Leveraging Learning

Kindness is important.  But unlike other important things, it really isn't that hard to do.  If you pay attention to those around you, you can figure out what they need.  Often, the things they need aren't all that difficult to provide - a little of your time, a listening ear, a compliment, a joke.  These are things we can give without much effort or investment. In spite of the ease with which they are given, these little things so a really long way.  Think back to the moments and people in your life that touched you.  It was cold and the kids were cranky, but the guys at the Dunkin Donuts had my order ready as I walked in the door.  Riddled with self-doubt about a decision and my brother said, "you should go for it."  Bored on a Saturday night, and my son asked me to play the Wii with him.  While buying produce on a busy day, the shop keeper gave me a few apples for free. These acts of kindness took almost no effort on the part of the ot...

If you have never met my mom, you are really missing out.  She is remarkable.  She raised seven children into (mostly) productive adulthood.  She is a grandmother to ten grandchildren.  She has a beautiful garden and makes wonderful parties.  No one ever feels lonely when they are with her. Life has not always been easy for Maggie.  She was the oldest of three and grew up in a difficult household.  She was the first of her family to go to college.  There, she met my dad and they inadvertently started a family.  The kids kept coming and the money wasn't always there.  Even so, Maggie made sure everyone was provided for. She had trained to be a teacher.  Once the children were old enough for her to enter the workforce, she began teaching at a parochial school in Newark, New Jersey.  There, she found out that she hated teaching. She enrolled in nursing school, but found out she was pregnant at the start of her first semester...

It is cold and snowy today, but I can't complain because I had the the day off.  Not having to instruct, facilitate or conference has been delightful.  I folded laundry, finished the crossword puzzle and played (and lost) a game of Trivial Pursuit with my kids.  Really, from the moment I woke up, today has been filled with simple joys (and it is only 3:30!). But if I were pressed, I'd have to say the three simple things that give me the most joy are: Sunshine.   I know this makes me sound either like a huge John Denver fan or a beach bum (both of which are true for me occasionally), but sunshine is the best.  At the pool or the beach I am sometimes so happy to be in the sun that I jump up and down or cry.  (I never said this was normal).  On winter afternoon, I know exactly where to sit on the sofa to maximize the late afternoon rays.  When it is cold, I park the car in the sun so I can close my eyes and feel the warmth.  Something about...

I am bad with time.  Sometimes the period ends and we have more learning and thinking to do.  Other times, we finish the the project or issue at hand and there are still several minutes before the end of the period.  I prefer this to the first option, but still. Wouldn't it be great if we could let go of the schedules that limit or restrict the time we can spend on a project or idea?  In all honesty, I haven't figured out a practical solution.  I just know that I want one, because if I could let go of one thing, it would be the clock.

When I think about what school should look like in the future, I think of the word OPEN. An open book - Things will be transparent for all stakeholders. Open arms - The way in which we will welcome all students and new ideas. Open floor plan - Classrooms will provide more space for collaboration and projects. Open to new ideas - Schools will be receptive to change and progress. Keep our options open - Schools will not limit themselves by old ways and ideas. Open - Like the U.S. Open, in which everyone can play. Open enrollment - Schools will accept students when it is an appropriate time and not be guided by arbitrary dates. Open season - Opportunities for learning will exists all year long, so that student can have safe places to learn and grow. Open access - All students will have the technology needed for success. The word open has many uses, but basically means to un-close or unfasten.  It is high time we open quality education up for everyone and remove existing ...

I have been working on this my whole life, it seems.  Saying "thank you" is an easy thing to forget.  But I have been more intentional with my thanks this month with some pretty cool results: Ending each class by saying to students "thanks for your hard work and ideas today."  When I first started this, I think they were were confused.  Now they say things like"it was a great discussion" or "I can't wait til tomorrow for keep working on this" as they leave class.  It feels good to acknowledge their willingness to engage.  As I've said before, they don't have to give their attention and effort and we certainly can't force it.  So much better for them to participate meaningfully and willingly. Thanking my colleagues more often.  Not just for lending a pencil or watching my class for a few seconds, but for their ideas.  I value them and I have been working hard to let them know. More donuts.  Bad for the waistline, great for mot...

I have a huge family.  Two sons, four sisters, two brothers, nine nieces and nephews plus in-laws and random pets.  My mother taught us that the thing that defined family was love.  That means we have to add more people to the group - uncles and aunts, close friends and neighbors. Therefore, the defining family tradition is chaos.  We are loud.  We make scenes.  Not in a bad way, mind you, but we do really stand out.  When we all go to the beach, we lug 20 chairs and two cabanas.  Thanksgiving dinner has to take place in two rooms.  Christmas got to be so expensive, we stopped giving gifts all together.  When you show up with this many people, you are bound to get noticed. Love is a messy thing.  Sometimes there are disputes and often we have lively debates.  We get mad, but move on.  Maya Angelou said, "I sustain myself with the love of family."  The longer am part of the messy and wonderful thing called family -...

Choosing just one book that has transformed my teaching feels a little like choosing a favorite child.  I just can't do it.  But the longer I work in Special Education, the more I realize that vocabulary is often a barrier to comprehension.  I see it every day.  Students struggle with concepts because they lack the vocabulary to discuss and understand them.  As teachers, we need to give them more than simple exposure to words.  Students need deep understanding of words, shades of words, word origins, similar words, examples and non-examples in order to truly own a word. One of the books on my shelf that gets frequent use is Vocabulary Games for the Classroom by Lindsay Carleton and Robert Marzano.  The book provides comprehensive lists of words and concepts that should be understood at the various levels of learning.  Also, there are a myriad of games which are fun and provide a deep understanding of the terms. A favorite in my class is Which...

Life presents many lessons.  Some are easier than others to learn.  In many ways, I am pretty slow learner, too. But a thing that I am grateful to have learned is this: change happens.  We often don't want it to.  Rarely are we ready for the change.  It is easy to react to change with negative feelings or fear (I blogged about learning not to react with fear a while back.) My son is on the autism spectrum.  When he was smaller, we both hated change.  For him, it meant facing the unexpected.  For me, it meant helping him cope with anxiety.  We had ways to address changes in the routine when I knew they were approaching.  But together we had to learn to cope with the unexpected changes. It was hard, but the funny thing is, he led the charge.  I am not sure how it happened, but I learned from this boy who once hated change that change can be pretty cool.  On the other hand, it might be dreadful.  Either way, it will hap...

Karen is pretty great.  She can help you solve any problem and she has creative and fantastic ideas.  The problem with being like Tr. Karen is, everyone assumes you can and will help out.  Trust me, she will help you.  But it is important to remember to thank her anyway. Today I did just that - although I like to think that most days, I remember to say thanks.  But today, I called her on my drive home.  It was a bad time to call, I'm sure.  She was already home and I could hear her kids in the background.  But what she had done in a meeting today was nothing short of miraculous and I wanted her to know.  Not via text or email the way we normally communicate - but with my voice. You know what?  I don't think she knew how remarkable her actions had been.  She seemed a little shocked when I put the whole story in perspective for her. (She joined our faculty last spring and didn't know all the parts and quirks that went into today's...

I am so lucky to have wonderfully brilliant and funny colleagues.  Together we do some pretty remarkable things.  They have great ideas, are always patient and work harder than any other teachers I've ever met. Of all their many attributes, though, I am most grateful for their humor.  Without laughter, the world (and our school) would be a sad and lonely place.  Some days are difficult, but my colleagues always, always, always find a way to lighten a heavy day with playfulness and wit.  Their ability to laugh and to be silly is sustaining.  And I am grateful.

A year ago, it probably wasn't as rainy as today was.  It might have been warmer, too.  It wasn't a Monday, either. I went back and read some emails from this time last year and I learned that we had had a dance over that weekend.  The students had fun and so did the teachers.  I was getting ready for a parent conference that had the potential to be uncomfortable.  The students had held a pretzel sale earlier in the week to raise money for tsunami victims.  It was a busy time. I remember needing a lot of coaching to feel confident.  More than I need now. Confidence has always been a thing that I lack.  It just doesn't come naturally. Remember that scene in The   Sound of Music when Maria travels to the Von Trapp's and she sings "I Have Confidence"?  She sings and dances through the streets of Salzburg swinging her luggage and guitar, only to find that she is still afraid?  Yup, that's me. Faking confidence does work - I w...

Being a connected educator is wonderful for many reasons.  I love the ease with which I can access ideas and inspiration.  Relying on and building upon the ideas of others makes me more efficient and effective.   But the best thing about being connected is gaining perspective.  By ourselves, it is easy to think that the issues and problems we face are unique.  To a certain extent, situations are unique to the schools in which they occur.  But if we try and solve them in a solitary state, we are working harder than we need to be and we are overlooking the valuable experience of other schools and educators. Being connected exposes me to solutions that I would not have considered alone.  It also makes me realize that I am not alone. Situations I face with students, colleagues and parents have been faced and overcome by other educators.  Knowing this makes me realize that they are not insurmountable and I don't need to problem solve alone.  P...

A few months ago, my kids and I were driving past a local church.  Their digitized sign was displaying the oft quoted line from the Sermon on the Mount "Blessed are the needy."  From our vantage point in the car, the words seemed to read "Blessed are the nerdy."  We laughed, but agreed that the "nerdy" have enriched our lives so much, that they really ought to be blessed. In thinking about the technology tools that enhance my practice, it is impossible select just one - or even just a few.  Likewise, it is foolhardy, as things come and go. They are effective for a time and then become passe. So the "technology" that I am most grateful for are the nerdy, the innovators, the people who see a need and develop an amazing, fun, easy and engaging way to solve it.  Those people, organizations and companies make classrooms run smoothly.  They allow lessons to be more interactive and teachers to be more organized.  They create ways for collaboration t...

Michelangelo said "Ancora Imparo" when he was 87.  I am not quite that old and not nearly as fantastic as he, but I have always like this quote.  Most teachers do.  But in spite of the fact that I am still learning and hope to remain so for the rest of my life, there are some things that I have learned in my years as a teacher.  Things I didn't expect, but once I understood, enhanced my practice and made me a happier teacher. I am not the expert.   Sure, I know a lot, but there are deep chasms of things that I don't know.  I love being able to say to my students, "Great question!  I don't know the answer, but let's find out, shall we?"  It is both freeing for me and empowering for them.  Phew. Student input matters.   Students spend all day in our classrooms.  We ask a great deal of them and, yet, it wasn't until very recently that educators figured out the key to buy-in is voice.  My students do their very best wo...

I don't get a whole lot of "me time."  School responsibilities - planning, evaluating, communicating with students and parents and keeping up with professional reading - are time consuming.  Family commitments take up plenty of time, too - spending time with my kids, keeping us from living in abject squalor and feeding my two teenage boys who are constantly hungry. The truth is, I love my life and I really love being busy.  So I don't complain.  Instead, I carve out a little time each day to drive alone and listen to the radio loudly.  Very loudly. This is probably bad for both my hearing and my image as a professional, but I don't care.  Driving alone with songs that I love instantly fixes my mood.  It is like magic.  Even if my mood is not in need of repair, I try to find a reason to drive someplace by myself.  If I hear Under Pressure on the radio - even better!  When Freddie Mercury sings, "why can't we give love, give love, give...

Grateful for my two awesome sons,  my family,  meaningful, challenging and rewarding work, the beach, the pool, paper cups of wine, & Vitamin D

What "lesson" do I want students to learn?  This was a hard one.  There are many things I want them to know - lessons that took me years to learn - but which is the most important?  I had lots of ideas, but they all had a downside: Try new things!  Hmmm.  Might lead to risky behaviors. Show confidence, even when you don't feel it!  Could lead to cockiness. Don't be afraid!  Sometimes fear is a good thing... You see my problem.  There are many things we want students to learn so that they can be happy, productive people who set goals and work hard to attain them.  The more I thought about life's most important lessons, the more I realized they are all tied to this: When something unexpected happens, react positively. It is easy when confronted with an obstacle to view it as "the worst problem ever."  Change is scary and presents us with the unknown.  If we think back to changes we have faced, we realize that they are rarely...

I laugh all day long, it seems.  I am fortunate enough to be able to find humor in most situations.  I try to use humor effectively to keep the learning lively and memorable. But there are some moments that stand out from others as just plain hilarious.  For me, many of these came this summer when I was directing the summer program at my school.  It gave me the opportunity to interact with younger kids - who are funny in ways that are so different from the teenagers who fill my typical school days. This summer, I learned from one kid that the movie "Frozen" should have been called "Puke Yodeling."  And another told me that he had super powers which exempted him from learning to read.  A third student taught me how to herd dragons and how to tell the good ones apart from the mean ones. But the funniest moment of summer school came on the penultimate day.  The students had lobbied for a Dismissal Dance Party and I had obliged.  Unfortunately, ...

Recognizing that we feel gratitude is a good thing.  The problem is, we often don't make it beyond that stage.  Time constraints often get in the way of our ability to express gratitude.  We feel it, but we don't always make the time to show it. Expressions of gratitude, no matter how small, go a really long way.  Think back to the times someone said thank you to you.  Maybe it was your boss, a student, a colleague or parent. Chances are, it make you feel appreciated, but it also made you just plain happy.  You felt gratitude for their gratitude because they took note of something that you did.  Expressions of gratitude matter. School days are busy, but showing gratitude doesn't have to take up a whole lot of time.  In fact, there are some easy ways to promote gratitude in schools.  Here are some easy ways I have found to promote gratitude: Saying "thank you" to students often and publicly when they share an idea, ask a thought provoki...

I have been fortunate to have many "memorable moments" in class which have served as reminders of why I show up every day.  These moments come in all different packages.  Sometimes it is the "aha" moments of learning, when a student figures something out for the first time.  Sometimes it comes in the form of a compliment paid by a student, parent, colleague or administrator.  Other times, it is the feeling of accomplishment that comes from the entire class when the students recognize that they all played a big part in the success of the discussion, assessment, project or performance. Being a #reflectiveteacher heightens my sense of awareness of these moments.  It helps me to stop and recognize - often publicly - that this moment was special.  Once I start looking for them, I find them all over the place. But I would be remiss if I didn't use this opportunity to blog about one of my favorite students ever.  His name was Sidney and he was "messy....

Here is an embarrassing fact - all learning excites me!  But the new learning that has excited me the most is the Genius Hour model.  The very premise of allowing students to select an area of study sends a powerful message - "Your interests matter."  The fact that it is question based and process oriented teaches students to be active in their learning.  The many road blocks they face over the course of a project teaches them determination and grit. Genius Hour really is just a fancy name for an old idea.  A person has a question or problem and seeks to find an answer or solution.  But giving the idea a name, also gives it a voice.  I admit that I was not always comfortable with the idea that students could direct their own learning.  After all, I went to graduate school, darn it, I should know what they need to learn. But the world has changed and so must our schools.  Learners need to be empowered to learn.  We need to get excited...

Why, who makes much of a miracle? As to me I know of nothing else but miracles -Walt Whitman There are many quotes that move and motive me, but none quite like Walt's. In this poem, Whitman is saying that miracles are everywhere and commonplace. He argues with the popular notion that miracles are rare and happen only occasionally.   I agree with Walt and have been fortunate to witness and appreciate daily miracles. Sometimes, I even benefit from the big and rare variety of miracles.   For me, the best part of being a teacher is having the opportunity to behold these holy and commonplace miracles all the time. As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles.

It seems funny to list some of my strengths today.  I just came home from playing tennis with my teenage sons (not a strength) and today was one of those days at school when my weaknesses seemed to be more on display than my strengths. That said, I can easily say that the strength I am most grateful for is my ability to try new things.  The funny thing is, I wasn't always the bold attempt-er that I am today.  In fact, I was well into adulthood before I learned to be comfortable with trying new things.  I used to be afraid that trying new things would result in failure.  What I eventually realized is that trying new things often DOES result in failure.  But it also results in pretty amazing things. Not only that, but my ability to try new things has made me more appreciative about the amazing things that others think and do.  Trying new things is exciting, freeing and humbling.  I get a thrill when I get to try a new technology or approach...

Several years ago, I leaked the info that animal crackers are one of my favorite foods.  A student, Jack, took this to heart.  Later that week, I received a phone call after school from the extended day room.  Jack was calling to let me know that the snack was animal crackers and I should come downstairs to partake.  I willingly obliged. As that school year wore on, I was called frequently in the afternoons to share in some animal crackers.  If I didn't make it downstairs in time, I would find a bowl of them on my desk the next day. Once, the school bus driver and the building engineer each left me packages of animal crackers on the same day.  Another time, a student brought in a big, huge bag of animal crackers to share.  It was pretty fantastic. I know that animal crackers aren't much to look at.  Most of the time, you can barely identify the animal the cracker is supposed to represent.  Like those elephants with the freakishly large ...

I feel proud at work often.  Typically, the pride I feel is in my students - when they overcome a difficult problem, when they experience personal or academic success or when they are really kind to others. Pride in myself is harder to come by.  On some days, I feel discouraged because the lesson didn't go well or too many students did poorly on an assessment. I call these "Duh, Me Days".  On other days, I just feel like I am doing my job - helping students learn, grow and ask questions.  Every now and again, I have a real Yay, Me kind of day. My best ever Yay, Me day came at the end of the 2012-2013 school year.  That winter, we had our accreditation visit from the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools.  The entire faculty had been working very hard to gather the necessary documents and write the appropriate reports for months in advance of the visit.  A team of educators from other independent schools came for three days to visit classr...

Teaching brings many small delights.  I enjoy the early mornings when I am preparing for the day ahead and the classroom is quiet.  I like having lunch duty twice a week, because I get to interact with the students and hear their personal stories.  I enjoy my tutorial period when I can help students with academic or personal questions. But my favorite delight is when I give out the "A for the Day."  While this sounds like a very formal event, it is not.  I never, ever plan who gets the "A for the Day" in advance.  I never really keep track either, although I probably should. It works like this:  A student does something public and awesome.  I become overcome with joy.  The A for the Day is awarded. That seems rather capricious, I know, to award the A for the Day in a fit of academic euphoria, and it may well be.  In my defense, you should know a few things.  This practice started a long time ago.  My students feel tremend...

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." Ralph Waldo Emerson was talking about success, not education, when he wrote this, but for me, it has always and very eloquently summarized the best parts about being a teacher. I love that he begins the list with laughter.  In my class, we laugh almost all the time.  In fact, I can assure that a student would say that RWE's mom did love him very much if she gave him "Waldo" as part of his name.  Teachers must be good at using humor to help students remember and connect with content.  We also enjoy the ability to laugh (in ...