​Read the sentence below.  Do you see any problems?

​Do not rewrite the sentence.  In fact, don't even fix the sentence.  Instead, on your paper, tell the writer how to correct three things.

As we move forward in our discussion, we come to the final of Joplin Schools' four Core Behaviors. In Participate, I have to ask questions of my students:
​

• What are you thinking when you are asked to do something you do not want to do?
• What are you thinking when you are asked to work with other students with whom you do not Get Along?
• How do you react to lessons when you do not feel well?
• How do you show interest in something in which you are otherwise not interested?

​
All of these come into play when I am sitting as a student, as well - whether in a professional development setting, a faculty meeting, or a teacher forum of some sort.  Sadly, the same is true when I sit in a Bible class or worship service.

There are always times when it might be easier to sit and let the activity go along with out me.  Around me. It might be easier to let my peers handle the situation without my help.  It's especially easy when I don't know what's going on.

So here I have developed the S.P.I.K.E.S. breakdown of the Participate behavior that is expected of Joplin students.  Rather than simply state the expectation and expect participation from my students, I understand that it is important to teach the skills involved.  In this, I hope my students will be better equipped for class and for the future.

Define and remember the word stereotype.

What's kinds of stereotypes might there have been about people in the Ozarks?  Do those stereotypes still exist? Could people have stereotypes about you...

Guilty.

Aren't we all guilty of being negative from time to time?  Kim Bearden, author of Crash Course​, is right when she says we love to recruit when we are in our negative moods. Misery loves company.  I suppose I am sort of a passive-aggressive when I get this way, wanting people to see my side of things.

And yet, there are some who don't see it when they are negative all the time.  It's easy to wind them up and watch them spin around the room, casting sparks off of themselves willy-nilly, shooting them toward random targets.  They curse.  They long for after-school drinks.  And yes, they recruit.

We must search for ways to recover from the downs.  We know that we are down, and we understand that it feels better to be up...but we sit idly, stewing in negativity.  It is a battle that doesn't make sense.

​Then, there are people who are sappy sweet on the outside - giving off a false positive - and tart on the inside. They project Good mornings all over the place, but by the lunch period they fill a completely negative role.  Often these are the teachers who are frustrated over a particular student who has failed to react to their sap.

How can we be truly happy?  How can we appreciate the students who sit before us in those little chairs every day? What can we plan?  To whom can we vent?  There's no reason to fake our smiles if we have genuine ones. We don't accept negative attitudes from our kids, so why do we allow ourselves to be so permanently discouraged.

Optimism can be the hardest lesson to learn.

​Read the sentence below.  Do you see any problems?

Do not rewrite the sentence.  In fact, don't even fix the sentence.  Instead, on your paper, tell the writer how to correct three things.

As we continue to break down the Core Behaviors for our school district, we come to Follow Instructions.  One might think this is self-explanatory, but we quickly find that the opposite is true.  The teacher cannot afford to simply tell kids to follow instructions.  It's not enough to expect kids to follow instructions without teaching them how to do so.

I recently had the idea to break down the Core Behaviors so they might be taught more explicitly.  It will be nice to have the graphic below, with its R.O.T.A.T.E. acronym to assist in teaching, practicing, and reinforcing this expectation.

Book Scavenger is the first book from author Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.  She does a fine job of keeping the reader's attention.  I found myself wanting more to happen sooner in the book, but once the story gets going, about half way into the book, I quickly discovered that I needed to keep reading - even if it meant I would be sacrificing sleep.  This is a thicker book than fourth graders are used to, but it's not too deep for most.  Try it on for size.

How can a person encourage another person to explore undiscovered talents?  Call it motivation if you'd like.  Call it inspiration.  Hey, call it visionary if you want to.  The fact is, sometimes getting a fourth grader to do things can be difficult - especially when s/he comes to the teacher with head in hands and staring at his/her shoes, without even a modicum of desire to overcome struggles or learn new things.

He thinks he is as good as he will ever be.  He is satisfied that he has learned everything he can learn - that anything new is overload and impossible - and I, the teacher, am expected to work some kind of magic to get him to think differently.  I wouldn't call it magic, but I would recognize that my part of the process does require some finesse.

Sadly, I don't think any teacher can honestly put that finesse, or magic, into words.  It is certainly a combination of any number of people skills, teaching skills, personality, and perseverance.  When Kim Bearden talks about getting students to stop rattling around​ in their boxes and change their fears into wonders, she is spot on...but it takes the rest of the chapters in her book (Crash Course) to achieve it.  Still, I would like for her to add a chapter entitled Finesse.

For the past six years, I have changed many of the old ways I have approached education.  I haven't thrown out the baby with the bathwater, but I have changed my approach in significant ways.  On a number of occasions I have discovered some of that so-called magic with particular students.

One student might be defined as a thug by people who knew him, but at some point, he became the class' favorite peer.  Through an arduous and painful process, riddled with stumbles, he became compassionate and selfless, and he discovered in himself a character he never knew existed.

During another year, a boy of small stature did everything he could to emulate the gang members he saw on TV, but after a heartfelt connection with a teacher who was willing to listen to him, he became interested in academic improvement.

Still another year brought a child who lived in poverty, hated women, and was generally angry.  He was the boy everyone dreaded.  He did not bathe regularly, and had terrible habits.  When dealing with adults and peers alike, this kid would melt down completely.  He slipped easily into violence and self mutilation.  Yet somehow, with explicit teaching, he awakened something deep down within himself.  He learned how to look people in the eyes and firmly shake their hands.  He learned to call adults ma'am and sir.  He learned to be slow to anger and slow to speak.

I know Mrs. Bearden is talking about awakening different kinds of talent - public speaking or singing perhaps - but for these three boys, the box that confined them was a tight one.  I want my students to know that what defines them now does not have to define them in the future.  The secret to such redefining is to remove confinement.

Read the sentence below.  Do you see any problems?

Do not rewrite the sentence.  In fact, don't even fix the sentence.  Instead, on your paper, tell the writer how to correct three things.

One of Joplin Schools' four Core Behaviors is Get Along.  While much has been written about explicitly teaching the first behavior of Greeting Others, breaking down the other three expectations has been more difficult. I have come to appreciate the need for finding the specific steps involved for students to master these behaviors, so I wondered if this one could be taught in a similar fashion.

Of course it can't.  It's a different animal, and might need to be approached in a slightly different way.  Look, however, at the acronym I created below:  STARFALL.  This breaks down the art of conversation, which I believe is central to getting along with others.  I am most definitely not strong in this area myself, so I will continue to work on these skills alongside my students.

It's time to put these little fellows to the test.  I've just received three Ozobots to use in our classroom.  After playing with them on my own for a while, I'm still figuring out how to use them for educational purposes.

I am more interested in using our Ozobots to teach history, science, reading, writing, and math.  I already have some ideas for how they can help us with storytelling and history, and I am looking at examples of possible math and science instruction.  People know I like to think outside the box, so they won't be surprised when I pull these guys out and gear them up (They might roll their eyes, but they won't be surprised.).  We'll definitely have to post some videos on the website when we make them (whether it be for this year's class or next).