, not only are they learning and saying the names of the animals (a LEP skill), they are learning to take turns, use others names, instead of "Hey, you!" or "Teacher!".  They are learning strategy skills, to hide your cards from others eyes.  They are learning to listen, because someone might say an animal that you need to match.  They are learning to win and lose gracefully.  And the one lesson that just hit me hard today, and I don't know where their thought line came from, was that just because you win at the game, does not mean you cheated.  I had a few small groups say that to the winner, so we had a learning moment, that just because you win, doesn't always mean you cheated.  It just might mean that you were listening better than the others or that you just got lucky and next time you might not win, so to be kind and gracious and congratulate them.  I've also been reminded that when presented with a game vs a paper/pencil task, they are much more attentive and alert to what's going on.  They want to find out how to win!

Frog Eggs:  So, we've been working on our Rainforest unit this week.  Monday, we talked about the layers of the rainforest and all the variety of animals that lived there.  Tuesday, frogs!!!  Today, Wednesday, sloths, and tomorrow, Thursday, alligators and crocodiles.  Well, during our frog day, I presented the kiddos with some jelly marbles, we talked about the frog life cycle, we did a craft, where we made a book mark that had pictures of the cycle, and we talked about how the jelly marbles were like the frog eggs and how we had to be careful with them, because if they break, we would kill the baby frogs.  Today, I sent each student home with a tray of jelly marbles of their own.  I reminded them that they had to be VERY careful with their frog eggs (jelly marbles) and how they could break if they squish them too hard, and to treat them like a baby brother or sister.  I wish I could have taken their picture to show you how careful they were.  Going to buses to go home this afternoon was a hoot, watching them hug their trays to their chest and put their sloth paper over the top so they wouldn't drop them, and then how they all pitched in and helped one little boy who was in tears because he dropped his right before we left class.

Now, I know every day won't be so lesson filled, or rather experience filled, but today, was just one of those days that is right in your face, reminding you of why we do what we do, and how important we are to kids!  I matter!  You matter!  There are kiddos that need us!  Don't give up!

Beware...

No, it's nowhere near Halloween, but I say BEWARE for a very specific reason.  It seems to be the word swirling around in my head this past week.  While I learn much about technology and follow some pretty amazing folks on Twitter and see all they have to say not just about technology, but also education in general, I keep telling myself this word.  I say it because it's a message to myself to beware of the dangers of comparison, to put it plainly.  I could go on and on about standardized tests and all the comparisons there (since this seems to be a hot topic in TX lately), but it's more personal than that.  The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn...boy could that preach.  It would be so easy to tell myself some negative talk..."You'll never measure up to these great folks.", "You'll never make the same, long lasting type of impact they do.", "You'll never have all the training and certifications they have.", and worst of all, "You'll never be good enough."  Well, bad thoughts I put you on notice, Beware to you...All those things may have a grain of validity in some universe, but I'll measure up to my own standards of greatness, I make an impact where I'm planted, with the folks I interact with daily and professionally, So What if I don't have all the training and certifications they have, and I am good enough, in fact I'm pretty great at what I do and who I am.  Now, before you start thinking I have my head in the clouds, full of myself, I just think that some positive self talk can actually take the harshest of circumstances, toughest of challenges, and on and on, and turn them around, beginning in our own mind.

How to Use Positive Self Talk for Stress Relief

I tweeted out a quote from Aaron Hogan (@aaron_hogan) from his blog, dated June 26th, where he blogged about Feeling Like a Fake, but one line of his page caught me, "There's no place for shame in learning."  Aaron's since done some further blog posts on feeling in a similar situation, where nothing is necessarily spectacular, just common, ordinary.  He had this video embedded, on June 28th, which I just found today.

So, I say to myself, BEWARE of the danger of comparison...I may never be a as great as some other folks, but to some folks, I know I matter, I know I add value, and I know I'm making a difference in my corner of my town.

Now, just in case you need some positive things to counteract all that negative thinking, I call it "stinking thinking",..Shannon Long (@SweetBlessShan), on her blog called, Technology Rocks, Seriously, has some free printable signs that you can put around your class or even your school to help others feel validated no matter what point in their journey they are on.

Challenge Accepted!

So today in my e-mail inbox, a challenge was issued by Kasey Bell (@ShakeUpLearning) as she threw a gauntlet down to make "Every voice matter!" and not let fear stand in our way.  Well, challenge accepted!  Like I said in my last post, I've been adding to my PLN exponentially since I really got into Twitter in Jan 2015.  And like I stated last post, I feel confident seeking out my own learning opportunities.  Like the @edcampglobal T-shirt says, "You are what you PD."  And probably my favorite post from this past week came from The Colorful Principal, June 24th blog.  It touched on exactly how I was feeling this time last week.  Since this blogspot serves as my own reflection spot, I know I've learned much from these folks on Twitter and the blogs they write, so in case I'm not the only one reading this, here's a few folks that you could benefit from too (name is linked to their blog, and @ is linked to their Twitter page):

• Kasey Bell @ShakeUpLearning Kasey has tons of Google videos and helps on her blog!
• Tracy Clark @TracyClark08
• Matthew Lahey @m_lahey
• Alice Keeler @alicekeeler  Alice has tons of Google videos and helps on her blog!
• The Google Gooru @TheGoogleGooru Google Gooru YouTube Also tons of Google helps on this blog!
• Amy Mayer @friEdTechnology friEdTechnology YouTube
• Erin Klein @KleinErin
• Ben Gilpin @benjamingilpin Author of The Colorful Principal that I mentioned earlier.
• Todd Nesloney @TechNinjaTodd He also writes and has tons of resources on his shared site: The 3 Tech Ninjas.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are the folks that I follow closely in my learning journey.  They have helped in ways sitting in a traditional PD class can never help, by sharing what I need, when I need it.  Traditional PD doesn't always have timely assistance like that of Twitter.  I do believe that "Every Voice Matters!" and these folks and MANY, MANY more are proof of that.

Invested Learner Reflections

Seems like forever since my last post and if no one reads this but me, then that's fine, as this is a place, an outlet for me to reflect.  Since Winter Break, my role was added to, stress increased, work piled on with my paying gig and me still working on my Master's degree, which I'm happy to say is finally done, with all testing and certification officially in place.  So why have I labeled this an Invested Learner Reflection, well, because I see myself in no matter what role I serve in, as a learner.  I feel as if I've finally reached a place I can feel confident in asking or seeking out my own learning, instead of relying solely upon what is fed to me.  My PLN has increased exponentially, as I've branched out into Twitter and other social media platforms and I'm still learning.  From Jan 2015-May 2015, I tweeted from my account @tippselemstem, until I changed it in June 2015 to @Windham_EduSTEM.  I stretched in technology leading a group of students in our first ever Technology Club, where we learned together how to make videos on our school iPads, uploaded to our universal Google Drive (tippstechnology@gmail.com), and to our STEM YouTube page (Tipps Elem STEM), which is still active.  While I considered transferring ownership, it just didn't seem right as those videos were from my students at my school, Tipps Elementary (CFISD).  Tipps Elem STEM YouTube Channel  I was able to attend TCEA Tots & Technology in Galveston in early June 2015, where I learned from folks that I began following from Twitter, and learned much even with Tropical Storm Bill knocking at our coast.  I find that more I learn, the more I need to learn.  In ignorance, while sometimes it's bliss, in the case of "Not my circus, Not my monkey!", but in ignorance is also long hours trying to do something that a program or app could do for me or my students, and in ignorance is bored, rote teaching by the book.  In seeking out new learning opportunities, I've been able to learn and use Tellagami, Aurasma, Google Drive, Twitter, Instagram, Padlet, Kahoot!, Socrative, Symbaloo, Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, and most recently Autocrat.  And I'm still learning new ways of doing things, learning all that Google can do for me, as my district moves into GAFE this year.  I've been learning from some great folks and I've added it to my Symbaloo page recently: Windham_EduSTEM Symbaloo Teacher Page  This school year, my role evolves from Math/Science Instructional Specialist, to Testing Coordinator/Technology Teacher, but I'd like to think that should say Invested Technology Learner.  I'm excited for the first time in a while in my educational career about the new year as it approaches in a month, with new possibilities, interacting with students more in our new computer lab that I worked hard to advocate for and feel is a victory, and to share my love of all things technology with the teachers I work alongside as I continue to learn from them also.

Something to consider before I leave this topic: Can We Discuss The Title "Lead Learners" For A Moment?