A Hard Pill to Swallow

Have you every had that moment where you felt so defeated and disrespected that you could literally walk out of the schoolhouse and never look back?!? Today was one of those days. A day where a pill, called Pride, the size of your fist had to be choked down in the middle of your classroom. I was with my small group, in the meat of interpreting remainders, when I heard surfing music blaring from a Chromebook. Naturally, I stopped what I was doing and investigated this noise, I knew was NOT coming from DreamBox, or TenMarks, or Google Classroom. To my surprise, I see one of my students on a site that was NOT 'Mrs. Ritter approved.' This sparked the question in me, 'Who else is misusing their time in my class?' When given the opportunity to be honest, or reap the fruits of a referral, EVERY STUDENT came forward claiming to have misused their device, at least once this school year. It shouldn't surprise you that the waterworks started (on my part) and I had to leave the room. Yes, I am pregnant, but I am pretty sure that incident would have made me cry regardless. I have never felt like such a failure! How had I made it TWO SIX WEEKS and not realized what was happening under my nose. I consider myself to be a pretty attentive educator, and I understand that I can't be everywhere in the room all of the time, but seriously, ALL 44 OF THEM?!!? Surely I should be expecting a pink slip tomorrow, right?!

So, I did the only thing I could think to do....after the loooong lecture of course. I had each student copy down our district Device Pledge, that they signed at the beginning of the year, word-for-word. They were instructed to take it home and have it signed. So sure, I swallowed a Pride-pill the size of a small planet today, and I may have cried (a little) in front of my kids, but the thing that hurt the worst was removing the technology from the classroom. I live for those Chromebooks. My teaching style is very effective with those Chromebooks, but the only way to let them FEEL the consequence of dishonesty was to take them away. So, for the next week, the lives in Room 32 will feel a little more archaic than they usually do.

I am hopeful this experience will bring us closer together as a learning community. I am hopeful that we will learn what it means to be respectful. I am hopeful we will learn to be good citizens. I am hopeful we will become accountable to ourselves and our learning. I am most hopeful that these kids will understand how much I care about them, and how they DESERVE the EDUCATION I am trying so hard to give them. Be rooting for us. We are capable of great things..... and say a little prayer for me...my eye is already twitching just thinking about the lack of technology that is in this room.

Guided Math 2.0

My first year of teaching I was thrown into Guided Math. When I say thrown in, I mean I was sent to a workshop and told I didn't have a choice but to implement this the next day. Thankfully, I was in a district that was super supportive and was given an immense amount of resources. Looking back, I am very grateful to have not been given a choice. It forced me to figure it out. Every year the rotations stayed pretty consistent, and my level of comfort and confidence remained steady.

Then came this school year. Our schedule made a 180 degree turn, which really threw me (and my math cohorts) for a loop. Our schedule went from a 90 minute math block to a 70 minute block. We were also given another subject (social studies). Needless to say, August came and my head was spinning. Guided Math was my comfort zone. I felt it was the most effective way of teaching, for myself. We began rotations the fourth week of school. They lasted a whole day....yes, that's right, ONE DAY! It wasn't that I hadn't set expectations, or that I wasn't properly prepared. My kiddos just weren't ready yet. They weren't ready to take responsibility for their own learning. This was very disheartening for me. Then I realized that Guided Math is supposed to be what is best for the students, not Mrs. Ritter. So, I swallowed my pride and continued whole group instructions, with multiple brain breaks and instructional learning strategies being implemented. 

Last week began a new six weeks, an amended schedule, and a new approach to Guided Math. I began by creating anchor charts of expectations and posting them around the room. We went through each one and cleared up any misconceptions. Each station was explained in great detail, and instructions were clearly posted for each station. The rotation schedule is the thing that changed the most, and as it turns out...for the best. I used to start my class off with a mini-lesson and then would break into small groups. My mini-lesson is now my teacher station. This allows me to better chunk my time and see EVERY GROUP EVERY DAY. Groups can change weekly, as they are content and data driven. So, the kiddos rotate through 4 stations in a, now, almost 90 minute block of time. They have a teacher station, (this is where they get their daily math lesson), a partner station (where they are exposed to anchor stations of previously taught TEKS), an independent station (sometimes this is a daily grade activity, or a technology assignment on DreamBox or TenMarks), and a Social Studies station. You may be wondering why they have a Social Studies station during math rotations, but it really makes perfect sense. At the start of the new six weeks, we were told we have an hour for both social studies and science and that we can use that time in a way that best benefits our kids. I felt it would be helpful to take about 20 minutes of that time and add it to math. This allowed me to add another station to the rotation, therefore adding another group to the rotation...making my group sizes smaller. So far, it is working beautifully. Everything takes time. I feel with time, these kiddos will become very proficient at rotating through their stations. Establishing consistency in rotations and continuing with our growth mindset can only lead to successful mathematicians.

A Learning Community Based on a Growth Mindset

I'm just going to dive right into this post...
We recently gave our students their benchmark assessments. The day before the assessment, I showed my kiddos a Stanford University video discussing how mistakes can grow your brain. After we watched the video, I asked the kiddos to share something about the video that made them feel excited, or inspired. Most of the students said they enjoyed learning that making mistakes, and challenging your brain, makes your brain grow. What I found most interesting was that my kiddos who struggle were empowered in knowing that there aren't math-minded people, and people who can't do math; there aren't smart people, and people who aren't smart. They were inspired to know that the mistakes they make daily cause their brains to grow. They were encouraged to take those mistakes, and work diligently to correct them, because in doing so their brains will grow tenfold. They left my room inspired, empowered, and motivated to take charge of their learning.

So the day came when it was time to tell them if they passed, or failed their assessment. Most of the news I delivered was good. There were, however, those kiddos who had been working just hard (if not harder) as their peers, but failed to master the tested objectives. I was worried giving them their results would make them feel defeated and discouraged. What happened that day was something I definitely didn't expect. I told the first kiddo. Her response, "Mrs. Ritter, that grade is 20 points higher than my STAAR score last year. I'm getting better at this!" Okay, so that went better than I thought! As I continued the process of telling the remaining kiddos, I waited, and waited to see tears, and was ready to console my sweet peeps. I didn't have to! They found something positive in their failures. They all said that they wanted to look at their test and figure out what they did wrong, because they wanted their "brains to grow!" They didn't feel defeated. They didn't feel like failures. In fact, they felt just the opposite. They felt empowered, and motivated, to correct their misconceptions. To talk about their mistakes with their classmates, and to master the standards they struggled with. Kids are resilient, and when you give them a little positive inspiration and show them that they need to believe in themselves as much as you believe in them, INCREDIBLE things can happen. Our learning community is one based on the Growth Mindset, encouragement, and unconditional (sometimes tough) love!

Below is the link to the Growth Mindset video
https://www.youcubed.org/students/

Albert Einstein, or Bust

The best part of teaching is that it matters. The hardest part of teaching is that every moment matters, every day.

Every decision I make will have a lasting effect on each kiddo in the room. That’s heavy. That’s stressful. That’s what I pray about daily and cry about hourly, and by hourly I really mean I cry much more frequently than that. Don’t feel bad for me. It’s as normal as breathing at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love teaching, but man I’m sprouting glitter strands from my head faster than I had hoped. Yes I know, that’s fancy! Watching these kids try their hardest to master a concept, just to miss the mark, is heartbreaking. The standards that are expected of them are developmentally inappropriate. That isn't my fault, or my administrator’s fault. I’m just going to stop myself there, because pointing the finger and laying blame isn't going to change anything. I cannot control the decisions that are made. I can try and influence them, but ultimately my job is to do the best job I can with what I am given. I’m doing that. The best I can, and I strive everyday to do better than that. My job is to affect change on the things I have control over (My mind is currently not one of those things. I am slowly losing that to some unknown force).

Albert Einstein once said that “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That fella was with it. He knew what was up. He also sported a beautiful head of hair (The higher the hair, the closer to God, Albert. You go boy!), which totally tips the scale, and puts me on Team Albert, all the way. Anyway, it is this thought that lead me to venture into uncharted waters. It is this thought that lead my colleagues, and friends, to refer to me as “brave” (Just to clarify, I am so not brave, but I pretend to be…no one can tell the difference.). In all seriousness, it’s not that I’m trying to be brave, or radical, or modern, or innovative. Truth: what was happening in my room last year, and the year before, wasn't working. Something was missing. Something needed to change. So, one day I reflected on my life as a college student (I was a college student for six years, so when I say one day I don’t really mean one day. Oh and to clarify, I acquired two degrees in those six years. I wasn't trying to make a career of it; although my bank account would disagree, as money will be drafted from it to pay my loan…until the end of time!). Anyway, back to my self-reflection. I considered my study habits. There were study environments that had a negative effect on my ability to retain, and truly learn, content. On the other hand, there were study environments that completely, and fully, contributed to my quest to get the heck out of school and LEARN the information I was so diligently studying (refer to the beginning of this blog about the crying…that happened a lot here too). So, I decided to stop doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, and change some things and expect different results. Before I take you on this life changing journey of mine, let me just say that I am in no way insulting my colleagues, nor am I suggesting that what they are doing in their classrooms is wrong. Each teacher has their own teaching style and an idea of what works best for them. I support them and their efforts. If you are reading this, I support you! Ok, so now that I have cleared that up lets embark on this challenging, exciting, “brave” journey.

You’re probably wondering what the heck I have been talking in circles about the past, well however long it has taken you to read to this point. I am talking about shaking it up, challenging your classroom ideas, doing what’s best for your kiddos. So that’s what I’ve done, what’s best for my kiddos. If you walk in my room you won’t find desks and chairs (They were stolen, so I had to devise an alternative classroom setup…seriously, that’s what inspired this. Not really, were you buying that?!? You were, weren’t you? But really, who steals desks and chairs?). Anyway, back to what I was talking about (Are you recognizing a pattern here? Remember, I am slowly losing my mind. Perhaps not as slow as I’d like). If you walk in my room you will see legless tables and floor pillows, bean bags, moon chairs, a couch, and a soon-to-arrive chair swing. The room is flooded with incandescent light from several lamps (because fluorescent lighting is the root of all evil…that may have been an over dramatic statement, but you know you agree). It is very different from anything the kids, or I, have experienced. That’s what is so magical about this process. It is new to all of us. It is a learning experience for all of us. It is rewarding for all of us.

It’s easy to buy a bunch of non-traditional seating and throw it in a room, but creating a successfully functioning non-traditional environment takes work, accountability, and follow through. It was exciting to see the looks on the kiddos faces when they first walked into the room, and a little humorous (when I say a little, I mean it was really entertaining) to see their faces when I told them they couldn't sit in any of the seats and to take a seat on the carpet. I couldn't allow them to sit on the furniture, because they didn't know my expectations. Who am I kidding? I didn't know my expectations. I didn't know what I was doing! I knew I was going to have to fake it ’til I could make it. So, that’s what I did. I decided to demonstrate some do’s and do not’s. I flopped around on the bean bags, rolled around in the moon chairs, had a pillow fight with someone 19 years younger than me (I won!), and danced on the tables (This was the first time I have ever  done anything like that. What??! It was!?). We all agreed that these behaviors were not conducive to our learning environment. So began the process of the kiddos drafting the expectations for our learning environment. The level of accountability in our learning community is amazing. They know what to do and when to do it. They may not grasp the content fully, but they are EXCITED TO LEARN! They want to do their best and are visibly disappointed when they don’t. They ASK FOR HELP, and fully hold me accountable to do my job. The glorious thing is, I don’t have to hold them accountable to do their jobs, because they do that for me! I never would have dreamed that my idea to provide some level of familiarity, and comfort, would have lead to such great things. Let me clarify, all of my kiddos aren't mastering all of the content. All of my kiddos aren't passing their assessments, or even the six weeks. But what all of my kiddos are doing, is working hard, respecting our learning community, and fostering their love of learning. And now I am crying again, not because I've pulled at my own heartstrings, but because it is 10:32 at night…that’s TWO HOURS past my bedtime and I am feeling delirious (Yes, I go to bed at 8:30 because I’m cool like that, and by cool I mean old, and by old I mean…well, old).

Searching for Reason

Today began the ever tedious measurement unit. The one that is almost as cringeworthy to a fourth grader as fractions. We opened the unit this week by discussing length, both customary and metric. When planning this week I found myself incredibly bored...like I would rather watch paint dry than engage in any lesson I was planning, bored. So, I relied on my BFF, Google. (Yes, that's right, I'm best friends with a search engine). While sifting through a plethora of monotonous lessons, I stumbled upon something worth exploring. It was a 'Scavenger Hunt for Lengths' lesson from Discovery Education. After carefully reviewing the activity, it was obvious that it was perfectly suited for my kiddos and their learning styles.

So, today we explored length, through reasonableness and estimation, and measuring. The kiddos were put into groups and given a set of clues. They went on a scavenger hunt in the classroom, looking for items to measure that matched the set of clues. They explored reasonableness of measurement by estimating the length of objects, and then measuring for accuracy. The room was buzzing with math talk, and questions that were so beautiful I could have cried! The kiddos were learning through exploration. They completely took the wheel on their own learning today! It was amazing to see them reason through their misconceptions when their estimates were completely wrong.

The second part of this lesson really allowed them to apply their understandings, as well as work on meeting a few technology TEKS! The students used their Chromebooks and were sent on another scavenger hunt where they were asked to look for relative distances using maps. I was also able to pre-asses their ability to convert within a given measurement system. So, tomorrow when we begin conversions, I know who will need more assistance, and who will need extensions.

The learning that took place today was valuable, meaningful, and student-centered. This lesson sparked an interest in every student!

 

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/scavenger-hunt-for-lengths.cfm

Around and All Over: Perimeter and Area Lesson

They say the fastest way to a 4th grader's brain is through his stomach. For real, that's what they say...at least that's what they should say! We opened our Perimeter and Area unit by way of the stomach. We engaged in a lesson that challenged the students to use food to build arrays to demonstrate area, and measure to perimeter.

 The objective of our lesson, entitled "Around and All Over," was to build arrays (out of Cheez-Its) from given dimensions and place pretzels around the array. The Cheez-Its allowed the students to visualize square units, and fostered student confidence when applying their prior knowledge of building arrays. (Establishing this confidence proved very imperative to their success when exploring formula application.) The kiddos removed the pretzel border from their arrays and lined them up end-to-end. They then measured the total length of the pretzels. This gave the students the ability to conceptualize perimeter, and make concrete connections to formulas. 

Exploring perimeter and area with non-threatening, and EDIBLE, materials was fun and engaging for the kiddos. The activity allowed for a good foundation for content understanding, which we were able to build on throughout the lesson! Oh, and of course they got to eat their manipulatives!

Learning with food!

Learning with food.

Below you will find a link to the student sheet that was used in correlation with the lesson.
https://goo.gl/cJzsxp