A Teacher's Ruminations

#DigiLitSunday purpose This is a word that demands attention.  Commitment.  Focus.  Seriousness.  purpose   We all seek purpose in our lives.  Without purpose we are lost. Stranded. Without purpose we have no direction.  That's why we look for something or someone to give us the praise - validation -  that we sometimes desperately seek.  The validation that will reassure us our lives have purpose.  But, external validation is not what we need. As a mom, my purpose is to support my children as they carve out unique paths in the world. Although I cautiously dole out advice, it is just that. Advice. What my children do with it, and everything else they encounter, is what makes their life their own.  As a young mom, I was drawn to Khalil Gibran's poem about how parents are simply conduits for their children to this life. As they grow older, we need to let them go.  They need to mak...

How do I focus?   #DigiLitSunday This is a great question with several entry points and no easy answers.  I could write about how I stay focused, or not, by getting things done despite a myriad external and internal work demands.  Or, I could write about how I maintain a focus on what matters .  Or, I could write about how I make effective use of my time and stay on task.  Focusing is a disciplined response to something important or valuable. As a result, focusing is about paying attention and following through, no matter what else is going on at the time.  Truth #1: I have a hard time focusing on just one thing.   Truth #2:  It's really hard to focus on more than one thing without compromising something else. Starting a project is easy. However, completing a project is not. Yet, the satisfaction of having done so is what makes it all worthwhile. Truth #3: I take on way too many projects and responsibilities an...

Source: http://www.planwallpaper.com/static/images/thank-you-clothesline-752x483.jpg I had a hard time writing this post. In fact, I kept putting it off all week and now, a week and a day later, I am forced to write something. I feel like I should have a big, inspiring story about a former student who contacted me years later to thank me for being his or her teacher.  But, sadly, I don't have a story like that though after 30 years of teaching, it seems like I should. At least, I don't have one big story. I have small moments.  It seems like those should count, too. They're important. Aren't they? I can excuse myself by saying that of the 30 years I've been in education, I spent seven out of the classroom, and so I lost contact with a lot of kids and their families. But, that sounds lame. What is true (read: less lame) is that I have never stayed more than six years in one school site and I've moved from North to South America and back again tw...

Writing has always been a cathartic activity for me. I write when I'm upset or confused and, after just a few minutes, I start to feel better. Writing about failures or challenging situations helps me clarify my thinking so that I can sort through the muck and figure out what my next steps might be. Writing allows me to uncover what was hidden and is no longer so. Writing can free me up so I can discover a better version of myself. To uncover something I didn't know. To sift through the parts in order to get to the whole. The whole that matters. Writing does that for me. And, just as quickly, a perceived barrier to making my writing public can shut me down. If I can't write publicly about a controversial topic without feeling vulnerable, then I feel lost. Untethered. Groundless. Without a backbone. Trapped. I want to write without worrying that I will offend someone. But the fact of the matter is that every piece of good, honest writing will alway...

The I have been dismayed to realize that despite my self-image as a teacher with a learner centered classroom, I am far from truly achieving that goal.  I have been listening carefully to myself lately, and I don't like what I hear myself saying to the kids. Instead of empowering my students to take ownership of their learning, I am still the director on the stage. I still ask leading questions rather than ones that push the learner to figure things out for herself. I realize I often spoon feed my students hopeful that they will give me the answer I'm looking for. An answer that will make my job easier. Answers that will fit with what I expect students to say despite the fact that 30 years in education has taught me nothing if not that students are unpredictable, and if we prepare for anything, that is what we should be prepared for.  Teacher An anecdote. The other day I was talking with a student about the fact that she was abandoning more books than she was ...

I have been dismayed to realize that despite my self-image as a teacher with a learner centered classroom, I am far from truly achieving that goal.  I have been listening carefully to myself lately, and I don't like what I hear myself saying to the kids. Instead of empowering my students to take ownership of their learning, I am still the director on the stage. I still ask leading questions rather than ones that push the learner to figure things out for herself. I realize I often spoon feed my students hopeful that they will give me the answer I'm looking for. An answer that will make my job easier. Answers that will fit with what I expect students to say despite the fact that 30 years in education has taught me nothing if not that students are unpredictable, and if we prepare for anything, that is what we should be prepared for.  An anecdote. The other day I was talking with a student about the fact that she was abandoning more books than she was finishing. I was...

I participated in back-to-back Twitter chats tonight. Two hours of fast-paced, free professional learning, coaching and collaboration. Ideas, encouragement and pure inspiration that I will take back to my classroom tomorrow. #EdCollab and #TWOTC Back-to-back learning opportunities. My choice. My needs. Nerdy teacher heaven. Here are nine takeaways from these two chats: When I am working with a student, I must always make sure to teach at the point of a child's strengths and zone of proximal development. As I grow and change my beliefs and practice, I will benefit from creating a "cheat sheet" with questions to ask students when I confer with them. Questions that remind me to talk less so that students do most of the work. I need to ask questions like -  What did you try?  What will you try?  What have you tried before? How did that go? What can you try now?  Tell me about what you did here. What makes you say that? If you knew the answer, wh...