Shedd Aquarium and the Lake Guardian
Some readers may recall that I had the unique opportunity to participate in a summer workshop about the EPA’s R/V Lake Guardian on Lake Ontario three years ago. Part of this workshop included a commitment from me to include Great Lakes literacy in my teaching. I have done so and continue to be amazed at the depth of knowledge my students gain as they learn about the role of the Great Lakes in our lives and in the health of our world.
Several weeks ago I received an email from the Community Outreach Specialist with the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant who helped organize the workshop. She informed a group of us that the Lake Guardian would be docking at Chicago’s Navy Pier for a week at the end of May and wanted to know if anyone would be interested in taking their students on a guided tour. I asked my principal what she thought about it and she agreed that it would be an awesome opportunity if we could find a way to cover the travel expenses. After several emails back and forth, funding was secured and we were able to schedule a trip to Chicago for Thursday, May 19 (yesterday). In addition to touring the ship, we were able to arrange a visit to the John G. Shedd Aquarium. (Side note: despite being a lifelong resident of Illinois, I had never before visited the Shedd!) The last task was to secure chaperones.
I had initially planned on nine adults to accompany my class, in addition to myself. Parental interest was so high, however, that I was able to secure extra tickets. We ended up with sixteen adults in all! This allowed for very small groups of students, much more freedom for students to explore the Shedd, and the hands-down quietest bus ride I have ever experienced in all my years of teaching. (more…)
Walk and Talk, Take Two
Nearly a year and a half ago, I read about a literacy strategy on one of the many education-focused blogs and newsletters I follow. The strategy is called “Walk and Talk” and it consists of doing just that: having students walk and talk about literacy. Now that we are getting down to the last few days of school, Miss C and I decided to use this strategy with our learning buddies today.
We were a little uncertain how well it would work with kindergarteners and fourth graders, but if there is nothing else we have learned from our five years of buddying our classes together, it has been that our students will rise to the occasion whenever we give them the opportunity!
Armed with a book, a clipboard, a pencil, and a graphic organiser, the buddies started at the beginning of the loop around the front of the building and wrote a brief synopsis of the beginning of their selected text. Then they walked about halfway, talking as they went, before stopping to write about the middle. They then continued their way, still talking, until they got to the end, at which point they, of course, wrote about the end of the story.
It was a simple task but one that had multiple benefits:
- Students were able to talk to one another about literature
- Students were able to demonstrate an understanding that a story has a beginning, middle, and end
- Students were able to move freely, getting some physical activity in instead of sitting in one place
- Students were able to enjoy the warm weather
If that’s not a successful activity, I’m not sure what is!
Teacher Appreciation Week
Last Tuesday was National Teacher Appreciation Day but my school celebrates the entire week. Our lovely PTA provided some great treats, including chair massages, a tasty breakfast one day and a delightful lunch another day. I had students who brought small tokens of appreciation, ranging from handmade cards to several bars of dark chocolate (no milk chocolate because they know that I can’t shouldn’t have dairy products.
All week long I ruminated on the teachers in my own life that I owe a debt of gratitude. In years past, I have written about some of these teachers. (See here and here.) This year I wanted to publicly (sort of) say thank you to the teachers in my own building. I thought about writing a paragraph about each of the amazing women and men who work in my building, but that would push the limits of what even I am able to write in the brief time I have to reflect here, and I also don’t want to leave anyone out on accident.
So I hope that those who see this will accept this blanket statement of gratitude as my belated gift for them. From my first day at Wiley to today, I have felt only supported and encouraged by my colleagues. Whether it is partnering up with other teachers to do crazy projects or offering to shave my head if the students could log over 1,000,000 minutes of reading, to putting up with my constant discussions about educational technology to letting me pop into their rooms to observe or just say hello, I have been incredibly blessed to work in a school that embodies the culture of collaboration, collegiality, and cooperation. Thank you, one and all, for your support, your patience, and your professionalism.
I remember when we were interviewing candidates for our new principal and several would ask us why Wiley. They wanted to know what made us special. One of my colleagues, who spoke for all of us, said it is just one word: family.
Wiley Elementary School is so much more than jus a school. It is more than just a community. It is more than a place for me to work as an education. It is all of these things, yes, but more than those, it is a family. Sometimes we fight, sometimes we disagree, but that’s what families do. We don’t always hug it out like the end of a Full House episode, but we do forgive one another.
Thank you, Wiley staff, for being a part of my family!
