Teaching Thoughts - August Edition

Good morning,

The days are becoming shorter. That means autumn is on its way. Today we will find out if fall sports are going to be a go. Keep your fingers crossed. If you're like me, you are excited to be back in school with students this fall. And if you're like me, you're also worried about the health of all of those involved. Be sure to let your leadership teams know your thoughts and raise your questions to them.

Inside this month's edition of Teacherscribe's Teaching Thoughts, you'll find -

Book Review - Leon Botstein's Jefferson's Children: Education and the Promise of American Culture. For some reason this summer I've been on a kick of re-reading books more than I have been reading new books. I bet a decade has passed since I read Bostein's book, but it's as relevant today as it was when it came out in the late 1990's. In fact, it didn't really become popular until Oprah Winfrey featured it on her talkshow shortly after Columbine. Botstein's book is both a shock to the system as well as a call to action to reform our schools.

PS - if anyone is interested in reading this as part of a book club this year, let me know. I'd love to lead it.

Teaching Thoughts - I am part of Tate Sorvig's Crossfit Great North bootcamp, round 2. Kristie was part of the first bootcamp (which meets M-W-F in Hartz Park at 5:15 AM) that I had to give it a try. I knew it would get me in better shape, but I had no idea that I'd learn lessons that are applicable to teaching and working with kids! I delve into three takeaways from Tate's bootcamp that will make me a better teacher this fall.

Why I Teach - The Podcast Club. For a number of years now several teachers from the district and I have taken part it what we call "The Podcast Club." It's basically just a bunch of professional development junkies who love podcasts. We choose a podcast and then listen to it over the course of a week. Then we get together at The Riverwalk for drinks and discussion. It's some of the best professional development I have ever had. Teaches learn best from other teachers is a mantra of the former Red River Valley Writers Conference, and it's true.

Give This a Try Next Year - I share the activity that I use the first week of every class. I call it the "111 Things About You." In short, I ask students to fill out a template of 111 things about themselves. They can be as personal as they want or as random as they want. What I'm really looking for here is information about the students that will help me both get to know them and to also shape my curriculum around their interests and experiences. 

Enjoy the remaining days of summer. If you're like me you're counting down to that wonderful first day of school. 

I also know the MSHL ruling came out moving football and volleyball to the spring. It isn't an easy time for student athletes - given how that they lost their spring sports last year too - but remain positive. Football and volleyball do get to practice in the fall, though. So that is something. And as a former high school athlete whose teams tended to lose more than they ever won, I always enjoyed practice more anyway.

My two cents on the MSHL ruling: As my mother would say, "If life gives you lemons, you can be sour or you can make lemonade." Look at the new opportunities that will arise for you. And if sports were even an option for my own kids in the fall, I don't know that my daughter would have taken part. She is worried about the virus and spreading it to her grandmother. I know we could isolate them from each other for safety, but my daughter would take seeing her grandmother over playing a sport every time. After all - and I might be in the minority here - but it is only sports in the grand scheme of things. I use about 2% of what I ever learned in athletics in my daily life and work. And the biggest take away was to get better with every rep. And that I learned in my love for practice and running a play over and over and over to get it down perfectly.

I hope all is well. Stay safe.