This time of year is tough for many reasons. Some parents are questioning why their "precious angel" who has always had straight A's, received a B or C in the first quarter. A lot of students at my school have a tough time adjusting to the rigor of 7th grade. The expectations are much higher and the work load increases. November also brings the annual 7th grade field trip to the mountains. Due to the fact that I am more of a "hotel room, cocoa drinking in the lobby" type of guy, I usually choose to stay behind and supervise the students who can't go on the trip. It's tough for the students who can't go due to financial issues. Even though we offer partial scholarships, some families still can't afford it. It is sad that they'll miss out on such a great experience:-(

On the bright side, my football team just concluded a third straight undefeated championship season! I get one week off, then it's time to start coaching basketball.

Evaluations

CMS's new system of evaluating teachers has gotten a lot of teachers in a panic. I look at is as an opportunity to improve my craft. The administration must now tell me specific things that will make me a better teacher. I look forward to the challenge of incorporating all of their suggestions into my daily routines. The two biggest areas I need to improve upon are using more modern technology in my lessons and transitioning to the new National Content Standards. Hopefully by the end of the school year I will be considered an "accomplished" teacher in all of the criteria.

A Great Week!

This has been a great week! We started by reading our first class novel, Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers. Class novels are fun to teach because there are so many ways to make the stories come alive for the students. Novels are a great way to teach students how to draw conclusions and make inferences. I always try to get them to "read between the lines" and tell me things about the story that aren't necessarily written on the pages.

On another note, our football team won again improving our season record to 3-0. We are currently on a 3-year, 17-game unbeaten streak. As the head coach, it is so rewarding to see how the players' hard work in practice pays off for them in the games. As I said, this has been a great week!

Observation Week

This week I am being observed by my administrator. For years now I've stayed with a philosophy to never change my lesson plans based on who may be visiting my room that day. At my school, administrators pop in and out on a regular basis, so I'm sure they already know who I am as a teacher. Whatever they see in the 40 or so minutes in my room cannot diminish the 13 years of experience I've accumulated. I am all for receiving critique and feedback. I welcome any suggestions that may help me raise my students' test scores. With all that being said, I hope everything goes well!

The students seem to definitely be in the swing of things. As we enter into our second unit, they are beginning to adjust to life in the 7th grade. It's a huge adjustment for them because now they have to move around the building, as opposed to having all of their teachers in one hall. We've had to give lessons on time management and locker organization. Now that we are a full IB school, it seems that rigor is the new catch phrase. Because of that, I'vehad to step up my lessons and make them more challenging.

Back-to-School Night. The chance to match up faces with the names on the emails. I am very fortunate to have very active parents this year. There was a tremendous turnout, and they were all engaging and eager to learn what 7th grade language arts is all about. The only problem we had was when it came to work load. A few parents were complaining that my colleagues and I are giving too many projects simultaneously. I think parents are shocked when they realize the huge difference between 6th and 7th grade expectations. As a team, we decided that we were going to continue to challenge our students by maintaining the necessary level of rigor in our curriculum, but maybe do a better job with collaborating on the days when projects are due.

This week was short in the number of school days, but tremendously impactful in regards to my professional development. Today I presented a workshop called, "A Defining Moment." It was a concept I learned from Susan Kovalik this summer at the TFI summer symposium. It is all about trying to present each student with a special or defining moment in their education, a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives. Teaching isn't all about EOG scores and data, it is also about personal development and teaching kids to be global citizens. Susan's presentation was so moving to me that I wanted to share it with my colleagues. I could tell from the eye contact, engagement and feedback that my presentation really made a difference. It felt so good to share my knowledge and experience with my colleagues. Hopefully many more students at my school will have "defining moments" this year because of my workshop.

First Full Week of School

I have run into my first road block of the year. It is really more mental than anything else. One of my goals for the year was to try to be more collaborative and less "conceited" about my lessons and teaching methods. I am slowly becoming frustrated by not being able to do things my way (you know, the way I always have for 13 years). When reflecting on my frustration, I realize that in order to reach a higher level as a teacher I must be willing to try new things. Sometimes being comfortable is not such a good thing. Times change and people change. Just like when a student tells me that they know best and they don't want to try things my way, I have to be willing to open up and be accepting of other people's ideas. It's just a lot harder than I thought it was going to be!

Whew! What a week. It's always way more stressful preparing for the kids than it is when they arrive. Luckily for me I work with an extremely strong team on my grade level. We have been keeping each other in check and sharing ideas. One of my goals for this school year is to be less "conceited." What I mean by that is I want to be more open to my colleagues' ideas. So far I have found that it is less stressful to be more collaborative. It's good for team chemistry, and definitely helps get the work done more efficiently.

Our Open House was a huge success. I saw about 80% of my parents and have already created email distribution lists for my classes. I believe that in the 7th grade it is crucial for parents and teachers to communicate as much as possible. Some people believe 12 and 13 year-olds need to be more independent. I believe the exact opposite. This is the time when they are going through a lot of changes (physically, mentally and socially). They need caring adults in their lives more than ever. For this reason I make an asserted effort to establish a strong line of communication between the classroom and home as soon as possible. So far things are going great (then again, it is only the first week).

I am now "back in the swing of things" at school. We had our big faculty meeting where we laid out our goals for the year. Throughout the meeting I found myself thinking about something I learned this summer at the TFI Symposium from Mike Whitehead. It was the concept of "default v. intentional." I want to be "intentional" with everything I do this year to help with student achievement. I will not be in "default" mode, which will make me feel powerless and burnt out. Already I see myself being more vocal, open and collaborative with my colleagues. A supervisor and co-worker have already pointed out how my summer professional development has seemed to rejuvenate me. Now my next step is to follow through with my plans. We'll see how that goes starting next Wednesday when my new charges arrive!

Now I know this is very much against the norm, but I LOVE this time of year (a couple of weeks before the new school year begins)! While setting up my classroom, I visualize what the new school year may have in store for me. I reflect on the good points from the previous year, while brainstorm ways to improve in the areas that weren't so good. This time of year brings boundless possibilities of student achievement and growth as well as the possibility of taking my teaching to a higher level. As head coach of my school's back-to-back, undefeated football and girls' basketball teams, I think about what my responsibilities are to help carry on Piedmont's winning tradition. As one of the veteran teachers in the building, I think about ways I can help the new teachers adjust to what will probably be the toughest year of their lives.

More than anything I think about my 9-year-old son who helps me set up my classroom every year. We do this as a way to spend some quality time together before my "other 90-plus kids" monopolize a great deal of my time. One year as we were working on my classroom library my son said to me, "Dad, it's cool that you're a teacher because teachers love kids." I made a promise a long time ago always to teach and interact with my students in the way I expect my son's teachers to teach and interact with him. This helps me stay focused. SOME PEOPLE dread coming back to work after an extended vacation. Well, I guess my mom was right when she once said to me, "Boy, you're name is David Milligan, not SOME PEOPLE!"

Introducing our newest Blogger

Greetings readers. I am so pleased to have you joining us for our second year of blogging. TFI graduated its fifth class of teachers last week, and our alumni group is now 128 teachers strong. This year's group of teachers covered every age group, subject and demographic imaginable. The bonds formed during their week of learning and rejuvenation are likely the strongest yet, and I look forward to introducing the newest batch of alumni to the most experienced.

David Milligan, seventh grade Language Arts teacher from Piedmont IB Middle School, will be blogging for us this year. Now beginning his thirteenth year of teaching, David is a passionate educator who brings his lessons to life for his students.

Questions

This was a day in which being a teacher was filled with ALL the things you want it to contain. Our fourth graders were able to take a field trip to the NC Zoo due to a grant we received from Target. Just the excitement of going from the students was contagious, however, it was more than the trip itself. The students were full of so many questions while they were visiting the exhibits and viewing the animals. We heard expressions such as, "Wow, look at that", "Did you know. . .?", "Why does this animal do . . .?" Talk about learning! Some of our students have never been to the zoo and therefore it was an exhilarating experience to be a part of their learning and wonder. This was a day I think the students and the teachers will remember.

Thank you

This blog is a "thank you" to Teaching Fellows Institute. I enjoyed an extremely pleasant evening with a Top Chef Cook Off and a lecture about technology sponsored by Teaching Fellows Institute.

I must admit my day at school was long and challenging and I was feeling a little worn out before I attended the alumni event. However, I was rejuvenated after spending time with fellow colleagues as we stretched our thinking with recipes and our humble attempts to be the "top chef"! The evening ended with some valuable information about technology and the classroom. I left the event with the feeling that not only had my body been nourished from the delicious food, but more importantly my soul was fed with the fellowship and friendship from fellow educators!

Welcome Back!

Today was our first day back from Spring Break and it was extremely positive for me and the students. I couldn't help but notice that the students were focused and the transitions were smooth.

I also noticed that I was very focused, rested, and relaxed. I guess the students needed the break just as much as I did. I think we all got our tanks refueled to finish this school year strong.

How was your day back from Spring Break? What did you observe about your students? What did you notice about yourself?

Are we there yet?

How many weeks until Spring Break? I feel like my kids (when they were younger) when we went on trips asking the infamous question, "Are we there yet?", "How many more miles?"

I love my kids and I love teaching, however, I must admit that my body is a little exhausted, no, extremely exhausted these days. I know I am not the only one who feels this way. I was amused during some planning when my colleague could not finish her sentences without yawning!

To all of those exhausted teachers, I hope you are planning to get some rest during the upcoming Spring Break. Every teacher deserves some time for rest and rejuvenation. I think my students are feeling a little weary themselves.

Spring fever has arrived and we all need a few moments to rest and soak in the beautiful sunshine. Enjoy!

One of those days

I must share about "one of those days". I was beginning to wonder if we would get anything accomplished related to learning. I knew the students were excited with the new scenery, therefore, I decided to go with the "force."

While students worked in small groups to investigate concepts about fractions, I pulled the blinds completely up so they could soak in the white blanket falling outside. It actually proved to be productive. The students were engaged with their activity and they actually learned something today. Needless to say, I am exhausted tonight after dealing with all of that energy displayed in my room today. I guess it would be accurate to say, it was "one of those days!"

Thank you

I want to share a few moments about teachers. I attended a math conference yesterday and it can be amusing to stop and notice how teachers are so similar to one another. With any profession, you have a lot of differences within the profession, however, it was quite obvious yesterday how similar teachers can be.

While sitting in a workshop, I noticed how teachers all had the same reaction when the presenter revealed some resources for math. There was a reaction around the room of excitement about something simple yet so important for teachers. If you are a teacher who has "heart" in what you do everyday, you will understand what I am talking about. I was privileged to have the company of fellow colleagues and there was so much energy between all of us while we discussed our issues with our students' learning and possible activities and strategies for learning.

It was a gentle reminder that we, as teachers, need one another to be the most effective leader in the classroom. I am so glad I am a small part of the big picture in this profession and I am even more appreciative that I have great colleagues to work with. I know they are helping me to grow and improve each day in the classroom.

I am sure you know some colleagues who have had a positive influence in your career. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Evaluations

Have you ever thought about how we evaluate ourselves? We hear that word a lot in the world of education. It becomes a part of our every day language when we are dealing with students and when we reflect upon our own practices.

I believe I evaluate my effectiveness as a teacher upon the successes and failures of my students. We are gearing up for assessments next week and I am anxious for the results. One of the focuses for next week will not only be "how well " the students perform, but the "effort" they exhibit when they take the assessments.

I couldn't help but notice one of my student's reaction to my approval when he showed me his math homework this week. We have been stressing the importance of "showing" your work and "thinking" when solving problems. Our students do not always want to slow down to show all of these things. I knew this student was proud when he was practically putting his work in my face. Of course, I made sure I praised his "effort". I didn't really look to see if the work was correct because I wanted my students to know the importance of "effort". It felt so good inside to see that big smile across his face when I recognized his deliberate efforts. I believe those are the small moments in which we gain momentum with our students.

Does anyone have a moment to share when they made the connection with their students over the past few weeks. I would love to hear about it. How do you evaluate yourself?

Measuring growth

As an educator in the school system, sometimes we are driven by test scores and requirements already set before us. Looking at the big picture can be overwhelming and can seem like such an impossible task. I decided to take a look at my class and the "little" things that exhibit growth that might not be measured on tests at the end of the year.

When my day starts with my students, they follow the routines that every class follows with unpacking their things and starting with their day. I have noticed that most of my students are anxious to show me their homework and they want me to know they completed their assignments. This tells me they are proud of what they did and they want my approval. Sometimes they stand there holding the assignment in such a way that they are literally "in my face"!

When I give back tests, they are quick to question why they got something wrong and they have actually learned how to look at their mistakes and discuss them with me and other students. They have become more excited about reading books and we have informal discussions about them during transitions. They are actually talking about these things outside of class!

Overall, I can see that they are taking more ownership of their learning and more pride in their accomplishments. . . .that is a long-term goal for me to impart to my students. These are goals that are not written in a standard course of study, but I believe extremely important to the whole child!

Happy New Year

The first week back to school and everything is falling into place just as it was before we left. I have noticed a few changes among my students and I am excited with the small changes that are unfolding before my eyes. You always have a few students who struggle with making good decisions each day and one of my "busy" students has actually started taking more ownership of his actions! It may sound trivial, but it is a HUGE accomplishment for him and it helps our classroom run so much smoother.

Everyday this week he would ask, "Am I having a good day?", "I'm doing better, right?" He is actually wanting to "do the right thing!" So I have tried to analyze this new reform. I believe some of it might be that he is maturing since the beginning of the year and he has bought into the idea that making good choices will bring good things for his life. The other idea is that our school is a part of "Right Moves for Youth." He is a part of this program and he has started to believe in himself. He is a member of our basketball team and has become highly motivated with the opportunity to play and he wants to succeed.

I am sure there are many reasons why there is a reform, but I am just so happy to see the changes because I know ultimately they will benefit him and help him to succeed! That is true job satisfaction!