We chat every Tuesday night at 8:30-9:30 pm CST. All are welcome, especially EarlyEd teachers, leaders & experts. Co-founded & moderated by @techwnancy @JessicaCabeen & @VealHeidi
A1: I have seen time and time again how stories change lives. We have to tell our stories. Because if we don't someone else will. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A1: What I've also learned is that every story matters. That we learn through stories and even when we feel like our stories are insignificant we still need to share them because it can still impact someone. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A1. For many reasons - If we aren't telling our stories than others will tell it for us. Tchrs & Ss know the story of their classroom the best. In regards to sharing our own stories with students & families (& listening to theirs) - it builds relationships & community #ECEChat
A1. Teachers can get so overwhelmed. By telling and sharing our stories with others, we find we are not alone. Supporting each other creates a wonderful opportunity for a PLN. #ecechat
1. To inspire others who may catch a glimpse at your story. 2. To show others that we are human and that our stories matter. 3. To help us to remember our why! #ECEchat
Stories build relationships. They make someone transparent, vulnerable, human. Each story is unique, and each one has the ability to change or to change someone's life. #ECEchat
A1 We all have unique stories to tell; however, we have at least one student who has a story similar to ours! Ss can relate to us when they know we have walked similar paths. #ecechat
A1: My own teaching journey hasn't been an easy one and hearing stories from others has made me feel less alone and more connected in my practice #ecechat
A1. Teachers can get so overwhelmed. By telling and sharing our stories with others, we find we are not alone. Supporting each other creates a wonderful opportunity for a PLN. #ecechat
A1: self disclosure in our field really helps others feel they are traveling a journey that we can empathize with. Sharing builds relationships w colleagues as well as Ss #ecechat
A1: Our school’s opening chapel theme for the year is Every Life tells a Story. Our hope is that as we share our stories and our hearts we become more connected to each other and our precious students. #ECEchat
A1. Because often what people see is the end result, but it's usually the journey that is most important. Telling stories captures that journey, shines a new light (understanding) on the end result (or current reality). #ECEChat
A2: When you truly take the time to learn the stories of your students it can often give you perspectives into their hearts and actions that you never would have seen or understood otherwise. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A2: I write about in "Stories from Webb" the stories from children like parents getting arrested, drug abuse, physical violence, no food, and so much more that our kids are dealing with. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A2 I asked one of my fifth graders what was the best part of our DC trip...she said staying in a hotel. It’s important that we provide experiences for Ss to learn outside of the classroom. #ecechat
Q2 Sometimes we need to dig a little deeper, when we take the time to listen we can gain a better understanding of a students/teachers behavior or attitude that day #ECEchat
A2. Taking time to learn the stories of your Ss prevents making assumptions or judgments about them, their families. It gives you insight on who they truly are, allows you to respond accordingly and educate the whole child. #ECEChat
A2: Don't think it has really changed the way I interact with students because I try to treat all of my students with compassion, love, and how I wish I was treated as a student. I will say it does allow for stronger relationships. #ECEchat
A2: Their stories are all about who they are and therefore the most important thing we need to know and care about. Since we know learning is very connected to emotions, when someone feels known and cared for they are more apt to learn. #ECEChat
A2 Learning that an older sibling was in charge of getting the younger siblings up in the morning, dressed for school and at school on time for breakfast definitely opens your eyes to the daily reality for many of our students. #openyourheart#ecechat
A2. For me, learning their stories can help me when their behavior gets rough. I have one little guy who is nonverbal. His behavior recently has been getting to be more aggressive. I found out he has been in and out of foster care....still don't know why. #ecechat
A2: As a LA teacher, their stories change the text we read or the questions we answer. The classroom truly becomes student- centered when you know their stories. Ts knowing their stories helps Ss to own their learning. #ECEchat
and modeling for others around you-sharing your story and how you build relationships with students only helps to grow that within a school culture! #ECEChat
Q2) I am so much better of a human for having spent the last 14 years w/the most amazing young people! Not enough space to share so many life changing experiences; Suffice it to say I get daily glimpses into other worlds that make me want to advocate for our kids. #ECEchat
A2: Knowing the stories gives me context for how I might need to support them (or their whole family) : food insecurity, gang violence, foster care, abuse, mental health, family immigration issues are some of the things my tiny kids are dealing with. #ECEchat
Good point about patience. When I feel mine being depleted, it helps to take a step back and look at the big picture. Knowing where they are coming from is important. #ecechat
Q2) I am so much better of a human for having spent the last 14 years w/the most amazing young people! Not enough space to share so many life changing experiences; Suffice it to say I get daily glimpses into other worlds that make me want to advocate for our kids. #ECEchat
A2: knowing my Ss is one of the most important parts of my job - whether I hear a happy story or a sad one it clearly affects my interaction - ex: one students mother was deported & I felt he needed nurturing attention #ecechat
A2: When you truly take the time to learn the stories of your students it can often give you perspectives into their hearts and actions that you never would have seen or understood otherwise. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A5: I have testified before our state legiature to outlaw the expulsions and suspensions of Pre-K Ss; I have lobbied our state legislators several times; and I have been a part of demonstrations at the Board of Education; I have worked through my union to advocate #BMEsTalk
In reply to
@BMEsTalk, @CBVentures1, @BONDEducators, @ByronDurias, @WmStubbs, @Ayodele_Har78
A2: Building individual relationships with your students demos how every kid has a unique dream & voice. This guy is going to play for the @Orioles one day & I can't wait to watch him. #ecechat
hi @TechNinjaTodd@VealHeidi@JessicaCabeen I'm late to #ecechat but so happy to be stopping by! If I didn't know what's important to my Ss or where they're coming from or how they're feeling each morning, I wouldn't be a very effective teacher!
Jumping in late. A2- it helps me to understand mire about them. What brings them joy? What brings them fear? What are their insecurities? What are their strengths? Etc. it helps me to learn about the whole child. #ECEchat
A3: There are so many great books I'd recommend. Three I've read recently are
"Far from the Tree"
"The 57 Bus"
and
"Long Way Down"
Such powerful books with great stories about family, adoption, transgender teen, redemption, death, and so much more!
#ECEchat#TellYourStory
A3: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain has been giving me the brain research/reasons behind why kids might do what they do. It's made me look at some behaviors differently #ECEchat
A3 I’m reading Echo (youth novel). The main characters in the part I’m reading now are foster children and their story is so compelling and eyeopening. #ECEchat
A3- a lot. Lol. Personally I am reading 100 Days to Brave. Professionally I am rereading TLAP since I am going back into the classroom next year. #ECEchat
A3: Hands down two of the best books I have read this year and they were recommended by one of my old students. Personal stories place you into other's realities. #ecechat
A3: Picked up @PrincipalKafele's Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and Life at ASCD! This is a great book about how to reach those students. One of the biggest things is getting to know them, how they learn, and what they care about. It is powerful! #ECEchat
A4 I love rereading the class' favorites from throughout the year via #marchbookmadness. It really gives me insight into what sticks with them and why. For fun, I'm reading Ken Follett's A Column of Fire. I love this trilogy. #ecechat
A3: Hands down two of the best books I have read this year and they were recommended by one of my old students. Personal stories place you into other's realities. #ecechat
I wasn't told anything other than it was a good book, and I didn't pay close enough attention to what it was about when I started it, so it caught me by surprise. I loved it though! #ECEChat
A3: There are so many great books I'd recommend. Three I've read recently are
"Far from the Tree"
"The 57 Bus"
and
"Long Way Down"
Such powerful books with great stories about family, adoption, transgender teen, redemption, death, and so much more!
#ECEchat#TellYourStory
Q4: What keeps you from sharing your story more publicly? How can you overcome that? What avenues can you use to allow others to learn from you? #ECEchat
oh my gosh the 57 Bus was incredible. I was lucky enough to go to a Gender and Sexuality Diversity training very soon after reading it and it really started quite a learning time for me! #ecechat
A4: Sometimes I feel like my stories pale in comparison to the stories of others. Like mine don't really matter. But I still need to share. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A4: It was very hard, but just two weeks ago I told the story of my mother's unexpected death. You can watch it here (yes I get a little emotional):
https://t.co/obSgVYmlRk#ECEchat#TellYourStory
Exaxtly my experience as well. The constsnt questioning about how my story will be received perpetuates the fear. My students & wife push me through! #ecechat
A4: A little bit of fear about being judged...but I know if I jump off that diving board it won't be that bad! Twitter has been a great resource, I'm just barely starting to blog. #ECEchat
Q4: What keeps you from sharing your story more publicly? How can you overcome that? What avenues can you use to allow others to learn from you? #ECEchat
Q4 I've shared with close coworkers in the past. 3 yrs ago I switched schools. I began to realize that sharing would help myself as well as others. I am finally beginning to do more outside my comfort zone....but slowly. #ecechat
Q4: What keeps you from sharing your story more publicly? How can you overcome that? What avenues can you use to allow others to learn from you? #ECEchat
A4). Time. Seriously, teachers are not good at having a life outside of teaching. Also, our profession is about serving others so it is hard to let ourselves take time to share our stories. Hopefully places like @Twitter are providing spaces to do so. #ECEchat
A4 Fear, self doubt. Working on stepping out of the box, joining more chats, reading more. Taking a risk, being more vulnerable, trying new things. #ecechat
A4 I started a blog at the beginning of the year with the intent to share more publicly but honestly TIME has been the biggest issue. #excuses#mustdobetter#ecechat
I agree with this! I have attempted to blog a few times, but I have been using seesaw to communicate our daily classroom adventures with families. So that's taken a priority in terms of my time, over sharing our classroom stories more publicly... #ecechat
A4: sometimes I feel embarrassed telling others my story- whether my story is great or if I’m overcoming obstacles- I feel nervous sharing- I can overcome this by just doing it & seeing what comes if it-instead of worrying about the what if’s #ecechat
A2: it’s made me appreciate the whole student and has given me insight into reasons for behavior and doubt. It’s also made me appreciate the immense blessing of my childhood and made me want to offer happy memory building opportunities for my Ss #ECEchat
A4- When your dad wants a baby so he can have a boy & you come along & are a girl...it made me ashamed of who I was. I held on to a lot of hurt & rejection. I have been on the road to healing and I am ready to share. Because my story might help others w/rejection. #ecechat
A4 I think it is important to share our stories through a variety of venues to reach a wider audience. However F2F conversations building relationships is most valuable. #ECEchat
A4. A4. Well... I’m literally an open book since writing https://t.co/yNee46kw18… Ha!! Sharing my story still is scary but what makes public speaking worth it is when I hear that I have helped change a Ts life or validated a feeling for them. #ECEchat
Yes, and the fear of it being interpreted wrong and potentially used against you. Can't share your struggles or failures unless they only fall on you, or you risk being reprimanded by others who may be involved but didn't want them shared... #ecechat
Not enough characters. He left our family because of me. There are a lot of kids who feel this exact rejection and feel alone. this did make me a great teacher because I never wanted my Ss to feel that kind of rejection. Man..I may be getting to heavy here. Sorry! #ecechat
Ugh! Yes. This. I still struggle with this one. Why is my story worthy of sharing? But I’m learning more and more that it is worth it and we are all so unique. #ecechat
I totally agree. I started writing publicly (online) when my husband got sick and it was really scary but also so comforting to be affirmed in our community's love. Taking the time to write is both reflective and educational ... but does take time. #ecechat
A4 Late to the chat, sorry. I get paralyzed by thinking my written work must be just right before I hit publish. Where to add commas has held me back from sharing. Seriously, they, have, #ECEchat
Q5: One of the things we talk about in "Stories from Webb" is forgiveness. When have you had to forgive a child even though you didn't want to? #ECEchat
A5: There is an example every day of me having to not only forgive a child (or co-worker) but also of me having to ask for forgiveness for words I've spoken or choices I've made.
#ECEchat#TellYourStory
A5: Sometimes the pain hurts so much that you don't want to forgive them. That you want to hold onto the hurt. But when you forgive someone it often frees you more than it frees them. #ECEchat#TellYourStory
A5: There is an example every day of me having to not only forgive a child (or co-worker) but also of me having to ask for forgiveness for words I've spoken or choices I've made.
#ECEchat#TellYourStory
A5-Recently. A former student of mine was living with us and he threw it all away after living with us for 10 months. It still breaks my heart. However, I had to forgive him because of the hand life dealt him he is running. I have to forgive. #ecechat
A4: many reasons everyone has said. Not enough confidence in myself, fear of being judge and not looking “professional” enough. I do write on my blog, not as much as I want to. #ECEchat
The nice thing about twitter is the lack of an edit feature means everyone at some point has made a mistake & is forced to live with it because they realize it too late. :) #ECEchat
A5.). I’d say as the adult who should be more capable of flexibility and change, it is on me to ask for forgiveness rather than forgive. Our kids look to us for guidance and facilitation. Any mistakes on their parts should never be taken personally. #ECEchat
A5 I don’t think I have ever not wanted to forgive a child, but there have been times that I have needed to take a deep breath before having a conversation with a child who has hurt another student. #ecechat
A5: I have learned to be quick to forgive as I hope others are quick to forgive me. We all do things we're not especially proud of sometimes, but not being forgiven quickly can hinder one's growth - we are all here to help and grow one another. Forgiveness must happen! #ECEchat
A5: I'm so quick to forgive my kids for anything they do. It's forgiving myself for messing up that is much more difficult (I still occasionally kick myself over a mistake in 2014) #ECEchat
Q5: One of the things we talk about in "Stories from Webb" is forgiveness. When have you had to forgive a child even though you didn't want to? #ECEchat
A5 Forgivenessis an inherent right of childhood. What is our purpose if not to be an example of unconditional love for children? Forgiveness is a foundation. #ECEchat
A5. Everyday. Because if we are about holding grudges and not giving Ss a chance to fix it and get a fresh start, or if we're fixated on punishing versus teaching, then we're in the wrong profession #ECEChat
Faye from NJ. I missed this and saw it on my feed. Looking through responses and would love to chat next time. Like everyone else, the stories from my Ss are powerful. Sometime, too much. I hope my time with them is meaningful. #ECEchat
A5: I don't I've ever had that situation happen to me. I see my students' mistakes as opportunities for growth and as opportunities for me to step in and educate (even when the wrongdoings might be directed at me). I educate and move on. #ECEchat
A5: I haven’t really felt like I don’t want to forgive my Ss- but unfortunately I have had to work hard at forgiving a coworker before 😢 - I did it but it wasn’t easy-and probably best not to say what happened 😉#ecechat
A6: For me, tonight was another reminder of how much more I want to know those deep stories of those I interact with every day. How important it is for me to make that time to just LISTEN.
#ECEchat#TellYourStory
A5 cont. I always tell my students that every minute and moment is a new opportunity to be their best selves. We had this moment of whatever...now it's time to get up and do better! #ECEchat
A5 when I make a mistake, I model talking and asking for forgiveness from Ss. I always want to forgive, it’s too much to hold onto frustration #ECEchat
A6). I want to learn more about how I can get my team @OPS_Liberty to share their stories, knowing that many are not on twitter. There are so many amazing educators everywhere and we literally have no idea bc we are not sharing our stories enough. #ecechat
A5: I had a VERY difficult group of students my 3rd year of teaching. I had to see there behavior as a response to my own inability to recognize there needs. #ecechat
A6: all these great books now on my reading list. Also, I am pumped to dig deeper in my students' stories as I continue to share mine with them. 😀#ECEchat
A5 Forgiving my students is usually pretty easy due their ages (both chronological and developmental). The hardest was the student who knocked me down a flight of stairs and sent me in an ambulance to the hospital. Luckily nothing broken but out 2 weeks! #ecechat
A6 I have a list of great books to check out! And inspired to continue to find ways to hear the stories of Ss & families, thinking ahead to next year: what ways can I gather those stories at the beginning of year? Ties in w/ our district's @validateaffirm initiative too #ecechat
A6 after tonight, I want to learn more about cultivating courage to tell my story in writing. I’d rather a live audience than a reader I will never meet. Paralyzed by punctuation no more! #ECEchat
