The Teachers That Know They Can

*thumbs in belt loops* Heeeeey, y'all!

So back in February, I had a guest speaker that the kids know as "Mr. Awesome Eric". LOL!  Well, while he was in the middle of talking about goals, success, and dreams in kid-friendly terms, he quoted this poem:

The Man Who Thinks He Can

By Walter D. Wintle
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a person’s will-
It’s all in a state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can!

The kids were amazed.  They applauded right then and there, and he wasn't even through talking to them yet!

Months later, in May, the kids were playing games because, well, it was after standardized testing, there was maybe a week and a half of school left and.........welp....... they deserved the free time! (Dear administrators: Don't freak out! Respectfully, Jenn) Haahaa! 

During one of the games, B hollered "I'm gonna win, cuz I'm a man that thinks he can.  Remember Mr. Awesome Eric said it?" My teacher senses tingled.  After he did, indeed, win the game, I asked him to come over and recorded him reading the poem.  MY GOSH!!!! This child hates to read with a passion, but he jumped at the chance to read "Mr. Awesome Eric's Poem."

I got inspired.

Let's see if I can "remix" the poem in teacher-friendly terms:

The Teachers Who Know They Can

If you think you can't teach, you can't.
Take down your bulletin boards and leave.
There's no sense in making your classroom great
If you don't think our kids can achieve.

If you think they're too stupid, that's a shame
That falsehood contains nothing true
The kids WILL learn, but the worst part is,
They'll learn it all without YOU.

Classroom difficulties are likened to war,
We're in the trenches each day--
Fighting to be certain that our kids can solve
Each problem that comes their way.

State testing is a painstaking must
If you think they'll get harder, they will
Non-teachers are holed up in boardrooms NOW
Passing even MORE education bills

But fellow teachers, bow not your heads
Fight the good fight again
For every morning brings learning anew--
THIS IS A FIGHT WE'LL WIN!

Determination is what's needed
In your schools, please take a stand.
For there's NOTHING that is MORE POWERFUL
Than the teachers that KNOW they CAN.


Do you believe that you can TEACH again for 2012-2013? Yes? Then come on; we're in this together. :-)

*waves*

~~Ms. Jenn

Summer Tip

Hi!!!!!!!

Summer break: One of THE biggest blessings ever! Do NOT let any non-teacher guilt you into thinking that it's undeserved. C'mon now: We work 10-12 hour days, plus weekends with 15-27 kids that AIN'T OURS in a classroom setting......And all we get paid is Kroger-brand jelly beans and peanuts.

It's deserved.

Now, one of the biggest caveats to the summer for me is that soooo many ideas for the upcoming school year hit me, buuuuuut I forget them. (Heck, I'm 31 and I'm entitled to senior moments.) LoL!!!!!!!

My tip: Move your MemoPad icon to the home screen of your smart phone. Jot your ideas down in there. (Move it to the home screen to play a mind trick on yourself: You'll be more prone to write it down if ya don't have to go hunting for it!) Or, if the idea of tip-tapping on your phone doesn't suit, get a small memo pad that'll fit in your purse or pocket. What a treasure you'll have come the Fall: A nice-sized heap of ideas that came to you while you were relaxing. Score!

Happy Summer,

Ms. Jenn

Wind Beneath My Wings

So......


I was doing a series of lessons with my class on figurative language, since that's a tested skill here in TN.  (I'll put some lesson ideas after this short anecdote.)  Well, we were playing a class game of Jeopardy, boys against girls (as if pre-pubescent 4th graders would have it any other way). The question was "What is meant by 'You are the wind beneath my wings'?"  After some thought, B answered: "But.........why would you want to break wind under somebody's wings?" -_-  Needless to say, both the class and I guffawed for a few minutes, aaaaaand I continued figurative language into the next couple of days.  LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Random moments can be so much FUN!


Now........... for the figurative language ideas:

• After instructing the students on figurative language terms, i.e. simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, etc., have them make a book illustrating each term.  Simple, but it's a great way for them to be creative, and for them to show you what they've learned.  One of my kids wrote "If I don't get some candy soon, my head's gonna explode!"  He drew a picture of a head exploding with brain bits everywhere, but I KNEW that HE knew what hyperbole was. Ha. Yeah, ya didn't freak me out. One point for Ms. Jenn. *side eye*

• Have the kids make a circle.  Pick one student to be "it". (I'll write a post later on cool ways to pick students... "That ain't fair!" gets soooooo old!)  Tape one of the terms on their back.  Go around the circle, having kids come up with examples for that term.  When they guess it, they return to the circle, another kid is "it", and the learning is continued with a different term. Easy.

• Hink Pinks!!!! (I've also seen them as "Hinky Pinkies" and "Hinkety Pinketies") Hink pinks are rhyming words that answer a riddle.  To my understanding, the answers to hink pinks each have one syllable, hinky pinkies have two syllables and hinkety pinketies have three syllables.  WHAT IN THE HECK IS MS. JENN TALKING ABOUT???!!?!?!?  Mmkay.  Example: A green mineral made into a cutting device *cue Jeopardy theme*  Give up?  A Jade blade. Ha haaa!!!! A large branch?  A big twig!!!! Brain teaser.  Synonyms. Poetry tool. Cooperative learning technique. Icebreaker. Heck, even SAYING it makes ME laugh, but I'm a dork. LOL!!!!

Arrange the kids in a circle. Pretend you're holding a ball. (Whoops! "sphere"; let's incorporate some math vocab in there...cross-curricular....SCORE!) This "sphere" causes onomatopoeia to come out of everyone that touches it.  The spectators' job is to guess what item/animal the sound is from.  It's sooooo much fun! The kids act like they're holding a ball and belt out all KINDS of sounds! Roooooar!!!! Boom!!!! Ssssssss!!!!! Riiiiiiiiing!!!! "Oh, nuh UHHHH!!!!" **pause** That was one kid's "onomatopoeia" for ME! *side eye* Mmm hmm.

• If you go to http://www.quia.com/, you can type in "figurative language" and come up with all sorts of activities.  The Jeopardy game is in there.  It's a really cool site!

      Til next time,


       Ms. Jenn

25 Things About Jenn the Teacher

1.) My favorite color is green.

2.) I'm afraid of deep water and spiders.

3.) I'm really easy-going; I let a lot of things roll off my back.

4.) One of my fellow teachers calls me "Sarge".

5.) My father was in the military; you'll see that structure pop up in my classroom....a LOT!

6.) I learn every student's full name: It helps with discipline. (Yoooou know; being called your first, middle, and last names puts the fear of GOD in you, even in your adult life.)

7.) My first class was a Pre-K class.

8.) I taught 2nd grade for 6 years; they weren't consecutive. Three years, then 4th, back to 2nd for three MORE years, then 4th again. (This'll be my tenth year total.) I'm currently a 4th grade teacher.

9.) I was a theatre regular up until graduation from undergrad. Since then, I won't touch a stage.  I want to, but adults give me stage fright.  I will, however, dress up for my class and stay in character for a given amount of time and allow the kids to ask me questions. Any subject area....doesn't matter. Kids don't give me stage fright.....at ALL!  I let the students sing, dance, and act for assignments, as well.  Kids call me "dramatic".  Fellow teachers and administrators call me "theatrical".  I call myself "Jenn". LOL

10.) My Masters degree is in Instructional Technology.

11.) Sometimes I put "M. Ed." at the end of my name; people get confused and call me "Doctor".

12.) I've been called "The Big, Bad Wolf" by students; they thought I didn't know.  I think it's hilarious!

13.) I'm one of the best story-readers EVER! Different tones, pitches, accents...If there was a market for this, I'd do it professionally. (Got it from my Mommy)

14.) I'm a third-generation teacher; slice my finger and ABCs will spew out.

15.) I have no problem WHATSOEVER in telling students "I don't know"; I'll look it up so I CAN know, though--They watch me go to a book or website and everything.

16.) When I was younger,  I was the shortest,skinniest, and quietest one in my classes for awhile. I've got a soft spot in my heart for kids like me.

17.) Because of #16, I'm the poster-teacher for anti-bullying. I hate it. It's awful. I was teased and bullied until I hit a growth spurt. The shortest kid became one of the tallest. Mm hmm.... NOW talk!

18.) I was the youngest kid in the Southeast to take the HAM radio licensure test.  Yeah.  The shortest kid was the smartest, too.

19.) I'd rather come up with ideas alone.  I hate workshops where they FORCE me to work with other people.  We're trained to spot the different learning styles and modalities in students, so why d'you stick to just ONE of them with teachers? It's beyond me.

20.) I took each Praxis test once.  I kept hearing horror stories about it. *shrug* I walked in, took multiple tests the same day, and received the awards for high scores.

21.) I HAVE to be in a colorful classroom and the shades are rarely drawn. Every wall needs to have something that the kids can look at and learn from. Every window needs to be unblocked. Heck, kids these days are gonna look around anyway.  Who knows? A teachable moment may occur from something they've seen.

22.) I have a hard time separating "Jenn the Teacher" from "Jenn the Regular Person".  I've been known to tell adults that they've earned a gold star, though I never put stars on anything.  I WILL put another type of sticker on an adult's shirt or forehead. You'd be amazed at the smiles (and looks of horror!)

23.) I tell my kids I love them every single day, even if they mess up.  In the end, they know that their mistakes don't stop me from loving them.  We all screw up from time to time; I forgive them, they forgive me, and the classroom family marches on.

24.) The "vibe" of my classroom is always really cool.  Music, kids at the "big tables", kids on computers, kids sitting at MY desk, kids on the carpet, kids on the floor, kids at their desks.....yeah. They love it, and I don't know of any other way to do it. :)

25.) I've no problems WHATSOEVER in helping other teachers.  I guess that's what this blog is for; partially for a therapeutic journal, but really for those that're stuck in a rut. Ask me stuff! Teachers are constantly in the media and rarely supported.  It's time to change that....one blog at a time. :)

Your faithful friend and fellow teacher,

Ms. Jenn