May 2016

Chocolate 4 Teachers 10:47 AM No Comments

I'm not a fan of change. I like routine. I am an organization nut. Yes, nut. I know that I go overboard. My clothes are arranged by the color wheel. They are grouped by category (dresses, pants, cropped pants, tops, etc.) The tops are arranged by sleeve length. My socks are separated by color. My pantry is arranged by category (vegetables, fruits, pie fillings) and all turned to face out. The oldest goes in the front. The items in my freezer are arranged alphabetically. I know this puts me over the top, BUT, it does make getting ready and meal prep so much easier and so much faster. I can find stuff when I need it. When we go out to a restaurant, I have the same thing. I know which place has the best chicken, the best steak, or pasta dish. Why change if I know that it is my favorite? Sometimes I am wild and crazy and actually try something new off the menu. Wow! That is moving outside my comfort zone! But, I admit I have found new favorites.

The past two years have been a trial and error experience in the change department. I gave up having "my classroom". Now, I move to the classroom where the subject is taught AND I change what I teach every term. Nothing is mine. I can't claim to be an expert in one class and teach it term after term. I can't even claim the same students. And, you know what??? It's FUN.

I've read a few posts about teachers moving to a new school or a new grade and they seem to be in panic mode. Yes, change stinks, but sometimes it smells a lot better than where you were. So many times, I've thanked God for moving me (It just about took dynamite!). Give yourself permission to panic and be desperate. I've found that God works best with broken pieces. When He breaks me or allows me to be broken, I come back stronger and wiser than before. I am still the same person He created, but now I have new skills or new experiences. I've grown. Go into the new situation or grade without any expectations or anticipations, except for the hope that it will be good. Look at this as a chance to try new things and meet new people. Look at your change as a menu. Pick something new off of it and give it a try. God gave you this new menu to have new experiences, and from experience, I've discovered that anything God has planned for me is going to be awesome.

A friend pushed me out of my comfort zone (again) by asking me to create something for her preschool students. My first thought was, "What could a preschool student possibly need to learn beyond how to share??" Then I started doing research and discovering there is so much they need to learn!! I made these cards for her and guess what? Yeah, it was FUN!

Preschool Science Cards

Have a well-deserved break this summer!

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Chocolate 4 Teachers 3:04 PM No Comments

May 22nd will mark the end of a very special journey. May 22nd will be the high school graduation in Joplin, MO. It also marks the 5th anniversary of the tornado that devastated Joplin and took many lives. It rocked our school community by taking those who still had so much ahead of them and those that gave so much to work with our students. Losing buildings was nothing compared to the loss of these precious people. I'm sure there are those that are nervously watching the skies as the dark clouds are rolling in. Watching and remembering.

So many of these youngsters are eager to receive their diplomas and move on down the road. It is hard to remember them as "little middle school kids", but that it what they were. Scared to start middle school. Afraid of being tardy. Anxious about making new friends. And, then there were those that were "too cool for school". They liked to talk back and argue. To push their limits. To test the waters - not to mention my patience! Some were extra special. They wormed their way into your life. They came to visit your classroom every chance they got. They surprised you with coffee in the morning or a homemade treat made in FACs class in the afternoon. They shared funny stories with you. And tears. In many ways, they felt like your own child. And now, you have to let them go.

For me, I will be remembering this group with smiles and tears. So many of these wonderful young people touched my life in a special way. It is a bittersweet moment. Now, it is time for them to move forward. Congratulations on a job well done!

If you love teaching, but don't have time to create reading resources for your students, check out my TpT store: Chocolate 4 Teachers. I specialize in informational text resources for grades 3-8.

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Chocolate 4 Teachers 5:52 PM No Comments

Teacher evaluations have been around... well... for a long time. Over the years they have been changed, some not for the better. Take for instance the walk through evaluation. Five minutes and the evaluator knows exactly what you are doing. Five minutes and the evaluator can determine your teaching style and the level of your student's engagement. Wow! I wish I could accomplish so much in five minutes! I wish I could walk around my classroom for five minutes and have such amazing results.

Evaluations can be informative. I appreciate the critique that encourages me to grow and improve. Empty criticism is spiteful and unproductive. I have found that self-evaluation and student evaluations have the best results. Most teachers are their own best critic. We know what we are doing poorly and what needs improvement. We also know what we do that works best and is successful.

Asking our students to evaluate a lesson is also productive. Kids are honest. Brutally honest. Don't ask if you don't want to know. If you really want to know how your students like a lesson, ask them and observe how well they complete the lesson. If you want to know how well you taught an objective, analyze the assessment. Compare end-of-year assessments with the previous year to determine how well you are teaching a concept, where you need to improve or where you are amazing.

End of the year is a perfect time to take a look back and see what you can do to make next year better than ever! And, you have summer break to get all of your ideas and plans together.

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Chocolate 4 Teachers 5:36 AM No Comments

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting some of the fine young (and older) men and women that serve in our military. I was so impressed with their conduct and patriotism. And, I have to admit that I was also proud to say "I'm a teacher" when they asked about my profession. Some jobs just seem to have more 'honor' attached to them than others, but the truth is... any job can be honorable if it is done with integrity and passion. Yes, even sweeping floors can be honorable. Fixing air conditioning units can be honorable (especially during July and August). Serving fast food meals can be honorable. It isn't the job that makes it honorable. It is the person who is doing the job that makes it honorable.

Not all teachers are honorable. But to those that teach with a passion, who love kids, who love teaching kids, you are the amazing people that keep the love of learning alive. In spite of many current trends that take the wind out of our sails and knock us down every time we get up, these teachers keep going. They continue to see a light at the end of tunnel. I call it the 'pollyanna complex'.
The honorable teachers constantly search for new and fun ways to help their students learn. They don't shirk from the impossible, but push ahead. And... they succeed in spite of the odds.

Bringing honor to your profession means that you do it with a passion and joy that doesn't compare to anything else. You give it everything you've got and then some. You may have to make some tough decisions- like when it is time to move on and when it is time to back down and when it is time to fight. But, an honorable teacher knows when it is time and has the strength to hold on to his/her convictions and continue fighting the good fight on behalf of our children. Sound like a war zone? Some days it feels like one. Some days you think that the enemy has captured the campus, but you always look for the day of victory.

I am thankful for the gifts that God gave me to teach. I am also thankful for the opportunities that He has given me to use these gifts. I am thankful for the passion He planted in my heart to work with and teach 'little people' and 'big people'. I love what I do. I wouldn't change professions for anything in the world. I am also thankful for all the wonderful military personnel that are fighting to protect my rights to live free and teach.

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