Reflections

An Attitude of Gratitude
November 26, 2014

After reading an excerpt from The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership, I responded to the following prompts:

Attitude of Gratitude

I am still having a hard time with my challenging student, whom I have talked about before. It really hit me this week about how thankful I am to have this kid in my class. Even when he has his hardest days (which are also mine), I know that he truly loves our school and it is the best place for him right now. He shared that he didn’t want to leave for Thanksgiving because he loves coming to school; he often tells me that he wants to come to school every day. He also asked if I would miss him because he would miss me over the long break. Hello, heartstrings! I need to keep working with him and believing “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” because it has been working for us so far. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…

Personality Traits

I think the “blessings” of my personality are my optimism, patience, and approachability. I guess all three of those so together nicely. I (almost) always have an upbeat personality, and like Caleb mentioned, people rarely see me unhappy or in a bad mood. My patience has been commented on a lot lately and praised by parents and other teachers/administrators. My approachability allows me to establish a strong rapport with both kids and adults in a short amount of time. Being a teacher who is able to have those three traits makes life at school MUCH easier and enjoyable! I am grateful for them every single day.

Enlightened LeaderI wrote a card to our secretary at school. She is majorly overworked and underpaid for the immense number of things she takes care of on a daily basis. She and I have been workout buddies a few days each week after school. “What happens in the workout room stays in the workout room”. Not only do we hold each other accountable for exercising, but we also can use that time to vent about things. It is so nice to be able to get and offer advice in a safe space with someone who is familiar with the conversation topics. We agree that weeks are better when we have that time to talk and exercise!

What's the Point of Grading?
October  11, 2014
After reading "Starting the Conversation About Grading" by Susan Brookhart I began to tie in some thoughts shared at our last F2F as well as some new ideas. I then talked with a coworker at school and gained some of her insights as well.

* What do you think the purpose of your grading is? I think the purpose of grading is to have a way to document growth in student learning over a particular period of time. Grading allows teachers to have a baseline of student understanding and then monitor if appropriate levels of growth are occurring for each student.

* How do you communicate this with students and parents? I usually have the conversation with students around the middle of October. We are settled into a routine and I have a good idea of how each one of them is performing in our classroom. We talk about what report cards are (since they will come out early in November) and how I think of them in second grade. We use the E, S+, S, S-, N scale and I explain what each of those levels mean. I have the conversation with parents at our first conferences unless someone approaches me with concerns. 

* Is it to motivate students to put forth their best effort? I stress the fact that being at an S level is right where a second grader should be and our goal is to grow over the school year in as many areas as  possible. I think of an E as an end-of-year goal in chat the student has mastered the content of second grade. While the point of report cards is to have a common grading scale that shows whether or not students are accomplishing our standards, at the younger levels I think effort can (and should) play a role in grading. I want students to know that things won't always come easy. If they try their very best I will give them a little boost. I am still aware of the work they still need to master and will continue to work with them but building that confidence is huge in order to continue that work ethic. 

* Colleague Conversation: I talked with a fourth grade teacher at my school. She previously taught second grade so a lot of the conversation revolved around giving true letter grades beginning in 4th grade and the differences from our ESN scale. She said that is a transitional time for both students and parents and some have a harder time than others. I shared that I have had some eager parents quite concerned about why their child wasn't receiving an E in several different subjects. I have to keep my poker face but in my head I still struggle with how silly (to me, NOT to the parent) the conversation is about an eight-year-old who is doing just fine in second grade. Both my colleague and I agreed that parent views/interpretations of grades have changed a lot in recent years. So much pressure is put on students that they are expected to perform off-the-charts in every aspect of their lives- schools, athletics, etc. In reality, that just isn't the way things work. Now it seems that teachers are being held more responsible for poor performance than students whose work ethics are affecting their grades. It is kind of a scary shift in rationale that is taking a toll on teachers.

Intentions Update
October 3, 2014

Update: I decided that Mondays and Wednesdays are reading when finished days. Tuesdays are math activities. Thursdays are writing activities. Fridays are choice days. *for next week I am going to add the stipulation that work from their "desk folders" should be finished first and then they can do the When I'm Finished... activity.

Vampires: A few of my 'student vampires' have behaved exactly like I anticipated they would. They get stuck on one activity and refuse to follow our activity for the day. This is when my 'self vampire' has tried to come out this week. I caught myself early in the week ignoring their choices since they were being quiet. I visited with these students and pulled out the classic let-try-something-new-for-my-college-class line and got a bit of yresponse. I will continue next week with this intention.
Vision for the M.Ed. program: I am most looking forward to strengthening my understanding of why I have decided to becoming a teacher. I have always felt drawn towards the profession but now I am getting to analyze and learn more about myself and my own strengths and weaknesses as an educator. I get to maximize those strengths and work on my weaknesses. I also have gotten to form relationships with our RB2 colleagues that have shed new light on specific aspects of teachers who play different roles in their own school communities.

Conference Vampires: I am excited for the conference and my selection of the Bullying and Math PreK-6 sessions. I joined our schools anti-bullying committee this year and have the intention of picking up some ideas for us to incorporate into our school. I look forward to hearing about what other schools are doing and how it is affecting their school climate. As I adventure with guided math this year, I intend to gain and share ideas with other teachers. There are so many great ideas out there and I am hoping that this session will allow us to pool our resources.

Intentions
September 25, 2014

Intention: I want to create/promote activities for students to do when they finish work in our classroom while other students are still working. This will reduce the volume level of searching for something to do while others need it very quiet while they are finishing.

Visualization: I see my students remaining actively engaged in activities after they finish an assignment during class. They are staying quiet and working individually until everyone else finishes. They are reading, working on a math activity, working on a writing activity, or finishing unfinished items in their folder.

Action: I planned to create a list of things to do but then remembered something I heard at a conference about reading. When students have the option to read the same kids will always read and the same kids will never read. I have decided to try a "when I'm done" activity for each day of the week. We will talk as a class about how important it is for it to stay quiet until everyone finishes. I also will stay consistent with my expectations each and every day.

"Energy Vampires": My energy vampires could be my students if they are not interested in our particular activity of the day. I am hopeful that since no one will be doing any of the activities for too terribly long that they will do okay. Plus, it is good practice for stretching that patience just a little bit further. Another energy vampire might be myself. I generally don't worry too much about what is done after work is completed as long as it is quiet. The problem comes when too many kids get curious about what others are doing and either 1.) can't concentrate on their own work, or 2.) think it's time to wander and discuss what others are doing. That increases the volume and decreases the progress of students in class.


Praxis Folio
September 11, 2014
Question 1: Why is teaching my content or area of focus important to what I believe about teaching? How do I see these beliefs aligning with my teaching practices?
     I believe that good teachers are able to teach their content in a way that allows students to take ownership in their learning and pride in their abilities (no matter how great or small). Students need to build a solid foundation for their learning. This begins at home and then grows significantly during the first few years of school. They also need to be coached to develop the basic skills of both academic and social situations. I try to help these learning events coincide and create the awareness of "life beyond me" and how they can affect all aspects of life. Students need to realize that can and does happen all around us. 
Question 2: How is my understanding of content concepts guiding me in making needed changes in my teaching practices in the area of my content or area of focus?
     My area of focus this year is going to be math. I chose to do my action research on guided math even before seeing a class list for this year. I don't think I could have a better 'test group' than I do right now. I have the widest spectrum of needs than I ever have had before. Using the small group and individualized instruction will allow me to (hopefully) meet all of those needs in an organized and useful way. The biggest focus is to keep in mind what my students should be able to do and know by the end of second grade. Guided math combined with backwards design should help me lead students on a path of growth this year.

Question 3: How am I coming to connect the depth of understanding and application needed in the learning process of each student? How am I changing my  content or area of focus delivery to account for the cognitive processes of my students, engaging them in solving real life problems for building knowledge?
     During the first couple of days of school I found myself over-doing things a bit. Going from almost-third-graders last May to still-first-graders last week had me spinning my wheels. I forget about the huge strides we make over the second grade year. While keeping expectations high are always something I try for, I had my sights set a little too high for my class this year. There was too much confusion and uncertainty. I had to take a few steps back and get right down to the basics again. I am having to rethink the best ways to reach my students on their cognitive levels. I need to teach the same content but need to zone in on the 'bare bones' of it for many in my class. I will also need to dig deeper for some lesson extensions for students that area already in need of more challenging concepts. Despite their individual learning levels, all of my students need to be engaged and able to find connections better their learning and real-world events.

Question 4: How can the gifts, backgrounds, and interests of each person in the classroom community be used to help one another learn and make my content or area of focus understandable and meaningful in their lives now?
     It is vital to a classroom community to keep the gifts, backgrounds, and interests of each person in mind. At the beginning of the year I also have a meeting with my class to talk about all of the gifts and talents in our classroom. We do a couple of activities where kids get to let their talents shine and then we also share about areas where we also have a hard time. We try to make connections like: "Sarah says she loves science and John says he thinks science is hard. Now we know that if John or anyone else has science questions they can go to Sarah". We do this with as many examples as we can. Not only do we establish each person and their strengths, we also focus on how asking for help is okay and we can support our friends in all sorts of things. In the area of math, I will identify a particular area that each student feels comfortable in... they will become my "experts" as we dive into each new unit during the year. I hope that sense of pride develops and the confidence spills over into other academic and social areas. 

Encourage Effort More Than Achievement 
September 11, 2014
In my classroom I definitely put a big emphasis on "the try" factor. I will be the first to admit that I am lucky to have this opportunity because I teach a younger grade level and probably have more flexibility to do so.

I have come across my fair share of perfectionists and have seen tears of frustration on more than one occasion. During our first week of school I explain the my class that it is okay not to be perfect. The best way to figure things out is to give it a try and see what happens. We try to celebrate the attempts as much as the successes in my room- I prefer to use attempts or tries rather than failures. Kids need to learn how to struggle in order for them to make it in the real world some day. Things won't always come easily so they need to develop those coping and problem solving skills as early as possible. I am always so impressed with those students that struggle so much, but when supported and given boosts of encouragement, are able to perform at such a high level. It is fun to see them impress themselves as well!

Personal Playbook 
August 7, 2014
This summer my goal has been to maintain great relationships while also working my tail off with graduate work and tutoring most mornings. There have been days and weeks where my head hasn't stopped spinning. I also took two electives this summer and one of them ended up requiring a ton of extra time and effort. Luckily, I can say that I have survived to at least August 7th :) As overwhelming as things seemed, I was able to remind myself of the "end game'. In April I will so accomplished and proud of all of my hard work... and then next summer I can be laaaazy! haha! 

I can honestly say that I have not had this busy of a summer EVER. Each and every weekend had something scheduled, not to mention, most weekdays as well. Even though it go to be exhausting, I like to say it was a fun exhausting. Yes, there were days when I would have loved nothing more than to couch surf and recuperate from all my comings and goings, I knew that it was fun stuff that I was doing and I got to visit and spend time with so many important people in my life... so it was totally worth it. I can definitely look back on these months as a fun and wild ride! Is it weird I'm ready for a "relaxing" start to the school year?!

My Quest to a Perfect Classroom
August 4, 2014
Express CARE With my students I make sure that I really get to know them throughout the year. In elementary classrooms it is nice because I'm with the same 25 kids each and every day so I get the luxury (sure, we'll call them all luxuries ;)) of getting to know them all very well. We have a Morning Meeting for sure on Mondays and I try to make time for at least one more each week. I listen to what they share and try to make connections to it during the week. I think it makes all the difference to students when it is evident that teachers truly listen and think what they have to say is important and worthwhile. CHALLENGE growth

Kids at the second grade level LOVE a challenge; I make them up all the time to get them excited about learning. AKA- Are you up to a challenge of 4th grade math?? (Not really 4th grade but just one step further in 2nd!) I have noticed that in a large-group setting that challenges are much more exciting. When I get one-on-one with students sometimes I there is some push-back on having to think harder or not easily finding an answer. I explain that the more growth that happens now, the easier the coming years will be.

Provide SUPPORT

I like to think that I am a positive role model for kids in my class. I think they relate to be better since I am younger than most other teachers at my school. I have a more relaxed attitude that allows students to let their guard down, even when they may struggle with learning or social situations. My students know that I come to school everyday with the goal of helping them succeed. In order for me to feel like I am doing a good job teaching, I need to see them enjoying the day and accomplishing learning goals along the way.
Share POWER

My classroom functions as a team. All of us have equal responsibility in making our classroom environment great! I incorporate student choice whenever possible; this allows them to take ownership of their learning and have a boost in their self-confidence. Everyone knows that they are expected to be a friend to everyone else and help anyone that needs it.
Expand POSSIBILITIES

I am starting to explore more of the possibilities I could tap into with my class. It is very hard for students to see beyond themselves (they are self-centered in the truest... and most innocent... sense). We do monthly nursing home visits which I absolutely LOVE doing. Seeing kids making connections and getting our of their comfort zones is incredible to see. I would like to do something more that gets kids to see beyond St. Francis School or Rochester, MN. We'll see what I come up with in the next few months.

Wrapping Up
May 22, 2014

5 Changes you made with regards to your practice:

          * More cross-body activities and other "brain breaks" 
          * Allowed for more choice in centers and reports  
          * Backwards design unit 
          * Literature circles with higher readers 
          * Behavior management with focus on self-monitoring 

4 Different ways your students learned this year:

          * More choice in center work
          * Totally 10 Report
          * Skits to show understanding of concepts
          * Reteaching other students 

3 Great things your colleagues would say about you and/or your classroom this year:

          * Shaking things up and trying to get others to do it with me 
          * Organized and well-managed classroom
          * Having a stronger voices on our staff  

2 Changes you would like to make for next year based on what happened this year:

          * Do more backwards design planning over the summer
          * More pre-tests, especially as I try to group students for Math.

1 The most important thing yours students will take away from being in your classroom:

          * They felt truly appreciated in our classroom and feel they were given the support they needed to thrive.

Spring Conference 2014
April 21, 2014
Spending the day with so many intelligent was a great way to get my psyched for the next (and final) 12 months of our program! I felt like I was going in a little blind as to exactly what I could expect. I left feeling the exactly opposite way :) I now have a much better understanding of the "end game" as I begin to think about where I want to go with my Action Research this summer and into next school year. I quickly realized how much you need to narrow down a topic. My current AR project with behavior monitoring is WAY too broad. Right now I am starting to lean towards the direction of shaking up our daily Math routine. I went to a couple of presentations that tried different techniques in their own primary classrooms and had great results. Let the researching commence!!! 

Being "Good to the Core"
April 10, 2014
After reading John G. Blumberg's article "Good to the Core," I began to think about who or what the orange balls and lifeguards are in my life. 

The orange balls represent the things in my life that I tend to overlook. When I ignore them too long there is a chance that I will begin to lose sight of exactly where I am going or what I am trying to accomplish as a teacher. I am guilty of sometimes overlooking those middle-of-the-pack kids that keep putting along but don't require my extra attention (with negative behaviors) or the challenges (with enrichment activities). These kids are right on track and happily just keep doing what they are doing everyday. I need to work on making time for these kids more often so that they continue to strive towards higher performance levels since they are definitely capable of that. 

The lifeguards represent the people in my life that "catch my drift" when I get overwhelmed. I am blessed with an amazing family and close group of friends that help me safely back to shore when I've drifted out too far. They give me reminders of the type of person I am and where I'm going in life. I also work with great people and have a small core group of coworkers to whom I can vent or ask advice without judgement when I am in over my head or struggling with something. 

Goooooals
April 3, 2014
FEEDBACK GOAL:
I will give more concrete feedback on student assignments and projects.
Strategies:
I am still struggling to find time to make written feedback on student work. One strategy I am attempting to get into routine with is picking two assignments (to start...) each week to give feedback on. I was getting overwhelmed with finding time for more. Another strategy that seems to be working better is verbally touching base with students. My goal is really to give something visual for them to see and process but it seems that those quick conversations are better than nothing... especially when we have an out-of-the-ordinary week and our schedule is goofy. 
Success:
I am finding most success with the verbal feedback. It gives kids a short connection with me to either applaud something specific on an assignment or make a small goal of what to work on for the next one. I think (hope) it is getting students to take more pride in their work- even on everyday assignments.
LEADERSHIP GOAL:
I will help students to become more aware and accountable for their own actions in our classroom and school environment.
Strategies:
I have not had a change to do this yet, but the plan for next week is to review what my expectations are for the remainder of the school year. We will role play what proper 2nd grade behavior looks like in the classroom and around the school. I also am going to make a few posters of our main behaviors that need work and hang them in the front of our room. I might consider individual notes for behavior on desks as a Plan B if needed[thanks, Gretchen!].
Success:
Using the 2:25 timeslot (we have three kids leave for Title services at 2:30) seems to be working out really well. We also do them right after our World Language class before we get ready for lunch. I actually explained this to my class and I have two boys who take pride in reminding me to do journals. Thank goodness someone keeps me in check when I get on a roll with instruction :)

Goal Updates
March 19, 2014
FEEDBACK GOAL
My feedback goal was to give written feedback on a particular book report. It was well-received so now I am extending my goal into daily work and projects. Instead of a simple score I will jot down what particular items stood out to me.
Steps Taken
1. Plan a few assignments/projects each week where feedback can be appreciated and be of some substance (rather than just "I like how you showed your work on that story problem" etc.)
2. Explain to students the value of feedback and what they can/should do after reading it. 
Progress
1. The feedback on the book reports went well. My students seemed to enjoy hearing back specifics comments on their work.
2. I need to plan ahead for the next couple of 
Overcoming Barriers
Time has been my most significant barrier. With the end of the quarter on Friday I have been playing catch-up with absent students, tracking down missing assignments, and wrapping up a couple of units. It sounded like a great idea at first but in the last week or so it has been more of a headache than anything else. I will plan on starting up again after Spring Break.

LEADERSHIP GOAL
I will help students to become more aware and accountable for their own actions in our classroom and school environment.
Steps Taken
1. I discussed what proper behaviors are and why it is difficult to sometimes control what you say or do.
2. I use the Class Dojo app on an iPad to monitor behaviors during the day.
3. Students will practice monitoring their own behavior using a journal.
4. I meet with each student on Fridays to compare information.
Progress
1. I was really pleased with how the first week went. Most students kept quite accurate notes in their journals (similar to what information I had kept). 
2. We will continue this week and next week. I am curious to see what those students who were overly positive in their journals will do now that we talked about what behaviors I was seeing a lot of.
Overcoming Barriers
Our schedule has been crazy so far this week and it is hard for me to remember to squeeze in a few minutes at the end of the day for students to jot down a few behavior notes. I think I will just start doing it at 2:30 everyday even if we have to take a quick 2 minute break from instruction. Waiting until the last thing before packing up is way too chaotic. 

Teacher Leadership Goal
March 14, 2014
As I reflected about what sort of goal I would like to aim for in the coming months, I struggled bit because I feel like I'm still treading water between snow days, conferences, yearbook deadline quickly approaching, and end of the quarter next week. Whew! Suck it up, Sarah :) Since my leadership style points me in the direction of a person who tends to go-with-the-flow I figured that's exactly what I should do. I just needed to get a plan and start working towards the goal.

My goal is to make students more aware and accountable for their own actions. This goes along the same lines as my current action research project. I have a good number of student who present the classic "do before you think" attitude. It causes problems with class distraction levels and individual productivity on class work. I will monitor students' behavior and visit with them on a regular basis. I hope that students are able to recognize poor behaviors more often and ideally prevent them from taking place as frequently as they currently do.  


Adaptive Supportive Leader
February 20, 2014
I took a survey of leadership qualities to assess what type of leader I am. I scored 8 out of 8 areas as an Adaptive Supportive leader.

Adaptive Supportives are:
- quiet
- compassionate
- dependable
- caring
- sensitive
- humble
- unassuming
- easygoing
- nonpolitical
- humorous
- dedicated
- calm
- nonjudgmental

Focus Questions:
     One of my questions asked about the +/- of an adaptive supportive leader. I think these leaders have strengths that include being dependable, hard working, personable, and who do what is best for the most people by leading by example. Adaptive supportives do have weaknesses which include taking on too many tasks, not delegating, and sometimes getting stuck in the rut of being a follower.  
     Another question referenced an adaptive supportive's easygoing style and how others can learn by this example. This style of leader does what needs to be done without all fo the fanfare and attention. They put in the time and energy and end up reaching their goal. They are able to complete tasks and projects successful without needing to make the 6 o'clock news.

Points to Consider:
     In order for leaders to be effective I do think it is important for them to exhibit a high number of virtues. Those virtues, while individually are great, collectively desribe a well-rounded leader who is able to connect wtih all types of people and handle a wide variety of situations with grace. It is unlikely for any one person to have equally high degrees of all of the virtues. However, if they higher ones can compliment a few that are lower in degree I believe the leader is likely to progress towards good, solid leadership. While it would be great to have a leader already possess all of these virtues, it is more important to have a leader that is willing to delve deeper into any virtues that may be less than sufficient. The willingness to work on one's own traits shows the likelihood of being able to adapt to change in a leadership role.

Misconceptions:

     I believe one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to leadership is that it needs to be someone who has been gifted with the leadership "gene". I see this power stuggle even in my elementary school. It made me think of the Student Council elections and how every year there are kids who don't run because they aren't the naturally outspoken, popular "face" of the school. If someone is willing to put in the time and effort and take into account the needs and ideas of others, the lack of being naturally gifted should not have an effect. Who is to say whether or not you are naturally gifted anyway??

Glanz, Jeffrey (2002). Finding Your Leadership Style: A Guide for Educators. ASCD. 


Assessment: Teacher-Centered or Learner-Centered?
February 12, 2014
After taking an online survey [http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AMT103] I discovered that I am learner-centered when it comes to assessments rather than teacher-centered. To be honest, as I was reading through the descriptors of both types I knew where I would end up. The results did not surprise me at all. The learner-centered assessments are based on the connection between learning and assessing. Both are necessary and work best when built upon one another. In the same sense, students and teachers also must work together as a group of learners. Both groups can share insight and information with each other in order to create meaningful learning environments. 

In my classroom, I try to create assessments that focus on the learning experiences rather than only what students know on the day of an end-of-chapter test. I would much rather see where the weak areas of understanding are throughout the unit and make adjustments instead of seeing on a final assessment that a large number of students have not learned the material. It is also important that I create various types of assessments for my students. Different learners have different needs when it comes to instructional and assessment materials. I use a lot of formative assessments. They are more "unofficial" to students yet allow me to track how they are progressing in understanding.   

Openness

January 31, 2014

Demonstrating Openness
I feel like I am a quite open and willing to be flexible and accepting most of the time. One event that stick out in my mind is when I accepted my first "real" job as a K-7 Spanish teacher covering a yearlong leave of absence. [Bear with me; I know I have mentioned this before] I signed on for a position that was only two years old and still had a lot of question marks and kinks to work through. I had to be open to the fact of a lackluster curriculum that had me creating almost everything from scratch. I had to be willing ot put myself in a vulnerable position of not knowing what will work or what won't. I traveled to each classroom so I needed to be open to other teachers' routines and expectations for their students. While I certainly took charge of the classroom when I was teaching, taking into account what the students are used to during every other moment of the day really helped for a smooth transition for them. It also challenged my openness to have veteran teachers listening and watching every single lesson I taught that year. Talk about being vulnerable! I took a deep breath, put on my big girl pants, and had a fantastic first year.

Not Being Open
To be honest, I struggled more with this question. I feel like I am a people-pleaser who does anything I can to make things run smoothly. After racking my brain I was able to come up with a not-so-open situation. We have talked in other discussions about having colleagues who are stuck in their closed mindset. I am guilty of being sucked into this population a few times throughout my career. This month has been so busy with a bunch of last minute requests thrown at the teaching staff. Instead of embracing the opportunities I hopped on the bandwagon on moaning and groaning. Wow, welcome back to the days of middle school peer pressure! Everyone else was being closed so it made it much easier for me to feel the same way. Having that closed frame of mind is sometimes easier but it leads to a chain reaction of negativity. 

Openness: Easy or Hard
Being open is absolutely easiest when I am within my comfort zone. When I am surrounded by people I feel comfortable with and tasks I am familiar with I tend to be more willing to be open to different situations. Ironically, I also can find those same situations hard to be open at times because I don't want those close relationships to change or for me to feel embarrassed because of something new or out-of-the-ordinary that I do. What if it crashes and burns and I look ridiculous in front of those people I most respect? From the article I really liked how Steve announced to his staff that he was changing his behavior and wanted people to report how he was doing. What a gutsy move! I can't say that right now I would be that open to the various responses I would get. Maybe that is something for me to be working on...