Be the Mirror

I've recently been nominated for an educational award. As part of that process, I am required to provide at least three references recommending me for this award. I was a bit uneasy asking people to do this for me. Just like most teachers, we don't get into this career for rewards and praise.

Yesterday, as I was preparing to come home, Staci Hawkins, a fellow teacher, told me she had left her letter in my teacher box. I thanked her and headed out, making a stop a the teacher boxes. As I started reading, I was moved to tears. She outlined all the characteristics she felt that I possessed that made me a good teacher. I was seeing myself through her eyes.


Once I composed myself, I began to reflect on how many others never get to see themselves through others' eyes...especially our students. In the community where I teach, many of my students go to home where they are the caregiver of younger siblings. They are responsible for making sure everyone gets their homework done, everyone eats dinner, and everyone takes a bath before going to bed. Many of these parents are working two jobs to try to keep their heads above water. I even have students who are homeless. As a majority of my students are living in the poverty level, their family's primary focus is on survival.

I started to wonder, do my students see themselves for the amazing people that they are? At school, we all get overwhelmed and rush from one thing to another in an attempt to get as much accomplished as possible with our students. I have to admit that I have been guilt of saying trite things like "good job" or "way to go" without being more specific in identifying what they did. I realize that I need to make time for them to see themselves the way that I see them. Without me, they may never realize all the potential that they each possess.

For me, seeing that letter made me resolve to live up to those eloquent words. Our words will do the same for our students. So tomorrow when your students enter the classroom, be sure to actually SEE them and REFLECT back to them who they really are. Be the mirror for your students.

Wake up! This Isn't Your Mama's Classroom.

At EdCamp Birmingham, I joined a couple of discussions about the general public's view of education today. We have all been aware of the negative views of education today, but one has to wonder, "What are we doing to change that perception?" When I listened to the conversations, I started wondering what I had been doing to change the public's view of what goes on in my classroom.

When you think about what the general public sees on television, in advertisements, and in movies, there is no wonder why there is such a negative perception of what education really is today. Often, you see desks in rows with a teacher's desk in front of the students and a blackboard at the front of the room. Usually, the teacher is portrayed as one who gives out seatwork, homework, and lectures about content while the students are expected to be sponges that enthusiastically absorb all of  this content.

Is this really what a classroom of today is like? Although there are still classes like this in today's schools,  there are also many teachers who are actively learning and growing professionally to meet the distinct needs of today's learners.They are becoming a facilitator of learning, guiding their students as they design their own learning path, meeting the needs of each individual student, and fostering a student-centered, collaborative environment inside and outside the classroom walls using the resources and tools that appeal to today's learner.

With all of things that teachers have to do outside of their direct teaching responsibilities, I know many of us feel like we struggle just to keep our heads above water. So how can we begin to impact society's unfair expectations?

So I went back to my original question, "What was I doing to change that perception?"  My students direct their own learning path; they collaborate with over 300 students from across the country; and they use tech tools to support their deep, meaningful learning. We are NOT the classroom that you see in today's media, but very few people outside of our collaborative partners and the students' parents are aware of what really takes place everyday in our classroom. For me, the answer was very simple, I turned it over to the students.

They are always taking photos and tweeting about what we are doing in class. They are always creating and publishing some fabulous piece of work. They are already doing all of the work, all we have to do now is send it off to the people in our community. The students and their parents have already provided us with email addresses and names of community leaders, business owners, a local newpaper reporter, and the chamber of commerce. Now once the students complete a project, we send it off to our newfound email contacts with a brief summary of the project, what it was about and how/why it was created. All of those photos my students already take, they can just turn it into a movie or slideshow (using Animoto, PhotoStory3, Image Loop, or TripWow) and send it off as well.

Our students already have the power to make decisions about their own learning. Shouldn't they be the ones to spread the exciting things that are going on in our classrooms? Think how much more it will mean to a businessman or city councilman if this is coming from a 10 year old. They will see the learner's passion and excitement about learning from the students perspective and further widening the authentic audience for students. Our students are doing amazing things and it doesn't look anything like what everyone sees on television.  Isn't it time that society woke up and realized that learning has changed a lot since they were in school? Now is the time for a wake up call! What are YOU doing to change society's perception of education?

Warm Fuzzies and Whatnots

ATTENTION EDUCATORS:
Do you ever feel like you are drowning in a sea of negativity? Does it seem like every time you turn around policy makers are proposing budget cuts, salary/benefit cuts, or adding to never ending list of hoops classroom teachers have to jump through? Do you hear colleagues complaining that they aren't going to do anything but the bare minimum for their students because it's just not worth the hassle? Do you have parent conferences where your hard work, professionalism, or abilities are called into question? Do you ever feel a lack of support from your administrators?

If you've answered "yes" to any of the previous questions (and I know you have), there is hope. With these three simple steps, you too can be paddling with the power of positivity.

1. Create your own Warm Fuzzy Folder to keep handy in case of a negativity attack. Inside it keep notes, cards, student drawings, and emails that students, their parents, or your colleagues give you singing your praises. You can even collect reflections that you've written down when you've had a success with a student or even professionally. By reading these, you'll be reminded that you really do make a difference in the people whose lives you touch every day.

2. Surround yourself with other like-minded, powerfully, positive educators. By seeking out these paragons of positivity, you too will begin to focus on what's right with education instead of what's wrong. Even if where you teach you struggle to find those upbeat educators, with the tools of today, it's easier than ever to connect with educators worldwide through Twitter, blogs, Second Life, and Skype giving all of you a venue to find solutions to common problems and celebrate your successes.
3. Focus on why you became an educator. As new educators we were extremely upbeat and on a mission to change the world. We were not motivated by money, prestige or social standing. We knew why we became teachers. Look around, they are right there, looking to you for guidance even if they won't verbally admit to it some days. Those students, regardless of race, gender, socio-economic background, religion, or personal history are looking to you to be a beacon of light in their day, every single day. What a positively prestigious opportunity!

So what are you waiting for? Get up and start reaping the benefits from paddling with the power of positivity! Your students, friends, and family will thank you.

Disclaimer: No "p's" were harmed in the making of this blog. The events and comments mentioned in this blog are generalizations and not intended to be specific indictments of actual events or individuals, real or fictitious.