What I know about teaching....

Teaching philosophy has been weighing heavily on my mind....in recent weeks some things have come to light to make me reflect on this - what is best for kids....
First, let me define the kids...the kids I speak of are not the preschool attending, nurtured, 2 parent, enriched, read to children, frankly, these kids do not really need me...the kids I speak of are the ones who do not have it all...now I am not saying they don't all have loving families because that would be wrong...they just don't have the advantage...These kids comprise about half of who I teach.  At any rate these are the kids we fight to help pass standardized tests and such....these are the ones...

Now the how...I taught for 8 years at a small school....a school so small that I actually taught 3 grades...my coworkers each taught 2 grades.  We went through 8th grade so there were 4 of us plus a resource room teacher and some phenomenal assistants...  There were 90 to 100 kids at a time in this school and we knew Every. Single. One. Of. Them.  We knew who their siblings were, who their parents were, what kind of pets they had, even where they lived.  We cared deeply for these kids and worked as a team to help them.  It was not uncommon for me to check up on former students as they aged.  And it was not uncommon for the 5th/6th grade teacher to stop by my classroom just to say hi or to check up on someone who had had a rough day...this was the unique factor - the being known part.

You see - it is not that we were teacher of the year teachers...oh we were good!  Sometimes great! But not always...We taught.  We used the same stuff the other teachers in the district used.  We used the same tests.  We did collaborate across grade levels...we said things like "what would you like the 3rd graders to be able to do when you get them?"  Maybe that was it... At any rate our test scores turned heads.  People thought we were doing something special...No not really.  But because they were known, kids bought in...there was no hiding.  Last years teacher knew everything because they had had you for  3 years in the same class....and they would tell what you could really do.  So they bought in.  They tried hard...they scored well...

And the standard school model goes away from this...they are ours for a year and then they are someone elses...some teachers don't even want to hear about their incoming students...there is little opportunity to have a conversation or stop by and keep connections with kids.   The kids just keep moving and the tough kids are passed off often with great relish (guilty as charged).  Imagine though that you need to keep those kids for 2 or 3 years...with nowhere else to go...would you teach differently?

I will not harp on those other philosophies....I will just say that kids being known works.  I know it does.  Know your kids.  Care about them. Follow them and encourage as long as you can...especially the tough ones.

3000.

Actually tomorrow will bring the actual 3000th but in ReNa workouts I have banked enough bonus Burpees to qualify for my merit badge....(bonus Burpees are the ones I get when I exceed 100 in one of the gym workouts).

I have mixed feelings about this 1000.  I managed to get a nasty cold and lost about a week of workouts due to congestion and overall ickiness.... When I got back on the Burpee wagon it felt like starting all over again.  I am still a bit sick so I am sure that contributed - but my poor body just didn't want to cooperate.   But as miserable as it is I am getting back in the game.  I am still seeing improvements in form and stamina.

Today our workout did not quite allow for me to get 100... Well the workout was fine - I am just not quite there yet.  There was the opportunity to get 100 burpees if you did it perfectly....I got 80 (which meant I did 20 after the workout - not a big deal)... At any rate 60 of those burpees came from one part of our workout.  That, in fact, is a personal best for me - my previous best was 40.... So I guess even though I don't feel that great doing it...I am getting better.

Ok thats the update for now....I'll check back in at 4000.

Burpee Update

2000 Burpees.  Well, as of tonight, 2000 Burpees.  20% of the end goal.  Is it working?  Yes. I think so....I use our ReNa workouts at the gym as my gauge/baseline.

Things I have noticed.

1.  My relaxed (not panicking, sweating, exhausted) 20 second burpee has improved from 8 to 9.
2.  My form is better.  (For at least the first half of the workout)
3.  I am more confident at the ReNA (formerly tabata) workouts.
4.  I am making decisions ahead of time - a plan if you will - instead of just working out until I am exhausted and then limping the rest of the way.
5.  I haven't had to do any make up burpees at the end of workout to get the 100 for the last week or so.
6.  I still hate them.  All 100 of them.
7.  Making a game out of it makes it slightly more pleasant.
8.  I am pushing myself harder in workouts than I was.
9.  For the first time I am doing a daily workout at home - self - imposed.
10.  I am motivated by the health challenges of my family....I have a personal goal to keep my own, hips knees and ability to breathe for as long as humanly possible.

So there's the update.  I will check back in at 3000.   I challenge you.  Do something 100 times for 100 days.  It's not as hard as you think.  It's not pleasant either....I am told it will change my mind and body...maybe it will change yours too!