Daily Letter

During my two years in Alaska I was able to work with a wonderful primary teacher named Mrs. S. Each day her students would read a letter from the board that she had written to them. It would tell them about her weekend, ask them questions and tell them what they were going to be doing that day. At some point last school year I was reminded of these letters. I had the room in my classroom, so I started writing my class a daily letter. I wrote one letter for each grade. While I only taught three grades at one school and one grade at another it was relatively simple to do. I always ended the letters with love Mrs. Wren because I believe all students should know adults care about them. It became something my students looked forward to. I have also used a grid system, but I needed change and to do something new for a while. This year I teach Preschool through Eighth Grade, so I am still searching for a way to display our daily schedule and outcomes in a small space. I am leaning towards using a computer program.

How do you display your class schedule and outcomes for the day?

5:1

Have you ever felt annoyed with someone due to something they said or did only to realize the same comment/action probably would not have bothered you had it been said or done by someone else? I have realized throughout my life that 'friends' are able to say and do things that I would find upsetting if they were done by 'non-friends.'Now, in many ways this makes perfect sense and it is logical to think that 'friends' have different boundaries due to our friendship than 'non-friends.'

Psychologist Dr. John Gottman has found that a ratio of 5:1 for positive to negative interactions can predict whether or not a marriage will survive. His research looks specifically at marriage but researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson has similar data that takes the 5:1 ratio even farther.  According to her research 3:1 is the ratio needed for flourishing.  This, she says, is true in all situations: relationships, business, at home and at work.  3:1, 5:1.  Think about all of the interactions you have throughout a day.  How many would you classify as positive?  How many are negative?  When I think back to "bad" days, it almost always comes down to these ratios.  Days that are filled with positive interactions are fun and enjoyable.  Days that are filled with negative interactions are stressful, frustrating and exhausting.

Go back to that time a person annoyed you because they said or did. Think back to all of your interactions with that person.  How many were positive?  How many were negative?  When I think about the situation the other day when I became frustrated because of something someone said, I realize that I have not had many positive interactions with this person.  I would not qualify our interactions as negative necessarily, but they are not overly positive.  I would qualify them as 1 negative and many neutral interactions.  For me, I think this is exactly why I became frustrated.  It was a negative interaction without positive ones to counteract it.

Joshua Medcalf (Train to Be Clutch) introduced me to this concept of positive interaction ratios through two of his books ('Burn Your Goals' and 'Chop Wood, Carry Water.')  This information was eye opening to me and made me better understand moments when I was feeling frustrated or stressed.

As teachers it is easy to focus on what our students are not doing and sometimes it feels impossible to create a positive interaction, but this research proves how important it truly is for ourselves and our students.  I know how I feel when the majority of my interactions with my husband are negative.  Now, imagine how a student feels has they go through a day at school and they receive only a few positive comments but are constantly corrected.

I have found that class goes smoother and I feel better when I am focusing on giving my students positive feedback.  It is not always easy, but I have found hammering students on all the things they are doing wrong is also not beneficial.  As I finish my first week back since Winter Break, I am going to continue to focus on being more intentional on giving positive feedback.  Humans in general are not told often enough about all the great things we are doing.  Yes, we can all get better and we all have room to grow, but we are also already doing great things.  We need to take small moments to enjoy and acknowledge these acts of greatness.

Why I Deactivated My Class Dojo Account

I want to begin by saying I am not passing any judgement on people who use Class Dojo.  I believe there are many great ways to implement the program.  This was a decision for me based on what I think is best for me and my students.

Last week my husband asked if I would walk to the bank after summer reading program to pick up our checks.  On my way there, I stopped and talked to a former student of mine who was riding his bike around town.  I asked him about his summer and he told me about being pumped for football, planning how he was going to get to practice and which friends were in his class this year.  I realized after talking to this boy for a few minutes that I did not recognize his voice and I could not remember the last time I had a 1:1 conversation with him.  I know I had conversations about behavior and paying attention, but I don't remember just talking with this boy.

At the beginning of this week I was finishing up a run around town when I came across another former student playing in front of her house.  I asked her about her summer and she told me about what she has been up to and how she is excited because she got the teacher she wanted again this year.  Just like a week ago, I realized I did not recognize her voice.  She is a very quiet student and I don't remember really talking to her.

These interactions made me sad and sick to my stomach.  I teach music, so I see all students in the school every week.  With students constantly entering and leaving my room, it is easy to miss the small opportunities to talk and interact with my students.  This also helped in my reflection about being intentional.  I have to be intentional about my interactions with my new staff and students.  These two interactions and my reflection afterwards led me to deactivating my Class Dojo account.

I am at a bigger school this year and my number one goal is to take advantage of every opportunity I can to interact with my students.  I loved many of the capabilities of Class Dojo, but I always struggled with using it consistently and I felt like it got in the way of interactions between my students and myself.  Now, this could be because of me the user and have little to do with the program.  I am not sure, but I do no that for me personally, it was not working so it was time to come up with a new system.  As much as I love technology, sometimes a paper grade book, post-it notes and face to face communications work the best.

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

We Learn

Children learn.  People learn.  At times we add roadblocks that make learning harder, but the bottom line is that children are born with the ability and desire to learn.  Watching a 6-18 month old child will prove this theory.  For babies it is simple, they want something and they will do what they can do get it. 

This morning, I was tying to get some work done, so I had my papers spread out of the footstool as my daughter played.  My daughter, who is 11 months old decided she wanted to get my papers (paper is a far better toy than anything you can get in a toy store.) I moved her saucer to block her path to the table.  I should have known this was not enough of a deterrent, but I thought my trick was enough. She figured out very quickly that she could climb on the bottom of the saucer to get to a gab between the chair and the table, which would allow her access to the papers.

This is learning.  This is problem solving.  This was figuring it out on her own.  This was wanting something and figuring out how to get it

All kids can learn.  The key is making it relevant to what they care about.  My daughter is constant proof that if it is something she wants, she will figure out a way to get it.  I struggle with where the line is in terms of responsibility between students and teachers when it comes to learning, but maybe we as teachers need to take more responsibility.  Are our lessons fun?  Are our lessons engaging?  Does the content matter?  Do we encourage kids to be smart or kids to work hard?  I am a firm believer a hard worker will beat out a smart kid in the end.

Learning is a lifelong skill that is vital to success.  Learning should be fun, it is an adventure.  It is our duty as educators to make sure that our students are lifelong learners.

Happy

I was looking for a second pop tune for my fourth graders to play on recorder for Grandparent's Day.  I searched YouTube and found a video of the song Happy for recorder and orff instruments.  I had all of my students learn the recorder part and then we seperated and learned the other parts. 

Recorder
EEG AA BGE AAAA GA

Orff 
1111 2222 11121

Notes 1: ACE
Notes 2: GBD
*I am a percussionist so I taught my students how to hold three mallets.  Some players just played one or two notes and a few played all three notes.

Drums
High Hat
Snare Drum

Crazy Train

A few weeks ago, one of my coworkers shared a video with me on Facebook.  I decided to have one of my fourth grader classes try it for their performance during Grandparent's Day.  It ended up turning out awesome and I was very proud of my students.  It was challenging, but they enjoyed working on it and they played really well together.

We cut down the piece and only learned the melody riff.  We had a drum part, the bass riff and the melody riff.  We had to learn it in a short amount of time so students did not get the opportunity to learn all of the parts.  The three parts offered all my students the opportunity to shine.  The students who felt comfortable being the lead could learn the melody and the students who are more shy could play drums or booms.

Parts

Boomwhackers

Part 1:  Note-E, Rhythm- Ti Ti (Measure 1, Beat 1)

Part 2:  Notes-D & B (B is the lowest), Rhythm- Ti Ti (Measure 2, Beat 1 & 3)

Orff

Bass Riff

EE  

DD  BB

Melody Riff (E is the lowest note)

EEBE  CEBE  AGF#G  AG#FE

Drums

One of my students knows how to play a rock beat on a drum set, so I had him play the high hat and snare drum part.  I had other students play a hand drum on African drums.

Day 15: How Has Social Media Impacted Your Classroom?

Social Media has had a great impact on my classroom.  Personally, it has connected me with other teachers.  Through these connections I have learned about new programs, new materials and gained numerous ideas.

Professionally, it has connected my classroom with others.  It is opened the door of my small, rural Illinois classroom to those around the country and the globe.

My students have Skyped with a famous author and performed for other students.  Through these experiences they were able to learn from students outside of their immediate area.

I constantly tell my students that they need to thank Twitter for the lesson we about to begin.  Without Twitter I would not be the teacher that I am today.  The connections I have build on Twitter help me stay motivated, encourage me and help me learn new things.  Social Media has become an important tool in my classroom and for me as an educator.  

No News is Good News

Lately I have been very frustrated.  I realized over spring break that a lot of this frustration stems from not feeling appreciated.  One quote that I grew up with was the idea that "No News is Good News."  If they are not telling you things you are doing wrong, than you must be doing things right.

I understand the purpose behind this quote, but is it really what is best for humans?  I asked my students today (3rd graders) how many of them ever felt unappreciated and I was saddened by how many raised their hands.

People want to know they are doing the right thing, they want to know people are noticing their actions.

I recently read about a study that found that 5:1 is the perfect ratio for positives to negatives when it comes to performance.  I read somewhere else that when you get to a 2:1 (it might have been 3:1, I can't remember exactly) is a state of clinical depression.

If I asked you to remember events from last week/last month/last year, what would you remember first?  The good memories or the bad ones?  Our brains are wired to remember the negative.  We remember when we felt embarrassed, hurt, sad or when things went badly.  This does not mean that bad things happen more than the good, it simply means that we are focusing more of our energy on these times.

The study on the ratio of positive to negative interactions really struck me as a teacher an a person.  Think about one of your classes.  Now, think about "that kid."  You know the one I mean.  The one who can't sit still, can't raise their hand before speaking out, the one who has to constantly be reminded of something.  Now, think about list from their perspective.  How many times a day is their behavior corrected (this is a negative interaction)?  How many times are they told something positive?

I see my students for 40 minutes two times a week and I can tell you right now I know there are students who hear way too many negatives from me compared to positives.  It makes me sad to even consider what the ratio may be.  It is not even close to 5 positives to ever negative.

We need to stop living in a world where no news is good news.  We need to share with our students and our communities about the positive things that are happening.  It is better for our students and it is the only way the community will hear about the great things going on in our schools.

Thank you for reading!

I Am the Drummer of a Never Ending Jazz Ensemble

I recently read the book "He's the Weird Teacher" by Doug Robertson.  During one of the first chapters, he talks about his philosophy as a teacher.  I don't want to give away his "secret" and I encourage you to read the book.  Great investment or time and money!

I did take his idea and adjusted it for my own situation.  What I really liked about his philosophy is that it is simple and not a cliche.

I Am the Drummer of a Never Ending Jazz Ensemble

Being part of a Jazz Ensemble is something special.  Music has its own language and being part of an ensemble takes cooperation, listening and improvisation.  Improvisation is a great philosophy for learning.  A joke in college when I was just learning how to play Jazz was that you are only a half step away from the right note.  Learning is the same way.  We try things and mess up and although we feel we are far from being "right," we are only a half step from figuring it out.

I am the drummer.  I am the leader.  I set the tone.  I set the tempo.  I set the mood.  All of these characteristics are true for the drummer in a band and the teacher.  

Learning is a never ending journey.  This is the greatest gift we can give students and people in general.  Learning has no finish line. 

Newsletters

I finally put together a fourth quarter newsletter.  I also send home a note at the beginning of the year that lists our monthly plan for projects and class learning topics. I decided to send one home at the beginning of fourth quarter as an update to parents and students on the direction of music lessons.  Many people have a misconception about elementary music, so I think it is important to provide them with as much information as possible.

Do you send home newsletters?  How often?

Thank you for reading!

iDoceo

The ultimate goal for my classroom is that assessments will be snapshots of the learning journey and this information will be used as a guide to shape future activities.

I still struggle with the concept of grading participation. I know some students can sit their and still learn while others need to be actively involved. I have started "grading" participation with the intention of tracking behavior.  I only downgrade for misbehavior. I try to give my students the benefit of the doubt.  In my opinion, not participating is different than causing a distraction for the class.

I have started using the iPad App iDoceo and I absolutely love it!  This app allows me to take pictures of my students and use them for seating charts.  I am a visual person and this helps me remember names.  This app also allows me to customize grades, add notes to specific assignments, add notes to specific grades and to use images for grades, which is very helpful for quick assessments.

How do you keep track of student growth in your classroom? 

Thank you for reading.

Being Right

I was listening to a Joshua Medcalf MP3 the other day and one statement stood out to me. "Your brain has a vested interest in making what you tell yourself to be true."  

Ever notice how when you are annoyed with someone you can easily come up with numerous reasons why they are an annoying, lazy or mean person?  I have noticed myself doing this with my husband.  I will be annoyed about him not putting something in the garbage and soon I can come up with a list of all of his "offenses."  I have realized that my frustration is more about my mindset than the actual behavior.

The same thing happens in our classrooms.  Students say this is hard, I can't do this or this is stupid and their brain has a vested interest in making sure that they are unable to perform the task.  No one wants to be proved wrong and it would be even worse to prove yourself wrong.

Teachers do the same thing when they say Student X will never be able to do this, Student A is mean or Student B is a behavior problem.  We will see what we want to see.  If we think a certain student is mean; we are more likely to see their mean behavior.

We know in athletics that it would not be beneficial to tell yourself that you can't perform a skill or that you are not good at something, but it is also not beneficial to have this behavior in other areas of our life.

What would happen if we and our students focused on what they can do academically and on beneficial behavior and thoughts?

Thank you for reading!

Music Trophy

This summer the art teacher shared a classroom management book with me.  "Classroom Management for Art, Music and PE Teachers" by Michael Linsin is filled with many ideas on how to setup a classroom management plan that takes in consideration all of the challenges that are specific for specials teachers.   

After reading it, I decided to partially change my classroom management plan.  The art teacher, librarian and I all decided to implement similar systems.  We hoped that this would provide consistency for students.  Each class can earn four classes per day: 1-walking in quietly, 2-lining up quietly, 3-working hard and 4-listening.  Once a class earns 30 points, they earn the music trophy to display in their class until the next class earns the trophy.

I give points based on the majority of students behavior. 

Day 360: Twitter in the Music Room (Technology Tuesday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 360/365

Technology Tuesday 

Thru Twitter Chats this week I have discovered many more music teachers that use Twitter with their students. I am excited to connect with more music classes this year. We have a bulletin board that shows all of our Twitter and Skype connections. Last year we connected with a lot of general education classes, so I am looking forward to connecting to more music rooms this year. 

My hope for this spreadsheet is to create a list of classrooms with Twitter accounts so that we can all connect our rooms together. If you have a Classroom Twitter Account, please fill out this form. 

Day 345: Music Is Incredible (Material Monday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 345/365

Material Monday-Bulletin Boards

I am responsible for one bulletin board in the main entry way of my school.  The last two years I have had a "This Month In Music" board and I would include pictures of what each grade was doing for that month, our song of the month and our composer of the month.  This year I decided I need to mix it up a little (plus the art teacher, whose board is right next to mine, had a fantastic looking one and I decided mine looked extra lame compared to hers.)

Our reading theme this year is superheros so I am trying to find a way to tie in that theme into my classroom. I know I saw this idea online, but I cannot remember where and numerous Google searches have failed to find the link.  To start the year I am going to use the Incredibles as my theme.  It is going to say Music Is Incredible and have pictures of the Incredibles.  I am also thinking about adding QR codes and information about what is going on in class and how to connect with our classroom through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What are your favorite bulletin board ideas?

Thank you for sharing.

Day 339: New Ideas for Gamification (Technology Tuesday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 339/365

Technology Tuesday

Last year I started using gamification in my media class during second semester. This year I plan on using it all year.

I like that gamification allows me 1:1 time with my students and it allows students to work at their own pace, which is a skill many of my students struggle with.

Things I am changing this year...

-This year I am going to have worlds instead of levels and each world will be a collection of projects using a specific tool: docs, spreadsheet,  slides, calendar, maps, coding, sites and audio/visual.

-Students will earn badges for showing mastery on different tools.

-I am brainstorming ways to add powers to my setup. Students will be able to "buy" powers with their achievement points: pick where to sit and other things like that.

-We will use Edmodo for our LMS. I will use groups to organize students and their assignments.

How do you use gamification in your classroom?

Thank you for reading.

Day 325: Media Portfolios (Technology Tuesday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 325/365

Technology Tuesday

During fourth quarter I decided to have my students use Google Sites to create a Portfolio for all of their projects from the semester.  Basically it was just a way for them to link all of their projects in one spot.  This is not only very useful for me and others who want to see their work, but it also introduce them to building a website.  I created a template on Google Sites and had my students add their content to it.  This helped save time and limited a few steps for my students to have to do themselves.

How do you use portfolios in your classroom?

Thank you for reading.

Day 324: Word Wall (Material Monday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 324/365

Material Monday

This year I am trying something new with my word wall. The last two years I have used two pocket charts to display my word wall and organized it by grade level.

This year I am going to organize my word wall by letter under a alphabet line. I found this alphabet line at the Dollar Store and thought it would add some nice color to my room.

Each grade is going to have a color and I am going to write their words on construction paper. I am going to use our die cut machine to cut the paper into circles so it matches the design of the alphabet line.

Thank you for reading. 

What Is Your Super Power

Daily Blog Challenge Day 317/365

Material Monday

This year our reading theme is super heros and I am trying to include this theme where I can in my classroom. Last year I made silhouettes of five students, one for each grade level. As we accomplished things in class we put post it notes with the concepts we had done. It is one way I am tying to show my students all that we accomplish in music.

This year I am using Super Hero logos: Superman, Spider-Man,  Wonder Women, The Hulk and Batman instead of silhouettes.  Each grade will be a super hero and we will add the post it notes as we accomplish things.

Thank you for reading.