Surviving the Holiday Season

The other day I was casually scanning through some Facebook posts, when I came across a comment my friend made about her winter break countdown. It gave me goosebumps to think that a much needed break would soon be here. However, my goosebumps left after I read another friend's reply that her classroom would be "controlled chaos" until break. 

Hmmph, "controlled chaos". If that is what a teacher of 20+ years thinks of this time of year, I can imagine what a new teacher is going through. I promise you, survival is possible. It doesn't need to be "controlled chaos". 

The biggest problem with this time of year is that even though the kids are excited for break and the upcoming holiday, we are even more excited! Here are a few ways to try to relieve some of the stress and chaos:

1. Plan students' presents ahead of time - I find the best presents are the free kind. Yes that's right, FREE. Each month I send home Scholastic book order forms. The parents may buy books by sending money directly to me or by purchasing online. I may only get one or two parents to purchase in a given month, but I try to sell it the best I can. I send home lots of reminders, including emails and text messages (through Remind101). In late November, I am able to use my banked points to receive free books. This year I was able to get over 80 books for my students and I still have points left! The students love getting books for presents and I love the fact that I am giving them quality material to read at home. 

2. Keep the students busy - I find that if I keep them busy, they don't have time to get chaotic. I try not to change the routine too much.  The key to keeping them busy is to include activities for fast finishers and constant brain breaks. I find most of mine on Pinterest (my not-so-secret obsession). This is an awesome board to try out.  

3. Don't let behavior expectations slide - Let your students know that even though it is the giving season, you are not about to just give them good behavior grades without earning them. Your behavior management needs to be stronger than ever right now. Starting off strong each morning and keeping it that way throughout the day will show your students that they need to continue to follow the same rules as they always have. 

4. Show them love - Many students need a little extra love during this time of year. Whether you work in an inner city school or a school in a wealthy area, you are always going to run into students who are struggling this time of year. I have had homeless students who cannot afford presents, students who had sick parents who didn't have the strength to put a celebration together, and students who have lost parents or family members and the holidays just reminded them that they weren't around. These students simply need to feel loved. Give them a few extra hugs. Simply let them know that they are special to you and that you care about them. 

5. Remember what it was like - I remember not being able to sleep the night before Christmas. I remember driving my parents crazy asking for a new Nintendo (yes, the original one). When things get a little crazy just remember that you were once in their shoes. These are exciting times for everyone. We push our students so hard throughout the year, sometimes it's nice just to step back and watch them be happy. 

I wish everyone the merriest of holiday seasons! Remember to relax and reenergize. Don't spend the entire break doing schoolwork - remember teachers need a break too. 

Kids Just Wanna Have Fun . . .

While sitting at my daughter's gymnastics class yesterday, I was thinking about just how much we have squeezed the fun out of school. Watching her be so happy and laughing while she was learning the new routine made me jealous of her teacher. I seriously thought about quitting my job and becoming a gymnastics instructor. (If you know me then you know that is pretty funny. I may have been a cheerleader when I was in school, but all my coordination left after having two kids. I'm lucky if I can get through a day without tripping at least twice!) The point is that I miss seeing my students laugh and play.

Kids need to have fun. Let me say that again - they really NEED to have fun. As teachers, we put so much emphasis on learning the standards so that they can pass the state assessments that we have taken out all of the fun. I saw a funny political comic the other day about how we are just creating "children of the core". It's true. Even though our children come in very different, we are expected to have them exit our classrooms at the end of the year knowing all of the same material and we truly have taken all of the fun out of it. Recently we even had to take away recess. We can sneak it in every now and then, but the fact is there is too much to teach and too little time. My eight and nine year olds are having to sit in a classroom all day long and learn. What kind of a childhood is that? It's not much better than going to work all day long.

How do I add fun back into the classroom?  Dancing. It's pretty simple. If the students work hard and get all of their required work done in time, I play a Just Dance video for them at the end of class. They are pretty easy to find on YouTube. The kids enjoy them because they are current pop songs and I enjoy them because I LOVE seeing my babies happy. Their true personalities get to come out. They get a much needed brain break and they get to develop socially.

Sometimes I will even throw them in when I start to notice that I am losing them. I always find something positive someone has done - "Oh, my goodness! Tommy has written so neatly today! Guess what? He earned the whole class a brain break!" The children then get 3 minutes to recharge their brains and have fun and come back ready to learn.

There are other brain breaks out there - just Google "brain breaks". However, I really enjoy watching my students have fun and get to be themselves through dancing. I warn you though, the ones who you think are quiet and shy will truly show out and be the craziest dancers!

You're Gonna Get Sick . . .

I was a pretty fortunate kid when it came to illnesses. I made it through twelfth grade without missing a day of school. Yes, you read that right. I did not miss one day of school. I never got sick, at least on a school day, I never got lice and I never even got pink eye. My body was filled with amazing antibodies that kept me healthy. That is, until I became a teacher.

If you want to know what's it's like to be sneezed on, just step into a kindergarten class. Five year olds are notorious for blowing their snot all over anyone who comes near them. When I first started teaching I figured I must be immune to all of the germs since I barely ever got sick. I was so wrong. I never thought it was possible to run out of sick days until I actually did my first year.

My second year I decided I was going to face the battle head on. I bought every product on the market to ward off any germs that I might come across. Needless to say, I once again ran out of sick days. Was I doing something wrong? How would I ever get to enjoy a personal day off without being stuck in bed? I had to figure something out.

Eventually, things got better. I realized that your first few years just stink. Your body needs to figure out what to do with all these new germs. I still get the occasional cold, but nothing like when I first started out. That's the good news.

The bad news is that there is always something new. A few years ago, I hugged one of my precious students and once I let go of her I saw the dreaded lice crawling in her eyebrows. I'm not lying when I say that is the worst thing a teacher with long hair can ever see. Yep, I got lice for the first time ever and what was even worse was that it was on my birthday weekend.

I have had my share of sicknesses go around the schools I have worked at - scabies, pink eye, fifth disease - you name it, I have seen it. Is there a sure way to escape it? I wish. Should you just avoid all contact with your students? Ha - good luck with that one! My tips for you are to sanitize your classroom on a regular basis, eat a healthy diet (yes, chocolate is healthy), and just know that part of the wonderful teaching career is that you are gonna get sick.

Building a Bridge

One of the many things I wish I figured out earlier in my career is how important parental involvement is. I don't usually get all technical, but I have done a lot of research in this area. Children are more likely to succeed academically and are less likely to engage in violent behaviors if their families are involved in their education.

The problem is many parents feel that they are unwelcome in their children's schools and some teachers, myself included, feel like they are under attack when parents want to come into their classroom.

So how can we bridge this gap? The first, and one of the most important things to remember, is to not only contact parents when their child does something negatively. You should also contact them when you have celebrations, even small ones. I make it a point at the beginning of each year to get all of my parent's email addresses. Some people are reluctant at first, but they usually give in after I keep sending home the paper asking for it over and over. I like to email my parents each time I see any improvement in their child in class. Be it academic, social or emotional, all are important. Parents love to get good emails about their children. Plus, it makes them realize that you actually care about their child.

There are a few things to remember when conferencing with parents to make sure they stay on your side. The first thing is to try your best to accommodate their work schedules when scheduling a conference. I know it stinks to have to stay until 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, but if a parent knows you are willing to do that then it let's them know that you really care. Another thing to remember is that you are not speaking to another teacher. You would not like your doctor speaking to you using technical terms, so please remember that when talking to parents. Don't treat them like they are dumb, just be straightforward and explain things using "people" terms.  The last important conferencing tip is to ask parents for their concerns and suggestions. Let them know that what they think matters too.

Keeping parents up-to-date is super important. Some teachers send out newsletters on a regular basis. I wish I could say that I did that. I've never been good at remembering to write them. Instead I rely on technology. I keep my website updated and when something important is coming up, I send out emails and texts. I am in love with Remind101. It is a web-based program that sends out mass texts to parents when you need to let them know something. It uses a random phone number so that parents can't see your actual number. To learn more about it you can download the app or visit the website at  https://www.remind101.com/.

It is also important to keep your parents updated on their children's grades. Now that many schools allow their parents to check their students' grades on-line, this is a lot easier. Many of my parents don't have time to do this though. To solve this problem, I send home Monday Folders. Each Monday, the students bring home a folder of all of their corrected work from the week before. Parents expect it to come home each Monday so this fixes the problem of students throwing all of their work into the bottom of their book bag and never showing it to their parents. The other important piece that I include in the folder is a grade sheet. It contains all of the child's current grades up to that day. Parents are required to sign it and write back if they have any questions or concerns. This also solves the problem that all teachers have right after report cards go home and parents try to say that they had no idea that their child was failing.

One more thing that you can do is invite parents to come in and help. Many teachers don't like to do this though because they feel like they are being watched. The key to this is to keep the parents busy. Make the parents let you know before they come in so that you can prepare work for them to do. The busier they are, the less likely they will be scrutinizing you.

And last, but certainly not least, don't forget to thank your parents. Parenting, just like teaching, is a hard job. Just like we love parents thanking us for working so hard with their children, they love to hear it too.

Keeping that strong relationship with your parents will make your year 100 times smoother!

Lights, Camera, Action!

A few years ago I was taking classes to earn my reading endorsement. One of the final requirements was to film myself teaching each of the 5 components of reading. I dreaded doing this because of my fear of the camera. After I was all done filming, I breathed a sigh of relief because I though the worst was over. Boy, was I wrong! The next part of the assignment was to critique those 5 lessons. That meant I had to sit there for 2 and a half hours and watch myself. Ick!

After about 30 minutes I was finally over how horrible I looked on the camera and I was able to focus on my teaching. I had never seen myself as a teacher. I knew what I sounded like in my head, but it was much different in real life. I realized that I said "Okay, guys?" about a million times, that I clarified myself a little too much instead of giving my students wait time, and that sometimes I read a little bit too loudly. If I had another teacher come in my room to observe me, I'm not sure they would have told me these things. You see, as teachers we don't like to hurt people's feelings. We are our own best (and worst) critics.

Since then, I make it a point to film myself at least once each year. My students love being filmed; they feel like real movie stars! While reviewing the film, I try to find at least one thing I can focus on fixing. I don't have to admit my weaknesses to anyone else, I just need to make it a personal goal to fix them.

I highly recommend that all teachers, especially new ones, try this. After you get over the initial shock of having to watch yourself, you can really dig deep into improving your practice.

It's pretty simple to do. All you have to do is set up the camera and go on with your business. Last year I even forgot that the camera was rolling and didn't stop it until a few hours later. It was really beneficial to see myself when I forgot I was being recorded.

I challenge you to try it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might even get a little mad at yourself. Just remember that no one is perfect and you are only doing it to make yourself a better teacher.

Me Time

My alarm goes off at 5:00 AM. I press snooze until 5:45 and then I jump in the shower. I dry my hair put my makeup on and then I wake up my two kids. Luckily, Nic gets himself ready, but Hollie is only 4 and still requires a lot of help. I leave the house, or at least we try to leave, at 7:00. I have to drop both kids off and make my 15 minute commute. I get to school around 7:30. I work non-stop all day until around 4:30 when I decide I've had enough and just need to go home. I pick up both kids and then make my way home. I argue with my son about his homework and I correct papers and then I make dinner. We eat and then I play with Hollie while Nic finishes his homework. I give Hollie a bath and put her to bed. I say goodnight to Nic and finish correcting papers and writing lesson plans. Somewhere before I finally go to bed I search Pinterest for new things to do with my students.

That's my day. How have I gone nonstop for 12 years and still survived? The answer is simple. I save at least an hour each day for "me time". This is my husband's least favorite time of the day. I disappear completely. I usually go work out in solitude. It's quiet. It's peaceful. And best of all, it's away from everything that stresses me out.

Teachers often are very busy on the weekends. Between plans, correcting, housecleaning, grocery shopping and errand running we barely have time to relax. My first few years of teaching I tried to do all of my schoolwork on Saturdays and all of my other chores and errands on Sundays. I felt like I was burning out. A close teacher gave me a hint. Spend one entire weekend day getting everything done. Wake up early if you have to and try to go nonstop until everything is done. I wake up and go to the grocery store. When I come home, I clean the house. When I'm done with that I get all of my schoolwork done. I usually end up spending the whole day working, but it's worth it. The next day, I can relax all day. It's a designated work-free day. Sometimes I flip-flop which day I work. I love spending Saturdays in my sweats not worrying about my hair or makeup watching family movies with my kids.

I think a lot of teachers burn out because they don't set aside any "me time".  They focus so much on their work and end up too stressed out to continue. Teachers are people too and all people deserve to live with as less stress as possible. Don't forget to relax!

I'm Talking to the Man, er, Woman in the Mirror . . .

Today was the dreaded picture day. It's no secret that I hate having my picture taken. My friends always tell me I will regret it someday when I look back with my kids and not have any pictures of myself to help them remember the old me. That's okay though, I know the tricks the camera plays - adding on 10 pounds, making my blemishes look bigger than they really are - and I'm not going to fall victim to them.

So why then do I love mirrors? I love taking a deep look at myself. When I look in a mirror, I see something only I can see. Everyone else's view is opposite of what I see in the mirror. That is my time to decide if I like the person staring back at me and if I decide I don't, then I need to figure out what changes need to be made.

Reflection journals are so important to teachers for the same reason. Students watch teachers all day long, but teachers often forget to examine their own teaching. Journaling enables me to become aware of what I do, how I do it and even why I do it.

Every year I start a new journal. Of course, at the beginning of the year I am so good at sitting down everyday and writing an entry, but by November it ends up being about once a week unless something noteworthy comes up.

During my first hectic year, I realized that at some point I had to stop blaming my anxiety on the kids. It wasn't that I had a bad class, it was that I wasn't using the right methods to get to them. Reflecting helps me get to the bottom of things.

Constructive criticism is sometimes hard to handle. I often find myself trying to defend myself when I know someone is just trying to offer up suggestions. With journaling, you have no one to face but yourself. You can leave your feelings and emotions out of it and just think about things.

Here are a few of the questions that I like to focus on when reflecting:
- What am I doing?
- Why am I doing it?
- How effective is it?
- How are the students responding?
- How can I do it better?

I also try to add in funny things my students said or even praise they gave me. That way when I am reading through my entries later on I can always end with a smile on my face. Happy journaling!