What are you good for anyway?

Have you ever felt like the old woman?  You know, the one who lives in a shoe?  Don't remember her?  Well here is a recap:

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she didn't know what to do;

She gave them some broth without any bread;

She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

This sounds like a woman who was drowning.  She was probably overwhelmed with kids who had different needs, who were at different levels developmentally  and some of them probably weren't being very kind to each other or to her.

Hey teachers, sound familiar?

If we are not careful, when we get overwhelmed, we pull out that "whip".  You know, our stern words, our ultimatums, our finger points, and our big loud voices and in the old days our actual whip or paddle or ruler. We then puff up our feathers and in anger strike out at our students.

I am going to veer off here, but I promise to bring it back together.

This past month I went to my All Pro Dad breakfast with my daughter at her school.  We had a great time just being together, and I got to hear a friend speak about the importance of making sure your children know that they are worth something so that when bullying occurs they aren't effected by someone's negative words.  He shared a few simple examples of how people let their children know they have worth, and one these examples I fell in love with.

The day after this breakfast I taught my kids a very simple back and forth that I perform with them each day.  It goes like this:

Dad: (in a playful voice to kid) What are you good for anyway?
Kid: Loving
Dad: Yes you are! (hug) And who is your big fan?
Kid: Daddy

Now sometimes my kids like to answer that second question by saying Mommy and God and my son sometimes laughs and picks out a neighbor, which are all wonderful answers.  The point is, I am trying to build a foundation in my kids that will instill in them a belief that they are worth something, that they deserve to be loved and if someone is trying to tear them down and tell them they are worthless, then they are wrong.  I want them to have that confidence in themselves.

How does this relate to the Old Woman and us teachers?

In many cases we are dealing with students who don't consider themselves worthy of love or respect; They have just had too many bad experiences.  But doesn't it fall to us as teachers to interact with our students in a way which let's them know that we believe they are worthy?  Isn't that a lesson worth teaching?

It is difficult to do when you are overwhelmed and I fail miserably at it all the time, but it is worth the effort to not interact in anger and negativity but rather to interact and even discipline with love.

Imagine how those kids in the shoe would grow up if things were slightly different:

A wonderful woman lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she knew exactly what to do.

She held them, she rocked them, and tucked them in bed.

"I love you, I love you," is what she said.

(taken from the book I love you Rituals by Becky A. Bailey, Ph.D.)

Check out Love and Logic for some great ideas for disciplining and interacting with students in a loving manner.

Be a Hero

So I am a Superman fan.  I have always felt a connection to this super hero.  I don't know if it has to do with how he always strives to do the right thing, how he values truth and justice, how the symbolism of a Christ figure is so prevalent, how he was created right here in Ohio, or just because I used to run around in his super hero underwear when I was young (not literally HIS underwear because that would be gross).  But there has been a connection none the less.

Because of this connection, I was fooling around on the internet looking at some superhero stuff and stumbled upon the We Can Be Heroes website.  Long story short; DC Entertainment is matching donations dollar for dollar for relief aid through Save The Children, Mercy Corps, and The International Rescue Committee, to help the people who live in the Horn of Africa who are suffering through a horrible hunger crisis.

This got the wheels turning about how I could get my students involved.

Very shortly we will be starting a poetry unit and part of that unit is going to be focused on the theme of Being a Hero.  I am going to find a community venue and hold a poetry reading in which the community can hear the poetry and offer donations for this cause.

The students will get authentic feedback, a chance to let their voices be heard, satisfaction of knowing they helped someone for no other reason than it was the right thing to do, and I get to bring my love for super heroes into the classroom.

All of this stuff we are going to do ain't on the test.   And that's ok.

How can you help?
You can donate on your own or wait until I post more information about our poetry reading.

                              (proceeds from this song on itunes go to this cause)

A Short Introduction

I have been very blessed to have wonderful people around me in both buildings which I have taught.  These people have been there to lean on in troubled times and have offered up so much wisdom on the teaching profession and about life in general.  They really have helped mold me into the person I am today.  One of those wonderful people gave me the idea for this blog's name.

We take a an entire grade for a week long, overnight, outdoor education experience each year.  I treasure this time with the staff and students.  Over the last few years, this teacher friend friend of mine has mentioned a letter she once wrote with a similar title to this blog.  Her letter spoke of all things we do at camp that will never be tested but are in the best interest of the students.  It blows us away each year the amount of middle school students who have not fished, hiked, shot a bow and arrow, studied a pond, looked at the stars, or even just rolled down a hill.  In this one week we are able to build wonderful relationships with the students and give them positive experiences that they will carry with them forever.

The argument against an experience like our camp is that testing and data seem to drive education right now.  Now don't get me wrong, the numbers are useful, but this blog is my re-dedication to NOT be defined by the results of these tests and data measurements.  No matter what the politicians think and no matter what the Plain Dealer reports, I am more than the numbers and so are my students.

I do believe we are like math problems; We are the sum of the parts of our lives.  All the good and bad parts of our lives will never leave us.  However, the major difference that separates us from the numbers, is that we get to decide on what parts of our lives we place the most value.

Thanks for joining me and my ramblings.