Summer of Inspiration

Summer is just around the corner, and I want to offer Brave Hearts everywhere a daily dose of inspiration this summer.  Five days a week I will be sending out a printable poster with an amazing quote and decorated with some of my creativity, heart, and passion.  Just opening these little gems may be all you need to keep your motivation and spirits soaring.

If you need some more inspiration you can print them out to hang on your fridge or bulletin board or wherever you look for some uplift.

Click here to receive an abundance of inspiration this summer!

Now you know I love Brave Teachers, but this summer I want to send the love and hope to everyone who can possibly use it.  

Can you do me a favor?

Can you forward this to anyone who came to mind when you started reading this?  Your sister, your boss, your best friend from college, your mother-in-law, and your coworker who is in a rough patch.  I want to touch as many hearts and lives as possible this summer!

HERE IS WHERE TO SIGN UP

And if you would like a little taste of inspiration before the official start, here is a poster I made a few years ago.  Enjoy!

Signs of Spring

The 6 year old I live with has totally enjoyed taking walks over the past month seeking signs of spring.



At first you have to look diligently to notice any change.




Then it becomes more noticeable.

Then we can see that the cycle of life is in full swing.

 Then one day we notice in almost a surprised way that there are real plants all around us.








That's how it works in the classroom, too.  We wonder if our students will learn anything this year.  And then we begin to notice hopeful signs of growth.  And then we see that there is growth and change and progress and maturity.  That is when we know that we have done our jobs.

{I don't know of any standardized test that is able to notice these subtle nuances.  That may be the greatest flaw in the current and pervasive thought in how to evaluate teachers.  Please let me know if you know of a test that notices the little signs of change that give us hope as teachers!}

Sacred Space

As the school year starts to wind down it becomes more and more important to practice self care.   It is not for the weak.  It is for the wise.  I am feeling really crabby and prickly today.  I know I need to practice self care.  I took myself out to breakfast, and I'm working on plans for my future.  For me that is part of self care.  So is sharing this blog with you.

In January I took myself on a little private retreat at True Nature in Millersburg, Ohio.  One of the things that came out for me in a little finger painting activity is the need for sacred space in my life.  In order to create and be and nourish other people I must leave some sacred space.

What is sacred space?  I think it is a place where we nourish the most sacred and true part of ourselves--our light.  The world is always pressing in on our sacred space.  When we cease to be vigilant it can totally disappear, and in a sense it takes the most amazing part of us with it.

Please take good care of yourself.  Don't let the urgent trump the important anymore than is absolutely essential.  You will slide into summer in a more beautiful space (and maybe not quite as exhausted!) if you honor your sacred space now.

A Book Is Growing

Don't we all just see books and say, "I could have written that."  But the truth is we don't take or make the time to do it.

I'm in the process of writing a book about some of the bits of teaching that are nearest and dearest to my heart and furthest away from standardized testing--social and emotional education.  I would love to teach and have all of my students learn that it feels good to be kind!  And so many other parts of navigating our interior world so that we can successfully navigate the social world around us.

And then I thought this:  What if I could inspire and empower many teachers to teach these life skills to many more amazing students?

And so I'm here writing a book filled with the why and how to teach so many essential skills to students everywhere.  This summer I will be offering an online course for teachers who want to prepare themselves to be Brave Teachers.  I am also offering house retreats where you can work with me to put together materials for the upcoming school year.  You can invite your teacher friends and I will come to you with this transformational process.  I will also offer at least one retreat at my house this summer.  Email me if you want to get more details and be the first in the know.

You can read the first snippet over at Brave Teachers.

Sensory Breaks in the Classroom

So we all know that sensory breaks are recommended for students with a variety of special needs.  I would argue that sensory breaks are a great idea for everyone in the classroom--even teachers!  They can be used many different ways.  This year I have so many students who benefit from the consistent addition of breaks into our daily routine.  I can usually tell when this is needed because the students are extra antsy or unfocused.  Below you will find some ideas that I added and some were suggested by our occupational therapist.  {She had some of my students teach these breaks to the whole class!}  If you need more suggestions, consult your school's occupational therapists or consultants.

I made mini posters to remind students of our breaks.  The posters backed with aqua paper can be done by any students at any time at their seat.  These include:

Deep Breath:  Breathe in through the nose slowly and out through the mouth slowly.  This can be "smell the flower, and blow out the candle," or as my son prefers, "smell the cookie, blow out the candle."

Pressing Palms:  Press palms together in front of the chest.  {You should be able to feel the press all the way up into the shoulders.}

Chair Push Ups:  Press hands down on seat of chair and lift bottom off the seat so that feet come off the ground.

Lift Arms Over Head:  Lift arms overhead and press them up toward the sky.

All of these can be modified, expanded, or repeated several times.  Most we will do 3 or 5 times.

I honestly don't have many students who will initiate a break on their own.  Sometimes I will invite a student who looks like they can most use the break to choose one for us to all do together.  That is usually very effective and quick!

Then we have a variety of breaks that would be too distracting for one person to do, but the whole class will stand up and do them together.  These are very popular many months into using them!

Put on the sunscreen:  start with arms and press as if you are applying sunscreen.  We go from arms to legs to bellies to necks and heads.  Try it!  It's surprisingly calming to me!

Brrr!  Hug and stir:  Cross arms and give yourself a tight hug, tightening muscles.  Repeat 3-5 times, and then stir a big cup of hot cocoa in front of you.

Popcorn Spelling:  Practice spelling words outloud.  Pop up for certain letters.  We usually pop up for vowels.  So for c-a-t, we would sit as we said c, pop up for a, and sit for t.  My students LOVE this one!

Roll A Brain Break:  I printed this freebie from Teachers Pay Teachers.  One student rolls a die and then reads the instructions to us.  {There is a different activity for each number 1 - 6}

The Elephants Are Coming:  The all time favorite!  I say, "Do you hear the elephants coming?"  They say, "Yes and they are far away {Tiptoeing}  Me:  "Do you hear the elephants coming?"  Them:  Yes, and they are half way here.  {Louder feet}  Me:  "Do you hear the elephants coming?"  Them:  Yes and they are almost here.  {Pounding feet}  Me:  "Do you hear the elephants coming?"  Them:  Yes, and they are here.  {Pounding feet, trumpeting mouths and moving trunks}  Me:  Do you hear the elephants leaving?  Them:  Yes, they are moving away {Pounding feet}  Me:  Do you hear the elephants leaving:  Them:  Yes, and they are far away {Tiptoeing}  Me:  Are the elephants gone?

Them:  {whisper yes and sit down silently}

As the winter has been long and spring is always a time for antsy students, these are worth a try!  Let us know what you use and how these work with your kiddos!

The Power of Story in the Home and Classroom

Last year my son started attending a Waldorf School.  It was a big adjustment for all of us.  As he struggled to adjust socially and emotionally, his teacher recommended storytelling.  {I have to admit I was doubtful this would produce any positive change, but I'm open to trying most things.}

I was stunned by the results.

I invented all sorts of fuzzy little woodland creatures who were experiencing the same sort of difficulties he had.  We most often told stories at bedtime.  He would get so quiet.  We would have whole conversations about what our characters should do or say or how we thought they felt.  Sometimes he would ask, "Is this story really about me?"

A year later he will sometimes say, "I don't really like your stories."  I think this is because it really zings his heart and emotions without any blaming or shaming.  He doesn't really know how to handle that.  {let's be honest--neither do most of the rest of us}

So how does this fit into the classroom.  I started telling many quick little stories in the classroom.  Sometimes they are true stories about events in my life or the lives of others.  Sometimes I use little finger puppets.  My class usually sits silent and spellbound.

I use stories to present some of the most difficult topics in our classroom--someone stealing the personal items of others, how to handle anger, what to do when you're fighting with your friends.  Usually we use our "Wise old gnome" and an animal to present the problem to him.  The gnome then presents solutions.

I'm blown away by the responsiveness of my students.  Does it solve all the problems?  Nope!  Does it open a portal into their hearts and minds?  Yep!

I'm developing a collection of mini-books that relate to this.  They are called Will U.  I will start to provide some of them here for my loyal and amazing peeps, so keep an eye on this spot.

Do you use storytelling?  How?  When?

Take Apart Center for Home or School

When I started teaching {back in the dark ages} I had a take apart center in my first and second grade classrooms.  People would send in broken gadgets and gizmos, and the students would use screwdrivers, pliers, and rubber mallets to disassemble everything from an iron to a computer keyboard.  They learned so much through this process of exploration!

WARNING:  Make sure the devices you take apart do not have any toxic components--televisions and computer monitors are especially bad.  Also, cut off all cords before leaving something for students in the classroom!

Fast forward about 18 years, and you will find that I live with a very curious almost six year old.  He has taken apart a mixer, hair dryer, toy robot, CD player, and quite a few other things.  He has learned so much {for example, speakers have magnets that you can attach a LOT of screws onto!}  He has even taken apart a TV under the supervision of Dad.  {I don't recommend this unless you do research, as some parts still hold an electric charge.}  I do recommend the free exploration of the world around us.  My son is waiting for me to say yes to taking apart a DVD player that I think is dead.

This is such an inexpensive way to encourage discovering and exploration.  I think it would even be great for inside recess days.  If you put the word out, it's easy to get a box full of items, and there is a good bet that a local hardware would donate a few tools.

How do you integrate exploration and discovery into your classroom and your own world?