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Off-Line Messaging and Attendance

"Tweet" a message on a sticky note!

I left them a "Tweet"

Always THINK before you "tweet"

This is another way for students to practice writing and communication skills.  Students may "tweet" each other or me each morning as they come into the classroom.  Students only have to follow the THINK guideline before leaving messages.

This area also serves as a reminder that students need to retrieve their clip from their locker handles and place along the ribbon.  This helps me easily see who has arrived for the day just by glancing at the ribbon or lockers.  Students will return their clips to their lockers each afternoon.  My attendance leader will collect tweets for me and let me know who is absent.

Since sixth graders are involved in so many early morning activities outside the classroom, this clip system should come in very handy.  Of course, we will practice this procedure many times!

Update

Amazingly enough, my classroom is almost finished.  I have been working in my room everyday, for hours. I certainly have an entirely new appreciation for teachers who go the extra mile to create phenomenal learning environments for their students.

I must admit there were a few moments where I just wanted to throw in the towel because the job can be truly overwhelming.  At the same time, it is extremely exciting and rewarding.  Good, good work.  I am tired and satisfied.  There are only a few final touches that remain. I will post some pictures soon.

Pictures:

Entrance

Conference Table

Our Classroom

Social Studies Bulletin Board and Student Research

Teacher Area

Writing Table and Student Organization Area

Our Classroom Rules Painted By: Dianne Kinser

Our Writing Board

So I Never Forget Why

Breathe In

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” 
― Socrates

“Study the past if you would define the future.” 
― Confucius

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” 
― Robert Frost


“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” 
― Benjamin Franklin

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” 
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

And From Helen Keller:

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.

No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.

Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan

From Her Teacher

My heart is singing for joy this morning! A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil's mind, and behold, all things are changed!
Anne Sullivan

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
- spoken by Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."
- spoken by Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."
- spoken by Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

 

[W]e have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world.

-- Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth, 1988, p. 123.

"Yes, and let's..."

     Often our first reaction to new situations, people, and concepts is a big knee-jerk, "No!"  In the drama portion of my graduate course, David Young taught us a very useful life tool. My goal is to practice this in my daily life and especially in my profession.  The idea is to train yourself to automatically respond with a yes to anything life hands you, and then simply adjust to it by adding the and let's so that it works in your life. For example, my teacher said to me, "Why, don't you drive us in L.A.?"  I responded, "Yes, and let's make sure I have a really good co-pilot!"  I mean, I can still say no anytime I wish, but how fantastic to respond first with a genuine openness and willingness to hop out of our comfort zone and just go for it, whatever it is!

Waiting and Working

One method for dealing with the stress of waiting for the results of my interview is to WORK as if the position is already mine.  I am particularly fond of this technique, and if the position were indeed offered to me - who has time to sit around and wait for the phone call to confirm it?  I mean, I have an entire 6th grade school year to plan.  I know, I am crazy, but at least I am busy working on something meaningful. I suppose if I do not get offered the position, I may regret this burst of ambitious creativity and meticulous attention to detail (school year schedule, end of the year testing, core content requirements, daily schedule, weekly schedule, classroom expectations, procedures, writing pieces, target skills, writing prompts, etc.)

However, for now, it is keeping me moving forward on what promises to be a most exciting journey, if only the telephone call would come.

There is a compartment in my head that whispers, "Forward all these plans on to him, so that he can see for himself what you can accomplish in such a small amount of time."  The email reads something like this:

Dear Mr. Wise and Best Principal EVER,

As you move forward in your decision making process regarding the 6th grade position, I humbly submit to you a tentative syllabus, schedule, list of topics, grade distribution schedule, parent letter, and classroom expectations and procedures list that I created specifically for this particular teaching position.  My only hope is to demonstrate my commitment to excellence if I were to be offered this position in your school.

Very Sincerely Yours,

Teacher Who Would Work for No Pay to Land this DREAM Job!!

Forward March

"I want to raise the bar for my students, so while their looking up at the bar, they notice the stars up there for them to reach." Mrs. O'Nan

I had some rough days with my kids this week. I had to get tough with three in particular. I need them to trust me, so I have to follow through and be consistent. They pushed the envelope, so I signed, sealed, and delivered their consequences. In the long run, I KNOW that I did the right thing, just hard in the moment.

My days were filled with some self-doubt and worry. I find myself constantly reviewing what I've done and questioning myself. I may be taking self-reflection a bit too far. So, I'm backing up a bit now and trying to recenter myself.

I am proud of how much I am making use of the little amount of time I am given. I finally found a way to have seven kids read to me, listen to the story, take a pre-test, and squeeze in Lexia over the course of 2 thirty minute periods. GEEZ!

I started tutoring J this week. His home life is AWFUL. I managed to have him reveal way more to me than he probably realized. I know we will make progress. I understand kids like J, and I work very well with them. Sometimes I question why I would want to knowing that he will be one of those kids headed to J.D. But I always want to fight for these kids who are so HARD HEADED and so beat down by poverty and parental drug abuse and neglect. They need some kind of window to let the light in. Even if its just to get their GED. At least if they ever hit a bottom from their self-destruction as young adults, they will have a platform to stand on. That's me: Platform Builder.

I probably come off as negative - but my heart sure doesn't feel negative. When I stop and think of all those kids in Alateen who had EVERY card stacked against them: genetics being the Ace of Addiction: I think of myself as a realist who better get in there and make a meaningful impact on their future lives before its too late. The ability to read and write AND know that someone cared enough about you to make sure you could do it, and do it well, could be a kid's deal breaker.

What I know right now about my heart and teaching.

Rigorous, Relevant, Real-World
Teach Vigorously!(Give every ounce of your energy and focus to the moment)
Teach Tenaciously!(NEVER give up on a student - ever!)
Every student deserves consistent love, respect, and opportunities to learn.
Don't hang out with complainers or people who are not passionate about teaching and pushing their students higher and higher.
Love your students as if they are your own children (even when you don't like them)
Fight for what you believe in.
Take chances.
Learn from failures.
Don't take it personally.
EXPECT nothing less than each student's very best academically and socially - call them out on it when they try to get by!
Repeat that for yourself.
Listen to each student, look them right in the eye and HEAR them! Be with them.
Form a family in the classroom where each member is accountable to the family.
Get out of your comfort zone.
Support your fellow teachers when they stand on the side of students, have the courage to disagree diplomatically when they don't.
Say thank you and please to your students.
Never stop learning.
Always be willing to teach it differently.
Be vigilant and remain student centered. It's all about them.
Be willing to be uncomfortable (physically, emotionally, socially) for them.
Always strive to remember that you are teaching in unconditional loving service to humanity - it's not just a job.
Quit if you ever waiver on any of the above. Just quit, and make room for the next real teacher.

See the Big Picture

I don't just need to think about what my kids are going to learn at the end of this week, next month, next year. Or what they learned last week, last month, or last year. I also need to think about what they will be learning in middle school and high school.

What about this question though?

What skill set will be of the most value 20 years from now in this country?

I owe it to my students to see the big picture.

The List

I'm making a list of all the teachers who profoundly impacted my life (there are more, but these are the big ones)Then I want to write a thank you note to each one. Others challenged me in special ways, but these are the ones who really made a BIG difference.

Mrs. Scrotenboar - Life long love of learning and teaching.
Mrs. Johnson - Love of teaching and of being valued.
Mr. Mosely - "I think the best, therefore I am the best" Really pushed me and believed in me!!! Thank you forever and ever. I needed you so much then!
Mr. Oberlin - Encouraging me to succeed and gave me a job!
Dr. Dunkum - Changing my mind about math.
Mrs. Cherry "I'm not building a "something" here, I'm just me." Humble and FOR REAL!
Mrs. Smith This will be a novel!!!
Dr. Judy Davis - Affirmation that it is SUPERB to remain on the side of ALL students. Love them, know them, walk in their shoes.
Mrs. McCrary "I know you know you're good, but I don't think you realize just how good your are." Real world. Once they own it, it will be their's for a lifetime. Don't settle for anything less than your very best!
Mrs. Riedel Get ORGANIZED!!! Thank you for such a FINE example of how to do this!
Anne Heintzman This gratitude will be a novel!
Steven O'Nan So will this one.
Mrs. Brenda Roberts Evan and Jordan's teacher whom I love with all my heart.
Ms. Erin Gruwell - Model for courage, thinking outside the box, taking risks, not giving up, raising the bar, believing in my students.
Mr. Harry Wong - How the heck you get all that busy stuff under control so you can teach. Thank goodness.
Dr. Jukes - All heart.
Dr. Evans - It is more than okay to think outside the box..."Sounds like a win-win, go for it!"
Dr. Steven Covey - Principles to live by. Thank you.

I'll add more later. This will help me get started.

Sky

That was the little girl's name who gave me the final nugget of courage and clarity to have the courage to change my life. She ran up to me in Piggly Wiggly and hugged me and said, "Mrs. O'Nan!" This after weeks of wrestling with the idea of returning to my childhood dream of being a teacher. I don't know why, but it was Sky. Just one of a hundred of my students I met during substitute teaching. 2 years later she came up and hugged me again while I was subbing in special ed, and one semester away from graduation. Does she even remember me or know who I am? Probably not, but that second hug was the icing on my yummy life-changing cake. I love you little Sky. Thank you for helping me remember who I am.

What did you do today that was proactive Mrs. O'Nan?

I attended a 6 hour math magic training. I dropped off a resume to a principal. I e-mailed the principal at Simpson, and I called my contact person at Lincoln. This is such an exciting time, but so nerve wracking. I just keep saying the serenity prayer each day, and then doing the next right thing.

I graduate in less than one month. I cannot believe 2.5 years has passed so quickly. I am immensely proud of myself.