Ask & You Shall Receive (on Self-Reflection)

Once of the best parts of my PLN on twitter is the opportunity it gives me to virtually collaborate with, and be inspired by, other really smart teachers. Last week it was this post from Pernille Ripp, which also inspired this post from Katherine Sokolowski...both of which inspired me and what I had my students do in class today.

As a teacher, one of the things I do most often is reflect on my practice and determine what went well, what didn't, what could be changed, what my students need, how I acted/reacted, and how to make things better for the next time. Being a reflective practitioner is essential to continuing to improve myself as an educator and to be the best teacher I can be for my students. And if self-reflection is such an important skill for adults in the workplace, it's a skill I should be helping to develop in my students as well. I loved the idea of a monthly self-reflection for students to complete as a wrap-up to the previous month, and a fresh start to the new month. I saw it as a way of not only reflecting, but also celebrating the accomplishments and setting goals for achievement in the month ahead. I took some ideas from Pernille's reflection sheet, and added in a few ideas inspired by things Katherine mentioned in her post, and before school started this morning, I crafted a Monthly Reflection Sheet for my students to use for self-reflection.

I included a line for students to share how many books were read in the previous month and which was their favorite, a line for how many they'd like to read in the next month, along with a few other things. But the most important one, and the one that was my reason for really wanting to do this, was this one:

I gained insight into my students today...in a way I didn't expect and in a way that will be valuable to not only my teaching them, but also in cultivating relationships with them. Some comments made me smile, some made me laugh, some made me groan, some made me tear up, some made me cheer, some forced me to look a little more carefully at myself and how I've been approaching certain things this year...and really, isn't that what this was all about? Self-reflection not only for my students, but for myself as well. The more feedback I can get from my students, the better I can make my teaching, and sometimes it takes seeing it written down to really help me process it and figure out how to make things better. I look forward to continuing to use this self-reflection each month as we move through the school year as I know it's going to help me make things better and help my students reflect on themselves as well.

On a sidenote: So many students mentioned, in one part or another of their self-reflections, that they wished I would give more reading time in class. On the one hand, I love that so many are excited about reading and want more time to do it (and make no mistake, they already get quite a bit of class time to read!), but on the other hand, it worries me that they say that as it's also a way to avoid writing. A thought I will be continuing to reflect upon...

Being Encouraging

I'm sitting here staring at a blank screen trying to figure out what to write and getting stuck because I'm not sure what to write, and all I can think about is that my students must feel the same way sometimes as they're sitting in class having to start writing.  Today alone, I heard several times, "I don't know what to write." No matter how much modeling, instructing, and scaffolding I do, sometimes there will be kids who are still just stuck (like I am right now).

But then something encouraging happened in my classroom today. As I walked around and checked in with students on their first drafts, many of them commented that what they had wasn't good. Even as I reminded them that our first drafts don't have to be great because we get to revise them to make them better, they didn't seem convinced. That was the discouraging part. But then I had some conversations. I made sure those short conversations were focused on encouraging the student that his/her ideas were a good starting point to revise into even better or that the ideas they had were already good. And I saw faces change; I saw attitudes become more positive; I saw students more willing to work; I witnessed students being more confident in their own writing. All from just a few encouraging words.

And, gee, isn't it the same for me? A little encouragement goes a long way. Something to remember...especially when it comes to something as personal as one's own writing. I'm going to convince my inner critic to be more encouraging, I'm going remember to focus on keeping my talk about students' writing encouraging, and I'm going to look for those encouraging reminders for myself.

Making Something Out of Nothing

I'm skipping writing a blog post tonight. For numerous reasons: I'm exhausted, there are some things going on I can't talk about, I'm feeling a bit negative/worried tonight and don't want to put that out there, but first and foremost...I'm just not feeling it. I have a few ideas swirling in my head, but I can't quite get a solid grasp on any of them enough to make it into a whole post. (by the by, that's such a frustrating feeling) However, after yesterday's reflection on routines, I am forcing myself to type something...in essence, to make something out of nothing. Why? Because if I at least type something I'm keeping that routine...even if I don't really have anything to really say.

So, I'll leave you with this final thought that brought joy to my day: 

THE REAL BOY by Anne Ursu released today. It's a book I loved and I hope you will too. 

Thinking About Routines

I feel guilty.
I didn't write a post on this blog last Thursday.
I had gotten myself into a writing habit up until then.
I wrote a blog post every weekday when I got home from work.
I broke that pattern/streak/habit/routine on Thursday for good reasons.
I couldn't stop thinking about not having written a post.
I felt weird that I didn't sit down and write.
I never found the time.
I felt guilty.

I worked late and, when I got home, had to prepare for a weekend getaway to experience this:

I had a wonderful, much-needed, enjoyable weekend away.

But I still felt guilty. For not writing.

And here's the thing...I haven't been able to figure out if I should or shouldn't feel guilty about it. I haven't been able to figure out if I ruined my momentum by skipping that day. I haven't figured out if this is a necessary thing, or a detrimental thing. But I do know that even though I didn't write that day, I kept thinking about topics I could write about. Thoughts are percolating in my mind. That's a good thing.

But what I really came to realize is that routines are important. Even those days I didn't want to write, I did it. And it helped me see myself as a writer. It helped me feel what my students go through when they come to class and have to sit down and write. It kept my momentum going. So I'm pondering writing routines in the classroom...because if just a short time helped me get the ball rolling, it might help my students, too.

But I'm going to stop feeling guilty. And I'm going to make sure my students have time to write. And I'm going to make sure I try my best to stick to a writing routine, but if life gets in the way, that's ok. It happens. It's important. It gives me things to write about.

What is "real" Reading?

In helping my students think about increasing their reading stamina now that they're in middle school, I often look for ways to make it clear what reading behavior looks like in the classroom. I want to help them avoid the "fake" reading that often happens before they're fully into their books and to understand that I do realize it happens, but give them ways to try to become more focused so that they aren't distracting others and are able to make use of their reading time in class. I came across some anchor charts on Pinterest showing Real Reading vs. Fake Reading. I liked the idea of the chart delineating what each looks like, but as I started to make my chart I realized that I really disliked the idea of there being such a thing as "real" reading.

Something about that terminology just didn't sit well with me. I want my students to be motivated to read the books they choose based on their interest, and what I really want to see when I look around the room during reading time is a roomful of engaged students. Ones who are engaged in their books, instead of distracted by or distracting others around them. So as I compiled my list for the anchor chart to present to my students, I made a slight adjustment to the idea I saw. I talked with my students about Engaged Reading vs. Distracted Reading.

I introduced the chart saying that the distracted behaviors are ones I've seen in observations the first few weeks, but that they're also things I've occasionally done myself if a book isn't jiving with me or something major happens that distracts me that I can't stop thinking about. By acknowledging that it happens to all of us, and is something that even I (a "real" reader in their eyes) struggle with at times, I think it helps them be less worried about admitting they do it, too. They don't have to worry that if they sometimes do these things, they can't be "real" readers. But by presenting the engaged behaviors, it also gives them something tangible to try to do to move from distracted to engaged reading behaviors.

And whether engaged or distracted at a given moment, all of my students are real readers.