April 30th: Make Time

One of my struggles as a "new" mom is balancing my time.  Reading, journaling, blogging, bible studying and running are all things that provide me time and allow me to find balance in life.  Since my daughter was born, I have struggled to find time for these things and this has brought frustration and stress to my life.

This weekend, as I was frustrated about the same things, I realized something important.  No one is going to make time for me to have my time.  I need to make time.  If I want to do something, I need to make time to do it.  If this means I need to ask my husband to take care of things around the house so I can have an hour for me, I need to do this (I can not wait or assume he will make this time for me.)

This was a powerful realization for me tonight and it helped me feel more balanced.  One step in the right direction was creating a running plan and picking out a race to run.  I am looking forward to running my second half marathon in September.  This race will give me something to work towards and training will help give my days a focus.

It is easy to fall into the trap that we do not have time, but at the end of the day we need to remember that we make time for what is important.  What is important to you?  What do you want to do?  How are you going to make time for that?  Who do you need help from?

Make a plan, ask for help, start working and enjoy the journey!

April 29th: Your History of Learning

Your History of Learning - What has been your greatest learning experiences?

Most of my memorable learning experiences come from a teacher or coach guiding me towards a specific goal.  The key in all of these experiences is that the goal is something I wanted to achieve (which makes me wonder how we help encourage students to want to learn, which I believe is a vital life skill.)  

Learning provides a positive memory when I am working towards something I truly want to learn/do.  Having someone to guide and help me through the process has always made the learning easier.  Sometimes the help comes in the form of 1:1 conversations, a book or a podcast.

We live in an era where we are surrounded by resources to learn and grown.  It is our decision to take advantage of these resources and to use them to the best of our ability.

Learning is a never ending journey and it leads us to everywhere we have ever wanted to go.

April 28th: The Worst Advice We've Ever Heard About Technology in the Classroom

Not all of these are pieces of advice, but they are comments I have often heard when it comes to using technology in the classroom.

1. Kids these days use technology all of the times, so they know how to use it.
2. I don't have time to learn how to use this new app/program.
3. I don't know how to do that.
4. Just play around with it.

Technology is a tool just like a video, dictionary, protractor or a book.  It may be "cooler" than those other resources, but it is still a tool.  Students and teachers need to learn how to use this tool in an educational setting.  We live in an era with great access to information through the use of technology.  We owe it to ourselves and our students to take advantage of these resources.

April 27th: How to Build a More Powerful Classroom by Letting Go

I struggle with the concept of letting go.  I know I cannot control everything, but I like to control what I can (even if it is something someone else can control for me.) Most students are used to teachers who are controlling so they are not always ready to handle this kind of freedom in the classroom.

The bottom line is that students need to learn how to work with other people, get along, stay focused, stay on task, work through distractions and work through frustrations.  These skills are vital for future success and we need to give students the opportunities to practice these skills.  This means giving up control.  When a teacher controls everything in the classroom, we are creating a monster of dependency.  In the short term it may make things easier, but in the long term it is not what is best for our students.

How do we let go?

We need to be intentional about the skills we are teaching students.  We need to focus on the "hidden" skills: staying focused, working with others, breaking down a large task and similar skills that are not the main focus of our curriculum.

April 26th: Engagement/Lesson/Tips/Tricks/Ideas for Spring Fever

I teach K-4 general music and I have found many of the same concepts help when it comes to spring fever.

1. Movement:  My students love Just Dance and GoNoodle.  Give brain breaks and challenge students to work through the lesson effectively so they have "extra" time at the end to dance.
2. Create:  Keeping students busy by doing something specific can help keep them out of trouble.  In music I rely on drum circles and small percussion to keep my students occupied.
3. Structure:  Students and teachers may be antsy this time of year, but keep your classroom structured and follow the setup you have had all year.

Ashton Gazette 2015: Week Three

The Lady Raiders played seven games during week three of their season.  On Monday, they hosted Pecatonica.  AFC was no hit by Pecatonica and were defeated 6 to 0.  LM and SM were the only base runners for AFC.  On Tuesday, AFC hosted Orangeville for a double header.  The Lady Raiders struggled defensively during game one and committed eight errors.  Addison Wetzel, BG and LM each had a hit for AFC.  Orangeville defeated the Lady Raiders 11 to 1 in six innings.  Orangeville completed the season sweep of AFC by winning game two with a final score of 13 to 2 in five innings.  LM led the Lady Raiders with two hits.  LM, SS and LM also had hits for AFC.  The Lady Raiders traveled to Earlville for their fourth game of the week.   AFC started the game with two runs and scored again in the third and fifth innings.  LM led the Lady Raiders with four hits.  AW added two hits and LM, BG and MP each added one.  Despite nine hits, the Lady Raiders fell short and were defeated 7 to 5.  On Friday, the Lady Raiders traveled to South Beloit and completed the season sweep by defeating the Sobos 10 to 6.  AFC busted out for fifteen hits.  All nine players contributed hits and AW, BG, LM, LM and CH all had multiple hits.  LM led the team with three hits and BG hit an in the park home run. The Lady Raiders finished the week with a double header against Indian Creek.  AFC out hit Indian Creek 12 to 2 during the first game, but struggle to get runners home and were defeated 4 to 3.  SM and LM both had multiple hit games.  During the second game, the bats stayed hot for AFC and they had 12 more hits.  This time they were able to get runners home and defeated Indian Creek 7 to 1.  BG, LM, CKand CH each contributed multiple hits.  The Lady Raiders finished the week 2 and 5 and moved to 6 and 6 on the season.

Ashton Gazette 2015: Week Two

The Lady Raiders opened the second week of games with their first loss of the season.  Pearl City defeated AFC 13-1.  The Lady Raiders committed eight errors and were limited to six hits.  LM led the team with two hits and scored the only run for AFC.  AW, LM , CK and LM also had hits.  AFC rebounded on Tuesday and picked up their fourth win of the season against South Beloit.  The Lady Raiders took a three run lead in the first inning.  South Beloit scored four in the second and AFC was able to tie the game at four in the bottom of the third. AFC led 9-6 going into the seventh inning when South Beloit rallied and scored five runs to go ahead 11-9.  SS led off the bottom of the seventh with her second hit of the game.  After a walk, BG hit a two run double to tie the game at 11-11.  CH reached on an error as BG scored the winning run.  AFC ended the game with a total of thirteen hits.  BG and LM led AFC with three hits each.  AW, LM, CK, SS and CH also had hits.  CH picked up her first win of the season and CK picked up her first save.  The Lady Raiders are now 4-1 and 3-0 in conference.