Monday Mash-Up: From Apostrophes to Bayside High

Busy week, everybody!  Open House today, one more glorious lunch out with my teacher-friends work day, and then it's ON.  The kids return Wednesday-- so let's celebrate with my favorite blog postings of the week.

1. "Keeper of the Knowledge" from Erika at Something Beautiful
I love this blog.  Erika's not a teacher, but man, is she hilarious!  I have to include this one because of her side-splitting rant about the erroneous use of apostrophes in plural words.  Preach it, sister!  The English teachers of the world are behind you.

2. "The truth about homework in schools" from Life of an Educator by Justin Tarte
Disclaimer-- I am not sharing this one because I agree with everything Justin says.  I am sharing because, as a teacher who believes in homework, I do think we need to more carefully consider the purposes of our assignments.  Take a look at the comments for thought-provoking, intelligent, respectful conversation among educators.

3. "Schools Need More Zach Morris and Less Jessie Spano" from The Nerdy Teacher
A vlog, this one is an ode to the students who aren't perfect.  Sadly, there are those in the world who'd rather just teach student-council member honor students and forget the rest.  Where's the fun in that?  As a student, I was a Jessie Spano-- but some of my favorites people are Zach Morrises.(Major bonus points for connecting it all to my favorite childhood tv show!)

4. "Five Pesky Classroom Behaviors I Don't Allow" by Ariel Sacks at the Center for Teaching Quality
Ariel provides a list of unspoken rules she keeps in her classroom, and a great explanation for each one.  As I read, I was thinking about my own "not-allowed pesky behaviors."  I think my biggest pesky behavior pet-peeve is desk-tipping.  


And a reminder-- TeachersPayTeachers is having their Back-to-School sale right now-- up to 28% off everything when you use the code "BTS13."  Sale ends at midnight tonight, and they even accept school purchase orders as payment!

Creating a System for Incoming/Outgoing Student Work

I don't know about y'all, but man, being back to work is killing me!  I am t-i-r-e-d and we aren't even "officially" back yet.  I've been spending a little time in my classroom this week, getting everything ready before the insanity of meetings, parents, and professional development kicks in.  

Credit

One of my major goals for this school year is to maximize class time, and my biggest time-suck in class is passing back papers.  I've always had a system for students to hand in work, but I've never had one for handing it back.  I usually spend about 10-15 minutes a week (in each class) handing back work.  While I try to do this when students are engaged in group work, it still becomes a bit of a zoo-- kids are focused on what I'm handing back rather than the task at hand.  

Here's my plan to eliminate that waste of class time, and create a smoother system for collecting and handing in work:

Collecting Student Work
I have never really taken students' work up by hand before.  I've always had some kind of system by which students should turn it in, and for the most part I like that.  Most recently I had them turn in work to my file cabinet, organized with folders for each class period.  It saves me the trouble of collecting it, and it provides them with a little responsibility.  However, it also provides a few problems:
1- Sneaky kids turn in work late if I don't empty the folders immediately after each class.
2- Kids throw out that, "I know I turned it in!" excuse.

So this year, I'm collecting work.  I'll have them pass it up the rows, old-school style.  This is partly because I want to eliminate the previous problems, and partly because I want to start implementing the "homework excuse slips" featured as yellow sheets on E, Myself, and I and again on Eat. Write. Teach.
 I love the idea of the walk of shame to pick up a slip, and having a record of each excuse the student provides.  (Perfect for parent-teacher conferences!)  Because kids who don't do their homework probably aren't inclined to voluntarily do paperwork about said missing homework, I need to be sure they're doing them.  I can only do that if I am collecting homework in my hands.

So, here's the plan for collecting work.  Once I've collected, and checked that I have a paper (either homework or a yellow sheet) from each student, I'll stick the papers in my handy-dandy rainbow organizer to await grading.  

 The top five drawers are for copies for the week, and the bottom five are for collected work, organized by class period. 

Once work is graded, I refuse to spend class time returning it anymore.  So . . . here's my new Pinterest-inspired mail system:

Returning Graded Work:

Nothing fancy- some file crates and hanging file folders from Staples, and some printed labels.  Each class has its own crate, and each student will have a folder.  When work is graded, I'll stick it in the folders on my own time-- during my planning period or before school.  It'll be up to kids to collect it periodically. (Yellow sheets will go into a binder for my records.)

Bonus: This should make make-up work easier, as well.  When kids are out, I'll put their make-up work right in their folders.

I'd love to hear what you do about collecting and handing back work!  Comments, please.

Favorite Things #6: 11 Tips for Using a Classroom Facebook Page

   There is a huge debate about whether or not social media has a place in education.  I understand the concerns involved, but I think it can be handled in a professional and useful way.  Put simply, I am a huge fan of teaching students "where they are," which is on social media.  I started this year with a classroom Facebook page, and it worked beautifully! 

   I use my "teacher page" primarily to post reminders about assignments, study tips, upcoming events, weather changes, etc.  I also found that it was also a great tool to get kids using class materials in a real-world way outside of class.  Offer them a few extra points to research a tidbit from a novel, and you'd be surprised at the number of responses you'll get!

a screen grab from my page

some example posts from my page

examples of student questions and my responses

   There have been many teachers who have lost their jobs because of improper behavior on social media, so the fear is real.  I see great benefits in using social media in a classroom setting, so I've put together a list of my tips for how to use it in a safe, professional way.

1. DO clear everything with administration.  
I checked out my county's policy on social media before beginning, and made sure my plans were approved by my Director of Instruction and my principal.

2. DO get parental approval.
I handed out permission slips at Back-to-School night, and on the first day of school. If a student "liked" my page before I got the form returned with a parent signature, I booted them.  I still have the forms tucked away in my desk, and will save them for at least five years. This was time consuming, but it definitely covered my tracks-- and I never had an issue.

3. DO create a "page," not a "profile."
I have a personal account on Facebook-- which is not the same.  I created a "page," largely because of the controls I would have and the terminology.  In Facebook Land, a student "likes" my page, rather than becoming my "friend."  It's just a matter of wording, but it's important to me that students are clear on where we stand.

4. DO set up security and privacy controls.
Under settings, make sure your page is visible to all.  This is important because I don't want anyone to question what I might be doing under the veil of a hidden page.  Also set your post visibility to "hide posts by others." This allows you to preview posts from others, and publicize them after you've ensured they are appropriate.  Turn off private messaging.  Students can email my school address if they have questions they don't want to publicize.  Otherwise, conversations should take place on the public "wall" for transparency.  Set the profanity filter to strong.

5. DO monitor your page closely.  
Check out each "like."  If a person who is not a student or parent likes your page, remove him/her immediately.  Also remove students who do not have permission.  

6. DO post frequently and professionally.
If you're going to make the page, use it.  Post daily if possible; you want this page to be frequently seen and heard. 

7. DO make sure that students understand the page's purpose.
I make it clear from the beginning that the page is something extra I do-- not a requirement of me-- and that if I am unable to post a homework reminder, it doesn't mean that the assignment isn't still due.

8. DO have clear expectations.
Post expectations on the page, and include them with your permission slip.  Example:

9. DO NOT post about private information.

10. DO NOT use the page for discipline.
My page is for information and help-- not for complaints, frustrations, or calling students out.

11. DO NOT hesitate to remove and block students, parents, or others who post or behave inappropriately online.  
This is a no-tolerance policy for me.  At the first notice of bullying, unacceptable language, or other issues, I would block the person immediately and irrevocably.


If you're still here after that l-o-n-g post, you're dedicated.  Happy Facebooking!

Revision: I've had a lot of demand for my form via email, so I decided to make it a bit easier to access.  If you want a look at my Social Media Consent Form (to get parent permission for students to access your page), follow this link.  

Stuff They Should Teach in College: Dealing with Make-Up Work

   Kids don't come to school.  Am I right?  Seriously, attendance issues are the worst.  No amount of my lecturing or cajoling will convince teenagers that near-constant school attendance is really necessary.  I'm not one to complain about the kids, because I adore them.  Really I do.  But one thing I will complain about a lot is make-up work.  It is a thorn in my side, a Kanye in my TSwift, and a cramp in my style every day. Every teacher I know agrees; it's a never-ending battle.  How do we keep up with, organize, and grade student make-up work?  This should be its own course in college. 

   My first year of teaching, I was oh-so-sweet a complete pushover and accepted any and all make-up work at any point before the end of the grading period.  This meant that most kids turned in nothing until the final three days of the grading period, leaving me looking a bit like this on the day grades were due.  Obviously, that had to end. Also obviously, I am a phenomenal artist.  And purple.

   Then I started creating a make-up work binder.  I put the binder on top of a file cabinet in my room, and used tab dividers to organize it by class period.  Then, I typed up a note detailing what we had done in that class at the end of every day, and put those inside.  I put extra handouts in a labeled file, and kids were responsible for collecting and completing their own make-up work.  This only took a few minutes, but I found that I often forgot to do it.  I also have the worst memory ever, so trying to do this the next day (or even several days later) was nearly impossible.  I liked it because it put the responsibility on the students, but I found that about 70% of the time, they just didn't bother.  I teach mostly 9th graders, and it seems like they may be used to things being handed to them more directly.  

   I used this system for several years, but I became increasingly frustrated with it, so I changed my system mid-year this year.  I know, it's crazy to change in the middle.  Life was crazy this year.  (Thanks, NBPTS.)  

  I changed to a system, inspired by this pin, which requires students to jot down a list of make-up assignments for their peers.  The handout I created (which is a more grown-up version of the one I saw on Pinterest) looks like this:

Feel free to use this in your own classroom, friends!

In theory, this is awesome:  it moves more responsibility from myself to the students, and saves me some work.  In reality?  In the hustle and bustle of the start of class, I forget.  The kids forget.  I am hoping to stick with this system and just stop forgetting everything all the time, but I'm always on the lookout for improvements.  

Any suggestions?  I'd love to hear what others do.

Favorite Things #1: Remind101

Welcome to my new series-- Favorite Things.

As I become more and more comfortable in my classroom and my career, I find myself starting to appreciate the day-to-day things that help me hold it together at work.  Those things include websites, office supplies, gadgets, apps, games, and books-- and I am a better teacher for all of them, big or small.  

In the spirit of Oprah, I want to share my Favorite Things with the world.  Unlike O, my favorite things are all under $20.00 (and most are free). . . because Ms. Winfrey makes slightly more money than your average schoolteacher, right?!  Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I break down the list of some of those favorite things and where you can get them for yourselves.

Favorite Thing #1: Remind101

Remind101 is a free communication tool for teachers.  It allows teachers, without ever sharing phone numbers or worrying about inappropriate behavior, to safely send text messages and emails to parents and students.  It's both a website and an app-- just sign up for a free account and set up your classes.  Once you've done that, print free flyers with instructions, and hand them out to your students/parents.  All it takes is a prescribed text message or email to a specific number or address, and they're registered.  Then you simply sign into your account (via a computer, tablet, or phone), type a quick message, and broadcast it to all registered students/parents for that class!

I used Remind101 for the first time this year, to rave reviews from parents.  I sent a text message each time I assigned homework, and made sure to send it immediately after the school day ended.  Students had a quick, non-invasive reminder from me, and parents stayed in-the-loop.  I also used Remind101 for reminders about events, permission slips, clubs, or weather-related changes.  

a sample of some of the texts I sent out to my 2nd period class 

Really, this site has become one of the best resources I have.  Of course, I had to make clear to my students that this is a service, not a requirement of me. If I forget to send a text or if it doesn't arrive, work is still due on time.  Honestly, though, that wasn't even a problem.  Kids were grateful for the reminder, and it made parents' jobs a little easier, I think.

I should note-- Remind101 is certainly not paying me to write this.  I'm just a huge fan.  But umm . . . if you want to send a check my way, creator @BrettKopf, I certainly wouldn't be averse to it!  ;)

Seriously, y'all-- go sign up!