Let's March into Reading!

In March, schools all over America celebrate reading. ThRead Across America week is to motivate children to read and emphasize the importance of literacy in student achievement. By encouraging our students to read, we are building successful lifelong readers. Studies have illustrated that kids who are motivated and spend more time with books reading have higher success in school. Although reading is encouraged every day of the year, Read Across America week is a great time to reteach the importance of reading and why we should be readers. 

Read Across America was created to get kids excited about reading. The idea behind this celebration is to create the same sense of enthusiasm for reading as kids do for sports or toys. It's time to show how fun reading can be. We need to read our Phonics Decoding book, Anthology, or Reading Writing Workshop book each week in class. I know, at times, reading can become a task. Reading can be difficult for some students, and that challenge can cause them to not enjoy reading as much as others. Although it's essential that all students are given the guidance and encouragement they need to work on their reading skills, it's also important to teach the reasons why reading is necessary for everyday life. So I'm talking about three things here- reading to improve skills, reading for enjoyment, and reading for necessity. I teach proper reading skills daily, so this month, I want to focus on explaining why reading for pleasure and necessity is so crucial to my student's   students' futures.

Why is reading so important?

During March, I hope to help my students understand the "why" to becoming lifelong readers. They know they need to read, but I don't think they know "why." 

1. OPEN YOURSELF TO NEW THINGS
I want my students to understand that when you read, you open yourself to new ideas, new knowledge, new ways to solve a problem, and new ways to achieve goals. Who knows? You might find a new hobby. Who knows? You might explore a new topic that sparks a lifelong interest or career. Exploration through reading can lead to life-changing events.


2. IMPROVES COMPREHENSION
The more you read, the more you comprehend. Anything to want to understand to can read about to understand better. (Hi Friend. I wasn't sure what you wanted to write here.) You can read a recipe to cook a meal, read instructions on how to play a game, read the menu before ordering, or read the manual before playing with a new gadget. The possibilities are endless.


3. TOOLS FOR CONNECTING
Communication is the most important tool that can be transferred through reading. Reading is a tool we use daily to connect with others. Reading connects us with the world around us. We read letters, emails, texts, and creative works. It's essential to read to communicate with those around us and those all over the world.

4. BOOST IMAGINATION AND CONFIDENCE
Reading uncovers a world of imagination, showing you nothing is impossible in the world. When reading, you are exploring a different angle to see things you've known only seen one way. Books are beyond imagination. It's like a huge spider web; you keep linking to more and more things you knew and things you learn, creating new ideas and solutions. When we do this, we feel confident and inspired to keep learning. It feels good!!

Positively Teaching,  

Randi Muehlen

Increasing Achievement Through Relationships

Increasing Achievement Through Relationships

The month of December is exhausting! There is sugar in the air and so much to do in such a short time. I am beyond overwhelmed with being faced continuously with classroom projects, decorations, and adorable bulletin boards on social media. I start to wonder... Am I a fun-enough teacher? Do I do enough? How do all of these teachers do it? But then I stop.. and listen. My students are so happy. They tell me that they love school and that I am the best teacher in the world. We have built a mutual relationship because I just adore them. We have this relationship not because I have the best-themed room or best bulletin boards it is because we have a connection. My students know that I believe in them. My students know I respect them and want them to grow socially, emotionally and academically. We must believe as teachers that each student has the ability to grow and be successful no matter where they begin. They have the power to do so with our guidance and support.

The thing I know for sure is that if you want to build a growth-minded classroom, it's imperative that we spend time building relationships with our students. Students with a fixed-mindset are anxious and fearful about making mistakes in front of their teacher and classmates. They are afraid to fail so they avoid challenges and give up quickly. Stepping away from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset takes vulnerability. As their teacher, you need to be that person they feel safe enough around to show that vulnerability. A teacher who trusts and respects them, wants the best for them and won't judge them when they make a mistake. With all of this faith, your students might be willing to take the leap. Here is a great TED Talk that inspires me to be a champion for my students...

Every Kid Needs a Champion (7:48) Rita Pierson

So how do we do it? How do we get every child to know we believe in them, value them and want them to be successful in all that they do?

Make eye contact

Be intentional and engage with students who you’re speaking with. The two-minute check-in. Before school, after school, and during breaks make it your goal to engage students in non-school-related topics of conversation. This strategy will help you learn more about your students’ interests, build trusting relationships, improve classroom management, and curb attention-seeking behaviors.

Students feel safe with their teacher

Students should feel completely safe in your classroom and in your presence. Students should know that you want what’s best for them, you’ll protect them, and you’ll unconditionally care for them no matter what mistakes they make. 

Students must know that their teacher has faith in their ability to achieve

If we expect our students to have faith in themselves to grow, they must sense that we genuinely, and enthusiastically believe in them too. They need reminders DAILY that you believe in their ability.

Students seek and embrace their teacher’s feedback  

When students believe that you have their best interests at heart they’ll respond to feedback in more productive ways. Make it clear to students that their growth is your main priority, and let them know that the purpose of constructive feedback is to help them improve. 

Students know that grades are less important than growth 

Help students set goals for themselves. Let them know that grading is part of the process and a source of data about their overall performance, but the most important thing to you is their progression toward the goals that you’ve set together. Keep an open dialogue about overcoming challenges and obstacles, and while grades should matter to you, the letter grade, in itself, should never hold more value than the progress it indicates. 

Students respect and like their teacher as a person

Build deeper relationships with your students and take a personal interest in their lives and well-being. Take time to get to know your students’ out-of-school interests. The more information you have about each of your students, the deeper you can build your relationships and better tailor a learning experience most beneficial to them. Likewise, share appropriate personal information with your students to forge a deeper mutual relationship.

Positively Teaching,  

Randi Muehlen

Worry is Just Wasted Energy

How can we help students cope with stress when they have to take a district benchmark?  Recently, my students had to take our Reading Inventory assessment which is a reading comprehension diagnostic tool.  My fourth graders understand how this test works and that will measure their current Lexile level used to determine reading proficiency.  Of course, students can do well, struggle, or even score lower than the last time they took it. 

As any concerned teacher, I continuously try to find new ways to encourage my students to relax as much as possible and to do their best.  I came across a new strategy at a recent conference I attended and wanted to try it out.  It is quite simple to implement:

1.  Talk to students about what stress is and how it affects us during performance-type assessments.  Let them vocalize their concerns first. I described worry as just wasted energy.  If you allow it to take over, you won't get far in whatever task you have in front of you.

2.  Hand out a half-sheet of lined paper.  Give students 3 or 4 minutes to write down what worries them about the assessment they are about to take.

3.  While they are writing, place two trash cans at opposite ends of the classroom.  As soon as the timer is up, ask students to read what they wrote to themselves one more time.  At a determined signal, have students roll up their paper into a ball and toss it into a basket.

4.  When my students threw their "worry balls" into the baskets, I could feel the tension released.  There were a few cheers as well.  Do NOT pick up the rolled up worry balls.  Leave them right where they landed.  I told my students that if they begin to stress out they could simply look towards everyone's concerns on the floor or in the basket to remind them that the act of worry is just wasted energy. 

5.  Needless to say, reading gains were MUCH more than I had expected.  Of course, these gains are not exclusively because of this strategy but I hope it relaxed them enough to get through it with confidence!

Happy Writing!
Gustavo Macuil

Going Beyond the Limits

We are almost to the end of the 2018-2019 school year! It is hard for me to believe this is the last blog for this school year… we are down to the home stretch, people! Do not get me wrong, I love my students as if they are my kids, but we all need a break to rest, reflect, and record thoughts on how we influence the lives of 20-30 little ones each year. We should ask ourselves questions to engage in reflection. Did we engage in our best teaching? Did we provide a setting that allowed students to capture and flourish in the beauty of their dreams? Whether you answer yes or no to these questions, you have to remember that you instilled new learning to inquiring minds and that is powerful in itself!

“A teacher affects eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.”    ~Henry Brooks Adams

I started the school year reminding educators that you are not alone on your teaching journey. As you begin to reflect on how this school year went, look to see if it was different in any way. Did you connect with peers to discuss curriculum, standards, expectations and/or lesson plans? Did you make your practice more engaging by adding new strategies? Awesome job if you did! If you did not, then as you begin to write your reflections think about the modifications you can make next year. Remember that as you may be uncomfortable with change, you are challenging yourself to do something new. The new challenges can lead to immense professional growth, giving you the confidence to lead and generate a positive environment where the possibilities can be endless.

“Our borders and our obstacles can either stop us in our tracks or force us to get creative.”   ~Amy Purdy

 As you increase your confidence through reflection, remember that you are not alone! Everyone goes through fear of the unknown when changes come about. Know that you are teaching students that may be feeling the same way throughout their educational journey. As educators, we want our students to know that their level of confidence is crucial for success as well. Read my blogs this year to learn that growth is evident when we seek to improve the foundations of all learning. If a child is lacking confidence, the child may still be struggling in reading. Reading is the foundation of all learning! Teaching a child to read, teaches the foundational skills that make way for inquiry, investigation, and making connections for understanding to take place. When a child has confidence in reading, you build upon their language and literacy skills, stimulating the brain to go on many adventures dreaming the impossible! Let's practice what we teach. 

Go out this year believing YOU and YOUR Students can live and learn beyond limits! At the beginning of the school year, I have my students watch this Ted Talk with Amy Purdy to gain confidence and believe the impossible is possible. As you watch, I hope it inspires you too!
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare  

Have a Splendid Summer Terrific Teachers!

                                                                  Live, Love, Teach!

New Year, Fresh Start

New Year, Fresh Start     

Happy New Year Everyone! It feels like it has been a while since I last wrote. Coming back from break can make it difficult to get back into the swing of things. We have been on break enjoying our time with family, friends, fabulous food, which bring in all the FUN. Those moments make our heart warm and happy, as we make new memories in our so-called “Life”. Well in the midst of it, all we put our job to the side, losing the motivation that we need to get our TEACH ON! J

You may ask, “How do you regain focus on your purpose as you are still focused on winter break?”    

Whenever we lose our driving force in our daily job, remember to go back to your “Why?” Go back and think of why you became a teacher to find your purpose. What are you trying to accomplish as a teacher? What are you trying to accomplish this school year? These questions will bring back the spark, ignite your fire for education, and get you going back to when you first began this job.

As you think of this, take a moment to realize that many of our students may be feeling the same way. Some students are driven to move on to bring on the second half of the school year, while other students do not want to return to school at all. This is your opportunity to bring the fun back to the learning, leaving you both a strong desire to return taking on the next challenge.

“A good teacher is like a candle-it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~unknown

January is a month when we look at our own lives to reflect, keeping the good and getting rid of the bad. You can definitely do this with your occupation! The more we reflect upon our practice, the better it gets! Now imagine if you have children reflect on their learning on a daily basis, but with a stronger emphasis, returning from Winter Break…the impact can be great! Here a few suggestions that may assist in getting a new calendar year started/half of the year kick started:

1.     Journal Writing- Begin with asking students to answer the questions, “What have you liked best about my teaching this school year? What can I do different the second half of the year to help you succeed?

2.     Goal Setting- Have your students set a goal for Language Arts and Math. Ask them to think of something specifically of a concept they want to achieve before the school year is over (for example achieving more Reading Counts points, higher RI Level, writing a well-written paragraph (using text evidence), mastering multiplication fluency (up to the 12s), learning why and how to divide numerical operations, etc.). When students have set their goal, have them write the steps he/she will take in order to achieve their goal.

3.     What’s Your Word? - I loved this idea from Instagram Teachers because students choose a word that will define the rest of the school year for them (for example Believe, Hope, Advance, Try, Brave, Organization, etc.). It’s not another step they have to stick to, more importantly it is a motivational word that will be on their mind every time they take a step to achieve the goal.

4.     Provide a weekly quote to give your students “Food for Thought”. Feed their soul with encouragement, as the learning gets tough. You want your students to realize that everyone goes through hardships when trying to reach a goal.

Find what brings the joy into your classroom, go with it and remember to have fun throughout the educational journey. As state testing approaches, it will also serve as a good reminder that the learning process is a lot more important than a test score. Although, they will soon realize that once a goal is attained, growth will happen! You get your students to BELIEVE and they will ACHIEVE! 

Live, Love, TEACH!