One of the most powerful things you can do as a teacher is spend time reflecting on how things are going in the classroom. Reflection give you a chance to identify things that are working well and replicate their success. Reflection also gives you time and space to honestly appraise what isn’t working well, and identify potential ways to address any problems. But, the problem with reflection is that it’s hard to carve out time for it- papers demand to be graded, emails clamor for our attention, and just about everything else becomes more urgent than finding a quiet time and space to stop the presses and just reflect. [Read more…] about Finding Time for Reflection as a Busy Teacher
Friday Favorites
This week I want to share a few of the amazing things I’ve enjoyed from other educators. Here are 3 of my favorite finds on Pinterest and the world wide web of teaching this week:
One Simple Law Teachers Must Learn for Work Life Balance
My first 10 years as a teacher, I worked crazy hours. During my first school year I would routinely start the day in my classroom at 6:30 and not leave until 6:00 at night, sometimes even later. And holidays and weekends- yep, back in the classroom. I was surrounded by other workaholic teachers who wore their excessive hours as a badge of honor, and I felt like it was just part of the job, an expectation if I wanted to be a good and effective educator. It’s been a journey from that point to one with improved work life balance, and one simple law first coined in 1955 by Cyril Parkinson in an essay published in the Economist has been super helpful in getting even better!
[Read more…] about One Simple Law Teachers Must Learn for Work Life Balance
The Truth About “Magical” Teachers
Recently, I heard Kobe Bryant’s announcement that at the end of this season he will be retiring from the NBA. As he discussed his decision to step back and move into a new phase of life, he mentioned that his body is ready for a break. One example of his intense physical conditioning and training is that for every day of his career, every single day, he made 1,000 shots. That really hit me- he didn’t say he took 1,000 shots, he said he made 1,000 shots. And that wasn’t most days. It was his minimum for every single day.
A colleague of mine talks about teachers that are just “magical”. You know the type- they explain things in a way students really understand. Kids like them. When you’re in their classroom, there’s a positive energy, a buzz of excitement, and you can see students learning and caring about their work. They are the born teachers, the naturals.
Learning from failure: failing forward for students
Six years ago I was introduced to the work of Carol Dweck. I loved learning about the idea of a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Those concepts have revolutionized the way I look at learning and talent. But what impacted me the most was her discussion of failure- that how we view failure is a critical factor which determines our level of overall success. Basically, in the growth mindset, failure is seen as a temporary situation which indicates a need for more learning and effort: “I don’t get this yet, but I believe with more practice I will” or “What can I do to get better at this?“ would be the thoughts and statements reflecting this view of failure. [Read more…] about Learning from failure: failing forward for students
