Auld Lang Syne

It is the time of the year when television and magazines are doing their "A Look Back at 2016" specials.  Time Magazine has picked a "Person of the Year".  Barbara Walters is picking her "10 Most Fascinating People".  Merriam Webster has picked a "Word of the Year" (it is "surreal").  And there is always a reflection on those we have lost during the year.

A lot can happen in a year.  I understand why people journal.  As I began writing this blog, I looked back at everything that happened in the world this year and there were many things I forgot about. Having that reflective piece can help you remember the bad and the good of the year.  That is why I push the reflective piece of growing as a professional.  We are so busy we can't remember what we did first period TODAY, much less first period five months ago.  Don't be afraid to journal and to keep those journals.  Not only will you be able to jog your memory about what you did to teach a particular lesson, you can also view your growth as an educator, no matter how long you have been in this game.

The end of 2016 also means the formation of resolutions for 2017.  Don't always focus on changing everything.  Rather; focus on changing one thing.  Focus on a minor change for those minor ones can lead to big ones.  Don't say you are going to loose 50 pounds.  Take the small step of eating better.  This small step can lead to bigger changes.  Don't say you will develop a library of extensive, cross curricular lesson plans for every subject you teach.  Take a small step.  Say you will focus on a specific skill and develop lessons to teach and reinforce that skill.

So here is the semi-serious link about teacher resolutions:
https://www.weareteachers.com/6-new-years-resolutions-for-teachers/

And here is the not so serious link about teacher resolutions:
https://thepensivesloth.com/2014/12/27/top-10-teacher-new-years-resolutions/

I wish you the best ending possible to 2016 and an even better 2017.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It is December!  There are officially two weeks until break!  

The excitement level is through the roof!  I had a junior high teacher talk about how excited the 8th grade was at the beginning of the week.  I relayed I had spent time after lunch in kindergarten.  The word Santa was mentioned in a reading.  The teacher got out just ONE "Ho" and the crowd went wild!

It doesn't matter the age, this time of year is exciting and magical.  Between the lights, goodies, parties, and presents, it is important to make this time of year a time for reflection and self improvement.  We have a clean slate being presented to us soon.  What can we do as a professional to make the second half of the year great not only for us, but for our students?   

Santa is a huge part of Christmas for many students.  As I explained Santa to my daughter, we talked of magic.  There is a feeling you get inside when you see Santa...heck even when you play Santa for your kiddos.  You have this feeling that is hard to describe, but we have all gotten it.  It is more than presents.  It is about this guy who unselfishly gives of himself...and all on one night.  Don't we feel like that many times as a teacher?  We give and give...sometimes we get some great stuff back, but sometimes we don't.  And you know what is also great about Santa?  He NEVER gives up on you!  You can make it on the Naughty List one year and the next year, he starts you on the Nice List, hoping you will pull through.  Santa looks at the wonder of the world through the eyes of innocence...the eyes of children.  Everyone is his friend.  Everyone is a good person.  

What would the school (or even the world) look like if we looked at things like Santa did?  Last night in the Empire Mall, I watched my daughter play at the play land with kids she had never met before.  She just went up to kids and said, "My name is Khloe.  I am five."  Then they just started playing.  As a little girl was leaving, she looked at her parents, pointed to Khloe and said, "That's my friend!"  I looked at the parents and said, "When do we lose that?  They have known each other for seven minutes and are friends."  As the dad grabbed his coat, he turned to me and said, "Someone of us never lose that."  Wow.  That was either Jesus or Santa talking to me.  Look at those around you as friends...help out your fellow man...do the right thing...be kind...care.

Be more like Santa.

Remember in August...

Remember in August when we talked about being inspired?

Are you still feeling the same way?  We are reaching the end of the semester and more than a little of that shine has worn off.  We, like our students, feel overwhelmed on days.  We, like our students, feel tired on days.  We, like our students, are anxious for break.  But in this building it is the "we" that needs to rise up and keep the fire burning.  Not just for our own sanity, but for our students as well.  Find something that inspires and recharges you.  It may be music.  It may be physical activity, It may be coloring (have you tried some of those adult coloring books?  They are pretty awesome.).  It may be reading inspirational or funny quotes or blogs of other educators.  Find something.  Share it.  Get inspired and recharge.  Share that too.  Share your zest with your colleagues and share it with our students.

Bonus video:   This Nike commercial came out right after the start of the school  year.  Kyle Maynard was featured in the X Ambassadors video:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving break is here!  If you are like me, you have a list a mile long you would like to accomplish over the next five days.

The day of over eating and indulgence is here!  You have planned to eat and drink everything in sight.

You may be spending your time with family and that can create a whole list of issues.

You may be plotting your Black Friday adventure.

Or maybe you are planning on doing NOTHING during break.

Whatever Thanksgiving holds for you, remember to be thankful and grateful.  There is a lot of yuck out there right now.  Be the good for someone and take the time to thank those who are the good for you.

Here is a link to a nice reading about what to be thankful for as a teacher.  We are entrusted with helping shape the future!  There are many people who have helped us become the teachers we are.  Think about everyone that has a part in your decision to be in education.

http://www.teachhub.com/what-I-am-thankful-for

Have a great break!

Happy Friday Afternoon!

It has been a long week...and what we are seeing every night on the news doesn't help.

Let's all dance!  Let's all dance like no one is watching.  It makes everyone smile.

This lady took the advice of Kid President and ran with it. In fact, she stole the show.

Chin up!  Smile!  You are doing great things!

http://www.scarymommy.com/behold-your-new-hero/

The Day After Tomorrow

I think everyone's sleep patterns are in a tailspin.

In the past two weeks these events have occurred which has resulted in late nights:

Halloween
Game 7 of the World Series (that went into extra innings after a rain delay)
Daylight Savings Time
Presidential Election

For our family, I'll add "harvest" to that list which makes for some very late nights.  

So our sleep patterns have been disrupted.  We are a little bit more tired in the mornings and are waiting for the time when we can "catch up" on sleep.  We are a bit more on edge and need a bit more coffee in the morning to keep us going.  We (as are our students) are buzzing with excitement to share with friends and colleagues our thoughts and views on what happened the night before.

The country, in fact the whole world, is buzzing with the results of the election.  I must admit:  I stayed up until after 1 flipping between Fox, CNN, ABC, and CBS to hear what they were saying and to see if a winner would be declared.  I had to wait until this morning to hear "official" results. 

And boy is it crazy.

Crazy in the fact that pollsters got it wrong.  Crazy in the fact that people are just plain MEAN on social media.  Crazy in the fact that it was so close.  Crazy in the fact that there are still states, including our neighbor Minnesota, that do not have official results yet.

Unfortunately those late nights and craziness trickle down to our kiddos.  As teachers we will hear A LOT from them today.  Here is what to remember and to let them know.  We live in the United States of America.  It is a great country.  We have to come together, accept things we may or may not like, and work towards (to quote Mr. Jandahl) being "good".  And we can do that.  We have to put differences aside and work towards a common good.   It is what we ask them to do here at school.  You are not going to agree with everything, but you must move forward.  You must respect the process.  You must work with everyone here:  teachers, classmates, and friends.

I am attaching words from Jon Gordon today.  Not bad a reminder as we move forward.

https://twitter.com/JonGordon11?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Goodbye Someday

So this one is for Mr. Harming...

The Cubs did it!  The Cubs won the World Series!  It was a year later than "Back to the Future II" predicted, but they won the Series!

The last time the Cubs won a World Series was 1908.  108 years ago.  What was going on the last time the Cubs won a World Series?  Check out the Twitter feed of Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  He is an astrophysicist and a pretty funny guy.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/neil-degrasse-tyson-cubs-world-series-tweets-399756511.html

A lot has happened in those 108 years.  I am sure many times fans wanted to give up on the Cubs.  They wanted to throw in the towel on them.  They asked themselves, "Why do I put myself through this EVERY year?"  (If you are having trouble imagining this, you are not a Vikings fan.  I suspect they say the same thing every year...and they have never won a Super Bowl.)

But those fans...those dedicated folks, donned their Cubs shirts every year, asked Harry Caray to put a good word in with God, and hoped for the best.  Sometimes things got ugly, but each game, they still tuned in and cheered hard, hoping that today would be the day they would see a win.  And they would win.  And they would loose.  But those fans stuck by their Cubs.

Isn't being in education like that?   We have some days we just want to give up.  We want to throw the towel in.  We ask ourselves, "What am I doing?  Does it make a difference?  How crazy am I?"  We get mad.  We cry.  We get down.

But we wake up each morning, get our coffee in hand and come to school.  We say a little prayer each day and we hope for the best.  We have a good day.  The kids got it!  They all turned their work in!  They laughed at my super corny joke!  We leave the building feeling great about what we did for the day.  But we may have a bad day.  They didn't get it.  They didn't turn their work in.  They rolled their eyes at my super corny joke.  We leave the building feeling defeated.  But like those fans, we stick by our kids.  We get up the next morning and think, "Today is the day!".

What if those fans had given up?  Isn't that something that keeps a teams going?  Knowing you have people in your corner...knowing that there is someone, somewhere cheering you on?  I think for our kiddos, we may be the one thing keeping them going.  We are cheering them on, celebrating the highs and working through the lows with them.  

Don't give up.  If they didn't get it today...they will...someday.  And maybe...just maybe...like the Cubs, we can say good-bye to someday.  And we too can wave the "W".

You Might Just Need This Today

I think I said the following more than once yesterday:

Here is a little pick me up.  

I love what one teacher said about it not being memorable lessons that get a teacher remembered.  Rather, it is how you make your students feel as a person.  Remember that.

Coffee up and battle through!  You are doing a great job!

Show Me The Data!

The state released each district's report card and SPI a few weeks ago.  At our board meeting Monday night, I presented the information to the board, as well as sent it to the newspaper. I will begin meeting with teachers next week about the data.

Want to know a secret?

I hate it.

I hate the feeling I get when I get the email from the state saying it is ready.  I hate the feeling I get when I open it up, not sure what to expect.  I hate the feeling when I have someone compare us to another school.  I hate how the test is structured.  I hate that ALL students take the same assessment.  I hate that students who have not mastered the English language are expected to read and write on an assessment at their grade level.  I hate that we compare 11th grade data year from year...it is not the same students taking the test!  

I think you get my drift...

But here is what I like.

I like that we have information on our students.  I like that we are doing a test that is aligned to the standards.  I like that we get to evaluate ourselves as teachers; looking into our own strengths and weaknesses.  I like the feeling of having conversations about what we need to change and evaluating what we see from these changes. I like to feeling we get when a student rocks the test!  I like that it does make us uncomfortable and asks us to think about what we are doing within our classrooms.  

It is hard to admit...but it does make us better educators.  I made the excuses...it is only a snap shot...it isn't an easy test...it is not about the kids...but if we strip it down and back away from the excuses, it boils down to what are we doing or not doing that is helping our kids find success.  The kids we have isn't going to change.  Guess who will need to in order to find that success?

Here is a great blog post that is related to the topic at hand.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/myth-busting-if-i-just-had-better-students-ben-johnson

I'm With the Band

Boy Bands.  You may think this is just a post for the ladies...NOT TRUE!  Everyone has heard of boy bands.  You probably have even sang along to a song of theirs.  I am talking about really good boy bands.  Not those "reality show brought five guys together" boy bands we see today, but REALLY good boy bands.  You could say boy bands started with the beginning of rock and roll, though I am not sure they were call boy bands.

 

(Could you guess them all?  If Mr. Swenson was here, he could get them!)

The 1970's brought another wave of young men getting together to sing and make it big. 

And the 1980's? NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK...need I say more?

Boy bands were taken to a whole new level in the 1990's and 2000's.

As you have taken this trip down memory lane, you may (again) be wondering where I am going with this post.

Bands are formed by a group of people coming together to share their talents.  They spend many hours together...whether in a studio or a tour bus...honing their craft.  They practice and practice, often into the night under the direction of a manager.  They may be asked to pick a skill by their manager they are not proficient in and attempt to master it.  In the 60's and 70's, it was a musical instrument and in the 80's and beyond, it was choreography and acting in videos.  Relationships were sometimes strong, but sometimes they were strained.  Hearts all over the land were crushed as these boy bands announced their break-up, but our hearts sang again when the one guy said he is going solo.  And then 20 years later, they all reunite on an "Unplugged" special on MTV or at the American Music Awards!

We can compare ourselves to boy bands.  As educators in this building, we are coming together to share our craft.  We support each other.  We may spend more hours with some of our colleagues than we do with our own families.  We may be asked to teach a class by the principal that is not our strong suit.  But we practice and practice until we get it right.  We may have students in our classes who have exhausted us and all the tricks we have in our toolbox.  We sometimes get upset with each other and the profession.  We may walk away for a bit and try a few things on our own, only to realize our colleagues can help make us a better teacher.  

Work together to come up with a great routine for the year.  All of you are very talented!  I am sure together you will come up with some killer dance moves...and don't forget to SING!  Sing notes of encouragement and praise for your fellow educators and students...and keep hanging tough!

Here is what started this whole blog...a little video sent to me that Mark Harming thought that I "would probably like".  I didn't like it...I LOVED IT!

Sitting in the Cockpit

I like movies.  In fact, I love movies.  One of my favorite actors is Tom Hanks.  I am not only a fan of really good, Oscar winning Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump", "Philadelphia") but also funny Tom Hanks ("Bosom Buddies", "Bachelor Party").

My husband and I went to the movie "Sully" last night.

We all remember watching this plane in the Hudson River in January of 2009.  Then there was this friendly, trusting gray haired man on our televisions trying to grapple with the fact he was now a hero.  All 155 people on board that plane stepped out of the river and it is because of the thinking of the pilot of that plane, Chesley Sullenburg.  Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, this movie takes us to after the "Miracle on the Hudson" and through the NTSB investigation into the crash

The Captain is in charge.  His reactions and training affects what happens to the people on his plane.  What an awesome responsibility.  Being a leader...whether in a school, classroom or playing field...it is the same thing.  We are constantly thinking on our feet, making a thousand decisions each day.  Did you know the whole flight last 4 minutes?  That from the moment the birds hit the engines until the plane landed (and let's face it...it didn't crash.  He LANDED that plane!) in the Hudson River was 58 seconds.  Can you imagine the decisions he made in that short amount of time?  

The following blog post highlights what we can learn about leadership from this movie and more importantly the actions of this man.  He models the characteristics our students need to see each day.  They need to be able to see people doing the things Sully did in order to model them in their own lives: make decisions, take responsibility, and problem solve.

http://nesloneyflipped.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-pilot-is-last-off-kidsdeserveit.html

Here is a bonus article from Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2016/09/09/what-the-movie-sully-can-teach-us-about-leadership/#15d0e4e4c500

Go see the movie.  It is Clint Eastwood's shortest movie at 96 minutes...and it is good.