Its the Place to Be

Today is the 100th day of school so naturally Mischief and his classmates were invited to dress like 100 year olds to celebrate the day. As I spent a few quick minutes this morning hiking up his beige pants to show off his white tube socks, tying his tie, baby powdering his hair and zipping his cardigan to make him senior-home ready for the day. When we were done he looked in the mirror and declared, "Wow, time does fly! I am a pretty cool old dude!"

After he explained to me the Circle of Life ("We are born bald, with no teeth and can't walk and we die old, bald, with no teeth and can't walk. Its just life ... in a circle") we hustled him off to school. About an hour later I received an email from his teacher about an encounter another teacher had with him earlier in the morning ...

"So I just met Mischief in the hall walking VERY slowly for a 100 year old man!  I told him I would give you a call and tell you it might take him a while to get to the classroom.  He replied.  “Don’t bother. She’s pretty old.  She’ll likely be dead by the time I get there.”  ! ha!"

From an art project on Day 50

Along with that funny little anecdote was a picture of Mischief, some of his centenarian pals and his teacher ... dressed like an old man! I have a stack of pictures of Mischief with his classmates from the last year and a half. They dressed like they were from the 1950s for the 50th day of school, they celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday by wearing their clothes backwards, they built an igloo out of milk jugs for I love to Read Month and on Tuesday they had a heart shaped pancake breakfast for Valentine's Day. Mrs. Kyle's class is the place to be!

When you walk into her classroom there is a sense of excitement and comfort. There is a carpet in front of the smart board and there's a reading nook with comfy cushions and couches in the corner. The students are encouraged to work where they feel most comfortable and inspired ... as long as they work. The walls are covered with the usual educational tools but there's also posters about respect, kindness and friendship. Art work and words of encouragement cover every spare inch of wall space.

I have volunteered in this classroom a number of times (she does an exceptional job of inviting parents to participate at every opportunity) and I have never heard her loose her cool or raise her voice in anger. The kids aren't angels; they are a group of very energetic, quirky, funny seven and eight year olds but instead of being afraid of the chaos she embraces it, joins in and sets the tone for the classroom. She is funny, silly and creative with the kids and they love and respect her for it.

She celebrates each of her students as individuals in a million little ways every day as well as giving each of them the opportunity to be the classroom star for a week. She finds ways to encourage and esteem the kids for their talents and accomplishments and she empowers them to make better choices and make amends when they have made a bad decision. She honors the people they are and equips them to continue to grow as life long learners and respectful citizens of the world. She considers, not only who they are now but who they are becoming.

Every one moves to their own rhythm, especially teachers. They each have their own style and technique to running their classroom but I think schools would be the place to be if more teachers took a page from Mrs. Kyle's guide to classroom management. She finds a reason to celebrate everyday. She shows up excited to teach, inspiring her students to be excited to learn. I often joke that Mischief is being taught by the missing Disney Princess but its kind of true ... and I'm thankful for it!

Excitement and passion are contagious, we see it every day. Mischief struggles with reading a little and with following the rules ... alot. He often finds himself in hot water at recess and lunch time. School could easily be a downer for this kid, but its not. He loves learning, loves going to school. He can't wait to see what Mrs. Kyle has planned each day and he can't wait to show us what he's learned at the end of each day. He is excited about school because she is excited about school.

Mrs. Kyle has made school the place to be!

I hope his enthusiasm for school and for learning stays with him for the rest of his life. I hope these two years with this exceptional teacher will be just the beginning of his excitement for education. And I hope that Mrs. Kyle's creativity, charisma and compassion for her students never wanes. She is a treasure to our kids, our community ... we are so blessed to have her!

Thank you, Mrs. Kyle!

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. ~Carl Jung

Future Investments

There's been a lot of hoopla over the past several days about the passing of Whitney Houston. I'm not really a celebrity watcher but you can't turn on the radio or watch a news program without hearing her music. She was kind of a big deal with extraordinary talent and its sad that all that her talent was swallowed up by industry pressure and bad life style choices.

At any rate, yesterday I caught the tale end of her song Greatest Love of All and this morning, while meeting with the superintendent of our local school division, those lyrics kept scrolling through my head.

I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

 

This morning we met to discuss certain initiatives that are happening within our school division and the impact they could have on the middle school in particular. We discussed the school culture, staff involvement in extra curriculars and inspiring the desire for change and growth within our school communities. I was so impressed by his creative thinking and passion for our schools and community.

 

It has become so cliche to say that children are our future but seriously, they are. The kids you see walking down your streets, hanging out in your malls and filling your classrooms are the executives, professionals, tradespeople, workers and criminals of our future. These same skateboarding, saggy pant wearing teens that loiter at 7-11 are going to be your doctors or drug dealers, teachers or career criminals, productive members of the community or drains on society. 

 

So what will make the difference? What will help to determine who and what they will become?

 

You. You will make the difference ... if you want to.

 

If you know a kid you have the opportunity to make a difference on a global scale. If you take the time to talk to a kid, inspire a kid, empower a kid you have impacted eternity. Seriously. I'm not being grandiose or dramatic, I'm just telling it like it is.

 

Kids are sponges. They are constantly taking in information, interpreting it and reacting and readjusting accordingly. They watch us, learn from us and imitate us. They are so eager to be grown up that they will copy the actions and attitudes of nearly any adult they deem cool. That's what's so wonderful yet dangerous about kids.

 

They need people to talk with them, not at them. They need to be given boundaries and instruction, not only discipline. They need to be taught how to treat each other, not just left to their own devices. They need active, engaged, enthusiastic adults to care enough to invest in who they are becoming. And these adults don't need a title or position in order to have influence, they just need to show up and be genuinely interested.

 

I'm just saying, if you know a kid, a niece, nephew, babysitter, neighborhood kid, be nice. Be interested. Be a person of positive influence in their life. Believe in them. Mentor them. Encourage them. Teach them. Show up for them. Empower them.

 

Before you freak out this doesn't have to be an all consuming, time hog commitment. You make make a difference to a kid just by letting them know that you see them, you are glad they are alive. You can mentor a kid by modelling positive behaviour, putting your actions behind your words. You can empower them by supporting their ideas and allowing them to make mistakes and, most importantly, helping them to recover from their mistakes.

 

Like it or not, cliche or not, children are our future and they are a direct reflection of the investment we all have made into them. What reflection do you see when you look at the kids you know?

 

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass

Salute to the Creative

Today my kids are home from school. Its report card prep day in our school division and so I am stuck with hyper, bored and dangerously imaginative kids all day. it takes a lot to keep them entertained and engaged in something constructive and I have a lot of respect for their teachers because their job is twice as challenging. they have to keep them engaged AND they have to teach them.

I love seeing people tap into their creativity to make the mundane interesting and exciting and I especially love it when teachers step out of their comfort zone, leave their dignity on the doorstep and create a lesson, or even a moment in a lesson, that the kids will absolutely remember.

Here are a couple extraordinary teachers and the crazy lessons they planned to capture their students' attention ... and imaginations.

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater. ~Gail Godwin

What a Teacher Makes

I found this video last year and fell in love with it. I love that Taylor Mali, the poet who wrote these words and passionately speaks them, 'gets' the value, the purpose, of his role as a teacher.

I emailed this video link to the principals at my kids' schools along with the paragraph that follows, asking them to show this video to the staff ... feel free to do the same because even teachers need to know that they are seen, valued and honoured.

As a parent I want you to know that I honour you for the job you do each day ... that I respect you for the choice you made to make a difference rather than just make a buck. I am indebted to you for caring enough about my kids to correct them, instruct them and guide them every day. I love you for the extra time and effort you put into making your lessons interesting and engaging, the extra time that no one sees and you don't get credit for. I take comfort in knowing that this isn't 'just a job' for you or your colleagues, these wonderful, committed, caring and creative teachers, EAs, admin staff and custodians ... this is a life choice that has meaning. I want you to know that the moments you spend speaking into the lives of the kids who roam those halls every day will echo in eternity. I want you to know that I, as a parent, am grateful for you.

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth."
~Dan Rather

The Difference Makers

This time of year is always bittersweet for me. Its the end of the school year, things are coming to an end and new things will be starting up soon enough. Its the end of our chaotic mornings, rushing from school to school and the power struggle over finishing homework but it is the beginning of chaotic days filled with 'what's next?' and 'just five minutes more' and sand in the house and late nights around the bonfire. Schools over and summer is just beginning.

Its also the season of teacher gifts and notes of appreciation.

As I plan for this time of year I often think about the year we've had and the people who have made a difference to my kids, the people who have really seen them as individuals and have taken the time to celebrate them, educate them and guide them on their way. These thoughts inevitably lead me to think about the difference makers from my own school days, Mr. Kennedy and his basketball-to-real-life lessons, Mrs. Goertsen and her no nonsense belief in our ability to do more and be more and Mr. Enns and his humour, compassion and realism. These are the people that come to my mind when I think of the teachers who did that little bit extra to build a relationship with us, to understand us and to motivate us.

My kids have been pretty lucky. They all had the same kindergarten teacher, a woman of compassion, humour and infinite understanding and she set the bar pretty high for the teachers who came after her. She was the one who first noticed Dude's challenges for what they were, who instilled confidence and peace in a very nervous little Crafty and who laughed off all of Mischief's antics. She is the one who still makes them feel like the center of the universe whenever they see her. She has been a friend and an ally, an encouragement and an example and a source of many a much needed chuckle for me.

Mischief is 2 for 2. His grade one teacher has been stellar. I often joke that she is like having a Disney Princess as a teacher, all she is missing is the following of friendly forest creatures! She is sweet and caring, she has inspired Mischief to work harder, do more and believe in himself in a way I didn't think was possible. She corrects his craziness in a gentle yet meaningful way and she always has time to listen to his stories and jokes.

Crafty has had some great teachers too but I think the person who really has made the biggest difference to her so far was her second grade teacher. Dude had the same teacher in grade two and I have to say that woman is magic. She had the ability to see right into Crafty, figure her out and use her strengths to inspire her to work harder on her challenges. She is quick with the heart felt praise and slow to get frustrated or upset. She is creative, engaged and has unnatural amount of energy. I have never seen her angry, I have never seen her give up and Crafty adored her.

Dude has had an arsenal of creative and engaged educators work with him over the years. His fourth grade team was the dream team. His teacher, resource teacher, educational assistant and principal did amazing things last year and I thought that there was no way we'd ever see as much creativity and personal growth for Dude in a single year again but I was wrong. His team this year has worked hard and its evident. I have a lot of respect and a growing affection for some members of his team this year but if you ask him who his favourite person in the school is he'd, without a hesitation say, it's the resource teacher.

She has been his champion, translator and a safe haven this year. She has empowered him to speak up for himself while letting him know that she would always be available if he needed her. She has encouraged him to keep trying when things got tough, she has celebrated his successes and worked with him through his disappointments. He thinks she is smart and interesting to talk to and most of all, he knows that she is always on his side.

I appreciate each of these teachers, and the many others who have taken the time to get to know my kids, to inspire them and to educate them. Not every teacher will be a difference maker to every child but I believe that every teacher has it in them to challenge, inspire and motivate every student that passes through their doors, just as every student has it in them to teach and inspire their teachers.

Thank you for all you have done this school year ... enjoy your summer, Teachers!

The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. ~K. Patricia Cross