Twenty-Five Years In and What I've Learned

Last fall, I received my 15th year pin from my current workplace.  Before that, I worked in educational contracts, taught continuing education to English language learners, supply taught, taught art classes, ran a small business selling painted furniture and name plaques while raising my children.  I wasn't the teacher who landed a job right away.  Some were luckier.  Timing was on their side and so was who they knew. I didn't let that stop me.  I went looking for work. It didn't come to me.

I decided to leave contractual teaching for two years to start a small business.  I sold hand painted furniture,wall plaques and taught people how to paint.  The work was hard but I loved every minute of it.  Why?  I had a group of ladies who would come out to paint, drink tea, eat muffins and gabble just like the our grandmothers did before us.  I knew that this balance was best for my young family.  It freed up time for play time at the local community centre, playdates with friends from school and appointments.

Then, opportunity happened.  I was at my children's school and they needed a teacher.  I started working part-time and eventually moved to full-time.  Being a teacher has had its ups and downs.  But I have learned something from being in education for 25 years.

1) Be good to yourself.  It's easy to burnout.  I can honestly say I did once.  It was one of the lowest points of my career.  I took on too much and I didn't know how to get out of it.  I was taking care of an ill parent, dealing with a volatile student, running way too many clubs and staying in at recess to help students who were struggling. I've learned to do things that I love and to build them into my day.  It could be as simple as a walk at lunch, going to the staffroom to eat a lunch, reading a book, getting pampered or making time for a quiet dinner.

2) Remove toxic people from your life.  If you're a generally trusting person, then they will come to you.  I promise you they will.  I'm not saying not to trust but to be cautious.  Recognize the signs.  These people are often surrounded by drama, always need to be right, play the victim, hold grudges and are negative about anything and everything.  I've learned to acknowledge how they feel but I won't get wrapped up in their negative energy.  I did that one too many times and learned the hard way that it isn't worth it.

3) Stay current.  Keep yourself informed.  There are wonderful professional development opportunities out there and some are free.  Look for like-minded colleagues who want to explore current pedagogical practices.  Often, they're right in your building.  Some districts have virtual learning series that are free.  Ask about them.  As well, read.  Ask your administrator or librarian if he or she has come across any good resource manuals for current educational practices.

4) Think of Parents as Partners.  If you start to see parents as a negative force in your life, then you've set yourself up for a very difficult year.  You may not agree with every parent but they are responsible for their child and so are you. Learn to listen.  I often call parents the first week of school to welcome them and to ask how their son or daughter's week went.  Believe me, I have been met with gratitude.  Why?  It shows you care if you reach out.  We are after all working to educate and nurture little humans.

5)  Expect the Unexpected.  Have you ever been excited about a lesson only to find out it flopped?  It happens.  The fire drill goes off, someone barfs right in the middle of the classroom, the phone rings, there's someone outside your classroom causing a raucous, the internet isn't working.....  It happens.  So expect the unexpected and roll with it.  Don't fret.  There's always tomorrow.  Plus, if you're teaching through Inquiry then nothing is expected.  The students steer the boat and their learning might just surprise you.

These are a few things I've learned.  I'm still learning.  Are you?

Fall Resource Round Up

A few days away, marks the Fall season.  It's time to take a look at some fun resource to keep your students engaged. 

Fall Poetry  With his fun Fall Poetry Writing Unit, you will find helpful parts of speech associated with fall terminology, templates for writing poetry, some samples to help students get started and task cards to add to your poetry station. Fall templates include the following poetry forms: ABC Poem, Acrostic, Cinquain, Concrete, Couplet, Diamante, Free Verse, Haiku and Quatrain Poetry. A student-friendly rubric is also included.

Fall Math Games  You'll find 5 math games with a fall theme.  They range from basic operations games to creating glyphs. A description for each one is found below:

1) BUILD A SCARECROW MULTIPLICATION CHALLENGE: Students will generate products and develop a glyph based on the products generated.
2) BUILD A SCARECROW ADDITION CHALLENGE : Students will generate sums and develop a glyph based on the sums generated.
3) MULTIPLICATION BUMP GAME: Students will play this game with product from 1 to 36.
4) ADDITION BUMP GAME: Students will play this game with sums from 1 to 20.
5) SCARECROW RACE: This game is played using division of the number 2. Students will choose to be a decimal or whole number for the quotient. 

Fall Writing Paper  This package includes fall letter writing paper and lined paper for emergent and established writers. Art work created includes scarecrows, leaves, pumpkins and an owl. 

Fall Word Work - Silly Sentences for Fluent Readers Silly sentences have always been a fun way to explore sentence building and recognizing parts of speech. Students in grades 3 through 6 will have the opportunity to use subject, verb and complement cards to build and simplify silly sentences using a Fall theme. Challenging verb cards are included with this unit as well as a blank sentence building template, display and label cards and a synonym chart. This is a perfect activity to use in your Word Work Stations or as an extra project for early finishers. 

Fall Roll a Story Here's a fun way to work on writing skills. All you need is a dice, pencil and activities in this pack. Students will be prompted to tell or write story with a fall theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (fall & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages.

Here's a free download:

Fall Word Wall Words This unit contains 44 word cards for fluent readers. Words are based on a fall theme. Included is a "Fall Words" banner, 44 word list for individual use and 44 shape word cards for your word wall or writing station.