I tell you, Amanda Gorman, really inspired me. I haven’t written a poem in years!
We are not Superheroes.
We cannot leap
Tall buildings in a single bound.
But, we can leap over obstacles
placed in the way
Of us “being best”… READ MORE.
The other day I was teaching an economics lesson on Supply and Demand.
The students had to write a list of 4 things they like to do when they are home.
I modeled the ist with a list of my own, and I started with reading. (Which I really shouldn’t have because the lesson was about getting paid to read, so… but that’s how much I love to read.)
One of the students stated increduously, “You LIKE to read?”
I replied, “Yes, that is part of how I got here, haviing this job,” or something like that.
He said, “That’s not what I mean. You just LIKE to read?”
I said, “Do you mean for pleasure?” Yes, I do, and I’m mad that I don’t get to do it as much as I would like because of work.”
At this point, he just laughed and shook his head.
Many students don’t read for pleasure. Many adults don’t read for pleasure.
Why?
video games
Youtube
phones
lack of diversity in books
books are not present in the home or classroom
school has sucked the joy of out of reading
So, what should we do to get our kids reading for pleasure?…
Originally published on Blogger “Diary of a Public School Teacher!”
My sorors and I celebrated Founder’s Day and when a bunch of educators get together, there are always games!
My soror created a BINGO game based on the history of our sorority, NSPDK, Inc., and it got me thinking. This would be great for my kiddos, especially since they were testing this week. I still wanted their minds in school mode, but I also wanted them to relax. READ MORE…
So, when I received an email saying that TEDxWilmington was looking for speakers, I jumped at it.
I have to be honest, I started filling out the app, and got discouraged. It was due the next day, and I had to submit a video, arrrgh! READ MORE…
ll NEVER carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, in my classroom.I will NEVER keep it locked in a safe.
I say this with the utmost certainty.
There is a huge debate going on about whether teachers should be armed in order to protect their students.
As usual, teachers’ voices are muted by the roar of non-educators who believe they know better. READ MORE…
FLL Robotics Competition
I have worked in schools that have been defined by a number of labels. High poverty, large percentage of free and reduced lunch, low income, those types of labels.
When those labels are used, although they shouldn’t, they tend to define a school, their students, and the parents.
Generalizations are made.
Well, you know, because the school is high poverty, the free and reduced lunch percentage is high, and there are many low income families
Those generalizations lead to beliefs.
Beliefs that lead to an excessive amount of reading and math instruction.
More intervention.
More worksheets.
More computers, just so we make sure these kids don’t miss out on all the adaptive programs that are available to them.
But many of them do miss out.
They miss out on STEAM programs, global collaboration, plays, passion projects, student ownership, being allowed to think!
This year, thanks to a friend of mine and her connections, (Shout out to Michelle!),I was able to obtain a grant for a LEGO Robotics kit. With the Robotics kit came the responsibility of getting a group of kids ready to compete in a FIRST LEGO League Robotics competition. I never doubted they could do it.
These kids.
I looked at the LEGO kit when it arrived, and wanted to cry.
They looked at the LEGO kit and began to build.
They built Mission models, a robot, and programmed it.(Shout out to Home Depot for building and donating their practice table)
They studied their Core Values and completed their Animal Allies research project. (Shout out to Jillian from +Sharks4Kids!).
Our, the other coach and I, faith never wavered. We believed in them.
These kids from this “high poverty, large percentage of free and reduced lunch, low income” school went to the competition and did their thing.
They went, worked as a team, behaved respectfully, and showed what they are capable of.
They got points on the board for getting their robot to complete 3 missions! (Shout out to to Mr.Bill from Caravel Academy!)
They won the award for the Research category. YES!
I’m still grinning.:)
Let’s give our kids, no matter where they attend school, a chance to be exposed. A chance to experience all that life has to offer. Give them a chance to shine!
Zip code. Does not. = ability.
There used to be a time when a teacher would find his/her groove teaching, a style of teaching that produced results. Of course,as the years went by, that style, hopefully, would be refined, adjusted, tap here, tap there, and all is good.READ MORE…
One year I was being observed and the class I had was trying to sign into Schoology, again. I was frustrated because a. I was being observed and b. This was not the first time they had signed into Schoology. And to be honest if I wasn’t being observed, I might not have been quite as frustrated. But that’s another story…
So, during the post observation my administrator suggested that I create “cheat sheets.” I said, “I keep telling them how to do it, they should get it.” And then, I went home and created the “cheat sheet”, and I have been doing it ever since. READ MORE..
I always want to know what my students think of me.
Not in a “shower me with praises because I am so great” kind of way, but just knowing how they felt about being in our classroom.
I usually do a survey each quarter, but for some reason, probably new grade, curriculum, etc… I didn’t get to it.READ MORE…
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER 