Blogging Challenge - Day 6

Mentoring has often been one of those topics that is easy to understand on the surface, but difficult to truly recognize, let alone master.  For the sake of clarity, a quick Google search reveals that mentorship involves the sharing of wisdom and knowledge to someone of less experience.  Perhaps even more importantly, though, is that true mentorship occurs when someone is guiding another person.  This isn't a simple matter of giving instruction and turning the student loose.  To be a mentor means so much more: it means that both are active participants in the required learning.

Take the example shown above.  In "The Empire Strikes Back" (easily the best in the series), it showcases the continued desire of Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi.  He knows that this isn't knowledge he can just read from a book.  No.  Luke understands that he needs the guiding influence of a Jedi Master so he seeks him out.  As he begins his training, it is important to note that Yoda is with Luke nearly every step of the way, providing instruction, encouragement, and words of caution.  This is a clear example of what I would consider active mentorship.  Well... now I've got that out of my system.

When I reflect on my own life, I'm often overwhelmed at just how many true mentors have been a part of it, even especially when I didn't recognize it.  My thoughts often turn to my dad, a man who worked hard at his career and really tried to maximize the time he had with us as a family in his time off.

Apologies in advance for the grainy quality of the following pictures:

Dad and I fishing near Elkwater

Enjoying some Christmas presents

While I was looking for a few examples in the old photo album, I also remembered playing basketball as a kid.  My dad loves sports and he tried to pass that love on to each of us, along with the sense of dedication that would be required to succeed.  I can remember many nights where I would finish a game or practice and, after everyone else left, he would have me practice shooting, my lay-ups, or some other skill that he felt needed some work.  I can remember hating it some nights... a lot of the time I just wanted to get home to bed and I had already done enough.  However, with time I began to understand that it wasn't ideal to just do enough: I needed to push myself and I needed to take things further than I was often willing to go.

Now as a teacher, I'm faced with the daily challenge of motivating my students, and myself, to go beyond what is merely acceptable.  I need to push myself to go beyond simply going through the content, which can be relatively easy.  Teaching needs to be much more than just giving them the answers and turning them loose on the next grade.  If we are to be mentors, we need to get involved.  We need to get right in the middle of the action and participate in what our students are doing.

This is much easier said than done.  Everyone has their bad days.  There are times when, like many others in my profession, I just want to hide behind my desk and will those minutes to go by faster.  There are times when I am not as patient as I need to be with every single student.  And, perhaps, more often than I should, I simply do enough.  It isn't that I don't work hard at my job but I need to remember in those moments that teaching shouldn't just be about me: it should ultimately be focused on my students.

Earlier when I discussed what I love so much about teaching, upon further reflection I now realize that those treasured experiences that I enjoy so deeply are when I am being a mentor and more than just a teacher.  That isn't to say that teaching in any way is lessened when that ideal is not reached, but it reminds me of why I got into this in the first place, and what I need to commit to keep reaching for.  In many ways, it puts me right back in that empty gymnasium all those years ago.  Try and try again.

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 5

When was the last time you got this excited to see a classroom?

Today we get to spend a little bit of time looking at the wonder that is my classroom.  I suppose that I shouldn't be trying to sound sarcastic... but sometimes it isn't always the easiest thing to get worked up about.  It is, at the core, just a classroom, and I've never been the kind of person of person to get too worked up over appearances.  That being said, when I really consider that this is likely going to be a room that I'll be spending a fair amount of time in over the course of my career, I might want to start putting a bit more thought into how things look.

Random Thought: While typing that last paragraph, my mind started wondering just how much time I actually will spend in that room.  Assuming no room changes over the next 33 years (and retirement at 65), a rough calculation reveals that my classroom and I will be well acquainted for around 1785 days... nearly 5 total years of my life!  Interesting.

Without any further ado, I present my classroom.

Like I said.  Nothing too fancy.  Normally, the desks would be in pods of four, however, my homeroom has been doing some testing over the past week and I haven't really felt like moving everything back and forth.  As for the general decor, I have flags!  I need to credit former colleagues at RMSS in Slave Lake for pushing the idea for our social department.  The walls are pretty empty being early in the semester.  Work from students will gradually occupy the space as the year progresses.

I'm not really sure why, but for some reason, I've been hesitant to effectively utilize my shelf space.  Most of what's there now was there when I received this room assignment and I haven't exactly been thrilled at the prospect of going through someone else's work clutter.  While I've organized a few of my texts from University (to look impressive) and alphabetized my movie collection, I've mostly steered clear of this space.  I know that needs to change, but it becomes 'one-more-thing' to do in my already busy schedule so I let it slide.

Nathan Drake, Ganondorf, and Batman.  So cool.

Those who know me well understand that I'm a geek at heart.  Like the flags, things like this add to the personality of the room.  I really feel that these are the types of things that students remember when they think about their time in a classroom.  I couldn't tell you much about what I learned in high school physics, but I remember the teacher's Tesla Coil and other displays.  I'm often on the lookout for other little things that reflect me and who I am.  It has often been the conversation starter for many-a-student as we try to build a productive and comfortable relationship.

And then there's my desk.  I often gravitate towards a state of organized-chaos over the semester: I don't always know exactly where something is, but I know it's somewhere on my desk.  I'm making it a goal to keep things more tidy this year.  I have a few other things to personalize this space: family photos, movie posters, my Star Wars calendar, and other mementos shared with me from current and former students.  Again, this can be another conversation starter.  I've tried to avoid making my desk an intimidating space: I want students to be able to approach me.

When I look at these photos, there are a few things I'd love to see.  A condensed wishlist would include:

•  Computer / Chromebook Workstations.  This would be super helpful for those moments when students forgot to 'Share' their work, or have some extra time to work on their research projects without needing access to the lab
• Dedicated Reading Space.  I would love to not only have a thorough and varied book section right in my room, but a small area with a comfy chair or two where students could work or read.  This, for me, encourages the idea of doing more than simply reaching for that phone at the first opportunity.
• Tables.  Maybe it's picky but I would prefer to have small tables instead of desks.  I think the benefits far outweigh the challenges (test-taking comes to mind... an issue but workable).

Together, these relatively small cosmetic changes would help to foster the kind of learning environment I would love to work in.  A place where cooperation is fostered, where individual pursuits are a bit more encouraged, and where students can a lot less afraid to approach their teachers because they know a bit more about them.

Until the budgeting gods smile a bit more fortuitously on me, I suppose I should really should get back to that shelf, though.

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 4

I've been looking forward to this post since I first came across this blogging challenge.  I'm going to have to provide a little bit of context, though, if I'm to properly say what it is that I love most about teaching.  Here we go...

As a high school student, teaching was never something that I ever really wanted to do.  I enjoyed school (yes... I was on of those kids) but I was probably more worried about what others expected me to do than what I actually wanted for myself.  As a result, I spent my first year of post-secondary focused on the sciences with a tentative plan to get into medicine.  Don't get me wrong... it wasn't like I had zero interest in the profession.  At that stage in my life, though, I just didn't have the necessary drive to apply myself in the way that was needed.  It also didn't help that I had been largely unchallenged through high school.  Part of the reason I enjoyed school so much was that, for the most part, it came very easily to me.  This led me to seriosuly neglect my so-called study habits.  I wasn't really willing to spend more than a few minutes studying mainly because I'd never needed to before.

After limping through my first year, I went on a mission for my church to San Francisco, where I would spend the next two years of my life sharing a very different message.  While I won't elaborate on the details of this period of my life in this space, suffice it to say that I really grew to love the people around me.  Being able to get through every single day, often filled with a lot of negative responses, taught me a great deal of patience and empathy.  Perhaps most importantly, I truly grew to relish those times when I could connect with people on a personal level and be a part of their learning.  This shared experience of teaching and inviting became a major motivator for me.  It drove me to build a rapport with those around me so that I could have more of that teaching rush.

Kate and I visiting San Francisco in 2008... five years after I left.

I remember discussing teaching as a career while I was in California.  Most people said I shouldn't worry about it because it was too difficult to earn a living.  The more sensible side in me tended to agree and I gave up on the idea.  Shortly after coming home, I moved up to Edmonton where I began my studies in Political Science and Sociology thinking that law was going to be my path.  Two years in, I wasn't happy, and the ceaseless comments from friends and family were starting to get to me (Heh... political science, eh?  Good luck with that one...)  I had a young family at that point and I was really worried about being able to provide for them.  It was at this point, that I started to remember just how much I loved teaching.  Not only would it be a stable career, but I knew that I would love it.

So.  Three years of post-secondary down and I changed paths once more into Secondary Education with a major in Social Studies and a minor in German.  I can honestly say that I felt much more at home from the moment I saw that letter confirming my transfer: I knew that this is where I needed to be.  

In the three years I spent in Education at the U of A, and more importantly in the years I have spent as a teacher, I have been motivated by a desire to share in the learning of my students.  What I love most about teaching are those moments when I am approached by a student who isn't just looking for an answer to the question.  They have a true desire to learn for themselves.  Maybe they're trying to figure out that essay, or perhaps they just don't understand what they've read.  In any circumstance like this, I have tried my best to help them figure things out in their own way and the feeling of relief and excitement when they finally understand literally makes my day.  

To be clear, this isn't a Wow-I'm-an-Amazing-Teacher self congratulatory thing.  This is pure empathy.  I have watched many students struggle, and some have shown up in my classroom in tears because they just didn't get it.  I can go through a day feeling like I haven't been very successful and one meeting... one experience like this makes it all worthwhile.  I can think of few things in my own life which have been able to help me feel that way.

Teaching is LITERALLY... the best job in the world!

~Mr.T

Scotland Decides

As a political junkie, I often find myself drawn to certain pivotal moments in citizen engagement and democracy.  The Scottish Referendum did not initially catch more than a passing interest when it was first announced in March 2013.  I remember glancing through the proposals detailing what Scottish independence would look like.  Some ideas seemed reasonable enough and yet my own observations of politics in Quebec led me to predict that this would not amount to anything too drastic.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when polls started to show the 'Yes' campaign closing the gap, and even taking a lead, and my passing interest developed into something more substantial.  For reasons I don't fully understand and appreciate, I began to feel that so-called momentum of history.  This began to feel like one of those moments that would really leave an impression.

As it is, I'm having a hard time writing and keeping my thoughts straight as the results have been coming in so quickly.  Just for reference, here's where the totals currently stand as of 9:32 pm (graphics courtesy of BBC News):

I'm going to have to take a break and have some final thoughts when all this settles down.

UPDATE 9:45 pm:  The momentum continues.

UPDATE 9:57 pm:  I don't see things changing with the 9 polls that remain.  BBC seems about ready to call it.

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 3

For most of my life, I have absolutely hated any sort of personal evaluation.  I was never bothered so much by school-based exams... I suppose they always seemed a bit removed from the whole process to me.  I would complete the test and be given a grade and that would be the end of it.  Where I haven't always felt comfortable is the whole issue of owning up to my knowledge and/or performance.  I'm not sure 100% sure why, but I think I always felt that not doing as well as I was expected to do would be viewed as a personal letdown to whomever happened to be critiquing me.  

For the first few years of my career, I often struggled to put teacher evaluations in their proper perspective.  I would spend hours and hours agonizing over how I would need to create and maintain the perfect conditions in order to showcase personal excellence.  I would be meticulously detailed in my lesson-planning, often investing the time to come up with multiple backup plans.  I thought that I was being prudent in these preparations and that I would be able to demonstrate just how awesome I could be with my abundance of planning.  Instead, I would work myself into a stressed-out mess, exhausted from my efforts, and too worried about my performance to focus on what was actually happening in my classroom.  In many ways, I would fail the ultimate test for a teacher: I was not myself.

Now, that isn't to say that any of what I was doing was necessarily bad.  An educator should be prepared and organized.  They should know what they are trying to do and have a plan for how to get there.  However, in my attempts to be perfect in my own sphere, I would neglect and overlook the more pressing needs of those in my classroom and 'their' learning would not be all that it truly could.

Having secured a continuous teaching contract is without a doubt, a huge relief, but I have never looked at it as something that would liberate me forever from another evaluation.  Rather, I feel like I can appreciate it more for what it is: an attempt by my colleagues in the profession to further enhance what I can do.

As part of my goals for the year, I have been trying to showcase not just what I can do, but more of what my students can accomplish as I put into practice the philosophies of cooperative learning.  I am trying to not look at my evaluations (which still happen) as a chance to mainly show how much control I can have.  My desire is for my admin team to be able to see that I can put the principles that I am learning into practice by trusting my students a bit more with their own learning.  I want them to be able to observe that I can provide a learning environment where students have genuine direction and motivation to push themselves and engage others in this whole process.  In short, I want that spotlight to shine less on myself and more on those who find themselves in my classroom.

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 2

Image Courtesy of goo.gl/oHxkVb 

I've written before about the value of technology in our society, and of the growing importance it has in the classroom.  I like to think like I'm somewhat up to date with the curve on the kinds of ideas that are out there, but the truth is that it can be pretty overwhelming to keep up with.  All too often, I've been excited to try something new only to come crashing down when I haven't had the time to fully implement it when confronted with something else even more new.  The 'new-new' in Ed Tech is no exception.

That being said, I love being able to get excited about stuff... that enthusiasm is never a bad thing in this profession.  I'm very anxious to experiment with Google Classroom and have been really impressed with what I've seen so far.  Here's a little video that gives a nice overview for what the program can offer.

What I like most about this is just how streamlined this makes a lot of the activities that I want to do.  Looking at a standard essay as an example, in the past I would have had to print off hard copies of the topic, arrange for required lab time, collect any and all work printed off by students, grade them (either at work or even at home), and hand them back.  Classroom eliminates a lot of the 'tracking down' that I need to do.  I can achieve almost everything through this one program.  I can even provide feedback on student work before it is completed and handed in.  The only challenge that often remains is getting lab time, but the accessibility of these apps from any internet device lessens that need.  All in all, I really feel that this gives me more time to focus on my students and a lot less on the process of merely completing work.

More to come.

~Mr.T

More Song Crushes...

30-Day Blogging Challenge notwithstanding, I feel like I'll get into the habit quicker if I sneak a quick moment to share something fun.

Here are a few songs that have been stuck in my head for various reasons over the past few months.

1.  "Undercover Martyn" by Two-Door Cinema Club

I have a good friend to thank for this one... he and his wife shared this gem with me as I chauffeured our group around the big island of Hawaii this past July.  It's been in my head since then.  Very catchy... I highly recommend their other work.

2.  "Toilet Brushes - More" by Nils Frahm

This has a bit of double significance.  I admittedly heard it in a trailer for a video game but I have always been a sucker for energetic pieces like this on the piano.  I also saw this around the same time that we got our piano tuned for the first time in a long time and my wife got to play it a bit more.  I'm a huge fan of the performance in the video above... well worth the view.

~MrT

Blogging Challenge

Once again, we have reached the point where I introduce my students to the wonderful world of blogging.  Of course that usually means that I have to explain what a blog even is.

Naturally, that also reminds me of the need to get back into the habit myself.  Inspired by student enthusiasm and the efforts of some of my colleagues, I have come across this 30-Day Blogging Challenge.  As I've recently encountered with some of my personal fitness, I HAVE to have something to work towards that is specific.  I couldn't just say I will no longer be fat... although that would be nice.  Instead, I had to be more direct: I will get into the gym every school day and do cardio.  I'm getting the sense that blogging will need to be one of those areas that require something more concerted.

So. For Day One I will write a little bit about my goals for the year.  Here are a few key things that stand out:

1.  Technology.  This, for me, is a big one.  I love spending time online and with colleagues and friends looking at things that are cool.  The challenge is finding to way to use technology effectively.  Our district has focused a lot on using Google's architecture to facilitate greater collaboration and increase the ease with which we can accomplish our goals.  This year introduces Google Classroom, which I really like and am excited to play with.

I want to ensure that I'm not just using technology just for technology's sake.  There needs to be a purpose and a measurable way to observe and note student progress toward digital outcomes.  My goal is to make sure that when I use an app, be it Socrative, Remind, or Google's suite of tools, there needs to be a reason beyond the simple wow factor.

2.  Kagan.  Our district has also spent a great deal of time and effort looking into the Kagan philosophy of cooperative learning.  I will admit that a good amount of my teaching and instruction is quite teacher centered... I've often fallen into the trap of assuming that I have a more direct role in helping my students to understand what is needed, especially in a subject as content-driven as Social Studies.  Kagan embraces the idea that students benefit more by working together and relying a lot less on the 'sage on the stage' approach that many of us have grown so accustomed to.  My goal is to play with some of the strategies in my big ol' book, to refine them, and make them part of my normal teaching practice.  This may mean that I fall on my face more often than I would like, but if it means that my students are a bit more engaged in what they are doing, it will be well worth the price of admission.

There you have it.  A bit of insight into what I'll be working on this year, and a roadmap to what I hope to showcase through this blog.  Should be a good year...  now for the next 29 days of blogging.

~MrT