New year, new you!

With the beginning of a new school year, we often find ourselves settling in a bit, yet still slightly anxious and overwhelmed about one thing or another. The design of our curriculum is different than what it was before, our student's personalities are different than last year, we have a new team teaching partner, new administration (or perhaps new faces on our leadership team), etc. And amidst the changes, we often find ourselves waiting for x,y, or z outcome to happen with little to no progress. Why? Because many of us (myself included) are doing just that... going through the motions and WAITING for something to happen.

Here... let's try a little experiment.  When you cross your arms, which way do you fold them? Go on... cross them. Then look down at them. Which one's on the top? Which is on the bottom? Which hand(s) is(are) tucked under your arm? Which hand(s) is(are) resting on your bulging biceps?

Ok... shake them loose. (Seriously...do it!)

Now cross the again, only this time in the way opposite of what you naturally do. Tuck the hand you didn't before and keep the one on top of your bicep that you might have tucked the first time.    (AHHH... had to stop and think about it for a minute, didn't ya?)   Ok... shake them loose.

Now try crossing them that same way (the "new" way) one more time.   ....I'll wait....

Easier? My guess is yes. It probably still took a second to think about what you were doing, but certainly easier than the first go around when you were paying attention to every detail.  Why? Because you're building a new habit.  (Wait until you try it tomorrow morning... gets even easier the more you try it out!)

We're creatures of habit, my friends. If we aren't paying attention to outcome while actively trying new routines and repeating the new behaviors long enough for them to BECOME a habit, then you might as well accept the unproductive waiting game.

So I ask you, what you are feeling about "antsy" about? What's the first item of "frustration" you share with a friend/family member when you go home at night?  There are probably things within that issue that are out of your control, but certainly plenty of things you do have control over.... THOSE are places to begin building new habits! Maybe it's ways to use your prep period more effectively, or a communication strategy that needs some tweaking with a colleague, or the way you think about "homework" so you aren't grading so many papers EVERY night, or ________.

With the new school year in full swing, this is the time to establish new habits, new culture, new areas of productivity!

Peace, love, and criss cross applesauce,
Sarah

The DEEP end!?!?

Really, July!? It was just too hot out and you couldn't handle it anymore, huh? Fine... we'll see your departure and raise you 180ish days of inspiration and learning! #winning

Welcome back, my friends to what I anticipate will be an amazing 2017-2018 school year! I do hope you prioritized some down-time for yourself this summer! While the Leiker's didn't take as much time off as we would have liked, I definitely found some time to soak in the summer sun at the pool... unfortunately, it was for Owen's swim lessons, so it wasn't always as relaxing as one would hope. We had him in the pool last year for lessons at 6 months old and things went very well, but THIS year... as an 18 month old... not quite the same experience. While he was screaming "Mommy!!!" from the top of his lungs, mid-back float, I was off to the side wondering why his swim instructor took him straight into the deep end and didn't let him waddle his way in so he could get comfortable with the water first (thinking that would have helped). I was talking to one of my colleagues about this, whose son is a swimmer, and she quickly said, "Getting in the pool at the deep end will feel the same to him as getting in at the shallow end. He's either going to feel water on his legs with the safety of running out of the shallow water, or he's going to feel water on his legs knowing he has to swim to get out. You do want him to swim, don't you?"

Ughhh... she got me! And that made so much sense! It's the same "sandwich effect" I often despise as school years unfold. (I'm guilty of this myself.) You know, where you ease your students into your learning environment & talk about how they'll learn, watch them problem solve their hearts out the bulk of the year by actually using those learning strategies, then ease them out with "standardized test prep" the last month or so. If PBL, or any good inquiry-based learning experience, is so impactful with our students... why do we ease them in and out of it instead of just making that the place where they swim all the time?!?

The start of the school year is crucial. To acclimate students in your class to you, to one another, to the school....to a culture of learning and engagement! So why not start the year in the deep end and begin with a project where they're learning the "standards" of your school culture and applying them as they begin to navigate your class, subject area, hallways, cafeteria, parking lot, etc.!?  Have an open house coming up in the first few weeks? WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION FORUM! Have students investigate your syllabus, essence of collaboration, importance of the PBL process, etc. in the first week or so and prepare a presentation where they can showcase these "standards" to their parents? (THEIR FIRST PRESENTATION! Awwww..how impressed will those parents be, huh!?)

Yes, your students will need support from you in this process. That swim instructor didn't throw my little Owen into the pool without being their to catch him and support him as he learned the skills needed to go under water and kick his way to the wall.  You can't open the doors to your school/class and say "PBL TIME!!! GOOD LUCK, LITTLE ONES!!!" without having a floatation device off to the side at the ready to support them through their learning and experience.  But if you expect to ease them into new learning.... know that it will be easier for them to run out of the pool screaming for the familiarity of what they know from worksheets and direct instruction every day and having you answer all their questions instead of getting them to think for themselves. Instead, I challenge you to take them to the deep end so it becomes necessary for them to learn to problem solve (swim) their way to new conclusions.  I will also say... "brace yourself." They will probably 'scream' a little in the process because it's new and uncomfortable. But, it's in the supported discomfort that real learning happens.


Peace, love, and pool time,

Sarah

P.S. Now, after this summer's swim lessons, Owen DID learn to come up from under water, turn to face the wall and kick his legs to propel him forward. Despite the screaming, he really WAS learning and now enjoys jumping in from the wall all by himself!

Mirror mirror....

The end of the school year is a great time for student self-reflection, but also for your own adult self-reflection. With a profession as challenging as teaching, self-reflection offers educators an opportunity to think about what works and what doesn't in your teaching practice. Regular reflection (and certainly now at the end of the end of the year) serves as a great way to analyze and evaluate our practices so we can focus on what works and model a growth mindset for those we come in contact with every day.

That said, set 30min. aside for yourself... YEEESSSS, you CAN make 30min to better yourself this week... and reflect on these questions. Seriously, write down your responses! Send them my way if you want some accountability...would be happy to support!

1. What has been your greatest success this year? Have you been successful in meeting your professional goals? What specific examples can you provide?  Note: If you're thinking, "I'm not even sure what my professional goals were," then PLEASE...talk to me! Let's get you focused before next school year starts!
2. What has been your biggest challenge this year? How have you adapted your professional or personal practice to meet and overcome this challenge? Do you feel you were successful? Why?
3. What has provided you with the greatest joy in your work this year? How have you found your work enjoyable?
4. Where do you go from here? What is next for you as a professional challenge for next year? Look ahead and predict what type of goals you would like for yourself in the 2017-2018 school year. 

Peace, love, and do you see what I see!?

Sarah

"I just felt like running" - FG

Based on the number of marathons that take place at the beginning of May, I think it's safe to consider this the beginning of the summer competitive road racing season!!! In Cincinnati, we had the Flying Pig Marathon this weekend as well the Indianapolis half marathon just slightly farther north. Congrats to all who participated in any of the weekend events and know that I HIGHLY admire your persistence and commitment to the goal that kept you motivated throughout all of training season!

In a recent, monthly check-in with Derek Leininger, Director of Towles MS in Fort Wayne, IN, we were talking about a conversation the Towles staff was having about supporting a culture of engagement as the weather changes (along with ourselves and our students) at the end of the year. Being a former Cross Country and Track Coach, he spoke in metaphor (which I loved) about these last few weeks feeling a lot like running a mile on the track. Four laps around a track is one mile. When you're 3 laps into running a mile, your body tends to want you to stop. But, to maintain that final push, you actually have to INCREASE your pace in order to make it.   That's right... you have to go faster at the end just to keep up with your performance level in the beginning.

Most of you are just three weeks away from the end of the school year. Each week will naturally be more difficult than the previous week. This is the time to push. Take a deep breath, be intentional with your planning, and don't stray from your training. This is not the time to revert back to disconnected worksheets, video clips, or lecture every day only because it feels like all you can muster up right now just to stay sane. You've been sane since August... and you've been doing amazing things with students (even if at times, they challenge your ability to see that). You've been creating learning opportunities for your students that have purpose and meaning. You've been training in PBL/PrBL all year.... THIS IS YOUR LAST LAP!  Stay the course. Trust your training. Give a little more now to keep up with where you have been all year (you're going to have to... between your student's mental state and your teaching, it's the only thing you actually have control over)!!!

As your coach, I beg of you.... DIG IN! Make this the best school year finish you and your students have ever experienced. YOU. CAN. DO. THIS.

Peace, love, and Personal Records (PRs),
Sarah

So many options...

It's Springtime here in Indiana... so every time I leave the house, I make sure to have a winter coat, umbrella, and pair of flip flops with me as I leave in shorts and a t-shirt. (Thank you, Mother Nature...) I thought I was "safe" as I left for church this morning, but I neglected the fact that the air conditioning unit would be turned on this week. You see, I sing at our 9:15am mass almost every Sunday and mid-hymn last week, one of the parishioners turned the AC on, sending my hair on a "choke-Sarah-while-she-sings" rampage. This morning? Same story. There am I getting ready to lead the congregation into our next prayerful song and all I could find myself doing was weighing every option for winning this hair blasting battle:

• Tuck your hair behind your ears
• Quick! Find a hair tie! A rubber band...anything!
• Toss a book over the register on the floor
• Turn your music stand & mic to face South so you're facing the gush of air
• Move down one step and take the mic with you

I'm telling you, friends... my solution finding efforts were on par this morning! Of course there was a downfall to each option... I despise the discomfort of a chunk of hair behind my ear, I was lucky to remember my son's Pooh bear this morning..you think I remembered a hair tie!? Covering the register is selfish...what if it's hotter "out there" than it was "up here"? If I face South, the sound doesn't reach the back of the church as well and moving the mic is going to create a lot of shuffling noises....   But I had to choose one because not only was I eating hair instead of hitting the high notes, but now I missing out on the service too!!! 

I wonder how often your students become distracted in class from trying to make "the right choice" also? Or maybe they're only given time to think of one option so they just roll with it. There's a fine balance in the way we create opportunities for and facilitate a student's agency in "tackling and monitoring their learning." 

Before sending students off to complete a task or begin research on a project, be sure to scaffold their ability to identify the problem/task at hand and create space for them to figure out what they might need to know to complete the task (like if there's enough space on the step in front of you for yourself AND a mic stand!! oyi!) 

• In a PBL/PrBL curriculum, we do this by having students articulate the goal of a project (often using a Problem Statement template to organize this thinking). Using Know/Need to Know lists, or asking "What's Clear?" and "What's not clear?" also supports this skill.
• With a daily task, you might conduct a mini-K/NTK list, spend time highlighting/underlying key words in the directions of the task, have a student repeat the directions, ...

Some students are intimidated by the difficulty of completing a task, and therefore struggle to identify strategies and options for tackling the task! That's our job as educators to scaffold this for them (or they will forever be tasting a mouth full of blowing hair during the next hymn)!!  Here are some suggestions to support your students in strengthening that skill set this week:

• Have them choose (or hone in on) one question... just one problem that they're going to tackle. Then have them state what action step they think will help them answer this question. Examples:
•  Read _____ section of the textbook about ____.  
• Do an online search for _____ using the keyword search, "_______". 
• Ask our team's peer tutor this question, _____, so that I can then ____. 
• Request a workshop on the topic of _____ from the teacher.
• Have students respond to a quick discussion post or daily warm-up using a prompt such as, "What would I like to spend time talking to my classmates about to help me understand this problem/question/task? Why... what will this help me to understand about my work?"
• Ask students, teams of students, or the whole class, to identify the Topic they're uncertain of, a resource where they might find information about that topic, and take it one step further by having them outline characteristics that will determine the validity of the resource. Here's an example:

Topic/Idea	Resource (must be specific)	Validity of Resource
Causes for bees to be on the endangered species list	World Animal Protection	Contact number, person. Summary of website.

The bottom line is this.... problem solving is difficult!!! If we are doing our job as educators... as architects of learning for our students... then we are not only designing problems and tasks for them to learn content, but we're creating opportunities for them to wonder! Wonder which option is best. Wonder which resource will provide the best response to the problem. Wonder if they are making informed decisions.  We're also designing support for our students along the way so it's not so scary. So they can tackle and monitor their own learning in a way that is strategic, weighs multiple options for finding a solution, and allows them to articulate what avenues they took to engage in their own learning. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go shave my head so I'm ready for next Sunday while you figure out how to support your student's ownership over their learning this week.

Peace, love, and chew on this...

Sarah

With Love, Your student....

Dear Teacher,

I know you're tired and a little bit stressed. I am too. We've been problem solving our way through class for the last seven and a half months...that's a lot of thinking and trying to hold people accountable for their work. Oh, and I saw your to-do list on the sticky notes on your desk the other day. No wonder you seem as excited for summer break as most of us are! 

I guess that's why it seems like a good time of year to say "thanks." Thank you for taking the time to build a relationship with me this year. I know it wasn't always easy, but the fact you believed in me and have guided me since August is pretty awesome. I hope you don't give up on me now either....especially because we're all so tired. Truth is, I need you now more than ever. I need your calmness, your ability to shrug off the small things, your redirection to the purpose behind our daily activities and conversations. I need to know your daily support for my learning and well being is intentional... that you still show up every day to make a difference in my life. Because you are. I promise you are. 

I know you're the one designing learning experiences for me, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, don't forget... you've taught me what responsibility looks like. With my own learning, with my classmates, with my technology, and with the role I play in our class. I love when you structure learning for us, but I love knowing you let me choose the method of learning that helps me accomplish tasks too. Maybe that causes more stress for you, not knowing what each of us would like to dive into, but I hope it brings you a sense of calm to know you've helped us realize how we learn best...and we can take some of those matters into our own hands now! What I do look forward to is knowing you're going to make every day count this last month of school...all the way up to our last day together before summer break. 

Speaking of summer break.... I know you built strong relationships with all the students in our class this year, so "thank you" for reaching out to my friends that AREN'T so excited about summer with some encouraging words and opportunities to participate in community activities. Some of my friends don't have a lot of food to eat at home or feel like anyone cares that they're home for a few months. I really appreciate you encouraging them with places to stay connected with others so they can enjoy their summer too. 

Anyway, I hope you know I think of you each day and hope you're taking time for yourself to breathe, find your inner strength, and rely on the strong relationships you've built with me and my classmates. It's been a great year so far, and I'm glad I can count on you to not give up on me and make sure that each day counts. 

With love,

Your student

Doctor's Orders!

While on site at Winton Woods Middle School last Wednesday, I was working with a teacher on "recommended practices" for her sub plans while she's away for a few weeks recovering from surgery. During our conversation, she told me that her knee had been hurting for quite some time, and her doctor seemed to constantly remind her of possible things she might do to prevent it from getting worse. Did she listen? Yes. Did she follow those doctor's orders? Not as much as she probably should have.  

Then, more recently at one of her appointments, her doctor finally said, "Look. You can't climb the stairs like you used to anymore. Your arthritis is causing the cartilage to break down that cushions the knee joint. .... " The conversation they had obviously continued on from there, but that was what she needed to hear to make a lifestyle change. Why? Because she had a direct picture of what has was happening to her very own body as a result of that one specific action.   But what about all of those other times she'd been given recommended practices to help ease her pain? Why not listen then? Well... they weren't presented the same way, were they? They presented as "good things to know" rather than "here's why and how it's affecting you" statements.

Without even thinking about it, we do this all the time in our classes:

• "Submit your documents by Thursday"
• "Speak louder, please"
• "Show your work"
• "Share your thoughts with your teammates"
• etc. etc. etc.

So what do our students do? They try to turn things in on time but possibly let deadlines slide, attempt to speak up but never really ask the audience if they are more or less audible, show a few small notes of their thought process but nothing complete or organized, talk at their teammates instead of to their teammates, etc. That's right... they're trying to do right by you and themselves, but they don't know the greater purpose...the why... behind each of those statements you're tirelessly spouting out of your mouth! If you just followed those statements up with the purpose, perhaps they would feel like "doctor's ORDERS" vs "doctor's RECOMMENDATIONS"...

• "Documents need to be submitted by Thursday for a thorough review by our community partner so they are able to offer you feedback by Monday morning. Due to the community partner's business schedule, they cannot accept documents beyond this deadline."
•  "Speak louder, please. Those in the front two rows are able to hear you well, but your thoughtful messaging isn't able to be heard in the back corners of the room."
• "Show your work so we can follow your full thought process while trying to determine how you arrived at your solution."
• "Share your thoughts with your teammates so you can then reach a decision as a team. If you hold your thoughts in, they will move forward assuming you are on board and assign tasks to you based on the decision made...without your voice."
• etc.

Admit it... at some point last week you became "so frustrated" because your students "just weren't getting it."  Of course they weren't! They are still trying to grasp the greater WHY/PURPOSE behind the outcomes you're trying to teach them. Speaking in terms of expectations without purpose feels like things that are "good to know" rather than "here's why and how it's affecting you." How will you change your framing this week? What purpose will you give to the statements that come out of your mouth? 

Peace, love, and teach with purpose,

Sarah