Voice for 2013



Well like most people I am often drawn to the NEW YEAR hype of starting over, sort of a reboot if you will. Instead this year I am choosing to be inspired by my pal Celina, and this quote from Whole Living Magazine:

THE NEW YEAR ISN'T A DO-OVER;

it's an opportunity to take your next big step.

So Step 1 One-Little-Word: Every year about this time I think of what word will be my guide through the year. Past words have included BREATHE when I was a stay-at-home mom, and FAITH when I returned to the work force. In 2012 my word was COURAGE and I remember being completely curious last year at this time as to why that word kept coming up. Well, thankfully it was the word I chose, I needed courage in spades in 2012 to keep moving forward. The word served me well, pushed me and helped me to discover hidden levels of strength I didn't know I possessed.

This past month I have been contemplating words and the one that kept speaking to me (no pun intended) was VOICE, so gauging that my intuition knows me best I am moving forward with it for 2013. Now I am considering what I will use my VOICE for, where I will use it, how it will serve me in conversations and interactions. The thing with VOICE is that you have to know when to speak and at the same time when not to, like any delicate balancing act. In my mind’s eye, I see myself working on my skills of communication, intentional listening, effective feedback and understanding from other points of view.  At the same time I will be continuing to reflect and refine my VOICE through writing, blogging, and discussing with Celina and my other teaching partners.  Even my at-home self needs to learn to hold her VOICE when attempting to talk reason with a hungry pre-teen and tired teenager!

Sometimes my voice will be loud and sometimes silent, and I am perfectly fine with figuring it out as I go, learning along the way and evolving into someone who uses VOICE for good in the world. Let 2013 enter with a hue and a cry, and of course VOICE! ~Ann

 

Found Here

A Star Moment for our Students and Us

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Yesterday, Celina and I had the opportunity to share what we do in our classroom with others at a presentation for empowering learners.  We spoke about the 5 powerful strategies that are the basis for our program: choice, reflection, self-assessment, students as teachers, and student voice.  The 4 ½ hour return trip was spent laughing and reflecting on all that we have been able to accomplish with our students in the last year and half.  How we have grown as teachers, how our students have grown and how our program has evolved into creating an environment for learning that could work in a multiage context or any straight grade setting.

Why does it work?  It is a mindset, a way of thinking.  It is not a canned program or a prescription, it is about starting with the students first, considering what they need, and focusing solely on all of the ways we can meet those essentials.   We start with our students, determine the standards they require, and then pull from our curriculum and other resources in order to meet those needs.

No matter what the standards are, or what the curriculum is, you cannot make it happen without starting from where the kids are and what they still need.

Thinking in this manner, with this mindset, means that the standards and curriculum you work from are basically irrelevant!  They just become a set of “building blocks;” they are those elements that you scale on the path to becoming an accomplished learner. We started our program last year with the state standards, but easily transitioned to CCSS when they were put into use.  In the past few years our district has implemented new curriculum in Art, Social Studies, Math, Spelling and World Languages.  While this could have easily overwhelmed us, we instead chose to look at these materials as just a new set of basic resources from which we could pull (or our students could seek) the knowledge that was needed.

We pass this mindset on to our students. The realization that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, they can grow from where they are, take charge of their learning, and be empowered in their abilities and choices.

We returned today to our classroom tired, but exhilarated and eager to share and celebrate with our students all that we have experienced, shared and received in response. Our students were so proud, so happy that their Brain Books were shared, so excited that “THEY” were our topic of conversations.  Overall though, I felt awe in them and from them, the awe in knowing that their words and work have the power to transform education for all the administrators and teachers who were at our presentation and eventually all the students who will be impacted by this new learning. They have the power to change the world for others as they have changed it for us. It starts with the students and the learning never ends.

~Ann

 

PS Thank you to "our people" for making it possible!

Percolating

The summer break is finally here and I am easing my way into relaxing.  Oh who are we kidding, I leaped into it with a marathon nap today!  It was the perfect delicious freedom that makes summer special.  Plus it is the ideal backdrop for the percolating that is coming from reflecting on my past teaching year.  My brain works a lot better when rested, and I am finding this renewed energy is leading me in many different areas, most particularly deep into books.

Do You Know Someone

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Do you know someone amazing?

…someone who laughs at your jokes

…someone who acts silly for the benefit of being silly

…someone lighthearted and carefree

…someone who shares the same passion as you do

…someone who shares the same thoughts in the same moment

…someone selfless and generous

…someone who knows you for who you are

… someone who loves positive energy

…someone who turns your tears into smiles

… someone who believes in you

Hopefully you are fortunate to share your life with many people who fit this list.  Value and appreciate them, as they are gems. 

~Celina