One Word: Time

Since before 2017 began, I’ve been thinking about my one word. To be honest, I feel this slight pressure; my word has to be just right. It has to be powerful and convey meaning. Then I realized I'm over thinking. It's a bad habit of mine. My word is for me. I decided to focus on all the things I hope for and want to accomplish in 2017 and just like that, it was quite apparent.

My one word is time.

I want to spend more quality time with my family. Having a long break after Christmas gave me the chance to do just this. We played games, we laughed, we watched movies, we read...we spent time together.

I want to take time for me. It's easy to get caught up in work mode, mommy mode and taking care of everything else but myself. I want to make time to workout as it's something I enjoy and something that makes me feel good emotionally and physically.  I want to take time to read. Time to learn. Time to grow.

Time to listen. In the hustle and bustle of daily life I find myself not always truly listening. Whether it's with one of my boys at home, my husband, a friend, or a colleague, my mind is always two steps ahead on the next thing to get done. I want to focus on being present with people and slowing down.

And lastly, I want to be more aware of time. I often say “Where did the time go?" OR "I wish there was more time in the day to get things done." I need to focus my time on what's important. There's definitely free space in my day and I want to be more aware of how I use that time. I want to use it on things that are important to me.

Time is important. Time is precious. We never know what life will bring our way and I don't want to regret the time I didn't spend.

Looking Back on 2016

As 2017 begins it's time to think about my focus for this year, but before I do, I'll take time to look back on 2016. Lindsy Stumpenhorst of the #PrincipalsinAction Voxer group set forth a challenge to reflect on 2016: What would you change? What did you learn? What was crazy amazing? I could spend all day writing about 2016, but today I'll just choose a few things about my year as a principal.

- I've learned that I'm not in this alone. Sometimes while at my school site it can seem like I'm on my own, but really, I'm not. Only if I choose to be. I've pushed myself this year to really connect with others in person and over Voxer and it's truly been something amazing. No one understands our job like a fellow principal.  Having others to learn from, listen, challenge, and inspire me has been a huge support.

- In the same aspect, I've learned that it's ok to ask for help. I think the stubborn side of me wants to prove that I can do this. I don't need support from the others, especially people at the district office level. I can handle it. Subconsciously I think asking for help shows I'm weak. I've learned that that's not true. Reaching out and asking for support is ok, and sometimes necessary. District level personnel is there to support if I allow. They don't know what I need if I don't tell them.

- I ended last school year focused and organized with things I needed to get done. My plan was to start August just like that. Well that didn't happen. Come the craziness of the beginning of the year I let all the things go that helped focus me. All the things that I put into place with my Work.Life.Balance Voxer group went out the window. Moving into the second half of the school year, I want to change that. I want to go back to taking time to prioritize my week and what needs to be done.

- Through all the ups and downs of 2016, I have to remember the things that have been amazing. The kids are amazing! They make me laugh, they impress me and sometimes they even make me cry. But they're the reason I do what I do every day. My staff has amazed me.  Multiple teachers this year have taken leadership roles above and beyond their classroom to help improve the lives of our kids.  

2016 was a good year and here’s to 2017 being even better!

No AR, No Big Deal

This post was written with Brandon Blom (@brandonkblom, you can check out his blog here). Brandon and I are both elementary school principals in the Roseville City School District.  

Last year the decision was made to stop using Accelerated Reader at our school.  Since we posted our blog post Why We Are Moving on from AR, we keep getting the same two questions: What are you doing now that AR is gone? How are teachers and students feeling without it?

As principals we get the opportunity to be in classes and talk to students and teachers on a daily basis.  We have the opportunity to see kids in all grade levels reading and engaged in activities with their reading.  So what have we seen?  There has definitely been a shift in how students show their understanding of what they are reading.   Teachers have been creative with their activities allowing kids choice and a chance to share what they are learning in multiple ways.  We are both seeing things that weren’t in our classrooms a year ago when we relied on AR quizzes.  

Some of the things we see include:

Book Conferences - Teachers are meeting with kids one on one to talk about the books they are reading.  Teachers are asking questions.  Kids are talking.  Conversations are taking place not only about the book, but also about if the books are a good fit, and recommendations are being made for other books to read.

Book Reviews - There are a variety of formats on how this looks in classes.  Some teachers are incorporating technology and using Padlet or Bookopolis for their reviews.  Others are using traditional paper and pencil for kids to write a review.

Book Talks - Kids are sharing their book with others.  They’re talking with partners, small groups, and in front of the whole class. This not only shows their understanding, but also generates an excitement for other students to read the book.  

Keeping Track of Books Read - Some teachers have created graphs or Google forms to log the book genres.  Others have students make their own Google sites for students to log books they read and their overall rating of the book.  

Example of a student website for book tracking

Reader’s Notebooks - Some classes have created personal notebooks where kids get to respond in writing or pictures about their
reading.  The kids get to choose what they want to write about and/or draw.  The kids loves these books!  They love that they get to choose.

Sharing what we see is important, but we also feel it is important to hear from our teachers.  After talking with them there is a mixed response.  For those that had their students take AR quizzes on a regular basis, some miss the accountability they feel that they quizzes gave them. Others however love that their kids are talking more about books and not having the pressure around reaching a goal.  

“I love the Reading Response Notebook and how I've seen the students take pride in them. The only negative for me without AR is not having the ease of looking online to see how many books a student has read and their comprehension (on details at least) of them.”

Jill Padilla, 2nd Grade Teacher, Sargeant Elementary

“No longer the stress of taking test and wondering if a student should read a book because of its point value. Kids are reading a book because they want to.”

Erin Roberts, 3rd Grade Teacher, Stoneridge

“Negative-AR is a quick way to check in with student reading. I liked that it was an option for kids to take a quiz if they wanted. Some kids really liked it.
Positive- Some kids got stressed out with goals/points. Parents also felt this, so it's a positive to not have ‘worry’ as a part of reading.”

Sheila Schue, 3rd Grade Teacher, Stoneridge

Mr. J, a 4th grade teacher as Sargeant put it best, “I really didn't look for something to replace it. I have been blessed with a group of students that truly love reading and we make time to read (for pleasure) everyday.”

That is exactly what we want for all of our kids.  We want them to find time to read every day and truly love it now and for years to come.  

Not only are we seeing differences in what kids are doing, but we also see teachers sharing ideas with others.   Two of the teachers from Stoneridge Elementary are even providing professional development to other K-5 teachers in our district at upcoming professional development.  Here is their session description:

If you’re looking for some engaging, practical, and motivating strategies to track your students’ reading, then look no further! Our techniques will help your students fall in love with reading and books and we will you help build a classroom community of readers.  We will be discussing some electronic tools such as Padlet and Bookopolis, as well as some good old fashioned paper and pencil strategies.  We will share best practices that incorporate writing, speaking & listening, and more. Your students will be begging for time to read and you will be amazed with their growth and love of reading.  

That description sounds a lot better than teaching teachers how to give an online multiple choice test.  

When we asked students if they missed AR, there were a variety of responses.  Some students mentioned that they miss the rewards aspect of it.  This isn’t hard to believe since most kids like a reward if one is offered.  However, once again the research is clear on rewards for students and that they produce short-term gains but not long-term results. We want the long-term results.  It was interesting to us that when we talked to students, even the ones that liked AR, not a single student said they read less because AR is gone.  We could find many students who did not like the pressure of meeting their AR goals and are enjoying reading more than ever.  

At the end of the day, take away AR, and your school will survive.  We can’t say for sure that kids are reading more without AR, but we know they are not reading less.  Without a doubt, kids are talking more about what they are reading than ever before.  Kids are sharing books with others and getting excited about new ones they hope to read.  Teachers are coming up with creative ways for their kids to share their reading and understanding with others; something that a multiple choice quiz doesn’t do.  There is also the cost.  Our school combined are saving over $7,000 by not having AR.  So yes, some students miss the point rewards.  Some teachers miss the accountability piece they felt the quizzes provided.  If students are talking more about books, reading just as much (if not more than ever), and teachers are coming up with more creative ways to know what kids are reading, then there is no reason to go back to AR.

        

Additional Reading Resources

Assessment, Choice, and the Learning Brain- Edutopia

How to Make the Best Book Recommendations for Students- 3 min Video by Heinemann

A Level Is a Teacher's Tool, Not a Child's Label- Fountas and Pinnell

The Reading Rules We Would Never Follow As Adult Readers- Pernille Ripp

Literacy Practices We Should Abandon- Edutopia

10 Ways to Ditch The Reading Log- Middle School Minds Blog

Notice the Positive

As I was watching my son's baseball games this weekend, my thoughts drifted back to school, which then led to my own life as a mom.  It's funny how things tend to connect together when it comes to kids.


Listening to the coach, I was reminded how positive and negative words can have such and impact on children.  More importantly, I was reminded about the fact that the positives have to outweigh the negatives. I constantly heard what the boys were doing wrong, where they needed to improve.  I rarely heard the positive pointed out.

It seems that in all parts of life it's easy to focus on the negative with kids, and then when they are doing the right thing, we're so thankful that we don't say anything at all.

That's the mistake. 

We need to acknowledge the right thing. We need to focus on the positive.  All kids want attention. All kids are going to seek attention whether they consciously do it or not. We need to let them know we see them. We need to let them know we notice them doing the right thing. 

In the classroom and at home, it may seem exhausting at first to always be pointing out the positive, but it pays off. It pays off for us as educators and parents, but more importantly it pays off for the kids. They feel noticed, valued, and they see that their efforts to do the right thing is appreciated. 

The Teacher is More Important

I'm getting tired of all the e-mails and advertisements about computer based programs guaranteed to increase student achievement.  It seems like as soon as common core standards rolled out and the new testing system was developed, all these companies jumped on the bandwagon with new programs to push into the classrooms.  They latched on to the anxiety of educators who were adapting to the new standards and made people believe that their program was needed in order to get results.  

Well guess what? They're not needed. Nothing beats quality first instruction from a teacher.

The more programs we throw at students in hopes to help achievement, the less time there actually is to teach.  And I firmly believe that nothing can replace an effective teacher. The teacher has the ability to form relationships, really know their students and what they need. Programs don't build relationships, teachers do. 

So before signing up for the latest program, stop and think: Is that really what my kids need? Believe in yourself and your ability. 

More to Care About

Often I hear people who aren't in education make comments about state testing. It's pretty common for me to hear, "All they care about is the test scores." "They" being teachers and principals. I really want to interrupt and ask, "Do you really think that's what they care about?" I don't know one person in education that will tell me that test scores are their top concern. 

Do we talk about test scores? Yes. Do we look at them and try to measure growth and areas of improvement? Yes. But is that what we truly care about? No way! 

There are many things happening in our school that test scores can't measure. There are much more important things that I care about. 

- I care about the relationship the student has made with their teacher. 

- I care about the English learner who walked onto campus able to say one word in English. The scores will tell me he is far below grade level. But I care about the fact that in one year he has built friendships and created relationships with multiple staff members. He is outgoing and talking on the playground with his peers and participating in class. 

- I care about individual growth. Where were they when they started and where are they now? And it's not always academics- there's more to learning and growing than just the standards. 

- I care about the kids who come to school happy everyday and put forth their best effort in everything they do. 

- I care about the kid who just one year ago couldn't write his name or one legible word in 3rd grade. He refused to talk or participate in class. He missed 30-70 days a school year for the first three years of schooling. The test scores won't tell me that last year he missed less than five days and by the end he was writing sentences. 

- I care if they slept well the night before and came to school with food in their stomach. 

- I care about each one of them as individuals. 

When it comes down to it, I care about the kids. I care about helping and supporting them. I care about their growth socially, emotionally and academically.  I care about their happiness.

They're more than just a test score. 

My Kids Too - A Personal Reflection

What do I love about my job? The kids! If I'm stuck in a meeting or feel overwhelmed with my to do list, what makes me happy? The kids! It always seems to be the answer.

- I love getting out and playing with them at recess. Last Friday I played soccer with a group of 4th grade boys and enjoyed every minute of it. Not only did I get some exercise in, but had fun connecting with them and laughing. 

- I love bringing the disco ball out to recess and watching the kids dance around and sing with everyone. 

- I love sitting and reading with kids in their classroom.

 - I love the smiles I see on their faces.

With all this being said, I came home the other night and felt guilty. I was exhausted. I put so much in at work, and I came home to my two boys and thought, what about connecting with them and making them smile?  When was the last time I went outside and played kickball or basketball? When have I blasted the music and let them be silly and dance around? 

I could say they're busy. They have sports almost every day of the week. They have homework. But that's not an excuse. I give my best every day to 450 kids at school and I need to do the same at home to my two boys.

What do I love about my life? Not only the kids at school, by my kids too.