Mrs. O'Loughlin is a surprisologist!!

We are Surprisologists!

(This is probably a topic better suited for the beginning of the year, but at least I can be thinking about it over the summer months.)

 I recently read an article about a woman who makes a living by surprising people. She calls herself a “Surprisologist.” As I read on, I realized that we teachers are, in fact, surprisologists.

How do you know if you’re a surprisologist?

             

I think that probably describes all of us here at Watkins.

The part that strikes me the most about this article is this:

                 

See that part that states that not enough stimulation is correlated with poor academic performance and burnout at work? Hmm, I think I know exactly what the author is describing. I am imagining my students right now with their folders up, tests on their desks, pencils in hand … a necessary - and terribly boring – evil, for both students and teacher.

Anyway, she goes on to explain that her job is about building relationships. To surprise someone, you have to pay attention to details. It matters to you what makes them happy and what little kinds of things bring them joy. That other person (or in our case, those students) will recognize that you have noticed him/her and that you listen and care. The human brain craves novelty, “which is necessary for life, love, and learning.” Surprises provide that novelty.

Surprises can come in many forms: sticky notes, stickers, a little rub of smelly chapstick on the back of a hand, treats, etc. Even my own reactions and facial expressions can be a surprise to students and engage them. Novelties can be big or small, and they can be arranged for an individual, small group, or whole group. If my students are going to have to sit still and take test after test throughout the year, then I had better fill a good part of those days with novelty. This summer, I’m going to try to discover different ways I can incorporate surprises in to my lessons.

I think of the “Engage” part of a lesson as the perfect place for a surprise, before the “Frame the Lesson”.  Pinterest and Google are over-flowing with ideas on how to engage, and I’ve noticed that sometimes kids get super excited over little things that we see every day. I also know that if it’s not simple, I’m not going to do it. Here are a few simple ideas for activities that also support the use of relevant vocabulary and purposeful talk.

  

Puzzles – print color images that might be connected to with your lesson, laminate, cut into puzzle pieces. Give a different picture to each group to work on and discuss. (Funny, incredible, thought-provoking pictures really get them talking.)

Coloring Page – print a coloring, hidden picture, or mystery number page that goes with your lesson, just let them color and talk for 5 - 10 minutes or so.

Power Point – make a simple PP with images of funny, incredible, thought-provoking pictures, let them soak it in and wonder, discuss. (My students have loved looking at an animal camouflage PP)

Maps/Brochures – pass out maps that might be related to a lesson, let students discuss and wonder. (Go to DiscoveryMaps.com, email and tell them you are a teacher, they will send you beautiful maps for FREE!)

Realia (“Real Stuff”) – bring real objects for them to touch and smell and discuss. You can find all sorts of little things at the dollar store, like dinosaurs, cars, army men, etc. Pass out collections like shells, rocks, leaves, little tree branches, etc.

Invitations – invitation to a lesson (or even to take a test!) inside an envelope on each desk. I did this with Fairy Tales – left a scroll on each desk that invited them to < evaluate the blah blah blah, insert TEK > at Cinderella’s Castle. The invite can come from you, a “scientist”, maybe an author you are studying, etc.

Clues/Riddles/Jokes – leave simple clues, riddles, or jokes on the desk to solve a quick TEK-related mystery.

Shoebox or bag – type up your TEKS and put them in a bag or shoebox with other little objects or pictures that will go with the lesson and let them discover what it will be.

And the list could go on and on…

I have realized that I have become a sort of robot-teacher, stuck in routine, the same “Did you really just ask me that?”  look on my face every day. While structure is essential in a classroom, my daily “to-do’s” have become too predictable. I know I need to spice things up in order to build anticipation and suspense, pique curiosity, and trigger wonderment and questioning. This is my goal for next year: to sharpen my skills as a “Surprisologist.”

Drevitch, Gary. (2015, April) She Imagines Your Surprise. Psychology Today. 26 - 27. 

Katie Mason: end of year blog!

As the end of the school year wraps up, many of us notice it isn’t so hard to get out of bed now knowing we only have a week or so left and others are busily packing boxes and cleaning up their rooms to be the first ones checked out from admin on June 5^th (you are lying to yourself if one of these is not youJ).  A lot of times we forget to reflect on the year and the 9 months we spent with this group of kids.  We tend to forget where it all started and the butterflies we had at the beginning.  Our focus is often lost in the shuffle of summer excitement and vacations that we are anxiously awaiting.  I read a quote from Nick Saban recently,

“When you invest your time, you make a goal and a decision of something that you want to accomplish. Whether it's make good grades in school, be a good athlete, be a good person, go down and do some community service and help somebody who's in need, whatever it is you choose to do, you're investing your time in that.”

This really made me start thinking about this year and what I had invested my time in.  I have invested my time in these kids more than they will ever know.  As educators, we set goals for ourselves and students and invest time to reach these goals, but do we ever really take the time to reflect on what differences we have made?  We invest time in breaking down data and how to reach every kid, but what if our time and energy was invested in something more than data can show?  As I reflect on this year, several students made progress on paper and grew leaps and bounds, but I celebrate the students I have built amazing relationships with (yes, most of them are the same and I don’t think that is just a coincidence).  Wally Watkins may not have the highest test scores in the district or the state, but we have a school full of over 600 kids who look forward to being here every day with all of you.  We invest in each of them individually and I think that is something we all need to celebrate.  It is easy to forget these successes and I think Ferris Bueller put it best, “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  So, before you get lost in the hustle and bustle of the end of the year procedures, I encourage each of you to take time to personally reflect on at least one student you have made a difference with this year off of paper, someone you know that you invested time in. I can almost guarantee, you can’t pick just one.  This is one of the many reasons these kids love coming to Watkins and teachers love teaching here.  I want to thank all of you for investing in Watkins and have a great summer!!!

Dual Language Marriage

I'm a happily married gal. I've been married to my husband for almost 8 years and have found that marriage takes a ton of work and that we truly parent our children together. He helps with all household chores, takes care of Benjamin's school work, and jumps in to rescue me when I make terrible decisions in my life (which is more often than I would like to admit). He has tons of knowledge about all things in life and is a pretty decent person to be around. Now that I have put out all the things I appreciate about my husband, let me tell you that things are not always pleasant. He gets on my nerves at times, won't stop talking when I need a moment to think, and I really miss him (and his help) when he travels out of town.

In August, I got married again. To my DL partner, Ana Maria! We didn't even meet before, it was just an arranged marriage. We both met, we got to know each other, and we have overcome some obstacles. Together we are responsible for 30+ children, taking care of school work, and rescuing each other when we don't always know exactly what is going on. We both were new to the school and it has been such a learning experience. Ana Maria and I have also dealt with the frustration and aggravation of working with each other in such a close setting. We have become awesome at co-teaching together and we are each able to express creativity in our favorite subject areas. When she was gone after her accident, I really felt like I do when my husband travels out of town. It was so hard to take care of all our students, maintain lesson plans, deal with day-to-day life, and not have her support and guidance like I am accustomed to. I'm glad Ana Maria is back to help share in the celebrations and joys of being with our precious kids. Similar to my marriage with my husband, my marriage to Ana Maria takes a ton of work, patience, and understanding. I appreciate her!

Team Work Makes the Team Work!!

As I reflect on my first year at Watkins, I have so much to be thankful for!  It has been an incredible year and I am truly blessed to be here!  At the top of the list of blessings is the privilege I have had this year to be part of THE MOST AWESOME KINDERGARTEN TEAM EVER!!

Last summer, when I came for my interview with Mrs. Speicher, I met Brenda, one of the Kindergarten teachers, and she said something that caught my attention: "We have a great Kindergarten team - we all work to our strengths."

As this year has progressed, I have seen the truth of her statement play out over and over again. This team is made up of 7 individuals with very different personalities, ages, levels of experience, teaching styles, opinions, ideas, abilities, and strengths.  The one characteristic everyone has in common, however, is the desire to be a team player and to work together, each one doing her part to make a contribution for the good of the team.  I'm amazed at the lack of competition, "score keeping" and negativity.  Much to the contrary, each person on the team is giving, caring, hard working, positive, and willingly shares what she has to offer for the good of the whole team. It is a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of!

Thank you Candice, Dyann, Mirna, Amy, Debra and Brenda for being such an exemplary team, and for the way you have each welcomed and made me feel "at home"! Working with each of you this year has been a GREAT JOY!

Success

One of my favorite quotes comes from Walt Disney. He said, “One of our greatest natural resources is the mind of a child.” As I sit and reflect on this year, I think about each kid that has walked into my classroom whether they were a student of mine or not. I think of the environment they are coming into. I think about whether they feel welcomed or if they feel like they can voice their thoughts and opinions without it being second guessed. I think about their little minds and ALL of the concepts that have been taught to them not just this year, but in years past.

I have been challenged this year. I was here for four and a half weeks before I went on maternity leave for 13 weeks. I thought I knew my kids…I was wrong. When I came back from maternity leave, I had to adjust to being a new working mommy and re-introduce myself, study their data from the assessments they took while I was gone, and in that I had to get to know them all over again and had to push them and challenge them harder and more than they were used to. I have had to change and adjust instruction and groups more than I have ever had to do before. I had to re-structure my stations half way through the school year, doing them a way I have never done before. I had to give up some control (VERY hard for me to do) and let these “natural resources” take over. After a while, I began to see GROWTH and SUCCESS. I had students who hadn't passed a single assessment all year, passing assessment after assessment and thus, their confidence and belief in themselves has grown. That in itself is such a satisfying and proud feeling. No matter what these STAAR scores show, I have seen not just academic growth, but the students growing in their confidence and abilities and that is what truly matters.  

This year has been quite a transition for me from big to little people world. One of the hardest things for me to get used to was the dress code. I was used to seeing students in uniform however in elementary students have some style to say the least. By seeing the students express themselves through their hair, clothing, and accessory choices it has helped me to understand them better. That probably is not a big deal to everyone else, but at first it was to me.  This makes me think of a quote:

            "The little things make the biggest impact! Do more little things!"

What little things are you doing for your family and students to make a positive impact?  Keep in mind what it means to do little things: extra brain break, take shoes off, or opportunity to excel at something they are good at. Remember not to forget to take care of yourself. In order for everything to work you need to at your best and sometimes that means saying no. I know for me I want to do everything for everyone and saying no is very hard, but when too much is taken on nothing gets done the best it can.

             Just Keep Swimming!!

As the year winds down so does our patience. Think back to the beginning of the year when you thought your children couldn’t do anything. Regardless of where your students started each of them have made progress in their own way. Embrace each student for who they are and think about the impact you have made on them. 

J Leverington 

Poetry Shmoetry!

Poetry Shmoetry!

 The suns out, the weather is beautiful, and everyone wants to be outside!  The kids (and teachers) are ready for summer, but we still have 7 weeks of school to go.  Their active bodies and short attention spans need more meaningful lessons than ever, so I've got to keep them engaged and focused!  For the past two weeks my students spent lots of time writing different types of poetry... they loved getting to be little poets every single day, and I loved reading their individual poetry!

Selfie Poems-  The students wrote poems about their accomplishments in 2nd grade. 

The Best Part of Me-  The students wrote freestyle poems about their favorite body part.

Haiku Poems-  The students wrote Haiku poems about spring flowers.

Found Poems-  The students created poems out of words or phrases they found in magazines and newspapers.

 If you get a chance, join us for our Poetry Cafe on April 30^th.  J