I was NOT teacher of the year and that's okay!

This week  I sat through our yearly beginning of year Convocation. I watched as teachers were being commended and given the coveted title of TEACHER OF THE YEAR!!!
Now that I can no longer be nominated for this title I sat back and reflected what warrants a teacher of the year? Of course the students have to love him/her, they have good test scores, and they get along with all the staff. Sounds good right?
I started thinking about my first year of teaching way back in 2002 and how I secretly wanted to be teacher of year some day. I thought that would be the day I said, "I have made it in the teaching world!" As the years went by I volunteered for numerous committees, sat on the board for teacher organizations, and worked after school programs all in hopes of getting that big nomination.
The nomination did come around year 6 or 7 and sadly I felt zero excitement.
Why? I realized that I didn't need my peers to tell me I was doing a good job I needed it to show in my students!
Those of you that read this and know me well can agree that I don't always follow the rules. I don't break the rules but if I see an opportunity to make something happen I will not stop until it is accomplished. Some people call it stubbornness, I call it passion!
I may have not followed my team's lesson plans to a T, most likely I thought up a cool project that my students actually enjoyed. I may have not posted my TEKS exactly like everyone else, but my students still scored well on test. I may have not sat quietly in the back of a room during a meeting, instead I spoke up and suggested a new way to solve a problem. I may have given that problem student a different assignment so that he could be successful and that assignment may have been totally different than the other kids'. I may have called parents too often but they knew that I cared and that their child could do better. I may have volunteered my team mates and co-workers to help me plan crazy but fun fundraisers for the students.

And I may not have been labeled teacher of the year, ever.

However, a parent walking up to me 3 years after I had their child with tears in her eyes telling me that I was the reason her son is successful feels pretty good. Or the parent that says "You were the first teacher to ever call me from the school" feel pretty good. Or the co-worker that lovingly says "You are on crack you have so many ideas!" feels pretty good. Or the principal that emails me at the beginning of the year and ask me to make signs for all the new staff because she knows I will without question. Or watching the student who had her classmates speak for her at the beginning of the year successful stand up and give a speech in front of the class feels pretty good.
So as far as I am concerned I am happy to never be crowned Teacher of the Year! I would rather be known as teacher my students think about years after they have left my classroom.
So all of you teachers out there don't be upset if you don't get nominated or crowned Teacher of the Year this year, those moments will come when you least expect it and will leave a lasting impression on your heart!

Homework...Blah

As I sit here in my short 3 week summer I begin to wonder about the Fall and what my daughter will encounter in 3rd grade! I taught in a regular ed classroom for 10 years, in a variety of grade levels, and always wondered about homework. Yes, homework.

Here are a few questions that I always pondered...
1) Did the kids even care to finish their homework?
2) Were they getting anything out of their homework?
3) Did they remember anything from the school day that was reviewed in their homework?
4) Why do teachers call it a "homework packet"?  (I hated that name and refused to use it)
5) Did parents even look at their child's homework?
6) Should I even send homework home?


The answer to most of the questions above is NO! Homework was just another "thing" for the kids to forget at home and then for me to hound them about until Friday. I tried to be creative when I sent homework home and gave out prizes for kids that returned it early. I went the complete other direction and gave harsh punishments for late homework. But in reality the kids didn't get anything out of their homework and I didn't even grade it because the district I worked in had a no grading homework policy.

The real question is....Should homework being meaningful and dare I say FUN???? And the answer is a loud and strong YES!

This whole theory of meaningful homework really hit home with me this year with my own child. She would sit down knock out her "packet" on Monday night and then wait to turn it in on Friday. It was the typical spelling words three times, reading passage, and then some math worksheet. (You know you are guilty of the same crime.)

For the first couple of months my daughter would take care of her homework with ease. Then came November...The 8 year old comes home and says that she doesn't want to do her homework because it is not for a grade and it is boring. We now have a problem! I of course knew the homework policy and agreed with her about the boring aspect but we pushed through and got it done with lots of whining and persuasion.

As the months went on homework really started to become an issue. My kiddo that could sit down and knock it out in 20 minutes had to be persuaded to sit down on Thursday night to start her homework. I asked her what she wanted to do for homework and she said she wanted to research pigs and make a poster with QR codes. We sat at the computer together for 30 minutes with no whining, crying, or pouting. Dare I say she even smiled while doing homework.

It then occurred to me that homework needs to change. I'm not asking for an elaborate project every week (we all know that parents like to "help" a little too much when it comes to home projects). I wanted something meaningful for my daughter that gave her "choice".  Maybe practice the same skills but give the student the ability to be creative or inventive. Crazy idea I know!

I tried my hardest to push this issue but their came a point where I didn't want to push my daughters' teacher to far because I know overwhelming teaching can be. I sat back and reflected and knew that something would come to me in the future.

Jump ahead a few months and I am sitting in a conference listening to a speaker who tells the group that the word homework should not be used anymore. I was so excited because someone was on the anti-homework train with me. She encouraged us to assign missions instead of homework. I envisioned sending home 10 minute task that students could complete on their own or with minimal parent help. This form of homework would be fun and give you a quick snapshot into the students' head. I also envisioned students coming to school excited to share their completed missions and everyone having their missions completed. Of course the missions would take a little time to plan but I feel like the end products of the missions greatly outweigh the time spent planning.

I do hope that this blog post encourages teachers to think outside of the box and encourage you to make changes with your homework. Homework doesn't have to be mundane and boring. It can be creative, include higher ordered thinking, and be fun for students if you put forth a little effort and give students choice.

As you start planning your classroom for the fall think about missions. What are some missions that you want to see your kids complete? Would you rather complete a mission during inservice or fill out a worksheet?

The Amazing Wiki Seat (Part 2)

At this point I FINALLY had a teacher willing to participate in the Wiki Seat project/adventure with me and I was ready to dive in head first. I knew the initial introduction may be a little different and too open ended for most students. I prepared a short hand out with "guiding questions" to help facilitate brainstorming for the students.
The guiding questions included:

• What materials will you use? Will you use new materials, materials from other projects, or recyclable materials?

•  What additional materials will you need? Paint, fabric, etc.
• How much weight does your chair need to support?
• What is the purpose of your wiki seat? Chair, table, or something else?
• Would consumers want to purchase your seat? Are you designing your chair for a certain consumer group? 
• If a furniture designer wanted to reproduce your design how much would it cost to replicate? 

I made my copies and with my catalyst in hand prepared myself for 3 classes of high school students. (I just came from a 5th grade class so I figured the personalities were pretty much the same.)

Monday morning I walked into the welding classroom with anticipation that the students would love this project and would think it was a nice change from the normal class projects.
I gave my short spill about the background of the wiki seat and then passed out the guiding questions to help get the kids going.
This is the part that scared/disappointed me.....

I started getting questions and "the looks":

• What are we making? My response: A seat or other structure using this as your starting point.
• Can I see an example? My response: Yes, but don't you want to create something of your own.
• What are we suppose to be doing? My response: Use this catalyst to create a structure.(Sound familiar?)
• Do we have to do this? My response: (not appropriate for this blog)
• Do I have to fill out this whole sheet? My response: No, this is just to help you get ideas.
• The blank stare x 10! My response: In my head " Did I just miss something here?"

Blank stare??? Really, have we sucked all the creative juices out of students by the time they reach high school?? I taught in a classroom for 10 years, I am pretty sure I gave good instructions while still keeping the project open ended to allow for student creativity. Why weren't they getting it? Why were they still asking questions? Why weren't they collaborating with their neighbors and giving each high fives?

Then it dawned on me....the students were so use to step 1, step 2, step 3 assignments that they lost the ability to THINK!!! They were so use to questions with ABCD answers that they didn't know where to begin when it came to problem solving or creation.
I took a step back and started asking the students what they enjoyed doing when they were not a school. I soon discovered that I had a class with a football player, fishermen, music enthusiast, a gamer, a horse rider, a ping pong lover, and countless other unique students.
The juices startign flowing at this point and students started sketching designs for their wiki seats.

 As they started sketching their faces were lighting up. This project was now meaningful to them and they wanted to create something unique to their personalities.

You will see this finished design in my next blog post!

I really loved the tailgate design! I thought this was a great way to recycle used objects and use more than one wiki seat.  
At this point I started Tweeting the sketches to @WikiSeat in hopes to encourage more students to finish or at this point even begin sketching.

I particularly enjoyed watching this student sketch because he wanted his sketch perfect before I took a picture!

Fire pits were a popular item in the 3 classes!

After the students finished sketching they started to prepare their material list and calculate the cost of the metal they would need to complete their project. Many students realized quickly that the cost could be an issue and began thinking of items they had a home.
I  was feeling more confident about my decision to begin the project (at one point I thought about leaving after the first class and heading back to my office to hide.) . After the third class I convinced myself that the kids were going to "get it " eventually. It would just take time and patience.
The welding teacher and I decided that the students' first task would be to weld the catalyst and then take the wiki seat home to create their structure. I told the students that I would be back each week for the next 4 weeks to check on progress.

Stay tuned for the results of the project and parent feedback!

The Amazing Wiki Seat Project (Part 1)

During the week of TCEA I was lucky enough to attend a Makers Movement workshop. I knew as soon as I walked in the door that I would love the workshop because there was “stuff” everywhere. This truly was a hands on workshop where you got to make stuff! After a short 10 minute overview of the Maker’s Movement we were assigned the task of creating a chair using cardboard and these plastic zip-tie like connectors. This activity was right up my alley. As a DIYer fanatic at home I dove right into the project and our group came up with a pretty cool design.

We then took a circuit board and play doh to make a controller to play Pac Man. This was seriously the most fun I had ever had a workshop. Most importantly the presenter told us how each activity connected back to the TEKS and how each project included multiple TEKS. 

We completed several other hands on task and then we left with the presenters’ website to view other projects that were similar to the ones we completed. I scrolled through the website  a week later to come across the Wiki Seat project http://www.wikiseat.org/. I was instantly intrigued because it gave the kids the chance to think outside of the box and still apply math, science, and language arts skills. I went ahead and purchased 2 of the catalyst with hopes that one teacher would love the project! 

The Wiki Seat catalyst of the starting point of the project. Students add 3 legs and a top to create a functional seat.

 

The first elementary teacher I approached liked the idea but wasn’t sure where she would get the materials and didn’t know when her class would have time. Strike 1! I reevaluated and tried an art teacher at the secondary level. No response… Strike 2! Why wasn’t anyone jumping on this opportunity? This was such a cool project and it covered so many concepts! 

Skip ahead a month...On a whim I emailed the high school welding teacher in hopes that maybe he could at least weld a few additional catalyst for me and then I could approach a teacher with a class set of catalyst. No response…. Strike 3! (So I thought) Well I’m not one to give up when it comes to a cool project that I feel passionate about so I decided to drop by the welding class and “bug” the teacher.

 With my wiki seat shipping box in hand I walk into a classroom full of high school students and ask the teacher if he read my email. Yes, I know not the most professional way to handle the situation but I am persistent and don’t like to told no (does anyone like to be told no, didn’t think so). I was welcomed into the class and given a 30 minute tour of the facilities. The teacher supported the project and wanted to display the finished products at his FFA banquet in a month. 

Victory at last!! I had a willing teacher however, would I have willing students????

Stay tuned for Part 2 when I get to introduce the project to 3 classes of high school students! Let's just say I didn't get the response I was hoping for!

My Introduction to the Makers Movement

As an Instructional Technologist and ex-classroom teacher I have had the wonderful opportunity to attend many technology based conferences. In particular I have attended TCEA for numerous years. Each year I would attend and comeback to the classroom with a few new websites or apps that I would incorporate into my lesson plans. This year was different.... I scheduled myself for a 3 hour workshop based on the Maker's Movement. I thought to myself, I'm a DIYer at home and commonly refer to myself as a Junker, I wonder what making looks like in the classroom.
As I sit down in the workshop I see boxes, tape, gadgets and immediately know that I am going to love this workshop! My coworker even looked at me and said "This has Cari written all over it!"
Our first task was to create a chair using cardboard boxes, tape, and these cool plastic fasteners. I'm silently thinking that this task is cool but how am I going to convince teachers to do this in their classroom. The instructor then informs us that the chair must hold an adult, have a functional design, and look nice. (He may have said other stuff but I was lost in design mode) More importantly those three criteria helped me make the connection with a regular ed classroom. I started imagining the buy in from students and the cross curricular connections.
We start building our masterpiece using problem solving, collaboration, math, design, and so many other important skills that students usually don't have the chance to use in a classroom. Our chair was awesome and of course I was designated as the official tester!

Of course our chair was a success because we worked as a team and we cared about our end product!
As we wrapped up our chair I started to underatand the importnace of the Makers Movement and knew this was a direction education needed to go and go quickly!
I knew the most difficult part of the Makers Movement would to be to get buy in from teachers and admins. I was in luck..... 2 weeks after attending TCEA I had a tech showcase scheduled at one of my campuses. I immdeiatly added a Makers Station to the scheudle, gathered some supplies and then had a few students create a few sample products.
I had a small group of 2nd graders, yes 2nd graders, create a furniture item for the classroom. I used the same guidelines from my workshop and let the kids go at it. Guess what???? They were problem solving, collaborating, doing math, making design/engineering decisions all while thinking I was letting them play with cardboard.

This group came up with a cardboard reading couch complete with foot rest and slide that connected to their book drop. The couch also has a book holder in case you need to store more books. Did it function, yes. Did it serve a purpose in a classroom, yes. Did it make kids think, YES!!!


Thank you to my creative and crazy daughter for letting me use her picture on my blog!

In my next post I dive into the world of WikiSeat!!!!

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