Where are the connections made?

ATTENTION ALL TEACHERS, PARENTS AND THOSE WHO WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

This post was floating around facebook without citation.

I posted it Friday afternoon and received source documentation within hours.
 
Please read this post:

It is a moving rendition of the thought processes of many, many of our teachers.

I had posted it without citation but have removed it upon my own accord.

I offer her compete credit and accolades for this moving read. 

Thank you.

 http://momastery.com/blog/about-glennon/ 

After vacation???

Great place to visit but who would want to live here?

Live in the city, vacation in the country.

Live in the country, vacation in the city?

The thing about vacation destinations everywhere is the solitude, beauty and removal of all the distractions of "work" life.  Of course, everyone else is there as a seasonal visitor as well.  There is plenty of traffic during rush hours.  But it is still seasonal. It is not permanent.  The mountains.  Lakes. Beaches. Tourist "Traps" all have attractive features, great photo and adventure opportunities but atypical full time employment opportunities.  Typical business is tourist centered, therefore cyclical and often temporary.  After pondering a life style at a vacation destination, take extra time to self-reflect, help advance yourself and make yourself a better person...  then prepare to take care of others.  Consider annual goals.  Consider adjustments with the students in mind.  Consider adjustments personally. 
Annual Goals
For instance, every year, a few of us consider our annual goals.  We break them into categories and how they fit in our current settings.  We quantify them, attach rubrics and use data to establish desired outcomes.  At the end of the period, we examine, adjust and celebrate the successes.  Is it scientific or just helping steer our vision and direction?
Professional Goals
Some of our professional goals are established for us.  We must continue with training or education.  To ensure development and high standards, ongoing exposure to current thought and trends as a profession evolves.  Yet our own goals often are the ones we address.  When these goals overlap, our own and the ones mandated, the students will benefit.
Personal Goals
Goals that have little do do with our profession but often motivate us in our profession are often the first sacrificed.  Shifting priorities to balance both a personal and professional life is often the solution to career burn-out on one hand and relationship issues on the other. "all work and no play..."
Student/Classroom Goals
Finally, classroom norms, student behaviors, and how students engage in class is always at the front of every teachers mind.  Even during vacation, a teacher considers using everything as a learning lesson.  One of my favorite stories was about a teacher that went to the beach and brought back a small rock for each student.  Upon her return, she made a big deal and gave a rock to each student while affirming that student in front of the entire class.  Nothing too big but a paragraph about each person!  Amazingly, the students all listened to hear what she would say about even "Johnie."  But she found and spoke positive truth into his life, in front of everyone.  This solidified the impact and influence she had on all her students!  They really believed she liked them!  She believed it too!
Suggestion:
Write some goals.  Some personal, professional and student centered goals.  Make them as detailed as necessary for personal peace.  Share them with another and post them.  Even ask for feedback.

Family Traditions

Public Speaking, Toasts and Orations

Traditions, weddings, celebrations, annual remembrances all point to family get-togethers.  Times when generations can meet, compare notes about today, recollect past occasions and mile marks and speculate about the future.

Recently, a cousin was in town from the big city.  It was enough of a reason for us to gather for an impromptu birthday party.  At many of these events, somebody gets up and starts waxing away!  To prime the topics, my uncle's gift book from 1974 was brought out, the treasure chest.  This book compiles nuggets of wisdom gathered over time from 2500 years of written wisdom.   There was a summary sheet that listed some of my uncle's favorite quips. 

As I reviewed them, I could see my uncle in the meaning, but interestingly, I could see myself.  It was a testimony to the nature of the connections established by strong bonds. 
Take care of the means and the ends will take care of itself.  M. Gandhi
The genius of a good leader is to leave the behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully.  W. Lippmann
A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.  E. Hubbard
Jumping to conclusions seldom leads to happy landings.
Reformers are those that educate people to appreciate what they need.
A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.  R.W. Emerson
There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.  W. James
Thoughts are but drams, till their effects can be tried. W. Shakespeare
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.  C. Reade
Deliberating is not delaying.  Ecclesiastics
Let no man presume to give advice to others that he has not first given counsel to himself.  Seneca
He who praises everybody, praises nobody.  I. Johnson
Strengthen me by sympathizing with my strengths not my weakness.  B. Alcott
As I transfer these quotes from hand written cursive script to my iPad, I see wisdom. I can imagine my uncle using them as daily affirmations.  I imagine his quest to find truth and trace the path from cairn to cairn. I am also convicted of my own shortcomings, failures and character flaws.  Yet I am reminded to persist.  I am encouraged to find success and strive for constant improvement.  I am driven to push myself to a breaking point.
How can I be a better member of my family?  What does my work setting need for me to do differently?  How can I take better physical, mental and spiritual health of myself?  What does society, the environment and our civilization require of me? What legacy, if any, will I leave behind?
The above quotes are hand written on plain white paper, the first two pages of six, condensed from a publication of 250 total pages.  Are they the best? No.  Do they contain any extra wisdom? No.  They were chosen for their own merit, but still ring true!

The best teacher is___?

THE BEST TEACHER IS___?

Before

Later 

The best teacher is the best teacher. 

Just like this view changes over time, our students change as well. 

What and how we contribute to their learning defines good teaching.*

The best way to ensure learning is to put the best teacher in the classroom as possible.  The leader of the room that is devolving leaders as not just followers, manages risk, allows failure, prevents sarcasm and inspires others to go father then they expected!

 In a master teacher’s classroom, we find students talking and interacting with each other as well as the material.  This first component of articulation and alliteration ensures the students understand the material thoroughly enough to verbally navigate through the topic, and not just provide a yes or no answer.  (Think DOK 3 or 4)

 Master teachers are not afraid of students moving, activity or even motions.  Kinesthetic learners thrive when a teacher allows them this freedom of expression. Think learning styles, auditory, verbal, written, spoken or kinesthetically.

 Scaffolding, connecting to prior knowledge and building on the familiar is another trait of the best teachers.  Building and developing these connections allows students to relate to the topic.  These teachers know about their students, their needs, wants, fears and aspirations and use each to the student’s advantage.

 The best teachers always have a positive attitude, even if they do not have a positive attitude.  The material is the most important and interesting topic, anywhere!  Regardless!  This passion to teach flows through the topic, to the students.  This positive and contagious attitude is an attribute about ourselves that we choose.  Other characteristics we are born with, but our attitude is under our control.  Think locus of control.

 Finally, the best teachers have a purpose about everything.  Thoughts, actions and activities are all intentional, deliberate and planned, even the “random” ones have an underlying objective.  Nothing is really left to chance.  The topic becomes relevant, the ideas interesting and the activities stimulating. The best teacher does a better job of helping others learn, than any other method available.  Other things teach us lessons, like experience, trial and error or even just guessing and checking?  But the best teachers ensure effective learning every time!  Take the best teacher every time.

 These thoughts, comments and notes were abridged from breakout sessions and inspired by anecdotal evidence provided while observing events and activities demonstrated by our staff at WMS.  The powerful conference provided many “take-always” and are still relevant a year later.  This author receives nothing for this endorsement.

*Effective Schools Conference, Scottsdale AZ, March 7-9, 2012

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