Puzzle Fun #3 - TouchMath Adding (Iditarod)

 

In this Blog, you will find instructions for how to use TouchMath to move students from "counting all" to "counting on."

When using TouchMath for teaching "Counting On," I have the students only mark the second number in an equation.  That way, they are physically sayingthe first number and then counting on the dots on the second number.

10 Minute Language Activities

 

"It's the ordinary things that seem important to me."

Alex Colville

Artist

? Elementary School, St. Catherine's, Canada

 When I switched my program this year to a faster paced, quicker transitioning 10 minute activity method, I was incredulous to hear cheers to the most simple, low preparation activities!  No longer was I spending hours and money prepping multiple "incredible" lessons for each day.  All of a sudden, I was a superhero teacher in the eyes of my young students for simple, repetitive activities.  I was disgusted!  LOL  Not really!  But, I did see my teaching a little differently.  Now once or twice a week, I add in a complicated, high preparation, more costly lesson feeling confident that my program is balanced and beloved throughout.  I have also found some time for my family!  Can't go wrong with that!

Terrain (Level of Difficulty):  💖

Kit List:

Please see below.  The resources needed are listed as I talk about them.

The Map:

When I sat down to figure out my language activities and how I would structure my program, I had "The Daily 5" in the back of my mind.  I've, but once, successfully run that program the way it was written, but I do like the facets of the language program the way it is laid out.  I like to call my program a "Dissected Daily 5."  I take each part out and work it separately instead of in centres to ensure quality instruction, student work, and assessment.  So, when I sat down to consider the 5 ten minute sections of my language block, I thought about the different aspects of The Daily 5.  There had to be:

-Read to Self

-Read to Someone

-Work on Writing

-Word Work

-Listen to Reading

I added printing because I was concerned about the pencil grip that too many of my children did not have and how that would affect their stamina in writing as time progressed.  I also kept Guided Reading but I placed that outside of my 50 minutes and I will address this today too.

Read Aloud:  I start my language block with a read aloud each day.  While I am reading, the children have an opportunity to take a breath from their recess break.  Depending on my focus, I allow the children to doodle, Sketch to Stretch, or colour.  

                       Each week, I pick a theme for the week.  The themes could relate to:

                -character education

                -comprehension strategies

                -vocabulary development

                -my PBL unit

                -science, social studies, art, health, drama, music... subjects

                -current events

                -author study

                -student interests

I choose 3 books for the week.  No matter the theme, I try to ensure the stories are high interest and varied in tone, style...  Each day from Monday to Wednesday, I read one story that we discuss with the focus that I have in mind but also whatever the children find interesting.

                        On Thursdays, I draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.  I structure these periods based on 3 important philosophical ideas from great resources.  

1.  Several years ago, after reading an article about 21st Century Learning, I came to understand the importance of compare and contrast along with making connections.  So, on Thursdays, we compare our stories for similarities and differences.  

2.  Another great influencing resource, "Disruptive Thinking" by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst has guided me in this activity.  As we compare and contrast the books, we consider what is in the book, what our thinking is, and how the book will affect our lives as we proceed.  

3.  The third resource, which I got from a teacher in the intermediate division is also really important.  If we want to improve our ideas of equity and belonging, thinking about our resources is essential.  By using Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's concept of "books as mirrors or windows," I am able to include the children in participating in choosing books that make everyone feel like they belong.  In fact, as the year progresses, I can see that my students will be choosing the 3 stories for the week.  

                               On Fridays, I do a Magic Story.  I have posted 2 examples so far of some of those and I will continue to share my Magic Story ideas as I continue this Blog.

Shared Reading:  When I taught online last year, my little ELL first graders fell in love with having a poem that they practiced everyday and were able to read on their own by the end of the week.  I know that much of that reading was from memory but they were so proud of how they could read!  Nothing else is more important!  My second graders have taken on the same enthusiasm for our weekly poem.  In fact, they chose on their own to present a light poem to the school for our online assembly this December.  I use the shared reading poem to:

                -improve vocabulary

                -work word decoding strategies

                -introduce poetic forms

                -focus on vocal expression and fluency

                -discuss the role of punctuation

The students keep their poems in a duotang and I write them on a chart.  We mark the poems with highlighters and notes and drawings to note what we are focussing on.

Word Work:  I do a variety of activities that I repeat weekly.  

It is important to note that I do not do weekly word lists and spelling tests.  Application of spelling rules is really the only measure of a child's ability to spell.  As a result, I used facets of the "Words Their Way" program and my new all-time favourite program called, "Secret Stories."  And, I can say that generally my kiddos this year are better spellers as a result than students I have taught in years past because they get it!

        Secret Story Introduction:  If you haven't heard about this program, look it up!  In all my years of teaching, I have never seen such a comprehensive idea that appeals to children, is based on research, and shows incredible results in short periods of time.  If I am going to put higher preparation, money, and time into a lesson, it will likely be here.  I back up the story with props, videos, and excitement.  There is a wonderful Facebook group for teachers who work with Secret Stories.  You can get lots of ideas from there.  I focus on one story for a couple of weeks.  

        Word Sort:  You can read lots about word sorts in the "Words Their Way" program.  I give the children a list of words that fit into 2 different categories and I always include one or more oddball words that show exceptions to certain words.  When we go back to school in January, I will focusing on the Secret Story about the vowel <Ii>.  The words that I give the children will have short <Ii> and long <Ii> words.  I will include a few different long <Ii> patterns for sub-sorts as we get closer to the end of 2 weeks.  I will include "field", "thief" and "believe" as oddball words.  You'll need:

-word lists cut up and placed in baggies (one for a group of 3)

-word sorting cards (see page 3 of the above file)

I let the students work in groups of 3 without instruction about the words for a while the first time.  Since I repeat this activity 2-3 times per week, the children develop knowledge as we go and as they ask questions.  There are lots of different types of word sorts.

            Word Wall:  Every primary teacher that I know has a Word Wall.  It is important and helpful and teaches a lot more than just spelling, reading, and phonics.  It teaches children to use their resources.  What most primary teachers forget to do is teach the Word Wall.  I thank my teaching partner right now for showing me this.  By teaching the Word Wall, I increase the chances that children will use it and make it a living resource in the classroom.  

                            Guess My Word Game - Every child has a whiteboard and a marker.  I have a one minute timer.  I start the game by choosing a word on the word wall.  The children have one minute to print correctly as many words from the Word Wall as they can in the hopes of printing my word.  They get a point if they printed and guessed my word.  The students take turns choosing the words too.  The leader gets a point if noone guesses their word.

                            How Many Times Game- When I notice that the children are struggling with the spelling of a particular word, we will play this game.  I give the children one minute to print the words on their whiteboards as many times as they can.  It's that simple but the children love it.

                            Rainbow Writing - Using a variety of different coloured markers, the children trace words that they are working on.

                            Musical Chairs - We start with enough words for each student to have a chair.  On each chair, I place a word.  I play music and the children move around the room.  When the music stops, they sit in a chair and take out their word.  They read their word and ask the person in the chair beside to spell it.  The partner does the same in turn.  Chairs and words are slowly taken away but a student can earn their way back into the game by spelling a word correctly that another student makes an error on.  

        Making Words:  I have a purchased Making Words program for primary students.  You can purchase one or make your own.  To run these activities, each child will require letter tiles.  You can purchase Scrabble tiles for less money but I honestly use the photocopied alphabet squares from the program.  Each child has a set of their own in a baggie with their name on it.  Each child also has a mat to organize the letters they are working with for making words.  For my kiddos, the most exciting part of this activity and the part that brings cheers is the mystery word at the end.  They mystery word uses all of the letters that they started with.

            Sticky Note Fridays:  On Fridays, instead of testing the children on a list they studied at home, I challenge the children to write 3 new words they have learned from the week on a sticky note.  Don't forget to take your Word Wall words down or cover the wall before you do this unless you want the children to use that resource.  I will often wink at a student that I see using the resource if I don't cover it.  

Independent Reading:  I have over 2,000 books for students to read.  I know because I spent the summer labeling, sorting, and organizing them.  That is simply too many for children to sort through and I want to give children opportunities to try out a variety of different books on a variety of different subjects.  Each month, I put out 6 new "categories" of books for the children to choose from.  In each category, there are fiction and non-fiction books, picture and chapter books, magazines and newspaper clippings and books.  

                        Partner Reading:  At least once a week, I have the children share a book and read to each other.  They can read a sentence, paragraph or page each and take turns.

                        Readers Theatre:  There are lots of free ones available online and the children get into small groups to act out their play by reading their parts.  This is a good opportunity to focus on expression.

                        Flashlight Fireside Reading:  On Fridays, the children bring their flashlights and a stuffy to read their book with.  I darken the room and play a fireplace on the screen.  The children can read on, under, at their desks using their flashlights.

Important:  To keep the children accountable to the reading, I often have the children working on a challenge during their reading.    

             -find a word from the Word Wall

            -find a word with a particular spelling pattern

            -describe the main character

            -describe the setting of the story

            -do an SWBST on the story

            -make a connection to the story

            -tell me another story or book that is similar to this one

            -talk about whether this story is a mirror or a window

            -...

The children read for about 5-7 minutes and I leave a few minutes at the end of the 10 minutes to pick 2-3 students randomly to share their answer to the challenge.

Printing:  I know that a lot of people consider this an old-school skill that shouldn't take up time in the curriculum anymore.  Maybe, because I am old, I think it has value.  After I have finished teaching it, I don't hammer it.  I do the teaching for the fine motor skills, to increase speed and neatness, and to build graphic design skills that I teach later in art.  I choose to teach D'Nelian printing for a couple of reasons.  It leads naturally into cursive writing (I know what you're saying!  "What?  You go there?") and also it is a little fancier which leads to my graphic design lettering.  Believe it or not, the selling feature is the cursive writing.  Children, still today, are intrigued by cursive writing and they all want to be able to sign their names (which is as far as I go in cursive writing instruction).  I do the printing on a plastic folder with a sheet of printing paper inside it.  The children use a whiteboard marker the width of a pencil so that it helps.  There are lots of exercises...  and occupational therapy sites that speak to fine motor.  

Guided Reading:  I kept my Guided Reading sessions with the students.  Depending on the reader and where they are at, I may do one to one reading, partner reading, small group or larger group guided reading sessions.  I don't keep myself by a particular rule and instead use the needs of the children to guide my schedule.  I generally keep a particular structure for a month and re-evaluate at the end of the month what might work for the next month.  

                               While the children are reading with me, the others are involved in simple repetitive games that build skills in language or math or both.  I have a large white board and each game has a corresponding number.  The children are assigned or choose partners and role for the game that they will play during this period.  I keep the groups small to avoid a whole lot of noise and movement and conflict.  

            Partners:  This is a whole learning experience on its own.  I use a variety of methods for getting the children into partners quickly and like everything, I taught these methods first before I use them during Guided Reading.  I want the focus to be on very quick learning and transition.  Here are some ideas:

                                        -matching picture or word cards that are placed on children's desks before they pick them up and find their match

                                        -playing cards for matching numbers or suits

                                        -part, part, whole cards for numbers

                                        -puzzle pieces

                                        -colour-coded clothespegs or popsicle sticks

            Games:  I keep the games simple and reusable with a variety of different topics, concepts or skills.

                            -Kaboom

                            -Bingo

                            -Spending and Spelling (thanks to the great minds in the math team at the Upper Grand District School Board)

                            -Bump

                            -Spinner Games

                            -Story Writing online

Tip #13:  KISST

If you didn't hear it, let me repeat it again!  Keep It Simple Smart Teacher!  Much of these games and activities I have learned over time.  When I started my 10 minute fast paced program, I didn't create a whole bunch of new things.  I chose games and activities that I already knew and did.  I shortened them up and adapted them to fit my new schedule.  Pick one new game to learn or one new activity.  Trying to take the whole thing on will not be the balanced, simple approach that certainly I was looking for.

Adventure Recipe: What Games and Activities Do You Do?

So, you've read through my activities.  What do you do?  What games do you do with your children.  What adaptations to the ones I have talked about do you include?  I am looking forward to add more games, activities and details to this post.  Please share what you think and do!  Can't wait!

  

 

Where Are You Aiming Your Lesson?

"Unlike amateur bowlers who aim down the middle with the hope of somehow creating an angle that knocks down all 10 pins, professional bowlers do not aim for the headpin.  They do not aim for the middle.  They aim for the outside pins, the ones that are the hardest to reach.  The reason that professional bowlers throw their balls at a curve is so they can knock down the outside pins, then the inside pins, ultimately creating a domino effect.  Simply, in order to knock down the most pins, professional bowlers aim for the pins that are the hardest to get."

Shelley Moore

Teacher, Author, Speaker

"One Without The Other"

? Elementary School, Edmonton, Canada

 This summer, I am going after some paper qualifications to back up my knowledge and understanding for the years of experience that I have had.  Honestly, sometimes these courses are an exercise in busy work because the aim is at the younger teacher who has less experience in the field.  I always say that if I learn one thing, then the course was valuable.  Such was the case this morning.  Our professor introduced us to a video that was not attached to an assignment.  We watched Shelley Moore talk about her bowling and I was fascinated.  It was a change maker for me.  I have always spent a great deal of energy and time working with the children who might be considered "outside pins."  It has really worked too but it is a whole lot of work.  Shelley's video today helped me to see how I teach differently.  Instead of aiming for the middle and then planning separately for my outside pins, I realize that if I plan my lesson to aim at the outside pins, I will get them all.  That sounds like a whole lot less work - different work, but less.  At my age and stage, having just gotten married to my soul mate, working more efficiently so that I can enjoy other aspects of my life too has become very important to me.  I haven't done in depth study of Shelley's techniques yet but I am going to do.  Her work just went on my very long summer reading list.  This entry is likely to be edited a few times as I do more research into her research.  I am forever grateful to the wise people like Shelley who give us a different way of thinking about things!

Terrain (Level of Difficulty):  💖💖

Kit List:

• notebook/computer
• pens, markers, crayons
• timetable
• video below

The Map:

So, here I am on December 28, after a long and difficult Fall.  The best laid plans of the summer are often put aside when the needs of the children take over.  Ideas, concepts and teaching skills that match the needs of the students rise to the surface.  Others, sit in the back of my mind until the day they are needed if they ever are. 

Not every great idea works for every teacher!  Good teachers are not good because they use all of the latest and greatest.  Good teachers, no - great teachers are great because they understand that there are a variety of superb strategies that don't have any use if the students don't connect with them.  We talk about children growing their backpacks of knowledge.  Great teachers have crates, boxes, files, and whole rooms filled with different strategies that work for different kiddos.  Great teachers are always in search of strategies because no matter how many years we teach and how many children we work with, there will always be at least one student who needs a different strategy for learning.  

It wasn't until I came back to edit this entry that I realized that the concept of "aim" had floated to the top like long vines of lake weed that almost strangled me until I dealt with it.  There were a variety of voices all speaking the same message with different words.  I was almost at my wits end when my favourite special education teacher took time out of her day off to speak to the methodology that matched this concept of aim.  I got it.  Despite her suggestion (with a smile because she knew) that I take the night off, I took out a whole stack of scrap paper and started writing and charting and planning until I had an idea about what my next steps were.

Before you aim, you have to look at the pins.  These are the questions that I asked myself.

-How many pins are you looking at in total.

-How old are they?

-How do the pins identify with regards to gender.

-How many ELL pins do you teach?

-Are there any students with identified special learning needs?

-Are there any pins with sensory, behaviour, social, or emotional needs?

-What is the average reading level?

-What are the average skills abilities in writing?

-Where are your pins with their numeration skills?

-Do the pins have good expression skills (printing, typing, speaking)?

-What energy levels are there?

-Are the students working together as a community?

With the answers to those questions in mind, I started with the timetable.  

Aim:  Low (i) and High (ii)

    i. language skills are generally extremely low and needed across all subject areas, this has to be a priority  

    ii. there are children reading at grade level who will need to learn word decoding for new vocabulary.  

   i. basic numeration skills will also be necessary.  

   ii. problem solving strategies are missing

    i. pencil grip, printing and colouring skills are generally not mastered

    ii.  comprehension of the concept of quality of work is mostly not understood and an introduction to learning extensions will move the higher students along

-continue my PBL (problem based learning) units to keep interest and enthusiasm up while integrating all of my other subject areas.

-teach in small 10-15 minute chunks with transitions and changes between each learning chunk

You can see my timetable linked in the materials.  Since I basically have 2 blocks of 100 minutes, I decided to put the focus of literacy and numeracy in those blocks.  Most of my Morning Meeting has a math focus so it seemed more natural to put the math first (which may be contrary to many old folks like me who remember when the first 100 minutes of a primary student's day was religiously kept for language).  The other reason for putting it there was to ensure that I got a whole 100 minutes for language.  After attendance, announcements, online assemblies...  that first block gets short changed a fair amount.  I had decided that language was the priority so I wanted that block to be sacred.  I added the Minds Up program on Mondays to help the children with some self regulation.  And, I am well known for "Free Friday Fun" where I take out a different set of board games, cooperative games, card games... on Fridays and we play.  It's one of my favourite parts of the week and of course I kept it.  

Basically, I had 3 goals!  That seemed pretty manageable.  To make it even more manageable, I removed all paper/pencil activities except for the phonics worksheet each morning.  I armed myself with:

-class set of whiteboards

-many whiteboard markers of varying widths (one to simulate the size of a pencil)

-class set of fabric work gloves for erasing whiteboards

-class set of clear plastic folders with printing paper inside (two lines split by a dotted line)

-200's charts

-individual plastic bags with letter squares

-making words desktop organizers

-pencil crayons in cups (organized by colour)

-class set of 10-sided dice

-my phone for photographing work samples, audio recording conversations, videotaping kids at work (parents had given permission for my use only)

-large lined yellow sticky note pad for keeping detailed notes

-my watch timer and phone timer

-a wireless doorbell

These were the supplies that I would need everyday.  I didn't give them to the children to store since that would add another layer of complexity.  I kept them in two bins that were easily accessible.  

The Task:

I broke down each part of my new day into the skills that the students would be required to know in order to be successful.  Since almost everything in my day was no longer than 15 minutes, the children would need to be efficient.  Before I began the art of teaching the curriculum, I went back and methodically taught the skills necessary to do the activity.  Here is an example.

Morning Phonics Activity

                Skills required:  get books, open to the page for the day, figure out the instructions, use pencil crayons from tray, colour properly, complete the activity well, work with a peer when needed, extend learning

1.  To start, I put the students' books on their desks before they arrived and opened them to the correct page.  As they got used to this over the next few days, I closed the books and had the children find the page (there weren't many in the book to make it easier).  Finally, after two weeks, I put the books in a bin as they entered the classroom.  I know you're thinking that 2 weeks wouldn't be enough for some but I am going to get to that with my aim at both ends.

2.  I enlarged the worksheets to 11X17" on the photocopier and demonstrated where I could find the instructions and what to do if I couldn't read them.  We talked about how the worksheet gave us clues.  There were only 2 different types of worksheets.  On one, they had to colour the picture that matched the initial sound in the box.  On the other, they had to circle the letter of the initial sound.  I knew that all of my students knew their initial sounds so the focus was not on the curriculum.  I gave them a whole class rule which we use for everything now.  If the sheet does not require colouring, two things must be coloured well on it.  Why?  I wanted them to slow down and consider the quality of what they were handing in.  I also wanted them to practice colouring.

3.  I taught the children to colour in one direction after tracing the shape that they are colouring.  

Now, before I go on, many of you who are younger are going to think that I am just reverting back to old school teaching.  You might suggest that my focus is on the wrong thing.  You might say that I shouldn't put my focus here because it isn't in the curriculum.  I'll take all of that!  What you can't argue is the subjective perception of quality!  There are few in this world who would look at a ratty paper bag, ripped and filthy and pick that for their lunch over a shiny Paw Patrol lunch box even though the contents might be exactly the same.  Teaching children to present their learning in ways that are appealing makes their jobs really a whole lot easier.  

I held them to that standard.  I made extra copies of each worksheet.  Now this next part, you need to do with a lot of finesse and understanding.  When a child handed me their work, if they hadn't followed the rules for colouring, I gave them a new sheet.  I didn't say anything.  I didn't berate.  I suggested they go back and remember what the rules for the activity were.  I didn't do it with every student either.  This, I think, is something I can't teach.  You need to know who and when you can do this and if you make a mistake, you'd better be awfully quick to the apology.  I had 2 little ones who tested me at first.  They both did the same sheet 3 times.  When I gave them the third sheet, I lightly tapped my pile of extras so they knew I was in it for the long haul.  They are two of my most diligent workers now!  Their work is stunning, complete and often they are extending their own learning.

4.  To go with this, I gave them pencil crayons.  I said many times, "The great thing about pencil crayons is that you can erase a mistake."  No one ever asks me to use markers anymore and if you teach primary, you know what a miracle this is!  We'll talk about markers in the new year.  

5.  What is always a tricky concept is knowing when you are done.  What does "done" mean?  How do I know if I have everything.  Remember that when you are aiming, you are aiming at both sides of the bowling lane.  This is where the "high" students are brought in.  Since the activity is easier for them, they can check a peer's work and they can talk about how to make the work better.  The skills of this conversation need to be carefully taught.  I use standard lines at first and I heard many of my students using them with each other.  For example, "I really like the way you coloured the clown's hair orange!  I wonder if you thought about how many pictures we have to colour on this page."  

Important Note:  Your "high" students aren't high in everything!  A good balanced day includes times where every single student in your class has an opportunity to be the "high" kid!

6.  Finally, there is the concept of "extending your own learning."  In Ontario, we assess a B+ to a student who is meeting the provincial standard.  A's are only given to students who demonstrate understanding or skill beyond the provincial standard.  So, I teach the children how to do that.  This was the perfect place since I knew that all of my students knew their initial sounds.  We discussed and brainstormed ways that the children could show me that they knew more about sounds than what was required.  This gave everyone an opportunity to earn an A on the activity.  It also set up each of my students to excel when they are on the high side of the bowling lane.  

Breaking the day down, and teaching each of the skills for each of the 10-15 minute blocks this way didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would.  We'd already built community and believe it or not the children were very enthusiastic about this new direction.  I am going to chalk that up to them finding success, knowing how to achieve more success, and feeling comfortable with the expectations.  I started in the middle of October and by the first of November, I was full tilt back into teaching the curriculum and the learning rate became out of this world!  My class reading average jumped from PM Level 5 to PM level 14 in reading alone in just 2 months!  Believe me when I tell you that not one of my lessons is one of those spectacular lessons that I worked so hard with to have props and costumes and magic...  These were simple 10 minute activities.  For example, one of my students' most favourite word wall games is to see how many times they can write the hardest word wall word in one minute.  Yep!  I was disgusted too!  To think of the time, I had spent planning and prepping and buying materials for fantastic lessons when I can get the whole class in loud cheers just by taking out a one minute sandtimer and pointing to the word wall while all the children have their whiteboards.  (I'll detail the other games, lessons, and activities that I use in math and language in a later entry).  

Here is the key and the place where I cycle back to the aim!  I am confidently professionally bowling in my classroom now.  The 10 minute activities give the children who are on the outside section of the lane and struggling a chance for direct and specific instruction.  The repetition of lessons and activities keeps the focus on the new skill or concept instead of on the instruction.  The children on the other side of the lane who are finding the concept or skill easy are not bored.  The movement of the day is fast.  They have learned to extend their learning and help others constructively.  I have to laugh now when I hear a student say, "I'm teaching fishing, Mrs. Moffatt." -but that's a story for another day.  Everyone - literally everyone - is learning and growing and happy!   One of the children who was having a great deal of difficulty before the switch was overheard by his mother telling his 3 year old sister that she had to get Mrs. Moffatt as a teacher because she makes everything about learning fun (remember the 1 minute sandtimer?).  It's disgusting!  But, I'll take bowling in a league like that everyday and twice on Sundays!

Tip #11:  KISST

If you didn't hear it, let me repeat it again!  Keep It Simple Smart Teacher!  If it isn't manageable, it won't work.  That's the biggest lesson that I learned this Fall and it took a long time for me to learn it.  It doesn't have to be complex.  Everyone wants to feel successful.  Teach people in ways that brings this to light instead of tears it down.  If the students aren't responding, what you are doing isn't working!  That is your job!  Pull up your adult pant strap and find another strategy!  It's doesn't have to be magic or complicated or fancy!  Just do it!

Tip #12:  Is This Really My Job?

Yes, this really is your job.  It isn't the student's job to teach themselves.  It is absolutely yours!  Teaching is not talk at, lecturing, assigning and marking.  Teaching is learning, developing, adapting, modifying, being creative and finding strategies that work.  Don't give up!  Even on the last day of school, I still think about strategies that I might have tried to make things easier for kiddos to understand!  Teaching is an art and a science but it is without a colour wheel or a table of chemical elements.  Sometimes, it is all about blood, sweat and tears.  I had much of that this Fall.  Every drop of that is worth it to see my students where they are now!  Getting here is the passion that drives me past the days I wonder if I've got what it takes.  And yes, 31 years in, there are still days like that!

Adventure Recipe: Find Your Soul Colleagues

This may not be as intuitive as you think!  Finding a group of people who may or may not know each other from a variety of different backgrounds, experiences, and years of experience is really important.  I'm quite blessed to have my parents who were both teachers advise me.  I also have a whole group of other people whose wise words I remember because they are no longer here or whose phone numbers I can call when I'm struggling.  Not all of them are teachers.  Sometimes, our soul colleagues have a different point of view.  This is probably the largest group of people that I surround myself with and most of us would never socialize but we have a keen respect for each other.  Their voices range from the progressive educators to the old school, one room teaching style educators.  They are passionate about what they do and they are successful.  Even though some of us would kill each other if we had to work together, we can stand back from each other and see which parts of each other's styles might work for us and why they work for them.  

In October, this year, I was falling apart.  Neither myself nor the students were having the fun or the learning that we wanted to have!  I was exhausted, frustrated, and even questioned if I had waited one year too long before I retired.  I was also not alone.  My classroom door was sometimes a revolving door of other teachers in exactly the same place.  This post Covid return to a school building with all of the Covid protocols still in place was exhausting and hard for everyone!  It was a Tuesday.  I won't forget that because for whatever magical reason, Tuesdays are our hardest days together with this class.  I broke down in tears.  I thought that I had tried every strategy I had.  It wasn't working and dealing with yet another social breakdown at recess put me over the edge.  I was so sad for these kiddos and myself.  My special education teacher works 4 days/week but she is one of my soul colleagues!  I called her, apologized, gave her an out in case she was in the middle of something on her day off, and begged her for help.  She hit the nail on the head!  Sometimes, it is the special education teacher's voice that will speak to you better than any other.  They know your students.  They know you.  They've seen you in action.  This is absolutely true of my soul colleague.  Even though I couldn't see her smile when she told me to take the night off, knowing full well that I wouldn't, I knew it was there!  She untangled me from all that lake weed that was threatening to strangle me, translated the information into useable chunks, and gave me a virtual hug when I needed it!  

If you don't have your set of soul colleagues, you know what your first job is once you've finished reading this post!  Go find them!!!!!!

  

 

Teaching is Most Definitely Customer Service

"We see our customers as invited guests to a party and we are the hosts.  It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little better"

Jeff Bezos

CEO of Amazon/Richest Man in the World 2021

River Oaks Elementary School

 It's 3:00 in the morning on a Thursday and I'm wide awake.  Partly that is the hazard of becoming an older woman.  Partly it is because my husband woke me up - scratch that - the dog woke me up when my husband came home from a late night hockey game.  Partly it is because I can't help thinking about an observation that I made today about my parent communication.  You see, over the years, I have come to be known as a straight shooter.  I say it like I see it.  For some parents that is a difficult bullet to swallow.  Some take it in stride and work with me quite cooperatively.  Some come around to my way of thinking.  Some, though, have become antagonistic which has ultimately lead to a whole lot more sleepless nights in frustration.  That's not why I am (partly) awake tonight!  In fact, I have almost the opposite feeling from frustration.  

Last year, I got the opportunity to be in a workshop about communication.  Imagine that after 30 years of teaching, the first time anyone has offered me an opportunity to learn about communicating with parents was in an online education, pandemic year.  The workshop was offered by a teacher and the principal of the online school and they both talked about it with analogies to the customer service model.  A former, not popular with teachers, Premier of Ontario (Mike Harris) said many years ago that education needed to follow more of a customer service model and I remember standing on the picket lines surrounded by many people like me who were repulsed by that sentiment.  However, I will forever be indebted to Mike Harris and the workshop leaders for what I see as an incredibly positive twist to how my last 5-10 years of teaching will be.  

To elaborate, yesterday the kiddos in my class decided to wage a  mini war with following rules.  This is not really uncommon at this point in the year and is especially less unexpected since these children have never had a complete year of school away from home and they are in the second grade.  So, when I decided to very firmly state my case and give them a 5 minute recess break to consider what was going on, there was a fair amount of surprise and sadness in my kiddos.  As a result, I needed to communicate with some parents.  In the past, I got some push back from parents who disagreed with my methods or felt their child was not to blame...  But this year, I have been using my newfound communication strategies.  I still wasn't confident though and I spent the early part of the evening waiting with anxiety for the replies.  This is where I tell you why I am awake.  The parent replies thanked me.  They expressed appreciation for the work that I am doing and they offered cooperation if I am to come up against any further mini wars.  I am stunned!  I am thrilled!  I think I finally get it!  Bye, bye straight shooter.  Some might call that slow learning but I'll take it!

Terrain (Level of Difficulty):  💖💖💖💖💖

Kit List:

• a note beside your desk
• a deep breath
• your heart
• some customer service training

The Map:

I have a self-made poster beside me at my desk for regular review and format instructions made from my take aways from the workshop.  I'm not going to share that with you because I think you need to decide what your take aways are and how you will communicate with parents with your new knowledge.  Suffice it to say though, you are getting my interpretation of the information that I gleened from the workshop.  Credit should be given completely for this information to the workshop presenters but in the interest of their privacy, I am not naming them here.

1.  The first thing to consider is that the student you are working with is a parent's most prized possession (not the right word but I'm heading somewhere).  They were loved before they even arrived on this planet.  They have been the centre of this parent's world ever since.  Not only are they prized but they were hand-made (so to speak).  That is to say that they carry the same genetic codes and the parent will naturally feel some responsibility for the quality of their prized creation.  Think of it like your home.  It is the most expensive and a very important possession that you own.  Should someone come along and tell you all about your bad decisions, all the things you did wrong and all that is wrong with your home, you would naturally feel a number of unpleasant emotions.  Multiply that by a google plex and you are close to connecting with the the relationship and emotion that a parent has for a child.  If you have a child, then I am preaching to the choir but remember that those connections happen in other families than just yours.  Other families whose methods you don't agree with;  whose child rearing philosophy seems completely wrong;  whose education, culture, socio-economic status... are foreign to you.  

And, that young soul will also be deeply affected by what and how you communicate.  So will you!

2.  So that's your customer!  They are emotionally involved, intimately connected, and they have some goals and dreams for that student of yours.  Keeping them in the loop, considering them a partner in the education of their child, and celebrating successes will all go a long way to proactively keeping your customer happy.  For that reason, it is important to set-up a foundation for general communication throughout the year.  Here are some things you might consider.

        a.  Send a newsletter out on the first day of school that introduces yourself.  Demonstrate enthusiasm for the new school year and talk about some of the exciting activities that are ahead for the year in general terms.  Ask the parents to send in supplies for the student (i.e., indoor shoes, pencil crayons...) and give them time to go shopping for them.  (Remember some people get paid monthly and shopping may only happen at one time each month.)  In your newsletter, provide information to parents about translation options available within your Board.  This is an equity issue and one that I think we need to consider more carefully as we learn.

        b.  Create a template that you will use for your monthly newsletter and calendar.  Parents like to be forewarned of upcoming events so they can prepare and a paper or digital copy of the upcoming activities and events helps them track - especially for parents with multiple children throughout the school system.  I borrowed this version from a teacher friend of mine.  In early days, mine were much too long and wordy.  One page double-sided is plenty.  My calendar is online for quick access.  It is linked to my hub (more about that in a minute).  This, again, is not my original creation.  Much thanks to the teachers in the Bitmoji For Educator's group on Facebook for all of their generous sharing.  You can find many other similar templates there if this one doesn't suit your particular needs.

        c.  Some teachers think this next suggestion is overkill and I get it because it is extra work.  I do a daily/weekly (depends on how much time and effort you want to put in) summary.  Our school board uses Google Classroom so I post those there in a Classwork section called, "What Happened At School Today?".  I often include photographs (with permission of course) of the children doing their activities, examples of great work, charts that I am using, resources to check for further help, and a quick reminder of upcoming events.  Not all of the parents of students in my class keep up with this but those that do really like it and have often expressed their appreciation for knowing what is going on in our classroom.  One of my new colleagues prefers a weekly template and she and the parents of her kiddos are happy with the format.

        d.  All the rage right now are Classroom Aps or Hubs.  There are many templates on Bitmoji Craze For Educators for you to use and tailor to whatever works for you and your class.  If you are unsure of how to do one, I really like all of the Youtube instruction videos created by Lisa Mazariego.  She is creative and fun, explicit and clear.  Mine works for me and is borrowed from one such generous creator and sharer on that site.  

            i.  Check out the Parent Homework section.  This is a great way to get an idea of how the parent feels about the upcoming year, about the child themselves, and about any issues that you will want to know early in the year.

            ii.  Also check out the "Handle With Care" message on the bottom of the Parent Homework page.  This is new to me and the idea when viral in early August this year.  I am happy about how many parents have felt comfortable using that process already this year.  

        e.  This last part is completely optional but I want you to think about how easy your term reports will be if you put a little leg work in monthly.  In my first years of teaching, Peter (a great and very patient grade 3 teacher and mentor) showed me a Mini-Report Card.  I had never heard of these before.  He sent them out at the end of every month to let a parent know how the progress was going.  He said that it helped him to focus where his teaching efforts needed to be, contact a parent of a student who is struggling early and employ strategies to help, and it was really easy to write report cards at the end of the term.  I was skeptical but I tried it and 31 years later, I still send out a monthly Min-Report.  They have changed formats over the years and I have seen teachers who do simple checklists.  I am quite pleased with my latest edit because it focusses on the positive which was even more important this year when the children are (HOPEFULLY!!!!!) going to have a full, relatively normal year in a school building for the first time in their lives.  I keep mine short and focus on the big subjects in primary.  A couple quick sentences and a next step is all I fill into each box.  I also ask the parent for feedback.  This ensures that they received it and read it but it also ensures that I know how they are feeling about the process.  Do it or don't.  It is optional!  Me, I'll be doing it until I retire!

You might be asking if there is overlap in the types of communication that I do.  There is!  Some parents like their information in paper copy.  Some prefer just to check the web.  Some like general information only.  Some like very specific information.  It is a lot of work but I get good results from happy customers and that's my goal!

3.  The workshop presenters talked about "Sunshine Notes."  These can come in any form and can be sent home paper or electronic.  There are certificates and template notes that you can use.  I keep it simple and just send a quick email home to a parent titled "Sunshine Note" with a little sentence or two about something that their child did that was good.  Especially at the beginning of the year, ensure that you send out one or more of these to every student's family.  These let a parent know that you like their child, are noticing some great things, and that you are happy they are in your class.  Doing this early helps if you have to send a less positive message later on.

4.  Never underestimate the power of your voice or face to face encounters.  One of the presenters encouraged us to take one night each week and call 4 parents to share a little sunshine, update them on how things are going, ask a question...  This gives parents another opportunity to know that you care about them and their child.  It is also far more powerful than an email!  Doing both is really nice touch!  In addition, it is often preferable to talk to a parent when they are angry or it is a more serious manner.  This avoids any chance that either one of you will slip into your alter ego - keyboard warrior.  In addition, a parent can hear care in your voice that they cannot read in an email.

Every now and then, no matter how hard you try and how many good strategies you employ, you are going to hear from an angry parent.  These test your most fundamental customer service skills.  It is also a time when you have to work the hardest at maintaining those skills.  Here are some steps to follow to help guide you through these difficult situations.

1.  Remember that it isn't about you!  It sounds like it is because the anger is directed at you.  The focus is almost always the child.  Remembering that you are both on the same team and that you and they want the best for the child is crucial in these situations.

2.  Model the calm!  I have this in big capital letters on my little poster!  Practicing a quick set of relaxation steps that you will use when this happens to get yourself focussed on the child and parent - not the anger is very important!

3.  Apologize!  We are all human.  We make mistakes like everyone else.  If you made one, own up to it.  It is scary at first perhaps, but I have gotten incredible responses by just admitting that I made a mistake and talking about how I will make amends.  Sometimes, it works to apologize in a different way that also can de-escalate the situation - "I'm really sorry that you are feeling..."  The truth is that I am sorry that they are angry or upset and I do want to help.

4.  Find something that you both agree about.  It can be as simple as, "I completely agree that the situation was very upsetting for you."  Sometimes you have to dig deep but it is important to agree in order to halt the accusations and focus on solutions.

5.  Sometimes, you need to "Cut it in half.  React tomorrow."  In some cases, the anger triggers something in you that is bringing out more emotion than you can manage and still provide excellent customer service.  I like the sentiment of the sentence and I think a good night's sleep, a little shop talk with a trusted colleague, and a nice meal can go a long way to helping you with your strategies.

6.  There are situations where a parent for numerous reasons that we can not predict is having a hard time and is frequent in their negative correspondence.  In those cases, I often type a reply or write a note that says that I received their message and "Thanks for letting me know."  Not engaging in those kinds of repetitive conversations will often go a long way to turning the situation around.

7.  Don't forget that you are supported.  You have colleagues with good ideas (leave the name of the parent and student out of the conversation).  You have administration who may be able to support you and may get a call or email about the situation too.  Being proactive if you think this is going to happen is a good idea.  Letting your principal know allows them to prepare.  

Hint:  Principals often like if you go to them with solutions instead of problems.  So I often will start a conversation with a principal by saying, "I don't need anything.  For your information...  I am employing the following strategies..."

Finally, how you communicate your message to parents is so very important and I have internalized a set of routines that help me when I am emailing, on the phone, or in person.

1.  Do some background research so you are not blindsided with, "This is the first time that I have ever heard this before."  It may be and it may not be.  Knowledge in this situation is a very important tool.

2.  If you are  phoning during the school day, please start your conversations with, "Everything is ok!" to alleviate any fears that something is wrong with their child.

3.  Tell the parent something that you like about their child or something that you have been noticing they are doing well first.  No matter what the situation, easing the tension by starting there is important. 

4.  The next section depends on what and how you need to proceed.  You can start with a question (i.e., Are you noticing... at home?).  Or you can start with, "I do have a small thing I'd like to talk to you about."  Avoid using the words "issue," "problem," and "concern."  Then tell the parents in objective terms what you are thinking about.  Don't guess about how the child felt or put any subjective judgements on it.  Just recount the sitatuation.

5.  LISTEN! EMPATHIZE!  LISTEN SOME MORE!

6.  Talk to the parent about your next steps.  Yes, you have them because you did your research and you created a plan before you contacted the parent.  Keep it positive as much as possible.

7.  End by circling back to your first statements about liking the student and/or something they have been doing well.  

Note:  My emails yesterday followed this pattern and I am still glowing with the results!

Tip #9:  Document Everything

There are a million ways to do this and it often relates to your personal, organizational style.  My format is a weekly booklet with each child's name and other information that I frequently need.  I use this booklet to record all contacts with parents.  My record of recording what happens during the day with the children is evolving.  I'm sure I will have another blog entry about that when I get a little more cemented.

Tip #10:  Is This Really My Job?

Yes, this really is your job.  You are in the vocation of teaching another person's child and communicating with them about the progress so that the education can continue in further years.  It absolutely is a lot of hard work.  It's what you signed up for even if you didn't realize it.  And here's the thing...  If you communicate well, the rest of your job seems a whole lot easier!  Trust me!  You'd rather do all this positive and creative work so that you are not spending hours angry, frustrated and not sleeping because you are at odds with a parent.  The reason for the communication is always the child!  Remember what I said a whole lot earlier...  What you say and how you say it will be felt by them too!

Adventure Recipe: Resources

I have purposefully linked all of the resources that I have to share above.  I'd love to see templates of things that you are using and hear some feedback.  Please feel free to share!