"Wise Teachers Make Learning A Joy"
-Chinese Proverb
- Assignments:
- Read the introduction and through page 11 of the text.
- Please reflect on any ahas or main points.
- Share what you are already doing in your classrooms or daily lives that foster a "Fun-damental" Attitude.
- After going over the Pop Quiz on pages 10 and 11 reflect on your personal results.
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7 comments:
I wish I had known about this assignment before I went ahead and read through this part of the book. The perfectionist in me wants to read it again to see if there were any main points that I missed. However, the realist tells me that I have to be true to myself. As a result, I only have one part of the assigned reading that struck a chord with me. It was the sentence in the introduction where the author said, "I was puzzled by my inexplicable draw to drum up the time and money to attend a seminar that, for practical purposes fell into the 'woo-woo' category."
I think this comment is big, at least for me because I struggle with doubts about my effectiveness all the time. I wonder sometimes are we having too much fun? Or are we not having enough? You see, my dad has been a teacher for 35+ years. He's now retired from his high school teaching but still teaches nursing students at the tech school part time. He is the silliest teacher I have ever had and the most strict. I know he is a great teacher. I feel he has the balance between fun and learning perfected, and I would like to be just like him.
I don't know if I am. The quiz didn't help one bit because, of course, I rated myself high in all the positive categories. I feel like I cheated. However, it did make me more aware of the things that lead to a more positive atmosphere in the classroom.
I think the things I do that foster a fun-damental attitude in my classroom are making the students laugh, and creating a non-threatening atmosphere. I don't tolerate put downs of any kind. I tell students to talk to each other as they would like to be talked to. If someone says something negative about someone else, I make them write 3 nice things about that person to make up for it or else take a warning. I heard somewhere that it actually takes 6 nice things to make up for every negative thing you say to people, but I tell the students that I am letting them get away with less because I know this is a new idea to most of them. I don't know if it works, but I know it does make them think before they blurt out any negative comments. And now, finally, I have said all I have to say. Sorry if I babbled too much (darn, now I have to think of 6 nice things to say to myself to make up for that!)
As I was reading the introduction, I thought about a substitute teacher that comes to our building. She always shows up wearing crazy props or costumes. She usually has a theme for the day. The elementary children love it. She definately incorporates humor, play, and fun into the classroom. I also thought about my gym, and how I want to return renewed and enthused. Have fun! This class will definately help me to do just that. Learning and laughter do go hand in hand.
When I did the pop quiz, I fell into the Wow! category. I rated myself high in the positive category, but I also thought about how others perceive me. The students are always excited to see me, they don't like it if I'm gone,
and they don't like missing gym class. They are shocked when they see me in regular clothes or at the grocery store.
The quiz did make me aware of the things that lead to a positive atmoshere in the classroom. It also reminded me how we can limit ourselves.
The things that I do that foster a fun-damental attitude in my classroom are creating a non-threatening environment and making sure that the students are laughing and having fun. We have five agreements to follow when we come to gym. (No put downs, attentive listening, mutual respect, right to pass - let me know if you're uncomfortable with something, and must wear gym shoes. They start each class with 10 sportsmanship points and they lose points for not following these agreements. They really work together to keep their points.
For the pop quiz, I rated in the Congrats section. There were a few questions though where I definitely found myself falling into both sides at times so I can some areas that I can improve.
As for fostering a fun-damental attitude in my classroom, I start with my own attitude. I love going to work each day because I know that every day's going to be different. There's no monotony and every student is unique. Sure some lessons aren't fun to teach or aren't effective, but you can always reteach and look forward to the next class/lesson. In the grand scheme of life, how important is it really if a 6th grader can't figure out how to convert kilometers into miles? I also take student pictures to hang around the room and have the students help with the class rules and decore.
Let me start by saying, "I want to attend a one week seminar at Disneyland!" Wow...what a perfect place for smiles, laughter and fun. It's nice to read along and think to myself, "I'm doing that" or "I'm that person." I truly love my job and I believe I am an effective teacher. I am always receiving positive feedback from students, parents, collegues and love seeing former students come back to the middle school to say hello to "one of their favorite teachers." That's the feel-good, warm-fuzzies that I store in the top shelf of my heart and mind. We as teachers need those pick-me-ups, too, just as our students do.
As for what I am doing in my classroom, I love to incorporate inside, silly mathology jokes and inuendos in my every day lessons. I love sarcasm, yet use it sparingly. I like to find little things to laugh about and try to be a bit of a goofball during worktime. The kids are usually very in tune with the time I give them to start their assignments, as they know math processes can be long! But during the quiet, concentrating times of the day I will lip-sync, dance, talk to myself, and generally make my way around the room in silly manners to see if anyone is needing my help. I love to see the little smirks, shaking of the heads, or giggles under their breath as I move about the room. It tends to ease the pressure.
I did rate in the "Teacher of the Year" category, but of the ones that I checked that were limiting I surprised myself. I do tend to dwell on what went wrong at the end of the day. I guess that's the perfectionist, yet worry wort in me. It's upsetting to know that something "bombed" or a behavior situation led to detention/office referral/etc. I have also always set the rules and expectations for my students to follow. I'm a little hesitant to let 8th graders choose the rules/consequences/rewards.
I enjoyed Diana Loomans explanation of how her book came to be - especially her quote about the humor class being in the "woo woo" category. I can relate to that because I receive ridicule for some of the classes I take - their titles sound a bit "out there," but they turn out to be some of the best classes/seminars/workshops that I've had compared to my undergrad and grad classes! I try to remind myself of this in the classroom when I teach the kids a new movement game or we do "Ross Aerobics" because they need a break from their papers and books. I get worried I'm not covering enough material and the kids won't be ready for that pesky MAP test when I'm doing these other activities during academic time. However, these games/breaks we do help to build relationships in the room and we do laugh a lot and they help the kids refocus when it's time to work again.
The story of the 2 teachers teaming illustrated dynamics I see in my school - even within myself (both of the teachers). I like how Loomans said that the one thing that is in a teacher's hands each year is his/her attitude about the students and the learning process. I agree that my attitude reflects positively or negatively on the learning environment for my students and I need to be aware of what feelings I'm projecting to my students.
The pop quiz was heavily on the laughing style side for me. The ones that I did mark in the limiting style can negatively affect the laughing style in a powerful way - even though I only had a few in that category. I still find it hard sometimes to stay positive some days, but those are the days I need to look harder to find the positive, no matter how small it was.
As I went through the quiz, I was more drawn to what I should be doing in the classroom, how I should view the students as learners, and what I do that may need immediate correcting. I think we all know our downfalls. We need to correct these areas for the sake of the students. Some positive areas/statements come easy. Others, we have to put more effort toward so that we can foster a positive learning environment.
In my classroom, I would always try to create a fair environment, also an environment that had rules-made by the students. During the first week, the students would come up with all of their rules. By middle school, they know what they can do and what they shouldn't do. These student generated rules were then compressed down to three main rules. We would refer to them often. The students were eager to follow them. This way of rule setting establishes conceived power to the students. It gave me the right to enforce them. I feel that students need a stern, but fair teacher in the classroom.
Once the "rules environment" was established, the relationship between me, the teacher, and my class begins. My student loved to hear stories about my own middle school children at home. I would embelish, but they could always relate. I would let them hear about my mistakes as a parent, and my childrens mistakes. I would also share the successes. This would always spur students stories. This turned into a way to see the humor in situations that were difficult for us in our home lives. At times, students would ask me, "Anything happen at home last night?". Other times, I would begin a class with the same question to them.
How I wish I had read this book years ago. I'm in my late 40's and wish all former students of mine had been with a Margaret who's not afraid any more to be silly or do something just because it's fun or a mental break from Spanish. My goal is to truly be a laughing teacher every day and crank up the activities that bring smiles to my students' faces. I think I do foster a FUN- DAMENTAL attitude by starting with a smile , a Thought for the Day and Trivia for the Day. It's a little more light-hearted than "Hello, Let's all turn to p. 36." I do wish I were a jokester because some people truly have a gift for making others laugh with a great joke. Perhpas I can work on that. My humor or "fun" times with the kids is with a funny story regarding our topic or some light comment. Much of the time I read a funny article or story for a mood changer. Brain busters are good too; theye challenge the brain , but aren't "funny." I feel I really do a lot of right on the pop quiz, but I still am too wrapped up in having the kids approve of everything I do. I also need to do more praising. I don't believe in saying things like "awesome" when it's NOT -- too much of that and the praise is not appreciated. One teacher says "excelente" every time a kid opens her/his mouth. That's not right. There ae other ways to encourage a kid without giving him/her a false idea of accurate prunciation, etc. I hope that kids will always see me as sincere, a caring teacher who can see the funny man and who creates and nourishes a warm, accepting environment.
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