Day 23: The Age of the Sensory Break

    Greetings my loyal followers. For today's blog, I wanted to briefly mention another aspect of teaching that seems to come up frequently in staff meetings and during professional development days but seems to be missing from your college curriculum. I am of course talking about how to deal with living in the age of the sensory break. 

    Today's students live in the in a fast passed world that never seems to sleep and because of that, they are less inclined to sit in a seat for long periods of time even when fully engaged and invested in the topic at hand. Even during clubs and activities, things students are passionate about, they need to get up and move every twenty minutes or so. These breaks allow students to decompress and reset before getting back to whatever activity or lesson is in front of them. 

    While these sensory breaks pose a problem for the future workforce, they seem to be almost mandatory for keeping a healthy and functioning classroom. So current and future teachers, its time we break out our yoga pants and start stretching because teaching just got a whole lot more active. I don't know about you, but I rather lose five or ten minutes having the class get up and move than complete a whole lesson where only one or two kids were focused enough to follow along. 

Day 22: Star Wars Pajamas

      A few weeks ago I posted a video called To This Day by Shane  Koyczan, that discussed some of the major themes of bullying and the effect it can have on young kids throughout adulthood. I have used this video several times to discuss the ramifications of bullying and have found that it tends to leave my students speechless for several minutes afterward. Today I wanted to share another one of Shane Koyczan's speeches known as The Crickets Have Arthritis. I do not want to get into to much detail, because nothing I could possibly type would give it justice or even come close to the thoughts and feelings it produces. 

     Just remember five days from now your life will be the same and the little things that seem like mountains before you are actually just bumps in the road. We are too quick to complain about our lives and see only the things we do not have and do not appreciate the beauty that comes with simply pulling feathers out of pillows or appreciate the weird girl in our family until its too late. 

Day 21: Not Just For Babies

    When you think back to when you were a kid what memories come to mind. Do you think about freshly baked cookies cooling in the kitchen, family gatherings around a fire or waking up early on Christmas morning to glistening freshly wrapped presents?
    For some of us, these childhood memories are punctuated with stories. Think about it... mom or dad would sit at the end of the bed, reach over to a collection of books we were too young or in some cases too lazy to read ourselves and transport us into a different world of polished and beautifully illustrated characters. For a moment we were flying beside Peter Pan or Falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland and at that moment we were truly happy.
    Below I have included a few of my must-haves for both young readers and for those young at heart to include among their collections. In today's society, it is too easy to let our children fade into technology. Never stop making connections and share with them the beauty and wonder of a  goodnight story.

      "This story of only 338 words focuses on a young boy named Max who, after dressing in his wolf costume, wreaks such havoc through his household that he is sent to bed without his supper. Max's bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle environment, and he winds up sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as the "Wild Things." After successfully intimidating the creatures, Max is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a playful romp with his subjects. However, he starts to feel lonely and decides to return home, to the Wild Things' dismay. Upon returning to his bedroom, Max discovers a hot supper waiting for him."

    "A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical trip to the North Pole . . .

Through dark forests, over tall mountains, and across a desert of ice, the Polar Express makes its way to the city atop the world, where the boy will make his Christmas wish."

     "In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room—to the picture of the three little bears sitting on chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one—the little bunny says goodnight."

     "The book follows the lives of a female apple tree and a boy, who develop a relationship with one another. The tree is very "giving" and the boy evolves into a "taking" teenager, man, then elderly man. Despite the fact that the boy ages in the story, the tree addresses the boy as "Boy" his entire life."

     "Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to their peculiar bird habits. Two pages of notes at the end of the story provide factual information about bats."

Day 21: Too Darn Cold

     As we move closer to the darker time of year we begin to slowly fall into a pit of depression. The little things that usually wouldn't get under our skin, start to have an effect and students quickly begin to realize that toes are meant on one side of the line and a withering stare awaits anyone that disobeys that law. The one thing I have noticed that always lifts the human spirit is of course food. So for today's blog, I want each of you out there to share a recipe. A recipe that no matter what is going on in your life pulls you out of that funk. Whether that be homemade cookies or a holiday spiced drink, share the holiday cheer. Better yet why not start a teacher cookbook at your school and have everyone join in the fun. Remember hanger is a real thing and you can prevent a needless detention or walk to the office simply by having a hearty bowl of chili with your friends.

   For my own contribution, I offer up my homemade Chicken and Herb Soup. Bon Apatite.

Chicken and Herb Soup

1. 1-2 chicken breasts cut into slices
2. Half an onion 
3. Twenty baby carrots cut in half 
4. Olive oil
5. Spring mix or herb mix salad (remove cilantro) 
6. Three medium potatoes 
7. Two 32 ounce cartons of chicken stock 
8. Garlic (minced or whole)
9. 1 box of noodles (I like to use penne)
10. Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to taste  

Optional: 

1. One to two stalks of celery 
2. A can of tomatoes 

Directions: 

1. Slice chicken breasts into evenly sliced strips and combine with salt, pepper and olive oil. 
2. Place chicken and seasonings into a pot on medium heat.
3. While your chicken is cooking cut your carrots, potatoes, and onions - stirring the chicken every few minutes till its cooked all the way through. 
4. Place your vegetables, chosen salad mix, and red pepper flakes into the pot with garlic (to taste)
1. Here is where you can add any optional ingredients that you like.
5. Combine ingredients by gently folding them together. 
6. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. 
7. Bring down the heat and let the soup sit until all the vegetables are soft - poke with a fork to test.
8. Either add the noodles directly to the soup and let them cook naturally or make the noodles separately and leave out with a little olive oil to be added later (this way the noodles do not become soggy. 

Chicken and Herb Soup by Sean Winstead 

Day 20: Rambling about Reading

    So today I wanted to begin by discussing what World-renowned author and teacher Kelly Gallagher has referred to as readicide. Mr.Ghallagher’s 150-page book and years of research proves that our young people are simply not reading and that while poverty, English as a second language and electronic entertainment have played a role in this decline, it can also be tracked down to how schools are disregarding the pleasure of reading for the almighty test.

   As a newly appointed special education English teacher, I look around my classroom at the peeling book shelves, filled with the oddest assortment of books imaginable and can’t help but notice that not a single one of my students even glances their way. And I have to ask myself why that is?

   So the shelves are filled with books two and five of a series or yes we have four copies of animal farm and maybe that one book covered in dust is stuck shut with bubble gum, but they are still worth reading right?

   The sad fact is reading is hard and students are looking for something to capture their attention and hold it without all that messy work, similarly to how video games and television shows sooth the mind after a long day at the office. They want something authentic and real to them and simply have not been taught or have had the opportunities to truly engage in reading. And who can blame them, when administration and parents are pressuring schools to prepare their children for placement tests such as SATS, NWEAS and other standardized tests that tell very little about a student’s knowledge or skills. Reading just isn’t a priority.

   For those few teachers that are able to squeeze a book into their daily agendas – they are forced to have students annotate with sticky notes, doodles highlights and a host of other markings as evidence that their students are not wasting their time by sitting and reading. And while this activates are beneficial to devilling deeper into a text for the struggling reader it creates a more unappealing and daunting task.

     So what do we do?

     We as teachers do what we always do and we adjust. Make reading a priority in your classroom. Create blogs and other assignments that engage young readers with things they love, bring back SSR and free choice reading and most importantly teach students about the world around them. Bring in newspapers and magazines, teach them to be critical and knowledgeable members of society and do not accept that there is no budget for high interest’s books for your classroom. Talk to the principal, superintendent school board and community and find ways to get books in your students’ hands and do not for a second think there is less value in books like harry potter or Michael Vey.

Let’s do our best as educators and readers to help our students find a joy in reading. 

Day 19: Holo-What?

    A holocaust can be defined as either the, "destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war," or the "Jewish sacrificial offering that is burned completely on an altar," but more importantly refers to one of the darker times of human history. From around 1931 - 1945, thousands of individuals fought and died for Adolf Hitler's vision of a perfect world. Hitler's crusade was for a world free from, "gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, blacks, the physically and mentally disabled, political opponents of the Nazis, including Communists and Social Democrats, dissenting clergy, resistance fighters, prisoners of war, Slavic peoples, and many individuals from the artistic communities whose opinions and works Hitler condemned," and most importantly Jews, who he blamed for the loss of the first World War. 

   While this time period led to the deaths of millions of individuals ( 6-million Jews and roughly 5-million non-jews), today's youth only have a cursory knowledge of this time period, if any at all and until recently I in many ways was the same. Below you will find a list of books that tell the story of the Holocaust that are must-reads for both adults and reluctant readers. Included here is also a link to the National Holocaust Museum's website, where you can find additional information, lesson plans/activities and other helpful resources.  Remember history is studied so it doesn't repeat. While it may feel like this period of time is better left forgotten, ignorance is not the key to a better future. 

      "She was a young German Jew. He was an ardent member of the Hitler Youth. This is the story of their pareallel journey through World War II. Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. But their lives took radically different courses: Helen's to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth."

      "The Burden of Hitler's Legacy is Alfons Heck's incredible story of serving the Nazi regime, and the bitter disillusionment he suffered as the Germany he loved was battered into oblivion. Only in the waning days of World War II, did he begin to learn of the terror and cruelty that would come to characterize the Nazi reign. And only after years of soul-searching would he begin to accept the role that he had played. This complelling story complements and expands on Heck's autobiography, A Child of Hitler, in which he describes his childhood and life as a member and high-ranking leder of the Hitler Youth. The final chapters of the book introduce us to Heck's relationship with Helen Waterford, author of Commitment to the Dead and a survivor of the Aushwitz death camp. These two met in 1980 and formed a truly unique partnership. Heck and Waterford gave presentations side-by-side to audiences at more than 300 colleges and universities. The final chapter repeats many of the questions audiences would ask and Heck's answers. His openness provides much insight into the how's and why's of the Holocaust."

      "In this starkly candid account of one boy's indoctrination into the Hitler Youth, we see a side of Nazism that has been little recorded. This autobiographical account is a rare glimpse at World War II from a German boy's viewpoint."

     "The author was born into a life no one would wish for: a Jew in Germany with Adolf Hitler rising to power. This autobiography describes life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The author shares her personal journey, leading us towards understanding."

x

Day 18: What do You Mean a Difficult Student is Challenging

     Working with difficult students can be challenging. Finding ways to entice and excite a student that wants nothing to do with school can feel like an insurmountable task. They sit and brood and do everything within their power to derail the classroom, even when the rest of the class is engaged and interested in what is going on. That being said, great teachers are known for doing the impossible and chipping away at even the most difficult students hard and standoffish exteriors. So today's blog is about you, the great teachers. In the comments below please tell me how you engage the unengageable. How you not only lead that stubborn pony to water, but actually make it drink (and remember you can't hold its head underwater). Whether it's through exciting activities, such as the line game I mentioned in a previous post or through getting to know the student, how is it that you make them excited about learning and life.

Day 17: Age is Just a Number

     Working in the education field has shown me what it means to be a member of the digital age, more so than growing up with technology ever has. Today's youth are in many ways developmentally stunted, due to the ever-increasing availability of technology and increase access to the internet. Young adults have lost their ability to be shocked and/or in many cases their innocence due to the wealth of information at their fingertips. Today's youth have access to any subject they could desire to know about is at the tips of their fingers and yet they spend hours watching mindnumbing videos or researching inappropriate and at time gruesome events, texts or streams. However, what harm does this access have on our youth?
    Research has shown no indication that young adults that play/watch violent video games and movies are more violent than any other member of society. In fact, some research has actually shown that people who enjoy such activities do so as a form of catharsis (while others disagree). This being said, however, there is a definite change in young adult mental and physical ability/ages due to such activities. Today's youth seems to be mentally older due to their access to the internet, but lack the developmental skills in order to appropriately sort and understand what they view. This discrepancy has made it difficult for both teachers and parents to teach young adults the differences between right and wrong due to the internet providing them with whatever knowledge or entertainment they could ask for in a more easily digestible format. In many ways, education and parenting have become more about capturing kids attention and less about the actual education due to this increase in available information.

       So my question is: Should we allow young adults access to technology and the internet at such a young and developmentally critical age or is there a better way? I am not saying that all education should be left up to teachers, but there has to be a better way to teach our children about the world around them than plopping them in front of a screen and hoping for the best (you have all seen parents in stores and restaurants do this, just to get a moment of peace). Considering it another way, you wouldn't expect someone to know everything about a job on their first day (even if they had worked in the field previously), so why do we expect our children to make safe and healthy choices when it comes to the internet without first giving them the tools and knowledge to succeed.