Flowers and Ivy

I spent a good deal of time in my garden this weekend. There are tulips emerging next to crocuses that are eagerly waiting to bloom. The hostas are just now peeking through as they sense that the worst of the cold is behind us. But the healthy blooms didn't get much of my attention this weekend. The real task was tackling the ivy that had grown a little too aggressively. You see, my house is 100 years old. Some of the plants have been there since before I was born.....at least thats what I tell myself.....makes the history teacher feel connected to the previous century. 

When we purchased our home, it had been empty for awhile and the landscaping was neglected. All of the attention and investments put into the flower beds were covered by ivy. The tulips couldn't bloom. The gladiolus bulbs were choked and suppressed. Their potential was limited by their environments. Sound familiar? 

http://quotesgram.com/spring-into-springtime-quotes/

We often see students that are choked by their environment to the point that their potential is
limited. But the reality is the potential is still there.  When I plant bulbs in the garden, I understand that I won't see immediate blooms. It may be a few years until that bulb turns into something bigger than the initial seed. I often feel this way about teaching. As teachers, we can plant seeds of potential within our students. Sometimes we see the growth begin while they are with us. Other times the blooms take longer to develop. Either way, the growth with happen. It is similar to my philosophy in life...."we walk by faith, not my sight" translates to "we teach by faith, not by sight".

To tackle my garden, I use a variety of tools. The classic flimsy metal rake, round pointed shovel, and my favorite spade, and my worn gardening gloves are all a part of my gardening arsenal. Each tool has a time and place. The tool I use just depends on the circumstance that I am in. When faced with a task, I have to ask myself what tool do I need to reach the desired goal?

 Technology in the classroom is just the same. It is one of the tools we use. We don't have to throw out all of our other tools and strategies....we just need to add a few more to suit the environment. As a classroom teacher, I have found different apps that suit my classroom best. Lately, I have used Spiral for class discussions. Students use a Flashcard app to prepare for vocabulary quizzes while other students prefer Quizlet. Symbaloo can be used to provide students with pre-selected sources for a project. Different teachers use different tech tools in a variety of ways. There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.

Technology provides us with options.....it isn't the only option. No matter the tool I use in my garden, it can't replace two critical things: my hands and my attention.Students need the same. Our kids need us.....all the best tools can't replace the basic needs.  My flowers mainly crave good soil, sunlight, and some water. My kids? Our kids need a comfortable classroom, a positive student-teacher relationship, quality instruction.....and maybe a window open in the Spring.

enjoy the coffee-
Hannah

Aretha Franklin said it best....

Since I am a history teacher, I am deeply interested in this political cycle. As citizens, we want our elected officials to work for us. We want our representatives to hear our concerns and do what is best for us. When we feel that our elected representatives are no longer listening to us, we begin to see it as "them" vs. "us". This "them" vs. "us" relationship doesn't always allow for healthy communication and cooperation. We feel like nothing is accomplished. We feel like decisions aren't made with the people in mind. We feel forgotten when we should be the focus.

Is that how our kids see us? Shouldn't our kids expect the same from their teachers as we expect from our elected representatives?

As teachers, we have to consider who our constituents are. We need to consider where our kids go after school. I grew up with a mom who was home when I got home from school. We could sit down and have an after school snack while talking about the day. My husband was a lock and key kid. His mom came home later than he did. They would talk about the day while making dinner. I remember discussing our after school experiences once and realizing that each kid has a different story.....whether the experience is good, bad, ugly, or just complicated....it is their experience. 

Our story is not their story. To assume anything different, is a disservice. 

When we create assignments or lessons, we have to keep in mind the reality of our students lives. Whether students have after school activities or family responsibilities, we have to remember to respect the time of our students. I don't want a student to miss out on a family dinner because they have to copy vocabulary words for my class. We ask a lot of kids while they are with us at school. We need to remember that just as we enjoy our time at home, so do our kids.

As a teacher, I want to create assignments that have some purpose so my students will hopefully see that when I ask them to complete an assignment, there is a reason. When students understand that teachers respect them, their time, and their reality.....we have a better working relationship. My students will tell you.....I have high standards and I'm not easy to please. I want their best. I want them to push themselves and grow to become the best person they can be. Sometimes I make their life difficult. Sometimes they don't like me.....and that's ok.

It is always my hope that my students see that I work for them. Am I always successful? Absolutely not. Do I have room for improvement? Yes (x100)! But as long as I remember who I work for, then at least I have that. 

Cement or Sand?

In my online class we are currently discussing the changes that must take place within education so we (teachers and schools) stay relatable and valuable. Several video links were posted that proposed thought provoking questions about how education might evolve. What struck a cord with me was a video post that compared the way a classroom was set up roughly one hundred years ago to a classroom today. It was very familiar......because the layout looked like my room. The physical placement of the desks and people were relatively the same....granted, our fashion has evolved.

I am a history teacher so I like to feel a sense of connection to the past. But, do I want to keep churning through each school year like they did in Indiana when the term frontier applied?

The following prompt was suggested on my online class:
How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset you are willing to make? Why or why not?

Well.....good question. My initial response: um, I'm not sure.

When my students get stuck on a question, I tell them to break it down and examine what is really being asked before you try to find an answer. Dissect the question and then decide. After changing my perspective, I shifted my focus from "changing a current policy" to something much deeper. 

Do I have a "moving mindset"? Am I standing in cement or sand? 

When I was in college, I thought that the "reflection" portion of lesson planning or curriculum planning was of the least importance. Reality check: I was wrong. Since I am in many ways a creature of habit, I used to think that one I found "what worked", my teaching style would be set. But reflection and adaption are crucial to staying relevant. What works for one class, doesn't always work for another. Paraphrasing my educational mentor, we have to remember to teach the kids we have.....not the kids we used to have. 

There are basic fundamental policies of the classroom that I believe in. I am a big fan of productivity, manners, respect, and effort. But each year is different. The kids are different. So we have to be different.

Sometimes I teach history. Sometimes I teach manners. Sometimes I teach organization.

But I always teach my kids. 

The delivery of the subject, lesson, and policy must have the potential to be fluid and changing.  But the dedication to try my best to positively teach them is cemented within me because policy can never overpower the vocation to teach. 

-enjoy the coffee-

Hannah

Old Lady Status

I tell my kids at school that I am working on my "old lady" status. Over Christmas Break, I taught myself how to crochet....blanket currently in progress. I am looking forward to the spring so I can spend time in the flower beds....tulips are peaking. My latest "old lady" skill: looking into genealogy. It all started with a moment of curiosity: who used to live in my 101 year old home?

Image from Society6

I knew the family name who came before us but that was all. So after utilizing the fantastic tools made available by my local public library, I had a name and began his story. Louis Strecker was an immigrant from Germany who grew up to open a local skating rink that is still in operation today.  (I actually just accompanied my kids on a field trip to the skating rink that Louis owned before I knew the connection!) I followed the "breadcrumbs" of details through obituaries, marriage records, and census data. It has become like playing detective without the awesome hat or magnifying glass.

I shared my new "old lady" excitement with the kids at school today. We were discussing "urbanization" as related to the Industrial Revolution. The Strecker family left Germany to Ohio where Louis Strecker's father worked as a glass blower. The moral of the story: history isn't famous people who dot our textbooks.  History is an accumulation of average people who believed that the future held promise. History shows us that things can go wrong, horribly and tragically wrong. But after each terrible thing, a new dawn....a new chapter.

To me, history is the knowledge that there have been countless family dinners in my dining room. History is the fact the Louis married Rose and they raised their children in the same rooms that my daughter is currently playing in. History is personal. When we as teachers approach history as the collection of "dates, names, and vocab words", we deprive our students of the curiosity that is born from the ghosts of history.

Stay curious friends.....you never know what you will find.
-time to brew the coffee....
Hannah

Adapting to Reality

I am a creature of habit. My husband laughs at me because my favorite color to wear is black. I order the same thing off the menu when we go out to eat. I have a favorite pair of shoes I wear all too often. However, I do like change a lot. To me, change is the invitation for betterment. Does the "new change" always work? Heavens no! But to change it ultimately to take a chance.

I changed it up in class today. I used a new app called Spiral, based out of London, that fits for a 1:1 classroom. Spiral found me via Twitter and I thought I would give it a chance. In a nutshell: today I was able to get instant feedback from my students without anyone raising their hand.

 That looks like a very different classroom from the image I've created in my mind. I want to see the classroom of Mr. Keating's before my eyes (Dead Poet's Society is my favorite....Oh Captain my Captain?!) where students are actively participating with curiosity at the core.

But that isn't typically what I see. I have great kids.....wonderful kids......but no one is jumping off desks for a new perspective. So today I took the different perspective. I changed the format. I jumped off the desk to see things different. What to know what I saw? A dramatic change of student participation. Students gained confidence to attempt an answer because they didn't have to worry about getting the answer wrong in front of their peers. As a teacher, I want my kids to accept change and take chances because imagine life if they didn't? However, I can't expect my kids to educationally "jump off the desk" if I stay comfortable in my chair.
-enjoy your coffee-
Hannah

And here we go....

Honest admission: this is my first blog post ever. This blog is in response to an online class I signed up for. The idea of a blog is daunting as I sit and imagine what to say. Should I start with my teaching philosophy? The goals for teaching? My fear of frogs?! I'm not an expert "blogger". I don't know if expert applies to anything in my life. But as a teacher, I don't want the title of expert for any area of my life. Rather, I want to continue improving and never settle. Thus....I'm bloggin'.

I love teaching my students. Coffee makes the morning (and evenings of grading) possible. The combination of family, students, history, and coffee makes for a job that I love. So without further ado, an introduction. My name is Hannah Montanez and I am in my sixth year of teaching Social Studies to 8th graders, further referred to as my kids. 

***Writing temporarily halted by the following conversation:
toddler: "um Mommy, my shirt is wet"
me: "It is?"
toddler: "I was washing the table with my water"
My "momma investigation" found she used a dryer sheet left over from the laundry to dunk into her water glass and wash the table. She's awesome. :)

As a teacher, time is a rare commodity. When I first thought about the blog project, I as an individual, mom, wife, and teacher wondered were that would fit into the daily life. But then I paused....as a teacher, mom, and a wife don't I ask people all around me to reflect on where they are and what they will pursue next? Reflection isn't easy. For the past six years I have had a sticky note taped to my Mac. The faded (and slightly grungy) orange sticky note reminds me daily: "Simplicity is difficult because it requires honesty". This was a thought of mine that came about in conversation with my husband/beloved side-kick years ago (he teaches too). So I will reflect on where I have been along the path of teaching and where I hope to go. I plan to incorporate my rambling reflections along with (hopefully) more polished pieces to meet the requirements for my class. Either way, I hope to write simply and honestly to do the daunting task of reflection.
-better brew more coffee.....
Hannah