Bring it: The most important thing a teacher can bring to school

My air conditioner has been broken all this week. They have ordered a part but we’re not sure if it is going to be here before school starts. If it is not, I’ll teach class on the stage rather than risk the computers expiring in the heat and have kids sweat because of the heat.

Sometimes things stink as we prepare for school.

This is less than ideal. OK. I’ll admit it - IT STINKS. Honestly, I stink too.

But stinky stuff happens. It just does. I’m in gnat central here and it is 90 something outside and I’m opening my door to my room to cool it off. I’m wearing workout clothes that shed heat so I can sweat with as little soak as possible.

And then IT happened…

My laptop died today - perhaps heat induced. Not sure.

I connected the hard drive - threw everything in Dropbox and am letting it sync. Dropbox has saved me again.

When everyone has done all they can, you can still choose what you can

Yet. My students will be here Thursday. We’ve got lots to cover.

Whether my first day is in my computer lab – out back – or in the outhouse - these kids have me and I’m bigger than this. My principal has done all he can do and everyone is doing what they can. What I can do is not add a sour attitude to an already heated situation. There’s nothing I can do but that.

Problems are the canvas upon which I will paint a picture of a person who overcomes.

Maybe that picture will inspire others to do the same. Maybe it will even help someone out there going through something. If so, this problem won’t be wasted.

How about you and your problems? The worse the problems, the more dramatic the picture you paint.

We just have to make do with what we have.

Sometimes what we have is all we have… but a determination to do well and be amazing is all we need to get started.

You can put a person with a stinky attitude in a million dollar computer lab and not get peanuts out of the students.

You can put a champion with a determination to teach in a computer lab that cost peanuts and get a million dollar learning experience out of those students.

It depends on what you bring. Are you bringing it?

WE NEED MONEY. I’m not saying we don’t. I’m not making excuses for those who refuse to invest in our future.

But when it is time for school to start and things don’t go just right - if I let it influence my relationship or attitude towards my students one teeny tiny bit - then I’m not bringing my best.

I’ve got to bring my good attitude if I hope to get students to the altitude they can achieve with me.

So… laptop or not… lab or not…I’m going to put on some clinical strength Secret Deodorant and lace up my tennis shoes… as long as I have me and my students somewhere on this campus – I’ve got enough to get us started.

I’m bringing it. I’m bringing me.

I’m bringing the only essential ingredient besides a firm grasp of content knowledge, pedagogy, and presentation finesse.** I’m bringing me and my determination to be an excellent teacher anyway.

I’m bringing it. I’m bringing me.

You’ll rust before situations are ideal . They never are. They never will be.

I’m bringing it. I’m bringing me.

If your good attitude is dependent upon perfect situations then you’ll always have a bad one. I reject my human inclination to be crabby when things go wrong. I want to be more. These kids deserve it. Plus, I’ve got something FANTASTIC planned.

I’m bringing it. I’m bringing me.

There’s nothing exceptional about a person who’s cranky when their computer breaks and they are sweating profusely. There is something exceptional about a person who makes do and looks up.

I’m bringing it. I’m bringing me.

Kids and adults alike awe at exceptional. When you have awful problems – you have the opportunity to make people full of awe as they watch you overcome.

They will expect me to bellyache when we meet on the stage Thursday if that A/C isn’t fixed. But I’m not - I’m going to wow them and make the most of that stage. IT isn’t going to be AW-ful it is going to be AWESOME! Oh yeah. I’m going to rock it. I’ve already got it planned. I’m going to use that stage and they are going to be amazed and never forget the first day of school this year.

I’m going to bring it

I’ll wear my workout clothes again tomorrow and sweat like an oldie for my last day of preplanning, but I’m going to hit this school year. I’m glad to be here. These are my students. I love them. I’m going to bring it… I’m going to bring what counts and that is me and nothing is going to stop me from teaching. Nothing.

I’m bringing it. I’m bringing me.

I’m not Polyanna. To be honest, I will admit to you that this attitude would not be possible without my time each morning on my knees taking these problems to Upper Management. But I also have to know that I am at the center of my Att-I-tude.

If my attitude stinks, it is my fault. No one can MAKE me have a bad day - in all but the most horrific circumstances - I can choose to have a bad day but no one can MAKE me have one but myself.

This is a pep talk for me just as much as you… and right now I’m feeling better because I can see what my students see when they see a teacher who is able to make awesome out of awful. They see how to make it in a life full of problems. Because that’s what we’ve got down here… problems and lots of them. Welcome to planet earth.

So, I ask you…

Will you bring it?

Will you bring you?

Will you share your story?

Do you have any similar stories for beginning the school year and how did you overcome?

Other teachers need to hear your stories. We need each other… now more than ever. Teachers are the media that will turn the tide of stories about our profession. We are media now and we will not be quiet about what it is like to teach and the importance of our profession. We will inspire. We will encourage. We will be open. We will be the kind of teacher we want who will transform the profession we love.

You’re noble teacher. I’ll try to be noble too. Bring it!

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A great way to appreciate teachers for #backtoschool

I'm drafting this on Monday night after our first day of preplanning at school. Today at lunch, our PTO had the nicest "teacher appreciation" luncheon. It was so nice. I snapped quite a few photos and thought I'd share with you what they did and what I liked about it.

Motivational Quotes

We all need to be reminded. The PTO had large watering cans with zinnias and flowers from the yards of the PTO members. Orange and white are our school colors so the green was accented with white and orange. It was gorgeous. Their quote was perfect:

"A teacher's like a gardener and this is so you'll know we surely do appreciate how you help the children grow. Thanks for all you do."

That was on a wooden stick inside the watering can with the flowers.

Teacher Wish Lists and Likes

Underneath our boxed lunches we had a piece of paper for our wish lists and likes. This list is one that PTO puts in a binder in the office. Things like "what is your favorite soda" and "what is your favorite snack" or "what is one simple thing you do to pamper yourself." We wrote this with the pen beside it which had our name "Westwood Wildcats" emblazoned on the side.

On our birthdays, a person on the PTO is responsible to make a basket of our "likes." Because each one is personal, it makes us feel so loved. (The PTO even had a blizzard day and had students help them deliver each teacher's favorite DQ blizzard back in the spring. WE LOVED IT.)

The Theme of the Year

Our Board of Directors has adopted a vision statement for the year: "Moving Forward." They want all of us to set goals for how we want to move forward this year. What are a few goals we can set for improvements we want to make. The board is making goals and we will too. Imagine if everyone at a school tries to level up?

Above our plates you can see a rolled up Tshirt with the theme on it tied in raffia. The Tshirt has the theme and our vision verse for the year. Scattered around were small circles with "We appreciate teachers" on them.

Little Messages

You can see the water bottles with the words "Teacher appreciation luncheon 2013" which were made with the sticker paper that you print off the printer.

Helping New Teachers Find a Place and Feel Included

Also notice that each teacher had a namecard and a place. I liked how they mixed us up. I got to sit by people and no one was left alone. New teachers were mixed among the tables. They thought seriously about placement. It really made it fun. Co teachers were seated together.

Something for everyone

Inside the boxes were an assortment of salads: pasta salad, broccoli salad, chicken salad, fruit salad and a croissant. They were in different sized containers (which helped the PTO volunteers get it done more easily.)

 

The fork was actually a disposable fork but looked like metal which made it look classy. They had orange and white and dots repeated. And it was DELICIOUS. This was my meal today.

We ate together at the same time

This was so nice because after we prayed everyone was able to open their boxes and eat right then. When you have long lines sometimes the first in the line are done before the last in the line. We actually enjoyed it and laughed so much. I wondered why I couldn't remember really eating with colleagues and I realized -- it was the line. The boxed lunch really facilitated it.

Messages everywhere

We had stickers on quite a few things to help us remember what we do. They fit with the gardening theme.

"A teacher helps a child bloom."

was the quote on the brownie bag.

"A teacher helps a child flourish"

was on the croissant.

You can also see the motivational bookmark beside our place as well.

Taking Time to Be Kind Goes a Long Way

Little things make a big difference in the classroom. Right now I'm shopping for fabric, purchasing colorful duct tape which I use on my walls. I'm running here and there working on those small details.

The fact that someone would consider the details of a luncheon for us. I was almost in tears when I got done and realized the time that meal took. We had tablecloths and round tables. They thought of everything.

Some of you would say this time was better spent on the kids. But I'm saying as a teacher, I'll remember this meal all year. The time and tenderness and attention to detail made me feel loved. It made me feel appreciated.

I know it was a sacrifice. It meant so much more because it was a sacrifice.

But you don't have time!

Well, the people who did this meal include a doctor and the manager of an alligator farm. They have kids starting Thursday too. They took hours.

This meal meant so much to me because it cost them so much -- not in money but in time and attention. They really cared.

What can you do?

I hope amidst these details that you'll glimpse and see a few nuggets of ideas.

What if you don't have a PTO like this?

There are times you won't have a PTO this incredible. I'm starting my 12th year. In those down years, we teachers got together and appreciated ourselves. We had potlucks and did things to appreciate each other. Sometimes a person would bring flavored coffee and other times we would plan something fun.

Appreciate each other. That is a start. If you show each other respect, you'll see others start joining in.

Appreciate your students

What will it mean to your students when they see your attention to detail? What happens when they see you've thought of everything? What happens when they see your sacrifice and how much time it took you to plan?

If teachers crave appreciation -- as grown adults -- how much more so does a young child need it?

Appreciation rolls forward

I will love my students no matter how people treat me.

But I will love my school more and feel more deep loyalty as I feel love from people surrounding the school.

Some people might just take words as meaning 'I care" but for me, show me. Students feel the same way.

This has me thinking about the tiny details for my students. It has me thinking about how I can show more appreciation for my students. I'm so grateful for the experience that I want to pay it forward to others. Somehow sacrifice and appreciation multiplies itself greatly. These PTO representatives are blessing students through blessing us. All of us teachers felt the same way: cared for. People lingered and talked. We had a great time.

These are the things that make a fine school into a family.

I hope you will share pictures of great things that people do to appreciate teachers so that there are a lot of Back to School ideas floating around.

Have a great start of your school year. I know many of you won't have one as nice as mine but in all my years of teaching, nothing has been like this! Thank you Westwood PTO! Now, let's move Forward!

 

Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad

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Comparing Business to Teaching: A Wake up Call to the World

Of all of the jobs I’ve had in my life, teaching takes the most energy and patience and is by far the hardest of what I’ve done.

When I was a businesswoman

When I was a businesswoman - I could fire employees who didn’t do their job – now, I have to work to motivate and teach every student even those who don’t want to be there.

When I was a businesswoman - I could even fire customers if they caused a constant drain upon resources with complaining or wasted tasks; – as a teacher I work with all who come.

When I was a businesswoman - I had great autonomy - the buck stopped with me in terms of customer satisfaction - as a teacher there are so many things in the life of a child at my school from the lunchroom to the playground to the team and other teachers - all of these combine to make their experience - I only have control over my own classroom.

When I was a businesswoman the world was a more forgiving place when I messed up. I could make mistakes in grammar or spelling without everyone pointing at me, accusing me of falling short. I could forget a date in history. Now, for some reason because I’m a teacher, I’m supposed to be perfect in knowledge – but I’m not.

When I was a businesswoman, I had far less customer service to do. As a teacher, I’m getting a barrage of questions from parents and students and board members to handle with far less time to respond. I live “customer service” every moment because all I do is answer questions and serve.

When I was a businesswoman, I could actually close my door. I could be alone for more than 50 minutes at a time. I could plan my day and work my plan. If I had a big project I could get some quiet to do that. As a teacher, I have to do my big projects as I work with students or after school. I will be in the midst of something and a parent drops by for a chat and I’m stuck staying till 9pm. It is how it goes. People somehow think that teachers are here without schedules and that we work less time than the real world but I can attest to the fact that the hours are longer and people respect your time far less when you teach.

When I was a businesswoman, I could leave work at the office and come home. I could go on vacation and leave someone in charge and expect not to receive many phone calls. (I was general manager for cellular one - so even back in 1994 I had a cell phone.) Now, as a teacher, except in the summer, my students still contact me. Not to bother me, but because I’m a 24/7 teacher. I’m always on the ball.

When I was a businesswoman, I could go out for lunch. Wow, I got an hour for lunch. Now, sometimes I’m lucky to get 5 minutes – if I have lunch duty. People who think teachers have shortened hours need to realize that we are pretty much on duty every moment of every day and that includes lunch.

When I was a businesswoman, I could be a member of the Rotary club and president of the Chamber of Commerce. I could go to meetings where I learned about current events and had time to read the newspaper. I got to be around other adults and make a difference in the community. As a teacher, the school is my world. I have to dive into my online PLN for daily learning and open up a video to see current events. I have to master tricks to allow me to stay abreast of the world in minutes because my time to read the newspaper is gone.

When I was a businesswoman, I worked with numbers and was paid by the numbers. As a very good businesswoman, I was able to earn whopping commissions for my sales. As a teacher, what I do is not quantifiable. While some say a test score could quantify what I do - I work with people. J Edwards Deming said that ‘the most important things are not measured and unmeasurable.’ and I agree. You can’t measure what I do except see what happens after time. People think you can actually measure all of learning in a number don’t know kids and don’t know learning. Many of them have test anxiety (like their parents) and a number on a piece of paper can’t summarize a kid even more than my weight can summarize my overall health. It can give you trends but not the full picture.

When I was a businesswoman, if I did a good job long enough at my current job, I could get promoted - usually with a significant raise. As a teacher, there is no promotion - unless you want to move into administration and move away from kids. There is no merit increase- pretty much all teachers get the same % increase - even the sorry ones. About the only way I could get a big increase is to be a good coach and that certainly isn’t my calling. This is probably the hardest thing for me - in my years of business I was promoted every year or two consistently. Now, I have to reinvent myself every year. My promotions come in the form work I do on the side and with my students. My promotions are made when I level up my teaching and get more out of my students.

When I was a businesswoman, there were awards you could win. When I was part of a team that implemented something new, we received notice for it or a commendation. Certificates were handed out for many things because people knew that building a resume is important and that excellence needs to be quantified. As a teacher, pretty much the only awards that are won are by the students - while this is fine - if you’re driven (like me) you miss having those things to shoot for. My reward comes in the thank you letter or note from parents. It comes in the pack of post it notes and pens that someone left me. I’m happy with a kind word at the store. No wonder teachers are desperate for attention. The only award for teachers at our school is STAR teacher and that is picked by a senior – since I teach up to 10th grade - I doubt that will happen. Plus, that is just by one student. I never knew until I became a teacher just how hard it is because of the silence of recognition opportunities. The silence about what good teachers do is deafening and it is something that society needs to address and every school should address if you want to keep the best teachers teaching.

But…

When I was a businesswoman, though, as much as I appreciated my employees and enjoyed making my “numbers” every month - there was something missing. My passion was there but not my purpose.

When you hear the Siren song… you can’t turn back…

I didn’t really plan this path for me. It is kind of like the men who would hear Siren’s song and couldn’t for the life of them turn away. Except I’m not sailing towards the rocks, I’m sailing around them daily.

What I didn’t have as a businesswoman.

• But when I was a businesswoman, I didn’t have all of this life around me.
• I didn’t laugh as much. I didn’t live as much.
• I didn’t have customers coming back to thank me years later for what I’d done for them “back when.”
• I didn’t have the freedom to talk about important things of life and every month I started over at zero with more numbers. I don’t teach numbers - I teach precious human beings. I love them.
• I love teaching. It is my purpose. It isn’t my destiny it is my calling. When I’m there, I’m all there. Sure, there are drawbacks and things I don’t have. The world gives a whole lot more respect to me as a businesswoman than me as a teacher. But I don’t care.

I choose to teach

I happily choose to be a teacher. This isn’t about receiving the world’s respect or having an easier time of it. It isn’t about having time alone or being able to close your door. It isn’t even about the money - although I have always had to work on the side to support “my teaching habit.” I also have a husband with a very good job and my family can afford to let me teach. Not everyone can afford to do this. Some great teachers are leaving the profession and their calling because they can’t afford to sacrifice their families to teach.

Teaching is about something I must do.

It is more like Jeremiah 20:9 where Jeremiah says:

there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

While he’s talking about holding in God’s name. I’m talking about teaching. I tried to hold back my love of teaching but I could not. It is who I am. It is what I must do. And for all the drawbacks, teaching – good teaching – is just plain old noble. It is.

When you feel the good things in life

There are times when you eat a very nice restaurant or end up in a very nice hotel or are on the prow of a ship with the wind in your hair where you say to yourself “Wow, this is living. This is amazing.”

I do that just about every day in my classroom. There is something supremely noble and important. I feel it in every word I speak and action I inspire. What I do is very important. Every day is important in the life of a child. I just didn’t have that in the business world.

We can all join in and start appreciating good teaching.

While we need good businesswomen and men and some aren’t cut out for teaching – it is time to appreciate and elevate teaching for what it is – a calling, a passion a purpose.

What teachers DO

Good teachers aren’t slackers. They don’t choose not to be part of the community activities you have going. They do care about the community.

I don’t do this job because I get (sigh) summers off or holidays. It takes the whole first week of summer just to feel like a human being again.

I’ve never worked harder but been more fulfilled. Teachers aren’t perfect and we don’t always behave nobly, but good teachers care about kids. Teachers work 98% of time of other professions in 3/4 of the year. Our hours are very long during the week.

What society should DO with good teachers.

Shouldn’t the people that spend more time with kids than their parents be respected members of society?

Do we let one or two employees not doing their job color our entire view of a company? The existence of bad teachers doesn’t diminish the importance of good ones. In fact, I’d argue that it makes good teachers even more important!

I don’t have time to look back from the plow at when I was a business woman. In fact, I usually don’t go down this row because it can make me unhappy with how education organizes itself.

But it is what it is. I pay the price in a major salary cut to do work with purpose. Some would say that doesn’t make me noble - it makes me stupid. I don’t care what you say -

I care about living a life that means something.

I care about doing my God given purpose.

I care about the future of my city and state and world.

I care about kids and helping their parents help them do their best.

I care and thus, I teach.

I care about teaching and the future of kids and thus I write this blog to help others see the truth.

I will pour myself out in service to the noblest of professions.

I sure hope some of my business colleagues will read this post and understand just what teachers do and give up in order to work with kids. You can start doing things to encourage and keep good teachers and it starts with giving respect and thanks to them.

What parents and business people can do.

I hope as the school year starts that parents and others will realize how important saying thank you to the teacher is – it is the ONLY - I repeat the ONLY “way to go” most teachers EVER get - no matter how good they are.

I hope most of all that my students are ready for me. We’ve got special things planned and it all starts Thursday.

I start today!!

I don’t have much time to format this post and make it perfect because I’ve got to run to school. In fact, I’ll go ahead and publish it now and then add the photos later tonight. I hope people will read it anyway without the pretty pictures.

Preplanning starts to day and I can’t wait. I’m ready! I’m psyched. I love this job even with its drawbacks - it is a great profession and I’m honored to be a teacher. I’ll leave the house in 10 short minutes as soon as I press publish!

Watch out students, Mrs. Vicki is coming! I’m your TEACHER and I’m so glad to be right here with you this year!!

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 08/04/2013

• The Paperless Classroom with Google Docs - Google Drive

  A lovely overview by North Canton City Schools about how to go paperless with Google Docs. If you're working towards being as paperless as possible, this is a nice document to get you started. (For some of you out there who don't know this - Google renamed everything "Google Drive" to respond to Dropbox's domination of cloud storage but many of us still call the word processor "Docs".)

  tags: education news google drive bestpractices edu_trends

• 40 Ways to Use Google Apps in the Classroom - Google Drive

  A slick presentation about Google apps for education. Becky Evans created and shared this and says you can use it as a presentation to introduce current features to teachers at your school. Take a look as you prepare to give teachers an overview of Google Apps for Education.

  tags: news education google drive bestpractices all_teachers edu_trends professionaldevelopment web2

• 60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom | Fluency21 – Committed Sardine Blog

  60 examples of how Twitter is being used in the classroom today. From sharing with parents quick takeaways from the day to empowering class discussions, Twitter is a tool you can use. I'm announcing a hashtag for my class on the first day! ;-)

  tags: twitter social media education news tumblr

• Brainstorming in the Cloud: Using Prezi Meeting to Facilitate Feedback during the Topic Selecting and Organizing Stage of the Composition Process by Shawn Apostel on Prezi

  Prezi meeting is a tool that students are using in the brainstorming and planning phase of a project. This presentation shares how this works.

  tags: education collaborativewriting news brainstorming composition bestpractices literature edu_trends edu_newapp

• How to Use Google+ Hangouts for Teaching: 8 Steps - wikiHow

  Nice examples and instructions if you're wanting to use Google Hangouts for Teaching and flattening your classroom.

  tags: education news google+ tumblr bestpractices

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Questioning Rigor

There is a part near the end of the book Teach Like a PIRATE by Dave Burgess where he questions why we’re using the term rigor. (Read also Shawn White's "Let's change R to V: Vigor, not Rigor") Since rigor means:

rig·or
/ˈrigər/ Noun The quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate. Severity or strictness: “the full rigor of the law”. Synonyms rigour - severity - austerity - stringency - strictness

Being thorough or accurate… that is great. Being severe or strict… I just don’t have to be in my classroom.

What I want in my classroom

• I want my classroom to thoroughly cover my subject.
• I want every child to learn and be engaged.
• I want to be engaging, fun, and a force in my classroom that coaches everyone towards excellence.
• I want to help students learn habits and ways to think about life that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.
• I want students to be unafraid of technology and just know it cold - particularly how to learn about new technology, the great historical figures and trends in technology, and how to spot trends in technology in the future.
• I want to help students find their passion in my classroom.
• I want to have a purpose for every minute the students are in my classroom knowing that sometimes to an outsider viewing a minute or two of what we are doing that I risk being accused of purposelessness. I’m willing to brave the ire and disrespect of a casual observer to be an excellent, deep teacher by providing experiences that immerse students in authentic projects and activities.
• I will take students anywhere in order to teach a lesson. Outside. Inside. Upside down. I’ll take them to town (and have). If there is a lesson to be taught, we’ll move around and get in a better position to observe and be part of what we’re learning. Sometimes you have to get in a different position to see the world differently.
• I am passionate about teaching my subject but even when my passion wanes about a specific topic, my passion will never wane about my students.
• I know that lesson plans go awry and that things happen that mean I need to go in a different direction than I planned. I’ll be adaptable and learn from mistakes and grasp the teachable moment like a cowboy ropes a bull by the horns. The only failure I won’t tolerate in myself and others is that of not learning from failure.
• I love my students. That love does not depend upon whether they love me back.
• I will fill every moment with intentional learning.
• I will know when to back off and let student groups do the work of brainstorming and creativity and interject when kids need help with the process of facilitating brainstorming and creating without interfering too much with their final product.
• I’ll let kids do things differently than I would.
• I don’t want kids to be a “mini me” but a super you. They have a purpose different from mine. They have talents different from mine.
• I’ll look for student talent and encourage kids to bring it in and use it to teach others and me.
• I’ll admit my mistakes and help the class learn from them. Mistakes are embarrassing but to pretend I’m the only one in the classroom who doesn’t make them is to elevate myself to a pedestal upon which I will readily topple very soon.
• I’m glad I’m a teacher and will encourage other teachers to remember what excellence looks like.

Can you laugh and learn?

Maybe what I do looks like rigor but honestly, sometimes it looks like we’re having a blast. I read a study that the average 4 year old laughs 300 times a day and the average 40 year old only 4 times a day. Well, when school is in session, I might give that 4 year old a run for the money.

Rigorous assessment of teachers in 10 minutes: say it isn’t so!

I think the problem with rigor is that some are trying to assess it in too short of a time. Turning back to the Teach Like a Pirate book by Dave, he mentions that someone came in to assess his “rigor” by spending 10 minutes in his room. They came in when he was folding cranes at the end of a powerful lesson about Hiroshima. Hearing him describe the full lesson - it was a perfect ending that the kids will never forget.

This person sent to “assess rigor” spent 10 minutes in his room and left after commenting to a student or two that “this doesn’t look like history.” I would argue that teacher assessment teams must be held to the same rigor as a classroom teacher!

If I spent 10 minutes on a lesson, I’d be "dinged’ for not doing my job. If a person is assessing a lesson, they should spend the entire time in class. Period. One class period. Honestly, that isn’t enough.

Faking it

I remember a distraught teacher at a local public school telling me her story one night. She says that she teaches across the hall from the worst teacher she’s ever seen. The kids do nothing, literally, most school days. They are roaming the halls…coming over to her room…getting in trouble. It is a mess. The teacher teaches little or nothing.

EXCEPT…

The teacher writes beautiful lesson plans that take her hours. She doesn’t follow them, she just writes them.

The teacher “performs” a good lesson plan three times a year… the three times that administration comes in to observe her. That is it.

Now, I hate to say this, but honestly, for administration to observe three total lesson plans from a teacher is a big deal. I know teachers who are lucky to get a few minutes once a year.

Dropping by is always a good thing

My principal “drops by” as does my curriculum director. I know I’ve just said that you have to see a lesson, but let me tell you what my principal and curriculum director do. They drop by when they see students working (which is a lot) and see what the kids are creating and doing.

I have often asked them to judge me not by what they see in my classroom sometimes. Because sometimes it looks like we’re a tad on the edge of chaos. I ask them to judge me by what my students produce and know. And those students know quite a bit.

Keep an eye on the ball.

So, while I’d say not to judge an entire lesson by 10 minutes. I’d also say to administrators that if you’re not popping your head in and walking around to see what is going on, you don’t have your head in the game.

A coach watches the game to see what plays the players are doing (if any at all.) A coach knows his or her players and knows how they play. If you don’t know how your teachers teach on a day to day basis, you aren’t keeping your eye on the ball.

Final words on rigor

I have some people I respect greatly like Barbara Blackburn who work with rigor in the classroom. I have the distinct impression that it really means – “are you focused on teaching your topic” but sadly some are interpreting it to mean “are you in your chairs lined up looking at the board and working.”

I’ve seen people walk in classrooms where the kids were quiet working on worksheets and commenting on how orderly and great the classroom is. Hogwash.

I can walk in your den and it is clean and tidy and everyone is reading a book and comment on how well your family gets along. And I could be very wrong.

Just because a classroom is quietly working on worksheets means nothing. In fact, I’d say if all a class does is worksheets then there’s probably a problem. The best teachers I know probably spend the least amount of time at the copier of anyone at the school. They still need it but their lessons are written in the experiences and activities that they plan. If they use a worksheet it is with intention and strategic.

Best wishes to you teachers.

I hope you’ll all pick up Dave’s book Teach Like a PIRATE and I also highly recommend Invent To Learn by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager. Both of these books will help you picture and imagine excellent learning.

I’m not saying rigor is a bad thing. But sometimes we need to understand that how people think they are using it is not really what they want to say. What do they mean by rigor? That is what we have to understand. Depending upon what they mean it could be a good or a bad thing. And if they try to observe whether rigor is happening in a way that is non rigorous itself, we should call them on it. I don’t think you can assess whether rigor exists in a classroom in 10 minutes… that assessment is slack and lacks rigor.

Be willing to question.

We teach with our lives. Our lives should be those that question and ask.

• Should we blindly let others who know nothing or little about our profession lead us down a road which we do not think it wise to trod without asking them to show us the map?
• If we’re being taken on a journey, should we ask questions to help understand the qualifications of the tour guides and if they have a track record of getting others there safely?
• If the very future is at stake, should we let the pendulum swing over the line from helpful to hurtful without standing in the way?

I think that these questions about rigor are ones that should be asked and applaud Dave Burgess for asking them so bravely.

I’d really like to hear from more of you. What are your thoughts about the term “rigor”? Is the assessment of “rigor” in your classroom done in a rigorous way itself? Please speak out so we can further this conversation.

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 08/03/2013

• Pinterest Bookmarklet for iPad — iOS Bookmarklets

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• Evernote Bookmarklet for iPad — iOS Bookmarklets

  If you use Evernote and you want to put the Send to evernote bookmarklet on your Safari web browser, herea re the instructions for how to do that. This website also has many iOS bookmarklets that do things - a great plus for the productivity nuts among us (like me.)

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 08/02/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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