#caedchat is for California educators, by California educators. All are welcome as moderators and participants discuss issues that emerge in California education, which are generally applicable to other regions of the United States.
My name is Shawn Wisley, I’m a high school Assistant Principal in Selma, CA (originally from San Diego). I’m dressing as a nerdy yearbook photo for Halloween! #caedchat
Hi everyone! I’ll admit I am not dressing up this year because I got. halloween 🎃 👻 teacher shirt instead! In the past I’ve been a lot of things with my son and my colleagues! #caedchat
Hi, all! I am Kristin - Technology TOSA from LA area. This year for Halloween I will be dressing as Buzz Lightyear to my daughter's Jesse. (This picture is from last year!) #caedchat
Hi guys! I’m Sarah a 6th grade teacher from Kern County. For Halloween I’m hoping to have time to finish the corset for my Flynn Rider cosplay or I’ll be Jedi Rapunzel! #caedchat
Good evening, everyone! Thanks for joining us! My name is Shawn Wisley. I am your moderator tonight for “Spooky Chat”. This conversation might be all over the place since we’re going with a theme instead of a topic. Hang on, and I hope we all have a great time! #caedchat
A1: As a TOSA, I have to manage multiple projects. There really is no such thing as multi-tasking. I schedule chunks of time on my calendar to devote to a particular task. I find I get much more accomplished. Treats include mani/pedis :) #caedchat
I am so very happy we didn’t have cellphones when I was at Cal and we went to the Castro all in costumes. Now my biggest way to celebrate is to work with our Ss to enter pumpkin auction. #caedchat
A1: My “trick” has been to dive deep into all things Google Suite. But especially utilizing the “Swiss Army Knife” of Slides. I recommend that everyone listen to the “Google Teacher Tribe” podcast with @ShakeUpLearning and @jmattmiller to up your Google tricks game! #CAedchat
A1) As a 7th grade Sci T, I ask for parent volunteers on several labs that require lots of setup for every new class. I get a 90 min massage. #caedchat
A1: One trick/treat I use as an educator is to be organized! I use personal planners to keep myself (and my life organized). I am a #happyplanner and have 3 that I use regularly - one for lesson planning, one for my business/blog, and one for personal/home life. #caedchat
A1 A "trick" is that a learned not to do anything without a good reason, it keeps things simple and precise. I also look for tools to simplify my life, like GSuite to help streamline tasks and keep me organized. #CAedchat
A1: Trick - collecting work online has been wonderful! Using GSuite and sites like @Newsela@learnfreckle@quizizz and @GetKahoot have made my life easier. My treat is staying up late and reading or writing just for fun! #caedchat
A1: I use Google slides as a digital notebook for my students but I make a teacher slides with everything I’m using and a student one that goes along with it that students can fill in like a notebook 📓My treat is a Tevana ice tea from Starbucks! #caedchat
Yes! I didn't think I could do it at first, but it makes everything run more smoothly. I only drag one or two around with me @ any given time - my lesson plan book stays at work. #caedchat
Hi Kyle joining a tiny bit late from Orange County, CA. I teach 5th grade and this year I still have no idea on my costume. Last year I was a pineapple 🍍 #caedchat
A2: When non-educators make decisions for education. When people think they know what our job is when they would likely not last one day. “I’ve been a student, therefore I know what a teacher does” #caedchat
A1: My trick for making my life easier is to have my schedule up on the board before I leave for the day. Makes walking into work a breeze. My treat for myself is running. #caedchat
A2: I really dislike standardized testing and district testing. We are moving away from letter grades to mastery but still standardize test? Makes no sense to me! #caedchat
Hey #CAedchat Nicole, 4th grade and tech coordinator. The best I can do is a blurry selfie from last year. This year I will be a grimace emoji for a group emoji costume. 😬
A2: When I worked in SPED - at times & with certain admins - I felt unsupported in my job. My professional judgement was doubted - even after working 10+ years in SPED. That killed me a little inside every time I had someone question a decision I made for my kids. #caedchat
A2 One thing that drives me batty is making assumptions. We are all in it for the kids, & meeting their needs. I believe in #schoolchoice because I think everyone learns differently. And it’s amazing to have opportunities so every #scholar can find their own success! #caedchat
A2: Being blamed for a student's issue or the results of the student's action... we're coming up on parent conference week and that gets tiring. In the classroom, I can tolerate a lot of noise but for some reason drumming on things drives me batty :D #caedchat
Yes that is super irritating. I recently had a new teacher st my school tell me that he got into teaching because he thought it was going to be easy. 🙄 Now this person is always complaining about stress! #caedchat
Jumping in late! I’m Gloria, a multi-age 1/2 teacher from Visalia, CA and I LOVE 🎃 👻 Last year I was “La Corona” while the hubby was “La Mano” #Loteria inspired 💯 #caedchat
A1 I love lesson studies as a strategy for professional development! Teachers see the impact and it helps to leverage tech tools that would benefit the students or instructional design in the specific moments and contexts hey are useful! #betterlatethennever#caedchat
A2 I am in my 25th year. I recently gave up coaching. I got tired of lack of parent support as well as lack of sportsmanship, practice work ethics and full of many treating teachers who coach like they are ignorant. Many of us became educators of coaching. #caedchat
A3: Wrote and deleted several answers...don't need a grievance! LOL #CAedchat I'll go with "teenage drama". It's so hard to sort out what REALLY happened when 6 girls all come in and tell different stories. ???
A1: My “trick” is sticking to my staple, daily routines! Morning meetings and phonics work is something the kids look forward to and I love that the “planning” takes very little time. I “treat” myself to Hulu-marathons #CAedchat
A3 kill them with kindness. Discover their why and find ways to be their champion. Also by being really clear wth needs and expectations. Grace is super helpful too cause I know there are contexts where I can be one of them. #caedchat
A2: When parents, teachers, and admin don’t work collaboratively to better the school environment. Too often I’ve seen a toxic culture of Admin vs staff vs PTO, which is why I’m grateful to have found a supportive village at my site 💙#CAedchat
A3: I’ve had to learn to ignore them and when I can’t do that I usually say something witty back to them to hopefully make them realize we don’t want to hear them be an emotional drainer! 🧛♀️#caedchat
A3: This has been a real challenge for me. I finally had to be okay with letting go of people and accepting them for who they truly are. I listen to things with a grain of salt from them and then focus on my kiddos, the reason I'm there. #caedchat
A3: Listen, but don’t engage. Everyone needs to empty their bucket...but I try not to validate the negative. You get more with honey than vinegar #caedchat
A3 mostly just ignore/avoid. I can usually tune out the negative and naysayers. Although, I can be a bit of a firebrand, and there are a few people who use that to get me riled. When I let them get me stirred up, I have a friend & colleague who brings me back to earth. #CAedchat
A3: I try to be helpful, lend an ear, let them vent a little...but I also draw a line so it doesn't interfere with my personal practice. I have to remain focused on the kiddos...or else it's my behind on the line. #caedchat
A3 (1/2) I've been sucked into that too many times (yes, pun intended) but I am really working this year on staying away from them and spending more time in my classroom before school and lunch. When it comes to Ss who are energy drains, I put the monkey on their back #caedchat
I agree. I have listened to those who complain A LOT over the years, and now I find myself just trying to avoid those conversations altogether #caedchat
I struggle with taking things with a grain of salt. I take it more like boulders pounding down. I’ve been try to be better but it’s soooooo hard! #caedchat
A3: I always seek advice from my fellow teachers and coworkers. It never fails that someone thinks of something I’d never think of. I also took my work email off my phone. Work does not follow me home and my energy can be restored when I go home. #caedchat
Man, my full day working in the sun at the @EUSD booth at the street fair today is really showing in my incomplete and typo ridden tweets. I’m tired!#caedchat
A3: I imagine I put on a hazmat suit in the morning that collects all of those emotional energy drainers all day. When I leave work or it’s time to get back to my family, I imagine this suit comes off and waits until I have the right headspace to handle it. #CAedchat
Totally agree! It's taken a lot of practice and breathing. I used to always take things to heart, but I had to find a way to stop letting people bring me down. #caedchat
That’s a great idea. I feel like I work all the time because I’m one of those people who can’t stand having any unopened email. I may have to take my work email off to have a better work and personal balance. #caedchat
That is a great analogy! Having my own three kids at home, I sometimes feel that I give my best to my students and don't have anything left when I get home. Love the idea of the "suit" #CAedchat
A4: We have a Math & Science family night. College students come over and have science activities, while the teachers set up math stations with games that can be replicated at home. #caedchat
A3 First - our #school, @CompassCs, became an @EnergyBusSchool last year! In terms of ‘dealing w/then,’ I try to see from their lens & try to help reframe the conversation. I stay focused on our mission, vision & values & remember everything we do is for #scholars! #caedchat
A4:We have grade level lunch and learns where parents eat with their kids and we follow that up with a brief grade level specific parent training #caedchat
A4) my school has lots of family events. I just lead a family gaming night. This week a major events week with Red Ribbon, family Book fair, dance for both schools on base in grades 4-8. Coming up is Fall Festival that the entire base community supports. #caedchat
A4: We have a program where parents are provided opportunities to support the arts as trained docents. The parents learn how to teach/support the art lesson by engaging in the project themselves with other Ps. Builds community #caedchat
A4: We have a school harvest event with carnival games & festive contests. Many former students return for this event. We also love to have festive science experiments on Halloween. We get lots of families to volunteer in the classroom for the experiments #caedchat
A4: Not novel, but I’m proud of our families for engaging more with our students in the planning and decision making this year. Students submit booth options, names, vote, and do most of the decorating for our carnival #CAedchat
A4 As a virtual school, we are using a number of tools at @CompassCsto engage w/our scholars & families! We hosted Parent Town Halls last week through @AdobeConnect, & have a number of assemblies later this month (including a #Halloween#Parade)! #caedchat
A4: This year our upper Elem Ss and Ps have the opportunity to engage in science related field work together on Saturdays through a partnership with the San Elijo Lagoon. #caedchat
A4 As a virtual school, we are using a number of tools at @CompassCs to engage w/our community! We hosted Parent Town Halls last week through @AdobeConnect, & have a number of assemblies later this month (including a #Halloween#Parade)! AND Spirit Week starts tomorrow! #caedchat
A5: A way to bring coherence to all of the district wide initiatives. How do we interweave content, tech, MTSS, etc. into a comprehensible, teachable, effective plan? #caedchat
A5: A way to bring coherence to all of the district wide initiatives. How do we interweave content, tech, MTSS, etc. into a comprehensible, teachable, effective plan? #caedchat
A5: My goal is for all students to feel safe at school. It should be a safe place for them. And sadly the world has changed, and not everyone feels safe anymore. It is so hard to learn when a student is scared or uncomfortable. #caedchat
A5: I'd love to see the people making decisions for education spending time in the classroom for several days, so they can see 1st hand how it works now and the real issues we are having. Hopefully this would help guide better decision making. #caedchat
A5: My B.H.A.G. is to have all 3rd grade students in @SelmaUSD reading at grade level. We've got a long way to go, but we MUST get started, MUST change what we're doing, and MUST reach kids before they even get to school. #caedchat
A4: I’ve always thought it would be great if there was a program where high school athletes “train” with their moms call it MATT Mother’s and Athletes Training Together #caedchat
A5 #CAedchat my goal is to have more Ss involved in alternative learning opportunities I started a virtual book club w/ 3 novels + google classroom Next is a virtual coding class! These are voluntary at home opportunities w/ wkly feedback #FredReads#FESCODES@DUSD4kids
A5: I wish all students TKPre through HS nationwide had fully funded science programs and schools offered STEM/STEAM class to any instead of being special programs or magnet schools. #sci_access4all#caedchat
Yes! Could you imagine how this would flip education?! Gosh the engagement would skyrocket. On top of that if there were courses geared towards these passions, like bringing back Home Ec and Woodshop, along with others. #caedchat
"reach kids before they even get to school" is KEY! Our SpEd T referred to a study that showed Ss start "dropping out" as early as K and 1st when they notice that they are already behind. @First5CA is really trying to help #CAedchat
#CAedchat Have to head out a touch early. As always, thank you for the excellent conversation and for sharing all your thoughts and ideas. Have a great evening. Big TY to @mrwisley for moderating a cool themed chat.🎃
A6: This year my Ss have some serious #flipgridfever they want to make videos on everything. They also want to watch everyone’s video on anything! @Flipgrid gives every S in my class a chance to share. It has been so special this year to amplify #studentvoice in my room #caedchat
A6 #caedchat I just started using #CSFirst#google coding class free lesson materials They arrived late but the first class was a huge success @GoogleForEdu give it a try!
Definitely checkout https://t.co/eztaKpf5Ie with all the amazing #EduProtocols templates. Follow @MsMarshallCMS who shares AMAZING ELA activities like "The Game of Quotes" On FB join the Hyperdocs group for a great sharing community! #caedchat
I think every teacher who has HEARD a little about @Flipgrid just needs to SEE it in action. It's mind-blowing and potentially transformational. #nothyperbole Right, @annkozma723 ?!? #caedchat
In reply to
@RuizHermosa5, @Flipgrid, @Flipgrid, @annkozma723
A6 This may not be new to many, but I've really enjoyed using @quizizz this year (https://t.co/VWmlrFpU9H) over Kahoot! because Ss can see the questions and answers on their own screen. It also allows the T to assign a quiz they can access anytime #CAedchat
@mrwisley. I kept my eyelids open because I always enjoy engaging with you! It was worth it. Thank you for the fun chat. Tell your people you love them this week everybody. Goodnight and have a blessed week. #caedchat
Thanks for chiming in, everyone! You’ve helped create a wonderful chat tonight! Maybe we can keep it going! I bet a thought or two shared tonight sparked an idea for a blog post...WRITE IT! Share it! #caedchat
That's what I love about it so much! I carry the book with me everyday to school. I call it my school Bible :D When things feel like their getting too slow paced or repetitive, I take out the book and ask my Ss if they're ready to try something new. #Eduprotocols#caedchat
In reply to
@mrwisley, @MsMarshallCMS, @mhebern, @jcorippo
