Teacherscribe's Teaching Thoughts
Week 20 Jan 21-24
Gratitude
The Extra Mile
Luck
The World is a Fine Place and Worth Fighting For
What to do When it's Your Turn by Seth Godin
Teaching Thoughts
Week #20 January 21-24
Teaching Thought #84 - Schedule conferences . . . with your students
Last year I gave my College Comp II class a work week. This meant no new assignments other than just to get their first Sticky-Note books read. But, they had to spend 15 minutes in a one on one conference with me.
So I set up shop in one of the study rooms in the back of our media center. Then I shared a conference sign up sheet with my students.
I had their grade printouts, candy, and previous essays and work to return to them. But that wasn’t the key point of the conference. It was more of a “seeing how you’re doing” session. We touched on some questions they had about their grades or assignments. I filled them in on where we’d be going next as a class. And I just got a handle on their senior anxiety levels.
It was a blast. I was able to connect with each student. I took some notes as we talked but, I told them, they were just to help me personalize the content for the rest of the year.
This worked so well, that I want to build more conferences in to my year. They all might not be 15 minutes long . . . 15 minutes with 25 students is a massive chunk of time . . . even if the results are worth it. But I certainly could do a quick five minute session right in my room with each student.
I’ve also thought about have a specific focus to my conferences for next year. Two of the most rewarding conferences I had in college were designed this way. The first was when Avis Dyrud had us stop by her office to go over the rough draft of our Giants in the Earth research papers. Her feedback was excellent, and it helped me learn how to write a real, college level research paper. The second was at BSU when I met with Helen Bonner. This one didn’t have a specific focus. We just talked about how the year was going and my plans for the future. This enlightened me and gave me a ton of confidence as I was leaving BSU.
What could your students benefit from just a few minutes of one on one time with you?
Teaching Thought #85 - Try a Silent Challenge
I came up with what I dubbed the “silent challenge” on the fly this year for my remedial reading students. The problem is that they are addicted to gaming. It’s not even a question. They want to take my class while they play Roblox, Fortnite, and who knows what else. They don’t want to stop. If I have them put their MacBooks away, they go to their phones. If I have them put both of those away, they are agitated and struggle to focus.
So I concocted the silent challenge as a way to pacify them. I use this as a way of showing them that their devices can be used for the power of good and that they can find some really interesting things on the web.
So here is a how a silent challenge works - as soon as the passing bell rings, I send it out via Gmail to all of my remedial reading students who are on their way to my class. I wrote in huge letters on the board “SILENT CHALLENGE TODAY.”
Here are the ground rules -
No talking
No working in groups
Sit at a table (I have flexible seating, which is a daster for my remedial reading students)
Follow the link in your email to the Google Doc.
Open the Google Doc and make a copy. Title it with your first and last name followed by words silent challenge and today’s day (so mine would be Kurt Reynolds Silent Challenge 9.12.21). Be sure to share it back with me.
Answer all of the questions in complete sentences or paragraphs.
Proof your answers/responses.
The first three challenges that are submitted properly will earn bonus points on this week’s quiz.
All of these must be followed in order to receive full credit.
You have 15 minutes. Go.
Here is a link to a sample Silent Challenge.
Where do I come up with the topics for the silent challenges? First, I listen to an amazing podcast from Aaron Menke called The Cabinet of Curiosities. It’s a gold mine for odd and weird stories. Second, I have a knack for finding and recalling odd and weird stories that I’ve come across in my reading, so I keep a Wakelet page full of the. Here is a link to it.
Last year I had a student say, “These are actually pretty interesting. I don’t mind them.”
That’s winning for me. At least they don’t spend the first 15 minutes of class on Fortnite.
Teaching Thought #86 - Social media and Netflix . . . can be used for the power of good
Or, that is what I thought when I dreamed up this document.
Last summer I was frustrated how often times when my College Comp I or II students had free time or finished early, they would be just watching Netflix or on Snapchat.
So I tried to use those things against them - or, maybe even, for the power of good.
I used a Smore document (link here) to stockpile videos, articles, and tweets that were engaging and challenging.
With this content I want to show them that the web (Netflix and Snapchat) can be used for the power of good, to challenge them to consider their own obsession/addiction with technology and/or social media, and to encourage them to be constantly learning.
Whenever I spotted a student being less than productive, I’d send them a text with the link to my Smore document attached. They would either click on it and learn something or get back to work.
Next year, I may offer an extra point on their themes if they read or view one of the resources on there and give me a one page reflection. Or I may give them an extra point if they go out and find an interesting video or article for me to include on that document.
Teaching Thought #87 - Hard work is vastly underrated
We have to allow students to suffer and work hard. The results are just too gratifying not to.
Why I Teach
Being part of such an amazing group of teachers
She informed me that she had to write just one big one, an 11 page research paper. She said that her professor was so impressed with it that he asked her where she had gone to high school. Then he said, "Well, you better go bank and thank your English teachers for teaching you how to write so well."
Too often we don't see how our work impacts kids. Well, fellow English teachers of ISD 564, I'm telling you now that your work does matter! And I'm so glad to be doing this work with you.
Podcast of the Week - Leading the Next Generation
I stumbled across this amazing podcast while doing some prep research for a common prep session I'll be presenting with Melora Burgee in February. We are presenting on Generation Z. This podcast is a gold mine for teachers and coaches and, really, anyone who deals with young people today.
This podcast episode highlights three "stats" about Gen Z -
They are
1. Gen Z breaks with the previous generation (in this case, the Millennials)
2. Gen Z correct for the generation two times older than them (in this case, Gen X)
3. Gen Z replaces the generation three times older than them (in this case the Baby Boomers).
Video of the week - Seven Skills Students Need for the Future
Thoughts from Twitter
Tech tool of the Week - Wakelet
Where are they Now?
Madison Brekkee
When did you graduate from LHS?
I graduated from LHS in 2015.
Where did you go to college and when did you graduate?
I went to Minnesota State University Moorhead and majored in Elementary Inclusive Education. Graduated college in three years in spring of 2018.
Where have you taught?
I taught Kindergarten at Washington Elementary School in Crookston, MN for one year then moved to the Cities and started a new job in Wayzata in 2019. I currently teach Kindergarten at North Woods Elementary School!
Are you doing any coaching or advising?
I do not currently coach, however I have a Y.E.S. student which comes into my room 5 days a week and works with a variety of my students.
Y.E.S. (Youth Extending Service) is a class where 11th and 12th grade students develop their ability to meet the needs of others in a school setting. They achieve this by volunteering to work with elementary school students in the district. Students volunteer their time during a regular class period nearly every day of the term, generally working with the same students or group of students throughout the year.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
There are many things that I love about teaching, but one thing that sparks the most joy is when the “lightbulb” comes on! That feeling of a student finally understanding a specific concept or learns a new sound is what gives me the most joy! That thrill and look on their face when they realize all their hard work has paid off... is simply the best! I love seeing my students learn, ask questions, collaborate, and become life long learners.
What made you want to be a teacher?
My teachers and family members are the people who inspired me to be a teacher. I had some fabulous elementary, middle, and high school teachers who helped shape me into the teacher I am today. In addition to my teachers, I have several family members who are educators as well. Those adults also sparked my love for teaching by listening to their stories and seeing how much joy their students brought them.
What advice do you have for teachers?
The biggest thing I have learned is that it’s okay to leave at your contract time! Many teachers starting in education will find that they feel the need to stay late. If you use your prep time wisely, prioritize, and make a to-do list, you will be able to accomplish your tasks in a reasonable time, and won’t have to stay until 5:30. With that being said, it is still important to collaborate with your team! Just find the times to do that when you feel content with your to-do list. It is important to communicate with your team, be open to new ideas, and be there for each other. Another tip that I have is to plan your lessons a week ahead of time. Pick a day of the week to write your lessons plans (mine is Tuesday/Wednesday), then follow it the next day with copies you need to make for the upcoming week and newsletters (Thursday’s are the days for me).
Bonus content of the week -
Chief Inspiration Officer of Room 205
I am married to the most amazing person in the world, Kristie. It was love at first sight. At least for me. And it still is.
We have four wonderful children, Casey, Koko, Kenzie, and Cash. I also happen to have the greatest job in the world: teaching English to high school students.
I am about to begin my 22nd year of teaching at Lincoln High School. I graduated from Lafayette High School in 1992. I decided to enter the field of education because of two amazing teachers, Mr. Mueller, my fourth and sixth grade elementary school teacher and assistant baseball coach, and Mrs. Christianson, my 9th grade English teacher.
I attended Northland Community College, and had my life changed by the amazing Dr. Diane Drake. Then I transferred to Bemidji State University in 1995. There I had amazing professors who further inspired me to teach English (Dr. Helen Bonner, Dr. Mark Christensen, Susan Hauser, and Gerry Schnabel). I graduated with my BS in English Education in 1997.
I student taught with the wonderful Lisa Semanko and then began teaching full-time at LHS in 1998.
I took a year's leave of absence in 2001-02 to return to BSU for my MA in English. There I had the privilege to teach and work closely with my greatest mentor, Dr. Mark Chirstensen. I earned my MA in English in 2006 and was honored with "Thesis of the Year" for my creative non-fiction, braided, multi-genre memoir, "Meeting Myrtle: A Biography."
In 2013, thanks to my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Jodi Holen, I was offered an adjunct teaching position fall semester at the University of North Dakota. Tuesday nights I teach Intro to Education: Teaching and Learning 250 from 5-8. Those three hours fly by in about ten minutes.
Then in 2016 I was blessed to win a WEM award (thanks to a nomination from a former student (and now an elementary school teacher), Ciera Mooney.
In 2017 I became part of the #pineconepd podcast club along with Brian Loe, Jeff Mumm, Kelsey Johnson, Kelly Weets, Josh Watne, Tevia Strand, Megan Vigen, Mariah Hruby, and Laura Brickson. This has been one of the best forms of PD I've ever been a part of. They make me a better teacher every time we meet. Please think about joining us in the summer at the Pine Cone Pub from 6:30 - until we've solved all the world's problems. For that evening anyway.
Thanks to the inspiration of Shane Zutz (our former principal) I devised this as a way to distribute my Teaching Thoughts and add more content to, hopefully, help out and inspire others.
Email: kurt.reynolds@myprowler.org
Website: http://teacherscribe.blogspot.com
Location: 101 South Knight Aver Thief River Falls MN 56701
Phone: 218-686-7395
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