This past weekend many of you likely celebrated St. Nick.  An interesting side note, this tradition is much more popular in the Midwest than other parts of the country, likely due to the local/historical connections with European countries like Germany, Poland, and The Netherlands.  Anyway, St. Nick has always been the big kickoff to the Christmas season for my family.  Another tradition that has developed in my family is watching The Santa Clause, which gets my vote for best Christmas movie!  This weekend, as my wife and I watched Bernard and Charlie try to convince Tim Allen that he actually IS Santa, I began thinking about the power of believing.

For those of you who haven’t seen this movie in a while (I don’t even want to think about the possibility that someone hasn’t seen it at all!) I’ll refresh you quickly.  Tim Allen’s character doesn’t believe in Santa, and then he becomes Santa.  He struggles with the new reality he is facing but eventually embraces it (I don’t think that’s a spoiler!)  Some of the other characters have a hard time believing in Santa as well but, by the end, those who are able to truly believe are rewarded for their belief.  So where am I going with this?

As educators we work very hard, investing a lot of time, energy, and emotion into our students.  However, on occasion, we lose faith and stop believing that a particular student CAN be successful.  We lower our expectations, we stop investing emotionally, or we work to “get them through”.  This doesn’t happen a lot, but it happens.  We don’t do it intentionally, but we do it.  If we’re being honest, it’s natural.  With all that is demanded of us as educators, we do the best we can to meet the needs of all of our students but sometimes we subconsciously lose that faith.

What happens, however, when we don’t lose that faith and we continue to truly believe in those students who would likely slip through the cracks?  That’s when the miracles happen.  It may take a long time, it may never happen, but when it happens it changes lives.  It changes students’ lives, it changes teachers’ lives.  When I got into education it was because I wanted to be a coach and thought it was a natural connection.  I stayed in education, however, because of these students…the ones who needed someone to believe in them!  These are the students I’m still in touch with today, they’re the ones who message me when exciting things happen in their life, and they’re the ones who give me the faith that ALL students can be successful.  

I’ve gotten to know this staff and community over the last 4+ months and I’d be shocked if there were any kids being left to slip through the cracks.  The hard work and support of our students has been next level this school year.  Thank you for believing, truly believing, in all of our students, always.  The joy for learning that I’ve seen as I visit classes, the smiles each morning, and the tireless effort from each and every one of you this year helps strengthen my faith in education.  Our students are lucky to have such amazing teachers working to ensure their success!!!  

Make these last couple weeks before break the best weeks of the year so far!!  It’s been a crazy journey this year but we’re here, staring down the winter break…it’s the time of the year for believing 🙂

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!  If you’re anything like us, as soon as the leftovers were put in the fridge the winter decorations started coming out.  With little else to do we felt extra motivated to put the tree together (yup, it’s fake…so much easier!), hang ornaments, and get everything ready for the Christmas season.  Once the dust settled it was time to start looking at wish lists to get ready for all the after-Thanksgiving sales!

Everyone has their own flavor to their wish lists, I always find it fun looking at what people are asking for each year.  My nephews sent their wish lists…lots of video-games and sports gear (not a shocker!)  Our nieces also had some predictable items (accessories for their dolls, etc.) but you could also see that my sister-in-law had some influence with the presence of STEM related toys and activities.  Then it came time to make my wish list, and I’m just sooo boring compared to them!

My list has a few things I “need” or would end up buying for myself anyway (a pair of shoes, a scarf to replace the one I lost, etc) and then it has books…lots of books.  If you’re anything like me, and you’d be interested in finding some good “Edu-books” to add to your wish lists, then I’ve got a few recommendations for you (Note: I’m linking to Amazon to help you find them but I am, in no way, getting any compensation for doing so!!):

1. Mindset by Carol Dweck:  This book was written in 2007.  While not technically an “edu-book”, if you haven’t read it, I think it is a must read for anyone…educator or not.  It’s a quick read and well worth your time.
2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover:  This one came out more recently and was very popular when it did.  There’s a reason…this memoir is mind-blowing at times and elicits a lot of emotions throughout.  As an educator, it’s amazing to think about her story from a perspective of “traditional education”.
3. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You:  A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram Kendi:  This young-adult version of Stamped from the Beginning is a shorter and slightly less dense version of the original.  Despite that, this book is very powerful and will challenge you to think differently about racism, antiracism, and your role in both (personally and professionally).  In my opinion, this is a must read!  If you’d like to borrow the original version I have it in my office and would happily loan it to you.  
4. Teach Like a PIRATE: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess:  This is a great book for any teacher to read.  Another quick read with loads of practical strategies and tools to get you thinking outside the box.
5. The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity by George Couros:  George is an outstanding educator from Canada who is a leader in innovative education.  The best part is that most of his ideas aren’t so far outside the box as to be unimaginable.  This is another quick read with loads of great ideas!
6. Upstream:  The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath:  Heath is an outstanding author.  He and his brother have co-authored a number of great books like Made to Stick and Switch.  In this book, Dan goes it alone and hits a homerun.  More thinking outside the box in this book.  In actuality, this book helps you start looking at everything in life a little bit differently…and it’s another quick read but not necessarily an edu-book.

My wish list for this year isn’t complete yet…if you’ve got some books that you’d recommend to me (edu-books or otherwise!) I’d love to hear about them!!  Thanks for sharing 🙂

I know this might sound crazy but 2020 is always going to hold a special place in my heart.  Obviously, Amy and I will be forever fond of 2020 because of Clayton’s arrival. Beyond that, however, this year will always be special to be because it’s the year I was fortunate enough to join the Gifford community!  

This week I wanted to take a minute or two to stop and say “thank you!!”  As we go into a much deserved five-day weekend to reflect and give thanks, I started a little early 🙂  

So, “thank you” to each and every one of you.  This school year has, obviously, been terribly challenging and trying for each of us.  While at the same time, beyond school, we’re facing what is likely (hopefully) the craziest time of our generation(s).  Yet, despite all of that, you’ve shown over and over again that as people and as professionals you are an amazing community of educators!  

My “thank you” is personal but it is also on behalf of those who can’t, won’t, don’t know how, or are just too busy and tired to say it to you themselves.  “Thank you” from your students, who are able to continue learning from their own homes as this pandemic rages, thanks to your efforts and energy!  “Thank you” from the parents of those students, all of them (yes, all of them), who whether they’ll say it or not appreciate all that you do to help their students continue learning.  “Thank you” from your colleagues who benefit from your ideas, knowledge, teamwork, and communication each and every day.  Finally, “thank you” from me both as the Principal at Gifford but also as a new father, you’ve all been helpful, supportive, and kind as I’ve learned and grown in both of my new roles this year!  Thank you, thank you, thank you…you’re all amazing and continue to impress on a daily basis!

Someday I’ll be looking back at 2020, I can see myself telling Clayton about the wild year that he was born into this world.  I’ll smile as I think about the Gifford community and how it opened its arms and embraced me while wearing a mask and staying six feet away!  I’ll tell him how, despite all of the safety restrictions, I felt that embrace and valued the caring and kindness shown to me each day.  I’ll tell him how people gave me feedback to help me grow as a leader, how people offered words of encouragement and support, and how people asked about him, his mother, and me to make sure we were doing alright.

I imagine that conversation will end with watery eyes as I think back to all of the people who helped make 2020 such a special year for me and my family.  You, the Gifford community, are at the top of that list…thank you so much for everything you’ve done, both professionally and personally, for me so far this year!!!  

To you and your families: From me and my family, your students and their families, and all of those in the future who will be impacted by the effort you’ve given this school year…Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

As we continue to search for ways to engage our students online, I remain on the lookout for strategies to share.  On Friday, as I popped-in to celebrate Crazy Hair Day with one of our second grade classes I came across another awesome idea!  As I was leaving, Melissa asked her class to sign “thank you” to me.  What a brilliant tool for communicating and engaging our students…American Sign Language (ASL).

In talking with Melissa I learned that she teaches her class the alphabet, words, and phrases in ASL every school year but this year it has come in even more handy that usual!  We’ve all struggled with muting and unmuting, microphones working and not working, and struggling to engage kids in general.  Since leaving Melissa’s class I’ve been thinking alot about the power of ASL in both the remote and in-person setting, there are so many ways that you can use this tool in both settings that it’s almost silly not to try it out!!  

I went poking around for some more resources about using ASL remotely and it just so happens that one of my go-to resources had an article that was written a while back.  The author of this piece points out that most teachers are using nonverbal communication already, so why not use something that could be transferable and can help build understanding of how other people learn and communicate?  In addition, things like improved focus, increased webcam usage, and even a small opportunity to use the Total Physical Response of learning, are also indicated as benefits of implementing the use of ASL in your classroom (whether remote or in-person).

While investigating I learned a bit more about sign language too.  It was introduced most prominently in France around 1755.  I found this particularly interesting because Louis Braille also invented his system for reading and writing in France.  There could be some really rich conversations with students around sign language that could help build empathy while further engaging them in ASL.  Here is one resource that offers more reasons to teach/learn ASL while providing more resources for doing so.  This is an interesting piece that includes some history of sign language, it could be good for some of our more advanced readers or as a conversation starter with younger students.  Finally, do you know the origin of the huddle in football?  I bet you can get close to guessing if you’re paying attention 🙂

A huge shout out to Melissa for her willingness to share her name/ideas and let me publicly recognize the awesome ideas coming out of her classroom!!  Do you have ways that you’ve employed to better engage your students remotely?  Please share, I’d love to highlight and share as many good ideas as possible!!!  (Note:  If you’re not comfortable with me sharing your name, I can write this anonymously too!!!) 

We’ve all been searching for more ways to engage our learners in this remote environment.  Many (probably all) of us have used a scavenger hunt or two (or 10) already as an SEL or culture building tool.  Therefore I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you think this has become a boring strategy and is unlikely to engage your students.  However, I’d like to encourage you to take this a step further than just going and finding fun/random items, although there’s still room for that!  John Spencer (who is a wealth of knowledge) has some great ideas as to how to employ scavenger hunts to engage your learners.  I’d like to add a few things while expanding on a few of his ideas.  (I’d recommend reading his piece before looking at my thoughts below.)

1. Timing is everything:  Mix scavenger hunts into the middle of class, perhaps in between a mini-lesson and work time, to get kids moving and the blood flowing again.
2. Real world connections:  Use scavenger hunts to show your students how the day’s lesson ties into the real world.  Are you doing a lesson on measurement?  They can find multiple tools for measuring or food items with different measurements.  Are you doing a book club with a small group?  Have the students find three items that would be in the main characters’ backpack and have them explain why they chose one of those items.  Never has it been easier to help students see how their personal context connects to the potentially abstract lessons they’re learning in school than now!  (If you want to help them make deeper connections, use the asynchronous version talked about by John.)
3. Speaking of Asynchronous:  Have students add photos of their items to a Google Doc/Slide/Form etc. before class begins.  They can add a short caption or paragraph explaining why they chose this item.
4. Conversation starter:  Do you have students who don’t seem to participate as much as you’d like?  Try an asynchronous scavenger hunt.  Ask a specific student (privately) to plan on sharing their item and talking a bit about it.  Meet with them beforehand to let them practice and gain confidence, then support them with the knowledge they share during practice (should they need it) while “live”.  Building confidence with those learners who are reluctant to share is key, once they see they can do it they’re much more likely to try again!
5. On the fly:  Don’t be afraid to use a scavenger hunt as a quick brain break.  Give kids three minutes to find something, anything, in their house.  Their favorite article of clothing, a favorite snack, something from a different room/floor, anything!  
6. Flip the script:  Let the students send you on a scavenger hunt in your classroom/house.  As an incentive let them send you off to find something!!

This idea is something you can deploy right away and something you could use frequently.  While it may only seem like it’s helping temporarily, this may help to engage students and get cameras turned on (especially in the older grades.)  A well-timed scavenger hunt may help keep kids engaged throughout class, even with their cameras turned off (they can also be a good check-in for you to see who’s still engaged!) 

I’d love to hear how this goes or if you’re already using scavenger hunts academically.  Please share if you’ve got more strategies or ideas!!

Philosophically I believe in student-led conferences as the best means of celebrating at the end of certain marking periods. Students developing portfolios, learning to communicate their growth and areas for continued focus, and taking ownership of their learning are all very valuable experiences in education. However, at present we’re faced with Parent-Teacher Conferences happening over the course of the next couple days and I’ve been thinking about some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years when it comes to PTCs.  All of the items below are things that I did, mistakes that I made, and the way I would handle those situations differently today.  Hopefully this is just a friendly reminder for all of you and my mistakes are things you’ve learned to avoid over the years as well.  I’ve grown and changed a lot as an educator, here are five of the ways I’ve changed when it comes to parent conversations:

1. Who Should Be Proud?:  It feels good when someone is proud of you, right?  I used to tell my students all the time, “I’m proud of you!”  I hoped it made them feel good, it probably did.  When it came to conference time I would say to parents, “You should be proud of your student!”  However, over the years I’ve learned to reframe this conversation with both students and parents.  My new way conveys the same message but the implications are tremendously different.  I now tell students, “You should be proud of yourself for…” and I say to parents “Your student should be proud of themselves for…”  The message is still received, you’re recognizing the student’s efforts and achievements.  However, it’s important that students learn to be proud of themselves and not rely on others for validation.  They should learn to know when they’ve been successful and receive that intrinsic reward!  Try it out, “You should be proud of yourself for…”
2. “Surprise!”:  Most people don’t like surprises.  Parents at conferences hate surprises.  When I first started teaching I didn’t have the courage to contact parents when their student wasn’t being successful in class.  The first time they found out was when we met at conferences, that didn’t go well!  I learned very early on that I needed to be in touch with parents as soon as possible, especially if their student was struggling in any way.  “No surprises” has been a motto for me ever since!
3. Where’s the Evidence?:  When I first started meeting with parents I would tell them everything I was thinking about their student but when they asked me how I’d come to these conclusions I couldn’t show them anything.  I, of course, believed that I knew what I was talking about and that my assessments of their students were correct.  However, my data was arbitrary.  Number grades that penalized for late homework, zeros for projects not turned in, extra credit for helping me clean the room after school, my “assessments of their learning” weren’t that at all.  No rubrics, no standards with multiple assessments, nothing.  I learned that I needed to be able to, not only for the parents but for myself, show actual evidence of learning.  I stopped penalizing for late work, I didn’t allow students to earn a zero (they had to do the work or they received an “NG/No Grade” for the grading period), and extra credit was removed from my vocabulary.  Students had clear expectations, knew how they’d be assessed, received clear feedback, were given multiple attempts to demonstrate their learning (retakes!), and were always held accountable.  I never lacked for evidence again and never needed it either, no one ever asked because it was always there from the start!
4. Growth Mindset:  You’ve all heard of Carol Dweck’s theory about “fixed” vs “growth” mindsets.  This isn’t that.  I used to sit down with parents and tell them about their student’s scores.  Why they received an 87% instead of a 90% or whatever.  Over time I learned that achievement was a lot less important than growth.  As I learned to use evidence (see above), I was able to clearly show growth from the beginning to whichever time period we were talking about.  This was very important because so many of my learners were at different places in their education.  So, whether they were two grade levels behind or two grade levels ahead, we were always able to have a conversation about their growth throughout the course of the year.  This probably carried more weight with the high-achieving students’ parents than anyone, they valued seeing growth and also the plan for continued growth!
5. The Rose Ceremony:  When I first started meeting with parents I would just spew whatever I thought out onto the table and hoped they would leave without questioning me too much, I needed a better plan!  You’ve likely heard of things like “Two glows and a grow” or “Two stars and a wish”; the idea of celebrating some positives and then presenting an area of growth is nothing new.  Over the years I’ve developed an organization to parent conversations that I call “The Rose Ceremony”.  I start with the “stem”, the constant that is holding up the flower.  This is typically something about the students work ethic, curiosity, or prior knowledge.  It is the thing that is demonstrated very regularly and really drives their learning (or lack of it in some cases…but no surprises!).  Then we talk about the “buds” and/or “flowers”, these are the areas where we’ve seen growth and the student is “blossoming” or we’re on the verge of a breakthrough in the case of a “bud”.  Lastly, there’s always a “thorn” or two to be discussed; these are the “grows” or “wishes”, the areas of focus moving forward as we continue to grow.  I use the analogy of “The Rose” for myself, it’s not something that I share with parents but it’s how I visualize the pieces of the conversation that are the most important to me.  

You guys are all awesome teachers and your students/parents should all be very thankful for your efforts to make this first quarter so successful for them!!!  Thank you!

I wanted to take this chance to step back and celebrate the amazing start to the year that we’ve had so far.  We’re five weeks into something that no one would’ve ever imagined at this time last year and, despite all of the challenges, you’re making learning possible for all of our students on a daily basis!  

Every day has been inspirational as I’ve had the opportunity to watch, listen, and work alongside one of the most dedicated buildings full of teachers I’ve ever seen!!  The passion, energy, and dedication you’ve brought to the challenge before you has been out of this world.  You’ve taken a square peg and you’ve fit it into a round hole, over and over again.  Our students couldn’t be luckier than to have such amazing teachers as yourselves!!

As we continue along this journey, I am confident that our students will continue to benefit from all of your dedication and passion.  The Remote World may not be an optimal learning environment but when I visit rooms (virtual or in-person) and see whole classes engaged in conversations and excited to learn, it shows how impactful all you’ve done really has been!  Thank you for everything you do to make learning as exciting and engaging has possible during this crazy time!!!