What They Don't Tell Us

There are things they don't tell us in our education courses.

"I want to tell you something...

   ...my best friend was raped.
   ...I might be pregnant.
   ...my dad kicked the **** out of me.
   ...I don't have food in my house.
   ...my parents are getting a divorce.
   ...I miss my dog.
   ...those aren't scratches, they're cuts.
   ...I just feel so sad all the time.
   ...my parents drink a lot.
   ...I'm getting new foster parents tomorrow.
   ...my dad's in jail.
   ...the police were at my house again last night
   ...I'm depressed.
   ...we don't have a house.
    ...I feel so alone."

"Let me tell you something...

   ...my door is always open.
   ...I care.
   ...we'll find a way to get through it.
   ...I am so sorry this is happening.
   ...there are many people here that care about you.
   ...I will always listen, but won't always have answers.
   ...education can help get you away from this.
   ...I will always stop when I see you upset.
   ...you are not alone.
   ...this sucks.
   ...I'm here if you need to talk.
   ...I will do my best to get help.
   ...you can do this.
   ...I don't know why.
   ...it may take time, but you will be okay.
   ...I promise.
   ...I believe in you."

"I want to tell you something...

   ...you make me smile.
   ...I wish I was your kid.
   ...you really get us.
   ...I miss your class.
   ...you are always there for us.
   ...I love coming to your class.
   ...you believe in me.
   ...I made this for you.
   ...you are going to be at graduation, right?
   ...I wish you were my teacher next year.
   ...you are my favorite teacher, ever.
   ...I'm going to come to visit!
   ...you believe in all of us.
   ...thank you."

There are things they don't tell us in our education courses.

An 11 Year Old Smile

All we need to do is listen.

I could tell this was going to be a kid I'd remember for a long time. Her 11-year-old smile could light up the room. Her enthusiasm for learning and passion for life was contagious.

She had me fooled.

She had us all fooled.

I can hear it like it was yesterday. Her eyes tearing up, struggling to get the words out, shaking...

"Mr. Storm I have depression."

I had so many questions that I knew I didn't have answers too. I wanted to help but didn't know how. I wanted her to feel better but didn't know what to do. All I knew that I could do was listen.

I spent the rest of that year listening and learning.

Time went on as it does in middle school, as it does in life. She moved on to 7th grade and eventually 8th grade. I would occasionally see her in the hallway or she would stop in my room to say hello. That smile still there brightening up the room, but the hurt still remaining in her eyes.

Time moved on and she was off to the high school. The chairs in my room filled with more kids, each with different needs, each with different strengths, each with different smiles. New kids filling my heart, and the old ones moving to the side to make space for the new ones there.

I would often wonder what happened to her. Students would visit from the high school and I would ask about former students. I would hear sad stories, happy stories, and everything in between.

Time continued to move on and the teaching didn't stop. The world was changing. Social media was beginning and it became a part of all of our lives. Former students began to connect and it opened my heart again to all of those kids.

A notification came through from that kid from many years ago and I smiled remembering her. I accepted and looked at her profile picture. That same 11-year-old smile was there,  and so was the hurt.

Years would go by and I wouldn't have any face to face interaction with this kid. Until this year.

My classes were beginning a research project based on student interests and passions.  I decided to reach out to former students on Facebook and arrange for them to come into our class to speak about their passions and their journeys. The response was overwhelming and I was humbled. I was surprised when she reached out to talk with my class.

She arrived at my classroom door and when I opened it, she smiled. There it was. That 11-year-old smile. There was still hurt in her eyes, but they had a new sparkle to them.

She went on to tell my class about her journey- through middle school and high school, her battle with drugs and her fight with depression. There were moments that I fought back tears, and I wasn't alone. My students did the same. Her story continued to how she had managed to survive and was in college now, holding a 3.87 GPA and looking to graduate as a social worker and wanted to help others facing similar problems like hers. When she finished her story a student of mine walked over to her and hugged her. My class was speechless.

She stayed into my prep period to talk and shared more of her story. She shared that she had taken a train from Maryland to Pennsylvania to talk with my students. When I asked her why she had done that, her response was, "I saw your post and knew I could help your students. I wanted to share my story. Plus, if my favorite teacher of all time is asking for help,  I couldn't say no".

We talked for an hour. I walked her to the door and she turned and gave me a hug and thanked me.  Before she walked out, she turned and said, " I look forward to talking with your classes next year."

I can't wait to listen to more of her story.

You can read more about Teen and Adolescent Depression here.

Full and Empty At the Same Time

Can you be EMPTY and FULL at the same time?

There are two kinds of tears as a teacher; those that hurt because you care and those that feel good because you care.  Somedays I feel like my heart is full because I feel like I care so much about these kids…not too much…just so much. The crazy thing is when they walk out my door, I never stop caring. I recently had a colleague tell me that maybe you care too much about kids. Is it possible to care too much? How does one even respond to that?

There were two moments just recently, that capture how the heart can become full and empty all within a few hours and how you can experience the hurt and care kind of tears. As a teacher, even the smallest of messages can make a lasting impact on you.

The FULL Moment

You never forget your first classroom. My first year of teaching was spent in a fifth grade classroom in an inner city almost twenty years ago. I’ve often wondered what’s happened to these kids – kids that attended my wedding, kids that I saw experience holding a crayfish for the first time, kids I saw pick me as their quarterback at recess, a kid who turned a blueberry into a character I’ll never forget, a kid who was taken out of my classroom by child services, kids I saw laugh, cry, and grow, and kids I will never forget.

Because of social media, I’ve been able to reconnect with two students from that class. A few days ago I connected with a third. I hadn’t spoken with this student in almost 20 years when I saw a message come through on Facebook at the end of the school day. Her message brought me to tears:

“I learned so much by all of your projects and different ways you would teach just for us to make school so exciting. I want to thank you so much because, believe it or not, the way you were with us taught me how to teach today. I am a teacher as well, and I love it because of how you were. Thanks so much for changing kids’ lives…because trust me, if you changed mine, you’re changing many others.”

Gotta love those “care” tears.

The EMPTY Moment

It’s funny how life works. One moment you’re feeling amazing and the very next moment your heart is breaking and those “hurt” tears hit you right in the gut.

That evening I was scrolling through Facebook liking pictures –  smiling at how so many of my former students have grown up - I laughed when I read the post about Rosie’s two year old son who refuses to keep his clothes on, smiled at Bree’s (now a teacher in Memphis) post about being a foster mom to puppies, and was wowed by Jay’s son’s collection of over 800 Hot Wheels he collected for a holiday drive.

I scrolled down further and saw the three letters on one ever wants to see… “RIP”.  A former student of mine, who I had just connected with three weeks ago, had died.  Too young, too soon, why, - these thoughts went through my head followed by the memories of him in my sixth grade classroom. I’ll never forget that kid’s smile – it could light up a room.

I commented on the post and got a reply from another former student that shared the same classroom with him and me:

"Mr. Storm, I thought of you right away. My friendship with Ivan started in your classroom. We would spend countless hours on your couch...I credit that entire crew (and you of course) for helping me to come out of my shell and just overall enjoy life more. I'll never forgot all of us rapping...you made us and I was so embarassed and awkwar but thank God for Ivan's hilarious personality to shield my awkwardness. Such great memories...I just truly cannot fathom that he is gone. Hope you're okay.

Those tears hurt.

I recently had a colleague tell me that maybe you care too much about kids. Is it possible to care too much? How does one even respond to that?

It Gives Me Hope

"It gives me hope."

Moments

Words will not do this justice, but I feel it necessary to share what I saw a group of middle school students do this past Veteran's Day. Sometimes things happen in our world that make us ponder what we are doing as Americans, yet, there are moments, real moments, those genuine unplanned moments, that make you realize we are all in this together and we live in a pretty awesome place.  

I want to share what happened in our school's cafeteria on November 11th, Veteran's Day, during our 7th grade lunch - a cafeteria full of almost 300 twelve and thirteen year olds; a cafeteria not much different than most middle school cafeterias. However, on this November day, in this modest and humble town of Quakertown, hope was felt.

As our 7th graders were settling  into eating their lunches and starting to talk with their friends in the cafeteria, a few yards away an assembly was ending in our auditorium. Veterans had gathered to hear community members, politicians, and other veterans speak and recognize their many sacrifices and service. The ceremony ended and the Veterans began to appear at the entrance to the cafeteria and began walking through the cafeteria towards the library for a luncheon. What happened next was awesome.

Hope

There was a buzz of excitement in the cafeteria and the 7th graders started to clap and move towards the Veterans. They formed a line and began to cheer, clap, and shake hands with the Veterans. I could hear "thank-you's", see kids taking their phones out to snap selfies with the vets- and I even saw one of my students helping a vet to snap a selfie on his phone, handing them letters, and giving high fives. I also saw so many genuine smiles from both the students and Veterans - and I even saw tears from both as well. This moment continued until every Veteran, well over 75 of them -  men and women from every branch of the service paraded through our cafeteria.

As the last of the Veterans made their way through, a gentleman who appeared to be in his late 50's approached me. His eyes appeared glassy and I  could see tears on his cheeks. As he began to speak I could feel myself fighting back tears. He smiled at me and took my hand and said, "I woke up this morning and put on the TV. I watched the news and just felt awful. I knew what today was but I wasn't feeling too good about things. Then this all happened, and I'll tell you what, looking at these kids, talking with these kids...it gives me hope."

As I got back to my room after lunch, I noticed two girls who were visibly upset. I asked them what was wrong and one of the girls replied, "It's just...just that was so awesome. We take so much for granted and if it weren't for all those Veterans, we wouldn't have what we have," and the other girl replied, " I handed one of the Veteran's a letter I had written and he started crying and so did I...he told me he was so happy".

It's moments like this that make me realize as long as there is kindness, there is always hope.

What's So Scary?

This quote was on my board at the start of the school year.

I'm scared.

Yeah...there, I said it.
Deep down inside it's probably something all of you teachers think.

What is it that makes me say this? Let me try and explain.

I'm starting my 18th year of teaching, it's only the beginning of August and that feeling is creeping in. I roll over in the middle of the night and my mind races. I start thinking of my classroom and what it's going to look like - what's going to wow the kids this year? I'm streaming a show on Netflix and I start thinking of the lessons that I'm going to be doing this year - are the kids going to be engaged every single day?

But what I really can't stop thinking about, what makes me lose the most sleep, what makes me the most anxious, nervous, excited...scared...is the kids.

Last school year I made the move from 6th to 7th grade. I had been a 6th grade teacher for sixteen years and it was really all I knew and when I was told I'd be teaching 7th grade, there was much trepidation. Switching grade levels is something that's hard to explain to a person outside of the classroom, but I'd compare it to relocating to another state to do your job - same job, but there's just a different way of doing it.

Despite the move, the past school year turned out to be one of the best all-around teaching years of my career. I loved every minute of it. Moving up with the kids and being able to see them grow over two years was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. I developed relationships with those kids that will last a lifetime.

I approached each day with enthusiasm and excitement and continuously told the kids, "I only have 170 (whatever number we were at) days left with you! We have to make them count". This challenged me to make each day meaningful - to make each day something the kids would at least have the opportunity to remember. I knew I'd get to do 7th grade all over again, but these kids only had one shot at it. It turned out to be an incredible year. How do I know this - it ended with smiles and tears.

So what's so scary?

Knowing I have to be better than I was last year for these kids. I only have 185 days with them and I have to make each one count.

Out of All the Teachers...

One of the first people I met when I started teaching was Ellen. Ellen was kind, considerate, and always asking how my day was. One of the best compliments I can give Ellen is that she reminded me of my grandmother.  For a rookie teacher, anyone who took an interest in how you were doing was a blessing. Just spending a minute talking with her and you knew she was genuine and really cared about you. Ellen was our building's janitor. I would get to know her very well over the next few years and would eventually have her grandson as one of my students.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from one of my former students. He sounded a bit down and told me what no teacher ever wants to hear, "Mr. Storm, I have some bad news." He went on to tell me that his grandmother had just passed away yesterday and asked if I would be able to attend the funeral. He told me out of all the teachers she worked with and got to know, you were the one she always talked about. She really cared about you.

As I write this I think about the many relationships I've developed over the years - from superintendents, to principals, to teachers, students, and janitors. These are what make teaching the most important job in the world. Every one of the people I've met over the years has left a mark on me. I only hope that I will be able to leave the same mark on people that Ellen left on me.

Not Many Mondays Left

There aren't many Mondays left in this school year.

I know some of my colleagues are counting them down with huge grins on their faces and looking forward to not knowing what day it is when they wake up. Personally, I am struggling with these "final" Mondays.

This is my first time looping with students. The majority of the kids I'm teaching this year I've gotten to know over two years. I was really worried about making this transition but now I'm worried about these kids leaving. This looping has reinforced what I have felt all along about teaching - that building relationships is the most important part of what we as educators do.

Monday I shared an audio clip by Eric Thomas which asked, "What is your why?" My students posted to their blogs what they felt motivated them to do what they do. This video got me thinking about my own life, both as a teacher and a parent.

There is nothing more important to me than being the best parent I can be. As any parent can attest to, this is no easy task - especially if you come from a household without parents or parents who were dealing with other problems. My parents were both alcoholics and to this day it still bothers me. It's hard to understand what it means to be a good parent until you are one. I'm not sure this makes sense but looking back I know I didn't grow up in an ideal environment and learning to be a parent has been one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. I know I'm not perfect and I know I've apologized to my oldest son for some of the things I've said or done as a parent. I continue to learn as a parent and hope that I can always give my kids what they need. They are my "why" in my life. Why I go to the gym each day to stay in shape, why I wake up early to get the most out of each day, why I try (but don't always do a good job of this) to stay positive, why I try to be the best person I can be - they are my why.

The other part of me that is important is being the best teacher I can be. Some days I wish I had taught my own kids so they could see why I spend my early mornings planning or connecting with teachers on Twitter or attending EdCamps (my oldest son calls them Teacher Nerd Camps). I know why I started teaching - like so many teachers, I was inspired by another teacher. Her name was Mrs. Bailey, my fifth grade teacher.

The why I often try to answer is why do I still teach the way I do- giving everything I can and really never taking a moment to not think about teaching? And the answer is simple. I teach because of kids that walk in my room everyday. These kids are my "why" in the other part of my life. Why I get up early on the weekends and plan, why I constantly think about how I can make their day, month and year memorable, why I talk about them to people like they're my own kids, and why I love what I do everyday. These kids are my why.

Yeah...there aren't many Mondays left in the 2015-16 school year. These kids are why I don't want the Mondays to end.

Be sure to check out my man Dr. Eric Thomas' Website - he is a true inspiration.

My baby just-a wrote me a letter...

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. 

Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” 

– Scott Adams

Love letter left in a book for a random stranger.

That's Amore

There are a few things 7th graders do not want to hear a few days before Valentine's Day. This may be near the top of a 13 year old's list... "Tomorrow we will be writing love letters and I'm picking who you're writing to."

More Than Words

My daily warm-ups come from an awesome resource created by Luke Neff. I use his writing prompts, or variation of them, each day as my students enter the room. The prompts are very engaging and often very thought-provoking. As students entered my room I had Love Letters in The Sand by Pat Boone playing and this prompt on the board:

I started with this idea and looked into it a bit further. I discovered this awesome TED talk by Hannah Brencher and this site detailing how to write love letters to strangers.

That's The Way Love Goes

As a college student in the '90s I used to check my mailbox weekly looking for a letter from home. I recently came across letters that my grandmother had written me and it was amazing the flood of emotions that came back to me after reading her letters written in a beautiful cursive writing. It was as if I could hear her talking to me. I shared this with my class as I told them they would be writing their letters by hand. 

I gave the class somewhat vague directions in hopes that I would get some really creative and clever approaches to this task. They were to write about a struggle that they've gone through and to explain how they overcame it and got through it. They were to offer words of encouragement. They were also to remain completely anonymous.When they finished writing, they were to address the envelope and seal it. I told my class they could share their responses with me if they chose. Kids were excited by this and some even asked if they could write for the person reading their letter to write a letter to someone (aka. Pay It Forward). Some of my students chose to share what they wrote with me and I was beyond words when I read their letters. My kids never cease to amaze me - I was humbled and inspired by my kids.

February Love

Early in the morning I posted a message to my classroom Facebook page looking for parent volunteers and the response was overwhelming. 

The parents who volunteered, along with their child, would be secretly leaving the letters at various locations around town over the Valentine's Day Weekend. I asked them to be sure to leave the letters in locations that people would find them - supermarkets, coffee-shops, library, car windshields, etc.

One of my students leaving a "love letter" in the bean section of the supermarket.

Ain't Got Time to Take a Fast Train...

It's a fast paced world with instant connections and contact with our friends and loved ones anytime we want it. This may sound odd coming from a teacher who loves social media and instant feedback, but some days I want things to just slow down. I want my kids to realize it's good to do this. That's why we took a day in February, slowed down, and wrote love letters to strangers.

Our fast paced world needs more small acts of kindness like this. My kids will never know who they helped or how they helped them, but I hope that their letters will make others feel like their "lonely days are gone".

Rainy Days

Looking for that Umbrella

As I sit here looking at the once dust-covered box (had to wipe it off; the dust was making me sneeze), I struggle to find the words to explain the emotions going through me...happiness, sadness, fear, regret...I'm not really sure how I should feel. The box contains artifacts from my first two or so years of teaching. I know there's cards from kids and parents in there, and lots of photographs, there may even be a copy of the VHS video yearbook I made for every student I taught my first two years.

I'm not sure what possessed me to crawl up into my steamy attic today to retrieve it - maybe the rain outside on this humid summer day giving me more computer time causing me to look at posts on Facebook from former students who are now, dare I say, "young" adults. Maybe it's the realization that I will be moving to a new subject and grade level after sixteen years, basically starting over. Believe me, the stresses feel like year one, the only saving grace is I have an amazing "bag of tricks" and stories to share that can engage a class at any moment. My emotions are a continuous roller coaster - happiness for the opportunity to start over, sadness at the realization that I won't be watching kids grow over the next three years, excitement over the amazing things I have planned for my kids.

I'm going to open the box in a few minutes and I'm not sure where my thoughts will go, or what I will post. Whatever I share, I know the emotions I feel from the items in that box are going to be powerful.

Heartstrings

I can't explain the emotions. What I do know is this little box is invaluable. What has made these contents even more valuable is the connections on social media. I've connected with so many former students and I am watching them grow up before my eyes - raising their own kids and starting families, traveling, dealing with the ongoing struggles of life, and making moments in their lives. Some of my former students are no longer with us, and as I look at their pictures my heart breaks. Man, I miss some of these kids.

 Being a teacher and developing relationships is the most important thing we can do.  I often wonder the impact we have on our students, and what's crazy, is we'll never know. What I also know is that they may never know the impact they've had on me. With so much negativity and "rain" in our profession, we often lose sight of why we do what we do...why we teach.

I could post hundreds of pictures, not sure why I chose the ones I did, they just pulled at my heart or they showed things I was doing fourteen, fifteen or so years ago that are still essential in today's classroom, and I wanted to share with other teachers in the hope that they could learn a little something from them.

What I learned looking back is that relationships are what matter most in the classroom. Kids are people too and we must never forget that. I also noticed one thing in almost every one of the 400 plus pictures I looked at - smiles. We must never forget to have fun. The kids in front of us will never forget how we made them feel. I challenge you as educators to look at the pictures from almost two decades ago and see what else you can learn.

 
 

 

Sixteen years in and I have lots of boxes, a shelf in my classroom closet, and two bulletin boards devoted to the keepsakes from my students. I remember as an undergraduate student one of my professors encouraging us to keep a box with the things kids give you, from cards, to letters, photos, and all kinds of little odds and ends - to save it for the rainy days in the classroom. Believe me, you can never have enough of those umbrellas as a teacher.

One Word - Moments

The faded letters above my classroom door read “Make moments.” Moments are the things we remember. So often, as teachers (and just being a person), we get caught up in the little things and we often lose sight of what really matters. What matters are the moments we create for our students and the moments we remember as people.

My #oneword for 2015 is “Moments”. 2015 will be filled with moments and  I want to make sure that I recognize them.

My goal is to create more moments, both personally and professionally; to savor and live in the moments when they are happening, and to remember all the moments that have gotten me to where I am today.

As the “New Year” begins, I think about the 150 students who will be returning from break and know that the moments they will have for the remainder of the year only get to happen once in their lives. It’s up to me to help my students make as many moments as they can.

Remember, we don’t get the same moment twice in our lives. Make the first one count.

I Could Go On

There’s a special language that exists between a teacher and their students. This language grows and changes over the course of the days, over the course of the year, and over the course of time with our students.  As teachers, we need to learn this language, and sometimes it is learned in the most amazing ways.

The Hero’s Journey

Life is a series of journeys. We never know where these journeys will take us and who we’ll meet along the way. As teachers, we are lucky enough to encounter people at various parts of their journey, one part no more important than the other, but the impact we can have as teachers on that journey can be life altering. This post is the story of one such journey and the languages used to tell of this journey.

The Call to Adventure

People love stories and I thought what better way to engage my students in the study of Greece than by examining their stories and myths. We began the study by looking at an engaging TED-ed Original by Matthew Winkler entitled, “What Makes A Hero”.  video

Over the next few classes we discussed this and looked at what the Ancient Greek considered a hero. My students were then given the task of creating an “epic” poem about a journey they’ve been on, or a legacy they want to leave behind. This would culminate with students sharing their poetry to a global audience during the Second Annual Poetry Summit. What I got from my students was more than I could imagine.  There were dozens of poems and journeys I could write about, but I chose this one because it brought tears to my eyes, and truly shows the power of words.

Treasure

I’ve been blessed this year to have to amazing students in my classroom who have been not only trying to learn the “social studies” part of my classroom, but have been trying to learn English as well. They have taught me much this year, most importantly, that there are no barriers to wanting to learn.

When I presented the task of writing a poem to them, they struggled a bit, but when I gave them the option to write it in Spanish, they beamed. And when I told them they would get to share it with students who were learning to speak Spanish at a school in NJ, they couldn’t believe it. I won’t lie to you and say the first attempt was magical and worthy of recognition. Initially, they googled a famous Spanish poem and began to share that as their own. With the help of the ELL teacher, I was able to communicate a very important lesson on digital citizenship and plagiarism. We encouraged them to talk about the journeys that they had been on. What one student wrote was nothing short of amazing, not because of the literary devices or hidden message, but because of the story it told.

It Touched My Heart

At 12:20 PM Dayana read her poem (1:28) to the world. One of my other students read the English version that ended with the lines "with your help, I could go on". The poem told the story of her journey from Cuba, the struggles she’s encountered, a friendship she developed, and her hope for the future.

After Dayana shared her poem, the students in Raquel Williams’ 8^th grade class shared a poem by Cuban poet Jose Marti Perez. As Dayana listened, I asked her if she understood, and she began to cry. There are no words a teacher can use to describe the feeling you get when you see one of your students cry. When I asked her what was wrong, she just shook her head, smiled, and said “That touched my heart.”

“New Life”

There’s always more to the story, especially in middle school. We talked more, she cried more, I gave her a hug, I cried a bit, and we talked some more. Late in the day, she came by my room, looked in the window and waved and smiled. What was said during that conversations between her, me, and her best friend. If I told you what was said, I’m not sure you’d understand. It was a combination of English, Spanish and that “special” language that only teachers have.

Learn The Future - videos to inspire

“I go to school the youth to learn the future” 

-Robert Frost

Changing History

Videos to Inspire Part 1:

What Will YOUR History Be?

The definition I provide my students with for the word “history” is “history is just the stories of people”. This may be a bit off for the teachers who passionately love history, but I’m not one of those. My true passion is in reading and writing, and when asked to teach social studies this year, having to give up something I was truly passionate about, I had to consider how I could make this subject meaningful to my students and meaningful to me. It’s been quite an interesting journey and I’ve learned a lot – but there’s much more to learn.

I decided to start the year off with that definition of history and what history meant to my students. After some discussion, I told my students they will be changing history this year by writing their own stories (Yes, dear reader, there were many confused faces).  

Along with that, I asked my students what their legacy will be and how will they be remembered? Pretty daunting questions for anyone, let alone an 11 or 12 year old. As I get older, I wish that a teacher, parent, or someone in my life had asked me those questions. I don’t think we’re ever too young to consider the impact we can have on others – or too old for that matter. As a teacher, one of the most important things I can do for my students is to give them opportunities to understand the impact they can have on each other, their school, and even the world.

We Are All Clark Kents…

My inspiration for this was a series of TED talks by Brad Meltzer.

The first video we watch very early in the year is Write your story, change history - Brad Meltzer’s engaging TED talk about encouraging us to dream big, work hard, and stay humble. I provide the students with key excerpts from the video and stop frequently to discuss these key points. We then create a product to show what their dreams, goals, and aspirations are and what they will do this year to achieve them…my students are beginning to write their history.

Shutruk-Nakhkhunte

To keep the idea of history as stories going, we watch this video from The Emperor’s Club found at www.wingclips.com ( A great resource for video clips in the classroom).  The clip makes the students think about how will history remember them?  At this point in the year I introduce them to blogging as a tool to reflect and inspire others. I also ask my students to list 101 goals that they have to help them think about what’s out there in the world for them.

What do you want to be forever?

One of the final videos we watched, during Black History Month, related to the subject of Legacy and Our Histories, is another great Tedx Talk by Brad Meltzer called How To Write Your Own Obituary. Despite the “interesting” title, the content of this is extremely powerful- it hits the idea that ordinary people, like you and me, can change the world.  I show the first 11 minutes or so and stop it when Brad asks the audience “How do you want to be remembered?” Can you imagine being told as an eleven year old that you can make an impact on the world?

Footprints

Students have taken this idea to heart. I want my students to realize that what they do now will affect them later. I couldn't be more proud of what my students are achieving this year and I think one of my students says it best in her recent blog post

Success 

Over the last 15 years, I have had the opportunity to watch my students create amazing histories. At the time, I just didn't realize. When we as educators stop to consider the impact we are having on others we can really appreciate our successes.  It’s one of the major reasons I love teaching and helps me to feel the real “success” of teaching. Who knows what history will be written by the 150 awesome kids sitting in front of me this year?

What Will Your Verse Be?

What Will Your Verse Be?

10,175 minutes

“Food for worms boys…we are all food for worms.” Not a rather jovial thought, but as Robin Williams so eloquently stated in one of my favorite educational movies, Dead Poets Society, the thought hits home. We only have so many days on this planet – what are we going to do with them? We only have so many days with our students, what are we going to do with them? As a sixth grade teacher I will meet with my students 55 minutes a day for 185 days. Will I make each day memorable for every one of the students who will be learning in my class this year? I get to do sixth grade again; they don’t.

  

YOLO in Latin

Carpe Diem. Seize the day. My plan this year is to truly focus on what my students are learning and allow for them to take advantage of as many opportunities for learning as they can. I created a livebinder for my students and parents to provide them with the resources  I will be sharing this year. 

One of the key aspects of my teaching this year will be what I call “The Learning Code”. Check it out here

The Learning Code

That Summer Wind

Like painted kites, those days and nights went flyin’ by- a great verse from Frank Sinatra. It’s exciting to think that in a few short days, I’ll be standing in front of one hundred plus students – eager to start their middle school career and "write" their verses.  As I look out at their faces, I will see eyes filled with hope, anxiety, fear, and expectations. I will smile and think to myself, “Let's make some moments."

As I think back on the last fifteen years in education, it’s those moments that I recall – the laughter, the tears, and the relationships that were built, both with my colleagues and most importantly with my students. As I tell the new teachers, and some of the rather seasoned ones,  remember these moments – our students will not always remember what you taught them, but they will always remember how you made them feel, and most importantly, they will not forget the moments you create for them. 

How will you make moments this year? What will your verse be?