Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Week have been synonymous for a very long time, but they are not one and the same. Read Across American Week is a celebration started and created by the National Education Association in 1997.  The first Read Across America Day actually took place on March 2nd, 1998.  This day, March 2nd, coincides with the birthday of Dr. Seuss.  For this reason, the Read Across America celebration often became tied to Dr. Seuss Day and Dr. Seuss week, but that is no longer the case, and the celebration of reading that is organized and promoted by the National Education Association has definitely evolved.

This year, their theme is create and celebrate a nation of diverse readers, and it’s no longer just one day.  It went from one day to one week to now, the NEA is encouraging teachers to celebrate diverse reading all year long.  Click HERE to access the page on their website where you can see 12 months of recommended books, authors, and teaching resources.  NEA is fully equipping you so that you can promote diverse and inclusive practices when you are reading these books.

Why no more, Dr. Seuss?

Going from a full week of Dr. Seuss to none at all is a pretty drastic change.  This shift happened for several good reasons. First, change is good. There are thousands of amazing authors having an impact on the minds and lives of people. Secondly and MOST important, there has been some information that, although it’s not new, has really come to the forefront about Dr. Seuss and the way that he conducted himself in the days and the years before he became this cultural icon.

I’m not going to tell you what to think because that’s not my job, but what I would like to do is encourage you to become aware, to equip yourself with knowledge and understanding. At the bottom of this blog post I will link to a couple of different articles that I have read and that I’ve found to be very, very helpful over the years as I have been doing my own research on Dr. Seuss and what it is that he said and did. I would love to hear your thoughts on these.

One of the articles talks about how six of the Dr. Seuss books that had been in publication up until 2021 were no longer going to be published because there were racist images and racist phrases that were being used.  Another article talks about some of the cartoon and caricatures that Dr. Seuss drew in the years again before he became this cultural icon.  The article talks about how many of the cartoons are racist and they are just not okay.  At the bottom of the blog I will list more articles because I want to encourage you to arm yourself and to equip yourself with information.

We always want to know who the people are that we are championing. I always encourage my students to understand that there is no perfect person in this world. We all make mistakes. We all trip up, and that’s okay.  Honestly, there is no way around it. There’s not a way for us to not make mistakes in this life, but there are some mistakes that you make that you will struggle to come back from. There are certain things that you say and that you do, ways that you treat people that make it very challenging for you to gain the respect and the trust of other people that you would want to be in your circle.

Dr. Seuss is back in the literacy conversation

So, Dr. Seuss, although he is long since passed away, has been brought back into this conversation because every single year we see that schools are celebrating Dr. Seuss and they are using books and texts written by a man who had very strong beliefs, very strong opinions about race and about people and about skin tone.  He expressed those beliefs through the words he wrote and the cartoons he drew to accompany those words.  Dr. Seuss is reentering these conversations because educators and parents and advocates are reflecting and saying, wait a minute, “How is it that we are spending whole weeks celebrating a man and author who intentionally wrote words and drew pictures that were hurtful, harmful, disrespectful, and racist?”  Caregivers, advocates, and educators are wondering why that same energy is not used to bring in and celebrate authors of a variety of backgrounds, people that are inclusive in their messaging and promoting love and acceptance.

People who say, “Dr. Seuss is dead and gone. You cannot hold a deceased person accountable for their actions.” That is correct. Dr. Seuss is deceased, but his work is not dead and gone. His work is very much alive. The inappropriate, insensitive, and racist words and images are still alive. Over the course of his life, from everything that I’ve read, he did begin to understand that what he was doing was incorrect and wrong.  His viewpoints and the way that he was articulating himself started to shift.  Through the friendships that he developed with people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds he began to see that his words and depictions of people from various racial and ethnic groups different from his own was hurtful and harmful.  Let me clarify, we can never say that all Black people are just like my one Black friend. All Chinese people are like my one Chinese friend. That’s ridiculous because nobody is just the same no matter your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, etfc.  However, when you have an authentic experience, when you actually have a true, deep, real relationship with people of different races and ethnicities and religious backgrounds and gender identifications, then these words, these phrases, these issues, these concerns, become more than just “things”, than “words” than a “political stance.” They become human. They become a person. They become your friend.

From everything that I’ve read, Dr. Seuss became aware of the fact that what he was doing and saying, the cartoons and the pictures that he was drawing were not okay. Sometime in the 1940s we start to see several other books coming out.  Instead of books like “If I ran the Zoo” and “To think I saw it on Mulberry Street“, we start to see books that much more clearly highlight the fact that Dr. Seuss has a different stance and perspective on many books that we have grown to truly love and enjoy and appreciate in our culture.  Books like, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go“.  This is a book that teachers read all the time to their students. It is a book that people gift to children, and to graduating young adults.  It is almost like he wrote these books to showcase and apologize for the other work that he did. The reality is however, that his previous work has not and likely will not go away.

So, how do we reconcile Dr. Seuss?

So, how do we reconcile this?

He did and said things that were, unjust, they were unforgivable. Unforgiveable, and yet. I personally believe in the power of forgiveness for my own mental health and well-being and peace. I believe that I have to release people for ME.   I’m not going to be angry with Dr. Seuss, right? I’m not going to be angry with a man who is literally dead and gone although his work is alive today. What I can be, is upset when these texts that are clearly and obviously and blatantly racist are being used in the school. I don’t care if you want to provide an example of racism in literature, you can do it in other ways. We can talk about racism and inappropriate caricatures and representation in other ways. We don’t need to use these texts that Dr. Seuss has written. Because these works however, are never going away, we as educators, have to decide how to govern ourselves.

Arm yourself with knowledge to reflect on why it is that you feel it is necessary to use Dr. Seuss texts in your classroom. What is the benefit here? What are students gaining by using his text in the classroom?

Reflection is a powerful tool that helps to bring about awareness, and then you can make a decision as to whether you want to accept what you have become aware of or reject it, and then take some action.

So, take a moment and reflect on the Dr. Seuss books that you typically  and traditionally use in your classroom. Then, think about if there are any other books that you can use to relay the same message or one the uses some of the very same rhythms and patterns and funny names and language. Finally, I encourage you to equip yourself with knowledge, to arm yourself with knowledge, to empower yourself with knowledge. We should be lifelong learners. Do your own research. Find out who Dr. Seuss was behind just “One fish, Two fish, Redfish, Bluefish“. Find out who he was beyond “The Lorax“. Find out who he was beyond “The Cat and The Hat“. Who is this man that we are elevating to such a status that we get completely crushed and upset when someone says that you shouldn’t use his work in your classroom. That’s something else to reflect on. When we’re holding on to something so tightly, this action begs asking the question, “Why am I holding on so tightly?”

In summary, before you pick up a Dr. Seuss book, or send home a flyer letting caregivers know about a week long “SEUSSebration”, 1) reflect on your why, 2) learn about who Dr. Seuss was and what it is that he did and believed, and 3) take some definitive action by deciding whether there some texts that you need to remove, replace.

Now that we know better, let’s do better

Dr. Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Now that we know better, let’s do better. Read Across America Week, Read Across America Month, read Across America Year is one of the best opportunities to expose our learners to a variety of different texts. If we’re talking about reading across America, first of all, that means a variety of different authors. Dr. Seuss is not the only author in America. There are so many authors who have written some phenomenal texts. These authors should be featured in a classroom of young learners so they can see how wordplay can grow and evolve and shift and change based on an author’s experiences, based on an author’s humor, based on all the things that authors take in and then put out into this world as their written work.

If we’re talking about reading across America, then we need to acknowledge the variety of authors from coast to coast, from north and south and east and west, and then also acknowledge all of the students across America, whether they identify in the same way, racially, ethnically, socioeconomically, or religiously. I guarantee your students would love to see themselves and others represented in texts. Sometimes it’s cool to see the animals and the bears and the made up little characters, but it’s also really cool to see somebody that looks like you, somebody that talks like you, somebody that eats the same food that you eat and enjoys the same music that you do. It’s cool to explore the way that other people live AND it’s cool to see the way that you live being celebrated and represented on the page. Read Across America has taken a new direction over the last couple of years to really celebrate all of the children and young adults that are readers.

Why not take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate all the different ways that people live and celebrate and enjoy and worship in America and across the globe.  Why pigeonhole ourselves to just talking about one author and one experience?  Let’s celebrate the beauty of the students that are sitting in our classroom.

As teachers, especially as language arts teachers, but all teachers, we have made it our business, and we are passionate about helping our students to realize their potential and understand that their dreams can become reality. We spend time empowering our students to define success for themselves and then go after it.  So how then, as a teacher, do you then tell those same students that you empowered to define success and write down their ideas – all the silly thoughts and all the sad thoughts and all the angry thoughts and all the celebratory thoughts onto a page, and the students who you taught how to develop a character…. Now some of those students become published authors. Shouldn’t we read and celebrate their words and their journey?   In the Read Across America celebration, if we stay stuck in only celebrating one author and one set of books, we are literally telling our students that what they’ve done doesn’t matter.

I don’t know about you, but I want my students to see that all of the things that I encouraged them to do in my classroom, all the ways that I encouraged them to grow and to develop into who they are today, that it mattered. Their work was not in vain. I would rather pull a couple of Dr. Seuss books off of my shelf and replace them with the work of my students and your students and his, her, they, all of the students that we have developed and helped to grow.  I want to show them, not just tell them that they can believe in themselves and their work and their artistry. Yeah, I would without questions swap out some of those books, and I would encourage you to do the same thing.

If you really want to read across America this year, check out the National Education Association website for books, activities, virtual author visits, and teaching resources.

Remember to center equity, celebrate diversity, and value culture!

Jocelynn

Here are the articles I mentioned in the blog post:

During a recent coaching session an educator asked me, “Jocelynn, how do we create a happy and equitable Valentine’s Day experience for all students?”

This is a complex and nuanced question to answer because there are several things to keep in mind. Firstly, all of your students do not celebrate this holiday. Whether for religious reasons or personal convictions, a student may not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Secondly, there are some students that may not be able to participate in a card, gift, or candy exchange because of financial limitations. Thirdly, holidays can be a trigger for trauma for some students. A family member or friend might have passed away during this time, or some other major life shift may have taken place. This may put the student into an emotionally vulnerable space.

There are definitely additional points to consider, but these are three heavy hitters.

Even with these points, the educator and I talked about some of the really amazing projects and experiences created during this time. One in particular is the ability to intentionally express love and appreciation for people in your life in a variety of ways; poems, flowers, candy, cards. In many elementary schools and a few middle and high schools, students are encouraged to create a Valentines Day box or bag to collect the tokens of love and appreciation from classmates and teachers. Some students truly shine during this time because they are artistic and creative.

So here are three considerations/suggestions I shared during my coaching session:

Expanding the Focus toward Equity

#1 – Regarding the Valentines Day boxes or bags – Creating these boxes and bags is clearly an experience that is enjoyed by many students and allows for a bonding experience for caregivers and students. I don’t think it should be eliminated, but I do think it could be revamped. Because this is a holiday that can be centered around love and appreciation for the people we care about and self-love, let’s connect it to that larger theme and create a culture building opportunity for the school. Let’s make this an interdisciplinary learning experience.

Equitable Valentine’s Day – ELA Lesson Idea

In reading/ELA students can focus on reading books and poetry, etc that talk about what love is and how it shows up in different ways. There can be discussions of healthy and toxic love. Students can also talk about self-love and why it is important to prioritize self-care and mental health. Finally, there can be an exploration of how we show love and appreciation at the school – for our classmates, teachers, and staff.

Equitable Valentine’s Day – Social Studies Lesson Idea

In social studies students can learn about the history of the Valentine’s Day holiday, but also learn about where and how it is celebrated across the world. Students can discover other holidays or times of the year that people set aside specifically to celebrate love and show appreciation. Depending on your specific content area under the umbrella of social studies, you can focus on how appreciation or the lack of appreciation has led to x,y, or z event or outcome. For example, after wars soldiers have been appreciated and honored with parades and ceremonies. To show appreciation for teachers and health care workers, many stores offer discounts. Finally, have students reflect on their learning and think about how regardless of age, gender, race, religion, geographic location, people enjoy showing and receiving appreciation and love.

Equitable Valentine’s Day – Math Lesson Idea

In math students can learn about the economic impact of holiday spending and budgeting. How does spending on the Valentines Day holiday compare to that of other holidays? Students can think critically and collaboratively about how they can show appreciation and love without spending a dime, but also how they can appropriately budget for spending money if they choose. Students might also consider the statement, “It’s the thought that counts.” Finally, have students work collaboratively to create a product, service, or package to show appreciation and love. How much will the endeavor cost to produce? How much will it cost the consumer? Have them outline why their creation will allow people to show genuine appreciation and love for another person or themselves?

Equitable Valentine’s Day – Science Lesson Idea

In science students can learn about the anatomy of the heart and the hormones that impact our feelings of love and appreciation. Or maybe you share information about sweets and candy or flowers, objects typically used to show love or appreciation. This is a great lesson to connect to the plant life cycle. Students can learn about some of the most popular flowers, the climates in which they grow and thrive, what they mean, how long they live when placed in a vase, and some ways to preserve them. Students can also learn about chocolates and candy. What are the ingredients? How does sugar impact the body? Finally, have students reflect on their own love language. Do they enjoy receiving flowers or candy? Why or why not? What would they appreciate more? 

Equitable Valentine’s Day – Art Lesson Idea

In art, students can create boxes or bags to collect love and appreciation tokens from classmates and teachers. Make it clear to students, however, that they are still encouraged to create a box/bag with caregivers. This provides an opportunity for every student to create a box/bag, but allows them to still create one with their caregiver or on their own.

Appreciation & Love Day

#2 – Focusing on an appreciation/love day might be something that more students can get on board with vs. Valentine’s Day specifically. I have not talked with anyone from different faith backgrounds so I cannot confirm this for you, but asking the question or presenting the idea is a great way to get stakeholder feedback and involvement. 

Focusing on an appreciation/love day is a great way to broaden the scope and maximize the potential for lasting impact on your classroom and school culture. Part of creating a welcoming and inclusive learning environment is about appreciating and respecting different people and perspectives even if you do not subscribe to them yourself. Help students to understand that concept more deeply and fully by expanding the conversation into different subject areas.

Informing Caregivers of Celebration Intentions

#3 – Alerting caregivers as early as possible. Yes, it is on every person’s calendar, but with all the other things on an adults calendar, Valentine’s Day in likely lost in the chaos. In addition to that, letting the caregivers know sooner rather than later can allow for them to plan ahead in a couple of ways. First, they can set aside money from a paycheck or make other arrangements to get the supplies their student needs. Second, they can let the teacher know about any religious or cultural objections they might have to their student participating in a classroom party or activities. Then, the two of you can brainstorm ways to ensure the not only their student, but all students feel welcome and included not unwelcome and excluded.

These are not perfect solutions by any means, but they are a place to start the conversation. They are points to consider when planning your students’ “Valentine’s Day” celebration. 

I would love to know if you already do any of these things or have other suggestions. Send me a thesis statement for a narrative essay or a https://customteachingsolutions.com/mit-admissions-essays/.

Remember to center equity, celebrate diversity, and value culture!

Jocelynn

Is this the type of classroom you always dreamed of having? If so, you’re in good company. Let’s create this reality together.  Check out the many on demand courses, teaching resources, and coaching options available:

Three fun, unique, and joyful Black History month bulletin boards that you can create or co-create are centered around these themes:

1. Black Greek Letter Organizations and Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs)
2. Content specific Black Influencers and Innovations
3. Countries Around the World

Black Greek Letter Organizations & HBCUs Bulletin Board

Black Greek Letter organizations and HBCUs are two things that students typically know little about. Both were founded for the express purpose of creating a nurturing environment for elevating intellectual minds, uplifting the Black community, and sharing about the rich history of Black people. Sharing this information with your students is an opportunity to highlight joy and innovation and creativity and intelligence.

There are 9 Black Greek letter organizations with men, women, and non-binary members across the world making an impact. You can learn more about each organization in a blog post titled, “9 Powerful People – What are Black Greek Organizations? Why are they important?”. 

According to the 2022 US Census there are 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities across 19 states. There is so much interesting information for students to learn about the people that have attended HBCUs and the endless opportunities available to students who pursue higher education degrees in this culturally affirming environment. Did you know that Vice President Kamala Harris attended Howard University, an HBCU, and joined the Black Greek letter organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority while an undergraduate student?

Trust me, this is one Black History Month bulletin board idea that has endless possibilities!

Content Area Specific Black History Bulletin Board

Another great way to share and celebrate Black culture and Black people on a bulletin board is with content area specific information. Think Black mathematicians, scientists, artists, authors, historians, etc. Although notable Black contributors in every discipline should be shared throughout the school year, a Black History Month bulletin board is a great way to feature several at once. It is an opportunity for students to see just how many BIPOC contributors there are in that field. It is an opportunity to provide a mirror for some students and a window for others. The pictures and biographies can open the door to amazing conversations about the joy and yes, the challenges of achieving in that field. You can easily make this board interactive by including QR codes to picture books about the person read aloud on platforms like YouTube. For younger children, display something like the ABCs of Black History. There are several picture books that could accompany this bulletin board.  Here are a few resources to help you get started:

Black History in Countries Around the World

There are Black people all around the world who have historically and are currently making significant contributions to the world in which we live. Although Carter G. Woodson, the founder of Negro History Week (1926) that later expanded into Black History Month, had a focus on Black Americans and Black American history, the African diaspora is far reaching. Incorporating interesting information about Black people, perspectives, and culture around the world is a perfect way to continue creating a culturally aware and diversity affirming classroom.

Two cool ideas for display this information on a Black History Month bulletin board are:

1. Place a graphic of the world on the bulletin board space. Place push pins in different countries with yarn attached and connecting to a biography, photograph, or artifact representing Black heritage in that country.
2. Display a large calendar with flaps or pockets for each day of the week. Under each flap or in each pocket place information about different aspects of Black heritage all around the world. Image an advent style calendar with a big reveal each day.

Here are a couple of resources to get you started:

Well, there you have it! Three fun and unique Black History Month bulletin board ideas and a BONUS because I included some resources to get you started with all three ideas.

As always, I recommend incorporating the contributions and stories of Black people, perspectives, culture all school year.

If you use one of these ideas, send me a picture on Instagram @iTeachCustom so I can feature the incredible display!

If you want additional 1:1 guidance click the image below and schedule a 30 minute coaching call with me. This will be a time for us to talk about your joys, challenges, and concerns around facilitating Black heritage lessons.

“This is Brit Lit, it’s not meant to be diverse.” 

Maybe you don’t teach British Literature, but this sentiment is one that I hear time and time again. When the term culturally responsive is introduced, the automatic assumption is to incorporate more books about Black people, women, Hispanics, and LGBTQ+ people.  While this is not completely incorrect, there is so much more to creating culturally relevant experiences in the classroom.   

The term culturally relevant is made up of two words, culture and relevant. 

Culture is NOT just race and ethnicity. Culture is a person’s beliefs, traditions, expectations, and norms. Culture is about the tangible and intangible aspects of a person. Relevance is about current times and current interests. 

Essentially, culturally relevant practices encourage a teacher to use the culture of the students to create relevant learning connections in the classroom. Making these connections increases student engagement, retention, and academic achievement.

Each student is diverse; culturally diverse. It does not matter if all the students in a classroom look the same. It doesn’t matter if all the students in a classroom identify in similar ways. Students, like snowflakes, are unique and nuanced.

So, how do you create lessons that are culturally relevant in British Literature, or any other literature class? There are three ways to naturally make this transition: 

1. Intentionally incorporate perspective
2. Ask and answer the anchor questions when designing lessons
3. Pairing texts with similar themes

Perspective in the Literature Class

When planning for a novel study, it is important to intentionally incorporate perspective. Start by considering the time period, the characters, and setting. For example, you’re planning to read Emma by Jane Austen. This story takes place in 19th century England. Characters include Emma, Mr. Churchill, Harriet, Mr. Elton, Jane Fairfax, and several others. Now, determine what or who is missing from this story. What other types of people were alive during this time, but were not included in this book. Think race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. Then, have students consider how omitting this perspective impacts the overall understanding of the message, peoples, and motivations of the time. Help students to see both sides of the impact.

Another great way to bring in perspective is through viewing the film adaptations of a novel. Have students consider how the message changes slightly, or how the message delivery changes based on the medium, but also the time period of the filming. There are several film versions of Emma, as well as the 1995 adaptation, Clueless. You can check out a resource I use for film and text comparisons HERE.

These Three Questions

The second way to naturally make your literature class culturally relevant is by asking and answering these three questions while lesson planning.

1. What are my students learning about themselves? The lessons should inspire your students to reflect on their own beliefs, bias, and behaviors. Your students should be gaining insight not only into the thoughts, ideas, and motivations of the characters, but also into themselves. 
2. What are my students learning about their peers? The class discussions and group projects should allow students to share ideas and perspectives with each other. Sharing in this way helps students to become aware of the diversity of perspectives in their own peer group. It provides an opportunity for students to ask questions, debate, and explore in a safe space. In this way, an understanding and respect for different perspectives can be developed.
3. What are my students learning about the world around them? As students read, analyze, and discuss the text, they should consider what else was going on in the world during the time this book was written and/or set. In addition, research around modern events that mirror those of the past should be included. Students can also engage in discussions around how reactions and solutions have changed or remained the same .

For additional clarity around these three anchor questions, check out this blog post on creating culturally responsive lesson plans.

Two Texts are Better Than One

A third way to naturally make your literature class culturally relevant is by pairing texts to bring in context. For example, you can pair a classic British Literature novel with a short story covering a similar theme. Find a short story written by a contemporary or modern author. The key is to use a story from an author, or with characters who identify differently from the novel’s author and characters. It is a bonus if you can find an author or characters that identify similarly to your students.

Creating culturally relevant and responsive novel studies is one of my absolute favorite things to do. It is so much fun to see how I can connect different pieces of life’s puzzle and put them together in a novel study. Watching the enthusiastic class discussions and genuine growth of students through self reflection is incredible. 

So, let’s partner together as you create culturally relevant novel studies. Start today with these great resources:

What will you do with these next 30 days? How will you prepare YOU?

Here are the three things I plan to do.

The beginning of the school year is not the time to prepare. In between classroom set up, syllabus printing, roster reorganization, team meetings and other PD, all I have time for is coffee. 

One month before school starts I am still relaxed enough to really think about who I am, what I accomplished last year, who I want to be and what I want to accomplish this year.

To do this, I ask myself focus forward questions. These are questions that help me think about the future. So, I might ask, “Am I purposefully pursuing my passion? How will I continue my pursuit this year?” 

I reflect for a few minutes, but the majority of my time is spent thinking about next steps.

Next steps, for me, always involve finding inspiration and encouragement. 

Reading books, taking walks, watching movies, talking with friends, taking an art class or a dance class. I can gather inspiration from most places when I am open to receiving it.

Over the years I have found that living an inspired life in the best lesson I can teach my students. 

From the inspiration I gather, I can begin to create my first Power Up space.  This is a place where I can continue to be inspired throughout the school year.

For tips on how to create your own Power Up space, check out this blog post.

The last thing I do 30 days before the school year is …. pick my poison. 

Stay with me. I promise it makes sense.

One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride. In that movie there is a battle of wits; the old poison in the cup schtick. The challenger actually places poison in both cups. So, how does he escape death? He deliberately chose this poison and then ingested small amounts of it each day. This built up an immunity in his body.

What does this have to do with the 30 day prep for school? Well, there is always something that we dislike doing, but we know it will make us stronger. This is the poison. 

Poison – anything done or consumed in excess.

So, during my 30 day prep time I choose something that I don’t particularly like doing, but I know it will make me a better person. I do this thing in small doses.

For example, I love a clean, organized house, but with 4 young kids, cleaning is not a task I enjoy. In order to have what I want, I put myself on a small dose cleaning schedule. 

• Mondays – strip all the beds, remake them, and wash all the dirty sheets.
• Tuesday – Clean the bathrooms
• Wednesday – Wash kids’ clothes

In this way, I am not overwhelmed trying to clean everything at once.

Well, that’s all folks!

Cheers to the 30 day prep!

Joce

Need some great professional development? Want some practical strategies you can take straight back to the classroom? Check out The Intentional Teaching Series.

I hate to admit it, but I heard this question from students more times than I would have liked.

Instead of disregarding this question however, it made me think more deeply about my teaching practice. Why were my students completing a particular assignment?

Of course I knew the answer. I had spent time reflecting on the standards and carefully identifying the best way to teach my students to build on their foundation of knowledge. I spent time thinking about ways to make each assignment relevant to the students’ current lives and relevant for their futures.

So, why was the purpose of the assignment unclear to them?

I always had the focus standard identified on the front board. Student learning goals and objectives were clearly posted above the daily agenda. Yet, I still got the questions about purpose.

Before most assignments I would have students write the state standard into student friendly language and share with a partner. Yet, I still got the questions about purpose.

Something was getting lost in translation and it needed to be found.

Identifying a purpose for learning increases student engagement, the quality of work, and completion rate. Therefore, helping students understand the reason for learning is essential.

As teachers we spend a lot of time reflecting on the standards. We see the standards covered in the grade below and above ours. We have vertical alignment meetings. We also have the benefit of life on our hands. We can see how the dots are connected. We can see how learning and growth in certain areas contributed to later success.

So,I decided to add a distinctive reflection component for my students.

For each unit of study I added a pre assignment reflection and a post assignment reflection. Reflection before beginning an assignment allows students’ to activate prior knowledge, identify areas of weakness, and set a purpose for learning. Pre reflection addresses the questions, what am I learning and why am I learning. Any time a student forgets, I have them pull out the pre reflection sheet.

Post reflection allows student learning to be solidified. Students think about what they learned and why. Students think about how they will apply this learning in the future. It gives students an opportunity to reflect on the areas in which they found success and the areas that caused them to struggle.

Not only is this a great way to set purpose, but it keeps students accountable for their learning. This type of student reflection also allows teachers insight into the areas that students need reteaching.

It is a win/win for everyone!

If you are ready to get started with student assignment reflection, check out the pre and post reflection sheets I have already created!

Cheers to intentional teaching and student reflection!

Joce

Looking for a deep dive into purposeful reflection for both teachers and students? Check out the Intentional Teaching Series.

In my last blog post I mentioned that we will dive into discussion about the components that comprise a successful classroom.  Well, here is something that can definitely help you create the ideal classroom environment. Money!  TeachersPayTeachers has a wealth of resources for every grade and every subject. There are both FREE and paid resources. So, enter the giveaway for a chance to win back to school TpT cash. Good Luck!

Are you looking for some TpT cash to spend for back to school stuff?  Well, a group of social studies teachers want to show you how much #HISTORYROCKS ! To register for a chance to win, just click on the link http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6b69ea121/ and follow as many stores as you want.  Each link you follow gives you another chance to win, so may the odds be in your favor.

The giveaway closes for entries on Monday, July 31st, 12:00 pm EST. Winner will be randomly selected within the next 24 hours after entry closes. By entering, you confirm that you are 18+ years of age. Winner must be a resident of the United States. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram or Facebook.

Cheers for giveaways!

Hopefully you had a chance to pull out that calendar and schedule time for you. Self care is so important. If you are not good, you definitely cannot give your best. Now that we have our personal goals for success in place, let’s continue by discussing some helpful ways to be successful professionally. The three tips I’m offering are like a reverse gradual release strategy. LOL I do, you do, we do.

As I previously stated, if you’re not caring for you, you can not give your best, at least not for long. The same is true professionally.  If you are not investing in yourself professionally, you will become stagnant in your teaching practices.

So, the first thing you want to do to ensure professional success is to engage in professional development. Attend conferences, read books, participate in webinars, take courses toward an advanced degree or certification. And here is a little thing that I do that I’ve actually never told anyone. (Shhhh!) I like to explore other areas. I may be an English and social studies teacher, but I have taken courses in health studies, technology, and some that are spiritually rejuvenating. Now, this may not work for you, but I love to see how I can incorporate other aspects of life into my teaching. Taking courses that are unrelated to education often gives me a boost of energy. I have a new appreciation for other professions and the work my students will have to do to reach their professional goals.

Next, you should try to find unique growth opportunities for your students. What you do in this area is definitely going to depend on the age of  your students. Here are some suggestions that may work for your group:

• Community Service or Service Learning – Although many schools now require students to have community service hours, all do not. Find places around your community where students can volunteer.

Ex. Elderly housing development, soup kitchen, or a place like Matthew 25 Ministries or the Red Cross. We have also done some cool lessons with the book Wear am I Wearing and Where am I Eating by Kelsey Timmerman.

• Reading Buddies – Have your students visit students in a lower grade and read to them.
• Attend a career fair. Before attending we talk about goals and potential career interests. For this type of experience I typically send my students with a clipboard and packet of questions to ask people at the booths. If you are interested in this packet please send an email to customteachingsolutions.com and I would be happy to provide you the template.

The final area to focus on is growth opportunities for you AND your students. I find that when I am learning along side my students we grow together in a unique way. My students see that learning really is life long. I know this can be tough because teachers are ultimate planners and need to preview potential resources before exposing the students, but it can be done. Here are some suggestions:

1. Field trips – Choose three experiences for a curriculum based field trip. These need to be trips that you have not previously taken. Then, allow your students to vote.
2. Speaker – Having a speaker present to your class, or a group of classes is always fun. For example, as a social studies teacher I might contact the VA and ask if someone can come speak to the class while we are discussing war.
3. Role Reverse – Allow your students to teach you how to do something. I typically have students get into groups of 2-4 and decide on a lesson they want to teach.

These experiences are really great ways to build trust and facilitate learning through the year. I would love for you to share some activities you have tried with your students.

Taking a fresh look at your classroom teaching practices allows for continual growth, but also gives you new reasons to love what you do. While teaching the same way every day of every year can make things easy, it also makes them boring. Our students thrive off our passion and excitement for educating.

So feed your passion by refreshing your perspective.

Comment below with your experiences or additional ideas. We love discussion.

Cheers to professional success!

-CTS

If you missed part one, you can read it HERE.

Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that 2017 is over, but I am excited for 2018. A new year is like turning the page in a brand new journal. The page is fresh and crisp waiting to be penned with descriptions of life’s journey.

So, let’s get set up for the journey!

My aunt once told me that before she gets on a plane she does not begin by praying for the pilot, she prays for his family and his home. I thought that was strange at first. The pilot is the one operating the plane after all, not his spouse or cousin. She went on to explain that a person operates most effectively when their world is at peace.

This is true for us as educators as well. We are the pilots of our classrooms. Although we are great at powering through long nights, tough mornings, and afternoon slumps, we would certainly prefer peace. One of the ways we can have peace is through self care. So, before you reenter the classroom after the winter break, set yourself up for a successful second semester by making you a priority.

First, think about what makes you happy. Focus on things that are low cost or free. Now narrow the list to one or two things. Take out your calendar. Find time to incorporate the happy into your schedule. Taking this time for your happy will give you peace that translates into success.

Second, take time to renew and refuel. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R Covey emphasizes the importance of “preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have – you. [By] having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual” you will have peace that translates into success. Think intentionally about these four areas of your life. How can you create balance? Exercise, counseling, meditation? For a FREE Renew & Refuel deep dive resource click HERE.

Third, say no so you can say yes. If you’re like me, it is tough for you to say no. I find however, that the more I say yes, the less quality me I have to give. Lysa Terkeurst says it so well in The Best Yes,

“Someone makes a request of me that I know right away is unrealistic. My brain says no. My schedule says no. My reality says no. But my heart says yes! Then my mouth
betrays my intention of saying no, as it smiles and says, “Yes, of course.”

I dread saying yes but feel powerless to say no. I dread saying yes not because I don’t love that person. I love them very much. But I dread what saying yes will do to the already running-on-empty me” (4).

How do we stop giving the “running on empty” version of ourselves? Well, we start by saying no. Because I really struggle with saying no, I have had to start with baby steps. Step 1) Pull out my calendar at the beginning of the month. Step 2) Block off one weekend. Now I can honestly say, “No, that weekend is blocked off.” Just doing this one thing has reduced my commitments and allowed for a quality me when I do say yes. This allows for a peace that translates into success.

Being an educator is one of the most rewarding professions, but also one of the most demanding on your emotional, physical and mental space. To give your students the best you, start by doing what is best for you.

Please comment below with other ways you prioritize you so that you can be set up for success.

On Thursday we’ll continue the conversation by discussing three ways to be set up for professional success.

Cheers to a vision inspired second semester!

-CTS