Reflecting on My Journey...Looking Ahead

I am back!! It has been a while since I sat down and wrote. I truly missed sharing my thoughts, ideas, and content with the world. Every day in 2021, I would wake up and say "Today is the day I will return back to writing." That really didn't happen. The one thing I learned from my break from writing is that I miss doing what I love- writing.

Who am I? My name is Yanisha and I am a 4th grade Reading Teacher. I enjoy every and anything that has to do with Literacy. In my spare time, I am indulging in books, educating myself on best practices in Reading and Writing, and sharing my love of books with others around me. Writing has become another avenue for me to share my thoughts globally.

2020 would surely be a year to remember. The country was hit with a deadly pandemic at the beginning of the year, with no insights into when things would be returning back to normal. Teachers were sent home with no idea of when they will be returning back to the classrooms. In Fall 2020, we entered the world of virtual learning which brought on its own set of challenges. We had to learn how to deliver instruction in multiple modalities to ensure that we were meeting all learning needs. We had to rely on each other to get through those unknown waters. With all that took place, it felt like a never-ending roller coaster. Keeping my why at the forefront allowed me to keep going. 

A big part of being an educator is taking time to reflect. I took some time to reflect on my journey through 2020 and 2021 as an educator. 2020 was the year that not only tested my abilities as an educator but also brought me out of my comfort zone. I learned how to use various applications to deliver content to my students. I learned different ways to keep my students engaged. I asked questions, read books and blogs to prepare myself for what was to come. It seemed like every day there was always something new to learn. Nevertheless, I managed to get through the first half of the school year above water.

 Nowhere in my training did I learn how to teach through a pandemic. Oftentimes, I felt unprepared and wanted to give up. I had to rely on my inner strength and remember the reason why I went into Education. This inner strength that I found, allowed me to take risks and put myself out there to grow professionally. 

2021 was no different, as I continued to find opportunities to grow not only professionally but in all areas of my life. I took time to reflect daily on my purpose and what impact I wanted to make on the world. I spent many nights reflecting in my journals and creating action plans to improve myself for the better. The lesson I learned through this process is that a plan with no action is just a plan. 

In 2022, I want to commit to following through on my plans and bringing them to fruition. One of my biggest reasons for not following through with the many plans I created was the fear of failure. Failure has always been something that has haunted me and limited what I committed myself to. If I felt I was not going to be successful at a task or if it looked difficult, I walked away. I had to understand that in order to succeed at anything, I needed to fail. Failure is a sign of strength, willingness to take risks, and being open to being vulnerable. Once I accepted this, I began looking at things differently. I looked at failure as growth and necessary in order to appreciate success. This new insight has me ready to conquer the world.

With this newfound burst of energy, I am committed to sharing my inner thoughts with the world around my passion. I commit myself to return to my love of writing to synthesize my learning and create a community of learners and followers. I hope that you will join me on this journey of conquering the world through reflection and writing.

I would love to know what you are committed to in 2022. 

The "FUN"damentals of Writing

Every year there seems to be a new area of teaching that I want to become better at or at least a bit more knowledgeable in. This year it is... Writing!

This is one area of teaching, amongst many others, that was not touched upon during my studies while in college. Over the years, there has been a great emphasis on writing in almost every subject area. Students are being asked to explain their thinking in writing on standardized tests which requires them to be able to cohesively put their thoughts together to express their thinking for an unknown audience. This can be very difficult to do, especially when the writer does not feel equipped with the necessary skills and tools to do so.

This led me to this question: Why is writing left out of the mix? I wish I knew the answer to my own question. What I do know is, writing can be difficult to teach and requires the teacher to do the work she wants her students to do. In order to teach writing, the teacher has to become a writer herself and go through the writing process in order to teach students how to write. The writing process does take time and with so many demands put upon teachers it can easily be left off of the schedule just because.

For me, writing has always been an area that I struggled in to teach. For a long time, I didn't see how writing and reading connected. Reading and writing was always presented as it's own identity and never seemed to connect. I told myself that I can't love reading and despise writing. It didn't make sense.

It always seemed like I couldn't get it right. So many questions started to swim around in my head as I wondered if I was really meeting the needs of my writers. Not until, I grew a love for literacy did I really understand and appreciate how reading and writing intertwines. Through my own studies and research, I learned that the art of writing is just as important as reading. One does not exist without the other. I knew something had to change in the way I looked at writing and began my journey on becoming a better teacher of writing.

In the beginning of my journey, I posed questions to my Twitter #pln around writing to see if I was the only educator out there who struggled with teaching writing. There were several educators who expressed that they too did not have any formal education in teaching writing and ultimately had to learn how to teach writing on their own. I knew I wasn't the only one and set out on this journey to spread the knowledge that I learn throughout my studies.

One day, I received a message from Writeable (@getwritable) asking to host a Twitter chat around the questions that I posed on Twitter. I was excited to embark on this journey of spreading my knowledge and peak the curiosity of others.  Here were the questions asked during the chat:

1. Why is teaching the mechanics of writing so important?
2. Why can teaching writing be so difficult to do in the classroom?
3. How do you make writing fun and engaging for students?
4. What small steps can teachers do to ensure that writing occurs everyday?

Throughout the chat there were a lot of great responses to the questions. I wasn't able to catch them all but was able to catch a few good ones. Here is some of the feedback:

"Teaching writing is difficult because so many of us were never explicitly taught how to teach writing." @shfarnsworth
"Correct usage of grammar and mechanics make writing readable by a broader audience."
"Only difficult when there's no student buy in."
"Present writing as a process rather than a product." @dbuckedu
"Meet students where THEY are. If they can write a word, let them. If they write 5 sentences let them. If they can write an essay-guide them. @emilyfranESL

There is so much to writing than just writing words on a paper. There are so many components that has to be put into place to meet the needs of all writers. Teaching the art of writing cannot happen over night and will take time to grow and develop. The first step in becoming a better teacher of writing is to become a writer myself. That's my first step, to continue to express my thoughts and love of literacy through my own writing here.

I want to thank Writeable (@getwriteable) and  Shaelynn (@shfarnsworth) for reaching out to me to host this chat. Not only was I able to connect with some awesome educators but I was able to begin to grow my writing toolbox that I have began to use in my classroom.

I would love to hear your thoughts about writing and how you have become a better or expert teacher of writing. Tell next time. Chao!

Reading: New Heights, Many Possibilities

Books have been my friend for a very long time. I fell in love with books from the time I started school. I remember visiting the library once a week to get a stack of books and rushing home to dive into one of them. I also remember getting lost in Toys R Us, not in any of the toy sections, but in the book section, searching for that next perfect book. For me, reading was an opportunity to get lost and explore new places. Fast forward to adulthood, I still get excited when I receive or purchase a new book to read. I can indulge in a new book for hours and be contented.

Recently, I sat down and thought about what is reading. Reading is an act that people have been engaging in since the beginning of time in many shapes and forms. Reading involves weaving together word recognition and comprehension in a fluent manner. Finding a balance between both of these entities is what makes reading complex. It requires the reader to work a little harder to gain meaning from the text. But does it always have to feel like work?

I came across this quote in one of my studies and did some reflecting. It got me really thinking about the art of reading. 

"Reading is more than a skill. It is an adventure."

Two words stood out to me when I first read this- skill and adventure. When someone is skilled in a particular area he/she is an expert or can do something well. An adventurous person engages in an activity for exploration of an unknown territory. Reading should not only be seen as a skill but also as an adventure. When we read, we can immerse ourselves and become connected with the characters and action in the book. Or we can become a part of the scenery when we indulge in informational text. Reading should be seen as a social act, to be shared with others just like when we experience something fun and want to share with family and friends.  It shouldn't be any different.

If reading is not seen as enjoyable, children will not take any interest in the act and will not be able to experience the many possibilities that reading has to offer. We read for a variety of purposes and it is important to let children know this. Reading should always bring a sense of excitement. It should come natural and become a habit.

I always felt I was going on a free vacation when I opened a new book to read. The many places that I visit when I dive into a book is endless. One minute I'm walking home from school with the characters in Syria when a air missile is launched in our direction and later on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean heading to Florida from Cuba in search of a new life. All of this occurs in less than 10 minutes and did not require me to apply for a visa or purchase a plan ticket. Reading allows readers to not only explore the world around and beyond but also enables them to stretch their understanding of the world.

When we discuss reading with children, we should encourage them to immerse themselves in a book and take a trip with the characters. Not only will this bring excitement and joy to their reading but they will want to continue reading, seeking new adventures each time.  Reading can be fun and enjoyable when we look at it as more than just a skill. Bringing the mindset of traveling to a new place, will not only expand your mind but bring out the creative side in you.

So, the next time you crack open a book, prepare yourself for the journey and enjoy the ride.

Happy Reading!

The Power of Reflection

Reflection is the ability to take a moment to think about one's actions as a way of engaging in continuous learning. As a an educator, being reflective is just as important as passing a high stakes assessment. When reflection become a habit, we are always thinking about how we can improve our lesson next time while teaching the lesson. We are constantly asking questions that probe our abilities and capabilities. It can be a very rewarding process, if there is follow through.

The ultimate goal for an educator is meeting the learning styles of all learners within the classroom. This is one of the hardest task to accomplish.  The classroom is comprised of children who have different life experiences, cultural backgrounds and abilities. This is where the creative juices start flowing. Tapping into those abilities and experiences is what makes the teaching part fun. Ideally, we want our lessons to be seamless but realistically there is always room for growth. That's where reflecting comes in.

"We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey

 There is so much power in reflecting. It allows the reflector an opportunity to think about students through different lens. It brings on a layer of personal accountability, with attainable goals. Choosing not to reflect can make teaching very exhausting with stagnant academic growth. The direction of teaching becomes one way. Students are not the center of instruction rather it is the  content. During the reflection process, you look beyond of what is in front of you and consider the end goal keeping students in mind. There was a time when reflection was not in my vocabulary. I was doing the same things over and over again with no positive results. My students were producing the same caliber of work from the week before and I couldn't figure out what was the problem. I felt that if I kept on doing the same thing, creating a routine, it will be better. I have learned over the years that reflection is the key to success in teaching. When I took the time to reflect, I became a better teacher because I began changing my attitude and shifting my awareness towards my students academic growth. It improved the kind and level of support I provide my students.

I am a paper and pencil kind of gal. I love to create T-charts at the end of the week, jotting down the plus and deltas of my lessons. The beauty in reflecting is creating a self improvement plan instantly. It gives insight of areas of strengths and improvements. I think about how I can improve in my delta areas. It can mean reaching out to colleagues for support, reading books to add more tools to my teacher toolbox, listening to podcasts, visiting other classrooms, ultimately creating my own professional development. Sharing with others about your reflection and what you learned can help another teacher out. You don't know who you might be helping.

I encourage you to carve out some time out of your busy day to reflect on your teaching. Ask yourself some of these questions:

• Have I met the needs of all my learners?
• How can I improve the lesson for the next time?
• Have I included something new in my teaching? 
• What kind of data did I collect today/this week?
• How can I use information gathered from my reflection in my future lessons and/or professional growth?
• Where there any areas of concerns? Who can I seek out for assistance?

Always remember that we are only great when we take the time out to reflect on what we can do better to continue to be great. 

Happy Reflecting!

Practice with Purpose

With my hectic class schedule this year, I have been in search of ways to run my literacy block and rotations to ensure that I have ample enough time to meet with my scholars in small group. While sifting through the many books in my home library, I came across Debbie Diller's book "Practice with Purpose: Literacy Work Stations for Grades 3-6." I had purchase this book a few summer's back and didn't get a chance to read it until now.

I finally took a dive into the book and I must say that it was a good read. Debbie Diller discusses what are literacy work stations and how effective they can be in the classroom when implemented correctly. She shares with readers different types of low maintenance literacy work stations.

Each chapter opens with a vignette of a classroom implementing a specific station followed by the benefits of the station, how to set it up and how to differentiate for your learners at each station. She even gives tips on how to tackle or avoid situations before they arise. Each chapter allowed me to visualize what each station could look like in my classroom. It also allowed me to begin looking at the different learners in my class and how each station would benefit each learner.

A Few Takeaways from My Reading:

• "Blessing of the Books"- Several times a week pick up a book and tell scholars just enough about the book to get them interested in reading it themselves. 
• The more you pay attention to high quality writing, the more likely students will increase their writing power. 
• Move away from writing prompts. Allow the writing to be authentic & relevant.
• When creating literacy work stations, ensure that they are practical, relates to the real world and connects to current teachings. 

If you are looking for ways to either improve, enhance or start literacy stations in your upper elementary classroom then this book is for you. Check it out and let me know what you think. Happy Reading!

Interaction for All: Strategies for Increasing Interaction in the Classroom

I have taken a great interest over the last year in how to support English Language Learners (ELLs) in Reading. I felt the need to equip myself with instructional strategies & techniques that I could use in the classroom to advance their academic language proficiency. This became a hot topic for me because in the Fall of 2016, I found out I had two ELLs in my classroom, two months into the school year, when the ESOL teacher popped in to pickup said students for pull out. I stood their in awe as I was totally unaware that they were classified as ELLs. I began to question whether or not I was meeting their academic needs and was I making the necessary accommodations for them to access the curriculum. 

I knew something had to be done. I knew that this could not happen to me in the future, as my job as an educator was to ensue that all scholar's needs were met academically. No where in my studies where there any dialogue around ELLs and how to include them in the learning process. There was a constant struggle, as I did not know who to turn to. I did my best to ensure that they were making progress but I knew I needed to do more. This is where my journey began.

While searching for Professional Development to continue my learning as an educator, I came across a Continuing Professional Development course that was designed to assist mainstream teachers in supporting ELLs across multiple content areas. I knew that this was going to only be the beginning in not only understanding ELLs but learning how to include them in the learning process strategically. 

In this course, I learned so much, that it left me hungry for more. I learned how to create an ELL friendly environment, how to plan engaging instruction for whole group & small group instruction, understood the importance of vocabulary instruction, how to structure reading & writing blocks, and what homework & assessments would look like for ELLs. Finally, I was able to put it all together, by creating a lesson that incorporated the strategies and skills I learned throughout the course. 

"Learning is more effective when students have an opportunity to participate fully."

To my surprise, the strategies & techniques that I learned & studied, throughout this 8 week course, could benefit ALL students not just ELLs. All scholars, including ELLs, can benefit from meaningful dialogue between each other and engaging in critical thinking. Providing opportunities for students to access the thought process of another and solidifying their own bring meaning to their learning.

Here are some activities that I fell in love with and was very eager to implement in my classroom.

Pass the Plate
For this activity, all is needed is a plate & markers. The teacher will write a related word to a particular topic being studied on the plates (all plates have the same word). Scholars are then divided into groups and each group receives a plate and a marker. Allow students to "pass the plate" for two minutes, writing down anything they can think of related to the word on the plate. This great for building background knowledge.

Go to Your Corner!
Label two or more corners of the room with responses, such as true & false, agree & disagree, always/usually/sometimes/never. The teacher then poses questions and scholars go to a corner that is labeled with their responses. Then they will discuss with a partner about their answer. This is great for building background knowledge & reviewing learned material. 

Take a Stand
Much like "go to your corner" but with less movement involved. Scholars remain in their seats as the teacher poses questions related to the unit of study. Scholars who agree with the statement, stands up and then talk to a partner about their answer.

Read & Retell
Scholars are given a reading selection on their level. The teacher identifies 10 key words related to the topic from the reading. As scholars read the selection, they write down the keywords in the order that they appear in the text. Scholars then use the keywords to retell what they read to a partner. After each partner has had a chance to retell, scholars individually use the keywords to write a summary.

Jigsaw
Jigsaw reading task into manageable chunks. The teacher would number the scholars in each group (1-4 or 5). Each group will have a specific section to read. These expert groups then discuss their reading and share ideas. The original group reconvene, discuss the whole text and share their expertise.

Number Heads Together
Just like jigsaw without forming expert groups.Each scholar works on a portion of a text and then share out what they have learned with the group. 

Roundtable
This is great for open-ended  questions & grammar practice. Scholars are grouped in groups of 4-5 at tables. Scholars will need a piece of paper and pencil/pen. A question is posed by teacher and scholars pass the paper around the table, each writing their own response. 

These strategies really stood out to be because it required little to no preparation and can be implemented in various stages of the learning process. Students are thinking outside of the box, collaborating with their peers & utilizing their academic vocabulary all at the same time. 

Give one a try and see how the learning in your classroom is shifted from teacher centered to more scholar centered. Scholars begin to take ownership for their learning. All scholars can contribute in each activity regardless of their academic abilities.

I would love to hear anymore strategies that you use in your class to have students interact with each other across content areas. Leave them in the comments below. 

3rd Grade: The BIG Beast!

Everyone knows that entering kindergarten, middle school, and high school are major milestones in a scholar's life. But there is one transition that occurs that people rarely talk about. The one transition that parents freak out over. The transition level from 2nd to 3rd grade is a major transition and nobody is talking about it.

I have been teaching 3rd grade for 3 years now and many of my parents express how they were not prepared for this BIG transition. Scholars are being introduced to standardized testing, there is an increase in responsibilities and their social development is shifting. Third grade is deemed the "beast" of all grades. Let's take a look at what's really going on!

Parents are getting a glimpse of the young adult their scholar is becoming. Scholars at this time, want to learn what it means to be independent but don't want to be too far from mommy and daddy. Social media and their peers, become a BIG influence in the choices that they make when it comes to the types of clothes they want to wear, the kind of music they listen to and also the kind of extracurricular activities they want to get involved in.

Let's put this into perspective and look at this through a closer lens. Scholars are experiencing a newness and parents are not clear of what this newness is. So, I have summed it up for us. 

Challenging & Complex 

The level of work becomes challenging and complex, as students are beginning to prepare for standardized testing. The reading passages become tougher and the writing becomes longer. Students are now "reading to learn" instead of "learning how to read". Scholars are expected to use multiple reading strategies to navigate through difficult texts and synthesize information learned to answer a prompt of some sort. They are "writing to communicate" instead of "learning to write". Assignments now are requiring your scholar to be proficient. 

Sense of Independence & Being Responsible 

Scholars are learning how to take ownership of their learning by being responsible and paying attention to details. The way scholars work, has shifted from teacher led to student led. Scholars are expected to use strategies learned in class more independently to make meaning of their own learning. There is the pressure of doing well and meeting high expectations. Because of this, many scholars become caught up in wanting to become perfectionists. Some begin to believe that everything they do is a measurement of their level of success. Scholars learn how to overcome a hurdle that if they fall behind it takes a lot more work to catch up. Scholars are beginning to learn consequences from their lack of effort. 

Parents ask me all the time how can they help their scholar with this BIG transition. There are many ways parents can help their scholar counteract the frustration of 3rd grade and bring a balance at home and at school. The one thing that I stress to all my parents is to not be the problem solver but to help their scholar find solutions to help navigate through 3rd grade. Here are some tips that I have shared with my parents over the years. 

• Offer your scholar words of encouragement & praise their efforts
• Remind your scholar that standardized test scores & grades do not  measure their level of future success but are tools to aid in ensuring that he/she is understanding what is being taught. These are used to measure their readiness for the next grade.
• Explain to your scholar that struggles are part of the learning process. Teachers are pushing your scholar's potentials so they can rise up and meet the high expectations. It is a way to pave the road for harder transitions. 
• Find books your scholar likes to read. This is a great time to introduce great reading series like "I Survive" or "Magic Treehouse". Encourage your scholar to read a variety of books. This will help in building background knowledge and see the world through different lenses.  "Easy" books still bring value. As long as he/she is reading,  that is all that matters. 
• Keeping a journal at home to document new & exciting things going on their lives is good too. This is a great way of practicing to write to communicate and build your scholar's writing stamina. 

Rest assure, the roller coaster of emotions & the honeymoon period doesn't last forever and wears off around December. The biggest way to be at ease with this transition, is to stay in constant communication with your scholar's teachers. By doing so, you send the message to your scholar that you and the teacher are working together to help them be successful. 

Continue to encourage your scholar to do their best work and strive for excellence.