Thank you for visiting #ksedchat. We welcome all educators to our chat that runs Mondays at 8 p.m. Central. Though many of our educators have their homes in Kansas, all teachers are welcome to pop in and join in on the learning.
Hi all! Jill from Cheney, USD 268, 7-8 SocStud and HS Teaching as a career. I have worked the last six months on having #ConsistentHealth and this summer I'm working on extending it to my kids. #HealthyLivingRevolution#ksedchat
Hi, everyone! Melissa from Atchison. I teach 6-8 Soc Studies. Looking fwd to spend my summer tweaking and reworking my lessons from last year & attending conferences. So my one-word is #growth . #ksedchat
A1: I think that there is a difference between mean and tough love or setting your expectations. Once you're kids know what to expect from you and you have earned their respect and build that relationship one can be less mean; but the expectations do not change #ksedchat
A1: Uh...NO! Spend the first few weeks of school building relationships, establishing boundaries and expectations and you will have a fabulous year way before Christmas! #ksedchat
Start off as yourself. Not mean or nice necessarily. Let the students learn about you and who you are. Start building relationships from the start. #ksedchat
A1) it’s about setting a community of respect together; you are their facilitator and teacher not friend so show them respect & love and they will respect you #ksedchat
I so wanted to, but one of my best friends and former roommate is getting married in CA the weekend before it. Going to @ksdehq#ksimpact in Emporia, an #edcampks, and one or two other 1 day workshops. #ksedchat
Q1 my response is that if you spend time building relationships with your students you are also building a learning culture within your classroom. This also helps by building your classroom expectations and giving students a sense of ownership. #ksedchat
A1 I don't think Ts have to be mean, but they need to set the tone. I think I started off a little too buddy-buddy & Ss took advantage of me. Then they resented me when I tried to reign them in (this is my 1st yr back after taking 9 yrs off). #ksedchat
A2: full disclosure: I used to be this person. Now I realize we have to make the time. It isn’t one more thing we do. We should embed it in everything we do. #ksedchat
A2: I say let your passion and energy for the content be ONE way to develop relationships with students. Incorporating SE skills into the content is possible in any subject. Some teachers just need to see how they connect. They need concrete examples. #ksedchat
A1 pt2 That being said, many Ss still respected that I treated them like people, allowed them to have a say in class, & respected their opinions. I had buy-in from many when I did have to put my foot down (which I wish I did earlier) #ksedchat
Q2 someone wise once told me that no academic learning can take place without a meaningful relationship. This truly couldn’t be anymore factual. If kids know you truly care, they will take even more ownership of their own learning. #ksedchat
#ksedchat Sara from Garden City Ks. Teach elementary science. This summer—> recharge, refresh and do all the house stuff that hasn’t gotten done for the last 9 months!
A2) I teach humans, so the social emotional skills are part of it. You get farther building relationships than spouting curriculum. #wholechild#ksedchat
Q2: the social and emotional skills are so embedded into your day. Our Ss learn to work with others, sometimes those they may not necessarily get along with. The emotional skills we teach are embedded too. #ksedchat
Justin from Benton joining late A1 I say set the expectations with the students in a class social contract and also give them a sense of security. Meanness to some could just mean following through and enforcing expectations #KSedchat
A2: teaching those social-emotional skills in authentic moments will take less time than dealing with the discipline issues of those kiddos who don’t already know those skills #ksedchat
Hey #ksedchat! Joining late...Brenna, third grade teacher at Derby Hills Elementary. A2. We have to take time to begin teaching social emotional before we can get to the academics.
It is improtant to remember that most of us on Twitter see the need. Many of our colleagues who aren't here need to be coached and shown examples of how S/E and content can be combined. Otherwise it comes across as "one more thing" #ksedchat
A1: Build relationships and have consistent expectations. You can have fun, smile, be calm, and kind from the beginning as long as Ss know what to expect. #ksedchat
A2: Students must be emotionally regulated to be ready to learn. Teaching SEL is key. Sometimes academics need to be put aside to ensure they have the needed skills to succeed in the classroom and beyond. #ksedchat
A3) great teachers know when and where to ask for help and understand their classroom will be a better community because they reach out and do not teach on an island. Transparency: education is hard work #ksedchat
A2: If we as teachers set academic expectations dependent upon students’ social emotional skills (like using self-regulation to complete long term research), don’t we have an obligation to scaffold where necessary (including explicit instruction in SE skills?) #ksedchat
A3 every teacher needs help, reaching out for help isn’t a sign of weakness. Also teachers who have “perfect” classroom management, usually are those who’ve gotten outside their comfort zone and failed a few times. #ksedchat
A3: Oh dear, I would have to say that is a total myth. Good teacher become good because they seek help and guidance from colleagues. They work hard to develop relationships with students, but they aren’t perfect. P.S. kids can go to office for positive visits! #ksedchat
A3: Every teacher needs a "tribe," someone they can go to and bounce ideas off of, commiserate with, share the good, the bad, and the in between, #ksedchat
#ksedchat A3
Good teachers know how to work with and cope with difficult ss. Communicate with them and exhaust all other options before "sending kids to the office".
A3: Everyone needs help at times. No one is perfect. Asking for help doesn’t mean someone is weak or doesn’t have it under control. That’s why we have teams. We work together to help Ss succeed. #ksedchat
A3: It's all about perception! We ALL have difficult days/issues/students and need help from time to time. In my 10th year, it was the best year I had.. but I got a letter from a S on the 11 ways she hated me. Lots of repair had to be done. We all struggle & need help! #ksedchat
A3: Good teachers are ones that reach out to others and collaborate with other educators. If you aren't reaching out and asking for feedback or asking questions then are you really doing what is going to best benefit the students? #ksedchat
I will say that before I fully understood SEL, I thought this. Our role is to help colleagues who feel this way see the impact and understand how to embed it in everything we do. If we hear this, know they may just need resources or support #ksedchat
A3) Uh, they’re either wrong or lying? They’d first need to define “good teacher”. Good teachers balance class needs with individual needs, and that takes many forms. #ksedchat
A2 social emotional skills should be taught everyday and embedded in every class period. Speaking, listening, respecting others and self. Every day. #ksedchat
A3. We all need someone we can go to and ask for help. Asking for help or support doesn't mean we don't have control. We all have to work together to help students be successful. #ksedchat
A4: as much as our Ss learn from us, we learn from our students and they learn from each other. Paras and parent volunteers can also facilitate knowledge in the classroom. Knowledge is not solely academic based. #ksedchat
A4) 22 years in the classroom and I learn from my students daily. Everyone has a strength and something to share. Open your eyes, your mind, your heart and you will learn. #ksedchat
A4 I feel that students should also be put in the “facilitators” position. This gives them that personalized ownership of their learning. Which then leads more meaningful learning experiences. #ksedchat
A4: Ss have prior knowledge (sometimes it's scary how much they know). When appropriate, give students a voice! You'll be amazed at what they know and where it can take you and your class! #ksedchat
A4 that would be true in a teacher centered classroom but ss need to be given a voice and put in a situation where they can share,. Communicate and learn from one another. To have a strong ss centered room you've got to really focus on the social skills!
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A4: Just because I know most of my content doesn't mean I tell them. Students LOVE to discover history on their own. They love it even more when they teach me about a topic! (And so do I) #ksedchat
A4 #ksedchat Learning is a continual process that happens in all directions. Ss learn from Ts, Ss learn from other Ss, Ts learn from Ss, we all learn from the tools we have at our fingertips... The days of the Sage on the Stage...https://t.co/hcHFQkWugw
A4 #ksedchat Learning is a continual process that happens in all directions. Ss learn from Ts, Ss learn from other Ss, Ts learn from Ss, we all learn from the tools we have at our fingertips... The days of the Sage on the Stage are long gone.
A4) Students can totally teach other students, or even themselves! Unless on some meta level, that dynamic is facilitated by the teacher. This is all getting very “Inception”-y...#ksedchat
A5
Teaching may not be for everyone but neither is sitting in a cubicle all day every day, going to college for ten years, or spending all your time on research and writing! #ksedchat
A5: This is SO AGGRAVATING!! Without teachers, none of the other professions would exist and it's high time our profession is treated as such! (@DHEPrincipal -can you tell this one hit a nerve?!?)#ksedchat
A5: We do bits and pieces of every job- nursing, psychology, business management, IT, project management, i couldbgo on forever! We are multitasking experts! #ksedchat
A5: Ha! Sometimes these who "do" can't teach! Honestly I think people who actually believe that as ignorant of the profession & need to follow me for 2 weeks and so I can tell them everything that goes on inside my head. It's impossible to explain the art of teaching #ksedchat
A3: Great teachers know when they need help. It’s a kid by kid and situation to situation thing. Sometimes the issue is too big to try and resolve w/o office support. Plus you can never collaborate too much around kids and their needs. #ksedchat
A5 I have been in the private sector as a chemist and now I teach. With so many T2T programs out there it shows that people that “can do” want to teach! #ksedchat
A5: Those that I have told that I want to be a teacher, they ask me "WHY?" I think it takes one that doesn't understand what teachers do to say that "Those that can't do teach." #ksedchat
A5) I’ve produced network television shows and commercials, I’ve helped (and still help) run the successful family commercial bulk transport business. Teaching is a third career based on passion. It’s also the most difficult of the three! #ksedchat
A5: come into my room and teach ELA, math, assist with science, social studies, health, art, etc write IEP’s and lesson plans and tell me I can’t do! #ksedchat
A6 assessment scores are simply a snapshot of what students can do on a standardized test. It doesn’t take into account any growth the student has made, this should also be true of our teachers. #ksedchat
A6: There is so much about teaching that can't be measured by ridiculous standardized tests. Kids aren't standard. Why should they be measured that way, and in turn, a T's performance measured by scores? #ksedchat
A6. I hate standardized testing but realize it’s part of the game. The scores don’t mean nothing. But I put more stock in progress towards stated leaning goals (in my case IEP goals) and those informal convos with Ss/parents about how kids feel re: their learning. #ksedchat
A6: Scores are not only dependent on the teacher, but also the test. There is way more to out Ss then a score. They are a person, and if we can help them develop into the best versions of themselves, I think that we have been successful! #ksedchat
A6 One test doesn’t show what we do all day nor does it measure relationships that have been formed! It also doesn’t show the growth a student has made throughout the year! #KSedchat
A5 That's a lazy way of thinking about teaching. Most of the Ts I know are so dedicated to understanding their content in such deeper ways in order to engage their Ss--they know their stuff! If that's not "doing" then I don't know what is. #ksedchat
A6:the growth that my kiddos show may not be anything that a standardized test can measure, but my Ss going to the library independently is a huge victory #ksedchat
A6: "Come visit my classroom. You are welcome at anytime...and please, complete the #observeme while you are here to help me improve as a teacher!" #ksedchat
A7 teachers are facilitators of learning, yeah we know some stuff but we’re lifelong learners. This means we’re never done learning, nor do we “know all the answers” #ksedchat
A7: Teaching is forever evolving, just as our students and the world we live in. Ts will never know it all because it is constantly changing. #ksedchat
A7 I wish that were true 😂Its true I OFTEN know the answer to a question I’ve posed but one thing I love about STEM, particularly reverse engineering, is that I’m literally learning alongside the kids. It’s VERY empowering for them!!! #ksedchat
Q7: Teachers, good/great teachers, are always learning more, and looking for ways to be better for their, Ss, parents, team, and school. If we loose our #growthmindset are we really becoming the best educator that we can be? #ksedchat
A7 I don't even know all the questions, but Im working on it. Teaching is less about knowing the answers and more about finding ways open up the ability to think and grow. Our world changes, and we have to grow. #ksedchat
#ksedchat A1: Articulating your expectations in a consistent and easily understandable manner alleviates many concerns in the classroom...But this does assume that you as the educator know clearly your expectations and the reasons behind each one.
A7: I have always told myself that when I feel like I know all the answers, it is time to find a new job. I am still learning and growing as a teacher! #ksedchat
A5 While I don't appreciate the sentiment of this myth, I do think it's important for us to stay in touch with what's going on in other vocations as much as possible. This will help us prepare our kids for those jobs, if nothing else. #ksedchat
A7 lol...I would never claim that!! I think being humble and telling students, “Hey that’s a great question! How can we find the answer?” More learning would take place then!! #KSedchat
A7) The day I say that is the day you tell me to get out of the game, deal? Things like #ksedchat, in large part, are so enjoyable BECAUSE of how much one learns when participating.
A2 - You are constantly teaching your Ss socio-emotional skills in your classroom...Just like everything else, will the skills you teach be to their advantage or disadvantage. You can be taught how to play an instrument correctly or incorrectly, you know. #ksedchat
Thanks for the convo! Lifelong Missourian but I spent a lot of time in KS playing college baseball. Pretty sure I froze to death during a February game in Hays at FHSU! #ksedchat
