On Positivity and Professionalism

Note:  This post is the result of a lot of reflection.  The words here are not directed at anyone.  If they were, they would be directed at me.  In fact this post is more for me to improve myself than anything or anyone else.

Something has bothered me lately.  It's been there - nagging my conscience, whispering in my ear - this whole summer, really.  I couldn't figure out what it was until a couple of weeks ago when I attended a session at Podstock  (more on that here) about energy leadership.  In this session, Tammy Fellers (@tjfellers) and Tamara Konrade (@tamarakcoach) talked about seven levels of energy and where we might fall.  Level seven is where the perpetually positive person lands.  Their analogy was perfect:  this is the person who would look at a flat tire on a busy highway as a chance to learn a new school.  Let's face it, the level seven people are those we (the normal ones) want to throat-punch first thing in the morning.  Just kidding, sevens...not that you were offended.  Level one people are the complete opposite.  They find reasons to complain and they always feel like someone is out to get them.  Tammy and Tamara encouraged us to "strive for five".  Level five people are those who are committed to the cause, so to speak.

 I'm not an expert on this by any means, but that is the brass tacks of energy leadership.  What you need to know is this:  I fall down to level one or two way more than I ever rise to five, six, or seven.  That is the realization - the one thing bothering me for a few months now.  Those who aren't close friends may never realize this about me, I can be pretty stinking positive outwardly.  But the inside me is not always so optimistic.  The inside me is full of fear, self-loathing, and doubt.  So, I am writing this post to motivate myself with the hope of motivating a few others along the way.

photo credit:  Pixabay

 I suppose I am a bit of a hypocrite here, or maybe I'm just a result of my society.  It's kind of hard to tell.  You see, I can't stand all the negativity out there.  Perhaps I am just noticing it more, but negativity seems to be growing like a weed - especially in education.  It bothers me when I see educators posting such cynical statements on social media.  Every day I see statuses and tweets about the horrors of common core, how much we hate standardized testing, teachers being paid too little, and so on.

I know, I'm being negative about negativity.  However, to me such outward shows of anti-this or that do not help our public relations as educators.  Which brings me to my next realization:  professionalism requires us to be positive.  I'm not saying common core is perfect, standardized tests are the best days of my year, or I feel like we are overpaid.  However, publicly complaining about such things is just bad PR.  I have friends in many professions, and rarely do I see them complain about their careers on social media.  Do they have nothing about which they can complain?  Doubtful.  Rather, they are practicing professionalism.  I believe, as I'm sure you believe, teaching is not just a job - it is a profession.  We often complain (ahem...) about how little respect we get or how we are not treated as professionals.  How can we expect to be treated as professionals when we do not act as such?  Of course we need to vent from time to time, but social media is not the place to do so.

The other place we should practice anger abstinence is in our professional interactions.  My close friends who are also teachers and I will occasionally vent to each other privately - we all do that.  However, a staff meeting is not the place for negativity.  It kills any momentum a school has when someone shoots down or ridicules ideas.  I'm sure I've been guilty of this once or twice in the past, but I have learned from experience to be more open-minded.  Even if I'm not sure of a new program or directive, I must be willing to give it a shot.  Openly hating an idea which someone has proposed for the common good might just be the best way to ruin a learning community.  This is especially true when it is a requirement from administration.  There's no point in openly complaining about something we can't change.  As long as the directive does not hurt students, then what is the point of refusing to buy-in?

Perhaps even more important is to remain positive with parents, students, and the public.  Just as with social media, our interactions with these groups represent our profession as a whole.  Even when we are unsure of a new directive, it is important we present it with a positive spin.  Let's use, oh...I don't know...standardized testing as an example.  (Cue the scary music and screaming.)  If we are negative about state tests, how can we expect our students to do well?  Think about it:  what if I give my kids a test and say, "I can't believe they are making us take this.  I'm sorry to do this to you, but let's just get it over with."  How would those kids perform?  Instead of viewing testing as this horrible, scary ordeal, what happens when we look at it as a way to improve?  Even better, what happens when we communicated this to parents and students?

Like I said, most of us are not going to be positive all the time, but it should be our goal as professionals to remain publicly optimistic.  The only way I see to do this is to think out of the box and practice what we preach.  Educators are creative, intelligent people.  We need to find ways to authentically twist the negative aspects of our profession into positives.  Then, once we have found that optimistic spin, we need to actually believe it and put it into practice.  Of course, this change can only begin one person at a time - so, I am pledging to be more positive this year.  Will you join me?

#Podstock14

Last week was a career-changing week, and those are not terms I use lightly.  I can only describe two things as truly "career-changing":  my principal encouraging me to lose my fear of failure and my first Podstock experience.  What's Podstock you ask?  Where do I begin?  Podstock is, technically, a conference about education and technology.  In reality, though, it is so much more.  It is a family, one which accepts newbies like me with open arms.  It is an often self-directed learning experience inspiring you to new challenges.  Essentially, Podstock is a movement trying to change the world of education.

We all know students learn best when they get to respond to the lesson or learning experience.  Writing across the curriculum is integral to student success.  Since my class will tell you I probably learn more than they do throughout a year, I consider myself a student and am using this post to respond to and cement my learning experience.  Basically, if I don't write about Podstock 14, I might forget it...I'm getting old like that.  (Just kidding, I could never forget Podstock.  I took notes.)

To really capture the week, I would need several posts.  So, this post is just going to be about the three biggest ideas I brought back from Wichita.  I actually waited a few days to write this so I would know which ideas stuck out the most in my mind.  Without further ado, then:

#1:  Problem solving is an important part of learning.

 Easily the biggest takeaway from my first Podstock is the reminder of the importance of letting kids fail and, (much more importantly) fix their mistakes.  Please don't trip over the word "fail".  Go past the traditional educational meaning of "fail".  I don't mean receiving Fs here.  By failure, I mean making errors, diving in headfirst and learning from those critical mistakes.  This was first driven home in the Sandbox session, a time set aside for hands-on learning about new ideas and facilitated by one of my new edu-heroes:  Ginger Lewman (@GingerLewman).  Everyone in the room had great things to present, but my epiphany first came at the Kidwind Project.  Dan Whisler (@danwhisler) brought all kinds of cheap materials with which we were given the task of building what he called, "MacGyver windmills".  (Author's note:  If you don't know who MacGyver is, do some research tonight and thank me tomorrow.)

The goal was to lift as many washers (the little round metal ones, not the ones which clean your clothes) as possible using power from a windmill we built from random items, such as small PVC pipes, wooden rods, blades cut from campaign signs, pool noodles, and other basically household items.  Dan showed us video of a group of kids who built a McGyver windmill which lifted 75 metal washers off the ground.  My partner in crime, Jackie (check out her blog, too), and I set out to lift 5.  We like to keep our expectations reachable.  Our first attempt resulted in a windmill which would not move.  At all.  So, we redesigned it and came up with a windmill that would spin, but didn't lift anything.  Our next modification lifted 5 washers.  After this blistering success, we made one more tweak and doubled our output.  That's 10 washers for those of you playing at home.

Now, I can't say I am an expert in windmills or wind energy.  However, I did learn some basic principals of design and engineering.  All this learning came from Jackie and I failing and fixing our mistakes.  This year, my students will experience this same feeling.  Failure is always acceptable, as long as you learn from it and get better!

#2:  Learning needs to be an experience kids don't want to miss.

 I have to admit, I geeked out more than once when I saw a few of the names involved at this conference.  My favorite "I follow that guy on Twitter" moment, though, was the keynote speaker, Todd Nesloney (@TechNinjaTodd).  Throughout his keynote address and his breakout session in the afternoon, he talked about his past two years of making lessons an experience for students by flipping his classroom and using problem-based learning.  I signed up for his sessions because my action-based project is all about flipping my classroom next year and mixing in problem-based learning.  From following Todd on Twitter, I knew he would be full of information about both of these.  Not only did I gain valuable tricks and tips for both these teaching styles, I also gained motivation to be excited about learning and turn my classroom into an "experience".

In his keynote, Todd said two things that stuck with me.  First he mentioned Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess and talked about how students need learning to be connected to an emotional experience.  He gave all kinds of examples, such as turning his classroom into a hospital and an awesome bridge building activity.  These examples will guide my thinking as I go about planning lessons learning experiences for next year.  He also mentioned a quote by Erica Bauermeister:  "Adults need to have fun so kids will want to grow up."  When I set out to teach, I wanted to reach kids like me - the kids who love learning but hate school.  What better way to reach those kids than by showing them I am having fun (real, authentic fun) while learning with them?

#3:  Educators must be connected.

Collaboration has always been paramount to the success of any teacher.  In the not-so-distant past, this meant to be a good team player at school:  work with your team and colleagues within your building and district.  This is, of course, still important.  However, Podstock 14 taught me the importance of being connected to the global education community.  I have been on Twitter for a while now, but my list of followers and people I follow grew by leaps and bounds last week.  It is important to meet those people at conferences face to face and then stay connected with them after the week is over.  I realized this in a session by the aforementioned Ginger Lewman called "Ten Questions, No Answers."  Within this session, Ginger facilitated deep discussions about the present and future states of education.  These were important, eye-opening questions - ones I'm not done thinking about and hope to discuss more on Twitter with some of my new education friends.  Not only do I grow from participating in these discussions, but my colleagues at home and certainly my students will benefit too.

An additional means of staying connected is something I keep trying to get better at:  blogging.  At his closing address, Kevin Honeycutt (@kevinhoneycutt) drove this point home.  Educators are intelligent people.  We all have ideas to share and it is time to actually share them.  The education world can't be a place of trying to out do each other.  The students in my classroom don't just belong to me (and their families of course), they are citizens of the whole world and our future depends on their learning today.  Education needs change and it will only happen when we work together for the common good.  As Kevin Honeycutt said, "Don't be secret geniuses anymore!"  Let's share our learning!

I could go on.  However, this post is long enough already and it could last for pages and pages.   The best way to get more out of Podstock is to experience it for yourself!  However, until next year let's all stay connected - you can follow me here, of course, but also look me up on Twitter (@bmcd25).

Before I stop, I want to thank all the people at ESSDACK who organized Podstock as well as everyone mentioned in this post and all the other presenters I was able to learn from.  In addition a huge thanks to my school district for allowing me to tag along on this trip!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of learning to implement...

With Renewed Vigor

I started this blog about 10 months ago with the hopes of providing insight into the daily thoughts of an educator.  That was an extremely hopeful set of hopes, so I decided to provide insight into the weekly thoughts of an educator.  When that didn't work, I settled for monthly thoughts and, well, you get the picture.  I haven't posted since New Year's Day, and while I have done by best to "become" more as I wrote in that post, I have done a poor job of reflecting on that experience through my writing.

A few nights ago I had decided this blog was not being effective.  I wasn't writing, which means no one was reading - including me.  I hadn't even revisited my own reflections for months.  I was considering shutting it down.  Then, as if the universe knew my thoughts, I participated in Thursday night's #moedchat on Twitter.  (Side note:  if you are an educator, pick at least one ed chat and participate - it will positively impact your teaching.  I highly recommend @MOedchat.)  The topic for Thursday night's chat was, wait for it, blogging.

Throughout the night I was reminded how important reflection is to the teaching process.  We become better by reviewing our lessons and values, evaluating their effectiveness, and making changes to improve our craft.  I am thankful for all those educators who shared their knowledge in the chat because they convinced me, without knowing it, not to shut down this blog.  Instead, I want to blog more than I have in the past - whether anyone reads it or not.  Blogging is my chance to review and reflect - if I don't write it down, I will not truly think in-depth about anything.  So, it is with this renewed vigor that I pledge to write more.  In order to reach that goal (and hold myself accountable), I am listing below, in no particular order, topics I plan to blog about this summer.  If you have any suggestions about my list, please feel free to comment below!  (I also plan to comment on educator blogs more frequently...details on that later.)

My Blog To-Do List
Author's note:  I hate to-do lists.
1.  Connected educators/learning
2.  My year in review
3.  iPads in education
4.  The causes and effects of David Glass buying the Royals organization(sorry, wrong blog)
5.  Importance of background knowledge
6.  Kidblog
7.  Standards based grading
8.  Male teachers in elementary level classrooms
9.  "Looping"
10.  Classroom management

I'm sure there are more...but 10 seems like a nice stopping point.

Are you a blogging educator?  I would love to discuss blogging for reflection and benefit from your experience.  Feel free to begin a dialogue in the comments section!

Becoming 2014

At the end of my last post of 2013, I promised a new post coming that would be a look ahead.  Almost immediately, I regretted this decision.  The promise was made in hopes of it forcing me to post again, instead of waiting so long between writings.  It worked, but I was not happy with myself for what I had promised.

I don't "look ahead".  I don't make new year's resolutions, either, at least not as an adult.  I can vaguely remember making a list of resolutions as a kid, but I have not made resolution one since growing up.  This is not to say there is anything wrong with making resolutions, they just don't work for me.  Like most teachers, I reflect constantly and am always thinking about how I can be better (at my career - reflecting on my personal life is pretty much a lost cause).

With that in mind, I had no clue what I was going to write about in this promised "looking ahead" post.  Then, last night, I read something that had what will no doubt prove to be a lasting impact in my life.  Two of the hobbies I enjoy in what little free time I have are sports and reading.  One of the people I follow on Twitter is Richard Deitsch, who covers sports writing and media.  He always has remarkable insight into how sports are covered.  He also occasionally sends out interesting non-sports tweets, like he did last night.

I always want my first tweet of a new year to have meaning. Take it away, Kurt Vonnegut: http://t.co/lI8theZoRI
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) January 1, 2014

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors, I could write a whole post about Slaughterhouse Five alone.  So, I had to read this letter by Vonnegut to a group of high school students.  I suggest you read it as well.  In case you don't have time to read the whole letter, allow me to share the one line that inspired me:  "What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow."

While I enjoy music and writing, the one art I have chosen is teaching - and it is the one thing that truly makes my soul grow.  Yet, sometimes I find myself looking at it as just my job.  It easy to do - you get lost in the motions of day to day life as a teacher.  There are meetings that I struggle to survive.  Managing the curriculum can be overwhelming at times.  Deadlines seem to loom over every horizon.  These things, among others, make you feel like you are just a cog in the wheel - punching the clock in and out every twelve hours or so.  I needed that letter from Kurt Vonnegut. 

If I don't take care of the small things or the boring things, I can't practice my art to its full extent. I am reminded today that the little details that seem so tedious are part of a greater purpose.  That purpose is to pass on to my students the idea of becoming - of finding something about which they are passionate, be it math, reading, writing, science, music, film-making, investigating, or whatever.  My job, my art, is to help them find their art.  To inspire them to "find out what's inside".  If I am going to reach that purpose I must model this concept of becoming.  It won't be easy, but in the coming semester I am making a goal to live in the moment, to make each moment spent practicing the art of teaching memorable.  I owe it to my class, but I also owe it to myself.

I guess, if I had to make a resolution it would be this:  to "experience becoming" every day, whether I am doing what I truly love (working with students), or having to take care of the tedious items that make those fun days possible.

"Year-End" Reflection

It occurred to me recently that, at least for the past 25 years of my life, I never have looked at December 31st as the end of a year.  My life revolves around school years.  My New Year's Eve is really sometime in August every year.  I usually even have a hard time remembering what happened in the first six or seven months of a calendar year because to me it happened "last year".  Well, that and I am pretty sure I am losing my memory at the ripe old age of 30, but I digress...

I told you that to set this post up:  this is not a "year in review" post, it is more like a semester in review.  What follows are not my thoughts on 2013, they are my thoughts on the first half of 2013-14.  It's basically a halftime pep talk to myself.


Master's Degree

After seven years of teaching, I finally decided to start my pursuit of a master's degree in August.  For some people, this is probably a small thing, but for me it was kind of a big deal.  It is something I have wanted to do for several years, but, due to some mistakes I've made as well as a healthy dose of indecision, I kept putting it on hold. 

One reason I waited so long to start a program was I was unsure of what I wanted to be when I grow up.  I know for sure I never can be a principal - I don't like having people mad at me all the time!  Several people suggested I should go get my school counseling degree, which is something I considered in depth.  However, I was never sold on that because I struggle leaving work problems at work and being a counselor would only exacerbate that problem.  Then, in June I attended an iPad training (more on that in a bit) and realized the perfect career path for me:  educational technology.

I enrolled in classes at MidAmerica Nazarene University and am now roughly a third of the way through my degree in technology-enhanced teaching.  This has notonly benefited me, but also my students.  I am learning new tools, projects, and strategies to use in the classroom with every course I complete.  As crazy as it may sound, this was definitely the best decision of my year.

iPads

Last year (well, last school year) I was fortunate to be chosen as an iPad classroom through our district's PH Connect Me grant.  My class received 15 iPads - enough for a 2:1 student to tablet ratio.  This has revolutionized the way I teach.  There was a bit of a learning curve at first, and I was nervous about putting such expensive technology in the hand of 8 and 9 year olds.  However, the kids have done amazing work and have shown a high digital IQ in handling the devices.  Mobile technology just may be the future of education and I am thrilled to have been part of it early on.

Integrating hand-held tech into my classroom has allowed me to become a more project-based teacher, which is something I have always wanted to be.  The kids are learning, but sometimes they don't even realize it.  They are becoming investigators, problem solvers, and creators.  In fact, this new style of teaching brought about by receiving the iPads led to what is, so far, my single favorite night of my teaching career.  I blogged about it back in September, and if you missed that post, you can check it out here.

New Classroom Management Style

As shocking as this may seem, I am not a perfect teacher.  There are several aspects of teaching that I am not the best at.  However, I have always been proud of my classroom management skills.  This is going to sound conceited, I realize, but since becoming a more experienced teacher, I have consistently had well behaved classes.  I always hear that I have good kids every year and this is equal parts truth and bothersome to me.  It is truth because that is part of my management system:  I do have good kids, but that is because I don't believe in "bad" kids.  It is bothersome because the people I hear it from often make it sound like I am benefiting from luck of the draw, that I have nothing to do with their behavior...but I think I do.

My theory on classroom management has always been to set up a community or "family" feel in our room (partly by referring to it as "our room").  For years I have struggled to fit my theory into popular classroom management strategies - the latest fad seems to be the clip chart.  Then I read a post at Miss Night's Marbles about why she doesn't use a clip chart.  I decided to give it a try and it has been awesome.  I really don't use any system of management.  My class and I decided on four statements at the beginning of the year that we agreed represented what we believe a good class should be.  Now, we do the right thing because it is just that:  the right thing to do.

There have been bumps on the way, but getting rid of the clip chart has turned my classroom into a true community - more so than ever before.  I realized this during our Winter Party.  I am not much of a party planner, so the party was a pancake and sausage breakfast (prepared by a great set of parent volunteers) and a sing-a-long.  That was all I planned for almost two hours:  no crafts, no games, just breakfast and a sing-a-long (and a coloring page...).  In the past, I have worried about keeping the kids entertained - it is after all the last day before winter break.  This year, as breakfast was being served and devoured I looked around the room and saw the kids just relaxing and talking.  No one was being left out of conversations.  No one was acting inappropriately.  It was just like a family sitting down to a holiday dinner. (Except for no one acting inappropriately-that happens at most family dinners, doesn't it?)  I'm pretty sure this was the second greatest moment of my career, just behind the homecoming project.

Well...that was a long retrospective.  I'm tired of typing and I'm sure you're tired of reading!  So, I will end here.  I am planning a post looking ahead to the second semester in a few days, if you are interested watch for that.

Happy New Semester!

"The Most Powerful Weapon"

image via http://pixabay.com/

I have been to Memphis twice.  It is one of my favorite cities.  I love the blues, the barbecue, and the people.  My adventures in Memphis have included Bob Dylan, Beale Street, Graceland, both Sun and STAX Studios, and some of the finest barbecue outside my hometown of Kansas City.  However, the true jewel in Memphis is the National Civil Rights Museum.  It has been a stop both times I have been there and it will be a stop the next time I go. 

When I went last summer, there was an exhibit about education and the Civil Rights Movement.  In fact the museum seems to be dedicating itself to continuing to advance civil rights by fighting for the right to a true equal education.  As part of the exhibit, there were several quotes on a wall focusing on the power of education.  The one that stuck with me was one by none other than Nelson Mandela - "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

To say that quote caught my eye is a gross understatement.  I knew of Nelson Mandela's legacy.  Who doesn't?  He has been an inspiration to millions of people.  Yet, I am ashamed to admit, I had never read that statement before.  His words shook something loose in my brain.  It seemed to awaken a belief I had long held, but had never allowed to come to the surface.  "Education as a weapon?" I thought, "Brilliant!"

It is no secret that our world needs change and it is easy to become discouraged thinking that change will never come, no matter how loud and proud Sam Cooke belted it out.  As dysfunctional as our society appears, I still have to believe that one day our world will change for the better.  I believe that there will be a generation, perhaps even the generation sitting in my classroom today, that will rise up and end the discord that reigns in our society.  I also believe this will only happen through education.  This belief has become the one and only tenet of my faith - it is the one thing keeping me going, making me work harder and harder each day.  I am working to change the world - one student at a time.

Education allows students to explore their world and develop their own moral code.  The power of an education well delivered is not teaching students what to think, but how to think.  After reading Nelson Mandela's quote, I re-dedicated myself to giving students the ability to think for themselves, to teaching them defend their opinions and answers, and to instilling a sense of empathy for their fellow human beings. 

It is always sad when such a great person passes away, but it is hard for me to stay mournful tonight.  Tonight I am thankful for Nelson Mandela.  I am thankful for a life well-lived.  And I am thankful for his words that renewed my sense of purpose in teaching.  I am not just a glorified babysitter.  I am an arms dealer - selling my students the greatest weapon in the world, the only weapon I hope they ever use, the one weapon that can actually make a positive change:  an education.

Homecoming: Another Reason to Enjoy Teaching

Those of you who don't live in a small town may not understand this, but homecoming in a rural community is kind of a big deal.  Every school, from our primary (K-2) building to our high school has its own spirit days each with a different theme.  The whole town seems to shut down for a parade.  There are multiple class reunions every year at the game.  Like I said, kind of a big deal.  As a high school student, I loved homecoming week.  Then I became a teacher.  The "spirit days" I enjoyed as a student tend to bring management nightmares and headaches.  I may sound like a buzz-kill, but you try competing for attention with a giant sombrero on hat day, light up toe socks on crazy sock day, or growling bear foot slippers on pajama day and see how you feel. 

After 8 years of being a homecoming week Grinch (I only participated in pajama day because it was an excuse to wear comfortable pants - which I discovered too late to have a hole in the crotch.), my perspective on the pageantry, excitement, and fervor surrounding it has suddenly been reversed.  This reversal is all because of my students.  Yes, those same students who wear outrageous hats, socks, and pajamas all week.

Two weekends ago I called my colleague and partner in crazy teaching ideas, Jackie Cattron (check out her blog here), and told her that I had an idea that was either brilliant or absolutely insane.  The idea was to have our students create a news report about homecoming in a small town as a part of our unit on types of communities.  To be completely honest, I was hoping she would talk me out of it.  Unfortunately, Jackie being the creative and fun-loving teacher she is, I was not discouraged from our conversation.  Instead we immediately came up with a plan and were at school early the next Monday to get approval from our principal and director of technology.  Once our plan was approved, we realized the gigantic task we had just decided to undertake.

After hours of planning, teaching the research process, practice interviews, and composing questions, the big week came.  Softball players and other high school students came and talked to our classes at school, allowing students to ask what can only be described as "interesting" questions.  We owe an enormous amount of gratitude to the activities director, coaches, and students who were gracious with their time. 

Then, on the actual day of homecoming, several students and parents from both of our classes met us first at the parade and then at the game to film, take pictures, and conduct first person interviews about homecoming.  This is the day my perspective on homecoming was changed.  I watched as roughly two dozen 8 and 9 year olds became investigative journalists, photographers, and film-makers.  They politely asked for interviews or pictures.  They searched for artistic shots.  They filmed on-field injuries ("We got the whole injury on our iPad!") and touchdowns.  One student from Miss Cattron's class even used every bit as much skill as a seasoned reporter to make his way in front of all the high school students to film the homecoming coronation at half time, telling the much older students that his teacher told him to get it on video.

While watching (nervously) all of these students walking around and using their iPads to capture the event I realized two things.  First, a small town homecoming is truly special.  The people were more than happy to talk to our kids.  The excitement and pride in the air as our Pleasant Hill Roosters demolished the opponent was electrifying.  A whole town, which incidentally had been rocked by tragedy more than once in the past weeks, came together to celebrate community.  As annoying as spirit days might seem to a teacher, I can't deny the power and importance of homecoming.  Second, I realized that these students were not only learning, but they were excited about it.  In fact, they were learning without realizing they were learning - which is something every teacher strives to achieve.  I'm not sure when it hit me - it was either when I saw a miniature row of photographers on the sidelines capturing the band at halftime or when the students took their press privileges to the next level and took pictures of (and with!) the homecoming queen and her court* - but I suddenly realized that the students weren't the only ones excited.  I was too.

I told my colleague, Miss Cattron, as we left the stadium that we very well may have just created a spark in one of those students.  One of those eager young film-makers might grow up to be an investigative reporter or a photographer or a director.  In the coming days, as we edit the movies, some 3rd grader might decide that he or she wants to grow up to be a sound or video technician.  Last night will be one of the most memorable nights of my career.  Last night, I was fortunate to watch a group of students experience an exciting, authentic learning experience that they will hopefully always remember.  And that, I'm pretty sure, is yet another reason why I teach.

*The students kind of went rogue with the whole homecoming queen business.  We tried to ask permission of one or two of the girls to take their pictures.  All of a sudden, around 15 to 20 third graders were not just taking pictures, but also posing with the queen and all the other homecoming court...and their families.  It was one of several moments during the night that I thought we would get kicked off the field!