The Launch of Tribe Dinners

Room 18 Tribe Dinners

Something that I have always felt that I was fairly proficient at was connecting to my students.   I take pride in it and certainly make a conscience effort to do so.  All the time.  Not only do I try and connect to all kids, I also try and make sure the lines of communication between my classroom and home are open, trying to inform parents routinely, and in a number of different ways with what is happening in the class.  Even after all of that, I have still always felt like I could be doing more. Although, not entirely sure what.  Last spring I took a cultural awareness class and it was truly the first time I have thought about creating a culturally responsive classroom.  In fact, I really didn't even know what that meant, that it was my job as an English teacher to talk about difficult topics with my students regularly, giving opportunity for discussion throughout the year.  Creating an environment where students felt safe expressing their opinions, their beliefs on difficult topics, etc.   One question that came out of that course was, how can I go about and learn about my students on a deeper level? Not just what sports they like, but getting to know not just my students, but their families.  Last spring, I set the goal to host potlucks for each of my classes in the fall of my new school year.  Yes, we have an Open House. Parents come in, but 13 minutes of me rambling about what to expect throughout the year, is not nearly sufficient.   As this school year began, I looked at the calendar to pick when would be the best time to start spreading the word on this.  I used Open House as an opportunity to plug my "Tribe Dinners" and gave dates, times and what parents can expect, giving this idea some legs.

Over the course of two weeks, I hosted 5 different potluck dinners for each one of my English classes.  All members of the families were welcome, and I asked everyone to bring a dish to share, while I provided drinks, utensils, cups and plates.  I have 64 students in my traditional English classrooms and a colleague and I co-teach a project based learning class made up of 46 students.  So out of 110 students, and five different nights, I was able to meet 140 students, parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins.  We spent an hour together, for each potluck, enjoying all of the fantastic food everyone brought in, as I was able to connect to parents on a different level than I have in my last 11 years of teaching.  I was able to share some parenting resources, give them a glimpse into our Google Classroom and online portfolios in Seesaw and then spent the rest of the time, having fun: Playing Kahoot (useless trivia of course) or teaming up to complete a digital "Breakout".

While it turned out to be some long days/nights, it was totally worth it.  I was able to have some powerful conversations with parents, confirming my attempts at creating a more cultural aware classroom, as we had just recently taken on the topic of "Blue vs Black" in a recent article and classroom discussion.  Out of these nights,  I made a commitment to host a winter and spring Tribe Dinner as well, and I got the sense that everyone is already looking forward to it.  There were some nights where some students showed up with other students and no parents and that was ok.  I was simply thankful they themselves made an effort to be part of our classroom community.  Keeping the Tribe Dinners low key, laid back and minimal expectation allowed for me to enjoy them more and really be proud to have such a great group of students

The Birth of Instructional Cycles 

Why creating your own professional development opportunities is important for your mindset, practice and growth as an educator.

Teaching 30 miles out to sea certainly has its benefits. Have classes at our famous Nantucket Whaling Museum or getting to know each other through team building experiences on the Tall Ship Lynx.  Our island is soaked in history that is at the fingertips of the children of Nantucket.  All of which offer fantastic learning opportunities for teachers to take advantage of with their students.  One thing that can be a challenge for educators on our island is the fact that there is one public school, for students to attend.  Yes, we have two private schools open to students K-8, however there is only one high school on Nantucket.  I teach at the middle school and am the only 7th grade English teacher in our public school.  That is true for each core educator at our middle school.  This makes things particularly difficult for administrators to offer differentiated professional development for its staff.  In the spring of 2015, our faculty voiced concerns about professional development opportunities that were being offered and wanted to see a change. Out of a difficult and openly honest faculty meeting, our middle school decided we wanted to try something different and the birth of instructional cycles began.  

A handful of teachers worked with our principal and developed a teacher-driven professional development system.  There are three cycles in a school year and teachers brainstorm different teaching strategies that are new to them that they would like to explore and try out in the classroom.  The topics were broken down under the following categories: Content, Pedagogy, Technology, Differentiation/Special Education, Formative Assessments, RETELL.  Last year I worked on Project Based Learning, Collaborative Google Slides and Finishing Strong: Exit Tickets/Summarizers as my three cycle topics.  This model offers teachers to meet at least four times in a cycle to brainstorm, document resources and strategies as well as findings.  In between these meetings, teachers are encouraged to conduct peer observations on colleagues in their groups.  In hopes to get into at least one other classroom and have at least one person observe your classroom during the cycle.  While there were a few tweaks to made as we went along, overall, we had a successful year growing professionally and teachers were excited about new strategies they were implementing within their classrooms with the support of colleagues.  For the first time (since I began teaching), classroom doors were open and teachers were welcoming others in to see all of the wonderful things that were happening around the school.  I felt that this also helped build camaraderie among the staff as well as deepening the support of one another, as we had a view into classrooms, that we hadn't had before.  One of the hardest things an adult can do is show vulnerability, and we had to do just that.  I am so proud of our staff for stepping outside their comfort zone and giving it a try.  This year, we have just introduced this professional development model to our entire district and will see how that goes. 

It isn't a perfect model and it most certainly is one of those things, where you get out of it, what you put into it.  It is a step in the right direction for us, pushing educators to grow and I applaud our administration for empowering their educators to take control of their own learning.  A nice reminder to carry into our own classrooms and implement with our students.  

Reflections from Rm 15

We are in the middle of one of the longest months known to educators... March.  With all that life throws at us, I am feeling stuck, succumbing to the dark, dampness that has invaded the air.

In room 15, I have students who are working hard because I ask them to. I have students who are engaged and excited about learning and participating in rich discussion.  I have students who are bored and unmotivated.  No matter how hard I try to connect with them, to engage them, it doesn't seem to be enough.  As teachers, I think we commonly feel like what we are doing is never enough.  We have these ideas, theories, hopes and intentions for what kind of educators we want to be for ourselves and for our students.  Then for whatever reason, schedules, energy, administration, colleagues, attitudes, all of these roadblocks get in the way.  So I guess my question is, how do we proceed? How do we overcome these roadblocks? How will we persevere in an industry that is notorious for initiative overload and a system that tends to drop things every couple of years?  Can I break the mold? Can I break the mold and feel supported, understood and embraced? All concerns as I look to the next phase of my teaching career.  I know I have said this before, but why is it that education feels like the slowest moving entity on the planet?

We as teachers are responsible for preparing our students for jobs that don't exist yet, I have been hearing that for years.  As adults, my students will change jobs, perhaps careers over a dozen times! That means that they need to problem solve, teach themselves, research, think critically, embrace change.  Are these the skills I am focusing on in my classroom? I like to think that by living in a place that is naturally unique by default, educators would be empowered to lead in more of an unconventional way.  We need to be holding ourselves accountable for creating an environment that is challenging for our students, while providing the resources and tools to think their way out, to be able to grow, reflect and express themselves.

Yeah, we can throw out all of the greatest buzz words in education; choice & voice, growth mindset, hacking education, TTOG, standards based reporting, etc. All of these new or not so new concepts are great, yet, how are they changing how we are teaching our students? Are we using these to enhance our students and their learning or are we using them to transform our students and their learning? While we are finishing up two thirds of our year, the last third has potential for us to do great and be great for ourselves and our students.  Are we transforming our students? If the answer is anything less than yes, then what do we need to do differently? What doors do we need to open, not only for our students, but also for ourselves as educators? I look forward to the collaboration ahead and building a better road for innovation and outside of the box thinking.  While it is important to push myself, I also have to realize, that change doesn't happen quickly.  Even though the end result may be a mural in my mind, it needs to start out as a basic sketch.

As Louisa May Alcott put it "...I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my own ship."

An Educator's Community

“Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas,
to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow.” ~ Seth Godin 

With a toast to the new year, comes reflection, goal setting, and fresh beginnings.  Although the statistics around resolutions are grim, the resounding message that they bring is that everyone genuinely wants to improve one's self or further their education.  While more often than not, life gets in the way and those resolutions get lost in the winter winds, it is evident that the focus on self-improvement is there. I am in a graduate program and my most recent class had us looking into the origin of our names, more as an icebreaker activity.  While I may be a little more trusting with numerology and astrology than some, I was shocked at how closely some of the name meanings seem to match who I am and what I strive for.  If anyone knows me, they know that I like to get things done.  Typically, if I get something in my head, I try everything in my power to make sure that it happens.  I guess I have always been like that, but been a little more aware of it lately, and apparently, I have my middle name to thank!

One of the mantras I have been focusing on more recently is not necessarily asking the question "what bothers you?" but "what are you going to do about it?"  How can you act on something to make it better?  Better for you and the greater good!

This attitude could not find a better fit than inside a school district.  It appears that anyone (parents, teachers, students, administrators) having a connection with education can find something to complain about.  And typically, everyone does! I know it is human nature to question and I know how easy it is to critique and complain.  I am not sure this is my resolution, however I am trying to be more mindful of asking the question... What are you going to do about it? Living on an island and having one public school, sometimes options are limited or one can feel as though their voice cannot be heard, due to a lack of numbers.  The role of an educator is always evolving and many are struggling with embracing new technology, new leadership, new personalities etc. My experience has shown me that when change is in the air, it is easier to close your door and do what you know.  However, we have a number of teachers who have proven that they are ready for more.  They are not going to settle for comfortable.  They make up our newest Educator's Community.  Teachers who are dedicated to making our school great, so that our kids can soar. Tonight, our Educator's Community just made another step towards greatness.  Professional conversations not just about what we are not okay with, but plans and promise about what we can do about it, together to make our schools not only better for our kids, but for our community.

While there is no sprinting in education, this is another step in the right direction.  Great energy as we kick off 2016.  So, here's to positive and collaborative steps towards greatness through dedication and action! With our focus on improving ourselves and our mindsets for the greater good, we are bound to recruit new renegades in this Educator's Community.