Take a few minutes to share some ideas that have come to mind for you as you think about this next school year. Your ideas may include specific ideas for activities. You may choose to discuss the qualities you think could impact your classroom most significantly. Did something from the last three chapters (Common Sense, Appreciation, and Resilience) grab your attention? Or did you think of another quality of excellence that you think should be added to this book? (Like the author added "Passion" as part of the closing.) Whatever your response, it is yours. It's time for each of us to take ownership of our learning and use it to inspire our students. We don't want our thoughts and intentions to just remain somewhere in the cybersphere. No, we want our intentions to become actions. Often the first step is simply putting them in words. We are here to support each other through this, so let's get busy.
And, by the way,
"No aspirations are too high, no dream is too large, and no goal is out of reach when it comes to having hope for the future of all of our children. That is the power of being a teacher..."
~Ron Clark
As I finished the book and went back to look over the final chapters the "using common sense" when dealing with children stood out to me. There are times that while teaching older grades that I sometimes forget my students need to be taught common sense things. I am going to make more of an effort to focus on using my common sense skills as well. I need to slow down and be more deliberate in my directions and modeling.
ReplyDeleteI loved chapter 10 because of the word appreciation. There are many days that I need to practice appreciating colleagues, administrators. and my students. Trying to stay positive and grateful for the people I work with and the students I teach could really help my attitude. Appreciation has to become part of my daily routine to impact change.
I love the word resilience because I believe it takes so much resilience to continue teaching. The expectations for teaching have become stressful, so I need to stay resilient and keep my focus on the students. Students are the reason I continue teaching. I love watching students grow and learn. The students drive my passion for teaching. I love that Ron Clark ends the book with the word passion, because my passion for students is what keeps me going.
Terri, I think everyone at our school feels appreciated by you! You are one of the most positive, selfless people I have ever known. I appreciate that you are always ready and willing to help anyone in the building. There is also no doubt that you love and give your all for the children in your classroom!
DeleteAnd your passion is contagious. Thank you, Terry, for all you do to make Beech Elementary a great place to be.
DeleteTerry, Cari and Jill. All of you are always ready to help and your passion is contagious. I love how each one of you can always find the positive in any situation. Each of of are very appreciated by everyone at BES!!
DeleteThis year I just want to lump the whole book together. I want to start the year with enthusiasm that is contagious for my students and I hope it lasts all the way through May.
ReplyDeleteI want to use more memorization. I use a different poem each month when I want the students to make their way to their seats. I hope to find poems that match up with something we are learning in science or social studies.
I want to use balance, common sense and resilience when I feel super overwhelmed with evaluations, SOW's, tapping tiles, Dibels, refferals,etc. I plan to remember each day that I became a teacher because I have a passion for children and helping them love to learn.
Cari, I'm with you on lumping the whole book together! I'm excited to see how these qualities are demonstrated and practiced with intention throughout our building this year. And if we can all capture the wonder and enthusiasm of kindergarten...
DeleteEach time I read a book related to school, I have made it a habit to dog-ear the bottom corner of that page so that it's easy to come back to. With all the dog-earring I've done while reading this book, I've noticed that the bottom of the book is about twice as thick as the top. There are so many things I have noted as "must-do's" for this year!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I'm determined to do is to do a better job practicing appreciation. I don't always take the time to let others know how much I appreciate what they do. I am militant about my students making eye contact and thanking the servers in the cafeteria line each day, (something that takes many days of practicing to perfect!) and that's important. But how much more meaningful it is to write a thank you note to someone who has given something (time, gift, supplies, etc.)? I don't ever want our gratitude to sound contrived, so I know it will take time and effort. I'm determined to help my students embrace this life skill this year. I love that Mr. Clark reinforces to his students that we don't do these things so that we get more. True appreciation is so much more sincere than that. I know that in order for my students to learn this lesson I must model it for them regularly.
One last thought has to do with what others have mentioned throughout our discussions about the burdens and unrealistic expectations we often experience. I believe with my whole heart that teaching is not just a career, but a calling. If I can keep my focus on what is most important, those students God has placed in my hands, then the little things will fade out of sight. Taking time to reflect on the passion for this very noble profession has given me a renewed sense of purpose. I'm excited to tackle this year, one dog-eared idea at a time. :)
I really enjoyed this book. I want to incorporate ideas from every chapter into my classroom! I guess some of the first things I will do involve self-confidence and common sense. I think these are areas that will have the most impact for my student population. I loved how he took the time to help them set up their notebooks. I really need to be more focused on these type of activities with my students. They lack these organizational skills and have to go between my classroom and the gen. ed. room! Those poor babies! I really want to help give them the skills to be able to handle all that is going to be thrown at them this year.
ReplyDeleteYou and your assistants are wonderful with your students. It is evident with how they approach your classroom. They are smiling and that shows they are confident and feel loved. I love that we have the diverse population that we do at BES, it allows our gen. ed. students to become more accepting and compassionate. I am praying for a smooth transition for them and you.
DeleteLike Cari and Jill, I also want to lump the whole book together. My "To-Do List" for this year continues to grow with each chapter I read!! Enthusiasm, creativity, reflection, memorization, balance, compassion, confidence,...
ReplyDeleteReading Mr. Clark's chapter on Common Sense, reminded me of several things that happened throughout this past school year with my students. One of the best, was when one of my students gave me back 5 of his note cards and said he did not need them. (I had given each students 10 notecards to make flashcards for their 10 Worldly Wise Words.) I just looked at him and said, "what do you mean you don't need these?" He told me that he put 2 and 3 words on a card, so he did not need to use them all. Then I started looking around the room, and I noticed he was not the only one doing this. So, I gave hime the note cards back and I told him that he would need these. I then went through and modeled again how to make flashcards, and why you write the word on one side and the definition on the other side. I made everyone correct their cards to much moaning and groaning by the ones who had to start over again, but I showed them how they could use them to study independently and with others. After that day, the students started inventing new games and ways to study with their flashcards. A great reminder why at times I need to slow down, break things apart and spend more time modeling more for my students. Using my own Common Sense, I'll remember that my students need me to model, model, model!!!
Like Jill, I am also determined to do a better job showing appreciation. I am good at showing verbal appreciation, but I need to get back to writing notes more often. As a child, this was drilled into me and as a parent, I've done the same with my own children. However, with the hectic schedules and the constant battle with balance, I find myself showing more verbal and electronic appreciation. While I know this is ok, I feel remiss about doing this and I know it does not mean as much as a handwritten note. This is a skill that I want to work on with my students. I feel this is becoming a lost art to this generation. I want to take the time to show them how to show genuine thanks to others.
I plan on taking it one day at a time this year. When I start to feel overwhelmed or stressed out, I want to remind myself that my passion for children and helping them learn is why I became a teacher. When I focus on them, it makes everything else more manageable. I have a feeling that I will be using this book as a reference throughout the year. Thank you, Mr. Clark!!
Pam, writing thank you notes was something that my mother felt strongly about as we grew up. (We had an Emily Post manners book that she showed us regularly!) I also have stressed the importance of a handwritten note with my girls, I hope they deem it important enough to carry the tradition on. I keep Thank You cards in my desk so that I can write a note to students when they bring me a treat. At the end of the year, I always wait about three weeks to write my end of the year thank you notes so that the students get mail. This summer I've had three parents contact me to tell me that their child was so excited to get my thank you note. I plan and hope to follow through with sending a special card periodically through out the year so that students can know the joy of receiving a handwritten note. Maybe this will in a small way reignite younger generations to the importance of a thoughtful personal handwritten communication.
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ReplyDeleteSorry, girls. I just spent at least 30 minutes typing my response at Panera while my family ate dinner and when I clicked on Publish it rebooted to the Panera website and lost my post!!!! I will try again in a little bit. I'm bummed!!! Don't know why this keeps happening to me…..
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone, it's happened to me a time or two!
DeleteI loved the chapter about appreciation. It actually made me question myself and how well am I showing appreciation. I love the thought of encouraging our students to be grateful individuals no matter how small the reason. I know even for me, it is so easy to take for granted the little things. I hope to do a better job showing appreciation myself and it is definately something I want to incorporate in the classroom. I can say, however, Beech, as a whole, does a great job showing appreciation to the faculty staff and parents.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tabby for your comments on being grateful for the small things. Last year I had a student that didn't have opportunities like many others. A few would ask with a judgmental tone, "you mean you don't have internet at home, or you've never been to _____?" It would break my heart, the student would come back with something else the family had or did that was special to them. I made sure I built that up like it was 100 times better than the things others mentioned. Making students sensitive of differences and to not take what they have for granted is another thing for me to work on as well. We are blessed with generous parents who want the best not only for their children but their teachers, for that I am grateful!
DeleteI believe that the common sense quality chapter was eye opening for me. These tactics that Ron Clark explains are so simple, but at the same time I take for granted that some kids and parents truly do not understand how to study and prepare. I believe that this will become especially important now and in the future because now students are learning in a different way in which their parents were taught in school. Modeling and informing parents the best ways to help their child is just plain common sense. This will be something that I plan on being more deliberate about throughout the year. I plan on incorporating some time during conferences, open house, or even adding a helpful tip into my weekly email that will assist students and parents at home. Starting these type of procedures early will hopefully build success and confidence.
ReplyDeleteI really reading the book. I plan on showing it to parents on Back to School Night and letting them know that I think it is a valuable resource for everyone. I highlighted so much as I read. When flipping through there is as much yellow as white, if not more! I plan to keep the book on my desk and revisit when I need a reminder or punch of umph during this very changing year. I love the chapter on Common Sense as well and feel that getting students in organizational habits help them as they step from one side of the building to the other side. I am very organized at school (not home). I find that as I went through college organization is what I lacked and developed some things along the way to help me. I found that when I was organized I developed better study skills and habits. I am hoping that I can help lay a foundation for study skills that students will build on over the years to be successful. It was easier to study if all my ducks were in a row. I hope that my students benefit from that as they move on. Mr. Clark was so passionate about how his journal from 6th grade held memories of that year that he could relive to this day. This year I hope to model a second grade scale of the journal so that students can be expressive about their feelings and thoughts. (Journaling is a weakness of mine so this has a two fold goal.) I hope it will become an outlet for them and a precious keepsake as well.
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ReplyDeleteHi girls, I know this is past the deadline, but this has been hanging over my head. This is the first chance I have had to "try again." I SO ENJOYED this book. I loved his first book too! The Essential 55 I made a list and gave it to all of my middle school students that I was teaching at the time. So many of the items on the list and in this current book are common sense things, but we shouldn't take it for granted that every one thinks like teachers. ha We all need to be intentional about teaching the students how to study. My job in the gym has gotten easier in the discipline dept. because I get to have the children year after year and they know my expectations. I am going to have my own children read over the section. "Using Common Sense Leads to Better Results" ( My boys anyway…) Just practical things that will help you succeed in school. I, as a parent, love it when teachers want to see my child succeed and be self sufficient and they give them the time and tools and follow up to see that it happens!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tabby when she said that Beech does a good job with appreciation. The A Team has done a great job with that across the school. Jill has done such a great job of teaching her class to be thankful and appreciative. They usually all look me in the eye as they leave the gym and thank me for the class that day!! Makes me happy every time. I have a book titled, The Art of the Handwritten Note. I bought it and read it to inspire me to write more notes. (I need to keep working on it.) Terry is really good about giving cards and they always mean so much. Thank you, Jill, for organizing this book study. I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments. I think this book should be required reading for teachers. The first paragraph of the Appreciation chapter is great! We should all read it each day and appreciate the opportunity we have to touch so many lives. I am looking forward to another school year and working with each of you!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy these last few days of summer!!