General – Page 52

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 Michelle Fenn General

The Power of Collaborative Inquiry

As I come to the end of my first year as an Innovations Consultant and New Teacher Induction Program Coordinator I am doing some reflection about the past year. Feedback has come in and the Collaborative Inquiry that NTIP teachers and mentors took part in this year was deemed as one of the most meaningful professional learning opportunities for educators.

Teachers reported that having been given time to work with colleagues with a focus of learning that was responsive to student need with ways in which to measure success seemed daunting and theoretical at first but then became clearer as the process progressed. At the end of our meetings and planning we were able to come together in order to share our learning. We have collected our work on a Google site so that other educators may be inspired by Inquiry and Innovation at KPR. The reflection on the process was that teachers wanted to experience the process again next year.

When I went through the process of Assessment for Learning and first embarked upon inquiry it was difficult to make myself vulnerable as a professional after 20 years of teaching! Working with these brave new teachers was awe inspiring. I saw them become hooked on the inquiry process as I did many years ago. It is hard to describe what happens when you finally give yourself permission to not be the “sage on the stage” and let student interest and need drive instruction. You have to experience it…but once you do…it is rather difficult to go backward.

If you are interested in running a collaborative inquiry at your school (it doesn’t have to be school wide) I highly recommend the work of Jenni Donohoo. She is an Ontario Elementary teacher and has a number of books about Collaborative Inquiry and some fantastic instructional videos online.

June 20, 2019 Laura Bottrell General

Rethinking End of Year Countdowns

It certainly is an exciting time of year! Report cards are finished, we are wrapping up curriculum and beginning to think about next year already. Most of all, everyone is excited for summer. Teachers are ready for a break from the busyness of school, but are our students?

We talk so much about building belonging in the classroom. We go out of our way to make our class feel like a family and make each child feel safe, valued, and at home when they’re with us at school. So why is it that just because the year is ending, we now outwardly and loudly celebrate the fact that this is ending?

I always thought that celebrating the end of the year was just adding to the fun and excitement of summer. I’ve always had a fun countdown for my class. Lately, I’ve been wondering if this is just adding stress on some of my students. It really hit me last week when I announced that we only had ten school days left and there were at least five children in my class that crumbled to tears.

There are many reasons a child might feel stress or anxiety about school ending. We know that for many children in this world, school is their safe place. It might be the only place they receive warm smiles, positive affirmations, their access to friends, or even healthy snacks. I wonder how it might feel, for children like this, to hear and see their caring adults celebrating and counting down to the day they no longer have to be there.

It’s not just those kids that might be feeling the anxiety around this time of year. Many children thrive on a predictable, consistent routine. The end of a school year is a major, sudden and highly impactful transition from one routine to another, or in some cases to very little routine at all. We have to be mindful of our kids that need consistency, rely on stability and struggle with change.

And then, of course, we have our children who just absolutely love school. This was the case for my young friends that were very upset last week. They simply adore being part of our class and look forward to coming to school every day. They want to be here and they want to learn. To make things worse, I likely will not be teaching at this school next year, so the end of the year for my students is also bringing with it a goodbye to their teacher. I’ve spent the year building and nurturing our teacher-student relationships and now I have to leave them. I would imagine that the departure of any caring adult would be a cause for stress and anxiety in any child.

We start to see a lot more behaviour this time of year and it almost always gets put down to “end of the year excitement”, but what if that’s not excitement? We know that behaviour is communication. What are our students communicating to us? Could this added behaviour be a result of added stress over the fast-approaching big change?

I think we need to rethink and reconsider how we are marking the end of the school year. Of course, a successful year of growth and learning calls for celebration. Can we frame our celebrations as just that? A celebration of the year, but not a celebration of the year ending? I don’t think we should pretend nothing is happening, because part of our job is to teach our children how to process these big changes. After all, life is full of change. But I do wonder if we can frame it in a more school-positive way, and through that, send off our most vulnerable students with all of the love and affirmation they need to make it through a summer without their safe place.

June 17, 2019 Kelly.McLaughlin General

Inquiry project success stories

Students from 8A made over 400 smoothies on Thursday, June 6th on our student led create your own business. With the donations from the HWDSB Foundation for Student Success and the help from my other job Tucker’s Marketplace, our business plan went off without many hitches.

We had a great day with 22 students spread out through many stations: blending, cup decorating, ice crushing, phoning classes, taking photos of students with smoothies, getting ingredients for students and much more.

Putting the leadership into my students hands was an amazing process and I cannot wait to do something like this in the future. Everyone was able to comment afterwards on their favourite parts of the project and parts they thought were more challenging. Students enjoyed: taking leadership, ordering ingredients, making the smoothies, shopping for ingredients, coming up with the idea, decorating the room and much more.

It was a great adventure and many more pictures can be seen on my instagram page mclaughlins.classroom. Special thanks to my dad, Bob McLaughlin for being our chef on site to ensure proper food handling all day long!

May 31, 2019 Tammy Axt General, Mentorship

Picking Each Other Up

Just like most people in all of Canada these past few weeks, I have been watching a crazy amount of basketball. Go Raptors!! One thing I love about basketball is that every time one of the players is on the floor, his teammate is there to put his hand out and pick him up. I think teachers need to take the same approach with each other.

I have a brand-new role this year and there have been some days that I have left school and thought well “that sucked”. I didn’t say the exact right thing to a parent, I didn’t handle a behaviour situation correctly and today my one student flat out told me I was not her friend. Not exactly sunshine and rainbows. We are generally very hard on ourselves because we want the best for our students every day. Since we are so hard on ourselves, it is important that we pick each other up every time we are lying down on the court.

There are so many days in my current role where I lack confidence. I am new to the role and I second guess myself a lot. I guess that comes with being an experienced teacher. I was very confident and experienced in my previous role and it was hard to go some place new and feel like I was back at the beginning of my learning.

Some of my colleagues have been amazing at picking me up off the floor on those tough days. My favourite was a friend putting her plans aside and saying let’s have a coffee and talk through this issue that is worrying you. She asked me some amazing guiding questions and then looked at me and said this is hard and there is no easy answer. She then asked “Do you have the supports to help you learn how to help this student?” “Is there anything I can do to support?” And finally she looked at me with all the confidence in the world and said “You will get this, it will just take time”. She picked me up about 7 times during the conversation and I left the coffee shop feeling so much better!

Over my career, I have heard some colleagues be less supportive with each other. There are two common things that are sometimes said amongst teachers that definitely leave teachers on the court stranded.

“That doesn’t happen in my room.” This sentence always drives me absolutely crazy!!!!!!! There are always so many factors that could contribute to difficulty in a different setting that has nothing to do with the teacher or teaching. Depending on the subject it may include noise levels, physical structure to the space, interest in the subject etc. Even if it is the teaching style saying “this doesn’t happen in my room” is not really helpful. Instead, if a colleague approaches with a concern about a student it would be so much better to ask them if there is anything you can do to help make the situation better.

My number 2 pet peeve is “If that student was in my class, I’d straighten them out/they wouldn’t be having these problems.”I have yet to meet a teacher who didn’t have a challenging student at some point in their career. We have all been there. It is important that we offer help to each other when we are taking time to figure out our students.

Our job is hard, we need to be kind to each other. Make sure that you put out your hand to pick someone else when they are on the court.

Go Raptors!!

May 31, 2019 Tammy Axt General, Special Education

Top Ten Reasons to Work with Children who have Exceptionalities

If you are thinking about taking on a role of working with students with exceptionalities than this is the blog for you! Below are my top ten reasons why every teacher should consider working with students with developmental disabilities at some point in their career:

The laughter never stops! I have never laughed so much as I have this year. My students say the funniest things and have the best sense of humour. They are continuously trying to make me laugh! They are motivated by my positive responses and are always trying to get me to crack up.
Teamwork!! Teaching is such an isolated profession for the most part. You go to your classroom and spend all day with your students. No one else interacts with them as much you do and you have to make all the decisions alone. The only teaching job when you are not by yourself is when you have students who have additional support. Working with my ERFs this year has been awesome. It has been great to discuss things together and get input from another person’s perspective. It also has meant that I didn’t have to be everything to all my students at all times.
Constant learning. Every day that I learn some new strategy or technique for helping my students be successful, I know that I am gaining skills to serve students that I will be teaching over the next 18 years. Taking this job has allowed me to focus on developing skills that are very specialized and take a lot of time to develop.
Meaningful Work-In this role I am serving the part of the student population that is really vulnerable. I feel rewarded every day with every gain that my students make and every milestone that they cross. After 15 years of teaching this role has had some of the greatest rewards!!
The families- The families that I serve are nothing short of awesome!! Due to the fact that my class is smaller and my students have a hard time communicating, I speak to my families multiple times in a week. I care about them deeply and it is the closest I have ever been with my student’s families before.
Community- Since my class spends 3 years together, there is a really closeness that develops. We are like a family. They are a bonded little group and really enjoy the company of each other.
Connections with my students are really meaningful- There is a very special relationship that develops when you don’t use words to communicate. You are really tuned in to how they are feeling and you can respond so much more emotionally when there are no words. It is a very deep connection.
WOW moments!!!!!! When a student speaks to someone in the school for the first time or feels confident to walk around the school after a year of trying, it is the best feeling in the world!!
Every day is different. For those of you like me that need constant change, this is the job for you. Every day is completely different than the day before.
Finally, just like I said at the beginning, the laughter never stops!

May 31, 2019 Will Gourley General, Year End Activities

Beat the clock

Tick tock teachers, can you beat the clock?

The month of May is on the books, and with fewer than 20 instructional days for us in the classroom remaining in June, every minute is valuable. So, I’ll try to be brief.

Where is your time being apportioned to this June?

Concerts, bbqs, play days, graduations, grad trips, field trips, track and field, mandatory government standardized testing, final projects and presentations, assessments, report cards, ordering consumables, class placement meetings, staff meetings, packing up to move rooms, packing up to leave schools for new postings or after an LTO ends or after receiving a surplus/redundancy notice or one last time before retirement, and of course, there are the year end celebrations of learning with students and staff each and all are stretching teachers to the limit.

A number of educators I’ve spoken too share the same surprise that they feel it is all wrapping up too fast. One thing’s for sure, I do not have time to waste or to pop in a movie to ride out the year.

Not to be overlooked either, but some students are already beginning to check-out. Don’t forget the world outside of school which has its fill life’s extra-curriculars such as family, personal health/wellness, and the tauntings of a misbehaving/misinformed government too. Let’s face it, it can be overwhelming at times especially when there is a set number of days to get all of our work done.

How are you managing?

I am struggling with all of the above, but am always reflecting on how it can be easier next time. My school has a naturally evolved a number of buddy groups who cluster together over coffee or lunch to support one another. I have found myself checking in on colleagues who tend to miss visiting the staff room. I have also been lunching with our caretakers lately. No matter where I have been breaking bread, I am able to listen to the stories of my peers, and to share when I feel frustrated or anxious too.

Sharing meal time within the different groups of our school team has been very insightful. I appreciate the relationships that are being formed as we do. I encourage everyone to do the same and step outside of their usual lunch groups to engage with someone different or new or who might only be visiting for a day as an OT.

So as you reflect on the past 9 months and prepare to finish strong, take time to encourage one another. Take time to reflect on all of the good you have done and give yourself permission to be proud of the hard work. Take a walk, grab a drink/meal with someone. Just avoid staying stuck in the same place if you can. There is so much we stand to gain from time with one another. It’s worth it. The more teachers I meet, and witness in action, the more I am proud of the work we are all doing on behalf of our students, families, and schools.

Tick, tock, less than 20 days left on the school clock.
Keep going, we’re in this together. We got this. #ETFOStrong

May 26, 2019 Will Gourley Climate Change, General, Global Warming, Health & Safety, physically active, Weather

Bumps, bruises, and other lessons from play and weather

It’s been Spring for nearly 2 months and I can say that most of the snowsuits in our school have been taken home. Most of them.

It’s also safe to say that our weather readiness has been scaled back from red alert to a beautiful shade of green as the sunshine and warmth arrives. Once again, we have survived Winter’s worst – albeit still recovering.

With the exception of below seasonal average cold days and relentless rain the above statement is true. Well, partially true because it is still very grey out below the constand clouds overhead. Literary scholars might label this as pathetic fallacy. Regardless of location, the weather plays a significant part in everyone’s lives and learning, especially in school.

As of May 22, 2019 we are still dealing with pavement only recesses due to our grass fields still in a wet and muddy state from recent(incessant) Spring Showers. To add to the fun, indoor recesses. When you add it all up, it has meant students are missing out on some crucial time outside. A teacher shared that he knew there had been too many indoor recesses when a student called him dad.

Has the current trend in weather now become a climate crisis issue or a prolonged meteorological anomaly? As it is, the timing of our seasons appears to have shifted slightly and that it feels like Winter and the others are running a month behind schedule? It might make a great Science project to find out.

This is tough because Spring is traditionally a time where we all burst forth with energy and vigour to shake off the wait/weight of Winter to get outdoors, breathe fresh air, ambulate, and soak up some overdue sunshine. However, it has yet full bloom has yet to happen and it is taking its toll.

Like most schools, the outdoor space limits are unable to accomodate numbers. Recent weather has dictated that students be limited to a smaller space(pavement only) if and when they are allowed to go out for recess. This has necessitated some creative ways to schedule, manage, and safely supervise them during these times – emphasis on safely.

Despite splitting the time between Grades 2 to 5 and 6 to 8, students are still arriving in the office with a surprising amount of injuries. These range from cuts, scrapes, sprains, breaks, and bumps. Our office resembles a triage unit somedays and in order to ensure concussion protocols are followed, a team approach is vital.

Our school does this very well. When I 1st arrived at ACPS in 2017, there was already a strong communication infrastructure in place. Staff were expected to carry walkie-talkies while they were on the yard for supervision and or outside for DPA or instruction. This was new for me, but I quickly came to appreciate the connectivity.

That said, there are still numerous injuries that take place on a daily basis in schools. These can range from jammed fingers from basketball, an errant dodgeball(gator) to the face in PE, a fall from the outdoor play structures, slips/trips on the pavement, or bumps to the head.

An ice pack, a kind word, and a bandage is usually all that is required for most school injuries. However, there are still occasions when more attention is required. This usually happens in two places, the gymnasium and outdoors during unstructered time.

When a child incurs more serious injuries, the office is radioed in advance to alert available members from the 1st Aid team of impending arrival(s). In these instances, gloves are on and ready to avoid contact with blood and other bodily fluids(yes, children come to school with the flu). It can often be very loud as students are in heightened states of distress.

Last week a child received quite a gash on their forehead and there was a lot of blood, their sustained scream could be heard throughout the entire school(I think hearing protection might be required when the gloves go on too). This is where having good calming strategies in place is crucial. With some time and focused breathing, all subsided and we were able to provide First Aid.

Most schools have 4 or 5 staff who are trained in 1st Aid, but I highly recommend getting the training whenever it is offered. The peace of mind in being able to promptly and properly care for an injured student or adult is worth the time and effort. The more hands on deck the better. As I mentioned before, most to all injuries are superficial, thankfully.

The bumps and bruises of play also hold lessons for our students. It is never a bad idea to remind them that they are subjects in and subject to the laws of nature. Whether they know it or not, students naturally and opportunely learn most of the concepts of Physics long before they are ever formally taught:

Gravity, objects in motion, centripedal force, centrifugal force, torque, inertia, balance, rotation, angular momentum, acceleration, deceleration, launch angle, and many others all happen when students are in various states of play. So no wonder, they get hurt sometimes. Students also learn their own limits, how to get up after a fall, how to get mud out of clothes, and about pain.

I’d say some of my best learning came from moments at play where I began to understand my limitations as well as potential. Falling out of a tree or jungle gym Our students are learning this way too when given the time, space, and when weather co-operates. How we frame all of this may help learners appreciate the value of play and the weather and the impact the latter has on the former. Let me break it down.

Here’s what the weather teaches us all:

Be prepared.
Plan for the best, but expect the worst.
Things change without warning.
You often do not get what is advertised in the forecast.
Meteorology is a science that involves observing, gathering, and interpreting massive amounts of data. #ScienceForTheWin
Snow days are fun for students and few others who must still drive to school.
Elementary schools are not, but high schools are air-conditioned.
Always have dry clothes to change into after arrival or dismissal duty during a rain storm.
Snow suits are never meant to be worn after April 30th.
Shh = Sunblock, hats, and hydration when spending time outdoors or see 1. above.

We have all gained first hand life lessons from the above, and am sure there are many more, not mentioned. It means that there is always a lesson, to be found in every situation. That’s what makes teaching so fun and meaningful. Stay safe, active, constantly learning…and dry.

If you have a First Aid or a weather related story, please take time to share in the comments.

May 12, 2019May 12, 2019 Deb Weston General

Emotional labour: What matters most to our students

As a mother of adult children, I find with every year they get older, I take on less physical labour and more emotional labour in supporting them through their life. It’s the heart breaks and the support in adult decision making that keeps me in the “mom loop”. There is also supporting my children with money and other resources but that’s a whole other discussion.

Emotional labour is the act of supporting a person who needs to suppress their emotions (Wilkinson, 2018). The term was first used in 1983 by American sociologist Arlie Hochschild.

In 2017, Harper’s Bazaar (Hartley, 2017) used the term in relation to being the manager of a household that remembers all the things that need to be done to keep a household and its occupants functioning. This includes putting stuff back where it is suppose to go and finding stuff that others have misplaced because they did not put it back. It also includes remembering birthdays, kids’ schedules, dietary guidelines for school lunches, school events, family member’s calendars and schedules, food and household item inventory, and organizing laundry and home repairs. So it’s not just about housework, its more work than house work … because housework ends.

My adult children do not live with me but I still take on many of these tasks keeping track of people’s stuff. In my current role of wife, I am the ultimate finder of all things in my house.

Given the above description, it sounds a lot like a teacher’s job too. As teachers, we need to keep track of everything … the location of every form, lunch bag, test, assignment, running shoe, gym bag, and anything else students brings to and from school. As teachers, we are also responsible for supporting students’ emotional needs and behaviours. I’ve personally noticed that my role as a supporter of emotional needs and behaviours has increased significantly. This makes teaching even more challenging.

As a teacher and a mom, I still spend most of my time listening to students and my own children and supporting them in their lives. It’s one of the most important jobs we can do as parents and as professionals. It matters most to our students.

Happy Mother’s Day to All,

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

References

Hartley, G. (Sept, 27, 2017). Women aren’t nags, we’re just fed up: Emotional labor is the unpaid job men still don’t understand. Harper’s Bazaar. Downloaded from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a12063822/emotional-labor-gender-equality/

Wilkinson, S. (December 24, 2018). Why was everyone talking about emotional labour in 2018? BBC. downloaded from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5ea9f140-f722-4214-bb57-8b84f9418a7e

May 3, 2019 Michelle Fenn 21st Century Learning, Advocacy for change, Building Inclusion, Coding, Constant Learning, Equity, Gender Equity, Gender stereotypes, General, Genius Hour, Inquiry, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers, Integration, Learning in a Real Life Context, Making a Difference Through Education, Math, Mentorship, Modern Learning, Planning, Professional Learning and Growth, Resilience, Resources, Robotics, Technology, Technology in school, The Global Competencies, Use of Technology, Using technology well, Women at Work

The Gender Gap in Technology

According to a recent report* by ICTC (the Information and Technology Information Council) Canadian women represent about 50% of the overall workforce but represent only 25% of the technology industry workforce. Of the 100 major tech companies in Canada only 5 have female CEOs and 1 Co-CEO. 26% of the tech companies have no women in senior leadership at all. There is a gender wage gap in the industry of $7,000-$20,00 per year. When I read these statistics I wondered as educators, what can we do about the gender gap in technology? This is not an exhaustive list, but it is a place to begin:

1. Build her confidence in her abilities.

2. Cultivate a community of supportive peers.

3. Provide a STEM/STEAM club for girls.

4. Ensure that access to technology and computer experiences is encouraged and inclusive.

5. Foster interest in computing careers.

6. Be a role model as a LEARNER.

May 11th is National Girls Learning Code Day. If you are looking to encourage coders in your school, why not begin on May 11th? Below you will find links to resources for beginning coding. Many students code on their own at home and may appreciate the opportunity to mentor fellow students. The resources attached will get you started. There is no special equipment or robotics required. Teachers do not have to be expert coders to encourage their students. Teachers can be role models of resilience, risk taking and problem solving by learning alongside their students. Teachers only need to open the door and expose their students to the opportunities.

Girls Who Code Canada

National Girls Learn Code Day

*Cutean, A., Ivus, M. (2017). The Digital Talent Dividend: Shifting Gears in a Changing Economy. Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). Ottawa, Canada.

Elaborated and written by Alexandra Cutean (Director, Digital Innovation Research and Policy). and Maryna Ivus (Senior Analyst, Research and Policy) with generous support from the ICTC Research and Policy Team.

May 1, 2019 Will Gourley Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Challenging Topics, General, Making a Difference Through Education, Occasional Teachers, Occasional Teaching, solidarity, Why unions matter

Remember to breathe (as you continue to inspire others)

I checked in on a few of my former student teachers today. Each of whom are shining examples of professionalism, commitment, and creativity in their classrooms. They have been on my mind alot lately, as daily news of the government sponsored attrition games occupy headlines and conversations across the province. I am sure they represent the hundreds, even thousands of new educators who have recently joined our calling.

It’s rough out there right now, and for many new hires to school boards the uncertainties of the day are leaving many wondering what the future holds? For each one of these amazing educators, things are changing and there is not much they can do to about it until the facts and figures are finalized. It must be difficult to know that the educational landscape is shaking beneath so many feet. We all need something to hold on through the experience.

Sharing what we have in the emotional toolbox may be all that can be done for now. I encourage everyone to keep checking in on one another as we remain united and ride out the storm. A call, an email, or time for a cup of coffee could provide a little needed encouragement. I have noticed that even veteran teachers are feeling the tension of these days too. I have caught myself stress eating, acting a little more impatient than usual, and struggling for motivation. I’ve taken to breathing exercises to slow down my busy mind. Perhaps it’s the unknowns of it all that are keeping me off my game?

To get a sense of it all I have been turning to Andrew Campbell. He curates Ontario Education Cuts. This is a list of announcements and projections from school boards and grade panels that challenges the message being delivered by the province to the public and school boards about job losses, shrinking course offerings, expanding class sizes, and shifts to online instruction.

The information and numbers in this document seem to add up differently than political messages about job losses over time due to attrition and attrition alone. Maybe there is a Math Curriculum revision opportunity in the works here since such skewed accounting discrepancies exist?

What we all need is to have the complete set of numbers to work with before we can truly provide assurances to our new teachers that there will be jobs for them in education.

I remind myself that I am surrounded by incredibly dedicated and caring professionals whose lives are dedicated to making the world a better place. Stay informed. Stay encouraged. Be strong. We are all here to support and lift each other up when things get rough. Sometimes it might be a time for a cup of coffee and a conversation. Other times, it might be a simple reminder to breathe.