Life has been full of twists and turns and new beginnings recently. I have been actively reading the Celebrate posts for the past thirty five weeks and even contributed to one or two. However, I have been struggling to find a celebration in my life. Deep down I knew the reason why I was struggling to be happy, but I never thought I had the courage to do anything about it. One day my five year old daughter made a comment that woke me up out of my funk. I knew I had to make a major life decision. Despite the many negative comments that people have shared with me, I knew this decision would be the best one for my children and for me. My children deserve to have a mommy that's happy all the time. My celebration is that I finally decided it was time to leave my husband. He is a great father and we did have some great times together. I don't intend to bash him or say negative things about what went wrong. I am celebrating the fact that we are getting along throughout this entire process. We are able to have friendly conversations about our future plans and what is best for the children. I grew up with divorced parents, so he is relying on me to say what will and won't work for the kids. Many people keep telling me that it won't stay that friendly, but I am going to make this divorce what my marriage was not - a great environment to raise my children. I was so scared to become another statistic of a failed marriage. Yes, I am becoming that statistic, but I do plan on becoming a statistic of an even smaller sub group at the same time; a successful co-parenting relationship. This process is going to be full of many unpredictable ups and downs. I have an incredible group of friends and family who are being very supportive with both my ex and myself. There are some things that I am going to have to give up (All-Write and NerdCamp just to name a few) to make this a smooth process, but in the end that's what will be best for my children. I looked at a new house today and even though I hate to move from our current house, the move is what will be best for my children. I'm more than ready to get to know myself again and relearn what it means to be happy and positive!
Currently, our 7th grade students are listening to Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan as a read aloud. If you're not familiar with this story, it's about a family that enters the Witness Protection Program because the father testified against dangerous criminals. In order to get the students engaged in the story we had them imagine what life would be like if they just had to leave everything and start over without being permitted to talk to anyone or do anything from their former life. The students have some very strong opinions about what this would be like for them to go through. In order to build some background knowledge we had the school resource officer come in and talk to the students about the Witness Protection Program. I don't think I've ever seen the students so engaged in a conversation as I did with this one.
Here are five of the most interesting facts that I learned from this conversation:
1. The Witness Protection Program started in 1871 and was known as the Ku Klux Klan Act. This was started as a way to actively combat attacks upon African Americans.
2. The majority of families that are entered into the Witness Protection Program are dangerous criminals who have ratted out other criminals. They enter the Witness Protection Program as protection from revenge.
3. When families enter the Witness Protection Program they are only given enough money to support their basic needs until they find a job to support them. The goal for families that enter this program is to blend in and stay out of the spotlight.
4. No one can be forced to enter the Witness Protection Program. Participants in the program can return to their previous life at any time (still with the risk of being killed).
5. The U.S. Marshalls are in charge of the Witness Protection Program.
Yesterday, I received a phone call around noon that my oldest was sick and wanted to be picked up from school. I quickly left my school to find a happy little boy sitting on a cot in the nurses office at his school. I knew the smile was just an act because he had been complaining about an upset stomach for the past 24 hours. When we got home, he ended up sleeping for over four hours while I caught up on some of my reading. That was such a peaceful time for me as I could just sit and read while also watching him sleep. Today, the oldest still wasn't feeling well and my youngest woke up complaining about an upset stomach as well. My husband quickly volunteered to stay home with all three kids because he knows how hard it is for me to miss work. When I got home from teaching tonight, not only were my kids happy and excited to tell me about their day with daddy, but our house was immaculate! The dishes were washed and put away, the floors were swept and mopped, every inch of the house was disinfected and all of the laundry was put away. My husband knows I would rather spend my time playing with the kids and reading than I would cleaning, so for him to clean everything was a huge relief to me. Tonight, all three children are feeling much better. They were able to have a glow in the dark bath, which provided us with almost an hour of solid giggles. I hate seeing my children sick, but sometimes a sick day is just what the doctor ordered.
Last night I was having a hard time falling asleep. Typically, when this happens, I will pick up a book and read until I fall asleep. However, last night I picked up my phone and sent my mom a text message. I told her that I couldn't sleep and wanted to know if she was still awake. Yes, I will be thirty years old this year, I have been married almost 8 years, I have three young children and I still text my mom when I can't sleep. This is something that I am proud of stating. I'm proud that I have such a close relationship with my mom, that I can text her and she will talk to me no matter the hour of the night. We didn't really talk about much of anything, but I will say the conversation helped me finally fall asleep. We confirmed plans to go to lunch on Saturday, and possibly see a movie. We talked about the Slice of Life Challenge and how I find it therapeutic. There were a couple serious moments in our late night conversation, but overall it was a very lighthearted conversation. This lighthearted conversation helped me to clear my head and catch a couple hours of sleep before my alarm woke me. It's small moments like these that I appreciate about my mom. She knows me better than anyone else in my life, and I hope I can be half the mother to my children that she is to me.
As I was watching my children play tonight, I was reflecting on how far my oldest son has come with his speech. He really didn't start talking until 2 1/2 years of age, and even then it was very difficult to understand what he was saying. He currently receives speech and language services and at times people who don't talk to him frequently struggle to understand what he is saying. With that being said, he works so hard at his speech is very proud of himself when he finallly masters a new sound or correct pronoun. My youngest two, on the other hand, came out of the womb speaking. I seriously can't remember a time when they couldn't talk. I truly believe that their speech is what has helped my oldest makes such huge leaps and bounds in terms of his speech. One thing all three of them had in common was using new words my oldest created in place of commonly used words. Some of my all time favorite creations were: bajew (cookie), bock bock (chicken nuggets), pow pow (Lightening McQueen) and lasterday (yesterday). It's funny how I can so distinctly remember hearing him say these words for the first time, but not other moments within his speech life. Tonight, listening to him sing London Bridge and Ring Around the Rosie with his siblings makes me so proud of how far he's come with his speech. This is especially true since there was a point and time when I was worried about him never learning to speak.
Everything in my life feels so disconnected at this point and time. I'm hoping that by blogging daily in the month of March, I will be able to begin reflecting and connecting the pieces of my life back together. I have had people tell me many times that every yes also equals a no. Lately, it seems as though I have been telling my family no more than yes. It's difficult for me to cut back on school when I am so passionate about what I do for school. Typing that makes me feel so horribly guilty, because shouldn't I be more passionate about my family than I am about my job? My focus for this Slice of Life Challenge is to make more time to say yes to my family. I want to take time to enjoy the small moments and begin to say yes to so many more larger moments along the way. My small moment for the day was my four year old daughter proudly announcing that she got ready all on her own...just like mommy! As I turned around she was wearing a beautiful shade of lipstick. This lipstick just so happened to be heavily coating her eyelids. After taking her picture (I'm a firm believer in teenage blackmail), I helped her wash her face and talked to her about all the reasons that she is beautiful. She told me that a smile and happiness is what makes her beautiful, but makeup makes her a big girl like mommy.
Today I had the privilege to go watch some of my students present in the local science fair. I was blown away with some of the topics that were researched by this group of seventh graders. However, one of the most memorable event of the science fair was a discussion that I had with a group of random students. One boy, who is in my language arts class, excitedly approached me to let me know that he finally finished Allegiant. When I asked him about the ending, he paused and was quickly interrupted by a student that I had never met, so that they could share their opinion of the ending. Within thirty seconds, there was a group of at least twelve students gathered around debating the effectiveness of the ending of Allegiant. Opinions were varied, but after much discussion back and forth it was decided that the ending made sense for the overall theme of the story despite the disappointing turn of events. As we were wrapping up the discussion, a random adult approached this animated group of students and reminded them that this was science fair, and not a book fair. Without missing a beat, a student responded that reading is what made him interested in his topic for the science fair. I was thrilled about the random book discussion that had just taken place, but even more impressed by this student's response to some random person about how reading can inspire all aspects of our lives.
This is the first year I've taught middle school since my first year teaching eight years ago. Many variables about me as a teacher have changed since that first year. One of the most important variables being that I have grown in my understanding knowing what books my students are reading and basing my recommendations off of those preferences. Each year my understanding of books is constantly developing and evolving. The past couple of years, while teaching upper elementary, I read a lot of realistic and historical fiction. These were the two genres my students really seemed to gravitate towards. No matter how many fantasy book I tried to book talk with students, they just never showed any interest within this genre. Beginning this year, while teaching 7th grade, I predicted realistic fiction would be the genre of choice. I've never been so wrong. I can't keep fantasy books on my shelves. The student's top three genres to read are fantasy, sci-fi and dystopian (per reading conference discussions). In my opinion, these genres are very closely related and at times hard to seperate. I have commented over and over to students how they have helped me close my reading gap in the area of fantasy. Their love of this genre continues to amaze me on a daily basis. Two students have made very insightful comments about this genre that have really stuck with me. "I read fantasy because books with characters my age or younger are too immature for me. However, realistic fiction books with older character contain love and romance that I don't like reading about right now. Fantasy books take me to a different world where I don't have to worry about either of those things." "I used to read fantasy books 24/7, but now I've stopped reading because I don't know who to talk to about finding even darker fantasy books. I might consider a different genre, but I'm not sure I'm ready to read about the world without the possibility of another world hidden inside it." I wish I would have been as insightful about reading in 7th grade as these two students are with their reading choices. I am slowly nudging them towards other genres, but only because I think they are ready to try a new genre without extinguishing their love of reading. Fantasy will probably continue to be their genre of choice for many years to come, if not forever. I'm just thankful that I have been able to listen to my students and build my collection around their needs (more fantasy) and not so much of my wants and past experiences (realistic and historical fiction).
I treasure the time that I get to spend reading with my three young children. Books can bring out the best giggles, as well as questions and discussion topics from my children. A book can change a bad mood in an instant. The second Mr. Tigers gets naked or Flora and the Flamingo topple over the contagious giggles begin. While reading Island: Story of the Galapagos, many questions were asked and eventually inspired a loved of blue footed boobies within my oldest child. The exclamation point in a thought bubble within Creepy Carrots made my then two year old love the thought of new ideas. Because of this love of books, I have been discussing the upcoming awards with my children. They know that I wanted Paperboy by Vince Vawter to be awarded a Newbery (yay!!!!). Over the past couple of days my kids have picked their favorite books for the Caldecott based on our favorite picture books read over the past year. Gavin wanted Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Autumn wanted Flora and the Flamingo and Evan wanted Carnivores. The first thing my kids asked me when I picked them up tonight was if any of their books got an award. Autumn was thrilled to learn that Flora was awarded an honor. Within all the book discussion excitement, my tender hearted six year old asked if we could give his teacher the "big" Caldecott award book, so that she can share it with his class. My husband and I both thought this was a great idea, so we have decided to start a tradition as our kids go through school. Each year we plan on donating the "big" Caldecott, Newbery, or Printz Award book the kid's teachers throughout their K-12 career. I know that there are many other books to be celebrated, aside from the medal winning books. However, I feel that this is going to be a fun tradition to watch evolve as my children grow older, and will hopefully lead to many thoughtful questions and discussions. If you haven't had a chance to check out this year's medal winners, I encourage you to take a look and discover some new amazing reads. 2014 ALA Youth Media Award Winners
The moment I woke up Sunday morning I knew the dreaded stomach virus had found me. My husband told the kids to stay out of the bedroom, so that I could rest quietly. I had just dozed off when I heard the bedroom door slowly squeak open. Assuming that it was just my husband I continued sleeping. Then I felt them, squishy fingers that smelled like a combination of Play-Doh and peanut butter and jelly, massaging my face so carefully.
"Shhhhh mommy. Don't tell daddy I here."
I just nodded and smiled at him.
"Drink all you juice and I bring more so you feel better."
"Okay honey, I can do that for you."
Next thing I knew those squishy fingers were gently rubbing my eyelids, just like I do to him when I rock him to sleep.
"You sleep mommy and I tell you a story."
I wish I could remember the story that my little man told me. However, I was so tired that I was already asleep before he started the story. My husband said he came into the room and Evan, my squishy fingered three year old, was sitting on the bed jabbering words he couldn't understand while holding my hand.
Last week I returned from four intense days of learning at
the NCTE Annual Convention in Boston, MA.
One of the many perks of attending was the amount of free books that I
received for my classroom library. I
brought back over 70 books for my students! In talking with colleagues, I decided that one
of the quickest ways to get the books into the hands of the students was to do
a book pass, or as I like to call it “Speed Dating with Books”. When I was sharing this idea with my husband,
he asked me how I’m going to make sure these books are appropriate for all of
my students. That’s an impossible
task. There is no way to make sure all
books are appropriate for all readers. However,
that doesn’t mean that I should prevent my students from reading some of the
books in this new collection for the classroom library.
Being that this is my first year teaching 7th
graders, I am finding that this is a pivotal year for them as readers. I have some readers who are devouring Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I also have a group of readers who can’t get
enough of Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder, Rump by Liesl Shurtliff and The
False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.
The students who are reading books in the first category came to me
reading those books. If I were to
“censor” their book selections or make recommendations avoiding books that have
young adult content including vulgar language, abuse or sexually active teens
they would ignore my suggestions and read them anyway.
Making assumptions about where students have been and lives
they have lived, even at the age of twelve, can be difficult. It saddens me to think about some of the
things my students have witnessed and experienced at such a young age. I know that many of their peers (or even
teachers) couldn’t even fathom going through such experiences. Therefore, many students feel alone in the
world believing that no one could possible understand what they are going
through. Reading books with similar
experiences can help student find a place in this world. These books might mean that there is actually
someone else out there struggling or overcoming similar issues as them.
As for students who have not experienced any of the abuse,
depression or sexually related content in young adult novels, these books can
still provide a sense of understanding and compassion. I remember some of the books that I read when
I was in middle school, and looking back I realize how much of the explicit
content I truly did not understand.
However, I still feel that I was able to have an emotional connection
with many of the characters. I learned
compassion and my eyes were opened to an entire world that I didn’t know
existed. I truly believe that these
books have made me a better person today because they first taught me how to be
compassionate and empathetic.
As a teacher, this doesn’t mean I will hand any book to just
any student without thoughtful conversations about the content. The majority of the books I received at NCTE
I have not yet read. However, many of my
friends that also teach middle school have read them. I will look at their reviews on Goodreads
before determining how to handle a book within my classroom. I have some books that I keep behind my desk,
and there are certain students that know they can check those books out at any
time. I determine who those students are
based on the books they have already shared and discussed with me. However, there are some books that I will
directly recommend to a particular student knowing that their peers respect
them as a reader. Once that student
finishes the book, the book popularity will spread like wildfire. As much as I like to think of myself as a
person that students will feel comfortable talking to about difficult content
in books, I know that isn’t a realistic expectation. Knowing that many peers in the classroom are
reading and sharing the same book opens the door for supportive conversations between
peers about difficult topics.
Always remember that parent preference about book content is
always first priority. If a parent does
not agree with a book that I have recommended or that their child has checked
out from my classroom library, I always respect that parent’s choice. This has only ever happened one time to me,
but I know it probably won’t be the last time.
In that situation I listened to the parent’s concerns and made sure that
any book I recommended in the future fit the parent’s expectations for their
student as reader.
Students want to read about stories that they can connect to
as readers. One student said to me, “I
don’t like reading books with characters younger than me.” I think this statement is true for the
majority of middle school readers. If
we want to help inspire our students as readers, we need to meet them where
they are, and be prepared for them to want to read books about drinking, drugs,
rape, sex and relationships. These books
can help open the doors to conversations and action involving compassion,
empathy and understanding.
I’ll leave you with some great thoughts about Jackson
Pearce’s perspective of the “F-Bomb” in books.
I hope everyone had a very safe and fun Halloween this past week! The weather had the potential for becoming dangerous on Trick or Treat night here, so the time was changed to ensure everyone remained safe. Despite the rain, my three children had a blast dressing up and collecting candy! This is the first year all three of my children really understood the concept of Trick or Treat. There was lots of strategizing and plotting that happened. It only took skipping one house without their lights off for my kids to scope out the houses with lights on, and plan that we would only be knocking on those doors. It makes my heart happy when I step back and watch my three children interact with each other. My daughter, Autumn, is the middle child, but she does not hesitate to become the ring leader of the crew. Gavin, my oldest, is very methodical and strategic and he will take her plans and find a focused, organized approach. Then there comes the youngest of the crew, Evan, who ignores the plan and charges in with his own ideas. Gavin and Autumn are always on the look out to protect Evan from doing something that would be dangerous, but are never far behind in joining in with his crazy ideas. Watching this process of interactions happen while collecting candy, dressed as Spiderman, a flower and Yoda, and playing in the rain is definitely a memory I will be celebrating for years to come.
This past week was a crazy whirlwind of events. However, I have several awesome celebrations to share!
1. On Wednesday, our 7th grade students had the opportunity to Skype with author Chris Grabenstein. This is the first author Skype visit I have ever attended or coordinated, so I was nervous to say the least. There were about 300 seventh graders in attendance for the session, and only half of them had the opportunity to read The Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library. All of the students had the chance to research him before the Skype, but I was still nervous that the students who had not read the book would not take the Skype session seriously. All of the students were AMAZING!! The questions that the students asked Chris Grabenstein were well thought out, and led to some very interesting and creative answers. He was entertaining and provided a wonderful first author Skype experience for the staff and students. I am so thankful that I work with a group of people who helped support this opportunity for the students. I am also celebrating the fact that I have my first Skype visit under my belt!
2. One of the 7th grade social studies teachers that I work with is in the process of teaching his students how to create a digital textbook. The students will be creating digital learning objects and putting them into the textbook for other students, current and future, to use to master understanding of content knowledge. In order to provide this opportunity to as many students as possible, on an individual basis, he is trying to get more iPads for his classroom. Therefore, he created a Donors Choose grant project to help with this goal. The funding for this project started on Wednesday (around $1,000) and he text me yesterday morning to let me know that the project was already fully funded. His determination and perseverance to do whatever needs to be done to help students learn, in a way that is beneficial for them, needs to be celebrated. I also want to celebrate those people who donated to this project. I am so impressed with people's willingness to help children learn and helping to provide them with a positive education experience by donating to classroom projects.
I have no doubt that this upcoming week will be full of more reasons to celebrate amazing things that are happening around me!
IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? FROM PICTURE BOOKS TO YA!
These memes were started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journeys, to inspire readers to share books they have read and will be reading. I have found many of my current reads by following bloggers participating in It’s Monday! What are you reading? Be sure to check out their sites for more information on what they are reading, and learn how to participate.
Books Read Last Week:
Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Title: A Long Walk to Water
Author: Linda Sue Park
Currently Reading:
Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Every Saturday share a celebration. It can be anything (or several things). A photo, a page from your writer's notebook, a favorite lesson, a success story, student writing, a recipe, a new book for your classroom library -- just find something to celebrate.
My oldest son is a kindergartener this year, and what a learning experience it has been. Not for him because he absolutely LOVES school. For me, because I have learned how to trust. His teacher is helping me learn how to trust. First, let me give a little background and share that she is a first year teacher. I remember my first year of teaching, and it's a year I would like to erase from my memory. When I found out that this was her first year of teaching, I panicked and could only think of my first year. I tried to quickly think positive and trust, but that was easier said than done. After some advice from other teacher friends I decided to make the best of this year (thank goodness!!). Here is a quick list of some things I love about Miss Achauer: 1. She emails the parents daily with a quick recap of the day, so that we can have meaningful conversations with our children about their day in school. (Her words) 2. She truly understands my son, and I couldn't ask for anything more. She understands that he is a hands-on learner and that paper/pencil tasks do not reveal his true potential. She also understands that he is caring and sensitive. 3. She differentiates based on student needs and abilities. When I think of teaching kindergarten, I picture trying to herd cats. There is such a wide variety of needs in a kindergarten classroom, and many kiddos still struggle to work independently. I am in awe when I see how successful she is at accomplishing this! 4. She puts my mind at ease. It is obvious that she has listened to my concerns about my sons communication and frustration issues. The information that she shares with me about him is beyond positive. This puts my mind at ease as a parent, more than she will ever know! 5. She CELEBRATES learning. One thing that she shared with me at parent/teacher conferences was that the class celebrates each other's writing through all parts of the writing process. I seriously wanted to jump across the table and hug her! Miss Achauer needs to be celebrated, not because she has helped me learn how to trust, but because she is delicately nurturing my son's love of learning. She is a natural teacher who truly understands that teaching is more than standardized tests, OTES and Resident Educator requirements, but it is about children. I am so thankful that my son has the opportunity of learning and growing with Miss Achauer during her first year of teaching.
There is nothing I love more than reading aloud to a group of students. My co-teachers are always offering to take over some of the reading, but my response is always NO (said with love, of course). Seeing the look of excitement and pure interest/focus on student's faces makes my day. Currently, we are reading The Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. I knew the students would enjoy this story, so I was excited to be able to share it with them. Here are just some of my favorite things that have happened during or because of the story, which make me genuinely make me happy: 1. Talking while I am reading - this is on-task, interactive conversation about the story. Students are constantly trying to predict the next event, sharing their emotions about certain characters or commenting in agreement with decisions that are being made throughout the story. These are not disruptive comments for the entire class to hear, but soft chatter similar to what would be heard in a movie theater at exciting parts of a movie. 2. One student shared that she loved this book so much (we are only about 19 chapters into it) that she went out and bought her own copy. She is using the copy to read to a group of 4th and 5th graders at a neighboring elementary school during a reading group that she helps to host. 3. There are just some words that I struggle to pronounce correctly. Indubitably just happens to be one of those words, and it also happens to appear in the story. As I stumbled over the word, one of the students grabbed a dictionary to look up the word because he was curious about its meaning. He also taught me how to correctly pronounce indubitably. 4. There was second student who couldn't wait for the ending, so he bought a copy for himself. He was so excited after he finished that he couldn't wait to ask me 1,000 questions about the story. He shared that as I am reading the book (re-reading it to him) he is having all kinds of a-ha moments about important information the author shared, which he didn't realize was important the first time he read the story. 5. Yesterday morning, a student stopped me in the hallways and asked if I would be reading Lemoncello again. He was thrilled to find I that I would be, and he said to me, "I love when you read aloud. I feel like the book comes to life and that I'm living in an actual movie." This comment made my day, if not my entire year! I have had the dreaded head cold that has been going around, and my one motivation for coming to school has been so that I can see the student's reactions to Mr. Lemoncello! Reading aloud has always been something I love doing, but this book and these students have increased that love more than I ever imagined possible.
Writing has changed my life. I'm just going to put it out there and say that these past few months have been difficult for me. I am working on making ME better, and I honestly don't think I could have done it without writing. My writer's notebook has been a source of therapy and stress relief. It's funny how when I am sad I just can't seem to find the verbal words to explain my thoughts and feelings, but my pen is always able to find just the right words to put on paper. Someone, during the past year, told me to, "write like my fingers were on fire". This statement has truly changed me. I'm not sure who originally said that line, but I want to personally thank them someday. Since hearing that, I write in my writer's notebook like my fingers are on finger. I write fast and free, and I write EVERYDAY. As I am reflecting on my past few months, I can't help but think about my students. How many students are silently struggling? How many students have no positive way to express their feelings? How many students are afraid to write because the mechanics and process will be judged, and not the heartfelt emotion of the piece? I remember going through school and my goal was to always make my writing technically perfect the first time. I was petrified of teacher corrections. Once (and only once) did I find the courage to pour my heart out into a piece of writing; only to have it passed back with red (actually purple) correction marks about my grammar and mechanics. There were no comments (aside from "very nice") about my emotions, fears, thoughts and feelings that were delicately scattered within the piece. What I learned from this was that I'm a terrible writer, and that's when I stopped writing for ME. I know my teacher (who is a WONDERFUL person) did not mean to kill my love of writing. I know she meant well, and had the best of intentions in mind at that point and time. I also have a strong suspicion that she wasn't a writer. Since I've started writing, it has changed me as a teacher. I know I still struggle with the mechanics and grammar, but at this point I am more concerned with the art of the writing. How do the words make me feel? As I am working with students, I strive to give purposeful and heartfelt feedback to each and every writer. I want to celebrate what they are doing great as writers, and nudge them gently in areas in which they could continue to expand. I want each and everyone of my students to know that writing can be a safe outlet for those silent struggles. I can confidently say, since I have started writing for ME, my views on teaching writing have completed changed for the better. My views on myself as a person have also started to change for the better.
While waiting for Dublin Leadership Academy to start, Tony Keefer and I were sharing thoughts about the upcoming school year. He shared with me that he's starting a class Instagram account. Honestly, my only experience with Instagram, in a school setting, has been negative. Last year, for me, Instagram was associated with bullying and girl drama. However, he got me thinking about ways I could make Instagram a positive tool for the classroom. I shared the idea of using a class Instagram account with my seventh grade team leaders, and they said that they are planning on using one for math class. At that point and time, I thought I would wait and let them work out all the kinks. Thankfully, I read Stacey Shubitz's post Instagram Can Help Treat Writer's Block and decided just to take the plunge. I shared this idea with the seventh grade language arts teachers, and all they agreed it would be a great idea. Here are the basic rules of the account: 1. Only teachers can post pictures. 2. We only follow other classroom accounts. 3. Students can comment on any picture. 4. Comments MUST be school appropriate (even if they are posted at 1am). 5. Anyone can follow (parents, students and other classrooms). 6. We will post no required information to the account because not all students are going to have access to Instagram. However, I always mention to our classes what was posted, so all students have access to the same ideas. I have tried to be creative in the ways that I am posting pictures. I want to make sure every picture that I post will relate back to reading or writing. I have also tried to incorporate some humor into some of the pictures, so that students can see that reading and writing isn't always serious.
Picture ideas:
1. Homework and Daily Reminders I will take a picture of any homework or daily reminders, so that students who tend to forget their assignment notebooks will have another way to access the information. I also plan on taking pictures of any mini-lesson charts, so that students can access that information no matter where they are reading or writing. 2. Quotes and Random Pictures As I was looking at student's writing territories on their notebooks, I was gathering multiple ideas for pictures. If I see a quote or picture, which I think the students will enjoy, I will take a picture and then write a caption about inspiring their reading or writing. The other day I took a picture of my bobble head collection, and asked the students if they have any odd collection that would inspire their writing. As students are writing throughout the year, I plan on having them look back at the Instagram pictures to see if they can find inspiration for a topic. 3. Book covers I took a picture of Sidekicked by John David Anderson and asked the students, "Would anyone read this?". The comments that followed were great, and the students were excited to ask me for a copy the next day. Pictures of books covers are going to be great inspiration as an invitation to read. I also took a picture of my bookshelf and told the students that I will be updating my collection this weekend. I wanted to know books that they think I should have on my shelves. They named titles that I have never heard, and they were also able to get book recommendations from their peers through that conversation. 4. Word Study To be honest, I'm not really sure how this will look, but I think it's worth a try. My original idea is to post a picture of something related to a word that was just discussed in class or maybe a word that will be introduced later in the week. I would invite students to use words to describe the picture, just to get their descriptive ideas flowing. Again, this is something I am still trying to figure out, so any ideas would be appreciated! Overall, I think a class Instagram account is going to be a great way to inspire students to read and write. Students have been very receptive to the idea, and have participated more than I ever imagined would happen. As the school year continues, I plan on asking the students for suggestions on what they want posted. I think if they have a say in what is happening on the account, they will be more likely to utilize it in a positive way.
