Evaluation and Tips

Remember when I posted about the two most important things to becoming a better teacher.  (Read that here)  One of those things was to reflect, and to reflect honestly.

One of the best ways to be able to sit back and honestly take a good look at your teaching is to have the students complete an evaluation on you.  So I do.  I ask them questions such as...

What was your favorite activity we did this year?

What was your least favorite activity we did this year?

What is one thing you would change about Social Studies if you could?

Is this teacher willing to admit his/her mistakes?

Do you trust this teacher?

I don't want questions that will only give me good feedback.  I want honest feedback from my students so I can see what I'm doing well and where I can make some changes.  And I take it seriously.  Student responses has lead to some good changes I have made for my classroom over the years. 

My favorite question on the evaluation is, "what advice would you give to new 7th graders on how to be successful in Mrs. Weber's class?"

I get some great responses on this one. Great advice for next years' group of kiddos.  The best part??? The advice they give is mostly the same things I would say (except for one).  For some reason, it means more coming from the kids.  Those who have experienced my classroom.  

I thought I would post the top 5 pieces of advice given from former students.  This is great information, not only for students, but also parents of the newbies in my room.

1. Don't Miss Class:

"Never miss a day! You'll get behind and that makes it hard."

Great job former students!!!  I couldn't agree more.  We do SO MUCH in one day in this classroom.   There are just some things that can't be made up or recreated.  Students who miss, will typically have MORE work to do and it will be HARDER than what was done in class that day.

This does not meant hat I purposely try to make things more difficult for students who miss class.  It simply means that the student misses out on things we do together as a class, with their teams, or discussion that might make things easier.  

2. Be ready to participate!

"I would defiantly tell them to speak up and get involved in the lessons. There aren't many classes where you can speak up during the lessons and becoming involved just makes it more funny" 

This should be a "no-brainer."  Students must be an active participant in their own learning.  We will do teamwork, group discussions, and active activities in this room.  Kids have to be a part of it.  Everyone is expected to do their part.  

3.  Use class time wisely:

"Finish your work in class when she gives you time in class to do it. So that means don't mess around in that class or you will have homework on there because you wasn't working on it you was talking to friends or goofing off."

I am not a big believer in homework.  I don't think students should have hours and hours of work to do each night and I NEVER give them a blank worksheet at the end of class and expect it to be complete the next day.  I will always give some time in class to complete work.  The only homework students should have is just to finish something they started in class.  Rarely will that ever be longer than 20 minutes.

The two exceptions to this is if someone was absent (see advice #1) or if that student chose not to use the class time given.  This does happen and when I notice it I try to point out that this is a life lesson.  If I choose to waste time during my planning period instead of grading papers, creating lessons, making copies, answering emails, or the other hundred things on my to-do list I have to take it home and finish it.  

4.  Everything is important:

"ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION or you will miss something and that's not good because everything counts! "

This is why I ask my students to give advice.  This is one of those things that I know is true about my room, but I don't necessarily say it in those words.  This is perfect.  Everything we do in class is either something that leads to a bigger activity, another assignment, and/or a test or project.  Everything!

5. Have fun and be willing to learn!

"To have fun, be creative, use time wisely and you'll have no homework, show PRIDE and you'll have a blast!"

"Be ready and be creative in your projects!" 

"Don't be boring"

I couldn't have said it better myself!  Here's to another great year!

Interested in having your students evaluate you??  (You should...)  Here is a great link where I got most of my questions.

Glenn's Tip for Self Reflection.

That Feeling...

I can remember it as if it was yesterday.

The excitement was constantly bubbling right at the surface of my emotions.  Just waiting for someone to ask something, anything that would allow me to burst.

"Are you ready for your first year of teaching?"

"Are you nervous?"

"What are you planning on doing the first day of school?"

"How's your summer been?"

"What's for dinner?"

Any of those questions (and more) could unleash my enthusiasm for the first day of school.  The first day in my classroom.  The first year of teaching.  I can remember grocery shopping and the Superintendent saw me and asked how my summer was.  I probably told him my plans for the first two weeks of school, asked him about if there was a limit to how much I could be in my classroom over the summers, and confessed my fear that I had no idea what Friday "clubs" were.  I think he walked away thinking I was slightly crazy.

I probably was.

Then finally I got to go with the other "New to Cheney" teachers and a few of the administration to a Kagan Cooperative Learning training.  I was so excited.  Finally a place where I can talk about school without seeming a little insane.

Were were all given random seats in order to mingle with other teachers from other schools.  After chatting a bit the teacher next to me looked and said "You're a first year teacher aren't you?"

"Yep! That obvious huh?  I'm super excited!"

She replied with a sigh, "I used to be excited about teaching too, this is my third year. That feeling will fade."  Then she turned to someone else in the group to strike up another conversation.

Her comment made me sad.

Not about the possibility of my excitement fading.  I was sad for her.  I silently vowed never to lose "that feeling."

As I prepare to start back at the school for my 10th year, I am finding myself filled with that same "feeling."

The feeling of starting the year again.  The feeling of change and the challenges that come with it.  The feeling of honor in being asked to have a student intern who was one of my 8th graders that first year.  That feeling of wanting to burst when anyone mentions school or what I have been working on this summer.

I just can't wait.

Professional Development

I want to talk about professional development today, a hot day in June.

I have blogged in the past that I believe that there are two main things that teachers can do to improve and become better teachers. Those were 1) Reflection and 2) Saying "YES" to the right things.  (Click on the words to read the blog post on my thoughts on both those topics.)

I guess you could call this a continuation of Say YES."

By saying YES to professional development.

Whenever I talk to other teachers about PD, I tend to run into three "reasons" why they can't or won't participate in a workshop or conference.

1. "I won't get anything out of it anyway."
2. "I can't be gone from my classroom."
3. "There is no way my administration will let me go."

Today I want to address all three of these "reasons."

"I wont get anything out of it anyway"

This also comes in the form of "I don't learn anything new," "Those are boring," and "I don't need to go to a workshop to figure it out, I can Google stuff."  Ok...  Let's be honest here.  If your students said that about your class, what would you say to them?  Really??  You'd probably give them some sort of speech about how "you only get out what you put in..."

That applies here.  First of all.  Try it.  Try going to a workshop and actually participating and not checking your email, working on lesson plans, or playing Solitaire.  Be an active member of the audience.  Ask questions.  TALK to the people sitting at your table.  Make connections.  I rarely have been to a professional development day where there is not at least 30 minutes to talk, discuss, and work with other teachers from other schools.  Collaboration my friends.  It's the key to learning new ways to teach something and feeling that "spark" down in your gut.  

If you were considered a good teacher five years ago and are still doing the same lessons from the same coffee-stained notebook.  You're not good anymore.  Period.

"I can't be gone from my classroom"

Time for a little honest self-reflection.  Answer this question honestly.  Is your classroom "Teacher-Driven" or "Student-Driven"?  If you can't be gone from your classroom because the students won't learn when your not there...you've got some work to do. 

I get it.  There are days that I can't miss too.  Those are usually days that I am introducing something new and students need me to guide them through the steps.  These days are few.  These days can be scheduled around workshop days that I want to attend.  Luckily with the help of technology, even if I'm not there physically, I can be there virtually.  I can email, send quick videos of instructions, even make changes to worksheet/assignments if necessary.  

Work towards trying to make your classroom focused more on the students and less on you.  This is always a work in progress for me.  I get better each year.

"There is no way my administration will let me go."

This one I want to address more directly to administrators than teachers, because this is the hardest road block to pass through for teachers who want PD.  This is hard because it is tied to money, and money in education is always a touchy subject.  Unfortunately when there is less money than what districts need, paying for teachers to go to PD workshops seems like and easy and obvious cut.

However.  Keep in mind.  There is nothing, NOTHING, more important to a students' education that the teacher in the classroom.  We all want good teachers.  PD is one of the first steps in getting there.  I am positive of it.  

If you can't afford to send your teachers to a conference then start thinking outside of the box.  Can you Skype in for a discount?  Can you work with your school league and create a League Collaboration Day on one of those common in-service days?  How can you facilitate teacher collaboration with other schools in different ways?

I know. I'm not an administrator. I do not have to make the hard, tough decisions on where to cut.  I'm just the teacher in the classroom, who wants to keep improving.  There are many others like me.  As you start sifting through those tough decisions on what to cut, where to cut, and how much to cut. Keep this little phrase in your mind...

Tweeted by Jim Ford:

"If you don't have great teachers, you don't have a great school and nothing else is going to change that." 

Just my thoughts.  

Authors Note:  I have not ever been or am currently working for any specific education cooperative.  These are my beliefs on how PD is important for teachers to attempt to attend.  My desire is always to continue to improve my teaching and share what has worked for me.  It is through collaboration with other teachers near and far that we improve.  

The Girl Next Door

I am now closing my classroom door for the 9th year in a row.  In many ways, this was one of my best and favorite years.  Most of the reasons involve things that happened inside my classroom.  It was a fun year.  I enjoyed what I was teaching, how I was teaching it, and found myself excited about the things to come.

However, one of the reasons for "the best year so far" didn't happen in my classroom.  It happened in the one next door.

You see.  My sister was teaching in that room.  Her second year of teaching, first one at Cheney.

It was about this time last year that we knew we would be seeing A LOT more of each other.  Everyday.  All year.

I know this happens in small schools all across the country.  But for us, when she applied for the 6th Grade Communications job, we both initially saw it as a long-shot.

But then she got an interview.

And the call with the offer to teach in the room directly next to me.

Surreal.

Growing up, we fought quite often.  Only four-and-a-half years between us, and different personalities made for interesting times sharing a bedroom.  However as have grow up and become successful adults we have grown to appreciate our differences as well as seen them shrink.

The highlights of this year shared with my sister include...

The first day of school selfie we sent to our mother (who is VERY jealous of us working in the same school).

Twin Tuesday.  We dressed alike for the first few Tuesdays of the year.  Then we got busy and forgot.  Or ran out of matching clothes.

I "Shushed" her.  In a meeting.  And didn't even realize I did it until is was pointed out by another staff member.  They thought it was hilarious...

She told my class of 7th graders that they didn't have to do anything all day.  They believed her.

I told her 6th graders that I am WAY cooler and they better believe me because I will have them for the next TWO years!

She stepped outside of her box and directed the 8th grade play.  I am so amazed by her determination to learn something new and then have it turn out awesome.

We learned out personality "colors."  I am GOLD which means I like things organized, on time, planned out, and I'm bossy.  Yep.  That's me.

She is ORANGE.  Go-with-the-flow, creative, not on time (or doesn't stress about time).  Yep. That's her.

She entertained the staff with stories about her miraculously cured eyesight, which she determined was her healthy eating habits, that turned out to be two pairs of contacts, and astonishingly announcing that they "let a man eat a little boy for his last meal before execution" only to find that the article was published by The Onion.  -- We were in tears.

And finally...the last day of school selfie we sent to mom!

Here's to more great years with the girl next door :)

Infographics: My 8th Grade Final

We made it!

May.

My 8th grade students have actually been waiting and looking forward to their Social Studies Final this year.  They knew it was coming.  I did a "practice round" of infographics earlier in the year.  (Read about that here.)

Infographics are a visual image such as a chart of diagram used to represent data.  Infographics can help you simplify a complicated subject or turn an otherwise boring subject into a captivating experience.

After our practice round I felt confident that the students would be able to use Piktochart and improve from their first attempt.  I specifically showed the kids a few "tricks" that I learned from some of those "overachievers" the first time.  I showed both good and bad examples of things I wanted and didn't want.

Every single student improved.

I was so impressed to see how they took a couple of suggestions on fonts, text boxes, backgrounds, and pictures and ran with it.  Their topics were taken from the 4th Grade Kansas Social Studies Standards.  Not only did they have to do research on each topic, but they also had to remember that their audience.  4th Graders.  Everything on the page had to be written at a level they could understand.

Enough with the words.  Let's see some of the final products.  **I asked permission from the students to use their infographic and list their names as the creators.**  This is just a sample of many, many great results!

Created by Will

Created by Hunter

Created by Johnny

Created by Morgan

Created by Ben

Created by Emory

Created by Natalie

Created by Jaiden

Created by Taryn 

What I learned from this project...

• The kids love this!  By far this was the most well-received project I have done all year.  The kids KNEW they had to do a good job.  They KNEW the final product would be used.  
• I love Piktochart.  They have the "self-guided" tour to allow the students independence in learning the program.  I didn't have to guide them every step of the way.  It truly was independent. 
• With a good, solid rubric, this was easy to grade.  
• The peer evaluations were super effective for everyone involved.  I warned them that as they are critiquing their peers it is NOT their job to guard the feelings of their partner.  It is their job to point out what does and doesn't work on the poster.  
• The pairing of the peer evaluations were differentiated.  Those who struggled with design last time were evaluated by those who have a knack for design.  Those who excel at content were to evaluate someone who struggled with gathering information.
• Compliments from me were genuine.  Faced beamed with confidence.  I even overheard "Hey, did you see my infographic?  I'll show it to you it's awesome."

I first got the general idea for making infographics at a conference I go to four times a year.  We are part of an original group who came together because of a grant from Teaching American History.  I wrote about this group here.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for teachers to attend and participate in professional development workshops.  As we dive into another round of school budget cuts, I am fearful that many teachers will lose the opportunity to attend workshops because it can be seen as an "easy" cut.  However, research has shown time and time again that the most important factor in a students' successful education is the teacher in the classroom.  I hope that districts across the country will continue to support the continuing improvement of all their teachers.

Gummy Governments

Want a fun way to teach (or review) the different types of governments with your students?

PS...if you're not using Pinterest yet to search for ideas for your classroom...what are you waiting for?  It's not just a place to get recipe and craft ideas, there are some cool classroom activities, lesson plans, and organization strategies that can easily be modified to fit your needs.

I found this little gem of an idea there earlier this year.

Have your students "illustrate" the different types of government using gummy bears!

We focused on...

• Monarchy
• Dictatorship
• Oligarchy
• Direct Democracy
• Representative Democracy
• Anarchy - not really a "form of government" but fun to act out with gummies!
• Theocracy 
• Coup d'etat 
• Revolution

I had our kids work in partners or groups of 3 depending on the class size.  They were to give the definition of the type of government and then create an example of that using gummy bears.  Red for citizens, yellow for those in power.

We had fun!

Monarchy:

Dictatorship:

Oligarchy:

Democracy:

Anarchy, Coup d'etat, Revolution:

Rewriting the Gettysburg Address

WHAT??

What good could it possibly to do rewrite one of the greatest presidential speeches of all time?

In an 8th grade classroom... A lot of good!

As awesome as Abraham Lincoln was and as impressive as his Gettysburg Address is, it just isn't written in language our 8th graders "get."

So we rewrote it.

Each pair of students was given a short phrase or sentence of the famous speech, with the task to make it shorter and easier to understand.

When they were finished they each read their statement aloud, and we taped them together on the board to create our very own version of the Gettysburg Address.

The final results...

Some of the comments I heard throughout the class period...

• Wow!  This is way easier to understand.

• Oh, now I get it.

• This was fun!

• Yay, we got an easy one! :-)