By Julie Everett, Professional Development Coordinator

To be an educator is to be someone that no one else can be. Each year, we are gifted with a new set of students, and what we do with them is different than what anyone else might do with them. We are not cookie cut by design. We are instinctively different. We are molded from our own educational backgrounds and experiences. We are knowledgeable from our college experiences that have come and gone.

All of past journeys make us unique--and almost alone in our independent ways. We have struggled. We have questioned. We have cried. We have worried. We have challenged. We have been challenged. We have taken risks. We have been frustrated with change. We have welcomed change. We have dusted ourselves off and celebrated that our failures have made us better...stronger…and more passionate about who we are, and what we aspire to be in this ever-changing world of education.

And really, it is that passion that ignites our dedication--a renewal of our faith in our chosen career path. Not just anyone can be an educator. It takes a strong-willed, change-driven, risk-taking, passionate individual to make learning happen for children. You are all of these things and more in your very unique and experienced way.

What have you done to celebrate YOU lately?

Take a few minutes and write down three things that you love about being an educator. Now put it in a place where you will see it tomorrow, and every day after that, until you celebrate YOU another time! Don't wait for another minute to pass without celebrating YOU as an educator. 

After all, you are someone that no one else can be.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with those kids. They never listen to a thing I tell them. I might as well be talking to the wall for all they care!”

Does this sound familiar? How do we get kids to listen and benefit from our experience and knowledge?  Maybe it’s just asking too much. Or is it?

We could blame this problem on the belief that youngsters are just headstrong and determined to learn the hard way. It’s also possible that many parents try to reason with their children at the wrong time. This greatly reduces their chances for success.

We’ve all watched parents give their children a “good talking to” with little or no positive results. This is unfortunate because the adult not only had good intentions but good advice to share. The only trouble was that the child was not in an emotional state that would allow listening and use of the adult’s wisdom.

The words we use with our kids during emotional times are wasted. They are either never heard or are turned against us. We all have difficulty listening during emotional times. It’s natural, at times like these, to focus most of our thoughts upon the emotions rather than the words being spoken. As a result, we remember the other person’s anger better than we remember the words.

A child at the dinner table who is not eating and who is complaining about the food provides a good example. Reminders in this case seem to do little good.

One parent might handle it by using angry-sounding words like, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you come to the table with that attitude. You quit that complaining, or I’ll really give you something to complain about!” My guess here is that the child is thinking a lot about the adult’s anger and little about the wisdom of eating a good meal.

Use Soft Words with Actions

Another parent might replace these angry words with soft words and action: “I’ll be picking up the food and dishes in five minutes. I hope by then you will have eaten all you need to hold you until breakfast.” Nothing is said if the youngster does not eat. The words are saved for a time when the child will be better able to listen.

It is obvious that the child will be hungry later and say, “I’m hungry. What can I have?”

The wise parent knows that the youngster will learn more when few words are used: “I bet you are. That’s what happens to me when I miss my dinner. I bet you’ll be anxious for breakfast. Don’t worry. We’ll cook a good one.”

This parent chose to save the words for a time when the child was in the thinking state rather than in the emotional state. The best time for reason is when both the child and the adult are happy. This is the time when the best thinking and learning can take place.

 

 

 

In August 2009, ESU 10 was awarded an Enhanced Education Through Technology grant in support of the high school technology course TECHS (Technology Education Challenges in High School). TECHS is offered over distance education and as a web based offering by ESU 10 to twenty-five Nebraska schools. Through this grant, schools who participate in the TECHS program will each receive 5 ITouch mobile technology units and training on how these tools can be used in the classroom.

On December 1, 2009 TECHS teachers attended the first of two in-services to receive instruction on the fundamentals of ITouch technology, research of ITouch educational applications, and to review expected outcomes.

TECHS teachers will participate in the second in-service on February 2, 2010 to review their mobile technology and applications, and students will be allowed to use this technology in support of their classes.

During the second semester, TECHS students will identify educational applications that can support different grade levels and curricular areas, training will be provided to teachers at their school to support ITouch technology and applications, and students will be allowed to use this technology in support of their classes.

At the end-of-the-year a TECHS mega-conference will be held where TECHS students will share their projects with other schools.  Based on these presentations, a TECHS team will be selected to share the project at the annual Nebraska Education Technology Association (NETA) conference.

Schools who are not TECHS participants but who are interested in learning more about web applications and programing supported by this device may attend the February mobile technology training.

Nebraska Association for the Gifted (NAG) conference will be held February 18, 19, 2010, at the Lavista Conference Center, Omaha Nebraska.

The theme for this year’s conference is "Cultivating Passion and Potential Using 21st Century Skills". Featured speakers include Jim Delisle, Ph.D. and Carolyn Coil; both National and International presenters in the field of gifted and talented. Dr. Roger Breed, Nebraska Commissioner of Education will give the opening session on February 18. Over 30 Nebraska educators will be presenting break-out sessions during the two day conference. More information can be found on the NAG website at http://www.negifted.org/NAG/Welcome.html.

ESU 10 has two High Ability Learner Workshops scheduled. These workshops are open to all ESU 10 schools and are free to all HAL Consortium schools.

January 28, 2010: Pre-assessing and Organizing for High Ability Learners in a Differentiated Classroom. Gathering the correct information about students is the basis of making differentiation decisions in the classroom. This workshop will examine how to pre-assess students and design tools such as learning contracts, checklists, and other helpful instruments. A portion of the workshop will be spent developing materials to be used in the classroom.

March 3, 2010: Grading in a Differentiated Classroom. Differentiated instruction requires multiple modes of assessment and grading. This workshop contains various aspects of assessment and grading; from design to implementation and evaluation. Teacher-parent communication strategies will also be covered. A portion of the workshop will be spent developing materials.