More than Monuments: What 8th Graders Learn on the East Coast Trip

Education, ,

Parents are always super nervous dropping their 14-year-old off at the airport and sending him flying across the country. Of course, I will be nervous, too, when I send my own children, but I wanted to take a moment to commend those parents who do. They spend six days watching their phones for text messages and worrying if their kid is getting enough to eat, sleeping well, getting along with roommates, and I’m sure far worse scenarios. To those parents, know you’ve given them far more in those six days than you could ever imagine.

What 8th Graders Learn

1. How to get up on time. If (and when) he sleeps through his alarm, the entire group will be waiting on him. He will hear about it all day.

2. How to be on time. Like when he slept through his alarm, when he doesn’t arrive back at the bus at precisely 3:45, he will hear about it from his peers. Repeatedly.

3. How to Read Street Signs. When she is told to be at 42nd and Broadway and she is at 50th and 7th, her group needs to figure out how to get back.

4. How to live in tight spaces with other people. She needs to figure out how to share a bathroom and two beds with three other girls. Not taking 45 minutes in the bathroom is often a viable solution.

5. Why his parents tell him to get some sleep. He learns that only getting a couple of hours of sleep can be painful the next day. Of course, he might still do it the next night, however, he understands why.

6. Why his parents tell him to eat right. Binging on junk food always seems like a good idea at this age. Inevitably, one of those kids throws up.

7. Good shoes trump fashion. Those cute sandals she brought on the trip that match her new shirt are thrown to the bottom of her suitcase after the blisters of the first day.

8. Sometimes you can’t be goofy, even with your friends. TSA and the Capitol police have little room for horse-play or 8th-grade humor.

9. How to ask for help. Whether from a teacher, a tour guide or even a security guard, sometimes it’s necessary to ask when something is needed. He has to take care of his own needs.

10. How to pay attention. Well, at least the ramifications of not paying attention. When he didn’t hear what time to be back at the bus, he will be late. Again, he will hear about it. Repeatedly.

The best part about these lessons is that they come with a safety net. That kid might be the last one on the bus, but there are many adults making sure he gets on the bus. As a chaperone, my job is to not only to give the kids an educational experience, but also grant them that little bit of freedom. It’s the freedom that teaches them the most. A dear friend of mine commented to me once that after this trip, her daughter came back different. Older. More mature. That’s the bonus of this trip. So, to the parents that choose to send their kid, I tip my glass. You’ve given them far more than a trip of a lifetime. 🙂

I interviewed the kids at the airport. Someday I will learn to turn my phone to landscape when recording.

https://youtu.be/eKvwKJTBV5Q

Genius Hour Part Deux: The Genesis of Genius

Education, Genius Hour

Galileo Galilei is credited for saying, “Passion is the genesis of genius.” This has never been clearer to me than watching my students give their Genius Hour presentations. Letting them choose the topics to research was not only motivating for each student, it was interesting to watch. EVERY student in the room was listening to EVERY presentation. Crazy.

Things I learned:

  • Practice Presenting: As much as I went over my guidelines and rubric, it wasn’t enough. So many of my students still have a hard time looking at the audience, not reading their slides, and not speaking clearly. Some of it might be that they are just 8th graders, but I think modeling and practicing would improve the process ten-fold. Luckily I have some stellar presentations on video!
  • Demand More: On that note, a few students got the audience involved with Kahoot quizzes, asking for volunteers for demonstrations, and even getting the audience out of the seats for a gallery walk. This needs to be the norm. I need to help them move beyond standing and simply presenting their slides.  Again, better modeling.
  • Length: My students researched every Friday for about seven weeks. Then in May, testing hit. We had to abandon our 20 percent time to make room for other curriculum because we lost so much instructional time. In retrospect, it worked out. Most were done with their research by then and were just working on their presentations. Heck, many were done after five weeks. I think next year, I’ll shoot for six weeks and just work on presentations skills for the final stretch.
  • Dress for Success: It’s funny that just the sheer requirement that students be “appropriately dressed” for a presentation, made it that much better. They looked the part and owned it. Dressing is all about mindset. It helped put them in the right frame of mind. I will absolutely require that next time.

All in all I was over the moon at what the kids researched and presented. Some didn’t dig as deeply as I would like, so I think better mentoring on my part will be key next time. I will say this with a beaming grin: every single one my students presented. Not one chose not to do it, as is usually the case. I had one student comment to me that she is normally so afraid to speak in front of a group, but this project was easy. I commented,”Because you knew the material, huh?” She responded, “It’s because I cared about the topic.” Wow. Just wow. THAT’S what it’s all about. Passion is truly the genesis of genius.

Check out our highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgXHFOa50kk

 

It’s Always about Passion, Figurative Language and Tons of Glitter

Education

Last night I had the privilege and honor to plan and execute a retirement party for a dear friend and colleague of mine. She has been teaching for 34 years and has decided to move into the next chapter of her life. I cannot convey what this woman has meant to me as a teacher and a person. I also had the opportunity to speak. I thought I’d share my speech here:

I met Tess in August of 2001. I had just moved here from Orange County and was checking out my new home at Cooley. I was with my mother and we were passing through the office. She grabbed my hand and exclaimed, “You’re German! We’re going to get along just fine.” And that we did. We were instantly connected mind and soul.

Over the years, I have learned many things from Tess. I thought I’d take my time tonight to highlight a few:

    1. Speak in analogies. Tess has an incredible ability to explain things in such a poetic way it not only creates a clear picture of what she is trying to say, but it also makes everything she says that much more interesting. One recent text I received reads: Wings work well in a flock or a single pattern.
    2. Use glitter. I remember my first year at Cooley, Tess had introduced our team to the Gift from the Heart project. Glitter, she says. The students need to use lots of glitter. I still have nightmares of drowning in rivers of glitter. But, the students LOVED it. She taught me that sometimes you just have to let teaching be messy, because, in the end, the sparkle will be worth it. In fact, when she sent me the guest list for tonight’s party, I opened the envelope, and sure enough: GLITTER.
    3. Cream Rises to the Top. When I got to Cooley, I had only been teaching six years. When I would come to her, fretting that I had botched a lesson or even ruined a child forever, she would assure me that the good things will always rise above the bad. Children will always remember the kindness we show them. The good can never go unnoticed.
    4. He’s a boy. I left teaching for eight years to be at home with my babies. I have a daughter, Stephanie, now 12, and a son, Jeffrey, soon to be 10. After Jeffrey was born, I remember complaining to Tess about the things he would do. He was nothing like my daughter. What was wrong with him? She would simply tell me that he’s a boy. He’d get there. There was nothing wrong with him. Boys are like Puppies, she’d say. They need to run, jump, bite things and maybe even bark at you.
    5. Go BIG: Tess taught me early on that nothing was worth doing if it was small. This was apparent when we decided to put on our first Renaissance Faire at Cooley. Not only did the every 7th grader out there in costume and guilds,  we had a professional Blacksmith, archery and at one point a large scale trebuchet. This woman never does anything small. And her costumes! Always fit for royalty! If you’ve ever been to a Tess event, you know what I mean. Always a grand celebration!
    6. Nod, smile but do what’s in your heart. Tess taught me that following the way everyone else is doing something, isn’t always the path that’s right. Sometimes you have to follow your own passion. You have to open your own wings and let the wind take you where it may. You have to allow your students to do the same. But when someone asks you how that common assessment is going, simply smile and never let on that it’s still buried in a pile of papers on your desk. When you’re busy flying, you can’t worry about the ground.
    7. Cherish every day and every person you hold dear. This is probably the biggest lesson of all. I don’t get to see Tess as much as I’d like. In fact, it makes me a bit sad how little I do see her. But when I do, she always reminds me what’s important. It’s not our crazy schedules as parents or the endless papers to grade as teachers that make our life full. It’s the people we love.  She always reminds me that no matter what happens, our time should be spent with the ones we love.

 

I have been blessed with knowing this incredible woman for over 14 years. She is a gift to me that I will hold dear until the end of time.

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How Ed Camps Will Save the World

Education

Even though teachers have been attending Ed Camps for years, I recently made the trek to my first in San Jose. After only 20 minutes in the day, I realized something: this is the answer. Why had it taken me so long to get here?

  1. The Board   When you arrive at an Ed Camp beyond the smiling faces, greetings from other educators, and if you’re lucky, the coffee table, there is a board. Now this board is the key to the entire day. Here you place a Post-it (or something like it) with your idea on one of the two sides: things I want to learn or things I want to share and lead discussions. After the attendees settle in, the sessions are determined based on the board. If educators want to know more about blended classrooms, for example, the organizers will try to find someone willing to lead. If one is passionate about Genius Hour, he can invite people to come to a session. If others want to join, a session is born. It’s brilliant, really. It’s why Ed Camps are called an unconference.
  2. The Discussions  Since it is not a predetermined session, there is no curriculum, no guideline for the way the course flows. If you are looking for structure go elsewhere. The leader simply starts the discussion, maybe helps answer questions, but really the participants are just as involved. In one session I attended, the topic was authentic writing. Our discussions went well beyond that, as well. I was collecting ideas from every teacher in the room. What works, what doesn’t work. We were brainstorming and exchanging ideas at such a rapid pace, the hour diminished before we knew it.
  3. The Rules  The best part, there really aren’t any. If you attend a session, and it’s not what you were hoping, get up and leave. No one minds. It’s about meeting your needs as an learner.
  4. The Cost  Unlike GAFE or even a CUE conference, Ed Camps are free. Yes, free. You really should be paying, though. The participants range from new teachers to veteran teachers who are experts beyond their own classroom. Of course, there are always educators in attendance who are innovators in the field and are so passionate about teaching, they are willing to inspire other teachers at EdCamps and other conferences regularly. They tend to lead sessions, but are just as eager to learn from you. They are the celebrities of the teaching world and the reason I drove 2 ½ hours to my first Ed Camp.

In recent years, there has been such a pressure to implement technology in the classroom and rightfully so. Districts all over the country are delivering Chromebooks and iPads to classrooms and dictating teachers use them. Some jump at the opportunity to try new ways to motivate and educate kids. Others are a bit more apprehensive. All of them feel they need more training.  We need knowledgeable educators to effectively teach with technology. Ed Camps just might be the answer. Train the teachers, save the world.


To find one in your area: http://goo.gl/HCTb1u

Navigating the Waves of the Backchannel

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I’m a huge fan of the Socratic Seminar, but the drawback is always getting kids involved who don’t like to speak in a large group setting. I’ve tried many different configurations with moderate results. One of my PLN colleagues, Travis Phelps wrote about using Chromebooks to create a backchannel during the discussion. (Read his blog here.)

Like Travis, I used TodaysMeet to create my chat room, projecting it on the board, so all could see. I organized my room: chairs in the inner circle, desks with Chromebooks on the outer. As students came in, I let them choose their spot, but gave them a heads up that we would be switching halfway through the period.

What I learned

  • Assign seats, at least inner or outer circle. Letting students choose which circle they participated in first wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The discussions were sometimes unbalanced. Too many strong personalities in one group, not enough in the other.
  • Give guidelines on the nickname students choose for the chat. I basically told them I couldn’t grade them, (I grade for participating with useful evidence or insight), if I didn’t know who they were. “Farting Burrito” had to fess up to his handle.
  • Talk to them about spamming and set rules. I teach 8th graders. Writing “poop,” 14 times always seems like a good idea. I let them be silly when they first logged in, just to try it out. However, once the discussion started, the chat needed to be on task. The stream moves so quickly, if someone is typing, “Johnny is Bae,” or even, “LOL,” the other stuff is lost. Just talking about it made all the difference.
  • Change the chat room for each period. This is something I did not anticipate. I had students on Chromebooks in other classes, spamming our conversation. It was done in good fun, but became rather annoying.

The Good, the Bad, and the Silly

I asked the kids at the end of each period what they thought of this different Socratic technique. Most really liked it. They liked that the inner circle was smaller, so it was easier to talk. They also mentioned that they could check the chat on the board if they were stuck for something to say. Mostly they liked that in the outer circle, they could look stuff up on the internet to add to the conversation. The biggest drawback was that the board was sometimes distracting. In some classes, the inner circle would stop talking and take to just reading the board. Plus, there was always that one kid who had to try to make everyone laugh.  But I guess, that’s just what makes it an 8th grade classroom.

I’m looking forward to trying it again soon. Hoping Farting Burrito is too.

Genius Hour: Part 1

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I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a research assignment, ever. Three weeks ago I introduced Genius Hour to my 8th graders, a concept made famous by Google, where 20% of work time is spent on a project of the employee’s choosing. It’s become a bit of a phenomenon in the educational world with teachers who recognize that choice motivates students. For my class, this means working every Friday until June, approximately 12 weeks. At first, my students were confused, maybe a bit dumbfounded. “We can do anything?”

I only have three rules for our GH project:

  1. You can research it
  2. You can blog about it
  3. You can do a presentation on it

Week 1: The YES Day

My students were still a bit confused on our first Friday. Each time I’d circulate the room, a student would stop me, “Can I do–” “Yes.” It was pretty amazing watching their fingers fly on the Chromebooks, searching for various topics. Still, though, some had no idea where to even begin. I just kept asking, “What do you want to know?”

Week 2: Life Ring

By the next week, most were super excited to continue their research. But definetly not all. I could see the ones drifting off task. I had to give a few stern warnings:  “If you waste 20% of my instruction time, I will give you an alternative assignment.” This extinguished the fires right away. However, I still saw a few flounders. It was time for the life ring. I shared with them a list I had been compiling from various sources of possible Genius Hour projects. Just seeing the possibilities, those who felt they were drowning were able to come up for air. I wouldn’t have done this in the beginning, because I truly believe in the power of discovery, but some kids just needed a helping hand.

lightbulb

Pitch Day: Where the light bulb begins to flicker

Today was pitch day. Students had to get up in front of their peers and give a 30 second pitch on their idea. They had to state their guiding question, explain what they would research, then how they would present in June. After, the other students were encouraged to ask questions and give advice. What a powerful process. Students were able to hear each other’s ideas and learn ways to improve their own process. Plus, I got to hear all the topics. From learning to buy and sell stocks, to practicing different techniques of shooting a basketball properly, to the effects of smoking, to why the brain reacts to music, the topics are not only incredibly varied, they are INTERESTING! So much better than if I would have assigned a topic.

Friday we continue researching. Fridays are truly the best day of the week.

The Mosh Pit in Petaluma

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If you’ve ever been to a punk rock show, you know the front is reserved for the few passionate individuals who are so into the music they feel the need to share it with others: hard and with full force, slamming into you, pummeling you into the next person. Sometimes it leaves you with bruises, but mostly it’s the craziest thing you’ll ever experience. You leave the show giggling, exhausted and yearning for more. This is how I feel about CUE Rockstar Teacher Camps (minus the bruises). I walked away from Petaluma this weekend so inspired, so enthusiastic, and counting the days until the next one: (141 days until CUE Rockstar Tahoe).

Why every educator should go to a CUE Rockstar Teacher Camp:

1. Start Time: The morning starts at 9:30. That alone should make you happy, not to be up at the crack of dawn on your days off. This also allows for a few “late night” sessions the night before. For some reason Rockstars are always held in close proximity to places to get delicious libations. Crazy.

2. The Format: There are only two sessions a day and normally the same sessions are taught in the morning and afternoon. This eases FOMO (fear of missing out), although I still suffered this weekend. I need Hermione Granger’s Time Turner. The sessions are also two hours long which allows you time to learn, play and actually figure out how to implement when you return to real life.

3. Lunch: Although the food is usually amazing, this is not the reason to give up your free time, beg for the money, (or shell out the fee yourself), and attend. Lunch is two hours, which seems long, but it is a magical experience. There is usually a session on something relevant in the cafeteria as you’re eating, (like using Twitter to grow as an educator and tell your story), but mostly you talk. A lot. To other educators. I learn so much just being in the room with fellow teachers and administrators who are fervent about student learning. So often we forget how powerful that can be.

4. The Faculty:  Although they will claim they are no experts, don’t let them fool you. They are incredible educators and presenters. Their passion for teaching students, as well as sharing their knowledge with others makes them the most inspiring individuals you’ll meet. They are all volunteers that give up their time and WANT to be there. They believe in sharing tools and innovation to create student achievement. They are pure punk rock. Just being in the room with them, makes me want to be more. That’s how I want to spend a weekend.

5. The Attitude: This is the punk rock mosh pit. The philosophy of Rockstar is that learning is messy. It is sweaty, and it isn’t choreographed.* Things might go wrong. They probably will. But you take the ideas, the tools, the inspiration back to your site the next week and you try. You ignore the bruises because in the end, teaching doesn’t have to be perfect. It has to be passionate. And that will reach kids. That’s punk rock. And it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

I’m putting on my steel-toed Doc Martens and entering the pit. You with me?

*Fun Fact: We tried “choreographed” by following a Youtube video at lunch and dancing to “Uptown Funk”. It was truly more passionate than perfection. 

What’s the Time? Torture Time

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I try to have students do a formal, solo, get up in front of the class, (while terrified), speech at least once a trimester. Most think I enjoy watching students sweat as they fumble for their next point, searching the ceiling to see if it might be written up there. I really don’t enjoy watching them squirm. Well maybe a few students, but that’s not my point.

This time, I decided to do something different: Movenote. 10914537_449770148504061_862001878_n

Movenote is a website and Chrome Application that allows you to slidecast, that is upload your slides and record yourself while video narrating. Essentially, students had to record themselves, then show the class. I was so excited to introduce. This would alleviate the stage fright and the searching the ceiling syndrome. Students could try over and over until they got it right.  They’re going to love me for this, right? Wrong. They thought I had reached a new level of cruelty. “Do I have to show it?” “Can’t YOU just watch it?” “Can I leave the room when it’s my turn?” Sigh. I forget they’re in 8th grade sometimes.

I decided to show a few a day. I always take volunteers first. I had a few eager kids wanting to get it over with. To my delight, the presentations were mostly very good. The best part, however, was as the days went on, more kids were eager to show theirs. By the end of the week, most were telling me how much they LOVED it and were so happy not to have to get up and present in front of the whole class. Some still think I’m enjoying their misery.

Things I learned:

  • Most students WILL NOT record in class. It’s way too stressful. Giving students a place to go during class is fine, but many will take hours to get the right take. Most would rather do at home. Since we are not a 1:1 school, though, lots didn’t have access to a working webcam. I gave up an entire week of lunches and made before and after school appointments.
  • Sometimes Movenote is fickle. We found if it won’t load your Google Slides, download as a PDF, then upload. That usually does the trick. Sometimes the site just gets overloaded, too. Give it a few minutes.
  • Often when you pause recording, the slide goes back to the beginning. Just be aware. Most of my kiddos just started over.
  • It’s a pretty basic application, not a lot of bells and whistles, which makes it a great introduction to video presenting. However, I had a student who really wanted to embed a youtube video in her presentation. We just ended up pulling it up in a different tab.
  • Give students time limits for presentations. I have NEVER had a kid give a 15 minute speech in front of the class, but for some reason, I have had students ramble on and on via video.

I really wanted all of my students to have the experience of presenting in video format this trimester. Next trimester I think I’ll give students the choice. I’m guessing quite a few will pick Movenote. Some still enjoy the live audience, though. Most of all, I enjoy watching students escape the torture chamber of public speaking and grow into confident and successful presenters.

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Cart

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Spending the weekend in Napa is always a good idea. Spending it at a Google Apps for Educators conference is only for the truly lucky. This was my second GAFE and though I was a different educator than when I attended my first, I was chumming for more.

Starting the conference with Jim Sill was nothing short of a treat. He reminded us that learning is dirty. However, we can’t forget to tell our story with our students. These are the things they remember. Oh, and always include sharks. Well, maybe not that last one, but it seems to do the trick.

One of the best parts of these conferences is not only learning, but getting to play and create. I must say, though, that it’s the people I meet that make it worth the time I give up away from my family. The presenters and the other teachers all have great stories to tell, and that’s where learning and inspiration take root.

Listening to our second day keynote presenter, Mark Garrison, talk about making each day an adventure got my brain swimming. It is time to tackle this great white shark of implementing technology at my site. No more dabbling. No more watching the beast terrorize the shore. It is time to call in the big boat. It is time to instigate change. It is time for more than just a couple of Chromebook carts. Next stop: 1:1 Harbor.

photo (5)

Live Fast, Teach Bold

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Yeah, this is one of those year end reflection, new year, new beginning posts. Hey, it’s obligatory. Deal.

Since I came back to teaching just over three years ago, (we like to call it my eight year maternity leave), I have fallen madly in love with the practice, new curricular ideas, and especially the students all over again. 2014 saw some of my favorite times:

1. The GAFE Summit and my transformation to Google Fan Girl: This is a biggie. I have always been fairly keen on technology, but by no means an expert. This Google Apps for Educators conference blew my mind. I couldn’t get enough. My district asked me to be part of a group who facilitates trainings for other teachers throughout my district. I absolutely fell in love with teaching teachers. Educational technology via use in my classroom, as well as becoming a “connected” teacher, interacting with educators through social media and conferences (Truckee was awesome) has opened up a world for me that I could have never fathomed.

2. Student Blogging/Web Pages: One idea I took away from the GAFE Summit, among so many others, is getting students to blog. Although this has had its fair share of head-shaking moments, (see post) it has been amazing. We all know the best way to get good at anything is to do it over and over. Blogging gets kids to write, and most love it!

3. AVID in San Diego: My dad was an AVID teacher, so I always heard about this amazing program, but I’ve never been trained. Eight of us headed to San Diego for the Summer Institute. Wow. There is a reason this program has been around so long and has been successful for so many students. The material is empowering, and I had more fun than I ever imagined, especially with the group of people I am fortunate enough to work with each day. Read more here, if you’re feeling unfulfilled.

4. Acting like a Total Idiot: Some of my favorite moments from teaching didn’t involve teaching at all. They were “dancing” at rallies to choreographed numbers with my staff, joining my colleagues in dumping ice over our heads, dressing up for spirit days, strategically placing a cardboard cut out of my principal throughout the school, and even throwing down in a lip sync battle. These are the moments I truly love.

5. Falling in Love with 8th Grade: I’ve taught 8th grade in the past, but I had never felt as close to the students who graduated in June. I had a hard time saying goodbye. I imagine this year’s class will be no different. I don’t know if it’s the school and the kids or that I have somehow changed. It’s probably a bit of both. I absolutely love these kids, even on my worst days.

What’s on the list for 2015? 

My true goal this year, (besides blog more), is to soak up as much as I possibly can. I just want to learn. I’m hoping to start my Master’s program in the fall, emphasizing educational technology. I want to attend as many workshops and conferences as possible, as well as keep active on social media with my professional learning community.

Of course, I also want to continue to feed my passions. I vow to savor the moments that are astounding and learn from my failures. I’m going to try new ideas, not caring if I execute perfectly. More importantly, I’m going to keep dancing. As my favorite musician, Frank Turner, sings,”It won’t last, so be bold, choose your path, show soul, live fast and die old.” This year, I will choose my path, fill it with all I’ve got, and teach bold.