Showing posts with label climate. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Sometimes It's Frightening
Today I was telling my students the story of how teacher-authors Dave and Shelley Burgess bought us ten ukuleles for our UKE lab when one of them said, "That's so generous." Then he added, "Why would they do that for us?"
I explained that we'd connected on Twitter and that our teachers, as a staff, are studying Teach Like A Pirate this year. I told them that they love it when educators use hooks, strategies to engage and excite students. For fun, I asked my students what hooks they've noticed that I use. And I loved hearing their answers:
*puppets
*friendliness
*kindness
*a smile
*forgiveness
*stations
*ukuleles
*music
*fun games
*funny-ness (yes, humor is a hook!)
It warmed my heart. I especially liked the forgiveness comment, until the student further explained that my classroom is a place where it's okay to make mistakes.
Wait, what? Aren't all classrooms just mistake-making labs?
Here's a non-negotiable I've learned in my 32 years of service:
Our kids deserve a safe environment to engage, explore and create.
A school where they're reeled in, hook, line, and sinker.
A place where they're firmly planted with permission to bloom and grow.
In my work, I've had the pleasure over the years of visiting lots and lots of schools where I get to see AmAzInG things happening. With that privilege, I also see lots and lots of areas for improvement and growth. I've witnessed teachers who at frustration point resort to yelling so bad that a student once shared that, "Sometimes it's frightening." My own son experienced this in sixth grade, a scolding so fierce that he was still visibly shaking with fear after school. He stayed scared for days. And weeks.
The respect we think we're demanding when we yell isn't respect at all.
It's just fear.
Don't our kids deserve better than this?
With so many positive approaches to classroom connections and management, two of which include Capturing Kids Hearts and Responsive Classroom Morning Meetings, there's really no need for an educator to be reduced to belittling, to shaming, to screaming. Ever. In fact, when we yell at kids, guess what they learn? Yep, they learn that yelling is okay.
That yelling will help solve our problems.
That yelling is an appropriate way to respond to our frustration.
Or to get our needs met.
Simply put, they learn to yell.
Let me say it one more time:
Our kids deserve better.
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| Click for source ~ @BethHouf blog |
So there you have it, one of the reasons I'm so passionate about finding hooks that invite kids in, and helping reduce the undesirable practices that might chase them away. I don't ever want to hear the words "Sometimes it's frightening" at our school, on my watch.
Tomorrow I get a chance to help with some Character Counts! implementation training in Angleton. Then next week, I'm headed to the Dallas area to Mansfield ISD to lead a Family Character Night workshop and then work with the school family at Charlotte Anderson Elementary, and I can't wait. I am super proud of the commitment of both of these districts to a creating a caring climate and I'm honored that they'd let me help them build a brighter and better tomorrow.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Building Community
Happy August! Today I've got back-to-school on my heart and mind.
Check out this shot of Bales Intermediate, my new school.
Consider this Zig Ziglar reflection:
How do we connect with kids so that they know that they matter,
so that they feel loved? I started the day on an hour-long Twitter Chat {#sunchat} set aside specifically for as an intentional icebreaker idea swap.
Here's the first resource that grabbed my attention from the Four O'clock Faculty blog connecting Pixar ideals with student motivation.
How will you help your students become better people?
One of Rich's big points has to do with the power of the morning meeting. In fact, he says that it is the "most important part of a classroom." And I wholeheartedly agree. Here's my school family, a few years back, circling up to reconnect.
So how will you build community when you get back to school,
first with your faculty, and then in your classroom family?
What does your ideal community look like, sound like, feel like?
A small-group activity that Clifton Taulbert facilitated in Juarez asked us to choose one word to describe our ideal community, then share those words with our table-mates before weaving them into a 30-word vision statement.
Once you've created the vision, then the real work starts. Icebreakers help to relax and energize people before an activity, task, or cause. They serve to build trust and help break down barriers, so that our work together goes more smoothly.
A photo booth was also suggested, like the one set up in Mexico.
Look at how good it feels to be wanted!
Other icebreakers suggested in the Chat this morning include:
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| Click for original post and more details. Check out Ten Timely Tips. Make Autobiographical Trading Cards. Play Conversation Jenga. Take this compass personality inventory. Play the Name Chain Game. Non-Icebreaker B2S Things To Remember. Writing Prompts To Launch The School Year. One year we asked our teachers to design a school shirt, after which we had them model their designs.  Endless possibilities to connect abound when you're building community! Need more inspiration? Visit my Pinterest page for Classroom Connections & Team Builders. What's your favorite community builder? |
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