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.