GM everyone! So happy to join you this morning back in OK. CA was great and still want to share the learning but I also need help with stress. I am a math T @NWCKnightVision in @OKCPS#sunchat
Morning! I am hosting several comics in education workshops and comic con presentations - I deal with end of year stress by indulging my passions and having fun! #sunchat
Good morning #sunchat, was caught up with #hacklearning and noticed the time. Time flys when you're having fun. Steph Dill elementary SPED T from Colorado.
Morning, #sunchat. I was just over at #hacklearning where power of play was spotlighted & here the chat topic is handling stress. Anyone else noticing dots to connect?
I am glad our testing at the HS has gotten smaller. Just taking SAT and 2 subject area tests their junior year. Took a lot of stress out of the building #Sunchat
#sunchat We had to have the science test over 3 days, English for 2 and math for 1 next week, not including 3 days of district testing… and then AP testing starts. My kids are burnt out!
As a Literacy Support Specialist, I spend a lot of time helping teachers destress during testing season. Sometimes that means simply listening. Other times, means going on a coffee run. Whatever they need. #sunchat
I refuse to stress out the kids with reminders of the test. I say it is important to do your best, but I don't make it sound like life or death. Whether or not their scores are held against me doesn't outweigh that they are 12 and shouldn't carry that burden. #sunchat
So feel that life. We used to have testing for over a month. Glad the state changed our requirements. Still a lot testing in middle and elementary :( #sunchat
For someone who is still in training, what is your best piece of advice to keep students energized and fight off the fatique during the end of the year? #sunchat
I hope to not create stress about the test. our state Bio test is required but doesn't count for anything, other than my eval. I tell the kids that it has no bearing on their graduation. Be upfront. Then add in some games in the dead time like #WEREWOLF@beziergames#sunchat
I was proctoring for 3rd graders for a distirict test 5 days after state test. As they finished I had to send them to the library to kind of be. Those poor babies had already sat quietly for too long, but others had to finish. My heart was just hurting for them. #sunchat
We know intense review is part of testing season, but we have tried to make it a priority to avoid simple skill / drill. Not saying it doesn't have a place. it does. Foolish to say otherwise. But it can't be everything. We are doing stations, games, projects. #sunchat
It depends on grade level. 9th graders are typically more energized (goofy) at the end of the year. However, seniors are checked out. Doing things that relate to their next page in life makes all the difference #sunchat
I, too, like kitchen time for relaxation & procrastination. Former colleague offered this wise gloss: After day in school working w/young people where much feels outside our control, cooking offers neater (though not necessarily tidier) cause-effect relationships. #sunchat
I save the fun projects for around testing. We are making mythology character trading cards right now. Sometimes I'll have them work in small teams to design board games based on novels we've read. Collaborative, low key and creative. Makes school fun again. #sunchat
I also spend time starting to plan for next year. It gives me a bit of hope and lets me look at my current students results to help me decide what weaknesses I have in my teaching. #sunchat
And, of course, get in the truck, close the windows, blare some Rage Against the Machine at full volume, and scream obscenities. It really does help! #sunchat
As a parent, I think we need encouraged not put so much emphasis on test scores. My 15 yr olds were so inconsistent. I never felt they gave me the real story of what he learned. #sunchat
I always wonder if we should build things like field days or makerspaces or guest speakers into the schedule the afternoons of testing weeks. Let the kids (and teachers) blow off some steam and reset for the next test. I'd even offer some yoga. #sunchat#Namaste
I was proctoring for 3rd graders for a distirict test 5 days after state test. As they finished I had to send them to the library to kind of be. Those poor babies had already sat quietly for too long, but others had to finish. My heart was just hurting for them. #sunchat
I save some of the fun topics for end of the year. Presentations on students’ countries, creating @Flipgrid videos for our new Ss, and getting to reflect on school year and giving me advice on how to improve. They love telling me what I can do better. 😜#sunchat
Yeah, that’s my problem right now. We have 5 weeks left, English testing is done and they have decided there will be No More Learning. How to motivate? Personal choice and self-based learning projects are what we’re going with. #sunchat
Very true! Also strikes me, the self differentiating involved when we decide whether to follow recipes precisely vs. tinker with tweaking them vs. go off-book entirely & improvise. #sunchat
I think about that too. The problem is, at least at high school, testing at end of year is at same time as serious work, and time spent reviewing for AP tests. #sunchat#fail
Changing the nature of how tests are valued on the state level may help with that. Key word being MAY. Our state is moving towards recognizing student growth as a "passing" test score towards accreditation, but it is still not valued as such for the student. #sunchat
As a parent, I think we need encouraged not put so much emphasis on test scores. My 15 yr olds were so inconsistent. I never felt they gave me the real story of what he learned. #sunchat
My AP kids are burnt out on testing already, and I’m trying to get them doing practice essays and they want to tell me that they’re just done. Hard to motivate without *some* fun. #sunchat
I always loved when my teachers saved more fun projects for the end. If they were fun or even a bit interesting, we would give our all to the project! #sunchat
Yeah, that’s my problem right now. We have 5 weeks left, English testing is done and they have decided there will be No More Learning. How to motivate? Personal choice and self-based learning projects are what we’re going with. #sunchat
What really helps me destress.. Collaboration with my PLC Team, all Jr. English teachers. We can commiserate and know what we’re not alone. I love my team. #sunchat
Most of my stress stems from activities we have at the end of the year. There is so much involved in the planning. I need ideas of how to destress from having to plan end-of-year events. #sunchat
As a future educator on the topic of relaxation...does anyone have any advice on the topic of balancing teaching, school involvement outside the class room, and life at home? Seems like it would be tough to juggle. #sunchat
I'm making an #EDURPG for my classes next year, I've been developing it since xmas. the bio kids r testing segments of it. Breaks up testing, and since I lose half my classes on some days gives us something to focus on. Kids are enjoying, I think it's gonna rock! #XPLAP#sunchat
This has been a transformative year for me in so many ways. I'm wonderning about how we can make the entire year fun, interactive and inspiring so when we get to end of year testing it doesn't way down quite so much on all of as as it currently does. Thoughts/ideas? #sunchat
Being a #PhD student has helped me to understand a little more clearly the stress of testing season for students. What's helped me? Carving out time to let loose and communicating with my fellow students. How can we build these opportunities for OUR students? #sunchat
Thanks! Glad I am doing something like this. I do play some of my favorite video games. I am also sharing some of the work load which helps. Just wish there was a way to not be stressed at all :(. #sunchat
Some good advice: Leave work at work. If you have to stay a little later to grade or plan, do that, but when you get home, know that it’s a safe place away from the school crazies! #sunchat (of course, this doesn’t always happen, but is helpful!) #sunchat
We do need to be more intentional about gving time to our Ss and ourselves. Taking 5 minutes here and there may seem like a lot, but in the long run the outcome is so much better for everyone. #sunchat
I am a big S-centered T. They have input on the learning environment all year. I incorporate PBL as defined by @BIEpbl. This has proven to work for me but I am always improving it. For instance, I am implementing restorative circles next year #sunchat
Yes!! I love this! My favorite teacher in high school (his wife also taught at the school) would sit on the driveway every evening after the school day and talk/vent about their classrooms and THEN enter in their house. They would try not to bring it into their home. #sunchat
Some good advice: Leave work at work. If you have to stay a little later to grade or plan, do that, but when you get home, know that it’s a safe place away from the school crazies! #sunchat (of course, this doesn’t always happen, but is helpful!) #sunchat
Sometimes just a walk around the building grounds after testing is enough to get the blood moving again, and some fresh air helps to wake you up from that trance you get into from staring at a computer screen for 90 minutes. #sunchat
This is my 24th yr teaching and it took me until this year to learn this lesson. It is a must learn early on. The work will always be there, you must give time for yourself and your family. #sunchat
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Book Review - former teacher recruiter who may have already tossed out one of your teaching resumes & you need to know why! https://t.co/VdUKjjcwj9#edchat#sunchat
I have integrated all the parts of my life. I live in the same town where I teach, do activist work, go out with friends, go to the Y. Everything fits. #sunchat
I enjoyed today’s chat!!! Gotta get ready for church. @susankotch@tiffanytruitt@TheKevinMCline would love to lead a chat on being a warm demander!! Let me know if I can do this in a future chat. #sunchat
Speaking of testing season...I must go work on part of my Leadership exam. The deadline is quickly approaching. Thanks for the break! See you at next week's #sunchat!
The solution is to shift the paradigm, move the culture. High stakes testing has damages an assessment culture of learning, growth and hope. The power of assessment is as a learning tool. This has been lost and must be reclaimed. #sunchat
Time management is crucial to having a life away from work. Be organized and plan your day and try not to waste time. Efficiency is essential. #sunchat
The most successful people in the world are not flawless. They are brilliant at knowing when to seek out support. Teach your students self advocacy and self direction, it could change their future #sunchat
#sunchat Hello all from CT. Evidence I take self-care seriously - jumping onto this chat a little late. Just want to suggest a “course study” - mimics a book study of the newly offered Happiness 101 course offered by Coursera. Most popular Yale course now available free.
You’re welcome. I became a time management machine because I value my free time. It’s so easy to waste 15/30/45 etc minutes at work and then wind up having to stay late #sunchat
