10 Expectations of Schools From Students

This was posted on George Couros blog -The Principal of Change - He says:
Carolyn Cameron, one of the most open and progressive principals I have ever known (she was also my former boss), shared the following video regarding student expectations for school.  The first point was that it was important to build relationships and know students as individuals.  The nine other points are things that I really believe in, but it was great hearing it from a student perspective.

What are we reading this week?

This week I am reading, Who Owns the Learning by Alan November.


I must say anyone in education NEEDS to read this book!  Anyone who is in a classroom and asking students to take charge of their own learning is where we need to be.  This book will change the way I teach from now on.  I am marking every page and still not finished, I will probably have to make an entire notebook over it also.

Today I read for class - Trends in Literature
Brave Girl  - Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909. by Michelle Markel- historical picture book
The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman - sweet story of immigration
Poems to Learn by Heart collected by Caroline Kennedy
The Deer Watch by Pat Lowery Collins

I also finished an audio book on the way home from UIL this morning.
The One and Only Ivan - by Kathleen Applegate.

I cried, of course, as the smooth timber voice wove the story around me in the car.  Such a sweet tale that is actually based on a true gorilla.  I know in my heart that all my animals have these voices and stories inside them.  As a child, I knew this and my best friends were my animals in my barn.  So I will always connect to any animal story.

I finished a girl/romance book this week by one of my favorite authors,  Lisa Schroeder, she is a favorite because my students love her short easy romances with some little twinge of truth and trouble in them.
Her latest is Falling for you.





Last week I finished this great Guy Read - Rotten.  This story is quick to read and fall into because Jimmer has just returned from juvie and he is trying to stay out of trouble, and yet his mom's new dog lead him right back into a big mess.  Jimmer becomes friends with the dog and tries to save him but who knows if he will or  not.




That is it for this week.  But I went to the library today to find some more great titles waiting for me.  YIPPEE.  What are you Reading??

So this week was enlightening by a video of a student shown on the news, telling a teacher, "We are tired of these packets you give us, why can't you stand up and teach us, and not just hand us another packet."   As I watched I thought - YES more students need to stand up and say this. NO to packets of work that a teacher doesn't even explain.  Well then one of my own students asked me about it and I said  yes I had seen the video and I agree, more people need to take ownership of their learning and demand a different way.  So the student says to me, "we (as in kids in my classes) decided we should not do packets in your room anymore also."   To which I was shocked.  This is something that really bothers me, yes for prep for testing I give packets that directly discuss the skill and I teach a mini lesson on the packet before or as we are reading it.  I don't just hand it to them.  But I really really really want to be that teacher that does not use packets.  So how to do that?  I am reading - Who Owns the Learning?  By Alan November and he has a way to hand the reins over to the student.  So when I saw this picture today I thought, yes, lets follow their lead and let them learn like they would like.  So for the next 4 weeks in my classroom - No more packets.  I find good samples in good mentor text, and I ask them to find answers to the questions posted in the room. I ask them to become the scribes and notetakers to post on the blog, and I turn the learning over to them.

What I need to do this is a list of questions?

Infographic for IPads

iPad as Teachers Pet by Tony Vincent

A friend of mine told me about a school where friends of his, host appy hour for teachers with ipads and apps in the classroom.  How fun would that be in the library after school say once a month.  Appy Hour with some punch or something refreshing, lemonade, or coffee.  I am going to work on this for next year and see what happens with more and more people adding ipads to their classrooms.  This Scoop it. was incredible too.  Will be spending  days here -http://www.scoop.it/t/appy-hour-with-apps-to-rock-your-edtech-world

It has tons of stuff about appy hours and great apps.

Then I got lost and came across an old friend from Teaching like it is 2999's blog Ms. Magiera. Wow!  Check this out. Awesome Article from Education Week Teachers - http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/01/25/tln_magiera1.html?tkn=QORD11FsJxrxiKUl1%2FvOUnVr9dq%2Bie3Pg2Zq&intc=es

Displays in Library

This last month I made two displays for our library.  It was fun.  I made a READBOX that I found from Pinterest  Such a cute idea, I thank Naomi Bates for posting great ideas.  So my READBOX featured the top ten of books checked out recently, students could then see what everyone likes.  I just found a big box covered it with red paper and cut letter from my Cricket to make it look like one.  I used a color copier to feature some books and then I used a revolving picture frame to honor the top ten titles.  Students started conversations about the books from this, which of course was my goal.

Many asked for books featured on the screen.

This is my MUSTACHE display - actually it was in a window but for testing I had to take it down so I snapped a picture before moving it out of the window.  This was for April National Poetry Month and I added several books on poetry to its display and asked if students have read some poetry.  It caused as stir as many wanted a mustache - I gave out the mustaches as they checked out a book on poetry.  Perfect Fun for a book mark and SMILING with their Friends!!

TLA - Newbie View

Oh HOLY COW - I walked past Lois Lowery in person and wondered why everyone was taking photos of this sweet looking little lady.  NOW I know.  Wow!  I must thank TLA people who put the conference together because it was outstanding.  I was very impressed with the speakers and the caliber of authors attending was just shocking   I almost fell over Saturday morning when I saw Libba Bray just walking through the booths.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!  I just missed her time for signing books. But how awesome is that.

I loved my sessions over YA Lit book battles by Dr. Lesesne and Dr. Rosemary Chance from Sam Houston State University.  My TBR list is now taller than I am, which is TALL!  I really learned a lot in the AASL Winning Websites for education. I can't wait to share those great ideas with my teachers at my school. Then the Scholastic Breakfast was awesome with my friends from Everman ISD and Susan Geye. The even served mimosa and bloody marys - unlike any Gifted & Talented conference breakfast.  Seeing Ann Martin just get up and read to us was very neat.  I always picture authors as these great individuals sitting at their typewriters or lunching with an editor as if life was so easy.  But they were just there in real life sharing ideas with us like old friends.  How cool.  So exciting.

I also am thrilled to have all the great books the publishing companies kept handing me, how cool is that.  All this great knowledge under one roof and free books... it was like Christmas for me so much I forgot food one day.  (That says a lot for those of you that know me) But I can say, I may have to attend every year. Then I turned around and Neil Gaimen is speaking Saturday.  Wow.  Who cares about sleeping late, lets go...;o) Here is a pic of the pile of books I have collected. And way cool posters about reading and of course I had to have a Keep Calm and READ on shirt just to bother my teen son who has the CHIVE sign on his Jeep. ;o)