Golden Apple 🍎

In December of last year, I got an email that I had been nominated for a teaching award for some organization I had never heard of called Golden Apple. I had to fill out an application and get two letters of recommendation. I was surprised that someone had nominated me without telling me and then honestly, kind of annoyed that I had extra work to do during the week of Homecoming, which is my busiest time.

I went to my friend and colleague Amy to ask her to write a letter of recommendation and found out that she was the one who nominated me. Everything was due on December 15th. I went back to her and my principal on the due date and they hadn't submitted anything yet. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I didn't put a lot of stock into it, especially because we wouldn't find out anything until February and I didn't want to worry about it for two months.

Then in February I got an email saying I was a top 30 finalist. Within a few days, a superintendent from a school about 45 minutes away emailed me to congratulate me. He said a teacher from his school had won it previously and he supported everyone from Southern Illinois. I thought that was sweet.

I was invited to a ceremony on April 2nd in Chicago....a 6 hour drive for me. The organization contacted Amy to find out what local news we had and informed them on my behalf. One station sent a cameraman out to interview me. I felt so official! I didn't actually see the interview because I don't have cable and the interview I read only mentioned one thing I actually said, even though I was interviewed for an hour.  

In March, two people from Golden Apple came to observe me in the classroom and to interview my colleagues and students. I think I was more nervous for the colleagues and students than to be observed. I don't get nervous about that anymore. I chose my first hour Algebra II class and the topic was complex fractions. Not too exciting, but I did create a new sorting activity. It REALLY worked for one of my students and he was flying through the problems like crazy. It made me look pretty good but since I messed up the answer to the bell ringer problem, I guess it all balanced out. They stayed during my plan period to interview me as well. One of them was the winner from the previous year. I was shocked that he would be part of the process for me and I loved the idea that maybe I could do that too. He told me that they were very secretive, he had no idea he had won ahead of time and neither did his wife.

When the kids were finished with their interview, they practically ran to me to tell me all the things they said. Some of them had been nervous and wanted me to tell them what to say. Later the adults came to do the same thing. :)

My school paid for me to go the ceremony. I left on a Friday after school because of course I'm not going to miss a day of school. My sister went with me and we got there around 10:30 Friday night. The ceremony was on Saturday. We woke up to snow...on April 2nd. :)

For this exact reason I chose to wear pants but I also chose stilletto heels. 

Worth it. They had a fancy breakfast for us. Knowing myself, I ate regular breakfast at the hotel before we left. As bougie as I am, I eat like a 5 year old. They seated us with three other finalists and their guests and one Golden Apple Employee. They took a headshot when we came in and gave us a yellow corsage. There were a few speeches and then the finalists were announced and given a plaque. 

My favorite memory was another finalist who brought her own pom poms and cheered for herself as she walked across the stage. 

The ceremony was streamed and my mom was watching from home. I originally invited my mom but my dad just had knee surgery and we didn't feel like she should leave him alone.

After getting our plaques, they had a background set up so we could take our own pictures.

Then all the finalists were called to the stage for a group photo.

And then it was over. A few people came to tell me that they liked my outfit which always makes you feel good. The Golden Apple employee that was at our table had talked about mentoring so I made a beeline for her after the ceremony. I asked her if I could be a mentor, even if I didn't win. I swear she hesitated for half a beat and then laughingly said she would make me be a mentor. And in that moment I felt like she already knew that I had won. But since my elementary days of scoring high on standardized tests, I usually assume I am one of the best. :)

They gave away the centerpieces from our table and my table voted for me to take it because I was from farthest away. I took it back to my classroom and then about a week later realized that those flowers were real. lollll 

On our way out they were giving away black dress socks with yellow apples on them. I got enough for my whole family and then put mine in a drawer and never looked at them again.

We immediately went to McDonalds to get a sweet tea and then back to the hotel to take a nap. lol I am a child. Then we went to lunch and to go shopping. My mom was born in Elgin and we were about 20 minutes away from there. We found her old neighborhood and took some pictures. 

They told us we would find out the winners this spring...but no specific date. Sometime in April my principal sent an email out that we would have an assembly on May 9th at 1:00. I immediately knew what it was. :) Turns out several colleagues knew too...so we are not so good at keeping secrets.

My sister also texted me that morning to ask me what I was wearing....like that didn't totally give it away.

The day of the assembly, they pretended it was an inspirational assembly from our State Senator Dale Fowler and Representative Mike Bost. Then the Golden Apple people interrupted the ceremony and came in with my whole family. Obviously, I was not surprised so they didn't get any tears or shock from my reaction but I did give them a: 

And my first words were 'Jesus is real'!

I can't remember a lot of my speech now but was sooooo glad that I had known for a few weeks and had time to prepare. I felt shaky but I think I sounded okay. I used to be terrified to speak on a microphone but after years of spirit assemblies, I did get over it. (But I also now delegated that job to my friend Kourtnee.) Also, since I already knew what was happening, I was able to give Kourtnee my phone to take photos and videos of everything. If you watch the youtube video, which I can't bring myself to do, it looks like I'm chewing gum. I do not chew gum at all but I had this weird chewing on nothing habit that came from wearing masks for so long and moving my jaw to adjust it. I don't do it anymore but of course it had to be on the once in a lifetime video. 😬 Golden Apple posted the video on their facebook and a random stranger commented that I shouldn't be chewing gum. So just had to clarify that I wasn't...and thanked him for his support. (I am a petty child.)

What was surprising to me was that it all came together...without me. And here I was thinking I'm the only person who can make things happen. lol

Also hate that my hair is tucked behind my ears here but at least my face is cute. Dale Fowler gave me this fancy plaque to add to my collection.

My elementary friends came to congratulate me.

My niece Rory.

My nephew Brody and niece Baylee.

My sister Malia.

My sister Janae and brother in law Daniel.

My parents.

Golden Apple peoples...the lady in pink observed me and then weirdly, her son was on the same baseball team as my nephew and we saw each other over the summer.

My friend Amy who nominated me.

The whole fam.

Some SIU people who also brought me a really soft t-shirt and a goody bag of SIU swag.

Golden Apple...but all the signs are blue....maybe to match our school colors.

The silly part was that the kids who wanted to be on camera at the assembly are not even kids I am the closest to and I don't even know what some of them said. lol One kid even asked me to autograph his Golden Apple poster. 😂 The bell rang for 7th hour to start. My seniors were supposed to be starting their Trig EOC but the prinicpal had sent them to the library. I asked my friend Amy if she would let them into my room so they could start the exam. But they wouldn't start it without me in the room because they didn't want me to think they cheated. During 7th hour I was being interviewed on camera...and couldn't even get someone to watch my trig class for that. Then the bell rang again for the last 20 minute advisory type period of the day. I hurried back to my room because I had students coming in who needed to finish a test or needed my help. 

So that's how real teacher life is...you can't even leave your job long enough to win an award because there will be no one to cover you and then you need to go right back to it because someone always needs you.

Even our yearbook photographer came to get some shots. I highly regret wearing my hair straight. I curl it every day and also wish I hadn't cut it so short back in January. 

Alan Mather, president of Golden Apple.

There were like 5 gift baskets....all of things I will not eat lol. Chocolate covered apples and pretzels and dark chocolate.

I went home and did my favorite thing...take a nap. I went to a local gas station and got my favorite treat for dinner...pepper jack cheese balls and a Pepsi. I am a junk food child. Then I spent the rest of the night reading comments on facebook from friends and family who were seeing the news clips.

I received a second plaque back in April for the school. They hung it in the main office and I asked them to hang this tarp out front but only if it was hanging straight. :) Then I took my own selfie to put in the yearbook.

I won a $5,000 stipend and sabbatical to Northwestern University. Following the May 9th ceremony, I had emailed a few people to get more information. No one responded except the president. He told me the money and sabbatical would be sometime in March 2023. Over the summer we had a zoom call to hear more information about our prizes. 

Then on our zoom call, a different lady said they would start sending out paperwork in January 2023. They would like everyone to come together for one week to Northwestern University to start the sabbatical together sometime in April. They said we could continue working as much or as little as we wanted. It doesn't really work well for me because I am so far away and would only be able to take online courses. I don't really want to take any more math classes. I stressed myself out thinking about all the logistics. But I still don't have enough information to know what's going on. 

I was contacted by Golden Apple to apply to be a mentor and excitation was in my heart. I thought this might be the real reason God had allowed all of this to happen. I would love to work in that direction but it's not really an option for me in my school. I would be required to have a $400 training and Golden Apple wasn't sure if they could reimburse me or not. I had trouble finding the trainings and sent a few emails asking for help. I finally got an answer and she helped me find a training but then when I went to register, it was full. I couldn't find any other options by the deadline so I just gave up trying. I never heard back. Later I heard that I might be able to get the trainings for free through my teacher's union. Supposedly the trainings would be offered in November...but you guessed it, I never heard.

In August, they let us know about a second ceremony where we would actually win our award. They weren't able to have the ceremony for the previous two years due to Covid so it was 3 years worth of winners. But they picked the Tuesday night after Labor Day to have the ceremony. Even if I lived in Chicago, I would be annoyed. Why didn't they have it on Saturday of Labor Day weekend to ensure people had travel time and didn't have to take off from school? I decided not to go. I didn't want to have the school pay a second time for me to go do the same thing again and I'm a teacher, so I definitely don't want to pay for it myself. They mailed me my award and it sits on my desk at school. 

Now we are supposed to have a zoom call in February for more information on the sabbatical. I can't imagine that I will actually stop working to do this. This has been one of the hardest teaching years of my career but if I leave it, I think I would spend all my time worrying what was happening instead of actually enjoying. If I am an experienced professional who is struggling, I can't think it would be any easier for a sub. I enjoy doing my job and doing it well. I would like to do something like a photography class since I also do the yearbook. I decided not to stress about it anymore. If there are online courses that sound fun and interesting, I will take them. Otherwise, I won't do anything.

Overall, this process has been underwhelming. I still don't know how or when the prizes will work. My emails go unanswered. The mentoring piece that I was so excited about flopped. Friends and family still ask me about the sabbatical and I don't even know what to tell them. I've been getting postcards and emails from Golden Apple asking me for donations...but no one telling me how to get my prize.

Obviously I don't work for external validation or I wouldn't have chosen teaching. I get my validation from knowing I had good ideas and I executed them well and the students lives are better for having me as their teacher. I had all of that already.

The best part was friends and family and students complimenting me. The second best was that it helped with imposter syndrome. I know I am not an excellent mathematician but I always felt like I was an excellent teacher. The award showed me that other people also think I am an excellent teacher. It's not about the math, it's about the kids. Over this past year, I've felt a conscious effort from parents and students and colleagues to thank me and show appreciation. One of my colleagues said she enjoyed them gathering to talk about me for the interview because they didn't realize all the different things I was responsible for.

When we had our zoom call, I was the youngest winner. From the farthest away. Other teachers seemed to have more accomplishments like starting programs, being directors of things, etc and I'm just over here with a lot of extra jobs (cheer, student council, prom, yearbook).

That's when I realized that what made me win was my students. I truly believe it was their words that made the difference. My observer told me that the kids faces lit up when they were talking about me. She said "they really love you". And that is the difference for me. I really love them. I really love making their lives better. I really want the best for them. I want to give them the best high school experience. I want them to enjoy math class, even if they don't enjoy math. I want those good feelings to go with them wherever they go in life so that they will continue to have good experiences and give good experiences to others. I love being 'extra' and 'doing too much' and I hope they will feel safe to go be extra and do too much in their own lives.

P. S. At the beginning of 2022, I chose the word glow.

As my student Aunnie would say...I ATE.

Stay golden.

• Golden Apple finalists link
• Southeast Missourian link
• WSIL finalist link
• KFVS 12 link
• Golden Apple winner link
• WSIL winner link
• SIU link
• The Southern link
• Youtube Link

The Intangible Aspects of Teaching

"What is essential is invisible to the eyes." Seriously though, there's a lot of what you do that can't be measured, but makes you the teacher only you can be.

— Tom Hall (@trigoTOMetry) June 19, 2018

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this and at first I struggled to think about what really sets me apart from any other teacher. What I've come up with is some common themes...

Effort Is Attractive

I think students feel safe knowing I'm always going to put forth effort and even extra effort. Which teacher do you trust more? The one who wears khaki pants and t-shirts every day or the one who puts together outfits with coordinating jewelry and make-up? The one who's classroom is cluttery and hasn't changed in 10 years or the one who keeps it clean, smelling fresh, and nicely decorated? The one who does the same worksheets and lectures year after year or the one who tries new things, fails, fixes mistakes, and asks for feedback?

I put effort into knowing my students and letting them know me. I know the slang, I'm active on social media, I learn their nicknames and hobbies, I have inside jokes with them, I compliment them, I ask them questions to get to know them better. I think this is something people take for granted. I like my students. I'm interested in their lives. I want to be part of it. I want to make it better. I like my job. I want to be better.

The students laugh at the extra things I do but also give me ideas on how to be even more extra. "Why haven't you decorated your SMART board remote? Everything else in here is decorated."

Treat People Better Than They Deserve

This really came to light at the end of this year. I always do something special for my seniors. This year I made them t-shirts- individually customized for each student. And before I gave them out, those students made me so mad. This wasn't even my favorite group of seniors. But you know what....I give gifts because I'm good...not because they are. Gifts are my love language and giving them fuels me. It makes me happy. And my goal as a teacher is that I give them a good high school math experience, that they enjoy my class, that they are observant, that they ask questions, that they put forth effort, and that they operate out of love. And t-shirts fulfills like at least three of those.

I buy them their favorite candy on their birthday. For Valentine's Day I wrote a little heart message to every kid. So many of the taped it to their notebooks or binders or lockers and that just made my heart burst. When I tell some teachers about those things, they look at me like I'm crazy. Everyone wants to be celebrated. Think of what you would like people to do for you...and then do it for them.

Be Authentic

Keep in mind that I am the only math teacher in a small school so I have the same students for 3-4 years in a row. We get to know each other really well. They know when I'm mad or sad, they tell me when I look tired, they remember the one time ever that I went home sick. They know my favorite colors, that I'm obsessed with chevron, the snacks I eat, where I shop, and that I take naps every day. I talk to girls about make-up and they bring me colors they aren't brave enough to wear. They tell me when they see something chevron that I need to buy. We gush over our favorite pens to write with. Share memes. I ask about their weekend and they ask about mine. We tell stories. We laugh. Oh man, we laugh!

While it's important to remember they are humans, it's also important to remember you are. It still humbles me that when I tell a personal story in the middle of class how eyes are on me and there is almost a feeling of everyone holding their breath to hear my story. It's crazy. Don't take for granted that they want to know you too.

Be Consistent

I have really good hearing. I catch almost everything and they HATE how consistent I am at enforcing my two nice things rule. Even school rules that I don't agree with, I am consistent with enforcing them by just saying "You know the rule." We have a no backpack rule. I watch students wear their backpacks to every class and then when they come to mine they put it in their locker first. After my class, they go right back and get it again. If they bring it to my class, I just say "Hey, please go put that bag in your locker." I don't yell. I ask. I say please. My tone tells them that I know they just forgot. Basically, I remember that they're humans. I consistently show up. I consistently enforce rules. I consistently run my classroom with routines. I am consistently myself- and that gives them permission to be themselves.

I'm a Learner

I have literally asked my mom how she taught me to always do my best in what I do, even if I don't like doing it. Secret is- she has no idea and thinks I could have been raised by wolves. But I think, I hope, I model learning for my students. I want to learn about them. I want to learn math that I don't know well enough. I want to learn new technology. I want to learn new makeup and hair trends. I want to learn how to be a better cook. I want to know the popular music and dances, even if I can't actually do them. I want to learn more about myself. I want to improve. I want to be better- in every arena of my life- and I think that reminds them that I'm human.

Once again, I think we take it for granted how important it truly is to like our jobs. Like our students. Like our classrooms. Like our jobs enough to dress up and show up. Like ourselves. Like learning.

Make Pretty Things + Make Things Pretty

To sum all this up, I think that my students respect that I will always try to leave things and people better than I found them. Whether that is cleaning, organizing, decorating, teaching, questioning, disciplining, I see the beauty in others and use my gifts to draw out and display that beauty as much and as often as possible.

What is 'essential' is that students leave my class feeling better about themselves, me, math, school, the world, etc because of how I used my gifts; that they are then inspired to go out and fully use their gifts.

And that is invisible to the eye.

31 Days of Reflection Calendar

I have to begin by explaining how this post proves Sara Vanderwerf wrong. She presented this to us on Monday afternoon and told us to make our list in the next 24 hours or we wouldn't do it.

It took me 24x4 hours to actually do it but I did so na na boo boo on you.

I had already favorited this tweet from earlier in the week, not really knowing what it pertained to, just literally liking it.

Challenge: Retrain your brain. Choose something you can't do and practice it everyday for 5 min. #TMC16 @saravdwerf pic.twitter.com/GyvfCvlTXn

— Graham Fletcher (@gfletchy) July 16, 2016

I ended TMC with Sara's session on reflection. She recommended at least 1-5 minutes of daily reflection. She also recommended reflecting with another teacher. She and a colleague take a walk around the building each day after school. One of Sara's methods was to make a customizable calendar of 31 pictures she likes that reminds her of things she wants to be intentional about in her classroom. {There's that pesky i-word again,} She printed hers out and hung them on a binder clip in her classroom to flip through each day.

Well I jumped ALL over that. I mean think about my trigger words here.... "customizable", "make", "calendar", "printed", "binder clip".

For me, even stronger than pictures are quotes. I have always loved them. I filled up floppy disks with Notepad files of quotes pasted from the Internet. I have journals full of them. I screenshot them. They're my fave.

Please don't even be surprised that they are this color or chevron or that I made it pretty. {Font is Covered By Your Grace}



You. Already. Know.

Odd numbers are quotes and even numbers are things to do.

I CANNOT wait to print and laminate these {I can wait for the cutting part} and hang them up in my room. Most of them came from the book Unshakeable and my own blog post about baby steps I will take in the classroom this year. What better way to remind myself of all my grand plans than to literally look at them every day?

Here's to year 8: 8 is the number of new beginnings and 7 was my 7 year slump. I declare the best year yet with a newly reflective and intentional teacher!

Cheers!

Why I Choose Teaching

I've never had a special request for a blog post before but anything I can do to help convert someone to the dark side is considered a privilege.

I've always wanted to be a teacher. For my entire life. I played school by myself and with my sisters. I would write fake papers just so I could grade them and write the grade in my fake grade book. I even had a miniature chalkboard. When I was in third grade I told my mom that I wanted to be a teacher so "I could show them how to do it right". I used to stare in envy at my teachers who had their shiny metal chalk holder contraption and dream about the day it would be mine. Which is ironic considering I've never used a chalkboard in my teaching career to date.

As I got to high school and started thinking about college, it dawned on me that I had to actually pick a subject to teach. I wouldn't just get a classroom to decorate and hang out in. But how to pick what I would do for the rest of my life?

By far, my best subject is English and reading. I've been an avid reader since birth and I've always scored highest in that area. I love to read and write. I love to analyze and edit. But I just couldn't fathom how to help teach students to read or how to improve their writing or how to learn to spell words correctly. Grammar bored me to tears. I realized that even though English was my best subject, it wasn't something I could teach.

I really enjoyed art class but I only took it as a senior for an elective. I was actually decent but in no way talented enough or prepared enough in any way to teach that.

Science and social studies have always been boring to me- I attribute a lot of that to the experiences I had- a lot of worksheets, writing definitions, and memorizing facts.

But math...now math was a puzzle. I actually had straight A's in all my classes but math didn't come quite as naturally to me. It was something to figure out, to look at from a different perspective, to draw it out, to look for patterns, to calculate, predict, and find satisfaction in a correct answer. Math was actually doing something.

I think I felt like most classes were a lot of busy work and pretty passive for my brain- I could read faster than anyone in my class and my comprehension was high too. I didn't really have to think to write a paper or understand a story. Memorizing was a breeze. Math was the class where my brain felt involved, active, useful. I had to work, I had to try.

Plus I really really did not want to grade essays and research papers or listen to poor readers stumble over reading out loud. I think that everybody has enormous patience in a certain area of their lives. For me, it's math. When a student is struggling on a math problem, it's like I feel supernatural patience come over me and I can wait all day for the student to find and fix their mistakes, just anticipating that moment of satisfaction after hard work. That's where my patience lies.

After becoming a teacher, I can look back and see that talents and abilities I had in my life were really preparation for my teaching career.

I love to decorate and design things. That has come in handy with lesson plans and activities as well as powerpoints, programs, posters, t-shirt designs, etc. I never realized that could be a part of teaching.

I'm very analytical and people used to think I was so judgmental and harsh because I pointed out people's flaws or where they went wrong. Hopefully I've toned that harshness down but it's very helpful as a teacher to articulate where a student has made a mistake or has a weakness in order to remedy that.

I love to be organized and color coordinate things. And I think it must be really hard to be a teacher and not be organized. We all have our different methods of organization but to be constantly misplacing or losing things just cannot be good.

I think that my true talent is being able to explain things. I really pride myself on that and that the #1 reason I became a teacher, period. When I was in third grade math, there was a concept I didn't understand. The teacher told me I better get on the train because it was pulling out of the station. I literally imagined myself being abandoned at a train station (all that reading makes the imagination a bit overactive) with my whole class on a train pulling away from me. I had this panicky feeling where I got butterflies and wanted to cry at the same time. I was thinking, "But I don't understand!!!" And I realized that I never wanted anyone to have that feeling. Ever. Again. In life. That talent also has a bad side to it- I'm not very good at the big picture. I'm great at breaking things down into small chunks but I can't always put it back together. Sometimes I get lost.

I'm glad that I chose math but here's what I don't like. Math is a beast. I truly think it is the hardest subject to teach. It obviously has a negative stigma from the get go but it is such a spiraling subject that prior knowledge is a must. For students who miss any amount of school or class or whatever, they get behind and sometimes stay behind with a quickness. I think it's very hard to close any gaps. From my experiences with remediation and RtI there are just no good resources out there for math like there is for English and reading. They have tons of computer programs but when it comes to math, no computer program yet is helpful. I get stuck with a remediation class where I am supposed to know each student's every math weakness, create lessons/activities for each weakness, monitor progress, differentiate, etc etc etc. It just can't be done by one person.

Teaching math is often like an uphill battle. So many students think it is boring, useless, hard, and disjointed. It's like if you have one crappy class, the students are just glaring at you thinking "See, I knew math was stupid/boring/pointless/complicated." I feel like we really have to think out of the box with every lesson, more often than others.

My teacher bestie is an English teacher and sometimes I do feel like her job is easier than mine. In some ways she connects with the students on a deeper level because she gets to have discussions and read their papers and kind of get inside their minds. I think that's just harder to do in the context of a normal math classroom. She gets to connect with them emotionally and just do a lot of creative things that apply to real life. That is something really hard to do for me. I can't tell you when in your life you will need to know the difference between vertex form and intercept form of a parabola.

I hate the beast of standardized testing in math. Especially the ACT. Trying to prepare students for a norm-referenced test where they throw out the questions that everyone gets right and where the topics change from year to year is a heartbreaker. I hate that math has started to become about that. 

I love teaching math though. I like that it is a puzzle. I love patterns. I love figuring things out. I love a challenge. I love that people can do different things and arrive at the same solution. I love that deciding the best way to teach math is as much of a puzzle as the math itself. I love that each day is a new start. I love that I can constantly reinvent myself, my classroom, my teaching style, my lessons. I love finding new ideas. I love love love getting feedback from the students and trying to incorporate what they say. I love being able to go through hard work with my students and see them come out on the other side with a smile on their face.

Most of all, I love my students. I love getting to be part of their lives and wondering what they will do next. In the next minute as well as the next decade. I love our conversations and I love seeing their growth and maturity (as little as it may be) over the years that I have them. I love that I can feel I had some part of that.
 
I love that teaching someone something they didn't know before is even possible and I love that I get to do it.

That's why I choose teaching.

Seek Your Own Compliments

I'm currently working my way through the ASCD member book, When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game by Allen N. Mendler. In Chapter 3: Working Successfully with Unappreciative or Irritating Adults, there is a section called 'Seek your own compliments'.

We don't usually receive feedback when things are going well. The book suggests a couple different ideas for getting positive affirmation:

• Give your students a homework assignment to tell you the two things you do that they like the most.
• At an open house, ask parents to write down at least one positive thing they have heard or seen from their child about the class.
• Ask a colleague to observe you teach and then share specific things he/she thinks you do really well and any suggestions they might have for how you might get even better.
• Consider writing occasional notes of appreciation to colleagues and administrators as well as to students when they do or say something that is thoughtful of others. 

But the one that sticks with me most is one I first read in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book when I was a young teenager. A teacher named Ms. Mrosla had all of her students write down one positive thing about every student in the class. Then she gave each student the comments that were made about them. One of her students ended up later dying in the service and at the funeral the mom told her that they had found his list in his pocket. Several other classmates that were attending the funeral pulled theirs out too. The students had kept them years later for when they needed a boost. That story impacted me deeply and reading it in this book brought it back to my mind.

I decided to do this with my achievement period. It's the most laid back class of all and I feel like the students have had a lot of fun with each other. I started them out by telling them I was going to do something lame so let's go ahead and groan and get it over with. Then I split them up so that everyone was sitting by themselves. I asked them to put their mature selves on and to be really thoughtful and write a positive comment about each person. I asked them to avoid saying 'he's nice' or 'she's funny' but to really give it some thought. The class was completely silent while they thought and wrote. I was really proud of them for that.

I put "First Hour Fan Club" on top of the paper, then 'I am a fan of ________ because:' and I put myself on the paper too. If I want to know what my students think about me, all I have to do is ask.

Later I asked them their favorite color. I printed the first letter of their name as big as I could get it on colored card stock. Then, I took all the comments about each person and wrote them inside their letter.  I did this for two reasons. 1, so they would not know who wrote which comments and 2, because handwriting is so much more personal than typing it up on the computer. As I was writing them, I added my own comments to make sure that everyone had plenty to read.


Here's what they looked like.

 

I'm not going to share any of the comments written because they are personal to my students and me. I wanted to share an idea that makes a positive impact on students and yourself. Students really enjoyed reading them and a lot of them went and told what they had written. Some didn't. It was a beautiful thing.

I have an encouragement wall next to my desk where I have cards from when I graduated college, thank you cards, pictures students drew me, school pictures of past students, quotes, and anything that just encourages me and boosts my spirit. This will definitely go up there as well. I want the students to see that their comments are important to me.

There's two other things I do that really means a lot to students and I'm sharing them so that you can think about ways to impact your students in the same way.

One is that on a student's birthday, I buy them their favorite candy and I write them a little letter. Of course they enjoy the candy but they've told me how they hung the letters up in their room or keep it in their mirror, etc. It's something I'm good at and enjoy doing but mostly I think everyone deserves to receive something on their birthday, something that makes them feel noticed. I think of my letter as "I notice you..." letters. It's more about what I see in them than anything related to their birthday. Maybe you don't want to spend the money but writing a note or just expressing what you notice is cheap and easy and meaningful. We have the gift of being able to see what a student can be as well as what they are. It's hard for teenagers to step outside of themselves and make observations about who they are. It's hard for adults too. We know how powerful and lasting an impression a teacher can make. I consider this my contribution to forming their identity. Maybe they can't see what I see, but maybe knowing that I see it is a start.

The second thing is that at the end of the year, I make certificates for every student in every class I teach. I just make something up on PowerPoint and then give everyone something that starts with "most likely to..." and describes them. The important thing is not what you write but that everyone is noticed, everyone feels like they have a title or position, and that everyone receives some positive feedback. This is always a hit with the students. I wait until the last day before finals to read them, calling each student up to get theirs. After the first few, students are clapping and laughing after each one is called. It really creates a positive mood in the classroom and is just a fun way to wrap up the good memories of the year. Later some students tell me this is the only certificate they've ever 'won' and how much it means to them. 

Paper is cheap but telling someone how important they are is priceless.

The Animal School

A Fable

by George Reavis

Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a “new world” so they organized a school. They had adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that, except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a “charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceeding well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school.

Does this fable have a moral?

Note: This story was written when George Reavis was the Assistant Superintendent of the Cincinnati Public Schools back in the 1940s! This content is in the public domain and free to copy, duplicate, and distribute. If you would prefer a full-color, illustrated book, one is currently available from Crystal Springs Books at 1-800-321-0401 or 603-924-9621 (fax 603-924-6688)

The Concert

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful.

The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.

Life Lessons

Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professorgave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. 'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.' I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.'

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. 'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.

'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill onthe table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitresscame back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.

After much pushin gand straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.


5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts

Many years ago , when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it- if it will save her.'

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

From an email...

In the Beginning...

President Barack Obama said in Turkey : "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

I found this very interesting. Do you know the Preamble for your state?

Alabama 1901, Preamble We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..

Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.

Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...

Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...

California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...

Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe...

Connecticut 1818, Preamble The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.

Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences...

Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...

Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...

Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.

Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.

Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.

Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the State of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.

Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.

Kentucky 1891, Preamble. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..

Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.

Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity .. And imploring His aid and direction.

Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...

Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction

Michigan 1908, Preamble We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.

Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:

Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.

Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution...

Montana 1889, Preamble We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution..

Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.

Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...

New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..

New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.

North Carolina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...

North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...

Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.

Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this...

Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences

Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance....

Rhode Island 1842, Preamble We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing...

South Carolina, 1778, Preamble We, the people of he State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties...

Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...

Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.

Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.

Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ..

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other

Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution

West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ...

Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility...

Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming , grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...

After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong!

Regardless, let's all take a moment to honor those who fought and sacrificed more than we've ever dreamed of. May their lives inspire us to a higher standard of living. Thank you to those who have preserved all of our rights.

We remember.