Tag Archives: teach

Apr29

Why Teach?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by daunaeasley

Are the Payoffs Worth the Challenges?

Let’s be honest. In many ways teaching is more challenging than ever. It has always been a profession which demands a person accept a salary which doesn’t reflect the amount of education, dedication and preparation it requires.

However, it used to be a profession that earned the esteem of parents, community members and the public at large. That is no longer true. Today’s teachers are blamed for, and at the same time required to heal, all the country’s challenges…test scores, broken homes, illiteracy, hard economic times, school calendars, the increase in disabilities and second languages, drug dependency, unemployment, latch key children, and hunger in America. They are maligned by politicians, billionaires, and celebrities. That is the teacher’s new reality.

So Why Teach?

If you look at just the dismal numerical facts and current public opinion, it can’t be explained. However, I have been retired from full-time teaching for three school years now. I do still work with student teachers at the college level, so I am in and out of schools all throughout the school year. I feel so “at home” whenever I’m in a school building. Each one has its own unique personality. Listen to some things I am experiencing right now.

Yesterday I was invited to the wedding shower of a college grad whom I had taught in high school. Four years after she left my classroom I am still important in her life. She turns to me for advice with frequency. She values the role I have played in her life and the opinions I have. She tells me so.
Not a week passes that I don’t hear from at least a half-dozen former students. They share their successes, life milestones, and challenges with me.
I received a beautiful thank you note this past week from a former high school student who is now a college graduate. Four years later, she thanked me again for being her teacher.
A week ago I noticed a plastic container in a corner of my bedroom. I couldn’t remember what was inside. When I looked inside I discovered dozens of thank you notes from students. Three years ago when I first retired I decided to put thank you notes from students and their parents in a notebook. I filled a three-ring binder that was three inches thick. These (that I rediscovered in the corner of my bedroom) were the left over notes. I had run out of steam before I finished the job. I decided to finish the task. I took another two-inch binder to complete the job.
When my former students change jobs, (and sometimes even careers) they write and ask for my advice. Many times they solicit input from me that they won’t accept from their own family members. That’s not exactly true. When they were in my classroom, we became a family.
My retirement years may not be flush with funds, but it is a wealth of appreciation and valued relationships. I can live contentedly with that.

Can You?

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Apr22

The Danger of Test Scores

Posted on April 22, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Is This Wise?

There is a great fable about an imagined animal school which decides to adopt the design structure of schools for humans. Humans have greater thinking and learning power than animals, right? Someone erroneously believes they can improve the performance of ALL animals by modeling animal schools after a learning institution for people. But is this wise?

In this new animal school, rather than the teacher being satisfied with the beaver’s ability to chop down trees and build dams, the teacher also insists the beaver learn to fly. The results of the beaver’s efforts to fly are, of course, frustrating and even ludicrous. Facing such a failure the beaver is no longer even proud of his innate ability to build dams better than any other animal.

What Are We Doing?

Take a discerning look at our schools. Isn’t that too close to what we really do? Instead of identifying and capitalizing on a student’s intrinsic talents, we reduce the time he spends in a pursuit in which he excels and simultaneously increase the amount of time he spends being tutored in a skill for which he has minimal talent. Think for a moment about this.

In a culture in which we are being driven by only test scores, we remove a student from his favorite class to tutor him/her for a class in which s/he is failing. Did it work for the beaver? What a scary philosophy this becomes when you consider the implications not just for individuals, but also for our country.

Why do we put all our efforts into forcing students to remediate to obtain mere passing scores in a subject area in which they are weak? Why not use those same efforts to encourage and push them in an area of their brilliance? What our country really needs is people functioning at the top of their form in the areas in which they excel. Ignite the flame in the area of their strengths and watch them catapult forward. If and when we finally do that, our entire nation will benefit.

Great teachers know this. They search and search until they discover and reveal a student’s talent. They frequently are the first to reveal that talent to the student. They give voice to it, encourage it and often push the student to heights they didn’t believe they could ever achieve.

I’m not the national Secretary of Education, but I think one of the things we need to be doing in every school district in America, is identifying individual student’s areas of brilliance and finding ways to encourage, enhance and grow that talent. Flying beavers are not the answer.

Want to help stop test score obsession? Please share this blog post with someone.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Apr16

Finding Ways to Make Students Shine

Posted on April 16, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Against the Odds

One morning in our sheet of staff announcements, there was a mention about an “Against the Odds” award. This award was being sponsored by the largest newspaper in Cincinnati. The newspaper wanted to feature ten students across the entire area that were having success in spite of some personal challenges. They would do an article on each student selected and then invite them to a dinner with business leaders. I ran quickly through my class list mentally. No one was in a wheel chair, blind or deaf. It would be a long shot even if they were. Only ten students – not just from the city – but the whole area. I’m embarrassed to admit that my vision was so narrow about this opportunity.

Thankfully, Jim Wallace, an insightful guidance counselor suggested I nominate Dorothy. In spite of being born with a cleft palate and having several surgeries to correct this, she was having some success in our high school career academy early childhood education program. She worked conscientiously and had high grades in my class. She held down a job after school hours working in a child care center. Why not Dorothy?

But let’s be honest, this is frequently where the process breaks down. What teacher has extra time to go through a lengthy nomination process which usually requires many steps including a well written essay? Not one teacher I can think of has extra time for such a long shot possibility. It never ceases to amaze me how many letters of recommendation a high school teacher is asked to write and how long a good letter of recommendation takes to author. But I went to work anyway. I already knew Dorothy’s mom was disabled with serious health issues. I had to hold my home visit while she was in bed. I discovered her father had also died when she was very young.

Weeks later we found out she won the award! What a significant accomplishment for her this was. The newspaper sent a professional photographer right into my classroom to shoot a whole roll of film of Dorothy working on the floor with preschoolers. (I ran a laboratory preschool to train my high school early childhood education students). The resulting photo in the newspaper was the largest I had ever seen. It covered 3/4 of the front page of the education section. After all it was the newspaper that sponsored the award. The program made for the dinner was even more impressive, all glossy print. She received a $500.00 scholarship from business leaders. But best of all a young lady was getting a long overdue chance to shine. She became a temporary hero in our classroom instead of being just outside the inner circle. I have no doubt that this was an event that Dorothy will remember forever.

I shudder to think of how I almost over looked this opportunity. It taught me to dig a little deeper and take a few more risks as I look for a variety of ways to give my students the chance to shine.

Graduations will be happening soon. The same students will receive award after award at banquets and scholarship ceremonies. The vast majority of students will walk across the stage in their caps and gowns and that will be it. No special accolades except for the scattered applause from their families in a large auditorium.

Only teachers can make that event significant for more than just a small group of students. Yes, it will take a little more time and effort…time teachers don’t have. It may even take a little personal out-of-pocket money. I always liked to buy a small item I thought represented each student’s special talents. I brought their parents into my classroom ( all of my students). I carefully chose and dedicated a song to the class. That song played behind a slide show of their photos and memories we had made. I wrote a poem just for their class. I brought students to the front of the room one at a time and told a cute story or two about each one. I voiced their talents.

If you want to teach to change lives you have to find a way to make every single student feel significant. It’s a tall order and I promise you I fell short a time or two. I am human, not a saint. But as I look back over a long teaching career, it was the times I went above and beyond expectations to honor students, that make me most proud.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities through the author dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Apr8

Helping Students Create Their Own Destiny

Posted on April 8, 2013 by daunaeasley

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YOU Create Your Own Destiny

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

-Viktor E. Frankl

These words have always inspired me. Written by a man who survived the concentration camps of the holocaust makes them even more significant. We cannot control many of the things that happen to us in life; but we have absolute control over the ways we respond to those events.

One of our greatest roles as teachers, is to teach truths about life. Sure, we are hired to teach our academic areas; but I believe we miss one of our most important choices if we don’t also teach underlying truths that help our students live a successful life. This quote helped me come up with a way to teach students that they have the power to create their own destiny. How did I do that?

Early in the school year, I put a dot or a star on the far left margin of the chalk board. (Think wipe-off board or electronic board these days). Then I would move to the farthest right side of the board and make another dot or star.

I would pause until they seemed interested in what I was doing. You can do a lot of teaching in the pauses. Once they seemed quiet and curious I would say as I pointed…

This dot on the left side of the board represents the things that happen to us as we live our lives.

Pause

Sometimes those events are terrible. Someone we love rejects us.

(Teens always are interested in matters of the heart).

Pause

Sometimes we work hard toward a goal and yet we get passed over. Someone else gets recognition that we deserve. We lose our jobs. A loved one dies. Someone insults you or passes around untrue gossip about you. Someone steals something from you. Someone hurts you deeply.

(Each time I offer one of these scenarios I once again point to the star or dot on the left side of the board). I sometimes ask them to add bad things that might happen in life.

Then I move to slowly the left side of the board and point to the dot on the far right.

Way, way over here on the far right side of the board is the way you respond to those events.

Pause

Do you know what is between these two dots?

Usually they just look at me and wait. Sometimes someone will make a joke and say, “Nothing?”

Pause

The only thing that lies between an event and what you do to respond to that event, is your choice. No matter what happens to us, we always, always, have control over the way we respond to it.

We need to remember only we have the choice to decide how we respond. We always choose. It is those choices that determine our destiny. Look carefully. What is between those two dots?

I then v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y draw a wavy line between those two dots on opposite ends of the board.

You have allllllll this time between the two dots, between the event and your response to decide how you are going to respond.

Choosing the way you will respond, making the choice creates your destiny. What happens to you, doesn’t create your destiny. Your choices in the way you react create your destiny.

Teens (and some adults) limit their destiny when they react without thinking…without making a choice. They say things like, “Well, he pushed me so I punched him,” or “When she looked at me like that I just had to tell her off.”

Wrong. Your reaction was a choice.

Teens will tell me that their parents or buddies told them never to let people treat you like that.

Look around you. Are the people who give you this “punch-them-in-the-face” advice… are they themselves a success in life? Are they living a life you want to emulate? Well, are they?

Or are they in prison or holding entry-level jobs or no jobs even though they are middle age?

You create your own destiny by the choices you make between any stimulus and the response you choose.

Let’s be honest, sometime in life we’ve all made a mistake with a knee-jerk reaction to a situation. I know I have. But I later regretted my response. I share a couple of examples of my own mistakes with my students. We can teach quite a bit by sharing our failures and vulnerabilities. They hear us best when we aren’t preaching.

As the year progresses and a teen or two will invariably make a poor choice, I don’t have to say anything. I just go to the board, make my two dots, and draw the wavy line in between. No words have to be spoken, though many of the students will give that little hum (or groan) of understanding.

I find it’s best to do this activity early in the year before a poor choice has occurred. That way no student is made the target of the exercise. When students come into class all excited about a fight that has just occurred in the cafeteria or hallway, I just draw my two dots and that slow wavy line in between. They get it. They may say something like, “No, seriously Mrs. E. you should have seen it, it was so cool.” But I just draw my two dots and my wavy line again.

What is My Hope?

Someday when I’m no longer standing in front of them in a classroom, my students will remember the two dots and the long wavy line between them. They will realize that they have the power to create their own destiny with the choices they make. They won’t feel they have to become the victim of their own poor choices even if lousy choices were all that was modeled for them.

When I move outside the sometimes confining limits of my academic area, I often feel like I’m doing my most important teaching. It is when I most feel like I am teaching to change lives.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Apr1

Letters from Teachers

Posted on April 1, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Lucky Me

I’m a lucky lady alright. Not only have I had the chance to spend decades involved in the teaching profession that I love, I’ve also been invited to speak to teacher audiences in 37 states. Sometimes I speak at conferences. Other times I’m invited to encourage teachers in individual school districts. I love to use my speaking skills to inspire and encourage teachers.

Have you ever wondered what teachers are thinking? I have scores of letters from teachers who write to me after they hear me speak. They tell me exactly what is on their minds. Listen in on what they have to say.

Dear Dauna,

… Last Friday, as school ended, I was scrubbing up a whole bottle of dried syrup that had been thrown into the broom closet. At that point I was thinking, “Why did I ever sign up to attend this conference next week? I still have things to do here AND at home!” Now I am so glad I came You were fantastic. You have made this whole conference worthwhile. I get the feeling that you are the kind of teacher who would have syrup spill in your closet too.

… You really touched our teachers. You gave them something that doesn’t come in books or on the internet. You shared YOU! Your human compassion and common sense encouraged them like nothing else can. You gave them a glow that they will not forget.

…Your stories were so moving and so real. I came away feeling very proud to be a teacher and there are not enough of those moments.

… What a gift you have to move people with your true stories about teaching. God bless you.

… I’ve been coming to these conferences with the same group of guys for years. We really enjoy each other’s company. Frankly we usually just sit in the back and talk through the presentations. When you gave your speech it was the first time not one of us said anything. You really hooked us.

… I knew from the moment you stepped in front of our group that you were going to be a huge success. You have a magic aura around you. Thank you for turning me into a hero because I was the one who invited you to our state to speak. I feel as though I’ve not just heard a great teacher speak, I feel as though I’ve made a new friend.

… You humbled me by talking about your failures. We all have failures but we forget the positive impact we can have by sharing those failures with others.

… My goodness you are an amazing speaker! I have never seen anyone, ever, control an audience like you did.

( I can’t help it. I just have to tell you. That last comment was written by a Georgia senator about ten years ago).

… You made me think of all the teachers whom I should thank. I hope and pray that someday someone feels the same way toward me. I know God has put me here for a reason. Thank you for helping me realize that I may be touching someone right now, even though I can’t see it.

… I almost didn’t come back today. I’ve been driving to Columbus an hour each way for the past three days to attend this conference. Last night I almost decided to stay home and avoid one more day of that drive. But, because of you I’m so glad I didn’t stay home. You made all that driving for all three days worthwhile? Next year you should speak all three days.

… I’ve always thought of myself as a positive person. I honestly try to take this into the classroom every day. But at times it’s hard to smile at the little SOB who gives me a rough time. But after listening to you today, I make you three promises:

I will smile at my problem child.
Every student of mine will hear the fish story.
I will write my 8th grade English teacher a thank you letter.

… At last they finally bring in someone to speak to us who REALLY KNOWS what it’s like to teach. I felt like you were inside my head hearing my thoughts. You have had all my same frustrations but you helped me realize that I might really be making a difference. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me hang in there.

… I came here worn out and wrung out. You lifted a heavy load from my shoulders and a weight from my chest.

… You know the most important thing I learned from you today? It is OK to be goofy. You are a riot!

… Last night I was talking to my wife about how “the job” was going. I told her I was considering going back into industry because I didn’t feel like I was having a positive impact on my students. Can it possibly be an accident that I heard you speak today? Wow, have you given me a boost! I can go back into the classroom with a positive attitude. You have reminded me of why I chose teaching.

… You could never believe how much I needed to hear the message you gave us today. You were speaking directly to me. I believe your stories will help me be a better person as well as a better teacher.

…I never would have believed I could laugh so hard – and cry too – in ninety minutes. The time went by too quickly. Please come back!

..I’m really not a warm and fuzzy person, but today you have inspired me to work harder and listen to my students more.

…My staff suggested I get you to come back once a month for a shot in the arm. You touched all of us in a special way.

… I hope someone, somewhere, lets me know I’ve been a positive influence in their life. Thanks for giving me hope.

Now Dear Readers, Will You Do Me a Favor?

If you enjoy reading my blog posts, could you recommend me to someone who hires speakers to encourage teachers?
I’d love to be the opening speaker at your school next year. Contact me.
Are you a teacher who attends in service meetings? Could you share a link from my blog posts with the person who invites speakers to your district?
Are you in charge of hiring speakers for teacher conferences?
My email address is the best way to reach me: dauna@cinci.rr.com

My past audience members are the ones who encouraged me to write a book for teachers. I’ve now written two. Some universities are having their education students read my books. Here is my most recent book for teachers.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Mar25

Teaching Celebrations and Frustrations

Posted on March 25, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Celebrations

Recently while navigating through the pages that support my blog site, I stumbled upon a page full of statistics where I learned that…

…during the past 90 days my teacher blog

at DaunaEasley.com

has been read by people in 35 different countries!

I was amazed and humbled.

A person writing a teacher blog should probably never admit this; but some of those countries I had never even heard of. (Thankfully I didn’t teach high school geography).

Sometimes it is a lonely commitment, to sit down at my desk in my home and type my heart out about the teaching profession I love. You wonder if anyone will ever value (or even read) the words that you write. Thank you loyal followers. You make my efforts feel so worthwhile. At 3:00 am (yes that is the current time when I’m writing this), it helps to know that my words are welcome in places around the world I will never have the opportunity to visit. I am in awe.

Teaching Frustrations

Recently while watching a young student teacher assign homework to a group of middle school students, I heard all the young teens groan. What was their frustration? Their homework was being assigned out of the textbook. Their texts were huge and they didn’t want to carry the book home in their backpacks along with all their other texts. The teacher gave a brief apology. “We don’t have paper to use. The budget is low. We have to use our textbooks for homework. Sorry.”

I know when I start to describe this dilemma there will be people who won’t understand. They’ll tell me that no child in Africa has a textbook and they would be honored to have one to use. Other people will tell me about classrooms around the world where the entire class must share a pencil or scratch their calculations out with a stick in the sand. Maybe, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have even brought this up when I have just bragged about 35 countries reading this blog. Awkward moment.

However, can you imagine corporations in America telling their employees to market, design, and produce a product without using paper? It is a ludicrous notion. And yet it happens in our classrooms all the time. Teachers are routinely asked to teach without supplies as basic as paper. For decades I have listened to administrators beg and then threaten teachers not to use paper or copy machines. School budgets simply can’t absorb the cost of paper or copy machine repair. Taxpayers will vote for building a new school. But they will not vote money for a school operating levy.

Before every election, politicians make hefty promises to support education. After every election they promise taxpayers to make hefty budget cuts. The first to be deserted? The schools…more correctly…the students.

I once wrote a humorous piece on copy machines in schools that I will share here. If you’ve never worked in a school, you won’t believe it. But every single situation is something I have experienced while teaching in schools in America.

Copiers

I’m not talking about kids who don’t want to study and look on classmates’ papers during a test. I’m talking about machines that copy worksheets, newsletters to parents and homework assignments. Here is the reality within schools.

The only safe and accurate assumption to make is that no school in America will ever have a copier for teachers to use. Don’t set your standards too high. The reality will hurt too much.
I don’t mean that there won’t be one on the premises. Usually if you know where to look you can spot one. In my job before my last teaching job, I could spot one near my classroom. It was in a small room with glass windows, but the door was locked. You could see it and salivate, but that was all. I struggled for five years to get a key to that door. Remember this is a true story.
If you ever actually spot a copy machine on school premises don’t get too excited. Some copy machines are never allowed to be used by teachers. Only administrators and secretaries have the authority to use them. Intelligence and advanced degrees won’t buy you the right to touch them.
If the copy machine assigned to teachers is on, it will ask for a password. But the password you’ve been assigned will never work when you need it most. In some instances it will never work at all. You will have to exchange other school supplies (like staplers, and 3 hole punches) to use the password of another teacher. But they will never let you know their password, they will only tap it in quickly with their hand covering the little window on the machine. They are not fools. Teachers with working passwords are like English royalty. No working password? Learn to curtsy.
If you report to your administrator that your password is not working they will tell you to fill out a form…these days online…and send a request to technology. You will never be able to find the name of the form. It will probably be named nwpw#3256. That stands for non-working password. They throw in the numbers because they are afraid you might figure out the name of the form and consequently use paper and toner.
If you ever get a password and see a copy machine with no line next to it, trust me it isn’t working. Go ahead. Don’t believe me. It may appear to be working. Unfortunately you will only believe this after it eats your master copy.
No matter how early you arrive at school or how late you stay, the copy machine will always have a long line next to it.
If you arrive at 5:00 am and there is no line next to it, you will be in charge of turning it on. It will take forever to warm up. If you stand there and wait, forty-five minutes later you will finally figure out that it isn’t working.
If you turn it on to warm up and come back twenty minutes later to run your copies, there will be one person in front of you at 5:20. They will be running 30 page packets.
No plan bell is ever long enough to work your way to the front of the copy line. You will make it to the front of the line at the exact moment you have to be back in class teaching.
If you finally do get to the front of the copy line and are excited, you are only moments away from discovering that the person in line in front of you jammed the machine. They will never admit this and you will be left trying to unjam his jam and everyone behind you will believe you broke the machine. They will be complaining about you all over the building that day.
If you find that the machine does not have a line, your password actually works, and it doesn’t show a jam, there is only one possible explanation. There is no paper left in the cabinet.
If you report to the administrator (or more probably someone he has designated) that there is not paper in the cabinet, she will tell you that you must order copy paper from your budget.
You have no budget for ordering paper.
Kinkos (is that still their name?), Staples and Office Depot know all these facts and love them. Their stock is buffered by the long line of teachers who use their take home salaries to buy copy paper and run off work for their students.

Thus I return to and stand by my original premise. No school in America will have a copier for a teacher’s use. We can replace chalkboards with wipe off boards and sometimes even smart boards. Every kid can carry a cell phone and an electronic notebook. Those that can’t, will soon have to walk to the public library to submit their work online, because no school in the Land of the Free can afford copy paper.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Autographed or in large quantities by the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Mar18

Kindness in the Classroom

Posted on March 18, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Let’s Talk About Kindness

Kindness helps everything. It can smooth over advice for improvements. Sincere empathy during a difficult time can make that adversity seem a little more bearable. An unexpected kindness can build a positive rapport between people. That rapport can then be used to give a young person the courage to discuss their challenges and dreams with you. There is always a choice to bring kindness into a situation…especially the classroom. Kindness can make even devastating news more palatable. Kindness can be as simple as saying nothing when a young person has really made a poor choice. We all need kindness the most when we deserve it least.

Be Kind to Yourself

As a rule teachers are pretty tough on themselves. We accept assignments late and jeopardize our own free time to show kindness to students. We give up our lunch breaks, planning bells and spend countless hours before and after school tutoring, running clubs, or just talking with students. We answer emails, call parents, serve on committees, mentor a new teacher and then end up taking all our grading home. Most teachers are “yes” people. It seems the last person we are kind to is ourselves.

A few summers ago I enrolled in a couple of one week workshops for teachers. One of the teachers had us do an activity I will never forget. She asked us to write a letter to ourselves about any area or aspect of our life that concerned us. The letters were going to be mailed back to our homes in a self-addressed stamped envelope at a specified later date. But here is the twist that made this activity to powerful. She asked us to write that letter using the same type of kind and encouraging words that we would use with a student. Whoa! I learned very quickly that I talk to and criticize myself in a very different way than I would talk to students. Writing to myself using the tact and care I use with my students was a very emotional experience. I could tell it had the same impact on every teacher in that room. It revealed to me that on a daily basis I am probably my own worst enemy.

Helping Students Learn Kind Self-Talk

The following year I used this activity with my seniors shortly before they graduated. It was a classroom full of future teachers. They were going to be writing encouraging notes and letters to students. I had them practice on themselves. I gave them the same instructions my workshop teacher had given me. They asked if I was going to read them or not. I gave them the same answer as my workshop teacher. “If you seal them, I won’t read them.” As they wrote silently, you could feel the intensity in the classroom. Rachael began to cry quietly as she wrote encouraging words to herself. She wasn’t the only student who reacted with emotion. She later said, “Well, Mrs. Easley, you made me cry in school. I have managed to get through kindergarten and twelve years of school without ever crying in class. But just before I graduate, you make me cry in class!” Ouch.

While my goal certainly wasn’t to make her cry, (truthfully she made herself cry with what she wrote), I could see the experience had made a lasting impact on her and many others in class. When that much emotion is attached to an activity, you know that they have experienced something memorable. To be honest I knew there were a few in the room who found the activity too emotional, and then just wrote something meaningless in the envelope and sealed it. But I suppose that is true of any endeavor. We get out of it what we are willing to put into it. That is also true of life.

Hurdle Roadblocks with Kindness

I’ve also learned that kindness works for me when I come across a roadblock in my life. I try to teach students about this technique. The kindness doesn’t even have to be directed at the situation that is presenting a roadblock. In fact it works better if it is completely unrelated. Small kindnesses make us feel as good as the person to whom we direct the kindness. When we feel better about ourselves, we are more effective on many fronts. Unselfish kindnesses do have a way of coming back to us with unexpected rewards, but that cannot and should not be our original goal. Spreading kindness has a domino effect. Except unlike dominoes kindness doesn’t knock people over, it builds them up. And isn’t that the best definition of teaching?

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available from Amazon.com

Mar11

A Parent Teacher Conference I’ll Never Forget

Posted on March 11, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Meaningful Moments

I taught for more decades than I care to admit. During that time I’ve probably conducted thousands of parent teacher conferences. Many of those memories run together. However possibly a dozen parent conferences stand out in my mind because of what they taught me.

One time while teaching future teachers in a Teacher Academy program at high school level, I had the opportunity to talk with Jack’s mom. Jack was a junior in my class and an all around great guy. Everyone loved Jack. This particular class happened to be dominated by girls which meant that sometimes there was female drama percolating just below the surface within the classroom. But somehow Jack could stay above it and even maintain a friendship with every single female in the class. Watching him I knew he had the diplomacy, humor and kindness to be a great teacher. He instinctively knew how to make people feel valued.

Early in the year I asked the students in my Teacher Academy to give a speech on any topic of their own choosing. I wanted them to use the Smart Board, make slides, practice speaking comfortably in front of the class so I allowed the topic to be a topic of their choice. Jack’s topic surprised all of us.

How NOT to Get a Girlfriend

As speeches go it was terrific. He had the attention of every person in the classroom. He had made wonderful slides. His premise was that girls aren’t really attracted to the thoughtful, nice guys.

Drive them to school and carry their books from class to class….THAT won’t get you a girlfriend.
Listen to them talk about their boyfriend’s bad habits and build up their self esteem…THAT won’t get you a girlfriend.
Bring them a flower or buy them a dessert in the cafeteria…THAT won’t get you a girlfriend.

He went through several such examples accompanied by humorous slides. Every person in the class was laughing and attentive. They could hear the truth in his comments. When he had his audience primed and ready, Jack showed his final slide titled…

The Only Way to REALLY Get a Girlfriend

Reach into your pockets filled with lots of money, pull the money out and say, “I have all this money to spend and I don’t know what to do with it. Do you want to go to the mall?” THEN you’ll have a girlfriend.

Needless to say it was a very effective speech for a room full of high school students. Everyone was laughing and recognizing the uncomfortable truth in some of what Jack was saying. Why do high school girls overlook some of the best guys?

The Parent Teacher Conference Continues

I love telling parents cute stories about their kids. I thought perhaps Jack had told his family about his speech at home, maybe even practiced it in front of them, but he hadn’t. As I told his mom this story I could see that she was hearing it for the first time. I was laughing but she had tears in her eyes. I was confused. I paused to let her tell me why she was upset. She was too emotional to speak so she motioned for me to continue.

I started to understand that she had bad news to share, but I went on to tell her another story about Jack. He knew even as a junior in high school that he wanted to teach junior high level. Part of my job was to procure placements within the district for my students to shadow current professional teachers. I had Jack placed in a junior high classroom. It is daunting for even adults to get up in front of junior high students and maintain control of the class. Jack was only a junior in high school, just a couple of years older than these young teens, and yet he had an instinct for handling this age group using just the right combination of firmness and humor. He impressed even this seasoned teacher. I described to his mom a class I saw him teach successfully in a junior high health class.

By now Jack’s mom had tears running down her cheeks. She was openly crying. I knew that she was going to reveal that she had a life threatening illness. I braced myself for the bad news and was thinking of encouraging things I might say in response. I waited a few beats and asked, “So why the tears?”

Here’s what she said while trying hard to control her emotions.

Mrs. Easley, Jack has two older sisters, both of whom knew exactly what they wanted to do in life. They knew what their career path would be from a young age and then went straight toward their goals. Jack has been so different from them. He didn’t seem to know what he wanted to do. In Junior High he just seemed to get off course. His grades started to slip. Things he cared about previously he just kind of gave up on. His friends changed. We have just been so worried about him. We just wanted him to find something he loved. We’ve had so many conversations about what was going to happen to Jack.

She paused.

When he signed up for the Teacher Academy program we were surprised…pleased, but maybe just a little skeptical. But right now, in the past ten minutes, listening to you, I realize that Jack has found his niche. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the stories you shared with me. Jack has found his niche. It is the biggest relief to know that he has found something he loves and then to know he is good at it…it is the best possible news.

It took a lot of kleenex for her to get her story out. Her gratitude and relief was so great that she just let the tears flow.

It is one of the conferences I will never forget. I had completely blindsided her with good news. Isn’t it wonderful when a teacher can play that role? It gave me a renewed resolve to take time to share stories with parents. Conferences aren’t just about rattling off test scores and homework expectations. The very best parent teacher conferences are about listening to parents and then blindsiding them with great news and stories about their kid.

Guess What?

A couple of weeks ago I heard from Jack. I think of him frequently and even made an attempt to find him last summer, but failed. But only a couple of weeks ago his name popped up on my Facebook page. He now has his Masters Degree in Education from The Ohio State University. I’m impressed but not surprised. He has a long-term substitute teaching job, with a full-time teaching job possibility on the horizon. Oh, and also he coaches a junior high girls’ basketball team.

I know he is going to be great with this age group, even the ones who get a little off course…maybe especially those kids. I know he is just the kind of guy who will blindside their parents with good news at conference time.

On the days when my life has too many challenges, I think about all the wonderful kids I knew when they were aspiring future teachers. Most of them are in the classroom now or only a year or two away from it. It makes me optimistic about our schools’ future and optimistic about the teachers in front of today’s students.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author at dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Mar4

Great Classroom Activity

Posted on March 4, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Which Words Rule Our Lives?

It’s important for us that we know the words that rule our lives. This is a great activity I learned from my own high school students, Taylor and Cody. The assignment was for each of my students who aspired to be future teachers, to teach a lesson in front of their classmates. At the time of this assignment the classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are had just been made into a movie and was being shown in theaters. Taylor and Cody began their lesson by having the students watch the movie trailer. In a very effective style the trailer pointed out that each of us has three words within us. We all possess a little fear. We all crave a little adventure. And we all need a little hope.

How clever Taylor and Cody were to get Hollywood to create the hook for their lesson! The movie trailer was quite effective and had every student’s attention. The “teachers” then asked the class to focus on those three words: fear, adventure and hope.

Decide which one of those words rules your life.

Think about it and then share it with your peers.

After a few minutes of thought they brought the class together into a cozy circle.

Each student truthfully described which of these three words currently seemed to dominate their lives. They were very honest and revealing. (I believe students truly want to share what is on their minds. I’ve seen it too many times to be wrong about this). It is the challenge of an insightful teacher to find a vehicle that will encourage that sharing.

After everyone had shared their thoughts, the teaching partners posed a second question…

Are you satisfied with the word that seems to drive your life right now?

Once again the students took turns sharing their answers. This kind of activity will only be successful if a teacher has previously created a safe, accepting environment in which all students feel free to share. Once again the answers were candid and insightful. This activity forced each of us to assess our lives. It forced us to evaluate our motives, to really think about the choices we were making and whether those choices served us well. It also built tremendous understanding and empathy among class members. It deepened our sense of community. As a side benefit it is important to recognize…bullies can’t thrive when you build a sense of acceptance within a classroom community. How proud I was of my students for creating such an effective experience for our class.

Is there one word that seems to drive your life? Fear? Adventure? Hope? Which one is it? I always participate fully in any revealing activity like this in my classroom. It bonds the teacher with the class. It builds understanding across generations and defines the classroom as a safe place. Even more important it shows the students the teacher is willing to talk about feelings. It gives them the courage to approach the teacher when something really important is on their minds. It puts a welcome mat in front of the door to your classroom and your heart.

Thank you Taylor and Cody, for creating this wonderful lesson for me to share with others!

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com

Feb25

What is Important?

Posted on February 25, 2013 by daunaeasley

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School Rules

Today more than ever, our schools are filled with rules. Like it or not rules are necessary to keep students safe. We can’t tolerate guns or drugs in school buildings or their surroundings. We want bullies to know they are not in charge of our students. We have rules against discrimination and rules that demand modifications for students with learning challenges. In some schools you can’t wear hats, hoods or head-gear or even carry large book bags in the hallways. In other schools you have to walk up one stairway and down another in order to help students get to class on time. Most school rules are important. Some we just tolerate. And let’s be honest, some we ignore until they are taken off the rule list completely.

Life Rules Matter

Beyond the school rules, though, I believe it is most important to teach our students LIFE rules. This is not so easy, but vital for their future success. I like to start with the rule of 10-10-10. When I see students getting frustrated or overwhelmed I like to refer to it in the classroom. The 10-10-10 rule is simple. Look into the future, stop and think:

Is what I’m doing or worrying about right now going to matter ten days from now? Well is it?
Is what I’m doing or worrying about right now going to matter in ten months?
Is what I’m doing right now going to matter ten years from now?

Some teens stress out over something that isn’t even going to matter in ten minutes. “Look at this text message! What do you think he means by that?!” In ten minutes the bell will ring and you can ask him.

These three questions really help our students understand how to evaluate the ways they spend their time. They are also questions that need to guide our own lives. Isn’t that why we chose teaching after all? We chose a profession that would impact our student’ lives for more than ten years. (If we do it well).

When I take a break from my writing to pick up a grandchild from gymnastics or attend a baseball game to watch my grandson play ball, I’m doing something that will matter even ten years from now. I want my grandchildren to know they matter to me. I must do that now. In ten years, four of my grandchildren will be living away from home. This is the time I must build a permanent relationship with them. I am very aware of that. THIS is when they look forward to seeing me. I want them to remember that I was an important person in their lives I want them to know that they are important people in MY life.

However, when I’m writing I don’t answer the phone for a number I don’t recognize. I’ll finish my task and then listen to my messages.

Both of those responses honor the 10-10-10 rule. Recently while shopping I saw a little plaque that read:

I always have time to talk about how busy I am

Ouch. Aren’t we all a little guilty of that?

Using these three questions can make us and our students just a little bit more aware of how much time we spend on useless drivel. Teachers spend hours and hours doing things that will not matter one whit in ten days. So much minutia is thrust upon us. We have to learn to just say no to time wasters if we want to accomplish our bigger dream of helping our students become all that they can be.

Likewise students are completely inundated with electronics.

Technology has turned our teens and far younger children into electronic junkies. They stop any important project…driving, making eye contact with a parent or friend, or especially listening to a teacher, to respond to an endless barrage of text messages. Screening these interruptions and prioritizing what is really important is a skill that must be taught. What is our ultimate goal? Focus on what will still be important in ten years. Are our students working toward long-term goals or becoming a slave to trivial interruptions?

Making them aware of the ten-ten-ten rule will help them sort it out for themselves. Maybe they won’t even “get it” right now. But ten years from now, when they are trying to reprioritize their lives, they may understand the wisdom we were trying to share.

TEACH…To Change Lives

Available autographed or in large quantities from the author: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Also available at Amazon.com