"Trash or Treasure"...Those are three words I end many days with in my classroom. It signifies a time of reflection...When we share the times of the good and the bad in our day and what will make tomorrow better.
Most days I want them walking out the door focusing on our "treasures." These are the moments in our day they enjoyed, found academic success, or were positive interactions with our classmates and friends. These are comments in which I hope they remember when someone asks "How was school today?" or "Did you learn anything?"
I am sometimes amazed at what they find as "treasured." It may not be the fun game in math. Or the interactive lesson I was hoping to wow them with. Sometimes it is found in the minutes I twirled the rope on the playground at recess or giggles from a silly story I told in Social Studies or just sitting next to me in lunch.
The "trash" sharing gets interesting. We had to lay ground rules at the beginning of the year.
1)We can't say other student names.
2)We have to focus on us.
3)OR We can share about Mrs. Price.
That last one is tough, but I like it. It is like having a teacher evaluation every day. They are so honest. I've learned a lot from my students. I've learned things like fairness and consistency are equivalent and they'd prefer more consequences as long as it is fair. I've learned that they pick up on tension, tiredness, and lack of preparation. They also don't appreciate boring lessons. They would rather do more if they can learn more. They even pick up a tone in my voice that expresses my attitude.
I always end our Trash or Treasure Time with, "But what should we do with our trash?"
They respond, "Throw it away or recycle it into something useful!"
Yep, even after 20 years of teaching, I have lessons to learn...lessons that 8 year olds can teach me.
And luckily, many of the moments they consider "trash" can be recycled and created into something much better tomorrow.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Leading In A Blizzard
I've been an Iditarod fan for years. I have shared my love of the race with my classes each year. People that know me personally think it is strange. I detest cold weather and I really don't like dogs. Yet each year I pick mushers and sled dog teams for my class to follow, get to know, and cheer on as they race 1,000 miles across the Alaskan wilderness.
There are so many stories to share with them. New stories emerge daily. Stories from years ago in which I know the happy endings are my favorites to share with young students, though. We have been able to find the 7 Habits of Leaders in the tales of team training, treatment of the dogs, volunteer preparation, village hospitality, and the many heroic moments on the trail.
One of my favorites I like to share is about Martin Buser. He is a four time Iditarod champion and has completed 29 of the races. In 1991, Martin had left the White Mountain check point, when he got caught in an awful blizzard. White Mountain, a small village located on the Bering Sea, is one of the last check points before reaching the Nome, the finish line. Many mushers that had left White Mountain turned around and went back to wait out the blizzard.
The winds were fierce. Martin said that visibility was only the length of the dog team. The only trail markers he could see from his sled, were the ones that were next to the team. The team was wanting to go with the direction of the wind instead of stay on the trail. It became apparent that instead of following in his sled, Martin was going to need to take the lead.
Martin went to the front of the team, left only one lead dog on the line, and took the tug line himself and began to pull, constantly making sure they stayed on the trail. Slowly they made their way to the next village check point, which is ironically called Safety. :)
I love that story.
At this point in my life, I am not "leading the pack." I am part of the team. But this story encourages me. It reminds me that when you have those moments in which the leaders you are counting on seem to be losing sight of the trail, wanting to go in the direction of the wind, you just have to hop down and head to the front for a bit...take up the extra tug line...keep your eye on the trail set before you... and help lead them to Safety.
There are so many stories to share with them. New stories emerge daily. Stories from years ago in which I know the happy endings are my favorites to share with young students, though. We have been able to find the 7 Habits of Leaders in the tales of team training, treatment of the dogs, volunteer preparation, village hospitality, and the many heroic moments on the trail.
One of my favorites I like to share is about Martin Buser. He is a four time Iditarod champion and has completed 29 of the races. In 1991, Martin had left the White Mountain check point, when he got caught in an awful blizzard. White Mountain, a small village located on the Bering Sea, is one of the last check points before reaching the Nome, the finish line. Many mushers that had left White Mountain turned around and went back to wait out the blizzard.
The winds were fierce. Martin said that visibility was only the length of the dog team. The only trail markers he could see from his sled, were the ones that were next to the team. The team was wanting to go with the direction of the wind instead of stay on the trail. It became apparent that instead of following in his sled, Martin was going to need to take the lead.
Martin went to the front of the team, left only one lead dog on the line, and took the tug line himself and began to pull, constantly making sure they stayed on the trail. Slowly they made their way to the next village check point, which is ironically called Safety. :)
I love that story.
At this point in my life, I am not "leading the pack." I am part of the team. But this story encourages me. It reminds me that when you have those moments in which the leaders you are counting on seem to be losing sight of the trail, wanting to go in the direction of the wind, you just have to hop down and head to the front for a bit...take up the extra tug line...keep your eye on the trail set before you... and help lead them to Safety.
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