Reed's Reflections

I would like to ask and discuss the following questions with our leadership team and ultimately all faculty. Does our vision statement, mission statement, and curriculum support and promote these skills in ways to help our students become life-long learners that are valuable members of society? How are we teaching and encouraging students to think beyond the test?  How can we best train and equip our teachers to build and use these skills as part of the daily fabric of their classrooms? I can honestly say that I don’t know the practical answers to these questions. I know what it may partially look like in my classroom, but I would love to brainstorm with our administrators as to the best way to make these skills the expectations of all teachers and students--make them a part of our culture.  Wagner (2016) and Galinsky (2013) promote essential life skills that are similar. They both agree that students need to be able to effectively communicate, be able to think cr...

Confession: Spelling is NOT my favorite. And now thanks to modern technology, my students are even worse at spelling than I was growing up. We have weekly spelling tests and now that we are almost halfway through the year, students are writing their words in cursive for the test. This has been a major speed bump for some of my students. They are terrified of cursive. Some of them press down so hard that their hand hurts after one word. I've now started using Flipgrid to record their spelling words so that students can take their tests at their own pace. This way they can hear a word repeated as many times as they need, and students can also use as much time as they need to work on their cursive hand writing. My kids love this because now they are sitting wherever they want in my room, just taking care of business. Game changer!!!!

I love that our school takes field trips that are educational and fun. My first thought about going to the Wax Museum was that it would be creepy and weird. And it was. But it was also fun. Of course, my teacher brain couldn't let go of the fact that my students were able to visualize some of the parts of history that we learn in our class. Oh, and did I mention that I have a tiny crush on Thor?

I'm a little late posting this, but I appreciate that our small school makes sure that our local Veterans feel appreciated and that our young students understand that this is important. It was a small ceremony, with pomp and circumstance, but then every student walked through the line to shake the hands of all of the Veterans present. It was very heartwarming to watch my two boys do this, especially since we come from such a proud military family.  My father and brother when they were serving in Afghanistan together.  I think the most unique part of our school's Veteran's Day celebration is our participation in the Platoon of the Fallen in the Dallas Veteran's Day Parade. For the last three years, our seniors and some juniors have carried the portraits of fallen soldiers from Texas.  Shad and I did not know about this until about a month ago, but we are true believers that God allowed us to be a part of this special event for a reason bi...

I love my students. I do. No matter how much they make me grit my teeth and roll my eyes some days, I still love them. Just like almost every teacher I've ever worked with. One particular grade level I currently teach is full of a bunch of rowdy boys and dramatic girls. As a teaching team, we've all tired different approaches to help these kids grow into young men and women, but some lessons are just hard to understand and apply--like discipline..... or responsibility.... or that actions speak louder than words. Next year, these students will venture across the way to the secondary building. They will have to step up their game in each of these areas. So in a joint effort help students grow in maturity and begin building relationships with future students, my husband has stepped in to teach leadership lessons with my sixth grade students. The hope is that some of what he says sticks and that they will learn from him and see him as a teacher or mentor before they see him as the ...

Action research has a very practical approach to discovering new and better ways to approach instruction in the classroom. To me, this becomes more of an active approach to trying out ideas at the classroom level with real time feedback and ability to make adjustments as we go. Teachers make adjustments on lessons from the beginning class to the last one of the day.  During this class, I believe I will spend the bulk of my time on the first stage of planning and hopefully begin the acting stage. It will take some time to complete the first three steps so I can narrow the focus of my topic down to precisely what I hope to improve in my classroom, gather all of the information needed, and review the literature to make the best plan to put in place in my classroom. I believe the more information I gather from my own data, other sources, and literature, my topic will become more refined and specific to best meet the needs in my classroom. I am always looking for different ways to impr...

Our students are growing up in a world that is changing at a faster pace than ever before because of all of the new technology concepts and innovations that are being created every day. But sometimes, it's good for students to take a step back in time and gain some insight and more of an understanding of what the world used to be like. I'm blessed to work at a school with the tradition of having an on-site field trip day for our 5th graders to learn about life during Colonial America. Students spent the day playing, learning, and "cooking" like children did in the 1700s. We made Whirl-i-gigs and then played with tops, jacks, and pick up sticks. We mixed up cranberry crumbles, created log cabin ornaments, and painted Dutch art designs. Students also spent time learning to weave yarn, making butter by hand in a mason jar, cooking Johnny Cakes, writing letters with a feather pen, and even taking turns grinding corn for grain. Students also had to use wash b...

I loved getting a chance to look at everyone’s Eportfolio. We’ve spent so much time in discussions in the classes throughout this program that it was great to put a “feel” to each others’ personalities through the layout and designs of Eportfolios. When I first started building mine in Google Sites, I was a little disappointed because I felt like there weren’t very many options for themes. But as I started picking and choosing my own pictures and layout, I felt like I put my own stamp on it. After looking at some of my classmates, each one had a completely different personality to it. It really showcased the COVA approach and how we all seem to find our voice through the blogs and posts. Even though we had the same assignments, none of ours look remotely the same. They are not any copies of each other, which inspires me to want to do the same for my students in my classroom. I feel like students can use this as a creative outlet as well as a place to show their growth as well as contin...

Since my husband (former coach) and I have changed schools several times, I’ve built my own little network of teachers from all over the state. We may not share ideas on social media or through networking sites, but we do share through conversations, emails, and planning collaboration. I hope to gain some more “team members” on my network though this DLL program. I am already texting and emailing with new colleagues from the administration classes. I am a member of TCEA and I am constantly either saving their suggestions. I feel that this particular organization provides the information and the how about programs or apps that I need in order to use them in my classroom.  I also follow many teachers or tech “gurus” as I call them on twitter. I may not be a member of their particular community, but I follow and learn about new programs, apps and approaches from the work they are doing and sharing. This has been beneficial for me when I’m looking for something new or if I’m looki...

Every school has dress-up days to celebrate or promote something. I've tried to tone it down some this year because my son is in my class and I work with my husband. But I just couldn't help it for Neon Day! I told my hubby I was the, "highlight of his life." I got an eye-roll in response. Ha! 

Even when my son started barely walking, he carried a ball of some kind of ball. He loves all sports, but has a deep passion for basketball. He has said for several years that he will one day play basketball at Texas Tech or at Duke University. Over the past couple of years, we have been blessed to give him the opportunity to meet the coaches he looks up to so much. I love making memories with my boys that help support their dreams! 

I loved getting a chance to look at everyone’s Eportfolio. We’ve spent so much time in discussions in the classes throughout this program that it was great to put a “feel” to each others’ personalities through the layout and designs of Eportfolios. When I first started building mine in Google Sites, I was a little disappointed because I felt like there weren’t very many options for themes. But as I started picking and choosing my own pictures and layout, I felt like I put my own stamp on it. After looking at some of my classmates, each one had a completely different personality to it. It really showcased the COVA approach and how we all seem to find our voice through the blogs and posts. Even though we had the same assignments, none of ours look remotely the same. They are not any copies of each other, which inspires me to want to do the same for my students in my classroom. I feel like students can use this as a creative outlet as well as a place to show their growth as well as conti...

Of course my first reaction to “Who Owns the Eportfolio” was simple, me. I own it. I created it. I picked my colors (from what was available) and my photos (from what I was willing to use or willing to cite) and I picked what was posted (based off of the requirements of my class), but I still chose not to fail, right? But the beauty of our Eportfolios for this program is that we do own it because we are encouraged to complete these assignments through meaningful, authentic learning. The basic start was not my idea because I’m pretty sure that I would’ve never written or created some of the content I was asked to complete if it wasn’t for a class. But I chose how to present it and I put my thoughts and reflections into the content. This made my learning and my reflections relevant. In the article, “Who Owns the Eportfolio,” Harapnuik mentions that the power of reflecting is lost unless we are reflecting on our own ideas. I feel that each part of my Eportfolio is a direct reflection of...

           I used to teach middle school students. Whenever my students would type essays or build a presentation, I was fortunate enough that my students had basic keyboarding and formatting skills. This made is so the bulk of my time was spent on the content of the assignment. Then I moved up and taught high school. This meant I was teaching the same students I had in middle school. Of course this made some parts of my daily life easier. When implementing technology, most high school students mainly had questions about what my expectations were, not so much about how to use the technology. Now my career has taken me to a place that I never thought I would go--elementary school.           I've taken for granted that although my current students have grown up with game consoles, tablets, and smart phones at their fingertips, it doesn't mean that using technology for my assignments is easy for them. For example, I had my fifth grade...

COLLAPSE I already touched on this in a previous post, but as teachers, we are so much more than a one day formal evaluation or the answers to the handful of questions we are asked during an interview. I love how the ePortfolio can give some insight into who we all are as teachers, show personality, and show how we are all in this journey. This can be a great asset when applying for future positions, but I see it as so much more, too. Now that I have started to establish relationships with my classmates, I am excited to learn from their blogs and ePortfolios just as if I've walked into their classroom during my conference or after school to chat about the day. I plan to use this to show snippets into my classroom for others to learn from, but also, I hope to gain suggestions and tips from those who comment. My classroom is no where near where I want it to be as far as integrating technology consistently. I feel these ePortfolios will provide another place I can draw ideas from...

                 Just like the article, “Why Use and Eportfolio?” explains that “grades simply do not reveal skills,” the same can be said of a teacher’s skills in the classroom. I love the idea of an ePortfolio as a place that can showcase my work, my thoughts, and provide some insight into who I am as a teacher. If we believe that our students are more than just a standardized test score, then aren’t we as teachers more than the sum of standardized test scores? The ePortfolio provides a more in-depth look at who I am and what I value in the classroom. The COVA approach doesn’t just sound good in theory, but an ePortfolio allows us to show what the COVA approach looks like in practice.              As I read through these articles, I gained a clearer understanding of the different aspects that the ePortfolio offers for me to showcase to others, but also I can visually see my own transformation. Through the ...

5302 Blog Post This program has really changed my mindset as a teacher. After completing my Growth Mindset Plan , I reevaluated how I want to teach my students.  I want my students to be able to take risks in my classroom without fear of failure or consequences. Students already see so many consequences as they grow up and learn to make better decisions in their behavior. The last thing I want for them to feel this same way when they are just trying to follow my directions on an assignment. I teach writing for upper elementary students. I’ve started mentioning the power of the eraser to my students. The eraser can help revise or edit any mistakes students make on their paper. Misspelled word? Erase it and fix it. Run-on sentence? Erase and squeeze in a conjunction. Found a better idea after thinking through the paper? Yep, Mr. Jumbo-Pink eraser to the rescue. All of this is possible by following through Carol Dweck’s four steps to change a fixed mindset to a growth mindset in ou...

Flipgrid in the Classroom I was so excited to use Flipgrid for the first time in my classroom. It was very user friendly for my upper elementary students. First my student created Blackout poems from various articles. After completing their poems and framing them with construction paper, students videoed themselves on Flipgrid reading their poems. This gave my students to opportunity to read their poems in their own voice, without the stress of standing in front of their peers. This was a simple way to introduce Filpgrid to my students so that in the future, we can continue to use these videos in our learning. To check out Flipgrid, visit https://info.flipgrid.com/