M. Shannon Hernandez's Blog, page 11
March 31, 2015
08: No More “I Don’t Knows” in the Classroom
In this episode, we are going to talk about how to rid your classroom of student answers similiar to “I don’t know.” This is important because, first, we must get to the root of the “I don’t know” in order to help students express themselves more accurately. Secondly, ridding your classroom of “I don’t knows” means that you are actively working to make sure that each student’s voice is heard, validated, and matters!
Tips from this episode:
Learn why students are saying “I Don’t Know” when asked a question
Discover how to transform your classroom into an “I Don’t Know” free zone
Explore methods of fostering better student communication, both individual, and whole-class, so you can build a community of learners where it’s okay to make errors
Listen to this episode:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/3.2.2015_Episode_8.mp3
Podcast Episode [08]: No More “I Don’t Knows” in the Classroom
In this episode, we are going to talk about how to rid your classroom of student answers similiar to “I don’t know.” This is important because, first, we must get to the root of the “I don’t know” in order to help students express themselves more accurately. Secondly, ridding your classroom of “I don’t knows” means that you are actively working to make sure that each student’s voice is heard, validated, and matters!
Tips from this episode:
Learn why students are saying “I Don’t Know” when asked a question
Discover how to transform your classroom into an “I Don’t Know” free zone
Explore methods of fostering better student communication, both individual, and whole-class, so you can build a community of learners where it’s okay to make errors
March 29, 2015
Calling All Educators: Your Voice Matters
Teachers have had enough. The evidence can be seen across the nation, as teachers stand up to the unrealistic demands that are being handed down to them from education policy makers and corporate reformers.
We’ve had enough of the testing, the scripted, fake curriculum, and the crowded, underfunded classrooms.
We’ve had enough of the lies—being told that our students can’t do the work, aren’t proficient, and don’t have what it takes to succeed in public schools.
We’ve had enough of the bullying—being told, over and over again, that we are “bad” teachers, and that the students are failing because we aren’t doing our jobs.
I’ve been watching my social media feeds. Teachers are banding together like never before on Twitter and Facebook and using their voices to speak the truth about what is happening in our public schools. We are organizing ourselves for demonstrations and rallies, and we are forming advocacy groups, just like BATS, at local, state, and national levels.
We have realized that there is strength in numbers.
We have realized that if an entire nation of teachers speaks, it’s hard to pin-point one or two “trouble-makers”.
We have realized that we share the same concerns and struggles from state-to-state, and that talking about it, publicly, educates the public.
But above all, we know that our nation’s youth deserve the countless hours we invest, outside of our classrooms, to fight for what is theirs—a public school experience that exceeds their needs, and one that is filled with love and compassion, and is built on engaging, meaningful, and passionate instruction.
After all, we are the professionals. We are the people walking into our classrooms, day in and day out, building relationships with students, and inspiring minds to reach higher and think bigger. We are the very individuals who know exactly what our schools need so we can continue doing the work we have been called to do.
And yet, most often, teachers are not asked about the topics being debated across the nation. How is it that the very professionals who have been trained to work with a variety of learners, are never asked, “What do you think will make the greatest impact in our schools?”
The truth is that our voices do matter in public education reform. We are seeing the results when we use social media to organize ourselves, begin blogging on our own websites, opt-out of the testing madness, or voice our concerns at the faculty meeting. There are numerous ways that we can continue fighting for our public schools.
I invite you to join another platform where your voice matters, big time. The Transforming Public Education Podcast is a weekly show which highlights all the wonderful things happening in public schools. It is a place where educators, parents, and students have a voice in what is working in our schools—and what isn’t. It is a show about public education which is rooted in solutions, inspiration, and above all, compassion and love.
The Transforming Public Education: Creating REAL Reform Through Compassion, Love, and Gratitude podcast was inspired by the many conversations arriving in my inbox after teachers and parents have finished my book. It was inspired by passionate educators who know that we have the knowledge and skills and passion necessary to create positive learning environments. It is a podcast show which demonstrates that many of our public schools are working and aren’t broken at all—but also recognizes that there is always room for improvement. It is a show which highlights that educators, parents, and students already have the solutions, and we will use this platform, as yet another way, to voice our concerns, share our expertise, and band together to fight for our public schools.
March 24, 2015
07: How to Use Tests to Inform Instruction and Develop Better Student Relationships with educator Marla Kilfoyle
In this episode, educator Marla Kilfoyle shares how she uses test scores not only to inform her classroom instruction, but how she also uses them to build deeper relationships with her high school students. Marla also shares several helpful tips for educating ELL students–and some of them will surprise you!
Tips from this episode:
Learn how to use test scores to better inform your classroom instruction
Discover ways to build deeper relationships with your students by making personal connections
Learn why Marla is so passionate about not only her role as a classroom teacher, but also her role as General Manager of the Badass Teacher Association
Listen to this episode.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/tpeduc/Episode_7_Marla_Interview.mp3
Podcast Episode [7]: How to Use Tests to Inform Instruction and Develop Better Student Relationships with educator Marla Kilfoyle
In this episode, educator Marla Kilfoyle shares how she uses test scores not only to inform her classroom instruction, but how she also uses them to build deeper relationships with her high school students. Marla also shares several helpful tips for educating ELL students–and some of them will surprise you!
Tips from this episode:
Learn how to use test scores to better inform your classroom instruction
Discover ways to build deeper relationships with your students by making personal connections
Learn why Marla is so passionate about not only her role as a classroom teacher, but also her role as General Manager of the Badass Teacher Association
March 17, 2015
Podcast Episode [6]: How to Provide Students Individual Attention in a Crowded Classroom
In this episode, you will learn 7 ways you can provide students the individual attention they crave in a crowded, busy classroom. And…you won’t lose your mind while doing so! From common ideas such as student jobs and leadership roles, to not-so-common ideas like strategic seating assignments based on individual learning styles, there is a new tip for every educator in this episode.
Tips from this episode:
Learn 7 ways to engage students 1:1 ensuring that students feel valued every day
Discover ways to foster a learning community where every student’s voice is heard and matters
Learn my tried, true, and trusted technique for “winning over” even the most difficult students in your classroom
Podcast Episode [06]: How to Provide Students Individual Attention in a Crowded Classroom
In this episode, you will learn 7 ways you can provide students the individual attention they crave in a crowded, busy classroom. And…you won’t lose your mind while doing so! From common ideas such as student jobs and leadership roles, to not-so-common ideas like strategic seating assignments based on individual learning styles, there is a new tip for every educator in this episode.
Tips from this episode:
Learn 7 ways to engage students 1:1 ensuring that students feel valued every day
Discover ways to foster a learning community where every student’s voice is heard and matters
Learn my tried, true, and trusted technique for “winning over” even the most difficult students in your classroom
March 11, 2015
The Final Straw That Broke My (Teaching) Back
My teaching career began at the age of twenty-one, straight out of college, in a second-grade classroom in a small town outside of Concord, North Carolina. Early in my career I thought I wanted to teach the little ones, but I learned rather quickly my personality was better suited to middle-school students. So after a few years of teaching in elementary school, I transitioned to teaching in middle school, where I remained for the next twelve years.
Throughout my middle-school years, I taught English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies. I coached sports teams and served as grade team leader, curriculum chair, and student teaching supervisor, mentored new teachers and initiated many programs and clubs in the schools I served in North Carolina and New York City.
I taught students firsthand how rewarding it is to learn while traveling. We took summer trips to the Grand Canyon, Canada, London, Paris, and Rome. I worked diligently every year to secure grant funds so I could have the most current literature in my classroom library. I also worked with local organizations to ensure my students could visit museums, attend plays, and have other cultural experiences so they could learn about the world around them.
After meeting my Brooklynite husband during the tenth year of my teaching career, I was ready for the adventure of city life. My first New York City teaching job was in Spanish Harlem. While some days I wondered if I would make it from the school to the train station alive, I fell in love with my inner-city students—their strengths, their struggles, and especially their big-city survival skills.
The last four years of my teaching career were in an excellent school in Manhattan. I had never taught with a more dedicated and unified staff. The students were also some of the most kindhearted and intelligent I had had the honor of teaching.
Upon accepting a teaching position in New York City, I was well aware I would need to return to college and earn my master’s degree, as this is a certification requirement for this state. I enrolled in Brooklyn College and began working towards a degree in Biology Education. I also knew that I would be losing the tenured position I had worked so hard to earn during my first ten years of teaching in North Carolina. While I wasn’t thrilled about the latter point, because it meant, once again, “proving” myself to a new school district, I accepted it. Within three years of teaching in New York City, my tenure had been granted to me once again.
In October of 2012, two months before I was to graduate with a my Masters Degree, I learned something that would change the course of my life and career. I had just been informed by the New York City certification department that I would lose my tenure, again, once I began teaching under my new biology certification the following fall.
I was livid. I cried. I screamed. I made phone calls. And with each person I spoke to, the news was consistent: Because I was switching from a certification in ELA to Biology, my tenure would be taken from me, and I would have to prove, once again, that I was a teacher worthy of keeping.
I guess you can say that I had had enough, 15 years into the career. And you know what the sad part was? I LOVED teaching…I still do. But I just got so tired of the policies and the “proving of myself” over and over again. I rarely felt appreciated, valued or heard in the teaching profession, no matter how high my ratings were, how much growth my students showed on the exams, or no matter how much work I put in.
So, I decided it was time to change paths—before bitterness and resentment set in. I turned in my resignation in June 2013, and I’ve been teaching future teachers at Brooklyn College, I became the author of my memoir about my exit of public education, and I have turned much of my time to speaking about student-centered education reform. (I can talk now openly, without being fired!)
Above all, I am committed to giving teachers a voice in education reform—because we shouldn’t be left out from the discussions. We are the very professionals who know what is happening in public schools. To help amplify the voices of teachers and students across this nation, I recently launched a podcast entitled Transforming Public Education: Creating REAL Reform Through Compassion, Love, and Gratitude. The goal of the podcast? To give teachers, parents, administrators, and students a voice—and to help transform schools into places where students and teachers can’t wait to get their days started. I do hope you will take a listen to the show—and if you’d like to be a guest, please reach out to me via email.
REAL education reform requires many voices, working on a variety of platforms, and a variety of issues. But the one voice that is consistently missing is the voice of educators. We can change that as a profession. We can blog, we can podcast, we can speak to our legislators. There are countless ways to get involved—in a way that feels safe and authentic to you. Because, in the end, there are many straws that are breaking so many teachers’ backs across this country. Let’s work together to change that.
March 10, 2015
Podcast Episode [5]: How to Use Edmodo to Build a Collaborative Classroom Community with Rob Procida
In this episode, you will learn how one middle school teacher transformed his classroom into an avid community of learners by embracing technology–especially Edmodo. Rob’s classroom is now extended out into the students’ worlds of technology, and he is able to communicate and collaborate with them via the Edmoto platform. Engagement in his classroom has increased, as well as homework completion, and overall skill- and project-based learning. You will leave inspired to try something new in your classroom tomorrow!
Tips from this episode:
Learn how to motivate students through the use of their cell phones and engaging, available technology
Discover ways to use Edmodo in your own classroom
Find out how students are collaborating on project-based learning assignments
[05] How to Use Edmodo to Build a Collaborative Classroom Community with Rob Procida
In this episode, you will learn how one middle school teacher transformed his classroom into an avid community of learners by embracing technology–especially Edmodo. Rob’s classroom is now extended out into the students’ worlds of technology, and he is able to communicate and collaborate with them via the Edmoto platform. Engagement in his classroom has increased, as well as homework completion, and overall skill- and project-based learning. You will leave inspired to try something new in your classroom tomorrow!
Tips from this episode:
Learn how to motivate students through the use of their cell phones and engaging, available technology
Discover ways to use Edmodo in your own classroom
Find out how students are collaborating on project-based learning assignments
