"I Love that Teacher!" #flipblogs

My Algebra 1 kids got back a test this week. It was a deep test, what I like to call a "thinker test." It was very accessible but also required kids to dig a little deeper. I really liked the test.

But many kids did not do as well as they would have liked. There was some minor panic amongst students (I always tell kids that I will tell them when it's time to panic!). I posted grades at 10 PM one night and had a student in my classroom at 7 AM the next morning to discuss her test.

I've been a big believer for several years in giving kids the opportunity to learn or relearn material they have struggled with. To improve their understanding and - in doing so - improve their score. As I blogged about here, I am a big believer in hope.

I have had an extensive retake and redo policy for a few years. But right now that particular policy is not a good fit for me.

I decided to try test corrections again. There are many test correction procedures throughout the interwebs, but I decided to go with Math Giraffe's policy.

(I must note that I still think grading corrections will take longer than grading new tests, but I think the other parts of the retest procedure were more difficult than the corrections procedure...maybe that's another post.)

Anyways...yesterday I returned the test and explained the test corrections procedure. The looks of shock and fear slowly calmed as students realized they might not be grounded for the rest of the grading period.

Today students came in proudly declaring, "I'm ready to turn in my corrections!" (They're not due for a week.) A few came this morning to ask questions about their test.

One student said, "I told my mom about the corrections and she said, 'I love that teacher!'"

It is not my goal to be liked by every student and parent. It hurts my heart a little bit, but I know there are those out there who don't particularly care for me. And that's OK (or, at least, I try to convince myself it is).

But it IS my goal for every student and parent to know I care about student learning. That I believe in hope. That I will do what I can reasonably do to ensure students experience success. That I have my students' backs.

It all goes back to that relationship thing. Relationships with my students are important; relationships with my students' parents are important. The stronger both of those foundations are, the more positive - and successful - experience a student will have in my class.

Is it Bad that Some Groups Seem a Little "Easier"? #flipblogs

Post 4 out of 20 (I've made it 1/5 of the way!)

I love all my students. I really do.

But some groups are more challenging than others.

One year I had a class that was "too cool for school." They looked down on fellow students; they looked down on me.

One year I had a class that was out for blood. They circled like sharks, waiting for any sign of weakness so they could attack. They really seemed to want us to be enemies.

I work hard with challenging groups. I weaken their defenses by working on those relationships and finding what matters to them and what makes them tick. I adjust my approach until I find their sweet spot. And most of the time we end up in a positive place.

The work must continue all year, though, and challenging groups can be mentally and physically tiring.

This year's group - as a whole - seems to be a bit easier. They're nice to each other. They're respectful and pleasant to me. They're fun to be around. I am spending less time on classroom management and am able to devote more energy to the teaching and learning process.

I'll take any group you give me. Give me time, give me ideas, give me patience, and we'll be just fine. I'll love them just like any other group and give them the best me I can give.

But I've noticed myself being grateful for an "easy" group.

Is that a bad thing?

Every Day Matters

It's Friday after school...I'm exhausted...blogging has been waaaay in the back of my mind.

But I was sitting here thinking about a couple of experiences of this (oh-so-long, trying) week, and a blog post was born.

I work hard on student relationships. I don't always get it right. Some days I really blow it. But, overall, I am proud of the rapport I have with kids. I have found that if they know I am on their side and have their backs, they will pretty much walk through walls for me. I can usually crack even my toughest cases. I have had a couple of students for whom it took most of the year, but eventually, I feel I become allies with all my students.

Yesterday was a tough day. Teacher-Monster was just below the surface and attempting to make a full-fledged appearance. I think I might start calling her Teacher-Hulk. My patience was thin, and kids seemed to be doing everything they could to break it. On purpose. :)

One such kid is one of my students, and we have been working on a positive relationship all year. He hasn't been a particularly tough case, but he occasionally surprises me with brief defiance or saying things without first running them through a filter. We've had many good discussions about what kind of responses - to a teacher, in particular - are appropriate.  He's come a long way.

But there's been this one issue that he keeps pushing. And pushing. And pushing. I've talked to him. Other teachers have talked to him. Administration has talked to him.

And yesterday, I'd had enough. The issue surfaced between classes in the hall, and I called him out. I told him to come with me to the office. He begged me the entire way to not do it. It was not pretty.

After it was over, I worried I had destroyed what we had worked on all year. I worried what today would be like when I saw him again.

Between classes this morning I was standing in the hall looking nowhere in particular. I was in my own little world, and I heard, "Hey, Mrs. Gibbs." It was him as he was walking by me. I called him to me.

"Are we ok?"

"Yeah, we're ok."

"I'm sorry I went off on you. You know I love you. I just want what's best for you."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Gibbs."

When he came to class a little later, everything was good. Yesterday was forgiven. Today was a new day.

Every act of every day that builds a positive relationship with students matters. And the foundation that is built every day can help withstand the rough days.

Fresh starts matter. New beginnings matter. Forgiveness matters.

Relationships matter.

#flipclass Flash Blog: An Essential Aspect of my Flipped Classroom

It's a #flipclass Flash Blog!!!

Wow; this is hard! Just one?

So much is essential to my flipped classroom.

But I think everything goes back to relationships.

It was one of the first things I remember reading about flipped classrooms. You have more time to get to know your students better.

And it's true.

I know where they're weak. Where they're strong. I know things that are going on at home and outside the classroom. I know when they need to be pushed and when they need more time. I know when school is overwhelming them.

And students know me better, too. They know I care. They know I have their backs.

As my flipped classroom has evolved - and it is changing more than I every thought possible - the relationships I build with my students are the cornerstone of everything I do in my classroom.

Knowing my students better is the catalyst for many of the ways my flipped classroom has evolved.

I'm playing around with some self-pacing (blog post to come) because I know my students better.

I am able to provide more choice in my classroom because I know my students better.

My students collaborate more than ever before because I know them better.

I used to plow blindly through curriculum without enough regard to who "got it" and who didn't.

My flipped classroom has allowed me to know my students in such a way that I can no longer NOT make adjustments when necessary.

Coming Out of the Funk While on a Slippery Slope

It was a better week.

At first, I wasn't sure it was going to be. After last week's "brain dump," Monday was once again rough. I thought, "There are going to have to be more 'brain dumps.'"

But things began to turn around on Tuesday. In my morning devotional I was given some scriptures to hold on to when the going is tough. I was encouraged as I went to school, and then I had a full day of training and planning with the math department. It was a great day. We talked, we learned. I was able to "get out of my head." I was able to map out the rest of the semester and see that my pacing is on the right track. I decided to silence a (virtual) voice that was pulling me down.

I approached Wednesday with some trepidation, wondering if Tuesday's good feelings would come crashing down. But they didn't. It was a good day.

Then Thursday was good. And Friday, too.

Maybe the fog is lifting. I will ride the wave as long as it lasts and (try to) remember what I've learned when things become difficult again (because they will).

So...I promised a blog about the fun things happening in the classroom. Today I will make good on that promise.

I've mentioned changing my pacing for both my preps this year. I found a pacing guide that was posted on our state department of education website. For both Algebra 1 and 8th grade Pre-Algebra, the year started with functions and moved into linear functions. Both classes have been working with slope this week (hence the bad reference in the title of this blog post).

I started both classes with "Slope Dude." Students groan and critique the short, not-too-fancy video, but they quote it over and over when working with slope. I win. :)

Pre-Algebra then focused on finding slope from a graph. After two days in class and then (attempting to) apply that knowledge to show that it doesn't matter which two points you choose to find slope from a graph, the other Pre-Algebra teacher and I were not convinced the students had it. So after our PD day, we spent one more day on it, using this color-by-number activity that the students were really excited about (sometimes it doesn't take much). I got to watch my students work, and by the end of that activity I felt more comfortable with my students' grasp of finding slope from a graph.

They then moved to finding slope from a table and slope between two points. My students this year are struggling with integers, so we pulled out a number line for this. I also stole Rockstar Math Teacher's Mini-Table. Oh, my goodness! They got it! They were good at it! They felt good about it!

I wish I had taken a closer picture of the mini-tables; check out Rockstar Math Teacher's blog!

We finished the week with some mixed practice. I was encouraged by the learning my students were demonstrating. I used task cards from this set (we haven't done slope from an equation, yet; that's coming up). Students were given a sheet of paper with coordinate planes, tables, and mini-tables to use to show their work (I threatened them if they wrote on my pretty, laminated task cards!). Some students would graph information in tables. One student didn't recall how to find slope on a graph, and he began using the mini-tables. While part of the reason for these actions was incomplete directions from me, I was so thrilled to see them making connections between tables and graphs and choosing the strategy they liked best. I heard several declarations of, "This is easy!" and "I like tables best" and "I like the graphs best."

You should have seen this girl showing her partner the difference between 2 points on the number line; it was exciting to watch!

Monday they begin to apply slope to average rate of change, and I look forward to their understanding deepening.

Algebra 1 has gone faster and deeper with slope. I told them up front they were benefitting from what I learned from last year's worst video. After watching "Slope Dude" and identifying the types of slope, they watched a video about slope from a graph and table. Their class practice was some of the task cards mentioned earlier. They learned the slope formula in a video. In class they chose between some activities in this bundle. I am noticing some struggle with integers in this group, too, but with some one-on-one instruction and help from peers, they're coming along nicely.

Working with the slope formula

They looked at average rate of change from graphs and situations at the end of the week, and they seem to be comfortable with it. We talked a lot this week about precision in answers and how to write "pretty" sentences.

Analyzing graphs and justifying answers

Eighth graders are also looking at slope, rate of change, and distance-time graphs in science right now. AND their history teacher discussed slope and the building of the pyramids. There is some major cross-curricular teaching going on! And hopefully some connections being made and some confirmation that what is being learned in one particular classroom is useful in other classrooms.

I feel good about this past week. I feel like all my classes and students made progress. I feel huge gains were made this week in the area that I believe affects learning more than anything else - relationships. Building relationships is why I do a lot of what I do in the classroom, and part of my frustration the last few weeks was not seeing what I experienced last year. This week some of it clicked.

I ended the week confident everything's gonna be OK.

I'll just need reminding of that the next time I feel otherwise.

#flipclass Flash Blog: Connecting with Parents

Connecting with parents is much different in my "2nd career" as a teacher than it was when I first started teaching. I began my teaching career in 1993 at the high school level before the age of email. I taught at the high school for six years and could probably count the number of parent conferences I had during that time on one hand.

I came back to teaching in 2004, this time at the middle school level. I was floored at the level of parent contact. Not only was email now an option, I was in LOTS of parent conferences!

I think it is important to keep parents informed.

I send all of the basic information home at the beginning of the year and share a few more details at Open House.

This year I am using Remind to send weekly texts with upcoming plans attached and other reminder texts as needed.

Parents have access to their student's online gradebook. I try to keep grades updated weekly (every 2 weeks at the most) so there are no surprises.

I try to answer emails quickly. Parents always seem very grateful for how soon I respond to them.

If there is something I think needs to be addressed regarding a student, I will email the parent or call. I am not a fan of the phone and prefer email, but I will do whatever is most likely to get me in touch with a parent.

If a parent requests more frequent communication, I try to meet that parent's (and, subsequently, student's) needs.

As far as my flipped classroom, I share it with the parents who come to Open House (admittedly, not many). After that initial introduction, I think my students do all the sharing. I am just beginning my 2nd flipped year, but I have received ZERO negative feedback from parents. At the end of last year I sent emails and asked for parents' thoughts regarding the flipped lessons. Every parent who responded had something positive to say, and several gave me some good perspectives on the process I had not thought about.

As a teacher, our dealing with parents is very similar to that with our students. The relationship is all-important. If a positive relationship built on respect is established, things go much more smoothly. If parents know I am on their side and have their child's back, we can accomplish a lot together.

The Most Tiring, Most Rewarding Year of my Career

Whew...I made it!

No...WE made it! I've been rereading blog posts from the beginning of the school year (I'm SO glad I made the decision to blog my journey), and this was definitely a trip I took WITH my students.

We began the year a little excited, a little nervous, a little uncertain.

We end the year satisfied, glad we took the journey, knowing it was the right thing to do.

And tired. While some would say I just forget or block it out, I don't remember ending a school year so tired. I began the process of flipping my Algebra 1 classes before the end of June last year and have worked on it since then with relatively little off time.

But it's been so worth it. Yes, I would do it again.

The benefits?

I think I've discussed most of the benefits in posts throughout the year. But they're worth summarizing again. :)

•  Time. A detailed blog post is here, but the flipped classroom has been the best use of my and my students' time.
•  Classroom management. SO much easier when I'm not the "sage on the stage." I've said several times this year that if I had a traditional classroom, my 7th period class and I would not have liked each other very much.
•  Priming the pump. I love students coming to class truly ready to learn. They know what the day is about and are able to get down to business in a short amount of time.
•  The location of the struggle. Students and their parents appreciate that the "hard stuff" is done in class. Students love that I am available for questions when they need me the most.
•  Manageable homework load. 'Nuff said.
•  Deeper learning with (what felt to students like) less effort.
•  Student responsibility. Students learned how to be in control of their own learning.
• Mathematical discourse. Lots and lots of mathematical discourse. Music to my ears.
•  Fun class time. Well..."almost bearable," "halfway fun," and "not so bad" in the words of students as written in my yearbook. I'll take it.
•  Relationships. I've always prided myself in my relationships with my students. But this year was different. As everything I read last summer predicted, being able to spend so much more one-on-one time with my students allowed me to know and understand them even better. I said it many times, but I had a much better feel for the mathematical pulse of my students and how to help them. On the flip side (no pun intended originally), my students understood better than ever that I'm on their side and have their backs.

A Year's Collection of Flipped Lesson Videos

Where do I go from here? What do I change next year?

•  Some videos will need to be revised; a few need a complete overhaul.
•  A written summary of each video by students. It's something I wanted to do since early on in the process but never kicked off.
•  Continue to work on timing of class activities. I don't worry too much about the days where there's not enough time to finish what I have planned (although unfinished activities bother me a little), but the days where the planned activities didn't take as long as I thought they would and more meaningful learning could have taken place need to be improved.
•  Continue to find meaningful activities. This was harder during the "tough" times the year - close to Christmas, as the school year came to an end - and I depended on worksheets (self-checking) too much. Many of the activities I did with my Algebra 1 kids this year were new to me, as I'd never had time to do anything like them before. Since I built my repertoire this year, I'll have time next year to better develop the units that were left wanting.
•  Implement flipped lessons for my Pre-Algebra classes. They are different kids with different motivations and a flipped classroom will look a bit different for them. But I believe it can be done successfully. Yes, that will mean more time and more video-making next year, but a teacher's gotta do what a teacher's gotta do.

I also look forward to continuing to share the flipped classroom with fellow teachers. I've participated in an EdCamp, and I led a short PD session for my colleagues. This summer I'm leading a session at the North Alabama Technology Conference. A few teachers in my system have told me they're interested in flipping their own classrooms and have asked questions about how to make it work for them. I've offered to help in any way I can.

I honestly don't remember what triggered the decision last June to "go for it" and begin the process of flipping my classroom. Thomas Jefferson said, "With great risk comes great reward." For whatever reason, I decided to take a risk, I brought my students and their parents along with me, and I feel we were all greatly rewarded.

I can't wait until next year!

What Do I Love the Most About Teaching?

Welcome to Day 4 of TeachThought's Reflective Teacher 30-Day Blog Challenge!

What do I love the most about teaching?  It might be cheating, but I decided on two things I love most.

One is building relationships.  While it is not my job - or my desire - to be my students' "friend" or "buddy," I want to build a solid, trusting relationship with my students.  I want them to know I am on their side, and I have their back.  I want them to know I care about them as individuals with unique interests, strengths, and personalities.

There is possibly no better motivator for a student - especially for one who finds intrinsic motivation hard to find - than a positive relationship with at least one adult at school.

Another part of teaching I love the most are the "A-Ha!" moments.  I love seeing the light bulb come on in a student's head.  That moment of understanding, of breakthrough, of "getting it" is incredibly rewarding to me.  I love when students realize they CAN understand and be successful with math.  I love seeing their confidence grow.  As I begin to focus more on developing a growth mindset in my students, I hope to experience more "A-Ha!" moments with them.

There are lots of things I love about teaching.  But if I can build rapport and solid relationships with my students and see them experience success and confidence in math, I will be a happy teacher.