#DigLitSunday: Reflection

Margaret asks us to reflect for this week's DigLitSunday.  Reflection was my #OLW (one little word) in 2012.  My #OLWs have impacted my life both personally and professionally. I really never have any idea of where my #OLW will lead me. 

Reflection is ever changing.  There are moments especially in the car driving home for 20 minutes when I have the waves of rollercoasters reflections. The ups and downs of reflection. I tend to lean more on the harder side of reflection when things aren't going well.  But I'm learning to be softer with myself. I think that is why I chose my #OLW Quest for 2016. Reflection is crucial for me especially this year as I embark on a new journey in my classroom (flexible seating along with inquiry learning) Blogging is an important part of my reflection. There have been moments when I wasn't sure if I should hit "post" and what's interesting those posts are the ones that tend to have the most comments. I'm thankful for reflection I always believe I'm better educator. I'm thankful for my PLN of friends who are everywhere from Maine to Montana.  I'm thankful for colleagues at BES and friends that support me.  Most of all I am so thankful for my family. Thanks Margaret, Reflections of Teche, for encouraging me with your weekly tweet to post on #DigLitSunday.

Sunday, September 11. I still remember where I was 15 years ago.  I was teaching and the first attack happened during my plan time. I gathered with my team members, watched silently, cried and had to walk into my classroom to teach.  I'm not sure how I made it through the day, If I'm honest I know how I made it through that day.  Prayers and knowing that I had to maintain composure, so my students' parents would be the ones to tell their child about what happened on 9-11.  I remember.

Slice of Life: I Wanted then I Realized

It's still early on Tuesday morning for summer.  I feel a sense of pride when I accomplish all my goals for the day by 9:02 and the only one left is to write my slice.  But I have been gathering my thoughts for awhile. Starting last week on vacation, as we journeyed around the East coast. I was sharing one of my favorite cities, Boston, with my husband, and I realized once again that I'm always a teacher.  Being his travel guide with tons of sentence starters like

• Did you know?
• At this location...
• Back in 1700's 
• This is one of my favorite locations
• Let's use the map
• Let's ask someone

I wonder if it's hard to live with a teacher.  I think I already know that answer.  I've been to Boston 10 times prior to this visit, and he'd never been there.  I wanted him to love the city just like I do.  

Isn't that what happens in my classroom sometime? I spend all my energy preparing lessons. I read several professional books, take notes, participate in twitter talks, Voxer a friend, and finally write the plan.  I want the lesson to be strong. By this time in my teaching career I know not perfect is almost not possible. I am beginning to realize I have more invested in the lesson than my students.  That is what I'm thinking about this summer.  What I want....then I realize.  I've been saying to my colleagues for a few years now that my students aren't as invested.  This year I made shifts with my classroom set up, organization, and lessons. I saw several moments when I knew they were invested. Those moments came when they were the decision makers, and I was not the leader of group. 

Every moment of summer is a lesson for me both personally and professionally. Our day in Boston taught me several lessons that I will take back to the classroom in August. I always enjoy joining Two Writing Teachers for Slicing on Tuesday. 

Checking off our Eastern Coast bucket list trip.

You have to visit Make Way for Ducklings in the Boston Commons

Slice of Life: When the Lights Go Out

Another year comes to a close, yesterday was our final day of school. This year presented several different challenges. My group of learners challenged my thinking (how to handle different types of behavior) I am still thinking about that blog post. There were moments when I thought I had the most thoughtful planned out lessons and as I opened the lesson I knew quickly it was a dud! There use to be moments in my teaching  career when I would fight though a bad lesson forcing it to work. One part of teaching that I am thankful for are the years of experience, I now have the courage to stop at that specific "dud" moment. Hit the breaks - take a huge right turn and change directions. I was honest with my class and if you could have been a fly on the wall, you would have heard this conversation.

• Me "I notice that not everyone is engaged during the opening of the mini lesson."  "Can someone tell me why you appear to be bored?"
• Student "It feels like the same thing as yesterday - we've done character traits with evidence sooooo many times."
• Me  "How could we change this lesson so it doesn't feel sooooo similar?
• Student: "We could choose a character from our read aloud."
• Student:  "We could break into small groups and use our read aloud."
• Student:  "Could we write a script and choose two favorite characters?"

After these conversations, my response was Yes, Yes, and Yes.  There was a different type of buzz and especially their the attitudes and looks on their faces. The lights are out in my classroom but the reflection time of summer is one of most valuable times that I find as an educator.  

Thanks to The Two Writing Teachers for encouraging me to reflect and share my Slices on Tuesday even though I'm a little late to the party.   

I'm extremely thankful to the learners in Room 234 for helping
me continue to grow as a teacher.

January OLW Thoughts about my Quest

I have always tried to reflect on my OLW at the end of the month. I lost that idea last year, but I want to try it again.  I felt like it helped me focus on my OLW throughout the month.  As January comes to a close and to be honest I am ready to put this month behind me. I am thankful for my quest as well as the  lessons I learned from January.  

How does each scene support the structure of the play?

In class, I went on a quest to understand RL5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. Let's be honest this standard is not new, I attempted it last year.  It's like unwrapping a gift but it turned into a  white elephant.  I wasn't quite sure what the standard meant, but I gave it my best shot.  Year 2, I am celebrating  digging deeper and continued searching for the true meaning of the white elephant. After all there is a little beauty in even the most difficult standard.  I am thankful to our literacy coach and team for helping me on this quest.  As we devoured "Ethics of Pigs" by O'Henry, we all felt much smarter and totally understood the structure of a drama.  We all earned a gold star for that learning. 

January in Ohio is always unpredictable with the weather.  Our weather has been seasonably mild, and we haven't had much snow.  We sidetracked the huge blizzard that just rolled through.  My quest for home this past month was slowing down in the evening and turning off school.  Typically I would do my homework for the evening and then continue reading, tweeting, and writing about being a teacher.  I decided I was going to try this month to turn off school earlier or better yet not have to do school every night. I assume this might sound a little crazy for a teacher to turn off school, but I needed to adjust, and I'm thankful I did.  I learned that being "on" all the time was not working for me.  I am thankful that my quest lead to a path that is more balanced.  I'm anxious to continue into February...

Slice of Life: Reflection on 2015

This Friday is the last day of 2015 in our classroom. As I'm reflecting (OLW15) on the first four months of school. It's been a great start to the year with celebrations including last Friday's comment, "Mrs. Caplin, I've never understood long division. It's the best day of the year."  Another email from a sixth grade student thanking me for spending so much time helping him with his math and reading. As the school year closes, I am thankful for these celebrations.

• All my students are reading their JR books that they choose. They know their teacher is a reader and will always be asking, "What are you reading?"
• Newbery Club is meeting this Thursday, and I'm celebrating all 23 of them that go above and beyond and choose to be apart of our club early in the morning before school.  
• Long division doesn't have to be long - it can be repeated addition and/or place value long 7.  What ever strategy works best for my students is the #1 choice.
• We're reading Family Under the Bridge written in 1958 in Paris, France.  I read it every year and have enough copies for everyone to have their own. There is a magic when my students know that the book their holding might have been held by their brother or sister who is now in high school.  It's been a different type of read aloud this year with the recent events in Paris.  We've spent additional time having important conversations. I've used  Google images showing them photos of important historical places in Paris.  
• Yesterday the The Ohio State Jazz combo visits our school every year.  The opportunity for our students to be exposed to different types of music as well as learn the story behind the music is very special. 
• Thursday we will be doing 5th Grade Gives Back collecting toiletries, making snowflakes to deliver to the nursing home and after school several students and teachers will go the nursing home to sing and pass out the snowflakes.
• Friday will be our holiday party, and I'm super excited this year.  The room mothers asked for every student to donate a gently used book they've already read, and we're playing a game with them.  All my students will be taking home a old/new book to read over the holidays.  Perfect for Room 234 :)

Finally I am thankful for my renewed energy in writing. Opening the computer and having something  to type.  Grabbing ideas from Sunday sermons and collecting interesting vocabulary from everywhere.  New and exciting words are jumping off the pages and my wordsmith brain is happy happy!!  I hope everyone has a blessed and relaxing Christmas. Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers for encouraging me to Slice on Tuesdays.  My plans right now are to celebrate with our family the first week and find some writing time the second week. 

Slice of Life: Can't Find the Path (Yet)

Over Thanksgiving, I had several conversations with our adult children which left me in a quandary. There are so many tough questions being asked these days not only from our kids, but about life.  I think there lies the answer: I don't have to know all the answers as long as I continue to learn and have empathy as part of the process.

 I watched Ruth's video about her decade of One Little Words.   Her calming voice along with her explanations resonated in me. My OLW15: reflection has sent me on twists and turns I never saw coming this year. When I take a moment to reflect and realize the answer is not always there or more importantly the path can't be found (yet).  We're all on a journey to figure out the pieces (slices) of life. The conversations really made me realize that my journey at 52 is not any different than one at the age of 23 and 25.  I am thankful for that realization. Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for encouraging me to Slice. 

Summer reflection from a moment on our dock.

OLW: Reflecting About November

Thanks to Google Images

In past years, I always wrote a blog post on the last day of the month about my OLW which is  reflection.  Some how I lost that plan this year, but as I thought about November over Thanksgiving I realized that my thinking evolved into three areas.

I've been struggling in my classroom.  In a good way if that's possible, yes I think that is possible.  I have questioned every practice in my math block and several of my literacy practices.  It's been a challenging first 12 weeks of school.  Someone should have told me that after teaching 27 years the 28th year doesn't get easier it just gets more confusing.  I understand why there are more challenges. Thoughtful consideration of my learners which includes differentiation, constant reading of blogs and tweets for guidance, and my CL writing family have helped me find a newly navigated course for the first trimester although bumpy I have a course. 

I'm thinking deeply about education, not only in Room 234, beyond our school, our district, and beyond Ohio. Several blog posts have made me stop and reflect (OLW15) and  I haven't wrapped my ideas around some of the blogs or tweets from the past few weeks.  I will say social media has opened my world to amazingly sophisticated and intelligent learners, and I am thankful for my virtual PLN. To be continually challenged is something that I cling too. 

Is there bloggers' guilt? Just like mother's quilt?  I've read so many blog posts in November.  Printed several, shared several, retweeted tons. Yes I'm guilty - taking and not reciprocating.  I feel like I've been on a journey this year, and the road map hasn't been as clear.  It's always interesting how blogging helps me reflect as well as organize my trip.

Power of Choice in Writing - OLW Reflection

W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Enter Magic School Bus.  Who doesn't love Miss. Frizzle and their far out adventures? After several mini lessons on non fiction text features, I told my class it's time for their first research of the year.  You could have heard a collected sigh from my students. Even, "On no not yet Mrs. Caplin."  I played along for a few moments telling them they would have to research about their favorite president or season.  "Ugh..." to say it politely.  

I then passed out the Magic School Bus books again and asked them if they would like to write their own little book modeled after Magic School Bus. Sighs turned into cheers and then it got even louder when I told them they could choose their own topic and would become a published author, "Who me? Really? How?"  

Some of the topics included:  hockey, Eiffel Tower, monkeys, headphones, pocket watches, music, Empire State Building, remote control cars, and fiber optics. The icing on the cake was reading this page in her book.

Creating Those Moments

Good night Jim Bob.

Good night Mary Ellen

Good night Elizabeth

Waltons was my favorite television show growing up. Being an only child I always wondered what it would have been like to be in their family or in the Brady Bunch? Life seemed so simple and uncomplicated.

Now life is busy and families are overscheduled.  Classrooms are busy and overscheduled.  I often wonder how to put the brakes on in my class?  I search for those moments that my students will remember from fifth grade. What will be their defining memory?  Will I know it before hand? Will that moment even be in my lesson plans? Probably not.

One third of our school year is complete.  I continue to unwind the State Standards while reflecting on the practices that will support the lesson. I desperately try not to lose the chance to create that elite moment.  I’m constantly weaving in opportunities to share a new picture book in my mini lessons. During math, we discuss multiplication and connect to a real life example even asking them to collect menus as they go out to eat. “How much would 3 pieces of chocolate pie cost?” Their writer’s notebooks hold treasured thinking, and I inquire about what they choose to write about each day. We share little snippets that might create that special moment for them. 

Life is busy. Life is complicated. Within the walls of my classroom, my wish is that there will be a certain moment that will resonate with my students, and someday they will recall their Walton’s memory. An extra thanks to Sarah for being my cheerleader this week and encouraging me to step forward on this post.  I had closed the door, and you helped me open it.  You're an amazing friend!