KTOY Travels 2009

The 2010 Kansas Teacher of the Year is...

2009-11-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

All previous Kansas Teachers of the Year in attendance pose for a picture with Karen Tritt, 2010 KTOY (sitting front and center)

Karen Tritt!!!! Karen is a Spanish teacher at Shawnee Mission West High School and will represent teachers across our state for the next year. The journey she, and the 2010 KTOY Team, begins today is life-changing in so many ways. As my team met with the "new" team, I was overcome with emotion. The opportunities, experiences, and friendships that I have had the past year is hard to put into words. Trying to communicate what the year will be like for them was difficult.

What I am feeling can best be summed up by the lyrics to the song "For Good" (from the musical Wicked):

(Elphaba) I'm limited
Just look at me - I'm limited
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn't do,
So now it's up to you
For both of us - now it's up to you...

(Glinda) I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

(Elphaba) It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good.

TA-DAAAA....The 2009 KTOY Team saying Goodbye!
We have all been "changed for the better."

Change Happens the Moment You Ask the Right Question

2009-11-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

It is my assistant superintendent, Dayna Richardson's favorite quote. She repeats it to me often and when I least expect it, I can hear her voice in my head repeating it to me. Usually this is talking about policy, coaching teacher leaders, or how we can affect change in our school system. As with everything, what is true in teaching adults is also true for teaching students. When I went through the process of getting National Board Certified four years ago, I discovered how important proper questioning is. It is something most teachers know but "knowing" and "doing" are two different things. This become clear to me last week teaching geometry.

It was one of those busy days during seminar. I had students in making up tests and was trying to help about 12 students in 4 different courses (geometry, calculus, college algebra, and algebra 2). I was running crazily from one student to another - feeling like I was helping no one. One of those students was a geometry student who was currently not passing my geometry class - I will call her Gina for privacy. Gina was sort of in the mode I was in...let's hurry and get this done. It is times like this that I fall back into poor teaching. I was asking poorly worded questions - just trying to make sure she "got the right answer." While working on triangle congruencey proofs, I asked Gina, "Now, Gina, do you see any SIDES they share?" duh...what do you think she was going to answer? You got it. She said "yes." So I immediately ask, "Do you remember what property says a segment is congruent to itself?" When she hesitated, instead of waiting or encouraging her to look it up, I gave her the answer. (insert moan here). I walked to the next student, helping with problems and then returned to Gina. When I checked on her, she had written the following step in the proof:

Angle ABC is congruent to Angle AEC by the Reflective Property.

WOW...Alarms were sounding everywhere. If you are a math teacher you just heard them. Gina had some definite gaps in learning here. First of all, she didn't know the difference between sides and angles. Secondly, there is no Reflective Property - it is the Reflexive Property. Thirdly, even if she misspelled the property, the angles weren't even the same angle. I finally stopped rushing. I sat down and began asking questions.

What is the difference between a side and an angle?
Can you explain the difference between the Reflexive Property and the Reflective Property that you put down?
What do you think the Reflexive Property says? (it says a segment or angle is congruent to itself)
What do you think the Reflective Property says? (yes, there isn't a Reflective Property- just wondering what her thinking was here)

It is the last question that was the "right question." Gina explained that any two objects that reflect onto each other are congruent by the "Reflective Property." After more listening, I realized she thought that because when I explained the Reflexive Property, I used something like this, "Reflexive sort of sounds like reflective and that is a good way to remember it since what you see in the mirror is a reflection of the same image." I learned today that I will not be explaining that way again. I learned to slow down and ask questions that engage the learner...not just expedite the learning process.

Change really does happen the moment you ask the right question....and sometimes that change is you!

The Gray Area in Education

2009-11-01T21:35:00.001-08:00

The past week I have been struggling with a couple philosophical issues in education. As I travel and speak to future educators, they bring to mind how I viewed education and what it would be like to be a teacher. In my first years of teaching, I relied heavily on set policy and procedures and rules. The rules gave me a sense of confidence - something to fall back on when I didn't know what to do or how to handle a situation. As I have gotten a "few years" into my career, I have come to realize that I am not as big a fan of rules and policy as I used to be. I have found there is a lot - and I mean a TON- of gray area for me in education. I view each student as a separate person, with their own issues, talents, and disabilities. What is fair for one student may not be quite so fair for another when taken into account the economic status, ability level, or age. Does fair mean equal? What happens when policy conflicts with what I think is good for a student? Where is the balance between upholding policy and doing what is right for a student? It is a daily struggle for me as I try to find that fulcrum. I am going to give you some scenarios I have dealt with just the past week. I won't tell you what I did....or what the outcome is...well, not yet anyway. If you are a teacher, future teacher, administrator, or parent, what would you do? What is fair? Do the consequences fit the infraction? These may test your philosophy a little. I would love to hear from you all and what you think. For those that know me and the school I teach at, not all these come from my school.

Where is your fulcrum?

Scenario One
The middle school has a policy of keeping 15 7th graders and 15 8th graders on the basketball team. There are 2 coaches to handle the 30 kids and limited gym space so cuts will have to be made. What if only sixteen 7th graders go out? Should the school cut only one student? At what point do we do more harm than good? What if there were seventeen 7th graders out? Can we keep two extras? Would it matter to you that only eight 8th graders went out? Since not as many 8th graders went out should more 7th graders be kept? When do you draw the line? OR does a line need to be drawn at all? Many middle schools do not cut. What is your middle school philosophy? How do you balance supervision, quality practice time with letting students get exercise and feel part of a team?

Scenario Two
A student cheated on a chapter test. Policy says I give the student a zero. His grade was a C but if I give him a zero, he will fail the 9 weeks and become ineligible to play football at a time when playoffs are starting. Should he be allowed to take a different test? What if he was given an F on the retake but not a zero? The 50% would still allow him to pass with a D. Should he just get the retake grade without a deduction? What is "fair" for this student?

Scenario Three
A student plagiarized a paragraph from a project that made up the majority of the first quarter grade in English. Policy says the student will get a zero on the entire project. If he gets a zero, he has mathematically eliminated himself from passing the semester of senior English. He will not graduate. So what do you do? It was made clear that any plagiarizing would result in a zero. Is copying a paragraph deserving of not graduating? Where do you draw the line?

Every day all over the United States, teachers and administrators make decisions like the ones above that affect students. Sometimes lessons are learned, sometimes students are emotionally harmed and sometimes it is the key moment in time to make an impact on a student life. Life and teaching is not black and white...there is a lot of gray. The older I get, that "gray" seems to be creeping in everywhere!!

Wichita State University

2009-11-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

Five of us spelling out W-S-U!

The Team made our last official visit as the 2009 Kansas Teacher of the Year Team on Monday at Wichita State University. We did 3 different presentations for different groups. The first group was for the class "Introduction to Teaching" with Dr. Aagaard. This is a large class that explores what the profession is like for anyone who is considering majoring in education. After the class, we got a great tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright building from Dr. Alan Aagaard. I always learn something when I travel and this time I learned about Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture (see below). Pretty Amazing!

The courtyard at Corbin Hall

After treating us to lunch, we presented to about 60 high school students from the Wichita area. I looked at this group and wondered which one of these students could be teaching my grandchildren in 15 years. That is a strange sensation!! I also have that sensation when I think about which students of mine will be taking care of me in a nursing home or in a hospital as I get older. I think I (and my grandchildren) are in very good hands.

Marilyn Fox, Manhattan, speaking to high school students.

We ended the day with 110 student teachers. Yes, you read that right...110 student teachers. Most of the group were elementary majors and we all encouraged them to add a middle school license such as math, ELL or science. They were engaged and energetic even after student teaching all day. I am not sure I would have the energy that they demonstrated after teaching all day to attend another hour of professional development.

The visit was definitely bitter sweet for me. It is always exciting to interact with future educators (and previous students!) but was sad that this will be our last time together presenting to colleges. Visiting the campuses all over the state has definitely been one of the best parts of our time serving as the 2009 Kansas Teacher of the Year Team.

Beth Hake, previous student and student teacher at WSU. She is so grown up!

Kansas State University - Hause Creativity (updated with Video)

2009-10-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

The 3 KSU Grads showing our school spirit!!!

The KTOY Team visited the Kansas State Universit y College of Education Thursday. Being a KSU graduate, it was so great "going home" again. A lot has changed since I have been there...a new parking garage, an updated library, a new football stadium...the list goes on and on. (I think I just showed by age there). However, the one thing that remains the same is the commitment of the College of Education to the students. Under the leadership of fantastic people like Dean Michael Holen and Associate Dean Janice Wissman, our future educators are getting quality preparation for their careers. Just one example of that is the Hause Creativity Lecture which is part of their Education Symposium.

The students giving us "crinkles" a little scarf advice!

The Team put quite a few hours of preparation and thought on how and what to say. "Lecturing" was not really an option, so we tried as best as we could to involve 500 students....yes that is right....500! Since the theme was "Creativity - Making Connections" we had a big job in front of us. We started with a definition of Creativity: "Randomness with a purpose." And then we were off and running! Marilyn microwaved soap, Walt threw old hamburgers at them and talked about Progressive Era, Mary brought up a student to speak to us in a foreign language for us to practice listening and what it must be like for ELL students, Julie was her creative self with her tool boxes, Mary Martha kept us in stitches using humor, Cindy Venard showed us how to use Quantum Learning and movement in class, I gave some activities to build class culture and relationships (it was fun watching students untangle themselves -they were great!), and Jennifer dazzled them with her rhythmic respites.

Jennifer rocks "the Hause!"

I am not sure who had more fun - the students or us! I even walked away with some "scarf tying" tips....I love TEACHING - I am always learning something from students! We were so jazzed from talking with the students, we stayed and visited with each other for another hour...and played around for quite some time!

Here we are playing around after the Symposium.

The Symposium is named after the late Dr. Richard Hause who was a professor at KSU. I had the privilege of meeting his family...and after meeting all of them - I truly hope we did his memory justice in our presentation. If he was anything like his amazing family, I would not want to disappoint him. It truly was an honor to meet so many people dedicated to providing the best possible preparation to a generation of future teachers. When I looked out on all of them, I know my future (I hope a distant future) grandchildren are in good hands. Speaking of being in good hands - pictured below are two previous students of mine who I hope someday will teach my grandchildren....Shelby Sasse and Ashley Regier.

Pearson Foundation

2009-10-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

The STOY's take Manhattan - and our "namesake!"

Linda Smerge, Illinois, Derek Olson, Minnesota, and myself outside of Jersey Boys.

I arrived in New York City today - courtesy of the Pearson Foundation. They are sponsoring a digital workshop for all the STOY's this week. Since I have never been to New York City, I am definitely showing my "tourist" side. I was actually walking through Times Square taking pictures as I am walking. For anyone that has visited NYC, you probably are nodding right now knowing what I am talking about! We arrived at the Flatotel which is on 52nd and Broadway...WALKED to the Theatre District to Jersey Boys and then went to Carmine's for a supper sponsored by Pearson.

This week the STOY's have been collecting money to send home with the American Samoa TOY, Murali Gopalan. His island was hit by a tsunami the day after he arrived at the conference. We raised $1,250!! Pearson Foundation heard of our efforts at supper tonight and agreed to match what we had raised. We presented Murali $2,500 to take home with him to help with the the recovery.

Adam from Pearson Foundation presenting the money to Murali at supper tonight.

I am so lucky to be an educator. Not only are they the most giving, caring, and loving people you can possibly be associated with but we are surrounded by professionals like those at ETS and Pearson who support our efforts. Thank you, Pearson Foundation, for caring.

Educational Testing Service - Princeton, NJ

2009-10-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

All the above pictures were taken at the Grounds for Sculpture

I have been in Princeton, NJ for the past two days at the Next Steps Conference at the Chauncey Conference Center. This is for all State Teachers of the Year and the last time we will all "officially" be together. ETS has been an unbelievable host to us and facilitating what Teacher Leadership, Teaching Leadership, and Learning Leadership looks like for each of us. It was a proud moment for me as ETS used some of the Teacher Leader Standards from Kansas in their presentation. After listening to different speakers, I have had to answer tough questions in my "home room" with Mary Beth Blegen (NTOY 1996)on what my Next Steps are as KTOY. What is a teacher leader? How can I help my principal? What are my dreams? What are my goals? Where do I go from here? These are NOT easy questions for me or for most of my STOY friends. I DO have goals and dreams and visions of what education should/can/could look like in the state of Kansas but not sure what role I will play in all of it - if any. I would love to see the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network grow and be used as a resource for policy makers. I think it would be great if a teacher served on our State Board of Education as a resource. I dream of the day when EVERYONE put children first.

This has been a time of reflection and goal setting for me. I am not sure yet what all those goals hold as I am still just worried about making sure a student who hasn't been doing well in my class gets caught up...and then there is the student that can't get back into their home to get books and belongings. I have yet to get the whole story about it and am worried about them. It is hard to think long-range when I have so many other things to think about!

I have been learning though from some great people at ETS...Jeremy Burrus, Associate Research Scientist, Kurt Landgraf, President and CEO of ETS, Katherine Bassett, Director of Educator Relations, and Eleanor Horne, VP of ETS Social Investment Fund. We have also heard from 5 previous National Teachers of the Year, who have been guiding us all through this journey. We even had a surprise visit from the editor of Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul, Amy Newmark and CEO of Chicken Soup, William J. Rouhana -also her husband! (pictured at left) Every 2009 STOY is contributing to the next edition of the book due out in February. She even brought the book cover to share with us.

This evening we took a tour of Grounds for Sculpture and ate at Rats Restaurant. The place is amazing! J. Seward Johnson has his studio there (which we got to tour). I wish I could explain all the art I saw but there was SO MUCH that I can't do it justice. The restaurant on the Grounds, Rats, was conceived from J. Seward Johnson's vision. He wanted visitors to feel like they have stepped into a village of French impressionist Claude Monet's town of Giverny. It is simply beautiful. We didn't just eat...it was a 5 course meal - complete with different wines to complement the course being served. AMAZING!

And - for those wondering if I had any cheesecake....the answer is YES! Just since being here I have had 4 slices of cheesecake! (pictured left is 2 of them - pumpkin cheesecake and apple cheesecake)

I am going to end with my favorite quote from today:

"We don't see things as they are, we see things the way WE are."

Meet the 2010 Kansas Teacher of the Year Team

2009-09-21T10:17:00.001-07:00

This weekend was suspenseful, exciting, and inspiring for me. I had the privilege of attending the four regional Teacher of the Year banquets in our state. Every district TOY was honored for their excellence in teaching. In our state there were 91 teachers honored! Fifty-four school districts participated by nominating either an elementary or secondary teacher or one of both. I find it infuriating that more districts didn't participate. I would like to have about 30 minutes with all administrators explaining why they should participate but since they won't give it to me, I am going to shake my finger at them and say "SHAME ON YOU!" Administrators - listen up!! Teachers seldom get recognition, appreciation, or the opportunity to be treated like a professional. The Teacher of the Year program does just that AND MORE. It gives teacher leaders a network with the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN), free professional development through the KSDE, and opens doors that will improve their instruction. So -if you are a district reading my blog and didn't participates, PLEASE participate next year. Teachers all over the state are willing and waiting. In this critical time in education, we need to empower all the teachers we can and get "Teachers to The Table" on issues. Now, on to the exciting weekend!

Joan Moore (McPherson) and Jeline Harclerode (Emporia)

Cathy Durano and Tracey Repp both of Andover

Beth Slawson (Paola) and Arthur Commons (Baxter Springs)

YET TO BE POSTED: Pics of Region 3 - Check back again soon.

Listening to every district teacher's bio was humbling and once again, I wondered, "How in the world did I get named last year?" It is exactly how the 2010 Finalists feel I am sure. My response to them (and to me when I am talking to myself) is simple. EVERY teacher is someone's teacher of the year...the finalists are just their spokesperson - they are to become ALL of our voice, our advocate, our children's advocate, and our representation at different events all over the state. I would like to introduce the 2010 Teacher of the Year Finalists. If you know them (or even if you don't), shoot them an email to congratulate them. It is an exciting time!!

All district TOY's will be invited to a conference in November when the 2010 Kansas Teacher of the Year will be named - I challenged them all to attend and accept the opportunity before them. I hope to see everyone there!

Overextended?

2009-09-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

I messed up today (Sunday). I could make a ton of excuses, blame others, or lie about it but the reality is I forgot and I have no one to blame. Here is what happened. An amazing young lady asked me to be her sponsor for the National Honor Society induction ceremony and I was honored to say "Yes!" The ceremony was this afternoon and I forgot about it. Everyone did their part to remind me. For example, the NHS sponsor put reminders in our mailboxes on Friday - only I never left my room Friday to go get my mail. I was gone two days this week and was scrambling on Friday. If you are a teacher, you know what I am talking about. I had students in during my plan, graded over lunch, and students in after school - and even a previous graduate getting help with Calculus 2. But those are just excuses....I have more if you need them but it is time to own up to what happened...I forgot and I am sorry. When I got "the call" wondering where I was at, I felt like a train had hit me. I let Emily down. It is awful disappointing students. I have done it before and will probably do it again but am going to try very hard not to! Things like this cause me to lose sleep. Part of me wanted to call and tell Emily I got sick, had a flat tire, or some other lie because it is hard to admit to mistakes. But this is just another opportunity to model what I expect of students every day: tell the truth, ask for forgiveness if needed, and move on.

It does make me reevaluate things though. Am I over-extended? Have I committed to too many things? My plate is pretty full right now. I have said "yes" to a lot of committees and volunteer positions. Just last week, I volunteered to be a room mom for my son's classroom. What am I thinking? I can't even seem to keep my own classroom organized and I am going to help out with someone elses? Tomorrow after school I have 4 meetings - at the same time! I am going to the one I get "paid for" but once again I wonder what I am doing. I am missing a meeting for my son's Scout troop for it. Every teacher goes through this. At some point during the school year, we have to step back and evaluate our priorities. It is soooo hard. I think of my students as my own children and often they are put ahead of my own two boys. Is it right? I don't know. I can guarantee most teachers have done it though. Coaches do it on a daily basis...principals do it daily...and most teachers do too. However, it is pretty cool to be a part of a profession that is dedicated to caring for our youth. Everything I am doing, I love. I have had a great many opportunities this year and have not regretted saying yes to any of them. Actually, I have found that I regret most the things I choose NOT to do - I seldom regret the things I do. So although I am overextended, and my plate is running over, and I have let Emily down, I think I will continue to say "yes" - life is for living, right??!!! (Feel free to insert an "Amen!" here)

So, back to Emily. She forgave me for missing her NHS induction ceremony. Now - if I can only forgive myself.

President Obama's School Address

2009-09-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

On September 8 (tomorrow) at 11:00 am (Kansas time), President Obama will make a speech addressing education and students. It is written for students and many schools across the United States will be airing it. This has caused great concern for many parents. I am so puzzled by this. Since when is it so awful to show a speech by our own President? I have read the speech and there is nothing in there that contains some sort of secret codes that will forever alter the political choices of our next generation. It is a President - encouraging teachers and students - to value education and never give up learning. What a concept! What would parents have thought back when President Roosevelt gave his Fireside Chats?
But even if parents are concerned about the political agenda that they think is going to be conveyed, what about the educational value of listening to all different viewpoints, different speeches, and analyzing them? Think of the educational discussion that could result from listening to all different speeches, discussing any political motivation, comparing/contrasting styles, or even what the underlying message could be? I wish EVERYONE would use their position and power to encourage learning, support education, and believe in our future generation - our STUDENTS!
I urge you to read the speech below and see what you think- really think about it. Is it a message that is inappropriate coming from the leader of the free nation? I, for one, love his message. I found myself reading it and saying, "YES!" out loud to it. The part about asking for help, never giving up, dreaming, failing, and trying again is awesome. Now, I must admit, I am not showing this speech in my math class as it didn't work out in my plans and the curriculum flow, but I am taping it and may show it at a later date. I see a lot of value in showing it in a speech class, a government class, a political science class, or a history class. I will be showing it to my own children and hope to have a great discussion following it.

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today. I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning. I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster." So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year. Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility. I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox. I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve. But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team. And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it. And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country. Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in. So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country. Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right. But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying. Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez. I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall. And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college. Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter. Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things. But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try. That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying. No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals. And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other. So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country? Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Let The Madness Begin....

2009-08-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

WELCOME BACK!!!

I presented to Augusta in the beautiful Augusta Theatre.

My mom (I wonder sometimes if she is the only one who reads my blog) asked me why I hadn't posted anything lately. I laughed out loud at that...anyone who teaches knows this is a crazy time of year. I did have the amazing opportunity to kick-off the year with Augusta, Buhler, and Flinthills districts. It is so much fun being around educators and school personnel this time of year. We are like kids in a candy store!!! We are nervous, anxious, excited, and salivating to get back into action! Thank you to all the districts that asked me to be a part of their year. I always take away more energy than I leave...so thanks! (the Buhler district is pictured to the left).

Teachers are so busy getting rooms ready, getting copies sent off, preparing lesson plans, thinking of engaging first day activities, and doing paperwork, that we often forget to eat! But the past few years, it seems even busier - is that possible? I keep thinking, "I have been doing this for almost 20 years - how can I not be ready for students?" But I figured out the difference today. Ok, to be honest, my colleague figured it out but I am taking credit for it! The technology adds so much to our plate. Yes, it saves us some work, and totally engages students, but it is still another thing at the beginning of the year to work with. We worked on setting up our Moodle accounts, getting passwords, authentication codes, scheduling laptops, adding printers to computers so we can print, getting KanEd log-ins, learning student emails, adding software to use clickers, learning how to use a SmartBoard....do you get the idea? No longer do teachers just need to "get their room ready." We are now trying to stay ahead with technology too. It is challenging and we need tons of support. I am lucky. My district has two Technology Integration Specialists (see their blogs on the right) who encourage, push, and prod teachers to embrace technology. And anyone who works with technology knows there are always "issues" to deal with. I had a student teacher come observe me the past few days and he commented, "Wow...I have a lot to learn. We didn't have all this technology when I went to school here." That was 4 years ago!!!Buhler teachers listening to the United Way presentation - we are Pace Setters this year!

But the question remains in my mind. ...Where is the balance? One parent thought his son couldn't use his iPod graphing calculator app (he can) because we recommended purchasing a graphing calculator. It is a strange position to be in for high school teachers. Yes, we want students to use all the technology available to them. Yes, the iPod app costs like $1 compared to a $100 calculator. BUT, what happens if we let them use the iPod and the student doesn't know how to use the graphing calculator? The iPods are not allowed on high stakes assessments like the ACT, SAT, AP Calculus exams, or even the state assessments. We want the student to be successful. So, until the exams catch up with the technology available, we will continue letting students use iPods but also expect them to know how to use the calculator.

Technology is amazing. I now have a Moodle account, a Twitter account, a Plurk account, a blog, and a Facebook account. All this technology and I still prefer to talk to someone face to face. I even prefer actually phone calls to texts (gasp!). I keep wondering how anyone can keep up with all the different types of updates (and still TEACH). So,until I can master all of them at once, I think I will just use my Facebook updates to stay in contact with my friends.....and my blog!

USD 501 Topeka Public School

2009-08-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

A group from McCarter tailgating!

I was invited to help kick off the school year for Topeka USD 501 and it was me that felt energized from the 2300 people I spoke to! I arrived at Hummer Sports Park and wondered if I was there for a K-State football game...there were groups tailgating, a band playing, and the National Guard was shooting t-shirts into the air! This district knows how to "rev up" their staff!!! It was so festive with schools dressing in their school colors, holding signs, and balloons. I realize every district has their own traditions and culture and Topeka's tradition was awesome. They drew 7 names for a "day off" with their administrators covering their class for a day - what a really cool idea.

The four students who helped in my presentation - they rocked!

It was extra special for me as there were more Buhler connections as Dr. Stephen Burkholder (his dad was a superintendent at Buhler- and a legend in my district) is the Executive Director of Instruction and was on stage with me. Two previous students were in the audience which made it even more meaningful. Dr. Kevin Singer made me feel so unbelievable welcome and spent a couple hours of his valuable time with me sharing his amazing life experiences. If you ever have the opportunity to ask him about his life, you should. He is one of those people that can redefine "coincidence" or "fate." He was very involved in In The Shadow of the Blade and has promised me a copy - I may hold him to it!

I know something as big as today was doesn't happen without someone really working extra time coordinating it all. Ron Harbaugh was the MIC - that is "man in charge" of it all. He helped me tremendously and even found some students to help me with my presentation. He, too, made me feel at home in Topeka. The students did a great job - I was so impressed they sat in front of that many people and spoke...that is definitely a growing experience! If you want to check out the news coverage from WIBW click here.

When I looked out at all those people knowing the power to influence our future children each of them holds, it gave me goose bumps. USD 501 has 13,500 students that are going to be entering their buildings next week. Think about that for a minute....that is a lot of students with a lot of needs, expectations, goals, and dreams. Getting to know each student's story was my challenge to them. Because once you know their story, you have to do something about it.

Buhler grads teaching in Topeka: Michael Knapp and Demitris Reed-Sawatsky

Finding Your Voice

2009-08-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ric Anderson and I waving to our Buhler friends - Ric is a 1983 Graduate from BHS!

I was invited to be part of a new committee for KNEA called the Media Response Team. This is a new effort of KNEA to help teachers find their "voice." They are encouraging and training a group of educators to how to respond to educational issues, advocate for our profession, and get more vocal through writing and blogging. We were trained in message framing, delivery, and discipline. If you are a member of KNEA, this information can be found on their website and it is great information for English or Journalism instructors. We also heard from various media outlets on how they would like to receive information from us - which is electronically. When communicating with media, be short (1 page or less), frame your message, share some data, and tell a story of how the issue is affecting students or yourself.

The people that shared information on news vs. opinion, how editorial boards work, what an Op Ed piece is, and how editorial opinions are formed. We heard from:

Christina Hansen – Online Editor at the Cap Journal (pictured left)

David Powls – Editor, Holton Recorder

Jon James – News Director, WIBW (pictured left)

Stephen – News, Kansas Public Radio

Ric Anderson – Editorial Page Editor - Cap Journal

Our homework is to write a letter to the editor welcoming back teachers and students as the school year begins. I have writing on my blog about teachers needing to find their voice and start advocating for our profession and about getting "teachers to the table" on issues. Well, it looks like this is where the "rubber meets the road" for me as I am going to have to start walking my talk! It is hard and scary to put your opinion out there for everyone to read, judge, disagree with, agree with, and comment on. It is easier for me to advocate quietly behind the scenes in one on one conversations with policy makers but I have been asked to get outside my comfort zone. As I have written before, budget cuts and the Race To The Top make this an exciting and critical time for educators - we can no longer sit on the sidelines waiting and hoping for policy makers to just know what to do and how it affects students. We MUST get to the table - invited or not - we need to knock on the door and ask to be let in!

Some of the Media Response Team: Dave Sherrer, Anna Moon, Jean Goodman, Mary Masters, Lori Goodson, Jennifer Holt and Cyndi Menzel (KNEA Communications)

Sloowww Dowwwnnn....

2009-07-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

Imagine this is me only without the drink and replace the water with cement!

I was hoping this week I would be writing about International Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama that all State Teachers of the Year are invited to. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do some astronaut training and connect with teachers all over the world. However, life doesn't always go as planned. Sometimes it sends you the message to SLOW DOWN. On Wednesday of last week, I fainted and did the "Nestea Plunge" straight back on my head. I was out for over 10 minutes and lost my short-term memory for a few hours. After 3 days in the hospital and much pain medication, I am feeling better! I am still missing my sense of smell and taste but all the doctors, including my neurologist (no one should have a neurologist), tell me my senses will come with time - my brain is just swollen right now. Consequently, I missed my flight and the doctors said spinning at 3 G's is not a good idea - I agree! I kept telling my doctors that I was to go to Space Camp Friday and my mom and aunt had made me special "ruby red slippers" to wear as I was going as Dorothy (pictured at left is my Aunt Nancy and my mom). Every state teacher is supposed to dress like something from their state...I was going to go as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Now, evidently I was telling the doctors this along with some other statements that made no sense all along not being able to recall my sons' names. In my report, it says "pleasant female with memory loss and hallucinations of going to space dressed as Dorothy." I busted out laughing at that!!! I bet everyone thought I was really going crazy!

I have since learned about "severe head trauma" and have a new appreciation for athletes who suffer a concussion. It is a very dangerous condition. My oldest son is getting ready to play 7th grade football and I worry about him ever going through this. I know there are safety precautions and protocol in place to make sure athletes don't return to the sport before they are healthy but as a mother, I still worry. I have had many students over the years suffer concussions and now understand what they went through; the headaches, the inability to focus, the vertigo, the nausea. Having this experience will definitely help me in handling students who have to go through this.

Everyone needs to know your state, district, and school's policy on concussions. In Kansas, I can not find any written policy or guidelines regarding an athlete's return to competitive sports. It makes some sense that coaches must rely on a doctor's assessment and release. I hope coaches across the nation take this issue very seriously. The price a student athlete pays is not worth winning. I used to coach and am not sure I understood all the ramifications of a concussion. Lately, there has been much press about concussions (thanks to Trent Green) and we are much more aware....I still worry - it is a "mom thing!"

NEA Foundation and DC

2009-07-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Panel pictured with me after the interview.

For some of you who know me and are "friends" with me on Facebook, you already know that I have been in Washington, DC being interviewed for the NEA Foundation Horace Mann Teaching Excellence Award. I was selected as a semi-finalist. The Foundation then interviews the top 10 and narrows it down to the top 5 (and selects the winner). This was a great opportunity for me in so many ways and want to share the process with you all. I had 90 minutes with the panel - the first 25 minutes I taught a lesson (pretending the panel were students) - the next 45 minutes were the interview questions. I felt sorry for the panel as these very accomplished people spent 10 hours Monday and 10 hours Tuesday in interviews. Now that is a couple of LONG days! These are the questions they asked and were sent to us ahead of time:

Why did you choose this particular lesson for us?
What do students take away from your classroom besides knowledge of a particular subject?
Describe the greatest impact you believe you have had on a student or students.
Please tell us the student body and the community in which you teach.
How do you involve parents and the community in your students’ education?
How do you help your students to value and understand the diversity (e.g., of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, politics, etc.) represented in our society?
Beyond activities in your own classroom, how have you contributed to the success of your school and/or district?
How would you convince college students and new teachers that it is vital to join and take an active role in the association?
What has been your most significant accomplishment in terms of advocacy for public education or the teaching profession?
What professional development experience has most affected your teaching practice?
What has been your most significant contribution to the professional growth of your colleagues?
Where has your intellectual curiosity taken you recently, and where do you expect it to take you in the future?
If you are selected as a finalist, you may get a lot of media attention. What issues related to public education would you want to advance? What would your key concerns and messages be?

Janice Ward with the NEA Foundation - she calmed our nerves, made sure we had everything we needed and fed us!

If any time remains at the end, I could talk on any topic. Hard to believe, but I had 2:24 to talk MORE! So I talked about the drop-out rate and the need to have interventions in place in 6th grade....waiting until high school is often too late. I wish I could report that I gave this wonderfully, perfect lesson but I didn't. My technology crashed in the middle of it and I had to quickly change gears. Consequently I didn't finish the entire lesson. Think I got any credit for adapting and being flexible??? :-)

I learned a lot through this whole experience and have grown professionally and personally. The NEA Foundation does amazing work. There are 3.2 million NEA members in the US and $1 of our dues goes to the Foundation. This Foundation is committed to lowering the drop out rate and promoting teacher innovation (among many other goals). Kansas City just was awarded one of their grants for the planning stages for Closing the Achievement Gap. How awesome is it that our dues are reinvested in educators....we are giving back to ourselves! If you aren't aware of all the Foundation's work, focus, grants, and awards - check it out here.

Harriet Sanford, President of The NEA Foundation

I was treated fantastic while in DC - like a professional! The hotel was incredible and the people were friendly and passionate. Harriet Sanford, President of the NEA Foundation gave me a book, Three Cups of Tea, to read. Can you believe this was on my list to read? It was perfect!!!! I have already read about half of it and it is inspiring to read about how one person is changing lives through education! I continue to learn and grow with each experience and have a new appreciation and awareness of the NEA Foundation. Thank you for this amazing opportunity and I look forward to the Awards Gala in February where all state award winners are recognized.

My chance of making the top 5 are "Slim to none and Slim just left the building" but will let you all know who the top 5 are when I find out - I am keeping my fingers crossed for a few other great State Teachers of the Year who were also up for this award and whom I consider great friends.

This is Madi and I pictured at KU in April.

So after a day filled with anxiety, relief, frustration, excitement, learning and exhaustion, I returned home to find an email from a previous student, Madi Shipley, majoring in math education at KU. When I was in Oklahoma City for the Regional Math Conference, I learned about a NCTM Scholarship math education majors could apply for. I thought Madi would be a perfect fit for this scholarship. She applied and guess what??? She was awarded it!! Only ONE student in the United States is given the $10,000 scholarship and Madi is the ONE! I am so proud of her. I know she will be an innovative, enthusiastic, and mostly, CARING educator. Some lucky students and district in the near future are going to have her for a teacher - exciting! This news completed my jumbled mix of emotions over the last 24 hours....and it ended with pride....and a reminder of why I teach!

Education Commission of the States in TN

2009-07-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Governor Jeb Bush and me!

The past two days I have been in Tennessee attending the Educational Commission of the States National Forum on Education Policy. This has been an interesting conference as the attendees are mostly policy makers and State Teachers of the Year. There are governors, state board of education members, department of education members, senators, representatives, deans of universities, researchers, and sponsors. I wish I could somehow have shared the experience (and the food- incredible) with everyone as it is hard to put it all into words but I am going to try! It was at times exciting and enlightening and a lot of the times frustrating. The State Teachers of the Year have repeated over and over - almost to the point of chanting: "You need TEACHERS AT THE TABLE" on all these issues. However, what I found frustrating is we seldom are. Research was shared, studies were shared, recommendations were shared...SELDOM were teachers involved in any of the process. College Board did a huge study on Education and the American Future. Their recommendations include (there are actually 10).
1. Provide a program of voluntary preschool education available to children from low-income families.
2. Improve middle and high school college counseling.
3. Implement the best research-based dropout prevention programs
4. Align the K-12 system with international standards and college admissions expectations.
5. Improve teacher quality and focus on recruitment and retention.
6. Clarify and simply the admissions process.

I find it highly ironic that the people involved in telling me how to fix K-12 education did not include any teachers. It doesn't stop with College Board. ACHIEVE has basically written the national curriculum for math...guess how many practicing math teachers were involved? Yep- zero. When will this madness end? Teachers must have a voice in the process. It was frustrating to be here and be talked TO rather than being talked WITH.

Ahhh- now that I have all that off my chest, there were some great speakers and I walked away with a greater appreciation of research and an appreciation for all the passionate policy makers that took the time and energy to attend this conference. One of our incredible State Board of Education members, Sally Cauble, attended and I had the opportunity to visit with her extensively. Mrs. Cauble is truly dedicated to improving student learning in our state, passionate about keeping Kansas on the leading edge, and proud of our teachers and learning achievement. Thank you, Sally for your service and the service of the entire State Board of Education.

Some highlights of the conference were:
1. Former Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush. His 5 recommendations were: Raise Standards (but have fewer), Create a system of learning where teachers are a profession, Harness and embrace technology, Allow school choice, and Create a culture of lifelong learning.

2. Dr. Uri Treisman. He was amazing. His research and message spoke directly to me. Dr Treisman teaches math at UT-Austin and he said the College Algebra course needs to be blown up and recreated. This course has a very high dropout rate and is useless curriculum for 80% of the students enrolled. I have been saying this for years. The data he shared is incredible and will change how you perceive colleges and the math curriculum. Be sure to check out his PowerPoint (see below for link). At the left is Dr. Treisman pictured with me.

3. Clayton Christensen. He is the author of Disrupting Class. Also very thought provoking...he predicts that by 2012, 50% of the courses high school students take will be online.

4. Dr. Uri Treisman. He was so great, I thought I would mention him twice! He is also sending me all his calculus information - he has taught Calculus for 50 years!

5. Dr. Richard Elmore. He shared the crisis in public education starts in the 6th grade. Dr. Elmore has done research in Canada, Boston public, and also in 3rd world countries. In my opinion, he was the most knowledgeable about what is actually happening in the school system as he observes public schools twice a week. Some things he shared were:

Outraged at what we are doing to adolescents. Kids are denied access to higher level work because teachers deem them unworthy of learning higher problem solving skills due to lack of lower skills.

Teaching is a skill and the US has mismanaged this skill (compared to other countries). Human resources are the majority of the budget and that is were the money should flow. The first item that should be budgeted is professional development.

The resources and PowerPoint's are posted on their website. Check them out here. I continue to learn more about the people, organizations, politics, and research that goes into the educational system and am awed by how all this effects our classrooms. Policy does effect teachers - we definitely better start paying attention and getting our voices heard. Change is coming. It is exciting and scary and big and could be revolutionary....let's be sure teachers are at the table through this!!

Whatcha' Been Doing?

2009-07-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted to my blog in a couple weeks and I have been getting the question, "Whatcha' been doing?" I guess the answer to that is LEARNING! I haven't really traveled anywhere for KTOY the last 2 weeks so I took advantage of some down time and took 3 credit hours on topics such as Moodle (now have my own Moodle page), Instructional Strategies (I am always needed to be reminded of what I should be doing), and Data Driven Dialogue (very useful with state and common assessments). I have also been READING - I really recommend the book Never Work Harder than Your Students. Don't let the title put you off as it did me. It is an incredible book that made me evaluate how and why I teach students the way I do. I am going to change some things for next year in my class using this book as a guideline. It is very easy to read with stories and specific examples of what to do in your classroom. I promise - you will love it!

The second book, Disrupting Class, isn't as easy to read but VERY thought provoking. The title makes you think it is going to be about how to handle discipline issues but it is about our new generation of learners and how to better address their learning styles, using technology to "disrupt" class. I have many questions about some of the ideas in this book (how do online courses change how education will be delivered, etc). I will get the opportunity to ask those questions in Nashville, TN next week at ECS National Forum on Education Policy where I get to listen to the author. So - if you are reading, or have read that book, share your questions and concerns and I will relay them next Thursday in Good 'Ol e Rocky Top!

I am also working on reading Why We Teach. This book is perfect to start the school year off as it is very inspirational and reminds/reinforces what education is all about. Next on my list will be Outliers. I have many friends who have recommended this book to me and I am looking forward to this read - or should I say "listen" as thanks to Little River High School and Dawn Johnson, this book is on my Nano Ipod I received!! WHOO -HOO!!

Some people are under the impression teachers don't work in the summer. Anyone who is a teacher or knows a teacher realizes we spend all summer reading, learning, reflecting, and preparing for the next generation of learners. We are all really life-long learners - walking our talk.

KU Conference and Other Thoughts

2009-06-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Pictured after our panel discussion are: Cindy Venard, me, Barnett Barry from CTQ, Walt Cochran, Marilyn Fox, Mary Martha Good

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the KU Strateg ies for Educational Improvement. The three main speakers in the morning were Barnett Barry, President of Center for Teaching Quality and Jo Anderson, senior policy adviser for outreach to teachers and teacher organization to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. And of course, our state of Kansas genius, Alexa Posny, Commissioner of Education. Barnett challenged our thoughts of what a professional teacher role could be. My assistant superintendent, Dayna Richardson, summed up his presentation so well I am using her summary: (thanks, Dayna!)

Imagine
...... 10-20% of the country’s best teachers work in hybrid roles, enabling them to keep a focus on the classroom but lead their peers to improve instruction and schools.

Imagine .....
1. Resource creators for 2nd language learners
2. Information mavens for the “googled” learners
3. Leaders of user networks
4. Community organizers
5. Websites to check out that could transform learners and teachers:
knowledgeworks.org
gapminder.com
ratemyteacher.com
workldwithoutoil.org
Teachers.tv
6. How do we help new teachers?
First year - Teach 60% of students
Second year - Teach 80% of students
Draw on expert teams to support (New teachers in Japan only teach 10 hours a week)
System is dynamic, not flat
7. Teachers negotiate their own contracts - individually or teams. The highest paid anybody in a district is a teacher.
8. We are no longer concerned with staffing each classroom with one qualified teacher... rather draw on a teacher team led by a few experts, serving larger numbers of the same students over time. (think 7:150 instead of 1:25)

Dr. Diane DeBacker, Deputy Commissioner of Education, me, and Jo Anderson, senior policy advisor, USDE

Jo Anderson spoke about President Obama's challenge created by the Race to The Top for students and teachers. President Obama's quote is "Countries who out teach us today will out perform us tomorrow." Mr. Anderson shared some items that need emphasis in K-12 education that included:
1. National Standards and Assessments
2. Better data - longitudinal
3. Embedded professional development
4. Difference Makers in student learning are teachers, principals, and having Professional Learning Communities. " The more effective the adult learning community, the more effective the student learning community."

What I want to challenge teachers, community members, and administrators with is what Dr. Posny shared. She shared the results of a survey of teachers in Kansas about why they leave the profession, what they value, what would keep them in the profession, and what they would like improved. Out of the top reasons shared, I could basically group about 8 of the 12 into one word: CULTURE. Teachers need to feel valued, appreciated and have shared input into decisions. They want and need to feel like professionals. Ironically, more money was not listed in the top 3 reasons they left - it had more to do with LEADERSHIP in the district. So principals and superintendents - listen up: YOU make a difference to teachers. We need you - we need you to set the culture in the building to be collaborative and positive. As we break over summer, think of ways to build culture in your buildings and districts. As you negotiate with teacher unions think about how the words you use, statements you make affect the culture of your district. I know money is always at the top of the list, but teachers are also interested in the other little things that motivate us and make us feel appreciated. Statements made such as
"Teachers are taking too many sick leaves on Friday and Monday. A doctor's documentation will now be needed," defies any ability to build trust, be treated as professionals, or develop a CULTURE in a district. In my talks to principal groups this year, I have tried to emphasize: "If you have a problem with a teacher or group of teachers, talk to the specific teachers - don't create rules or generalizations that punish the entire staff." It is also just good teaching - as teachers we talk to the students that have created a problem and don't make sweeping rules that are basically for one student who is ignoring the rules anyway. Over the summer, think about the ways EACH of us can build culture - because as Roland Barth says:

“The nature of relationships among the adults in a school has more to do with the success of the students in that building than any other factor.”

Hall of Fame and a Celebration

2009-06-10T18:30:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I was invited to share at the Kansas Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. This is education's version of The Emmy, The Tony, The Kennedy Lifetime Achievement, and the People's Choice awards! I knew I was in for a special day but had no idea just how truly inspiring the day would be. Each year the Hall of Fame inducts 8 incredible educators. The state is divided into 8 regions and each region selects one inductee. There is no requirement these educators be retired - only that they have made significant contributions to the field of education, students, and community. And significant contributions is an understatement!! During the induction, each educator sits in a chair while a friend, colleague, or family member share stories and accomplishments. It is awe-inspiring to listen to think about the lives that have been touched by these educators. If you ever want to be lifted up or need affirmed about choosing education, go to next year's program. They do it up right in Dodge City and have so many volunteers that work tirelessly to make each educator feel special. In going through the Hall of Fame wall, I found a previous teacher of mine, a former colleague, a former superintendent and grandpa of some previous students, and many other well-known educators. I encourage you to check it out in Dodge City!

May Mayhem!

2009-06-07T16:10:00.001-07:00

The end of the year is busy - it is like everyone is in a race trying to get everything in before June. I have had so many opportunities the past few weeks and will do my best to summarize a few of them but am saving the amazing day I had yesterday for it's own entry...curious? Well, check back soon to see what I was up to! :-)

I was asked to speak at Ellinwood's graduation - the day after Buhler's graduation. This is significant as I borrowed some of Mr. Berblinger's (my principal) speech and incorporated it into mine! THANKS! It is so interesting how different each school's traditions and histories are. Ellinwood had an awesome graduation with a slide show before hand with all the graduates, their pictures, and highlights of their lives. It was great!!

Later that same week, I got to spend the LAST DAY of the school year with the Wellsville school district. I laughed as the only thing that stood between them and summer was ME! Not necessarily a good place to be....but they were incredible- maybe it was just the pure excitement of the end of the school year, but they were fun, energetic and so receptive. I would love to go back at the beginning of the year and see how their summer was as I got to hear about some fun plans!

I also visited the Saline County Retired Teachers Association. This group is committed to serving and volunteering with our youth. It was a special day for me because my aunt is a member of this group which meant my uncle also got to come. PLUS she invited my parents to come listen. This was the first time I have presented in front of my mom, dad, and family. I am not sure they enjoyed it as much as I did, but I hope so!!

I have also been busy keeping up with the discussion on a State Teacher of the Year forum. There is much going on in education right now! National standards and assessments are now being considered. The National Governor's Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have joined together to begin the voluntary process. Right now the only states that have opted out are: Alaska, South Carolina, Missouri, and Texas. Those states have various reasons for opting out and some may join in soon either by choice or by their state legislature. I have always wanted National Standards rather than state standard and assessments. We compare our states using different ones right now and if comparison must take place, let's make sure we are on the same playing field. I would propose we start slow though...taking one curriculum at a time. Because math is very sequential and for the most part, fairly uniform from state to state, I would like to see math go first. If we can agree universally on what an Advanced Placement Calculus test surely we can agree nationally on what an algebra test would be. Some curriculum would definitely be more "sticky." But I think the time has come to have national standards as I know the Kansas standards are as difficult as any other state. The one thing I do hope is different though: fewer but still rigorous standards.

Share Your Ideas

2009-05-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post, I shared that Secretary Arne Duncan is on a listening tour. Well - guess what? He is taking it online! This means you can have a voice in the changes that will be occurring at the national level. Secretary Duncan is posting some questions and wants to hear our answers. The first question is:

"Many states in America are independently considering adopting internationally-benchmarked, college and career-ready standards. Is raising standards a good idea? How should we go about it?"

Even if you don't want to comment, reading through the list of comments is somewhat refreshing at this time of year. Many educators are commenting and you can sense their passion, their caring, their need to make a difference, and willingness to CHANGE to make education better. Education is at a critical juncture in history - never before has the Federal Government been so open to listening to TEACHERS!! Grab the microphone and start being heard!!

The ideas are all over the place and it is addictive reading through them all....so grab a cup of coffee (or a can of Diet Coke), pull up a chair and let the conversation begin!

Click here for online discussion!

The End is the New Beginning

2009-05-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

All across the state, the school year is winding down. (cue music) The Final Countdown has begun! The cycle of beginning and ending each year is one of the best parts of teaching. Getting to witness student's growth both academically and socially is so rewarding. Today was my seniors last day. It is always an amazing day to be at school...the energy in the building is almost palpable. Even teachers who don't have seniors feel the effects of the enthusiasm that comes about when the seniors know they are ending a part of their life they can never go back to and embark on an adventure that is unknown, scary, and exciting. For me, I need the closure of saying goodbye to each one of them. It is a day of bittersweet joy. I worry about them like they are my own. I want them to be safe, find their path in life, and mostly, be happy. Sometimes, they come back and visit with me -one of the very BEST parts of teaching - and share their successes, failures, and goals with me. I grow and learn from each visit. It reminds me that teachers can not predict where their lives will take them and how their paths may change from when they leave our classrooms. It reminds me to accept students where they are, help them grow, guide them as they struggle, support them as they fail, celebrate with them when they succeed, and then stand back and watch as they "bloom where they are planted." Being a teacher is much like being a parent - only I have 120 babies. I am so proud of each one of them.
I hope they come back and see me......

Buhler School District USD 313

2009-05-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Rosemary Miller and Mary Frazier, Technology Integration Specialists, sharing the Technology in Buhler

What a bitter/sweet trip we made to Buhler, Kansas, USD 313, on Thursday, May 7 & Friday, May 8. This was our LAST site visit for our team:( BUT we have seen so many AMAZING districts, schools, and teachers; but more importantly hundreds of truly great kids:)!

We began our visit Thursday, by meeting with Rosemary Miller and Mary Frazier, Technology Integration Specialists for "Team Buhler". They went over their recipe book for "leading teachers and administrators toward seamless infusion of technology into the learning environment." It was amazing to listen to them share how two schools in their district are now Technology Rich Classrooms, providing a 2 to 1 student laptops, interactive whiteboards, iPods, GPS, etc. etc. etc...WOW!

John Knapp explaining Senior Projects

Buhler Grade School has "Target Tuesdays", where they are able to 'target' individual student needs in math, by utilizing every adult in their building; allowing for smaller groups of students to work on their specific needs as determined by the Kansas Assessments. Three 6th grade students shared some of the activities they have enjoyed this year, including Google Sketch Up 7.

Later Thursday, we toured the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, which is located 650 feet below Hutchinson, Kansas. This is an active salt mine that has been carved from salt deposits formed 275 million years ago.

Friday morning began at Buhler High School, learning about their Senior Projects, which have been an evolving project over the last 14 years! We were privileged to be able to grade one round of presentations. We listened as Buhler seniors presented topics such as Professional Photography, Directing Theatre, Using Harmonics on Guitar, Oboe Magic, Angelman Syndrome, Music: A Lifelong Pursuit, Radiology Technician, and Falling with Style. It was obvious a lot of "blood, sweat, and tears" went into their presentations. Way to go SENIORS!

Next we went to Obee Grade School for a quick tour, and then out to the playground with a group of students to go "Geocaching." Several 4th students showed us how they could read a GPS, find the coordinates, locate their 'cache', and together we solved some 5th grade math problems! (Check Walt and his student escort winning the race to find a cache!)

Lunch was at the Dillon Nature Center. Randy Doerksen, Principal, Prosperity Grade School shared with us that USD 313 is in their first year of implementing Character Counts! Two students also shared with us how this program has influenced their lives. While we ate, we were entertained by the Prairie Hills Middle School Cougars singers. WOW! They could sing and dance at the same time! Talk about an aerobic workout! Way to Go kids!

Our day ended at Prairie Hills Middle School, with a presentation on "Quantum Learning" by principal Craig Williams and math teacher Bev Lund. What a powerful learning tool! Be sure to check it out!

WOW! We have literally traveled from one end of the state to the other! We have all be absolutely amazed at how different all of our districts are, but yet how similar we are; we have hard working teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and volunteers doing what needs to be done to make Kansas Kids the best in the nation!

The Team is caught "monkeying" around at Obee!

Posted by: Cindy Venard

What would YOU say?

2009-05-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Secretary Arne Duncan and myself at the Gala

All the State Teachers of the Year got to meet with the US Department of Education while we were in DC. I think this was the first time the DOE has met with the STOY since Clinton's administration. We were led by teaching fellow, Stephanie Canada, who was a 2008 OK TOY. We divided into groups to answer different questions...how to get the most "bang for your buck" with the stimulus dollars to how to better improve data and assessments. The DOE really listened....I mean they REALLY LISTENED. They sat, took notes, asked us a few clarifying questions, and seemed genuinely interested in teacher's opinions. Novel thought, huh? Tony Miller, nominee for Deputy Secretary of Education, was on the panel and addressed our group of TOY's. There are some people you just get the feeling they are genuine when you meet them and Tony is one of them.

Tony Miller addressing the STOY's at the US Dept. of Education

Education is about to get some "one time" money pumped into it...like $650 million. It sounds like a lot of money but I suppose by the time you divide it among the states that accept it, the money gets quite a bit less. I am fearful about the "one time" money...yes, I want it but am fearful. I almost feel like it is setting us up to lose. Schools can't really spend it creating new programs to address student learning as the money isn't coming again and there would be nothing to sustain the program. So how can we best invest it? Should we invest it in updating our facilities to make them more efficient, thereby saving money on energy that could be used for years to come? BUT what if we get this money and in one or two years, scores don't improve? Will policy makers say, "See, educators want more money...we gave it to them and scores still didn't improve!" A one time monetary investment may not be enough to make sweeping changes in student learning - especially if we can't maintain those programs financially. Even if we invest the money in professional development, excellent PD must be systemic and continuous. You wouldn't want your doctor to be allowed to attend PD only ONE time a year would you?? Why is any other profession different?
So - what would you tell the DOE if they asked what needs to be changed in NCLB, how to best spend the stimulus money, should we have national standards? Be ready to answer those questions because Secretary Arne Duncan is traveling to different states with questions in hand and he wants - and is going to listen to - our answers. Some of our answers included having national standards, fewer standards, spending money on quality assessments, recruiting and retaining teachers and performance pay. What if Secretary Duncan showed up in your classroom tomorrow, what would YOU answer?

The Gala - DC Style

2009-05-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday the National Teacher of the Year, Tony Mullen was honored along with all the State Teachers of the Year at a Gala. This was an amazing evening as it was sort of like "prom for adults" or maybe a better description is the Tony Awards, People's Choice Awards, and the Grammy's for education all wrapped up into one event. We had drinks and unbelievable appetizers at a reception first, followed by a meal that I don't see often - course after course of food that was delicious. Check the menu out:

Chateau St. Michelle Pinot Gris 2007
Cline Cellars Syar 2006
A Trio of Spring Cobblers with Sweet Cream Ice Cream
Chocolate Lace Lollipops, Praline Bon Bons, Cherry Truffles, Orange Coconut Tuiles

We were each introduced by state, stood, and received recognition. We then ate and after each serving, we had speakers....with the highlight being Secretary Arne Duncan and our own NTOY, Tony Mullen. Here is the order of who spoke:
Jon Quam, Director of the NTOY Program
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of Council of Chief State School Officers
Arne Duncan - United States Department of Education

Randi Weingarten, President American Federation of Teachers (pictured above)
Lily Eskelson, Vice President of National Education Association
T. Kenneth James, President Council of Chief State School Officers and Arkansas Commissioner of Education
Betty Steinberg, Superintendent Greenwich School District
Mark McQuillan, Commissioner of Education, Connecticut
Catherine Smith, CEO of ING

Tony Mullen, 2009 NTOY

Talking about kids with Lily after the banquet

Although it sounds like a lot of people to speak the night flew as each were gifted speakers and had powerful messages for everyone. The ones who spoke to my heart were Secretary Duncan, Lily Eskelson, and of course, Tony! Secretary Duncan challenged us to break new ground in education to combat the drop-out rate, to think differently than what we have in the past, and shared where education in America is compared to other nations. He even talked about having a goal of recruiting and RETAINING teachers - my passion! And, I personally loved this quote about our educational system:

"We have not served all communities equally.This is nothing less than a fight for social justice."

Lily and I after the Gala was over. She was very engaging.

Lily Eskelson, also a former TOY, told a story about her elementary school organizing a blood drive for a child and how authentic learning is what sparks children...she also had much humor and spoke from her heart. Tony - well Tony was simply amazing. He shared stories of his own students struggling to make it in a system that often gave up on them, dismissed their ability, judged them and said to them, "we are done with you." He shared how as educators, we don't get to be "done with them" and every child has something valuable within. It is our duty, our calling to find it. It is not only the moral and right thing to do but also is an economic investment. Tony will be a great voice for all educators and an advocate for ALL students. Safe travels, my friend!

OUR VOICE for the year - Tony Mullen

Washington DC Recognition Week

2009-04-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

President Obama with Tony Mullen, 2009 National Teacher of the Year

All State Teachers of the Year are being honored this week in Washington DC and the highlights have been the private reception at Vice President's Joe Biden's home hosted by his amazing wife, Dr. Jill Biden. She "gets teachers" as she is a current teacher and actually returned to her classroom just 4 days after the election. WOW!!! (The STOY's are now big fans of Dr. Biden as you can see when you watch the video of us when she comes out for our recognition at the Rose Garden). So...that brings me to the BIG EVENT - The White House!!!

Getting ready for a group shot with the President and his wife

We were individually recognized in the Rose Garden and then President Obama introduced the National Teacher the Year, Tony Mullen from Connecticut. It was a surreal experience meeting and shaking the hands of Michelle Obama (who got almost more of a welcome than her husband), Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Dr. Biden, and of course, the President! We stood on the steps behind the President and Tony as they addressed the crowd, media, and STOY's. You can barely see me, but if you look closely, I am standing directly behind Arne Duncan - over his right shoulder at the very end of the second row. Good luck finding me. It was broadcast live on C-Span.

The President took the time to personally thank us and shake each of our hands.

I was amazed how much media were there that follow the President around plus some memories such as the security, social secretary (who was very gracious), Secret Service, waiter wearing white gloves who brought out bottled water for the President on a silver platter, the teleprompters, the Oval Office, one of us falling off the steps into the bushes, one of us losing a button (and using gum to hold the jacket together), and one of us tripping as we walked out.
However, all of that will fade from my memory but Tony's message must continue with all of us: Passion, Professionalism, and Perseverance. The one that continues to resonate with me is Perseverance. In the times of budget cuts, teachers having to take on more work, more students without lowering expectations, we must persevere. Teachers must never give up on students, seek out the students that need us most, be THEIR voice, THEIR advocate and PERSEVERE - it is what Tony challenges us to do. Do you accept his challenge? I do!

Me on the steps of the White House with the Oval Office behind me.

Tigers and Redskins

2009-04-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

The Team with the FHSU Tiger!

The KTOY Team visited Fort Hays State University and were excited to visit with a group of future teachers. During one of our activities, I circulated around listening to their excitement and fear about becoming a teacher. There are many commonalities in their answers at all our college visits. Their excitement is usually getting the opportunity to make a difference in student's lives...usually followed by an apology for being so cliche. No need to apologize - if that isn't your number one motivation for becoming a teacher, you are probably in the wrong profession. So say it with pride, with excitement and with passion. YES - you will make a difference because you WANT to! (left: Mary Martha talking to a FHSU student)

That evening I was invited to speak at the Academic Banquet for Little River High School students. The night was great as I got to see some old friends there and some of my wonderful friends and colleagues drove to Little River to hear me speak (or at least that is what I am telling myself....they might have made the trip as grandma works there). The food was great (can you say cheesecake?) and the students were amazing! They sat on the FRONT ROW of the auditorium without even be asked to! High school students are "my people" - who I am comfortable with. They were great sports about getting involved and gave me such energy being around them. Man, I miss my students! I drove home thinking "I love high school students!" No matter how tired teachers are, when we get around excited, energetic students, we get to "feed off" their energy. We have the BEST JOB ever as teachers.

Me with Principal, Dawn Johnson, and LRHS Honor Students

I was pretty pumped afterwards when Dawn Johnson, principal at Little River, gave me an IPodNano in K-State Purple as a gift for speaking! I lost all sense of composure and did my "happy dance" that I usually reserve for only my students (it isn't real pretty to watch). I don't have an IPod of any sort and have been wanting one for a long time so this was like Christmas....but it gets better! My name is on the back of it AND it is pre-loaded with some incredible books to listen to while I travel. Some I have read and loved so much I will listen to them again but most I have not had the chance of reading and look forward to getting to "read" them. Ms. Johnson, YOU ROCK!!! And so do your students!!!!!!
Now, if I can just get my next presentation group to give me a running strap thingee for it.... :-)

Manhattan-Ogden Visit

2009-04-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

I graduated (twice) from Kansas State University, so visiting the Manhattan-Ogden school district was like revisiting some of the best days of my life. Living in a college town is incredible and has so many opportunities for education, entertainment, and partnerships. Dr. Shannon shared with the Team about those great partnerships, the support of the community, and commitment to education everyone has in the area. The community just recently passed a bond issue for schools, a tax increase to support an education center at the Sunset Zo o, and just last week voted to support improvements on their public pools!!! Coming from a district that the community has failed to pass a bond issue, this really spoke volumes to me. Dr. Shannon said it all when he stated, "This community values education." At this reception, I got to visit with the 1987 KTOY, Chris Chalender. After being named KTOY, she decided teachers needed more recognition and raised the money to create the Hubbard Foundation. Thanks to her vision and perseverance (and quite a bit of charisma), the 2009 KTOY Team is able to have the opportunities serving as spokespeople for educators that she never had. So, thank you, Chris! (Chris and I pictured to the right)

Speaking of the Zoo, we spent an amazing morning there learning about the new center (model pictured below). The education and outreach programs the Zoo conducts are amazing. Last year, the staff reached 40,000 people in the community of 53,000. The summer programs, school programs, volunteer programs are teaching tolerance, conservation awareness, and how to protect our animals. We were fortunate enough to get to watch the chimpanzees. It was hard to leave the exhibit after watching the "baby" chimp with her mom. We will all be back I am sure.
KSU College of Education sponsored lunch for the Team and we got to hear more about the partnership between the college and the school district. KSU spends $400,000 placing faculty members full-time in the public schools supervising their student teachers and block students. This win-win partnership is preparing our future educators in "real" classrooms with "real" students. Dr. Holen, Dean of Education, and his committed faculty have led the Department with a vision of that is reaping its benefits with quality educators entering our profession (a little purple pride coming out there -sorry).

The Team with our gracious hosts, Dean Holen, Associate Dean Wissman, and Assistant Dean Burden

After lunch, the Team got to go observe those block students from KSU doing a lesson. WOW - talk about impressive!! I observed 3 students doing a probability lesson using the Price Is Right! games. They had technology, manipulatives, guided notes, a scripted lesson plan, and tied it to state indicators. It was humbling to take in how much time and energy went into this lesson and made me silently recommit to coming up with creative lessons. By the way, the students emailed me the entire presentation....they are already TEAM players and willing to share! (pictured at left are the KSU students in action)

Probably one of the most "moving" experiences we have had as a Team, came at Anthony Middle School. The advanced English students under the guidance of Leslie Pickler, created a Holocaust Museum. This has to be the best example of 21st Century Learning Skills I have seen. She gave her students the theme, "Remembering the Past, Protecting the Future" and let the groups decide their own topic related to that theme, decide how they would present it, and then create the display. They also have to write a research paper. If you have had the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum in DC, it was a similar experience visiting the room they created. Few of us talked during our tour, if we did, we whispered. There were some stories I read that made me cry and as I read, I thought of all the students that would come through this exhibit, how they would feel, and what they would remember. POWERFUL!

Kansas Wesleyan Got Me Thinking...

2009-04-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

The Team presented to Kansas Wesleyan last week. It was great for me on two accounts: 1. It is only a 20 minute drive from my house 2. My parents got to come and listen to us. They both still see me as their little girl who needs directions, protection, and help fixing the shower head. And truthfully, I do NOT discourage that thinking! I love being spoiled and pampered when I am "home!" I think it might have been strange for them seeing me being "all professional," and I hope they still spoil me when I go home!

One of the students asked a great question after the presentation, "Why do kids hate math so much?" YEP - hot topic with me being a math teacher. I get comments like "I am horrible at math" or "I hate math" quite often in my classes. I find this VERY disheartening as my students are seniors in their FOURTH year of math - College Algebra and Calculus. They are excellent students but somewhere along the way have been convinced they are not. I wonder how those students that aren't taking any math their senior year feel?? I have asked students (not a lot- but a few) why they feel that way. Their answers are varied...some say "I have to work so hard at it" to "I used to be good at it until 5th grade" My youngest son already feels like he is "no good" at math. I know where his attitude comes from: timed tests. He used to think he was good at math but the timed test created a huge amount of anxiety which led to him not doing well which led to - well you see where I am going here. Oddly enough, he knows his facts (just not in 5 minutes - it is more like 5.5 minutes) and is a great problem-solver. I am not sure I will ever change his mind - but I am not giving up. My oldest son has done very well on timed-tests but really dislikes math too. It started just this year with long division. He did a long division packet of worksheets that become his arch enemy. Problem after problem of long division with decimals, repeating decimals...you get the picture. He would sit at the table in the evening asking "Why can't I just use a calculator for the last 6? I get it already." The math teacher in me came out quickly. I told him he has to know it so well that it just becomes instinct - like creating muscle memory.

All this has me thinking though. Are we creating Mathicide for students? There is a book about how schools are killing reading for students, it is Readicide by Kelly Gallagher. There are two great entries in my friend, Cindi Rigsbee's blog about the book. One about the book and one is an interview with Kelly himself. I read a few chapters of the book and it got me thinking...I wonder if I could write a book about Mathicide. I know I have unwittingly contributed to Mathicide in my room...assigning way more problems than needed, doing too many worksheets and not enough projects, and not individualizing the homework for the level of student. I am going to try to get better at it. I don't want students hating math or thinking they aren't good at it. It makes me sick knowing I have contributed to it. I think project-based learning would help but there must be a BALANCE between constructivist math and kill and drill math. An article about it can be found here. Finding the balance in the two theories - and in life- is the journey that I am on.

Awards for Students

2009-04-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

This week was a fun week being around students - specifically my students! I got caught up on all the things going on in their lives. And let me tell you, they have A LOT going on. Some are expecting babies, some are going sky-diving, some are moving out on their own, and some are wondering how they are going to get to school the next day because they got kicked out of their home. It is hard to listen without jumping in and trying to solve their problems. I often want to take them home with me to try making everything alright for them. Our lives are all complicated and seldom are there black and white answers....maybe that is why I like math so much?! I like absolute, undeniable, provable ANSWERS! Life isn't like that.

My Teachers Choice Awardee, Calley!

Enough philosophy...on to the AWARDS!!! Today was a great day as my high school had the annual Teacher Choice Awards. Each teacher gets to choose one student who exemplifies great character, self-discipline, outstanding work ethic, and respect. This is not based on grades - although many students have a 4.0 - but on my definition of "being a great person." When I was explaining it to a parent I told them, "I select a student that I would be honored to have as my own child." It is a hard decision and every year I have about 15 students that I would love to choose. We invite the family to come to school at 6:30 (yep-that is AM) to eat breakfast and follow a great meal with a short presentation of the medallion. We take pictures and do our best to let the students know how much they inspire us to do our best as instructors. It is a great program!
Today I also awarded a student a 4 year Teaching It Forward Scholarship from the University of Phoenix. Every state teacher of the year gets to pick a senior to give a free education to. It is amazing...it could literally be life changing for a student. I let my student know today. I hope he is as excited as I was to give this wonderful opportunity to him. I will write more about him when I "officially" present him the $40,000 scholarship! Ahhhh - not bad for a day's work! Plus I even managed to teach arithmetic sequences AND slope fields today.

My mind is pretty full but I put more good stuff in there after school at our Team Leaders meeting where I learned about Moodle! I don't understand it fully yet but I am sure I will (thanks to some great technology folks) and keep reminding myself "baby steps, Cindy." It seems like once I learn about something it starts appearing EVERYWHERE....I had never heard of Twitter and Moodle and now it feels like I turn around and see Twitter and Moodle all over the place. Was it there before and I just didn't know what it meant?
Hope everyone has a blessed Easter.

KNEA Representive Assembly

2009-04-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I have never been very politically active or even really watched legislation that was taking place that would directly affect me, my classroom, and instruction.....until this year. Being named KTOY has thrown me into a world that I never knew existed -ok, maybe I knew, but chose to ignore it. However, now that I have that awareness and understanding how the policy makers (Board of Education, KSDE, State Legislation, etc) influence what I do in the classroom, I can never go back to burying my head in the sand. Teachers have a powerful voice...through our voting power, our position in our communities, and influence with parents. We tend to not use it...shying away from controversy or conflict. This is where the KNEA comes in. NEA is an advocate for children and for teachers. I have grown this year; in my knowledge of "the system of education," my political philosophy, and even my educational philosophy. Knowledge really is power - and you can never go back. NEA has helped me tremendously in this growth and I owe them a big THANK YOU. I spoke Saturday at the KNEA Representative Assembly. I wish I would have thanked them for all they do for education - teachers and students - and what they have done for me in my journey this year. I didn't. Next time I get a chance I promise I will.

I really enjoyed being there with all these educators that are shaping policy, arguing their beliefs, and passionately discussing trends in education - from ELL to scripted lessons. Educators don't always agree with each other - I like that. The dialogue that is exchanged is where the real learning takes place. I enjoyed listening to them challenge each other on issues and realized I need to be more pro-active in everything going on in education. I am getting better at it and have even written a few letters to legislators and the State Board of Education. I promise to do more!

KNEA President, Blake West, with me after accepting the award.

After I spoke, KNEA announced that I was the recipient of the State Award for Teaching Excellence. I looked out upon these amazing educators that had given up their weekend to make our profession better and was extremely humbled they chose me to represent them and everything they are committed to. THANK YOU.

Miss Kitty Would Be Proud!

2009-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

Some of Cindy Venard's students welcomed us with signs and a CHEER!

The Team has been in Dodge City the past two days visiting colleges and touring the Dodge City School District. I must admit I had some preconceived notions about Dodge City and what the school facilities and district would be and I was SO WRONG! This school district is pretty incredible. Some things that struck me are the teachers and staff who work tirelessly to meet various challenges that some districts in Kansas don't have to face. At one of the elementary schools we visited, there is a 75% ELL (English Language Learner) population and 80% Hispanic population. And yet, this school met AYP and continues to improve test scores. The Dodge City district has put in programs and has support staff that make enrollment smooth, gang prevention education successful, and a system that builds community among the diverse population. The drop-out rate is very low (3%) and is a real tribute to the commitment the administration has made to making the school an inviting place for students and family. It is no wonder the State Board of Education along with Dr. Posny will soon be visiting this district. We all could learn from visiting this innovative and successful community.
Here is a very unique fact about Dodge City...they built a 13.5 million dollar elementary school (Ross Elementary) WITHOUT a bond! The school will be paid off in 5 years! What progressive, creative planning! The technology we saw was being used to enhance learning and assist teachers in being even more effective. The Mimio Interactive Whiteboard device, the laptop docking stations, and the Elmo (document camera) really engaged students in their learning. Th e Learning Center that houses the enrollment center, a library, and a make-n-take area with die-cuts galore (see picture to right) is almost as impressive as the meeting room that is attached to it. (pictured to the left)
After hearing Superintendent, Alan Cunningham, speak passionately about the "grow your own" program, I am convinced that all schools should be doing this. The support this district gives their staff to continue their education and get ELL endorsements along with the Principal Interns is a testament to the district's commitment to keeping staff.

At Dodge City Middle School. we learned about the Haliburton Project that Principal, Mike King developed. Gifted Instructor, Bill O'Brien, and Erin Schaffer, a team leader, mentor, and science teacher demonstrated how they use this project in their curriculum. The project has students create a digital story they post on teacher tube that follows Richard Haliburton on his journeys. This is really using 21st Century Skills! For coverage of the Team's visit check out the Dodge City Globe.

On a personal note, I coached Erin (Bruce) Schaffer in Concordia. And although she obviously is a respected instructor and has two adorable daughters, she is frozen in my mind as a junior in high school with her beautiful auburn hair running up and down the basketball court. Seeing her totally in her element was probably the best part of my trip to Dodge City...she has definitely "bloomed where she was planted."

The Journey not the Destination

2009-04-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

I learned Kinsley is half-way between New York and San Francisco!!

I was invited to speak at the Central Prairie League Banquet. What a great thing this League does. Most Leagues recognize All League athletes but this one not only recognizes All League Honor Students but holds a banquet in their honor. This year, Kinsley hosted the banquet which was great for me as I have a good friend who lives in Kinsley so I got to visit her while there! At left is the LaCrosse Crew (4th from left is Olivia Keeley, whose parents are both adminstrators, and "officially" won the airplane contest)

The communities are all so closely tied together with most students knowing each other, and connections that go back to kindergarten. There was a definite sense of family and community at this League event. Being in Kinsley reminded me of my hometown- where "everybody knows your name - and they're always glad you came" (read that by singing it). My goal in my speech was to make them feel appreciated and honored but it was I who felt that way by them! I got to know a few students while there and each of them has a story. EVERY person has a story and it is such a great experience to get to hear them. (pictured left is Kayla King who "unofficially" won the airplane contest)

These two gentlemen, Marshall Musil (playing football at OU next year) and Jeremy Garcia (playing football at HCC next year) helped me with my card trick!

Quite a few students have full rides to play football, one has a dad as her superintendent and a mom as her principal (can you imagine the conversations at her house?). I bet she doesn't get away with too much! I got to laugh and be my crazy self for the evening as I encouraged everyone to "Fly Outside the Box." I even got a few administrators to act a little silly in a picture.

The whole evening was special as a friend, Jan, rode with me to Kinsley and we got to hang out after the banquet with Carol who lives there. Carol spoke about most everyone at the banquet, filling me in on all their stories, talking about families, tragedies, and triumphs. I hope someday I get invited back as I am starting to feel like I belong in Kinsley too!
The evening ended perfectly with Jan giving me the book "Is There Really a Human RACE?" It has great illustrations and a message that fit perfectly into my evening. I am thinking I will read this book to my seniors this year.

Private Colleges = AMAZING!

2009-04-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Me and faculty members at USM: Sister Mary Pat , Sister Frances, me, and Gretchen Wilbur

The KTOY Team visited 2 private colleges on Monday. Our first stop was at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth. This Catholic college has a great group of faculty who care deeply for their students and they are sending some really fun students into education. The 3 gentlemen to the left chose the poster "Teaching will be like having a baby because..." and we had a great time hearing about how! We were treated to some great food and got to relax and enjoy the faculty and students after our presentation.

(Below: Jennifer sharing some conversation with students)

We drove just a little north to visit Benedictine College in Atchison. This is another Catholic college that has an amazing campus with wonderful hills and historic buildings. The students were full of energy - especially the two pictured to the left. Just like in teaching, the Team just feeds off this energy and enthusiasm. A special thanks to the College (and Matthew) for providing us a t-shirt or hoodie to remember BC with! In fact, we were such on a great high from the presentation, we hung around Atchison and did some shopping at the book store and even went downtown. This is one historic town and features the Amelia Earhart Museum.

The Team pictured with Matthew Ramsey, Asst. Professor and Director of Special Education

My Backyard - Hutchinson Community College

2009-03-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Mary Martha Good talking to some Blue Dragons

The KTOY Team (minus a few members) visited Eileen Murphy's Introduction to Education class at Hutchinson Community College...only 8 miles from my high school! This class is made up of sophomores who will enter the teaching block next year at a 4 year university. This was a hard presentation for me. All I could think about was a previous student of mine who should have been sitting in the audience with them, taking the class to prepare for his future as a math teacher. His name was Clinton. He graduated from high school 2 years ago and died of colon cancer this past October. He enrolled at HCC but never got to attend classes as his energy and time was spent fighting this dreadful disease. If you have heard us speak, I usually talk about Clinton - he was such a great young man. So, when I looked out upon this very promising group of future educators, my heart broke a little again for Clinton. He should have been there. Life isn't fair.

But life does go on, fair or not. These students are the future of education...soon to be shaping lives, telling their own stories and inspiring their own students. I wish we could meet again in 4 years to hear those stories....maybe someday we will!

So How Does It Feel?

2009-03-23T19:43:00.001-07:00

I have been in the classroom all last week and will be a couple days this week too. Yes, I have actually been TEACHING! I haven't seen many of my colleagues for a couple months which brings about the question, "So how does it feel to be back teaching?" I have been thinking about that basic question..."How does it feel?" Teaching is comfortable for me, it is fun, it is challenging, it is frustrating, but most of all it is what I love. Many TOY's "go on" to become administrators which may be the natural next step, but it won't be for me. Being in the classroom is where I belong. I understand why teachers leave the classroom - more money, more influence on policy, more power. I wish the teachers could have those things without leaving. Kansas is working on a teacher leadership license to help with some of the issues, which is exciting.

Walden University has offered all State Teachers of The Year a free doctorate if we apply within 12 months. WOW! Many of my STOY friends are taking advantage of the offer and have already started the program. It is valued at over $40,000 so it is pretty tempting. Many are planning on getting their doctorate to go teach at universities or go into administration where they can influence change more effectively. I admire them - it takes a real commitment to get a doctorate degree. I only wish we could be as powerful as teachers. BUT - I wonder if administrators laugh as much as teachers do? Like today, one of my students got me with a joke that made me belly laugh hard. ...you know, the kind where you bend over and quit making any noise because you are laughing. I have repeated the joke to about every person I met today. On the way home, I laughed just thinking about it again. Teachers laugh a lot - we laugh at ourselves and with our students. I think that should be part of our evaluation - how many times an hour do you laugh? Happy people make good teachers. Laughter releases serotonin and dopamine which helps retain information...so laugh - laugh a lot!
(Wondering what was so funny? I can't tell you as it will ruin the joke if we meet and I get the opportunity to make YOU laugh!)

March Madness - NCLB Style

2009-03-18T21:10:00.001-07:00

This month students in Kansas are taking state assessments. These are "high stakes" tests for educators and today I realized for students too. At the high school level, I don't often hear my students worrying about their performance on the tests or discussing their goal of scoring Exemplary. BUT today my 3rd grader, Carter, came home from school talking about the "state assessment." Since when do 9 year-olds use the word assessment? He has heard us talk about scoring "Exemplary" with his older brother, Clayton, who is a 6th grader. It isn't like we sit around the house discussing performance on state tests, but evidently he remembers Clayton getting "certificates" for doing well....seriously, I don't talk about math standards 24-7 at home...really! So Carter comes home and is worried that if he doesn't pass the "assessment," he won't pass 3rd grade. Maybe he has been talking too much to his cousin in Texas? Texas has much more high-stakes assessments and moving to the next grade level is dependent on passing the state tests. THANKFULLY, Kansas has not made that decision. BUT still...my baby is worrying about the state assessment (or how he says it "atestment"). Clayton is talking about getting a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast. When I was in 6th grade, a healthy breakfast and a good night's sleep meant it was summer time!! Are my high school students worried, getting a good night's sleep, and eating a healthy breakfast before they test? I am not so sure. I think they get "worn out" on testing by the time they get to us. This is closely tied to my opinion that we have too many standards. I would like to see the state curriculum go "deeper" rather than "wider" when they review the standards. If you compare the assessed indicators the US has compared to other countries, we have about 3 times as many.

Teachers should be held accountable for curriculum and standards and NCLB has done just that. In fact NCLB has improved education in many respects. However has NCLB taken the joy and fun out of learning? Are students feeling like they come to school only to be assessed? How much of the time in the classroom is spent "assessing?" I am going to think about this in my classroom...I think I give quite a few assessments. My reasoning is "I need the feedback to make adjustments in my curriculum, teaching, and pace." However, I may be finding other ways to get that feedback. Tomorrow I will be going over my lesson plans to look how many days I spend reviewing for tests, taking tests, and discussing tests. Are we using the data to improve student learning? If not, it is time to rethink the way we do business.

Pondering 21st Century Skills - Sigh

2009-03-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have had a few days off from my KTOY responsibilities (opportunities) and have taken some time to read up on 21st Century Skills which seem to be the hot topic right now in education. I have heard many people speak about the importance of these skills in a global society...how these skills are needed for students to be successful in the future. The State Teachers of the Year (TOY's from all over the nation) have had great dialogue about the states that are "on board" with these skills: Arizona, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. I am proud Kansas is on the cutting edge of this - mostly due to Dr. Alexa Posny's leadership.
However .....I am so confused. I understand the cool symbol the Council chose (the infinity symbol) which is divided into two areas: environment and skills. I embrace, support, and preach the environment: relationships, relevance, rigor, results, responsive culture. It is the skills I struggle with. There are 10 listed (although it is really like 22). They are skills like: initiative, innovation, and flexibility. After reading them, I say, "Yes, very important - every one of us need that skill." BUT I also continue to ask questions like:

How do we teach these skills?
Are these content skills?
Are these to be embedded into our content?
If they are part of our content, how do we evaluate skills like innovation and flexibility?
How are we, as educators, going to get Professional Development on using, applying, teaching, facilitating 21st Century Skills?

I read through these and sigh...am I too old? They seem overwhelming to me. I am so focused on meeting the state curriculum for math, the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards, Advanced Placement standards, and the ACT standards that when I try to figure out where these fall within my curriculum: I sigh. I WANT to be on "the cutting edge," it is just I don't know "how!" When my superintendent reads this, I am sure she will tell me it is about the Professional Development. They have their work cut out on some of this though. Teaching and evaluating "cross - cultural skills" within my content of math has me puzzled. Any suggestions? I would really like anyone reading this blog to weigh in! sigh.

Want to do some research on your own? Want to read what others are saying? Check out:
Teacher in A Strange Land Blog by Nancy Flanagan
Blog by Daniel Willingham, author of "Why Don't Students Like School?"

“In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

Al Rogers

My Own Advice: Q-TIP

2009-03-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

When our KTOY Team presents to different groups, Walt speaks about the importance of having a sense of humor and not taking yourself too seriously. I always follow it up with my Q-TIP (Quit Taking It Personally- not the musician) comments which include things like "as soon as you start thinking about yourself, you have taken the focus away from student learning." Well, it is time to practice what I preach I guess! We have a feedback survey that we encourage people to fill out after hearing our presentation. There are many positive comments left for us and we take to heart all the suggestions that have been left. In fact, we have changed some of what we do based on the feedback we have received. However, yesterday, someone left us some really negative feedback and even questioned if they "want to be in education after hearing our presentation as they didn't want to work with people like us." WOW. I took it personally - it made me take a step back and question what I am doing. I immediately got defensive and focused on myself. The thoughts flowed quickly in my mind:
"Do they know how much time and energy we spend on this?"
"Our whole goal is to inspire and motivate future educators!"
"We try to do this presentation with honesty, humility, and passion."

This person left feedback with comments like "you all should be back in your classroom teaching kids if you really cared about student learning." That is the one that hit the hardest for me. I often think that privately to myself too. Maybe that is why it was so hard to read. I do care about my students - probably more than they are even aware. I am worried about the student that is soon to be a dad...the student whose grandpa is dying....the student that got kicked out of their house. I also worry about what they are learning while I am gone. However, I know in my heart, they are in good hands with my substitute and learning goes on without me. I still worry though - it is what I do. So, how do I answer that question? Yes, I care about my students....I care so much that I am out learning more about teaching and student learning than I have ever learned in all my 19 years of teaching. It is hard work...harder and more time consuming that I ever thought possible. Just this week alone, I have read 3 books and have done 5 presentations and visited with 2 different schools and departments about programs. I am bringing what I learn back to my school and the students will benefit. Just this week, the math department discussed making some changes in the way we "do business" that will impact student learning. More than anything else, I want to improve my student's learning through this experience.

So - it is time to reflect on the comment, ask myself what I can do to improve the presentation, how can we better communicate our message to ALL groups of students, and Q-TIP! What a great lesson this has been for me. Of all the positive comments left, I am focusing on the one negative one. I will remember this when teaching...one negative comment can delete the other 20 positive ones in a flash. It is something I knew but needed reminded of. I can't wait to see my students again....I am going to give them so many positive comments that their "inbox" will overflow! (I think I will also go back and read those adorable cards that were given to me at Riverview!)

Gorillas - Warriors - Swedes

2009-03-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

The KTOY Team did some college visits this week and were inspired once again by the young people we talked to. The first stop was at Pittsburg State University. I had never been to Pittsburg before and was amazed at their education program. We spoke to about 130 student teachers...yes, that is right...PSU will graduate around 130 educators!! They really "got it goin' on" there. Of course, I have always been a huge fan of Dr. Andy Tompkins (Dean of Education at PSU) and can see his vision along with great professors like, Dr. Howard Smith, Chair of Curriculum and Instruction, embedded in this successful education program. Every one of us were impressed with the way these educators presented themselves (they dressed up and looked great) and with their involvement in the presentation.

Pictured here with Kelli LaRosh and Terri Gaeddert

What a surprise this morning to open the Salina Journal and see an article about Kelli LaRosh , a student from Sterling College, that published a book (about math)! How ironic that this article ran on the day we went to Sterling. We got to meet this amazing young educator and I even received a complimentary book - with her signature. Being around such innovative youth is inspiring. This was our first presentation where we only had 50 minutes but we did get an opportunity to visit informally with the education majors at a reception. We were engaged with great questions about grading, assessments, and project-based learning. WOW! I taught with Terri Gaeddert years ago so I know the these future educators are in the hands of a progressive and cutting-edge instructor.

After Sterling, we loaded up and headed to Beth any College to eat lunch and spend the afternoon with their education majors. We were honored that these young people gave up 2 hours on a beautiful Friday afternoon to hear us speak. Once again, we got a chance to interact and share our experiences and thoughts on education with about 90 students. I was a little more nervous about being at Bethany as this is my home town and I knew people in the group! In fact, my long-term substitute even showed up to listen in. With 43 years of experience in education, it was HE who should probably be doing this presentation!! We were in awe of the diversity of students attending Bethany - students from Canada, Oregon, Texas, and Sudan. What a great opportunity the students are getting from this diverse interaction. We came back to my house for some reflection on the day. The general consensus is these "smaller" colleges are "big" on teacher preparation!

Read Across Kansas

2009-03-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hamming it up after reading and eating fish crackers

After today, I am rethinking my license area. I wonder what it would take to add a certification for elementary? I LOVE LITTLE KIDS!!! I was invited by 2008 KTOY Jeri Powers to read to 2 elementary schools in the DeSoto school district. Being used to big kids, I was at first a little nervous about the idea of trying to hold the attention of forty 8 year-olds while I read a book. So, to try to make a good impression, I borrowed a Cat In The Hat hat, bought crazy, mis-matched socks, and then decided if I couldn't make their eyes dizzy from my colorful clothes, I could just feed them! So, I carried my "fish in a bowl" around and handed out gold fish crackers. I had a blast - I wonder if the kids had even a tenth as much fun as I had?! After I read to 5 different classes, I was handed a sack full of personalized, illustrated thank-you cards - made for me by EACH student!! I am scanning a few of them to add to this post when I get back home. They are incredibly special to me. When I think about how long it took for them to write out personalized notes to me, it makes my heart fill up. Some even demonstrated their math skills (evidently Jeri mentioned I am a math teacher) on the cards -showing me all the math facts they knew. One even has a pop-up of me reading on a chair....how did Jack do that? Samuel drew a Teacher of The Year Memorial for me!! WOW! Of all the "things" I have received when visiting districts, this has to be the most special sack I will ever get. Not only was it filled with these heart-touching cards, but also full of goodies and a Riverview t-shirt, which I will be wearing with great pride.I found some fellow Cat In the Hat fans - including the principal, Mark Dodge as THE Cat in the Hat!

I th en travelled down the road to Clear Creek Elementary and read to a whole cafeteria of students!! They were so good to listen while eating and even clapped for me when I was done! Did I mention that I love little kids??? I got lots of hugs today - and if you know me - I am a HUGGER!!!

After getting to read, I had the opportunity to visit with the Mill Valley High School math department. They shared some wonderful ideas that I have already emailed my school about and hope to implement them at my high school. One of them is a new approach to seminar. They have all the math teachers go to the cafeteria and all the teachers are then available to any student needing math help. This approach seems much more equitable to me. Some math teachers at my school are overwhelmed with students needing help during seminar while others may not have any students coming in at all. Having us all centrally located would enable more students to get help and maybe even provide the forum for students to develop their own Professional Learning Community. I also am bringing home some great curriculum ideas for Personal Finance. The math teachers had to get subs, make lesson plans, and take extra time to sit and visit with me and I so appreciated it!

I have written before that one of the most rewarding benefits of visiting districts is unexpectedly running into previous students. Turns out that Isaac Hodges (Buhler High graduate) teaches PE at Riverview Elementary!! It was great catching up on his family and hearing about all his friends.
(Isaac Hodges and me at Riverview)

Me, Rose Nemchek, and 2008 KTOY Jeri Powers

While I was visiting Riverview, Rose (middle) found out she is the district's elementary nominee for Teacher of The Year - I will be seeing her again in September at the regional banquet!

The single most significant factor influencing a child's early educational success and achievement (first and second grade) is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.

(Source: U.S. Dept. of Education)

2 Days = 3 Groups!

2009-02-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday I was invited to speak at Southeast of Saline USD 306 during their professional development time. The topic was the KTOY Process. My goal was to quickly go through the process of how I became KTOY, what I do versus what the KTOY Team does, and what opportunities any district nominee has. Because this topic in my opinion doesn't lend itself to get the faculty up and moving, interacting, and talking, I was a little nervous it would be boring. So, the plan was to zip through that and then get to my message as KTOY and do some activities. Well, I didn't get to my "fun" stuff as I ran out of time. They had some great questions about the KTOY year for me and I like to talk....so I talked too much! However, they DID get up and moving thanks to some bees that made a guest appearance during my presentation. Maybe they wanted to know what the "buzz" was about too!!

Friday the KTOY Team had the opportunity to visit education majors at Bethel College and Hesston College. I can't tell you how great it is to be in a room full of young people excited about becoming a teacher. A couple things that stuck with me were how many male elementary teachers there were in this group. We DESPERATELY need more men in our elementary schools to serve as positive male role models for the many students that do not have that at home. I decided to do a survey in my own district to find out how many men versus how many women are in our elementary buildings. Off the top of my head I can only think of 2 at the school my children attend. There were also quite a few special education majors. For some reason, these students hold a special place in the Team's heart. Maybe it is because one of our team's members has a child that these teachers may instruct someday, maybe it is because one of our team members has a masters in special education, or maybe it is simply because we know these future teachers are going to touch lives in a way we never will. They asked some really great questions to the Team like "How do you know when to send a student to the principal's office?" "What is your advice on handling student discipline?" "How do you get students to respect you?" and the question that will have the most memorable answer was "What is your most embarrassing moment as a teacher?" My gut is still hurting from laughing at Mary Martha Goods answer. If you ever see us speak or run into her, you MUST ask her this question. Next week I get to participate in Read Across Kansas in the DeSoto District. I was invited by the 2008 KTOY, Jeri Powers, to read to some of students and then head to Pittsburg State University, Sterling College, and will end the week in my home town at Bethany College.

Back In the Saddle!

2009-02-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

I spent the past couple days back with my students - teaching! I was actually a little nervous about returning to the classroom. That same feeling I get right before school starts in August when I don't sleep the night before worrying and planning the first day. However, my kids were great - welcoming me back with hugs and questions and genuine happiness. Some Teachers of the Year (not necessarily from Kansas but other states) become consultants, administrators, or seek other positions after becoming a TOY...I won't be doing that. These past few days were just a reinforcement of what I already knew. I belong in the classroom with young people surrounded by colleagues that challenge my philosophy, encourage me, and make me laugh.

Speaking of philosophy - I had two issues come up when I was in the classroom that I am still muddling through. I would love to have feedback on them as I struggle with what is BEST for the student, FAIR to all, and yet not LOWER standards for learning. It is a typical issue that comes up for most teachers often. If you are a teacher reading this, you will be able to relate to it. If you aren't a teacher, I hope you can still understand the struggle and issues teachers go through daily to make education the best possible experience.

Here it is! My students took a Calculus test and did not do very well on it. Their grades suffered some so they asked if I could grade "on the curve." I have never graded on the curve. I think it excuses students from really studying if they know their comparison and standard is the smartest student in the class. I want my tests to accurately reflect what I expect them to know - period. So with that option out, they asked about correcting the test for credit. I know they are more worried about the grade than understanding it most of the time, but at least correcting it gets to my goal of "making sure they know the material." I agreed to the corrections. Some teachers asked how this prepares them for college? Do they get to make corrections in college? Wouldn't they just have to suffer the consequences, shell out more money for repeating the class, and learn their "lesson?" Those are difficult questions. My goals are for them to learn the material, hold them accountable, hold myself accountable and finally, have some fun. Each day is a balancing act....anyone have advice?

So second issue. What if a student misses a lot (by a lot - I mean most of the year) of class due to illness? Should they be able to get credit by just taking the tests? Is it fair to other students if the student does not have to do the homework, take the quizzes, do the class projects or work in cooperative groups? Do assessments provide enough practice to lay a good foundation for future success in their next math course? Yep - tough questions again. This really brings to surface the concept of the Carnegie Unit and the way high schools give credit. Perhaps what I am really asking is should we be moving to an entirely standards based curriculum? I am still processing that concept. Yes, I want my students to master the standards but I want MORE for them at the same time. I want them to learn how to work in groups, how to manage time, how to become self-disciplined and how to communicate. I hope my curriculum is more than just a list of standards to be mastered.

"Coaching sets the pace to get the best out of others while giving the best of yourself."
- David Cottrell

KEEN Conference Day Two -Our Future

2009-02-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Teachers of Promise ready to be honored!

The second day of the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) Conference we were given 4 questions to answer from Dr. Diane DeBacker, Deputy Commissioner of Education. She also shared a couple quotes that I really liked, "We must transform not reform schools" and "If you are not part of the problem, you can't be part of the solution." So after setting the tone with those quotes, here are the questions:

1. How would you implement 21st Century Skills?
2. Where can you put your best energies during these times of budget cuts and reductions in staff?
3. How would you redesign the delivery system? (ie: create the ideal school)
4. What type of compensation model would you create to recruit and retain teachers?

As you can see, these questions are pretty "weighty!" We broke out into small groups, brainstormed, agreed, disagreed, and finally, came up with lists of our best answers to share with KSDE. In my group, were 4 "experienced" teachers, 1 Teacher of Promise, and 3 Horizon Award Winners. I loved learning from our from our brightest and best educators in the state. They shared such hope and promise that only youth can have. I wish I could spend an hour every day with them...they are invigorating!

The Horizon Awardees line up to be honored

At the luncheon, KSDE and the Senate honored the Teachers of Promise and the Horizon Award Winners. For those unfamiliar with those two honors, a Teacher of Promise is a senior in college majoring in education that has been nominated by a professor for showing great "promise" as an educator. The Horizon Award winners are currently 2nd year teachers and were nominated by principals for making a difference in student learning and their schools in the first year of their career. There are 8 awarded from each of the Congressional Districts for a total of 32 Horizon Awardees. Dr. Posny was the keynote speaker at the luncheon and she shared how much a part of our economy is education. I had never thought that way about education much before this conference. But after talking to many of the policy-makers, I am starting to understand this concept more and more. Dr. Posny shared that we invest a little less than $10,000 in each student but that student then creates an economic investment of over $210,000. I hope our leaders remember this as budget cuts are considered all over the state.

Here is the "Buhler Crew" with our very own Horizon Awardee, Teresa Sindelar.

"A memory is a picture you take with your heart."

KEEN Conference Day One

2009-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like being surrounded by excellent educators, legislators, policy makers, and administrators who put kids first...and that is exactly what I got to do today in Topeka at the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN). Dr. Posny set the stage as our keynote speaker at lunch sharing just how great Kansas education is and the progress we have made over 8 years. Please check out her PowerPoint on the KSDE website...it is impressive. I wonder if everyone knows just how much improvement the state has made in math, reading, social science, and science - especially in our subgroups. Did you know that the Legislative Post Audit Report showed that a 1% increase in funding produced a .86% gain in student achievement? That is almost a one to one correlation.
I had the opportunity to attend two break-out sessions. The first session was on the P-20 Council. This Council is made up of 22 people from many different areas of education. Their mission is "to improve student achievement by creating a collaborative, seamless system of education guided by the principle that success in college begins in kindergarten." Dr. Blake West, President of KNEA (pictured above), and Janet Waugh, Chair of the KS State Board of Education, gave us great information about how bringing together the PreK to Graduate School policy makers just may transform education as we know it. It is encouraging to know this diverse group of individuals are coming together to find the best way of educating children for the 21st Century in our state.

The second session I attended was on the Teaching in Kansas Commission. This group has 5 goals in recruitment and retention of teachers: 1. Regulations/Requirements/Data 2. Image and Promotion 3. Teacher Preparation 4. Working Conditions 5. Salary and Benefits The KEEN attendees were excited to watch the first showing of the changelivesTEACH video. IMPRESSIVE! This was part of the Commission's goal of Image and Promotion. I was relieved to hear KSDE has revamped the licensure procedure to make it less cumbersome. Also, I found out that if you want to pick up another certification, all you have to do is pass the content test in that area!! This means if you are a science teacher or business teacher and wanted to get certified in math, all you need to do is pass the content test. (click on content test for possible areas and sample tests). Any takers???? I can think of about 10 right off the top of my head that could do this. Dr. Pamela Coleman, Director of Teacher Education and Licensure, is reforming this department. She is accessible, friendly, and wants to HELP educators through this process.

Part of the group of NBCT's lined up and ready to get honored

This evening was a banquet to honor the 2008 National Board Certified Teachers and the 2008 Milken National Educator, Vanessa Martinez. It was only 2 years ago when I was one of the NBCT getting honored and it brought back all the anxiety, rush of adrenaline, and sense of accomplishment of when those scores come in. Kansas is really blessed to have the association we do with Emporia State University and Roger Caswell for candidates going through National Boards. We recognized 27 teachers tonight. INCREDIBLE. Each one of these educators will receive $1,000 each year for 10 years for being a NBCT. Not only does this process develop your teaching skills and really force you to think differently about instruction, it pays pretty well too! Congratulations to all of you!!!

Dr. Alexa Posny, Vanessa Martinez, and Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson

We also were introduced to Vanessa Martinez, Assistant Principal of Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet, and now the 2008 Milken National Educator! She receives $25,000 from the Milken Foundation for this honor. She is making a difference in Wichita and students are the better for having her in their lives. Congratulations!!

Dep. Commissioner, Dale Dennis, who somehow escaped my table picture!

Which one doesn't belong?? Yep - me! What a night!!

So, I have to close with a little commentary on my dinner table folks. I found out right before the dinner started that I had a reserved spot at one of the tables with some amazing, powerful, intellectual, and knowledgeable people. Nervous doesn't even begin to describe how I felt sitting between Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson and Commissioner of Education, Dr. Posny. Also sitting at the table were Dep. Commissioner, Dale Dennis, Senator John Vratil, Mrs. Janet Waugh, Chair of SBOE, and SBOE members, Mrs. Jana Shaver, Ms. Carolyn L. Wims-Campbell, and Mrs. Sally Cauble. Perhaps intimidated, humbled, shaking and scared better describe what I was feeling. During the blessing of the food, I was busy praying not to make an idiot of myself! However, after only a minute, these powerful people made me feel very comfortable. Turns out they are pretty normal! They have the same hopes and dreams for their children, the same struggles with decisions that impact their families, and the same concerns about money as we all do. I have always thought these people as lived in a different world than what I do (and they sort of do) but what I found is we all have more in common than what we have different. I think that is true with all humans. We all have a need to know another human being and be KNOWN by them. From listening to the conversation at my table, I know as children all over the state of Kansas are sleeping right now, that their education is being protected by policy makers that put KIDS FIRST. Good night and sweet dreams!

Halstead

2009-02-17T06:35:00.000-08:00

Monday morning I was invited to Halstead . We met at Bentley Primary School in Bentley. I have always wanted to go to Bentley as I see a sign for it on the way to Wichita. I really loved the town. It reminded me how important local schools are to the survival of communities. Many think consolidation or closing smaller schools is the answer to budget issues, but if you visit these schools, you can definitely see the need and use of those facilities to our students.
I once again learned strategies during my presentation (I may be learning more than the participants!). I now am armed with the Matharena by Brenda Barrow to share with my colleagues and students...now if I can just follow the directions on the sheet!
I got lots of feedback from this district and I so appreciate it. Turns out I used Metaphor when I should have used Simile! I always got those mixed up and guess I still haven't learned it well. I will get that changed ASAP. The use of similes at the end was a little rushed so I didn't get to explain much how to use them in instruction - maybe they will invite me back?? :-) Or if anyone reading this wants to post some comments, ideas, suggestions on using similes for everyone to read - go for it! We can learn from all the great educators across the state together!
(Sorry I didn't get any pictures this time. My camera batteries were dead.)

Marysville and Memories

2009-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Marysville teachers taking part in the yarn web activity

I was invited to Marysville USD 364 to speak and learn with the educators there. They were so GREAT - dancing and singing with the music that I played - participating in all the crazy activities that I threw at them - and even tolerated my bad jokes! They really treated me well and I even had a reserved parking place there which made me feel way more important than I am!
The whole day was a great trip down memory lane for me. I played many basketball games in the Marysville gym (I graduated from Belleville High) and coached many games there (when I taught/coached in Concordia).

Kathleen Stump - a rockin' music teacher!

After a snowy drive back to Belleville to eat lunch with my parents (who treated me like a Queen), I dropped in to visit my old elementary school. The principal there was my middle school principal (only we called it junior high school) growing up. I saw art work hanging in the hallway and signs for Jump Rope for Heart (a program my mom started years ago!). My purpose of visiting the school was to see my former music teacher, Kathleen Stump. She is amazing and has helped me and my family on countless projects - including my TOY gifts in Dallas. It was obvious watching her that her students love her as much as I do! I didn't think anyone would believe me how "bad" the weather was, so I took a picture while driving...in retrospect, not the smartest thing I have done.

Next stop - Concordia High School to see my beloved friend, Tami Peltier. She has this wonderful art room - aka The Castle. As an extra bonus, teaching right next to her was David Gieber who I taught math and coached with! We had a great time catching up, talking education, family, and retelling old stories. It is wonderful to have a history with people, buildings, and towns. I have learned that the world of education is very small. Almost everywhere I go there is someone who knows someone who knows me. I LOVE THAT!

David Gieber, myself, and Tami Peltier

IRONIC!

2009-02-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

The Buhler Representatives (my friends!) getting recognized - cool banner!

I was at the KSDC Conference again today. There were a couple of highlights for me...one was seeing my district, Buhler USD 313, receive the Systemic Learning Award. My district leaders and staff have worked hard at implementing and embedding Professional Learning Communities into our "way we do business." It was great for the district and our leaders to get that recognition. I heard all kinds of research about how time for PD (Professional Development) increases student achievement and how China, Finland, and Japan spend more time on PD and teacher collaboration than the US and their students are reaping the benefits. Staying up on current research, learning new methods of teaching, and time for networking is IMPORTANT - yes, even in education! Seriously - would you go to a doctor that said they hadn't kept up on current research or didn't attend continuing education courses? Why would we think it appropriate to send our children (our FUTURE) to teachers who don't? That is exactly what is happening across the state. In the times of budget cuts, even my own district (the one that just got recognized) has frozen all PD for the rest of the year. It is often the first "cut" districts will make.

Dr. DeBacker sharing great stories, data, and relevant legislation

So...this brings me to the second highlight of the day: hearing Dr. Diane DeBacker, Deputy Commissioner of Education for Kansas, speak. Dr. DeBacker is a great speaker and her passion for putting kids first came through loud and clear! She shared with us the Senate has a bill being proposed (Senate Bill 130-see section h) provides the school term to start no sooner than the day after Labor Day and must end before Memorial Day and PROHIBITS STAFF DEVELOPMENT OR INSERVICE DURING REGULAR SCHOOL TIME! When do legislators think educators should collaborate, study student learning and effective teaching strategies? I urge you to write, email, or call your Senator and discuss with them the importance of protecting PD!

USD 232 De Soto Visit

2009-02-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

1st Graders putting on a program- just for us!

Wow! We have had a 'whirl-wind' of activities this month. Today's visit (February 9, 2009) completes our fifth district visit out of eight.

We visited Jennifer Hartman's district; De Soto; on Monday, February 9, 2009. Jennifer picked us up at 7:00 a.m. and we traveled to her building, Clear Creek Elementary, where we visited with Dr. Sharon Zoellner; Superintendent, and Alvie Carter; PR Director, and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with our new friends. Later we had the privilege to visit with the Clear Creek Principal; Mike Stithem and their building instructional coach Carrie Handy on several topics including;
1)The Basic School: A Community for Learning by Ernest L. Boyer
2)PLC (Professional Learning Communities)
3)MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Support) and
4)the Learning Coach model for their district.
We hurried down to the gym to watch Jennifer's first graders present their Kansas Day program for us. The program was around the book; S is for Sunflower; A Kansas Alphabet by Devin Scillian. Jennifer divided the book into student speaking parts and added music to accompany the book. HOW CUTE!

Then we were off to the fifth grade music class. Jennifer is trained in ORFF, as well as other music teachers in her district. The students demonstrated several musical numbers on the drums and the xylophones. According to the ORFF philosophy; musical numbers are first learned orally, before they are put to music. What a talented group of musicians! The students then took us on a quick tour of their building. (left: 5th graders drumming it out)

The next stop on our district tour was at Monticello Trails Middle School. Again we were welcomed by a wonderful group of five 8th grade student ambassadors and their building counselor; Dave Anderson. A quick building tour, and question answer session with the ambassadors was followed by a UNIQUE opportunity to have lunch with Mr. Keil Hileman (2004 KTOY) who teaches an elective class called; Museum Connections, in his museum/classroom. All I can say is you have to see it to believe it! Oh to be a student again!

After lunch we walked to Mill Valley High School, and visited with Joe Novak; Principal, and sat in on a science lab with Eric Thomas; teacher, as well as USD 232 Secondary nominee for 2009 KTOY.

We then had the unique privilege to listen to Cheryn Swanson of Monticello Historical Society tell us some brief history about a one room school house, that sits on district property. Boy, it would have been chilly to have been in attendance on a day like today!

A look into our educational history - a one room school house.

Finally, we were able to visit with Linda McPherson; USD 232 KTOY coordinator.

WHAT a DAY! WHAT a GREAT DISTRICT!
Posted by: Cindy Venard

The HOW and The WHY

2009-02-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Dr. Robert Marzano with his biggest fan (me!)

If you have heard me speak this year, more than likely I have quoted Dr. Robert Marzano's research on effective teachers and effective schools. I love his research because it supports my long held belief that "the teacher" is the most important factor in student learning. Today I was privileged to hear him speak in Wichita at the KSDC Conference and even got to have my picture taken with him AND talked to him for a few minutes. I had to confess that I have been shamelessly quoting his research at every event that I attend. He is amazingly gracious, personable, approachable - all the things you would expect from a caring educator. He shared research on effective instructors, his philosophy on grading, outcomes and the art and science of teaching. So today I learned more about the HOW of teaching. If you have not read his books, I urge you to do so. Classroom Instruction that Works was one of the first books that I read when I committed myself to improving my instruction for student learning.

(below: John Knapp and right: Holly Kimble)

So now this brings me to the WHY. Holly Kimble, Sam Neill, and John Knapp (my amazing colleagues at Buhler High) were presenting on 21st Century Skills in Communication Arts. I love supporting and learning from people you know and care about...but here is the cool part - they brought along about 10 students. And not just ANY students, but some of MY students (yes they are students of John's, Holly's and Sam's too) but when I see them, they are MINE. It has been too long since I have seen my students and I missed them so much. I wanted to just sit and listen to what they are doing, about homecoming this week, about what their senior project is going to be about, and how school is going. Although I have been enjoying meeting people and learning from great educators, I MISS MY STUDENTS! I was surprised by the amount of emotion seeing them brought on...yes, I cried a little. I will be back soon with them but right now 2 weeks seems like a long time.

More Learning!

2009-02-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Ken Willard and I doing the radio show - FUN!

The past few days have been a little stressful, but am starting to get in a groove with it all!! I spent Wednesday morning learning from and sharing with some of the Washington School District, USD 108. We were focusing on instructional strategies and I left with some great new ideas on how to teach math - including a clever way of remembering divisor and dividend. I really enjoyed this professional group of educators and left energized.
Thursday was spent in Parsons with the Parson High School faculty whom are in their first year of Professional Learning Communities. They are doing some really creative things in Parsons and each teacher is on two teams: one is by grade level and one is by subject. I was intrigued by this model as it is something new for me. We focused on the importance of building relationships and a collaborative culture as I think it is the engine that drives high expectations. Every time I talk about PLC's, it is hard to remember that my building has been doing them for 11 years. Becoming a team doesn't happen overnight that is for sure but Parsons is light years ahead of where we were in year one. They are a committed group of educators with great leadership.
Friday morning I did my first (and hopefully not last) radio show on KWBW 1450 in Hutchinson. I was nervous as a "frog on a freeway!" (that is a Dale Dennis quote). However, Ken Willard and Rob Dreher made me feel so at home. I was amazed how FAAASST 30 minutes can go. I stayed up late the past couple nights preparing for it and hope I represented the education profession and all the great educators in the state well. It was fun getting talk about my passion and sharing about the KTOY program. If you missed the show, check it out by clicking here and then finding my name! OR you can click on the podcast on the right side of this page thanks to Rosemary Miller (our amazing technology integration specialist).
Next week, the Team will be visiting DeSoto Monday and speaking to the State Board of Education on Tuesday.

The FabulousGardner-Edgerton Visit

2009-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

The drum line and Channel 4 Fox News awaits our arrival

The KTOY 2009 Team was treated to the red carpet treatment in Gardner. We started out the visit by being driven to Gardner by High School Principal, Tim Brady and our host, Walt Cochran. We arrived at the District Office and were greeted with a breakfast with Administrators and City Officials. We were then whisked away to Madison Elementary school where we toured and had the added bonus of seeing Walt's children in action. Pioneer Ridge Middle School was our next stop with wonderful student tour guides showing us the highlights of their school. The team was treated to lunch at a local restaurant, Austin's. Our next stop was Walt's beloved Gardner-Edgerton High School where we were welcomed with a drum line outside and the Jazz Band inside (check us out dancing in the picture). Quite the impressive display of talent complete with a news team from Fox 4. Our time at GEHS was spent with time learning about the Freshman Academy and other key programs. We were honored to have GEHS students as our tour guides and enjoyed visiting the classrooms. Marilyn Fox especially enjoyed the chemistry lesson about Moles! The highlight was visiting with high school students that are interested in becoming teachers. Our day ended with the 8 of us running around downtown Gardner getting "freebies" from the generous local merchants. What a time we had. WE LOVE GARDNER-EDGERTON!!

The KTOY Team and our wonderful escorts

Posted by: Marilyn Fox, Manhattan

Paola Visit

2009-02-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

Mary Bradshaw shooting the ball into the moving robot.

On Tuesday, the KTOY Team visited USD 368, Paola. This district has some very innovative programs they shared with us. One of my favorites was the Watch D.O.G.S. program they have at Sunflower Elementary. It stands for Dads Of Great Students, which is a program of the National Center for Fathering. This is a great opportunity for Dads to get involved with the elementary school and is a win-win for everyone involved. The school gets an extra set of eyes, a positive male role model - the Dad (or grandfather, uncle, etc) gets a glimpse of their child's everyday world. They had 300 Dads sign up their first year. IMPRESSIVE!

Another program at Paola was the FIRST Robotics Team. They demonstrated their current robot they are working on to the team...we have seen quite a few Robotics Teams on our visit and I really think we will be seeing more of these Teams across the state. It is a true application of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) along with the writing aspect as they do have to present some research and the process of building. The program at Paola starts in Hillsdale El ementary school with Lego NXT and continues at the Paola Middle School with the Lego Mindstorm program. The students did an excellent job presenting to us how they get their "mission," the building process, and finally, an example of their hard work. Having two boys at home and a small fortune invested in Legos, I think every school should offer this! It is great problem-solving and very hands-on learning. After witnessing the dedication of students at all levels, it was not a surprise to learn of their national success in FIRST.

Mary Bradshaw, Cindy Venard, and Marilyn Fox learning how to stack cups.

The Team had a blast learning how to use SMART Boards and stack cups at Cottonwood Elementary. Check us out "learning" in the picture! We also got to visit our very own, Julie Miller's, garden. Even though it is winter, you can tell the love and energy that went into creating a place for students to grow and nourish plants.

The theme all the way through Paola was RELEVANCE. Their curriculum across all grade levels is being made relevant through the projects and community involvement. Even our food was made by the Culinary Arts program. Shandi Andres shared the program she has built with the courses in Culinary Arts. I could see this expanding every year with the popularity of Food Network and let's face it...who doesn't like to eat?? The students at Paola are definitely getting an exposure to education that they will be able to transfer to life "after high school."

The Team pictured in Julie Miller's garden

The Last Day in the Big "D"

2009-01-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

Me with Dr. Rick Melmer, Dean of Education, University SD, and his beautiful daughter

I came up to my hotel room to review my notes from today and reflect on my learning (what every good student should do, right?). Perhaps because it is what is what is "freshest" in my mind but I think today was the best day I have had at the conference. The speakers touched and spoke to our hearts today and their passion resonated the room. Our first speaker, Dr. Rick Melmer, Dean of Education, University of South Dakota, spoke from his heart. I knew after the first 2 sentences came out of his mouth that we were in for a treat. He recognized his daughter and son-in-law who were in the audience and how special was that they were there. You could hear the love and pride in his voice as he teared up. He spoke of the 3 C's: Commendation, Communicating, and Challenge. We learned how to identify policy makers and how communicate with them. However, he spoke to me when he spoke about three qualities of his favorite teacher, attitude, ambition, and amnesia. I really like the last one, amnesia. It is vital teachers are able to forget mistakes made by students, to not hold it against them the next day or remind them of it daily. He closed with this poem. Please read it and ask yourself, as I have, at the end of the day, are you a builder or a wrecker:

A Builder or a Wrecker?

I passed one day through a lonely town,
and saw some man tearing a building down.
With a "heave" and "ho" and a husky yell,
they swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I asked the foreman "Are these men skilled?
The type you'd hire if you had to build?"
"Oh no" he chuckled, "oh no indeed,
the common laborer's all I need.

Why I can destroy in a day or two,
what builders have taken weeks to do."
I thought to myself as I walked away,
which of these roles have I tried to play.

Am I a builder, who works with care,
making his tools a ruler and square.
Shaping my peers to a well made plan,
helping them be the best they can.

Or am I a wrecker who walks around,
content with the labor of tearing down.

This story courtesy of
http://www.homeholidaysfamilyandfun.com

Dr. Melmer was like a rock star to us educators today...everyone wanted to talk to him and just be around him. He has a magnetic personality and South Dakota is lucky to have him. I hear he is good friends with Dr. Andy Tompkins,Dean of Education, Pittsburg State University....maybe we can work on getting Dr. Melmer to Kansas someday!
Next we got to practice our media skills!! This was fun (to observe anyway) as Doug Dooher, Education Minnesota, and Joe Lowethal, Past President, National School Public Relations Association, traveled the room with a microphone and asked us the "hard questions!" (left: Joe Lowethal drilling Rebecca Snyder, PA TOY)

After lunch, we were challenged by Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 NTOY. Jon Quam, NTOY Director, referred to her as "a force to be reckoned with!" And let me tell you, he is right on the mark. I have never spoken with anyone who LISTENS to you, CHALLENGES your thinking, and at the same time AFFIRMS you like Mary Beth can. She gave us Ten Lessons. Lesson one: Laugh often, long and hard at yourself. To make sure we knew how to do that, she had us up and being silly....LOVED THAT! If we take ourselves too seriously, children suffer because we become the focus- not the children. Another lesson: QTIP (Quit Taking It Personally) goes with lesson one. If you are so busy being offended, the students suffer because why??? You're getting the hang of it now: because it becomes about US not the the STUDENTS. The last few lessons were about relationships, culture in the building, and being positive. It really does matter how we talk to and ABOUT each other. We have all taken an oath to Mary Beth not to whine for the rest of the year. Can you do the same?

Me with my super star, Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 NTOY

Tonight we have a formal dinner where the 4 National Finalists will be officially introduced. The keynote speaker will be Michael Geisen, 2008 NOTY. More of that to come! Until then, I leave you with this quote. It can be translated to any business or home just change the word school to business and students to company. How are you treating your colleagues?

The nature of relationships among the adults in a school has more to do with the success of the students in that building than any other factor.

Roland Barth

Dallas Day Three

2009-01-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

Left to right: Nancy Flanagan, Alice Williams (from CTQ) and in back, Jon Quam (NTOY Director)

We started our morning today hearing from Barnett Berry, Nancy Flanagan (MI TOY '93), and Alice Williams of the Center for Teaching Quality. This was extra special to me as they also run the Teacher Leaders Network which I belong to. It was so great to get to put a face and personality to the names I have been following on the TLN blogs. If you have never visited their websites, I urge you to do so. In fact, if you click on the TeacherSoutions 2030 video, you will see Cindi Rigsbee, North Carolina TOY and one of the four National Finalists this year, and the work she and eleven other teachers are doing. I am so proud to "hang with her" this week! They presented us with their Wacky Ideas for education which most of us loved! Here are some:

1. New teachers should only teach a 60% load the first year and an 80% load the second year.
2. We should have high stakes accountability focusing primarily on small teams working with the SAME students over time.
3. Every professional educator teaches students at least some of the time. That means EVERY educator including administrators. (I guess this would help number 1 take place)
4. The highest paid ANYBODY in any district should be the teacher.

A couple from my table group, Chantelle Herchenhahn (Mississippi) and Cindi Rigsbee (North Carolina)

As you can see, they really forced us to think "outside the box" on problems and solutions. It is why I love reading their blogs - especially Nancy F lanagan's. And while I am recommending blogs to check out, follow Cindi Rigsbee around on her TWO blogs (she is one busy lady) at the Dream Teacher and nctoytreks08-09 It is ironic that they were forcing me to challenge my beliefs and philosophies and think outside the box as it ties into what I am reading right now: Leadership and Self-Deception: getting out of the box by The Arbringer Institute.

Me with Andrea Peterson (2007 NTOY) during break-out session

We also got to have a break-out session in the afternoon to reflect on our learning for the day. Our leader was Andrea Peterson, 2007 National Teacher of the Year. She did a phenomenal job keeping us on topic. She spoke to the entire group earlier in the morning and reminded us what we have been doing our whole lives has prepared us for the job at hand.
I am excited for tomorrow as I peeked ahead at the agenda and we get to hear from Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 National Teacher of the Year. I have been fortunate enough to sit with her and Nancy Flannagan a couple times and they definitely leave me speechless. I can't wait to hear from her. Also, we will close our Dallas Conference out tomorrow with a formal dinner and listen to Michael Geisen, 2008 National Teacher of the Year. I go to bed each night tired but professionally inspired and personally motivated.

Teaching, Leading, Learning: Effective, Practical, Sustainable
2009 NTOY Program Conference

Dallas Day Two

2009-01-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

Betsy Rogers, 2003 National Teacher of the Year

My mind and stomach are full tonight as I reflect on today. We got to hear from Lois Adams-Rodgers from the Council of Chief State School Officers who gave us a new challenge: "to educate children to levels higher than any time in history, to reach each and EVERY one of them and to carry out Mr. Veatch's challenge of NO EXCUSES, ALL THE TIME, GET IT DONE." This year is critical and historical in so many ways. The nation has new leadership and we have a new Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. We are facing an economic crisis like many of us have never witnessed. However, the one thing that is constant is public education is about zero-reject, to welcome each child, and to prepare them for learning in a global community. It is an exciting time to be an educator in America!

Next, we were inspired by 2003 National Teacher of the Year, Betsy Rogers. She shared with us her experience in helping to turn around a school in Alabama. The teachers and administration took a "throw away school" on Improvement for not meeting AYP to getting them to 100% at proficient or above. It was a moving story of caring and finding her "teacher voice" and no, I am not talking about the loud voice!! She found her student advocate voice! I have learned this week that is your "teacher voice." We can all be advocates and it doesn't matter if you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, or teacher. The students who need us most are the students we must advocate for daily. Her oath "Do not deprive HOPE" (Rick Stiggins) spoke to my heart as did her guiding question, "What can I do to make it better?" Can you imagine if every person asked themselves that question every day and then ACTED UPON their answer? Let's try it!

Whew - I am not done yet....because we also heard from Amy Starzynski with the Education Counsel. She spoke about Federal Education Policy and Legislation that are hot topics and being discussed. Although nothing is official, she does anticipate NCLB being "mended, not ended." I would personally like to see the "mending" part of it be a growth model. NCLB seems to be punitive for many not meeting AYP right now. There are examples of a 5th grade teacher getting students reading at the 2nd grade level up to the 4th grade level in one year, but yet still doesn't meet AYP. Her students made GREAT gains in one year, but sadly, it is not about how far you take them - only where they end up. We must start measuring student performance by GROWTH each year.

If you look real close, you can see my name being flashed on the background. They had all of our names and states rotating through at the Museum!

We concluded tonight with a visit to the Women's Museum. If you are ever in Dallas, you MUST visit this place. It is in association with the Smithsonian Institution and is the first comprehensive women's history museum in the United States. Learning about the women who sacrificed so much to give me the right to vote, to work, to lead, to educate is humbling. A surprise given to us tonight was from the University of Phoenix. They have created a Teaching It Forward Scholarship Program. This enables me to nominate a deserving high school senior in my state for a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Phoenix for 2 years. That is right- I can give any senior this scholarship. So, now I am interested if there is a senior ready to go to sunny Arizona and get an Associate Degree for FREE!!!! This has to be one of the most exciting and rewarding news I have had in awhile. Getting to impact a student's learning with a gift like this is humbling and brings tears to my eyes.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Dallas!!!

2009-01-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Wow! I have been in Dallas at the National Teacher of the Year Conference for only one day and am already amazed at what I have learned from other educators across our nation (and outlying territories!). We spent all day today learning about our SMART Board and the software that comes with it. My brain is so full and feel like it just might implode! I really think this technology will revolutionize the way we teach. Pictured at the left is Edney Freeman, Virgin Islands, showing us how to work the Board! There are over 700,000 SMART Boards in classrooms worldwide and I can see that number doubling quickly. Many educators are already pros at the technology and I have learned much from them - including my Calculus friends from Alaska (Bob Williams) and Tennessee (Luajean Bryan).

Bob Williams, Luajean Bryan, Cindy Couchman
math geeks and proud of it!

I also was blessed to meet the 2002 National Teacher of the Year, Chauncey Veatch. He spoke on "Leading the Leaders," and challenged us all to do that by example. Mr. Veatch has done that with such passion that we were all humbled and inspired. He taught at the high school level in California and realized he would be able to relate better to his students if he learned Spanish and is now bi-lingual. After teaching at-risk students at the high school level, Mr. Veatch saw a need for more males at the elementary level. So- what did he do? He led by example. He got certified at the elementary level and team teaches 4th and 6th grades (with previous students) and teaches PreK part-time. OH - and somehow he still does a high school class!!! He advised us to go after the opportunity to lead like "a heat seeking missile!" (Did I mention he did all of this AFTER retiring from the military?) Whenever I think I am busy, I will remember Mr. Veatch. I wish every educator could listen to him speak. INSPIRING!!! I must admit - he holds a special place in my heart as he knew where BUHLER was!! His mom was from Burrton and he was just here last summer. If he ever comes back to the area, I am going to do what I can to have him visit educators in the area!!

Mr. Chauncey Veatch (and ME!)

The KTOY Team will be visiting Central College in McPherson and Tabor College in Hillsboro tomorrow. I will miss out on that visit as I am in Dallas until Sunday. However, they will be posting pictures and some highlights. Since I am feeling a little disconnected with my family and friends right now, I thought I would share this quote given to me by a treasured friend.

"You can kiss your family and friends goodbye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you."

Time with the State Legislature

2009-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 20th found the KTOY team visiting with the House and Senate Education committees about a topic that we are all passionate about: "Keeping Kids First in Kansas". Currently there is a lot of speculation regarding potential cuts to education funding in the state legislative budget. Given a 180 million shortfall, teachers, administrators, business leaders, and legislators need to work together to do what we can to hold "Education Harmless" in the upcoming budget decisions. We as a team were able to share stories from our classrooms regarding our passion for kids and teaching.

We are thankful for the legislative support in the past, and it was nice to see that the support from our legislators is still there. However, some tough decisions appear to be eminent. We are thankful for the opportunity to answer questions and add our insight to the funding issues. We hope and pray that our state political leaders use wisdom and "Keep Kids First in Kansas".

We as a team were also very honored to be recognized in Kansas Senate. Each of our district Senators were able to recognize us individually as the Senate passed a resolution honoring the 2009 KTOY Team and our Kansas Teacher of the Year, Cindy Couchman from Buhler High School. We look forward to more opportunities to dialogue with the Senate and House committees and invite any questions that you have to our team.

If you would like to listen to each one of our Team member's address to the legislature, click on the "posts" under podcasts. You can then select which team member you would like to listen to.

Thanks,
Walt Cochran, KTOY Finalist
Gardner Edgerton USD 231

Cruisin'

2009-01-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

What an exciting day! Enterprise Rent A Car has graciously donated a car for me to use for the next six months as I travel across the state learning from educators, talking to future teachers, and visiting districts. It has only 79 miles on it and by the time I return it, it will have over 15,000 miles. All of those will be KANSAS miles...that will be roughly 300 hours in the beautiful Chrysler Sebring. Many will call me crazy, but I am looking forward to the traveling and enjoying the varied Kansas landscape. Adding to the excitement was tv news coverage of the event. I have never had 3 different cameras pointed at me with microphones to talk into. CRAZY! I made the reporters promise to make me sound more intelligent than what I really am - they did a great job. Click here to watch one of the clips!

The contribution Enterprise and the Kansas Corn Commission (who is paying for all that gas!) has given to the KTOY program is a real testament to their commitment to education. I do believe Enterprise has gained some life-long customers in educators and I will definitely be looking for that Ethanol gas wherever I go.

Happy Trails!!!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2009-01-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

The KTOY Team spent today (and yesterday) learning about education from all different perspectives. We have heard from elementary, middle school and high school principals about the issues facing each level in our K-12 system. We also were wowed by Dale Dennis, our Deputy Commissioner of Education, and Dr. Alexa Posny, Commissioner of Education. It was a fitting message on this historic day. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream and so do I. After hearing all the issues facing education in light of the budget issues, I, too, have a dream. I have a dream that someday everyone will put kids first. That everyone would begin their day with a simple question, "So how are the children?" I have a dream that someday the first question that will be asked at press conferences will be, "So Mr. President, how are the children?" That every meeting, every budget hearing, every conference would begin with "So, Mr. Chairman, how are the children?"
What would our society look like, feel like, and become if every person put kids first? The possibilities are endless. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have realized part of his dream tomorrow as Barack Obama becomes President. It is exciting to witness history taking place. It will happen tomorrow.
How long will it take before I get to realize my dream?

Newton Visit

2009-01-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

(Debate presentation by Philip and Katie)

Visiting Newton was enlightening in so many ways…their professional development in teacher-leaders came through loud and clear. Touring the Newton District Office we were inspired by the passion of their TWO curriculum directors and the work they do with instructional coaches and team leaders. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to discuss teacher recruitment, legislative issues, and professional development with the Human Resources Director Michael Clagg. He shared with us how difficult it is to get the state of Kansas to recognize other states’ highly qualified licenses. There is some proposed legislation that may ease those requirements.

We visited South Breeze Elementary School and Chisholm Middle School where Mary Bradshaw teaches ELL. All of us really like the way the school uses pods and teacher teams. Each pod houses four content area classrooms with a flexible space in the center with a computer lab. Mary then showed us her classroom and overflow area when she has larger groups of students who are all Latin American with a geographic range from Honduras and El Salvador to northern Mexico. Chisholm will be entering a huge change in two years when they transition from a 6th-8th middle school to a 7th-8th center. The support of education is evident in this community as their bond issued passed and will reconfigure middle school to an intermediate 5th-6th model with a 7th-8th middle school. As we were leaving Chisholm, a Sara Lee bread truck forgot to close its back door. It deposited bags of bread and bread trays all over the road for a couple hundred yards in front of us. Check us out “cleaning up!”

One of the highlights of our day was a brief visit to Wa lton Rural Life Center. Walton is a unique agricultural/technology charter school located in a small, rural town that is part of the Newton school district. We toured the building followed by two exemplary presentations by the fifth grade students. We heard 2 proposals on a worm-composting project and about the aphid problem they discovered last week in their greenhouse. This group of eager learners quickly brought us up to speed on the many different ways to dispose of aphids in your garden! They are using the scientific method to discover which of five remedies will cure their problem. We’re putting our money on the ladybugs (literally—we were so impressed by this group’s professional presentation and the need to raise money for their science experiments that we took up a small collection to donate to their cause). We ended the tour by visiting the greenhouse which is powered by a wind turbine. The students showed us the aphids on their pepper plants as well as the white flies that are infesting some of their tomatoes. Knowing these fifth graders, these little garden pests don’t stand a chance against their horticultural ingenuity.

The Kauffman Museum was our lunch stop. This museum highlights the history of the Mennonite community (the Mennonites form a large constituency of the Newton area). We had the chance to discuss higher education with several staff members associated with Bethel College’s Department of Education.

Newton High School was next on the agenda. Barb Umschied is the math department chairperson designing a math program and getting results! Cindy C. truly enjoyed this conversation, and developed a great colleague with whom we are sure she will keep in contact. It was very impressive to find out Newton garners the Standard of Excellence status in math consistently and that almost 100% of Mrs. Umschied’s AP Calculus classes of 30 plus students get college credit through the AP Calculus exam. We were then treated to a visit by the nationally ranked Newton Robotics team. This is a great application of math, problem solving, and teamwork. Newton is definitely exposing students to 21st Century Skills. Some of us wonder if Pixar consulted with these great students while creating Wall-E. National qualifying debate and forensics students then treated us to some fast talking. Mary’s son, Philip, and his debate partner, Katie, participated in the National Debate Tournament in Las Vegas last year. They taught us the difference between fast and slow debate styles. When we say fast, we mean faster than an auctioneer fast. Katie’s speech was amazing, and we can hardly believe that people can become accustomed to understanding the fast speech style! Jimmy then demonstrated the poetry/prose event of forensics with a touching poem about teachers and their contribution to society.

Our day ended with a Chamber of Commerce reception at the Carriage Factory Art Gallery. It was nice to see the community support that represents why both our very own Mary Bradshaw and the Newton Public Schools are so successful!

We look forward to our next visit to Gardner on February 2nd. In the meantime, we will be working in Topeka next weekend.

"Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to be without."

William Sloane Coffin, Jr.

El Dorado Schools

2009-01-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

(pictured above is Mary Martha Good with a previous student)

I arrived in El Dorado on Sunday to meet the Team and within minutes we were off to visit a park that was built by the community so ALL kids could play on it - specially built for wheelchairs and even blind kids. That pretty much set the theme of El Dorado - COMMUNITY. Next stop was the YMCA which was built with funds from the community. They have exercise bikes for kids with game screens so they can race, this YMCA also has smaller sized weight machines for younger kids to lift. It made me want to move to El Dorado! The Team was honored at a reception where different community groups gave us a history and insight to this amazing town. We also enjoyed a talk by the Wildlife and Parks Ranger about El Dorado lake and how they work together with the school system to have students outside applying their learning. One very impressive program we heard about is the partnership with Frontier Refinery. They fund the Imagination Library where EVERY student from birth to age 5 gets a book a month. This is a Dolly Parton supported program. "Imagine" that!! The cost is $30 per student each year and last year, 375 families received books. COMMUNITY!!!

Next on our visit was a private tour of Coutts Museum and a catered supper with many community people attending. The Team heard from the City Manager, Mayor, Superintendent, and even a former Kansas Teacher of the Year. Superintendent Sue Givens is a dynamic speaker with a vision for the future of El Dorado schools - I think we all sensed the schools are in good hands! The evening closed with each of us receiving our own "hand painted" apron that reflected what we teach, what we coach, or our passions. Check that picture out! (you see, Mary Martha is known for wearing an apron while teaching her adorable Kindergarteners)

The next morning (EARLY the next morning) we toured Mary Martha's school, Skelly Elementary. This is a PreK-2nd grade building and is filled with dedicated faculty and support staff. We watched Mary Martha along with speech pathologist, Nancy Basquez, instruct students using Sounds in Motion. It was awesome watching the students read words by doing each sound with motion, put the sounds together, and say the word! The love these children have for Mrs. Mary Martha Good and the staff was evident by their faces!

We also visited the brand new El Dorado High School. The staff moved in over spring break last year (ambitious!) and are rightfully proud of their new facility. I experienced "facility envy" touring the building! They have a 1 to 1 laptop initiative and these students are truly becoming 21st Century Learners. After visiting the high school, we toured the charter school, Extend. This educates approximately 40 students using project based learning that coincides with the state standards. Once again, each student has their own laptop and are supervised by 4 instructors. Very impressive!

Our last stop was at the El Dorado Correctional Facility (sorry - no pictures as no cameras were allowed) to observe the GED program along with their vocational programs. Each of the Team was impacted when we visited at length with two inmates who were put in prison at ages 17 and 18. Both will soon be released (one after almost 10 years) with a new vision, new hope, and a new life. Both now have their high school education - one will be getting a job as a mason. The other will be entering Wichita State University and hopes to speak to youth about avoiding gangs. We toured the entire facility - everything but the segragated block. It is something I highly recommend for anyone. It was educational and opened my eyes to the efforts, energy, and work so many people and volunteers are doing to reform the prison population. We were all thankful we received a "Get out of Jail Free" card from our very knowledgeable and kind tour guide, Jay Johnson!

We have a few comments from a couple of our team members on our podcast to the right. Please listen to their highlights of El Dorado by clicking on the play button! Tomorrow we visit Newton Schools with our host, Mary Bradshaw. It is another exciting day of learning ahead. Another team member will be writing about that visit....so be sure to check back!!

Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child,
fresh with wonder.
-- Joseph Cornell

Thank A Teacher

2009-01-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

Teachers work without much recognition every day year after year. If you are fortunate, you occasionally get a student to thank you or write you a letter. I have been fortunate as I have students in class who make me feel appreciated. Sometimes it is a simple "thank-you" for staying during lunch to work through a problem or for staying after school to review for SAT's. (or even Beau telling me he likes my hair today). Sometimes parents can send an email that means just as much. I have received a couple this past week that made me wonder why I don't send more to my own children's teachers. So if you are reading this blog, take a moment to send a note, email, or simply thank a teacher who did something nice for you. It sure puts a "spring in my step" and helps me get energized each day to work harder and do more.

Speaking of recognition...Our Board of Education (I am not sucking up here -but our BOE is incredible) recognized me and two other amazing teachers at half-time of the basketball game tonight. Teresa Sindelar was recognized for the Horizon Award. This honors eight outstanding teachers in each region of the state who just completed their first year of teaching. According to the NEA, half of new teachers will leave the profession within the first 5 years. I think we need to do more "recognizing" and "thanking" good teachers and maybe that statistic would change. When Teresa left the court, she said to me, "I didn't realize this was such a big deal." Yes, Teresa it is a huge, awesome, you are great, kind of deal! :-) The other teacher is my mentor, Marilyn Bolton. She is the epitome of a life-long learner. She has a couple masters under her belt and still continues to learn with technology use (see what all she has done by clicking here.) Mrs. Bolton was recognized for being named the Kansas World Language Teacher of the Year. I really think more districts need to take part in the Recognitions Program KSDE offers (learn by clicking here)

Next week, our Team will be visiting two school districts, ElDorado on Monday and Newton on Tuesday. I am anxious to see the Team again. Be sure to check in next week on the blog for pictures and what all we learned as we visited these two outstanding school districts.

Chiefs Game

2008-12-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

10 Degrees with a -12 Degree Wind Chill. Let me tell you there aren't enough layers of clothing that can keep you warm when it is that cold! However, my trip to the KC Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins football game at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, December 21st was full of fun and excitement. Each year the KC Chiefs recognize the Kansas and Missouri Teachers of the Year at a football game. This Sunday's game was listed as the 2nd coldest game played in KC...but getting to meet Margaret Williams, the Missouri Teacher of the Year, (pictured above) along with a number of KC Chiefs former players and dignitaries more than made up for the weather. Every Chief Ambassador I met made sure to mention how teachers and coaches made a positive difference in their lives. It is incredible that these successful individuals recognize what great teachers are doing across the United States. For every player out there on the field, there are many coaches behind them. Think how many teachers/coaches it takes to develop those athletes - Salvation Army Coaches, Middle School and High School to College coaches. Some of the best teachers I have ever met are coaches! In fact, all great teachers are coaches at heart.

I want to thank David Lindstrom, Secretary/Treasurer of the KC Chiefs Ambassadors, for being a wonderful host at the game. David was responsible for organizing the pregame recognition program for me and Margaret. Prior to the ballgame, David met us at the Ambassadors Tent and introduced us to a number of former Chiefs players. Larry Marshall (pictured left), President of the Ambassadors, made us all feel very welcome and appreciated. The Ambassador program is an amazing organization. They promote goodwill in the community and assist in any way they can in helping achieve the goal of maintaining consistent quality football for the Kansas City Chief's fans. The Ambassadors are a close-knit group made up of former Kansas City Chiefs, some of whom starred in the Chiefs' only Super Bowl win. (learn more about this organization at: http://www.kcambassadors.com/) This was a highlight for my two sons who were able to get autographs and to talk to these players about their careers. A bit later, David escorted us to the field and we got an upclose look at the pregame warmup activities for both teams. If you've ever wondered, those benches the players sit on are heated and they really do warm up your backside! (That is me doing just that in the picture).

The TOY recognition took place just before the start of the game. Margaret and I were escorted to the 50 yard line and the public announcer made a short presentation Margaret is a high school social science teacher from University City High School. She was named TOY in August and has been traveling her state AND still maintains her teaching job this year. Margaret was amazed (and a bit jealous) that my district provides a substitute for me 2nd semester.
While the Chiefs ended up losing the football game, the entire day was a fantastic experience. I am amazed at the "spectacle" that is a professional football game...the players, coaches, cheerleaders, mascots and of course, the colorful fans. What a great example of a Professional Learning Community - all working towards one goal. I know that most of my future appearances will require me to do more work, so this was a great way to "kick off" the KTOY program.

Oh - and thanks mom for making my Chief's scarf!

Finals

2008-12-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

At the end of the semester, we give "finals." Being a math teacher and a big fan of data, we track the data from our course finals over the last 5 years. We can evaluate, as instructors, what indicators are weak and need more work and what indicators students mastered. Looking at the data as a group, though ,we lose what all those numbers mean for each student. For instance, we had a student that failed both 1st and 2nd quarters, but passed the final with a C. What does this mean for what the student learned/mastered? Should they pass the course because they demonstrated some mastery on the final test? Does one test determine mastery? We often say one test is not a good measure of their learning if they fail...does the same logic hold true if they pass? I consider every student one of my own kids. It is a difficult thing to tell a student they failed. Especially when the student studied and worked hard to pass. These are lessons that are not any fun to learn or teach. Teachers across our state are making those teaching decisions every day. Parents and students across the state are having to live with our decisions too. I wonder if the students know how much sleep I (and every teacher) lose over these situations. It was hard to leave for Christmas break with my last contact telling a student they failed (or is it I who failed the student?).

My New Team Teacher

2008-12-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

As Kansas Teacher of the Year, I get the opportunity to travel around the state speaking to various groups of people. It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time to look at my calendar over the next few months. I see many events that are way outside my comfort zone but also know that is the only way I will grow and learn. I must get comfortable being uncomfortable!

My first "official" appearance is this weekend at the Kansas City Chiefs game - they will be recognizing me and the Missouri Teacher of the Year at half-time. I must say getting a phone call from David Lindstrom, a former Chiefs player, at my home the other night was pretty darn exciting. He is providing the tickets and is also getting us side line passes along with tickets to a tailgate party. If you are a teacher, you know we are pretty easy to please. You could give us a free pen and we think we have won the lottery - so I am almost giddy looking forward to this weekend. Sure hope it isn't too cold!!!

Today I received some great news! My district found a wonderful man, Mr. Darrow, to team teach with me second semester. He has taught Calculus before and is excited to take over my classes when I am gone. Truly amazing to find someone in the middle of the year, licensed in mathematics, and has even taught using the same text I am using??!! I have mixed emotions about turning my classes over to someone. My students are like my own children and it is so hard to give them to someone else for even a little while. I think this "control issue" may be why I rarely call in sick to school!!! Just thinking that I will miss out on all the events happening in their lives when I am gone makes me sad. This really hit hard today as Cody, a young man I have 2nd hour, asked out the girl sitting next to him. I thought quietly to myself; I will miss hearing how the date went and all the excitement that goes with high school students. So for the next few days, I am going to soak up all their energy that I can!!! Mr. Darrow is one lucky man.

Free free to post comments! I'd love to hear from you all!

Meet the Team

2008-12-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Standing Left to Right: Cindy Venard, Walt Cochran, Dr. Alexa Posny, Dr. Diane DeBacker, Dale Dennis, Mary Bradshaw. Sitting Left to Right: Jennifer Hartman, Mary Martha Good, Cindy Couchman, Julie Miller, and Marilyn Fox.

Wow! And so the adventure begins!! We are the Kansas Teacher of the Year Team...and we are true to the word TEAM. We each bring our own passions, experiences and personalities to the group but the one thing that unites is our commitment to students and the education profession. We will each contribute to the blog, updating everyone on our visits across the state of Kansas. The members of the KTOY Team are: Mary Martha Good (Eldorado), Mary Bradshaw (Newton), Walt Cochran (Gardner-Edgerton), Julie Miller (Paola), Jennifer Hartman (Desoto), Cindy Venard (Dodge City), Marilyn Fox (Manhattan), and myself - Cindy Couchman (Buhler).