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In What you need to know when you’re done with high school from Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? by Scott, he states he was challenged,

“to identify the Top Ten Things Every Graduating High School Student Know or Understand.”

I thought this would be a great exercise in thinking about what I would want my special education students to know when they graduated. Here is my list.

1. Know where to go for information or help.

2. Know that it is okay to say “I don’t know” without feeling stupid or inadequate.

3. Find something you love to do and fit it into your career. It helps if you love what you are doing.

4. If you never try, you will never succeed at anything. You might stumble along the way but that is normal.

5. Your interests may change over the years and that is okay. You can enjoy doing different things and at times, you might like one activity more than another.

6. Develop a support system.

7. Learning is a life time activity and that when you graduate, the learning doesn’t end.

8. You will make mistakes but do not let them take over your life. Mistakes are not what make you the person you are but it is how you deal with these mistakes that make you stronger. Your actions show others what kind of person you are.

9. Be honest. Integrity is important. Once you lose it, it is almost impossible to ever get back. People trust those with integrity. Once you lose that trust, it is like a glass that is broken and never can be put back the way it was.

10. Most of all, believe in yourself

What would you want your students to know?

Original image: ‘LuMaxArt Graduation Concept‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/2137729748 by: Scott Maxwell

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Source: loonyhiker

In Middle School Drama  from Happy Chyck Wonders by HappyChyck, she stated

“One of the things I dislike about teaching middle school is that sometimes the teachers start acting like the students they teach.”

I realized how true that statement is true but not just for middle school but every school I’ve taught at. I am going to mention a few things that I noticed and keep in mind that I’m not saying ALL teachers are like this but MANY do. I don’t think they are this way to students but more towards each other.

They can be clique-y. If you have ever started at a new school, you can recognize the “packs” and that they do not include you in their little group. Some of them won’t go out of the way to help you. These are the people that I avoid.

They can be mean. They can roll their eyes at you or talk to you in a condescending way. They might blame problems on you because you are new. They laugh at your input claiming you don’t know what you are talking about. I do not let these people discourage me and will continue to give input when asked because I have as much right as they do.

They talk behind each other’s backs. I always worry when I hear someone telling me negative stuff about another teacher because it makes me wonder what they are saying about me. I try to follow the rule about “if I have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

They love to hear that another teacher got into trouble. I can usually hear people whispering in corners when another teacher gets in trouble. Even the students pick up on this and the story can grow out of proportion.

They can squabble like children. As department chair, I’ve gotten dragged into conflicts between teachers many times. Since my department was special education, there were many conflicts between the general ed teacher and the special ed teacher. My administration handled these conflicts by requiring them to talk to the department chair before approaching the administration. I hope I was good at my job because it rarely ever went further than me. Usually the conflicts developed all because of a misunderstanding.

Worst of all, a few of them act like a hormonal teenager. There are way too many stories in the news about teachers having sex with their students! What in the world were they thinking? There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior at all and I really can’t imagine how they justify their own behavior. When everyone finds out about it, it brings down the morale of the entire school. The public looks down on the school and the entire teaching profession.

This all leads me to my point of “Teachers need to act like teachers!” We need to recognize the behaviors we may be exhibiting and that our students are watching us like hawks. They watch our behavior and learn from this. We need to be modeling the right way to act instead of lowering ourselves to their level. I think if we act more like we should, our entire school environment would be more successful and the public might be more supportive of education.

I realize this isn’t the only problems in the education system but it would help steer us in the right direction. I don’t believe that just by acting the way we should will make the public love us but maybe it will help improve how they see us.

Original image: ‘Impala‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15745225@N00/1926006357 by: Arno Meintjes

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Source: loonyhiker

(Disclaimer: I am reviewing this book for The Picnic Basket and I am not being paid for this review. Here is the review that I posted on The Picnic Basket.)

I just finished reading Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine coming April 15, 2010! • Penguin Books for Young Readers • Middle-grade fiction • Ages 10 and up

On a scale of 1 to 5, I definitely give this book a 5.

This book is a story told by a young girl, Caitlin, with Asperger’s syndrome. The reader gets to see the world from her point of view which is truly enlightening. She has to deal with the death of her older brother (who helped her navigate the social world) and the grief her and her father face while dealing with everyday life.

I think this is a great book for middle and high school students to read as well as teachers who don’t really understand Asperger’s syndrome. I also think it would be great for high school students who have Asperger’s syndrome to read this with their teacher and have discussions about the social skills throughout the book. Throughout the story, Caitlin’s brother shares coping strategies on social skills that would really be relevant in the classroom. I could even see a Service Learning class on the high school level reading this book and developing a project with special needs students in their own school. There are so many different activities that this book can be integrated in and explored. This book teaches tolerance and understanding of people who are special. I highly recommend it as reading for teachers!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Source: loonyhiker

I watched an old episode of West Wing today and the priest told a story to the President. It is a story I’ve heard before but I still love hearing it. Here is one version of the story.

A man hears on the radio that a huge flood is coming and everyone is warned to evacuate. He says that he believes in God and since God loves him, God will save him.

The flood waters come and flood the house so much that the man has to climb out on his roof. A boat comes by and the people try to get the man to get in the boat to be saved. But the man refuses. He says that he believes in God and since God loves him, God will save him.

As the waters continue to rise, the man climbs to the top of the chimney to keep from drowning. A helicopter arrives and the pilot tells the man that he will drop a ladder for the man to get in the helicopter but the man again refuses. He says that he believes in God and since God loves him, God will save him.

The man ends up drowning.

When the man arrives in heaven, he angrily says to God, “I believed in you so why didn’t you save me?”

God responds, “I sent you a radio message, a boat, and a helicopter. You wouldn’t listen.”

Now I’m sure you are wondering what this story has to do with education but I think it says a lot about it.

The economy stinks. Money is tight. Schools have to tighten their belts and cut out a lot of extras. Teachers are getting laid off or furloughed. Cutbacks are happening everywhere. Everyone is running around asking, “What are we going to do?”

I think districts have tons of resources all around them that is available during these difficult times. They just need to wake up and use them!

I was saddened when I saw a colleague post on Plurk that Skype is blocked in his district and he has been unable to convince them to unblock it. This is such a valuable free resource that districts need to embrace and use. It can connect them to authors, other educators, or even professionals who could offer professional development to a small or large group.

There are lots of free professional development events online that are available. Many of these opportunities can be taken advantage of while they are happening or many of them are recorded and can be viewed at a later date. If school districts can’t attend many of these professional development events, why not get groups together to view some of the sessions and discuss them? A variety of recorded sessions can be offered, and people can get in groups to view the session that is relevant to them and then have a discussion. For example, there is K12Online Conference, Educon, or Classrom2.0. I have attended sessions at all of these virtually and watched recorded sessions and feel they are very relevant to education today.

Teachers should be encouraged to connect with colleagues in their district or state or even other countries. These connections go a long way in helping teachers learn new strategies and techniques to use in the classroom. Social networking is a great way for teachers to connect. There are many ways that would be an excellent and free way for teachers to connect. Using Twitter and Plurk has been instrumental in my growth as a teacher.

Collaboration is important for teachers and students and can be done at no cost to the district. The use of Wikis is a great way to collaborate and there are different platforms for wikis depending on personal preferences. Google has all sorts of tools that can be used to connect, create, and collaborate.

With all of these free tools out there, I wonder if we need to ask ourselves if we are really listening. Are we being open enough to use the tools that are available to us or are we hiding behind fear or ignorance that keeps us from using them?

What is/are your favorite free tool(s) that you would recommend to a school district? How do you use it and how has it made a difference?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘What did you say???‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66164549@N00/1905410893 by: Keven Law

Source: loonyhiker

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my Personal Learning Network (PLN). As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

100 Video Sites Every Educator Should Bookmark – great list of video sites that you might want to check out

A Pictorial History of US Currency – Interesting look as to how US currency has changed over time

CSI: Web Adventures - Analyze forensic data and test your skills in this online game. This educational experience was carefully designed by experts at Rice University to maximize student learning.

Team maker – a great tool to use if you are working with groups and need to place people in random groups

The Alice Project – “Over 6 weeks, Mr. Long challenged 57 students to analyze Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — via their copies of The Annotated Alice — by publishing their questions & reflections in real-time on a very global scale.  All student progress was transparently shared with anyone who visited project blogs.”

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Source: loonyhiker

In Ready For A Walk? from Tech Thoughts By Jen by JenW , she writes,

“A few days ago, while chatting with my friend, Ryan Bretag (http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/), I was questioning him on how he was able to persuade his teachers, his staff, his co-workers to follow him.  I wanted to know….I needed to know…..how he was leading.

His response stopped me in my tracks.

they aren’t walking with me. I’m walking with them & they were walking before me. I just bring a diff perspective 4 that journey
9:12 PM Feb 26th via web in reply to jenwagner
(http://twitter.com/ryanbretag/status/9715834339)”

This was an “aha” moment for me too!

I don’t always have to lead in order to learn.

The thought of leading scares me. What if I lead and people actually follow? What if I take the wrong path and lead people down a road to nowhere? What if the path I’m taking is actually the wrong path?

I think that is why I read so many blogs and interact on social networks. I think these connections and interactions actually help me find my way. Maybe all of us are trying to find our way together?

By discussing topics and sharing opinions, the surroundings get less fuzzy and get more in focus. The more I interact with others (not necessarily agreeing but bouncing thoughts around), the clearer things get for me. As I learn to leave comments, it gets easier for me (and maybe some of the authors would rather I go away). Yet it feels almost liberating to be part of the conversation. It starts to actually feel good and not so scary.

Then I realize that maybe we can go down the path together. And if it is the wrong path, it is alright to turn around. It is alright to talk together some more to arrive at a different conclusion.

This is why it is so important to comment on blogs I read. This is why I try to interact with people on Plurk, Twitter, and Facebook. I used to lurk but when I lurked, I wasn’t moving. It was like standing in the path and watching the people pass me by. The more I interact, the more I’m moving. Moving is much better than standing still. I can’t learn anything by standing still.

This is also an important skill for students to learn in my classroom.

How many students have looked down when I call on someone to answer? Which student is the one that always declines to answer? Who doesn’t want to offer any input in the discussion? These are the students who are standing still. They aren’t moving forwards or backwards. If they don’t move, they can achieve any success. Movement, whether forward or back, will be a learning experience. This is the only way anyone can be successful in school and out.

Now I ask you, do you leave comments? Do you interact with other educators? Or are you just standing still? Now is the time to make an effort to move. Even if you don’t leave a comment on this post, I challenge you to read other blogs out there and find one that you can comment on. Don’t be stagnant. Take a chance and make a move!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘Magic Path‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57038667@N00/1021782142 by: Cindy Seigle

Source: loonyhiker

I have a young friend who is a teacher in Lima, Peru. I feel so thrilled when I read her letters and her blog. You see, I’ve seen her grow up over the years from a youngster into this amazing young woman because her aunt is my next door neighbor. I was also thrilled to see her become a teacher and watch at all the wonderful things she has experienced in her teaching. They are building a new school because enrollment is growing (isn’t that a wonderful thing!) but it is slow and frustrating. Here is a link to the Carlton’s blog showing some of their church’s construction. It gives you an idea of what the area looks like.

Through her teaching, she is able to help others become successful in their lives and I want to support her efforts. When she sent this letter asking for help getting supplies, I felt that I would ask my friends to also help support her efforts if they could. So here is the information that she sent me and if you are looking for someone to support, I’d appreciate if you could help her.

“I am sending you a list of things that I will need for the classroom. If the Lord lays it on your heart to help with any of these things, please send the amount indicated marked with "Emily Snodgrass" to Colonial Hills Baptist Church, 525 Taylors Road, Taylors, SC 29687 *AND send me an e-mail letting me know how you will be helping.”

Emily Snodgrass

La Molina Christian Schools

Lima, Peru
emsnod83 (at) hotmail (dot)com

List of supplies needed:
List of supplies needed:
3 boxes of Zip-lock bags : $4 each
4 large plastic containers with lids : $15 each
2 large cushions for the reading corner : $20 each
Different prizes for achievement: about $40
Transformer for electric pencil sharpener (that was given to me by the school!): $20
2 rolls of contact paper to cover books: $5 each
Miscellaneous other supplies that I’m sure I’m forgetting! $ ?

Thanks for any help you can give this young teacher!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Students by Emily Snodgrass

Source: loonyhiker

Last week we had a Council for Exceptional Children Chapter 877 meeting and the topic was Assistive Technology. If you are interested in seeing the recording of the meeting, please click here. It was really interesting and I got new links for resources which I will be posting on my Assistive Technology Wiki. If you have any great links that I should add to it, please send them to me either as a comment on this blog or email it to me at successfulteaching (at) gmail (dot) com.

As I look at Assistive Technology, I see it going hand in hand with Universal Design for Learning so there may be links for both on this wiki. There are some items that will cost money and there are also some that are free. In my classroom, I was always looking for the free things but my district did buy WYNN and Test Talker, which I used often. Both of these were instrumental in improving my student’s achievement.

I think using Universal Design for Learning and Assistive Technology if necessary is what is needed in order for all students to be successful.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘2009 Apple Workstation (Top)‘

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30285260@N02/3486668960 by: Raul Gonzalo

Source: loonyhiker

Last week I received this Twitter message:

emapey2 @loonyhiker Hi Pat!! Teachers as Masters Learners, http://bit.ly/dshIp6 What do you think is the role of the new teacher???

He referred to the post, Teachers as Master Learners by Will Richardson. In the post, the author writes,

“…we teach kids to learn. We can’t teach kids to learn unless we are learners ourselves, and our understanding of learning has to encompass the rich, passion-based interactions that take place in these social learning spaces online.”

I think a new teacher has many roles. Here are some that I thought of but they aren’t in any order of importance. They are more in the order as they came to my mind. If you have any you think I left off, please let me know.

1. Bring in knowledge of new instructional strategies.

2. Be willing to learn from more experienced teachers.

3. Continue to fine tune their art of teaching.

4. Develop a Personal/Professional Learning network online and face to face.

5. Bring a zest for teaching and learning to the environment.

6. Be willing to share current research with others.

7. Stay current with what research is out there by connecting with others.

8. Ask questions when they are confused or don’t understand something.

9. Seek support when they are discouraged. Don’t be afraid to share these feelings because every teacher has them.

10. Don’t volunteer to do too many things (because it is hard for a new teacher to say no).

I think new teachers bring so many new ideas and techniques to a school that it would be a waste not to take advantage of this. With the energy and excitement of new teachers, I think they breathe fresh air into a school. I love when new teachers come to a school because their wonderful attitude can be quite contagious and help a school be more successful.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘Reading Aloud to Children‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83955435@N00/5484879 by: Judy Baxter

Source: loonyhiker

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my Personal Learning Network (PLN). As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

A Math Dictionary for Kids – simple definitions of math terms for students; it is a bright and colorful site

Educational Videos – “ is a site devoted to finding you the best educational videos on the web. We intend to create an environment where students from all ages can learn while watching Educational Videos.”

Geocoded Art - Geocoded Art is a collection of world’s greatest landscape, cityscape and seascape paintings. Explore the location of these paintings using Google or Bing Maps.

Math Run – a fun game for kids; the skills get harder each level

Who Pooped? – an interactive game to find out what animal left the poop

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Source: loonyhiker