#wiseteacher

[crystaltoa]

(Assuming this takes place before the return to Metru Nui) I can see the Turaga kind of trying to put their heads together and recall exactly what kind of advice the Rahaga gave them during that time, so that they may impart the same wisdom to the Toa Nuva. Trouble is, none of them had been very good students at the time, and what they can piece together seems somewhat contradictory...

"So we need to tell them to resist the beast part of them and think rationally"

"No, we need to get them to accept themselves as they currently are and work with their new instincts..."

"So they need to learn how to beastthink but not OVER beastthink... Yeah, this isn't sounding all that deephelpful. Whenua, you've got the best memorybrain out of all of us, what did Bomonga wiseteach you?"

"See, he wasn't really the chatty type. One time he just buried me up to my shoulders and spent the next three hours telling me to shut up. I... think there was some profound wisdom I was meant to get from that... I mean, I probably DID learn something important, but mostly I think I just learned not to annoy Bomonga so he wouldn't bury me again."

"So, I'm getting the impression the Rahaga's methods were very much like our own."

"How do you mean, Onewa?"

"Their advice was fifty percent basic common sense, fifty percent total ussal-spit made up on the spot, doesn't matter what you tell the Toa as long as you sound wise and reassuring about it. They'll figure it out on their own"

"Wheet-wheet click-tick-tick whoop Whenua! Arrk-awk!"

"Matoro, what did Nuju say?"

"Turaga Nuju...(sigh) ... Turaga Nuju suggests we bury Turaga Whenua again and see if that jogs his memory..."

"NOT IF I BURY YOU FIRST, YOU NASTY OLD-"

"*Ahem!* Turaga meeting dismissed!"

Imagine the Turaga’s reaction to the Nuva Hordika.

“Uh oh, not again.” Doesn’t even begin to describe it

Oh, man, that really wouldn't

"Not again," is more like an, "Oh, shit" moment for the Turaga because they need to find Keetongu and Vakama was the last to see him and that was AGES ago

They all have to tell the Nuva Hordika to stay united, to resist their urges, maybe even try to become one with their Hordika selves while they search for Keetongu in the off chance they can't find him; the shadows are dangerous, but befriending them can yield GREAT advantages

Idk, it's a lot of them trying to take what they learned as Hordika(more or less, at least) and use it as guidance so the Toa Nuva are better united than the Toa Metru had been at the time

Sorry if this isn't as in-depth, it's been a long week😅

[naomiteaches]

Three Wise Teachers Project

The Three Wise Teachers Project has given me the opportunity to think back on all of the ways that various types of teachers have impacted my life. I chose to contact three of my teachers who I have stayed in touch with on Facebook since I graduated in 2016.

First, I messaged my senior seminar teacher, and UMF alum Emily Stacy. I told her that I always admired how she carried herself both in and out of the classroom with her students, parents, and colleagues. Mrs. Stacy was always smiling and was known for being such a kind woman. She was friendly and made strong connections with everyone she came into contact with. She seemed very happy to hear from me saying, “Your message meant so much to me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your kind words!” Mrs. Stacy then provided me with two strong resources: Fostering Resilient Learners by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall as well as the name of an organization called Turnaround for Children.

The next teacher I contacted was my ninth grade English teacher who had left to teach in another district in my sophomore year. If I had to choose one teacher who I thought really exemplified what a good teacher was, it would be Ms. Jean Bragan. Ms. Bragan responded almost immediately with a thank you and several questions about myself, my concentration, and practically offering me her job since she plans to retire in the next year. She explained that she would get back to me with resources, really wanting to think it through, and she did. She offered me Caring Schools by Nell Noddings, The Passionate Teacher, Teach Like a Champion, Write to Learn by Donald Murray, Deeper Compassion by Kelly Gallagher, and Mosaic of Thought. I will have a lot of research to do in the coming months! 

Lastly, I messaged my Latin teacher, Seth Metcalf, who was there for me from my freshman to junior year. In my junior year I was the only Latin student left in my grade level. I was supposed to be able to join Advanced Latin, but there were not enough students able to enroll so what Mr. Metcalf did for me was something I found quite impactful. I would be placed with the Latin III students and he would retrofit the work for me to make it more advanced, occasionally allowing me to do my own projects or assignments different from the rest of the class. This way, I would be able to have Advanced Latin on my transcript and still participate with a full class. Sadly he left after that year to teach in Waterville, but did respond kindly to my message. He offered me a text titled Help For Billy by Heather Forbes.

[mr-miller-teaching]

3 Wise Teachers

As part of my practicum course, I’ve been reflecting on my own experiences in high school. I wanted to reach out to past teachers to express my admiration and appreciation of them, and picked three in particular who impacted me. I had a hard time in school, and it felt sort of strange to go back and write to people that I likely gave many headaches, even if it is to express my admiration and appreciation. I decided I would write to my 6 and 7th grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Nylan, my 5th grade teacher Mrs. Galesian, and my highschool advisor and principal, Mr. Pierce. Mrs. Nylan is the teacher that made me fall in love with social studies, and I always think back to her and the ways she managed to get me excited about current events. Mrs. Galesian was incredibly kind, and was truly one of the most understanding and caring teachers I ever had. I told her I wanted to emulate her unconditional kindness. I emailed all three using the school emails I had for then. Luckily, I’ve stayed in contact with Mr. Pierce ever since I graduated. He told me my email made his day, and to keep in touch. I told him he was an inspiration to me, and thanked him for what he did for me to get me through highschool. He told me that I was an inspiration to him, and that he was happy to hear I was doing well at UMF. He finished by giving me some good advise as a new to-be teacher going into the field. 

[giocondayoga]

Today in class Darren Rhodes talked about “unlucky luck” in the context of learning to use whatever comes our way to continue to grow. This has been a full year for me—filled with both kinds of luck. But today in class I was reminded to ask “what can I see now that I couldn’t see before?” rather than to complain about the ways I can’t see now. And to ask “how much more present am I to what I can do?” rather than thinking about things I can’t do any more. When recognizing “unlucky luck” there’s really nothing that isn’t working in our favor. And I wouldn’t have that insight if I hadn’t gone to class. Thanks D, as always for these sutras of wisdom. #yogawisdom #wiseteacher #gritoutweighsgold #yogaoasistucson #practicemakesprogress #showupforit #yoga (at YogaOasis) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6eG5cEF5Wo/?igshid=e3wwzsopiti3

[mellowduckprincess-blog]

As aspiring to be a future educator I took it upon myself to reach out to some prior teachers. I did this to see if they had any content that would help myself to be the best future educator possible. When thinking of three teachers to choose from, I wanted to make sure that I picked three candidates that helped me become successful during my school career. The first teacher that I reached out to was my math teacher, Mrs. Angelini from high school. I connected with her through Facebook. She did not have any resources but she was very excited to hear that she had made such an impact in my schooling career. She was also very excited to hear that I am in school to become a teacher. I then reached out to another high school teacher but they were no longer at the school system. With this loss, I continued to trickle down the line. I then decided I would contact my public speaking teacher from Bristol Community College. I emailed her through my old bristol community college email, but I have not heard back from her. I chose to reach out to her as I was a senior in High School taking full-time college classes. During this time she helped me to find my voice and not be so afraid when going up in front of the class. She also introduced me to Herbalife tea that gives energy. I had found this to be very helpful as I was finding myself always tired. I then choose to reach out to Mrs. Cloutier from Seekonk High school. I chose her due to her being my favorite teacher freshman year. There were many changes when going from middle school to high school. She had made this transition wonderful for us as she had always made the class interesting. She gave us time to socialize and be normal students which I really appreciated as many of the other teachers were always yelling.  She was very excited that I had chosen to contact her. Unfortunately, she did not have any information that she thought would help. 

As I had reached out to my teacher’s I unfortunately was not given any resources from the teachers that I had reached out to. So I went to the web and started to research on my own. While doing research for biology-based content, I came across a website called Effective K-12 Science Instruction article. This article was made by Texas A&M University. It opens with, “The Standards apply to all students, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, or interest and motivation in science. Different students will achieve understanding in different ways, and different students will achieve different degrees of depth and breadth of understanding depending on interest, ability, and context. But all students can develop the knowledge and skills described in the Standards, even as some students go well beyond these levels. ” (cmst). To be able to successfully meet the standards it is important that you are able to make a science curriculum that provides excellent science education for all of the students. It is also important that you make connections to previous learning experiences and relate it everyday life. This will help the students to understand what they are learning rather than letting it go in one ear and out the other. You want your students to be able to develop deeper understandings of the material they are learning so that they can meet the learning targets. The first most effective strategy they have found is Enhanced Context Strategies. This talks about being able to relate the context to previous context students have used. Also, by relating the context to what is happening in the world, community, etc. When beginning a new topic it has been found that KWL (what I Know, what I Want to know, and what I Learned). This gives the teacher an opportunity to assess what her students know prior to starting a new topic. It also gives them an opportunity to show what they have learned at the end of the unit through some sort of summative assessment. Some examples of ideas that were provided are use problem- based learning, take students on field trips, Integrate current events, look at the big picture, etc. I found this to be very effective as when I am learning and make connections I am able to remember it a lot better than if I were to hear it out of a textbook. The next most effective strategy is Collaborative grouping strategies. Collaborative grouping works when teachers are able to arrange students in flexible groups, usually 3-4. This means that they are not based on their abilities and there groups are going to change allowing them the opportunity to work with other students. In these groups they are able to solve problems or work on projects. “the ability to collaborate is a necessary shill for success in the real world and requires working with others rather than competing with others”. This quote really stuck out to because it seems as though we are always in a competition with someone else rather than helping them become their best selves. Learning to work together at a young age will allow for more collaboration, respect,  in the workplace when they grow up. It gives them shared responsibilities such as having a leader, timekeeper, materials getter, etc. It also gives them an opportunity to go into material deeper as each student's understanding of it will be a little different. Some examples of collaborative group work are laboratory exercises, inquiry projects, problem-based learning exercises, etc. The next successful strategy for being a science teacher is Questioning strategies. As a teacher we try to create many types of questions for students to answer, some help develop critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills. When asking students questions it gives them an opportunity to express what they know and put in their own opinion. If you are able to successfully make an environment where students feel safe and as though they can be themselves you may even see that they feel comfortable challenging each other's ideas. Allow everyone to listen and learn, this may promote other students to throw in what they know. Although many tests are fact-based, it is important we ask the more open-ended questions that require a deeper understanding of context. It also allows you to observe miscommunication on concepts that the students may have.” Questioning strategies may be used to establish relevance, focus attention, encourage creativity, and to have students recall prior knowledge, make connections, and apply knowledge”. Some examples of questioning strategies are varying time, positioning or cognitive levels of questions, ask more open-ended questions, stop the video at key points and ask questions, etc. The next effective strategy is Inquiry strategies. “According to the National Science Education Standards, “Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. The inquiry also refers to the activities in which [students] develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world”” Inquiry allows students to experience the nature of science by allowing them to engage in the practices of science. You want your students to experience the types of designs that a scientist would face. These designs could be descriptive, comparative, experimental, etc. This allows the students to learn how to collect data and understand what they have collected. Instead of using prescriptive laboratory and field exercises allow students to lead investigations. Examples would be a descriptive research design or description study, comparative research design, experimental research design, etc. The fifth effective strategy is Manipulation Strategies. Manipulation strategies allow students to work with direct materials (triple beam balance, microscope, beakers, etc). This means that they are able to manipulate physical objects in order to experience science. This is helpful for visual and kinesthetic learners. This allows students to become active learners. It is their responsibility to build their understandings of the material. Some examples of manipulation strategies are creating a drawing or diagram to illustrate a  process, make a map, create a model, create a graphic organizer such as a concept map, etc. The sixth effective strategy topic is Assessment strategies. “The role of assessment ineffective teaching has broadened from primarily evaluating student achievement to include diagnosing student needs, advising instructional decisions, and auditing student progress.” Your assessments of your students should be ongoing. It is important to give your students effective feedback because if you don't it could hinder their student achievement. As teachers, it is important to use formative assessment. This allows you to accurately make a summative assessment. Many students have test anxiety so if you can as a teacher reduce that. Trying to focus the learning on content-based information rather than basing it off memorization for a test can be very helpful. Some examples of assessment strategies are homework, formative assessment (enable prompt individual feedback to guide learners and inform instruction), self-assessment, quizzes, etc. Another effective strategy is  Instructional Technology Strategy. Instructional technology can help teachers meet the challenges of providing effective instruction.  Instructional technology is many tools such as, computer hardware, electronic measuring, digital cameras, etc.Technology allows us to get simple calculations, information access, and data collection. When doing labs computer simulations allow students to manipulate variables and quickly see results from change. IT allows students to facilitate communication, collaboration, critical thinking, data interpretation, and problem-solving, Some examples of instructional technology strategies are connected with other students or scientists via the internet, use a podcast for instruction, take virtual field trips, etc. The last effective strategy that was found is Enhanced material Strategies.  As a teacher, it is important to be an expert in your content area. If you are not aware of your subject area it’s hard to properly teach it to your students. If a teacher is able to recognize suitable methods for teaching certain concepts in different situations allows them to provide appropriate instruction. Some examples of this are, modify a laboratory exercise to increase the level of inquiry and make it less prescriptive. Rewrite or annotate text material, use graphic organizers to clarify concepts.

When listening to the ted talk it reiterated that as teachers, it is also important that we give out students choices. When students feel that they have a choice they tend to become more interested in what they are working on. When giving them choices try going from a teacher guided classroom to a student guided classroom. This allows the teacher to become more of a “coach” and allows the students to get up front and center. “Education is not the learning of the facts but the training of the mind to think” Albert Einstein. I feel as though when students that attended middle/ high school in the 2000s felt as though everything was based on memorization. We would read text books and reflect. We did not do much partner work or were never given a choice. This phrase spoke volumes to me because you can memorize something but if you aren’t able to connect it with other content, you tend to forget it over time. The ted talk then goes on to talk about how this teacher gives units in 2-3 weeks. When he first introduces the lesson he gives the students “menus”. These menus have many different activities on them. The students are able to chose a certain number of different activities (teacher informs them how many to chose). Some examples of these activities are movies and taking notes, self paced interactive computer tutorials instead of lecturing, playing a board games, looking through a microscope and etc.   The activities allow the students to chose activities based on their learning style. It is the teachers responsibility to have all of the activities on the list available, which may take some time but can highly benefit the students. The students then will have the opportunity to hand in the assignments in any order that they want. When working on these activities they are able to ask the teacher questions that they initiated instead of traditional teaching where teachers ask you the questions. The last part of this ted talk talks about caring. As an educator, it is important that we ask our students about what they like to do outside of school or if they work. When you see them in the hall, ask how they are doing. If they are in the newspaper for something, hang it up in the classroom and have them sign it. When we make our students feel important, they can see that we care and we want them to be successful. 

These teaching strategies and ideas have allowed me to think about different ways to implement teaching strategies in the classroom. I want my classroom to be an environment where the students feel safe. I want their input into what they like and don’t like so that we can create a successful learning environment together. 

Resources:

“Effective K-12 Teaching Stratergies.” CSME, College of Science- Texas A&M, cmse.tamu.edu/documents/LittlegreenBookletv3.pdf.

National Science Teachers Association - NSTA. “NSTA Position Statement.”

NSTA Position Statement: Science Education for Middle Level Students

, www.nsta.org/about/positions/middlelevel.aspx.

Ruhl, Joe, director. Teaching Methods for Inspiring the Students of the Future. Ted Talk, 27 May 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCFg9bcW7Bk.

[intothelandofeducation]

Three wise teachers Reflection

Well, we have reached the end of three wise teachers.  Part of the assignment was to do 4-6 hours of professional development.  Boy howdy was that hard to fit in my busy schedule but,  I managed to do it. I was given many good resources from my previous teachers.  one person, in particular, kept coming up from them named Parker Palmer (i would link to the videos I watched but considering I just typed him into YouTube and let him play for about an hour that might be hard)  what hit most home was a moment when he was talking about fear in the classroom.  How it can undermine even the most successful teacher and student.  In our educational system, we use fear to manipulate people to be better is baloney to him.  I have to agree with him.  fear can lead to paralysis.  I myself experienced this during my practicum time in the field.  However, it is overcoming that fear and always acknowledging that its there is what helps us move forward.

Something else that was recommended to me by an old teacher was to re-watch a movie called “Waiting for Superman.”  This movie directed by Davis Gugenheim would be a great thing to rewatch as I’m getting closer to being a teacher in a classroom and now that I have been in a classroom I would now have a new perspective about charter schools. To be honest I thought they were just trying to give me busy work but I gave it a shot.  I was surprised by how my views on charter schools have changed since I was in my first education classes years ago.  I used to be very confused about whether I was for or against a charter school.  (personally I feel a very negative vibe at my college towards charter schools) however, after watching it again I became less ambivalent.  I realized that as much as we want to explore different ways of learning and teaching it can be very hard when we have highly established school systems already in place and that the politics of education can be a massive minefield.  I could be doing something extremely revolutionary and cutting edge in the world of education with my students and all it could take is an angry PTA or an unsupportive administration to take me down.  Charter schools while not without some of their own problems (how they pull funding from the pool of funding for local schools or that they can reach capacity and cause issues with who gets in and doesn’t) I feel as an educator I am more comfortable with a charter schools ability to adapt quickly.  

The last resource I was given was more advice than anything. It was to familiarize myself with a website called  https://betterlesson.com/  it was a mind-blowing website.  This website has lesson upon lesson for teachers who may be struggling to come up with something for their kiddos.  What I thought was going to be a little 30 min looksie turned into 3 hours later having gone from science lessons all the way over to English.  

Overall all this professional development was rather easy and that’s in my wheelhouse.  When I am able to watch a video or just do something at my own pace I’m able to digest it so much more easily.  I also never thought that there was such a huge network of teachers who wanna help fellow teachers.  

[tinseltine]

Everyday during LENT (40 Days) starting Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday, I posted a positive Quote that feels right to me, in IG stories. I decided to add them to my feed to remind me, and hopefully others, to tune our minds to a higher frequency all year round. Here's the first 10 days... #Quotes #Inspiration #Lent #Easter #meditation #gratitude #favoritequotes #philsophy #wiseteachers #wisdom #spirit #faith https://www.instagram.com/p/BwanFPYjzXu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1w92ea0alfbqq

[sccunninghamauthor]

Meet Dali 💙 The wiseTeacher of #theginormousseries #educational #childrensbooks 💙 We adore her 💙 https://www.amazon.com/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/ #childrensbook #childrensbookseries #childrensbooksauthor #illustrationartists #kidsbooks #kidsbookswelove #kidsbookclub #kidsbooksillustration #catsanddogs #cats #dogs #author #authorlife #educationalchildrensbooks #teachingfromhome #teachingkids https://www.instagram.com/p/CHp5Ar7lVQp/?igshid=1gzx2sxnq690b

[dalehalaway]

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What is your vision and clarity within yourself during this unprecedented year of 2020? Are you aligning your vision with your authentic “soul self” or with that of fear, worry and struggle? In this energizing clip direct from Dale Halaway’s recent webinar broadcast through his Elevate program, we are challenged to look around within ourselves on the micro level and to move away from our sights on the macro or the concerns of the Ego. Dale engages questions that we must ask ourselves like, who are we to become, who are we now, and what is it that we need in our lives in order to continue the journey that we have our sights on. Most importantly, Dale asks what truth we are living and what results are we seeing manifested in our lives. “This is the year that marks a significant turning point for many of us on the planet…" Do you want more of Dale’s teachings and opportunities? Do you want to have Dale in your corner as a teacher and guide, so you have the direction and support to answer the call to change and to be your most authentic self? If this video resonates then please enjoy this FREE gift from Dale where you can access this webinar in its entirety for 5 days. ACCESS FREE WEBINAR REPLAY AT: http://www.dalehalaway.com/reboot #dalehalaway #2020vision #2020 #reboot #webinar #freeoffer #replay #ascension #awakening #wokeaf #currentevents #freestuff #raisethevibe #raisingawareness #elevate #educateelevateempower #masterteacher #ascendedmasters #sageteachers #wiseteachers #sageteachersofourtime https://www.instagram.com/p/CEYeb-OnCam/?igshid=1m0k98yxgelkc

[naomiteaches]

ACTEM Conference

This past week I was able to attend and present at the Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine conference. I am halfway through developing an English unit integrating three pieces of technology. While this unit is still being developed, it will inevitably teach late middle school students to write short stories. At the conference, I was given the opportunity to present these three technologies.

I used Padlet and explained that I will use this to spark discussions in the classroom. Some students, including myself, may not always feel comfortable speaking up in class, so a website like Padlet would help these students participate without anxiety. As a teacher, I might post a discussion question here and have students respond. My second technology piece is Canva which I would use for storyboard creating, really showing students the importance of having a beginning, middle, and end. Last, I use Medium as a publishing platform for students. This was a big hit at the conference for its lack of distractions. By writing a story on Medium, students do not have the option to spend hours playing with fonts or making things pretty. On Medium, the focus is purely on the content itself.

By introducing a technology like Medium at the conference, I was able to connect with teachers and administrators from around the state, and teach them about something they did not know about previously, therefore growing my own network. Likewise, I was able to learn from many knowledgable educators in their own presentations. One of my favorite things to learn about was Actively Learn, a website in which teachers can take a text and add their own notes and questions for students, among many other features. I would love to implement Actively Learn in my own classroom because of how flexible it can be. It does cost money for some of the features, but I really do think it would be an investment. I learned a lot from the conference, and plan on using a lot of the tools I learned about, such as Actively Learn, and Peardeck. 

If I were to change anything about my presentation for the conference, or if I were to present this again, I might not use Padlet for the same reasons. I think I might have found another, more clean platform with fewer distractions the way Medium is built. However, I would absolutely keep Medium and Canva because these are both fun additions to the unit as well as constructive ones. If I were to attend ACTEM again in the future, I would want to pay more attention to the networking opportunities available and try to catch more names. I feel as though I met many people who could be great assets to me in my career, but did not catch names, and receive or give contact information.

Overall, my presentation of this unit went well. I had helpful and interesting conversations with several teachers and administrators from around the state, and got to see many fascinating presentations throughout the day.

[babybluee1]

#KarateKid #DanielSan #WiseTeacher #Forgiveness

[intothelandofeducation]

three wise teachers

as a practicum student i have many projects one of which is a three wise teacher project.  in this project i work on some professional development, reach out to teachers i used to have that made a difference in my life.  The three teachers I chose were Mary-Jo O’Connor,  Ann Boyce, and Kim Bush.  The first two were two college teachers I had at SMCC and the last was a 5th grade teacher I had that made a world of difference. Mary-Jo was a professor and head of the education department at SMCC and was my first ever professor at SMCC.  she made me feel like i was competent and able to tackle and problem that would come my way.  Ann was an English professor who taught ethical dilemmas  at SMCC a class that i had to take two times.  she made me not feel bad about having to do this class a second time and made sure i had the supports to pass the second time around.  Finally Kim, she was a teacher i met at a massive transition in my life where she helped me get to a better place and feel like i really mattered as a person. 

The way I reached out was by email.  which admittedly was a little hard.  i was able to hear back from Ann and Mary-Jo but unfortunately i never heard back from Kim.  Kim might be because it has been over 17 years since i was in her class and she may have just retired.  

Mary-jo did respond back with only one in particular she said to look up a guy named Parker Palmer.  some podcasts and books were what came to mind.

the funny thing is that Ann also suggested parker palmer as well but in particular his book the courage to teach.  

I have to say i never would have contacted them if it weren't for this project that i have in practicum and was a heart warming chance to reconnect. im excited to look at the resources they gave me and im pulling more from my mentor teacher in a few days.

[naomiteaches]

Three Wise Teachers Project Part II

As a part of this project, I got to invest four to six hours of research in the resources my old teachers provided for me. Below are my biggest takeaways from these readings. 

Help For Billy This book faces a harsh truth: a majority of our students have faced trauma of some sort, and we must be prepared to help every student be successful regardless of background. Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Heather Forbes has studied trauma her whole life and wrote this book based on her knowledge of behaviors and emotions in children. One of my favorite strategies in this book which I want to use in my own classroom, is the Four L’s she speaks about toward the end of the book. Language, logic, learning, and listening are all so important in education. As an educator, I need to be careful and logical about my language, and even my tone when speaking to students and my colleagues. By doing this, I set an example for my students and continue to provide a safe place. I need to understand that by listening, I am showing a level of care that the student may not often receive, and by listening, hopefully the student will begin to learn more.

Mosaic of Thought This book offers plenty of insight for English teachers especially. The book focuses on finding strategies to help enhance students’ reading comprehension. One of the big ideas in this book is simply to model for your students. When you have a class read silently, you should be doing this too. Students should feel encouraged to ask questions that pop up during their reading because this is how we comprehend our texts. To model this, the teacher should also ask any questions they think of while reading. Either write them on the board, or ask them out loud. It is so important to model the behavior we seek for our students. By thinking out loud, and asking questions, we show our students that it is okay to do this as well. Asking questions is how we learn, and therefore how we begin to comprehend our reading.

Turnaround for Children This organization promotes “healthy student development and academic achievement.” In high-risk areas such as those with many low-income families, Turnaround for Children offers assistance to educators. The organization works closely with the school to identify issues and problem-solve, encouraging healthy relationships inside the school and community. Turnaround also offers monthly training sessions for school leaders so they may diagnose their school’s issues on their own, and develop support systems in their own school. A resource like this is important to hang onto, especially in rural Maine where many schools are under served. 

Sources:

Cantor, Pamela. “Turnaround for Children.” Turnaround for Children, Turnaround for Children, 2019, https://www.turnaroundusa.org/.

Forbes, Heather T. Help for Billy: a Beyond Consequences Approach to Helping Children in the Classroom. BookBaby, 2013.

Keene, Ellin Oliver., and Susan Zimmermann. Mosaic of Thought: the Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction. Heinemann, 2007.