In the spirit of trying to show how we can make it the most wonderful time of the year all school year long, I have talked about creating great classroom libraries. I have also talked about how the classroom environment can help make your students want to come running into school each day. For this week's post, I want to focus on the moments you create for your students. Last year, I read a book and fell in love with the message. It is actually not an education book, but I feel like it's one that educators should read. The book is called The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip and Dan Heath.
There are so many amazing quotes and stories in this book, but the one I thought of to share in this week's post is...
“In life, we can work so hard to get the kinks out that we forget to put the peaks in.”
Especially during this time of year, doesn't it seem like we are just trying to get all of those kinks out? We are reactionary. We are putting out little fires. We feel like we are running on that hamster wheel with no way to get off and take a break. Well, if we feel that way, let's think of how that feels for our students who are watching us try to get the kinks out.
What if we stopped running for a minute, took a breath, and thought about how to put some peaks in? In the book Power of Moments, the basic idea is that our life is full of moments, but there are certain moments we remember much more than others. Think about your experience in school. What memories stick out for you? I remember when my 6th grade teacher let me go into a 1st grade classroom and read them a story and do an activity that tied into that story. I even remember what I was wearing because the story was about panda bears so I dressed in black and white. I don't remember what we did in math class that day. I also remember when I was in the 10th grade, my English teacher surprised us one day and had us listen to different records that were produced during the time period that we were reading novels from. I don't remember what I ate for lunch that day. I also remember when I was in 1st grade and my teacher let me share a poem with the whole class that I had written about my baby brother being born. I don't remember what I did on the playground that day.
The point is...our life is full of moments...many of them are forgettable and forgotten. But then there are moments that because of the situation, the action, the events, the way they happen, those moments are unforgettable and stick with us long after they happen. We need to hit the pause button for a minute when dealing with getting the kinks out. We need to be putting more peaks into our classrooms for our students.
Need some more encouragement to shift from kinks to peaks? Here's another great quote from the book:
“If you’re always in a life vest, you don’t know if you can swim. Sometimes you have to take the life vest off — with someone still standing by to offer support and rescue — and say, ‘Let’s see what happens.'”
Who is ready to take off the life vest? If we want to make it the most wonderful time of the year all year long, then we might need to take some risks, try something new, approach things from a different perspective. I love this thought from the book...
“In many organizations, our daily obligations — the emails, the meetings, the to-do lists — can numb us to the meaning of our work.”
What is the meaning of our work? To create amazing learning experiences for our students. We want them to remember what we share with them. We want them to think back and say, "I remember when my teacher had us do this..."
Need a starting point? In The Power of Moments, they say: “Just by disrupting routines, we can create more peaks.” I remember when I taught 2nd grade. After the first year, I reflected on my teaching and I thought...I am a horrible teacher of writing. So I spent the summer devouring everything book, workshop, discussion about the teaching of writing. And I knew that I needed to hook my students in right from the beginning. So I disrupted the routine...I set up a sticky note countdown to the day we would officially become writers and launch writer's workshop. My students ate it up! They could not wait for that day to come, one even telling me that she didn't think she would sleep the night before the big day. There were many other things I did on the official start date, like a ribbon cutting ceremony into their special "used" binders, playing the theme to 'Rocky', and even having them take a "writing pledge." And you know what happened? They wrote and wrote and wrote! They were so excited about writing and that enthusiasm continued throughout the whole year. I created a peak. A moment that was unforgettable. That girl who couldn't sleep the night before? She recently found me and told me that she was in college studying to be a children's book illustrator. She told me she remembered how I encouraged her writing and her illustrating. That peak I created...it stuck with her. And it all started by disrupting a routine.
So take some time to stop thinking about working out the kinks and decide...
How will you start putting more peaks in? What unforgettable learning experiences can you create in your classroom?
I enjoyed reading a really cute new version of Jack B. Nimble. This one is called Jack B. Ninja. This rhyming picture book is one that many young readers will enjoy, especially because there are so many students who love ninjas . I really liked the surprise twist when I found who the "bandits" were in the story!
A friend of mine who is an early childhood principal in Oklahoma and a fellow book lover, Julie Bloss, recommended that I read Ban This Book. I downloaded it to my Audible account and am enjoying listening while driving. Love the story so far...a 4th grader who does not agree when a parent starts banning books like From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, the Goosebumps series, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, Junie B. Jones series, and many others. So she starts the BBLL...the Banned Book Locker Library. Can't wait to finish this one! And order some copies so we have it in our library.
**All this week it's the BOGO sale at the Scholastic Warehouse in Clinton!
Monday - Jeans Day! And bundle up with a more plaid, flannel, or sweater...less time planning out your outfit means more time for you. Last day for Holiday Child collection
Tuesday - Who needs a hug? The chocolate hugs and kisses version will be available for a sweet treat. Kindergarten and 1st grade team meetings @ 3:45
Wednesday - Coffee and Cocoa day! Liz, Lisa, Kate and Lynn at the S3 Academy (Systemic Student Support) all day, 2nd grade team meeting @ 8:00, Patty at team chair meeting from 8:00-10:00,
Thursday - Soap-fully a germ free gift day! Liz @ Curriculum meeting from 7:45-10:00, Grade 3-5 concert for the whole school @ 2:00, Mayo Holiday Party at Patty's house after school!
Friday - Are you ready for an elf hunt?! And breakfast provided by the office staff? Grade 3-5 Winter Concert for families @ 10:00, Grade K-2 Winter Concert for families @ 2:00
Yikes...busy week, I'm tired just typing it out! I think we can, I think we can, I think we can...
Great things I noticed last week:
- I saw some collaborative math work focused on learning about division in 4V!
- Cait took a big risk and shared her passion for passion projects, explaining about Genius Hour to the rest of the staff. Thanks for sharing and thanks to those who are wanting to learn more about it.
- Thanks to Kris Dorogi and her K friends, as well as the PTA, our marker recycling program is going strong!
- I stopped by pajama day in KM and saw lots of learning through play happening...wish I could have played all day! Actually...did you know there is a thing called Global School Play Day?! Read more about it here and maybe we can think about bringing this to Mayo!
Interesting summary of lots of educational research from 2018: https://www.edutopia.org/article/2018-education-research-highlights
Check out this video of a poem called "The Crayon Box That Talked."
And to put a smile on your face...
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