Starting the New Year WIth a New Sentence

With my wonderful PLN on Twitter, I was talking about ways to start the New Year other than the traditional New Year's resolutions. Thanks to a conversation with my friend, Ally, @FlyontheCWall, I decided to be brave and begin a new exercise in 4th grade the first day back from our winter vacation and completed it the following day.  As it’s a new year, it’s always a great time to re-examine goals and ideas about who we want to be.
I began by challenging 4th graders to think and brainstorm about who they want to be in 2012. I asked questions like:” What is something you want to be able to say about yourself?” “What is a quality or an action you want to be known for?”

We watched this brief video, based on Daniel Pink’s, “What’s Your Sentence?”




What's Your Sentence?: The Video from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.


The next day, students took their brainstorms from the first day and wrote “their sentences”. Below are some photos of the results. Pretty impressive, especially for 4th graders! Such a positive way to begin 2012!

As you start 2012 with your students, how will you inspire them to make choices that lead them to who they want to be?

5 Surprise Gifts on a Sunday Afternoon

It began with a simple request from my sister in law: "Hey, Joanie, do you want to join us tomorrow singing Christmas carols at a party for the Ambassor of Kenya to the U.N.? Her neighbors go to our church and work with her, and she wants some singing at her party. We don't really know what to expect..but it will be fun to sing as a family."

The "all of us" meant my musical Patitucci family: my brother John, a bass player, his wife, Sachi, an amazing cellist, their musically gifted daughters, Gracie and Bella, my sister Renee, a professional singer, and her family, my sister Mare ( another talented singer) and her family and I, with 12 of us altogether singing. Since my sister, Renee is music director of their church, and John and Sachi are professional musicians, their friends invited them to sing. Even though I do love to sing, I must admit that I get a bit intimidated by my siblings' talent, though I couldn't miss the opportunity.  

Fast forward to the Sunday afternoon….

We arrived about 20 minutes early, pulling up to a beautiful house in a neighborhood in Scarsdale.  We sat outside around the corner, not wanting to arrive early and inconvenience anyone. We practiced a bit to be sure we all knew each song. This was going to be fun! I had no idea what an inspiring time it would be..

 Here are some of the serendipitous gifts of our afternoon:

1. Ambassador Josephine Ojiambo was a wonderfully gracious host. Although my brother's friend Karen had given us a quick briefing about how to show respect by greeting her with the proper title, we were all a tad nervous.  Ambassador Ojiambo insisted that we eat before we sang: delicious Kenyan food. She personally took my niece's plate and gave her a sample of each special dish, explaining what each one was. We learned about white corn being a staple food and chapati, a delicious bread, as well.

2. Not only did we get to sing carols for Kenyan Ambassador Ojiambo and her family and friends,  but  also for her friend: Ambassador to the U.N. from Nigeria, Joy Ogwu.  We were fortunate to talk with her after we sang; she is quite an inspiring woman: a leader among the female ambassadors to the U.N. as well as a member of the Security Council. She shared that she was about to lead some very important talks about arms this week, and felt so grateful to be at a party, relaxing and recharging for her busy week.

3. As we sang, I felt overcome with joy. With my brother John next to me, and my sisters in front of me, we shared smiles and tried to hold back spontaneous giggles as we recalled the Christmas carol records of our younger days.  Sharing music with my brothers and sisters is something I miss so dearly, as we live across the country from each other.  After several encores, Ambassador Ojiambo thanked us; I whispered a message to my brother that we should thank her for the gift that she had given us in her invitation.  Tears welled up in all of our eyes as we shared our thanks with her.

4. After being invited to stay at the party, and meeting many of the friends and family members of Ambassador Ojiambo, we sat by ourselves as they all disappeared upstairs to prepare a song for us. Little did we know that minutes later we would be singing and clapping along to songs from Kenya. They even made a percussion instrument out of the dome from the cake! It was a joyous time of sharing.

5. As we said our goodbyes, I was touched by the grace and warmth of our host. Ambassador Ojiambo told us that the afternoon far exceeded her expectations. We had made her birthday/Christmas celebration memorable. We left, uplifted by our experience. What was to be an hour of caroling turned into an afternoon of music and sharing. Priceless memories for all of us!

A Christmas Letter I Won't Send

The Christmas Letter I Won’t Send ( but should?)

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this holiday season finds you joyful and well, basking in the glow of a year of fond memories of time with loved ones, as well as of inspiring moments spent making a difference in this crazy world of ours.

I pray that your family is healthy. I know that many educators like me spend holidays fighting the myriad of germs that threaten to invade our bodies after being around germ-spreading little ones all day. Of course, you know that I wouldn’t trade “my kids” for anything.  Despite spending many Christmas eves coughing and sneezing my head off, I still sleep peacefully, knowing that I have lived out my passion by being with these kids each day, often caring more than some of the people who perhaps can’t, due to the daily struggles they face.

So back to that making a difference part. So often it seems as though we believe that it takes a grand act to "make a difference." Maybe you went on that one week mission with your church, posted hundreds of pictures on Facebook, as we all applauded your generous and courageous spirit. I probably even clicked “like” and added an honest, inspired comment.  Or maybe you sent in a donation to a local charity. Of course you can celebrate such a gift! I challenge myself, and all of us, to seize opportunities each and every day to share moments of kindness and generosity. You just never know when you may be giving someone exactly the words they need to "keep calm and carry on" in this very trying time. 

When those holiday bell ringers seek my spare change on a cold winter’s night, I smile and say that I am a teacher, who devotes myself and my change each and every day through the time, care and my own “change” I spend on supplementing my classroom to make learning joyful.  I give of myself all year round, 24 hours a day to this profession, as I spend nights dreaming of lesson ideas, ways to meet challenges with students, and worries about keeping my job.  I know thousands of other teachers who similarly give of themselves thanklessly each day.

At this time of year, as many of us send those “family lists of accomplishment” letters, cleverly designed to make us feel like our lives are worth a darn, my heart is peaceful, knowing that despite the many frustrations and barriers in my profession, I am doing exactly what I was meant to do. I hope that as you reflect on your year, you celebrate those gifts you share each day, and also that you are following the call in your heart. 

At this time of reflection and new beginnings, may you search your heart and check it twice. Are you on the path that brings you meaning and joy? How are YOU sharing your gifts with the world?

The Gift of Blogging

Yesterday, I was invited by my wonderful friend Greta to participate in the #Rockstar Meme - How Blogging Rocked Your World . Her beautiful post, about her journey as a blogger, inspired me to think deeply about the role that blogging has played in developing my voice, both as an educator and as an advocate for kids. 

My first response, I must admit, was one of feeling a bit overwhelmed with the task. Being succinct about subjects I am passionate about is not a strong point for me. I decided to write out a mind map and approach this task much in the way I encourage my students to plan out their writing.

As I drew out my concept map, I decided to use the Showme app to talk about my experience, instead of putting my thoughts into paragraph form. I took a picture of my map, inserted it into Showme, and took it from there. I hope you enjoy the results!

 

As the challenge has requested, my final step is to ask other inspiring bloggers to share their stories. I am tagging these individuals, who have shaped my blogging and thinking in recent months:

 Lisa Dabbs @teachingwthsoul 

 

 John T. Spencer @johntspencer 

 

 Patrick Larkin @bhsprincipal

 

Tracy Watanabe @tracywatanabe

 

Linda Yollis @lindayollis

3 Reflections for This School Year

Every year, I seem to grow more reflective in my practice, which is both a blessing and a curse. Perhaps you can't see why it would be a curse, as we are encouraged as educators to reflect on what we do.  Accomplishing tasks like curriculum mapping and lesson planning, however, take more time and brain power now because I  require so much brainstorming/processing time before I even get to the part where I can write anything. Hopefully, as I gain more experience as a 4th grade teacher, this process will take less time!

In any case, I have been working on these "big ideas" for myself as a teacher, and as always, I find great benefit in sharing with my wonderful network of educators around the globe.

• Students need to reflect!  If we value an assignment so much that we allow an extended period of time for its completion, then we need to take the time afterward for students to reflect. Perhaps you already do this with student rubrics or some other method of reflection, but I recently found it very helpful after students read my comments on their work for them to respond with their opinions. Questions I asked included, "Do you think that this piece reflected your best effort?" "What were some of the challenges for you?" "What will you do similarly or differently next time?"  I received feedback from both parents and students indicating that they found this process helpful, especially for identifying issues of time management and developing plans for future success.
• When integrating technology, it's critical to ask: "Am I just adding more 'stuff' to my curriculum or using technology as a way to let students process and showcase what they are learning?" I am working to synthesize the curriculum that I have with apps like "Showme" where students can use a screencast to demonstrate their process and understanding. Viewing their Showme's later has given me such an incredible window into student process! Isn't this the epitome of formative assessment?  So far, in math this has worked out extremely well, and I plan to use it this week for lessons with writing mechanics, beginning with comma use.  My plan is to then email the link to the Showme to the student, attach a few comments, and engage in a dialogue about their process. I see great opportunities for metacognition. 
• When we offer students extra support, we must be careful to send the right messages. I am sure that I have, at times, ( more often than I care to admit!) impacted student efficacy negatively by jumping in too fast to alleviate confusion. Perhaps I have even given the impression that I believed that they "needed my support" to succeed.  We must be patient in the messy learning process, pause, and give students the opportunity for the "aha" experience. Of course, this is so tricky when so many other kids are clamoring for our attention, right? We must somehow be present, available, and open for them to discover their own benefit in seeking help and make it part of everyone's learning to need help.  I really want students to know that it is a sign of strength to make mistakes, as well as solicit feedback and clarification! 

I am thinking of many other topics, of course, but hope to write again soon on those. Intrinsic motivation, behavior management systems, and parental involvement are at the top of the list!

What are some thoughts, reflections, questions on your mind as you get into the school year? Please share! 

A New Year: Designing the Learning Environment

We started school this past Thursday, and I feel like I have been in a whirlwind ever since! Even though we only had 2 days with students, I have lots of planning and organizing to do to set up for the month of September!
These pictures represent the classroom environment, "pre-students, " except for the picture that shows the students' "getting to know you wordles" from an exercise shared by the fabulous Paula Naugle, a teacher in New Orleans. 

 This table is currently too close to the wall and will need to be moved out a bit before we use it. I plan to work with small groups of students here.
The fun paisley border represents the colorful, unique voices of the writers whose work will adorn this board.

 The director's chair is mainly for student presentations. I probably will only sit in that chair when I do a "read-aloud."

 On the far wall, I have a global map ready for us to mark our Skype calls with people around the world. I am hoping to connect my students with students, teachers, and experts all around the world. We will be participating in the Mystery State/Country Skype project and have also already scheduled a Skype an Author call.

 Our "All about Me Wordles" look fabulous hanging via suction cups on our big windows. I know that I am fortunate to have these big bright windows and beautiful trees outside of them.

 Another view of the room, this time with my desk visible in the corner. I have it shoved so far back that I can barely get behind it. The fact is that I so rarely sit at my desk, I am contemplating not having it in the future. One step at at time, though...

 Those cabinets are for storage and our desktop computers. I plan to utilize those computers as well as a shared laptop cart and a small number of ipads to integrate technology in meaningful, productive ways.
The purple stability balls on top are awaiting inflation and will be used hopefully this week. Students are so excited to use them!

On our second day of school, students spent some time brainstorming about their ideal classroom. They came up with this list of class agreements and then wrote and illustrated them for our bulletin board.









I look forward to sharing more pictures as I set up the rest of the classroom. I am awaiting a new carpet for a community discussion space, as well as some fun cushions and ottoman type seats for comfy reading spaces.

I would love to hear from others about how they have set up their classrooms for optimal learning. Please leave a link to your blog posts or resources that address this important topic!

Brave New Year: 5 Ideas to Venture Forth

It's been awhile since I have written, partially due to taking on a writing job in July that took WAY more time than I anticipated, and partly because I sometimes don't know if the topic in my head is right for this blog or another forum. Although all of my posts somehow relate to bringing out the potential in kids so that they flourish, some of my writing is more specific to the classroom.

Today I am thinking of ways that I plan to venture out with my students, try new things, and model being a learner. Here are some ways I hope to enliven my new class:


1) Leaving some design decisions to the students: I am a little bit conflicted between allowing students the opportunity to "own their learning space" and my personal desire to have things completely organized and ready to go at the beginning of the school year. This year, I will give students more responsibility and ownership. They will determine the class jobs we need, help with some room layout decisions, and be active decision makers. I am excited to see how this change impacts their enthusiasm for school.


2) Diigo for educators:  After going to Vicki Davis' workshop, led by Suzie Nesticos at ISTE11, I decided that I should really work with my students to collaborate better on group research. Diigo for educators allows me to create a class group and is an amazing tool for sharing, and a safe way to allow my students to share highlights of resources, annotations, and suggest and bookmark items of value for the entire class. This could be a bit of a risk, since this tool may be new to parents and even to colleagues. I will let you know how it goes!

3) Kidblogs for individual student blogs: Last year my students blogged on a class blog, but I did not see the enthusiasm and ownership in them that I had hoped to see. I can pinpoint several reasons for this: having to write about events from the class and not items completely of their own choice, students not getting to decide the name and appearance of the blog, blogging was a class job for 3 students per week, and more. I think that having a Kidblogs class account where each student will have his/her own page, opening up my blog to comments from the world using #comments for kids, and allowing students to write about their passions will give them a more engaging blogging experience.

4) Connecting globally via Skype: I do believe that Skyping must have an intentional place and not just be an "add-on" cool thing to do. My first experience last December, Skyping with my friend Greta and her class in Argentina was memorable and one I will never forget.  I have some ideas to incorporate Skype into my social studies curriculum as well as my language arts curriculum. I am excited about this project, the Skype mystery state project : http://mysterystate.wikispaces.com/

5) Trusting my own judgement: Last year I was a bit nervous because I was new to both 4th grade and to my school. There were times that students reached out to me on google chat when I was checking email, and I wasn't sure if I should respond. What I know, now, a year later, is that those students who reached out to me still want to say hi and consider me a trusted adult to talk to. Many times, students wanted to ask a quick question about homework or invite me to look at their work on a google doc. Since relationships in teaching are SO important, I will be glad for the chance to connect with students via the web.

I am sure that as soon as I hit "publish post" I will think of many other ways I plan to do things differently this year.  What do you plan to do to engage and excite your students for a wonderful school year?