#RuralEdChat Archive
#RuralEdChat is a chat that focuses on the needs of the rural educator. This chat has been revised by Tammy Neil (@MathNeil), John Martin (@edventures) and Natalee Stotz (@nataleestotz).
Tuesday September 13, 2016
My tweets for the next hour will be dedicated to & w/ Tammy! 🎉
Good evening, . Robin from WI joining in.
Hey there amigos/amigas! John from NH just getting back from presenting at my school board meeting on the work my DoIT team did
Hi Linda! I'm a huge fan of non-fiction - that's cool!
.Thanks & for guest moderating tonight. is picking up my slack so I can drive home.
Soggy day in N FL today! Took 300 Seniors to beautiful outdoor park!
Jordan here from . Former ed policy researcher + Remind's Head of Community based in SF! A pleasure to join tonight.
Good evening John! What was the project if I may ask?
Hey ! I'm in and out tonight. Lots of lesson prep to do for tomorrow!
We are so glad to have of leading our tonight!
Tonight, we'll discuss how schools can
Rewired high school, changed SIS, rolled out 650 Chromebooks as part of our 1:1 initiative at .
Whether we connect classes, grades, PTAs, clubs, or schools and districts, means that everyone collaborates
So glad you're guest moderating tonight! Thank you! Looking forward to what I can catch of
is guest moderating tonight. ✨ It's happening now—check it out for a great discussion!
A lot of work but it sets us up nicely for our shift to BYOD where that approach makes sense.
Ok let's start! Q1 How do you build school community and spirit?
A1: We are part of school culture grant that teaches "chain reaction" of kindness.
A1: We start the year with a family cookout- this Thursday night actually after JV & V home soccer games. Then info mtg
A1 Since I'm not in a school, I think in terms of school-to-outside community. Information is a key there
A1: School spirit & community occurs when we find ways to bring people together under a shared belief or mission.
The relationship with the community is so important!
School culture grant = a monetary grant or some other kind? Either way cool idea! Like a "bank" of kindness too
A1: Hi everyone My school has a close community because we are such a small school.
A1 I think it often starts with valuing and listening to all voices. Shared agency. Respect. Recognition. Desire to improve.
Ts lead the way for school community. Ss follow our lead and pay it forward!
Important point. What info should flow to and from school to the community?
A1: The trick is to find an intrinsic motivator rather than an extrinsic one. It has to be lived to be owned.
True also of school to outside community relationships: find some shared belief or mission
Yep, and shared goals too. I remember telling me about Richland 2's shared hopes and fears together.
Small schools are great incubators for developing communities!
That's a big one for us as a feminist school. Valuing, supporting, honoring girls' and women's voices.
This.
https://t.co/8hOMehsbKG
A1: The trick is to find an intrinsic motivator rather than an extrinsic one. It has to be lived to be owned.
Welcome! That's really awesome. Makes it easier to build relationships and connections.
Hi !! Erin from Maine jumping in late! :)
Like the phrase shared agency - everyone has a stake in the community.
Seems that how you build & sustain community & spirit is going to be impacted by size & nature of school.
Don't get me started! I have MS in EduComm program for training school PR people as well as education writers
It really does. We have about 450 students PK-12th grade!
Great distinction - and an organic way to get everyone engaged and bought in.
Hi Erin! Glad you can join us! (Yay! Another Mainer!)
Building community involves actively reaching out to those who may not feel included & respecting dif engagement levels/styles.
A1: Make ANY connection you can! Every kid has the capacity for school spirit if they have a connection to school.
Better late than not at all, welcome to the party!
People want to know what's going on without having to go to school board meeting or read minutes
Definitely. How can we adjust our approach depending on size, environment, etc
Being an RCE has let me be part of a great community in the Facebook group also. I'm Julie from Louisiana in that group FYI
New Englanders in the house!
THIS as well!! https://t.co/61e2AyDBrU
A1: Make ANY connection you can! Every kid has the capacity for school spirit if they have a connection to school.
I'm in a small private school, so that changes how parents view us. Sometimes we feel very commercial.
We have 154 kids in a grade 7-12 school; similar enrollment per class year to y'all.
That's a big one, especially in areas where the elderly population is growing rapidly.
Wow. Just started with Q1 and I'm LOVING the energy and thoughts here!
or there might be some generational struggles w/schooling experiences that impact feelings of acceptance, etc.
We need to understand our parents and students and their needs.
A1, 2: Sometimes you have to build connections from the ground up. Help a kid start a new club or team.
Absolutely. Which goes back to empathetic listening and a true decentering of privilege.
Interesting. Different expectations I imagine, diff dynamics
or a makerspace! :) Student-led initiatives are empowering and vital!
That's a really big under-the-surface problem in my area now: too many feel marginalized.
Q2 What are ways you communicate with your class, team, or school to ?
Definitely. Not bad, just changes how you approach things.
A1: You build community through trust and openness. https://t.co/UrXugPUC3j
Ok let's start! Q1 How do you build school community and spirit?
We (independent girls school) get that perception too. But once people get to know us... :-)
and it can be an endless cycle of marginalization unless school takes initiative to shift it. Huge.
A2: Slack, email, Google Classroom, twitter, facebook https://t.co/WfezPi3Pc1
Q2 What are ways you communicate with your class, team, or school to ?
I feel like you should connect with - you two would have lots to talk about!
And sometimes the trick in getting your story out there! Telling your story builds community & spirit!
A Bit late, but Henry Burroughs consultant based in Brandon, FL
A2: I have this great bulletin board. Ss put a goal on an index card and post it. As they're achieved, they get checked off!
A2: We use Remind at our school. We have T/S accts and faculty/staff acct. 😀
A2 Email, daily announcements, twice-weekly middle school student meetings. Student Council. Student-faculty committees...
A2: Remind mgs often, emailed newsletters, One Calls from the school for school events.
Storytelling indeed. That's why I love school hashtags - invites everyone to share!
A2, 2: TOTALLY ripped this idea off from the lovely and talented , by the way!
A2 social media, emails, text alerts have been important in my past experiences.
A2: This year using Classroom. In past used Bloomz,
A2... Family newsletters, coffees, tailgate parties. Family Weekend and student-led conferences. Advisor as point person.
"decentering of privilege" Such a great phrase. really important where "new people" are minority
A2, 3: We work together, we succeed together, we CELEBRATE together! Especially the little things!
Nice! I would have loved that as a S. And nice scaffolding towards goals
A2: Email is an internal staple but doesn't reach all constituents. Looking at other options.
Love how students have these channels for their voice!
We have a school blog - hoping to expand its purpose and participation this year.
Agree. We had a good all-school presentation on "culture shock" today - for all, not just int'l.
Have you tried ? Also related to upcoming question soon.
I'm curious who does the blogging. Principal, teachers, students?
It's a ton of fun! Right now I have one that says, "Get a car," and one that says, "Have a cat farm."
Another great one. We did a oral histories blog with 15 Ss and it was amazing.
A2 if done right, meetings can be very productive for planning and general camaraderie.
I've been doing about 90% of it. Grab student work as often as I can. Some other teachers too.
I would love to learn more about using Google Hangouts, Skype,etc for comm.
Thanks - I just followed and I'm looking forward to listening to him!
I forgot about Google Hangouts!
"Done right" = operative phrase. Which to me means, "couldn't have been accomplished via email."
True! I try to "flip" mtgs so we focus on collab instead of resharing info we could read before
yes. culture on the micro level is important to understand and be sensitive to.
Thanks. We've been really deliberate about it. Middle School a great incubator for student democracy.
Also as well! They run a girls/women in careers panel lunch. Was an honor to contribute!
Q3 How do you reach Ss or families who don't have consistent access to internet or devices?
A3: You still have backpack mail, USPS, and maybe Ma Bell. https://t.co/39j1ndPHoN
Q3 How do you reach Ss or families who don't have consistent access to internet or devices?
A3 Our district still sends some paper info home but families are encouraged to get info online. Concerning.Access is an issue.
Q 3. Libraries are a great place to partner to allow families internet access https://t.co/R4N3tpEF6q
Q3 How do you reach Ss or families who don't have consistent access to internet or devices?
A2:Local school has automated phone- email messaging system for parent communication, quarterly print newsletter for public
Good question! I'm struggling with this! Funny, didn't have much internet when started teaching career! https://t.co/a7m3K32szN
Q3 How do you reach Ss or families who don't have consistent access to internet or devices?
Are you familiar with by the way? Any thoughts on texting?
yes, in the same way, emails are done wrong when a meeting or phone call would've been better, for instance
A3 We're an iPad school, actually, so all our boarders and day kids actually do have both devices and access.
A3: I'm a huge fan of face-to-face conversations whenever possible, phone calls home when they're not.
A3 I think regular surveys of access issues to keep in touch w/what families have is important.
Yes. Any thoughts on texting/SMS for access?
We do too, but Backpack mail often stays in the backpack!
A3: Old school still works - we have families for whom print is still the method of best comms.
A 3: Make sure families see schools as accessible
For sure! It's way too easy to misread tone in email! But I mostly meant dissemination of info.
I am. 1st experience , son's school uses it this year. You said no devices.
Ha, I know right? Any thoughts on text/SMS for reach?
our text alert system seems to work reasonably well for most; would like more use beyond just weather/emerg info
Those will always be important
Q3: I make phone calls (if possible). I have even called Ps at work w/fingers crossed they can receive calls. 😬
It's the dreaded 3 hr meetings that have become the butt of office humor
A3: Thankfully majority of our families have access via some device. Big reminders about school things are done from One Calls.
My husband uses this and he LOVES it!! Fixes the school policy against being online "friends" w/Ss.
A3 Honestly, it's been five years since I've had a student w/access issues. Redid my homework plan so Internet unncessary.
Oh nice! And yes - was just curious
Actually about to do that very thing at . It's good for us to know v. assume our local demographics.
tools like Remind can help, but dependent on getting parents to sign up. Some times thats an issue.
A3 I suspect local school does little with digital communication. (None of admins or BOE members have digital presence.)
As a junior in college, this chat is really helpful. Especially since I plan on returning to my rural home town to teach
yes, one thing i learned was that my "direct" style of writing tends to offend people ...
That's awesome to hear. Definitely check back every Tuesday night for We also have Voxer and fb communities.
Definitely. We added the ability to add Pps directly if you have their info
A3 On the other hand, some of our kids come from countries that censor Google. A summer work issue, but they're creative. :-)
Pssh. I hear ya. I think I overuse the phrase, "quit whining."
on twitter my general policy is "don't attribute to malice what you can attribute to 140 chars"
Nice!! What do you plan on teaching by the way?
A3: Schools, Libraries, and Museums are critical to ensuring rural community success and survival
People whose families aren't from here. Immigrants. Anabaptist community.
I like that feature! Been a few years since I used Remind. I really should look into it again.
Will Remind sync with a student information system?
mine is "that doesn't make any sense"
Q4 How do you connect or collaborate with other Ts to help your school ?
That's very cool. I *try* to live up to that, but... sometimes do fall into the assumption trap. :-(
A3: ESSA Title 1 Parent involvement requires parents to have a say about parent involvement https://t.co/AOUy6ypFjJ
A3 I think regular surveys of access issues to keep in touch w/what families have is important.
On our radar! But you can import csv lists now. Which SIS you got now?
High school Math! I had a lot of teachers who inspired me to continue their legacy
A4 Multiple and generally productive and collaborative meetings. Always delighted to have one-on-one conversations, too.
A4: Twitter chats! And Voxer groups. As an admin I am always seeking to make connections between members of my PLN/school.
A4: Make sure you're having tons of genuine conversations! It gets really easy to foxhole in your classroom!
Educators Group We'll add you. Tuesday chats here are most popular but we will be doing some new things on fb soon
Such a blast! Your faces and that monkey seem familiar!
Oh fun!! I loved Algebra.
We just went live with this year.
Even getting out of your classroom or office seems to be a key theme I hear about. Even going down the hall!
Heh I still love Algebra.
It was great! Also at '16 and . I will be presenting
When you're distracted from by a conversation re: teaching The Odyssey. Oops!
Another one I heard about lately is inviting Ts to visit your classroom or go to theirs to observe/learn/share
I try to get out into my hall every morning even as TechDir to connect with Ts & Ss.
And having a periodic time or space to collect/share/reflect on data, research, insights
A4: 1st, make the time. Second can be group or one-to-one. Give everyone time for questions https://t.co/AM8Pt5iDh6
Q4 How do you connect or collaborate with other Ts to help your school ?
I am trying to touch base w/as many Ts as I can. F to F real convos planned and unplanned!🗣
Thanks! I am excited! It will be great to help more folks out!
me too! What are you teaching?
A4 Oh, right! Twitter, Facebook, and organizations , and so important for networking!.
No longer teaching, but used to assistant teach History and ELA!
A4: I get email from Ts who just want to tell somebody who's not part of their organization about a problem or concern
Q5 And of course Students - how do you encourage students to collaborate and ?
oh lovely! Its nice to see a mix of teaching backgrounds here!
It is vital that voices are respected. In small communities, this can often be a big challenge https://t.co/2UGALTtrlh
Yes! And more than that, ensuring that their agency, autonomy, and world views contribute to the process.
A5: My fav is to have kids pick a partner in a different section of my class. Remote collaboration, baby!!
A4: Talk in the halls, chat after school. Have open discussions during faculty mtgs each month.
A5: Student voice is something I am working to integrate into our Dept of Innovation & Tech. Want them to shape the future.
I've thought about starting a Teacher confessional class...
A4: Twitter & Voxer are my biggest modes of collaboration with teachers. Love my PLN!
In a rural setting, do local events tend to influence a classroom?
A5 I think basing my classroom on a democratic model makes for a solid start. Near-constant focus on mutual respect.
Yes!! If I was still teaching (and may go back) I'd totally explore cross-subject connections all the time.
that would be pretty great! :)
A5: Definitely need to improve this. Have kids collab on GDocs or Face 2 Face.
Quite often in my area. So tight knit. Esp during times of loss. We've had 3 deaths in our district in past week.
A5. When I teach, I encourage by requiring collaboration, usually as part of things like planning writing.
A5: A challenge sometimes. This is a good chance though for kids to see beyond boundaries. https://t.co/JMlmDgbQYL
Q5 And of course Students - how do you encourage students to collaborate and ?
Do you have a class list of rights or guidelines?
Most definitely! Tight knit community so happenings affect everything. https://t.co/rcsNLH55Fa
In a rural setting, do local events tend to influence a classroom?
It seems to me that integration across classrooms and subjects is at an all time high and I couldnt be happier!
. It is growing but I'd love to see more. The time for discipline silos is long gone IMO.
Wow. I am sorry to hear that. That is hard.
Such a shame. I remember dealing with loss and it wasnt easy on anyone. Very sorry to hear it.
Definitely. Our student board talks about being able to see diff ways to approach a concept or problem
A5: I have students use GAFE to collaborate. It has helped greatly. Also, my new AP-CSP class relies heavily on collaboration.
It's been hard but seeing the community rally to support is heartwarming!
I feel like this is truly the only way.
I don't set one. Some years, I have the kids create one. I find, though, things mostly go smoothly, and...
There's something to be said for talking to someone who's not involved,
Thinking of how & others do this at the HS level https://t.co/TjsK2kCkPM
. It is growing but I'd love to see more. The time for discipline silos is long gone IMO.
... if problems should happen to crop up, naming them and having an honest conversation generally helps.
Teambuilding was extremely helpful in cultivating Ss collab!👫
that was my assumption! Just glad to hear it from some people with experience
:-)
I smiled so brightly when I read this!
Yep. Anytime I'm talking with Ts, Ss, Ps, admins, really anyone. I'm happy to listen to the ups and downs
Everyone knows everyone else. Some family reunions involve almost half the community.
Ok what are our fav subj mashups? I loved math and social science. Stats/trends/patterns
- Very relevant tonight! https://t.co/IeXOPwXamM
Q4 How do you connect or collaborate with other Ts to help your school ?
Last question! Q6 What about community partnerships? How might schools work with local orgs or business to ?
A4 Have been working with a network of rural teachers in the PacNW on this very question!
A5: For the last 2 years, our local businesses have donated lots of great door prizes to Well over $1000 worth.
Q6: So important in small communities!
A6: we're beginning a partnership with Meals on Wheels to make cards & write to shut-ins.
A6: This is a great idea! Both schools and businesses can learn for each other. https://t.co/ycfTohZboX
Last question! Q6 What about community partnerships? How might schools work with local orgs or business to ?
A6 Our middle school (all 42 kids) volunteers at four sites. All school Community Service Club active many weekends.
Great examples from ELA teachers like https://t.co/QlltynRijN
Q5 And of course Students - how do you encourage students to collaborate and ?
A6: Just started at , and I'm AMAZED to see kids going out into the community (elem sch, local bus.) for internships!
A6 and what's good for business? Great schools that families will stick around for!
Nice!! I have a special place in my heart for the
A6 We also have a number of organizations who use our school for meetings, special dinners or receptions, and so on. And gym!
A6, 2: Requiring community service for graduation, also. Really loving this one!
Awesome!! My school partnered with them too
A6: the town Little League uses our fields, too. Great way to build relationship!
I know right! We're gonna start hosting student field trips to our office. Tons of learning for all!
A6: We have a partnership with a local org to place Ss in internships, job shadows and career opportunities. So successful!
We had a 20 hr volunteer requirement to graduate
We're an IB school. International Baccalaureate diploma requires a two-year creativity-action-service project.
and on the flip side, businesses can see the new skills that kids are learning....
That's about what the middle schoolers do each year.
We're excited about the opportunity!
A6: Schools must know (1) what they need (2) what they have to offer. Ditto for community. Match need to need
