Thank you Sherri Edwards at What Else for sharing with me the Liebster Award (Liebster meaning dearest in
German). This is a way to recognize
smaller blogs with fewer than 200 followers.
The Liebster nomination rules are:
1 1. Link back
to the blog that nominated you.
2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with less than 200
followers. (some places the rules say 3-5 blogs)
3. Answer the questions posted for you by the
nominator.
4. Share 11 random facts about you.
5. Create 11 questions for your nominees.
6. Contact your nominees to inform them of their
nomination.
My
nominees are (and I apologize ahead of time if you have more than 200 blog
followers; I couldn’t figure out how to find that information out):
My answers to questions from Sherri, my nominator:
1. Why do I blog?
I blog in order to be reflective in my practice and to
document my learning. Blogging allows me
to share my ideas and to learn from others.
Sometimes it is difficult to blog (like now, in the summer when it feels
like my brain is overtaken by my family and not by school) and othertimes, the
words write themselves. But each time, I come away from the experience feeling
like I learned a little bit more about myself and the kind of teacher I want to
be.
2. What’s the most
important thing a teacher can do for his or her student?
I think the most important thing a teacher can do for his or
her students is to create a positive relationship with them, respect them and
truly listen to what they have to say.
Teaching and learning can only happen when there is mutual respect and
trust. After that , we need to awaken
wonder and curiosity and passion, which is why I love Genius Hour.
3. What is the most
important thing a teacher can do for his or her colleagues?
The most important thing a teacher can do for his or her
colleagues is to listen and share.
Listening without judgment and sharing what you do creates a culture of
openness. (see previous post)
4. If you could
change one physical thing about your classroom what would it be?
My room is very small and it barely fits 28 desks and a
teacher’s desk. It is also an odd
shape. I would change it to be larger
and rectangular. Then, I could change it
to have a designated reading space with a couch and a carpet.
5. Describe one of
your most memorable teaching experiences.
Well, I’m going to take the word memorable to be mean
unforgettable. A few years back, I took
my class on a fieldtrip to the law courts.
It was a most memorable fieldtrip.
We travelled by parent drivers because we did not have funding for a
school bus. The fieldtrip began by one
of the cars not arriving at the law courts until 45 minutes after our fieldtrip
had begun because the driver had gotten lost.
This was in a time before everyone commonly had cell phones, so I
couldn’t even call the driver to find out if they were O.K. Then, while we were
in an unused court room having a judge talk to the class, the sheriff walked in
and told us we had to remain in the room and not leave. He proceeded to leave the room with the judge
and then locked the door behind him and locked us into the courtroom. This sent the class into some uproar. We waited about 40 minutes in the room until
the same sheriff came and unlocked the door.
He told the class, “Do not look to your left as you walk through the
hallway.” Of course, the kids did
look. They saw a pool of blood on the
floor. Then as we waited for our rides
home, one of our drivers did not come to pick us up and I had to phone the
school to have one of the staff come and pick up the last group of
students. That night, as I watched the
news, I found that someone had come to the courthouse and shot an
attorney. That was the most
unforgettable fieldtrip/teaching moment I ever had.
6. What memorable experience
do you hope your students will have?
There are two types of experiences that I hope for my
students.
There is something very powerful about connecting with a
good book and getting lost in it. I hope
for my students to find that love of a good book.
I also want them to
be able to engage in “flow” in their learning- whether it be in writing,
physical education or art. As Daniel
Pink describes in his book, Drive, “in flow, the relationship between what a
person had to do and what he could do was perfect. The challenge wasn't too
easy. Nor was it too difficult. It was a notch or two beyond his current
abilities, which stretched the body and mind in a way that made the effort
itself the most delicious reward. That balance produced a degree of focus and
satisfaction that easily surpassed other, more quotidian, experiences. In flow, people lived so deeply in the moment, and felt so
utterly in control, that their sense of time, place, and even self melted
away. They were autonomous, of course. But more
than that, they were engaged.” I would like my students to have the memorable experience of
that level of engagement.
7. How many
students/teachers do you have at your school?
We have about 500 students and about 30 teachers.
8. What is your favourite
classroom use of technology?
This is a difficult question because we use it for so many
different purposes. One of my favourite
classroom uses of technology is connecting globally with other classrooms
either through student blogs or Skype.
9. Who/what is your
teaching inspiration?
This last year, my main teaching inspiration has been my PLN
on twitter. I learn so much from them
and I am in awe of what everyone is doing.
I am also inspired by the books that I read and by my children who amaze
me in their learning processes every day.
10. What is one
teaching goal you have for this year?
I will try to be succinct.
I am going to write an blogpost on this question. One of the main things I would like to do
this year is to inspire a love for reading using the ideas of Donalyn Miller in
The Book Whisperer.
11. In six words,
what is your teaching philosphoy?
Connect and inspire passion and wonder.
11 Random Facts About Me
1. I love to read the same book as my son so that I
can talk to him about it.
2 2. I never eat the last bite of my sandwich.
3 3. I don’t drink milk.
4 4. I love camping.
5 5. I’m learning how to swim.
6 6. I joined twitter 11 months ago.
7 7. I have a wonderful job share partner who I have
known since high school.
8 8. My dream as a child was to be a writer.
9. I think it is important to meditate every day if
possible.
1 10. Sadly,
I’ve never had a pet.
1 11. Every
year I get bored and feel a need to somehow change or renovate something in my
home.
11 Questions for my nominees.
1 1.
Why do you blog?
2 2.
What’s the most important thing a teacher can do
for his or her students?
3 3.
What’s the most important thing a teacher can do
for his or her colleagues?
4 4.
If you could change one physical thing about
your classroom what would it be?
5 5.
How many teachers and students are at your school?
6 6.
What is one thing you want your students to have
learned in your classroom?
7 7.
Describe one of your most memorable teaching
experiences.
8 8.
What is one teaching goal you have had this
year?
9 9.
If you weren’t a teacher, what other profession
would you have chosen?
1 10. What
is your favourite use of technology in your classroom?
1. 11. Describe
the biggest teaching you mistake you ever made.
