Don't Close That Shop Door

Don't Close That Shop Door

In my opinion one of the most exciting things as educators we can do to help students find growth is to implement or have an intervention in place to help those students who struggle to find their "light switch". That moment of A'HA! is personally one of the biggest reasons I and many others want to be in education. Recently, if you follow me on Twitter ( NigelJHorton) I had one of these moments after an independent read. It was powerful and filled my tank for my own energy bus for at least the next year.

At times though as educators we find ourselves asking the question of "where to turn next" when what we are doing just isn't working. We as professionals know, hear and agree that we want "all students" to be successful. It's ingrained into us and is why we as teachers come to work everyday with that being our goal. With that said, imagine being a car-mechanic in today's age with all of the computers, gidgets & gadgets and trying to solve every problem by closing your shop door and getting to work. It can't be done; car mechanics have to rely on constant training, peers for help and research from people who are smarter than them.

Teachers are the same - we can't rely on shutting our shop door and getting to work. We have to rely on tons of help to be successful. These include our peers, our social learning network, blogs, tweets & shares, #edchats, conferences and research to help guide us when we need some new ideas or help to back all of these ideas up.

Recently through the help of Tina Wahlert at our Green Hills AEA we were introduced to a very simple, comprehensive website that helps us find research on many of these thoughts and ideas we are introduced to. It's called the "What Works Clearinghouse" (Link below)  and is put out by the Institute of Education Services that uses research to give us educators outcomes and results for how well the different interventions work and then grades and scores them.

For me personally, it was great to find research not being provided to you by a company, or author but instead someone independent. As this compares it to all interventions that have been submitted to them. It also helped guide me in making those hard choices of "what to do next".

As an educator, I challenge you to go out and look at it and reflect back on your teachings, maybe you'll find something you didn't know about. With that challenge, I encourage you to not be afraid of change because that "light switch" moment is right around the corner!

What Works Clearinghouse

#REPresent - It's about something bigger than you

REPresent 

 "It's about something bigger than you"

What in the world do beatboxing, break dancing, an ex-BYU mascot and a harmonica have to do with the education of our youth?  That's what I was wondering when I heard Josh Drean would be coming to Treynor and boy did he answer that question.

Today, after many months of work from our district OLWEUS team and training by the entire district we had a kick off assembly for both the Elementary and Middle/High School students. The premises for our kick-off was to raise awareness, and get kids excited for the implementation of our district-wide OLWEUS anti-bullying program that is being rolled out the second semester of this school year.

With that said, it's more than just an anti-bullying program that we are working on implementing at TCSD. Our true goal is to make all students love coming to school. We know that when a student can trust the people around them to care and respect them` their potential for growth is limitless.

• As @joshdrean says it is about always taking time to REPresent your community, your school, and your family. 
• As a 4th grade so graciously told me after the assembly: "we are learning to remember that it's about something bigger than you".  
• As our district leadership always reminds us, it is about making sure our students feel safe and secure. 

And after today's message from Josh we all believe that when you remember to always REPresent yourself in a way your community, school and family can be proud of you will make a positive impact in your school and community for years to come.

What can you do in your school?

To start with, if you get a chance to have Josh Drean at your school, DO IT. I can't say enough about his level of engagement with the students. Not to mention the entire day the kids talked about his message. One kid even came back into my room and just said, "Wow...... Wow that's all!"  And if you don't get a chance to have him in your school, remember the little acronym he uses for REPresent.

Report
Extend a hand
Play nice
R
E
S
E
N
T

Time With a Great Leader

Over break I had the opportunity to spend time with someone I truly trust, respect and admire. Kim Kazmierczak, as always, opened her doors and her arms to me and allowed me to come in on her day off to simply let me listen and ask. With that said, knowing her passion for students I would bet she would have been there regardless. :)

A little background - Kim hired me for my first job in the education world as a para-educator while she was the principal at Carter Lake Elementary. She allowed me to question, ask, make mistakes and learn in a building that had such an incredible climate. It inspired me daily to keep pushing on to finish my undergrad degree even though at times I thought I'd never get there. Most importantly she believed in me enough that when I made mistakes, she allowed me to learn from them.

Back to my recent learning from Kim and some things I'd like to put into writing for future reflection.

1. Nothing is more important than creating a safe and orderly environment; somewhere students feel safe and expect to be treated consistently and fairly. 
2. Leaders fail when they try to go off on their own. 
3. Leaders should become experts at data - finding what the data tells you and fixing it. 

First: When I think of any building I've been in, any classroom I've had the privilege of leading, no true learning happens until the students feel safe and secure. A perfect example is Treynor Schools providing training too all of their teachers in the Capturing Kids Hearts program that works to "develop safe, trusting, self-managing classrooms". When a student feels a part of something bigger, other than just traditional instruction, that's when true student learning takes place. 

Second: "Leaders fail when they try to go off on their own". When I heard Kim share this with me, I felt so in-line with this statement. For the last two years, we have lived this statement through our Doane EDL learnings. I think if you were to ask our Cadre what one thing they would take away from our time together many of them would say that leaders can not possess all of the skills to do it alone. Doing it alone is certain to lead to failure. Through school improvement plans, professional development plans, leadership teams and so on, it's a principal's job to incorporate everyone into doing what's best for students. It reminds me of this picture we've shared in our Cadre many times.

Lastly: "Data". My biggest nugget of knowledge I gained over break was one of those things that always seem so simple, but yet once I heard it worded this way, my understanding was so much clearer. "Leaders need to find what the data tells you and fix it". Kim shared this belief and it's a simple statement that should be one of the core beliefs of helping students, buildings and districts grow to help students. 

With all of this information, what should we take away? For me, it's about continuing to learn from the people around me so that I can help all students be succesful. 

Continual Growth

As I continue my graduate studies through Doane's EDL program, I find myself reflecting more and more on the use of communication and continued support for staff. I am lucky to work in a great district, with great leadership who help our staff through continued growth. This week I was lucky enough to be able to stumble across a great visual through my tweeter friend @cristama who had a great visual on how to help staff grow and I wanted to share it with you all. I'll also include the resource at the bottom if you'd like to read more about it!

As an educator, it's my belief we as educators should continually be learning and working towards constant reflection and personal growth. As an educator I' also have a strong belief in the fact that great schools don't happen by accident. It takes consistent coaching, admin support and data feedback. 

#BeTheChange #Lead 

http://test.updc.org/assets/files/professional_development/umta/lf/randd-engaged-joyce.pdf

5 Ways to Help a Difficult Child Be Succesful

 Did you just "label" a child!?

We often times as teachers, adults and humans look at a child who is different and immediately classify them in our own brain. Right or wrong, we do it. We decide if we think they are loud, if they are cute, obnoxious, impulsive or challenging. This is a dangerous thing that many of us have done over and over throughout our lives. Why do I say this is dangerous? Because a child who has been classified before they've been given a fair chance to become successful is now playing catch up the rest of their lives. You've classified a kid who is missing something that we could offer.

Kids are ever evolving, absorbing everything that is happening around them to create who they will eventually become. Kids are not yet ANYTHING. They are instead using the world around them to evolve into who they will one day become. Instead of classifying them, think about how you could be the person to help them find the missing piece that would help develop them into someone who is not loud, obnoxious, impulsive or challenging. 

With this in mind, I have posted before about how an individual can help a child be successful. I do not want to debate what needs to be done to parents or adults who may or may not be offering all of the opportunities for kids to develop into a great person. I'm also not interested in petitioning, complaining or debating about our government, because that doesn't help right now. At this point, I'm tired of looking at the other person and giving my opinion on what they could do differently.  What I do want to discuss is what you. what I can do to help a difficult child be successful. I will not point fingers, I instead will work to find the missing piece to help that child be successful.

5 Ways to Help a Difficult Child Be Successful

5) Sensory Integration
Many students, especially younger students have not figured out how to help themselves feel comfortable physically in their environment. A way to help with this is incorporating Sensory Integration. Think about yourself and how you've trained yourself to help you be successful. What do you do when you're in a situation to help you feel comfortable? Personally, I know I have a few things I do. For example; during meetings, sitting at tables, listening to a speaker or in a class I calm myself by putting something in my hand. At dinner in a restaurant I have even been known to destroy a napkin or two while I am sitting there listening and engaging in conversation. I have developed things to help me.  Use this link-----> Sensory Processing Disorder to read about ways to help that child that might need a little help "getting centered".

4) Lagging Skills
I truly believe in the beliefs of Ross Greene who says that "A kid will do well if they can". Often times kids who are struggling haven't been taught necessary skills to handle life's challenges. They don't want to be bad. Instead they have seen things at home, on TV, on the street or at school that have influenced them. Somewhere along the way they've missed key pieces of learning to help them be successful. Help to identify what skills they are missing and then help build those skills up.

Lagging Skill Checklist  

3)Unconventional Thinking
Does the student need a different outlet? Are you having them sit in conformed rows? Forcing them to think very black and white? Instead - Allow them some freedom - Allow them to in fact be a kid while getting the desired end results. If that child can be successful doing his or her work laying on a pillow LET THEM. If that student can get their work done sitting under a table LET THEM. Forget what makes you comfortable, find what helps them.

2) Engage Them
Find something that truly interests a kid. Often times the students that are the most difficult are unengaged, uninterested. You as an educator have to take the time to find out what interests them and allow them the freedom to do that, while working to achieve their academic and social goals.

An example of this is a student that I have worked with who without a doubt was disengaged with everything we were doing at school. Writing, used to be fun. Reading, was sometimes OK. BUT creating his own digital movies = Totally Awesome.

I reached out to a district tech person who guided me towards some digital video creation websites. I then used a rubric that my student had to follow that focused on our goal of establishing a good beginning, middle and end in our writing. We spent time preparing for his animated story by creating a rough draft and creating a story map. We found success! So much success he WANTED to work on it at home. In his mind he HAD to work on it at home. Needless to say, by the end of it he taught me how to use the digital video creator. Here is his work!

 Student Animation

1) Making Connections
Have you connected with the student? I'm not talking about just having that student trust you. I'm talking about, have you gone above and beyond? Have you gone out of your way to be a part of that child's life that no teacher ever has? Have you visited them at home? Have you gone to their sporting event? Have you made that connection with the student that probably no one has ever done before? When you come to a student who you are struggling with, you need to step back and look at what you've done to connect with them. I know of a teacher who comes to their students home and cooks a meal with their family. I know of another who will go running with girls from her class on the weekends. Take these teachers' lead and find your own way to connect.

Making connections is my number 1 because it does not matter if you are an educator, electrician, banker, nurse, farmer, college student or young married couple. You can find a way to make a connection with a child who really truly needs it. The Council Bluffs School District offers a mentoring program; get involved. Almost all cities offer some sort of Big Brother/Big Sister program, get involved. I truly believe it is our responsibility as an adult to find ways to reach out to a child and make a connection with them. Stop talking about it, start making them.

As you close this link, I want you to stop and think about the following:  

I will not point fingers, I instead will work to find the missing piece to help that child be successful.

Forget the Debate

Something in that 20 year olds life was traumatizing. Something traumatized him and because of that, he has now traumatized a country.

Let me begin by stating that I am in no way looking for any sort of debate by writing this article. I am writing it as a way for myself to process what has happened, continue to establish my beliefs in the life that my wife and I are creating and to possibly help people understand my beliefs in why these things are happening. Specifically, the events that recently happened in Connecticut and my belief that mental trauma is the cause of it.  I work with a very distinct population of students who often times suffer some sort of mental trauma. Does this make me an expert? Absolutely not. Does it give me perception? Unmistakeably. Will my beliefs align with yours? Perhaps. Will they enrage you? Perhaps. Will they encourage you to stop and think differently about the world around us? I hope.


I first want to talk about what I believe has created many of the issues we face in our lives today. Mental Trauma.  What is mental trauma? When I personally think of mental trauma I think of an apple.The apple and brain are two things with similar characteristics. How so? An apple by all appearances is a somewhat strong looking object. You could pass it, throw it, you can drop it, you could nick it. An apple looks and appears strong. What may happen though as you look closer at an apple after these things have happened is that you may begin to notice scars, imperfections or "trauma". Now think of our brain. We can do limitless things with it. Some people hold it gently, treat it with a caring respect. Some people essentially throw it, hit it, kick it "traumatize it". Sometimes peoples brains are thrown, hit, kicked, abused, "traumatized" by powers outside of their control.

Mental trauma is as serious an issue as anything going on in our world today. Mental trauma is the problem. Mental trauma is what we can help with.  When and how does mental trauma happen?

• Mental, verbal, physical abuse
• Before, after, or during childhood
• During the teen years
• During adulthood
• Video games (WOW, does it ever)
• Movies 
• Other forms of abuse

Every single second of our lives has the potential to create mental trauma. I firmly believe video games, and lack of quality relationships are the problem. We can sit and argue gun control, we can argue about how to make schools safer, but we need to get to the real issue. The real issue is that our country has a glaring problem of kids growing up with adults who do not protect them, work with them and help develop them to their fullest potential. Instead they are left on their own. They fill gaps of time with video games and video watching.

No matter if you agree or disagree with my statements on mental trauma, I think what is important is that we can all agree that we need to find ways to deal with what is happening in the world around us. How can we make sense of this?

Some people will choose to take the feelings of recent events with hate, anger, disbelief and some might choose to hole it up. Some people will talk about it. Some will write about it. Some people have a belief in a god to help their understanding. Some people may instead choose to have a  belief in "karma", filling our world with a positive energy with the understanding that with enough positive energy, we can help others. Some may believe that our world works in the pendulum effect (all things go far one way, come back to the middle and then far to another). Where do your beliefs fall? What helps you with these events? I can't beg you enough to think about your beliefs, reflect on them and hold strong in them during times like these. You may believe in a god, you may believe in an energy, you may believe in family, you may believe in all. No matter your beliefs, take the time to reflect on them and believe in them. Without your reflection, is when we should become fearful.

Ask yourself:   What are your beliefs
.
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Stay strong, believe in them.

Now - take your beliefs and think of the people in your life. Are you nurturing them? Are you helping them to nurture their own selves? I have seen countless examples of helpless children who need caring, loving support. I've seen people who want to give help but aren't sure how. I have also seen people who are giving support, but are having to undo the work of previous damage. I know kids who have gone through trauma and abuse, you couldn't begin to imagine. These kids need help, the talk of gun control may be part of the problem but really these kids are the issue.

We could say we need more funding, more support, more workers for our country but that is a long time off. We could sit and argue security or gun control and the debate could and will rage on for years. I'm saying right now you can help, I hope one thing you consider is reflecting on your beliefs and including in them the fact you can make a difference. Stop rushing from here to there, stop walking by that kid sitting by himself and talk. Don't just talk, listen. Stop your life, stop your routine, and help a child start to find something to believe in. In every single corner, of every single town there is a child who needs your support. There is a student, a neighbor, a child who needs to know that someone cares about them, someone to help point them in the right direction.

In almost every city and every school district their are mentor programs, big brother big sister programs and countless other programs for adults to volunteer at. Volunteer at these. Maybe these programs aren't for you. FINE. Reach out to kids in your community. Perhaps your family has considered adoption. Look into it, go to meetings, decide if it's for you. You personally can do something. Help a neighbor kid, build a relationship, help a child discover his or her beliefs. Don't sit back and let the real issues grow. The real issue is that kids need our guidance.  NOW

Ongoing Conversations

Recently I retweeted a tweet by Jason Markey who said "A culture of ongoing professional conversations is so much more important than PD events.". I instantly retweeted it because I read it and it made sense to me. I know that almost always, instant feedback is one of the most powerful forms of feedback that you can receive and/or give. As teachers, instant feedback to our students is powerful; constant conversations with our peers is also just as powerful. With this said, I truly believe instant, ongoing conversations with the people we work with should be the norm. Professional conversations with people you can trust, all the while receiving a possible solution that you have not yet come to see yourself.  Nothing is more frustrating than working on the same problem over and over, and continuing to come up with similar problems.

      Recently I've been dealing with two major issues in my classroom that I've been trying to understand/solve in a way that would benefit my students, my staff and myself. I've internalized these problems and racked my own brain to work to solve them. As I worked on these issues internally, I wasn't making much progress. In a moment of desperation (which in fact, should instead be a daily moment of conversation), I reached out to a trusted coworker. After I convinced myself to listen instead of tell, Angie Lamb was able to guide me in a direction that made sense. She encouraged me to start over, wipe the slate clean with what I think the students know and instead reform the foundation for what I know they are not doing. Today was better, will tomorrow show more growth? 12 hours from now we will know!

    A second example of these constant conversations of growth was today during our weekly professional development that our district offers (which although isn't daily, it is most beneficial). I've been having a specific problem with a specific student in our classroom and what I've tried in my classroom has not been showing me any results. Again, I was trying things over and over, without perhaps thinking of it in a new perspective. Today I brought the problem forward in our professional development and as a team we were able to come up with a solution that not only makes sense to myself, but also makes sense to the team I work with and one we all felt good about. Will tomorrow show me the results we hope? 12 hours from now we will know! 

    What is a way many of us can do this, without perhaps needing to get a chance to talk with a coworker face to face?  Find something you believe in and grab on to them it in social media. Engulf yourself with professionals who believe in the same things you do. Twitter... Facebook... The blogger world. Looking at something from a different perspective is powerful

    What's worth remembering when you get done with this blog? - If you keep coming up with the same results, you're not finding the right solutions. If your solutions aren't on track - Ask yourself - Have you worked with your team yet to get their thoughts?