Teacherscribe's Teaching Thoughts
Week 18 - January 6-10
The key
Negativity sucks
Failure
The World is a Fine Place and Worth Fighting For
Book review of the week - Relentless
Teaching Thoughts
Week #18 January 6-10
Teaching Thought #75 - Actions speak louder than words (be an example for them)
People (yes, even students) tend to do more of what they see happening around them. How do we model this in our classrooms? This is one reason I try to do as many assignments with my students as I can.
If my students are reading Outliers, I’m reading it right along with them. If they’re writing a braided essay, I’m doing the rough draft of one right along with them. If they’re putting together a book talk, I’m doing the same thing. This way I am walking the walk and talking the talk.
I think the best example of this is when I give students free reading time in my room, especially in my College Comp II class. Oftentimes, I’ll intrude upon their own reading times to share with them something amazing that just happened in my book. I’m trying to show them the glee of learning. That can’t be underestimated.
How do you let your classroom actions speak louder than your words.
Teaching Thought #76 - Expect the best and you might just get it (have expectations)
People (yes, even students) often step up to what is expected of them. I see this so often in two areas, both concerning my College Comp II classes. First, since CC II students must take my CC I course first, they are well versed in not just all the writing we must do but also in what I’m looking for from them when it comes to their writing (voice, style, and depth). I expect them - and I tell them this actually on the very first day of CC I (so a full year in advance) - to have a 4-6 page reflective essay due on the first day of class. Time and again, the students rise to the occasion. I’m often surprised how well thought out and original these papers are. Second, for my first semester CC II class, we travel out to Challenger to work with Tevia Stand’s fourth grade class on the importance of creativity. She preps her kids by informing them that the big kids and her former teacher are coming over so she wants to see them at their best for us. And her classes never disappoint. One little guy last year got so fired up over one of the prompts my students gave that in class he wrote a full page essay. Then he went home, typed it up, and gave it to me proudly the next day!
That is a moment I’ll never forget.
Teaching Thought #77 - Teach them what they need to know to do something well (educate them)
It’s vital to front load students with the tools they’ll need to accomplish your tasks. This isn’t easy though. Students today love to ‘learn as they go’ as if it’s a Netflix series, piece of technology, or a video game. They don’t read about the plots beforehand on Wikipedia, they don’t read their iPhone manual, nor do they read the video game instruction. They dive in and learn as they go.
So if you don’t teach them what they need to know - and I’ve learned this the hard way over the past few years - then you better be there every step of the way for them as they work to accomplish the lesson or task.
Teaching Thought #78 - Be relentlessly positive (encourage them)
Positivity is in my blood, but it’s not for everyone, but this I can tell you: negativity encourages no one. It just drags them down.
And in the world of education, you have to sometimes look really hard or dig deep to find something positive. Maybe you even have to fake it to make (as Mr. Lingen loves to say), but it helps.
Once students are encouraged, who knows what is possible?
Teaching Thought #79 - Give them the fuel to make it through (empower them)
Robert Kaplan in his book, What You’re Really Meant To Do, he talks about passion. In fact, he says passion is just like rocket fuel. Without passion, it’s hard to put in the time (Gladwell would argue for 10,000 hours) that it takes to either become great at your job or last long enough to make it to the top of the salary scale.
Why would this be any different for your students? Encourage and inspire them at every chance you get.
Why I Teach
The most memorable one from this year (perhaps even of all time) comes from Annika Dalagar (the middle image in the bottom row). She chose to do her MGRP on her favorite TV show, The Office. One of her genres she was researching and writing about was the pranks Jim pulled on Dwight, for in just about every episode Jim ends up pranking Dwight in some way shape or form.
Unbeknownst to me, I was to be the subject of one of those pranks!
I had been searching for my new stapler for several days, especially since I have 50 literary analysis essays. I had students searching all over my room. I even turned it upside down myself during my prep period. No luck.
Then last Friday, in came Annika with her MGRP. It was then that she asked if I had my stapler.
"No!" I said. "I've been looking all over for it! Did you find it?"
And that was when she showed me it. In Jello, which is a classic prank that Jim pulled on Dwight .
Podcast of the week - Hacking Your Leadership
This episode looks at the world's best place to work in 2019, which is for the company Cisco. How do they do it?
It all starts with their mantra of "Our People Deal." This has three factors -
1. Connect everything. This simply means that if you work for Cisco, they will connect you to everything, meaning they will connect your work with your passions, they will connect you to others inside the company so you enjoy working there, they will connect you to information and training to make you successful and good at what you do. In turn, when you become good at what you do, guess what? You LOVE what you do. How many people in the workforce can say that and mean it?
2. Innovate everywhere - Simply put - employees are encouraged to learn, engage, and explore. This actually taps into the aspect of freedom. The employees are trusted to act in the company's best interests and innovate to make the company as cutting edge as possible.
3. Benefit everyone - Shocker - the company goes above and beyond to support the professional development of their workers. This ties in to the third aspect of what makes people love their work - impact.;
Video of the week -
If this young man can succeed after what he has gone through, what can't we achieve? This man found his role models via popular TV shows. From there he made a commitment.
In our lives, what are we committed to? Really think about that. When it comes to your family, what are you committed to, above all else? How about your career? How about your friends? And finally, how about yourself?
Thoughts from Twitter
Tech tool of the Week -
I like using this when I'm waiting for an appointment or sitting in the parking lot waiting to pick the kids up from basketball. If i have downtime, I just open this up and scroll though the latest articles on what I'm passionate about.
Just now I found all that Pocket had to offer today on leadership. In turn, that led me to this list of six leadership books I need to read. Guess what? That led me to my next read: Nine Lies About Work. How cool is that?
Where are they Now?
Lorrisa (Craigmile) Skalsky
When did you graduate from LHS?
I graduated Lincoln in 2010.
Where did you go to college and when did you graduate?
I attended Bemidji State University and Double Majored in Vocal and Instrumental Music Education and Graduated in 2015.
Where have you taught?
I did my Student Teaching in Goodridge Minnesota and that is where I have gotten hired and have been in Goodridge ever since. I teach K-12 Music. K-6th general music, 5th and 6th beginning band, 7-12 Band and Choir.
Are you doing any coaching or advising?
Yes! We are all assigned a class to help advise until they graduate. I have the 7th graders this year last year I had the Seniors. I am also in charge of Pep Band at the school.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
The thing that I enjoy most about teaching is when I introduce a new idea that might be hard and when students finally get it. I live for the ah-ha moments!
What made you want to be a teacher?
Ever since I was in the 6th grade I have known that I wanted to be a teacher. When I did my 6th grade and 9th grade career projects I did them on being a Music Teacher. My biggest thing that continued to push me to be a Music Teacher was when I was in All State Band and my director told us to pursue excellence in every note that we played. He was a great conductor!
What advice do you have for teachers?
I have only been teaching for 5 years. I feel like I am not the person to be giving advice but if I did I would say just keep pushing through. Especially during the concert seasons there is lots of pressure to do well on top of trying to teach all of your other classes. Just keep your head held high and work hard things always seem to work out. When it gets tough, the tough get going.
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kurt.reynolds.5?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @teacherscribe