Dr. Gigi Brignoni

In honor of Dr. Gigi Brignoni…a gem in this world who fought a long battle with cancer, but was still taken too soon.  Thank you for blazing the trail at UNO and bringing bilingual education to Omaha.

Yo soy mi lenguaje - Por Gigi Brignoni

Yo soy mi lenguaje – I am my language
Yo no hablo bien la lengua materna de mi mamá – I don’t speak my mother’s maternal language well
Todavía hay tiempo para cambiar – But there is time to change
No soy una persona que maneja bien el vocabulario – I am not a person that does well with vocabulary
Siempre estoy en búsqueda de la palabra correcta sea en ingles o español – I am always in search of the correct word in English or Spanish
Yo soy mi lenguaje – I am my language
Me sonrío – estoy contenta – I smile – I am happy
Me paro bien – me siento orgullosa – I do well – I feel proud
Yo intercambio códigos – I switch codes
Si no me lo sé en ingles – lo digo en español – If I don’t know it in English – I say it in Spanish
Yo soy los sonidos de carcajadas y caricias – I am the sounds of laughter and cuddles
Yo soy la frase, “Te quiero, Mamá.” Porque agradezco la vida que me dio y que vivió – I am the phrase, “I love you, Mom.” Because I appreciate the life that you gave me and that you lived.
Soy la voz de experiencia compartiendo mi sabiduría con mi hijo. Y, él me hace caso. - I am the voice of experience sharing my wisdom with my son. And, he ignores me.
Soy la voz de esperanza porque es la chispa que me hace seguir - I am the voice of hope because it is the spark that makes me go
Yo soy mi lenguaje – el ingles – mi primera lengua. Es como hago sentido de mi mundo – I am my language – English – my first language. It’s how I make sense of my world.
Soy mi segundo idioma – el español. Romántica con espíritu es quien soy. – I am my second language – Spanish. Romantic spirit is who I am.
Yo vivo una vida llena de imprenta. – I live a full life
Cuando ustedes hablan, veo las palabras en mi mente – When you all speak, I see the words in my mind
Mis dos idiomas forman mi ser – son mi esencia – My two languages form my being – they are my essence
Es quien soy – It is who I am
Yo soy mis lenguas – I am my languages

I remember when I was little my mom made sugar cookies and taught me how to frost them.  It was actually somewhat of a tradition around the holidays because we would make platefuls of cookies for our customers (when my parents owned a sweet party supply store) and friends.  There was nothing complicated about it.  Just dipping the knife into the frosting, carefully spreading it to avoid any breakage, and then decorating it til my heart’s content.

Coming from the classroom, I still felt inclined to give my students a gift of some sort.  My gift to them this year was frosting cookies.  I know I often complain about sugary snacks, lousy lunch options, and my own struggle with weight since childhood, so I really shouldn’t have.  But I indulged on this holiday tradition.  After two nights of baking copious amounts of sugar cookies, each grade level had their chance to frost cookies.  Before we could jump right in, I presented a very short tutorial or “How-to” with pictures on the Smartboard.  I didn’t overwhelm them with words or directions.  We discussed how frosting is both a noun and a verb.  We learned the synonym for frosting is icing.  We went through each step of the process and restated the directions using first, second, third, etc.  We applied listening and speaking skills in a fun way.  We frosted cookies with milk chocolate, chocolate fudge, and cream cheese.  We decorated with rainbow sprinkles, colored sugar crystals, M & Ms, and even gum drops.

It was not the most innovative idea of the year.  But to my students, it was a new way of applying their skills and learning about a holiday tradition that can so often be overlooked as something that everyone does.

So, how many cookies have you frosted this holiday season?

I employed the use of my Smartboard and a fancy red blanket to create my “Photo Booth”.  I brought as many cold weather accessories I could find at home, as well as a few fun props borrowed from our principal, and #collaboreyes shades!!  Since I work with ELLs, I had to activate prior knowledge about a photo booth.  Only a few knew what it was when I said the words.  Once I described it, most commonly within a mall, a few more seemed to understand.  I modeled how the students would stand in front of the “backdrop” and would be given the chance to have 4 photos taken, much like a photo booth.  Once I acted like a goof for them, they became more excited about the photos.  

My first group of 1st graders changed their “outfits” for each picture and made wide grins.  As the day progressed and the various grades had their photo opp, I noticed more of the students showing how self-conscious they were of taking photos.  The switch started to become more apparent in 4th grade.  From there, I had to practically cajole my 5th and 6th graders to pose.  Fortunately, I have created a great relationship with these students that they bought it!

So 200+ photos later, our Photo Booth was a success!!  I just uploaded all of the photos and created simple collage greeting cards with the four photos (thanks to Wal-Mart for the quick print turnaround).  I still want the kids to personalize theirs a bit more, so we’ll create some embellishments tomorrow.

A big thank you to Gwyneth Jones for the idea that combined an #ISTE11 favorite – the photo booth – and a parent present to commemorate their school year.

What gifts did your students create this year??

For those of you that know me…I never shy away from a project like this, especially when student learning gets to take place in a different capacity than the standard teach and test.  Fortunately, three friends and I created this project called #collaboreyes this summer, so I already had a lesson in mind.  In the process of detailing the project for my proposal, I discovered that my students have the potential to develop so many Survival Skills that Wagner lists and standards that the Partnership for 21st Century Skills outline.  I already knew the power of this project, but to spell it out on paper just confirmed it.

Apparently, The Ralston Schools Foundation agreed in the potential and power of the project because I was chosen for the program.  (Excuse me while I do a happy dance!) I am beyond thrilled to have this opportunity!  More importantly though, I get to have my ELL students focus on the #collaboreyes project and make their voice heard.  As an ELL teacher, this is often hard to do because of multiple factors including language barriers, lack of confidence, and most obvious, immigration.  My students will photograph themselves and the #collaboreyes, communicate the importance of the photo, and connect with fellow #collaboreyes classrooms.

Thank you all for your continued support of the #collaboreyes project!  It’s simply amazing to me that this really just started with four teachers who liked the colored sunglasses they got at a conference.

**If you don’t know about #collaboreyes, then you should.  Find out more at collaboreyesproject.com**

Jekyll and Hyde Notes

First and second graders practiced writing capital M; third graders wrote spelling words that were dictated; fourth, fifth, and sixth graders composed questions to ask a nonfiction author that we are going to interview on Skype.

As I handed the dry-erase markers to the students, they were quick to question me and check to make sure that I really wanted them writing on the table.  Indeed!  Once they understood that it could be erased and if it didn’t, Mrs. Peters had a special tool called a Magic Eraser that would make sure it all came off, they went crazy!  Students who normally shy away from any kind of writing were more inclined to try it out or create sentences that were never expected.

Since our first day of experimentation with this, we’ve written on the table several more times and used it in different ways.  I’ve taken notes during our discussion of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to model how to summarize.  We created a matrix with information from a nonfiction book because we’re studying nonfiction text structures.  A student was even sent to my room to finish working on a story, and we quickly outlined his characters, setting, problem, and resolution right on the table to help him organize his thoughts and complete the story.

Nonfiction text structure - matrix

I would love to thank the author of that blog that inspired me to try this with my students (sorry it didn’t get bookmarked like it clearly should have!).  I truly see this being used in so many ways.  It has been such a simple addition in my small groups that has already had some pretty great results!

2nd graders writing M

4th graders writing questions

Poverty is everywhere, and yet we are often blind to it.  It’s in my community, my church, and most prominently, in my school.

I was recently told that I don’t understand poverty or where my students come from.  This was said because the person telling me saw me for who I am today.  They have not seen the life I’ve lived or the struggles that have come along the way.  They made an assumption.  It was not fair.  Nor did I even have the chance to say that I’ve been there.  I’ve lived out of a food pantry.  I wore the same clothes multiple times because that’s what I had.  I’ve witnessed stressed parents who constantly worried how we would keep our house or make payments on the increasing credit card balance.  Instead, I was told that I need to go through training, read Ruby Payne’s book, and then work on caring for my students because of where they truly come from.

I’ve though a lot about that day for six months.  I thought, “maybe I don’t get it”.

This week I attended the Iowa Culture and Language Conference and was compelled to attend the session entitled Poverty: Responding to the Needs of our Students by Jessie Myles.  I entered that room thinking that maybe I didn’t understand.  Over the course of two hours, Mr. Myles discussed poverty statistics from the US, stereotypes of poverty, ways to help students who come from poverty, and resources to help.  The numbers, even from 2008 data, were alarming.  I’m sure they’ve only risen since.  I’ve heard the stereotypes and find the same ones being used with my ELL parents.  I know the signs of poverty and can now look for ways to help.  Mr. Myles covered many aspects that educators need to know, especially if they work with kids from poverty.

That statement came rushing back to me all over again and I got very emotional.  No, I don’t understand what it’s like to have a language barrier or be from a different culture.  No, I don’t have to think about how I’ll survive without food in my house or what outfit I’ll wear because of my limited options.  I may have had a brief glimpse of poverty compared to the millions that live in it day after day, year after year.  But I GET IT!

Mother Theresa said that being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty and I have the chance to change that every day with my students.  I understand what it means to show love and care.  I understand that a child needs to know they are wanted.

I wish I could tell that person I get it.  It doesn’t matter though.  What matters is that I understand and I start in my own home, or school, to remedy this kind of poverty.

Stixy is a digital bulletin board that allows users to easily upload images, documents, to do lists and notes in a variety of manners.  The Stixyboard has no boundaries how the information is displayed, which allows users to create and design their board however they choose.  The Stixyboards can be shared with others and create a common workspace in which multiple people can work.  While there are certainly other digital bulletin board tools available, Stixy allows more creative liberties.  It is for all of these reasons that students could easily use it in the classroom to not only meet 21^st Century learning standards of creativity, but also of collaboration.

Stixy would work well in fifth grade social studies when students study Native American tribes across the country.  Students could break away from the textbooks and research the Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Apache, and Pueblo tribes online and post their learning to Stixyboards.  The textbook covers where the tribe lived, culture, clothing, housing, and introduces tribe-specific vocabulary.  Students could use search engines to research the same information and post to the Stixyboard. The Stixyboards would provide a great collaborative space to organize new learning about the five tribes and help students effectively communicate their learning to peers.

Kindergarteners could use Stixy while continuing to work on phonics and phonemic awareness.  Often, students have difficulties making sound, letter, and picture correspondence.  The teachers or librarians could create an example of a Stixyboard that focuses on one letter.  The board could have multiple pictures that start with the letter and notes with words that have the letter in it.  The students could then work together in pairs to create their own boards according to their assigned letter.  This would be a dynamic way to include multimedia with phonics instruction and start teaching technology skills to students in a primary grade.

Last picture together - May, 2001

10 years ago today you left because it was your time.  Of course we weren’t ready for you to go, but God needed you more.

Since then many things have changed and I’ve grown up.  But some things haven’t changed, and those are the things you taught me.

Learn: Never let age, lack of money, stress at work, demands at home, or the obstacles of life prevent you from learning.  It is NEVER too late to follow your dreams and educate yourself to get that degree.  You were 49 when you graduated with your first Bachelor’s and planted the seed in me that I too need to continually learn.  Good news dad – I’ve got 3 Bachelor’s, 1 Master’s, 1 teaching endorsement, and working on another.  Got to keep the flame of learning alive!

Read: The only way to get smarter is to read.  You preferred business and leadership books and I’m slowly starting to see the value in those same books.  But the most important book that you ever read was the Bible.  It provides numerous stories that cover an array of topics that no self-help book ever could.  I prefer to use my Bible app these days, but it’s still the same Word.

Dream: Never let lack of money or status keep you from dreaming.  It’s the best way to set goals for yourself and work towards them.  It’s also the best way to waste spend precious family time.  Tours of model homes every Saturday for fun?  Sure.  Dream big and you did.  And we got there too!  Now I get to dream with Ryan.

Create: Take the time to think outside of the box.  Refurbished, refinished, salvaged, made from scrap, built by hand.  Creative and artistic.  I only aspire to be half as inventive as you.

Sing: Sing every day and for every reason because music provides the words when there are none.  You taught me to love music in every sense of the word.  You gave me my voice and are with me every time I sing.

Love: Let the walls down and love.  Love with reckless abandon.

So you see, life has definitely changed, but not the important things.

The ten year mark doesn’t make it any less painful without you.  Luckily I have

mom, Zach, and now Ryan when I just need to cry or laugh about a certain memory.  I love and miss you.

Always your little girl,

K

Lately, I have made several observations about the lack of manners in society today.  Now I had high expectations from a strict father who had strong Midwest values and norms to which we had to conform.  But it seems like people of varying ages have simply lost their ability to be respectful.

Two weeks ago I attended a David Gray concert with my friend Michelle Baldwin at the beautiful historic Orpheum theater in downtown Omaha.  While I understand it was a concert, it was still at a nice venue.  This tour was a much more quaint set with rugs on the stage and lamps to create a more intimate setting.  David Gray is quite the storyteller in his music and in between songs.  About three songs into his set, members of the audience began to yell things out in between his songs, such as song requests, the occasional “I love you”, and random comments.  At first, I didn’t think much of it because Gray had actually crowdsourced the set list if you went on his website.  However, when it continued throughout the entire show, I quickly became irritated, annoyed, and then just embarrassed that people were behaving like this.  If you know Michelle at all, she is a music teacher with many performances under her belt, she was just as irritated.  We sat there in awe at the lack of decorum that adults had at the concert.

Today I went to the 10:45 service at church with my husband.  Once again, I was appalled at the lack of manners.  It’s church.  Not a coffee shop.  Not a local hangout.  Not a daycare.  One mother in front of us noticed her toddler started to make noises, so she quickly left the sanctuary to tend to her.  Unfortunately, another couple in the second row had a toddler that started making noises as well.  Except, they didn’t do anything.  She stood on the pew for the last half of the sermon, through communion, and the closing songs screaming, babbling, and the like.  She was shushed a handful of times, but nothing else.  Across the sanctuary, I noticed four teenagers arrived 15 minutes into the service to sit in the balcony.  In the duration of the service, they got up, weaved through the pews to the stairs while talking, four separate times.  Meanwhile, a gentleman in the fourth row right in front of the stage got up to refill his coffee in the middle of the sermon.  Really?  All of this in church?

I have certainly had my moments growing up, but I like to think that I have enough respect to have manners in any of these venues.  Or if I didn’t when I was younger, I was certainly dragged into the nearest restroom to be told how I would behave by a stern father.  This just doesn’t seem to be happening today.

I understand the difference in kids today.  I’ve heard how they learn differently.  I’ve read studies that show kids communicate differently.  But does this have to mean an end to manners?  Quite simply, no.

It is our role as ADULTS (I hesitate to say just parents or teachers because the duty is not only on us) to model and teach respect.  It is something that is learned and yes, CAN BE TAUGHT.

If we teach character education and say school mottos about being respectful, responsible, and safe citizens, then the expectation needs to be there.  So, where are your manners?

photo via kthread's Flickr stream

As a music lover, there was nothing greater than rushing out to buy a new release on Tuesday morning, peeling the shrinkwrap off, tearing the blasted seals back (in pieces of course), popping the cd out of the jewel case, and putting it in the player to listen to for the first time.  I would spend the time perusing the jacket to read lyrics, marvel at cover art and photos inside, and take in the wonderful sensation of new music.  This has obviously changed with digitization of music.  Instead, I pre-order my albums from various sites, hoping that a cd jacket is included so I can still waste copious amounts of time learning the words that are put to the newest arrangements of sweet notes.

As an educator, there is nothing better than mapping out how your classroom will look and feel for the new school year, moving furniture around to try it this way and that, putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls to create a new mood, organizing materials for the year in a new manner, and dreaming of how this year will be different.  My first year of teaching certainly looks different than this year.  As it should.  This change comes from my own learning, and not just because I’ve seen how I can or can’t handle little ones based on classroom design.  Instead, my awareness has made me see that the notion of “school” that I know and that I even followed in my first few years of teaching is nothing to be replicated any longer.  I’ve heard amazing speakers tell me how today’s students learn differently, I’ve learned the importance of relationships with students, I’ve made mistakes in front of students, I’ve challenged students to be global citizens, I’ve outlined my mission, and I’m more aware.

You see, the beginning of a new school year is much like that fated new release Tuesday in many ways.  I anxiously await its arrival – usually so much that I never sleep the night before it begins.  I consume it in its entirety – you know it’s bad when you stay later than the custodians, new ideas wake you from a dead sleep, or multiple evenings are spent planning and that doesn’t bother you.  I hold it precious – because new is new, whether it’s a cd or a school year.  I spend a lot of time with it – it never leaves my thoughts, ideas, or dreams.  Lastly, I share it – because what good is it, if you don’t tell others?