I remember getting yelled at by my "mean old" neighbor - who was actually neither mean nor old! - to quit picking up the phone when she was using the party line. I remember my friends asking to use our phone to call home and say they were running late and reminding them to dial 9 to get an outside line. It was such a big deal to be old enough to answer the phone and learn to say, "Hello, King residence." And to drag the phone into the bathroom, closing the chord in the door so I could have a private conversation with my boyfriend, my sisters knocking on the door and giggling. In those days, I really wanted to talk. 8th grade Science. First D ever on a report card. Me: "Mrs. Peregrine, why do I have a D?" (Of course I had no way to have looked at the teacher's grade book online to know this answer.) Mrs. Peregrine: "Well, Susie, your mouth has not stopped moving since you came into this room in August. What did you THINK was going to happen?" I returned to my seat in shock. Embarrassment. Confusion. But she was right. I really liked to talk! These days, I'm trying to listen more. (I really am! I SEE some of you out there laughing!) I am trying to listen to those who just need to be heard. I want to understand and represent their voice when I can. I want to know where their emotions are coming from. I know that connections come from listening to each other and that is what I need in my life, personally and professionally. I know I still interrupt people (sorry Chet!) and I may speak when there is nothing that really needs to be said. I am a work in progress. But that is what life is all about. Also, if you're still reading, please click on the survey below so I can see how many people are out there.
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11/16/2018 8 Comments Venting11/6/2018 1 Comment What do you do, exactly??This is a question I have been trying to answer since I was offered this position in May, both for others and for myself, and quite frankly, it is not an easy question. In my PLC group at Wabash Valley Education Center, where I get to meet with other instructional coaches from the area, I am learning that we all have some pretty varied roles. The main goals of the position, though, remain steady and are shown nicely in the picture over there <--- and in the article here. In essence, my job is like that of any coach - to "assist people in developing to their full potential." According to Topend Sports, "the role of the coach is to create the right conditions for learning to happen and to find ways of motivating the athletes." It seems to me that my job is much the same and I always wanted to be a coach, so.... (Just kidding. I never saw myself as a coach, as evidenced by my complete lack of a competitive nature.) I do not presume nor pretend to have all the answers, but I do hope I can help us discover some! I hope to ask questions that can lead to solutions and create situations that will allow us to learn from one another. I hope you'll join me. And after we win the Superbowl, we can say "I'm going to Disney World!" 10/31/2018 0 Comments Criticism vs. critique10/17/2018 2 Comments Peace and Joy.
10/4/2018 3 Comments Baby steps....There are people on this staff who are mountain climbers. They see a mountain of a challenge and bounce a few times on the balls of their feet, then spring into action. They seem to scramble almost effortlessly to the top. I am not a mountain climber. I see that mountain, feel the weight of it looming over me and decide taking a nap at its base is a much better idea. :)
But when I wake up, I realize the mountain is still there. And I must tackle it. So today as I'm talking to myself possibly more than to anyone reading this, I'm thinking about baby steps. Awkward, staggering, funny little steps that we know will grow stronger but sure do feel silly right now. Mountains currently in my path include NWEA testing, Data teams, homework issues, an array of acronyms (MTSS, LRE, RTI, PBIS. DOK), a cat who thinks breakfast is at 2:00 a.m. and a cut on my finger that hurt so badly it made me vomit. I want to fix every one of these issues right now. (Mostly the finger because it is hard to type with a Band aid.) I want to be on the mountaintop, arms raised in victory, feeling the breeze on my skin. But I'm just here. I must remember to take some awkward, drunken-looking baby steps. I feel like I have taken a whole bunch of those already and I should be loping over things like a gazelle, but the world is reminding me that things take time. So, I'm forging ahead with baby steps. See you at the top! 10/2/2018 0 Comments Control“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't.” I don't think I'm alone in noticing an awful lot of frustration around school lately. Yes, there is always frustration at work, but things are almost tangible right now, yes? In my new role as instructional coach, I have felt a lot of frustration in my responsibilities, but I chose that. I expected it. What I am troubled by is what I feel around me from teachers that I KNOW are very good and extremely dedicated to what they do. I have seen furrowed brows, clenched jaws and tears this week. I have seen hands thrown up in surrender and heard sighs of defeat. This is truly not who we are as a school. I've been around here long enough to know. I do not claim to have all the answers but I would like to share with you my plan for coping. It is no surprise that it is in bright yellow up above: Focus on what you can control. In education especially, there are so many dictates that determine what we do, from when we can use the bathroom to how to administer tests. We cannot control most of this. It exists. Period. We have some level of control through our roles in committees and our political choices but those things impact slow-moving change. What can we control right now? What can we do at this moment to take charge of our day? There is a short list above, and yes, some of you may roll your eyes at it, but it is true. If we can focus on those things that we can make an immediate impact on, things will get a little bit better. Let's stop wearing ourselves out over things we cannot change and focus on things we can. Below there are some links to ways to set a good tone for your day, either personally or educationally. If you get 3 minutes to yourself (and you don't need them to go to the bathroom!) maybe click one and have a look. Maybe there will be one little nugget that will change the day - or at least the next moment. PS - I am building a page about homework at KV. I'm trying to gather strategies that work for people HERE, not in some research world far away. If you have things to add, email me or invite me to come visit; I'd love to see you!
2/11/2016 0 Comments Civil rights presentationsI am finishing up grading the reflection writings about English 11's Civil Rights Projects and I am struck by several things I want to address here: 1. I am proud of the projects. They turned out better than I expected overall Sure, we could improve speaking skills, move things around to be less formulaic, but overall, we did well. Thank you. 2. It is awkward. These topics are touchy. They hit nerves. People have strong opinions about them and that made for some odd and uncomfortable conversations, BUT I feel many people grew and learned from them. There are some who wrote that they feel they changed others and I am crazy proud of those who said that even though others were ignorant or judgmental, they do not hate them or judge THEM. I think some of you really see that someone who is bigoted is afraid and intimidated and feeling uncomfortable. Showing them love is what makes them change their minds, even a little bit. 3. We are a diverse group! I am proud of this too. I know that at first glance, we look similar but we are black, white, hispanic, asian (multicolored American!) in this room. We are gay and straight. We are Christian and agnostic. We are many things but mostly we are human and overall we can accept others, even if we disagree with them. 4. We are not afraid of change. In my years of teaching, acceptance of minorities has grown. I know that it might be hard for many of you to see it but it has changed! We, in Wheatfield, do not get so much exposure to those different from us, but we are not nearly as ethnocentric as we once were. 5. You can learn about yourself at any age. Your reflection showed me that you are willing to take blame when you slack off. You are willing to grow from experiences. I have grown from this too and every one of you helped all of that happen. I hope you are happy with what you got out of this project. I appreciate your willingness to share about your personal differences and your true opinions. I know you will leave here some day and experience far more than we even touched upon here but I hope that this opened to door to knowing an abundance of really cool people in the world, not to mention BEING one! Mrs. K. 9/10/2014 0 Comments SpongeBob and Running?
6/30/2014 0 Comments Fireworks FrenzyAs Americans, we seem to have a fascination with fireworks. This weekend I went to a fireworks show in our local park and it was the most endearing thing I have experienced yet this summer, save perhaps the local "parade" for the kickoff of baseball season filled with five floats of little kids pretty darn excited to be throwing candy instead of scampering after it. The park was full of townspeople and we are truly a small, small town so one wonders where everyone came from. Either way, it was a great fireworks display and I found myself looking around at the kids and smiling to myself. With patriotic music playing and everyone temporarily quiet, I had time to think about this odd tradition. It's sort of like Santa Claus, really. So much a part of our culture that we never really think about it. Funny how people love destruction and danger...as long as it is really controlled. (Think amusement parks.) Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good display of pyrotechnics. But I like to be far away from the lighting and potential ground explosion as possible. Blame Jimmy, a family friend who used to core crab apples and insert fire crackers to toss at me and his sister. If you think about it, we are using the same supplies as entertainment as we use to make weaponry. Fireworks really do mimic in-air explosions created by war fare, right? Kind of an odd tribute. Our local fireworks display was followed up with a movie night and I laughed out loud at Lego Movie with my daughter and the rest of our tiny town. Of course, "everything was awesome!" |
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