Tag Archives: teacher

Jan19

Change that Hurts

Posted on January 19, 2014 by daunaeasley

In the last week my husband of 32 years has died. Two days later the pipes in my house froze, burst and flooded my home. Part of me is in great sorrow. Another part of me is numb, but going through the motions of planning a funeral and a eulogy. My blog posts have been missing for the past two Mondays because I needed to regain some equilibrium.

I’m living the truth of this quote in front of you right now. Change IS the only constant we can count on. The status quo is non-existent.

In anyone’s life there are two different kinds of change.

1. There is the change we want to make for ourselves. Frequently these changes of choice occur at this time of year. We evaluate our lives and decide to lose weight, or exercise more frequently. We decide to do a better job of saving money. We may step up to a dream we’ve had or a risk we have been afraid to take.

2. The second kind of change is forced upon us. It is outside our control, but change we must. It may be as simple as new software at work or more challenging… a new boss or business owner. Or it may be even more dramatic and sudden. Bam! Your job is gone. Yikes, someone walks out of your life. Or one day you may be packing away the Christmas decorations, pause to take your husband a cup of hot chocolate and find that he has passed away. That is what happened to me last week. My hubby has had a heart attack and two strokes this past year, but still the finality of this stunned me.

Fourteen years ago I had to say good-by to my sixteen year old daughter, Kelsey, who died of brain cancer. How did I recover from that? Slowly. And frankly you never fully recover from the loss of a child. However, only a couple of years before she died I read a magazine article that was quite a help to me after her death. I have since searched for this article to share it with others because it made such a difference in my life. (Oh, the power of writing our inner thoughts down). Unfortunately I don’t remember the title, the author or the magazine. I’m embarrassed to admit that. I only remember the message because it was so powerful. Maybe you read it too. Maybe you can help me find and thank that author. I know I read it before 1999.

The author was a woman. She had an older brother who was outstanding in every way. He was outgoing and popular. He was president of his high school class and an accomplished athlete. Everyone in town adored this young man. The author of the article was his younger sister. She lived in his shadow but she adored him also.

This star of a brother went off across the country to college. He fell in the shower and died suddenly. When the call came in to his parents his sister was also home. She watched her parents react to this phone call. She knew in that instant that she not only had lost her brother, but she had also lost her parents. She knew they would never recover from his death and they didn’t. She essentially lost her whole family on that day.

When I read this article my youngest daughter had already had one battle with a very serious kind of cancer. I always knew there was a chance that cancer would come back. I made a decision right then, that if the worst happened my remaining daughter may have to lose her only sibling, but she would not lose her mother at the same time. It was a choice I made right then. Some changes you don’t choose, but you always have the power to choose your reaction to those changes.

When the cancer came back and we lost our daughter, Kelsey, I had to live that choice. It wasn’t an easy choice. It took quite a bit of effort. But I I refused to be less of a mother to my remaining daughter, Jodi. I would also not be less of a teacher to my students. This was another difficult choice because Kelsey was a sophomore when she died. I taught juniors and seniors then. I had to live through all their proms, senior pictures, and graduations at the same time that Kelsey should have been sharing those experiences.

Almost everything about my life has changed. My immediate family included a husband and two daughters. Now two of these four are gone. What remains is the choice I made 14 years ago when we lost Kelsey. I will NOT be less of a mother to Jodi. I now also have a son-in-law and five grandchildren who need the full me, not a shell of my former self. And that is what they are going to get.

I also will continue to visit college level student teachers, my current role. I will encourage as many people as I can to enter the teaching profession because this role was so fulfilling in my own life. If I were teaching full-time right now, I would share this story and my commitment with my students. It is the way I always taught. Life lessons are as important as the lessons in the textbook…frequently more important if you ask me. When I have to face a difficult life lesson, it is the time I miss my full-time classroom most. My students and I have weathered many things together. Daily contact with young people can keep you optimistic and looking forward during the worst of times.

Please remember my husband, Wayne and our daughter Kelsey in your prayers. This is a photo taken of the two of them a long time ago. I can tell by how little hair Kelsey has that it was taken just following her first battle with cancer. Kelsey must be about 7 in this photo. She died when she was 16. I adore this picture because it shows the love between them.

Remembering Wayne and Kelsey Easley

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Conttact Dauna Easley to speak to your group: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Dec30

Bright Ideas for Dark Days

Posted on December 30, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Twenty Tips for Motivating Yourself and Other Teachers

Throughout the Winter Months

When the memory of those beautiful fall days begins to dim, and spring still seems a lifetime away, we may feel our enthusiasm begin to take a dive. Many teachers begin teaching at 7:00 am and may arrive even earlier. During the winter months if there is an after school meeting, they may drive home in the dark also. What are some ways to keep yourself upbeat for your student? Remember: We can’t pass along what we don’t possess. Our students deserve committed and enthusiastic teachers. Try some of these ideas that have worked for me.

Fake it till you make it. This isn’t phony. William James, the psychologist called the the “as if” principle. If you want to feel enthusiastic, act “as if” you already are. I learned this lesson clearly during a particularly tough time in my personal life. It was my job to be at the school entrance to greet young children when they arrived in the morning. No matter how down in the dumps I felt when I arrived at school, after 20 minutes of greeting one child after another with a big smile and a friendly comment or two, I felt better for the whole day.
Allow for spontaneity. Change your plans. Put a new twist on an old lesson. What is something you have never tried in your classroom before? Now is the time! When I was writing my two books for teachers I discovered something surprising. The story I wrote about was almost always the first time I tried a new activity in the classroom. If the activity was a success, then I would do it again in subsequent years. But it was almost always the first time I did the activity that was the “memeory maker.” Fresh ideas spark our creativity and engage students in new ways.
Build an encouragement folder. Whenever someone writes you a positive note for any reason, pop that note into a folder. Pull out all those notes when you need to recharge your batteries. It will pump up your confidence and make you feel great.
Lighten up! When you find yourself getting really angry about something, step back and try and laugh about it. Make it into a comedy routine if you have to.
Read motivational books or inspirational thoughts late at night or before work in the morning. The morning news depresses me. I have found that I can’t listen to how many murders, rapes and fires happened overnight and then teach teenagers during the day. but with the right music and uplifting thoughts in my head, I’m the best that I can be. Don’t my students deserve this?
Practice kindness. Kindness helps absolutely everything. It is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear. I’m far from perfect but I can tell you this: The times I haven’t been kind haunt me. Kindness lifts everyone, not just the recipient of the kindness, but the giver too.
Take a class that will help you reflect on your job in a positive way. I teach future teachers but I still take classes with the same titles as the classes I teach. I always learn new ideas and teaching strategies in every class I take. I can also be a valuable contributor to a class I’m taking. Every time I have taken a class I’ve come back to the classroom with fresh ideas to try with my students. I don’t care how experienced you are, there are always new things to learn if your attitude is in the right place.
Write down new ideas the moment they pop into your mind. Try to take some action on them within 24 hours. At my age, I need sticky notes to survive. I’m full of ideas that are gone in an instant. The creativity of the sticky notes compels me to use them to organize my thoughts. There are arrows, tabs, stars, neon bursts, and 4×6 sticky notes for more lengthy ideas. Use them to jot down ideas and then take action. Action will put you in a better frame of mind 100% of the time. Go for it!
Improve your work space. Buy a new organizer or select a new picture. I work best when I’m surrounded by quotes that inspire me. If you don’t have an extra nickel to spare, clean your desk area. I’m very creative but my desk is always a mess. Every time I take the time to clean my desk it lifts my spirits. What is an added bonus? I find great things. I come across a new idea for teaching or writing that I only had time to jot down previously. When I discover it again, I run with it.
Purge. Don’t stop with just your desk. Clean out your files as though you were taking a new job. that happened to me once. On the last day of school I didn’t know that I would be taking a new job during the summer time. I left years of files and had to start fresh. At first it wa scary, but it also felt great. I now had room to file all the new ideas and items I needed to do my job now. Purge as though you are moving.
Record uplifting music. Listen to it on the way to work and while you are grading papers. I always play music as my students enter the room. It feels as though something exciting is going to happen.
Compliment a co-worker. Better yet, put the compliment in writing. It will encourage the person receiving the compliment, but it will also make you feel great. Try to encourage. Try to compliment at least one co-worker per day. Make it your own secret challenge.
Set goals that move and inspire you. Don’t choose hollow goals or goals someone else assigns you. Set goals that matter to you and move forward on them. When we make progress it builds our self-esteem. When we feel great about ourselves we can better inspire and motivate others.
Create a new bulletin board or display in your classroom. Visually appealing surroundings encourage us and our students. Look at your classroom as though you are walking in the door for the first time. What strikes you? We spend way too much time in our classroom to overlook the way it makes us feel. Imagine how your students react to your room. Think of an idea that would engage them. Not artistic? There are wonderful posters available.
Keep a gratitude journal. I record five things for which I am grateful every day. Guess what? This simple activity will keep you focused on what is positive in your life. You will begin to look for positive experiences rather than focus on the daily annoyances that creep into all our lives. Don’t discount this activity until you’ve given it a fair try. I think the outcome will startle you.
Solve a problem. Instead of complaining about how things ought to be come up with a solution. Everyone will be grateful. You’ll be a hero and that always feels terrific.
Attend an educational conference. You’ll rub elbows with other educators who are serious about improving their skills. You’ll return to school rejuvenated and ready to try some new ideas you discovered. You learn as much from the attendees as the presenters. Better yet, become a presenter at a conference. Share a few ideas that have worked in your classroom with other educators. It will grow your professionalism and theirs.
Change your routine. Do you have a mental list of things you’ve been wanting to do someday? We all have a list like this. Take a weekend trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit. Call up an old friend or drop them an email. Read a book you’ve heard everyone talking about. Start a new hobby or reignite an old one. Do something different!
Share ideas. There is so much talent among your co-workers. Find a way to have each of them share their best ideas with the rest of you. I once ran a monthly professional development experience at the school where I worked. Each month I had a few teachers share their best ideas. I was amazed at how much I learned. Don’t overlook the teacher in the next classroom.
Don’t eat lunch with the crab apples. This may be the most valuable tip of all. Hang out with positive people. Spend time with other professionals who speak positively about students and those who are excited about making their classrooms and your school a positive place to be.

More than likely twenty ideas overwhelm you. Some of these suggestions may feel way outside your comfort zone or sound just plain crazy. But I believe if you try even a few of these ideas you won’t be just counting the days until spring; you’ll be doing things that make every day count.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Book Dauna Easley to speak to your group; dauna@cinci.rr.com:

Dec16

A School Christmas

Posted on December 16, 2013 by daunaeasley

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‘

By Dauna Easley

T”was the week before Christmas

And all through the schools,

It seemed that most people

Had forgotten the rules.

The noise in the hallways

Was louder than thunder,

The kids were all focused

On Christmas Day plunder.

Instead of note taking

The students just whined

Even the teachers

Were shopping online.

The days were just dragging

The clock ticked so slow,

The staff and the students

Were wishing for snow.

The cooks in the lunchroom

Served left over stew

The principal wondered

Just what she could do.

The spirit of Christmas

Was lost, don’t you see?

The spirit of Christmas is not about “me.”

She issued a challenge

No, this isn’t sappy,

She gave each class homework,

Make someone else happy.

One class made some posters

For kids who were sick,

One class made some cookies

And iced them all thick.

They gave them to seniors

Who were lonely and blue.

They kept thinking and scheming,

What else can we do?

They took food to the needy

Gathered toys for the poor

They noticed the sad ones

And knocked on their door.

They thought about homeless

Gathered mittens and gloves

They began to appreciate

The ones that they loved.

They sent letters to soldiers,

Mailed thousands of miles,

As they worked on each project

You began to see smiles.

They gave coats to the cold ones,

Spread hope to the blue

Worked faster and faster,

The time? It just flew!

They volunteered time

Complimented their friends,

But this is not where

The ‘good doing’ ends.

They made new year promises

To keep this all going

It made them feel better

When kindness was flowing.

They’d invite someone different

To sit at their table

Make them feel welcome,

Yep, now they felt able.

You see all those hurting

Aren’t outside school walls,

Some of the saddest

Are walking our halls.

Being kind to a classmate

Is where it begins,

Kids who aren’t like you

Make wonderful friends.

Making a change

Is no long distance plight.

To create the best difference

Look left and look right.

The students had learned this

The principal beamed

The results were much better

Than even she dreamed

Who makes a school better?

Not “others.” It’s you.

Start with a smile

And see all you can do.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at amazon.com

Book Dauna Easley to speak to your group. dauna@cinci.rr.com

Nov4

Great Teaching Strategies

Posted on November 4, 2013 by daunaeasley

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In my current job I supervise college students in their final semester of college doing their student (practice) teaching. They are assigned to current classroom teachers who are their mentors. While visiting one of my college interns this last month I heard a great mini speech a mentor teacher gave to his students. I loved his speech so much it made me want to re-enter the classroom just so I could use it with my own students. See if his speech will help you. In my teacher’s soul I call this the YOU speech. It went like this

“Ladies and gentlemen, in 10 days it will be the end of the quarter. The grades you will receive then will become a permanent part of your school record. Your grades are listed online. You and your parents can check on them any time you want. When you check on your grades, If you don’t like what you see, NOW is the time to fix them. Here’s what I suggest. Check on your grade today. Then fix the YOU problems. Then come see me and I will do everything possible to help you raise your grade.

What is a YOU problem? If YOU don’t hand in your homework and your grade is low because of the zeros you get for homework, that is a YOU problem only YOU can fix. If you need to make up a quiz and you haven’t come in to make up that quiz, that is a YOU problem. If you turn in a rough draft and I make suggestions for things that will make your final draft better, and YOU don’t make any improvements, but just hit “print” on your computer and turn in the rough draft as your final draft, that is a YOU problem. When YOU fix all the YOU problems, then come see me and we will talk. I will do everything in my power to help you improve your grade. Unfortunately I can’t do anything to fix the YOU problems.” Only YOU can do that.”

I wanted to stand up on my chair and cheer at the end of this speech!

But I figured that wouldn’t be very professional. As an observer I am only supposed to blend into the background and observe. But I must confess to my blog followers:

I thought of all those essays I had covered with suggestions only to be ignored. Many times I felt like I had spent longer on the essay making suggestions than the student had spent writing it!
I thought of all the parents who had emailed me to check on a student’s grade. How could that grade possibly be true? Hint: The zeros indicate the paper wasn’t turned in…by your kid.
I thought of all the students who turned in three weeks worth of work on Friday at 2:30 and said, “Can you grade those papers and enter them right now so I won’t be grounded from going to the prom this weekend?”

You can’t blame me for wanting to cheer.

It is time to give credit where credit is due. THANK YOU Mr. Broxterman for that wonderful speech. I’m sharing it with all my blog’s teacher readers. In the spirit of the month of Thanksgiving, I’m certain they will be grateful for your words forever. The YOU speech will be heard around the world in classrooms everywhere. On that I’m not even kidding. My blog is read in more than 30 countries. OK readers, link this speech to your teacher friends everywhere.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Oct14

The Power of Waiting

Posted on October 14, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Today teachers are feeling the push to cover more material faster. More and more schools that I enter are using scripted education. Districts are purchasing programs which require the teacher to follow an exact script. In that way they feel like every student will have the same opportunity to learn valuable concepts. No student will be penalized on the test because the material wasn’t covered in class.

In our race to raise test scores we seem to be sprinting all the time. Teachers tell me “I have to cover the material from pages 75-79 today. I can’t get behind. Every student in the grade level needs to be on the same page at the same time.” No detours allowed.

But real life seems to be all about the detours. Or maybe that’s just my life. This rush…this cookie-cutter formulated approach to education makes me sad. Why? My years in the classroom have revealed to me that students learn best when we engage both their minds and their emotions. If you have to cover pages 75-79, do you even have time for a great story from “real life” that illustrates the concept in a way that they will remember for the rest of their lives?

Sometimes slowing down is the only way to build better understanding. Activities take more time than merely covering pages in a book or program. Learning games and discussions that engage students and build comprehension can be time-consuming. But they are worthwhile. Do you know what a teacher does when he needs to cover ground quickly? He calls on only the students with their hands up. They are tempted to overlook the student who isn’t making eye contact. We have to keep moving.

When we call on a student who looks confused, one who doesn’t have her hand up, we have to wait and let her think about her answer. When I’m confused and people rush me I become more confused, don’t you? When we have the courtesy to wait we are really saying, “I believe in you. I know you can get this concept. Your understanding is important. You are worth my time.” When a student is confused they need that extra beat.

Great teaching is about allowing the extra beat. It is about engaging our students with a true story or a lively discussion. It is about having time to notice when they are hurting about something personal. Their pain and the timing of their understanding doesn’t always happen between pages 75 and 79. No matter how great a script writer you are, it is often the detours that include the teachable moments. A great teacher knows the power of watching and yes, waiting for those breakthrough moments.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Contact Dauna Easley to speak to your group: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Sep16

The Teacher Who Made ME Want to Teach

Posted on September 16, 2013 by daunaeasley

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I wish I had a photo of her, but unfortunately I don’t. Her name was Esther Waggoner and her third grade classroom pointed me in the direction of my life’s work: teaching. I feel certain she taught me multiplication tables, cursive writing, reading and many other academic subjects. Plenty of exciting learning takes place in third grade.

I remember another thrill that school year. Our old school building added a new wing while I was in third grade. In the middle of the school year we got to pick up our belongings in our arms and carry them to our new classroom. But none of these reasons are why I mention her here. It wasn’t the academics or the surroundings that made that year special for me. It was the enthusiasm of the woman in front of the classroom.

Mrs. Waggoner just simply taught with Joy. Messes didn’t seem to bother her. Noise didn’t freak her out. She loved children and she loved teaching. She honestly was having so much fun in her classroom that she made me want to grow up and enter a profession in which I could go to work and have that much fun.

At home my parents belonged to the “Go Play” philosophy of child rearing. “Don’t make a mess or too much noise. Do your chores and then go play.” I was fine with that. I never questioned it. I loved to play outside from the time my chores were done to the time the lightning bugs came out at night. I honestly had no complaints. I hadn’t experienced any other way.

Then Mrs. Waggoner appeared in my life. She actually played with her students. I studied her like she was some kind of personal science experiment. What was this? An adult who enjoyed playing with children? I had never met another adult like her. During the winter months when we had a long season of indoor recesses she let us push all our chairs back against the wall and set up bowling pins. We’d roll the ball knocking those wood pins down over and over again. She never flinched.

I remember one month when she even taught us how to square dance at recess time indoors. She’d clap her hands to the music and yell out those square dance calls with enthusiasm while we swung our partners and learned to do-si-do. She even danced with us when there was an odd number of students so no one would be left out.

I was hooked. From third grade on I wanted to grow up and enter a profession that allowed an adult to experience that much joy. Mrs. Waggoner is the reason I became a teacher. Of course I taught academics. Yes! Students won’t respect a teacher who doesn’t challenge them academically. But I first considered teaching because of the way that Mrs. Waggoner made me feel. I wanted to connect with young people in the same way she connected with me. It was Mrs. Waggoner’s joy that first sent me into teaching. But it was the connections I made with young people that kept me there. I’m proud to say that I enjoyed the profession as much as Mrs. Waggoner did.

When I finished college, can you guess where I began my teaching career? In third grade, of course.

I went to a small town parade this past weekend. I noticed that when military people and firefighters passed by, the crowd applauded. I was proud of everyone. It was exactly the right thing to do. I was applauding right along with them.

But somehow I wish that teachers were the recipients of some applause and not just the targets of the media and politicians running for office. It has become fashionable to criticize teachers just the way too many citizens dishonored our veterans when they returned from Viet Nam.

Great teachers deserve applause. We’ve even seen too many teachers protect their students with their own lives in the past decade. Today I applaud Mrs. Waggoner, the woman who taught with such enthusiasm that she pulled me toward this important profession. I hope I have made her proud.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Dauna Easley is a speaker who has been invited to speak in 37 states.

Contact: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Sep9

How to Encourage Teachers

Posted on September 9, 2013 by daunaeasley

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In every school (or business or neighborhood) there are people who spread gossip. We all know who they are. But of more significance and greater impact are the people who spread compliments. Those are the people to whom professionals are most attracted. They make us feel good. They make the day seem more positive no matter what the challenges may be. Here is the great news. You don’t have to be a supervisor to encourage fellow teachers. In fact in my career I have been most encouraged by other teachers who I admire who notice and mention to me something that I do well. Who have you complimented lately? Why not set a goal of complimenting two teachers per day for every day this week? Take the challenge.

What can make this a little easier? I’ve been in a couple of teaching environments where there was a small stack of notes in the mailroom near teacher mailboxes. These might be Pat-on-the-Back notes, Applause cards, or have a smiley face theme…whatever suits your school theme. When you see them lying there, you can just write a quick note and slip it in someone’s mailbox. When we make it handy we eliminate having to search for a note card or hiking it down to the mailbox area. Any teacher in the building can start the ball rolling. Why not you?

I’ve also heard of building supervisors or district administrative staff members who carry thumbs up sticky notes. They leave these anywhere they see a nice bulletin board or a creative display within the school. It can be a post it note with their name on it or imprinted with a positive theme of any kind. What about a thumbs up sticky note. I currently supervise student teachers at the university level. I like to carry a camera into buildings and take photos (with permission) of wonderful bulletin boards and displays. I take the time to find and compliment the teacher and ask her if I may photograph the board. Teachers are always very complimented that someone noticed and took the time to stop and comment.

Don’t forget to help a young teacher. I had already been a teacher for seven years when my principal asked me to move into a first grade position that became available. I had been teaching third grade since I graduated from college. First grade scared me, but I didn’t really want to mention that to my principal. At that time in my career, teaching very beginning reading seemed like a mystery to me. How did you start from scratch and create a child who could read?

There was a wonderful lady in my building named June Hutzelman who became my mentor. It wasn’t any kind of “official” assignment. My principal thought I could handle this job and didn’t think I needed anyone to help me. Ha! I didn’t want to admit otherwise. June guided me through the first two months. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this now, but what she taught on day one, I taught on day two. Her day two assignments became my day three classroom work. By about mid October, I had the swing of things and I could maneuver on my own. I will be forever indebted to June for taking me under her wing. As a wonderful side benefit, first grade became my favorite grade to teach. I’ve taught preschool through high school seniors and like them all. But that thrill of teaching very beginning reading is matched by no other thrill in teaching in my opinion.

When I left full time teaching to become a college field supervisor of student teachers I gave away all of my collected materials to young future teachers or beginning teachers. I mean I gave away absolutely every plaque, poster, desk item, magnet, bulletin board fabric or border, worksheet, EVERYTHING! At first I thought I couldn’t do it. But as the time neared, It felt better and better to give it all away. They carried away car loads full of items for their classrooms. Two unexpected side benefits came from this. I brought no additional clutter into my house; and when I visit them in their classroom, I can see my stuff still being used with students. It feels just right.

Here’s my favorite idea that I’ve seen in the past couple of years. A former student of mine, Erin Hunkemoeller, who teaches Spanish in the Northmont School District in Clayton Ohio, sent me a copy of a sheet that they call Inspirations. Two or three teachers create this one page sheet together. Every school is full of great teachers with creative ideas. Why not share them? Inspirations is one sheet with three creative ideas that come right out of their classrooms. They describe them briefly and include photos. This strategy affirms great efforts, shares and spreads wonderful ideas and encourages the entire staff. Northmont receives my blue ribbon award for this great idea that is well implemented. They are working together to TEACH…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

Dauna Easley is available to speak. Contact: dauna@cinci.rr.com

Sep2

Building a Relationship with the Parents of Your Students

Posted on September 2, 2013 by daunaeasley

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The students are back. Your bulletin boards are up. You are beginning to feel like you are in the swing of things. Though the general public claims that teachers have three months of vacation every year, I know very few teachers who aren’t teaching in August and June. And my experience is that the Labor Day holiday in America is really a weekend when most teachers are still laboring away in their classrooms or getting caught up at home from the long hours they have put into starting back to school.

Building a Positive Relationship with Parents

But there are still more steps to the process. If you are going to be successful with students, you also need to have a positive relationship with their parents. Often that starts even before you meet them face to face with a summer letter. Open Houses and Curriculum Nights also tend to be scheduled at the beginning of the school year. In this post I’m going to talk about making the most of curriculum nights. Those are the times when the parents come to school to walk through their child’s school day. In the early grades this can sometimes be handled in one classroom, but as children grow older, often the parents move from room to room following their child’s schedule for the school day.

What Teachers Tell Themselves

Sometimes the messages that administrators and teachers tell themselves aren’t the whole truth. We tell ourselves that parents come to Curriculum Night to learn about classroom policies, supplies needed, and how much time their child should spend on homework. We believe parents want to learn about classroom projects and the expectations of the teacher.

Wrong!

When parents come to Curriculum Night they really have only four (or five) burning questions in mind. They care very little about your preplanned presentation or your beautifully prepared class syllabus. Here is what they are really thinking.

Will my child like this teacher?
Will this teacher like my child? Will s/he be fair to my kid?
In this classroom will my child learn? Will s/he have the opportunity to succeed?
I wish I had the chance to ask or tell the teacher about this burning issue on my mind…
In the junior and senior year of high school there is a fifth burning question. What are you going to do to help my kid get into college? This is unique to these two years. If you don’t address that on curriculum night, the parent will leave frustrated. Think about it ahead of time and address it on curriculum night.

I promise you those four (or five) questions are what is really on the parent’s mind. And they’ve already made a preliminary decision on questions number one and two.

The Real Truth

Like it or not…

Fair or not…

Accurate or not…

This is how the conversation goes when a child gets home from school on the first day…

Parent: “Hi honey. Did you have a great first day of school?”

Possible answers.

“No. My teacher is mean. She doesn’t like me. And school is boring.”

“Yeah, It was great. My teacher is funny. She likes me.”

Whether we like it or not, it is the child’s first perception of school on the very first day that most influences a parent’s point of view about the teacher and the school year. Smart teachers figure that out quickly and are very careful about the first days of school. Fearful teachers say, “Don’t smile until Thanksgiving. That way the students will know who’s boss.”

Teacher Fears about Curriculum Night

On Curriculum Night teachers are afraid that one or two parents will tie them up asking personal questions about their child. “Do you think Nikki has ADHD?” Answers to these questions are confidential and it would be inappropriate to address when other parents could overhear a private response. And, let’s me honest, the teacher is probably still trying to figure out if Nikki is the one with the curly brown hair or the glasses. Those kind of conversations should best be left to parent teacher conference conversations.

Tips for Curriculum Night

Smile! Even if you’re nervous, smile and joke a little. The parents will think, “Yes this teacher is friendly. My child will be able to approach this teacher with questions.”
Be wise and have a sheet listing conference times for which a parent may sign up. This will help you greatly when you begin to schedule conferences. ALSO it lets the parents know that coming up they will have a chance to discuss private issues with you.
Tell the parents how much you enjoy this class. The parents aren’t particularly interested in how busy or stressed you are. They want to believe you enjoy this class which includes their kid.
Don’t just spew off rules and deadlines. Describe the strategies you will use to help all students succeed. One of my own daughters had special needs. I left too many Curriculum Nights almost in tears. Teachers were quick to talk about how they wouldn’t bend the rules or make modifications in front of a room full of parents. Many of them did make wonderful and necessary modifications for my daughter. But on curriculum night I often felt like my child had no chance to succeed. (This was especially true in the upper grades). Think about every parent who might be sitting in your room.
Have the parents pick up an index card as they enter your room. In the front of the room have 3 questions on display. Invite the parents to write responses to these three questions.

1. What is your child saying about my class so far.

2. How can I help your child succeed in my classroom this year?

3. Do you have any questions or concerns you’d like to share about your child?

Collect the cards as they leave.

Don’t have them pass the cards to other parents. The contents may be private.

Follow Up

Don’t just have parents fill out the cards, read those cards as soon as possible. I read through them on Curriculum Night or at the latest, the next day. I put the most pressing concerns on top. For the next few days I called parents or emailed them and let them know I had read their comments. I would ask for further input in some cases. In other cases I would tell them what I was going to do to help them with their concern. My follow-up usually stunned and impressed parents, especially at the high school level.

This follow-up will help you enormously as a teacher. You will avoid inadvertent mistakes when you find out what is on the parents’ minds at the very beginning of the school year. The first weeks of school are crucial in developing a positive reputation in your school and community. Parents talk to other parents. The word will spread quickly that you are a caring professional, or the opposite. Do yourself a favor. Every interaction with the parent for the remainder of the school year will be easier if you make a positive impression from the beginning.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Dauna Easley available to speak to teacher audiences.

Aug26

My Toughest Year in the Classroom

Posted on August 26, 2013 by daunaeasley

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Something happened this week. One young lady I know and love experienced her first week in front of a classroom full of students. She was hired on Sunday evening and drove two hours out-of-town for her first teachers’ meeting which was to take place at 8:00 on Monday morning, the very next day. Her new students arrived Wednesday. She had never even seen the school before her first day. How did this happen? Who knows? But embarrassingly it happens all the time in our profession. My young friend was tired of the endless interviews for teaching positions. It was the last week in August and she was determined to take any job offered. The good news is…she has her start. Even better news…she’ll be a good teacher.

What was her email comment on Friday after her first week of school?

I used to think I looked forward to and appreciated Fridays. Turns out I was way under appreciating them all these years.

I laughed when I read her comment. It took me back to the toughest year I ever had as a teacher. It was a year I’ll never forget, like a bad nightmare that stays in your psyche and haunts you forever. I was luckier than my young fledgling teacher. My toughest year came after I had already been teaching for more than 20 years. By then I was a confident and experienced professional who didn’t think anything a student could conjure would knock me off my game. I was competent. I was prepared. I was wrong.

Picture This

In one week I went from teaching primary aged students to high school seniors! I went from teaching in a private school that I owned to a high school with students considered “at risk.” I had teen moms, many pregnant students, and kids with parents in jail. On the first day of school when I asked them to introduce themselves with 3 descriptive words, several of them announced they had “an attitude.” They saw this as a positive attribute. They were proud of their attitudes. I went from suburban type students to predominantly urban kids who came from different neighborhoods who didn’t like each other. The only thing that united them was their dislike for me. They all agreed on one thing. I had to go. Those kids reared up and took a bite right out of my backside when I wasn’t looking.

I only made it to the second day of school at 11:00 am when I knew I was going to cry in front of the class. They were passing a basket around the classroom and asking their peers to contribute money to buy me a ticket out-of-town. No, I’m not making this up. I was used to children who loved me. I knew I was going to cry and worse…I knew they would love to see my tears. Not crying in front of them became my number one goal. But I could feel the tears just ready to spill over. What was I going to do?

I was so new in this building I couldn’t even decipher when the bells were ringing. All day long you would hear bings, buzzes and bells coming into your classroom. I later learned that there were a certain numbers of bings and buzzes to call each administrator. The kids knew when the change class tone sounded, but I didn’t. One of those buzzes started to sound. Maybe they were going to leave for lunch but I wasn’t certain. I spotted the closet door. I decided I would walk through that door and act like I was looking for something in the closet so they wouldn’t see my tears. I tried not to run. I tried to look like a woman who was just going to the closet to look for something. I opened the door and walked through. It turned out not to be a closet after all. I was right in the middle of another classroom, not the closet, but I burst into tears anyway.

I got lucky. It did happen to be the lunch bell. My students vacated the room and I had a half an hour to pull myself together before the torture began anew. At the end of my first week I called the friend who had recommended me for the position and apologized to her, but told her I was going to quit. I called my mom and told her I was going to quit. But I didn’t. I hung in there. If I told you all the things my students did to me that year, you would never believe me. You would also stop reading my blog because I would sound like an ineffective nincompoop. I made many mistakes that year. But I grew more as a teacher than during any other year of my teaching career.

What My Students Taught Me

Hearts that have been rejected will reject others in self-defense. They think, “I’ll reject you first so you can’t hurt me.” It has very little to do with you. The rejection isn’t personal, but it sure feels that way until you understand that truth.
Once students know you really care about them, they will be your staunchest champion. But you have to prove you care about them first. And in an environment like this you have to prove it every year.
I’ve learned you can’t talk to high school students the same way you talk to third graders. It doesn’t work. I was used to saying things like “Oh I like the way Megan has started her assignment.” That is how clueless I was. Believe me that strategy doesn’t work in a tough high school environment.
I learned to cuss. I’m not saying that was a good thing. And I never used profanity in front of my students but I was so surrounded by it, I found it peppering my personal conversation when I wasn’t on the job. I was in my forties and had never sworn. I still don’t use the really offensive words, but It makes some of my conversations a lot more humorous, because it astounds people who know me well.
Other than cussing with my friends, I stayed true to myself. I didn’t get pulled into the drama that surrounded me. I didn’t yell. I didn’t meet sarcasm with sarcasm. I stayed calm and was able to be a positive role model. Most of these students had lives steeped in drama. They needed positive role models more than they needed anything else.
That old adage, “The more you put into something, the more you get out of it,” is 100% true. I have never worked so hard in my life, but I also never changed lives so dramatically as I did in that environment. When kids don’t have other positive role models, you can make the most profound difference in their lives.

Teachers measure their worth by the lives that they change.

– Dauna Easley

That first really tough year helped me grow immensely as a teacher. It groomed me to teach future teachers. If you want to be an effective teacher for future teachers you need a wide variety of experiences. It helped me begin writing books. I had a message. I had stories to tell. I spent 12 years at that job I thought I would quit at the end of the first week. I learned I could persevere through challenging circumstances. That alone is an important life lesson.
Those kids groomed me, chiseled me and sometimes even sandblasted me, until I became a true teacher.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com

Book Dauna Easley to speak to your group. dauna@cinci.rr.com

Aug21

Happy New (School) Year!

Posted on August 21, 2013 by daunaeasley

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I confess. As a teacher it used to annoy the summer sunshine right out of me when the stores starting stocking their shelves with school supplies on about the Fourth of July. I had barely finished posting grades and watching the most recent class of seniors graduate and the merchandisers were trying to entice us into another school year.

Yet by August I was ready to begin the cycle once again. I actually enjoyed decorating bulletin boards and thinking up new activities for getting acquainted with my students. Shiny floors, new calendars, bright posters, a clean desk (which only occurred once a year), and students decked out in their favorite outfits gave a fresh exciting feel to a profession I loved.

One of my top priorities was to build a community within my classroom. I created and “gathered” (stole) many ideas for helping students to connect with one another over the years. We knew we had a community only when every member of the class was valued by everyone else. The first part of becoming a community was learning facts about one another.

Bulletin Boards Created by My Students

Let them work on a project together. Not everything in the classroom has to be perfect when they walk in. Let them take ownership of their new home by designing some of their surroundings.

Have the students bring a photo or a baby photo on the first day of school. Make a display.
Let the students bring items from home that illustrate important items or times in their lives. Have them describe what those items stand for in front of their peers.
I always had a True/False Quiz about myself on the first day of school. I wrote statements about me and had them write answers about whether they thought each statement was true or false. I tried to fool them. Allow some of the students who would like to participate to make up true false quizzes about themselves to try to stump their peers.
Type up a paper with everyone’s name on it. Have classmates circulate around the room until they have listed two things they have in common with every other student in the room.
Line Up. The first week of school have them line up in a variety of ways. They have to get up and talk to each other to determine how to arrange themselves. Line up youngest to oldest, Alphabetize themselves by the first letter of their middle name. Group themselves by sports or school clubs they are involved in. Line up by the number of siblings they have. Line up by the grade they were in when they moved into your district. Etc.
Let them write riddles about themselves that end in Who Am I? Peers use the clues to guess the student as the teacher reads the clues aloud.
Give out snack sized bags of M&Ms or Skittles. Have them tell something about themselves for every piece of candy they have in the bag.
On the first day of school, I used to have my Teacher Academy students draw a picture using only their feet to hold the crayon. I’d play funny music as they made these crazy drawings. The point? It was an icebreaker, but it also illustrated how uncomfortable students could be in our classroom when we asked them to do things that were new or difficult.
Give out a few pieces of a jigsaw puzzle to each student. Don’t reveal the design. Have them work together to assemble the picture. It can be a large drawing of your school logo, but it will take them a while to figure it out. Meanwhile they make new friends.
Have them bring their chairs into a circle. Ask a question to which they must all respond. Example: ” Describe a person who makes you feel valued? How do they make you feel that way?:” This helps them focus on how we can make our classmates feel valued. There will be a positive feeling in your classroom at the end of this activity.
Get them excited about working on a creative project together. In our high school we were encouraged to decorate a grocery cart (instead of a parade float) for the Homecoming Game.

You can’t build a community in a day. However, working on building positive relationships within your classroom walls, will pay dividends for all your students. it is time well spent.

TEACH…To Change Lives

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

Also available at Amazon.com