I May Not Blog Often, But I Try..

I've been hearing a lot of noise in my Twitter stream about teachers blogging.
"Teachers really should blog more."
"They need to share the great learning going on in their classrooms."
"They need to comment on others' blogs." 
"They need to connect more!"

I even hear my own voice whispering those very things and eventually the roar: 

Why haven't you posted in over a month? 
At blogger awards times and such, people often step it up, eager to be recognized by their esteemed peers. There's nothing wrong with wanting a bit of recognition in a field where much of the attention given to us is critical.

But I blog for other reasons.  Yes, I am human and the attention can feel nice, but actually, I blog when I have a hope that my story will inspire, or energize, or simply help a teacher who is just downright exhausted and ready to throw in the towel. Maybe I will be that glimmer of hope. OK, so what's the issue then?

I don't know about you, but when I go through a blogging drought, I find myself wondering. Why don't I write more about my students and what we are doing? Here are a few of the reasons, though some might just view them as "excuses."

• Blogging takes quite a bit of time when done to a standard I am comfortable with. A great deal of my teacher time is dedicated to planning, learning, working with students, and giving meaningful feedback. The time left is reserved for recharging, refueling, and this year, in particular, a heartfelt commitment to exercise and health. I really am in awe of those who are with students every day and still have time to blog several times a week. 
• I blog several times per week on a class blog for my parent community, sharing what we are learning. This is a private blog, per my school's policy about photos, etc.This writing takes a good deal of time, and often I simply have nothing much left in me.
• My students blog! This is fabulous, and I really enjoy sharing their blogs with others. Leaving quality comments and moderating posts and comments is wonderful, yet takes time as well.
• Confidentiality is so important. Writing a story about the classroom, without going into detail describing students, their actions, comments, etc, is very tricky! When I blog I must be careful that no one knows who I am really writing about. This is a challenge, especially in a small school community. 
• Teachers are in the spotlight. When I blog, I can't help but feel a need to convey honesty with twist of strength and confidence. Yes, we can share our vulnerabilities with our trusted peers, but frankly, we can put ourselves under intense scrutiny if we write openly about challenges with students. Maybe I am just too careful in this arena, but I have witnessed the diminished credibility of a colleague who was honest and revealed her struggles.
• Blogging is lower on my current priorities list. Being completely present with students day in and day out is my main agenda. Connecting and collaborating with other educators on Twitter is another big priority.

Don't get me wrong! I want and hope to find a way to write more regularly. I have the utmost respect for teacher bloggers who seem to blog often. Perhaps I even have a bit of "blogger envy."  I would love to know if I have touched a familiar nerve in anyone out there or if they have advice for some of the challenges I mentioned.

4 Powerful Minutes

Promoting a positive and engaging environment is something I work on and reflect upon continuously every school year.  I keep my eyes and ears open for "teachable" moments, when I can connect my students to an inspiring story, music, art, or video, that relates to something we are learning.

Because we are currently reading The One and Only Ivan in the Global Read Aloud, yesterday seemed like a great time to show this beautiful 4 minute clip about a man reunited with a gorilla,  after being back in the wild for 5 years.





Afterward, glossy eyed students, who would usually be popping up to run to lunch recess, sat and commented on the beauty of this film. They noticed the closeness of the man and the gorillas, the vulnerability of him and the risk if the gorilla had been aggressive. They talked of their own connections to pets and animals. And, they noticed the tears in my eyes: "Are you crying, Mrs. Young?" "Oh, I always cry a little at beautiful stories like this." With a smile, they file out the door for recess. 
Often we say we don't have time for these connections. Four minutes? I think we can make time for moments that will make an impression for life. When was the last time you seized those minutes before lunch or the end of the day to do something meaningful? Were you surprised at the outcome?

Don't Worry...Take Deep Breaths..

I'm one of those people who is always making up new lyrics to songs. Sometimes zany, sometimes unrepeatable for a myriad of reasons, it's something that just comes naturally to me. You can imagine, then, the heaven I was in when I went to a session this summer on creating parodies for learning with Diane Main at ISTE12, a tech conference in San Diego. She showed us how to use Garageband to create new versions of popular songs.

I am in the process of writing songs for 4th grade as well as creating an app that will allow students and teachers to take original lyrics, line by line, and create new lyrics that match the rhythm and rhyme of the song.

If you're a Bob Marley fan like I am, you'll know this song, Three Little Birds.



 One night, as I thought about the importance of teaching kids to breathe deeply and learn some ideas of mindfulness, this song came to me. Of course, it's a work in progress and I will probably let my students help me out with the lyrics!

Three Little Breaths lyrics

Don't worry, take deep breaths

Cause every little breath's gonna turn out right

Singin': Don't worry, take deep breaths

'Cause every little breath's gonna turn out right!"

Woke up this morning

Started with mindfulness

3 big deep breaths

to start my day right

Calming my mind

Helping me to focus more

Sayin': This day is gonna be aw-awe-some.  

Don't worry, take deep breaths

Cause every little breath's gonna turn out right

Singin': Don't worry, take deep breaths

'Cause every little breath's gonna turn out right!"

When I record it, I will definitely share. Thanks, Diane Main, for the inspiration!

The Wisdom of Students

Here we were on Friday, Day Two, of 4th grade, and the words: "Classroom Expectations" loomed on the schedule. Ugh... As a teacher, I feel like I am supposed to enjoy this topic, to ensure that "control" and appropriate behavior happens in my classroom and around the school campus. Although I do believe in the importance of clear expectations, I feel uncomfortable with the traditional notion of classroom management as a way to "control behavior." I want my students to make wise choices, learn when they make "less than wise" choices, and understand the connections between their actions and their learning. Not always an easy feat in 4th grade, yet their wisdom, once again, was about to blow me away.

As I asked my students what "classroom expectations" means, a student crinkled up her face and sheepishly answered, "The rules?" Perfect, I thought! They used the "r" word so I won't have to. I asked my students what happens inside of them when they hear the word, "rules," and although no one spoke, many frowned, squirmed, and let me know that it was not a positive connotation. I wrote the word on the board and wrapped a circle around it, and ended with a big red slash.  "Don't get me wrong," I said, jokingly, "This does not mean that we can run around school acting all crazy!"Laughs erupted along with a bit of craziness prompted by my silly statement.  I paused a moment for them to transform back to students. We decided that we would use, "expectations," and we would agree upon behaviors that would help us work together and learn best in the classroom.

Now, for the fun! Students met in small groups, working for ten minutes to positively phrase all of the expectations they could think of.  It can be tough for them to break the "Don't.. " and the, "No..." statements, but they used positive statements for the most part.  The photos speak for themselves: students are wise! They know exactly how to run a classroom.

I love the focus on kindness from this group!

I love that they said, "Listen to the person who is presenting" and not just, "to the teacher!"

Love it: be fairly quiet and use a nice way of talking!

Talking and listening are a big focus!

"Try" to pay attention. Hope it won't be too hard!

Respect your job..love this!

 Of course, the student groups then presented their ideas to the class. Because the presentations took a bit of time, and students needed a change of topic, we opted to do the final step on Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday!

So, tomorrow we will find the common themes and summarize them into one expectation for each big idea. Hopefully, we will have 5 or so guiding expectations for our fabulous year in 4th grade! Students will work together to decide who will write the sentences in "large neat handwriting" for the bulletin board, and who will illustrate each expectation as well.  Finally, students will add their own photos and signatures to the board, confirming their agreement and participation in developing a positive classroom culture.

This all might seem like a lot of time dedicated to setting expectations. What do you think? What process do you go through to develop and share your classroom expectations with students? Please share so that we can learn together!

Ready for the First Day! 8 Things I Hope to Remember..

A view of our new furniture!

1. 

Another view of the classroom.

Tomorrow is the first day of school and I am excited, nervous, and happy, but most of all, feeling that "butterfly-stomach" anticipation of a new beginning with my incoming 4th graders.

As  I try not to let my mind rest on, "Oh my gosh, what did I forget to do," I am taking this opportunity to remind myself of my intentions for tomorrow.

1. First, and foremost, I want my students to feel the warmth of the classroom environment. I want them to sense the welcome, to know that the space belongs to them.
2. I want to be calm and present with each student as I learn his/her name. 
3. Even though the beginning of school comes packed with discussions about classroom expectations, I want to allow room for spontaneity and playfulness as we go about our day.
4. Daily reflection will become a part of our routines, with exit ticket type survey questions as a way for me to check in on the class and determine if any individual needs more attention from me. 
5. Making mistakes, celebrating them, and learning from them will become commonplace as I model my own silly mistakes on the first few days. 
6. Developing a class culture that promotes authenticity and risk-taking in learning will take time. I need to allow time for a daily class meeting to build rapport and trust, encourage collaboration, and help students refine their voices.
7. Students will be more anxious than I am! I need to validate the range of feelings that returning to school can evoke.
8. Parents will want to know what is going on in class. I intend to blog about our learning more often this year and share the great insights of our students.

What is first and foremost in  your mind as you begin the school year? 

My Interview with a Hero: Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt Talks about One for the Murphy's

Photo from LyndaMullalyHunt.com

(note: this post was cross-posted on The Nerdy Book Club Blog but contains a few variations, namely the interview posted in segments) 

You may know that I have a variety of interests related to my work with children and families. One of my passions is celebrating the strength and resilience of those who overcome difficult situations. It's no surprise, then, that I fell in love with the book One for the Murphys and the character of Carley. I had the chance of a lifetime when Lynda Mullaly Hunt agreed to talk with me on Skype last week! 

Here's my story:


It's not every day you read a book that reaches inside, grabs your heart, and takes it on a journey through laughter, tears, and hopeful moments of reflection. One for the Murphy's inspired me to think back on my time as a foster care social worker and classroom teacher and consider the incredible strengths and resilience of children I've met, and the families who became "their heroes." Carley's honest voice also touched the child inside of me who had a difficult time fitting in, validating my own trials and tribulations of growing up.

After I finished One for the Murphy's, I tweeted to Lynda Mullaly Hunt, expressing my gratitude for this marvelous book. She kindly replied to my expression of being "authorstruck!"

After more conversation with Lynda on Twitter, and recalling a prior unrelated request from Colby Sharp to guest post on the Nerdy Book Club Blog, I had a brainstorm: What if I asked Lynda to do an interview on Skype? I mustered up my nerve and sent her a DM (direct message) on Twitter. In the blink of an eye it seemed, she responded, yes! 

Since friends recommended that I split up the interview into segments, something I didn't realize was easy to do with Tubechop , I reposted here with the interview broken up into topics for easier viewing.

Introduction: Meeting Lynda!

How Carley called to Linda as a 12 year old girl.

What Linda thinks of foster parents.

Getting Personal: Lynda's own experience of strength and resilience that added so much to her authentic voice 

Fictional characters who inspired Lynda as a kid  

 
Carley's counting and coping techniques 






  Lynda the lyricist and the power of music  

How will Carley cope? 





Getting to know Toni, loving the Red Sox, and fitting in

 

Will we hear from Carley again? 





 
Lynda's message to Carley

As you can tell from the smile pasted on my face during the interview, I had an incredible time talking with Lynda. She is truly a hero in her willingness to share such a powerful and hopeful story.

Thank you Lynda, for sharing your time, and for letting me delve into the heart and soul of your fabulous book.

Developing Resilience in the Classroom

Thanks to this article Promoting Resilience - Why it matters   I was able to find this poster highlighting ways to build resilience in school and record this screencast with my ideas.