Switching Classrooms

Financial Friday: A Pack of Construction Paper

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

My local Big Lots always has nice pads of construction paper for $1. This one dollar always provides endless projects and hours of learning. Ty and Za create art and presents, and even decorate for the holidays.

Last year we made a Christmas paper chain and practiced sorting, counting, and sharing.

This year's paper chain for the playroom.

We are taking our Christmas decorations down, which includes cleaning up the kids' playroom. Za wanted to cut the strips of paper and while I knew this would be messy, I knew I should let her because it is great practice with the scissors.

Za's cutting project.

Sure enough, she started cutting and playing with the little pieces. Then she added them to bowls in her pretend kitchen.

Her homemade salad. Next time, we'll add "mushrooms" and "onions" too.

Viola! A "salad." I never thought to turn used construction paper into pretend food, but it is an idea we'll have to use again. Stretching the pad of construction paper even farther? - an easy Financial Friday project, almost free.

Teaching the Writing Process By Writing With Your Students

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Teaching writing is a complex process because so many ways exist to write - and every student needs a different one. For instance, I am a freestyler: I like to brainstorm a few ideas and then write a rough draft. I often then circle back to prewriting/brainstorming to better my ideas and in the process, write another rough draft.

I know mine is not the process that works best for all my students, however. So when I start writing with a class, I encourage them to stick with the basic writing process:

1. Prewriting
2. Drafting
3. Revising
4. Proofreading
5. Publishing

As a class and individuals grow, they start to stray from the process and loop back and forth until they get the desired outcome. I think allowing students this freedom as an English class continues throughout the year shows my trust in students' developments.

What I strive to do for every writing assignment is write a paper with the students, following the writing process with them. I've had great success with that method.

1. Prewriting methods:

To begin, I provide an assortment of ways for students to prewrite. (I may be forgetting some that I use, and also feel free to add more ideas in the comments!)

Outline
List
Comparison/Contrast chart
Web graphic organizer
Problem/Solution chart
Sandwich/Hamburger chart (often used with my junior high students - high school kids don't seem to care for this)
Multiple other graphic organizers

What I have found helps students the most is that I complete this activity with them. They see me struggle for ideas and come up with ideas that don't connect well with my topic. They see me get frustrated when I have to mark out concepts and rearrange them. They watch me arrange my prewriting into different categories, which will become my different paragraphs. They learn that prewriting is messy, unorganized, and frustrating at points. I'm a big "bulleted list" person:

This is my prewriting for a Thanksgiving writing project my students did (8th grade). Here I am brainstorming ideas for what I am thankful for.

Students have even seen me change my mind about a topic and start over. Students have seen my excitement when I am onto a great idea. Students have seen my thought process as I prewrite.

2. Drafting methods:

I continue demonstrating my writing process with drafting. I show students how I long-hand, write out my rough draft. Some of my students prefer to type their rough drafts, and that is fine. (I assign students to complete every part of the writing process, but to personalize each section to fit their needs and personalities). I allow students to read mine while I read their drafts. (We trade). We discuss paragraph organization and transitions. We discuss what works and what doesn't.

This shows them that no rough draft is perfect, it is a working draft. Mine has mistakes and I am open for discussing spots to improve. This also provides students an opportunity for practicing giving and receiving constructive feedback.

3. Revising methods:

When I begin to revise, I often head back to my prewriting to be sure that I can't better organize the paper. Sometimes I missed a point that I now see the perfect spot to insert. It also gives me an opportunity to reflect on what I want the overall message of the paper to be, and to see if I am hitting that mark. Then I type my paper, and yep, I sit right beside my students and type with them.

4. Proofreading methods:

Dependent upon the age group, time limits, and class attitude, I have students proofread in a variety of ways:

As a class, students develop criteria for proofreading. The large umbrella for criteria can focus on focus, support, organization, or conventions - all or some. This manner works well for struggling writers because then everyone can focus on one aspect. Classes who write well can focus on all of them. Students can check each other's work and their own.
I provide a checklist for students. Students then check their own, a partner's, or a group's work.
We proofread as a class. This works well with a close-knit class, one that is willing to participate and share writing samples. Students volunteer sentences they need help reworking, or read a section of their papers that need reformed.

Again, I share with students ways that I proofread and model how I apply grammatical rules to situations.

5. Publication methods:

For high school students, this typically includes printing and submitting. It can also include presenting part of the paper to practice speaking skills or turning some of the information into a power-point.

With my junior high students, I've found they really enjoy turning their writing into artistic endeavors. For instance, they can add pictures or graphics to a poster that help emphasize and explain their writing.

That is how I use the writing process in my English - language arts classroom. Do you have any other tips to offer? Other ideas to incorporate with the writing process?

Sub Plans

2011-12-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

My children were both sick the other day, so I had to call into work at my new job for the first time. Luckily, I live close enough to this job that I am able to run up to my classroom and set up plans. They look so tidy:

I think it is also a nice summary of what I am teaching, from left to right:
(my red grade-book)
American Literature
British Literature
That Was Then, This Is Now
Killing Mr. Griffin
Anne Frank

I also did my sub plans differently than in previous years. At this school (it is tiny - we have 5 teachers total) the teachers take turn covering the classes. I wrote directions on a piece of paper - one piece of paper per class. It worked well and I hope it was less confusing than a long set of directions would be.

The Chocolate War: Review Day

2011-12-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

I recently finished teaching The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. (This was my first time teaching it. I found it to be fabulous young adult literature, with strong anti-bullying themes. My students also liked it).

For fun on review day, this is what greeted my students:

Chocolates in "Trinity" boxes as well as homemade brownies. A sweet treat, for my sweet seniors.

Learning Is Everywhere, Especially With Mom's Stuff

2011-12-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Learning Is Everywhere!

Just ask my Ty. While I painstakingly decorated our banister for Christmas, Ty took several cable ties (more than pictured) and began turning them into numbers. He proudly exclaimed, "mom! numbers!" He made 1's, and several 6's and 9's. I think the ties are really difficult to bend, so he didn't make many other numbers, aside from a few really large 4's.

The number 1's and 4's really caused no problem, but I had many cable ties ruined from the 6's and the 9's (pictured).

I ran out of ties and had to substitute with tape (which will probably fall) but it is darn hard to get mad at a kid for ruining your supplies in the name of learning. I always try to show him that learning is everywhere, and if this is the result, I'll take it.

Happy Holiday Season everyone! Sorry for the spotty posting. I have been very busy teaching full-time. I shall get back to blogging once I catch my breath, even if that means June.

Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Nine

2011-10-31T04:16:00.000-07:00

This is it! The final guideline under Dr. Sousa's "daily planning, general guidelines." When I started this series, I wondered if each guideline differed enough to warrant nine separate posts. I think they do.

The final guideline:

Each brain is unique.

Ahh, clearly the obvious. Obviously the simple truth all teachers and parents know. Each child and his/her brain is unique.

Everyone brings unique perspectives and different experiences to each lesson, making each response unique. The other day I posted on Facebook a cartoon about fairy tales. Everyone chimed in, but it turns out that the way everyone interpreted the cartoon largely depended on each experience of growing up with these cartoons - old Halloween costumes, their parents' reactions, etc. (Even adults forget this fact that tons of experiences form an outlook). It is overwhelming to think that students and children have so many different experiences.

Each brain is unique, and every building will be unique as well.

That is the "nurture" part that contributes to each brain being unique. I feel like science is now impressing facts in education, that leads to the idea - what about the physical part of each brain? How is each brain unique, physically - perhaps "nature"?

It could begin in-utero, when brains begin to form. The research is strong on what happens to early brains. Zero to Three covers everything from abuse to general experiences form the physical aspects of the brain. What food the parents feed the child contributes to brain development as well.

How do we separate the nurture and nature aspects of the brain? I think this is what brain-based learning is telling parents and teachers - they cannot be separated. Everything influences children's brains.

Which leads us to a challenging, scary, and important fact: if each brain is unique, each learning pattern is unique. As a parent, as a teacher, that makes my eyebrows go up. Rarely do I teach a lesson and feel I reached every student. I keep trying, being patient, explaining different ways - am I alone here?

I fear that I leave this brain-based learning series with more questions than answers. Each brain is unique, which is wonderful and what makes each student special. It also makes teaching and reaching each student that much more important. That is a tough order.

So, does brain-based learning impress you, or does it overwhelm you? What do you think now that we have covered it all?

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Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Eight

2011-10-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

This week's educational theory is the sixth brain-based learning guideline according to Dr. Sousa:

Practice does not make perfect.

That might sound odd, especially since the previous week's post was rehearsal is essential for retention. Before I started applying this guideline to my children and students, I wanted to read more because it sounds misleading.

On page 99 in How the Brain Learns, Dr. Sousa states that practice does make permanent, not perfect. Students should practice learning correctly from the beginning, and not have to relearn, which is difficult. With this, Sousa suggests that educators give guided practice, and then independent practice.

This immediately jump to shoe-tying and buttoning skills that my four-year old works on. I wonder what happens when you cannot give the guided practice first. For example, he has seen me tie shoes thousands of times. He tries to cram the shoe lace together and wave his hands; I know he thinks this is what I do. It is probably what it looks like to him.

Now that I am trying to teach him, I wonder if I am teaching someone who is practicing incorrectly and must relearn. In situations like that, is is even possible to change? Will children automatically have to relearn some things in life because they have preconceived notions of completion?

This also made me wonder about the noun-pronoun-adjective differentiation assignments some of my students struggle to learn. Those words can be used interchangeably which makes them confusing. Originally, I did guided practice before I let them practice independently. We are still going to practice more this week, because the grades could be better.

So here is my question: even if teachers/parents follow this brain-based learning suggestion, how do we ensure that students are practicing correctly? If it is troublesome to have them relearn, how do we ensure they practice right?

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Switching Update

2011-10-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's been three weeks since I switched back to being a teacher in a typical classroom and stopped being a SAHM. I hope the kinks are worked out in schedules and moods. The family had an adjustment period but I am hoping that is over. Smooth sailing, right?

Probably not. I have realized a few things during all these switches. I have learned that some things never change - working, SAHM, alone, with kids in tow. Here is what I know about myself, because some things just don't change:

1. I will never remember my reusable bags for the grocery store. If I do happen to remember them, I will leave them in the car when I go in the store or will have not brought enough. Miraculously if I bring them in the store and have enough, I will have forgotten the plastic bags to recycle. My grocery store trips, no matter how organized I want to be, will be messy.

2. I will never be a morning person. No matter how early I go to bed, I will hit snooze on the alarm clock. It also doesn't matter if small adorable people wake me, or an alarm clock does. I will be fine when I am actually up (and have coffee) but before then, I want to sleep.


Za will always dump out my purse, SAHM or not.

3. I will always read to my kids. If I am very tired from work, I still believe enjoying reading and having strong reading comprehension skills are the foundation for a good education. My voices may not be as enthusiastic as my former SAHM's character interpretations, but I will always read.

4. I will dread messy art projects. When I became a SAHM, I thought surely, I would not mind paint dripped on the floor and glue on the table. I did though, even though art projects were daily at our house. Then when I switched back to work, I thought surely, the kids would do fewer messy art projects and I would not mind picking up every once in awhile. Nope; even though I love my kids being creative and having fun, cleaning up art leftovers will always be a big sigh for me.

5. I will miss my kids like crazy no matter where I am. You know that quote that having kids is like having a part of you walk outside your body forever? That is how I feel. Even when I was a SAHM and went somewhere along, I wondered if they were getting along or having fun. I just think about them, working or not.

As I settle back into a working routine, I see the patterns that make me a mom, working or not. I hope my kids laugh some day that I will remember reusable grocery bags about the time I get out my money to pay or that I am always missing wayward streaks of glue on the kitchen table. It's nice to realize the mom characteristics that are me.

Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Seven

2011-09-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

This week's educational theory is the sixth brain-based learning guideline according to Dr. Sousa:

Rehearsal is essential for retention.

The dictionary defines "rehearsal" as a session of exercise, drill, or practice; a repeating. I think we know what this rehearsal entails, and that is the part that kids so often dislike. Rehearsal is necessary, but how teachers and parents present it is what matters.

So how can we have students rehearse while still considering the other brain-based learning guidelines? I can think of several.

Guideline six states that lecture usually results in the lowest degree of retention. Yet how do so many parents and teachers (this one included) review before a big test? We run down the list of facts and terms students need to know. Perhaps while rehearsing we could spend time connecting material to prior knowledge (guideline two) and thus building links to students' emotions.

Plus, since I'm one who believes cramming before the big test often hurts rather than helps, doing a tad bit of rehearsal every day may ease a large rehearsal the night before (or morning of) a test - the testing of retention. I try to do this everyday in my classroom, when we review the part of speech we are studying, we actually review all that we have so far covered. I also do it with my kids when we run through colors, body parts, or safety rules.

What other methods contribute to honest rehearsal, rather than rushed and incomplete?

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Fall Wreath: Easy Financial Friday

2011-09-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

We have two huge trees in our back yard and one in the front. Our leaves fall early and plentiful. I googled leaf activities for kids and got plenty. Wreaths seemed like the easiest, so we tackled that. Kid Kapers gave me some ideas, as did Katie's Nesting Spot. Some people used real leaves while others used construction paper. Since I wanted a wreath for my outside door, we used real ones.

I thought about using glue, but decided it would be way too messy.

I cut the middle from a paper plate and covered it with duct tape. I sent the kids out to find leaves. I had them take turns adding leaves.

Taking turns, working on patience!

We discussed the different colors of leaves. We also talked about what the trees would look like with no leaves in a few months.

The project only took about twenty minutes, but the kids were very specific about where each leaf went, and its direction. I like showing them how all the steps of a project - taking turns, staring out slowly with preparation, and on.

Almost done!

Of course, this does relate to the naturalist intelligence, but I also think it relates to interpersonal intelligence as well. My kids made one project, together. They had to take turns and decide which direction they wanted the leaves. There was also talk of only using red or orange leaves before we decided (I heavily persuaded!) to use a variety of colors. I think the final product is adorable:

I poked a hole in the top and tied it with a piece of yarn. Educational, and always, inexpensive.

Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Six

2011-09-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

This week's educational theory is the sixth brain-based learning guideline according to Dr. Sousa:

Lecture usually results in the lowest degree of retention.

I used to fall asleep in lecture classes. Head on the desk, pencil stuck to the cheek, asleep.

Perhaps one reason lecture results in the lowest degree of retention (I'm guessing the rest of the statement is "out of all types of teaching methods") is because it is boring. I struggle to retain information presented in a boring manner: someone talking, and not doing anything else.

The brain is a parallel processor which means it does more than one action: it controls tastes and smells; it works on both reading and typing. Is it that lecture just doesn't activate the brain enough? The brain could want to process more but have nothing else but to hear the words. When I would write, I would learn more - that is doing two things though. How many students don't take notes? Plenty. Lectures are difficult to sit through.

How can parents and teachers use this theory in life? I had a few ideas:

Preschool

At first I was struck that parents don't "lecture" to preschool children, in the way they do not sit a child down and drill them on notes. That is true, but do we lecture preschool children concerning behavior? What would happen if parents (myself included) role-played rather than gave rules? Instead of lecturing for a ridiculous number of times, I could try asking one of my children what he or she would do if someone ____ (insert behavior) him or her. We could discuss feelings and emotions to reaffirm the rule, which of course, is important too.

I'm not pumped up about word searches, so I need to keep searching for meaningful activities with spelling words.

Older Children

This week, I will be teaching my first spelling words ever. I have never taught junior high before, but I do have a junior high language arts class and we will be doing spelling words. I remember doing crossword puzzles and word searches with my spelling words, but I don't think that necessarily helped me. I need to find other non-lecturing activities.

I thought about doing board races, as this class seems to like activity. They like being "up" and not just sitting. I don't know what to offer as a reward, though, as candy seems like an outdated prize. I also though about playing "around the world" which again allows physical movement.

I'll gladly take tips for non-lecturing spelling word activities! (And possible prizes!)

High School Children

Alas, my high school students. I will teach slave narratives and Puritan writings this week. Instead of lecturing about the facts, I will have students read about the writings. I will assign each student a certain number of sticky-notes (I am thinking five each) to write facts. The class will assemble the notes and we will review them together.

There are different age groups and how I am going to avoid lecturing to them this week. Any ideas to add?

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Financial Friday: A Bag of Art Stuff

2011-09-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

The magical bag of "art stuff."

My kids have a bag of miscellaneous items. They call this bag their "art stuff." I don't let them get it out every day - it is a huge mess. They do, however, ask for it almost every day. This is so funny to me because it is so simple and inexpensive.

The bag is an old shopping bag. It's getting holes on the sides. I probably need to replace it soon.

It came to be when they had art supplies strewn on the kitchen table. I grabbed the bag closest to me and threw it all in the bag. I never organized it - I never sorted through it. It is simply a bag of scraps of paper, crayons, safety scissors, old magazines, and stickers.

Ty, dumping out the art stuff.

When I need down time or when the kids are lost with "nothing to do," I get out the magical bag. Sometimes I sit and color with them, or write out words when they want a project labeled. Sometimes I load the dishwasher or cook because they are in eyesight. It keeps them entertained for hours.

Ty, overlapping pieces of paper.

Gathering the "art stuff" was simple. The supplies were free: leftover scraps of other art projects and junk mail. The supplies were also inexpensive: glue, crayons, and markers. Last Christmas when I made the kids their folders, the leftover papers and inserts became part of this bag, especially the stickers. The best part? When they finish, I keep their finished masterpieces out and throw the rest in the bag.

The bag, born out of a quick hiding idea, is now a staple at our house. It makes me happy because I have read in numerous places that free play benefits children. For instance, the AAP suggests:

Emphasizing the benefits of "true toys", such as blocks and dolls, in which children use their imagination fully over passive toys that require limited imagination.

My kids create by coloring, cutting, gluing, and folding. They are not passive like if they watch television; they are engaged in their creation. What more could a SAHM want?

To My Students

2011-09-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

I will meet about 40 new students this week!

Dear Students,

I haven't met you yet, but I have prepared to teach you for years. I'm excited for this semester. I probably won't be able to sleep the night before we meet. I never can, 10 years after getting my teaching certificate.

My mind overflows with ideas for readings, activities, and discussions. I want to show you how literature connects the world; everything from societal ills to economic struggles, human triumph to engineering feats - stories hold history lessons, which can then be guides for the future. I want to examine how to manipulate the written word in writing and speech. I want to study the craft that is language arts.

I also want to learn fun and interesting intricacies about you. I want you to share your life with me through writing and connect it to literature. I promise to provide plenty of examples of how literature connects to me.

You will learn that I drink lots of coffee.

I never stop thinking about education and how to influence yours the best I can. The more I learn about teaching, leadership - the monster named education - the more I realize all these outside factors influence you, heavily. More than I can. More than you may want them to weigh on you. More than you may even know.

So I propose that we go into this school year together. I promise to teach you the best I can. I hope you promise to learn the best that you can. If you have those outside influences weighing on you, let me know. Maybe I can help, maybe I can find someone to help you. I will at least try to understand.

I hope that you leave my class believing you got a fair deal - that we worked, but that the workload and your treatment was fair. I will do the best that I can everyday, and I hope you do as well.

Sincerely,

Mrs. M.

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To My Kids

2011-09-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

I return to teaching high school English today. I spent two years home with my children.

Dear Ty and Za,

I am going back to work today. Work, that is, outside the home. I clarify because I have worked hard these last two years. I took my SAHM gig as seriously as I would any other teaching job. I stayed home because I wanted to teach you. I wanted to take you on field trips, feed you healthy brain-nourishing foods, read to you, teach you morals and manners, show you love, and build a bond with you. I hope I did enough - I think I did. I can't believe these two years are over already.

Ty hiding, Za fist bumping.

Of course when I embarked on my life as a SAHM, I struggled. I cried. (We all cried). I became frustrated with housekeeping and cooking. Like my previous job teaching high school students, I worked to find a balance at giving you freedom and my guidance. I struggled to balance teaching you all your "subjects." I figured most of it out and when I listen to you talk, play, and act, well, I do take pride in you plenty.

Reflecting, you did teach me more than I I taught you. As a SAHM, I learned:

Everything is useful. I no longer doubt you when you see a piece of trash, declare it treasure, and turn it into art or a play toy. Your creativity and interest show me to look at everyday items with potential, not just as rocks or paper, but as so much more.
Doubt wastes time. Did I make a healthy enough lunch?? Should we do a puzzle inside or play outside? You are both so confident in your actions. You lack the adult experiences to make you say "what if." And in childhood, that is ok. Desired, in fact. I am envious of it.
Everyone learns differently. I knew this as a high school teacher. I understood this. I believed this theory. I did not know the depth of how everyone has a unique learning process until I witnessed two children do the same actions two years apart so completely differently. Your processes in learning to read, attempts in walking, drawing, playing house, building a sandcastle - all different. All unique, all wonderful.

You both taught me that I teach you because I love you and I want nothing but the best for you. You both reaffirmed my belief that education is the root of society. Without the care and attention education deserves, society will fail. As a SAHM I was so entwined with your learning that it made me realize the time and commitment our youngest society members need. I will forever me grateful that I got to give so much to you.

Love,

Mom

Sunday Reading

2011-09-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to start teaching high school students again, so I have been busy with lesson plans. I did not have as much time to read other posts this week, but I did come across some of interest I wanted to pass to my readers.

First, let me backtrack. This is my poster for the kids when they get ready for preschool:

Not too fancy, yet.

I did it this way first so we could alter it if needed. I figured once it was set, I could make a large one, complete with pictures or graphics. I researched a little, and came across this post by Little Illuminations. I think I will use pictures of my kids getting ready in the morning to make their checklist.

I also found tons of fun, easy, and inexpensive crafts that I want to do with the kids.

Mess For Less created a math lesson out of pipe cleaners and beads.

Mama Pea Pod made pasta necklaces with her kids. They were really pretty and with the holidays coming up, I know some grandparents who will probably receive such gifts.

A Mom With A Lesson Plan came up with a scavenger hunt around the house. This sounds like a long and entertaining activity, which is great, especially since cold months are coming.

Finally, CNN published an op-ed piece by Ron Clark. It might hurt to read it, but it expresses the point of view of many educators. I know my Facebook page blew up with it. Parents and teachers alike posted it: some complained, others cheered. It is worth a read, no matter what.

Happy Sunday!

Financial Friday: Playing With A Deck of Cards

2011-09-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Using a deck of cards works with the logical-mathematical intelligence.

As I continue to clean out my kitchen drawers, I find more junk. This week brought me to the drawer underneath the microwave. It is full of paint swatches for when I imagined having a dining room. (The dining room is now a playroom). It is full of tons of other small items, including decks of cards. I think we get so many from my husband's golf outings' goody bags. (I'm pretty sure that's not what the golfers call them, but in simple terms, that is what they are). Most of the decks are still in the package, but one was not.

Za standing in front of the cards while we discussed what to play.

I pulled the cards out, knowing that numbers and colors were on the shiny cards. I figured the kids and I would figure something out with them, and we did.

The cards reminded Za of Memory.

First, Za just started playing with them, turning them over like when we play Memory, which gave me the idea to talk about similarities and differences.

Simple sorting.

We divided the cards by colors: black and red. This was simple, but great for my two-year old. She found quick success with this and was very proud of herself.

Fixing the order of numbers.

Next I had the idea to lay the cards somewhat in numerical order, just leaving spots where cards needed to go. I put "2, 3, 6" and then we counted. When we came to the spot for "4" we found the four (and then the 5) and filled it in. Ty helped with this but Za still did as well. We played this way for a long time.

Messy triangle.

As we started to wind down from playing, I turned the cards into shapes, which Za gleefully identified. (She really likes her shapes!)

It was a square.

The last shape turned into a racetrack for cars, which is how the kids played with them until we later picked them up.

Later, Ty started adding the numbers. He liked it because he could count the diamonds, hearts, or whatever and that is how he added. I suppose we could move onto subtraction as well.

I loved that this project addressed the logical-mathematical intelligence and that it was appropriate for Za's level. Later when Ty (who is four) wanted to play, I made the games more difficult. It was easy to adjust for their particular ages. Did I also mention how inexpensive this activity was?

So there has to be more ways to play with cards! Add them below please! What would you play with a deck of cards?

Gardening Lessons: When Your Garden's A Flop

2011-09-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

This year my husband and I planted a huge garden. (Huge by our standards. Other people might call it a "beginner" garden). We had some vegetables in the ground, others in pots.

Our onions were a pretty big flop. The kids always wanted to pick them and they never got to experience the satisfaction from really gathering onions into a bunch.

I planted the garden for a variety of reasons. It would force us to be outside, engaging the kids' naturalistic intelligences. Lots of our work with that intelligence focus on recycling - which is great, but I wanted to purposely expand.

Then I had the opportunity to write about my family garden and gardening activities with kids. I was thrilled since I was paid to write about an activity I had already planned. I wrote about the good and the bad of my gardening experience.

The finished garden - all ready to grow!

Most importantly I also wanted to have vegetables ready for my family to eat. I wanted healthy food that my kids helped plant and then watched grow. I wanted them to know where food came from and I wanted them to appreciate the hard work that a garden requires.

Ty adding dirt for the herb container.

We learned all that. We also learned the lesson of failure. Because despite all our efforts and rule-following, our garden was, overall, a flop.

We experienced disappointment in waves. Some of our plants were brown or gone - ruined by the sun and animals. Other times the plants never grew. Then we had moderate success with the tomatoes. Only a few turned red, but we had a bumper crop of green ones. The carrots grew funny. The only plants that were/ hugely successful were the jalapenos, and my four and two year old just do not hugely care for them.

So what do you do with this large project that took up so much time and largely failed? You discuss patience and effort. (I hope that's what you do. That's what I'm doing). Ty wants to know when he gets to pick red tomatoes and why we never canned any. His father and I have been reiterating for quite a few days now that we tried to grow red tomatoes, but they just didn't turn red very well. Sometimes when you want something, it doesn't happen even though you put lots of effort into the project. And sometimes even mommy and daddy have no good reason why something didn't turn out very well.

Yes, I'm really bummed about the garden. (I really wonder what I did wrong!) My kids are too, which of course makes me want to fix it. It's such a small problem compared to the ones I know they'll face in future years, which is why I'm trying to use it as an organic conversation piece. Next spring when we plan the garden again, we will make accommodations to hopefully fix what went wrong. It will be a lesson in patience and effort for us all.

Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Five

2011-09-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

The working memory and telephone numbers.

This week's educational theory is the fifth brain-based learning guideline according to Dr. Sousa:

The brain's working memory has a limited capacity.

"Working memory" is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Basically, working memory is the holding tank for important information. Students are using the information for a bigger task. For example, students might remember the list of supplies that they need to work on a poster that reviews a chapter from the textbook. They understand the textbook chapter, but their working memory is thinking glue, poster board, five key dates from the chapter, and five definitions. Their working memory remembers what it needs to remember. It will probably forget the list when it begins focusing on the actual information.

And that's ok - for the working memory to forget. The problem arises when students try to shove information in the working memory and leave it there. The information isn't attached to something else - it isn't truly learned. It's just sitting there in that holding tank.

Another way to think of the working memory is that it generally can hold seven pieces of information at a time. That is another way it is limited. That is also why phone numbers are seven digits. People truly know the area code (normally when they hear a new number) but can hold those new seven digits until they are put in a contact list.

So what do we do with this guideline? We work on building the other ones. Last week I covered that past experience always affects new learning. While this can be positive or negative, educators and parents can try to connect the new idea they are teaching to a past one.

Encouraging Ty and Za to be patient for a ball game to start was difficult. We did however connect it to previous times we had to wait for something fun, like Christmas and going over to a friend's house.

How can we do this? If you are reading a story where a character is happy, ask your student to remember a time they felt excited about ___. (Having a party? Starting a new school? Getting a new pet?) If you are starting a science experiment, find a relation to a previously studied concept. If you will be gathering sticks to look at the layers, ask your students to recall or write about the way you once ___. (Gathered leaves? Looked at the layers of dirt?)

Getting information out of the working memory and making the information retained is the goal with this guideline. Those few minutes spent discussing previous experiences before diving into a new lesson are minutes well spent.

Photo Credit

Sunday Reading

2011-09-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

My husband (the fabulous guy!) played with the kids for a few hours and told me to relax. I read my google reader and scrapbooked for a bit. I found some sweet blogs during my free time and reread some from earlier in the week. Here they are.

The teacher at the website Ivy League-West is declaring a parent reform along with a government reform concerning education. She's pretty honest, and you may not agree with all her statements. She gets readers thinking about the role government plays in education and how it interferes with parents' role in education.

Confessions of a Dr. Mom wrote a post that just hit it about motherhood. In I Don't Know How She Does It she explores her feelings concerning moms that seem to have a perfect house, manicured nails, and a happy smile. I always look at my house stacked with papers, chewed nails, and beads of sweat and wonder the same idea.

The mom over at Practical Parenting made a delicious spiced pumpkin bread. It looks like autumn, and she prepared and baked with her kids in the kitchen. I always try to do that too; I feel it teaches kids so many sensible lessons.

Lastly, did anyone see that the people at JCPenney lost their minds this week? Who thought telling girls they couldn't do homework because they were too pretty was ok? Sure they apologized after the public outrage but it would have been better if it just never been put on a shirt and then sold. I imagine huge corporations have many steps before a shirt reaches a webpage. How many people thought it was a dandy shirt? Too many. Makes my "Phineas and Ferb" post have a bit more clout I think.

Enjoy your Sunday. Happy reading!

Financial Friday: Turn Cup Lids Into Stencils and Shapes

2011-09-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Part of my resolution/goal/work-in-progress for this year was organizing my kitchen. I have done some big projects and small ones. My kitchen really doesn't have a new appearance, but as month 9 of the year approaches, I am overall happy with the progress.

One organizing project needed to be the sippy-cup and restaurant take-home plastic cup section. We had so many that finding a proper lid-cup match took longer than pouring the milk. I took this moment to work on organizational skills with the kids. The kids and I sat down and sorted through the cabinet. We organized:

We went around the house, found stray cups, and washed them.
We tossed gross cups and ones with hidden cracks.
We lined up the cups and found matching lids.
We neatly put all the cups back in the cabinet.

After throwing yucky and lost cups away, we were left with about a dozen lids. I figured we could brainstorm a project using bodily-kinesthetic since they were plastic and the kids would probably play with them. Honestly, they sat on my counter for a few days until we decided what to do with them.

I decided to cut them into shapes. I used the straw hole as a starting point for the scissors. My kids know their shapes, so we didn't spend tons of time with them. I was determined to use these almost-free resources, so I kept brainstorming.

Soon, we had the paint out using them as stencils. What worked so well was that the ridge of the lid gave my kids a great place to hold so they did not scoot around.

As we continued, my two-year-old struggled a bit. She couldn't move the paint and hold the lid simultaneously.

We put the paint in the middle of the shapes instead of transferring paint from a cup to the stencil's center.

She was incredibly proud of her work. and thrilled that her shapes looked like shapes and not blobs.

The kids were giggly-excited over their work and they have no idea that the project that kept them entertained for so long was almost free.

This Blog Has No Pictures, and Here Is Why

2011-08-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm having a crummy week.

Despite all my efforts at finding learning in everyday activities and applying educational theories to everyday life, I fail. I am failing miserably this week.

We are just on a bad-week right now. I can't get anything accomplished. I have half-finished blogs. I have half-eaten sandwiches in the kitchen. The dishwasher and laundry are not close to half-done. I want to sit and cry but I can't sit down because the kids will destroy the house and I can't cry because I'm too tired.

My most recent conversation with Za illustrates this. Just imagine me trying to feed Ty while the dog whines and I hear her bumbling about.

Me to Za:

I've tried to get you underwear. I will find more in a minute. Where did you get that money? Where did you find last year's Halloween costume? Why do you have my jewelry? How did you carry your radio downstairs with all that other stuff in your hands? How did you do all of this while I made a sandwich for your brother?

And on. With both kids. Both at the same time.

Me to Ty:

We have to eat because our body needs energy. It's like diesel for your engine (he has a train that needs pretend diesel to run). People need to eat (it's almost noon and he has refused all food this morning).

Me, in my head:

If this kid doesn't eat, he's going to have a meltdown and then I'm going to have a meltdown and then Za will probably join in. He hasn't eaten since dinner last night. My husband will come home and find the house colored in markers and me still in this kitchen, crying over a sandwich.

Ty: Is daddy home yet? I'll eat when daddy comes home.

So I decide that this can be a teachable moment, at least about patience, at the very, very minimal. I explain we all need a time-out. I give Ty his sandwich, take the choke-able money away from Za, the radio with an electrical cord away from Za, the too-long and trip-able costumes away from Za, and my somewhat expensive jewelry away. from. Za. The kitchen is behind me and I can see Ty with his sandwich. I sit Za down to play. I sit down to type this post and possibly rejoin the adult world for a moment.

I sit and close all my Internet windows with partially written posts. I start typing. Za is quiet and I turn around to find her emptying her package of hair bands. (You know the package sold at major stores? The one with six little compartments and about 200 of those suckers jammed in there? They are all over my floor. She looks so happy. I take her picture for this post). We manage to fit all the bands back in the container.

I keep typing.

Ty comes in from eating his sandwich (I hope) and sits at the piano. He counts every key as he bangs it. I keep typing. I take a picture of him doing that for this post. I keep typing.

Za gets up and walks up the stairs. I follow, only to realize that I know why all those rubber-bands fit in the tiny box: the rest are actually all over the stairs and second floor, like gingerbread crumbs leading me to her messes, which include toothpaste on the carpet and her bedding shoved in her closet.

I leave it all and decide to wrap-up this post before I clean. I take the card from my camera and look for the connector-thing for my computer. I can't find it. I text my husband. He has it. Of course. I decide to hit 'publish' and then I hear a noise. I turn around.

Me: Why do you have my purse?

Za: Me want daddy.

Me too Za. And not just for my dang camera-card reader.

Financial Friday: Organic Talk is Free

2011-08-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Situations can change with intelligent debate.

Last Wednesday my "Wonder Why" column concerned the portrayal of male and females on children's television shows. I could say that people had strong opinions, but that would be an understating the situation. I believe in respectful debate, so I tried to listen to all sides. One reader did have this to say:

I think that allowing your child's favorite TV programs and other social norms provoke conversation will not only allow you, as the parent, a portal into your child's perceptions but also feel more organic to the child than sitting him or her down for a "discussion." Many parents make the mistake of formalizing conversation and turn their child off to the idea of talking with mom or dad long before the dreaded preteen and teen phases.

The idea of "organic" conversation spoke to me. When I think of that term, I envision natural, true, unforced talk. I thought of several examples from my children's lives:

When putting on their shoes, we name "left" and "right."
We discuss colors as we take walks - the mailboxes, sky, trees, vehicles, etc.
We say prepositions, or position words, with our objects and locations - the bear is on the shelf, under the desk.

In all of those situations, our conversations are organic and my children understand the lessons well. For example, our discussions over colors leads to deciding if a mailbox is blue, or a light gray.

When Ty did this art project, we had an endless conversation about what you can do with a cereal box.

Instead of eliminating or limiting generally safe shows, using the problems as platforms for organic discussions (preschool or preteen) may be the safer route.

The idea of organic conversations with children seems so simple but I know I don't always follow through with them. What are other opportunities for organic coversations?

Switching Classrooms, Again

2011-08-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

I taught high school English for over seven years. The job was incredibly rewarding, but when I had 2-year-old Ty and 4-month-old Za, it became quite necessary for me to resign. I could not do justice to two very important jobs: teaching and parenting.

Good-bye message from sweet students.

I started this blog as a way to kill time and explore how my life changed, or transitioned. I wrote about my kids, my life. The teacher in me just didn't disappear though.

Soon it became obvious: I had to write about education. Thus, I began focusing on bridging that gap between parents and teachers. I felt I sat on both sides of that theoretical fence. I knew the two questions asked:

1. Parents asked: why do teachers do this ("this," of course could be a worksheet, activity, lecture - anything really).
2. Teachers asked: why do parents not understand what I am trying to accomplish? Do they not know I want their child to learn?

Are flashcards inherently bad? I need to know.

So I knew of this discordance, this disconnect between the two sides. It is still there, of course, larger than ever, maybe. I knew that with the exception of a few, both teachers and parents wanted nothing but the best for children: independent learners, confident people, well-rounded in academics. Eventually my blog grew into addressing the idea that everyone is a teacher, everyone in society, especially parents. Maybe, I thought, if parents knew why teachers did what they did, maybe harmony would replace hostility. Maybe if parents knew that teachers did not require memorization of vocabulary words as torture techniques, but as a way to activate the knowledge and comprehension aspects of Bloom's Taxonomy, they would support the entire process. Maybe.

And quite honestly, I wanted to tell parents not to ease the teachers' jobs, but because they should know. It is not fair that teachers do all this educational 'stuff' with their kids and they have no idea. Parents should be familiar with this terminology. After all, they will be dealing with it for a minimum of 13 years!

What is Ty learning here? More than educators probably know.

I look back at when this blog started and remember wondering if I would continue with it or discard it after a few months. I kept with it, even when it was hard. I have found some pretty loyal readers. I've had some interesting discussions. I've met some fun people along the way.

And I think it is important. And I can't stop now.

I need to continue blogging, exploring this lack of a bridge between parents and teachers. Parents need to know what teachers do and why they do it. They deserve that. When that happens, who knows. Really, it could be powerful if everyone was in this educational arena together.

When I say that I am switching classrooms, again, I mean that I have taken a full-time teaching position. I will be transitioning again, only in a much different way. I must balance my children and a classroom rather than learning how to become a SAHM.

My new teacher's desk, complete with a bottle of Diet Coke.

I will still be blogging here, though. It is a passion, this explanation of how the teaching world has unknown commonality with the teaching world. Parents and teachers switch classrooms; a room with children is a classroom.

Wonder Why Wednesday: Lots of Education Thoughts

2011-08-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

I'm rambling today - lots of questions pouring out faster than I can type them. These are loosely connected - like I said, I am really "wondering" today. Feel free to comment and my readers and I can examine this together.

I was inspired by Brian Harke's article, and this blog is in response to his latest post, High School to College Transition, Part Two: Academic Expectations. (It is a solid article with nice ideas, for all parents of future college students).

I'm not going to reiterate the entire post, or analyze it either. One part stood out to me, and I kept rereading it. Right away, Dr. Harke discusses the manner in which freshman enter college. He says:

High schools often reinforce these expectations [that college will be like high school] by unwittingly allowing students to enter college as dependent learners rather than independent learners. I say this not to place blame, but to recognize that up to this point most students have had teams of people supporting them, keeping track of their academic progress and looking out for their best interests. Since this has been their norm for 12 years, new college students are often at a loss when faced with the reality that it is up to them to manage their academic independence.

I liked that he said "I say this not to place blame" because blaming others for a large problem diverts attention from actually solving the problem. I agree with Dr. Harke wrote that. College, trade school, or a job requires people be independent learners. Can you imagine showing up to work and the boss saying, "Did you read the manual? Nope? No time? You didn't use the time I gave you yesterday? OK, I'll give you some time today."

I can't imagine that, and I know that never happened to me as an undergraduate, and my goodness, never as a graduate student. It probably shouldn't happen in high school either, especially if teachers are training students for a big world they will enter in four years or less. High school teachers do that, though. I've done that. I have enabled students to stay dependent learners instead of growing as independent learners. Why? Well, I can try and explain.

When I entered teaching, I knew not to do that. I just finished college where I studied to hold students accountable for their actions. Then students got tired (from after school jobs and extracurricular activities) or were absent. Whatever the reason they were not learning. They did not have the work done. They did not understand. And I had to do something. I not only re-taught material, I allowed students to finish their worksheets and reading assignments in class.

And no one cared. I felt like I did a disservice, but the grades were raised. I felt like I was teaching students to become dependent on me and not independent learners. I felt like I was telling them one thing but doing another. However grades were improved and everyone was happier. I still feel like I failed those students, but everyone else was pleased.

Which leads me to this very large question: Are schools what parents and society want them to be? To be cynical, I could say that fried food often made with white flour and nothing fresh is part of our school system. I could also look at kids sleeping in classes and being passed from one grade level to the next without earning those grades. I know the school system is made of more than this. (I believe it is more than this). Then why do teachers slacken standards? Why do others encourage them to do so?

More often than not, conversations concerning schools leads to complaints that teachers make too much money while not creating independent learners (just look at the comments under Harke's article). I have never heard a conversation about schools not include some reference to that. I have also never heard a conversation that didn't include the idea that teachers need to do more for students.

Those ideas don't click with me. Imagine me saying that I wanted a better reputed surgeon, or a better masseuse, or even someone who mowed my lawn faster and wanted to pay him/her the same measly wage. A group of friends would laugh instead of nodding their heads as they when money and teachers are discussed.

Does society need to revamp the teaching profession? Part-time teachers? People (doctors, lawyers, engineers, electricians-specialists in some field) teaching math and reading? Showing kids a direct correlation of their present schoolwork to their futures? Something has to change: are teachers going to be held more accountable, and be paid more - OR- are standards to relax so teachers can continue with this pay?

Photo Credit

Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Four

2011-08-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

The fourth brain-based learning guideline according to Dr. Sousa is:

past experience always affects new learning.

This is huge, maybe more than the brain based theory from two weeks ago that emotions affect aspects of learning, retention, and recall.

The simplest example I can think that supports this theory is that when children have a positive experience they are more willing to learn a similar task. For example, Ty does multiple puzzles a day. He naturally started with board puzzles and experienced excitement from the reward of seeing the puzzle together. He continues to work his way up to more and more pieces of jigsaw puzzles. Part of that is because he learned the skills. It is also because his past experiences were enjoyable and that transfers to his new learning with so many puzzle pieces.

So what is the flip-side of that? Children who were screamed at in the past for not understanding a new concept may react with fear when they do not understand a new concept. They may lie and say they do understand. They may shut down. They may cheat.

Emotions from past experiences, shame or joy, influences present learning.

Those are two extremes, the positive and the negative of past experience affecting new learning. Capitalizing on this guideline can help parents learn more, in better ways.

Yes, yes I do worry about "Phineas and Ferb"

2011-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

We should look at the irony in the messages we send young girls compared to the messages older girls sing.

Over a year ago I discussed what Mickey Mouse directly and indirectly teaches children. I remarked that even though I strive to limit my children's television viewing, they inevitably see some. Mickey Mouse is a favorite. I allow it, even though I worry its messages muddle the lessons my children's parents teach them.

See these costumes? Should I have done this? Mom guilt riddles me.

As Ty gets older, he naturally moves onto other shows. "Phineas and Ferb" is his new favorite. The show focuses on Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, who are step-brothers. Phineas is boisterous, which smartly offsets Ferb's reserved personality. They have a pet platypus, Perry, who is also an underground secret agent. The boys and the platypus' antics engage my son.

Every day Phineas and Ferb build outlandish buildings, computers, airplanes, and roller-coasters while Perry saves the area from an evil doctor. The plots occur separately, but typically intertwine at the end. The boys have friends (with minor roles) and parents (with even more minor roles).

My son relates to the creativity on the show.

Aside from the mom, female characters are limited. The boys have a sister, Candace Flynn. Candace's best friend is Stacy. Isabella crushes on Phineas, and she is leader of a the Fireside Girls, which is much like Girl Scouts.

Sometimes I laugh at the show. Phineas pulls ingenious stunts while his British brother says little but pulls solutions out of his hat. Perry the Platypus sneaks around. The mom gets her hair done thirty times a month. We have no idea where the dad is. Phineas shows no knowledge that Isabella likes him, which leaves me wondering the same way I did while Niles liked Daphne on "Frasier." The show has advanced themes that play on a kid's level, but a higher level for adults.

I enjoy the show, which is why it is strange that it simultaneously makes me want to puke and pull my hair out. "Phineas and Ferb" sends messages to young children that are inappropriate and perhaps even dangerous - and I am not talking about what Phineas and Ferb build.


I hope my daughter fails to relate to the female characters on the show.

I've complained before about Minnie and Daisy's lack of character development compared to their male costars. "The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", a show directed at preschool students, unfortunately sends a simplistic message about females. "Phineas and Ferb," a show directed at elementary students, sends a complex one. Females no longer have bland and simplistic personalities; they have male-centered personalities. "Phineas and Ferb" is anachronistic in its portrayal of girls.

Every action from Candace is male-focused. Largely, Candace spends her days "busting" her brothers, or trying to rat them out to her mother for their misbehavior. She never succeeds. She instead traps herself in shemozzles striving to tattle. Her mom then sighs at her, and Candace leaves, defeated, wondering why she failed. The men (even Perry) stultify her attempts, every, single, time.

When not worrying about her brothers, Candace is waiting for her boyfriend's phone call, waiting for him to call her his "girlfriend," or preparing for a date. Candace is a maven at disguising her true personality for Jeremy, her love interest. Take the time Jeremy participates in a pet wash. As Candace complains at Perry for being a "meat-brick," Jeremy explains how you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals. Candace immediately changes her demeanor and attitude toward Perry, and takes him to the pet wash to continue the front that she loves her pet. When not focusing on her brothers, Candace sedulously works to change herself to please her boyfriend.

The female characters on "Phineas and Ferb" are obsessed with males - whether it be a boyfriend or brother. They are not gormless, but their worlds focus on pleasing men through their actions, sincere or not. Even the minor characters, such as Isabella, strive to gain the affections of males through lies. (How many Fireside Girl badges does Isabella have connected to helping Phineas?) Young girls mimic these female characters, and these characters do not focus on themselves like the males do. Everyone concentrates on males.

What are these shows teaching our youth? The direct messages seem safe, but the indirect messages scare me. Are they mimicking society? Are they dictating society? Impressing these roles on young children is dangerous: males build and create, females concern themselves with males. This must influences girls who grow up watching such situations play out. What characters will my daughter see in the coming years?

As I travel this parenting road, I worry what shows my children will face as they grow. From viewing a few clips directed at older children ("Good Luck Charlie" and "Ant Farm"), the obvious demeaning qualities in females seem to be gone, but maybe they are present and just less obvious. My infrequent viewing of them may be at fault too, as I only have a four and two year-old and have not watched them in-depth. I have, however, seen the Selena Gomez video "Who Says" shown during breaks of "Phineas and Ferb":

You made me insecure

Told me I wasn't good enough...

Who says you're not perfect

Who says you're not worth it

Who says you're not pretty

Who says you're not beautiful

Older girls watching that video, wondering "who says"? I know who told you that you were inferior. Now you know too.

Brain-Based Learning: Guideline Three

2011-07-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.

-Robert Henri

The third guideline concerning brain based learning is: emotions affect all aspects of learning, retention, and recall.

Who can forget first heartbreak, or fight with a best friend? What about your marriage proposal, or walk down the aisle? (I just had my wedding anniversary, can you tell?) I remember car wrecks, the day my children were born, and they day I moved into my house. All of these memories have incredibly strong emotions tied to them, good and bad. I remember them so clearly.

I can also remember vividly reading The Great Gatsby, loving every bit of it, and crying when the title character died. Why do I remember it so well? I was angry at times, cried at other times, and laughed during most of the reading. I remember it because I have emotions tied to it. Some of those emotions were already on my personal surface, and the story just intensified them.

You get the point.

Understanding this guideline, we can help our children learn better if we tie information in with an emotion. That is why teachers have students journal - so they can connect what they study to their lives and make it personal.

It is also probably why I disliked math class so much. Math to me meant that I would be in trouble later, and my parents would frown at how slow I was learning the material.

This brain based learning guideline needn't be negative though. We only need to be aware that it can be, and then avoid that. Think about our children and what they hold emotions to: pets, parents, friends, toys, books, cartoon characters, their house. Connect the emotions your child feels with those positive concepts to their learning.

This message is so simple and powerful, it needs little explanation or example from me. Parents do this already. Have you ever said to your child, "this is like... remember when you..."? You were connecting new material to an emotion.

I guarantee you have done this with your child. In what way? When did you use emotion to help with learning, retention, and recall?

Photo Credit

Brain Based Learning: Guideline Two

2011-07-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

I think I did this more at certain times in my life than others. Does that mean I was trying to figure life out more?

The second guideline concerning brain based learning states: the human brain seeks patterns in its search for meaning.

I saw this proven true in the classroom most often when I taught parts of sentence. A sentence normally follows this pattern:

subject + verb + direct object

This sentence follows that pattern:

Sally bought ice-cream.

Who is the sentence about? Sally - subject
What is Sally doing? buying - verb
What did Sally buy? ice-cream - direct object

So when I would add a dependent clause or phrase to a sentence, my students wouldn't like it. The sentence had other parts, other components that threw off their pattern. See?

Hungry for sweets, Sally bought ice-cream at the store because she was smart.

Students like habits, familiarity, or patterns. Students (all humans) like knowing expectations, what's coming next, as in the cliche "creatures of habit" proves.

I see my preschool child seek patterns. He does when he assembles puzzles. He likes to sort pieces that are straight and build an edge and then fill in the middle pieces. One time he received an odd-shaped puzzle, shaped like an ocean wave, that really had no straight pieces. He didn't like doing it initially, because he was looking for a pattern.

If our brain seeks pattenrs, how can we put that knowledge to use in our everyday lives?

Preschool: When getting ready for the school day, connect this routine to prior knowledge, like getting ready to eat dinner. They both follow a pattern:

Wash up (for the day or for dinner)
Get material ready (for school or setting the dinner table)
Eat (breakfast or dinner)
Clean up (ready for the day or get ready for bed)

Elementary: Reading includes tons of patterns.

Sentence "shapes" or syntax
Repetitive words
Rhyming

Middle School: As students advance in reading, find patterns in short stories.

Elements of suspense
Familiar plot diagrams
Presentations of protagonists/antagonists

High School: Students should have developed process that works for them that apply to other situations in life, like the writing process. Take getting ready for an extracurricular activity and apply to writing a paper.

Prewriting (deciding what to wear, eat)
Drafting (laying everything out together)
Revising (packing and settling it into a bag)
Editing (double checking supplies)
Publishing (taking the bag to school for after school practice)

What stage interests you? What other situations apply to the human brain seeking out patterns?

Photo Credit One
Photo Credit Two

Repeating Myself: What Does It Matter?

2011-07-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

I repeat myself simply an uncountable amount of times each day. What do I repeat? Probably the same things moms have been repeating since the start of moms and babies.

Say "please."
Don't push.
Pick up your mess.
Use your spoon, not your fingers.
Don't wipe your mouth on your shirt.

Don't put excess of 100 stickers on your arm. They will end up on the carpet.

And I am massively aware that repeating negative comments is less productive than repeating positive ones. I repeat those too.

Thanks for throwing the trash away.
I like it when you share with your sister.
You picked up all your toys!
I am proud how you behaved in the restaurant.
It is nice to play a game with you!

These life instructions are more than corrections or reinforcements, they are an example of how to treat other people. When I teach outside the home (I do still teach, just way less now) and I hear a student say to another, "Why did you do that? That is dumb," (or worse, way worse) I can't help but wonder if that is the example they overwhelmingly grew up hearing. I want to believe they grew up hearing it even though that is incredibly sad. The alternative is even sadder: they just speak like that, even though that was not their life example. As a parent, I cannot imagine that last scenario. It is too scary.

I know research is on my side. "Be a role model" and "set a positive example" are mantras repeated in college education courses.

So I keep plugging ahead, speaking positively, nicely trying to set a good example, even though I fear it is for naught.

SAHM Life: Ways My Kids Hurt Me

2011-07-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

In no particular order, here are ways my children physically harm me. Believe me, this is list is probably not exhaustive! Feel free to add more in the comments.

Stand on my feet while wearing shoes.
Sit on my lap, dig their bare little feet into my skin, and twist.
Poke my eyes, nose, and gums with their bony fingers.
"Fix" my hair.
Sneak into my bed at night, sleep on my arm while I am sleeping so it falls asleep and I don't notice it. I then awake to an arm without circulation, past the "needles and pins" stage of being "asleep."
Throw arms out and backhand my face.
Hit their heads into my nose while sitting on my lap.
Jump on my back, wrap their arms around my neck, and squeeze.
Bang a utensil on the table, where my hand happens to be resting.
"Look" at my earrings.

And I love every part of them, every minute down deep, because I know the days of them fitting on my lap are limited.

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Brain Based Learning: Guideline One

2011-07-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

Is this why I struggled in math?

Almost two years ago I introduced a series on brain based-learning. Brain-based learning is an educational theory. This theory puts forward that learning can be enhanced when teachers/parents understand the brain's functioning, and apply such knowledge when teaching.

The presentations in textbooks and websites differ concerning guidelines. In my previous exploration (I struggle to believe that was two years ago!) I wrote about principles. This series will focus on general guidelines presented by Dr. David A. Sousa.

The first guideline states: Learning engages the entire person (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains).

Before I continue, let me explain this teacher-talk. It isn't hard at all:

Cognitive: Relates to the ways a person learns, based on his experiences.

Affective: Relates to the ways people express feelings.

Psychomotor: Relates to a response dealing with physical and psychological parts.

The cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains are activated at science fairs.

You probably apply this guideline when working with your children everyday. Math lessons are often thought not to consider the entire person, as are grammar lessons.

Here are some examples of ways to apply this guideline for different ages.

Preschool: Apples

Talk about different colors.
Taste the apple. Decide if you like it or not.
Feel the apple and describe its texture.
Cut it and look at the seeds.

Elementary: Planets

Read about the planets.
Look at a poster or pictures of the planets.
Make a model of the system. Let your child arrange them and hang them.
Examine different sizes and colors.

Middle School: Magnets

Work with magnets (play with them).
Read about their positive and negative fields.
Look at their properties and definitions.
Examine ways magnets are used in life - like on construction sites.

High School: Reviewing a novel

Read portions aloud. Have students reread with you or listen.
Have students read reread portions alone.
Have students take notes on characters, symbols, or themes. (Give them something specific to map. Maybe use a graphic organizer).
Plot the story as you review.
Write a paragraph relating the connection of the story to your child's life.

Like I always believe, parents typically engage their children in these types of activities. They are entertaining and students like them. New research shows us why students enjoy learning this way - they actually learn more and better!

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Education Blogs

2011-07-15T02:20:00.000-07:00

I have come across amazing, passionate blog writers since I've been creating Switching Classrooms. I've decided to make a list of blogs that are great for educators and parents focused on education. This list is not exhaustive, but is only a handful. I also received no compensation for this. It is my honest opinion, as always. :)

Room to Grow: Making Early Childhood Count focuses on exposing children to literature.

Me and Marie Learning features preschool ideas. She also has printables!

Itsy Bitsy Learners focuses on young learners. It has awesome free printables and even more very fairly priced ones.

Teach Mama empowers parents by giving them simple tools and resources. I have worked with the lady behind Teach Mama for years now, and she is passionate about all things educational.

A Mommy Talks is about learning with children, written by a SAHM. I have also been a fan of this page for quite a bit, for obvious reasons. She is a teacher switching to life as a SAHM. Yep, when she writes something and I sure understand what she means!

Giving Up On A Clean House not only has a cool name and one in which I can relate, but it also has great activities to do with young kids.

This Reading Mama blogs about literacy, specifically what to do after you child knows his ABCs.

Naturally Educational covers activities and books, but also issues in education.

The Activity Mom gives practicable and realistic scenarios for parents to use with their children. Again, I have followed this blog for years as well.

Literacy Toolbox gives solid advice about literacy. Not only do you get help, you get suggestions about books. (I never know about childhood books-I just buy from the store or borrow from the library. This helps somebody like me).

So there you have it. Other teachers and parents in blog-land that provide wonderful resources for those in education-land. I will try to do another list like this soon, as this does not list all the wonderful blogs I have found these past few years.

Wonder Why Wednesday Fair Play

2011-07-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

My children do not play fairly. I walk into the living room to see tears, torn books, and ruined puzzles. Such a situation is not shocking or new to any parent. I just crave some inkling of what to do.

Ty (age 4) speaks very well. His sister, Za (age 2), speaks pretty well. When a fight breaks out, I don't know how to solve it. Ty has one story and Za cannot convey hers completely. I don't think my son is a liar, but I do think young children interpret occurrences from a young child's perspective - which is pretty skewed, just because of minimal experiences. As I allow myself to do every Wednesday, I got to more wondering:

Do I need to solve their problems? At what line do I stop solving problems? Physical abuse? Verbal abuse? Tears?
If I do solve their problems, am I smothering them? Scholastic has some decent tips, but I still have different ages. I want to provide opportunities for problem-solving, without minimizing either child's emotions that stem from the situation.
Am I taking "sides" more with one child more than the other? I don't want to be swayed by Ty's verbal explanation, or by Za's tears. I don't want a traumatic experience that in ten years makes them think I greatly favored another one.

So I wonder this Wednesday, basically, how to parent. This is a simple parenting problem, faced by parents since kids fought over who would sit on which side of the outside fire and who would carry water from the well. Although it is common, I will take advice on encouraging fair play among my children.

SAHM Struggle: My Purse

2011-07-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

My purse is a junk pit. It once was not this way. My purse evolved over time, as my role in life changed.

Teenager: Once I had a purse that was a tiny, tiny thing. It had a wicker handle and was oval shaped. At the most, it measured 4 x 8 x 6. Tiny. I carried cash, lipstick, a cell phone, my car key, and pressed powder. Nothing else fit in there and that was fine; I needed nothing else in life.

College teenager/early twenty-something: I was a bit of a hippie-wanna-be, so I carried a "bag." It was a bit larger and I finally carried a wallet. I stuck my calendar in there for organizing meetings, poetry readings, and paper due dates. It was made from flower material. Still cute.

Mid-twenty-something/newlywed: I thought I carried a large purse, but really, I carried a variety of purses. I actually had time to switch back and forth between black and brown to match my shoes. If I went out on the weekends, I had a smaller purse (again, that matched my outfit) that I stuck lipstick and my ID in. I don't know why I thought these purses were big.

Mom of baby: I carried a diaper bag. If I needed something personal, it normally pertained to the baby, like breast pads. I did not carry lipstick. I stuck my wallet in the side of the diaper bag. I was too tired to care.

Mom of toddler: Here I am today. Both of my kids are potty trained, so I don't carry a diaper bag. That does not mean my purse is not full of kid stuff. My purse is large, but cute. It is crammed with the following stuff:

1 wallet
2 coupon folders
An extra pair of shorts and underwear for the newest potty-trained child
A pair of socks for each kid
4 "necklaces" (Mardi Gras beads) that a child discarded at the park
1 Lighting McQueen race car
1 comb
At least a dozen bobby pins
3 lipsticks/lipgloss
Lint roller
Hand sanitizer
Gas can plastic tube-thing (I ran out of gas last week and had to buy a can. This plastic tube was with it, and I have no idea what its purpose is. I used the gas can just fine without it).
A broken nail file
Dead flowers the kids collected at the park
A name tag
Crumpled reciepts
"Club cards" to a million little stores, probably duplicate, that I never remember to use

So now I have come almost full circle (I imagine some day I can carry a normal sized purse again, right?) and have an attractive purse. It is just stuffed with junk.

Add to the fun: what is in your purse?

Financial Friday: Menus

2011-06-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

My children have new, free toys: pretend menus, aka junk mail.

Za got a kitchen for Christmas, which means that both of my children now have a play kitchen. I knew Santa Claus was planning to bring her this, so I told relatives she would need pretend food, napkins, tablecloths, etc. It's really cute and I love that my kids are creative with it. They make dinner, they feed baby dolls and their parents, and they organize their items on the shelves. We have had picnics before as well as tea parties.

Where do the 'free toys' come into play? Earlier this week, Ty was sorting through the day's mail and asking what belongs in the recycling. He came across a tiny coupon booklet (about 6 inches) and started flipping through it. He said, "Look! A book! About coffee and hamburgers and French fries." I said, "Yep. It sure is a book." Little did I know it would become a permanent book, along with other advertisements, in our house.

Playing pretend now has a new setting: a restaurant. The "books" are now menus. My husband and I pick entrees from the menus and our children prepare them.

I like the ingenuity, and the reusing/recycling spirit. Since junk mail is free, it also makes me wonder what entertainment I have thrown away for so long.

Augie

2011-06-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Augie, my doggie, was my first baby. His first-year scrapbook remains the only one finished from all of my "children." He once snuggled in bed with me. I put ice in his water dish, simply because he liked it that way. He was bathed on a schedule. I bought him doggie treats and toys. He went places with me. I spoiled my cute pound puppy.

Cute mutt.

This situation has drastically changed for little Augie. When we brought Ty home from the hospital, I reluctantly let Augie sniff his head. How could I have changed that much in four days? My change was permanent, in that Augie was moved down on the to-do list. Two years later when Za showed up at home? If he could have, Augie would have rolled his eyes. He knew what this meant: someone new was between him and the top of that list.

He's cute, but he still doesn't belong on the couch.

I still love him and I still take care of him. He is fed, watered, and walked. Sometimes, it is with a frown, without much enthusiasm. My feelings are mixed, ones of loyalty and selfishness; love and exhaustion.

How did it happen that I now view Augie as another being who wants something from me? Someone who I need to take potty, feed, and pet? At the end of the day, after the kids are in bed and I finally sit on the couch without a clang from the kitchen or the "Little Einsteins" theme song blaring, he nuzzles toward me and my arm is heavy as I place it on his head. He needs attention, too. But damn it, I just gave myself away for an entire day. To other people. My little people. I need a break too.

Are you following me on Facebook yet? We are there, simply find Switching Classrooms.

Blog Button

2011-06-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, about time, right? Now go grab my button, off to the left! Thanks!

Educational Theory of the Week: Memorization

2011-06-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

Memorization: to commit to memory, to learn by heart.

Memorization is a bit of a dirty word in most education circles. It's not fun, and it normally involves flashcards. People (not just kids) struggle to memorize facts, especially if they deem the information irrelevant or boring. So let's look at the first part of the equation - is memorization necessary?

Knowledge is the first component of Boom's Taxonomy, and comprehension is the second. A basic example is learning multiplication facts, a task I loathed completing, but am now happy I know. Following Bloom's Taxonomy with the multiplication tables would be:

Knowledge - knowing the definition of multiplication and the knowledge of numbers.

Comprehension - understanding the multiplication tables.

Memorization requires a bit of both. The first two stages of Bloom's Taxonomy (knowledge and comprehension) seem a bit boring, a bit uninteresting. Learning vocabulary terms? Remembering the periodic table of elements? Understanding bones and muscles of a body? Never my favorite activities. In all of my years of teaching, I've never seen students get excited over memorizing, either. Students do get excited over writing fabulous speeches with specific and distinct words, blowing up things, and dissecting beings. And such activities cannot take place until memorization has occurred.

Students cannot analyze a frog leg or evaluate the effectiveness of a speech outline until they have a base to rely upon - a base of knowledge. As a teacher, yes, I think memorization is necessary. Not always fun, but quite needed in all classes, at all levels.

So this non-fun, often boring aspect exists in education. Do students rebel against memorization? Do their parents? What are the repercussions of such behavior? Is school more fun, or do students know less basic facts? Please contribute; I'm open to all sides!

(I did an entire series on Bloom's Taxonomy if you want to understand it better. It is a hierarchy of learning).

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Working With Kids Under Your Feet

2011-05-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

I wonder why I fight working with my kids under my feet, and after thinking about it today I am going to stop it.

It is difficult. I sweep the kitchen floor, they mess up the pile. I mop the kitchen floor, they get it muddy. I vacuum the living room, they destroy the playroom. I spend most of my days cleaning, organizing, or sweeping. It stinks, but the alternative to a disastrous house is stinkier.


Not my house-way too neat to be here.

It is part of my life and my kids' daily routine, their mom keeping the house picked up. Aside from daily tidings, I also have the yucky bathrooms and laundry-type-ish-larger-projects. Outside, I clear out leaves from under the deck, scrape cobwebs, and sort the recycling. It is not glamorous, but unless you have hired help, you do it too.

Once upon a time, I thought that I needed to keep the kids away while I did these chores. Then the house got messier; as they got bigger, so did their messes. They stopped taking naps. I was going to have to clean into the night. I wanted to read to them during the day. Play board games. Anything but clean with them. It became inevitable that I would need to clean with my kids under my feet.

And that is ok because I can teach them while I sweep, just in different ways from the board games and books. Cleaning with my children under my feet teaches them:

1. Cleaning is real life. Real life is hard and you have to clean up the messes in it. The kids see me sweat when I sweep, and see me figure out how to get marker off the couch: problem-solving skills.

2. The kids help clean. I believe kids should have freedom from adult responsibilities, but they need to know how to clean up after themselves. Ty can pick up his cars and Za can pick up her plastic slinky collection. It's a balance thing.

3. My behavior is an example for my kids. This is a given with parenting, all of the time, but it really trickles down to small tasks like cleaning too. Getting frustrated with menial activities is a poor examples. Shipping them off to the couch when I want to vacuum a small spot, another poor example. Working together - someone getting the dustpan while another wipes the table? Ahhh, teachable mommy moment.

Cleaning and scrubbing the house is an everyday part of life, and I am now going to do it with my children under my feet.

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The Broken Truck

2011-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Toys crowd every living space of my house, garage, and even car. My two children’s birthdays are within four days of each other and after one month of Christmas. All of the grandparents are divorced, so that means we have five celebrations for all three events, complete with aunts, uncles, cousins, and great-grandparents. Don’t worry about the math; all those parties add up to way too many toys.

My husband and I take preventive measures against this tidal wave of toys. We donate. We trash broken toys. We move them to the garage for outside toys and then they become trash. Lots and lots of toys out the door.

As my children get older, not all toys make it out the door. For instance, a wonderful friend of mine gave my son Ty a monster truck for Christmas. He broke a wheel off immediately, really within his first play session with it. My husband and I tried fixing it (and couldn’t) and threw it away (and Ty picked it out of the garbage). I then considered my options:

1. Call my friend and get the receipt, or at least the store’s name. Then dig the packaging out of the recycling, tape the box back together, and situate the truck in what was sure to be a poorly reconstructed box. Then take it back for an exchange and haggle with store clerks while holding two kids who are super excited to be in a toy store and super tired of standing in line.

2. Dig the box out of the recycling, find out the brand name, and call/email them. Play phone/email tag.

3. Write a blog post about junky toys that break within five minutes of your kids playing with them, with a link back to the manufacture’s website. Tweet furiously.

Options one and two seem frustrating and I am really too nice for option three.

So now we have this broken monster truck that Ty is attached to and no real plan, except for our last option:

4. Sneak it out of the house and into the garbage when he is asleep.

We really wanted the monster truck out of the house. The kids have too many toys and they certainly don’t need a broken one. Monster trucks alone? Ty probably has a dozen of varying sizes. When he lines them up for them to enter the living room, or the racing arena, they stretch for two feet. He does not need this monster truck, so we worked to find another option.

We never found a suitable option, and as the months have passed since Christmas, I am glad. Out of all of his toys, he uses this broken monster truck with a flood of creativity.

The broken monster truck always has a different situation as to why it was hurt in the monster race. Sometimes the driver wrecked and other times a different truck’s driver was driving carelessly. One time, a police car had to stop the competition for his bulldozers and tractors to enter the arena and tow the three-wheeled truck to safety. Another time, he pulled our king sized bed’s brown comforter to the living room and made it a mud pit where the truck had a wreck, and yes, lost its wheel.

Ty has too many toys, toys that are meant to build creativity and wonder. Teach colors and shapes. Form him into a future leader and possibly president. Yet he uses this broken monster truck to stretch his imagination.

Out of all the toys I stress over tossing or donating, I gave the least worry to the one with perhaps the most potential.

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SAHM Struggle: Clean Rooms

2011-03-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

I am a proponent of teaching kids organizational skills, just like any other life skill - hand washing, polite speaking, and nice treatment to animals. We organize lots at my house (see my Organizing the Kitchen series) and I like discussing with Ty and Za where items belong, and why this goes here, that there, etc. Picking up is part of life, so we do it.

Then why does my house look like this?

It isn't my entire house I realize, but the toy room/my 'work' room (see my computer in the left corner?) is typically unwalkable. Most nights it is reassembled and most nights the kids and parents do it together.

See Za? She is having so much fun, surrounded by her books. She is 'reading' them, which thrills me as a mommy-teacher. She is in one of the first stages of reading, yay! So while I think that, the other mommy side of me thinks, "she should take one or two out, put it back, and then get more." The root of this worry is that I don't want my kids to be dependent people who rely on others to clean after them.

I also know that learning is a messy process. When I assemble a portfolio, I spread my papers everywhere and then sort them. When I write a research paper, I make piles of notecards and library books on the kitchen table. Learning is not a neat path that only takes place at a desk. I know this.

So then why do I stress so much over having a neat house? I shouldn't. I have two little kids, who want to learn and explore. I prefer their messiness to a lack of motivation or interest.

Education Theory: Unschooling

2011-03-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Type 'unschooling' into the search field in Twitter (or see it hashtagged as I often do with all my education pals), and you will gleam that an education movement is gaining momentum. I clicked on a few posts concerning unschooling and found interesting websites. One stood out, Why Unschool.
The website gave the following as the definition for unschooling:

Unschooling is an educational philosophy which holds that all children are born with a natural and insatiable curiosity, and that people learn best in non-coerced, self-directed situations. Unschooled children and teens choose which topics to learn and when, with encouragement from their parents, and without a curriculum. In other words, learning occurs when the child is engaged and interested in a subject that they themselves chose to study.

Several ideas popped into my mind when I read that. One, I related it to myself. I did not really care for high school, but enjoyed college beyond any expectations. I have always credited this to the idea that I chose what I studied. My degree is in English, and I packed my schedules with literature and writing courses. I had fun, and I learned in an honest, soul-wrenching way. I did not just pass tests and quizzes, I understood the material. When I researched papers, I grabbed more books off the library shelves then I needed because the subject matter thrilled me. I voraciously consumed information.

The second thought was that I do a bit of unschooling with Ty and Za, especially in the way that I allow them to lead me in their learning. Ty loves vehicles, and I used that interest to teach him colors. He was curious about everything concerning vehicles, so once we discussed their colors, I added on the parts - windshield, tires, wheels, doors - and we covered the letters required to spell all those parts. This of course led to other conversations about who assembled cars, where they were made, and how they needed fuel to run.

Za learned her colors in a different manner. She was actually more interested in learning her letters first, so when we would read alphabet books or identify letters associated with her toys or the household, colors came secondary. The order that my kids learned colors and letters was reversed, but they learned them in a way that had emotional connections for them, which is actually a brain-based learning theory, but that is way off topic.

So slowing down my thoughts, I am excited that I stumbled upon unschooling and researched it a bit. As a teacher, I had never heard of it, but it seems that teachers are encouraged to use some of its properties.

Unschooling still isn't well known enough for my Google spell-check to stop underlining it in red as I type this post. Unschooling, however, does have roots and valid points. I believe that some instances I have unschooled my children, and other parents have as well without realizing so.

For this education blog, I would appreciate more information about this subject. Any unschooling bloggers or writers who would like to leave a comment - feel free. I have a hunch I will be covering this for years to come.

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Financial Friday: Birthday Savings

2011-03-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

Birthday parties can be crazy expensive. I always want to find innovative and unique celebration ideas that do not require a bank loan. I also like ideas that are simple.

Are my kids the only ones who manage to destroy part of the cake before it is cut?

An interesting way to engage guests is to have them remark on the birthday child. For Ty and Za, my husband and I make a "top ten list" of the biggest changes, accomplishments, or cute things the birthday child has done in the past year. We make a poster out of them and post it during the party. We encourage our guests to add to the list. We compile the ideas into a page for the baby book.

It is fun, interactive, and very cheap. It makes for good conversation fodder when you have people around who don't necessarily know each other, too!

Wonder Why Wednesday: Cheating Time

2011-03-09T03:58:00.000-08:00

I wonder why (this Wednesday) how I am going to manage not cheating my second child out of time. I already know that this happens and I knew it would before Za was born. When she was a newborn, I did not sit and stare at her for the hours that I did with Ty. She got put in her bouncy seat so I could fix him lunch. I asked less questions at the pediatrician's office not necessarily because I knew more, but because I was too tired to write the questions down or remember them.

Baby Za feet.

I see this difference of time spent so clearly in their baby books. Ty's is thick with details, stories, journaling, and pictures. Za's, well, I wanted to do this section of her baby toes and fingers and I have just now realized that while I took pictures of her feet, I forgot to take them of her hands.

How do I stop this from happening? Why does it happen? Am I really that tired that the first child had so much more than the second? (And why did I not take pictures of her newborn hands after I took them of her feet?!)

I understand that no two children have the same experiences but I wonder why I cannot remember to do the extras for my second child. I realize that I am not forgetting important aspects, like feeding or reading, but it is those little extras that children so often remember, that make childhood the special time it is. Those extras are not always happening, and I wonder why and how I can fix it.

Education Topic: Class Size

2011-03-07T00:53:00.000-08:00

Small Classes vs. Large Classes: Another debate concerning education reform is class size. Bill Gates recently wrote for the Washington Post about education reform. In a later interview (again for the Washington Post) he had this to say:

If you look at something like class sizes going from 22 to 27, and paying that teacher a third of the savings, and you make sure it's the effective teachers you're retaining," he said, "by any measure, you're raising the quality of education as you do that."

No matter your opinion on Bill Gates' involvement in education, this is an important topic as it will influence our children. So... here are pros and cons concerning class size. Chime in with more examples in the comments and I will do a follow-up and give credit for your ideas!

Overall, positive associations with small class sizes deal with time. Teachers can devote more time to teach each student with a small class. Teachers can devote more time to each student, lesson planing to accommodate different types of learners, and grading for valuable feedback. Smaller classes also allow teachers to see more of what is occurring, like bullying. Sometimes small classes lead to close-knit groups which will also encourage group work and lessen bullying. The education is deemed personalized and tailored with small classes.

Negative associations with a small class size deal with student interaction. A problem exists if a small class has too many levels of students. If only one student out of fourteen continually struggles, she may be less likely to speak up, unlike if several students (more likely in a large class) had questions. A student may also be an outsider if cliques form in the small class. Additionally, teachers may finish material and not continue past where he would with another class he currently teaches, probably a larger class. This, however, may be an advantage for anti-homework advocates.

So are the advantages/disadvantages of large classes the exact opposite? Sure, and a bit more.

Positive associations of large classes deal with competition. If students are involved in a class topic or assignment, theoretically they will want to 'win.' The education is deemed realistic and preparatory for the students' next life stage. Large classes can create competition to drive students to study more, but that does not always happen.

Negative associations of large classes deal with how students get 'lost' among so many peers. Shy students may gladly blend into the rows of desks and apathetic ones will become more apathetic. Teachers cannot grade papers as thoroughly, even if they only have five extra to grade. Some schools do not have classrooms large enough to accommodate large classes, and students get the message that they are in the way.

Those are the positives and negatives I could think of concerning class size. So now it is your turn. What needs added to the pro/con conversation about small and large classes? Is Bill Gates right? Or should education continue aiming for small class sizes?

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SAHM Struggle: the news

2011-02-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

I like being "in the know." I picture myself as a wood chipper with newspapers going in, information filed in the neat folders of my brain, and junk going out my ear. (Stay with me).

Look at all that fun stuff to read!

I pride myself on being "current" with world, national and local events. At dinner parties and movie nights, I rely on those files of information for discussions. Now that I have Ty and Za, this personal goal is probably at the bottom of any sort of to-do-list (that doesn't exist because I don't have time to write it).

I don't watch the news. I get the Sunday paper, but never read through it. Why could this be? Well...

1. We limit television. If I have the news on, the kids will watch it and stare at it like zombies. Plus, the news is normally scary.

2. I have no idea where the paper is. It comes in the house, I try to read parts of it and I eventually just pull the coupons from little hands. In the end I am lucky if it is not an art project by noon.

3. My head hurts. It really hurts most days, but that isn't what I mean. I keep so much on my mind and track where the kids are while they are awake. Reading the White House's press releases or the local wedding announcements would only add to more to remember. My wood chipper is currently broken.

To offset this SAHM challenge, I am currently reading A Free Life which is fabulous. This is not 'news' but it covers a very different culture than mine - very educational and an easy read. I am looking for other short reads to keep me updated, but without much luck. My friend suggested smut magazines, but I have never cared for celebrity gossip which I realize is a quick read, but not interesting to me. So here is my SAHM struggle for the week: I am out of the loop. I don't know how to counteract this either, except waiting it out until the kids are older and start studying current events in school. Then we can discuss them together.

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Grades

2011-02-21T00:39:00.000-08:00

I went to a party this weekend for my husband's work. I did not know many people there, but pretty soon I fell into conversation with a group of other spouses. Many of them are currently teachers. The rest are parents.

A health teacher began speaking about football. He wants his players to take ideas from the field and apply them to real life. Then he switched to discussing grades. He told the group of us that he did not flunk students unless they were "a++holes." Hmmmmm.

Someone asked him why and he responded: "It is important that kids know how to get along. If they treat people decent, that will get them far in life." He added that he tells students of this rule and that they overall like him for it. A small debate sparked with him and one other person. Most people drifted away and I hung around, making mental notes.

I am sure you can imagine how the debate continued:

What do other teachers think of this? Are the students truly learning health? Does the grade reflect a knowledge of health, or the overall student? Do students still complete their homework? Do parents complain?

This health teacher factored in attitude (I think that is a nicer term) and nothing else, so he claims. This becomes murky water. Some teachers take points off for spelling, others do not. Some take points off for no-named paers, other do not. The list continues.

So I pose the question to you: what should teachers factor into a grade? Is this black and white, or lots of gray? Do tell. This is important!

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SAHM Struggle: Dressing Right

2011-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sure all moms have seen what I stress about in this post: the moms who shop in the juniors' department. The short shorts. The belly showing. The just overall "I can't let go of my youth" outfits. I always wanted to avoid being that mom.

I think that as I sit in my tank from Old Navy and my pre-baby shorts. I'm showing lots of skin. True, I would not plan to wear this to the park or to pick up a kid from practice. I am just cleaning around the house. If I had to run out of the house though, I would be stuck in this.

So I go the other end of the spectrum for what I always envisioned my mom clothes to be. I didn't want to be the mom in elastic pants. Purple socks. Mickey Mouse t-shirt. The whole get-up.

I struggle. I want to feel attractive and healthy. I want to look 30-ish, not 20-ish. I normally wear jeans and a nice top. It seems that it is a uniform, but it works and is fast. Adjusting from having work clothes to just a few quick outfits is still hard, even two years later.

Project: Organizing Kitchen Drawers

2011-02-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

I have dutifully reorganized my kitchen - almost all of it. Before I began, Ty and Za's belongings were crammed into corners. This caused two big problems:

1. I couldn't find my stuff because their stuff was in front of my nice dishes, pretty bowls, etc.

2. I couldn't get to their sippy cups and bowls without knocking it all out. Even tonight, I broke a dish. (The other cabinets will be next).

See my kitchen towels? They match my coffee-themed kitchen. The tiny cloths are in the back.

I began with a small task, which normally helps me continue working because I see fast results. I moved the kids' tiny baby washcloths into the kitchen towel drawer. Yes, this completely goes against my image of a perfect kitchen, since they are bathroom items in a kitchen drawer. It works out nicely though:

I am saving the Earth (yay) because I do not use tissues for runny noses or paper towels for messy spaghetti-sauced faces. These are also softer than paper products, making my children less likely to fight me. Finally, I don't have to buy the paper products, which probably saves me about $10 a month.

Small accomplishment, but an important one in the kitchen organizing project!

Shame On: Rachel Ray - Exactly!

2011-02-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

The breastfeeding debate drives me nuts, it really does. Not because I hear different information or new points of view, but because I sit in disbelief that the argument still exists. Breast vs. Bottle? Really? They are different - formula is well, a plan, a blueprint (a 'formula' if you will) by scientists, that tries to copy breastmilk. But it can't - and it doesn't.

Every time I see a new formula commercial that says new and improved! now more like breastmilk! I think, huh. So all those babies that drank the old formula had an ingredient missing. That's sad. I wonder if other people watching the same commercials think, great! Now formula has more stuff in it! I am not being silly when I say the whole argument baffles me. I cannot wrap the idea that formula is better than breastmilk around my brain, so I never really engage in such arguments. I sit there dumbfounded.

Plus, instead of debating breast vs. bottle I think moms' time would be better served working to battle the trials and misconceptions moms face when trying to breastfeed. I think we should stop unethical practices by formula companies. I think we should work to get milk banks opened. I also think that the Nursing In Public (NIP) movement is important and comes at the right time. When others see breastfeeding as the norm and as something done everywhere, it becomes the norm. The secrecy surrounding it is gone.

The biggest argument against NIP is normally that NIP makes other people uncomfortable, which is where this post is headed. When I opened my Facebook today, I saw a Best for Babes post about a Rachel Ray show. An audience member asked 'Bethenny' (the show's guest) a question. That question and the conversation follows:

Shea: “I’m expecting my second child and strongly thinking of breastfeeding. What are your rules for public breastfeeding, like where is it appropriate?”

Bethenny: “I think, unless you are Pamela Anderson, you shouldn’t be showing anyone your breasts besides your husband and your baby.”

Rachael Ray: “Exactly.”

Bethenny: “I really do. I think you should find a corner, or there is always a back room, I just think it makes other people uncomfortable. When you are a mother you think everyone is ‘in on’ what you’re ‘in on’, [. . .] but they’re not. Because I didn’t know anything about [breastfeeding] until I was pregnant and I was sensitive to the fact that it would have flipped me out. So I think, just keep it private. But definitely breastfeed and do things your own way, but in that one way, I would keep it a little bit private. Whipping out your boob at the dinner table is a good diet tip for everyone else.

The idea that two women -Bethenny and Rachel Ray - use a television show to encourage hiding while breastfeeding astounds me. It is incredibly outdated and hypocritical of a television show host who discusses healthy eating and overall life styles to say "exactly" when discussing why women should cover up while breastfeeding.

I was mad when I read the article today. I don't watch Rachel Ray regularly and now that I have a low opinion of her show's content, I probably won't again. I still emailed the show's producers, and encourage you to do the same: showcomments@rachaelrayshow.com. Here is part of my letter, and you may use all or portions of it:

Breastfeeding is recommended by the WHO to continue for two years into the child's life. Naturally, women will be out in public for those two years, and even more naturally, she should not have to hide in a corner.

Until society accepts women breastfeeding in public, children will be unnecessarily formula fed, which study after study links to obesity, lower IQ, and other health problems.

I expect Rachel Ray (and other public figures who regularly give health advice) to promote breastfeeding, not shun it. She should apologize, at the very least. I would prefer that she host a show on breastfeeding, and bring in experts to explain the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby, tips to successful breastfeeding, and more importantly, why it is absolutely legal to breastfeed in public.

Please consider making amends with a large audience group which this thoughtless comment offended.

I truly believe, loyal blog readers, that we must tell those in the public we do not appreciate such narrow-minded comments. Shame on you, Rachel Ray for telling that large audience that your reach daily to cover up while nursing their babies.

Women, throw off your shawls! Nurse your babies in public (with or without a cover) for the health of you and your baby!

Now go write that email.

Photo Credit: Every Stock Photo

Project: Organizing Kitchen Shelves

2011-02-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

I am organizing my kitchen. The need has been present for a long, long time - like since Ty started eating solid food years ago. Before I had kids, I wanted to keep my kitchen and just add kids and their stuff to the mixture. This is not working so I am adjusting, at least while they are little. I will have a time to display pretty wedding gifts and special plates that coordinate with holidays for many, many decades. My kids will be little once, and the kitchen needs to reflect that.


This is how I started: with a really worn empty shelf that the kids constantly pulled food off.

My pantry needed organized. I took this shelf out and scrubbed it with Ty. I really wanted to get around painting it, but there was no way around it. My kitchen is two shades of brown and I luckily had some leftover. I feared having brown shelves with white pantry walls, but I actually like the results.

Organized kitchen shelf.

The biggest problem was my kids pulled food off. They would bring me glass jars or industrial sized containers of ketchup. The bottom shelf is now food that they most commonly eat - cereal, bread and on. Now when they bring it to me, I just fix them their choice. All 'my food' (read: boring bread crumbs and pasta sauce) is up high, out of their little hands.

I am still organizing, but this is my first finished kitchen project and it has helped immensely in my everyday life!

Free Snow, and lots of it

2011-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:00


Sorry for the chopped head look! I forgot to take a "blog picture" while Ty was coloring the snow.

I live in the Midwest and we have tons of snow. Tons. A few inches no longer phase me like when I was new to this area. Now I just layer on my clothes and take the kids outside to play.

The kids build snow-people and snow-castles, but a mom at a mothering group gave me a really neat idea: colored water. I took the three water bottles and added a few drops of food dye. I only gave the primary colors so we could experiment mixing and making different colors.

This was a huge, successful, and very free activity for me and the kids. Next time, I think I am going to use my laundry spray bottle so they can spray the colors, which might give the snow a neat effect.

I do not care for cold weather, but I see the potential snow provides for kid friendly activities. What do you do in the snow with little ones?

Teaching Every Day

2011-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

For Christmas (yep, I am still catching up on my blog) I went to my husband's office and printed some worksheets for Ty and Za. They were simple activities, like the letter 'C' and a cookie. Then I went to an office store and bought two folders and sticker books on clearance. These folders went over huge with the kids and we work on the pictures and alphabet letters together throughout our days.

Note the doggie paws and ears - not part of the present.

I don't have a printer at my house, so I cannot print worksheets and lesson plans for what so many think of as standard teaching. I teach my kids every day, intentionally or just through example. I try to share my successes and failures with my blog world. I think when parents reflect together it is much like when teachers do, and that can create wonderful results. Printing off worksheets as Christmas presents got me thinking (ok, reflecting) about my reasoning behind my approach.

I look for everyday, simple, run-of-the-mill, natural parts of life to be teaching moments. I understand formal lesson plans that are out there for parents to do with their kids. The plans are well developed, creative, detailed, and educational. I sometimes do them with my kids. I see their purpose and I am grateful for them.

This blog does not focus on formal plans for parents to do with their children. Instead, this blog focuses on every room being a classroom because I believe that teaching kids from your environment is possible and important, for several reasons:

1. I dislike the idea that learning and teaching stops when a bell rings. In the same way, I don't like the idea that when I finish a lesson plan with my child, he gets up from the table and thinks learning is done. Learning is everywhere, and I try to point that out with my children.

2. When concepts (language, math, science, history) are part of every day life, children are less likely to see them as subjects. For instance, if a parent is a doctor and a child grows up hearing the proper anatomical, surgical, and pharmaceutical terms, he will be less intimidated in fifteen years when he takes advanced science courses, like anatomy. In the same way, I hope that when my child hears the literary term 'protagonist' for the first time, he is comfortable with the word, as I have mentioned it in our reading together.

3. Not all aspects of learning are fun, but children need a desire for learning. Memorizing and knowing basic facts play an important role in education. (I disliked studying the multiplication tables, but I am very happy that I memorized them). Education needs a balance - it cannot be fun all the time, but learning overall is interesting. I don't feel the need to complete formal lessons with my children yet (they are four and two) but realize the time will come when I sit down with them to memorize from flashcards. I hope to create an energy in them that stays with them for life.

Basically, I think formal and informal lesson plans have a place while working with your children. What do you think about formal vs. informal lessons? Is it possible to have a balance?

Chopping Fruit

2011-02-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Chopped fruit in a pretty dish. Who knew?

I am not a big fruit eater. I really prefer vegetables. I want my kids to like both, so I am always trying to incorporate fruits into their lives, sometimes without much luck. I cool hot oatmeal with frozen fruit, which does cool the cereal and probably leaks some goodness into their cereal. Both my kids push the fruit to the side though. They also pick it out of yogurt and off crackers.

I've kept trying though, and the chopped fruit works the best. In part, I think they like that the fruit is in this pretty glass dish. I also think they like that I just leave it out and they can grab a piece as they play or as I cook.

Such a simple idea that really works. Can you get fruit into your kids' diets? Any other simple solutions?

Simple Organizing

2011-01-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

Maybe we split a hot chocolate while we decorated.

I know this is late, but I am still going to post an activity from December, because I am always late and because you all understand.

One of Ty's beloved activities is making connected rings from construction paper. It is easy and we can decorate the playroom (our basement) with whatever color correlates with the season. He likes doing it so much that we change colors several times a year: green/red for Christmas, red/pink for Valentine's Day, purple/yellow for Easter and on and on. That is actually what got me started doing this - colors. It was a simple way to teach him colors.

We have since moved on from colors into organizing and math skills. The math skills are pretty easy to recognize (counting, counting by tens, etc.), but what about organizing?

1. We had to separate the paper from the rest of the colors in the construction paper pad.

2. We organized all our supplies: scissors, stickers, stapler.

3. We sorted the cut paper into piles.

4. We planned out our teamwork. Ty made an assembly line of putting stickers on (we used the free ones from the mail) alternating colors. I stapled them together (he's not big enough for a stapler yet).


Separating piles of colors, and those with and without stickers. Plus, teaching Za colors.

The high school English teacher in me sees this as applicable to future use, such as writing a paper (of course). He can separate the information pertinent to his thesis, organize his information, divide it into paragraphs using an outline, and then assemble the paper.

Anything to add? I feel like I am missing something beside color identification, math skills, and organization.

Project: Organizing Kitchen

2011-01-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

At one point in my mommyhood, I really (deep down, did not doubt it in my heart) believed I could have a perfect kitchen. The type you see in Pottery Barn catalogs and on television shows that depict unnatural home lives. Then I had Ty and Za and realized several things:

1. I cannot follow my kids all day and pick up. I can pick up in general, but cannot (and will not) follow behind with a spray bottle and towel.
2. I become overwhelmed if I do not lower my house cleaning expectations. This is bad for me, my children, my husband, and generally anyone else I would encounter.
3. I would rather focus on working and teaching my ~~students~~ children. Reading, exploring, building blocks-anything is inherently more important that house cleaning.
4. Pottery Barn catalogs are stupid. (I love their stuff, but really. Really).

In an effort to have some sort of functional organization, I have been working on my kitchen. This room is the hub of my house, especially since my kids eat nonstop. Also, with my attempts at cooking and preparing fresh, non-prepackaged foods, I stand at a chopping board extra time. All of this is fine, but aside from cramming the sippy cups into a corner of my cabinet, I really have not adjusted my kitchen for kids. (We do have safety locks, but I'm referring to organization).

Organized kids are happy kids, and kids who live with organized play things hopefully apply organizational methods to their personal and school lives in a natural, unforced way.

So, stay tuned. Project: Organizing Kitchen is underway.

SAHM Triumph: A Clean Floor

2011-01-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

When I worked full time, my husband and I had a messy house. We just did, and we knew there was not much to do about the situation. We were tired from work and would cook a homemade meal (most of the time we tried, as we feel this is important). The combination of that and chasing the kids, well, something had to go, and it was normally the house.

If we had an upcoming party or holiday (and both times before we had a baby), we hired a maid service. I thought the money was well worth it. I will return to work some day and when that day comes, I have no qualms about hiring a maid again. Now that I am a SAHM though, funds are tight and cleaning the house is all mine.

I wish I could say I had some grand schedule or at least a calendar for cleaning my house. Maybe I could sit down and write out a loose one of what needs done every month (or maybe every week). I probably should, but it just would be a waste of time. I cannot imagine following it. I would find the schedule in a few weeks and feel sad that I spent that time writing it and not following it. It really would be a lose-lose.

I did not grow up with any kind of role model for house cleaning. My childhood home was very messy. Since my house is cleaner than my parents' house, I figure I am making an improvement. Funny how that thought process works, isn't it?

I don't want my children to learn messy habits (like I always try to eliminate from the learned behavior section in my mind) so I have focused and concentrated on cleaning more. Lots more. Since I am fairly certain a schedule will not work, I have made myself a promise. I will clean something (a room, a floor, a section of the bathroom) before I shower for the day. This is specific enough for me to do it, but does not tie me down to a chore I really may not be up for doing during a certain day.

This is a recent implementation in my SAHM household, as I was struggling to clean house while paying attention to Ty and Za. I am following this self-imposed rule and am pretty happy about it, making it my most recent SAHM Triumph.

Naturalist Intelligence

2011-01-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

My son Ty (he is almost 4 years) has a huge interest concerning anything he can sort: cars, blocks, trucks, books, tractors, crayons--if they are the same concept but different, he will organize it. I normally attribute this as a mathematical-logical strength, but I try to hit different intelligences when possible.

Since another love of Ty's is nature (like any little boy, he will dig in dirt and run outside for hours), I wanted to weave some of his passions together. I found a way to use his naturalist intelligence, which deals with sensing patterns in and making connections to elements in nature. Combining the two, I did think of a way to involve two of Ty's passions-organizing and dirt, or mathematical-logical and naturalistic intelligences.

Sorry for the darkness! The green container (it is the hardest to see) is 'trash'-the rest is recycling! All of it!!

Enter Christmas. We attend at least six Christmas celebrations, including ours. At each one, our children receive gifts from others. (My husband and I try to limit this, but no ploy has worked. I suppose we could have worse problems). The amount of stuff does not bother me, mostly because we do a huge donation for some of our church's outreach programs and I don't have any qualms about giving away "too nice" of toys. What really bothers me is the packaging, the sheer amount of trash.

This year, very little of the packaging went in the actual trash. Ty and I sorted it into the recycling bins, paper and plastic. He was thrilled that the trash would not hurt the ground, which is what he gathered from our environmental discussion.

As a bonus, my brother gave Ty (or Za, I am not sure) the books "The Five Senses" which is about the environment.

All of the combination led to a very happy little Ty and mama. Do you ever try to "hit" on your child's intelligences at the same time? How?

New Year's Resolution Time

2010-12-31T15:07:00.000-08:00

I typically do not make a new year's resolution for two very good reasons. One, they are a bit cliche and I don't like being ordinary. Two, I stink at keeping them. When I was young, I had one to wear my retainer at night like I was already supposed to do. I kept that resolution for quite some time, but that is the only one I remember keeping. I am going to make one this year, and expect people to hold me to it.

For 2011, my resolution is to continue with Switching Classrooms. My work at Justmeans (which is where I primarily write now) is great and I enjoy working there. When I began Switching Classrooms, it was to reach parents and explain what happens in the education world. I only dreamed of working for a news organization with a national audience. At Justmeans I feel like I am reaching a wider audience than on my personal blog. That might be true, but I discuss different education topics in different tones for different audiences at my two blogs. This little blog has nagged at me from afar, almost calling me to continue writing it. I am going to try and answer that call.

Happy New Year, Blog Readers. I'll see you soon. :)

Photo Credit: Flickr

Finacial Friday: Cloth Napkins, Part II

2010-10-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Don't fear... I have not lost it. I know today is Monday, but we'll go ahead and do a Financial Friday update. In August, I wrote about using cloth napkins. A few weeks later, I saw a loyal reader who told me she and her family were using this idea! I didn't give them the idea, but we both expressed over concern for the environment. A few weeks after that meeting, I got this email from her:

We went to 3rd Sunday Market........my BARGAIN of the day was a box w/ 2 pillowcases & cloth napkins....$10 for the box. Came home & counted & got 30 cloth napkins! Also picked up some solid round bracelets for $3. for napking ring holders....

Awesome find, Financial Friday Mom. Great bargain.

Justmeans Update

2010-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

For those of you who have not heard, I recently began writing for Justmeans. This news source highlights people, companies, and trends that do business, better. I am a writer in the education channel.

Already, I am busy researching and covering several topics:

School Lunches

National Core Standards

Homework

These issues and so many more are what affect parents and students. I would love input on what parents, who are the foundation for successful students, want me to research and write. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks so much for all your support and time.

Finacial Friday: Cloth Napkins

2010-08-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

The easiest and perhaps best step I have taken to cut down costs now that I stay at home is to stop buying paper towels. Paper towels are expensive, and we spent probably $10 a month on them, even with coupons.

When I decided to switch to cloth napkins, I began using my wedding (nice) gifts. After spaghetti sauce and mushed who-knows-what threatened to ruin them, I looked at garage sales. So far, I have found pink butterfly ones, red checked ones, green cotton, and green flowers. The best part? They are dirt cheap at garage sales, and normally in great shape. The most I have ever paid for a set of four is $2-the cost of a roll of paper towels.

Also, cloth napkins are better for the environment. Whatever is dirty, I toss into the washing machine with another load-no special washes for them. Lastly, my goofy friends think I'm some kind of domestic goddess for using these! They are so impressed that I use pretty, cloth napkins. Too funny; if they only knew I was cheap!

Photo Credit: Flickr

Education Alert

2010-08-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

I have struggled to keep up with my blog, because I began writing for Justmeans. Justmeans is an organization that believes in doing business, better. Justmeans searches for businesses that work toward a sustainable world.

Justmeans just began a new channel, education, which is where I write. I am blogging about education advances (and flaws). When I began writing at Switching Classrooms, I dreamed of writing for a national source, but did not imagine it would happen so soon. I am thrilled to have my own blog at Justmeans-and the pay is fine, too. :)

I will not post my blog postings from Justmeans here, but you can follow me on facebook or Justmeans.

I plan to still write here, so keep checking back. It may just be sporadic now. Thanks to all my readers who have believed in my dream of making education applicable to everyone, and hopefully, interesting as well.

Educational Theory of the Week: Evaluation

2010-07-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Educational Theory of the Week covers different theories that teachers use and impact our children. They can easily be applied outside of a classroom setting.

And, here it is... the final tier of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Evaluation is assessing and making decisions. As adults, we evaluate every day. Our children do it too!

Questions

Evaluation is easy to incorporate and like other parts, you probably already do.

Did he (insert character's name) do the right thing at the end of the story? Why?

Tell me why you think you should have five more minutes of playtime.

Explain what your favorite colors are, in order of your preference.

What grade would you give this paper? Why?

Little kids so enjoy evaluating and they are very willing to do so. It helps to guide them to logical and strong support, so that continues as they grow.

Adults do it--like at the grocery store. I like this apple, but this one costs more, this one has more nutrients, and on and on.

Application to high school students

My former curriculum called for resume and cover letter writing. Those tasks are complex, primarily because they involve so much evaluation. Where does the objective fit best? Should I include this information, or am I being too repetitive? What does this potential employer want to see?

Most importantly, resume and cover letter writing, while using evaluation, activate other parts of Bloom's Taxonomy because it all builds on each other.

Audience's Turn

What did you like about Bloom's Taxonomy? Do you see how it is used? Do you think it is bunk?

Finacial Friday: Cleaning Cabinets

2010-07-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Financial Friday covers a few tricks I have found as a SAHM for cutting down on bills since my family is down an income.

When I moved into my home, I painstakingly arranged the cabinets. In the kitchen, I labeled bags and containers. Dishes were stacked according to size. I regularly checked the "plastics" drawer for cracks and containers without lids. The bathroom was tidy as well. No medicine was expired and I even recycled shoe boxes to separate items.

Not my kitchen, but look at that organization!

It turns out that little kids love to dump out shoe boxes. My cabinets are in disarray (read: the kids find a way into them and my hubby and I hide all the medicine up high and the kids dump everything else out and no one can find anything). The result? We buy stuff we don't need, or we waste money. I set out to fix this--and found out that I have items I really need.

Bathroom

In the bathroom, the medicine has to stay up high. It looks silly, but my kids find a way into those "child protective" locks. They really do. I did throw out expired medicine, though.

I found tons of useful items: sample shampoos, conditioners, and lotions. Once I piled the dumped bandages together, I realized I will never have to buy any again, or at least this summer. I have enough breast pads for three more children. I have plenty of "female supplies" as well.

Kitchen

In the kitchen, I did not find anything great, but I did get rid of a few items. This past Christmas, I switched to cast iron skillets, so it only made sense to get rid of my yucky chemical-laden old ones. I don't know why I kept them, but they sure hogged space.

I found tea bags, cocoa mixes, and small batches of pasta.

Under the kitchen sink, I discovered unused scrubbing pads and trashcan liners. I believe the trashcan liners were unused because they are an uncommon size, but I will use them for cleaning in the garage or sorting kids' clothes.

Overall, I found tons of usable products and cleared out unusable junk. I don't know how long it will last, but my cabinets are pretty clean. I feel good, and I know I saved some money from not buying doubles.

SAHM Triumph: Organizing

2010-07-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ty wanted to paint. He painted his pictures, along with the table and chair and a bit of himself. Then his sister wanted to paint, so I set Za up. She climbed on the table and covered herself in paint.

They were really cute and messy. This is a triumph because I stayed calm. Then, while they finished their artwork, I filled the baby pool and plunked their messy butts in it.

Organizing my children's play activities around their messiness and my desire for cleanliness is my SAHM Triumph of the day.

Wonder Why Sunday: Dependent Learners

2010-07-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

I'm rambling today--lots of questions pouring out faster than I can type them. Feel free to comment and my readers and I can examine this together.

Last week, I wrote about high school students transitioning to college students. I was inspired by Brian Harke's article, and this blog is in response to his latest post, High School to College Transition, Part Two: Academic Expectations. (It is a solid article with nice ideas, for all parents of future college students).

I'm not going to reiterate the entire post, or analyze its entirety either. One part stood out to me, and I kept rereading it. Right away, Dr. Harke discusses the manner in which freshman enter college. He says:

High schools often reinforce these expectations [that college will be like high school] by unwittingly allowing students to enter college as dependent learners rather than independent learners. I say this not to place blame, but to recognize that up to this point most students have had teams of people supporting them, keeping track of their academic progress and looking out for their best interests. Since this has been their norm for 12 years, new college students are often at a loss when faced with the reality that it is up to them to manage their academic independence.

I liked that he said "I say this not to place blame" because blaming others for a large problem diverts attention from actually solving the problem. I agree with Dr. Harke. College, trade school, or a job requires people be independent learners. Can you imagine showing up to work and the boss saying, "Did you read the manual? Nope? No time? OK, I'll give you some time today." That does not happen, and I wonder why it does in high school.

I can't imagine that, and I know that never happened to me as an undergraduate, and my goodness, never as a graduate student. It probably shouldn't happen in high school either, especially if teachers are training students for a big world they will enter in four years or less. High school teachers do that, though. I've done that. I have enabled students to stay dependent learners instead of growing as independent learners. Why?

When I entered teaching, I knew not to do that. I just finished college where research and professors told us to give students an assignment or a consequence, and follow through. I started my teaching career with the idea to follow through and stay consistent. And then a few things happened.

Parents, guidance counselors, other teachers, and administrators called me. They came to visit. They were concerned about grades. Many times, parents asked me: when did I plan to offer extra credit? remediation? opportunities to turn in late work? drop lower scores from earlier in the semester? print off my notes because a student "lost" his? print off missing homework? None of my college professors or research studies told me what to when I encountered this. I thought those suggestions were terrible, but I did them (some of them, not all of them).

You can only imagine why I did them, something that probably doesn't need to be written, but it was pressure from everyone. Over years of teaching, I saw this happen countless times: coworkers and community pushed teachers into breaking their rules. It really does create a stream of dependent learners--those who think others are responsible for their education, that they should rely on others to play the active role, to care the most. Some teachers don't give notes clearly enough, some won't accept late work. Teachers won't plan their tests with other teachers so students don't have too many in one day. All of these concerns? What is a teacher to do about them? They come at teachers everyday. Is this what parents want? Some of them do, and when the others hear what some are getting, well, they want it too.

Which leads me to this very large question: Are schools what parents and society want them to be, just like they are? To be cynical, I could say that fried foods made with white flour and nothing fresh is part of our school system. I could also look at kids sleeping in classes and being passed from one grade level to the next when they should repeat. Is it full of 'A papers' that should be rewrites, or 'Ds'? Going back to the theme of dependent learners, are parents and society creating dependent learners? Is this what they asked for, what they paid for, and what they got?

From a trustful, and perhaps inexperienced view, walking through a high school's hall, you would expect see teachers grading papers, bent over students' desks, or researching an original lesson plan. Students would be working, behaving, trying, attentive, and awake. This is probably what everyone wants and sure, this image happens sometimes.

Which image happens more, the first or second? (How many dependent learners go to college? How many independent? Those answers should provide more clues as to the realistic image).

It is upsetting, especially because that first image is never what I had in my mind when I started teaching, and it probably isn't what other teachers envisioned, or even society and parents. It is what happens though, and it molds these dependent learners Dr. Harke mentions.What are we parents and members of society going to do? What do you want to do?

Wonder Why Wednesday: Chutes and Ladders

2010-06-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

Ty, my three-year old, asked to play "Chutes and Ladders" with me today. We got the game, sat down to play, and reviewed the rules.

I find innumerable teaching moments when we play board games:

1. We review rules, which works his memory.

2. We have to follow rules, a life skill.

3. We take turns and use niceties as we play.

4. It takes patience, because these preschool games take quite a bit of time.

5. We finish what we start.

So, number 5 did not really happen today, and as usual, I am wondering if I did the right thing.

Ty wanted to disregard the spinning-number part of the game. He wanted to climb ladders and go down chutes. I told him that was fine, but then we were not playing and he could just mess around with the board. This resulted in a screaming crying fit. I stood my ground, but should I have modified the rules, just once?

I wonder, because he is only three. He is small. He wanted to have fun. Is one game of Chutes and Ladders that impressionable for the rest of his life?

I wonder, because what I do matters. I want him to understand rules and know that consistently his father and I enforce them. I want him to know we don't cheat (even though that probably wasn't his intention).

I want him to be happy and know that I love him. I want him to be prepared for life, for me to give him as best a handbook as I can. I just always wonder if I do.

Wonder Why Wednesday: High School to College

2010-06-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Time and time again as a high school teacher, I have students return to see me, often for lunch or a quick Facebook chat. After talking for a bit, many casually mention they have left college. I always wonder why.

I believe there are many paths to success. Sometimes I send off students to college shaking my head, because I know he or she does not have the drive, nor the academic skills to stay there. Other times, I do wonder if some of my college dropouts were really gems, just covered in soot, that nobody took the time to dust.

How do we Americans have this problem of college freshman performing so poorly that they leave? Does society expect too many people to attend college? Is college for everyone? Do parents send kids to college with little help?

I read "High School to College Transition, Part I: The Freshman Myth" yesterday. This article built off these questions I always wonder. In it, Brian Harke wrote for the Huffington Post:

...college is one of the biggest transitions a person will make. Therefore, it only makes sense to focus more attention on high school to college transition.

I agree. Harke mentioned several other ways this should happen, such as counselors helping students (at the high school level) and colleges helping at (of course) the college level. Most importantly, he wrote about healthy dialogues that parents should have with their children. As a high school teacher, I see so many parents that think their influence with their teenagers is nil. It isn't, and discussing college in a realistic way will shape students' views and attitudes upon arrival on campus. After all, as Harke so truthfully stated about college:

The students have already arrived with ideas and perceptions about college that are often more romanticized notions than accurate reflections of college life - ideas created by admissions brochures, a campus visit, stereotypes in the media and stories from family or friends. This leaves many new students struggling to adjust to their new environment.

I "went away" to college my junior year. I remember sitting in my dorm room, wondering what to do. I had new towels, a clean room, and a loaded laundry card. I ate some Ramen noodles because I knew that people in college "survived on those" -- whatever that meant. I don't even think I was hungry. I simply did not know what to do. I wonder how many of my students feel that way. I was lucky, figured it out, and graduated. I took plenty of wrong turns and could have quit or "taken a semester off" as so many of my former students word it. When a student tells me of leaving college, I always return to that feeling of eating Ramen noodles, even though I wasn't hungry.

Harke promises to continue writing about the transition from high school to college, and we probably should too. So... what were your expectations when you went to college? How will you help your child make realistic goals and expectations for college? Do you already talk to your child about college? What is a good age to start? What do you talk about? Anything else I left out?

Almost Done Feeling Sorry For Myself

2010-06-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

I really am. I can do this whole SAHM gig. I will find time to do writing and blogging, because I love it. I miss all my bloggy and twitter peeps. I am going to get going again, and this my pep talk.

I've wallowed enough. I will ignore the older person who told me over the weekend that I was "a lady of leisure" because I didn't work everyday. Completely dismiss her.

I will balance, I will: I teach two hours in the morning? I have grocery shopping to do? Carpet to vacuum? A husband to watch the telly with? Laundry? Dishwasher? Kitchen floor? Toilets? Kids to read to? posh, posh [insert hand wave above my head]

I will blog as well, because it is important to me.

I will also exercise more, because that is important to me as well.

Shucks, I might get this SAHM concept yet. I will and I will return. This is all just part of the journey.

Wonder Why Wednesday: Getting "It"

2010-06-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

And, if you can tell by my lack of posts, I'm struggling again with this SAHM gig. I don't know how to balance the kids wanting food every two seconds, Ty mad because I'm holding Za, writing, blogging, doing laundry, doing dishes, scrubbing floors, showering, exercising, changing diapers, helping go potty, reading, kissing, shopping, and such.

I wonder if I'll ever get it.

Wonder Why Wednesday

2010-06-02T20:23:00.001-07:00

I wonder when I get to sleep.
Ever.
Again.

Educational Theory of the Week: Synthesis

2010-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Educational Theory of the Week covers different theories that teachers use and impact our children. They can easily be applied outside of a classroom setting.

Last week in Bloom's Taxonomy, we looked at analysis. This week is synthesis, or taking ideas or objects and putting them together. It of course is building on the other parts of Bloom's Taxonomy. A child must have knowledge of the objects, understand (comprehension) the parts of the objects, be able to apply different uses of the objects, and then analyze them objects. (Phew. It takes longer for me to write that out than for children to do it).

Questions

You can ask your child several questions when working with synthesis from Bloom's Taxonomy.

Can you put these blocks together?

How would you put these train tracks together?

What plan should we have for going to the park?

Imagine what would happen in the story next.

With older children, they would use synthesis when they write research papers or speeches. They would take their ideas and research and combine them into one object--their paper or speech. Little kids synthesize in different ways, such as building or mixing paint colors.

Application to Ty, age 3

Ty builds and builds. When his little feet plant on the floor each morning, he is building.

He's become better as he ages. His towers once fell, bridges collapsed, train tracks didn't go anywhere, it was frustrating. No longer!

When building towers, bridges, and tracks, a little boy must know (knowledge) his materials. (Blog readers, can you do the Bloom's Taxonomy application by now?) After he knows his supplies, he can predict/explain (comprehension) what will happen, like that small blocks can't be on the bottom. He constructs (application) his buildings by taking all of these ideas into account. He analyzes where more blocks need to be so the individual pieces don't fall. Finally, he creates (synthesis) the entire project, like putting the bridge over the tracks and the trees and flowers around the skyscraper.

Audience

Synthesis is a huge part of everyday life. It is often expected (as a higher order process it is highly desired in the educational and work fields). How do we make sure our children can reach it?

Finacial Friday: Odd and End Savings

2010-05-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Financial Friday covers a few tricks I have found as a SAHM for cutting down on bills since my family is down an income.

I promised my husband that when I started staying home, I would save money in mysterious ways. (I also promised him that he could be included in a blog, so here you go sweetie). I tried many ways to save money and while some have worked, others not so much. Here are a few of my assignments, and in true teacher style, their grades:

Ironing shirts. (D) My husband takes his work shirts to the dry cleaner to be washed and ironed. That is about $2 a shirt. (Thought process: That is how much a can of starch costs! I can do that!) So, I washed his shirts and set out to iron them. I started off ok, but never finished the first set of shirts. I loathe ironing and my husband thinks I do a messy job, which might be true. Also, I can't iron when the kids are awake. They want to be around me and when they hang out around the ironing board, I am nervous because of the hot iron. It didn't work out and he takes them back to the cleaners. Every once in awhile when the kids are taking long naps, I wash and iron a few shirts. A few.

Cooking from scratch. (B) Staying home with fewer resources (money to buy whatever I want at the store and a lack of time to get to the grocery store) has made me a better cook. I also need to cook FAST sometimes because small stomachs empty quickly. This has left me with odds and ends at home, crying kids, and nothing but my imagination. This works most of the time and I have created dishes I didn't think I had it in me to make. A few failures: homemade bread, spinach noodles, and guacamole made from peas (I read it somewhere). It is sad to throw out the failures, but they are pretty inedible. Most of the time, we do save money from cooking at home, from scratch.

Buying in bulk. (B+) I never knew this before, but my husband taught me: grocery stores have the price broken down, like per ounce, on their products. When you look at a big box of cereal compared to a small box, the big box probably costs less per ounce than the small box, even though the big box costs more overall. If you buy in bulk, you often save money, which I knew but just didn't know how or why. Because I have more time as a SAHM, I buy in bulk and divide the food between small containers. This also makes traveling pretty easy, as I can grab a container of graham crackers as we run out the door. The only problem I had with this was a few items went bad, so be selective about what you buy in bulk. I bought peaches and divided and froze them, but defrosted they were brown and the kids wouldn't eat them.

Making cards. (A) A few months ago, I went to a bridal shower. As the bride unwrapped her presents, she handed the card to her mother along with the wrapping paper. The mom put it all in a garbage bag. It made me so happy that a complete $1 or more was not put in that bag because I make my own cards. Scrapbook paper, ribbon, glue, stamps, and stickers--I either have the ingredients or can buy them inexpensively. Look at the bins at Wal-Mart or other fabric stores for leftover ribbon, tulle, and sequins. Find out the bride's wedding colors, the mother-to-be's nursery decor, or the birthday child's favorite activities and decorate your card accordingly. My first cards were pretty plain, but they have improved and I am not an artist. Sometimes they are even passed around the party. :)

Those are four simple ways I tried to cut expenses when I became a SAHM. They might work for you or my failures may be your successes. Good luck.

In no way was I compensated for this blog entry.