From the heart

So, tonight I said good bye to most of my friends here in St. John's...again. For the 14th time I figure. I don't know exactly what number it is, but it's high. And each time I do...it doesn't get easier. It gets a bit harder actually.

You see...here in Newfoundland I've got friends whom I've known for 10-15 years. They've seen me through my best and worst times. There have been quabbles, smiles, awkward weird moments, but there's always been love. The friends who are around you for that long truly know you. There's nothing new to find out, unless it happened yesterday or today. It's an amazing thing.

And when you say good bye to them for a few months (for 2-3 of them, probably a year), it's a little heartbreaking.

Always is.

But I don't leave until tomorrow night. Tomorrow is a family day...mostly. I'll also see one of my most dear friends on the planet, the awesome Dr. Dax Rumsey. I've never written that out before. It looks good on him....but then at 8:30p.m.ish I'll head to the airport to catch my flight:

St. John's to 

London to

Doha

Back to the sandbox.

And it's not that I don't like the sandpit. I do. It's a great place to live/work/be. I've got an amazing school with great friends, administrators, co-workers and kids. But it's still hard to leave the people who you're most comfortable around. That you're most "yourself" with. 

The people whom you could play board games with every night. Have any sort of conversation...and it's all a good laugh.

And so...tonight is more of a heartfelt entry.

And I will still find a way to tie this into my teaching practice...so here it is:

Each year, when we begin anew, our kids are very often in new classes, with different dynamics, different friends. They're taken out of their comfort zones. Much like we, as teachers, are taken out of ours with each class. We have to reestablish new relationships, friendships, classroom security, routines, and learn about each other.

So we have to look for the things we find most comfortable. The things that "know us the best" and keep us grounded. 

Because there's good uncomfortable and bad uncomfortable. And some days we will encounter the bad uncomfortable, so we need to look for our comforts to keep us stable. And sometimes that's a call to the friends and family at home. 



And for our kids, sometimes, it's a conversation with a child in another class they're most comfortable with. Or a call home to mom to get some grounding. Something to provide stability in an otherwise changing place. A place that needs to be feel grounded.

So, I think we need to account for this in our teaching practice. To recognize when a child is beyond their regular comfort zone, and try to make it as comfortable as possible. To try and see misbehaviour as fighting against the uncomfortable. And rather than fighting back, open our arms and making it a warm place.

To make our classroom secure. So we reach a place of good uncomfortable. Stable, solid, but challenging their learning. A place to make mistakes, but be good to make those.



So, I'll fly back tomorrow night. Hoping that my discomfort doesn't interfere with my making my classroom. I've done it for 7 years and have been successful at it (I think). 


And so...to finish....Here's Shakespeare's Henry V:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

On set not Upset

Today I did background work for the local Canadian hit TV show The Republic of Doyle. I do this every summer for fun, as it is fantastic to see production work being done first hand. It's really cool to see how action sequences, car chases, character dialogue, special guests and "realism" is put into a fictional TV show. It's a truly joyous experience and I encourage you all to do it if you can.

Today was a rather long day. 10 hours to be exact. And the background was used for a lot of that time. By the time you're done, your lower back, legs and feet are aching akin to walking around a museum for 10 hours. A lot of 20 - 30 second movements followed by a stop and wait. And not much sit.

Now, bear in mind I'm not complaining at all.

I was on set, and not upset.

It's such a great thing to experience.

And it got me thinking about our teaching practices in 3 ways:

1) As teachers we go through a lot of stop-start walking for 20 seconds:

We sit with the kids sometimes, but we're moving around the classroom a lot. We're doing a lot of stop start. A lot of short walking and being on our feet. And it makes sense that teachers should be able to wear sneakers/comfortable shoes when teaching as this is best for the lower back, legs, feet and neck.

2) Seeing things from different angles:

Today on the set a few shots were filmed from different angles. This is no different from most other TV shows where each major/minor sequence has to be filmed from different angles. And it got me wondering how much our kids have the ability to see things from different angles. And if we train them to do so.

In the PYP learner profile, this is best known as "Perspective"

And it's something that we really need to try and get our kids to do. We also have to face the reality that our kids are only capable of so much of this, as their brains (especially the elementary child) have not matured enough to see things from others' points of view. So, we really need to be patient when we ask a child to see things from another's point of view, from a character's point of view in a story, or to see another's opinion on something they have an opinion of already. It doesn't happen overnight, we shouldn't expect it to, and we should be positive in encouraging the different angles. Then, over time perspective will develop. We help to scaffold and support this maturing without forcing it.



3) When we look at 21C Learning tools.

A lot of times when we're presented with a 21C learning tool we form an opinion on it right away. Sometimes it's very negative. Other times it's VERY positive, and we blindly accept it.

I think we need to look at every 21C learning tool that we're presented with from the different angles. For example, when shown one we should ask a few of these questions (I'll hopefully expand the list later):

1. Does this help my class achieve more?
2. Does this help my class inquire? Is it supposed to help them inquire?
3. Can it be done more simply with a tool that I or my kids already know?
4. Does it's new cool benefits outweigh the learning curve in getting to know it?
5. Do I need a special device to use it?

These were just some of the thoughts that popped into my mind when on set today.

Resistance is NOT futile

Anyone who has a trekkie background will get that joke.

So...tonight I found myself in my usual habits. Arrive home somewhat late...and right before bed grab a snack. Nutritionists around the world can tell you that eating 1-2 hours before bed helps you gain unhealthy fat.

And this habit of mine...of eating something rather bad for me right before bed....is a terrible one.

So tonight, I reminded myself of this. And before making a wolfing down of 4 graham crackers with peanut butter, I reminded myself of good eating habits. Habits that lead to a healthy body and mind.

And I resisted.

And it wasn't futile.

And now I'm upstairs, on my computer and getting ready to sleep away a great night with said snack not in my belly. Yes...I'm still a bit peckish. But I'll be thankful I didn't cave into that craving later.

And...as with almost everything I do...I reflected on how that little thing could be used in my classroom practice.

In this situation, the resisting of impulsive urges applied. As teachers we can be quick to anger sometimes. It's an impulsive urge to want to yell at our kids sometimes. And this can create a poor classroom environment.

So, much like I did tonight, we need to see our "teaching urges" as the emotionally charged moments they are...and resist them. So we can make a more secure, and focussed classroom. And create an environment that is well thought out. We need to be that example for our kids. Show them what it is to resist urges. And do it.

21C learning is no different. We also jump immediately to think "how can this be done on the screen"...well...sometimes it doesn't need to be. Sometimes, during a task, a more tactile method is needed. Sometimes we need to be more patient and think how we can do a lesson creatively on and off the screen. Because that produces some amazing results.

And the reality is...despite popular trends...not every kid loves screen time. Some kids are so tactile they want to be left off the screen and work with their hands.

So, we shouldn't jump to the urge of "must do screen work"...to... "will my kids learn more, and engage more with a tool on the computer/mobile device?"

Just some thoughts for the night.

And a cool link to go see:

Games to build security in the classroom

Artificial or flowing?

Today I had my first experience with Moksha, or hot, yoga. It was an interesting experience as you enter a very warm room with other people in it, lie on a floor, and wait for the class to start. Before it starts, on the other hand, you're sweating. By the time you're half way through the class, you're drenched because of the room temperature.



In yoga we should generate our own heat. It's good to sweat, but to be in a room that was heated the way it was felt like cheating. It felt artificial. Forced. Fake.

Don't get me wrong, the instructor was good (Thanks Erica), and it was somewhat challenging, but it felt weird.

After the class I got to thinking about the word Artificial. 
I don't like artificiality. It seems forced, fake, weird, cheated. Natural, flowing seems better to me.

And maybe that's just me.

Or maybe that's how our kids feel sometimes when we teach them. Things feel artificial, forced, fake, weird, cheated.

Don't get me wrong. You can still have natural, unforced, and real and still be challenging. After all, many of the Ashtanga, Yin, and Vinyasa Yoga classes I have attended have all seemed natural and unforced but very challenging.

But to cheat yourself out of something seems too...easy. So, when we teach I think we need to keep that in mind. We shouldn't cheat our kids out of anything. We shouldn't make the learning artificial or forced. It should be natural and flowing.


For example, when we find a 21st Century Learning tool that seems cool, we shouldn't force it on the kids. By doing so we may be taking something out of the experience of learning for them as the tool may be doing the work that would make it flow easier for them. We would take some of the steps to learning from them. It may end up being forced.

A great real life example of this is the automatic spellcheck built into most word processing software. By constantly using it, we are removing misspellings from the process and the kids seeing where they went wrong. We are cheating it. Making spelling artificial. Kids learn to rely on the spellcheck, so spelling becomes a mute point for them.

Real spelling is a growth-based, challenging process that can take some time. It's natural. It flows.

The spellcheck is like the Hot Yoga. In hot yoga you worry far less about generating your own heat, as the room does it for you.

So, we need to take an honest look at our lessons, 21C Learning tools, and activities to see what we're doing that is fake, artificial, forced. Then change it to bring back the challenge, fun, and flow of our lessons.

Just some thoughts for tonight.

Bringing out the weird.

In my spare time I like to pop around the internets and look at various videos and things for either my students to see, or just for my own amusement (thank you buzzfeed video for amusing me many a time).  Everyone does this.

And now and again I run across something really poignant or important, or excellent, but the content isn't quite right for kids to watch.

For example,  in the past few weeks I've run across a lot of Zefrank's stuff. In particular are his "Human Tests"

These are prime examples of things that I would love to use in the classroom, but simply can't due to various content reasons. There is a third volume, but it's intro picture is one that I can't really show on this site in case some kids are watching. Ask me about it sometime though, it's great. 

The Human Test Volume 1 and 2 are things that I would love to use in the classroom because they address the things that no one really thinks are normal but really are. For example, making weird noises out loud while thinking of embarassing things (yes...I've done that from time to time), or wishing a certain moment in time had an "undo" button (done that too). 

Really, there are a lot of things that we

• think
• do
• feel 
• know happen to us 

that we think are

• too shameful 
• embarrassing
• weird 

so we don't mention them because we think they just apply to us, and no one else is doing the same. When in reality, they apply to a lot of people. And a lot of people would feel comforted if they simply knew that other people did them too.

Well, I'll bet our kids are thinking the exact same thing. I'll bet they've had thoughts, do little "quirky" things, get excited about certain games, apps, or toys that they think no one else does and keep it bottled up because no one has bothered to tell them that other people do it too. And they feel ashamed of those feelings

The kicker is...It's o.k. to think, do, feel, and know this happens because it's normal, good and fun. Because the excitement they feel is shared. Because the "weird" they feel is shared. Because the embarrassment they feel is shared.

And if they simply acknowledged it to each other, they would connect. They wouldn't feel the same, or hide it. Because others are there to support them. They wouldn't keep it internal. Because it would no longer be 

• too shameful
• embarrassing
• weird

So, maybe a "kid test" is needed. Maybe there are certain things that we need to put in it, to show our kids. So they can grow to their fullest potential. And be the best "me" they can be.

Because when they hear other people are doing/feeling the same things, they join in. Feel comforted.

And this is part of making a secure, inviting, and open classroom. 

To bring out the "weird"...because it's really not.

On Wisdom

Plato once said: 

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."

According to Wikipedia, the definition of wisdom is:

Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. 

Shocking....yes...I know....I used wikipedia. I agree with using it, in the correct way, by the way. Like any other 21C Learning Tool, it can be used correctly in the classroom, but more on that later.

One of the consistences amongst various ways of thinking on wisdom has been that wise people are those who are slow to speak, slow to anger, and contemplative.

Wisdom lies in just about every culture throughout history. The greeks personified it in godesses Metis and Athena; the Romans used Minerva; the Inuit people of Northern Canada said that a person became wise when they could see what needed to be done and did it without being asked; Native Americans believed wisdom lay in being balanced with nature as well as being socially balanced.

According to Andrew Harter, in his book Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification:

• A wise person has self-knowledge.
• A wise person seems sincere and direct with others.
• Others ask wise people for advice.
• A wise person's actions are consistent with his/her ethical beliefs.

According to the various world religions, we attain wisdom through God. It is deemed one of the greatest gifts.

I may come back to a more thorough definition later on in my blog...but I digress. 

Throughout my whole life, I have been accused of talking too much, and too fast. Caffeine has not done anything to slow me down, or get my to talk less. 

One of the consistencies that is noticed in Wisdom is the ability to control your speech, and knowing when to talk and when not to.

A wise person knows this and doesn't just blabber on.

And I've noticed that in many of the people I've worked with/experienced in my life who seem to personify Wisdom. There are a few at my current school, as well as those I've encountered on my travels and in my life in Newfoundland. I won't name names, as it wouldn't be fair, but I can reassure you that if you ask me personally, I would gladly tell you.

Regardless, it leads me into the wisdom of speech in the classroom.

As a teacher, I have a desire to strike the balance of good speech, not rambling when setting up lessons, and being clear at the same time.

As teachers we are taught to give our kids clear expectations. I think it's more than just clear expectations. It's wisdom in what we say at all times. It's the wisdom not to speak all the time. To slow down when needed and let things happen. To use the right words that are not just clear, but also direct, sincere, kind, and nourishing.

And to only speak when we need to. To listen 85% of the time and speak 15%. And not respond right away if we think we'll be "foolish" with our talk.  Sometimes it pays to not say something right away.

After all, we're not in the classroom to listen to ourselves. We're there to help the kids develop their voice. In whatever way that is. 

So, as educators, parents, citizens of our growingly-global-world we have the responsibility to be wise in everything we do. 

Our society demands immediacy. To do things now. Wisdom demands slowness, and thought. I think doing the later rather than the former is probably a better decision.

I think this one is worthy of a few specific examples, which I will provide in a later entry. Once I have thoroughly sought them out. 

Quick and humbled.

It's a bit late, so I'll keep this one short. I'm also doing it on my iPhone which makes it a little more challenging.

Tonight, a quick comment: we all sound like we know what we're talking about if we say it confidently, but I love it when I'm proved wrong because someone hauled out their phone and checked.

I love it because I was corrected on something  I thought I believed was true, and because I was humbled. We need to be humbled and open to accepting being wrong. Even from our students.

Stupidity is an intelligent point

I saw this video on youtube today. It's an interesting commentary on Stupidity by John Cleese of Monty Python fame.

Cleese makes the point that in order to know we're bad at something, we must first understand it. He makes the comment that stupid people won't know their stupid, as they'd be too dumb to know they are.

Which is an interesting point to make to/about our kids. If a child comes up and says they're bad at something, it means we can tell them they must know how it works for them to think they're bad at something. In which case, they're actually good at it, because they know things about it.

In the same way that a child who thinks they're stupid, must be, to a certain degree, intelligent enough to know what this means, or what it means to not be stupid. In which case, they're not.

I love this, because it's very positive.

What's not explained is the difference between knowledge and application of said knowledge

Or ability vs knowing.

So, if you know you're "not good" at something, then you must have some knowledge to be able to apply to your current ability to get better at it.

In other words, if a child you teach doesn't know how to add, but knows what good adding looks like, then get them to explain what good addition is, and build from there. Use their own positive knowledge with them to scaffold it into further knowledge, and ability. In time, their definition of "stupid" will change as you positively reinforce the application of their knowledge into ability.

For example, when I first started doing yoga I knew what bakasana, or crow pose, was but didn't have the ability to do it. I applied the various things I was learning, including basic forearm stretches, balance poses and smaller things like looking straightforward while in the pose, to eventually get it, understand it, and use it. It took time, but I was successful. It was a patient process.

In other words, I originally thought I was "stupid", but because I knew it what good crow pose looked like and through guidance from my teachers was able to get that pose into place.

And it's no different in the classroom. We must not simply tell our kids they're not stupid, we have to make them see why they're not by using what they've already got.

I recognize that every child will not be experts at everything, but I have a hard time believing children are truly "stupid" at anything.

As a great PYP coordinator, Dean Johnson, once said to me, in paraphrased form:

Always look on the light side Andrew. the dark side isn't going to do a lot of good for them.

Lessons from Bob

One of the most important things that happened today was getting my Bob Ross Master Kit. It's essentially a painting kit that gets you started on how to use the Bob Ross painting methods.

For those of you who don't know who Bob Ross was, he was an American painter who ran a 30 minute TV show that ran for 25 or so seasons on PBS until near his death in 1995. 

Before you immediately think "Why would I want to watch or care about that??" you have to realize that within that 1/2 hour of his program, he produced some absolutely gorgeous works of art that you were stunned he could possibility create in such a short time.

Not only that, but you were also mesmerized by his voice, his relaxing nature and his happy little trees. Bob Ross reminded us of such things as:

Happy painting and God Bless, my friend.

• Ken Tucker (2006) Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy: 100 Things to Love and Hate about TV, Macmillan: ISBN 0312330588, p. 155.

Let's build us a happy, little cloud that floats around the sky.

• Ann Curry (September 22, 2004) "Painter Bob Ross remains an iconic figure years after his death", NBC News.

Little more black, little more blue. And we'll just put that in using little crisscross strokes or--or little X's, whatever you want to call them. Whatever.

• David Brancaccio (May 12, 2003) "Legacy of Bob Ross lives on through his TV show still airing on public television stations", Marketplace, American Public Media."

Bob Ross made painting accessible to the layman. He made, what seemed like the impossible, possible. He always said that within an hour people learning his methods would have a completed work if art. He made art less intimidating. With his quiet, reserved, calm voice and simple nature he made the scary, accessible. 


He was an awesome teacher. And it's what he wanted to do. Teach. Make things doable. Make people feel good about a skill they didn't think they had.

And I reflect on that to think that we should all do that. We should all try and make the intimidating, or inaccessible, accessible to our kids and those around us.

To our students, many things seem impossible, unattainable or just too hard to try. So, we need to seek ways to make it less intimidating. So they can access it with their minds. Just like Bob Ross did with painting. He allowed many of us to tap into creative parts of our nature that we didn't realize we had. We just need to make it look easy, and support kids when they struggle. Find the ways they can get something. 

But don't get me wrong. Elementary teachers are often expected to be experts at everything.


But it very much depends on what we are trying to do.


And it often depends on what our expertise are too.


Bob Ross was an expert painter, so he made painting accessible. As teacher, we need to find what we're experts at, make it accessible to our students, then tap into the other "experts" on staff and have them teach our kids what makes them experts. By doing this we can make the impossible, possible. We make everything doable to our kids


In a nutshell, that's one of the big lessons from Bob. 


To make the impossible seem possible to our students because intimidation creates fear. Fear creates doubt. And doubt isn't something that we should want in any of our kids' lives.


So, go out and be a Bob Ross. Big red hair and all.

Take a risk...don't be brisk.

Earlier today, I ran across this quote from Paulo Coelho
"If it's still in your mind, it is still worth taking the risk."

It's an interesting thing to think about as it goes against the idea of impulsivity and the desire for "now" that we have imbued in Western Society.  Western society wants things right NOW...not later...but NOW.

I've tried to go against this while shopping, or looking at opportunities. Sometimes there is a necessity for immediacy, but very often we need to let something alone, walk away from it and see if it's worth it once we miss it. When I shop, if it costs a fair bit of money I think and mull. If it's still in my head, then I'll generally go for it. If it's not, or it feels wrong, I won't. I'm not the best example of this of course, but I'm not that terrible.

I can be an impulsive person...but I also know that some of the best things in life happen with time, patience, practice, often some pain, to reach a goal that is fantastic. The length of time varies, as does the pain, patience and type of practice.

And often we keep doing the things that are necessary because it's still in our minds and still worth the risk.

But even more often we don't think the small things require thought. Sometimes we think they can be done immediately.

The only problem with that is: what's small to us may be big to someone else.

Smallness is a perceptual issue. After all, I may be 6ft tall. To my friend Bryan, who is 6ft 5, I might be small. To that fly buzzing around in this room right now though, I'm gigantic.

So,  by saying "if it's still in your mind" means you did the right thing. You waited. You didn't jump. You thought long term, or at least slightly-longer-than-short-term.  Which is great.

And most often we know if something is worth taking the risk.

9 years ago I took a risk in leaving Ohio, coming back to Canada and becoming a teacher. It was a risk, as I was abandoning a 5 year business program that I had completed to get into a line of work that was potentially stressful, lowish paying, and sometimes thankless. But I couldn't get it out of my mind. And it was worth the risk.

Though sometimes it can be the above mentioned things, the joys of teaching become far better. The smiles on children's faces, the joy of a well used classroom. The fantastic mess that kids make when they're really working, the great (and very often funny) conversations we have with them, and the intense rush when you see a child who finally "gets it." I couldn't get teaching out of my mind 9 years ago. I'm glad I couldn't.

And I think this applies to 21C learning as well.

I've noticed that 21C learning tends to one of the most impulsive, short term parts of our classroom environments these days. We see new tools for learning and we try them, don't notice a change immediately and then give up on them almost right away. We often don't stick with them

How do we know they won't work over time? Have we tried them again? Have we given the time to try them again? Or have we gotten something new thrown at us, so it makes it hard to try again.

When we constantly switch like this, kids are thrown for a loop. They don't get the routine, consistency and ability to really try something. And it helps to perpetuate the idea of short term thinking.

One of the best examples of not getting something out of your head and taking a risk to get used to it is googledocs. There was a chance that, when I got proficient with it, it would be lost in the limelight. It would be considered "old." But so far so good. And it's got enough levels and learning in it that it makes it worth it. I've seen amazing things from my kids using many of the tools, programs and applications that googledocs uses. My class blog is an example of this.

So if we encounter a new 21C learning tool, or idea and we can't get it out of our heads, then stick with it. Take a chance that it could become obsolete and see if we can help our kids, and those around us, improve their learning through it.

Take up the challenge, be patient with whatever you're trying to learn or teach the kids to learn.

Learn it

Take the frustrations and annoyance in it

Have Patience with it

Do it

It'll likely be worth it.

I'M OVER HERE!!

Today the city of St. John's celebrated it's long running Wednesday-unless-it's-a-bad-day-weather-wise/oldest sporting event in North America....The Royal St. John's Regatta.

The Royal St. John's Regatta was originally a fixed seat rowing event that took place all day and has since grown into a carnivalesque day off (for most people) with some rowing happening in the middle of it.

It's a fantastic event for the city. And today was no different.

And my reflection tonight comes from that event.

The event is always hugely crowded with people, so finding friends and family amongst the crowd can be slightly challenging at times.

Today I wore my Vietnamese flag t-shirt. Bright red with a large yellow star in the middle. I tried to make myself noticeable to it would be easy to find me in the throngs of people when my friends were looking for me.

And to a certain degree it worked. The problem came with my not noticing my friends when they were waving their hands violently to find me.

This happened twice. Once when I was trying to find my brother, sister in law, father and nephew. The second time when trying to find my friends slightly later. I looked and looked and for some reason couldn't see my friends until a phone conversation lead me in the right direction.

In other words, the directions had to be clear from both the giver and receiver and back again.

And it caused me to ponder about my teaching.

A lot of times we write directions to activities. Sometimes we want the kids to sort out the activity, so we make it more open ended. Other times, we are very specific with our directions to the kids will hopefully follow it to the letter. Then others still, they're somewhere in between.

One of the problems arise when WE as teachers think our directions are clear, but their not and the kids become confused. And a lot of times we cannot trial a lesson. We simply do it and hope for the best.

Another problem arises when the kids are given clear directions but don't ask for clarification.

In other words, the kids become me searching desperately in the crowd to find clarity. And it's not until questions are asked, different directions are faced and clarity is given that they reach the goal.

So we, as teachers, must bear in mind that no matter how good a lesson might be, there will always be some kids who just didn't understand what to do despite your best efforts. In other words, sometimes, a little more handholding will do the trick. Sometimes, we may need to guide more than we like. Sometimes they may not be as independant as we hoped for a lesson.

And that's o.k.

Because sometimes, and on some days, the kids need the boost. They might need the support. Because each day is different for each kid. That means, for me, there will be 23 different days each day. 22 kids' different days, and 1 different day for me. So, each day we have to remember to give clarity in everything we do. So the goal is clear. So the message is clear. So the directions are clear. So our students can learn best.

And we must be humble and patient about it.

Because our words aren't necessarily words all of them will get. We shouldn't be as arrogant to think that we don't need to change something because it wasn't clear to them. Sometimes, we need to take a deep breath and reverse. Go back to where it began. Go back to looking at the ends, and find new directions, new clarity and new paths for our students.

And I know we all know this.

But how often do we actually try and get clarity about the clarity of our lessons.

How often do we do this before a lesson? during? after? How often do we abandon a lesson to work it so we can do it better with more thought?

Should we be doing it more?

Just some post-Regatta thoughts.

I eventually did find my friends. Both, on the other hand, required a phone call, and double hand wave. That worked. The anxiety of confusion was done. I reached my goal. I found my family/friends. And it made me happier.

And it was a great day!

No wires required

Tonight I babysat my 1 1/2 year old nephew. I arrived right around his bed time. After the normal small freak out about mom and dad going out, he settled in and we got ready for bed. We started to read.

And we read...oh boy did we read...I even managed some very poorly read Portugese children's books (my sister in law is Portugese)

Until finally he pointed to his crib, I put him in, he plunked himself down, and went right to sleep.

And it lead me to my next blog post.

The joy of the book.

In 20-30 years time  it sounds like we will have moved into e-readers and ebooks almost completely. But for some reason...despite my love of 21C learning and embracing as often as I can...I cannot seem to get past the idea of a physical book.

In particular, reading to kids. You see...tonight...my nephew lay on my chest as I rocked him, and he and I picked books together, turned pages, felt the texture, smelled the book on each page turn and watched the beautiful colors of each rich page go by.

And I haven't found the same experience with an ereader.

Swiping a screen with my nephew isn't the same. Experiencing a backlight to show the color of pages is far different from the natural colored pages of a book.

I see the value in the ereader, like any other 21C tool but nothing can trade my childhood memories of my brother and I having a good night story read to us by our father and mother each night. Nothing can trade the routines that my brother and sister-in-law have of reading a book to Samuel each night before he falls asleep.

So, though I love the idea of an ereader, you won't find me using one with my nephews just yet. It's not the same senses. It's name the same on the eyes. It's not the same reading experience.

In my classroom though, I don't restrict them as much. I like to see my kids reading books. If an ereader engages them more, if it causes them to read more...then go for it. Read to your heart's content.  But I also encourage them to get the experience of a book. The black smudges on your fingers because you've been reading that long. and the accomplishment of going page to page and see it to the end.

I want my students to experience that too. I don't want them to become reliant on their ereaders. I want them to have a full, rich, reading experience.

At the end of the day though, An ereader needs to be plugged in; a book, on the other hand, only runs out of power when you close it and put it down.

No wires required.

Picking up My Mantle

So...as most people know...I'm a single, male elementary school teacher with no children. It's not that I don't want to have children...I really do actually...but I don't consider it a downfall to be single at 32.

It's a common question from parents, friends, family, etc about when I'm going to find someone special, settle down, and maybe have a few little Andy's floating around. Much of this I have little control over by the way.

For the record...and for those who know me...I don't actually mind the nickname "Andy" as much as I let on.

But I digress

I was recently made aware of a recent Time Magazine article entitled

"Having It All Without Having Children"

Though this article is more directed at many womens' choice not to have kids, it did cause me to think about my current place in life. As a teacher of young children, uncle, brother, son and friend. 

And I love that position in life.

Don't get me wrong, I would also love to be married and have a family of my own, but I haven't been afforded that opportunity yet.

So, where does that put me when I'm away from my 4 nephews, brother, sister, brother in law, sister in law and parents? When I'm in Doha teaching.

Well...to put it simply...it affords me flexibility. 

On any given day I do not have to worry about staying home and being with a sick child, arranging a nanny/childcare, buy 3X the amount of food (or thereabouts), or any other myriad of extra things that go along with being a family man. 

So, without sounding like an arrogant, bragging human being...I'll clarify. By having the opportunity this late in life I can do things like work longer hours, get involved in more committees and extra curricular activities at work, go in on the weekends for extended hours if I need to, come home late when necessary, go to Yoga or the gym when I want, and much more.

It also gives me a lot of time to think about my 23 kids I see everyday, as I don't need to worry about the one in the next room. I have the time to devote to it...so I try and do it. I fail a lot, but I at least try.

And so, I don't think being single at 32 is a detriment. It's a blessing. Fully, completely, wholly. Each person in this world has a position to take up at the stage their life is in. Some are recently married and have small children, others have teenagers that require almost as much attention as the small children (so I've heard)...and still others are an age where their children are grown up. All of these stages are necessary components to make a society work.

So, I embrace my position as the guy who can work long hours and not be bothered. As one who can take on the extra workload, simply because he can. 

I'm not bragging at all. I'm just thinking. And am thankful that I know so many loving, caring, wonderful parents out there who are raising tomorrow's future right now. I'm also thankful for the other single people out there who are working hard, and being flexible, and thankful, for their place in life.

If we haven't embraced where we are, and are woeful about where we "should've been", we're probably doing a disservice to those who need us. To those who need us to pick up the mantle that we may not want to hold high. But the thing is, when we do pick it up, no matter what type of mantle it is, everyone, including ourselves, shines brighter, works better and is more loving. 

So...with many smiles, this is me, trying to pick up my mantle.

Mr. Harnett

Unique is good? Right?

It's a Sunday night, around 11:36 (yup...I'm being THAT specific) and I've just come home from watching a movie that...was...confusing. It shouldn't have been a terribly introspective, or commentative movie, but it was.

It's a funny thing...as a teacher...everything seems to relate back to my teaching practice...or how I treat kids.

Be Yourself...be unique. Be who you are. Cause that's good for helping you figure out who you are. And express that unique self, because it helps grow yourself. Don't bottle up those feelings, express them.

In my experiences these can be contradictory on occasion. When we tell a kid to be unique, be themself, and be all they can...they can be ostracized for it. I know this from personal experience, because we expect them to conform to a certain degree despite their uniqueness.

In general, when we embrace who we really are,  to everyone around us...and try not to "conform for conformity's sake" we end up looking weird, nerdy, geeky, or unusual sometimes. I've seen many kids like this, I've commented on many kids like this, I've had other teachers comment on kids like this. Sometimes it's in a good way. Often it's not though. We see the kids that are more "unique" and that don't conform to the standards and ways of doing things, and we treat them differently.

A lot of people who have done so, end up being similar to others, but the ones who didn't, who are naturally unique, are often fragile. Can be broken or hurt, or often are, because they know they're stuck between a rock and a "weird" place.

The reality is, most of these kids already know they are treated differently by their peers/classmates and don't want to be treated differently by their teachers, despite their unique ways of doing things. These kids have done exactly what we, as western teachers, have encouraged them to do.

Be yourself

When I was a kid I heard that term a lot..."weird". Andrew is so weird. It was a common thing. It was because I wasn't interested in the things a lot of other kids were. I didn't mind it. I embraced it. It wasn't exactly a comfort blanket by any means, but it was definitely a preservation technique.
When all the boys were playing soccer, or getting into hockey I was more interested in running around in the woods in my backyard fantasizing I was Megaman, or Optimus Prime. Where other boys were wrestling, I was interesting in Nintendo Power magazine.

And I still don't totally conform. I'm far more interested in my yoga practice than watching any sport on TV. I'd much rather paint than play tennis. And I'm good with that.

As a teacher though, I need to more aware of these things. To identify, and identify with, the kids who might be a bit unique, and are o.k. with it. To lift them up, listen to them, embrace their high energy, chatty selves. Let them talk things out loud, or not be that worried when they're sitting on a bench at recess reading. And praise them. Because that's how some kids are. They need the praise because they can be fragile. They don't need someone else telling them their weird. They need to be reassured that their uniqueness is good.

And I need to take a deep breath when they are on one of my nerves in class. To find more unique ways of letting them express themself. To tap into my own uniqueness so they can tap into theirs.

So no...this post isn't necessarily a 21C learning post in terms of technology. It's more a 21C embracing of the heart. And as a reminder for me to reach that heart to some of the kids that may be labelled as a bit "weird", "high energy" or "a bit much".

Thanks for reading.

Reflections on the days of future past

Today was an amusing day. I had my normal summer routine of waking up when I didn't want to, went to yoga, then the gym. Today though, I took my nephews to see a movie; They're 3 and 5.  I also took my brother's little boy to the park this week too. He's 1 1/2 years old.

Normally, this isn't a significant thing, except that it caused me to pause and reflect on who took me to movies/out & about when I was a kid. I remember, fondly,  my Aunt Ruby. She was a lovely woman who, on every birthday would take me out to lunch, and then we'd go to Zellers and get a toy of my choice. I remember these moments and loving her, not for the fact that she was buying me a toy, or that she let me sit in the front seat of her car (where I couldn't touch the floor, but was fascinated by the view, rush of the traffic and all the buttons on the dashboard), but for the very idea that I knew she loved me. I knew that with her always.  She was single. Never married. Never had kids. Similar to me at this point in life, though I do want to have a family, kids, etc. She passed away around 15 years ago, around the age of 80, but I still find my heart warmed in remembering her, all the times spent at her house, and with her around my birthdays.

And I find myself smiling.

Shortly after I got home, I was putting away a tie to take back with me to Doha (which isn't a shock to most people who know who I am), and found a small box. I didn't rummage through it a lot, but I didn notice my father's Boy Scouts Registration card from 1960. Wow! What a find. I looked a little bit more through the box, but didn't pick up anything. It simply caught me in a reflective moment.

And I found myself smiling then too; and reflecting.

So now, sitting at this chair I'm thinking about the little things that my nephews may remember. Will they remember going to see Despicable Me 2 in the Theaters when they were young.  Will Liam remember cuddling with me during the end of the movie during the scary parts (as scary goes for a 3 year old)? or Fin remembering the games we played in the Arcade after the movie?

Will Samuel remember being taken to the park to feed ducks, throw rocks in the pond, and singing in the car there and back (he's 1 1/2, I have my doubts about that one)?

Does my father remember getting that card from Scouts 50 years ago?

And another pause.

What will my students remember about me? Will they remember me being a strict/mean teacher? A fun one? One who met them at their needs, or bored them to tears? Will they pause to reflect on their old teachers when they're older?

I think it's my responsibility to make my students have one of the most memorable years of their lives. I know they all won't, but I know I have to try. To be the reluctant leader of the 23 small 8-9 year old minds I will encounter next year. To encourage their creativity, and remember Mr. Harnett as being someone who met them where they were. Challenged them, and caused them to reflect when they were 30 about their lives.

I just hope I can do it again this year, if I have done it at all.

Because, as far as good teachers go, we always wonder just how we're impacting our students and hoping we're doing our best.

So, now, at my home in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canada, I am thinking about the days of future past...and doing things to hopefully make a difference.