So How Does It Feel?

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

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

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

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

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 Bethany 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

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 then 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!

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.