It's been a very long time. . .

 Conversation with myself:

"I should really get back into blogging."

"You think that every so often, but never do."

"I know, but I'm busy."

"While that is true, it's also about
making time for it and wanting to do it."

"Yes, I know."

"So here you are. 
Sitting in front of your computer
and everything is prepped and ready
for your teaching week."

"Yes, I know.  So here goes. . ."

I don't know how some teachers do it.  I'm talking about those teachers who teach, create curriculum resources, blog and are also on Instagram and Twitter.  

I shouldn't think about those teachers and compare myself to them, but I do. I have the reputation at my school for having the time to do everything.  That's kind of true.  My job and my students are my top priority so I've always had this sense of "I must be prepared for tomorrow before I can do anything else".  

But there are so many other things I'd like to try, dabble in and do.  I'd like to get back to creating teaching materials because it's my creative outlet and I have fun doing it.  I also really want to do a podcast.  I seriously need to get back into running and sign up for a race. And the list goes on. . .

 One thing I have managed to do is get more sleep!  Last year, while teaching remotely for the first half and then back in-person for the second half, I didn't have as much work to do (DON'T know why it was different) so I'd read to my son and we'd fall asleep. . .and it was WONDERFUL.  And since it continued to happen, it became a habit.  No more staying up past midnight every.single.night working on school work.  

This feels good.  Feels like I'm riding a bike after many years and slowly getting my balance back.  Once you're accomplished at something, the old saying "Use it or lose it" is true. . .except for speaking French because that's stayed over the years, thank goodness!

Okay, I'm all done rambling. 
Now I need to remember how to publish this and make it look pretty.
Here goes nothing. . .

P.S.  Yay, there are NEW fonts to use. . .thank goodness!!

Partner Poems

Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India.  In Sanskrit the word yoga means 'union'.  I used to do yoga many years ago, before children, at the health club I used to belong to.  I did it on a Friday night and it was low-key and AWESOME!  But then I got married, moved to Alaska, had kids and got really involved in the school where I teach.  Excuses, yep I know.  But I'm the kind of person that needs a coach or teacher to lead it in order for me to do it.



Yoga in the classroom has been popular for a while now, especially as way to fit breaks and movement into a very crammed day.  I've tried to incorporate it via Brain & Body Breaks (I don't like to just call it a brain break because I think both need a break at the same time).  I also started using Cosmic Yoga on YouTube at our independent video station during our small literacy groups and that has been VERY successful (I have wireless, infrared headphones from Caliphone).  But I was still trying to find another way to incorporate it and also incorporate other subjects areas. . .then it hit me like a bolt of lightening!

Readers' Theater-style partner poems that are non-fiction and focus on different yoga poses combine reading + science/social studies + movement.

I love to write poetry and creating Readers' Theater scripts!  I had so much fun writing these and researching yoga and different animals!  I can't wait to incorporate these into my classroom this fall.  I like that the scripts are purposefully short yet there is a written, step-by-step, explanation on how to do each pose after reading the partner poem.

And I've gotta give a shout out to my new favorite clipartist:

Have a great week everyone!

Pig the Pug

I stumbled upon a new book series last week that I am in love with!

I was flipping through books in my classroom and came across 'Pig the Winner'. It was a book I ordered from the Scholastic Book Order last year and never did anything with.  So I sat right down, read it and laughed the entire time!  Aaron Blabey's use of rhyme throughout the entire book is fantastic and I immediately thought "I've got to turn these books into Readers' Theater scripts because they are awesome fluency practice AND infuses SEL!"

Badda Bing, Badda Boom: Pig the Pug PACK

I loved writing these scripts because they're funny and short!  I have a hard time keeping my scripts to 3 pages or less and each script is about 2 pages.

I've ordered all the other books (Pig the Grub, BTW, is hard to find and I got it online from Australia) and am planning to do a Pig the Pug week right after Thanksgiving and then invite parents to come watch the plays so they can listen to their children and be proud of their growth thus far in 1st grade.

Click on Pig below to check it out!

#gradingpaperschallen

I love song parodies, videos and stuff like that!

I've got some Weird Al in me for sure.

When I was a kid, I would make SNL videos for my friend's birthday presents.  

Now I get to create and share parodies at my school with our weekly TV news announcements to promote events happening at school.  It's so much fun!

So when I recently found out about the Instagram #gradingpaperschallenge started by Ron Clark, I knew I had to get my groove on.

I had a blast learning how to pretend sing in Korean as well as the Gangnam style dance.  But I didn't realize that Instagram videos are usually only 15 seconds long.  So I thought I would give a link to where you can watch the whole thing.

If you're a teacher, you've got to do this!

TLF Chapter 1: Keep the Peace

Fast forward from sunny, green-grassy August days when school wasn't in session to brisk, leaf-strewn October days when the end of the first quarter is almost here.  Time flies!   But I've been thinking about Finland a lot lately because, in our district, tensions over loss of academic teaching freedom are at an all-time high and I wish I could escape to Finland. Good thing I have this book to lift my spirits.

Chapter 1 concludes with the idea of 

Rauha means peace in Finnish.  But, in the Finnish culture, there are many types of peace.  Stop and think about that.  Different types of peace.  I love this idea.  Among them, ruokurauhais or 'food peace'.  I think I’m going to explore this idea further on my own.  

So rigorous versus peaceful.  Which would you choose?  As a parent, I choose rigorous because I want my child to be ready for the next grade level.  As a teacher, I want both.  And, as it turns out, research suggests and supports that both are possible and both actually need each other.

For more on this, check out an article by Olga Khazan “How Noise Pollution Impairs Learning”from 2016.  

Here is a list of ways that we can increase peace and learning at the same time, like is the norm in Finnish schools. Keep in mind that you are probably already doing many of these (pat on the back), maybe you fall out of routine with them from time to time or maybe they’re new.

·     Rules: establish, together, how to achieve 1. Respect for self.  2. Respect for others and 3. Respect for the learning environment. What does it look like, sound like, feel like. Involving students in this is crucial and the rules (chart) can be referred to throughout the year.

·     A noise-meter, created by the class, to help provide them feedback on the aforementioned idea.  One of thebest items I’ve ever purchased for my classroom (in my second year of teaching) is a Yacker Tracker.

·     Strike a balance between noise and quiet.  During a quiet work period, for example, offer a spot in the classroom for kids to go who need to talk about what they’re working on.

·     Incorporate the practice of mindfulness.  It’s a buzzword in education today and you only have to Google it to start finding information and resources.  But the book Mindfulness for Teachersby Patricia Jennings has some great ideas for teachers.  Her point is that mindfulness is “intended to promote self-awareness; foster cognitive, emotional and behavioral self-regulation; and reduce stress.”

All of this is a wonderful no-brainer and “makes my heart happy” but when your day is scheduled and structured down to the minute (unfortunately true in my district) and you have to choose between using the last 30 minutes of the day for either social studies, science or SEL “my heart is so sad.” 

Chapter 2 is up next and is all about belonging.  I'll share the ideas Timothy Walker proposes that help "cultivate that sense of connectedness in our classrooms."

TLF Chapter 1: Get Into the Wild

Ever heard of ADD?  Of course, we (teachers) have heard of it, dealt with it and know it when we see it even though we are not allowed to really mention it and instead must use code (i.e.  “Have you talked to your child’s pediatrician about the attentional concerns I’ve raised?”) 

Well, have you ever heard of NDD?  Nature Deficit Disorder, as coined by author and journalist Richard Louv in 2011, is exactly what it sounds like: a gap between kids and nature.  Louv says “research strongly suggests that time in nature can help many children learn to build confidence in themselves, reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, calm children, and help them focus.”  

Finnish teachers are very willing and able to bring their students outside of their classrooms for play and  learning, according to Timothy Walker.  Some of us, in our school settings, have access to nature right outside our windows and doors.  Teaching in Alaska, we are surrounded by so much spectacular nature it’s breathtaking.  Teaching at the foot of the Chugach Mountain Range at my school, it’s even harder to resist. One of our 6^th grade teachers spearheaded the effort to create a “Living Classroom” adjacent to the school and our playground.  There are wooden benches, a big cleared space, collapsible camping seats and even a carved sign indicating the space.  So a nature space can even be created in the absence of one. 

Walker suggests we think about this strategy in different tiers of getting students outside.

Tier 1: Bring nature into the classroom.Projects that tie to curriculum are abundant (sprouting potatoes, butterfly lifecycle, leaf rubbings, etc) and bringing plants into the classroom and caring for them is wonderful, in my opinion.  I was fortunate enough to receive a Donors Choose grant a few years ago for a garden table.  It is full of plants, big and small, and the special grow lightbulbs are soothing.  I love having smelly plants like lavender and mint.  I also have plants around the classroom to green it up. 

Tier 2: Stepping outside for a lesson. Use your school campus as a habitat to enhance your measurement lesson(s), poetry study, writing prompt(s), etc.

  

Tier 3: Greening the school grounds by undertaking projects.  I like to think of this as campus beautification.  There’s a school in my district that has big raised garden beds against the school wall and each grade level has one to plant things in. Putting up bird feeders, planting a tree(s) and pulling weeds to make a small area look nicer are other ideas. This past spring (last week of school), I taught my students about dandelions.  They are very clever plants. . .that I detest.  After our science lesson we went outside to a small, square space directly in front of the principal’s office and went to work getting rid of trash, dandelions and other weeds for 1.5 hours.  THEY LOVED IT and wanted to do it again the next day. . .and so we did!

We can all take baby steps towards connecting our inside learning space to the wonderful nature outside.

Up next: Keep the Peace

TLF: Chapter 1 Breathe Fresh Air

I tend to be hot in my classroom when I’m teaching.  I rarely sit at my desk and am instead up and down and all about.  I cannot, for example, even think of wearing a sweater to school (and I live in Alaska) because I know I’ll be a pool of sweat by lunch. But my daughter’s fourth grade teacher on the other hand, (at my school) is always cold and wearing cute sweaters. . .go figure.  If given the choice I’d much rather always be cold because you can always put on more layers but there’s only so much to take off.

Because I often get warm, I open a window to let in some cool air.  What I’m doing to regulate my own body temperature is an idea Thomas Walker suggests that I didn’t really think about.  Open a window and let in fresh air in order to keep a balance between the oxygen we need to breathe in and the carbon dioxide we breathe out.  In other words, it’s good for your brain.  

My dream classroom window!

Finnish people in general feel that cool or cold air is good for you.  Walker observed, for example, parents leaving their babies sleeping in their strollers outside on their balconies (even in freezing temperatures) and he and his wife ended up doing the same.  It’s an acceptable part of Finnish culture.

The temperature of a classroom is one of a few factors that can lead to academic achievement.  A study was done in 2014 that found “that student learning and achievement are deeply affected by the environment in which (this) learning occurs” as proven by “a plethora of scientific evidence.”  

When I open a window to regulate temperature, I always feel some degree of calmness wash over me.  It’s like a natural stress reducer.  

So opening a window to let in fresh air can not only help academic achievement because it’s good for your brain, but stress (yours and your student’s) can also be reduced.

Next up: Get Into the Wild