What’s in a name card? Teacher in a sea of names and faces
Tell me your name.
Where are you from?
How did you get here?
Where are you going?
…
Who am I?
With liberty and justice for all: Educational and fun day trip
We woke up to hurried excitement and I got no objections when I requested the children brush their teeth to get ready. They were dressed and down the stairs in a flash. By the time I made my way to the kitchen for breakfast they had already decided what they were going to eat. On any other day, things would not have gone so smoothly and by then I was certain we would catch our train with time to spare. Should we be getting ready for a regular school day however, I imagined the level of cooperation would not have been so great. I found even in myself, an extreme focus toward the goal at hand that morning and normally things could get me really distracted while getting prepared for the day. Things as simple as getting my lunch ready could allow my imagination to roam toward creating some elaborate plan for dinner later that night and before I really understood it, I could be knee deep in an online recipe search that always takes much longer than I had originally anticipated or in choosing attire to wear I could decide to try different combinations of items that might go well together, but then find that 20 minutes had gone by and I would not be dressed.
The point is that I was noticing how nervousness and anticipation over getting to where I needed to that day ON TIME made it happen for everyone that morning and with certainty. We got to where we needed to with minimal conflict or struggle and it was a terrific day.
With children to take care of and a distraction seeking habit like mine, I often find myself struggling in a time jam. It’s a major flaw because I want to be responsible, caring, and capable. But I want to be creative and have fun, too. So I juggle my time between getting really serious important work done and my need to have a moment in curiosity or creativity that usually eats into what I’m “supposed” to be doing instead.
Often, I forgive myself the selfishness and try to think up better ways to allow more breathing room in my daily schedule… and then my phone alarm will ring reminding me to get to bed in time for an early start the next day. I’m almost always surprised to hear it ring so soon and think, “ALREADY???? I guess I’ll just have to continue this task another time?” Then, I hear an inner child-like voice inside me say, “Awwwww… just ten more minutes? Pleeeaaaassse?!”
Students in High School are sometimes thirsty for recognition for having a good character
Come on! Be honest… you want one too, right?! This is the package a student will receive from me when I see distinguished behavior from them. I select one student per class per week to acknowledge and I do so in a very discreet way. I simply walk over to their seat while everyone is busy working on something, place it in front of them, smile, and shake their hand. Sometimes I’ll say something very quietly like “Good job.” or “Congratulations.”
I’ve been telling myself to do this kind of reward system for all my teaching career, (almost 15 years now, in high school mathematics). This year I FINALLY figured out exactly what I wanted to do and exactly how to do it. It’s working really well for me and the students and it’s not a lot of extra work. So the effort I put into it is easily more than worth the outcome from it.
Students get a distinct pencil of somekind, a homework pass (only one student has redeemed one so far), a lifesaver mint attached to a little business card sized message that reads, “You’re a lifesaver!”, a certificate specifying what they are being recognized for signed by me (I expect they show family and friends), and a colorful slip referencing one of the Common Core Mathematical practices I’ve noticed they’ve consistently demonstrated. I think it ties very well together with what I want from my students as young Mathematicians and also with what I want from them as responsible, caring people. In other words, I hope they continue to behave the way they’ve displayed FOREVER.
I’m finding the sentiment helps the underclassmen transition better into more serious work because they REALLY want to do well overall, and some of the FUN is being sucked out of their day because of the stress that can bring. Some students are better than others at gauging themselves and managing their emotional state without such a recognition. While others, I imagine, may not hear from others or themselves very often just how much they are appreciated.
Even as an adult, when I get some level of thanks or results for doing the right thing, it really satisfies my drive and fuels me to work even harder. In this generation’s current environment with instant feedback and automated interaction online with video game like some-what addictive stimulation, I’m finding students less motivated toward meaningful learning and meaningful tasks. Part of the reasoning for that lack of drive is because it takes way longer than what they initially expect to get “somewhere” with it. They don’t know how to keep themselves going and amidst the challenges they face, they often give up. There can be a push from media and so-called “role models” to do the opposite of work hard, do the right thing, etc.
I hope this small reward is enough to refocus a student in this kind of dilemma and I hope my contributions can keep the fire going in all of us, especially myself.
Socks are warming my heart in time for Thanksgiving
I’ve begun to help support a wonderful idea for the homeless youth in the city where I work. I’ve fallen in love with how giving and thoughtful those around me are in this common endeavor. It started out as just a simple picture that caught my attention in my social media newsfeed. Then I saw it again with a very humorous tag and reference to a popular song on the radio lately, that I know my students enjoy. (I too like the rhythm and melody of this particular catchy tune, but have strong opinions about the lyrics today’s youth are exposed to on popular radio stations.) I was thinking about all this because of this picture and its clever presentation. Then I started to question why that person might have become involved in this particular cause and how intelligently well-put together her post was. I started thinking maybe this clever person is someone I need to know better and that maybe by helping her I could be a little bit more like her. I liked that thought and went for it. She inspired me and I was grateful for the chance to be like that, too.
I then started to associate my students with these homeless youth sock recipients and how the very people sitting in my classroom could be in need of such an item and how great it would be for those who could and were willing to help, to do that. Socks are not an expensive item to purchase, pretty openly available just about everywhere, but so very necessary at the same time. Right? Think about it. Your feet. They feel happy with warmth and comfort in the colder temperatures. Don’t they? Doesn’t it just make you soooooo uncomfortable to have cold and wet feet. It’s pretty bad to imagine a person having to go a winter season without taking good care of their feet. Especially, if they’re on them for the most part.
I also thought about the times I had given clothes to certain collections in the past and that when I did, I was rummaging through my drawers and closets to find items to give. However, when it got to socks, they were thrown away, not donated. I mean really… who wants used socks. Right? Maybe it’s better than no socks, but I was now thinking that maybe because of this kind of general attitude, there might be a high demand for socks for the needy. So after spending more than a couple of minutes reflecting on it, I had several reasons to become involved and to invite others to do the same. It just seemed too simple and still so significant, to pass up. Won’t you look into such a program by you?
