During a recent trip, I was returning home from Los Angeles and had to make a connecting flight from Dallas to Amarillo. Our plane was an hour late leaving from Los Angeles to Dallas because they were having issues with another passengers seat belt. I was worried about making my connection because my layover time was already shorter than I would have liked it to be. We land in Dallas and I have 15 minutes to get off the plane, make it to a different terminal, and to board the plane. I sprint from one terminal to the other and of course my gate is at the VERY END of the terminal. Just imagine the scene from Home Alone where the family is running through the airport. jumping over bags, dodging people, and running onto the plane at the very last minute, and you will see what I was doing through the terminal. I finally get to the gate, board the plane and I am so ecstatic that I made it! It meant I was going to make it home on time so I could tuck my babies into bed for the night. I sit down in my seat with a sense of accomplishment and soon we are taking off. We are 5 minutes into the air and I am wishing I had missed the flight. It was by far the worst flight I have ever been on. The turbulence is HORRENDOUS . We are on one of those small American Eagle planes and we are veering up and down and side to side. During the entire flight I am looking at the flight attendants to see their facial expressions. If they are calm then I am calm. If they get worked up, then I will get worked up. The flight attendants seem calm. They are smiling and laughing at each other. If they are smiling and laughing then things must be ok, right? Right.
As soon as I am starting to calm down, the pilot gets on the intercom and says in a nervous tone "I am sorry folks but this turbulence is horrible! We are doing the best we can. We are now going to have to drop altitude which is going to be hard on our fuel."
I immediately start to panic. I am sure we are going to crash. We are going to run out of fuel. If he says it is horrible then it must be really bad. A pilot wouldn't call it horrible if it wasn't truly horrible. He sounded nervous when he was speaking to us. It must be bad! We are going to die!
Ok , I may have been a bit dramatic, but I was looking to him for reassurance. I already knew the turbulence was bad, but why did he have to tell me that? Why did he have to tell me about the fuel? He is suppose to keep us calm. Not worry us more!
I prayed harder than I ever have before. The plane continues to be tossed around. I am looking around and the other passengers have a look of panic on their faces as well. We are finally about to land and as we touch the ground the plane is still being tossed from side to side. It wasn't until I step off the plane that I finally felt safe.
After I recovered from the horrendous flight, it hit me like a ton of bricks, this is exactly what leadership is like. The school is the plane and I am the pilot (or co-pilot since I am an assistant principal). The teachers and students are the passengers. When something rocks our school (like turbulence) the passengers are looking to the pilots for reassurance. If I am frazzled or panicking in front of my teachers than they too are going to be frazzled and panicked. But if I am calm during a difficult situation then they are going to have confidence that things are going to be ok. If our pilot would have come onto the intercom and reassured us and said more comfort-inspiring words then I wouldn't have been so panicked. I would have still known that we were going to go through some bumps along the way, but his reassuring words would have made me feel confident we would get through the turbulence together. The same goes for being a leader at school. Calmness and reassurance go a long way when faced with difficult circumstances.
This past semester our school went through some really tough times. It started the night before my kidney donation surgery and things were still little rocky all the way up to Christmas break. I did my best to stay calm but to be honest I could have been better. It wasn't until the lesson I learned from the that turbulent plane ride, did I truly realize how important it is for the leader to be calm and collected even during the toughest times. Sure, I knew it was important, but until you experience something that rocks your school to it's core, do you realize how important it really truly is.
In order to stay calm and level headed for those you lead, you must take care of YOU!
Leadership is tough. You have to be strong and calm during difficult times. Even if you want to break down, you can't. At least not in front of those who are depending on you to be strong. I have learned how important it is to have an outlet. Something you can do for yourself that will relieve stress. Running does it for me. I used to run all the time, but I stopped when I became an assistant principal. I thought I no longer had the time. Ha! I have now realized that in order to be the best leader possible I need to MAKE the time. I have to have something that can allow me to decompress and for me that is running. Always has been, and always will be.
As tough as leadership is, I know I am exactly where I am suppose to be. I love my students and my teachers and I feel honored and blessed to be their assistant principal. I hope and pray that I can be the leader I need and deserve. I am far beyond perfect but I strive to be better than the day before.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I hope you have a wonderful New Year. Here is to a new year with new blessings and opportunities. Happy 2018!
Makerspace- Student Led PD
Makerspace! Student Led PD! Two of my favorite things! Where do I start? :)
First let's start with, why maker space? Makerspace gives the students a safe place to fail. Often times students feel the pressure of having to be perfect, but there is beauty in failure! Failure means you are taking risks and putting yourself out there.
Failures can be an amazing learning opportunities on what worked, what didn't, and how to move forward. Let's take Thomas Edison, the man who I imagine had the ultimate makerspace. It took him over 10,000 tries to refine the modern day light bulb! Imagine if he had thrown a hissy fit when he didn't get it right the first or even 10th time. Where would we be today? Would anyone else have had the grit and determination to push through to invent something that we rely on everyday? His attitude towards failure was that it was just a stepping stone towards success.
Failures can also accidentally lead to some of the most simple but innovative inventions that we have ever known. Take for example the Post-It. The inventor, Spencer Silver, was attempting to make a super strong adhesive but was unsuccessful. He was about ready to give up when he realized he made an adhesive that stuck to objects but could easily be pulled off and that's how we got the post-it!
Sure failure is hard to take sometimes, but if you have the grit and determination to keep pushing forward the chances of success are inevitable! There is no shame in failure. It only comes when you give up too easily. Makerspace allows students to learn this vital lesson on the truth about failures. Students are allowed to fail without fear of ridicule. They learn to simply tell themselves, "This didn't work, what can I do next time?" There is no stress, anxiety, or pressure to feel like they have to be perfect the first time. They are allowed to breathe and work it out.
As we were planning our Makerspace PD we already knew we wanted our students to led it. We did a student led PD with coding in the fall and it was a huge success and we knew that a student led makerspace PD would be just as successful!
I have had many people ask me how we organize a student led PD and it isn't as difficult as one might think. Check out our how- to instructions
When the students come to practice for the first time we simply give them the materials and tell them to basically figure it out. For some of our students they love it and get started right away. For other students it is a little bit more scary. We support them and encourage them not to give up, but we never tell them how to do it. We want the students to struggle because through struggles there is learning. Through their learning they are better presenters. They know what worked, what didn't work, and how to be explain it in their own words.
Below is the sheet our student presenters use as a reminder on what to do when they are presenting. When we pick our student presenters, we pick students from various grades, ability level, and with different backgrounds. We have students as young as 6 present to our teachers. It is amazing to see these students in action!
First let's start with, why maker space? Makerspace gives the students a safe place to fail. Often times students feel the pressure of having to be perfect, but there is beauty in failure! Failure means you are taking risks and putting yourself out there.
Failures can be an amazing learning opportunities on what worked, what didn't, and how to move forward. Let's take Thomas Edison, the man who I imagine had the ultimate makerspace. It took him over 10,000 tries to refine the modern day light bulb! Imagine if he had thrown a hissy fit when he didn't get it right the first or even 10th time. Where would we be today? Would anyone else have had the grit and determination to push through to invent something that we rely on everyday? His attitude towards failure was that it was just a stepping stone towards success.
Failures can also accidentally lead to some of the most simple but innovative inventions that we have ever known. Take for example the Post-It. The inventor, Spencer Silver, was attempting to make a super strong adhesive but was unsuccessful. He was about ready to give up when he realized he made an adhesive that stuck to objects but could easily be pulled off and that's how we got the post-it!
Sure failure is hard to take sometimes, but if you have the grit and determination to keep pushing forward the chances of success are inevitable! There is no shame in failure. It only comes when you give up too easily. Makerspace allows students to learn this vital lesson on the truth about failures. Students are allowed to fail without fear of ridicule. They learn to simply tell themselves, "This didn't work, what can I do next time?" There is no stress, anxiety, or pressure to feel like they have to be perfect the first time. They are allowed to breathe and work it out.
I have had many people ask me how we organize a student led PD and it isn't as difficult as one might think. Check out our how- to instructions
When the students come to practice for the first time we simply give them the materials and tell them to basically figure it out. For some of our students they love it and get started right away. For other students it is a little bit more scary. We support them and encourage them not to give up, but we never tell them how to do it. We want the students to struggle because through struggles there is learning. Through their learning they are better presenters. They know what worked, what didn't work, and how to be explain it in their own words.
Below is the sheet our student presenters use as a reminder on what to do when they are presenting. When we pick our student presenters, we pick students from various grades, ability level, and with different backgrounds. We have students as young as 6 present to our teachers. It is amazing to see these students in action!
The students are in charge from the beginning of the PD to the end. My principal and I are just there to facilitate the PD and help the students if needed.
Gears Activity
Ollie Maze
Ozobot
Tumble Trax
Marble Run
Keva Planks
Makey Makey
Tinker Table
I Can Build
Our student led PDs have been a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to interact in new form of learning during a professional development session. The students love being a teacher and the teachers love learning from the students!
If you have any questions please ask below. I would love to help you as you begin to set up your own student led PD. You definitely won't regret it! :)
My New Office!
When I moved into this office I decided I wanted to decorate it in SUPERHEROES! Since I was a little girl I have always loved superheroes. I remember as a young child dressing up as Wonder Woman. I would grab a stick, a card board box for a shield, cuffs I made from paper, and tape and would play for hours outside. I wanted to bring my love for superheroes into my new office.
First, I have a picture my husband's baby brother painted when he was in the 7th grade. This picture is special to me because he died tragically in a motorcycle accident just over a year ago at the young age of 20. As you can see he was a very talented artist. He was pretty much talented in everything he did. This picture is a great reminder of him and makes me smile on daily when I see it.
In this picture you can also see the Lego wall and my awesome new red bean bag chairs. I wanted to create an area that students can play and just hang out when they are doing a really great job in class.
Here is my awesome new desk! The office I am in now was the nurse's office. We decided to switch our offices simply because mine had a bathroom and she needed it more than me when kids are sick, need to change, etc. When she moved she left her desk and I wasn't about to complain. It is so adorable!
I had an old round table that wobbled and some chairs that I am pretty sure were original to the building (1950s era). I still wanted a table, but I felt like a rectangular table fit in this space better and I could easily move it around when I have a class in here. I also decided to buy these cool blue chairs to add a pop of color. I really like how it turned out. Also, isn't that the coolest Superman poster? My husband bought it from an artist who sells a limited number of a certain poster. Once he sells out he never sells them again. So it is definitely special! Shout out to my husband for letting me hang it in my office!
Here is a closer look :)
My awesome new cubby shelf! This is where I keep all of my supplies for lessons and professional developments. The giant board above allows me to hang some of the awesome pictures and cards I receive from the students.
On these shelves I display my diplomas, books, and games for students to play. Underneath the table are filing cabinets.
I am a firm believer that every space in the school should be kid friendly ...even the principal/assistant principal's office. How can you make your office more student friendly? Comment with your thoughts and ideas below!
Escape Room
Recently I did a Escape Room with 4th grade on the Intermediate campus and I had so much fun! Since it is close to the end of the year the budgets are running low so I had to keep it as cheap as possible. The decorations I used are ones that I repurposed from a professional development earlier this year. The box and lock I used are from home.
Lesson:
I downloaded a free perimeter and area lesson from The Escape Classroom. The lesson was a little hard for our 4th graders so I tweaked it to make it work. The lesson came with a free introduction video, how-to instructions, a power point, and all of the handouts. We had 30 minutes for each class so I did have to scale down the lesson than what was originally intended. Which is perfectly ok! You have to know your audience and their needs. A lesson that someone else created may not fit exactly what you need, but that doesn't mean you can't still do it. Just modify it to make it work for your students.
I wish I had taken more pictures. I was having so much fun I didn't take as many as I would have liked. Here are a few that I did get!
Lesson:
I downloaded a free perimeter and area lesson from The Escape Classroom. The lesson was a little hard for our 4th graders so I tweaked it to make it work. The lesson came with a free introduction video, how-to instructions, a power point, and all of the handouts. We had 30 minutes for each class so I did have to scale down the lesson than what was originally intended. Which is perfectly ok! You have to know your audience and their needs. A lesson that someone else created may not fit exactly what you need, but that doesn't mean you can't still do it. Just modify it to make it work for your students.
I wish I had taken more pictures. I was having so much fun I didn't take as many as I would have liked. Here are a few that I did get!
Working hard as a team!
They Escaped!
Working hard to break that code!
I had a blast working with these amazing 4th graders! I am currently tweaking this Escape Room for the 2nd graders on my campus!
This lesson looks very involved but it did not take a lot of planning on my part. I already had the decorations and I was able to take a lesson that was already completed and simply tweak it to meet the needs of my students. Thank you for stopping by!
Amazing Race!
Dr. Jones and Adam Dovico from the Ron Clark Academy posted Mall Math on their Instagram page @rockmathed. If you do not follow them you need to right now! As a fellow math teacher I love the excitement for math they are creating for their students and other teachers. Last semester they did an activity where they took all of their students to a local mall and did Mall Math. The students had to create various real world challenges and it was a hit. You can even download the activity here.
I loved the idea so much and I knew I could easily adapt this activity for my 3rd graders but there was just one problem. We are 3 hours from the nearest mall. I knew I could just recreate it in a classroom and but I wanted the students to be able to go to different places around the school to complete each challenge, just like the RCA students went to different places around the mall. That's when I came up with doing this same activity, but set it up like The Amazing Race!
I met with one of our 3rd grade teachers and we went over each of the Mall Math challenges and tweaked it to fit our 3rd graders's needs. It really didn't take that much time to do so. We then placed each challenge on a Amazing Race Challenge cards and also created road blocks.
Examples of the cards!
The Receipt Challenge
We had the challenges placed outside the office, library, cafeteria, gym, and computer labs. Each card told them what their challenge was and two stations had a road block. It was a huge hit and the students were able to review some essential numeracy skills. Below are some of the pictures from the Amazing Race!
Telling students about the challenge!
The GIFTS of ADHD students.
Yep! That's right. This post is about the GIFTS of your ADHD students. I am going to keep this post really simple today. Please watch the video below.
What are the gifts of your ADHD students?
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