#RuralEdChat is a chat that focuses on the needs of the rural educator. This chat has been revised by Tammy Neil (@MathNeil), John Martin (@edventures) and Natalee Stotz (@nataleestotz).
Hi #RuralEdChat and hi again, @TG_Neil Happy to copilot this plane tonight. Definitely #notatiste but scrolling the hashtags and checking out what's happening there.
A1: I think my favorite moment came when my students asked to spend lunch in my room and said I provided a "safe place" for them to be themselves. #RuralEdChat
I had a moment recently where I was back teaching and leading a hike. Two students came up and said, "We wanted to say we like being out here in the rain with you and looking for things." It felt like the best feedback. A small but mighty moment. #ruraledchat
A1b: I also loved it when my students came and told me about helping another teacher accomplish something based on what they learned in my class. #ProudMoment#RuralEdChat
Great resources! I really loved @MysterySci when it was rolling out and think it's an amazing and intuitive approach to inspiring inquiry and interest. Cool! #RuralEdChat
In reply to
@SHuggins67, @TG_Neil, @MysterySci, @ReadWorks, @MysterySci
A1) This is tough. I had a year with a lot of big, long term awesomeness, but a lot of tough moments. I did once use a meme that my students really connected with, so that was cool #ruraledchat
It's really well done. Engaging. Mixed media. Chunked into manageable bites that are easily digested. Thoughtfully organized & customizable. Great activities. Good cross-curricular opportunities. I could go on & on. I'm a big @MysterySci fan. #ruraledchat
In reply to
@robinhosemann, @TG_Neil, @MysterySci, @ReadWorks, @MysterySci
A2: My least favorite moment was telling my students that I wouldn't be returning to BHS. Even though it was entirely my choice, I'm going to miss those kids. #RuralEdChat
We did an activity this year where you turn a steel nail gold and you remove the tarnish from old pennies. So fun. Big impact. & we were so easily able to make it a Science/Math/ELA/Art/Tech theme unit. We ended up presenting our findings at the Science Fair. #ruraledchat
In reply to
@robinhosemann, @TG_Neil, @MysterySci, @ReadWorks
A2: also tough. I think it was the start of the second semester, when students can change classes and a few seniors dropped mine. Expected, but still sad. #RuralEdChat
A2: Ugh. Parental abuse of my kiddos. I had a couple of tough ones this year. One little guy acts w/ joyful wonder like school is Disneyland because by comparison it might as well be. #ruraledchat
A2: Oh, and did I mention we are on fire again? #LakeCountyProblems#PawneeFire#RuralEdChat "Lake County is one of the only counties in California to get destructive fires every year." - South Lake County Scanner News
A2 I think shifting into a more behind-the-scenes role vs teaching was hard. Tabling some plans for other aspects of my teaching life was also a hard moment for me. #RuralEdChat
Argh. That sounds like so much challenge on top of all that is going on in the world. Natural disasters and crises shift resources and focus and needs. #RuralEdChat
Thanks, Tammy. That feels good to hear because sometimes we drift away from remembering what might be ahead or around the corner. We need our pals to see and remind us on the dips and potholes of the journey. #RuralEdChat
Yeah, and the kids (adults too) are in this perpetual state of PTSD. It's just a part of our lives now. Feed the chickens & the goats. Refresh the bug out bag. Check proximity of fires. #RuralEdChat
A3: I plan to plan better this year. For the first time ever, I will have a team of educators to plan with. Two of us will be teaching the same courses so we will be able to help each other. First time ever in my career. #RuralEdChat
I truly believe that you have something special to offer. I've watched you grow throughout this year. Once you find your spot, you are going to take off like a rocket. Our students will be better for it as well. #RuralEdChat
One of the bad things about living in a rural area is that people live lives that cannot be easily bagged, loaded, & driven off. They have livestock. One of the nice things about living in a rural area is that people are super quick to offer their land to help out. #RuralEdChat
During hurricane season, many of our community members ban together to provide shelter for the animals that can't be housed in the emergency shelters. Its an amazing network of caring individuals. #RuralEdChat
Totally off-topic, but on-topic since you mentioned butterflies & I teach littles, so this fits...we ate bugs yesterday & one of my students yarked in the sink. Where's @try_rebooting? He'll feel me on this. #ruraledchat
In reply to
@TG_Neil, @mrterborg, @try_rebooting, @try_rebooting
Yes. I'd like to ask about curriculum adoptions & long-term class prep since we R talking about reflection & see what y'all think. Pt 1 tbc #ruraledchat
Pt 2 I find our profession frustrating in the sense that it is common to lay a huge, multi-part, 9-month content curriculum on teachers with 1 dy/wk to digest, reflect, plan, strategize, compare, contrast, add, change, etc. Your thoughts? #ruraledchat
This can throw off my entire year. I need time to digest things. I want to be able to fully support the curriculum not just take it one day at a time. #RuralEdChat
Pt 2 I find our profession frustrating in the sense that it is common to lay a huge, multi-part, 9-month content curriculum on teachers with 1 dy/wk to digest, reflect, plan, strategize, compare, contrast, add, change, etc. Your thoughts? #ruraledchat
Ah yes! This is so challenging, especially if things get "adopted" and pushed from outside influences. There is so much digestion needed for the work of translating plans into learning. So much. #RuralEdChat
I don't really consider a textbook/program as my curriculum. I pull so many different resources, that by the time I'm done, most of my lessons never look like the "store bought" kind. #RuralEdChat
Related to this, I would add a question about what y'all think about the trend I've seen in the Ed community talking about moving away from publisher curriculum & towards teacher-created curriculum. Your thoughts? #ruraledchat
I've been on this bandwagon for a while. It shouldn't be an overnight thing, however. It takes time for teachers to develop high quality materials. It also requires schools to allow teachers to stay in a specific subject area for a few years. #RuralEdChat
Related to this, I would add a question about what y'all think about the trend I've seen in the Ed community talking about moving away from publisher curriculum & towards teacher-created curriculum. Your thoughts? #ruraledchat
Crickets! I'm so glad you asked. We were doing a unit on edible insects & I ordered some flavored crickets from Amazon. There was an EXPLOSION of excitement in my summer school class. HUGE! Many cool things about it but one was... #RuralEdChat
...that the CEO of @CricketFlours, Charles Wilson, wrote us a fun, detailed response to an email we had written together as a class within an hour of us sending it. Way cool. Major points for him. Another cool thing is... #RuralEdChat
In reply to
@try_rebooting, @TG_Neil, @mrterborg, @CricketFlours
...we went around offering flavored crickets around the campus & the district office & we got 4 teachers, 1 superintendent, & some staff to try them & the kids were DELIGHTED! So much fun. #RuralEdChat
In reply to
@try_rebooting, @TG_Neil, @mrterborg, @CricketFlours
I know not everyone agrees with me, but as a certified educator, if I can't create materials/curriculum for my classes then why am I teaching? If I'm just following someone else's guide, why am I needed? #RuralEdChat
#RuralEdChat I have almost always created my own, using multiple resources... i know my Ss and what I want them to understand and what they need to get there
My mentor professor, @AnnKSchulte1, and her colleagues used to talk about the difference between being a technician w/ a textbook & a professional practicing their craft all the time & that has really stuck with me down to my teachery DNA. #ruraledchat
Hopefully my students see that when I go "Shrek" on them, that it's really because I'm not ready for them to see the soft, cuddly side of me just yet. Remember, Shrek is like an onion. Lots of layers. :-)
#RuralEdChat
In reply to
@try_rebooting, @SHuggins67, @mrterborg
I think it is part of the larger question of being a true professional & taking back our role & reputation as a professional & part of the only slightly smaller question of being nimble, flexible, & able to differentiate for the wide variety of humans in our class #RuralEdChat
I would have loved a mentor like that! I guess I've had so many experiences of not having resources that I just got used to creating my own. #RuralEdChat
Yes! A former principal asked me about a specific curriculum once. I told him that if he wanted someone to read the lesson, then he could find a trained monkey. I provided way more than being just a living tape recorder. #RuralEdChat
Well & that leads me to another discussion-worthy topic in my estimation: Sucking down (pardon the expression) my own baggage in order to provide an experience like this. Am I grossed about by bugs? YES! Did I smile & eat one? YES! I want them to be bold learners. #ruraledchat
In reply to
@try_rebooting, @TG_Neil, @mrterborg, @CricketFlours
