Twitter Friend Challenge-September 28th, 2008

This afternoon, I received a 'twitter' from one of my Twitter friends, whom I value as one of my FableVision Ambassador friends. He is such a creative being, and I can only imagine what his classroom must look like. Apparently today, he was in need of what a co-worker means, so he could blog about it. I sat and wrote a few of the things that I consider from co-workers that I enjoy spending my days with.

Here are a few of my entries to him....

A co-worker should be someone who:

-you can trust
-you can rely upon at any given moment for honestly, acceptance, and support
-inspires your outside and inner spirits
-thinks like you occasionally, but differently on most occasions
-loves growing right along with you
-encourages you, even when creative wheels aren't spinning
-believes in who you are, and what you are made of
-loves finding ways to inspire you to become better--as a professional AND as a person
-excites you to make necessary changes after conversations or meetings you've shared
-learns from you and becomes better
-supports your decisions, but gives you new things to consider
-takes risks with you
-celebrates with you when things go well, and has a shoulder to lean on when they don't
-cares about your personal and professional development
-is friendly
-is constantly moving forward in thought, word, and creative spirit, and wants you right along side

-is humorous--makes you laugh when your not so funny bone is hurting (or your heart)
-makes you want to be more than you think you are capable of


I have been blessed with co-workers who possess many, and often all of these characteristics. I have been so very blessed throughout my life--both personally and professionally.

Add to my list and let me know what YOU consider to be characteristics of a great co-worker.

Go on and find the person above who will challenge you to be better tomorrow than you were today.

Vocabulary...what's in it?

Today I attended a Reading First conference with Dr. Elfrieda Heibert. Dr. Hiebert is an adjunct professor at the University of California-Berkeley. She is fabulous!

We began the day with the changes that we must make in the instruction of vocabulary. Dr. Hiebert shared that as human beings, we are different from other species…we leave a trail of what we think—through reading, writing, and oral expression of our language.

Today was about concepts. About ideas. Reading is really about getting kids to think!

Language is the way in which we learn things. We’ve never been at a time like this where the knowledge of human kind is at the click of a button. Scary, but also very wonderful.

Words give us labels. They give us new ideas. Beginnings of ideas sit with words. It’s not about getting kids to read, but to get them to make distinctions in ideas.

Dr. Hiebert suggests that much of the research that she has been a part of, as well as best practice research, suggests that we as educators need to shift from narrative stories being at the center of our sharing, to informational text as being the center. The primary diet in schools to this point has been narrative, and we need to switch that to informational text to get up to speed in the digital age—in terms of content.

In the past 4-5 years, Science has declined substantially, primarily in the elementary setting. Content areas need to be beefed up! She encourages educators to shift more to Science/Social studies lessons and activities for enhanced vocabulary development.

Dr. Hiebert also indicated that we need to provide students with tier 2 words in every day events. This encouragement came with finding synonyms to those every day events in our classroom settings to enrich vocabulary. How COULD we teach enriched vocabulary for every day events in our room?

The following are some of Dr. Heibert's examples:

Ex: Today we’re going to saunter to lunch. (How many other ways could we walk to lunch??? Kids come up with ideas!)

Our way of speaking today is to murmur. We will need to strain to discern what people are saying.

Be certain to enunciate clearly.

Your task is to get your desk into shipshape form.

It’s time to commence cleaning off your desks.

All of these examples are like receiving the gift of words--and each involves direct instruction.

I recalled my former principal making an announcement at the beginning of the week with a vocabulary word for the week. This small thing made kids THINK about words!

We are living in a fast language time. Language is constantly changing! We as 21st Century educators must change instruction to match the times.

Memories of My Classrooms, Sept. 2nd, 2008

Today I took the day off to catch up after a wonderful weekend away with my family, hanging out at a cabin at Mahoney State Park.

This morning has been filled with an abundance of quietness in my home. I am missing my children, who are already off on their learning journeys. I am quickly reminded of how much I am also missing the children I once taught, and the millions of memories that reside within my heart, soul, and mind of the sixteen years that I spent as an educator of children.

I loved each of my years as a teacher. My favorite thing that came from each year was watching each child find his or her strengths, and expanding those strengths to overcome obstacles in other learning, or lifetime journeys. As an educator, it was amazing to just let go of 'teaching', and become a facilitator in the classroom setting, allowing each child to discover who they were, and to realize how little they needed me as a teacher. I knew that I had fulfilled my promises, and personal goals when a child needed only my presence in the classroom.

I wanted to be a teacher since I was a second grader in Mrs. Stelk's classroom at Knickrehm Elementary, and looking back I think it was because she knew that being a teacher meant giving me the tools I needed to become who I was destined to be--an educator. Thanks, Mrs. Stelk, for teaching me how to love teaching and for modeling how to discover worth, dreams, and full potential.

To the students who I was lucky enough to have in my classroom, may you continue your learning journey, with all of the strength that you have so freely shown me. I am proud to have watched you discover your worth, your dreams, and your potential. May you continue to grow.