We had the magnetic letters out this week. This one is true, sometimes.
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I think like the job of being a teacher is just this incredible sense of responsibility. You’re constantly putting yourself under this microscope of going, am I good enough? Do I deserve to be in charge of making decisions that will impact young lives for a long time, even if I didn’t intend it to? And so I think the least we can do is provide educators with a space where they feel trusted and cared for.
I keep wanting to write about this podcast episode because it’s stuck in my head.
The teacher asking “Am I good enough to shape these young lives?” is exactly the teacher we want in our schools.
It’s a discussion we have a lot, that we’re forever too busy to find the time to consider if what we’re doing is good enough. And it feels like schools are often saying that that what they want but, teacher’s don’t feel it.
And it’s not going to change. So we are forced to choose.
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It’s “funny” how the talk of footballers and tennis players always being ask to do (play) more resonates as a teacher. That they consider it too much. Similar eh?
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This is me recognising that our team is pretty on top of things. This is also me acknowledging that I don’t need to keep trying to find things to do in order to feel I’m enough.
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screens aren’t inherently harmful, but they can displace habits that matter — like sleep, exercise, and real conversations. And maybe that’s the takeaway: screens aren’t the problem. What they replace might be.
Are screens really that bad for children? – From experience to meaning…
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Would I like being a student in my own classroom? A reflection tool – Pernille Ripp
One of my favourite blogs about education, simple (in a good way), thoughtful and helpful.
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“Our job is to destroy the bell curve”
10 Insights from Dylan Wiliam on Formative Assessment and the Science of Learning
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It is striking that family income hardly predicted anything. What mattered was the parents’ level of education. Parents with more education appeared to have more children’s books in the house and a more positive relationship with their child. Both factors contributed to stronger language skills in the child, greatly influencing reading comprehension.
How Books and Chat Are More Important Than Money for Reading – From experience to meaning…
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“If I could wave a magic wand, I would give teachers the gift of time. Time to plan and collaborate with intention, time to reflect and grow professionally, and just as importantly, time to rest, recharge, and be present with the people they love. Too often, the demands of teaching stretch far beyond the school day, leaving little room for balance. I’d want every teacher to feel they could show up for their students without having to sacrifice their own well-being or the needs of their families. Because when teachers are supported both personally and professionally, everyone in the school community benefits.” – Brittany Hargrove
Like this a lot. I always feel busy because there’s always things to do and while I do try and stop occasionally, it’s difficult. Does this mean, I am not going things as well I could? Absolutely. Unfortunately, that feels like the job.
As well, balancing work, family and myself is a 3-body problem. (Does that work?!)
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Pro: the house is quiet so I can get some work done.
Con: it’s 5am on a Saturday -
For those who work with young people—or are young people themselves—this study has a clear message: Digital media are not neutral. Their constant availability invites distraction, and that distraction comes at a price. Those who really want to learn or perform will have to consciously choose to focus—notifications off, tabs closed, attention on.
I think some jobs, like teaching, can be difficult for this reason. It constantly requires you to keep switching between tasks. This week we started writing reports on top of our normal load of work. Regardless of how I feel about them, if I had time to focus on them, it’d be fine…
New research, same lesson: multitasking doesn’t work – From experience to meaning…
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What is often missing from the advice given to teachers, however, is what goes on in students’ heads as they see a new teacher (novice or veteran) for the first time. Teachers often overlook (or forget) that students also have a list of what behaviors, knowledge, and skills they expect of their teachers. And just like teacher expectations, student expectations matter.
Huh.
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It wasn’t the best part of my day, but this was up there. A student accidentally ripped her paper and I fixed it with unicorn stickers.
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How I Learned About Great Literature from Comic Books
Don’t underestimate the long term impact of childhood exposure. A recent Gallup poll confirms that Americans are reading fewer books nowadays. And it isn’t hard to grasp why that’s the case in our screen-dominated culture. The pattern is set early in life.
To go with the previous link. I never read comics and wonder if now is too late. Is now too late?
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It’s time to reclaim analogue teaching
It is therefore worth remembering that the resources we use to teach need to be predicated on response. Teaching is about responding to the emerging thinking in front of us. It is not about producing neat, sanitised sequences for passive recipients to be presented with. Teaching is alive, it is interrogative, it is dynamic; it is fizzing with variables and influences, so the very idea that a route through a challenging concept with 30 individuals all with unique schema and experience can be predicted and planned for with any degree of invariability is bordering on farcical.
Linking to this Instagram video about a skit on a teacher not using their IWB.
Powerpoint and IWBs – It’s time to reclaim analogue teaching – Thinking Flexibly
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Why don’t you read? A lesson for students
It’s remarkable, even at the 2nd-grade level, how vast the difference is between the kids who read regularly and those who don’t. Those who read for discovery outside of class grow by leaps and bounds in class. They bring in words, ideas, connections that weren’t part of a lesson plan but are now shaping their learning anyway. It shows the benefits of having a literate life and what can happen when someone is not given that same opportunity.
Just to go with the previous link. We stopped using reading records, where the kids or their parents write the name of the book and sign, this year and instead the kids just colour a star to show they’ve read. We’re just trying to remove any friction to them reading at home.
We do have a website they use to read online but I’m hopeful next year we ditch it to go with another website which is just more exciting. We just want them reading.
Are some of them gaming it, I’m almost certain they are but I don’t want to make it a thing.
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Ultra-Processed Minds: The End of Deep Reading and What It Costs Us
A powerful piece. And, because of the content I couldn’t stop reading because I would be proving his point.
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We tracked the eye movements of 180 British children in Years 1 to 6 who watched videos with and without subtitles. Results showed that attention to subtitles was associated with reading proficiency: Superior readers were more likely to look at subtitles than less proficient readers and spent more time on them. When children looked at words in the subtitles, they showed evidence of reading them. We conclude that some degree of reading fluency may be necessary before children pay attention to subtitles. However, by the third or fourth year of reading instruction, most children read sufficiently quickly to follow same-language subtitles and potentially learn from them.
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A (1960) College Professor Teaches High School Classes
Frequent interruptions disrupt one class after another. Fire drills, air raid alerts, messages from the office, telephone calls, students distributing bulletins, early dismissals-there seems no limit to the imaginations of people who disturb teachers. I can remember no occasion in the last five years when anyone has interrupted one of my classes at (the university). Perhaps these conditions account largely for a significant difference in attitude which I find on the part of a larger percentage of my high school than of my college colleagues. Most of them admit to doing minimal work and to approaching teaching as a job rather than as a creative intellectual experience.
An interesting article, even for a Primary/Elementary/Kindergarten teacher like me. Actually teaching content makes up just a small part of my day.
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If this isn’t terrifying.
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The Weekly Dispatch #5 - by Carl Hendrick
Lots of interesting links about teaching here that I’m going to go back to later this week… Probably.
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Going to the zoo today! With 27 5/6 year olds! (And other adults too.) I love school trips because you get to see the kids as they really are, though at this age they are better at being themselves at school too. Still, it’s going to be a long day!
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What if kids had the right to ignore our feedback? Not because they’re stubborn or disengaged, but because they understand it—and decide to make a different choice.
Too often, feedback feels like a demand: Fix this. Change that. Do it this way. But writers? They get feedback, weigh it, and sometimes say, “No, I’m keeping this.” That’s not disengagement—it’s ownership -
If we want kids to actually use feedback, it has to belong to them. Because the best feedback isn’t what we tell them—it’s what they understand enough to use.
If Kids Don’t Understand the Feedback, It’s a Waste of Time – Pernille Ripp
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The classroom the teacher occupies can be very different to the one their students are in. In the teacher’s classroom there is a sharp focus on the content they want students to learn but possibly a fairly hazy awareness of that students may be thinking or doing.
Yeah, this.
How do I know all students are paying attention? – David Didau
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I keep meaning to write about this,and likely have in my journal but, well, I don’t have the time…
Teacher vacancy rates at record high in England, report finds | Teacher shortages | The Guardian
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Teachers often respond to students in a couple of common ways here:
- They talk about the right answers.
- They ask students to share their answers.
Both responses risk brain death. Neither one necessarily tells students, “There is a task for you here beyond listening.” >Neither one necessarily sets up a shelf in a kid’s mind to help them structure the ideas they’re hearing.
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Rain dances can be satisfying. They feel important and active in the moment, and give you all sorts of little details to tweak and adjust. But ultimately, if your goal is to reap a rich harvest, there’s no avoiding the necessity to get down among your crops, sweat on your brow, and actually work the land.
I think about this a lot at school. Everyone is so busy, at their computers, but I never feel that’s the best thing.
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Taking a day off and resting. (Which I definitely need.) As I get older, I feel less bad about doing it. #teaching
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Between the three adults in the classroom today we all wanted to write the date differently.
🇨🇳25-2-12
🇺🇸2-12-25
🇬🇧12-2-25It’s obvious which is correct!
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Whiteboard Quotes
Maybe you’ve seen the London Underground boards with quotes on. Apparently it’s called All On Board(Instagram link) and there’s a book. In a similar spirit, I’ve been doing something similar at school. Once a week I’ve putting a quote or some quotes that I’ve found on a book outside our classroom. I do have a commonplace book to write them down, I have many notebooks actually but I rarely find the time to write them down. Instead I send themselves on Signal. Every Monday I scroll through and pick one. Trying to make it relevant for school and students. Which means no parenting ones. Just, something to make someone think…
Have many people mentioned it? No, not many but also, not 0. So I keep doing it. Affecting more than 0 people is worth it, I think. I should take photos.
Here’s a recent one, I need to get better at taking photos!
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Learning Celebration
We had our ‘Learning Celebration’ yesterday. Which is where parents are invited in and the children show off some of their work. This time, students worked in groups to make a display about a community they are part of. This was simply a display of the work they’ve done. Also, we asked them to make an ‘activity’ for parents to do. Parents got a stamp for each activity and if they got all 7 they got a student designed sticker. The activities were interesting but entirely student led and all the better for it.
The parents seemed to enjoy it, the students enjoyed it too, and yet… These events always make me nervous. If I’m honest, and I’m trying to be, it’s that I don’t feel that I’m doing a good enough job as a teacher. That the parents will be angry, confrontational and unhappy with the education myself and my team are providing. Surprisingly, this has never happened but the anxiety persists.
Yet I do believe it’s an overall positive, for everyone, even me! Even if it’s some additional stress. We are also lucky that almost all our parents are able to make it to these events.
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My week in media
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 📚 - I did not realise it was romance in addition to fantasy but I’ve started now, and it’s the holidays so I plan to keep going。
- I have bought a new copy of House of Leaves and it’s sat there judging me for not starting but I need to be in the right frame of mind.📚
- Sultan and Shephard - Loving their music. This mix is a nice place to start. 💿
- I’ve enjoyed Teach Sleep Repeat for being very relatable about how I feel about teaching at the moment. It’s often too much. It’s that thing of there not being enough time and always feeling rushed about everything. That i am always thinking about work-life balance too. So ultimately feeling like I could be doing better (father, husband, teacher) but I’m not.
- Mannequin Pussy on KEXP Her voice. ❤️ 🎤
- KAOS on Netflix. Lyra and I really enjoyed this Greek Mythology in the present world show. We made time to watch it, which as two time-poor people tells you something. Funny but so dark in places. Jeff Goldblum as Zeus was great. 📺
- The Wild Robot - All 4 of us loved this tale of a robot washed up on an island, laugh out loud funny in places. I cried twice. They definitely said “On your left” at one point too, which tickled me. 🎬
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Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science
Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science but It Is Surely Harder (Ryan Fuller)
When I solved engineering problems, I had to use my brain. When I solve teaching problems, I use my entire being—everything I have.
Yeah, I cut the end of that quote. Let’s not go there.
I think it does a good job of starting to get to what can make teaching ‘tricky’. Where ‘tricky’ means all-consuming.
One of my go-to thoughts is that it’s often just the volume of things you have to do and the accompanying stress of trying to do all of them, often simultaneously. If I just had one thing to do, to teach this one lesson I’d be fine, I could give that my focus.
But it’s not just one thing.
And yes, I should probably write things down.
And I have an ongoing, developing, evolving list somewhere in my head of things that need doing.
And important varies moment to moment.
And tasks vary from the simple to the complex.
And sometimes, I’m a frog in pan of water as starts to bubble.
And boil. And more heat is added and added…
And sometimes I’m right there, present.
And sometimes I’m a million miles away.
And it’s just a job?
And what of my own family? -
Advice for Teachers, Policymakers, and Donors | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
I only read the advice for teachers but I liked the three suggestions. Even if I struggle with the speaking out part.
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Lots of teachers didn’t answer and instead wrote to say that everything they did was productive, it was just that there was too much of it. Ultimately, the government either must reduce expectations on schools or reduce teacher timetables.
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I just feel weird about teaching at the moment.
I struggle with feeling like I’m not doing my job well enough, because I don’t have enough time. But I don’t have enough time because I go to the gym for my physical and mental health or because I go home so I can spend time with my children.
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A busy day at school. Lots of things popping that involved lots of talking to colleagues. I could go home and do more work after working from 7:30-5:00 and it would certainly make tomorrow a little easier. But I need to stop and take a mental break.
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That’s a question isn’t it!
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Had a whiskey and burgers, played Mario Wonder with Yumo - he is really good, played Mario Kart with Elise and Yumo, signed up for a webinar on Enhancing Classroom Talk to support multilingual learners, about to watch Echo with Lyra. All going on!
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Welcome to the circus
My old biology teacher once said that revising was like spinning plates, you have to go back to it occasionally to keep it spinning. As it is with remembering stuff. It’s always stuck in my head.
I was thinking about it today. I feel that, as an primary teacher there’s a lot to be doing, that is, a whole lot of plates to keep spinning.
Except… I realised that it’s not the same, since each of the things is so different. If they were all plates, then they just need a push in the right direction to keep them spinning.
Except, they aren’t all plates.
I’m spinning plates - and to go with a circus theme - juggling, lion taming, keeping the audience happy, working on a new routine and am jumping between these tasks constantly. And if any of the things I’ve read about multi-tasking are true, it’s not great for getting things done well!
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Reading Comprehension Round Table - YouTube
Interesting discussion about teaching reading.
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A concise post about what teachers can be thinking about in the lessons.
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“Did You Like School? I Didn’t” (David Labaree)
I’m bringing this up because people like me – educators and educational researchers – need to remind themselves that school is not an unalloyed good.
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10 Classic Klaxons… Things to avoid doing or saying – teacherhead
This gave me some things to think about when i’m teaching.
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Really think about it. What’s the smallest number of hours you could work per week and keep your boss happy?
Funny this came up because we had a conversation at work and a colleague told me they felt bored. After a moment, I realized that I don’t ever feel bored. There’s always more I feel like I should be doing. That if I dared to feel bored it was because I wasn’t working hard enough or doing my job properly.
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Sitting at my desk at 7am feels both better than being grumpy at home but also, overall, worse.
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Reset
The few hours Lyra and I just had were just what I needed. A chance to reset my mindset and for me to start again.
I’ve found it difficult when I’m either with my own children before and after work and other people’s children between 6am and 9pm. Much as love my own children and I do enjoy my teaching other people’s.
It’s one of those things about teaching that, when you’re working, yes you’re in charge but your time is very much not your own. You can’t leave the room to go to the toilet or go speak to someone, you can’t sit and have a think. While we do get some ‘free’ time during the time, it’s incredibly difficult to switch off. When you’re teaching them there’s a million other things to do.
Anyway. I feel very much better for the evening off of parenting and teaching.
Best thing you can do for your children sometimes, is to be away from them!
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24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When your job involves working with young children (I teach Year 1(kindergarten)) and you have small children of your own at home. So your life involves the associated testing of patience before, during and after work. It’s a little emotionally taxing.
In other news grass is green and water is wet.
This is also me thinking I should be a little kinder on myself.
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Deep breath
The classroom is nearly as set up as it’s going to be. We have new students coming in tomorrow for a short while to meet us. Then we start in earnest on Monday. Most of our students will be in school, with a few not because they’re unable to get into the country.
It feels like this will be the last pause before everything becomes chaotic next week. Trying to take a moment to breathe before that all starts.
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Welcome back for the 2020 school year! [A letter from your local superintendent and school board]
Welcome back for the 2020 school year! We are incredibly delighted to have our children and educators back in school again, particularly after such a challenging spring and summer. We couldn’t be more excited to see your kids’ smiling faces back in our classrooms!
As you know, some things will be different this fall. We wanted to share a few things for us all to think about over the next few months…
First, some of our children and families probably will become very ill.
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School finished today.
Students had their last day yesterday and teachers finished today. We did a little more packing up and that was that.
It’s always a strange day. In international teaching, there’s always staff leaving as contracts end. As well, this year, some teachers are still out of the country. Of whom some will return and others won’t. The last we saw of them was them was the end of January. Those who won’t return, we likely won’t ever see them again.
I’m trying to dampen the anxiety of next year. There’s going to be so many changes and I can’t help let the worries build, a little at least. How will I do this or that and how will things work out? I’m trying to let them go, for now at least.
Instead, to try and relax a little. To maybe reflect on the last 5 months. Of our the quarantine, e-learning programme, of going back to school again.
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Morning jealousy
I’ve always been a little jealous of other’s morning routines. Since, these days, mine rarely involves, peace, quiet or stillness. Instead it involves 1 or 2 small children, argy-bargy, nappies, a rushed coffee and getting out the door with my head-not-right at 7am.
It wasn’t always like this, and I’m sure it won’t be like this forever but for now, it’s hard. Especially since work is especially is, how to put it - time-consuming at the moment. We continue to support out students not coming into school, while some students are in school.
With all that said. Every morning, either in the Didi (Uber) or sitting in the car park after driving to work, I’ve been putting a few words into my Day One journal. And it’s been good, actually. Not all of it has been positive but I’m hoping it’s a start of a habit…
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a list
I meant to start a list of things I was going to start doing in the coming school year. I just never got around to finding the time to do it. I had a thought that I might do it tomorrow but realistically, I’m just gonna dilly dally. I want to do overhead squats and burpees but I think the school gym is under construction still.
I was going to meditate more, stick to the strength programme that I’m now paying for, write more, practise my Chinese more (especially outside in the real world), to try and get my head around teaching Year 2 and the particular requirements that our school presents.
Maybe I should just do all of them.
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irate, of late
My patience is worn thin.
I think it’s because of work. Just for a change I feel like I’m not completely in control of everything I wish to be in control of. Of my teaching and all the things related with it - assessment, planning, the actual teaching, all the little things that go with it. Nothing new I suppose. It’s just couple with having co-teaching issues and issues with other teachers and I just don’t know where to start.
I would like to feel more organised, focused. I don’t like this feeling simply all over the place. And while I appreciate I should make better use of my time I don’t really feel like I ever have enough of it. The students start to arrive at 7:45 and, at the moment, Lyra and I get the school bus which gets in at 7:45. Then suddenly it’s 3:30 and I’m done.
