Humpty, do you need a hand? I promise to be careful.

Teacher friends, I know change is difficult.  Humpty Dumpty is so fragile, but should we help him off the wall?

It has been a few years since I read the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett, but there is a quote from the book that I have thought about, when I have been thinking about writing...

Skeeter is given the advice, "Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else."

Sometimes I have pondered using this advice, but though I know most of the page views to this blog are my own, I am not so sure I am as brave as Stockett's character.  I don't want to unintentionally paint any of my hard working, dedicated colleagues in a negative light.  We all have strengths and weaknesses, and also differing points of view.  I know that the teachers in my building are all 100% committed to doing their absolute best for our children.  So, to write about things that I don't necessarily feel are right does not mean that I have less admiration for these friends.

My divergent opinions may not inspire an educational movement, or bring to light any issue as glaring as those impacting the civil rights of folks living in Stockett's Jackson Mississippi, but there are a few things that I wonder about.

Titles and Topics for future blog posts

1.  I have been waiting for Common Core Curriculum Standards!  I am an American, born and raised to be an individual, trained to teach to the National Curriculum in the United Kingdom.   What can be wrong about high standards for everyone, shouldn't we all have this in common?

2.  Floatin' down the river!  My bulletin board as a metaphor for what happens inside my classroom...

3. Time to teach vs. Time for Pinterest.  Cutsie vs. Content or can we work together?  Let's think carefully about how we use arts and crafts to inspire creativity, and teach skills.

So... which should I write about first?

Just because I can, doesn't make it right.

So I did a little research today, and the only colored illustrations of Alice in Wonderland by Sir John Tenniel (as far as I can tell) are from the Nursery Alice.  And, in the public domain.  It is so nice to find art to use on my blog page that I know is honest...

I will be honest, I have gotten in the habit of taking whatever images meet my purposes... for my daily schedule displayed in class, or for a classroom illustration of a concept.  Does this count as personal use?  Is this legal?  Am I pushing the boundaries of copyright law?  I need to do some further research, it is clear...

A good resource:  http://www.teachingcopyright.org/
And a great edublog post: http://theedublogger.com/2012/02/09/the-educators-guide-to-copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/

Blogs, Blogging, and Edublogging

Today I learned that…
 Ben is right.  I moved this post from my edublog post.  I will use google Blogger.
 Here is my post from my Edublog called "What I learned at school today" moved over here...

Today I learned that...

It can take a long time trying to learn something new on the internet!

I’ve found lots of great classroom setup ideas on pinterest, but three hours just disappeared from my Summer. I am searching for ideas to create a welcoming bulletin board outside my classroom door, but it seems like many pins and repins are of the same bulletin board. Also, I want it to be a board that welcomes students and families to OUR classroom. I want it to represent us, what we believe in, and what a visitor will discover in OUR classroom. I am not welcoming families to Mrs. Internet’s classroom, I am welcoming you to room #9, OUR room, YOUR room and MINE too.
Pinterest, was a place to start. But, I don’t think it will end there.

When I follow the links to the original pin, I do find some cool teacher blogs. The ones that I find most useful are the ones that tell stories. I don’t mean that I find narratives, but I have discovered a few blogs that make me imagine what it is like to be in that teacher’s room.

I learned that, maybe I don’t want to be a Pinterest follower, maybe I want to be a teacher’s blog collector.

But, first I figured I need to start my own blog. Not that I haven’t done this before… I have a blog through my school district. It was once a district expectation that we posted to our blogs weekly, then monthly. Then the tech people started a wiki. And then we learned about google docs. They dropped the posting obligations, and many teachers complained that parents aren’t looking at the blogs anyway. I thought, “maybe your blog just isn’t very interesting….” Neither was mine. I posted what I thought would be useful. I am good at sharing useful information, and I certainly know my blog won’t get views because of my humor. I’m just not funny. That has always been my sister’s role in our family, not mine. Maybe she should start a blog. Anyway, I added a counter to my blog. I did get some views. Maybe they were all me, checking the counter on my blog.

I imagine parents want to see pictures of their kids, I like to look at pictures of my adorable boys! Well, they aren’t exactly cute anymore now that they are young adults, but I still stalk their Facebook pages for images of their smiling faces. I made some videos and slideshows for my kindergarten classroom blog, and I labeled the post: Take a peek into our classroom! Someone misunderstood, someone complained, and my principal asked me if I had a video feed of my classroom linked to my blog. Really? No. Yes, he really needed an answer to the question.

I learned, I can’t try to be metaphorical or I will be misunderstood.

State it clearly on the classroom blog: Click this link, the one below this typing, it’s blue, and you will find pictures of students in our class whose parents have signed permission to use photos of their child on my blog page. No wonder, the blogs don’t tell good stories. Just to be clear, there is no link below this text. There are no classroom videos of kids on this blog page, the one you (meaning me, the reader, re-reading what I just wrote, for an audience of one, me) are reading right now.

Anyway…. the questions, to which I have not yet learned the answers… remain.

Should I maintain a blog? Well I already have started one or two… three.
Which one is the keeper?
Which is the most useful blogging platform? Because I know I won’t have time to write on all three.
Will anyone want to read my blog? Remember, it won’t be funny.
Do I have any insights that other teachers might be interested in?
Can my blog just be a personal journal, my own teacher reflection space?
Am I content to be the only reader of my blog?

Before making online decisions, best to consult Ben

OK, I decided.  One blog it is... well, in addition to my school blog.  Thanks for the conversation, my Ben.

Edublog - limited unless I pay, I'm not likely to use with my 2nd graders anyway.

Blogger - already connected to my google accounts (including docs, email and photos), and free

Granny Smith

And the moral of this story?

I introduced her to blogging...


http://roadtripwithgranny.wordpress.com/

Do you know a fantastic teacher?

Last Thursday, I went out to check on Stay and Play recess after our "lack of supervision issue" from the previous week.  I wandered out, and around the playground.  I watched a tiny wild first grader try really hard to slide bottom down on the slide, without any part of his body really touching any part of the plastic.  I think he was having a fantastic time and was safe as far as I could tell so I walked on.  I saw some superman flight from a little girl whose feet and/or rear end should have been touching the seat of the twirly toy, but weren't.  I thought about the crazy world we live in where playing tag is outlawed on the playground, and then walked over to stand with a teacher friend while keeping a scanning view of the whole scene.

As we chatted about ... I don't remember...  ELD assessments or collaborative team meetings or maybe the bloody crash of 3rd grader and pole at last week's recess... a fantastic teacher came bounding out of the double doors at the end of my hallway.

She was wearing a forties style tan stocking hat with a gigantic flower on the left side pulled low over her ears.  Her blonde hair curled up around the brim, bouncing just like the ball that passed between boys.  She was crouched low to keep eye contact with the twins who were playing basketball.  Her long coat hung over her plaid pants, stretched wide like her arms ready to capture that ball should it try to fly through the air past her.  My friend burst onto the playground ready to play!  No wonder those kids love her.  I think some teachers know they are fantastic, but I'm not so sure she is one of these.  I have to remember to tell her that I know she is, and so does the after school Stay and Play recess basketball team!