Blogging Challenge - Day 10

I find it easier to get back into any routine when I enjoy myself.  This is probably one of those posts that will help a bit.  Here we go, and in no particular order...

Five Random Facts About Me

• I have a giant red birth mark on the bottom of my right foot.  Not a bad spot for one if I do say so myself.
• I am number 13 of 31 grandchildren on my dad's side.  Yay for unintended palindromes!
• I don't like spiders at all.  I wouldn't even touch pictures of them when I was a kid.  I'll put on a brave face for my kids but they are much braver than I am when it comes to creepy crawlies.
• I have never had a broken bone.
• My parents bought me a Walkman on a trip to Montana around the time I was in Grade 2.  The first tape they got for me?  "Step By Step" by New Kids On The Block.  I loved that tape and probably still know more of the lyrics than I would care to admit...

Four Things From My Bucket List

This one is hard so I'm limiting it to destinations...

• Beijing, China
• Tokyo, Japan
• London, England
• Berlin Germany

Three Things I Hope For This Year

• To find that proper balance between career, family, health and fitness, personal recreation
• To stay more organized and clutter free
• To not put myself in a situation where I have a ton of marking to do at the last minute 

Two Things That Made Me Laugh Or Cry As A Teacher

• every year I commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and it gets me every time
• I can count on one hand the number of times where I've been incapacitated in the classroom due to laughter.  This video was one of those times.  Dumb, I know, but at the time it just got me.

One Thing I Wish More People Knew About Me

• I don't like confrontation at all.  I'm not just talking about arguments... sometimes even bringing up the fact that someone is doing something wrong or that I don't approve of is still incredibly difficult for me.  I'm not always so eager to point out infractions as some people might be tempted to think.

There.  Enlightening, no?

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 9

I'll keep the post brief because I fell behind again.  Something about this time of year... my own kids are in extracurricular activities, I've taken up a little bit of volleyball reffing, parent-teacher interviews and other preparations for report cards, and other demands.  This certainly isn't to say that I'm unique when compared to other teachers, or any other field for that matter.  However, this does mean that I need to work a little bit harder to get back into this habit.

I've struggled a little bit with today's topic: one of my most significant accomplishments that no one else knows about.  Contrary to what many might think of me today, I spent most of life as a pretty shy and reserved kid.  I didn't like to put myself in any situation that would be potentially embarrassing so I largely kept to myself.  I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing because that was easier for me than dealing with any potential fallout from letting others down.

After 7 years of teaching, I like to think that I'm still a pretty modest individual.  I know that there are things that I do well but that is readily and easily tempered by the recognition that I have a lot more to do.  Consistency, and not just in blogging, comes to mind among other areas.

All that being said, without going into details, I will say that what most seems to fit the bill for today's topic are the moments when I get the chance to work one-on-one with students who are really struggling.  I know the feeling well, when you've put off a needed conversation for far too long and need to face the inevitable.  There have been many who have finally come to visit with me after school away from the forces of peer pressure.  Here they can be a little more honest with themselves as they recognize that they need to be doing something different.  They are open to being taught and together we can come up with a plan to help them move forward.

Whether it's for help on an essay, going over a failed exam, getting caught up on a plethora of late and incomplete homework, or trying to cope with the difficult circumstances that they have then found themselves in, it is perhaps these moments that I have been most proud of.  There really isn't much to it, other than a genuine desire to improve and sincere effort to move forward.

Simple, rambling thoughts to be sure, but will at least meet the requirement for now.

Now... back to work.

New Idea

Woo!!  Two posts in one day.  No time like the present to get back into the habit.

I recently was going through my facebook news feed and came across a reference to Classcraft... a game that runs in the background while you teach.  As our school district has focused more and more on student collaboration (Tribes, Kagan), I have looked at ways that I can make these strategies meaningful and relevant in the classroom.  I don't just want these ideas to be something that I touch on but don't really implement.

As I read about Classcraft, I became very intrigued by the idea.  I won't summarize it here at this time, but do check out the website to see the basic idea.  I've purchased the premium version (I didn't want students to have to make in-app purchases with the freemium version) and will be setting this up with my homeroom tomorrow.  I'll share a few thoughts on how it goes later.

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 8

I'll spare everyone the excuses... it's time to recommit, plain and simple.

I admittedly struggled with this one because I wasn't 100% sure just what I could add in terms of discussion.  That being said, a post of this calibre is probably just what the blogging doctors ordered in terms of getting this back into habit.

Behold... my desk drawers! Dunh dunh dunh!!

Exhibit A. Lots of spare rulers and other supplies for those occasional moments when kids forget what they need.  In spite of my best efforts, this usually means that I am continually replenishing my stock.  Basics like pencils are a particular favorite, hence their absence from the drawer entirely.  Additionally, I've got a couple of bottles of Mio, some medals won coaching last year's B Boys basketball team, and mainly random knick-knacks.

Exhibit B isn't much different, only that some of the knick-knacks are now bigger.  This one strikes me for the complete randomness of some of it.  A tennis ball (I don't even play).  A lock.  A flashlight.  Some old exams and a couple of phonebooks round out the collection.

Now for what this says about me as a teacher.  First, I don't really file a lot of material in paper form.  I try to get work back to students as fast as I can and remove as much clutter as possible.  I'm not always the most tidy of people and as I continue to teach, I realize just how important it is to not get bogged down by too much stuff.  Google Drive has made this a lot easier: instead of fumbling around for something, I can keep it stored in the cloud for easy access.  I do much better organizing things electronically than I do in actual space.  It kind of reminds me of a certain show I've been known to watch from time to time...

Another thing I think this says about me as a teacher is that I have learned to adapt in some ways by making most of what I do a public thing.  Let me explain.  When I was a kid growing up, the teacher's desk always seemed to give off this aura of power.  I don't mean that in a negative way, but I guess I often had a sense of mystery when I thought about it.  What could be inside?  What's so important that it has to be kept in those drawers and matching mini filing cabinets?  I may have inadvertently added to this feeling by keeping my own desk in elementary in a state similar to some unexplored tomb or catacomb.

Maybe I haven't kept much in my desk because it isn't necessarily where I want to be tied to when I'm at work.  Most teaching nowadays has me frequently roaming around the classroom.  I'm really only seated at the very beginning or end of class, or if there's something I need to get done (catching up on marking, finish a lesson plan, etc).  I'd like to think that as ,ore and more of what I do doesn't take place at my desk, I just haven't made it the kind of anchor that a desk has traditionally been.

Final thoughts moving forward.  I need to blog more.  I started this challenge because I wanted it to become a habit.  I've slipped... again.  I am recommitting to reporting my thoughts here on a regular basis.  To make that possible, I'm going to try to do a bit more sharing.  As I recently went through parent-teacher interviews, there were a lot of parents who were impressed to see what their kids were up to on their own blogs.  I'm going to try and share a bit more of what I see in the classroom to highlight the exciting things that we are starting to get into.  

More to come.

~Mr.T

Blogging Challenge - Day 7

Been missing for a few days, so here's a quick breakdown of the past few days.  I helped to supervise the first junior high dance of the year this past Thursday.  As I pondered and reflected upon the deep, emotional journey of 'turning down' and popping, locking, and/or dropping (I'm told in that order), I was reminded of how old I'm becoming, or, at the very least, how old I'm feeling.  Out of sheer curiosity I downloaded a free sound-meter and discovered that we were regularly hearing in excess of 100db: a level similar to that found in the use of chain saws and jack hammers.  I was even asked by a few students if I liked this kind of music.  It isn't.  But, it's nice to see the kids having fun.

On Friday, I was feeling a little bit off and could sense that another one of my colds was coming along.  Sure enough, I woke up Saturday morning sounding like death and with stubborn sinuses: the dreaded Man Cold had returned.

This did give me some time to think about today's topic, which has been appreciated as it isn't an easy thing to identify.  I've been fortunate to work with and learn from some truly amazing colleagues and friends.  It has been something that has enhanced my life, let alone my teaching practice.  While I can't possibly acknowledge every single one in this space, one that stands out to me at this time is Mr. Ripkens, whom I first met in my first year as a teacher in Slave Lake, Alberta.

More than anything else, this was a guy who offered me something that I really needed as I began my teaching.  Here I was in a new comunity I'd never heard of before I saw the job posting, and I had no clue what I was doing.  I was actually replacing a teacher who left quite suddenly after a few weeks on the job.  Needless to say, I was a bit overwhelmed.

When I had those moments where I felt completely and utterly over my head, Mr. Ripkens and I could grab some lunch, go out for wings, or just talk.  He was at the same stage in his career and he became someone that I could lean on to share concepts and ideas, refine lesson plans, and, most importantly, focus on myself when it was really needed.  I always had the support from home, and in many ways, Mr. Ripkens and I were very much the exact opposite of one another, but he became a great friend.  That makes those early years up north that much more memorable.

Seeing as how this post has been so delayed, I may have to leave it here and revisit the theme a bit later.

More to come.

~Mr.T