You Matter!

How mindful are we of how well we listen to our students, to our colleagues, to ourselves?

I am just leaving the Northeast League of Middle Schools (NELMS) conference and once again this semester I have had the opportunity to interact with teachers, administrators, and superintendents; and engage in conversations, and I have been inspired by the following recurring themes:
1) Teachers and administrators who share their passion and ideas inspire others.
2) Keynote address speakers remind us of our values and commitment to serving this age group and the importance of never giving up on kids or one another.
3) Vendors give teachers and schools ideas and support by sharing their expertise.
4) Teachers and administrators who celebrate the successes of one another and who join with an intention of advocacy and renewal are inspired, energized, and infused with passion they carry back to their schools.
5) We are reminded, in these settings, that kids matter, that we are committed to meeting the needs of all students, and that we as individuals and as teams and as schools are the most important people in the world.
6) We need to share our stories, fill one another's cups, sing our songs, and advocate for children and one another.

My hope is that somebody reminds each of you that you matter! Perhaps there is someone in your building who needs to hear that they matter. Tell them.
Perhaps you need to take better care of yourself. Take a breath. Look in the mirror and say, 'I matter!' (Say it more than once. Sing it. Dance in your car or in your living room and say it.) 'I matter!'

You do matter. What you do everyday matters. Your 'kiddos,' as my friend calls her students, need you. Your colleagues need you too. Let them know they matter!

Thank you for your commitment. On your journey, know that I am sending you lots of good energy.

Have a good week.

To those who support students outside the classroom...thank you!

This past weekend our university hosted the regional Science Olympiad, a middle and high school science competition. Our campus was abuzz with spirited middle schooler, supportive teachers, parents, leaders, and other advocates. Faculty, student leaders, students, staff members and administrators led events that took place from 9:00 to 3:00. Faculty in physics and mathematics led the logistics and recruited and coordinated over 200 volunteers and all of the events on campus as well as coordinating with school leaders. Each school had their own 'home base' in a classroom on campus. Water, drinks, snacks, lunches, and contraptions used to test physical prowess, accuracy, and order were backdrops to focused, excited, sometimes silly, and always anticipating the hope of accuracy and success Middle School students. Students worked individually and in teams throughout the campus to compete with 12 other middle schools.

The energy was palatable. It reminded me that what teachers do outside their own curriculum and classroom is extremely important to middle level students. We often hear how our schools are doing academically. (It is a given that we are committed to and work to help students gain content knowledge and skills.)  Perhaps we should also look at what our schools are doing for students outside the classroom! Those teachers who lead kids in Science Olympiad, Battle of the Books, Odyssey of the Mind, Math Counts, not to mention Band, Clubs, Service Learning, Yearbook, Newspaper, Cheerleading, Sports, are the real heroes to me. School counselors, Gear Up coordinators, nurses, assistant principals, media specialists, other outreach coordinators and parent volunteers give students support and encouragement. Those universities to work with after school enrichment programs and as AVID tutors make a difference in the lives of students.

Teaching is more than a test score, and I imagine those who participate in after school enrichment, who are engaged in academic and community competitions and experiences, do well on those exams. When we look at growth, it is time to look at the activities students are engaging in. Thank you teachers and leaders who work tirelessly to support students outside academics!

To police or not to police?

I'll always remember my first faculty meeting as a teacher. The principal said, "We're not going to dress code leggings anymore. We lost the legging battle."

This struck me. There are times when prohibiting any one thing becomes more trouble than its worth. These days, it's phones. Every teacher at my school has a different rule for phones. This inconsistency tends to cause a lot of problems for everyone and creates tension between teachers with hard vs. soft rules on cell phones. 

My personal rule is that they can have them in their pocket, or upside down on their desk, they just cannot use them during class. 

Another teacher on my team says if she sees it, it will be taken away. 

Another has a basket in the front of them room that they have to put them in during class. 

Seventh grade has a rule that they cannot use their cell phones at lunch, however UA and 8th grade teachers let them use their phones at lunch. 

See the problem here? 

I favor softer cell phone rules if only because, for me, policing phones is more trouble than it's worth. You have students thinking they're getting away with something, which, in my mind, undermines my authority. There's also the issue with dealing with disgruntled parents who are angry with you for taking their child's phone away (when it's taken and sent to the office, a parent has to pick it up and if it's taken a 2nd time, parents cannot pick up the phone for 10 days). And finally, you are also battling other teachers who have softer rules on cell phones, which creates that friction/tension in your peer relationships. 

I don't know what the best way is, all I know is that I have far less problems with cell phones than other teachers with harder rules, who seem to be dealing with cell phone issues daily. 

But the question remains, is it worth the effort to police? 

Leading up to spring break! Engagement is the key?

Leading up to spring break.  I loved the time between January and spring break. It always seemed like we were in a groove. Structures, projects, systems, and the weather were all conducive to  engaged, peaceful learning. When I was living north of Florida there was also an occasional snow day (Angels from heaven drop in for an unexpected day off.). Ahhh yes, a time out of sorts which provided a little extra time to unwind or get caught up.

The week before spring break could be met with anticipation, and for some, anxiety. Therefore, I always tried to mix it up a bit, by bringing in more active engagement. The 16 chatpracteristics of exemplary middle schools includes 'health and wellness.' Math, including statistics and algebra, is a  great tool to engage learners! I used grant monies to purchase a classroom set of pedometers. The pedometers recorded steps and miles.

We estimated how many steps were in a mile, compared the track (four laps = one mile), estimated how long it would take us to make one lap, how our steps compared to the average, and then set off to compare. We talked about wellness, how walking is related to health and wellness, compared how we felt before and after walking, and discussed the purpose and value of exercise. At the end of the week, students created brochures to promote wellness. The following is a hand-made brochure. (Note: Students had the option of creating it by hand or by computer.)

Tell your story! What is the most important part of teaching?

This week I have been at the Georgia, South Carolina, and will be at the North Carolina Middle School conferences. We are learning about brain growth and how to help students with self-efficacy. I  have heard preservice teachers share their experiences with Genius Hour. have been in meetings with pre-service, inservice, principals, and professors. Over and over again I hear, 'We, as teachers, have the most important job in the world.' 'Relationships matter!' 'Your job is to inspire, engage and empower young people.' 'Our children need adults who care about them.' 'When you are with kids, be with your kids.'

In other meetings we are realizing, as middle school teachers, we need to tell our story. We need to promote middle level education and middle level teachers and middle level students. How can we do that and to whom can we share?

One way to do this is to reflect on your story. What is your story? Share your passion, share your support of working with Middle Level students. What makes teaching important to you? Share your joy!