Let the Sunshine In

In I Like Teaching You from siobhan curious: classroom as microcosm, Siobhan Curious shares,

“Whenever I’m writing final notes to students, I need to acknowledge the enjoyment those students have given me.”

It is winter time here, and cold, and sometimes the skies are dreary. Valentine’s Day is now over and many are either experiencing the sugar rush from all the candy or dealing with the disappointment of a lonely day past.

This is a good time to think about the positive. No matter what anyone says, everyone loves to be on the receiving end of a positive thing.

I need to bring a little sunshine in the classroom and there are any ways that I can do this. Here are some things that I can do:

1. Start each class with a smile. It helps create the tone for the class that day.

2. Greet each student at the door with a handshake. I think this helps both of us feel good about ourselves.

3. Tell students how much I enjoy being there and teaching them. (I need to forget about the most annoying student or the things that aren’t going right in my classroom at this time. I need to remember why I went into teaching to begin with and share my gladness.)

4. Find something positive to say to each student at some point during the week. I can find at least one thing if not more to say to someone that is positive.

5. Decide not to be negative and say negative things that day. This is a conscious effort and can also be a great model for the students. Sometimes I even let them know that is my goal.

6. I will think of ways that I can help someone else even though they didn’t ask for my help. Sometimes just by helping others, I feel better.

7. Write positive statements on papers that I grade and return.

8. Call parents and brag about the student. This really gets a lot of mileage and the return is exponential!

9. Let colleagues know how much I enjoy working with them. Give an example of how they inspire or motivate me to be a better teacher.

10. Share positive stories that have impacted my life. Hopefully one of these stories will impact others too.

What suggestions do you have to bring sunshine into the classroom? Please share!

Image: 'El sol!'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44126975@N00/420415554

How to Handle Success

In It Seems Easier to Be a Great Person After Death Than Before. from PrincipalsPage The Blog, Michael Smith talks about the death of Whitney Houston and mentions,

“An adult’s life (for a variety of reasons) has a traumatic effect on their children.  You can just see the kids being set up for a more complicated life than any of us can imagine.”

I remember hearing her songs and watching her in the movie The Bodyguard and I loved her. She was beautiful and had a beautiful voice. As she went through the trouble of her marriage to Bobby Brown and her fight with drugs, I felt sorry for her. Here was someone who, in my eyes, had the world, and she didn’t seem happy. What a waste of a wonderful career and magnificent talent. Now she is dead and what good was all that fame and fortune?

Maybe that is something we need to teach our students. Fame and fortune isn’t all cracked up to what it seems to be.

The head varsity basketball coach used to be my paraprofessional for a few years. I was able to listen in as he talked to many of the basketball players during the day. It impressed me that he was trying to get them to realize that basketball fame did not happen to every basketball player so it was important not to put all their eggs in one basket. He encouraged them to study and work hard in their classes. After talking about possible injuries in the future, he mentioned how important it was to have a backup plan. Some parents even got upset about this because of course, they wanted their child to be a famous star!

I realize now that we prepare our students to some of the what-ifs for the future but we never prepare them for the what-if if they do well. Here are some of the things I think I need to do better:

· Learn to say no. When you are tired or overwhelmed, it is time to stop and reflect. You might choose to go forward or you might not but don’t rush into decision making. I have always felt that rush decisions don’t get me anywhere.

· Learn to make wise decisions. Look at the pros and cons to your options. Choose the best one that meets your needs but don’t let others talk you into something. Many people are looking out for their own best interests and not yours. If necessary, find an impartial person who won’t benefit from your decision one way or the other and ask for their input.

Learn how to invest money. Too many famous people seem to squander their money or trust the wrong people who squander their money. They need to learn and understand investments so that they can be in control.

· Learn how to spend money wisely. Too many famous people don’t budget their money so that it lasts longer. I have read of many movie stars who go bankrupt because their agents or family have spent all their money.

· Learn to manage time. When I watch interviews with successful people, it seems like the ones with the problems are usually the ones who can’t seem to manage their time. They let others control their time and it is important that a person is in charge of their own time and not others.

· Learn to plan for the what-ifs. What if they are no longer successful? What if they are injured? Who will take care of them? How will they pay their bills when money isn’t coming in?

· Be a real person. Don’t let popularity or fame go to your head. I know that some of the successful people that I have had contact with and remember are the ones who were real people. They didn’t put on airs or act like they were better than me. They didn’t seem to brag or show off because they had a lot of money.

· Watch out for those people who offer you drugs and other things to help you get through the day. That leads to nowhere but a dead-end. There are many examples of people who died to early in their promising career.

What advice would you give your students about achieving success in the future? Please share.

Image: 'Whitney Houston in New Jersey 1986'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55734758@N00/2309670833

Things That Should Kick the Bucket Before I Do

In 9+ things that will disappear in our lifetime from Blue Skunk Blog, Doug Johnson lists 9 things that will disappear in our lifetimes from K-12 education. Then he asks,

“What's on your list of things that will (or should) disappear from your school before you kick the bucket?”

Of course, I couldn’t resist so here are my answers:

1. Lecture type teaching - I hope that students will learn by collaborating doing some kind of project based learning where the teacher is more of a facilitator than a lecturer. I hope there is more active learning rather than passive learning.

2. Teacher vs. Parent mentality - I hope that eventually teachers and parents can work as a team to help students be more successful. Many parents are discouraged from being a part of the school and I hope this will change.

3. Excessive paperwork - I can’t begin to tell you how much data I am asked to input into a computer only to be asked at the end of the year to fill out a paper report on the same data. There is way too much paper being used in schools!

4. Fear of being sued - Too many times I am told that things can’t be done because of liability possibilities. I think people sue others for things that could be settled easily out of court.

5. Fear of cell phone use - many students have smartphones now and can be used as a great tool in the classroom. Unfortunately many teachers still don’t have these and don’t know how to use them.

6. Homebased instruction with a tutor - I hope that students who are at home due to some discipline reason will have to attend classes using Skype or some kind of technology from home. They will not be allowed to watch TV and have fun because they are suspended but rather still have to participate in class only from a different venue.

7. Expecting students to fit the mold - All students are different and should be recognized and applauded for their individuality. Instead of teaching special ed students with individualized learning, allow all students to be taught this way. Maybe once we stop expecting all students to be the same, students can learn more tolerance for those who are different.

What things would you add to this list? Please share!

Image: 'bucket'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16215823@N06/4227534087