Inspiration from Friends

I spent some time today looking at some of my classmates blogs.  It was so interesting to read what they had studied.  Their opinions opened my eyes to new possibilities about how to differentiate and how to be a fantastic teacher. 

I loved Brittany Reynolds's blog.   She simplified and expounded topics that I had found confusing.   She has very interesting insights and it was helpful to read her thoughts on differentiation.  One of my favorite posts from her was about the business a schools.  It was about a quote from out text book.  The quote said..

..."The business of schools is to design, create, and invent high-quality, intellectually demanding work for students....work that engages students, that is so compelling that students persist when they experience difficulties, and that is so challenging that students have a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction- indeed of delight- when they successfully accomplish the tasks assigned." 
- Phil Schlechty

I liked her question, When was the last time we as teachers really asked our students to persist when they experience difficulties?  This made me think about how today people settle for mediocrity and they don't strive for excellence.  People today want to simply find the quickest way to fame and fortune.  After reading this post I plan to give my students intellectually demanding word and I will teach them how to persist through difficulty.  This is inspiring.

Carolyn Black was the other classmate's blog that I read.  She is surely one the smartest people I know and it so insightful to read about her views on differentiation.  I have always looked up to Carolyn and her blog was very helpful for me create in my mind a better picture of how to be a fantastic differentiation teacher.

I Particularly liked her post about.

"Teaching Students, not Teaching Lessons"

I think this a fantastic and one of the most basic principles we can take away from the differentiation class.  I think that I sometimes forget through the stress of school and planning and teaching that the real reason we are in this profession is to teach our students.  It's all about helping our students to become the best people they can be through life long learning.   Teaching is the best job in the world for that exact reason.

A teacher has many roles but their main role is to teach.  Curriculum and instruction are the tools we use to teach.  We won't succeed teaching academic concepts unless we are also teaching human beings how to live.  That is a part of a teacher's curriculum.  If we use curriculum and instruction effectively we can help our students to feel like they are contributing, we can give them power and purpose, and we can challenge their minds and help them to develop their own opinions.   A key to remember is to not only be good at teaching curriculum be good at teaching your students how to live life. As a teacher we won't be remembered for our fantastic lesson plans and assessments.  Our students are going to remember our relationship with them and they are going to remember what we taught them about life. 

In high school I had a cheer coach who was like of a beast.  She was young, full of herself, and she could be really mean.  She didn't have the best curriculum when it came to cheerleading.  We were often learning semi-illegal stunts by high school standards and she wasn't always sure what she was doing.  Her curriculum was alright but she is a great teacher because she taught me about how to be a better human being.  I will always be thankful to her for that.  No matter how rude or crazy I thought she was, I will still respect her as my teacher because she taught me fantastic life curriculum. 

 She taught me what it meant to really use team work in life.  When we went to competitions she taught us to never leave anyone behind and if on person falls then we all fall.  She taught us to keep on trucking everyday and to always stick up for each others backs.

  She taught me to notice the small things and to tell people when they are doing well.  As a senior I was nominated by the cheerleaders for homecoming royalty and I remember getting a note from her that said she was proud of me for representing the school and our squad so well.  It was sweet and it touched my heart that my teacher would notice me.  Because of her I try to send notes like that to people. 

The last thing she taught me was to have Nordstrom's Customer service.  She was all about respect and being kind and representing ourselves, the school, our cheer team, and her as a coach well.  She taught us to always be gracious and kind just like Nordstrom's customer service. 

What does this have to do with being a teacher who is trying to implement differentiation?  Well it means that I need to use my curriculum and instruction to teach students how to live.  Not every student needs to learn the same life lessons.  My cheer coach gave me an individual note and I don't think she knew how much I learned from that.  I think she saw an opportunity to teach and she took it.  I hope I can be even better than her and learn to notice what life lessons my students need and then try to teach them accordingly.  If I am able to do that then that I feel I will be successful at differentiating curriculum. 

 

This is a picture of me and my husband in high school when I was a cheerleader. (I couldn't find one of just me, plus he is a stud) My cheer coach's differentiation of curriculum based life skills helped me to become the teacher I am today.