How I Have Changed

In Reflect With Me from Learning is Growing, Kathy Perret  talked about a prompt used for reflecting and I thought it would be a great way for me to reflect on how I have changed in my thinking. The prompt was,

“I used to think ___, now I think___.”

I used to think that I needed to be a superwoman in order to be a good teacher, now I think I just need to do the best I can and help my students learn. If I don’t know the answers, I need to help them find the answers, which is actually a good way to model learning.

I used to think that I needed to teach the recommended way, now I think I need to teach according to the student’s learning style. Just because I learn best visually does not mean that everyone else does too.

I used to think that I knew more than my students, now I think that sometimes my students can think of a better way of doing something than I can. Giving students a chance to shine is the best way to give them confidence and build trust.

I used to think I knew how to improve a student’s behavior because I knew behavior management techniques, now I think that it is important to get the student’s input as to why the behavior is occurring and what can be done to improve the behavior.

I used to think that I could show that I am a good teacher by spending every moment I could thinking/doing things for my classroom, now I think that I can show that I am a good teacher but using my time effectively and taking time for myself in order to reenergize and motivate myself.

I used to think that if I worked through lunch time I could get caught up with all of my work, now I think that you never really get caught up with work and eating lunch is important to stay healthy physically and emotionally.

I used to think old fashioned ideas needed to be thrown out to let the new ideas in, now I think that many of the old traditional ideas have a lot of merit and are still important in the classroom. These can be revamped and modernized but the basics are still the same.

I used to think that I didn’t have time to connect with other teachers either locally or globally, now I think it is so important to make these connections in order to grow professionally.

I used to think that a lot of the children’s problems were caused by the parents, now I think that many times we don’t what really causes a child’s problem and we don’t always need to know the cause. We just need to move forward and help the child at the point that we are at.

I used to think that all children needed to be in school in order to get the best education, now I think that school is not always the right place for some children.

I used to think of everything in black and white, now I think more in gray. There are always two sides to every story and sometimes the answer isn’t always clear cut. This allows for more possibilities rather than limiting the answer to one specific thing.

Now, how have you changed? Please share.

Image: 'He Has the Momentum'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41864721@N00/2236463274
Found on flickrcc.net

What I’m Into

In Still Into It from Sioux's Page, Sioux asks,


“What are you "into" these days?”

Things I’m into lately:

1. Hiking – now that the weather is warming up, we have been doing a lot of hiking. I’m enjoying the spring wildflowers as they emerge. We have seen lots of bears, deer, and a few snakes.
2. Eating better – I am trying to eat healthier and watching my calories. I still fall down the rabbit hole sometimes but not as much as I had been. I hope to continue to lose a few more pounds.
3. Exercising more – I’m still trying to get my 10,000 steps in every day. I’m achieving this usually unless we are traveling all day in the car.
4. Gardening – I spread 34 bales of pine needles in my gardens and did some weeding. I can’t wait to do some more and maybe plant some annuals.
5. Reading classics – I love reading a lot. My friend’s daughter is having to read some classics and I’m trying to read along with her. It is much more fun when you have someone to read with! This is a good way for me to revisit much loved classics that I haven’t read in a long time.
6. Photography – I love taking photos and I’m trying to improve my photography skills. I can tell some improvements from last year so hopefully I will keep doing better.
7. Knitting – It is hard for me to imagine life without knitting. Now I understand my mother more and why she did it along with the satisfaction of creating things. I wish she was still here for me to share how much I love this and exchange ideas and victories.
8. Spinning – I never thought I would enjoy spinning my own yarn. I also love knitting with my handspun and it gives me such great joy when I finish a project made with yarn I created with my own hands. I now own 3 spinning wheels and 3 drop spindles and 1 Turkish spindle.

What are you into lately?

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Connecting in Real Life Can Happen

Social media can make chance connections in real life happen. Many people are afraid of social media and this is a perfect example of why teachers shouldn’t be. These connections are real and can happen. What are the chances that I would have a Facebook friend from another country cross paths with me when I am hundreds of miles from home?

Last week we were in Shenandoah National Park and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. One early morning I was on Facebook when I saw the status of one of my Facebook friends, an educator  from Finland, Mika Vanhanen, saying that he was going to be in Shenandoah National Park that day. I couldn’t wait to tell him that I was there also! So, after some conversation, he wondered if we would have a chance to meet and he found out where his group would be heading for lunch. After discussion with my husband, we decided that instead of hiking that morning, we would head for the town where Mika was having lunch. This was such a great opportunity that I didn’t want to miss it and I’m so thankful that my husband indulges me when these things happen.

Mika was having lunch at the Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute so we headed there. I was so thrilled to meet an online friend face to face! I also met others from his group from other countries. There were 20 people in the group representing 17 different countries. According to Mika’s Facebook page, he was “invited to join International Visitor Leadership Program. Three weeks and four states, to know about environmental protection.” I was truly honored that he was willing to take some time to meet me in person too!

It was fun meeting people from other countries. It makes the world seem like a smaller place. Hearing the different accents made the conversations interesting and hearing people talk about their own country was fun. When I was asked where I was from, I was reminded that not everyone knows where South Carolina is located. It also made me want to know more about their individual countries. All of these people were here in our country to learn about a common idea such as environmental protection and put aside any differences they might have politically in their own countries.

This is exactly why we need to encourage our students to make these connections. By doing this, they will realize how much in common we have with others around the world. Yet, they will learn and celebrate the differences. It can show our students that there are other things that are happening outside of political differences and that people can put aside these differences and get along when working towards a common goal.

This chance encounter renews my interest in someday visiting Finland. I see pictures of the beautiful country and now I have a real life friend who lives there! I see Finland in a totally different way now.

Have you had any chance encounters meeting online friends? Please share!

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 4/25/14

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Interactive Periodic Table – “learn about the periodic table through this interactive game.” (L:H; SA:S)

Spent – according to Free Technology for Teachers, Spent “is an online game designed to teach players about the challenges of living on minimum wage (or slightly higher) employment. Players begin by selecting a job which will provide the wages they have to survive on for a month. Then throughout the game players are confronted with challenges that they have to handle by making an "either or" choice. After each choice the player's account balance is adjusted. In addition to the change in the player's balance sheet, each choice is followed by an explanation of consequence of the choice made.” (L:H; SA:M, SS)

The Living Wage Calculator – “estimate the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages for the selected location.” (L:H; SA:M, SS)

Google Cultural Institute – “Discover exhibits and collections from museums and archives all around the world. Explore cultural treasures in extraordinary detail, from hidden gems to masterpieces.” (L:G; SA:SS)

Stop Disasters – A disaster simulation game (L:M,H; SA:M, S)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage 2014 Day 4

Last week we attended the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage 2014. Here are my notes from Day 4.
 
I decided that instead of writing a list of all the plants we saw, I would put them in a spreadsheet and then write the location and notes beside them. This would help me see the big picture instead just a list of a plants and things. You can download the spreadsheet HERE.

Here is the link to Day 4 Pictures HERE.

On Day 4, we began our day with a photography class with Jack Carman and Robert Hutson. We attended this last year and it was so wonderful that we wanted to come back again. In the afternoon we took a Fern Walk with Keith Bowman and saw a ton of ferns!

Things I learned:
1. Landscape – f/22, maximum depth of focus (DOF)
2. Need foreground, mid ground, and background to be interesting.
3. Center of interest needs to be sharp in focus.
4. Fast shutter = 1/500 shutter speed.
5. 1/25 stops motion of water
6. Normal camera settings read as 18% gray. Open up a stop or two so snow appears white.
7. Rules of thirds - put center of interest on intersection
8. Sunrise and sunset – use manual setting; take reading without the sun, then note settings. Turn on manual and set camera to those settings.
9. Be at sunrise 30 minutes before for maximum color conditions.
10. Spider web and dew drops – minimum DOF so no distractions in background.
11. Eyes drawn to white spot on image.
12. Mushrooms – ensure light is on the stems or they look like they are floating on air
13. Put sun at your ack.
14. Wide angle – if aimed slightly upward, causes keystoining
15. Get on level with the flower
16. Individual flowers – at an angle produces more depth
17. Competing centers of interest is hard to look at.
18. Have odd numbers of flowers; small or large groups.
19. With large groups, leave some dead space.
20. Diffused light – use white umbrella
21. Use tripod for stability and DOF
22. Use stick and clothespin for holding something in the wind.
23. Ebony spleenwort has a dark shiny rachis
24. Rattlesnake fern is triangular in structure and dies back in the winter.
25. Grape fern is leathery and evergreen.
26. Rock cap looks like Christmas fern but attacked all over.
27. Walking fern looks like it walks because the tip grows roots and forms a new plant.
28. Hayscented Fern – hairy all over leaves, pinna looks like little steps perpendicular to the rib.
29. Daisy Leaf Moonwart looks like a runty rattlesnake fern.
30. Silvery Glad fern form in clumps and have square pinnules.

Original Photo by Pat Hensley