Summertime and Reflection
Ahhhh....summer! After the hustle and bustle of my nephew's graduation, I finally feel like summer vacation has begun. It's Monday morning and here I sit with my computer thinking about what I want my big rocks to be for the summer. I mean, of course the usual: vacation, spending time with family, getting things done around the house (Lord knows we need to do stuff around the house)....but I mean professionally. I want to take advantage of this time and really help myself grow. So what is it that I want to focus on?
It's funny that I am pondering this question as I have the ability to view my children's ISTEP scores this morning. One child has had PASS+ scores since 3rd grade. The other child has passed ISTEP one year since 3rd grade and failed every year since then, including this year. As I anticipated seeing his scores this morning I thought "Maybe this year. Maybe he will pass this year." You know, I am the first person that will always quickly say there is so much more to my child than his test score. Look into his heart, his soul, his spirit. He is an amazing human. It will take one encounter with him to feel his sense of uniqueness that I just cannot describe. In fact, I may even be a little stand-off ish (if that's a word) when it comes to state test scores in general. I mean, clearly there is so much more to a child than his/her state test score. We all know that. As teachers we feel this pressure to get our kids to perform on this once a year assessment that to our youngest students means nothing. But as I sit here and ponder my soon to be 8th graders future with this test I realize that he has just a few more chances to take this darn thing before he GRADUATES. He must pass this test if he wants a certain type of diploma. There's a real chance he will not succeed in that endeavor. What does that mean for him, for his future? Suddenly, the stakes are a little higher for me as a mother and as a teacher. How many of my students are and will be in this same boat? You're probably thinking, "Kelly, you've been teaching for 18 years- this is the first time you've thought about this?" No, not at all. But this is the first time I have FELT it this deeply. It's one thing to say that you want your students to succeed and pass tests, but it's quite another to feel it for a deeper purpose.
So my big rock? Or, one of them at least...a balance between better test taking strategies and quality teaching. I think too many times we focus on just test taking strategies but there MUST be a way to combine two worlds into a happy place where kids are achieving and learning. My goal is to explore more ways to do that. I want to find a way to think bigger than the test though. I think often times we put into place policies that bring us to the test and we fall short. If I can think holistically and on a larger scale, I think that could yield even better results for my kiddos.
Anywho, I've gone on quite a bit this morning about one big rock but I have others. I do want to dive into learning with Chromebooks in the classroom. I've had iPads in my classroom for the past 8 years or so. This coming year I will receive a cart of Chromebooks to try out with my 2nd graders so that will be a new adventure. I need to find ways to use the Chromebook in the same way I used my iPads but then also find new ways to use it that I couldn't before.
I want to keep Leader in Me at the forefront of all that I do next year. I want students to own their learning, take leadership roles within and outside the classroom. I wholeheartedly believe this will carry over into the larger scale picture I'm thinking of that I spoke of earlier. When students OWN their learning and are truly invested, know where they are and how to improve- learning happens. Whether it's on a test, in life, in class, anywhere. I want my students to feel empowered and motivated.
Just these few goals I have make me feel like I need to get moving on some of these goals. :) A new year, new students, new experiences all lie ahead of me. Time to get planning!
It's funny that I am pondering this question as I have the ability to view my children's ISTEP scores this morning. One child has had PASS+ scores since 3rd grade. The other child has passed ISTEP one year since 3rd grade and failed every year since then, including this year. As I anticipated seeing his scores this morning I thought "Maybe this year. Maybe he will pass this year." You know, I am the first person that will always quickly say there is so much more to my child than his test score. Look into his heart, his soul, his spirit. He is an amazing human. It will take one encounter with him to feel his sense of uniqueness that I just cannot describe. In fact, I may even be a little stand-off ish (if that's a word) when it comes to state test scores in general. I mean, clearly there is so much more to a child than his/her state test score. We all know that. As teachers we feel this pressure to get our kids to perform on this once a year assessment that to our youngest students means nothing. But as I sit here and ponder my soon to be 8th graders future with this test I realize that he has just a few more chances to take this darn thing before he GRADUATES. He must pass this test if he wants a certain type of diploma. There's a real chance he will not succeed in that endeavor. What does that mean for him, for his future? Suddenly, the stakes are a little higher for me as a mother and as a teacher. How many of my students are and will be in this same boat? You're probably thinking, "Kelly, you've been teaching for 18 years- this is the first time you've thought about this?" No, not at all. But this is the first time I have FELT it this deeply. It's one thing to say that you want your students to succeed and pass tests, but it's quite another to feel it for a deeper purpose.
So my big rock? Or, one of them at least...a balance between better test taking strategies and quality teaching. I think too many times we focus on just test taking strategies but there MUST be a way to combine two worlds into a happy place where kids are achieving and learning. My goal is to explore more ways to do that. I want to find a way to think bigger than the test though. I think often times we put into place policies that bring us to the test and we fall short. If I can think holistically and on a larger scale, I think that could yield even better results for my kiddos.
Anywho, I've gone on quite a bit this morning about one big rock but I have others. I do want to dive into learning with Chromebooks in the classroom. I've had iPads in my classroom for the past 8 years or so. This coming year I will receive a cart of Chromebooks to try out with my 2nd graders so that will be a new adventure. I need to find ways to use the Chromebook in the same way I used my iPads but then also find new ways to use it that I couldn't before.
I want to keep Leader in Me at the forefront of all that I do next year. I want students to own their learning, take leadership roles within and outside the classroom. I wholeheartedly believe this will carry over into the larger scale picture I'm thinking of that I spoke of earlier. When students OWN their learning and are truly invested, know where they are and how to improve- learning happens. Whether it's on a test, in life, in class, anywhere. I want my students to feel empowered and motivated.
Just these few goals I have make me feel like I need to get moving on some of these goals. :) A new year, new students, new experiences all lie ahead of me. Time to get planning!
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