Get Your Teach On!

WOW!

One word.

Not a fancy word.

But a strong enough word.

WOW!

A word, that pretty much sums up my feelings on the Get Your Teach On Conference.

Monday, March 7 I had the pleasure of skipping school attending the conference presented by THE Hope King (and Deanna Jump- she’s amazing too, but I didn’t attend her session)!

My teaching partner in crime, Rachel, and me!

My mind is still trying to digest everything that Hope had to share with us. I find that since going to the conference, I am constantly reflecting on this year and how I can make changes for next. How can I implement what she shared into my teaching world? How could I engage my students in this lesson?

I’ve already had the chance to implement some ideas since the conference and it was exhausting AMAZING for both my students and me (I’ll share more on that another day).

I would like to share some takeaways I had from the conference….

(Just incase you’re on the fence as to whether you should attend the 2! Day conference in Texas this summer… which, by the way, you will be even luckier and get to see THE Amy Lemons present as well!)

 

The world's.worst.photo of me EVER! But it's with THE Amy Lemons ;)

ENGAGE

This quote was displayed at the beginning of the conference:

“Provide an uncommon experience for your students and they will reward you with an uncommon effort and attitude.” –David Burgess, Teach Like a Pirate.

My memories from school were the ones that engaged. Projects, hands-on, songs… They stuck. They helped. They made me want to do my best.

Today’s kids need engagement more than ever. They live in a world of technology AND testing. We need to work harder to keep their attention, engage them, and make them want to do their best.

Does this mean that every day is a trip to Disney World in your classroom? No.

>>Choose your most difficult standards and make them the most engaging.

>>Find the balance: fun, energy, and excitement = rigor, content, respect

>>Get off your seat and move your feet! Give them a reason to never forget.

Build Relationships

NEVER underestimate the power of relationships. This is just as important as the engagement!

You spend 6-8 hours a day with these kids. For an entire YEAR. That’s longer than they spend with their parents (and longer than you spend with your own kids). You want them to like you (as much as you want to deny it).

If you want them to trust you, If you want them to step outside the box, If you want them to give it their all….You have to build the relationship. Yes, even with the most difficult one ;)

Maybe it is YOU

Reflect on you….more than likely if your kids are having an issue, than it’s you.

This is still a hard one for me to swallow. I believe it, but it’s also hard to admit. Connect it to your own personal life/relationships- it’s always hard to realize and admit your part/wrong doing and how it effects the other person.

But think about it- You’re tired/sick? How do your kids act that day? You woke up on the wrong side of the bed? How do your kids act that day?

Teachers are human. We are allowed to have bad/off days, but realize and understand the effect it has on your students.

So….

>>FIRE IT UP! Be the ENERGY! Smile, Passion, Enthusiasm

>>Be unpredictable. Schedule is good, but so is spontaneity! Keep your kids on their toes and always wondering, “What is she/he going to do next?”

>>Go for it! Don’t miss the moment!

 

THE Hope King engaging us!

Kudos to you if you made it all the way to the end! That was definitely one of my longest ramblings blog posts.

There is sooooo much more I could share, but then I would be giving away too much for the people waiting to go.

And if you can’t make the journey to TX to watch them in person, then become a Hope King (Elementary Shenanigans) follower. She is wonderful with sharing sneak peeks on Instagram and letting us into her world at RCA on Periscope.

And when your efforts to try to be different and engage are met by negative people- Don’t let them steal your joy! Be the teacher you would want to have or your children to have.

teach.create.love life.

~Jenny~