Determination

  With determination you can do anything you set your mind to.   Last year I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and flip my classroom.  I received the flip classroom certification through Jon Bergerman (flip classroom pioneer) and learned the components needed to flip my classroom.  The flipped, classroom approach produced a community of online learners.  My students were teaching each other math strategies through online collaborations after school. I mediated and provided feedback to my students during nightly conversations (online).  It made a remarkable difference in their learning. Students were prepared for the lesson the next day because they took ownership of their learning. One of my students who struggled to pay attention in class became a leader in the nightly conversations.  He provoked others to think and challenged their ideas. Flipping my classroom has been an amazing experience for me and my students.  I believe the flipped, classroom approach has effectively taught 21st century skills that will transfer outside the classroom . It was a lot of hard work but my kids were so worth it.  I took a risk and that risk helped me discover another way to reach my kids. We must be teachers who continually learn and try new instructional strategies.  When we stop learning we stop growing.

Self-Worth

On October 26, 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech to junior high students in Philadelphia.  He posed this question to the student body, “What is your life’s blueprint?”.  He explained how they were building the structure of their lives at that very moment and questioned whether they had a solid foundation. Martin Luther King Jr. described two principals that needed to be a part of a person’s life blueprint.  These principles were self-worth and determination. When I listened to his speech it inspired me and I began thinking about how this applies to me as a teacher.  What’s my teaching blueprint?  I decided to reflect and think about how I was incorporating these two principles in my classroom.

In order to foster self-worth in our students we must know who they are and what inspires them.  We must take the time to have conversations with them.  I learned a great deal about love and empathy through a young man.  He had a tough, home life and was very angry all the time. There was something about him that made me want to gain his trust and I finally did.  To this day he still makes his way through the crowd at football games just to greet me, and I look forward to it each time!  When we form relationships with our students it sends a message that they matter and are significant.  Sometimes we get so consumed with data and paperwork that we forget why we are here.  It’s about the kids!  Self-worth also applies to teachers. We must start believing that we are difference makers.  How can we measure the result and if we were successful?  The results are not just measured by passing scores or good observational data, it’s measured by what our students tell us.