Cracking the Shell

So when it comes to teaching respect there are always a few kids who are hard to reach. While they often appear disinterested and resistant, those are the kids who need it the most. Watch for them and plan for them.

I've seen them ignore me, defy the rules--either passively or agressively, even turn against their friends. I'm talking children, not even teenagers!

The issue at heart is TRUST. Of course respect sounds good--really, but can they really trust us. I think for me that's why the beginning of a new school year is so exhausting. They are trying to read my signals, and I'm trying to read their signals and respond in a trustworthy and respectful manner (in addition to teaching routines, procedures, and some subject matter).

So why would they trust us? They don't know us. They've already been disappointed in their short life by people they thought they could trust.

What are ways you develop trust and respect at your work place? or with kids?

Inspired To Ask

Today's inspirational focus is on asking to have our needs met. This was (sometimes still is) a foreign concept to me. I think I was trained to believe that I could actually meet my own and everyone else's needs. Based on that premise you might imagine how difficult it was for me almost 2 years ago when I spent 11 weeks on bedrest. In a lot of ways it took that extreme for me to even realize I couldn't meet all my needs and I couldn't expect others to read my mind to meet my needs.

Fast forward to the here and now. I'm surprised how really shy I still am about asking. It certainly doesn't feel good or right. I'm even more surprised when my needs actually do get met. And boy is it starting to happen a lot!

I've gotten a little bit obsessed about Flip Camcorders, so I registered at digitalwish.com. I asked parents to consider contributing toward them. I can't even wrap my brain around all the possibilities. So anyway, I find out that I may be able to take a class and get a Flip for less than the price of buying one outright.

Crazy, huh! What's even crazier is that I believe if I had not put it out there I would not have found this opportunity--or did it find me? Oh sure, the workshop was there in an email, but I've deleted more of those emails than I can count. Why did I open this one. I don't know if it's God or karma or old age wisdom. All I know is that the more I put my needs out there (which is still really uncomfortable) the more they are met.

My disclaimer is that there are things I've put out there that have not materialized. I believe those are the ones I don't really need now--maybe later, maybe never?? I don't know. I can't explain it.

Join me in graciously asking and joyfully receiving today.

Breath In Some Fresh Air

I survived the first week of school! YIPEEEE!

The 2 brighest spots in my day involved breathing. This afternoon I took my students outside to write under a big shady tree. I wish I had a picture of this. It was fun to see kids writing and working but not sitting at desks. (Note to self: do this more.) It was also great to just breath in some fresh air.

After they wrote we sat in a big circle and told a story. It's an activity I call Story Circle. It's my personal take on an activity I heard discussed by Adele Diamond about educating mind, body, and heart. As far as most kids are concerned the oral tradition of storytelling is a dead art form, but I'm trying to revive it. In its most structured form I start a story and we go around the circle adding to it. The first few are always shaking, and some kids refuse to contribute. It's all good because we are trying to ignite a creative spark by rubbing the flint of different people's ideas together. I could go crazy when kids aren't listening to each other, but they're just beginning to learn how to respect themselves and the people around them. Ahh.

I have a little breathing room for the weekend because I stayed late and worked very diligently. I'm trying some new organizational strategies, and they're starting to work for me--instead of the other way around.

Many of my strategies are taken out of the book I'm recommending today: The Cornerstone by Angela Powell Watson. Her webpage is a wealth of downloadable resources, too. I find her approach practical and no nonsense.

Respect the Day

Here is the view from my desk. . .

Having survived 2 painful days of meetings and Open House, it was a relief to spend the day with a room full of bright eyed and eager children. It was also absolutely exhasuting.

So instead of some marvelous writing I'm going to show respect for the day and say it was wonderful and tough and exhausting. Sometimes the most respectful course is to acknowledge what it is and move on.

I've also really been struck by one of my 8 little motivators--Is it necessary? How much of what I say and do is necessary? How much of what is said and done around me is necessary? I just keep seeing it in so many places--especially those pockets of education where people don't really work with kids, but they want to impart all the answers--which are often not only unnecessary but useless.

Inspiration for the New Year

So every year at this moment my professional goal is to support children in learning as much as they can and becoming the best people they can be. But how is this achieved? I labor over year long plans for each subject and specific daily plans. I hone procedures and classroom layout.

While those things are happening this year I'm also taking a more intropective approach. I want to learn as much as I can and be the best person I can be. So I have a little list that will be hanging by my desk. There are 8 little items. The first 5 relate to how I let the world make and mold me. They came to me through the wonderful and amazing online class Mondo Beyondo.

`BE VULNERABLE
`BE BRAVE
`BE FLEXIBLE
`BE OPEN
`BE TRUSTING

The last three I found in "a life of being, having, and doing enough" by Wayne Muller. They are the goal I have for how my voice is projected into the world:

`Is it true?
`Is it necessary?
`Is it kind?

These are my goals to which I aspire and hopefully inspire this year. Best wishes to everyone returning to school this week! What are your goals for the year?

Before School Picnic A Success

So the before school picnic was a great success. I loved that both kids and adults started to mingle and talk really quickly. It's always fun to watch other people socialize! About half the class showed up. It's always good to meet kids and families and infuse some enthusiasm.

Not one to lose a great opportunity, I took shameless advantage of my captive audience. I passed out this years "Inspiration Guide" filled with some important highlights about the beginning of the year. I passed out a wish list, which included everything from recycled coffee cans to 4 flip camcorders on digitalwish.com. I asked for volunteers, and I've already received 4--yippee!!!
And I passed out book order forms. (The first one is always a sweet deal for teachers and hard to pass up.) I loved that kids were already previewing!

We ended with a crazy twist for charades. Kids are the guessers and adults are the actors. It's great because the adults are embarrassed, and the kids love it!

I'm sure will put it on the calendar for next year! Here's a little video:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Book Recommendation Friday

I saw this book as I quickly rushed through a bookstore, and then my husband brought it home to me from the library. (I'm not sure who found whom--the book or the woman!)

Oh No! by Mac Barnett with amazing illustrations by Dan Santat. I also saw another book by Mac Barnett that is a very creative mystery in board book form titled, The Clock Without A Face. It is definitely a book for older kids--maybe 8-12.

Back to Oh No!--I adore this little book. It's both surprisingly simple and complex. As an adult it feels quite predictable, but I think kids will enjoy it just the same.

I think it has appeal for a broad audience. (OK, I even read it to my 18 month old, who nodded vigorously when I asked him if he like it.) I like that the main character is a girl science nerd, but my husband says it will have great appeal to boys, too.

Some ideas for how to use it:

~I think it would be a fun lead into an elementary science fair project
~I like the many possibilities for writing prompts--what happens next? or What science project can you think of that might go horribly wrong?
~I also love doing a little tease (if you've ever thought of building a robot or creating a science project in your garage, this book is for you), and then putting it in the class library and watching kids desperate to get their hands on the book.

What ideas do you have for ways to use picture books in middle grades or wherever you are?