Last week I held my first reviewua as my kids prepared for their first tests of the year. They seem to really get behind the theme and it was an excellent way to spice up something that can be pretty routine. I wore a Hawaiian shirt and played Hawaiian music. We switched through a variety of review activities. The smaller classes played 4 Corners (where you give the kids a question and 4 answer choices and they move to the spot in the room that represents that answer.) They enjoy being able to get up and moving. The larger classes worked on a shared Google doc where everyone had to make 5 test questions. They did that with little annoyance to each other or me. I usually like to play Quizizz but did not have time this go round. This idea worked swimmingly and I will definitely do it again. Next time I may bring snacks! What review ideas have you had success implementing?
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In case you do not know, yesterday Tiger Woods won his 80th PGA tournament and his first since 2013. I grew up watching Tiger and he is the reason I started playing golf. His win yesterday can offer some insights on how we as educators can win in and out of the classroom and how we can show our kids how to win. Here are a few lessons we can learn:
Tiger Woods is known for his dominate performances and his ability to win even if he is not at his best. His desire to be better and succeed is something we should strive for and to instill in our students. Everyone can always be better. We can always ask more questions, study a few minutes more, and do some more research. And even when we do those things we may just not have "it" one day. Those days we aren't performing our best and really have to dig can be some of the best learning days. The struggle makes you better and is a great teacher. Tiger Woods messed up his personal and to a large extent his professional career on a grand scale. Tiger's personal issues spilled over and cause a lot of disappointment. Whatever the root cause was, we can agree that his life was unbalanced. Tiger was always focused on winning and personal connections were much, much lower on the list. If you look at Tiger now, he smiles more, he seems more grateful, more humble, and like he is having more fun! We need to be like the new Tiger and strike a balance between wanting to be the best and recognizing that we need good people around us. We need to make connections and have fun with our lives. A core group of friends can really help. Winning really isn't everything. Last November, Tiger admitted that he may never be able to play again after his spinal fusion surgery. Yet less than a year later he is a beating a group of the best players in the world. Baby steps and gratitude allowed this. From small swings in his back yard, to a few holes, to an easy tournament layout, to harder courses, to being in competition, to winning involved a lot of small steps. The positive was emphasized at every turn. Tiger mentioned many times he never thought he would compete again and was happy to just be back on tour. This is a major mind shift from the old Tiger. This new Tiger is focusing on progression, not perfection. Tiger Woods has shown us a lot since "Hello world" back in 1996. He made golf cool and taught us that we can always work to be better. Tiger showed us that we need balance in our lives and people to support us. He has also demonstrated that gratitude, humility, and an eye on progression makes for a winning combination. The first couple of days back from Hurricane Florence have been a whirlwind. Monday was very quick and the students were well behaved. We were, surprisingly, able to fall right back in to our routines. I reviewed a little to jump start their brains but they were right there with me! Tuesday was also very smooth and productive as I tried to get my first tests made and organize our new schedule.
Tuesday was also our Open House which made for a loooonnnggggg day. All the parents that came by were exceedingly nice. I heard more thank yous yesterday from parents than I ever had. Apparently (according to moms) a lot of kids are enjoying my class and learning. I wish the kids would say that but it is nice to know all my work is accomplishing my goals. It is always interesting to meet parents and see from what trees our apples fall. Have you had your open house yet? How did it go? Any great story or funny story? Please leave a comment. Today will be our first match of the girls golf season. We had to rearrange the front of our schedule because no one was really ready and then the hurricane cancelled our match last week. I do not feel confident on the win but hopefully the girls have fun. We have been adding new players even though the season is actually coming to a close! My prayer (long shot wish) is that our younger girls keep up with it and actually invest some time in to the sport. A lot of them are pretty athletic and could be good players if they only but the time in for it. I would love for us to have a winning team and be able to do well in tournaments and maybe even one day send one to a college team! Thanks for checking in and have a wonderful Wednesday! As of writing, Hurricane Florence is aimed right at my state. A lot of South Carolina schools, including mine, have been closed. Living in the middle part of the state, we act as a shelter/evacuation point for people on the coast. They use our schools and buses to house and transport people. We were in a similar situation last year right about this time. It is unclear now how long we will be out of school. I'd be hard pressed to pick a sooner date than next Monday.
In the classroom, I was just a hair off the US History pacing guide and about to catch up. Now that is gone along with my pace in AP Human Geography. We were scheduled to test at the end of next week but no way that will happen now. Just as my kids and I were getting in a groove we have to miss about a week of classes. In my time off, I have been productive around the house and even started my SLO. I will also need to tweak some lesson plans for our return. As a teacher, have you ever experienced unexpected closings and if so how did you get back in to the swing of things when you returned? Livin' the dream, Kyle |
AuthorKyle is a 34 year old teacher that loves James Bond, history, donuts, and sneakers. Archives
February 2021
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