Imagine elementary school without art, drama or music. Appealing? For most of us, no. For our students? Most definitely not. Now go a stretch further… imagine our world devoid of art.

Art, in its many forms, surrounds us: on the walls of our home, the billboards on the street corner, the music we listen to, our trips to the theatre, the television drama we return to each week, the picture book we will read tomorrow to our students, our clothing even.

Just recently, I was listening to Les Miserables. As I listened to the complexity of the notes and the profundity of the words, I was uplifted. And it got me thinking: without the arts, my life would be dull and somewhat empty. And though I love music and going to art galleries to wander through the masters, I realize not everyone shares this love.

Some consider these subjects ‘extras’. Yet, through the medium of the arts, we experience the world much differently. The arts add dimension, creativity and depth to our schooling and ultimately, our lives. Sir Ken Robinson purports that all subjects should hold equal value: that science and math for example, are not more important than music or art. Gerald Gordon has said “I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century.” As we think about the direction our society is headed, the arts is an important element. Consider how art, drama and music play such a large role in our increasingly multi-media society.

Bring out the paint… strum that guitar… dance your heart out! Discover the joy within the arts.

Recently I came across an article with this assignment: “Select a small shelf of books that represent you – the books that have changed your life, that have made you who you are today, your favorite favorites.” The idea intrigued me. What would be on my shelf if I was allowed 10 books – books that influenced my thinking, my being, my writing, my teaching?

After much thought, here’s my list (though I expect it might change in time):

• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• The Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout
• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• Radical Reflections by Mem Fox
• The Big Picture by Dennis Littky
• The Element by Sir Ken Robinson

I often think of the author when I am reading, but rarely do I think of the man who made the book form possible: Johannes Gutenberg. When he invented the printing press in approximately 1440, for the first time the mass production of books was possible. I take for granted the physical pages in my hands. I take for granted the distribution of words and ideas. Today though, I pay homage to Gutenberg for influencing how we create and distribute our words. I pay homage to a little thing we call a book.

Consider this, what’s on your shelf?

Visit www.idealbookshelf.com to see the origin of this challenge.

 

“Interest precedes learning.” Richard Saul Wurman.

When I decided to pursue my masters, I chose to complete it at the University of Alberta in the area of literacy. I had many people tell me, “there are easier ways to get your masters.” And probably they were right. Yet, because I was interested in what I was learning, my fatigue upon arrival at each evening class would quickly turn to elation. I would leave class energized: ready to talk about what I had discovered, ready to test out my learning with my students, ready to read some more. I certainly could have gone an easier route, but I know it would not have ignited the same passion within me.

How do we ensure that our students’ interests precede their learning? After all, we do have curriculum to cover. And that curriculum is determined by the government, not each of us as teachers, nor by our students. Ah, but herein lies the secret of the master teacher. Ignite the passion and stir the emotion within your students. Invite questions and curiosity. Use real world scenarios to bring relevance into your classroom.

On Friday, Lee Crockett demonstrated this beautifully at a session I attended. He showed a diagram of a fault line illustrating how the juncture of two plates can cause an earthquake. Although the diagram was well-exectued, it certainly did not peek my interest.

And then he showed footage from March 11, 2011 when an earthquake took Japan in its grip causing massive damage, destruction and the death of thousands. As we watched the water surge, the roads and buildings disappear, vehicles thrown about and crumpled as if mere toys, the feeling in the room changed. Instantly our interest and emotions were heightened. As a teacher, it was obvious how this video could stir the interest and emotion of our students. Imagine the questions, dialogue and writing after watching a video such as this. Quite naturally topics of science, religion, health, mathematics, economics and ethics would come into play with language arts the root of it all. Curricular outcomes would be met and the students would be fully engaged in the process.

Invite the real world into your classroom tomorrow. Watch the sparks ignite!

Curious about the video? Click here: Amateur footage of Japan earthquake

 

The beginning of January brings me back to school more rested and refreshed than during the busy days of December. Hopefully most of us have had time to rid ourselves of those nasty colds and flus, spend some time with family and perhaps even indulge in a nap here or there. The holidays provide the opportunity to spend an afternoon playing cards, going to a movie or best yet, curling up with a good book.

And though I enjoyed the holiday season, I am ready to return to our kidlets and plunge into 2013.

What is it about the new year that brings hope and optimism? Because really, if you consider it, not much changes between December 31 and January 1st. And yet, something feels different. The new year provides opportunity for a fresh start, an attitude shift, some introspection and goal-setting. We can shake free of those bad habits and replace them with good ones. The new year is time to embrace the here and now and make change happen. There are naysayers who believe resolutions will inevitably fail. And for those naysayers, they will. Yet as Winston Churchill once said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Look to the new year with hope and discipline and good things will follow. Whether we make the effort to sit down with our family three times a week for dinner, lose two pounds a month, walk fifteen minutes a day, send three positive notes home with students each week or spend at least one recess in the staffroom each day, our goals are attainable.

Though the alarm clock may be somewhat jarring tomorrow morning, I look forward to my 8:00 a.m. supervision to reconnect with our students. They will be eager to share both hugs and stories.

By the way, I will be in the staffroom at recess… hope to see you there…

On Friday, we went to work, our students came to school, and at the end of the day we all went home. In Newtown, Connecticut, 28 people – including 20 precious six and seven year olds – did not go home at the end of the day.

Elementary schools are full of indoor shoes and backpacks, bandaids and books, laughter and learning. On Friday, Sandy Hook Elementary School was taken over by handguns, horror and unimaginable chaos.

As more details are released, my emotions move in and out of sadness, anger, anguish, pain and devastation – despite the fact that I did not know the children or adults who died, nor the ones who survived this tragedy. My own emotions so raw, I simply cannot imagine the heightened, intense emotions of that community. I cannot imagine the terror and confusion for those six year olds in the last moments of their lives. I cannot imagine how the school staff will move forward from this real-life nightmare. I cannot imagine how the students who survived will ever feel safe in a school again or how they will ever recover from inevitable anguish and grief. I cannot imagine how these families will celebrate Christmas, this year or for years to come.

My thoughts move to the perpetrator of these crimes: What drove this 20 year old to something so horrific? What did he face in his own young life that made taking two handguns and a rifle to an elementary school the answer to his problems? After all, he was once a kindergarten student, too.

I have more questions than answers… How do we reconcile the increasing prevalence of guns in our society? How do we reach out to individuals to ensure a mass killing isn’t the solution to any predicament? How do we communicate our condolences to the families involved? How do we ensure these tiny victims are not lost without purpose? How do we bring meaning to this tragedy?

The answers will take thought, work, time and creativity. Ultimately, the answers may elude us.

What I do know… I will be thankful for each day of safety within our school, I will continue to be grateful to live in Canada, I will pray for healing in a community I had not even heard of until Friday and I will hug my loved ones a little tighter and a lot longer than usual.

 

 

When I think back to my first year of teaching, I cringe. I probably wasn’t a horrible teacher but I certainly was young and in survival mode. I compare my first year of teaching to a first draft of my writing: the content is tentative, the ideas formulating and the art and craft not yet developed.

During each year of teaching I further explore my pedagogy, discover new tricks and become more imaginative: ultimately, I refine the subtleties and nuances of my work. When I move from draft to draft in my writing, I hone my ideas, reorganize my thoughts, insert a little creativity and strive to perfect my wording. The changes I make are sometimes subtle, sometimes drastic.

My teaching and writing are both challenged and stretched by the ideas I read. My teaching and writing are both affected greatly by the students I encounter each day. Both are a work in progress and most certainly improve with innovation and reflection.

As a friend said to me recently, a writer is never truly finished a piece of writing: there is alway more to add, delete, fiddle with and finagle. Hopefully, this is also true for our teaching. Good teachers are never truly finished learning and improving their craft… for that is certainly what good teaching is.

 

It can be difficult to keep up with the ever-changing technology. It can also be difficult to determine what will stay and what will go. Consider QR codes… you know those black and white squares just waiting to be scanned, taking you to further information or advertising. The QR code has entered a new realm: death. That’s right. QR codes have found their way onto gravestones allowing family members, friends or strangers even, to scan the code and link to information about the deceased.

The idea intrigues me. Now as you may or may not know, my family was in the business of gravestones. My maternal grandparents, my father and my uncle all spent many years assisting families through the difficult time surrounding death. I can’t help wonder what they would say or how they would feel about this addition to gravestones. I suppose it’s not for everyone. And yet, I like the idea of someone stumbling upon my father’s gravestone and a QR code allowing him to learn more about my father’s life: his story.

This idea proves that we just cannot predict where technology will take us in the future. My dad, who died 11 years ago, could certainly never have imagined this possibility. Yet I think he would approve.

I have walked through many cemeteries throughout the world. I’ve always found them to be somewhat comforting: the rows and rows of history, the strength and endurance of the granite and the gentle reminder of our human frailty. Maybe next time, I’ll take along my smartphone…

It’s that time of year again: (cue the ominous music) report card time.

An enormous amount of time and energy is expended on report cards each term. The reality is, we know parents spend a much shorter time reading them than we spend writing them. And unfortunately, report cards are the cause of much anxiety for students, parents and teachers.

Now rationally, I know why we have report cards: the need to communicate the progress of our students and the need for teachers to be accountable for what they are teaching.

As a teacher, I tried to find the balance of communicating what I felt needed to be communicated to parents without running myself into the ground. I tried to work smarter not harder by planning ahead and working on report cards throughout the term. I tried to strike the balance of doing my due diligence and not adding unreasonable, excessive time to my work week.

I wasn’t always successful. By the time they were finished, I was usually exhausted and ready for a celebratory dance. Better yet, a drink.

Bottom line, they need to be done. The question then, how can we complete them without running the risk of living the report card blues each and every term? Some options:

1. Let each child complete their own report cards: kids and teachers would be much happier!
2. Find a child from last year resembling each student from this year. Voila! Report cards complete.
3. Divide a dart board into four sections: insufficient, basic, proficient, excellent. Complete one report card each recess.
4. Invite guests over on the pretence of a dinner party: under each dinner plate, 5 or 6 report cards to write. You can always add the names in afterwards…

All kidding aside, report cards are a given in this profession. This coming term, consider how you might work to avoid the report card blues while still honouring your professional responsibility AND maintaining your sanity.

 

Motivated. Inspired. Empowered. That is how I will arrive at school tomorrow. Why? I was lucky enough to attend a conference where I heard speakers like Sir Ken Robinson, Jon Scieszka and David Shannon, among others. More importantly though I was surrounded by individuals who are excited about education and literacy!

We are all aware of the challenges that face us daily in the field of education. Those challenges can be debilitating and onerous if we lose sight of our ultimate goal. After speaking to some American colleagues, I feel fortunate, extremely fortunate actually, to be a teacher in Canada. Did you know that teacher pay in the United States is going to be tied to student achievement? Did you know that if students do not meet a pre-established standard, they will be held back in that grade level regardless of whether or not the teacher determines it to be in the student’s best interest? Talk about taking steps in the wrong direction.

Sir Ken Robinson’s words seem directly at odds with the policies being implemented in the United States. He spoke about how critical inspiration and passion are to the process of learning: the very things American educators believe will be compromised if the pressure of standardized testing continues to mount.

As teachers we have the incredible opportunity to provide motivation and inspiration to our students. We have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from the educators that surround us. We have the opportunity to create ripples and waves in this shifting field of education. Those of us in Canada, unlike many of our American counterparts, feel confident and willing to make decisions that lead to greater student engagement, creative and critical thinking without the worry of a stringent focus on standards, standards and more standards.

Our system of education, though not perfect, really ain’t so bad…