Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that someone else's good news made you feel worse? I have. In fact, at times, I struggle with jealousy, both professional and personal. How does that teacher get so much done in one week? How do others get grades done so quickly? How does that person always look so put together when I just crawled out of bed? Doing work (or workouts) BEFORE school? Oh, how I wish I had the energy others had! Have you ever tried that new activity in your classroom and it failed miserably (the first time)? But you kept on revising and changing it so that it worked better and better the more you tried it? I have! In fact, I have failed many times in my life and career. I try to learn from my mistakes (they be but many) and keep on moving. Yes, I usually have a good cry, and sometimes my recovery time isn't as quick as I'd like, but something inside tells me not to give up because those kids, or now I think, those teachers, are just to important and they deserve another try. We can often be our own worsts critics, talking to ourselves in ways we would never talk to someone else. We beat ourselves up if we make a mistake or if we don't think we compare to others around us. If you are at all like me, you might need to remind yourself that it's okay. We all mess up, we all struggle--that's called learning. While you feel you are struggling, someone else is looking at YOU and wondering how YOU are so awesome and how YOU keep rocking every day. Recognize this feeling when working with students. School makes many students feel like failures, and they get discouraged and don't want to try anymore either. This video is not new, and many of you have probably seen it already, but I encourage you to take the six minutes to watch it again. It is a beautiful example of what listening to feedback and making revisions can do for our kids and for us. So, as we are ending one year and starting the next, please take some time to be proud of how you've grown from the difficult, uncomfortable times in your life. Reflect on the lives you have touched, the smiles you've put on faces, and continue to persevere! Keep going, keep learning, keep teaching and thriving. And remember, while you just might not be where you want to be yet, someone is looking at YOU and wanting to be where you are.
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In this issue of Voices From the Field we would like to recognize our winner for the Communication strand of Teachers of Power Skills! Thank you to all who nominated a deserving teacher for this recognition! We received 13 nominees highlighting teachers who instill effective communication strategies in students. Candidates are rated using the TOPS rubric and the winners are particularly recognized for the ability to get students to use the power skill. The Teachers of Power Skills nomination process recognizes teachers that not only possess power skills, but, most importantly, instill those skills in students. Teachers of the Interpersonal power skill are able to: get along with others to effectively apply the social norms that advance industry or civic contribution by:
Please help me in congratulating Sra. Lisette Geib from Riverbluff High School! Read about how Lisette instills the Interpersonal Power Skill in students. What peers had to say: "Sra. Geib does a phenomenal job of getting students to interact in Spanish, even in Spanish I. She applies scaffolding, a rewards system and authentic opportunities for students to engage in the language. She also encourages students to take risks with the language. She not only takes students abroad on trips, but serves as her own travel agent to organize a lower-cost authentic itinerary for students to participate in language immersion". What admin had to say: "Lisette is a student-centered teacher whose facilitated learning experiences designed for students are engaging and rich with language and culture. She is a leader in developing international world language experiences. We are so proud to have her working alongside our students and other world language teachers," Principal Luke Clamp. Happy November, LOWLT! In this issue of Voices From the Field we would like to recognize our winner for the Teachers of Power Skills strand Communication! Thank you to all who nominated a deserving teacher for this strand! We received 13 nominees highlighting teachers who instill effective communication strategies in students. Candidates are rated using the TOPS rubric and the winners are particularly recognized for the ability to get students to use the power skill. Teachers of the Communication power skill are able to:
Please help me in congratulating Yenobis Amundaray from Red Bank Elementary! Please read below to hear a bit about Yenobis and how she instills the use of effective communication in students and with parents. What her peers had to say: "She deserves this recognition because she always has the ability to communicate with students, teachers and parents in getting honest feedback that could help the school or our team". "She has high expectations for all of her students including the expectation of speaking Spanish at all times, inside and outside of the classroom". "She is passionate about the job and tries to incorporate everyone in the conversation to help others do and be the best they can be!" What administration had to say: "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Sra. Yenobis Amundaray and getting to know her as a classroom teacher and as an individual. Sra. Amundaray teaches our fourth grade Spanish immersion students and works to help them develop effective communication skills. She has the highest work ethic and the most integrity of anyone I have ever worked with before. Sra. Amundaray recently coordinated an event to allow her students to share a presentation on an extreme weather event in the Spanish language. With Sra. Amundaray’s guidance, the students collaborated with each other to research, develop, and to present the information innovatively to their parents and other invited guests. In addition to her daily classroom responsibilities, she also serves as an instructor in our grant-funded Strengthening Families Program. Red Bank Elementary is so fortunate to have Sra. Amundaray as part of our team! We are very proud of her being named a “Teachers Of Power Skills winner for the Communication strand.” Congratulations!" Janet Ricard Principal of Red Bank Elementary |
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