James was MJ

James was that shy kid in the first row. He never offered his opinion and he didn’t seem to be very well liked in the class. In April, I asked students to share something surprising about themselves in writing. James wrote furiously. He was the first to volunteer to read. Imagine our surprise to find out that in his spare time, James was a Michael Jackson impersonator! And he was really good!

James could do all of the dance moves and mouth the words of every MJ song. He showed us a video of himself singing BAD he uploaded to Youtube! We were gobsmacked! Astounded! Personally, I couldn’t believe it was APRIL and we were just now learning about this really cool thing James loved and excelled at outside of the four walls of our school. If I hadn’t asked, he may never have revealed this about himself.

Afterwards, James totally opened up in class. He participated more and even showed us some moves. He was such an awesome kid! Learning about him made all of us appreciate his personality and it helped him feel like more a part of our class.

Even though it may seem late in the year, there is still time and value in learning more about your students’ interests.

Here are some new ways I thought of to get to know your students:

NOTE: These strategies work best when you participate too. Gauge how much you want to share but do share something with students. You will be surprised how much value comes of this sharing.

Bring in your facebook profile pic-A lot can be learned about a person based only on their profile picture. Share your picture first. Discuss prompts like:

*  I chose this profile picture because…

*  I think this profile picture is a great example of my personality because…

If students (or you) do not have a profile pic then make one up…draw one, cut one out of a magazine, bring in an old photo just find something to share.

Share your fav app, video game or website-Everyone has a favourite something on the Internet. This could be a way to find out a new interest category for your students. Also, you could learn something new and hip about technology through the eyes of your students.

Who is your BFF? (BFF is Best Friend Forever) Have your students describe their best friend but the rule is that it cannot be a person. For example, my best friend is a 60 pound goldendoodle! He is always there for me and laughs at all of my jokes. Students may consider their ipad a best friend or their cell phone. The creativity comes in the descriptions.

Write a thank you note to a former teacher. Give your students an example by writing one for your own high school English teacher. Who could you thank from your past? What would you say? What sort of card would you use?

How do you really feel about … (school, bullying, Math, Adults, Guns, the environment) Let it go and rant a little about how your really feel about something close to your heart. Students can use their phones to record their rants and then edit the content into a short 2 minute podcast.

Share a clip from youtube that inspires you. Be sure to have a discussion about how to choose a clip that is appropriate for class. After students share their fav short clip, have them connect the clip to different subject areas. How does this clip work as a resource in the English Curriculum? How does this clip demonstrate something we learned in Science or Math? Help students to see how school relates to their interests.

Beauty Day...This is my favourite…click here for more about writing from the heart and beauty day.

If you spend this time getting to know your students (even though it is late in the year) I promise you that the time will be valuable for building a community of caring individuals. Not only will students care about each other, they will care about you and find ways to collaborate on their learning.

You might even learn to do the moon walk!

Until Next time,

JL

Me with Rock Star       Daphne Willis

So, my Principal asked me to visit her office one afternoon after school. She told me about a teacher in the building who needed some encouragement. She said this person asked if it was possible to have time with me. Of course, I immediately agreed!

This teacher (I’ll call her Lisa) and I spent time chatting about how she was feeling. She told me how overwhelmed she felt with the curriculum material. Lisa said that she didn’t really like the book she “had to teach” and that the students didn’t like it either.

NOTE: None of us “have to teach” a certain novel. This is a myth in high school English classrooms. Just because those dusty old “To Kill a you know what” exist doesn’t mean that is all we can choose from…in fact we shouldn’t be the ones choosing at all, but that is another story.

Next, I asked if I could come and hang out with her for a class period. She smiled and said yes. She had a really good group of students. They seemed to know the rules of the room, they arrived mostly on time, they arranged the desks in groupings and even politely said good morning to their teacher. When the lesson began, I could tell the enthusiasm was low. Dangerously low. Some immediately began texting, others popped on their ear buds and others raised their hands at inappropriate times to ask strange questions about the content.

I asked Lisa, “How do you think it went?” She told me it went fine and that the students were better because I was in the room.

We spent time with the curriculum expectations to decide the next best step in this situation. We talked about making connections with the content and using graphic organizers to help students make sense of it all. We made goals for the coming days from accomplishing the reading to getting to know the students. We discussed the tools she had at her fingertips such as the cell phones in the room, the laptop on her desk, the chart paper and markers, magnets on the board and good old fashioned chalk. We talked about all the stuff high school teachers sometimes overlook thinking students should know this already. I think her shoulders lowered a little during our planning session.

It made me feel really good to be able to encourage another teacher. You know the statistics are that 4 out of 5 new teachers quit within the first 5 years! As a seasoned teacher, I need encouragement too. I appreciate that my Principal trusts me to help another colleague. I love working with a new group of students deemed disinterested. I love teaching and I love a challenge!

We need to take the time to help each other. It can rejuvenate us and build community in a place where we are mostly alone. I’m no rock star but helping this teacher made me feel like one.

JL

You might also like, My Students Are Terrible Writers!

Cloud of Judgement

Judgement!

As teachers, we are called upon to be judges. We judge students’ work…judge our actions…the actions of others…decide what is morally correct and then “be” that. Judgement is a huge factor in our daily lives. But you know, judgement can make for a very miserable person. If you are nodding your head to these statements, then I believe you have something to examine.

Once upon a time in my career, I went down the rabbit hole of judgement. I was super critical of myself and others. I engaged in gossip with other staff members and I knew that gossip was happening about me when my back was turned. It was a yucky cycle of bad feelings and uneasiness. (ha think of that word…un-easy-ness)

It was a tough habit to pull myself out of but eventually I decided to stop engaging in such conversations. When I caught myself judging others (in words or thoughts) I stopped. Soon, I walked with more confidence. I knew that the judgmental talk was still happening about me and I could let this go more easily. I did get happier pretty much right away.

Next, I watched myself around my students. I changed my sarcastic joking to a supportive pleasant glance paired with kind words. I listened to students more, really looked in their eyes when I talked to them and decided that they were the best judge of their own talents. We could discuss how they were doing in my class and talk about ways for them to improve. Slowly the “battle of the marks” changed from fear of judgement to the “inspiration of process”. Really it worked just that way.

The change happened within me and my mind. I just started to watch my words and my thoughts. I reflected and changed myself. Soon the world around me changed. The energy transformed within my little bubble and all of a sudden my heart shifted. Today, when I am in a judge-mental room, I will speak up (I feel uncomfortable with this talk) and often remove myself from it.

So think about how you are contributing to the judgement that surrounds you every day. Make a promise with yourself to notice when you think those critical thoughts…when you say those critical things…and put the brakes on. The change will happen. Be patient. Be kind to yourself. Lean in with your eyes open. You can do this.

Until next time,

JL

You might also like, Silencing the Inner-Critic-A Reminder to Be Nice!

A poster you won’t find in that store with all the posters.

This photo was taken at the Whimzey House in Safety Harbor, Florida. The community is pitching in to create these magical mosaics. Each one will be placed on the outside of the Safety Harbor Art and Music Center being built just blocks away. Click here for more information about the SHAMc project. 

I wonder what word your students would choose to create.

You might also like A Poster That Didn’t Exist Before.

April snowday!!

So we woke up this morning to cancelled buses in April!! This may have never happened before…especially not on the day of the OSSLT! What a perfect day to unclutter your mind!

Today, I will spend about an hour going through some of my “stuff.” You know that shelf full of old textbooks from the 70′s? The box with the cobwebs attached. Yes, today I will take a moment to separate the old from the new…the relevant from the irrelevant. Deep breath! Or maybe I will do some planning over some piping hot coffee.

Seems to me like today is the day I am being forced to unclutter my mind!

Hope you’re safe on the roads and find some time to enjoy!

JL

You might also like How to Find Your Inner Teenager.

Margaret was a grade 12 student in my University level English course and each and every day, she forgot to bring a pen to class. Note: This was before devices replaced pens.

I tried to help her by reluctantly lending her my pen, buying her pens from the dollar store, anything to keep her from returning to her locker missing fifteen minutes of my class. The problem with lending her my pens was that she walked away with them. I started attaching flowers to the pens and she still walked away with them even showing them off by placing the flowers in her hair during lunch. It was a frustrating point at the start of every class. Each day I began the lesson and Margaret immediately raised her hand saying she didn’t have a writing utensil.

This little issue escalated in to a full out battle between us. As the semester went on, she was less and less prepared for class. Not only was I frustrated, the other students were getting frustrated with her daily scenes. Finally, her mother, Margaret, the Principal and I sat down for a conference about the situation. I was very organized as I explained all of the steps I had taken to help Margaret. I detailed all of the assignments she was missing as a result of not be prepared for class. I commented that she would be unsuccessful in the course if she did not change her habits.

To this, Margaret’s mother slowly sat back in her chair, smiled at me and said, “Well, Mrs. Stinson, it seems like you are blameless in this situation. You sure do paint yourself some pearly white angel wings, don’t you?”

Pause.

No one moved. I turned to my Principal hoping for a response. Nothing.

I will stop the story here. The point is that my administrator did nothing to stop this ridiculous train wreck of a meeting. She just sat there. Maybe she had more important things to think about and believe me I felt the whole situation was absurd too but this non-response cut me to the bone.

Dear administrators, I know you have a very difficult job description. You are responsible for so many things from student safety to curriculum matters to evaluations but please please please stand up for your teachers. There is no reason for us to feel attacked by the parents of our students when you are present. We are in this together for the welfare of all students. If teachers are not supported by their admin there is a trust issue broken here. How can we do our incredibly complicated jobs if you sit by while these kinds of interactions occur.

Sometimes teachers are entitled to some pearly white angel wings. We put up with a lot and we handle it with a smile and a whole bucket load of professionalism and patience. We deserve to be supported by our admin.

Disclaimer-This blog is no way meant to offend those awesome supportive administrators out there. (You know who you are) Just thought I needed to share my experience for those who sit silently.

JL

PS-If I did paint myself some wings, they would look like this.

If you liked this one, you might also like I Like to Break Stuff.

Stephanie and Me 1996

Stephanie Durnford was the leader of my writing club in 1996. Well, that doesn’t really cover it. Stephanie was one of those students you never forget. Her passion for life and for writing shined through then and now I am proud to see her continued writing practice on her blog called Visible and Real: Practicing Trust. Finding Voice. Telling Stories. I am thrilled to be in contact with her again and to know that she is continuing her leadership journey by facilitating courses in innovative ways.

Enjoy Stephanie’s post.

Teaching Expectations

by Stephanie Durnford

One chilly October Tuesday, I sat in an impromptu meeting with two supervisors at a local community college. The day before they had called, asking if I was interested in teaching public speaking. They had had my resume on file and an instructor who wanted to be relieved of her teaching duties within the week.

It was the middle of a fifteen week semester.

I accepted the position Tuesday and that Friday, I sat in a bland conference room with the instructor. She pushed the book and a stack of papers over to me. Telling me how awful the class was, she kept saying how they did not want to learn. I could imagine her washing her hands of the class as she walked out, telling me, “Good luck.”

Anxiety and excitement rolled through my body that Monday when I walked into class.

I was teaching again!

I was teaching a class that another instructor did not want. She had, in no uncertain terms, told me how horrible they were.

I remember breathing deeply and telling myself the same thing I say every first day of teaching. “Get to know them. You can’t teach them if you don’t know them.”

I was teaching public speaking, and if there’s no trust, there is no room for learning.

Of course, much like the instructor, the students wanted to tell me how horrible their previous
experience had been.

I made it clear – I didn’t want someone else’s expectations to determine our journey.

We were all starting on a clean slate.

While I had half the time to teach them the entire curriculum, I trusted that together we could do it.

For me, it was amazing what was possible when I allowed both myself and the students room to breathe life into really negative space.

The students began to trust their own voices, to question how to best be heard, and to repaint the expectations of what they were (not) capable of.

What expectations are holding you or your students back? What colors can they be repainted?

So, March Break is coming to a close. Tomorrow morning you will be rising early to face the downhill side of the school year. To start the momentum, why not try the following activity I call The Best Day Ever.

Tell your students that today is the best day ever! Remind them to refer to today as the best day ever from that point on.

Best Day Ever

Materials needed:

*  Pen (No pencils because you can erase pencil marks)

*  A piece of lined paper

*  A portable hard surface to write on like a clipboard or thin binder

*  Reasonable weather

NOTE: Make sure you let the office know you are about to leave the building for about 45 minutes.

Have students draw a box around 10-15 lines on the paper and title it, The Best Day Ever.

Rules and instructions:

Have students follow you on a slow thoughtful walk around the building. As you walk, make sure students avoid talking. Assign one student to be the end of the line to be sure that you keep your group together without losing anyone. Notice the colours, sights and sounds of the walk. Collect 10 details you notice inside the parameters of the box. (e.g. Spring daisies, Airplane Contrail, Creative Clouds, Rumbling MAC Truck)

Plan a place to end your walk like the classroom or preferably an outside seating area away from the traffic of the school.

Tell students to get comfortable enough to compose their piece called the best day ever by connecting the collected details with words creating sentences or a list of things that become a piece of writing called The Best Day Ever. Allow students to share their work with a judgement free partner or with the class if they feel so inclined.

Make sure you participate as a role-model.

I know you will be surprised at what happens. Mostly you will be surprised to find out that when you call it the best day ever it turns out to be true.

Enjoy your first day back!

JL

An anchor of snow

So, it is March Break again. An entire week off from teaching!! Soooo…how much marking will you bring home with you? lol

Lots of people have trips planned for next week. They will load up the car and head south. My husband and I have packed up the dog for our annual puppy vacation/March Break numerous times. There’s just something special about driving south with the rest of the Canadians in search of sand and sun.

But this blog is not about going south. This blog post is about the time I was stuck at home under a four foot anchor of snow. My husband was working, I was on my own for the week, and to top it off, my neighbour left me to babysit her dog while she went off on a Caribbean Cruise! As hard as I tried, I could not make the most of it. I felt so sorry for myself that whole week. So what did I choose to do? Well, I marked papers, I planned units, I cleaned my house, I talked with other depressed/trapped friends on the phone. It was terrible. I returned to school with my head hanging low my skin glowing pasty white.

My point is that March Break is a state of mind. If you consider yourself “stuck at home” well then that is exactly what you are-stuck. If you continue doing work this week, then you are not on a break. If you talk with other down people, you too will be down. So, here’s my advice. Do what ever you can to change your mind because believe it or not you can choose to be happy. You can choose your thoughts so start doing that right now. Life is beautiful and you have a whole week ahead of you that is all yours!!

All my best for a restful break!

JL

If you like this one, you might also like  Broken Window or Breath-Taking View?

Do we have time?

Yesterday, I sat down beside two teenagers at a coffee shop in the US. The boy was working on his English assignment using a textbook that looked identical to the one I used in 1989. The pages were white and the fill in the blank worksheet he was filling in wasn’t any different. The girl was texting on her Iphone5 sipping a cappuccino. I couldn’t help but interrupt these two, “Hi, I’m an English teacher and writer. I was just wondering what year your textbook was published.” He smiled and flipped to the front of the large volume…2009!

“You must be so bored!” I said rolling my eyes. The boy smiled, shrugged his shoulders as if to say, yes, but these are the hoops we have to jump through. The girl started to tell me all about what high school is like for her. She remarked about standardized testing and even ranked the schools in the nearby area. I gave her a few ideas about how she might work to her strengths in school and actually reach the English curriculum by designing creative projects with her peers. It all seemed to go over her head.

“Do you have Ipads at your school?” I asked. “No, the students will just destroy them. It is not a good idea to do that. We have a computer lab and the keys are missing on the keyboards. They take forever to load up so sometimes the teachers let us use our phones.” I thanked the two for their time and got up to leave.

Do we have enough time to make a difference in this system?

JL

If you liked this one, try Why the Five Paragraph essay is Making Me CrAzY!

Cause to celebrate

One year ago, I was embarking on my future.

Shedding the layers of protective armor.

Stepping in to the light.

Today, I have cause to celebrate.

Because what are we doing here?

How are we measuring our accomplishments?

What does it matter anyway

Unless we celebrate?

Some people celebrate tiny moments.

They find reason in every little thing.

It is a life of living and celebrating.

I am different from that.

I take a snap shot of a moment

To remember it and to keep it safe.

I allow time to pass keeping this moment

sacred like a time capsule down deep.

When the time is right,

When I have forgotten what I packed inside,

I unearth this capsule and sit with it

Thinking, look how far I’ve come.

Sometimes I cry for what was and is no more.

Sometimes I hold up my hands to the sky

Saying, look at who I am now.

This time, I will wrap round my arms and sigh.

I have cause to celebrate.

JL

If you like this, you might also like Walk a Mile.

Tick, Tick, Tick make it count!

“It is 3:30!! We want this staff meeting to be quick and dirty so we can go home. Let’s move it along!” You nervously click view show, as the union rep simultaneously clicks his stop watch. You have from 3:30-3:45 make it good!

Here are some little tips to guide the framework of your 3:30-3:45 presentation:

1. Video clip-Start with a video clip. Make it short and sweet and funny. Make it as current as possible. Making people laugh right from the start will be a great ice-breaker and help people to relax right away. Also make sure you download it. Do not rely on buffering!!

2. A moment to share-Set a purpose to your talk by posing a manageable/applicable question to the group. Oral language is important to set the stage for new learning to evolve. Ask something like, “What frustrates you most about marking?” Not “What’s your worst memory from childhood?”

3.  Informational Slides-Two slides-tops. Please refrain from adding tons of information in paragraph form. List about 3 short points and add a picture to make the slide attractive for your visual learners. Animate the points so that they arrive one at time.

4.  Wrap up slide-Always have a reflection piece. A conversation ending in an exit ticket you can collect for your own reference. “What surprised you about this new learning?” or a goal setting piece, “Talk about what one action you will take for the future. What do you need to make this happen?”

5.  To save time, exit tickets need to be available right from the beginning of the presentation. Participants will be able to fill them out as the think of points. If you leave the slip until the end of the fifteen minutes you will not get the most thought-full comments because your audience will feel rushed.

Here are some prompts to consider:

*  What was the most important part for you?
*  What action can you take tomorrow?
*  What do you need to support you with this action?

The most important points to consider when facilitating a staff meeting from 3:30-3:45 are brevity, humour and practicality.

Whew…time’s up!
JL

If you liked this, you might also enjoy You Can Be the Leader But you have to Be a Good one!

Advice from a Writer

Click here for more like this

Fort Albany, Ontario
Canada

Here’s another poster you might like…

Poster #2

Click Here for another poster you might like.

Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield is currently in space soon to take over command of the International Space Station. On top of all the amazing accomplishments that have brought him to this lofty height, he is also a singer/songwriter! Click the picture below to witness a Canadian ROCKSTAR. Chris Hadfield is the most super cool rockstar there is!!!!

Supercool Rock”star”

Please return home soon and safely. We are all staring up in awe!

JL

Art/Photo Courtesy Kiaralinda and Todd

We have all heard it, Johnny needs a break and this is the only time his parents can get off of work so he will be going away for 2 weeks on a cruise to the Caribbean! We need work for him right away…meaning by the end of the day today because his ship is sailing in the morning. Literally!

This is such a familiar scenario and can create a lot of running around working like you get paid twice the amount of money you do. Unfortunately, when this comes up the only creative thoughts you might have involve turning to your filing cabinet and fishing out dittos for a novel you just happen to have beside your desk. Yes, it is that old copy of Go Ask Alice~hardly something you want Johnny reading alone but since you are on a time crunch that is the only thing you have to offer.

Below are a few ideas to consider the next time Johnny’s cruise ship beckons:

*  Write a summary of the preparation needed to go on this trip. How did your parents search for this cruise? What are the things your family considered when choosing this holiday?

*  Make a short one paragraph prediction about your holiday. What might happen that will be fun and intriguing? (G rated please) What do you think you might learn about?

*  While you are on the cruise/holiday, collect travel brochures. What are the events being suggested by the directors of your holiday? NOTE: Brochures can be found the lobby of any hotel. Compare and contrast two brochures you find. Which one is more persuasive? Explain why. What are the media elements of each brochure? Bring these brochures with you to class when you return.

*  Find someone of importance during your journey. (e.g. the captain of the boat, a pilot, Cruise director, etc) Ask this person for a short 5 minute interview. Prepare five questions for your subject. Be sure that the questions can not be answered with a simple yes or no. You might ask, How did you get involved in this profession? What is your favourite part of this job? After the interview, compile your answers in to a blog about your subject. What did you learn from this person that you can apply to your own life?

*  Discover the culture you are visiting. Collect some artifacts (be sure that customs will be ok with you bringing these things back) from your trip that represent the culture. You might record a snippet of music from a local band, purchase an authentic article of clothing, press the leaves of a local flower, buy some poetry, art or literature created by a local author or artist.

* Keep a journal of your trip documenting every day of your journey with one paragraph. Consider what you have learned and how this new learning will apply to your life back home.

When Johnny arrives back to class, help him to decipher all of the work in to a project to share with the class. Have a one on one conference for brainstorming ideas. How might Johnny present his findings to the class in a unique way that will be interesting and informative? NOTE: Present does not mean Johnny has to stand in front of the room and lecture. (Whew I said it!)

Enlist the help of other students to co-create success criteria for the project. This way, the student will be able to self judge the presentation and the experience. BTW all four strands are addressed here Reading, Writing, Oral Language and Media.

Keep my little list in your drawer beside your old dittos and maybe give it a try the next time a little darling approaches your desk with the mad declaration that they are off to an exotic location…in APRIL!

Until next time,

JL

Click here for some other lesson plan ideas.

Embrace Life

Stop: Click here to see part 2 of this lesson

View #3

The third time you view the Public Service Announcement, consider symbols, casting, costuming and Audio.

What symbols can you recognize? Why are these symbols included?

What actors were chosen for this public service announcement? What is the family’s socio-economic status? How do you know?

What race and gender are the characters? What does this imply about the organization creating the PSA?

Notice the costumes worn by the characters and the surrounding sets. Why do you think this PSA was set in a living room not on the road? Why is the man barefoot?

How does the audio manipulate the viewer? Is it effective and persuasive?

After Viewing for the third time, consider these extensions:

Take ten minutes and search Youtube for another PSA about wearing your seat belt. How is the new PSA you found different from the one you have been analyzing? Is it more persuasive or less persuasive?

NOTE: Other PSA’s can be very graphic. Beware of this fact while you are searching.

Click here for another JL lesson.

Stop: Click here to see part 1 of this lesson

View #2

The second time you view the Public Service Announcement, consider the basic shots included.

What close-ups are used?

When is the speed of the film changed?

How many shots are in the film? NOTE: A shot is the time when the shutter is open to when it is closed again

After Viewing the PSA consider the following questions:

What is the purpose of this public service announcement?

Is this PSA effective?

How does the music manipulate your response to the message of the the PSA? Always wear your seatbelt

Analyzing media is like reading poetry with students. If you only look at the piece once, you have lost deeper meanings. So, my rule when deconstructing media with students is to view short powerful clips 3 times using a different lens each time. After a few tries, students get used to digging deeper and the lens can become more involved. Here are the bare bones of a lesson series I like to call:

View X3

View #1

Watch this Public Service Announcement for the first time taking notice of the following narrative elements:
*  Character
*  Setting
*  Problem
*  Solution

Embrace Life

After Viewing-
Challenge yourself to summarize the Public Service Announcement using only 100 words. Remember to include the narrative elements you noticed.

HINT-Does this seem like CASI? Remember, everything is on purpose.

Click here for View #2!

JL