As someone who is working on (with limited success) seeing my first semester as something other than a marathon, tonight’s #WeirdEd is right up my alley.
#WeirdEd Never thought of it as a marathon ... though there were quite a few sprints as a traveling teacher getting from class to class in under 3 minutes!
#WeirdEd Please introduce yourself and tell us your baseball team. If you don't care about baseball tell us your other sports team. If you don't care about sports, make up a team name.
Paul from CO. I’m a Padres “fan” in that I check the standings monthly and sigh as I realize, this too will be a year I don’t pay attention to the playoffs. #WeirdEd
Hiya! Dee in Kentucky... used to live in Boston, met DH there, so like, the Red Sox are ok. I really like watching college baseball & softball. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd
Heads up on tonight- I didn't write any Qs. The chat had become a little samey feeling for me, so I'll be throwing guiding ideas out and hoping conversations evolve. I think the change might be good for us.
#WeirdEd
Heads up on tonight- I didn't write any Qs. The chat had become a little samey feeling for me, so I'll be throwing guiding ideas out and hoping conversations evolve. I think the change might be good for us.
#WeirdEd So the first leading question for tonight (not doing Qs, remember), is about how we talk about the length of the year. Do you have a favorite metaphor? A way of thinking that helps when the year gets long?
#WeirdEd Rebecca, high school English and generalized multilingual troublemaking. I am legally obligated to support the Águilas Cibaeñas when in the US and the Cardinals (NOT the Cubs) when Stateside. I grew up with the Tigers, but they sucked. We went to Lugnuts games instead.
#WeirdEd It's tempting to say A1, but it's not an answer...
I really like my baseball metaphor. I know I wrote it, but I've explained it out loud to a few people and it feels right to me.
Well regarding years seeming long I've made sure not to "count down" days anymore - or to wish my weeks away to Friday. We can't just look forward to weekends and summers but enjoy the moments we are in, who knows how many we will have !! #WeirdEd
This is the time of year where I start looking forward to breaks. I may start reframing to conversation in my head as "I have two more months to make an impact." #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A Mom & Dad's friend is here and I never see him and he's kinda cool and hey clingy, so kinda good kind.
A good kid ... who might take a running start to a jump hug
#WeirdEd This pretty much speaks for itself.... Sometimes, as the year goes along, the frustration, struggles, and challenges make me lose sight of what I love about my kids. Triple so as an introvert who is so passionate I burn out quick.
Student teaching makes my relationship to time different from most classrooms teachers. Right now it’s measured in “omg I only have __ number of days left with my kids.” I’m lucky to have this in student teaching. #weirded
#WeirdEd My student teacher is in the midst of her edTPA lessons, so that's how she's seeing time right now. But she's back with us 5 days a week, so that's cool.
Most Ts have a running list of "why are they stir-crazy today?" -It's right after winter break. It's almost Valentine's Day. It IS Valentine's Day. It's a three-day weekend. It's almost Spring Break. It's right after Spring Break. We haven't had a break in a while. Etc #WeirdEd
I've always posted countdowns to state testing so Ss raise how little time we actually have, but I don't think that helps the kids with anxiety, so I'm not going to this year. #weirded
This time of year I start to think: Why is the year structured like this anyway? Why the hell does 180 matter? Why can't we reexamine this whole thing? #WeirdEd
Steve School Counselor in Baltimore. Originally from NY but been an avid O's fan since 8 years old (long story). Makes sense I wound up here. And yes, we really yell "OOO's" during the National Anthem, any time and every where. #WeirdEd
Just finished writing edTPA today (🎉). As I was going through it, everything was “just get through tomorrow” (esp as someone with really bad anxiety). It’s cruel that this is how student teachers are measuring/seeing their time, rather than it being about the students. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd My student teacher is in the midst of her edTPA lessons, so that's how she's seeing time right now. But she's back with us 5 days a week, so that's cool.
I think of flowers. Like I've been watering these little seeds of knowledge in their head and in about May they will blossom and they will be prepared to move forth with my careful pruning. #WeirdEd
I think my favorite metaphor for when the year gets exhausting is the “Don’t Push the Death Button” scene in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. We’ve all been Rocket in this scene. https://t.co/nrfF8Os6VX#WeirdEd
Important to remember that that's, uh, LIFE, and there's no such thing as an "ordinary" day when everything will be right in the heavens for everyone to be on point, focused little automatons. (AND YOU DON'T REALLY WANT THAT ANYWAY). #WeirdEd
I almost said "downhill from here" but that would be in the teacher room, not in class. Kids know it isn't for them, so i don't go there. (except if I slip up) #WeirdEd
A jump hug? Not sure I'd be able to handle that. I love to give and receive bear hugs, though, but ever since my double mastectomy, I have to remind people to be gentler. #weirded
#WeirdEd That's literally me trying to teach right now.... LOLOL. I meant, like at this point in my student teaching, especially since Spring Break is next week....
#WeirdEd Ohh, I like that. It also suggests patience that's needed bc nothing blooms overnight
(ok, botany nerds, I'm sure something does, but you get it)
#WeirdEd Now I did have a high school algebra teacher who, beginning on day 2 of school, would announce with breathless astonishment, "We are one ninetieth of the way through the year! If the year were ninety million pieces, a MILLION of them would already be gone!" and so on.
Just finished my student teaching in December. The countdown was tough on all of us, me, co-op teacher and kids, because it was such a tight knit classroom. I wish I could recapture that for my kids this semester, and certainly going forward. #WeirdEd
FYI Dr. Neg has been ranting about this since the 2011-2012 school year. It was the intro to our class when we would return to school from snow days 😂 but in all seriousness, a great point of inquiry. #WeirdEd
This time of year I start to think: Why is the year structured like this anyway? Why the hell does 180 matter? Why can't we reexamine this whole thing? #WeirdEd
A friend of mine (not a teacher) told me that teaching is like planting a seed that will take 10-20 years to bloom. He was 100% correct but mine are way starting to bloom & helping me a lot. #weirded
#WeirdEd So the first leading question for tonight (not doing Qs, remember), is about how we talk about the length of the year. Do you have a favorite metaphor? A way of thinking that helps when the year gets long?
I think I think of units. We alternate science and social studies. Right now we are in Simple Machine time. Then we have Vietnam, Watergate, Disco, and anything else I want to teach 1965-1975 #weirded
Incidentally, I HATE the running countdown that some grump puts up on the teacher's lounge white board in the spring. Something like "28 more days of school!" I hate walking past it. I hate losing my class at the end of the year. #WeirdEd
She used to have to jump to reach her arms around my neck
And then she didn't but she persisted
Oddly, that's over now (b/c she's like 5'6), and it seems weird that she doesn't #WeirdEd
IEP season is coming up, and induces all the “oh no we only have 60 school days left and that’s basically nothing!!” My school year always feels too short #weirded
#WeirdEd So the first leading question for tonight (not doing Qs, remember), is about how we talk about the length of the year. Do you have a favorite metaphor? A way of thinking that helps when the year gets long?
The teacher next to me (a totes n00b) did not heed my warning about V-day. Kid in class defecated in his pants that day; T told me I had cursed him.
Another veteran T said later, "It's not a curse, it's wisdom." #weirded
Ah. So you're talking about someone you knew when she was a kid? Well, we all gotta grow up some time. (Except that I will never see 5'6", at least not in this lifetime) #weirded
Sometimes you should throw out all the field goals and just keep the score for the touchdown with the two-point conversion, right? #mastery#mixedmetaphors#WeirdEd
In reply to
@branowar, @TheWeirdTeacher, @jay_negs
#WeirdEd I'll bite. Today for one of my base hits a student stayed in class all day. To expect a homeroom every day from every kid isn't always realistic.
I'm grateful to be at a 6-12 school now. Back when I was at a 6-8 school, the last month was always me getting emotional about not seeing my babies ever again. Now, they're just down the hall, and I get to watch them mature into young adults. #WeirdEd
I honestly don't have a metaphor. Maybe because I'm a counselor. All I can think is, "Man, if this is hard for me, imagine what it's like for them..." Keeps it in perspective, at least. #WeirdEd
I think part of what made it SO tough was that I ended in December, so the classroom has continued on without me. We didn’t end all together, I exited. That was tough. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd So, so these feel like questions but I like it not being QUESTIONS. So I'm gonna throw out another idea to talk about.
(I dunno if the Topic v Question thing makes a different yet)
#WeirdEd How do we feel about the way EduTwitter talks about teaching as a whole? For example, I'm pretty hard on the Home Run culture that feel built up. Fair? Unfair?
More 1st year advice was that I was shouldering the darkness & awfulness of the world off of my students, so I'd spend a lot of time in the dark myself.
Nerds who play Settlers of Cataan have good metaphors I guess. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd So the first leading question for tonight (not doing Qs, remember), is about how we talk about the length of the year. Do you have a favorite metaphor? A way of thinking that helps when the year gets long?
#WeirdEd Yeah, odd story, me and her mom were not on great terms for many years, and the two daughters (the other off not there) kinda turned that around.
#WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Please introduce yourself and tell us your baseball team. If you don't care about baseball tell us your other sports team. If you don't care about sports, make up a team name.
#WeirdEd I have a group this year that sometimes I want to count down the days, but then I look at those as days as "We only have this long to help them course-correct before they lose a huge support system" and I just want to cry
I just jam pack the last trimester with projects- 6th performing Alice in Wonderland, 7th Hamlet, and 8th a Mock Trial. I fear running out of time. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Being self contained multi grade I don't have a pacing grade. I'm just doing everything I can to get kids up to grade level. So I get to choose what to teach win.
I find they I often remind myself (and parents) that 8th grade is a hard year. It helps to remind myself of what it wss like at that age, and be sympathetic. #weirded
What about tough groups? One’s you like as individuals, but as a group are hard to come into everyday? I feel the same way about countdowns in theory, but it’s an easy trap to fall into. #WeirdEd
Like, seriously. SERIOUSLY. You do not know, you have no clue until you know.
Whenever my kids complain about our school, I say, "Five years, no purposeful urination in my classroom. It's a win." #weirded
I'm percolating an angry blog about EduTwitter, and the culture of "same or shame." Teaching is a human endeavour, and humanity doesn't work in absolutes. #WeirdEd
Seems like EduTwitter is a lot of the same answers:
“Build relationships”
“Start with the why”
“Voice and choice”
Is this home run teaching or platitudes?
#WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Reminds me of when, apparently, my intense narration and this pic https://t.co/aev3TLRorc Combined made a student throw up during my Creation Myth unit.... I felt bad...
In reply to
@rebelmusicteach, @janamaiuri, @TheWeirdTeacher
#WeirdEd I'm so extreme about it that my student teacher would write "3:05-
Dismissal! :)" on our daily schedule on the board and I asked her to change it bc I don't want the kids feeling like we feel that way. Even though it totally wasn't her being negative.
I remember when I first joined edutwitter and the algorithm suggested certain follows that I don’t think are...good for self-care. So fair. IMO. #weirded
#WeirdEd How do we feel about the way EduTwitter talks about teaching as a whole? For example, I'm pretty hard on the Home Run culture that feel built up. Fair? Unfair?
#WeirdEd Last year was haaaaaaaard. Every day was hard. It took a purposeful effort not to be thinking about a countdown. I still kinda did, to be honest, but it wasn't like "Woohoo, five more days!"
#WeirdEd I have to admit, I do not regularly participate, mainly because it often feels like a big cheerleading section, or just one big self-pat-on-the-back. I do see good resources shared, too. Like I said, I'm originally from NY. #cynicalFirst
2 points: Many loud voices in eduTwitter don't teach and I immediately find their comments suspect. Also, I'd like to see the twitter conversation turn more "revolutionary/experimental" and less "best practices" #WeirdEd
I think build relationships is probably the one that needs to be preached the most, because the attitude of "I'm here to teach my content and go home" is still really prevalent. And those Ts wonder why they're struggling with classroom management. #weirded
I think the deeper problem is what’s seen as “EduTwitter”. How do we shift things and get to a point where a space like #EduColor — a deep, critical lens on education, conversations that build from the margins — becomes the “norm” of EduTwitter? #weirded
Tough groups, for me, are more a "get through this 90 minutes for the LOVE of GOD because otherwise I will say something I will regret" and less like "I can't wait for the day when I'll never have to see them again." It's very literally like being around family. #WeirdEd
Seems like EduTwitter is a lot of the same answers:
“Build relationships”
“Start with the why”
“Voice and choice”
Is this home run teaching or platitudes?
#WeirdEd
A2 I should clarify. Teachers do really hard work, and many in this culture do not acknowledge them for it. "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." But award ceremonies is not the answer. #weirded
#WeirdEd 8th grade math T here. I feel like some parts of the edu world are just the same basic oversimplified themes shared over and over. Can sometimes make it tough to have actual convos about pedagogy!
Some teachers build this unrealistic view of teaching for future teachers on EduTwitter. They also like to throw a bunch of new methods at new teachers. It's kinda frustrating as a new teacher because you feel like EduTwitter is achieving so much so I must suck. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd And I go back and forth on those. Are they needed? Are we asking the wrong questions? Is everyone just giving the easy answers? Do we REALLY need to hear those things again? Maybe people are new?
Not A2: I enjoy EdChats, but they can tend to feel performative, and at worst jargon-y. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I started getting down on myself as a baby teacher because I wasn’t doing the “amazing” things that people were talking about doing daily. #WeirdEd
I feel it & think other Ts in my district feel it on and off Twitter. Constant outdo wow pressure. How can we up our game this year/time? #WeirdEd hazardous to my sanity
Hey- check out the poem I just read in the current @NewYorker , seems to fit this topic perfectly! ( and ignite the water spots, a girls gotta brush her teeth sometime!) #weirdEd
#WeirdEd SO MANY new methods. That's a real concern for me. New teachers should struggle and fail and find their own things. You shouldn't be a pirate or whatever in your first year. Be ok floundering.
This is the time of year where I start looking forward to breaks. I may start reframing to conversation in my head as "I have two more months to make an impact." #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I find the insistence on every lesson being pira... showstopping and every interaction being 190% Positivity unhelpful. Humans get tired, get sick, get overloaded. I am way more interested in seeing teachers build steady, sustainable practices.
My advice is to get the kid the help they need & focus everyone else somewhere far away. MSers are the WORST with this, all up in each others' business. This year my 6th grade boys are basically aunties at church. Good lord the gossip!! #weirded
In reply to
@shadow_uzumaki, @janamaiuri, @TheWeirdTeacher
#WeirdEd This. While I follow awesome ppl, I tend to get hit hard w/ "OMG, I'm a terrible teacher when I don't do things I see others on Twitter are doing."
Not A2: I enjoy EdChats, but they can tend to feel performative, and at worst jargon-y. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I started getting down on myself as a baby teacher because I wasn’t doing the “amazing” things that people were talking about doing daily. #WeirdEd
I can't stand EduTwitter's quote cards and "African" proverbs. And I hate chirpy generalizations. But I do appreciate being taken seriously and feeling like my experience matters, unlike in the real world, where teaching feels like the most unprofessional profession. #WeirdEd
I feel like a good half of Twitter chats could just be built into an on-demand MOOC and we could all go for coffee.
This isn't one of them, obvs. This is what we do over coffee. #WeirdEd
Oh I counted down the days until I got out of one school which -- thankfully -- played budget games so there was "no way" they could keep me.
Did a dance
#WeirdEd
In reply to
@YennePaul, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri
Maybe. I think the hard questions can’t be answered on Twitter. We need to be able to give examples and explanations, tell stories, account for contingencies—it’s bigger than the character limit allows. #weirded
i think there are some on Edutwitter that are authentic. Others are like a Betsy DeVos Stock photo.
My classroom isn't perfect but we are real .
I will add that relationship is important for parents as well kids. My kids ask me to take pics of them
#weirded
#WeirdEd working hard to send to parents. They also know I'll send parents pictures of them ripping up their work. But I do try to find something positive every day even on days the kids have a horrible day
One thing to look for is if the new methods they’re pushing happen to be the subject of a book they’ve written. It takes time to find your legs! #weirded
It took me years to realize that everyone is struggling through this, and some people are just better at putting on a happy face and highlighting the good. Kind of like parenthood. #weirded
I can't even. It drives me nuts how the narrative is billed as this indivualistic innovative thing, but in reality, EduTwitter actively encourages a repressive pressure to conform. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd It's all old news by this point, No one's brought it up anyway and the S's respected by the class that they don't hold it against him. Helps that I took the blame. I think they were more disgusted that I took Paper towel and cleaned up a bit, 3yo baby bro makes me immune
In reply to
@rebelmusicteach, @janamaiuri, @TheWeirdTeacher
Some teachers build this unrealistic view of teaching for future teachers on EduTwitter. They also like to throw a bunch of new methods at new teachers. It's kinda frustrating as a new teacher because you feel like EduTwitter is achieving so much so I must suck. #WeirdEd
So much this. Whether I'm teaching social studies or math doesn't matter--the curriculum for both is linear. If I don't get them to the end of the Civil War by June, how will they be ready for Reconstruction in August? #WeirdEd
I try to be open minded but whenever someone starts their talk with “I used to be in the classroom,” I’m skeptical. I know it’s not fair bc you probably don’t forget everything very quickly but I just can’t help it. #weirded
I spent a good 8 years on Secret Identity Twitter, locking & unlocking my profile but afraid to BE a teacher on Twitter before I plunged in, being my full teacher self #onhere in 2016. #WeirdEd
Yeah I realized that it will be fine. I have next year to implement all the new methods. I have figured out my students and how they learn so gains have been great #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd
I appreciate the photos of classrooms and examples of projects. I don't appreciate the redundancy...Plus as a child I was afraid of Captain Hook. Pirates scary.
#WeirdEd Because I really like twitter, and I really like a lot of the people on here, and I really hate people who say Twitter Is a Must! And who use it to push their keynote over and over. We get it, you don't have students to talk about.
I'm percolating an angry blog about EduTwitter, and the culture of "same or shame." Teaching is a human endeavour, and humanity doesn't work in absolutes. #WeirdEd
Word. I'm guilty of that sometimes. I know vets want to help, bc so many people quit in the first 5 years, and there's only so many times you can say, "well, the first 3-4 years are really hard but then it gets easier!" (insert chirpy proverb or cheesy quote card here) #weirded
I'm constantly encouraging people to get on Twitter, because I wouldn't be half the teacher I am now without the amazing people I've met #onhere, but I know it's not for everyone. It took me years to find my voice, and I still struggle. #weirded
Honestly, it's the shame side of things. There are a couple of Twitter famous folks who I consider "Shill or shrill" Challenge them, and it's near troll behaviour. #WeirdEd
It's a constant do, reflect cycle for me. I brace myself for them, try to be positive and not harp on indiv As but sometimes it still goes awry. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@YennePaul, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri
I think that a good bit of EduTwitter is talking AT or past teachers instead of having educators talk WITH each other. Telling versus conversation. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I feel like, edutwitter always sounds the opposite of authentic. Like false smiles & trend-setting. It's always the "Oh Brand new thing!" Like, I literally just saw 1 tweet abt Whole Novels, suddnelyEVERY Tweet is abt Whole Novel method (nothing against,just recent exple
And the fact that T prep is a lot of “demo” lessons in which you’re essentially expected to dance upside down from the ceiling while deliver the MOST 🎉 ENGAGING 🎉 LESSON 🎉 EVER 🎉 *confetti falls from the ceiling* it is SO unrealistic to teach us that is the everyday #WeirdEd
In reply to
@annemdelgado, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
I believe all voices in the Edu world have a place, from practicing teachers to consultants. What I think is the issue is that current Ts may not feel comfortable/confident enough to push convos in a direction that’s more realistic to today’s classroom.
As is often the case, the education industrial complex rewards the squawkiest voices with lucrative consulting dollars. We can certainly do a better job speaking up, but we also have have the philosophical Foundation that BigEdu lacks. #WeirdEd
Finding #weirded has honestly been a huge boon to me, as other like-minded quasi-outcasts has positively shaped my views on EduTwitter. (See also #EduColor#hiphoped)
Yeeeesssss! If I hear this again I will scream. Children change every year. How does it get easier? I'm like if it's getting easier are you growing as a teacher or getting lazier. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Like @mel_katzz said, the conversation about critical lens, racial equity, equitable practices, cultural relevance, etc. always fall by the wayside. VERY few # talk about such practices. How do these ZOMG new Practices relate to racial equity? It never pops up
I think the deeper problem is what’s seen as “EduTwitter”. How do we shift things and get to a point where a space like #EduColor — a deep, critical lens on education, conversations that build from the margins — becomes the “norm” of EduTwitter? #weirded
I remember being in the classroom and addressing this with my professor. I was told that we were preparing for the "best case scenario." Like...how does that help?? #weirded
In reply to
@mel_katzz, @annemdelgado, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
My motivation is “one week at a time.” I have the luxury of being the department of 1... and I am pretty flexible. But I am learning to bend and not break under the pressure of rigid schedules. I do my best to be organized for my kids and stay on targets. #WeirdEd
Actually, a lot of us teach like pirates. We steal stuff left and right (and then sell it on Teachers Profit Making Someone Else's Plan Pinterest Worthy) #WeirdEd
The vast majority of people are NOT on twitter. And there are other ways to connect with engaged teachers. My union has statewide conferences which have been very good (I know this isn’t a resource everywhere, just the example I thought of first). No twitter required. #weirded
Um... it gets easier? You get to that "grandma" point where you "just know" what kids can do and how hard to push them and when to give and when not to give? I dunno. It's not really something I really understand. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I don't think so. I think the voices are similar. Like all social media, people tend to connect w/those like them. Educators are no different. We often feel devalued, & this is a place where we can find affirmation. EX: I'm glad I found WeirdEd to affirm my weirdness.
I did it my principal's way once, for an observation. Got a great review for it. And the kids working, engaged
I honestly don't think anything was learned that day
Except how to beat the system #WeirdEd
TBH what I love about #WeirdEd is that it's sooo authentic. We can all be ourselves w/o false platitudes, let down our guard, I don't feel guilty for going BEST PRACTICES, SUPER DUPER ENGAGEMENT HYPERDRIVE ALL THE TIME. GRIT. Heck, I've forgotten the Buzz words already. LOL
I was pretty disillusioned at a recent EdTech conference by the amount of self-promotion and branding. I don't think it had been like that so much in past years. #WeirdEd
My district really wanted everyone to get on so many did but didn't know what to do w it. It's not for everyone & ppl can get different things from it. Wish everyone would chill about getting on here #WeirdEd
I rarely mute, partly because I like to stoke the fires of rage from time to time. It's amazing how much that you would NEVER follow drops into your feed though, eh? #WeirdEd
In reply to
@annemdelgado, @edutinker, @TheWeirdTeacher
#WeirdEd Sometimes I wonder if my not needing to be inspired makes me an outlier, or if most of us are plenty inspired and don't need those rah rah posts.
I think the paperwork and bureaucracy and technical details get easier. You learn which rules you can break. But each new moment with each new student is always going to have the potential to fry your brain and break your heart. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
#WeirdEd a lot of times people only listen to the loud voices for the purpose of validating their views, it's not just in teaching, although our silo appears quite broad and deep.
I will admit here that that last week was hard for me, but my goal was not to let my students know it. I acted happy & excited to see them every morning. I got to the point where I smiled reflexively at people. Realized it when smiling at a stranger at the gas station... #weirded
It’s almost like social media creates a fictional universe where everyone presents their best, happiest face and in doing so contributes to anxiety and depression! #weirded
Serious question, new-ish teachers: Which would you rather hear, a bunch of ideas and suggestions from vets or just a shrug and "I don't know why it works but it does. You'll get there?" :D #WeirdEd
Oh my god THE WORST!! As a media literate teacher IDENTIFY YOUR SOURCES!! The proverb quite possibly did not even originate anywhere in Africa!! #weirded
Speaking of metaphors—not for the school year but for a teaching career—I think it’s like puppetry. First it looks like magic. Then you start to see the strings moving. Then you learn how to move the strings. Then you learn how to help students move their own strings. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
Some teachers build this unrealistic view of teaching for future teachers on EduTwitter. They also like to throw a bunch of new methods at new teachers. It's kinda frustrating as a new teacher because you feel like EduTwitter is achieving so much so I must suck. #WeirdEd
I have some difficulty sharing because there are very few blanket statements that apply to education. Some of the louder Twitter voices don’t necessarily think that. #weirded
My principal is like "listen when I come in look like you're following the plan for observation. When I leave as long as, I see learning you're fine" Mind you my principal is 61 and already planning for me to take over and train her replacement in 2 years. #WeirdEd
I needed it a few years ago when I was ready to quit. I needed to be told that I am making a difference and my hard work matters. I still like hearing those things, but I don't need them now like I did then. #weirded
#WeirdEd Lol, I'm all smiles at anyone, but oh man, if I don't let anyone know I'm not at my best or dealing with shit, I don't feel comfortable w/my own skin. It tends to pop up anyway, so for me, telling my Ss is a way of release as well.
The overlap between shilling and not commenting on what's happening in American schools right now is going to make my teachery feed much less nautical soon. #weirded
#WeirdEd Part of why I took a student teacher the very first time was bc I was curious if what I was doing Worked or Worked For Me. And I still had to figure out all the Why
I think my inspiration just comes from something way deeper and cooler and more meaningful than fits on a cute line art poster. It's like being promised an Oreo and then handed a generic sandwich cookie. Does not satisfy. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@TheWeirdTeacher, @LaurenPorosoff, @Sneffleupagus
#WeirdEd I'd rather focus on what standards/lessons I'm teaching for a few days and get ideas, suggestions for that alone. Limit maybe 5. I do the whole Professional pirate thing real well.
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
Also, if we talk about sustainability, and actual learning... if you've expended ALL THE ENERGY on a Pinterest worthy tweetable hook, what do you have left for the ACTUAL WORK! #WeirdEd
I think I would not have liked to hear either of those. I think what helped me was when a teacher said, "Here are some specific, concrete ways this can get easier for you," and then, "You're gonna mess up, and that's how you'll learn for a while. Just don't be VERY bad." #weirded
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
There are at least two of us. I have an absolute loathing of inspirational speakers. Something in me hardens, like, I DARE YOU TO TRY TO TUG THESE HEARTSTRINGS. YOU WON'T. YOU CAN'T. Because I don't need it. I need time in my room. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@TheWeirdTeacher, @LaurenPorosoff, @Sneffleupagus
The only other teacher at my school who is on Twitter (that I'm aware of) is my tech teacher (because obvs) but she hasn't found me yet, which is okay. #weirded
I analyzed the corpus of Strong Bad emails for gendered terms for a linguistics class. Possibly one of the pieces of work I'm most proud of. :D #WeirdEd
LOL. Also, incidentally, if any link is @Pinterest I click away immediately. I have never encountered a more frustrating website that seems expressly designed to stop you from doing what it says it wants you to do. #weirded
In reply to
@doodlinmunkyboy, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher, @Pinterest
Hi #WeirdEd! Imo, ed demonstrates the societal trends of living in bubbles. The only fix is for practice: admins must network w larger populations (not cliques) & Ts must truly collaborate as equals (not cliques). Cliques need to be called out.
This is why I'm dancing around the idea of a student teacher. But I still have imposter syndrome sometimes. Like, have I really been doing this long enough to help someone else learn what to do? #weirded
In reply to
@TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri, @solcanis
Both actually. Give ideas but tell which ones you were skeptical on until they worked for you. all these methods that you yourself haven't even perfectly implemented is pointless. Another thing if you haven't been in a classroom in 10 yrs keep your advice to yourself #WeirdEd
I analyzed the corpus of Strong Bad emails for gendered terms for a linguistics class. Possibly one of the pieces of work I'm most proud of. :D #WeirdEd
Yeah, you get way better at the quick conversations and explaining why expectations are the way they are. The mutual respect-to-autocracy ratio goes WAAAAY up. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@MrKitMath, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
I share the cool stuff that happens in my room here. I know a small audience of people will appreciate, and may run with it. I could care less about an Important Person paying attention. #weirded
I always think of CS Lewis: "You cannot study pleasure in the moment of nuptial embrace." Talking to me about motivation does not motivate me. It distances me from the source of my motivation. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@cari_nation, @TheWeirdTeacher, @LaurenPorosoff, @Sneffleupagus
@StrongBadActual has to have some idea about their power over educators back in the day. Educating the Countryside.... Educating the Peasants..... Educating all the People then we SMASH THROUGH COLLEGES!!! #WeirdEd
In reply to
@rebelmusicteach, @teacherofftopic, @StrongBadActual
Me too! I like workshops. Show me how, and then give me time to figure out how to creatively adapt what I learned so it works for my subject and students. #weirdEd
In reply to
@kfairchild6, @Sneffleupagus, @TheWeirdTeacher
so I'm really late to the chat tonight because I've been training TWO new trivia hosts and it made me realize so many of the little things I do are maybe Caitlin-specific, not generally what works for everyone #weirded
In reply to
@TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri, @solcanis
#WeirdEd Imposter Syndrome hits me HARD. I have no idea what I'm doing is good, even when supervisors, mentor T tells me. I still feel like "OMG, I didn't teach ANYTHING good today."
In reply to
@Sneffleupagus, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri, @solcanis
There are a couple of people on that boat I adore, but they've got a voice that includes more than shilling. The business model is so prevalent in Ed, I always make room for those that see it as a human endeavour. #WeirdEd
Speaking of metaphors—not for the school year but for a teaching career—I think it’s like puppetry. First it looks like magic. Then you start to see the strings moving. Then you learn how to move the strings. Then you learn how to help students move their own strings. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
I had a mom last week tell me that between her daughter, her son, and her own educational experience, I'm "one of the best, no, THE best teacher" she's ever met. And I STILL feel like an imposter sometimes. #weirded
In reply to
@shadow_uzumaki, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri, @solcanis
Having a little trouble with this, since I've been out of the classroom for going on 6 years now. I still think I have contributions to make. I try not to tell Ts "do this all the time", but I don't think I'm irrelevant.... yet... am I? #WeirdEd
In reply to
@solcanis, @janamaiuri, @TheWeirdTeacher
#weirded I am soooo tired of hearing how we get the summer off. I am a contract employee. I only get paid for the time I work. Summer is not a paid vacation.
It also really depends what's going on in your life/in your head when something falls on your ear. That's why I try to Mr. Rogers what I say as much as possible. I want to avoid blame/negativity because it's likely someone is already being hard on themselves/struggling #weirded
@StrongBadActual has to have some idea about their power over educators back in the day. Educating the Countryside.... Educating the Peasants..... Educating all the People then we SMASH THROUGH COLLEGES!!! #WeirdEd
In reply to
@rebelmusicteach, @teacherofftopic, @StrongBadActual
I'd love to get revenge on all the past wrongs. But, that eats the soul & I have to look at now & the future. *What we can do.*
The #MarchForOurLives students seem to be demonstrating it. #WeirdEd
And honestly, I thought that'd be a good place for my book, as it's got some nautical motif happening, but meh, I can email people pdfs, or trade it for records or whatever. #WeirdEd
I have a kind of moral outrage at people with hordes who Ivory Tower on Twitter. Like, the whole thing about being #onhere is that the power distance is reduced to the size of an at sign. I can tweet the Pope if I feel like it. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I honestly think having perspective from those outside the classroom can totally be beneficial. If you have quality ideas to share, they are still quality even if you’ve been out of the classroom for a while.
In reply to
@kfairchild6, @solcanis, @janamaiuri, @TheWeirdTeacher
I have two twitter accounts, one for politics and comedians and one for education. There are some days where it can be a chore to hop over to this feed (though following you all helps). #WeirdEd
I think I'm hearing that the best contribution former/veteran teachers can make is to LISTEN. The issue is the "overcoaching" that happens when vet Ts jump in with their own thing without hearing how the target teacher feels comfortable approaching a particular prob. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@kfairchild6, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
I need to be inspired from time to time, but “inspirational” stuff has never done it for me. I get inspired by little things and moments with people, not from someone who set out to set my world on fire with their pithy tweets. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@TheWeirdTeacher, @LaurenPorosoff, @Sneffleupagus
I like suggestions as long as they stay suggestions. I’ll collect 20 and implement the 4 or 5 that I think will work for me. As soon as they become commands, “you need to be doing x...” I tune out. Always been like that. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
I like suggestions as long as they aren’t demands. I’ll take 100 suggestions and end up implementing 10 that work for me. As soon as you say “you need to x...” I tune out. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@janamaiuri, @solcanis, @TheWeirdTeacher
#WeirdEd I would say though, that the same narrative also applied to my generation as well, and likely applied to the past generation and so on and so forth. "The kids will save us!" Hopefully, though, we've grown up enough to actually do our jobs as adults when the kids march.
My CT was a 69 yr old guy who in the first week had cataract surgery and I ended up teaching Soc. Stu., Comp. and sci. for 3 months with no help. Google was my friend especially since I had an ODD student who no one could handle. I'm sure you can't do worst than that. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@shadow_uzumaki, @Sneffleupagus, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri
I felt really vulnerable last week when I shared my #teachingfail, but I know it's important to shine a light on the fact that sometimes we stumble, and this work is really hard. #weirded
In reply to
@annemdelgado, @shadow_uzumaki, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri, @solcanis
I hope you can craft a powerful declaration of your intentions.
There are definitely many voices out there who are simply trying to do their personal best, not The Best. #WeirdEd
Ha! But there are lots of people who are actively involved in ed who are still selling that narrative. I don't know man, anyone who thinks schools still look like that must be looking places I haven't seen. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@tkraz, @cari_nation, @TheWeirdTeacher, @LaurenPorosoff, @Sneffleupagus
Wait! Wait! Before you get all wrapped up in your hood you need to hear that you NEED to change what you are doing and it comes down to ______. #weirded
In reply to
@cari_nation, @TheWeirdTeacher, @LaurenPorosoff, @Sneffleupagus
I think it’s just about all of us who are still trying to get better at all of this teaching stuff. We are still learners... not really imposters, but we feel that sometime. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@shadow_uzumaki, @Sneffleupagus, @TheWeirdTeacher, @janamaiuri, @solcanis
