Hope

    I believe hope is the driving force toward Success. Hope gives us the desire to push through challenges in order to reach our goals and destination.  One way I teach hope to my students is through the power of “Yet”.  The power of "Yet" gives them a way to reflect and convince themselves that they can push through the challenges they may face.  I have noticed that my students are gaining confidence in their abilities just by adding “Yet”.  

Student Voice

     A wildly, important goal that I am working on is student voice. Student voice is something I have been working towards and consider it to be an important component in my classroom.  Student voice “is the individual and collective perspective and action of students within the context of learning and education". I started a classroom podcast for my students to share their learning through Podbean.  My plan is to use our podcast station as an outlet to share our learning outside of the walls of our classroom.  I believe student voice matters and when students feel significant they drive their own learning.  According to The Express Tribune student voice “can also strengthen student achievement and foster workforce readiness.”  My goal is to prepare students with tools they can use outside the classroom door.  I don’t think technology can replace the teacher but it is a great tool to promote engagement and teaches skills needed for tomorrow’s world.

Summerford Stars Podcast https://summerfordstars.podbean.com/

Salim, A. S. (2015, September 17). The importance of giving students a voice.

Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://tribune.com.pk/story/958685/the-

importance-of-giving-students-a-voice/

What is most important - the what, the how, or the why when it comes to learning and pursuing life goals?

What is most important - the what, the how, or the why when it comes to learning and pursuing life goals?

I believe the most important word when pursuing life goals is the “WHY”.  Starting with a purpose makes the “what” and the “how” fall into place.  Why did I want to pursue a Master’s Degree has been the question that I have had to answer for some time.  My purpose became my passion.  The passion to ensure that all students will be ready for the 21st century.  I want to be a part of the movement to help our schools become the types of teaching structures that prepare our students for the world.  Our world has changed and it's taking awhile for our schools to catch up to 21st-century learning.  Some still teach in rows and deliver the same teaching practices that they have used for years and years.  There is nothing wrong with rows and some the old teaching practices still work but let’s combine the two to develop a “BOLDSCHOOL”  As an educator I am committed to helping develop and push new experiences out, even if I am a lone wolf.

Kieschnick, W. (2017). Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies.

    NewYork: International Center for Leadership in Education.

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.