A New Summer Brings New Adventures

Image found here.

The summer break has brought rain in abundance.  The smell in the air is wonderful and very much welcomed.  It brings on the encouragement of something new.  It suggests change.  It makes you want to get outside and enjoy life.  It is the spring weather I usually miss out on inside the walls of a classroom... so I truly am enjoying the cool, fresh, clean air as I breathe in and embark on summer adventures:

1.  Adventure #1- Extreme Sports: My husband has been encouraging me to participate in some of his favorite hobbies, which have allowed me to experience feeling like a kid again.  Driving a Toyota through a MUD BOG or riding in the back of a monster truck are thrilling moments everyone should experience at least once in their life.  The mud, dust, and minor bruises are completely worth it.  But there is nothing more exhilarating than riding a Drift Trike (oversized customized tricycle with PVC on the back tires) down a long hill at 30 MPH.  Definitely brought me back to my days, as a kid, riding my motorcycle though the mountain air... These adventures are surely just the start of an exciting summer!

2.  Adventure #2- Feet to the Pavement:  My daughter is now old enough and has the stamina to run with me.  Running/walking, listening to music and chatting is the perfect adventure to experience alongside her as we both mentally and emotionally prepare for her journey as a middle schooler. ;)

3.  Adventure #3- Grant Award:  Ann and I spent time recently planning for the expenditure of our technology grant, awarded to us at the end of May.  We wrote the grant over a year and a half ago, so the celebratory assembly was truly a surprise.  Planning for the "Multiage Minutes University" has been an inspiring process.  This will definitely be an adventure that helps us to enhance, and in some ways recreate, our learning environment.  

4.  Adventure #4- New MAC BOOK!!: Tonight has brought forth a big adventure... digging my way through a new device.  One that has been well worth the wait.  First came the iPhones, next an iPod for my daughter.  I was hooked.  An iFanatic!  Then my iPad followed (along with iPads in use in the classroom).  Now I am the proud owner of a Mac Book.  A perfect addition to the iFamily :)

5.  Adventure #5- GLAD Training:  I have wanted to experience GLAD Training for several years, and recently Ann and I were able to jump at the opportunity to commit to training this summer.  Many visitors/observers to our classroom have made comments assuming we are, so we definitely feel as though the GLAD strategies will fit our brain-based philosophy and style as teachers.  This adventure is sure to provide new inspiration as we move into the new school year, much like Arts Impact did for us this past year.

Adventures are not moments that are necessarily planned out, but should be welcomed with arms wide open.  You can never pinpoint what to expect exactly, but what fun would unfold if you could?  Embracing the change, chance and risk within each new adventure sparks growth to an exponential power.  The benefits may appear immediately or have a longterm affect; irregardless they are each worthy in their own way. Allow yourself a moment to be free and seek out the adventures that await you.

~Celina

Let It Unfold Naturally

Ever have  a moment in education where what you feel pushed to do and what you think is right collide? I had one of those moments this past weekend as I was thinking ahead to the major testing we have this week in reading. I began reflecting on the item types and questions that can come up on the assessment which had me thinking about what could be CRAMMED in this week. 

That saddens me really, because we have been so engaged in purposeful and meaningful learning these past few weeks. Our students have been delving into genres with renewed interest and digging deep into different kinds of text through close reading. We wrapped up Wonder and our students created amazing precepts of their own, many drawing on their One Little Words or our December study of respecting diversity. In math students are expanding their strategies for the basic operations and applying their understanding of the mathematical practice of "One big whole, break it up" to fractions, decimals and division (that last one without even labeling it with the D word!). Our work with science has infused our curriculum connecting our mathematical practices to science applications, finding symbolism and learning about electricity in our reading of The City of Ember and even experimenting in our work with art (ever consider all the variables that can affect a watercolor painting?). We are even extending our work with culture into the diversity that shaped the formation of the United States. Our learning has been varied, yet intentional, and in many cases it is the kids that have spun our thinking into even new and better ideas, letting the learning UNFOLD NATURALLY!

And this is where I am grateful that I am able to process my thinking with Celina. I sent her a text about something that could be CRAMMED in, but without my rationale. She then responded with her own thinking, and I was forced to rethink my idea and recognize if for the proverbial TEACH TO THE TEST CLIFF. I jokingly thanked her for allowing me to talk myself "off the ledge" and relaxed. Amazing, engaging and powerful learning happens in our classroom every day, and taking time away from that for just one test is not honoring our students or our goals.

So as the week unfolds, I vow to let it do so naturally. 

Do You Hear What I Hear?

With the holiday weekend coming to a close, I am coming off an abundance of overindulgence! Isn’t it divine to have so many days to rest up, read and reflect? I spent my time catching up on blogs, reading great articles from the Choice Literacy website and delving deeper into the stack of books that is never far from my side. I have joined two book groups to start in the coming months (Anyone else reading Pathways to the Common Core or The Book Whisperer?). Despite the need to jump into these, I continue to find many other books, articles and posts that draw me in, leaving me mulling over things and making connections in entirely different ways.

My thoughts today centered on Language.  Choice Words had me recognizing the power of language within a classroom. I found myself thinking most specifically of the kind of language Celina and I work tirelessly to get imprinted into our students, a language of possibility, of thinking, of doing, of being.  In turn we look to hear this language among our students. What are the 5 essential components of our classroom language that you might hear? Read on:

1.      We continually speak about Growth Mindsets with our kids, and recognize it in ourselves, as a post or tweet can have us researching and reading into an entirely new arena.  It is no surprise for us to have a student talk about some tangent they came across in their reading, some metaphor they have developed from a discussion or some new topic that they can’t wait to find more about.  We recognize it and support it, encouraging that child to “go find it!” At the same time our students speak to each other with support and inspiration, often pointing out to us how another student’s find or growth was made evident.

2.      It is in our language to speak of trying and doing every day, kids often reply back to us the words from Sousa that started our school year: “The brain that does the work makes the most growth.” They know themselves as learners through extensive study of their learning styles, intelligences and preferences, and they know that so armed they are accountable and responsible to themselves as students.

3.      We also routinely remind them to use a resource, encouraging them to think about what they need to answer their own questions, to evaluate the sources around them for validity and usefulness, and that asking and seeking answers to their own questions will help them grow. We have helped them to create a personal resource in their Brain Books so that they can connect and reflect on a daily basis. At the same time we tell them, “We are not your resource!” Every time that we guide them into recognizing their own potential, rather than relying on others to tell them the answers, is a moment of empowerment.

4.      Talk! Talk! Talk! Whether a turn and talk moment, asking for student opinions, or sharing in a one-to-one conference, student voice is an essential component of the language within our classroom. Their voices lead us in new directions, embolden their classmates, and drive the essence of possibility within our classroom community. They learn from and teach each other, and we all grow through the variety of talk.

5.      Need It or Got It? Learning is a process of building blocks within our classroom. This has led to a language of recognizing that learning is a lifelong process of discovery, and that failure is not an end but a beginning. “I can’t do this” is not a part of our language, it has been replaced by “I need it” or “I need to set a goal in that”! Moving along the building blocks is not for the sake of covering a curriculum but rather the process of creating a solid foundation to grow from.

 

Our language also continues to evolve and grow as new learning occurs. The past few months have added perseverance, reason, passion, evidence, “prove it!”, wonder and countless other words to our lexicon. Our students talk project based learning like there is no substitute. They chant and dance their way through the CCSS Mathematical Practices like it is the only logical way to process through the words. They even belt out a little, “Hey I just met you, and this is crazy” to make a connection or get a laugh, and we do laugh.  That is another language element that we can never get enough of.

All this reflection had me processing too about language acquisition. The research often says that being immersed in a language is essential and that the brain is hard-wired to best learn language when children are young. Is this the language that students are hearing everywhere? Is this what they are hearing from an early age, a language that supports them in making growth, being independent thinkers and problem solvers? Are the actions and environments matching the words? Or are they hearing instead to listen, do what they are told, to follow directions to one right answer. I wondered what does that lead to? How does it translate into the future?  Then I found this quote:

“The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” by Ludwig Wittgenstein

My take-away: I am grateful to be in a classroom where I hear and speak a language that is out of this world.  ~Ann

A Partnership that Works

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I continue to appreciate the abundance of resting, playing, reading, planning, and learning the summertime has had to offer. Spending time in the sun, exploring with my kids, conversing with friends, and spending quiet time processing has allowed for some much needed rejuvenation.

As I have reached the stage of needing ideas put to paper, though, the next segment of summer begins.  That transition from previous lessons learned to new adventures on the horizon.  Ann and I have engaged in inspiring dialogue that has enhanced our excitement for the upcoming school year. We have chosen our theme, brainstormed concepts of focus, pinned a ton of organizational techniques, built our knowledge base of the CCSS, and began the creation of our schedules/planning sheets/calendars.

We are in the mind-swapping mode, which can get a little geeky at times. (Which is why our partnership works so well!)  And we have been very fortunate to work with amazing colleagues/friends this summer that push us forward with every conversation.  Our “geekin’ out” sessions have been quite fun and absolutely rewarding.  The ideas that spark within our conversations inspire new direction and possibilities.  We appreciate the diversity among our team and find each and every moment together valuable.

So as these interactions have occurred this summer, I have been reflecting often about my appreciation towards my team and my teaching partner.  And I quickly connected it to the overarching theme of “GROW” that Ann and I will use with our students this year, along with the symbol of a tree.  My thoughts landed on:

A partnership is rooted in trust, branches into respect, and blooms into friendship; that is the essence of a partnership that works.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this metaphor.  Does it connect to a teaching partnership that works in your life?

~Celina