New Ideas

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones." - John Cage

***

I am finished with week 1 of Induction and had a identity crisis last night. Today, I needed a break from everything TFA-related and decided to come visit my friend that lives nearby. Well, it did not help my "I don't belong" crisis in the beginning because all of her family was visiting for a graduation party. At first, I used time to relax and calm my mind from a week of absolutely extraordinary conversations that we had. I took time to gather myself and my thoughts. After that, I decided to step into their world and experience it for myself. No lie, it actually wasn't easy.

For the past week, I have had the easiest time chatting with strangers because we all have the same vision and goals in life. Here, they don't know who I am. They don't know what I do in life. They don't know why I'm semi-upset, semi-stressed out. They don't know why I keep talking to the children and observing them. But then, I decided to open up to them. I started talking to them about what I do, and they actually cared.

After they reacted well to my future goals, I took my notebook (that I carry everywhere now) and went upstairs to snap into my teacher mode. I sat in front of them and asked them for ideas that I can use in my classroom. I imagined that they would be super awkward about it, and would go back to their game. Instead, they all started shouting out things that they loved about their elementary school teachers. They were very helpful, and had fun while doing it. I was also able to create a bond with them, and had an amazing time.

What did I learn from this? Open up to people, no matter what. If they don't want to talk about themselves, that's okay. Talk about yourself and you never know what kind of conversations you can have.

But this is the point of this post: I start teaching summer school in about a week. Please send me ALL ideas so that I can implement them in my classroom. Thanks in advance.

Have a wonderful day. :) 

Meeting New People

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." - Anais Nin

***

I know that I mostly focus on what I intend to do in the classroom, but I think that my posts are going to shift to a new topic for the next few weeks. I am currently at Teach for America Induction (it just started yesterday). Before I continue with what I was saying, let me ask that you put your opinions about Teach for America in one corner of the room and ignore them. Please don't judge me as a person or as an educator because of this. Get to know me first, and then I guess it's okay if you "judge" me. Anyway, back to Induction. This week, we are getting to know each other by sharing our stories with one another in small groups, and discussing identity, community building, and leadership. 

One hour later: 

I know it makes no difference to my readers but I was just taken away to jump a car and this totally fits right into what I was about to say. I can't seem to contain my excitement. Okay so while doing all of the above at Induction, we are meeting so many people during meals, discussions, and on trips. Although we are sometimes forced to talk to these people, most of the time we are not. We could easily wait on a long line while talking to someone on the phone or checking out something on FaceBook. Instead, we choose to meet people. Why? Because the more we talk to one another and hear each other's stories, the more we realize how much we have in common. And with this awareness, we learn how to build communities together.

Before continuing, here are some opportunities that I was given to meet people:

• On the fingerprinting line (it was about an hour plus wait, so we had plenty of time to get cozy).
• In our suites. 
• At breakfast, lunch & dinner.
• At the BBQ,
• In our groups for Induction.
• On FaceBook, of course. 
• On the bus to our community visit. 
• And my favoritest of them all, while helping a fellow Corp Member jump their car after they requested assistance on FaceBook. I was so tempted to ignore the post and go on with my life since it's so late and I have so much to do, but I realized that I could easily make a friend by doing this. So for my own selfish reason, I went out and made not one, but TWO friends.

Anyway, why is all of this important? If we don't learn to take out time from our lives to understand others and hear their stories, then how will we work together to change the world? There is no way. As educators (and humans in general), it's very important to find a connection before deciding to work together towards a vision. During your teaching years, you will be meeting so many people that you have to get along with almost effortlessly, in order to truly make a difference. You have to work with your colleagues, your mentors/leaders, the parents, the students and other community members. Without learning to branch out and meet new people, it will be very difficult to connect with your students. 

Although I will talk more about this later (when I can gather my thoughts better and share what I'm learning) so that maybe one day we can continue a discussion about this in person. Remember, open dialogue and communication make all of the difference.

Have a wonderful day. :)

Communication

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw

***

There is a belief in the minds of many that teachers only have to focus on communicating effectively with their students. Even before stepping into a classroom, I can tell you that that is just not true. Here's a short list of a few others that teachers have to communicate with (and this is not by any means an exclusive list):

• Principal/School Leader
• Colleagues (Faculty & Staff)
• Community Members
• Other Teachers 
• Parents

Even though each of those lines of communication is extremely important, I want to focus my attention on the last one. Although I don't know my school policies yet, I want to make sure that I go above and beyond when it comes to communicating with the parents. I want to meet them all during an open school night or personal conferences in the beginning of the school year. I want to have their contact information on hand so I can call them to congratulate them on their child's successes. I want to have bi-weekly or monthly newsletters so that the parents can read about what students are doing in the classroom. I want to welcome parents into the classroom to share what they do during a career day. I want to invite parents to come in on holidays that they celebrate, and working with them to encourage our scholars to tolerate all beliefs. I want to invite the parents to visit if they simply want to see what is going on in the classroom. I want them to see the work that my scholars are doing, so that they can be just as proud as I am. I want the parents to chaperone field trips so that they can experience what the scholars do. I want students to put together plays to present to the parents. I want my scholars to host a small formal so that parents can get to know each other. I want my scholars to show off their talents at a talent show for the parents. I want parents to share things about their culture so that my scholars begin to embrace everyone.

I know that this all sounds ambitious, but I really want to put in all of my efforts to keep the doors open for my scholars' parents. I want them to be heavily involved with their children's success. If you have any ideas from your experiences, please share with me. As always, ideas are more than welcome.

Have a wonderful day. :)

We The Kids

"The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live." - Ethel Percy Andrus

***

Everyone says that it's extremely important to "lay down the law" early in the year so that students know what is expected of them. I think this is a wonderful idea, and I will be sure to implement it. Although I know that I will have to follow school policies regarding this (makes sense after all), I want to make the students a part of this. I think it would be amazing if the students would be able to sit down in small groups and put together a class motto/goals that we can put up on the wall for the rest of the year. I am hoping that this will make them accept it more than one that I come up with on my own. It's a known fact that people are more likely to accept something if they contribute to it. :)

Although it is cheesy, I believe that we will start it with the words "We The Kids." If applicable, then I will use it as an introductory history lesson and include our country's preamble so that they have something to work off of. Here are some key words that I think should (or can) be included in it:

• Respect
• Responsibility 
• Don't give up
• Help each other (always)
• Give selflessly 
• Stay calm
• Do your best
• Think before you speak 
• Use manners
• Follow directions

Once I determine the class rules, I'll be able to separate the words into two lists (motto and rules) so that the students can make it as fun and helpful as possible. I can't wait to get started once I am placed.

Have a wonderful day. :) 

Bookworms

"The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

***

When I asked my cousin if he was a "bookworm," he gave me a look that said "I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't care to know." It really bothered me that he did not know what the word meant. I went to ask him if he read a lot of books on his own, and he asked me "why would I do that? We read enough in class." I was absolutely shocked. During my seven years in elementary school (Kindergarten through 6th grade), I remember teachers encouraging us to borrow books from the library and read them at home. Personally, I cannot imagine going through those years without all that I read. If I remember correctly, I read a minimum of 70 books outside of the classroom each of those years.

Without further ado, here is what I learned from my brief conversation with my cousin: I will make sure that my students are reading more in June than they were in September. In order to encourage reading in the classroom, I will try some of the following activities. 

• Have reading packets (in large Zipcloc bags) with books, worksheets and other activities prepared for students at different levels. Allow them to pick them up on a weekly basis after they have finished regular classwork. Have charts marking their progress. At certain "milestones," they will win prizes to acknowledge their accomplishments. 
• Hold a class, grade or school-wide competition to see who can read more. Make sure to have worksheets that they have to fill out (or conversations they have to have) to check that they read the books. 
• Start a book club (or a few) in the classroom, allowing time for them to discuss what they read with each other. Choose books that have movie versions and have a "movie night" inviting them to come in with their parents to watch it once they are finished with the book.
• Encourage them to pick up other reading material (magazines and newspapers are great) so that they learn to enjoy all types of reading.
• Invite a well-known author to the classroom (or school) towards the end of the school year. Encourage the students to read as many books as they can by that author, so that they are able to ask questions and discuss books with the person.
• Similarly, decide to celebrate a favorite author's birthday. Encourage students to read as many books so that they can figure out the best way to honor the author. 
• Decide to write a book (or books) as a class. Let students know that they will be able to come up with more ideas if they read more books (ex. mysteries, comedies, fiction, nonfiction, etc.).
• Tell the student about library programs going on that summer. Hand out brochures or tell them where they can go for more information. (Libraries always have the best summer programs.)

I am 100% sure that there are so many activities that can be done to encourage students to read. If you have some, please share them. If I find more, I will post them soon.

Have a wonderful day. :) 

Where Are My Students?

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." - Corrie ten Boom

***

Today, I truly experienced what it feels like not knowing where a child is for a long period of time. Long story short: my brother had to stay after school for football, but he did not mention this to our Dad or me. After waiting and worrying for awhile, I proceeded to go to his school (which is huge) to search for him. The minute I laid eyes on him, I felt a sense of relief and was overcome by emotions. It was then that I knew I would have to have a method for knowing where all of my students are at all times if I want to avoid having mini panic attacks all day long. 

Out of all of the methods I found, I found that was my absolute favorite. I intend to use this if feasible in my classroom. Essentially, I would create a chart that would look like the following:

I would have magnets with each of the students names (or faces) on them. As the students exit the classroom, they will move their magnet to represent where they will be. This way, I will simply be able to glance at this chart and know where all of my students are. :)

I think this will be a great way to guarantee some peace of mind throughout the day.

Have a wonderful day. :)

P.S. I would love to give credit to someone for this idea, but I don't know who originally thought of this. I apologize.