There has been much emphasis at this school, in the community and the media around anti-bullying campaigns. The Stand Up Campaign at Eastdale is an example.
But...
I've been thinking lately that we are spending much time focusing on the few who do not reflect the good character that exists at Eastdale; and I think it's time we celebrate the positive rather than dwell on negatives.
So...
I've come up with a plan. I'm calling it Fine Dining at Eastdale. This morning I invited 20 students who consistently demonstrate good character at all times, not just when someone is watching. These are children I've not heard a negative report about from students or teachers, and who generally try to do the right thing. (There are far more than 20 such students at Eastdale, but this is where I've started.) I sent personal invitations to these students to join me during nutrition breaks to eat in the "dining hall" on the stage. We listen to soft music, have dimmed lighting, enjoy each others' company, maybe we'll watch a movie.
Manners are required at Fine Dining so students must stay seated, use "please and thank you," and ask to be excused before leaving the table.
I think the students enjoyed their lunch times today. I know I did.
It's nice to celebrate with deserving little people. I could get used to this Fine Dining.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
The "Fort" has caused me to reflect on the many woes of fort building at school....
I am regularly confronted with complaints on the yard the "so and so stole my snow" and "blank took our boulders" and "miss and mr took over our fort when we hard started building it last week..." etc. etc.
I find by this time of the year I have very little patience for the snowfort battles. 'Cause really, we're going to argue about who owns which snow?
I see how world wars start. The need to control and possess property/land/snow is all the same mentality and suggesting that you find a way to share it often doesn't work.
In the scope of my day, listening to who built which wall with which door often doesn't land very high on my list of daily priorities, but do understand the need to be heard. Sometimes I am amazed at the solutions the students come up with. They can be very creative with their boundaries and willingness to "add on" rooms so that more children can play. These are good lessons on compromise.
And if all else fails?
I say, "I own the snow!"
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
What's a PLC?
PLC stands for Professional Learning Communities. The purpose of the PLC is to allow divisions within schools to plan for, and implement and reflect on teaching strategies that are directly linked to specific curriculum expectations.
The first round of PLCs across the Board were based on a Reading Expectation that says, "extend understanding of texts by connecting, comparing and contrasting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them." Students have been answering open response type questions to demonstrate this understanding.
The process for the PLCs works like this:
Meeting one -- teachers meet to discuss the expectation, develop a rubric for assessing the learning, develop a diagnostic question to be given to all students in a particular grade or division, develop anchor charts and exemplars to help the students understand what is being asked of them.
Meeting two -- teachers bring the marked diagnostics and discuss trends they have in their class. For example, in our first round many teachers found that students could either make connections to their own thinking, or to the text, but not to both (which is what we want to happen). Based on the information gathered from the diagnostic assessment teachers plan lessons together.
Meeting three -- schools are paired up with other schools in the area. This is called a "Networked PLC" because there are multiple schools involved. We meet as divisions with the Elma and Wallace staffs. At this meeting teachers share best practice ideas, and brainstorm different resources and teaching strategies to help each other figure out how to best help the students.
Meeting four -- teachers bring their "summative" assessment (that's the final written work) and we mark them cooperatively. This ensures that a Level 4 in one class is the same as a Level 4 in another.
This PLC process and the cooperation, research and structured learning is vastly different from how teachers and schools have operated in the past. Yesterday was the Primary teachers' Networked PLC. I so wish that parents could have sat in to listen to the conversations. To hear teachers so focused on the craft of teaching, and talking about how to reach all students was really inspiring.
The PLC process is relatively new to education. I believe that it will change education for the better, for all of our students. Teacher collaboration and the exploration of learning and teaching strategies is powerful stuff. I am proud of how our staff works together, always with the question "how do I best help my students." When you see how learning can change based on such conversations it gives me great hope for our children. The sky really is the limit!
The first round of PLCs across the Board were based on a Reading Expectation that says, "extend understanding of texts by connecting, comparing and contrasting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them." Students have been answering open response type questions to demonstrate this understanding.
The process for the PLCs works like this:
Meeting one -- teachers meet to discuss the expectation, develop a rubric for assessing the learning, develop a diagnostic question to be given to all students in a particular grade or division, develop anchor charts and exemplars to help the students understand what is being asked of them.
Meeting two -- teachers bring the marked diagnostics and discuss trends they have in their class. For example, in our first round many teachers found that students could either make connections to their own thinking, or to the text, but not to both (which is what we want to happen). Based on the information gathered from the diagnostic assessment teachers plan lessons together.
Meeting three -- schools are paired up with other schools in the area. This is called a "Networked PLC" because there are multiple schools involved. We meet as divisions with the Elma and Wallace staffs. At this meeting teachers share best practice ideas, and brainstorm different resources and teaching strategies to help each other figure out how to best help the students.
Meeting four -- teachers bring their "summative" assessment (that's the final written work) and we mark them cooperatively. This ensures that a Level 4 in one class is the same as a Level 4 in another.
This PLC process and the cooperation, research and structured learning is vastly different from how teachers and schools have operated in the past. Yesterday was the Primary teachers' Networked PLC. I so wish that parents could have sat in to listen to the conversations. To hear teachers so focused on the craft of teaching, and talking about how to reach all students was really inspiring.
The PLC process is relatively new to education. I believe that it will change education for the better, for all of our students. Teacher collaboration and the exploration of learning and teaching strategies is powerful stuff. I am proud of how our staff works together, always with the question "how do I best help my students." When you see how learning can change based on such conversations it gives me great hope for our children. The sky really is the limit!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Gratitude
On January 1, 2010 I started a gratitude journal. I got the idea from Oprah. Every night (almost) before bedtime I write 3-5 things that I was grateful for that day.
I reread my journal yesterday. It's neat to look back at the year, and all the things that brought me joy. Here's the thing that has caused me to reflect. I am surprised at the number of little, mundane things that I was grateful for. I didn't write any explanations, so I don't have a context to put the entries in. I wrote things like "new pen," "___ made me laugh," "kids did the dishes without being asked," "it didn't rain" and "found my keys." This has reminded me that the little things really do add up, and I need to remember to look for them.
Here's the other thing that rings true. Many, many of the entries are related to my job, my school. How wonderful to go to work everyday in a place that makes me glad to be there. I don't know that everyone can say that.
So I start 2011 already grateful that tomorrow I will be back at Eastdale. It won't be a snowday, and all the little "peeps" I've missed will surely make my day once again.
Happy 2011, friends.
I reread my journal yesterday. It's neat to look back at the year, and all the things that brought me joy. Here's the thing that has caused me to reflect. I am surprised at the number of little, mundane things that I was grateful for. I didn't write any explanations, so I don't have a context to put the entries in. I wrote things like "new pen," "___ made me laugh," "kids did the dishes without being asked," "it didn't rain" and "found my keys." This has reminded me that the little things really do add up, and I need to remember to look for them.
Here's the other thing that rings true. Many, many of the entries are related to my job, my school. How wonderful to go to work everyday in a place that makes me glad to be there. I don't know that everyone can say that.
So I start 2011 already grateful that tomorrow I will be back at Eastdale. It won't be a snowday, and all the little "peeps" I've missed will surely make my day once again.
Happy 2011, friends.
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