Will Gourley Celebrating Success, General, Professional Learning and Growth, Year End Activities

All gone

Rm 103 photo by author
Rm 103 photo by author

Desks emptied, stacked and put aside. Check. Dormant superfluous paper recycled with extreme prejudice. Check. Walls filled with student work, learning goals, art, and inspirational messages now returned to vanilla coloured vacant voids in waiting. Check. Boxes packed and piled in preparation for transport to my new pending portable location (second in 4 years). Cool.

As you’ve observed from the picture on the left, Room 103 is on vacation along with my students. Until the middle of this week it has been a 10 month hive of activity home to 31 + 1 learners all buzzing at their own frequency. Our class was a hub of inquiry, personal growth, and constant learning. And now it’s all gone.

With 9 weeks of summer ahead, I wonder how much of what has been taught over this past year will come back with students when they return in September? Have you ever thought about why we the school year is paused in the modern learning era? Have you ever wondered what it might be like to embrace a balanced teaching year?

I am not advocating additional teaching days beyond the 190+/-, but am asking if we could consider alternatives to a schedule that seems more suited as a throwback to our hunter gatherer ancestors. This got me asking how the schedule we work around really came to be used? Other than the fact that our elementary schools are not equipped with any climate control in the classrooms I am not sure what else it might be from balancing the instructional year? A post from Learning Lab Why Does School Start in September? Hint: It’s not the crops provides some context to this issue.

Now before the hate mail about how important the summer break is for teachers and students, let’s consider the positives. Balanced school schedules allow for greater retention of instructional concepts. That means less knowledge hemorrhage from year to year. Imagine students having the same amount of instruction time, but spread out more evenly, but they retain more of what they’ve learned? Secondly, with a balanced year, there will be weeks off at different times for families to enjoy time together around already existing holidays. Think of the travel savings? Imagine if March Break was 2 weeks? We could all drive to Florida and back relaxed and ready for Spring.

Okay, I’ve shared the sunny side of this, but here’s the shady side. Balanced school years impede students’ ability to make money from summer jobs which may be crucial to helping them attend school, or helping their families. Balanced school years may not provide enough recovery/down time for students or educators to relax and recharge. This might lead to mental health issues such as stress and anxiety. Not good.

Weighing both sides of the conversation is healthy. There are schools already operating on a more balanced schedule with positive results. So where do stand with the classroom empty and the students/staff all gone. Where would you want education to go with this one? Holler when you get a chance. After some down time.
Happy summer. Thanks for reading, responding, and sharing. See you in September. Will

Will Gourley Celebrating Success, Challenging Topics, General, Inspiring Teachers, Making a Difference Through Education, self reflection, Year End Activities

Start strong. Finish stronger

I write this post as a tribute and thank you to all educators who breathe inspiration into the lives of their students and into one another from September’s strong start to June’s stronger finish.

This post is the completion of a promise after a response reminiscent of a rant  written to address comments in the media about educators. In the spirit of warmth and fuzziness I’ll keep my word(s) positive.

You did it!
10 months in the books, out of the books, torn away from the books, and complete with several second looks. From field trip bookings and to figurative (text)book burnings the school year sparked a 5/6s of a year long fire of growth. And now, as the embers cool, the ash settles, and the warmth fades another year of memories will linger as ember in the mind to be stoked again soon.

Does anyone else feel the same way? I do and know that I’m not alone on this one.

This year, my seventh, which I am privileged to witness many intellectual and life fires lit, fanned, spread wildly, and occasionally control burned. A feat, I am sure, that was accomplished throughout millions of classrooms around the world thanks to incredibly caring educators like you.

Imagine that you were part of the transformation, edification, and education of a student. You helped someone, or several someones, be a part of something, achieve something or realize something they’d never known before? Could there be a more noble calling?

When students arrived in your classroom last September, they were rough around the edges, unsure of what was to come, carrying some of the baggage from the previous year, and full of energy (nervous and otherwise). And from that you set out rough around the edges, unsure of what was to come, carrying some of the baggage from the previous year, and full of energy (nervous and otherwise).

There were times, too many to mention (reports, parent meetings, phone calls, bombed lessons, planning lapses, sick days, and life in general) that required us to dig deep into our vaults to rise above, resolve, and retain our raison d’etre.

And now?

Rest, raise a toast to one another, as I do to you because you started strong and you finished stronger.

Cheers! Santé! Gom bui! Kampai! Prosit! Djam! Mabuhay!
Thank you for the inspiration.

Will

Tammy Axt General

Saying goodbye

This time of year can be tough with all the goodbyes. This year, I am saying goodbye to the wonderful teacher who filled in for my teaching partner who lost her battle with cancer this year, my incredibly talented principal, my friendly and bubbly vice principal and my go-to person Behavioural Teaching Assistant. I know that honouring our time together and saying goodbye in a special way was really important to all of us.

The Arts and French department went off and brainstormed some ideas of how to honour our colleagues. Some ideas came really quickly and others took a bit more inspiration.

My hope with today’s blog is that if you are stuck for an idea on how to honour a colleague in the future, maybe some of our ceremonies and events from this week can act as an inspiration to you.

Saying goodbye to our staff:

This idea was really simple and was inspired by Eldorado Public School. At our final assembly this week, we had all of our staff lined up and had our leaving staff go through a high five train. We had music playing and the students cheering for everyone. It had such a great feeling of “Thank you!”.

Here is a picture of Eldorado Public School’s goodbye to staff.

eldorado

Honouring our principal and vice principal:

To honour our principal and vice principal leaving, we had the students and staff both prepare something. The grade four students took time to write a rap song for our vice principal. I walked them through the brainstorming of ideas and then let them create and write their own raps in groups. I took the best ideas from a variety of groups and melded them together into one performance piece. This is the piece we came up with:

Yo Vice, we miss you already, we m-m-m-m-m-m miss you.

You’re the best vice principal in the world and your leaving us behind noooo.

When students need ice,

You make them feel nice,

You’re very kind

you have a great mind

When we shout a yelp

you’ll be there to help.

You help us on the phone

When we call home.

Yo Vice, we miss you already, we m-m-m-m-m-m miss you.

You’re the best vice principal in the world and your leaving us behind noooo.

You wear fancy shoes

and believe we can’t lose.

You work with the staff

and give them a good laugh

When we start to cry,

you’ll always stand by

You’ll be in our hearts,

even when we’re apart.

Yo Vice, we miss you already, we m-m-m-m-m-m miss you.

You’re the best vice principal in the world and your leaving us behind noooo.

Yo vice, hope you have fun at your new school.

Yo vice, hope you have fun at your new school.

My students then began working on ideas for our principal and wrote a short story about all of her amazing qualities. They added all sorts of sound effects and ended the story with the song “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars. This is the story that they came up with:

“Once upon a time there was a wonderful, amazing, extraordinary principal named Miss. Robinson. ( do do do doooo) She brightened the days of every man, woman and child at her school Red Willow. (oooohhhh) She went far and wide (within the school) solving problems and making the school a better place. (ta da) She came to the rescue faster than the speed of light. (whoosh) Just like any other superhero she had awesome superpowers!!! She was organized…. caring…..
Helpful…… responsible… and positive. Red Willow knew that they could always “Count On” Miss. Robinson no matter what. “

Our staff, created a full fashion show for our fashionista vice principal. Our staff members wore sashes with her qualities on them and had a prepared script that described their outfits. It was an upbeat, fun and celebratory event.

fashion show 2

 

fashion show

 

Our principal was honoured through the presentation of a bouquet of flowers presented one flower at a time by the staff. About fifteen staff members spoke and either read a quote, sang a song or just spoke from the heart about the impact that our amazing principal had on our lives. It was a really simple and beautiful event.

flower ceremony2

 

flower ceremony

 

During the last day of school, I will have to say goodbye to some of the most important people in my world over the past couple of years. I hope that they enjoyed their send off as much as we did preparing it.

Have a wonderful summer and a much deserved break!

 

 

 

Tammy Axt General

Taking Time To Celebrate!

There are many days when things don’t go right when you are teaching. The technology doesn’t work, you get blasted by a parent or you just can’t seem to make a breakthrough with a student who is struggling to read. I figure there will be a multitude of these days throughout the twenty some odd years I have left in the classroom. However, once in a while there is one perfect moment where it reminds you of the reason you love teaching more than anything else in the world. I think that it is important to stop and let the feeling that you made the right decision in this instance wash over you, as it is sometimes hard not to let the negative events overshadow the great things that happen.

I had a former student unexpectedly come and visit me last week. She was a student that I will never forget. She arrived at our school from a war-torn country where she had lost a limb due to a land mine explosion. She barely spoke English and she really struggled to find her place at our school. Even with all of these hurdles, she gave it her all in music class. I assigned her the bass part in our Orff ensemble piece, as she had a rock steady internal beat which is very difficult for students at that age. She did amazingly well. Every single music class, we chatted as well as we could with her limited English, and she kept the beat for all of our pieces with her one hand. At the end of every music class, she looked proud of herself and she left with a smile.  At the very end of the year, she came to me and handed me a small box with a necklace inside and simply said, “Thank you”. It is probably the thank you that I will never forget for my entire teaching career.  Fast forward to last week when she came to visit me and she walked up and said hello. She then continued to tell me all about her new school in fluent English, how she liked her new teachers and how everything was generally going well. Her time at our school was not like some after school special. She had many difficulties right until the very last day, but I am confident that my music class was a happy place for her to come to.

Sometimes, as teachers, we are really hard on ourselves and we forget to take a moment to celebrate the small victories in our day. I challenge you to sit down and think about five things that went well this year, either big or small.

Beverly Papove General

Who is feeling tired and cranky?

Who’s feeling a little tired and cranky these days? It is definitely the students – they just won’t listen, and they seem to have forgotten all the proper classroom behaviour we have worked so hard on establishing all year! I find myself losing patience with some of them because they are doing things they know they should not do – like, piling up on each other at the carpet, or jumping off a step when they should be standing in line, waiting quietly.

Who am I kidding? I am definitely experiencing a sleep deficit and feeling like the summer holidays can’t arrive fast enough. My colleagues and I pass each other in the corridors, rolling our eyes, sighing deeply and muttering about how many sleeps are left until the end of the school year. We can try and blame it on the students, but their behaviour is really just a manifestation of our collective state of mind.

This notion was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I had the luxury of attending a workshop at the school I will be working at next year. It is a lovely small school, where the staff has a common vision regarding the use of the outdoors as a classroom. The school is located within walking distance of a bird sanctuary which is visited weekly, all through the year, by the staff and students as part of their environmental inquiry. To give us the right state of mind, our staff meeting started with a walk through the woods where we saw turtles, ducks, herons, and woodpeckers. We looked for and found owl scat at the base of some trees a few owls had been nesting in until a few days prior, and we noticed all the new plants coming up on the forest floor. It was wonderful. When we got back to the school, we were able to focus our discussion on what we felt was really important which was getting outside with our students. It was wonderful and productive.

The next day, when I was back at school, I felt like I was floating through my day – any challenges or needs the students had I met with a calm and clear mind, happily answering questions, and leading them through the day. Even when my student who has serious behavioural difficulties began to escalate his behaviour, I was able to redirect him because of my peaceful, positive approach, and in the end, we were all able to have a great day.

I made a point of telling the principal that I figured out how to manage challenges at school, and that we all should have walks in the forest, as often as possible, especially when things get rough at work. Although she chuckled at my comment, she knows I was serious. It’s the old stop-and-smell-the-roses attitude that we can use to redirect our stress response so that we have a positive day interacting with our students and colleagues. We know the power of the outdoors on our students – it’s a good thing to remember that the benefits are also profound for teachers, too.

Tisha Nelson General

The Scope of Our Impact

Not only is teaching one of the most demanding professions, it is also one that garnishes the most rewards. Being a part of the narrative of our children, names us beneficiaries of their love, appreciation and the opportunity to positively impact their todays as well as their tomorrows.

I currently work in the school board that I was educated in. After 14 years as student, I’ve had the opportunity to return as a teacher, sometimes working alongside the teachers who have instructed me. I will never forget my first day on the job as I walked into the staff meeting only to see my grade 3 French teacher sitting among my new colleagues. She immediately recognized me and begged that I didn’t disclose that she had been my teacher for fear, perhaps, of her longevity being deemed something other than exceptional. I promised and never told, but more importantly, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment to know that not even 20 years before, I was a little girl, sitting keenly as she taught. I wanted everyone to know that I was a product of our system and the culmination of both peaks and troughs that have helped to shape who I am today.

What does this mean for me now? Simply that I view all my students as my potential colleagues. Not only do our students have the opportunity to join this rewarding profession as educators, but they very well can be the painters, doctors, mechanics, and bankers of tomorrow. In fact, with the rise of technology and innovation at its peak, the contributions that our students can have on our world can be found way beyond our imagination.  Therefore, more than curriculum expectations, we need to teach our students how to be kind. We need to teach them to be the kind of people that will nurture and sustain a world filled with love and respect and work to rid the world of the challenges that rob this kind of experience for those in the margins.

How  might we accomplish this? Be the change! Model citizenship. Breathe love. Administer respect. Invite productive conflict. Salute courage. The is the hidden curriculum that is constantly at work in the walls of our schools and that is the curriculum of life. Teaching our students how to navigate and persevere in challenging times will nurture the fortitude they will need moving forward.

Not only is teaching one of the most rewarding professions, it is also one of the most demanding. Being a part of the narrative of our children, names us responsible for inviting the kind of experiences that impact how identity is nurtured as students develop a holistic sense of self. Wielding the power of our impact with wisdom and love will ensure that the influence we have on our the students will be positive.

 

Tisha Nelson Constant Learning, General, self reflection, Year End Activities

Revise, Refine, Reimagine

Although sometimes I would rather have a balanced-calendar school year, where summers were shortened and more frequent breaks are embedded throughout the academic year, the two months off that a 10-month school year calendar is still a welcomed experience. The structured close of what often is an intense year of teaching and learning, affords us the opportunity to touch the reset button, as it were, and engage in some meaningful reflection about how to continue the journey forward.

For me, this is one of the most difficult times of the year where my focus is consistently being challenged. Engaging in year-end activities (i.e. report writing, school celebrations, etc. ) while at the same time anticipating the year to come (i.e. new teaching-assignments, classroom moves, etc.) pulls my attention is so many directions that I find it hard to stay present and in the moment. My mind is constantly racing ahead as I would honestly rather engage in the year-end clean-up of my classroom as the thrill of reorganizing my “stuff” seems all too inviting. (Sidenote: teacher hoard WAY too many things…sigh…)

Reflecting on the year that was, however, is the best way to prepare for the year ahead. Intentionally thinking about the things that went well and the challenges that were grappled with can prepare you for a more focused year. The following is a framework for reflection that some colleagues and I have explored as we sought to address areas where we can improve in the work we do:

Revise: What were the things that didn’t work out the way it was intended to this year? Why was that so? How might you revise the experience so that it achieves the purpose and function that you had originally envisioned?

Refine: What went well this year that, with a few additional tweaks, could go even better the next time around? How might you refine your practice in ways that allows you to work smarter and not necessarily harder? What might be some efficiencies that you could employ that will allow your efforts to be stretched far and wide?

Reimagine: What possibilities might there be for aspects of your practice that you find stuck in your comfort zone? How might you embrace the spirit of innovation to reimagine possibilities that were once never an option? With the prevalence of technology and resources that support integrative thinking, what aspects of your practice might be opened to your imagination for radical shifts?

After engaging in thoughtful reflection the year forward can look so bright. With the natural starts and stops, we are compelled to be progressive as teachers. Here’s to closing the school year with a boom and beginning the new one with a bang.

Shawna Rothgeb-Bird Communication with Parents and Guardians, General, Report Cards

Learning Skills – Comment Samples

Update, July 1 2019: I have added a new post with even more learning skills samples. 🙂 I’ve also posted some FSL comments for the Core and Immersion teachers out there.

One of the most difficult things I faced as a new teacher was having to write report cards. I struggled with trying to balance honesty with professionalism, giving detail without being overwhelming, and making everything “parent friendly” so they actually got a sense of how their child was doing in school. A few years in now, I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of this report card writing thing… so here I am to share a few sample comments (edited, of course) for anyone who would find them helpful. These comments are from several different years and several different student profiles. Looking back on them now, I feel oddly self-conscious about these… I feel like there is still so much more I can do to improve my reporting skills.

Here, in no particular order, are six different learning skills comment samples. Enjoy!

– – – – –

It has been a pleasure to teach (name) this term. She arrives at school each day with a positive attitude, bright smile, and determination to do her best no matter what the task. She is an active participant in both whole class and small group discussions, eagerly offering her ideas and insights.

During independent work periods, (name) can always be counted on to stay on-task. Her work is always completed on time and with considerable detail. She checks in with her teachers regularly while working to ensure that she is on the right track and readily asks for clarification when necessary.

When collaborating with peers, (name) easily takes on leadership roles to help guide her group to success. She engages her peers in the task and tries to encourage everyone to contribute. On the rare occasion that conflict arises, she is generally able to work with her peers to resolve the issue without needing assistance.

Overall, (name) has been very successful this year. She has been a positive role model for her classmates. Have a wonderful summer, (name)!

– – – – –

It has been a pleasure to teach (name) this year. He arrives at school each day with a positive attitude and a smile, willing to take risks and always do his best. He is generally an active participant in both whole class and small group discussions, eagerly offering his ideas and insights. While he is following along with lessons, however, (name) has needed frequent reminders to put books away while teachers or peers are speaking. Going forward, he is encouraged to find appropriate times to read so that he is listening actively at all times.

During independent work periods, (name) has some difficulty staying on task and completing his work on time. His success depends greatly on which peers he is seated with, becoming easily distracted by chatty students. When focused on his work, he has a tendency to spend too much time in the planning stage, resulting in having to rush to finish his work at the last minute. Next year, he would benefit from working with his teachers to continue developing time management strategies.

When collaborating with peers, (name) easily takes on leadership roles to help guide his group to success. He engages his peers in the task and tries to encourage everyone to contribute. On the rare occasion that conflict arises, he is generally able to work with his peers to resolve the issue without needing assistance.

Overall, (name) has had a great year. Best of luck in Grade _, (name), and have a wonderful summer!

– – – – –

(NAME) is a hard-working, enthusiastic student with a keen sense of humour. He readily participates in class discussions, offering his ideas and perspectives with confidence. He can always be counted on to complete his work on time, as he consistently checks in to make sure that he has submitted all required work. He has begun to double-check assignment requirements while working on them, which is helping him to ensure he has all the necessary elements before submitting his work.

During independent work periods, (NAME) generally remains on-task, but can occasionally be distracted by students around him. A verbal reminder to return to the task at hand is usually enough to get him back on track. Going forward, he is encouraged to recognize when he is becoming distracted and independently seek out solutions, such as another workspace or asking his peers to be quieter, to help him stay focused.

(NAME) can always be counted on to try and make all students feel welcome and appreciated in the classroom. He is quick to encourage students in their efforts, offering them a reassuring comment to help set them at ease. His kind nature and caring attitude have helped him immensely in the classroom, as he can work with any student without issue.

At times, (NAME) can seem easily discouraged by other students correcting him or commenting on his work. He should take pride in what he has accomplished so far this year, as he has made immense progress. He is encouraged to continue developing confidence in his abilities in the French Immersion program, as his efforts and determination have not gone unnoticed. Keep up the great work!

– – – – –

It has been a pleasure to teach (name) this year. His compassion and witty sense of humour have been welcome additions to the classroom community over the course of the year. He is eager to participate in class discussions and offer his insights and experiences in all subject areas. At times, however, he plays with small items at his desk or taps his hands in a way that is distracting both to teachers and to his peers. He is encouraged to try to avoid these behaviours in the future and to ask for a break if feels that he needs to move around.

(name) takes pride in a job well done and has a strong work ethic. He consistently hands in assignments on time and ensures that the work he submits is of a high standard. He has continued to ask whether he has any work outstanding in order to stay on top of deadlines, and this sense of initiative and responsibility will serve him well in the future.

In general, (name) collaborates well with his peers. He can be counted on to complete his share of the work with enthusiasm and detail. At times, he can become frustrated with his peers if they are distracted or not working, and this frustration can lead to him addressing his peers with a critical tone of voice. Going forward, (name) is encouraged to seek assistance from the teacher when he is frustrated with his group and to try and maintain a respectful tone with his peers at all times.

Overall, (name) has been working hard this year to improve his skills and take on more responsibility. He has strong interpersonal skills both with his peers and with adults. Great work, (name)!

– – – – –

It has been a pleasure to teach (name) this year. Her strong work ethic, compassion, and creativity have been welcome additions to our learning community. Throughout the year, she has consistently demonstrated an eagerness and dedication to learning in all areas. She consistently participates in class discussions, providing her opinions with confidence.

(name) approaches most tasks with a positive attitude. She is not easily discouraged by challenges and, when necessary, will seek clarification or assistance from her teachers. When completing projects, she habitually cross-references her work with the expectations (usually in rubric or checklist form) to ensure that her work is of high quality.

During independent work periods, (name) is always on task. She has a strong sense of time-management and consistently completes her work on time. She will benefit from taking more time to improve the overall neatness of her work as she heads into Grade 6.

(name) has made considerable progress in working with her peers to integrate their ideas with her own. She has been working hard to be more open-minded with others’ suggestions. When collaborating with peers, she has consistently taken on a leadership role in organizing what needs to be done and how the group will achieve their goal.

Overall, (name) has been working hard this year to improve her skills and take on more responsibility. She is encouraged to take on more of a leadership role in speaking French in the classroom in Grade 6.

– – – – –

(name) is a kind, compassionate student who has made significant progress over the course of the year. While he is reluctant to participate in class discussions, his writing and completed work demonstrate that he is actively listening. He is a strong student for the most part, generally aware of what the expectations are for a task. This term, he has come forward much more readily if he has a question about a task, and his work has benefited greatly.

This term, (name) has had difficulty remaining on task during independent work periods. He often has a book in his desk that he reads instead of working on his assignments. He requires several reminders in order to continue his work. Similarly, there have been many assignments this term which he has submitted late or incomplete. Some assignments have been lost, while others were never finished despite extensions to deadlines. Going forward, (name) will benefit tremendously from taking greater responsibility for completing his work without needing reminders. His agenda will help him in this regard, as he will be able to keep track of deadlines and project status.

Collaboration has been a challenge for (name) this term. During group and partner work, his peers have often become frustrated with him for not taking on his share of the work. In many cases, he has required reminders from the teacher in order to complete his fair share of the work. For next year, he is encouraged to make a stronger effort to participate fully in collaborative tasks, as he has many interesting insights to offer.

Overall, (name)’s confidence at school has improved significantly this term. He is a strong, capable student when he is motivated, and he will accomplish great things in Grade 6 if he continues to improve his work habits!

– – – – –

Hopefully some of those comments help someone out there as we venture into yet another round of report card writing. I have always found it helpful to look at my colleagues’ comments to find new ways to word things, new formats to try, etc. A big part of teaching is learning from each other, and that’s why I thought sharing some of my comments from previous years would be beneficial to someone out there.

Good luck, and remember to take care of YOU as we wind down from the year.

Shawna Rothgeb-Bird General

Lessons From My Toddler

One of the things that has surprised me the most about being a new parent is how much my daughter has taught me about teaching. Even though her age doesn’t match at all with the age of my students, she has reminded me of many important considerations to keep in mind when teaching children. By reflecting on what I have learned about my child and how her brain works, I have come to realize that all of the things she has taught me about teaching her are also things I should be keeping in mind when teaching any child of any age.

Here are six lessons courtesy of my toddler.

Sometimes I need to ask her something more than once. If she does not respond to my first request, it is generally not because she is trying to be difficult. Most of the time, it’s that she is so absorbed in whatever it is that she’s doing that I’m not sure she really hears me. For my child, that usually means drawing, but for my students that means chatting with peers, daydreaming, reading – or just thinking. I’ve had students so caught up in their book that the entire class got up and left for recess without them noticing the commotion or noise.

Addressing her by name before asking her something is always better. Particularly when we are not alone in the house, I find that she is much more likely to stop what she is doing and give me her full attention if I call her name before speaking to her. Unsurprisingly, my grade four students are the same. They’re so used to hearing my voice all day, every day that they kind of tune it out unless they know I’m addressing them directly or the entire class.

She does not understand everything the first time I show it to her. Sometimes I need to find another way to show her the same skill before she finds a way which works for her, sometimes she just needs practice to master it, and sometimes she isn’t ready for that skill yet. Likewise, not all of my students will grasp something the first time I teach it, and most of them benefit from having the same skill or concept taught in multiple ways.

She experiences big – and I mean BIG – emotions. Her life is in a constant state of upheaval as she forges new connections, learns new fundamental skills, and expands her worldview. Her brain is changing constantly. She does not fully comprehend most of what goes on around her or why things are the way they are. She also does not really know how to regulate her emotions or behaviour yet, because she is a child, and sometimes that means that her emotions manifest themselves in really dramatic ways. My ten year old students are dealing with a lot of changes too – hormones, crushes, self-expression and identity, more knowledge of the world around them. They need help learning how to navigate the waters of pre-adolescence.

When she is having a difficult day, there is usually a reason. Kids are challenging. Sometimes my daughter behaves as if the world is ending and I’m the villain in the story of her life. She doesn’t want to put her shoes on, she doesn’t want to eat that sandwich, she doesn’t want to play outside OR be inside OR be spoken to OR be left alone. For some reason, when we are talking about toddlers, we can easily find explanations for their behaviour: they didn’t sleep well, they haven’t eaten, they are in pain from teething or growing, their routine has changed. We forget that older children are every bit as susceptible to these factors as toddlers are, and that likely our challenging students are not behaving that way just because they want to be difficult.

Every day is a new day. No matter how challenging the day before was, my child greets me each day with enthusiasm and hope. My students are the same way. Every day is a chance to improve on the day before.

I know I have learned all of these things before, and that none of these are new or groundbreaking ideas – but I needed these reminders.  Since going back to work, I have found myself so overwhelmed and frustrated by my students’ behaviour that I needed my daughter to remind me that my students are children too, even if they’re older. They have only been on this planet for ten years – barely any time at all! They need guidance, patience, and compassion, just like every child.

Tammy Axt General

Performance Group Recommendations

I can’t believe that we are almost in June again. Wow! Time sure does fly by. June brings the writing of report cards, graduation, play days and it also brings some forward planning for the upcoming school year. Part of my role at school is to book and oversee presentations for our student population. On average, we usually have 3-4 presentations per year come into the school to perform for some or all of the students. With so many choices available, one of the hardest parts about booking performances is selecting which group to book. An engaging, entertaining performance is very important; however, of equal importance, in my opinion, is booking a group that is easy to work with and professional on the day of the performance. With that in mind, below are some of my favourite presentations that have come into my school over the past five or six years.

Dufflebag Theatre http://www.dufflebag.com/

Dufflebag Theatre is a performance group which takes fairy tales and other famous stories and performs them. The performers are very funny and keep the audience participating throughout their show. They also have amazing improvisation skills as they include students from the audience into their stories.

Our school has had Dufflebag Theatre a number of times over the past couple of years. Every time they have come in, our students have laughed a lot and I did not have to worry about a thing.

Q-Mack http://www.qmack.com/

How can someone talk to kids for 45 minutes and keep them completely enthralled? Ask Q-Mack, as he has done it both times he has come to speak to my students. He is a basketball freestyler and he often brings his friend Scott, who beat-boxes. Their message is incredibly positive and would be perfect for an anti-bullying assembly.

Cadence http://www.cadence-unplugged.com/

Cadence is a group of four acapella singers who are high energy and thoroughly entertaining.  They perform a variety of musical styles and have a lot of audience participation. My students and I spent a lot of time preparing for this group by experimenting with our voices and testing out our own acapella skills, which was so much fun.

Duo Percussion http://duopercussion.ca/

This group of two young men is one of the most professional groups I have dealt with. From a coordinator’s point of view, they are prompt with communication and so easy to work with on the day of the performance. They bring a variety of percussion instruments and entertain the audience with a variety of classical and modern pieces of music, such as the fan favourite “Super Mario Brothers” theme.

Fit2Dance http://fit2danceinc.com/

If you want your students moving and grooving, this is the group to book. Fit2Dance sends one person to the school to do a series of dance workshops. The students love the interactive nature of the presentation and enjoy the upbeat and lively music. Our whole school of 700 students can usually attend in one fun-filled day.

Saidat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEqiQnKc_Gs

This is another amazing presentation that would be perfect for an anti-bullying assembly. Saidat’s message is all about being positive and making a difference. Saidat is highly entertaining and full of great energy. The presentation has a lot of great hip hop music and movement.

Kim and Jerry Brodey http://www.kimandjerrybrodey.com/

This show was very interactive and great for primary students. They had wonderful variety and action songs that the students enjoyed. They dazzled the audience with movement and drama.

Final thought:

Above are 7 performance groups or individuals whose visits went extremely smoothly. However, I have dealt with other performances that did not go as well. As a result, I have learned a few things:

ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep a copy of your contract handy. I have had disagreements about start times and available space that performers have agreed to. I have had to review the contract with the presenters and their booking agents more than once.

If your presentation is in the gym, give your gym teaching colleagues lots of notice as a professional courtesy to the disruption to their teaching space. Even better, include them in the decision making process. They will be able to tell you that a presentation may be better, for example, in February than in March as the volleyball tournament is in February.

Check in with the performer(s) a few days before their arrival to go over things like parking, arrival procedure, accessible doors and to review the main points of the contract.