Yo, Yo DeVos, There Are FIVE Things You Better Know!

Yep, she was voted in!  What a shame!  Teachers everywhere are mourning that fact too!  Not because she's Republican.  There are plenty of Republican teachers out there-me being one!  Why do we mourn-because she DOESN'T GET IT!  Nope, not a clue.  I'm joining Five for Friday to share the Five Things You Better Know!  And, trust me, I've got some good background on this one.  I come from Florid-DUH where Jeb Bush and Bill Gates have already tried it all.  So, Let's go!

Yo, Yo DeVos, BIG money won't fix it!  Yep, that's right.  Take a good look at Hillsborough County, Florida.  They got BIG money.  They got the Gates Foundation grant!  They threw curriculum, higher pay, teacher coaches, new "innovative" ideas and everything else at them.  IT DIDN'T WORK!!  Teachers still left.  School grades still didn't change.  IT DOESN'T WORK!  There are deeper things going on, but I'll get to that!  Big money in a school system won't fix problems because you are approaching it WRONG!  You can see that all across America!  Yo DeVos-are you hearing that with your $200,000,000 that got you this position.  We aren't scared by your big money, because we know it doesn't work.  It won't work for you either DeVos!

Yo, Yo DeVos, "NEW" curriculum won't fix it!  Yep, that's right!  Common Core is just another in a long string of terrible ideas developed by BIG BUSINESS-oh, that means you!  Now, at it's foundation Common Core is a good idea.   However, it is how you packaged it.  It is how it was brought to us.  In some states straight out.  In others, "hidden" as "OUR" state standards.  Flori-DUH tried this.  What, do you think we are stupid people.  That is one of the problems with this whole "educational reform".  You think we are stupid people.  Most of us are highly educated people, with multiple degrees, that read the news and seek truth past even their news stories.  We will investigate and learn-and we READ PROFESSIONAL GROWTH BOOKS-OHHHH!!  Shocking isn't it.  We actually continue to LEARN!!  So, we saw what was coming in this new curriculum.  We couldn't be tricked.  Come on government people.  You better wake up to the fact that we may appear to be meek and mild, but we are much, much more.  We see "curriculum change" coming from a mile away and we know what that means. BIG BUCKS FOR YOU!  Little support for us!  "Do it or else" from many levels of administration, starting at the Governor.  And more testing!  Big Business ruined Common Core-period! 

Yo, Yo DeVos-TESTING kids to death doesn't work either! Which now gets to the whole point of this post!  You are dealing with apples and oranges when it comes to educating students.  The haves and the have nots!  Yes, that's what all of you people up in your ivory towers have not figured out yet.  You think if you can fill kids with new curriculum and new tests, you've got the answer!  Higher standards, more new things-we can change the world!  NO, YOU CANNOT!  Until you start to recognize that this is a social class issue, you won't get anywhere.  Until you realize that providing opportunities for those in need is key, you won't get anywhere.  Until you recognize that students with a disadvantage financially, that live in poverty, have different issues and learning needs not met by your crazy curriculum and death by testing, you won't get anywhere!  You know what those students need-THEIR TEACHER WHO GETS THEM AND LOVES THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE!  That's right-that teacher, right there, in the trenches, who loves that kid, that will supply their needs for feeling safe and loved, who knows their reading level and helps them grow at their pace-THAT'S WHAT THEY NEED!  You know what else, they need alternative to "regular" classrooms-trade schools and job training.  Because I don't know where you "people" got the idea that every kid goes to college.  We, the teachers in the trenches, know they don't!  Heck, there are plumbers and mechanics making more than a lot of teachers right now!  And they didn't go to college.  Let's start doing all the things that research says we should do instead of testing our kids to death!  It won't work!  Never has, never will!

And, while we are on testing, let's talk about the "business" of education!  Do you not think that we haven't figured this out!  Come on!  We know exactly what you people are doing when you change curriculum.  We know about your ties to the testing industry and how they benefit your pocket.  And then you claim that teaching is a business. Take a  look at any five year old to see that they are not a business!  How can you dictate that any child is a business!  Pediatricians may make money by charging a fee, but they know those children sitting in their office are flesh and blood.  They know that their lives are in their hands.  If they went around thinking, "Well, this is another $1,000 in my pocket." no one would go to them.  It would be obvious!  That's what you are doing in for profit charter schools!  Parents are getting this!  Teachers are getting this!  Why do you think there is so much turn over at charter schools.  No one wants to work for less than the public school system.  Not to mention the ridiculous expectations.  I know of one teacher that had duty hours till 3:30 but her principal made her stay every day till 5:00-TO WORK FOR FREE!  It's bad enough we don't get paid, but to get disrespected like that-come on!  We know what you are "trying" to do,  but to hire the cheapest teachers at the cheapest rate and, then, in many cases, not even supply the curriculum or the higher expectations is ridiculous.  And, to say this is my opinion is one thing, but look at this data about graduation rates:

Not to mention that it has been reported in numerous places that your very own charter is failing-FAILING!  You better know, DeVos, that this is unacceptable!

Yo, Yo DeVos- Charter and Private Schools are not what is going to cure this problem!  In fact, Charters create a whole different problem!  Public school teachers can tell you that Charters are in no way the answer.  There is only ONE Charter in my entire district that does one thing different than a "regular" school.  And, by the way, they were a magnet that went Chart, not the other way around.  They were first built on a public school platform-the rest of Charts-totally a pick and choose system. Sure they do 'lotteries" but we know what that looks like. Who do these Charters think they are kidding!  Public teachers have learned two things about Charters-they get to pick and choose who they want and kick out the rest and they don't get the job done!  There it is. THERE ARE ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS but that is far and few between.  Why, you ask?  They are too worried about making money!  They don't purchase curriculum.  They hire newer teachers at less wages-so their turn over rate is constant.  Constant!  So many teachers bail and end up back in public schools because they can't afford to live!  Meanwhile, the "company" of the Charter is posting financial growth!   There's something wrong with that right there!!!  But, we already covered that!  Plus, I think there is this illusion that if the Charters don't get it done, then PRIVATE will come!  No they don't!  Look, DeVos, there is not this magical group of people out there that are sitting around going, "Today is a good day to open a Private school!"  There aren't even magical groups of people sitting around saying, "Let's open a Charter school!"  Teachers don't dream about this stuff and admin try it but usually fail because teachers won't back it-and you have to have the teachers!  It just isn't happening!  And this is Flori-duh!  Come on-if it was going to be the land of the fairy tale Charter and Private schools land, it would have happened here! And it didn't!  They have come, and they have gone-failed!  Parents didn't drink the Kool-Aide!  Who is left in the dust?  Students!  Time and time again students arrive from Charter schools that are "great" and are so far behind that they have to enter remediation to close their gaps-smart kid!  Kids that should have known what to do and how to do it.  Yet were supposed to be getting a "better" education!  Why do you think all those Senators kept asking you about accountability!  Charters need to be just as accountable or they are discredited!  You should be embracing accountability!  You should be opening your arms to it and totally saying YES if Charters are so much better!  Put YOUR money where the mouth is and make Charters accountable!  PROVE THEY ARE BETTER!  We are waiting!  

Yo, Yo DeVos-IDEA Money "better never" be touched!!  We are actually waiting for this.  Not because we want it to happen, but because of "them".  Yep, you only have to experience  "them" once to know, you don't mess with "them".  But, come on DeVos-do it!  We DARE you too!  Not because of kids, but because maybe then, just then, in your "private school" life, you will understand that money doesn't buy everything, but IDEA money keeps families going on hope, on a "normal", on a path of education for their child.  IDEA money is not a tool for you to be flexible with!  It is a lifeline for so many families in so many ways.  So, go ahead, we dare you!  Awake "them",  those Momma Bears!  Awaken "them" and there will be a storm so big that The Women's March looked like some bees swarming around some rotten honey swatted by those Momma Bears!  And they won't go away! Any teacher will tell you!  So, you better get ready!  There's nothing like those Momma Bears!  (And, just for the record, I will be joining them.  I get my Momma Bear on when necessary!)  

So, there's my 5 Yo Yo DeVos points.  Here's the deal.  You better also understand who teachers are.  We are silent many times, but not on this.  There is another storm brewing.  An election storm.  And, we know the numbers now.  We know who is taking your bribe money because that's how we see it.  That storm, the election storm equals teachers voting.  We have to!  We have to wear the sticker to school as an example. But, more importantly, because we believe in it!  We teach it to the next generation the way we do because we believe!  And, we are like elephants.  We NEVER forget.  So, even if we support that party, we remember.  At this point, we don't need these particular people in office.  We vote. We remember!  And we are a LARGE group-in many places the largest group of employees in a town.  We band together when you attack. We form a unit!  Just remember, we are coming...

P.S.  These are my opinions and in no way reflect my school or my administration or district in any way.  Feel free to comment, but know I will not directly respond to you.  I can't get my reply to work on my blog! Plus, it is my opinion based on my personal experiences in my state.  I am fully aware that there are always exceptions.  I am in no way attacking Charter teachers.  I know you are needed right where you are at!  

Happy, Big Time Happy, Big Happy Planner that Is!

      I'm not a planner type of person.  They drive me nuts!  I mean, who spends sixty plus dollars on a planner that they order online that they have fun writing in??  I mean, you can't even add pages of your own!  Then, I saw THIS PICTURE!  

How in the world did she get her own page in that planner??  Why do those rings look different then all the other personal planners?  What's that pink thing???  HOW DID SHE GET THOSE PAGES IN THERE!!  I just had to ask!  Luckily Stephanie from Teaching Little Leaders quickly replied-and I'm in LOVE!!  

The planner you see in the picture above is  the Happy Planner by Create 365!  The whole idea of this planner is to personalize it in a way that those other planners can't be personalized ! By simply removing the pages carefully a the edge closest to the rings, you can set it up in an y order that you like!  I happened to get mine in January, so I am going to against everything that screams SCHOOL to me and leave mine alone.  But if you wanted to start in July or August like most school planners do, it would be as simple as pulling out the monthly tabs and rearranging them to be in order from July to June.  That's it.  You wouldn't have to change any other pages, or at least not in this particular one.  

I'm sorry my picture came out a little pink! 

     I purchased the "kit" model of the Big Happy Planner.  It comes with everything you need to set up your planner!  This kit was a great price (plus on sale too!) so it was the easiest way to go.  It came with all the number stickers and decorative stickers right in the kit.  I did  buy some other stickers from another brand, because, by the looks of the isle at Michaels, this is becoming a big thing!  And it is easy to see why.  I could easily go back to Michaels and pick out a few more sticker sets to add some more fun to my planner!  Anyway, I also purchased the Big Paper Punch.  This is how you get the pages into your Happy Planner.  The Big Paper Punch has a bonus to it.  It can actually punch holes for any of the planners!  So, if I ever decide to go with one of the smaller planners, this tool will work for those also!  I'm telling you, I'm sold on this system!  It is brilliant!  

    One more important feature to discuss is the rings.  They are really cool, heavy plastic disks.  When I originally visited their website, I noticed that you can transition your planner onto even larger rings.  If needed, that will be something I do in the future. The clerk at Michaels explained that I can basically double the amount of pages that are currently in the planner before I need to change the rings!  

     So, I'd like to thank Stephanie from Teaching Little Leaders once more.  If you haven't noticed yet, the picture above is linked to the very freebie that lead me to the Happy Planner!  She now has a whole year packet available!  

Sorry they are a little blurry!  Darn Daylight Savings! 

Also, I have created some cute flower and owl note taking pages that are available in my store on TpT.  They will always be just a $1.00, because I figure that would make a lot of people happy, just like this planner!  So, check them out here!

    I'd love to hear what you do with your Happy Planner-tips, ideas, other uses for the planner!  Feel free to comment to share your ideas!  I hope this posts makes you happy too!  

     

It's a Contest!

Kinder Teamwork is CELEBRATING and they are CELEBRATING in a BIG way!  You have not 1, but FIVE opportunities to win!  So...

Jump on over to the Rafflecopter to sign up for this GREAT prize opportunity!  It has been a blast participating as well!  

Five for Friday: 5 TpT Conference Take-Aways

I was totally blessed to attend the TpT Conference in Orlando on Wednesday and Thursday.  It is 48 hours of mind-blowing, never stopping, walk, listen, and take noting, meet peopling, smile and wave moments like no other conference I've ever attended!  To say that it is excitement is to downplay everything about it!  Amazing is a great word to use, but still can't capture it all.  Here are my Five for Friday take-aways with a freebie at the end!

Mindset

I’d have to say this was totally mind-blowing for me.  I know, sounds obvious right!   However, when you enter a world for the first time, things hit you in a different way.  When like-minded people surround you, you adjust your thinking.  I have been spending my whole time on TpT just feeling great about a sale, that it was fun, that it was just extra money.  I have a different mindset now.  It has to be.  There are parts of this that are a business.  I’ve begun to wrap my mind around that.  And, who doesn’t want success in a business=mindset.  I attended a session specifically about this very thing.  It was amazing and finished my first day on Wednesday.  It made me really begin to process as the evening went on.  I’m here to say, set your mind on what you want and how you want it to be.  It is very powerful to meet million dollar teachers and know they are still happy teachers, down to earth, that it doesn’t steal your joy or make you greedy and above others.  SET YOUR MIND!  So, where’s your mindset. 

Money

Again, I had to begin to think about this as real money.  Up until now I pictured it as play money.  Things I could buy for me, things I could do for my family.  I have paid for a mission trip for my son and myself.  But now, this is MONEY!  I attended a financial session (after hearing in the mindset session that if you are at the beginning of your TpT success, make a business plan and have that as your mindset!)  The gentleman that presented was a teacher who just was wise in his finances.  He made himself a millionaire by simply teaching himself what he needed to do!  As a seller, we need to be investing what we are making and really use our profit to build our personal finances.  Time to change my mindset!

Networking 

Wow!  There are SO many people at the conference-and many know each other at this point.  There were times I really struggled to fit in or find my “tribe”.  I met some wonderful ladies the first night and I did find them from time to time.  I met some of my local ladies and I was glad for that.  I met some of the Florida Bloggers, I’m happy for that.  I attended a wonderful session on Building a Tribe, and that’s where I met a group of ladies that I seemed to bond with.  Both are also from Florida and we seem to work well with each other.  I will be working on building these relationships and building more within the larger group of excellent sellers that I met.  I have to say, it brought to me the importance of finding people to network with and it changed my mindset about how to build and grow my business!

Opportunity! 

There are moments to grab-and you need to!  I was able to speak with one of the TpT Main Players and two things happened! 1.  She took a picture of my store logo to remember me by!  And, 2.  I used what we were talking about to mention a product in my store and SHE WROTE IT DOWN!  Yes, she WROTE IT DOWN!  Now, it may go absolutely nowhere, but I grabbed a moment.  

My moment was with this lovely lady!! :) 

I think the whole event is about grabbing moments, even if they are small.  You don’t have to be in the group of laughing sellers.  You don’t have to stick like glue to pals.  You don’t have to pass out the most business cards.  You have to seize moments.  Some sellers were surprised when they heard all the Teacher Super Stars I just walked up to and started talking too.  I was looking for those moments!  Why not!  I guess I had good mindset on that one! 

If you haven't met Rachel Lynnet, you haven't met the nicest person ever!  She is amazing!

ONE THING

My final take away is that there is one and ONLY ONE thing that guarantees success and repeated sales-QUALITY!   There is no formula-QUALITY! That exact word was used over and over again-from products, to pins, to videos made, to blog posts (Thanks Teeny Tiny Teacher-you were awesome!), to pictures taken that you use.  If it isn’t quality, you will not go anywhere.  You’ll get basic sales, but you won’t get repeat sales.  You want repeat sales.  Unless you commit to the best of the very best of product development, you will just make basic sales.  Quality not quantity matters.  So, I’m making this my COMPLETE mindset.  I’ve always believed that, but there are still a couple of things that I need to really work on in my store to attain what I believe are my current levels of quality!  I’m excited that this is the key, and that it is not some formula that I was missing because I can’t read the forums because they blow my mind.  That I can’t participate in Pinning Parties.  That I can’t get to my blog all the time.  Quality! 

In the middle of the night from Wednesday to Thursday I woke up with the BEST idea-only to completely forget it!  Trust me, going to the Conference makes your brain go on Hyper-active Hyper-drive!  Luckily, at Cracker Barrel during breakfast it came back to me!  A wonderful waitress lent me a pen and one of her order sheets.  I jazzed it up and made it just for this post.  This BEST idea-a basic set of business plan questions that you can fill out to begin to guide your thinking.  These came from a combination of all the sessions and all the ideas sort of jammed into one form!  So, it is yours, for free! We all need to set our minds on how to be the BEST quality we can be!  I’m excited to share it with you!  Down load it here!  

Leave your comments and thoughts about this post!  I’m excited to hear what they are!

Had to randomly share my photo too!

The "Response" to Behavior Choices

You have heard about the path and the principles, now let’s get down to the nitty gritty!  Today I finally will hit LESSONS in the Responsive Classroom.  Before I begin, I do want to share one more story about trust.  I will never forget a few years ago, during a teacher inservice I was at, where we were discussing work ethic of students based around behavioral choices.  I mentioned trust.  One of the teacher’s responded, “Trust?  I can’t TRUST my students to do anything!”  This teacher was at the very same type of school I was.  Yet, she couldn’t TRUST them.  In fact, it was even the way it was said.  It was a foreign concept to this teacher.  So, I write with a purpose.  Have you examined the trust you have for students, for families, for ideas, and more, in your class?  Is this the place you should start with?  For it is this very trust that leads to the lessons I’m about to present.  Without it, it is but a lesson…

            The very first day I start with this truth, “I do not have a behavior system.  There are no red, green, and blue charts.  There are no clips to move.  There is you.  You must monitor yourself and follow our rules.  I believe every one of you can do this.  No matter what, I believe in you.”  And, honestly, that’s about it for the first day.  There are so many things to cover that I let this very idea sink into their heads.  Their faces are precious.  You can see “What?!” on all of their faces.  For many of them, this is the first time someone has been this brave with them.  I’ve seen this face from 1^st Grade to 5^th grade.  Every single one, “What!?”  And, we move on! 

            In the next few days, we cover a variety of topics all within Morning Meeting.  As I stated in the previous post, I only conduct a team building activity within the meeting setting.  It is very important kids sit in a circle during this time.  They can see each other and that creates an equal opportunity for all students.  No one feels left out when a circle is made.  (I did have an autistic student who preferred to sit slightly outside the circle.  Remember to be sensitive to a child’s particular need.  This was one that made him more comfortable and that matters!)  These team building activities allow kids to be serious, to be silly, to dance, and to sing within a very short activity.  This builds trust among students.  There is something transforming when that student who won’t interact does their first little dance and everyone cheers them on.  There is something wonderful when a serious child shares a funny nickname for a name game.  There is power in these moments that you shouldn’t overlook.  It unlocks the culture of a classroom.  It builds responsiveness and eagerness that becomes a force of it’s own.  They begin to crave this time together and it is worth the 5 to 10 minutes every day. It is the backbone activity to everything that you will do, all year. 

            We then move on to bigger things.   It is key within this community to build a classroom pledge or rules together.  I build a classroom pledge.  It usually contains procedures that the kids suggest are important in our class and school.  This year’s has some repeats, but the kids built it.  They also sign the pledge and we say it each day.  It binds us together. 

             There are many lessons you can include to build community, but my favorites are always   During the first few weeks, we build on citizenship ideas such as trust, cooperation, and simple procedures that must be clearly defined.  Here’s an example.  This is one of the few charts I don’t actually make with my kids.  It was just a good chart!  Voice Choice is something that came out of a problem with one of my classes one year.  I have used it ever since.  We go through the lesson in a number of days at the beginning of they year.  Then, from there on, we have a common understanding of the expectations.  This happened today; so let’s go through it step by step from the kids themselves.

1.  Identify the problem.  This week, my kids have been WHACKED out!  No matter what we are doing, they are crazy!  Yesterday I decided it was time to have a class meeting to discuss what was going on.  I can identify the need for a meeting or the kids can.  I haven’t had many kids asked, but they have occasionally. 

2.  Circle up!  I pulled the chart stand over (I move mine around) and then we sat together in a circle.

3.  State the problem.  I use it for the title of the chart where I will record the information we share in the meeting.

4.  Let them talk!  I let them think, pair, and then they share.  I listen when they talk.  See that bubble on the side.  That was not shared.  I overheard that!  I asked the student to share at the end.  I also code the chart.  The large arrow is to indicate a future lesson to clarify rules on helping others.  I didn’t know until this meeting that kids were struggling with helping each other and being off task.  This came out of the lesson.  Look for discoveries!  We talked about all 3 points on this chart separately. 

5.  Record everything!  I try to record in their words.  If I need to, I do adjust them to the positive.  I record my information with my name by it.  That way students know what my thinking is compared to theirs.   We talk about where it matches so that we are on the same page.  Everything works together to create a mutual language and understanding.  No one walks away wondering.  It is clear because it is THEIR thoughts.  You wouldn’t believe the amount of heads that shook yes when the group brought up Halloween being a major problem for them!  

And, the caveman comment was a student’s.  This really stuck with them after he said it!  What about the brain shuts down comment!  They really do understand what they are doing to themselves and how their thinking is broken down by their behavior! 

6.  Give them a chance to come up with solutions!  

They can!  That list is theirs!  I added the “Saying no is ok” and “Self-reflect”.  The rest is their thinking!  I tied their response into our yoga routine.  We are working on controlling our bodies during that time using our mind.  I connected it back to using it to avoid distraction.  Notice there are no consequences.  That doesn’t mean we didn’t talk about it.  They are now aware that if the behavior persists, they will write a note home to their parents.  I have them write their own notes.  That makes them take ownership with the problem and creates an honest exchange between them and their parents.  This is what I envision when I think of discipline in a student lead classroom, the two sides of that idea. 

7.  Practice the language.  Today I heard myself say, “Are you working in the solution zone?”  "What solution should you use in that moment?”  Make sure you are choosing a solution instead of a self-control issue. “  I also noticed that as I practiced this language, so did the kids.  The other thing that happened is I began to see the patterns of behavior from the children that may be triggering the problem.  Now I can focus on those patterns and work with those children to change the situation.  This may be through discussion or through the process of informing parents.  But the pattern emerged, where as before, it was just a mess everywhere! 

8.  Go over the chart!  I will spend a number of days simply re-going over the chart.  It may happen more than once a day.  The chart is there for all future issues of loss of control also.  Our Teacher’s Job/Student Job chart was referred to at least 4 times today.  

The look on their faces is always the same.  The common language and expectations puts the situation into perspective and eliminates the hemming and hawing that normally takes place about an issue.  It also binds them together as a one-thinker unit.  If new students arrive, the other students take them through the charts and information to build background.  They know where to look and what to do without me having to tell them, because we are a community who thinks alike and has clear understanding together. 

I repeat these steps with many topics, many times a school year.  Yes, it takes time.  Today’s activity took a half hour.  But it was the best half hour I have used in a long time!

Now, here are some oldies but goodies that came from the Logical Consequences behavior plan from my old school.  It even has the professor that came to visit us on the bottom!  I also included a list of some of my basic lessons that I may or may not do with my class, depending on their needs.  This includes one of my favorite charts I make every year, “What to do When I’m Finished!” 

 

  

I hope this helps you to see why the Responsive  Classroom is a great program to look at to help build a classroom community!  I can testify completely that it is the “response” of the students that makes this program so worth it!