Raising The Bar

I think sometimes I sell my students short. This year I have a group of students who literally beg for challenges. (They are not your average 10 year olds.) I think I tend to hold back in what I give them because I feel like they can't handle it. You know how sometimes you do an activity and it doesn't go well because students ask a lot of questions or misbehave the entire time? We tend to think, "that was too much for them," and proceed to simplify.
Every once in a while I realize that it wasn't them, it was me. They asked questions because my expectations weren't clear or they goofed around because they were bored!
I had one of those surprising experiences again today. I set my students who have this club up with a blog to communication with each other. I immediately figured it would intimidate them and they wouldn't use it. Right away they proved me wrong and were posting like crazy the first two days. I read the posts and saw them conversing about posting pictures. I posted a quick note about one way to post a picture and finished my post with, "I'll help you with it at school tomorrow." Next thing I know, they've not only figured out pictures, but links, slide shows, polls, and just about every other page element.
It just reminded me that I need to be giving these young people more credit and responsibility and give them occasions to rise to.

Victory!

We're into this class for a week and I've already found a use in my classroom. I have a small group of students who've gathered together to form a community service club. (10 year olds put this together themselves!) They meet in my classroom at lunch on Fridays and today I was updating our class website while they were meeting. One of them said, "we should have a website!" I immediately set them up with a blog. They all have access to posting on it so they can respond easily to each other with just one account. I set it up to be private to anyone who isn't heading to it on purpose. Sure they won't be using it quite for its intended purpose. Maybe a wiki would be more practical? Unfortunately, I haven't played with those yet. They were pretty content and excited with this.
Just thought I'd share.

Sage on the Street

Admit it. You can spot a fellow teacher a mile away. There is something about a teacher's persona that gives us away. What is that quirk that seems to tie us all together? Is it the modest, comfortable clothing and sensible shoes? Is it the exception grammar? Or maybe it's the perpetually exhausted look in our eyes? All are probably true but I'm getting at something much deeper.
I'm talking about "The Big Desk" factor. No matter how noble and caring we are (and we are noble and caring individuals to be sure) we all share a tendency toward control freak-ism. We can't really help it. Even if you go into teaching as an incredibly laid-back, selfless individual, all that time being the one with all the answers, the one making the decisions, and the one who's seen it before and knows what will work best; it gets to us. Not to mention the fact that we spend most of the day as the tallest one in the room! Eventually, it gets under our skin and we have a hard time giving up control in situations outside of the classroom. Have you ever found yourself correcting another adult? How about telling someone who is an expect on something about the subject in which they are an expert? Maybe you've told a spouse the best route to take while driving or the "correct" method for doing something around the house? Whether you want to admit it or not, if you've been teaching more than a year or two, I guarantee you're guilty of it. Maybe your loved ones love you too much to call you on it, but I challenge you to watch yourself.
A friend of mine, Darci, works at a pet shop specializing in fish. Her parents own it and she's worked there since childhood. In her early twenties, she was extremely knowledgeable when it came to marine life and aquariums. One day she was complaining to me about a customer she had seen that day. Darci said she could tell this woman was a teacher and I asked how. She explained that the woman had challenged her every step of the sale. This woman proceeded to explain why neon tetras glow to Darci and defied her advice about tank care because the tank in her classroom never had those problems. My fish-loving friend begged me never to become that woman.
Most of the world respects what we do. Most admire it as something they themselves couldn't do. However, there is a percentage of the world that recognizes us by this characteristic. This condescending, know-it-all who has a hard time sharing the stage. It's been about seven years since Darci told me about that woman and shared her perception of teachers with me. Unfortunately, the further I've gotten into my career, the more solidified her point is in my mind; not by anything others have done, but by my own tendencies toward taking a dominant position. I feel it in my own life at times...Darci was right.
I am thankful for those few strong mentors in my life that maybe have those same tendencies but somehow, they manage to demonstrate a humble wisdom with their daily lives. I suppose one way to overcome that obnoxious, arrogant attitude is by constant reflection and awareness. The best way is probably to stop and remember that there is One who really does know all and it I am not Him. I guess that's really all it takes to stay humble...although spilling half of my morning coffee on my sweater helps too.

I Hope I'm Smarter Than a Fifth Grader

Sometimes I'm not so sure. Just when I feel confident in my teaching abilities, something new comes along and reminds just how much I have to learn. I'm starting to understand what all those experienced teachers were telling me when I first started teaching. "You never really figure it all out." or "I've been doing this for ___ years and it still surprises me." This year is my fourth year re-living the fifth grade and yes, most of the time I feel completely confident. Then there are those times when I swear I just set foot in the classroom for the first time yesterday.
Where are these insights about experience and lack thereof coming from? My first two graduate courses left me feeling pretty confident that I know what I'm doing when it comes to technology. I am able to imagine activities and then sit down and accomplish them; at home and school. A lack of understanding has never held me back from a computer. My policy for learning technology has always been if I need to know it, I'll figure it out by messing around with it and using logic to work through it. If I can't figure it out, I can live without it. Friday night I was pushed into a state of utter disequilibrium for the first time in probably four years. (Well done Dr. Merrill!) I had no idea there was so much more that I had been missing in the world of communication tech. Yeah, I use Facebook and Myspace to stay connected to friends. I knew about blogging but never felt like I had much to say. (Obviously that was a mistake.) I keep all my grades online and I teach a wide variety of interactive lessons on our Activboard. I even have a class website that I update daily with announcements, homework, and uploads. But a Wiki? Social Bookmarking? CSS??? So much farther to go.
Keep watching my blog as I muddle my way through the world of telecommunications in education over the next four weeks. Hopefully, as I think out loud through this avenue, we can all learn something...fifth graders included.