Perfectionism

 Every year, one commonality I do notice between my students is that they have a very hard time making mistakes and taking risks.  We talk about how school and learning is a growth process and that it is okay to make mistakes, but it is always an uphill battle to truly internalize that learning.

There have been several books written on the topic of Growth Mindset.  For example, the most known is Mindset by Carol Dweck.  I have read that book and also Mathematical Mindset  by Jo Boahler as well. But the truth is, teaching that it is okay to make mistakes is really hard.  In reality, I don't like making mistakes and I try not to, but I understand that mistakes are made when a person is undertaking a new experience or taking a risk.  

As I get older, I see the benefit of various experiences and the learning that is associated with it.  I truly believe that not taking a risk is riskier than making a mistake.  Too much learning comes from trying something new and experimenting.  New ideas, new tasks, new insights and new friendships come with unknown experiences and growth is essential in human existence.  It makes us alive and interesting, so without new learning there cannot be growth and without growth, we get bored.  But, this all means that my students and I have to be okay with trying something risky and new and making a mistake to learn and grow.   

I have found that modeling that I make mistakes and pointing out these mistakes to my students helps with this process.  We watch videos from Youcubed about making mistake and read children's books about it.  We celebrate epic failures in math and discuss what we learned from them. 

All this is helpful, but it is also important to get this message from families and parents at home.  If parents are expecting their child to obtain 100% on all tests, this does not align with a growth mindset.  If a child brings home a B or C in class, how should a parent react if the child put in the effort but didn't manage to get an A? What would a conversation that promotes growth mindset look like?  How do you establish high expectations as a parent, but still let your child explore new things and fail?

As a mom and teacher, I am processing these questions... let me know if you have the solution. 

Who Are the Gifted Kids?

There is a stereotype that the gifted students who qualify for program will be quiet, studious, hard working and always focused.  Some of my students fit that description, but it is important to note that most do not.  My students are diverse and fit varied student profiles.  

Here are a few descriptions of some of my kids:

One my my students loves foxes.  She dresses like a fox, knows more about foxes than most biologists, can think of  creative and interesting stories about foxes, and can share this information with you in song while playing the ukulele if you wish.  She also is very caring and wants to save all the insects she comes across and notices interesting details in life. 

Another student loves climbing. He climbs almost every weekend.  He climbs walls, climbs desks, and is also in a climbing club and he places in climbing competitions.  He can do complex problem solving in his head and solves intricate problems three grade levels above his age and he does not go to outside tutoring. He does best when standing and thinking, and pacing and thinking, rather than sitting in one place.

I have another student who goes to outside tutoring/classes multiple times a week and completes extra homework from that tutoring as well.  She competes in multiple math competitions, studies very hard, travels with family, and has a parent who is a computer engineer. (We do live near Seattle with Microsoft, Amazon, etc. so many of my students have parents who know how to code.) She is very proud of the fact that she wins these competitions.  She prefers to work alone and one of her preferred ways to learn is to complete worksheets.

Finally, I have a student who loves soccer, collaboration, sharing ideas and teamwork.  He competes in soccer matches on the weekends and his family has lots of get togethers and parties throughout the month.  He loves to figure out a problem with others and explain his thinking in words. 

It is interesting because I get to know all of these unique people who have different strengths and challenges.  Yes, all are advanced in their learning, but some have studied the COGAT hard to get into my program and others see the world a little differently from the rest.   I have kids who love to collaborate and others who do not. I have kids who can focus and others who have ADHD which makes that tricky.  I have students who love math and others who hate going to their math classes every week, even though they are good at it.  I love my job and I am excited to continue to get to know my students and their learning needs as the year progresses.  

Why Pre-Tests are Imperative

 

My services have not started yet, and I have no little people sitting in my seats but work is being accomplished.  I have met with my homeroom teachers, where my students sit all day and we have come up with plans to meet my students needs when they are not with me. 

 My teachers are working on getting to know their kids, ice breakers, set routines and structures in place so learning can happen this year.  They are also getting to know their students as learners, so in the next couple of weeks they are administering the i-ready test and giving the End of Module tests to their kids.

These tests are critical at the beginning of the year because they allow teachers to identify if their students already know the concepts that will be taught in the module.  If the students already know the content and they are able to show their thinking in detail, then the kids can move on to more problem solving activities and harder ideas at their level.  It will signal to the teacher's that they need a challenge.  

It is important to note that my kids are very smart, some can learn at a much faster pace, or see the world differently, but there are also holes in their learning at times.  For example, many of my students are adept at applying an algorithm that they have memorized from their tutoring center, but few of them can explain why the algorithm works or what is happening with the numbers throughout the algorithm.  It is important to know the "why" behind the number system and not just be able to memorize concepts to get a deep learning of math. 

When the teachers I work with look at the assessments, they will be looking to see communication as well as application of math in everyday life.  They will identify mathematical strengths and also look for areas of growth.  These pretests will serve as maps to guide instruction and make insightful decisions about the future learning. 

First Days Of School

The kids are back and navigating school like pros. I watched as they confidentially (or sometimes a little timidly) walked through the halls looking for their new teacher and their classrooms.  There were lots of smiles, excitement and enthusiasm in the halls this morning, with a little bit of nervousness mixed in.  I saw lots of pastel colors today, some glitter, a Pokemon or two, and a bright blue cape as my students headed to their correct places.  Students were eager to start the day and get to know their new teachers.

As a pull out teacher, it is my job to help the kids find their spots and settle in.  The teachers have been notified that they have a gifted student in their class and my schedule is being set.  

Soon the teachers will be assessing all of their kiddos in math and reading and trying to figure out what they know and what they need to learn this year.  They will do this with the i-ready test in our district and probably give the end of module test as well.  We will plan, pre-assess, and determine what the students need to work on in the coming month.

This year, we are trying to pair tightly with the teachers and support the work that they are doing in their classroom. If a student is struggling with social-emotional work, I will do some lessons in SAGE/PEP on the topic and work on it in a small group. If students are needing more practice explaining their thinking, we will work on this concept in SAGE.  Additionally, when the schedule allows, SAGE will also take place in the general ed. classroom as a push-in service.  That means I will meet with students in their classroom sometimes, and support their needs in that setting. 

I am eager to be with my kids. I like scheduling and planning and curriculum, but the reason I became a teacher was because its enjoyable to be with students. I can't wait until I get to see them on September 9th and we get to start the year together.  

Happy start of the 2024-2025 school year! 

August 1st Means School is Right Around the Corner

 

As I sit on my overstuffed armchair, looking out the window, listening to Koda (my Chiweenie) and Sir Winston (the terrier I am watching for the weekend) bark at birds, in the back of my mind school creeps in.  I have two classrooms to get ready, two schedules to create, and lists of activities to think about and implement.   

Half of me wants to drive right over to my school and get to work, but the other half is saying, "Wait a minute! Think through this a moment... don't burn out because you have ten months to go!"  It's always that way for me when August hits.

I want to revisit the books I was reading about Building Thinking Classrooms, Math Talk, and I know a new curriculum is coming for reading.  This year will be stressful for many of my friends because of the new curriculum.  It's always hard implementing something new when you have 25 kids sitting in front of you and you are learning as you go. 

 My job will be to learn the curriculum as well, because I will need to supplement and push and find holes in my students' learning that the content doesn't cover. In my current role as a SAGE teacher, or gifted  support, we don't have the curriculum that everyone else does.  This is a gift and a curse.  We are always searching for amazing units to engage and challenge our learners, who need something different every year.  It's wonderful because I can meet my students' interests, needs, and exact learning right where they are.  It's a curse because I am always needing to research, learn, hunt, and find new resources.  In the long run, I enjoy that hunt so the roll serves me well. 

I am feeling excited to see the kids again though. I like learning with them, hearing about their summers, experimenting with math and science, seeing coding projects, and reading books together.  I am looking forward to our time together and collaborating again.  Yes, the school year is around the corner, and now that I am refreshed a bit, we will tackle it together. 

Summer Workbooks for Gifted

 Are you concerned about the summer academic slide and want your student to be working on a little bit of math each day to push their thinking?  I have created summer workbooks for gifted students.  The workbooks are designed to help students push their thinking and communication skills with a page a day during the summer months.

The workbook is designed for students to solve open ended problems in more than one way, find as many solutions as possible to push their thinking, understand algebraic equations and create their own story problems. 

One page can last up to half an hour of work and students cannot race through the packet as soon as possible if the parent asks for multiple solution pathways.  The workbook pages are very similar to the problems that we do on whiteboards in partners in SAGE, which is our gifted math program in the Issaquah School District.  

They can be done in partners at home, are great for teams of students who want to stretch their learning, and want to collaborate.

Here is the link to the summer workbook: Happy learning!

Integration of Math, Science, and Commerce: Paper Towel Testing

 Lately, my fourth graders have been put to work.  They have watched some incredibly entertaining commercials from Bounty to Brawny and begun to assess what makes a great paper towel. 

 "What is the task?" you ask.

Find the ultimate best paper towel brand.  Students have been using the scientific method to design their own experiments to prove mathematically that one paper towel brand is superior to the others.  

I have witnessed 10 year olds measuring water weight in grams, calculating averages, repeating trials, and drawing conclusions about absorbency.  Other students have placed heavy weights and objects on paper towels until they crashed down and broke to understand what role strength has in various brands.  

Finally, no paper towel evaluation would be complete without considering the cost per sheet for paper towels.

It appears that the school brand, Wausau, is not holding up on the strength and absorbency factors, but will it win due to cost? Stay tuned to find out the final conclusions from our paper towel stand off.