The second shift of Symposium education included a keynote address from Randy Thompson, a leadership class from Carla Middlen, a Cyberbullying update from Betsey Atwood at the Carol Institute, and a Motivating Students class with Mr. Thompson again. Each class had a different sort of style to it. I paid more attention to the teaching of each course this time. It was an instinct I've developed since considering the fact that I may one day be teaching something like this, once I have a clue!
Mr. Thompson drew upon his childhood, which I thought was a well need inspirational moment. He told of his childhood instructor, outside of the migrant schools he had. This teacher saw Roger's need for nurturing and his ability to do math. It must have been a very large unused talent, because the teacher stuck with him. I was thinking as I listened of kids I've either taken extra time for, or even kids I feel I should have spent more time with. You can't do it all, and you can't constantly overextend yourself. There is a fine line when working with kids on how much is too much, and how much is needed. I spent several hours after school with a couple of kids who were behind in math and reading. At the end of the year, I was able to determine that it was time well spent (which I figured it would be). The kids were gracious, although only in 3rd grade. They did as well as they could on the test, but I doubted even with extra time that a test would tell me everything I had accomplished. Mr. Thompson's teacher went even beyond that. That' s true commitment.
Carla Middlen did a review on PLC's which are Professional Learning Communities. This was a good review from a curriculum course I had had a couple of years ago. She did a good job reviewing all the strategies of creating and maintaining quality learning communities in a building. The only thing I did not like about the session was how it was taught. After all this great technology encouragement, a powerpoint just didn't hold my attention. I was tired after the class, and could remember very little. She is sending us the powerpoint, which is great, but I wish she'd taught more about less. It reminded me how sometimes quantity in a good classroom has to take second fiddle to quality. Slow and steady does win the race. Less is more....and so on. I think it's true for kids and adults!! I would like to end this part by at least saying that PLC's are a crucial part of staff growth and a necessary strategy for any mindful principal!
The Cyberbullying session was an eye opener for two reasons: one, it showed me about things I was completely unaware of! Two, the teacher for it was not a certified educator, but taught absolutely wonderfully! She kept our attention, asked questions, engaged us, challenged us, made us think and reflect, and had great technology available. Maybe it just fit my learning styles better, but I thought she was fantastic! Cyberbullying is an under discussed problem and I hope our school keeps a wary eye on it. I didn't know so many possibilities until I went to this session. Although it may not help a lot with 3rd, it would help to know when my own kids get older.
The last session was great. Randy Thompson was attempting a session in Differentiating Learning. Instead, he taught us fantastic problem solving methods and ways to engage students in writing and math. He did not do a lot, but he spent much of the time explaining and asking for the benefits of each activity. I knew it was a selfless plug for his book, Fired Up, but it was still useful. I especially liked the way he taught. He gave time to answer, he kept things moving, he engaged everyone somehow, and he made it fun. He even approved "fun" as a technique in the classroom! One thing that stuck with me was that he said that he wanted kids to leave his class saying it was the most fun they'd had all day in any class. Then he knew they had listened and learned something, if only involuntarily!
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