Amazing People Don’t Just Happen

Here’s your assignment should you choose to accept it…create a professional profile on a giant sticky piece of chart paper that answers the following questions:

Who are you?
What do you believe?
What do you do?
What guides you?
What motivates you?
Where does learning fit?

My first thought was of course…we’re in our first day of classes and we all need to do the obligatory introductions so we know who we’ll be working with (and possibly barely scraping by with) for the next year of this intense program.  I even had my visual come to me within seconds of being introduced to the project.  I quickly retrieved my supplies and headed off into a more secluded area to create.

While I consider myself an artist, I prefer acrylics, paper, matte medium, paintbrushes, and the ability to layer things.  Markers and a big piece of chart paper are not my kind of creating.  Nevertheless, I worked with text.  I’m drawn to text often lately as I pin, repin, and search for striking design online.  So text made sense for me today.

I started with my @ as my focal point because it is through my digital profile of Mrskmpeters that I am connected and have found much of my identity throughout the past couple of years.  Then my name and Mrskmpeters of course.  From there, I just wrote stream of consciousness…the words educator, student, learner, and leader in the @ symbol…#geek, #edutribe, connected, social, blogger, and Twitter to show part of who I am…passionate, creative, right-brained, big idea, out of the box, visual learner, motivator, and squiggle…writer, singer, actor, crafter, artist, dreamer, music lover…a belief in God, learning NEVER ends, ALL kids can learn…I give my students a VOICE…there’s ALWAYS a better YOU to be MADE…

It was nothing fancy.  It was the best way to express who I am today, right now.  Some of these words have been part of my story for many years and some I’m developing, honing, and becoming on a daily basis.  The MALT program for me is my chance to apply my passion in all these areas and continue my journey of learning.

My new Cadre mate Heidi Bird (kindred spirit I’ve discovered already) wrote on her piece “Amazing people don’t just happen”.  This is the single most amazing sentence of today and will now be my mantra because really…amazing people don’t just happen!

NETA’s 25th, My 2nd

This past Thursday and Friday, I had the pleasure of attending my second Nebraska Educational Technology Association (NETA) Conference, which also happened to be the 25th anniversary.  Dedicated and passionate educators from all over the state of Nebraska, as well as surrounding states, all gathered to learn how to better their craft.

Here are some of my takeaways from the conference:

- Kevin Honeycutt is an amazing speaker and had everyone in the audience, overflow room included, hooked.  Know why?  Because he is an incredible storyteller.  Kevin openly shared his own experiences growing up and how educators in his life helped shape the man he became.  He challenged us to love kids, no matter what.  While this certainly isn’t life-changing, it IS.  Too often, we get caught up by the labels that kids bring with them – ELL, below-grade level, Sped, HAL, Free/Reduced Lunch – and we simply forget to LOVE them.  We can make the biggest difference in the lives of our students if we just LOVE them.

- The Conversation Strand in the menu of session offerings is by far my favorite.  While this is only the second year of the conversations, it is the most like an EdCamp session, which is so dynamic because there is no set agenda.  There is certainly a topic that is addressed, but who knows where the conversation will lead.  What better way to present, than to facilitate an honest dialogue and not just learn from the presenters, but everyone that’s present?

- The title “Rocks or Sucks…Your Call” is scary to some, but appealing to others.  For those that dared to see what this was all about, we had a great discussion on hot topics in education, including no zero grading policy, year-round school, BYOD, and the flipped classroom.  I’m thankful to those that participated in this conversation and weren’t afraid to vocalize their opinions.

- Travis Allen, founder of iSchool Initiative, is a smart young man with a bright future.  I appreciated that he did not have a formal presentation on “Going Paperless”, but rather had ideas that would lead to a discussion.  He started the discussion by showing his idea sketch, which highlighted the various areas that going paperless would affect.  As a visual learner, this was fabulous!

- School districts like Lincoln Public and Bellevue Public are doing some great things in regards to training their own staff on how to integrate technology and empower teachers with the skills necessary to teach students 21st Century skills.  We are just starting down this road in my district and are open to ideas and models to see what works best with our staff.  I look forward to helping us get there.

- I love getting to interact with my PLN face-to-face!  So many of my interactions are through Twitter and Facebook, that I often forget how great it is to just hang out with people who share the same passions.  Over the past year or so, I’ve learned that there are some incredible local educators that are becoming more active online and I’m so glad they’re making their voices heard.  It’s people like this that are continuing to move education in the right direction.

- Some may have questioned why I, as an ELL teacher, would be attending an educational tech conference.  To them I say, how could I NOT go?  My students are different only because of the languages that they natively speak.  To be honest, I don’t see how the two could be separated or compartmentalized, as if they have nothing to do with one another.  All students deserve to learn with real-world tools that they will see and utilize in their future.  What better way to prepare them for their future, than to have all teachers that are involved in their learning know best practices to engage them and help them along the way?

Overall, it was a great conference with new tools, apps, and ideas to take back.  Can’t wait for NETA 2013!

Ser valiente

What more can I say about EdCampOmaha that hasn’t already been said?  There were over 100 educators from nearby and across the country who came to take part in this event.  Not only were they ready to learn, they were ready to propose a session topic and lead a conversation with others.  It took passion, a desire to improve the learning of our students, and courage.

Passion is a huge factor in the individuals who participated in EdCampOmaha, but more than anything, I see courage.  Registering and actually attending an EdCamp requires one to step out of their comfort zone, particularly if they have grown accustomed to school district PD, because it is not your average conference.  Joining conversations demands that one express their opinions, beliefs, or experiences with a wide audience because talking drives action.  Leading a session indicates the desire to start a discussion about a given topic to reflect upon personal experiences and compel others to share their expertise, opinions, or questions.  Creating and utilizing a Twitter account during a conference such as EdCamp takes risk to slowly begin to understand the comprehensive nature of a Personal Learning Network.  The realization that it takes an incredible amount of humility to understand that failure in front of peers and students (yes, students!) is powerful and shows our own humanness.

We are all passionate and devoted educators, but we are also courageous.  Try something new.  Sign up for an EdCamp near you.  Share what you do with others.  Show fellow teachers what your students can do.    

Be courageous.  Ser valiente.

A Message

What do you stand for or against?  What would you promote if given the chance?

Our art teacher shared this piece with me today done by one of my 6th grade ELL students.  The project was designed so students could learn about screenprinting as an art form, which often crosses into mainstream society and becomes its own outcry regarding a serious issue.  Students were encouraged to find an issue that meant something to them and convey their feelings with words and images.

This is her message.

ELL students are often overlooked because they are different – whether it’s amongst their own peers, their own teachers, or the education system as a whole.  Their experiences, memories, and difficulties in life often trump what is even imaginable.  Giving these students a voice is empowering.

What have you done lately to make sure that your students share their message?

 

A Valentine

What do you get when you have a square pretzel, a Hershey’s hug, and a Valentine peanut M & M?  An ELL Valentine to share!

Students had the chance to make this simple treat with me for Valentine’s Day.  I stuck with verbal directions and modeling for this project because it was so easy.  So kids got to practice sequencing, follow directions, discuss why we celebrate the holiday, and indulge in these bite-sized treats.

How did you celebrate the day of love with your students?

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A Tribute

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

How to Frost a Cookie

A simple thing, right?  To many it may seem.  The majority of my ELLs have never frosted cookies.

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?

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Photo Booth Fun

Apparently I like to do things last minute these days (or all the time if you ask my husband).  As the school days dwindle before Winter Break begins, I wondered if I should have my students make gifts for their parents.  Remember, this is my first year out of the classroom, so I still like to do “normal” classroom activities from time to time.  However, I had to come up with something that my 1st -6th graders could do and it be ok across the board.  The 60+ students on my roster also created a challenge for me in regards to what I envisioned because of the cost involved.  So what started as a simple tweet to crowdsource ideas yesterday morning turned into my parent present – photo booth photos.

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??

New Year=New Project

The Ralston Schools Foundation has created a Scholars Program for staff members to explore and utilize the P21 Framework.  Much like Tony Wagner did in his book The Global Achievement Gap, program members will meet with community businesses to discuss what qualities and skills are necessary as an employee in the 21st Century.  The P21 Framework and the skills discussed will then be taken back to the classroom and discussed with students.  Lessons will be created to incorporate the skills and provide students with the opportunity to Name It, Claim It, Sustain It as Angela Maiers would say.  iPads will be used as the primary technology component in the project, but also as documentation for the project itself.

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**

Please Write on Your Table

I recently read a blog post that involved letting students write around the room, literally.  The teacher created numerous opportunities for students to write on various surfaces with dry-erase markers – laminate floors in the classroom, kidney tables, student desks, mini whiteboards attached to the wall, etc.  This idea intrigued me as I teach ELL students who are very hesitant to write and get their thoughts down on paper.  What better way to see if it encourages writing than to actually try it…We did just that, the very next day.

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