A Collective Effort

(courtesy hdscreen.me)

We can't do these jobs alone. The days are long, the work is hard and the reality is that we need each other in order to reach our goals.

Teachers are the greatest example of what a collective effort can get you. Team meetings, department time, hallway conversations and passing moments of engagement are all a testament to the power of dialogue.

Educators, like no other group of people in all my years of work, do it better than anyone else. Embracing each others ideas, showing the utmost respect and care for each other and unconditionally supporting one another during the best and worst of times is evident day in and day out.

As we head into the Ohio Middle Level Association State Conference, I am energized knowing I am surrounding myself with some of the best the region has to offer. These educators are being the given the opportunity to gather at a location set a side for some intense professional development and then take this knowledge back to their respective districts. The cycle continues. The ideas will travel. The collective effort will be showcased at this event.

I encourage you to take the time this week to reflect on your role in the collective effort. Think about the conversations you are having and what you bring to the table. Ensure that you are part of the team and moving the organization forward. Be a problem solver, a solution seeker, a lesson planner, a passion finder and a student-centered educator. Be a leader, an advocate and a listener.

Be a part of the collective efforts of those you work with. We are better for it.  Here is a quick video that reminds us of who teachers truly are.

It Starts Today.

After a couple of weeks off, students are going to be walking our halls and be in our classrooms with eagerness and excitement. Yes, they missed school no matter what it may look like on the surface.

Now that we have started the second half of our school year, let's make sure it is the best it possibly can be. No regrets, bring the passion, teach and lead like never before.

Recently I was asked to reflect on why I got into this business of teaching to begin with. For you, like many of us, there is the answer that we have used countless times in conversations. However, as my career has evolved, I begin to think that my answer to that simple question has evolved too.

With that in mind, and as I awoke this morning, I was already thinking about what the week and this semester would bring. There are meetings each day, classrooms to visit, events to attend and other countless principal-like activities that are going to occur. I will stop by the lunchroom, council parents, support teachers and encourage great teaching. That is what I do. 

Now what? How will this semester be different from the last one and the ones before that?

Well, time to get out the door and begin to answer those questions. I hope it will be an amazing second half to the school year. It won't just happen though. I will do as I ask of others. I will model what I expect and I will ensure that my students and my teachers have an experience like no other. It will be all of the reasons I got into this profession to begin with and it will be with all of the effort that I give. The experience will be what I chose to make it. It is up to me, it is up to you.

So therefore, my charge to you, find your reasons, all of them, and do the same. Be the difference maker. It starts today.

My Little Picasso

The concentration. The intense look of effort shining through his eyes. The determination to create a work of art like no other. He gave all of his energy to this one task. In this moment in time nothing else mattered. There would be no distractions and no interruption that would take away from where his passion was taking him. The final product would be his most magnificent work ever. This would be his Mona Lisa.

To look into the eyes of an almost 5-year old you can see the innocence in which he worked through this masterpiece. For him, there is no greater joy on this day. The pride he took in this task, as simple as you and I may consider it, is unimaginable. If there were a way to gauge his sense of accomplishment it would be off the charts. He holds the paper with pride. He is Picasso, Michelangelo and da Vinci in this moment. And, if he is fortunate enough, this moment will be repeated hundreds of times over in the coming years. It will be his teachers that will assist me in guiding his passions.

As children transform from these early ages of discovery into the classroom of our schools, it is a teacher that is charged with and encouraged to sustain this same level of intensity with the learning they provide. For those that work in the elementary setting you have some of the most authentic experiences one could imagine. However, I would argue as a middle level educator, we get to reap the same reward as our primary counterparts. The path in which we take may be different but the results can be the same. Those that work in the high school setting might argue that the days of coloring are far behind while others may get the crayons out each day. Each of us can answer the question to ourselves of whether or not the crayons remain the cabinet. I would challenge you to get them out and to use them and look for those same moments regardless of the age you teach.

Therefore, as you go throughout your day, make sure that you discover the Picasso in each of the students you serve. There are dreamers, creators and inventors in each of them. Take the time to get the crayons out and color that frog like no frog has been colored before. The pride our students have within is a pride that we should foster and encourage each and every day. I can only hope that this five year old gets to draw frogs like this every step of the way.

Meeting Our Students Needs - A “Not-So” Passion

The 8th Grade Language Arts Department at Hilliard Weaver Middle School in Hilliard, OH is working with their students in the creation of blogs. The goal is to expose students to yet another platform to share their writing. Many students have embraced this opportunity. And some, like Emma, are truly finding that their talents go far beyond the stroke of keys on the computer. Furthermore, they have a stage to share their opinions, respectfully, to their teachers. Please enjoy this guest post:

Emma Fullen is a passionate writer in the eighth grade. She goes to school at Hilliard Weaver Middle School and enjoys every last bit of it from the exceptional teachers to the brand new best friends she has made. Outside of school, Emma acts, sings, and soaks up every bit of anything she can get her hands on. She aspires to be an actress/director, a teacher, a journalist, a photographer (and the list goes on…) when she grows up. Her full blog page can be found at: http://emmafullen.wix.com/busy-bee

Here is her most recent post:

A “Not-So” Passion

This blog post is based solely on my "not-so" passion. A "not-so" passion is what I like to call something that I want to do and when I get offered the chance to do such a thing,  I take it but, I hardly get those opportunities.

That "something" I'm referring to would be theatrical directing. I have all these ideas swimming around my head and (don't blame me, but) I really like telling people what to do... It's just a fact. I think it would be something that comes naturally to me. I'm generally a "leader type" (says, like, everybody) and thats a role to take up with directing. A problem with this, though, is you always see acting classes but you never ever see director classes, because you obviously need a director to direct you and tell you how to direct and you can't do that if you're learning to direct... right?

I've gotten opportunities to be assistant director but those plays are with professional theatres and I don't do much because I’m not trained in the area. But hey, there’s a first time for everything, so I’m told, even if that first time isn’t now, It’ll come soon, I’m pretty sure.

There may or may not be other people like me, and I am totally for where my school is heading, but they may be missing something. Instead of JUST writing about our passions, why don’t we write about what we want to do? Directing isn't (technically) a passion, but it’s something I’d like to set my heart to, something I want to be my passion. Ted-Ed club is fantastic, but is it just another Public Speaking class? And same goes with the Optimist Oratorical Competition. Both are (so I’ve heard) great, yet,  I’ve never done either because of the school play. Let’s mix it up!

Let’s make our “not-so” passions, something generations below us will look up to. In other words:

Let’s do stuff.

Until next time,

Emma