Small steps towards success

We just sent home Mid-Quarter Reports and we still had one conference we had not been able to make happen. Since we utilize the family model at our school, me and the other fourth grade teacher have been able to conduct all 41 conferences together. Today marked number 41! We reached 100% by conducting a home visit in which the parent was positive and supportive!

I guess you could say I am excited because we reached every parent in our fourth grade family. It may not seem like a big deal to others, but for me, it feels monumental. I choose to believe that the investment we are making now will benefit the students for the remainder of this school year and subsequent years in their lives.

I must celebrate these small steps because I know these are building blocks towards success with our students!

Mid-Quarter Reports

As I have been working on mid-quarter reports for my students this weekend, I found myself smiling as I added comments to their reports. I became excited inside because I realized so many of my comments were about improvements the student had made since mid-quarter reports from the first quarter. A lot of the comments were about my students taking more ownership of their learning and about them applying themselves more. Wow. . .it feels good to say that!

Sometimes we become distracted with the every day disrupions from learning and teaching because the little things can seem so big, however, stopping to review each child's progress helps me put things into perspective. As I digest the progress of each of my students, I have to ask myself, "How am I progressing?" I would say I am improving just as my students are. . .we are taking learning step by step.

One child at a time

I know to anyone else it might not make sense, but I am excited about a little discovery I made Friday with one of my students. Our school has been reading and implementing the book, "Discipline with Dignity" this year. Recently, we had an in-service and we reflected about specific students we wanted to focus upon and to try interventions to help with their behavior.

I have "one" of those students who presents a challenge every day. Now, back to my excitement. Friday, I had a private discussion with my student and asked him to tell me what he needed to help him have a good day and to stay in his seat (since that seems to be an issue). He told me he wanted to sit at a table in a specific location in the room. At the end of the day, on the way to the buses, I complimented my student about the wonderful day he had. I asked him, "Why do you think you had such a good day?" He replied, "puzzles". "Puzzles?" I asked. Then I remembered that throughout the day when there were a few minutes during transitions, he would work on a simple board puzzle. Could it be that simple? I do not know, but this teacher went shopping this evening to purchase more puzzles!!! I can't wait to see what positive results they bring. I'll let you know what happens!

Life in the Classroom

Life in the classroom has been hectic, to say the least. Recently, I was teaching my students about something in writing when one of them made a connection with something taught in another subject to the current subject. I was so excited!!! My student was actually applying and connecting what had been taught. I know it was one student and one moment, but sometimes those little moments can fuel your drive and energy to keep pressing forward.

Recently, I attended a function sponsored by Teaching Fellows Institute and I felt that one moment inspired me to keep my drive going. It was ignited by the fellowship of other teachers and their testimonies. Teachers are constantly giving and reaching to develop their students, however, there are times when we need those small moments to keep us going.

Fall

Tis the season for cool weather, pumpkins, leaves, and conferences!!! I love this time of the year for many reasons. Some are personal, such as the cool weather and the beautiful leaves, but I also love the fun things you can do with students. We were able to find a few minutes to decorate a pumpkin yesterday. You have to mix a little fun into their day. Our week was filled, especially with conferences. Since we are following a family model, we are conferencing with ALL fourth grade parents together. We successfully completed 18 conferences last week. We have 23 to go! It was refreshing to meet with the parents and communicate needs of their children and successes. I truly enjoy following the family model because it brings cohesiveness to our grade. Even though I may be a little tired from all the conferencing, it is well worth it!

First quarter

We are nearing the end of the first quarter of school and I am spending time reflecting about the strategies that have been effective and new ones I want to try. We have adjusted to the daily routine and I am now focusing on individual needs. Everything that must be accomplished over the next three quarters can sometimes be overwhelming, to say the least.

As I dedicate so much of my time, inside and outside of school, I am torn with the tasks of preparing lesson plans and meeting the demands of a school system that holds a high level of accountability. Even though everything I must do seems to be more than my plate can hold, I know I must go on the field and give everything I have to give. The game is not over until the end of the fourth quarter. The focus is the students and their achievement so I will go on the field and fight for their chance to succeed. I know I sound like a coach talking to his team. . .I think I am coaching myself!

Reflections

I have to admit that recently I have been feeling a little worn down. This is the time of the year when everything becomes much more rigorous. With my days starting at 4:30 a.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m. (if I am lucky), I do feel exhausted. With that being said, feeling exhausted and worn out has caused me to reflect about my teaching and the desire to be an effective teacher. I was reminded gently this past week that I am committed to the belief that what I do for a child really does matter.

My students have been struggling with listening and following directions. We have had class meetings and I have been trying to prompt them to think for themselves about their actions. Over the past few days, I have given my students a few minutes at the end of the day to write me a letter that contains a reflection about their day at school. After reading their letters, I was able to see that the things I have been telling them; you are successful, believe in yourself, etc. is really taking root in their lives. As they have been writing their letters, they have been sharing what is in their heart. This activity has proven to be extremely encouraging for me because it has shown me how they want to succeed - they believe it along with me!!! I can sleep better knowing the seed has been planted and I cannot wait to see the fruit that is produced!

Guest Blogger

Hello everyone, it's Leslie, Director of TFI. I'll be writing with Trina throughout the fall because it is this time of year that I seem to miss teaching the most.....and though I'm no longer teaching in the classroom, I still consider myself an educator.

The start of the year is always filled with excitement and limitless opportunities. Every year, as a teacher and as a student, the smell of new school supplies would be just as exciting as the smell of freshly baked cookies. My mug of pens would be filled to maximum capacity, and each pencil sharpened to a beautifully tipped point. It usually only took three days before my desk mirrored that of a disaster zone, and I had to scramble to find a writing utensil. But each year I vowed to be more organized than the year before. I'm not a disorganized person by nature, but at the start of each class I jumped excitedly into Science, placing various supplies all over the room in an effort to get my students to understand.

As teachers we all believe that, in most cases, we help students most in the non-academic arenas. I am not sure a student's life was ever changed when he figured out the Tibetan Plateau was formed as India crashed into Asia (so cool!!!), but I do believe that a student's life can be changed when a teacher gives him the confidence to be himself. One such example occurred during my last year of teaching. As a sixth grade teacher I was asked to choose a student from my homeroom to give a tour of the school to the incoming fifth graders. Normally, teachers choose the straight-A, ever-attentive student (usually a girl) that gladly does whatever the teacher asks. Not me. This particular year I chose a student who was bussed in from a lower-performing school who talked incessantly. Even my colleagues asked my why I chose this student. I couldn't answer, except that I found him to be particularly interesting. Don't you know that on the day of the tour, he showed up in a suit!

It is for reasons like this that I miss teaching, but I realize the importance of what TFI does. Without excellent teachers (the teachers who know, instinctively, what to do to enhance the life of their students) students don't stand a chance. It is soooo important that we keep these teachers engaged and inspired!

Lessons for the week

I made it through the first week of school and I have already learned or "relearned" a few lessons myself. First, since we are practicing the "Family Model" in our school, we are all adjusting to the new expectations that follow this plan. The colleagues in my "family" at school are becoming truly like my family. We are spending more time with one another while we are interacting with the students. The necessity of good planning has become obvious since we are co-teaching and working towards success across our grade level. It is very similar to a marriage. We are learning to practice the "give" and "take" in a relationship. I am truly blessed to be working with a group of positive professionals.

Second, our students have jumped into the rigor and we are focusing upon assessing each student in order to meet individual needs. While we are trying to design detailed plans for each student, I have been taking mental notes as well as written notes (anecdotal) about each student's likes, dislikes, etc. Every year I quickly realize the importance to learn more about my students so that I can find a way to connect with them.

Third, a little kindness can go a long way for our students. I reminded one of my students about a rule in our school and I said, "You wouldn't want the principal to say something to you about the rule in the hallway?" One of the other students quickly replied, "If she says something to you, she will be nice about it!" That was truly priceless. Students know your heart. . .it comes through in so many ways. Good lesson to remember!

First day of school

As I wind down and reflect about the first day of school, I feel relieved and more relaxed. I teach at Ashley Park Elementary in a fourth grade classroom. This year, our school is implementing the “Family Model” throughout the school. This model includes taking shared responsibility for all of our students in the fourth grade and other grades as well. After completing the first day of the beginning of this new model, I feel excited and I anticipate great things this year. The one aspect of my first day back that made the day unique was the support I felt by other teachers. There was a very strong sense of community felt throughout the entire school. We were all working together to make this day a great one for ALL of our students!

Welcome to our blog!

Hello readers!
Welcome to the first official Blog for the Teaching Fellows Institute. Now that TFI has more than 100 alumni, we are eager to share our success stories with our supporters. Starting this school year, Teaching Fellow Trina Potter (class of 2006) will be blogging about her experiences in the classroom. Look for weekly updates from Trina, and feel free to join in the conversation.

You can also follow TFI on Facebook (become a fan of "Teaching Fellows Institute") or Twitter (twitter.com/teachingfellows).

Happy reading, and best of luck as the school year begins!
Leslie Quinlivan