Week 9

October 15 - 6th grade faculty meeting 3:00
October 15 - Grade window opens
October 15 - Flu Shots - Gym Lobby
October 16 - 5th grade faculty meeting 3:00
October 17 - Earthquake drill 10:17
October 17 - 4th grade faculty meeting 3:00

October 21 - New Teachers MMD training @ 3:00 (Central Office)
October 21-29 - Book Fair
October 21-25 - Red Ribbon Week details to come
October 22 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
October 24 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
October 24 - Grade window closes
October 25 - PBIS Day  Assemblies: 4th 8:00-8:40, 5th 8:50-9:30, 6th 9:40-10:20  Parties: 4th 11:20-12:20, 5th 12:20-1:20, 6th 1:20-2:20
October 26 - PBMS Fun Run

October 28 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
October 29 - Fire drill 9:00
October 29 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:00-9:00 (reports handed out at conferences)
October 31 - No School - Collaboration Day
November 1 - No School

November 3 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 4 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
November 4 - PBS Meeting
November 7 - Leadership Meeting

November 11 - Veteran's Day
November 13 - Grade window opens
November 13, 14, 15 - 6th SINGS to Mobile, AL
November 14 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00

November 17 - Grade window closes
November 19 - 2nd Quarter Mid terms go home
November 19 - 6th grade faculty meeting 3:00
November 20 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
November 20 - 5th grade faculty meeting 3:00
November 21 - 4th grade faculty meeting 3:00

November 25-29  No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 4 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
December 6 - Spring Fling

December 10 - Honor Choir Concert
December 12 - Leadership Meeting

December 17 - 6th grade faculty meeting 3:00
December 18 - 5th grade faculty meeting 3:00
December 19 - 4th grade faculty meeting 3:00
December 20 - Grade window opens

December 23-January 3  No School - Christmas Break

January 5 - Grade window closes
January 7 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
January 8  - Math training - 4th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00
January 10 - PBIS Day  Assemblies: 4th 8:00-8:40, 5th 8:50-9:30, 6th 9:40-10:20  Parties: 4th 11:20-12:20, 5th 12:20-1:20, 6th 1:20-2:20

January 13 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618  3:00-4:00

January 20 - No School
January 21 - PBConnects
January 22 - Intruder Training 8:00 at Kay Porter


I've had the discussion with several people lately about how October is a really hard month for teachers. My theory is that we have now been in school long enough to start getting on each others nerves (that goes for kids as well as adults). Also, there is this:

• It's a long time from Thanksgiving. 
• Grades are due. 
• It contains parent/teacher conferences. 
• It contains Halloween. 
• The days are noticeably shorter. 

It's an exhausting month.

The sermon at church this week was from John and the message was this - The proof that you love Jesus will be in how you love others. This got me to thinking about teachers and the amount of love that gets poured into everything we do at school. Teachers love kids and they love making a difference in the life of a kid. 

But, it's an uphill battle. Kids have problems that we never had to face. We have kids who live in destitute conditions. We have kids who have been exposed to things that we can't imagine. Kids who are neglected and abused. Incarcerated parents. Drugs. It's heartbreaking.

Ever heard of "compassion fatigue"? It's also known as "vicarious traumatization" - The emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. I would argue that teachers are as susceptible to compassion fatigue as much as anyone.

So, we are exhausted. Exhausted from working. Exhausted from taking on the weight of our students' trauma. Exhausted from our own personal commitments. Exhausted. That's why self care is so important. Take time to take care of yourself. You can't care for others if you don't take care of yourself.

I think we will cancel faculty meetings this week to give everyone a chance to do some self care:)

Think about this...

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

-Haim Ginott

Diagnosis - The ability of the teacher to verify what students already know and can do for the purpose of determining where to begin instruction.

This probably sounds like formative assessment. Rutherford divides formative assessment into two different themes. The first is diagnosis and this happens before the teacher teaches the lesson. The second happens during instruction and he calls that Overt Responses. The reason he divides formative assessment into two different themes has to do with timing and purpose. Diagnosis elicits evidence of learning for the purpose of choosing the best starting point for a lesson. Overt responses are elicited for the purpose of adjusting instruction.

Much like a physician diagnoses a patient's symptoms, a teacher diagnoses a student. This is done in three ways: formal, informal, and inferential.

Formal - This involves an extensive battery of tests and assessments. Benchmarks, STAR tests, BAS, etc. give us an idea of where our students are at and where to begin our lessons.

Informal - This involves a quick check of specific evidence. You might gather some student work and interpret what needs to be done in an upcoming activity.

Inferential - This isn't based on direct evidence, but is based on your educated guess, your teacher "gut." You take where the student is along with your previous knowledge and make decisions. Inferential is quick, but can be inaccurate.

All three of these tools have their time and place, however informal diagnosis skills are what makes a teacher a true master. Collecting quick bits of information from students just before engaging them in a new learning experience can inform a teacher as to where the students are and where to begin the next lesson.

Overt Responses - The ability of the teacher to regularly obtain evidence of student learning for the purpose of determining next steps for teaching.

As stated earlier, overt responses happen during the teaching in order to make changes to instruction. Rutherford compares this to a mechanic checking the oil level in a car by using the dipstick. To understand, one must have a way to look inside, to make the invisible visible. Students don't come with dipsticks, but good teachers can check their level's of learning just the same. This is called checking for understanding or formative assessment. 

Good teachers gain specific and immediate information about how the students are doing. They use this information to make immediate adjustments to their instruction.

By checking for understanding, teachers are able to promote a more participative and engaging learning environment. Research has consistently found student learning to be enhanced by direct engagement with teachers rather than extensive reliance on individual seatwork or written assignments. 

How to be successful with overt responses:

1. Elicit overt responses from all students: Engagement is either mandatory or optional and when you make it optional, you are allowing students to choose not to learn.
2. Overt responses must be visible and countable: The advantage of overt engagement is that it increases the probability that students will engage by making the engagement visible. 
3. Overt responses should be gathered during instruction, not following instruction: Overt responses occur during instruction so that the benefits of active engagement and authentic assessment can be realized right away. 
4. Don't just invite engagement. Plan for it: Teachers should plan their engagement strategies right along with their instructional strategies.