Teaching Learning Leading K-12

This is part 2 of my interview with Jim Spradley. He was born in 1923 in south Georgia. He is in his 90's. Today we are talking about education and a desire to go to school. Jim mentions books that made an impact on him when he was young. He liked the stories of the hero making it to the top by working hard. He discusses his father allowing him to go to school but that when he got home from school he changed clothes to do his chores. Jim shares thoughts about teachers celebrating kids who did something great! He comments that many of the older boys talked about getting old enough to quit school not school as a way out. Enjoy this new segment of my interview of Jim Spradley. Make sure that you listen past when we say goodbye. We talk a little longer.  Next week I will have a short episode as I reflect on Jim's comments in part two.   Length- 14:38  

In episode 165 I talked about the upcoming series of shows that would be focused on my interview with Mr. Jim Spradley. In the first segment of the interview (episode 166), Jim shares his thoughts about growing up in rural Dooly County (south Georgia). He was born in 1923.  Today, I am focused on reflecting on some of what Jim talked about.  Think about how you could use Jim's comments to help your classes understand what it was like living in south Georgia in the 1920s and 30s. How could you use his comments to create an engaging activity? Next week will be part two of Jim's interview.   Length: 7:52  

 Mr. Jim Spradley was born in 1923. He was the child of sharecroppers in Dooly County, Georgia. This is the first part of my interview with Jim. At the time of this interview he was 91 years old. (By the way, one of his dogs was sitting with him on the couch, from time to time you can hear the dog at his side.) This episode is focused on growing up in rural Georgia. Our talk is an excellent source of information for generating discussions with students about life in rural Georgia on farms. You will hear Jim- also known as Watson and Bud- recall going to school, buying supplies, working on the farm, and daily life. Food for thought... How could you use Jim's recollections of his life to create an engaging activity for your classes? He talks about overalls, sharecropper, mules, cotton, and much more. Could you use these words to help explain life on a farm in rural Georgia? Listen to his story about not wearing shoes for the class picture. What did the boys try to get away with and why? At the conclusion of this episode we even talk about needing to see a doctor. By the way, at the beginning of the episode, you hear Jim mentioning an interaction with a WWI veteran who he ran into just before he shipped out to WWII. He was worried about what was going to happen and whether he would return and the gentleman wanted to tell him stories about WWI. He promised himself that he would never tell boring stories of how he won the war. I think that you will discover that these stories are far from boring. Thanks for listening.  Enjoy! Length - 27:17

Do you take time to explain the difference between primary and secondary sources of information to your classes? Do you require the kids to learn to use primary sources not just secondary? Today I will introduce you to the difference between primary and secondary sources. Then, in the coming weeks, I will share my interview with Mr. Jim Spradley. At the time of my interview he was 91 years old. He has lived life. He is the children of sharecroppers in south Georgia. He was in the US Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After the war, he focued on starting a business to make a living. He was quite successful. This is the first episode of a five part series. I hope that you will be inspired as well as think about how you could use this interview to help engage the kids in your classes. Thanks for listening. Length: 12:52

Do you give homework? If so, do you know why you give homework? Today's discussion centers around questioning why we give homework.  I talk about 3 great reasons for giving homework and 5 problematic reasons. Additionally, I speak to understanding that when homework is assigned you may not know who is actually doing the work (like a friend or a parent) as well as if the kids are simply doing the work to get it done or actually improving their understanding of the content. I also spend a little time around the choices that kids make when confronted with too much homework. I hope that you will revisit why you give homework and make sure that you are focused on good, appropriate practices. Thanks for listening.   Length: 19:07

Corey Knight is a middle school science teacher in Indiana. He also has created a way for you to get started in using technology in the classroom. Even though he has had offers to leave the classroom (since he knows technology) he has chosen to stay and instead use his skills to create awesome support tools for teachers. His tool for teachers is called Classroom Tech Made Simple.  This is his website which has courses for helping you better understand how to implement technology in the classroom.   Additionally, he has an incredible, informative blog, Simple App Review, and soon will have his own podcast. By the way, everything is built around Webb's Depth of Knowledge framework (DOK).  To help you get started, he has two freebies that you should spend some time learning how to use: Concept Maps Made Simple and a free classroom tech cheat sheet.  Stay in touch with Corey: corey@classroomtechmadesimple.com (His email address) Find out more: If you purchase a course make sure that you enter code TLL20 to get 20% off Classroom Tech Made Simple Classroom Tech Made Simple Facebook Page   Length: 34:31

Sargy Letuchy is a teacher in suburban Chicago and he has created a book that will hook you up with excellent graphic organizers to help you get the kids to a greater level of understanding. I like to find tools that are easy for teachers and administrators to use. This is one of those resources. It is not necessary to read it cover to cover...instead start at the beginning to understand where he is coming from and then check out the different chapters to figure which one you would like to try first. Worth your time.  Thanks for listening. Contact Sargy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sargy-letuchy-a23b664b Amazon link for The Visual Edge https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-07-18-visual-instructional-tools-are-essential-when-teaching-common-core-standards http://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/07/smart-review-visual-edge/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Getting_Smart&utm_content=Smart%20Review%20%7c%20The%20Visual%20Edge http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2016/07/it_there_really_a_visual_approach_to_the_common_core.html?r=1016994731&preview=1 (By the way, I recieved no remuneration for this interview.)   Length - 34:45

 John Tibbetts is a 21-year veteran of the US Army and he is now the 2018 Georgia Teacher of the Year.  He served in combat as a tank commander in Desert Storm, was deployed to Turkey in the Iraq War and saw service with NATO headquarters in Afghanistan. He was on duty in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2004. Since then he has been teaching in Georgia. He became a teacher through the Georgia TAPP program which is an alternative certification program. Mr. Tibbetts has taught in Tift County, Dougherty County, and now Worth County. During his years in the classroom, he has taught US and world history, geography, government, and economics. John currently teaches economics at Worth County High School and is the 2018 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Connect with John: 2018gatoty@gmail.com Twitter - @2018GaTOTY  Facebook - GATeacher     Length- 49:35

Do you have procedures for the electronic devices that the students use in your classroom? Now I don't mean the cell phones and other technology that the kids bring. I'm talking about the laptops, chromebooks/netbooks, and calculators that you have for the kids to use during class.  These tools can be, although helpful and engaging, a pain. Why? 1. Devices can waste time. 2. Devices can be stolen. 3. Devices create issues. To overcome these issues the solution is identify a helper to implement your procedures for the electronic devices. The helper will: 1. Get the devices ready. 2. Distribute the devices. 3. Take up the devices. 4. Tell you when all of your devices are collected. 5. Put the devices in their holders, chargers, and storage bins correctly. Do you have a helper? You should. A helper will help you save time, not waste it. Length - 23:25

Attendance, part 2 - Paying attention and following up. This is a continuation of episode 158 where I talked about the importance of taking attendance. I have seen adults take forever to determine if all kids are in class or not. You do not want it to waste instructional time. During that episode, I had my 3 Don'ts and 4 Do's and then gave my 4 Final Thoughts. I review those today or you can go back to 158 to hear more. My focus for this episode though is to connect taking attendance with something that nobody may ever say that you need to do this but you need to. This content fits well with Not My Job parts 1 and 2 (episodes 155 and 156). Because whether you are told to or not it is part of your job. It is part of your responsibility as the classroom teacher. You need to pay attention and follow up. When kids are absent, don't just mark them absent, create a reminder to connect with the child when he returns. This means that when the next day arrives and the kid is not in school you now remember that he was absent the day before. When you hit two days, that day you should call home. Say, "Hey, I noticed that Steve was out for two days and I was hoping all was ok." Sounds simple enough but you will hear me tell you a story about a child who is able to skip school and nobody paid attention or followed-up. After listening, I hope that you recognize that you need to pay attention and follow-up.   Length - 22:44

 Taking attendance is very important, but it shouldn't take you more than a minute or two. If it is taking you 5 or more minutes then you may be avoiding starting class.   3 Don'ts in taking attendance: 1. Don't take 5 or more minutes to figure out who is there and who isn't. 2. Don't let kids handle. 3. Don't trust your memory.   4 Do's in taking attendance: 1. Get it done. 2. Learn their names. 3. Create a way to speed up the process and not take away from instruction. 4. Insure that you have instructions for a substitute on how you handle attendance.   4 Main thoughts about attendance: 1. Learn their names. 2. Use seating charts. 3. Start class - get the kids "playing with the ball" - then take attendance during an activity. 4. Do not delegate this to a child.     Length - 21:43

The first day and week of school and what you need to do to be ready. Wow! Is it that time already? The first day and week of school are so very important. Kids and teachers, believe it or not, worry about the first day and week. Now some of these concerns might be different from each other but both have anxieties about school that first day and week. For example, Teachers are thinking ... There is so much to get done. Kids are thinking... Will I just sit and be told what I can and can't do? Teachers are thinking... Will the group of kids be a good mix? Kids are thinking... Will I have friends in the class or will I be by myself? Today, I am giving my thoughts about starting right. Here is my list: 1. Be prepared.     a. Procedures     b. Start with content (Be engaging.) 2. Increase your energy. 3. Be positive. 4. Smile. 5. Greet the kids. 6. Start using their names. Have an awesome day and start to the year!   Links for other resources: Procedures Teach Like a Pirate Starting Class   Length: 20:51

In episode 155, I introduced the idea that there are many aspects of our jobs as educators that we do not get paid to do. Instead, these details are expected. I talked about these three areas for example: 1. Connect with kids, parents, and the community. 2. Find your place in the organization. 3. Take time to grow personally and professionally. Today, I am continuing the discussion about "Not My Job." We are professionals who are expected to address things as they come up. Sometimes we may be operating way beyond what on an initial list of duties might appear as normal. To be better at what we do as a professional we have to go beyond the norm. As educators we are almost never finished with our work. There is always something that needs to be done. Here are some things to think about... 1. When you discover something that needs to be addressed do you ignore it? 2. When you find down time do you seek out something that needs to be handled? What do you think? Thanks for listening.   Length: 16:57    

So what do we get paid to do as educators? When you sign on to work in schools there may be things that you are expected to do that you didn't realize were part of the job. Do we get paid to teach? Do we get paid to be at work? Do we get paid to prepare for school? Do we get paid to run the school? Well? There are many aspects of our jobs that are expectations and really just come with the territory. Unfortunately, some of our colleagues don't think that they should have to do anything beyond just what they think is the general description of the job. Hmmmm. Today, I'm talking about the need for self-starters and those who show initiative. It is a requirement of our work with kids. We have to be proactive, trouble-shooters, and problem solvers.  Something to think about.   Length: 21:49

Why do you do what you do? Have you thought about it? If so or if not, how could you use those thoughts to keep you focused on what matters? I recently read Simon Sinek's book, Start With Why. Simon notes, "we say what we do, sometimes how we do it, but we rarely say why we do it." (p.39) Do we rarely say why, because we are not really sure? By the way, this question is deeper than to make money and to pay bills. I am asking you to rethink about why you wanted to teach. Simon made me think about Why we teach. Why we work with kids. Why we focus on helping kids achieve their dreams. How would you answer if you were asked why you work with kids? Once you answer this question, post it near your work space and see if you can use the answer to help give you that extra boost to get through those rough days.   Check out Simon Sinek's web site Start with Why   Length:11:48