#oneword2020

Five years ago I learned about the one-word initiative Jon Gordon wrote about in his book, "One Word that will Change Your Life" that encourages people to identify one word that will be their driving force for the year (instead of a list of resolutions that are often hard to accomplish/attain).

I selected the following words over the years: believe (2016), wonder (2017), trust (2018), and empower (2019).

I have always been a go-getter and a worker.  I decided to take 6 vacation days to enjoy winter break with my family this year and I have to admit that I don't like where my mind is going.  I am exhausted- actually I'm burnt out.  I have always loved education and I have been committed to students, teachers, and families that I serve, but this vacation I have been thinking about my future differently.  I'm not trying to be negative, but I am trying to be honest. I have been missing out on so much of my life because I have been working too much.  I should be able to work hard and still be present for my family and friends.  I don't want to miss any more of my children's basketball games or be cooking dinner at 8:00pm because I was working late.

I need to refocus in 2020 and that is why my #oneword2020 is see.  I hope that seeing will allow me to be more present for others and for myself.

Over the next few days, I encourage all of you to take some time to determine your one word for 2020.

In addition, I suggest looking at this #oneword365 website to connect with people around the globe and to get a list of suggested words or check out this great collection of #oneword2020 from @mjjohnson1216 !

Look for the signs!

Today I was in the cafeteria during third-grade lunch. I sat next to a little girl who I never really talked to before.  I couldn't help but notice that her school lunch looked pretty yummy- ...nachos with a side of black beans.  She was eating the black beans one by one and I wanted to know what else she liked.  I told her it reminded me of my Friday night dinners at my favorite Mexican Restaurant.  I asked her what kind of food she liked.  I did not expect the answer that she gave...and I am still in awe of this amazing little girl.

She was quick to respond that she didn't like a lot of food and then she told me why.  She said that she was a foster child at age 4 (she remembered it was October) and before she went into foster care all her mom gave her to eat was macaroni and cheese and hot dogs.  That is all she can ever remember eating. She was adopted a few years later by her foster mom.  She told me about the other children that live with her...their ages, whether they go to school, work or go to college and how much she likes driving 7 hours to their house in Maine in the summer.

This little girl was my sign today.  She reminded me of the power of relationships...the power of taking the time to sit down next to a student and giving them all of your attention and love.  She opened up to me and she was the gift and motivation I needed today.  She is the true definition of bravery.  I am so grateful to have connected with her today.

Take 5 Breathing- Please Take Care!

This is the time of year when routines and structures are usually starting to click in our classrooms and schools, but sometimes this isn't the case- sometimes it takes a very long time, depending on the classroom dynamics, the complexity of student needs, and so much more.  

How can we take care of ourselves (and our students) when things aren't going exactly as planned?

I recently revisited the book, "Happy Teachers Change the World" and I thought the strategy below might come in handy. 

"Taking 5":

~First, when you breathe, identify the in-breath as an in-breath, and the out-breath as an out-breath. When you use your mind to identify these breaths, there is no more thinking. Pay attention to your breath only, releasing everything else.

~Next, follow your in-breath and out-breaths all the way through, from beginning to end. By focusing our attention entirely on the breath, we cultivate concentration.

~”TAKE 5” mindful breaths every day before school begins to stop our bodies, calm our thoughts, and focus our minds.

~Reflection questions (optional): How do I feel right now? How is my breath (slow, fast?) How easy was it to keep my mind on my breath? How did this practice feel (strange, enjoyable, difficult, boring?)

~This practice can then be integrated into multiple learning activities throughout the day such as sports, assessment testing, etc.

In addition, here is a resource for from "Cult of Pedagogy" about self-care: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/teacher-self-care/

Let's take care of one another! Our students will benefit in the long run, too!

Please share other resources and strategies below!

Creating an environment where it is hard to say goodbye!

How Lucky Am I to Have Something that Makes Saying Goodbye So Hard

This picture popped up in my Facebook memories this week. It is from two years ago when I left my "home" district that I had spent 12 years growing in. During my time there I served as a classroom teacher, grade leader, and school administrator. The relationships established over those 12 years are something that I will treasure forever. It was and is still so hard to say goodbye to what we shared together. I miss this community every day (probably because I put too much of my heart into my work, but I guess that's what makes me me)! I left my "home" to continue my professional growth and over the past two years I have set my sights high- serving as a building principal in a neighboring district and currently as the assistant director of elementary education in a district a bit farther from home.  I'm not 100% sure of where I'm going, but I come to work every day leading with heart and courage, and sometimes it's hard to know the impact of my work.

BUT- it's funny how things work out. I saw this memory on Facebook just before beginning my third day of professional development with some very dedicated educators in my new district on action planning for next year.  I decided to use this quote, to begin my work with the end in mind- I want to create an environment for educators (and students) where it is hard to say goodbye. Where we can be honest, vulnerable and trust of one another.  

I walked into Day 3 of action planning with this mission.  I took a group of educators into a room, shut the doors, and told them that today was a day about honesty.  We talked about collective teacher efficacy, articulating our why, and practiced how to use our WHY to create a school-wide mantra and prioritize goals that support our core beliefs.  

Here is the school-wide mantra the team created!

It was such a powerful day and it was one step taken to create an environment where it is hard to say goodbye. 

Below is a brief video describing the story of our day together. 

In addition, here is the slide deck referenced in the video if there are any resources you'd like to use to keep you strong and grounded, whether you're in a new position (like me) or not!

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

Please click here to play a brief voice recording introduction to this post!

I was asked to record myself reading one of my favorite books for a third grade class in our district.  I picked "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day" because it was a book I used to read to my third graders years ago right before the state testing window.  As I read the book, I realized that this book really embodies my vision for education- to have JOYFUL schools where teachers are empowered to design learning experiences that help students learn how to think! Our schools need leaders who cultivate a growth mindset culture where everyone is a learner!

Listen to "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day" (11 min.)

Do you have a book, poem or quote that embodies your beliefs about education? I challenge you to share it with your staff and also ask your staff members to share theirs with you.  

Do You Ever Really Know Your Students?

As educators, we recognize the importance of building relationships- relationships with our students, our colleagues and ourselves. We are in a constant state of learning more about people with every interaction we have. There is always something more to discover about a person- their interests, their learning style, their understandings and more.

It can sometimes feel like we're peeling back the layers of an onion, but there are so many layers we never get to the center. I would like to suggest that each layer is important for us to explore and that is worth committing to!

John Hattie's research helps ground educators in the importance of knowing our students.

Did you know that John Hattie's research uncovered that the accuracy of teachers’ knowledge of students in their class can have a 1.62 effect size on student achievement (an effect size of .40 can stimulate a year’s growth)?

In what ways does this research impact your thinking about students? And more importantly, how can you design your learning environment so that you are constantly able to learn more about your students AND they can learn more about themselves, too?

I truly believe Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a big part of the answer! When we design lessons incorporating the principles of UDL we give all students an equal opportunity to succeed. The principles of UDL tap into the different networks in the brain including the affective network (linked to engagement- the WHY of learning), the recognition network (linked to representation- the WHAT of learning), and the strategic network (linked to action and expression- the HOW of learning).

Visit the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) to view an interactive UDL Guidelines chart

Last week Katie Novak ("an internationally renowned education consultant ...Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts... designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and universally designed leadership."- GoodReads) generously gave up her lunch hour to share her UDL wisdom with coaches in my district...and after listening to her equating UDL to offering dinner guests a buffet vs. a casserole (UDL being the buffet), I made the connection to Hattie's research on educators knowing their students.  If we lean on the UDL principles, we empower students to know themselves as learners and make choices that are best for them (with teacher support as needed). Knowing every layer of every student can feel impossible, but anticipating barriers for students (based on observations, data, learning style inventories, etc.) and offering options for students to choose from is not.  As Katie explains in the video* below, UDL helps students become expert learners (*please note this video is a snippet of the full discussion).

I'm not suggesting teachers stop peeling back the layers of the onion.  It is essential that we continue to gather data and use it to inform our practice BUT the barrier removal and student agency is they key with UDL.

Now the challenge is determining the next steps in our schools. How can we help all educators recognize the importance of knowing every student?  How can we create structures that allow educators to share strategies that are working? How can we reflect on our current lesson design to be mindful of the UDL principles?  Please share all suggestions below!