Ok, so quick story for everyone out there!
As we have been teaching and modeling the 7 Habits of Happy Kids to our students, I have been BLOWN away by how quickly the students are picking up the language and practicing the habits.
Today for example, two students were independently working on an assignment.
One of my little ones asked her neighbor if she could borrow a marker...he said no...
She paused, surprised think, and said "Wait a minute, lets just Think Win Win..I'll put my crayons in the middle and you put your markers in the middle and we can share!" He replied by saying, "Ok!" WOW.....So wonderful to hear! :)
Made me smile and had to share this cute moment. :)
Happy Habits Everyone!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
One Student...9/11
As I continue to watch the footage of 9/11 I am deeply reminded of how precious life really is...I cant seem to stop the tears, even though I did not know anyone personally who lost their life. Its just that I remember so vividly where I was and how I felt...
I was beginning my first year in high school and was nervous already because I was in a new environment and was the low man on the totem pole! I remember walking into health class and taking my seat like normal...but then an announcement came across the intercom for all teachers to turn the news on in classrooms. My large football coach of a teacher was completely silent. There was no movement and no sound. Just worry and fear that filled the walls. We left class and as I walked into English we watched the second plane fly into the second tower...
My teacher cried, and I know I felt helpless....why would this happen? My naive mind thought it had to be an accident...right? No one would do this on purpose would they? These were my thoughts even as I learned the truth. It took me quite a while to understand this because in my short life I had never seen such planned out and purposeful evil. I remember being scared to get on the bus...would I make it home? Are we really safe? My thoughts are blurry after this as I do not remember who I spoke to about this and what we discussed, but looking back I know that this has affected not just me but my generation forever...
Two years later I visited ground zero and the feel upon seeing it is one of awe...of quiet...of respect...of sadness...yet one of pride in our men and women and of hope for a brighter future.
I thought of my students today and how they were not even born...they did not experience it first hand, but how they will be forever affected. We did a short lesson on Friday on our Heroes and what makes someone a hero. We brainstormed the many heroes in our lives such as parents, pets, teachers, policemen, firefighters, doctors, nurses, God etc.
One answer though stopped me in my tracks and really made me think. One student raised his hand and said that He was his own hero...umm...ok, I thought...how do I respond to this???
He continued to explain that he was in charge of himself..he would be proactive and be his own leader/hero...WOW.
I started thinking about the men who actually committed this crime and tragedy...what if they had been in charge of their own lives and decisions like this little 6 year old and had not rallied behind another just because they thought it's what they should do? What if they had the courage to make their own choices and say No...I want more, I want a better life...? While these questions do not change the past, this one student in my classroom impacted me as a teacher in a great way.
Yes it is important to remember and honor those that gave and lost their lives. Yes it is important to teach respect and honor for our country. More importantly though, it is critical as educators that we teach students how to make honorable decisions...how each one can be their own HEROES.
Remembering 9/11 and this tiny moment in my classroom forever...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Readicide-Part One
"Read-i-cide: noun, the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools." (Gallagher, pg. 2)
If that definition of what is occurring throughout schools does not grab your attention, than I'm not sure what will. After seeing this on the cover of a new book written by Kelly Gallagher, I immediately began reading and have been blown away at what he presents the problems to be in our reading instruction across the country.
Before we discuss the problems though, let's begin with the statistics, for data is a very strong component as to what and how we teach.
"*Less than one-third of thirteen-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from twenty years earlier.
*Among seventeen-year-olds, the percentage of non readers has more than doubled over a twenty-year period, from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.
*The percentage of thirteen-year-olds who read for fun on a daily basis declined from 35% to 30%, and for seventeen-year-olds the decline was from 33% to 22%.
*On average, Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four spend almost two hours a day watching television, and only seven minutes of their leisure time on reading.
*Nearly half of all Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four do not read books for pleasure."
Hmmm...
Depressing? Yes. Changeable? Absolutely.
After reading these statistics, to me it makes perfect sense as to why students are not developing into the life long readers that they used to be.They have lost their passion and eagerness to learn... Gallagher says also that, "There is a dearth of interesting reading material in schools, and students are not doing enough reading in school."
So if there is a lack of materials and not enough time, than obviously scores and the amount of able readers will decrease. Now I am not a middle or high school teacher, but I believe that the statistics and truths above directly affect my first grade students and their ability to develop into Reading Leaders. I want each of my students to beat the statistics, and because if that I believe firmly and whole heartedly in Readers Workshop.
In this type of reading structure that I have adopted in my classroom, students are given time daily to engage in interesting reading material of their choice on their own personal levels. We have been building our independent reading stamina all year long and are still reaching for our goal. As I looked around my classroom during independent reading, I was in awe of how engaged and interested they were in that moment. I saw students reading from different genres, from different authors, reading on different levels, reading in comfortable spots around the room that supported their reading, and ultimately, reading for meaning, for growth and for FUN. :) What a wonderful sight!
Finally, I was reminded of the importance of beating "Readicide" this morning while conferencing with a student. After she read to me a bit, we spoke about her strengths and future goals for her reading. She told me that she wants to keep increasing her reading level and wants to begin reading more "reality wolf books!" Wow. I said I could help with that and have Wolf books of all sorts waiting on her desk for tomorrow morning. Interesting material? Check. Time? Check.
With the above two steps initiated, Readicide can be beaten and avid readers can be brought back to life. :)
If that definition of what is occurring throughout schools does not grab your attention, than I'm not sure what will. After seeing this on the cover of a new book written by Kelly Gallagher, I immediately began reading and have been blown away at what he presents the problems to be in our reading instruction across the country.
Before we discuss the problems though, let's begin with the statistics, for data is a very strong component as to what and how we teach.
"*Less than one-third of thirteen-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from twenty years earlier.
*Among seventeen-year-olds, the percentage of non readers has more than doubled over a twenty-year period, from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.
*The percentage of thirteen-year-olds who read for fun on a daily basis declined from 35% to 30%, and for seventeen-year-olds the decline was from 33% to 22%.
*On average, Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four spend almost two hours a day watching television, and only seven minutes of their leisure time on reading.
*Nearly half of all Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four do not read books for pleasure."
Hmmm...
Depressing? Yes. Changeable? Absolutely.
After reading these statistics, to me it makes perfect sense as to why students are not developing into the life long readers that they used to be.They have lost their passion and eagerness to learn... Gallagher says also that, "There is a dearth of interesting reading material in schools, and students are not doing enough reading in school."
So if there is a lack of materials and not enough time, than obviously scores and the amount of able readers will decrease. Now I am not a middle or high school teacher, but I believe that the statistics and truths above directly affect my first grade students and their ability to develop into Reading Leaders. I want each of my students to beat the statistics, and because if that I believe firmly and whole heartedly in Readers Workshop.
In this type of reading structure that I have adopted in my classroom, students are given time daily to engage in interesting reading material of their choice on their own personal levels. We have been building our independent reading stamina all year long and are still reaching for our goal. As I looked around my classroom during independent reading, I was in awe of how engaged and interested they were in that moment. I saw students reading from different genres, from different authors, reading on different levels, reading in comfortable spots around the room that supported their reading, and ultimately, reading for meaning, for growth and for FUN. :) What a wonderful sight!
Finally, I was reminded of the importance of beating "Readicide" this morning while conferencing with a student. After she read to me a bit, we spoke about her strengths and future goals for her reading. She told me that she wants to keep increasing her reading level and wants to begin reading more "reality wolf books!" Wow. I said I could help with that and have Wolf books of all sorts waiting on her desk for tomorrow morning. Interesting material? Check. Time? Check.
With the above two steps initiated, Readicide can be beaten and avid readers can be brought back to life. :)
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