Labels

My daughter recently had her 1 year check up and the nurse had a list of questions for me before the doctor came in.

How does she sleep?

I had no idea how to answer this. She is a baby and her sleep patterns change almost weekly. Did the nurse want to know an overview since the last time we were there, how she has been doing overall or how she is doing lately? Looking at this question from these three different points of view would give three different answers.

When we "label" kids, what information goes into that label?  Are we allowing them to grow and be relabeled?

I have had a drivers licence for fourteen years. Up until this year, I have had one incident involving a car. Does this mean I am a good driver? In the last two months I have hit a traffic cone and rear ended someone. Does this make me a bad driver? Three accidents in fourteen years sounds pretty good, but two accidents in two years dramatically changes the label (in my opinion).

Labels can be helpful,  but we need to be extremely careful how we use them and how we think about people, especially our students and coworkers. What we tell ourself is what we will see. Our labels of people should be as positive as possible. Life is miserable when we focus on the negatives.

What Are You Going To Do About It

What are you going to do about it?

You are upset with someone.
You are frustrated.
You are feeling stressed.
You are angry with someone.
You are experiencing a challenge.

If you can point to the problem, what are you going to do to about it? How are you going to fix it?

Student Portfolios

I am striving towards using more written work during music class. I think having students write music and practice these skills is a vital component (one that I usually overlook).  In order to make the implementation easier for me, I have been brainstorming ideas. So far, I have come up with the following setuo, which I hope will allow me to collect and organize student work quickly and easily.

I am going to have a file folder for each student and they will be in number order by grade and class. Students will write their class number on their papers and as they will line up in number order. As they leave they will make a pile which will be in reverse order so all I have to do is put them in their folders. As the school year progresses,  I think most of my classes will eventually be able to file by themselves.

Handout Ideas
1. Listening log
2. Instrument identification
3. Listening coloring activities
4. Daily/weekly reflection sheets
5. Exit slips

Growing a Reader

When I was in middle school, my baby sister was reading the Harry Potter series. I had limited interest in reading and I had ZERO interest in a book about wizards. I saw her reading these big books and I figured if she could do it, so could I. She is eight years younger than I am, I could not be outdone. During Christmas break I spent an enormous amount of time laying in a bed at my grandmother's house reading the first three books of the series. I was hooked! Not only was I hooked on these books, I was hooked on reading. I had officially caught the reading bug.

Sometimes all it takes is one book to turn kids into lifelong readers. Sometimes it takes years for this book to be found, but it can happen.

I am trying my best to help my daughter become a lover of books. We ready daily and we go to the library every 7-10 days. I hope and pray that she is able to find the same enjoyment from books as I do, for life is so much better while surrounded by books.

What book turned you into a reader? How do we encourage those around us to read even if they have not caught the bug yet?

Comparison

"Comparison is the thief of all Joy"

This is a tweet I saw the other night from Jamie Gilbert (@jdgilbert19).  It was a great reminder for me.  How often do we compare ourselves to others?  As a new mom, a "new" wife and a "young" teacher I find myself doing this often.  Being a mom has brought this too my attention more than anything.

• I could never be a stay at home mom they must be a better parent than I am.
• We don't do ___ all the time, they must be better parents than us.

The list could go on and on.  It is so easy to see what others do and to compare myself.  Why do we use others as a measuring stick?  Each situation is specific to the individual and it is unfair to ourselves to judge what we do based on another person's circumstances. 

We want to grow each day, but we should grow based on who we were yesterday; not based on those around us.  Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are now.  Don't let comparisons steal the joy from your life.  

Autonomy

According to the Webster Dictionary; Autonomy is "the state of existing or acting separately from others. : the power or right of a country, group, etc., to govern itself."

I will be honest, I never really understood this word until recently when my husband explained it to me.  I remember being in interviews and making up answers because I didn't understand the word.  Now I get it and after reading 'Drive' and 'The Fireproof Teacher' I have a better understanding of myself and my desire for autonomy.

One of my first jobs was teaching in a district with three elementary music teachers and it was a huge challenge.  Not only was I a young teacher, I felt like I was always being compared to those teachers in my district.  I figured out quickly that I prefer a situation where I am the only elementary music teacher in the district.  I love learning from other teachers, but I prefer when I can do my own thing and not have group lessons.

One of my favorite school activities is setting up my classroom and creating bulletin boards.  I realized after reading both of these that this is in large part because of I have complete autonomy over when I work, how I work and where I work.  This is also why I enjoy teaching music as much as I do.  What I teach is not dictated to the degree that other subjects.

An important concept to remember is that not all people and not all teachers like autonomy? What side do you fall on?  I have realized that my stress level is significantly higher when I feel like I do not have autonomy over my career.  How do you help put yourself in autonomous situations?

The Great Things

As of Thursday, June 4th, I am officially done with my responsibilities as an AFC Teacher. This year has been overwhelming and challenging. Cutting positions and closing a school are never easy choices. I am going to miss my students (although I did remind them they can still come to my house for Trick-or-Treat) and I am going to miss many of my coworkers. Yes, there are people I may not miss as much, but the truth is there were some great things happening inside our buildings. This year, it has been easy to focus on the frustrations. The fact they cut the arts, the fact athletics seem to be more important and the feeling of not being appreciated, but upon reflection I have realized there were some great things happening and I am sure there are many more that I have forgotten. Thank you to the book 'The Fireproof Teacher' for making me reflect on the positives.

● Second graders made awesome roller coasters and recorded an amusement park video.
●  Fifth graders created artist videos using a green screen.
●  Our students read a lot of books!
●  Many of our Kindergarten students read above grade level.
●  Our students performed Crazy Train and Happy (along with other great pieces) for concerts.
●  Amazing student art work always fills our halls.
●  Fourth graders created a States Puzzle as they learned about each state.
●  Amazing field trips gave our students learning opportunities outside of their classrooms.
●  The school is field with amazing educators who truly care about their students.

Thank you to my students, coworkers and the community. It has been a wonderful three years and I am a better teacher now than I was when I first walked in.  Thank you for taking a chance on a Skype interview with a girl living in Alaska.

67 Days

My favorite things about summer are it gives me more time to read, write and play outside. At the beginning of summer, I sat down with a calendar and figured out that I have sixty-seven days until I have District Trainings. I made two goals this summer.

1.  Read sixty-seven books in sixty-seven days. I would love to read a book a day, but sometimes that is not possible, so I am hoping for a total of sixty-seven books before summer is over.
2. Run sixty-seven miles. This challenge is a mile a day. I am requiring myself to run a minimum of a mile a day.

What are your goals this summer?

Kindle Unlimited

I am a big fan of free kindle books so it took a bit of convincing for me to try Kindle Unlimited. I decided the summer would be the best time. So far, I like it and I have enjoyed the education books that are available.

Positives
-Many great education books are available.
-I can take as long as I need to read a book.
-A wide variety of books are available.
-I can have many books at my fingertips while not taking up physical space.

Negatives -You can only have ten unlimited books at a time and I have not found a way to make a list of books I would like to read. It would be nice to have a list tool as I am browsing.

What are your favorite reading apps or resources?  Have you tried Kindle Unlimited?  What were your thoughts?