Hi Teach Tales Readers.
If you've noticed that I haven't updated the website, then rest assured, there is an explanation. Firstly, on my part, I recently moved from Ottawa back home to Montreal. I was away from almost all social media for a little while as I finished up university and prepped to move my abundance of stuff back home (teachers collect a lot of stuff over the years, apparently). Once I moved back home, I dove into substitute teaching, and really took a step back from my websites. On the other hand, I realized a lot of teacher candidates and teachers were in a busy month, and was not receiving as many blog posts as I was initially (I completely understand the busy schedules). However, with the end of the year approaching, I'm anticipating a lot more participation from the community! Please remember to send in your blog posts and lesson plans to [email protected] K
0 Comments
TeachTales in participating in Autism Awareness Month this April. That means all the resources and websites of the week will be for and about autism awareness. As a teacher, you will be in a classroom of students who all have different learning needs and styles. Amongst these students, you will most likely encounters students with autism. It is important that we stay educated and aware of how to effectively teach our students and motivate them to succeed, grow and reach their fullest potential.
This month is also very special to me. I am constantly educating myself on the subject matter and finding new strategies to bring into my classroom and work. Over the past two years, I have been working with a student with autism at a tutoring centre. I speak about this student and the strategies I have used throughout the tutoring sessions on my personal website (www.mskaraline.weebly.com). This student is so special to me; he remembers everyone's name, the school they go to and how they get to the tutoring center. I love walking in every week hearing “There’s Karaline coming from the University of Ottawa taking the 7 bus”. To me, that is the most special welcome I could ever get. He also loves to use calculators and work on math equations. We work on other things as well, but I always make time for his calculations. He’s also an AMAZING hangman player. Sometimes there will only be 1 letter, and he manages to guess the word in seconds. He places such an importance on recycling and keeping things neat and tidy. He is my student, he is my friend, and he is part of the reason why I am such a big advocate for students with autism. I will be leaving the centre at the end of the month, and it breaks my heart to think that I will not be working with him anymore. Not to fear readers, I plan to surprise him at some point with a visit! We’ve build up this great relationship for 2 years, and I can’t imagine never seeing him again. He has come so far not only academically, but socially as well. I encourage you to send in any websites, blogs or resources you have about autism, and I will gladly share them on the website. You can even share these resources in the community section on this website, and start up a discussion. Let’s spread awareness this April. Don't forget to wear blue today! Let's Light It Up Blue. Three months ago Karaline was teaching a grade three class science unit on forces. She asked me to come in and talk to the kids about my experiences driving race cars on circuits and discuss the various forces at play. At first I thought it was going to be super easy and i was very excited. No one ever asked me to come discuss my hobby before. As the date of my presentation came closer, I started thinking about what I was going to say, how would I make it understandable for a nine year old and how would I capture their attention.
I decided to open with a short video filmed from my helmet camera in the car. I figured this would be the best way to show them what I do. The kids seemed to be interested for the most part and excited to ask me the questions they had prepared for me. Luckily I had practiced my answers a little bit because explaining the forces experienced in race car to a grade 3 class who never drove before is very difficult. I always respected teachers but this experience made me realize how much preparation is involved to teach even the simplest of things. I realized that teachers must walk a fine line between being fun to captivate the children’s attention all while being educational. This is definitely an acquired skill but i think I did ok for my first time. I am looking forward to doing presentations like this again in the future as I felt it was a very rewarding experience. Seeing the kids all excited about my hobby was a great feeling. Carlo "Are you stressed out?" ... "Ugh, I'm so stressed." ... "Today was SO stressful."
The S word. I hear it all over the hallway, the break room, the dismissal line - basically anywhere that two teachers are colliding. It's March, and the beginning of THE TESTS. So we hurl funny memes and inspiring quotes and any chocolate we can find at our colleagues' flagging morale, keeping our tired eyes on the number of days until the school year is over. Just a few days ago a teacher told me that she got a flat tire on the way to school, and she was overjoyed that it happened, because she had a quiet hour to herself. ... How did we get here? Survey after survey shows that teaching is a brutifally (brutally / beautifully) rewarding profession - mentally, physically, and emotionally. It's not hard (or fun) to list the reasons why teachers are struggling. The hard part is figuring out what to do about it. I burned out during my third year of teaching. I found myself throwing up in the student bathroom most mornings and most afternoons, confused why my body was suddenly not a fan of math or reading instruction. I couldn't make it stop, and I ultimately had to leave my position. It was gut wrenching. Luckily, my gut recovered. In the aftermath I found myself talking to dozens of other educators who, instead of being even remotely surprised by my story, started recounting their eerily similar private health battles. The list of ailments is a testament to the havoc that stress can wreak: panic attacks, depression, daily headaches, autoimmune diseases, chronic back pain... not to mention any of the acute illnesses caused by the classroom germ factory. I returned to teaching. Some things got easier, and also the stress didn't magically disappear. What helped me, and continues to help me, are mindfulness and yoga. These are the practices I'm committed to sharing with as many other educators as I can. I'm creating the Balanced Teachers community to give teachers the tools they need to light up, instead of burning out. If you're with me on this journey, leave a comment. Share something that helps you relieve stress, including but not limited to hilarious student stories (which are my favorite thing on the planet). I would love to hear from you. All the best, M. Maggie Working with such a diverse group of people has a tonne of obvious affordances. Having students from many different backgrounds, religions, cultures, and familial environments allows for a rich and diverse classroom where students become familiar with the types of people they might encounter in the world after high school. However, sometimes some of our students might be diverse in ways in which we might not expect.
Though it’s not uncommon for high school students to carry with them a certain amount of “baggage” as being a teenager is a relatively difficult and formative experience, some teenagers have a lot more to deal with than the average breakup, issues with friends, or qualms with completing a history project on time. For some of our students, those deemed “at risk”, there could be a multitude of problems that they might be facing, with nowhere to turn for help. Now, realistically we as teachers are already pretty bogged down with work, and while it’s true that we have enough on our plates without having to act as a guidance councilor, a psychiatrist, or legal councilor, this does not mean that we shouldn’t do what we can for our students. Though our jobs are as educators, our main priority is of course our student’s safety. One of the biggest reservations I’ve had when it comes to helping out students who might be at risk is the fact that I often felt ill-prepared or that I didn’t have the knowledge or access to resources that I needed to actually be of assistance to students who might need help with legal issues, those who have left home, those involved with child protection or who have been abused or victimized. To be truthful, there is still SO MUCH I have to learn before I feel remotely comfortable, but at the same time, maybe no one ever does. A really interesting and super comprehensive resource I have found to help in my journey of helping students who may be considered at risk, or even those who might be dealing with some rather stressful situations who might otherwise had flown “under the radar” is Justice for Children and Youth. I was initially exposed to JFCY in my Community Service Learning with the Youth Services Bureau and Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternate School where many of my students were using services offered by the JFCY to assist them with navigating the complicated paths that their lives had set before them. Since being introduced to this resource I have used it to inform myself on many of the different issues some of these youth might be affected by and though I might never have to use this information, if a situation does occur, I won’t be feeling left in the dark or unprepared. My student’s safety and security is my number one priority and having access to a resource like this arms me and my students with the information, services, and legal help to ease the transitions that many of them are finding themselves in. Kevin Ever since I’ve been six years old, I’ve been saying I wanted to be a teacher. This was because of the amazing teacher I had in grade one. She made learning how to read, write and do math in the most creative ways ever that made every student excited to learn. My teacher enjoyed music so she would use music to help us learn to read. She would make songs out of the topics we were learning and teach us to read through the songs. I remember in September, she made us learn a song about apples since it was apple season. In the song about apples we learnt how they grow on trees and how to pick the right apple off a tree. To remember the months, she would sing us a song from the book Chicken Soup with Rice. To this day, I still remember the song for the month of September. After one month of being in class and learning in such a fun way, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher also and teach students in a way that would intrigue them and make them want to learn.
In college, I went into the Child Studies program, which meant finally being able to take classes that would get me closer to being a teacher. During the two years at Dawson, I learnt a lot about children and the right and wrong ways to teach them. My favorite part of my two years there though has to be my stage. My stage was completed at my old elementary school and luckily, I was placed with my favorite teacher from when I was six. She helped me learn a lot in my stage and even made me teach the classroom once. Being in the front of the class and hearing the students call me “Mrs. Emily” made my heart soar. Unfortunately, when I got to university I was not accepted into the teaching program at Concordia and McGill so I decided to continue in Child Studies at Concordia. I am currently finishing my first year and now I am stuck. I am unsure of what I want to do but I know for sure that whatever I do, it will be working with children whether it be in daycare, in elementary school or working with children with special needs. All I know is that in this last year, I have realized that even though I may not be exactly where I want to be, I have so many options and time to figure it all out. Emily Papandrea Board wide, we have placed this massive importance on math and science. I’m not suggesting that these subjects are not important- every subject is. However, because of this, we’ve pushed Literacy aside. There is an assumption that as a student moves up a grade, their abilities to read will also. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In order to “move up a grade level” in reading, students need to be given literature to match that. If this importance of Literacy is taking a backseat, we cannot expect our students to improve their reading skills.
Reading and writing is everywhere, and in every subject. Sometimes, we learn that a students’ struggle in math is actually because they are struggling to read the instructions. Although this is not always the case, I have witnessed this a few times. Language Arts is just that- an art. There is no exact method or answer, and for this reason, it can be difficult to teach. It’s a lot more abstract than other subjects, but I think it’s worthwhile to gain some insight and ideas for it. Reading and writing doesn’t only have to be done in the classroom either. There are many things parents can do at home with their children. Reading and writing shouldn’t be a chore; it should be a wonderfully creative experience. Book Clubs: they don’t only have to be for adults. Why not join or start a book club with students in or outside of school? Local libraries may have some sort of book club for kids. Write for the sake of writing: I strongly believe that students should have the freedom to write creatively. In my Grade 3 class, we wrote Christmas stories. There was no instruction except the theme of Christmas. We discussed plots, characters and settings, but these are aspects that will help the creativity flow. Independent Reading: give students some time to read their own books. Let them choose a book they are interested in to engage reluctant readers. Comic books do not necessarily need to be out of the question. Comic books can actually inspire and help reluctant readers who are struggling. Read aloud… at any age: read aloud aren’t just for primary. Reading a sophisticated picture book can engage junior level students, and you can derive many lessons from it. Suggestion: Fox, by Margaret Wild Don’t let students dread to read or write. Encourage them to think outside the box, and write from their experiences, their hobbies, the things they enjoy; read books that engage and make students understand that reading can bring you to so many other worlds. I encourage you to let your imagination run wild this week. I encourage you to write, To read, And to dream. Karaline There is a point to the ridiculous title, I promise. And all points relate to teaching.
But first, to explain why I’m writing now instead of a few days ago for the official “Teach Tales” launch: when the site launched about ten days ago, I honestly couldn’t think of enough positive things to say about where I was in my teaching journey. I was trying to handle some pretty upsetting things that had come up in my courses, and I couldn’t focus my thoughts about my experiences into anything coherent. But now I can. Not that I’ve moved much farther in my journey, although maybe I have. It’s only been ten days, after all. But in those ten days, I participated in two podcasts and had some much-needed, guilt-free “me time” (hence Star Trek (TNG), which I am plowing through on Netflix while delivering running commentary to my good friend in Kingston -- she humours me.) Podcasts are awesome. I jumped on the podcast bandwagon several months ago and haven’t looked back. VoicEd Radio is a fantastic source for heartfelt, dynamic, hilarious podcasts about education. This format is so nice for an immersive, “deep-dive” into education issues -- I like it way better than the Twitter flood that I find overwhelming at times. These are great because I can control my own learning -- teacher’s college only goes so far! Now, when it comes to teaching with actual flesh-and-blood children, that’s where the Worry Lists and Star Trek come in. I had a really rough time in late 2016 -- general burnout, worry about school, and some pretty heavy family issues. I went to my undergrad advisor for a meeting in November and had a bit of a moment in her office. She said “Do I have to put you on my Worry List?”; I assured her she didn’t, but I’m sure I went up there anyway. I emailed her the next day saying that she could take me off. And this December during practicum, my brain generated its own Worry List when I listened to a few of my students. Apparently, this list just makes itself. And it’s heavy. And it sticks with me. And the kids stick -- they keep coming back, because they have to; it’s the law. When I close that door at the end of the day, I have to come back the next day. But that’s all the more reason to create a kind, supportive classroom. And that’s where Star Trek comes in. Not into my classroom (yet?!), but into my life where I need to get better at turning my brain off. I am notoriously bad at giving myself a break, though I AM improving. Star Trek (and other junkie Netflix TV) helps me unwind and relax, and that is so important in this profession when we’re expected to be “on” all the time. Having the time to unwind and stop thinking about everything work-related helps me come back with more energy and less worry. So there. Not quite a 5-paragraph essay, and certainly not academic, but this is my first contribution to Teach Tales. I think this is a cool initiative, so hat-tip to Karaline, and to you for reading this! Leave a comment -- I’m happy to chat more! Emily Wong Your cooperating teacher is the one chosen for you to show you the way around a
classroom. You look to them for advice, how they take charge of their classroom, and see how they interact with the rest of the faculty. But what do you do if you and your cooperating teacher do not get along? The reasons for not getting along with your CT can be anything. You don’t agree with their teaching style, don’t appreciate the way she/he may treat the students or even simply just the two of you may have clashing personalities. Whatever the reason, it may seem like you’re stuck with them and have no way out for the rest of your practicum. That is not the case though. The first step is to figure out who to speak to in your university. These people are professors, the practicum supervisors, and others whose sole jobs is to make sure you have a good experience. The second is to make sure you are telling the truth. Make sure the people you are talking to know your emotions and how uncomfortable you are. Third, make sure to respect your CT in all of this, they’re still an important part in your practicum, and as future teachers we must always preach respect. Personally, I have been in a situation like this. It was during my first practicum that was only around three weeks long. The teacher I was placed with was respectful to me and actually let me be involved in the class and help the students out. I was thankful and super happy because technically this was an observatory stage, just to ensure that we were in the right program for us. It was only during the last few days that I started to realize that my CT and I clashed in the way we treated the students. Her approach to teaching was more old-fashioned. This is not a bad thing of course, the research for teaching is constantly changing. In my opinion, it was because the teacher felt as though she had to be the leader of a class whereas I wish to be a teacher who involves students in every aspect. Don't get me wrong, she was still a great teacher and the students excelled. At times I just felt like she lost her patience quickly and didn't respond in the proper way. To each their own and I will never put another teacher down. This is simply a personal experience I've had when I did not get along with my cooperating teacher. It was not bad enough that it involved me getting others involved but I wrote this to tell you, if you are a current teacher candidate experiencing a less than happy practicum, that it is okay to speak up and share the problems. In certain situations, universities will switch your CT if what you are experiencing will interfere with your potential grade on the stage. So, from here on out let us all hope to get along with our cooperating teachers but remember that there are people on our team that want the best for us. Here’s to memorable practicums (in a good way!). Elaina Manzone Mental health is a topic that must be discussed, especially when we are talking about students in the classroom. As many as 1 in 5 children and youth in Ontario will experience some form of mental health problem in their life time (CMHO, 2016). When students maintain positive mental health, and experience a sense of well-being, they are better able to succeed in a school setting. The reason for this is that mental health and well-being have a large impact on student’s attention span, creativity, attitudes and capacity to learn (Carney & Parr, 2014).
As Carney and Parr (2014) mention, positive mental health is the capacity for us to feel, think and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges that are handed to us. If a student is not able to maintain a positive mental health then it will be quite difficult for them to be successful in the classroom. If a student is not able to deal with challenges or is unable to enjoy life, then the classroom is not going to be a great place for them. That is why I believe that it is part of my job, as an educator, to promote positive mental health in the classroom. There are numerous ways to promote mental health in the classroom; support students with self regulation, support students in identifying and understanding their feelings, and recognizing students’ strengths rather than focusing on their needs (Carney & Parr, 2014), to name a few. However, one that I believe to be extremely important is ensuring children are developing resiliency as well as being given chances to flourish. Resiliency is what allows students to cope with life’s disappointments, challenges, and pain. I believe that resiliency is very closely connected to Carol Dweck’s idea of growth mindset versus fixed mindset. If a student has a fixed mindset then they believe that all their abilities are inherent and therefore unchangeable. However, if a student has a growth mindset, then they see the classroom and school differently. Rather than believing all their abilities are inherent, they believe that they have the ability to grow and thrive through experiences (Fogarty, 2016). I am very fortunate that at my placement school, growth mindset is seen as something very important to teach children. On the walls in classrooms, as well as on the walls in the staff room, there are signs up talking about growth mindset, specifically about the word yet. The word yet has a strong meaning and has the ability to change the way students view situations and their abilities. It is all too common to hear students say “I can’t do this”, “This doesn’t work”, “I don’t know the answer”. I have personally been experiencing this a lot lately, in my grade 5 classroom, specifically with regards to math. Students seem to be giving up right away and saying they do not know the answer or that they do not understand. When I hear students saying this I try to remind them about growth mindset by letting them know that they simply do not understand yet. Making mistakes is another thing that I find important to teach students. Everyone makes mistakes, even the most brilliant people on the planet. What is important is what you do with that mistake. There is a great book that I have seen my fellow teacher candidates use called Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg, to teach about mistakes. It helps to demonstrate that beautiful things can come out of mistakes. I am hoping to create a lesson using this book to teach my grade 5s about making mistakes. I want the students to know that rather than be embarrassed or upset by their mistakes they should embrace them. I definitely try to model this thinking with my students in class as well. There are times when I make a mistake, maybe I spelled a word wrong or miscalculated a number. However, instead of shying away from my mistakes, I own up to them, and use them as an opportunity to teach the students that everyone makes mistakes and it is okay because that is how we learn and grow. I believe that not only growth mindset is important in creating a positive mental health classroom, but rather having students that believe you believe in them, is important as well. I think Fogarty (2016) poses a great question, one that all teachers should ask themselves; do the kids believe that I believe in them? To have a mentally healthy classroom, students need to feel that they are appreciated, respected and valued. If students are not feeling this, then it is going to be hard for them to put effort into their work and try to do their best. Last week, while I was teaching a lesson, there was a student who was talking a bit too much and fooling around quite a bit. I of course went to see him and tried prompting him to get to work. When he finally started his work, he rushed through it so quickly and finished his work before everyone else. When he showed me what he had done it was clear to see why he finished so quickly, he had not put a lot of effort into it. Observing him over the past few weeks and seeing the other work he produced, I knew he was capable of much more. Subsequently, I took him aside and asked him if he believed he had produced his best work. I made sure he knew that I was aware how good he was with words and how I had seen him produce high quality work before. Then, on his own accord, he told me that he knew he was capable of much more and he would prefer if he could restart rather than hand in what he had done quickly. I think that this example speaks to the idea of believing in students. I did not just accept the work he handed in. I knew he was capable of much more and I made sure that he knew that as well. As Fogarty (2016) mentions: “belief looks like high expectations, total acceptance, and genuine respect […] between the teacher and the student. It says, I know you can do it.” A student who believes that you believe in them, is one who is going to put in the effort and who is going to try their hardest. Fostering this type of environment in the classroom is exactly what I hope to be able to do one day. I want to create a positive mental health environment where my students feel resilient, have a growth mindset, and know that I believe in them. I want my students to know that sometimes things may be hard and plan A may not always work out, but that is okay because the alphabet has 25 more letters to try out! Kaitlyn |
AuthorWelcome to the blog spot. There's plenty of different authors here. Archives
May 2018
Categories |