Keep cellphones out of bedrooms!

It’s an attention-grabbing poster – a teenager girl, typing her on her phone at night, with a text bubble lifting up her skirt. But the Coquitlam-based Children of the Street Society say their “Hooked” campaign, meant to convince parents to ban smartphones from their children’s bedrooms at night, is grounded in education.

Source: http://globalnews.ca/news/1778928/coquitlam-organization-wants-cellphones-out-of-kids-bedrooms-at-night/

Majority of U.S. public school students are in poverty

For the first time in at least 50 years, a majority of U.S. public school students come from low-income families, according to a new analysis of 2013 federal data, a statistic that has profound implications for the nation.

The Southern Education Foundation reports that 51 percent of students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in the 2012-2013 school year were eligible for the federal program that provides free and reduced-price lunches. The lunch program is a rough proxy for poverty, but the explosion in the number of needy children in the nation’s public classrooms is a recent phenomenon that has been gaining attention among educators, public officials and researchers.

“We’ve all known this was the trend, that we would get to a majority, but it’s here sooner rather than later,” said Michael A. Rebell of the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College at Columbia University, noting that the poverty rate has been increasing even as the economy has improved. “A lot of people at the top are doing much better, but the people at the bottom are not doing better at all. Those are the people who have the most children and send their children to public school.”

The shift to a majority-poor student population means that in public schools, a growing number of children start kindergarten already trailing their more privileged peers and rarely, if ever, catch up. They are less likely to have support at home, are less frequently exposed to enriching activities outside of school, and are more likely to drop out and never attend college.

It also means that education policy, funding decisions and classroom instruction must adapt to the needy children who arrive at school each day.

“When they first come in my door in the morning, the first thing I do is an inventory of immediate needs: Did you eat? Are you clean? A big part of my job is making them feel safe,” said Sonya Romero-Smith, a veteran teacher at Lew Wallace Elementary School in Albuquerque. Fourteen of her 18 kindergartners are eligible for free lunches.

She helps them clean up with bathroom wipes and toothbrushes, and she stocks a drawer with clean socks, underwear, pants and shoes.

Romero-Smith, 40, who has been a teacher for 19 years, became a foster mother in November to two girls, sisters who attend her school. They had been homeless, their father living on the streets and their mother in jail, she said. When she brought the girls home, she was shocked by the disarray of their young lives.

Read the rest here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/majority-of-us-public-school-students-are-in-poverty/2015/01/15/df7171d0-9ce9-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html

Retain Good Teachers

Advice for new teachers here

Make Ahead Lunches.... Great Time Saver

I love this idea. As a mom and as an on-call teacher who sometimes (ok often!) gets a last minute call to go to this school or that, it is nice to have some ready-to-go lunch snacks.

In my house we have a snack bin for dry snacks, granola bars, fruit snacks, yougurt bars, cereal bars, crackers, cookies, etc. I also have one of those bins in my classroom for kids who don't bring lunches or miss breakfast. (Last year I also had a small fridge in my class where I stored yougurt tubes for kids in similar situations)

But I love the idea of having cold snacks and even sandwiches or wraps ready to grab and go at any time.

COLD SNACKS BIN:

String Cheese, Babybel cheese

Yogurt smoothies or other yogurt cups

Carrots ( I found little cups with lids at Cash n Carry that I add ranch dip to them sometimes)

Apples

Sliced Oranges

Mandarin Oranges, whole

Green Peppers, sliced thinly

Celery sticks

Grapes, Cherries, Canteloupe or other seasonal fruit cut up

DRY SNACKS BIN:

Crackers or Pretzels

Homemade Granola

Granola Bars

Beef Jerkey

Trail Mix

Chips

Graham Crackers

Brownies or Homemade Cookies ( I bake up a bunch and individually bag them up)

Special Treats ( usually for a holiday – like a single candy on Halloween…)

Source: http://happymoneysaver.com/cold-lunches-in-a-day/

How to Talk to Little Girls...

This in an excerpt from an article written by Lisa Bloom and reposted on a blog:

Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, “Maya, you’re so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing!”

But I didn’t. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are.

What’s wrong with that? It’s our culture’s standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker, isn’t it? And why not give them a sincere compliment to boost their self-esteem? Because they are so darling I just want to burst when I meet them, honestly.

Hold that thought for just a moment.

This week ABC news reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat. In my book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, I reveal that fifteen to eighteen percent of girls under twelve now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and twenty-five percent of young American women would rather win America’s next top model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Even bright, successful college women say they’d rather be hot than smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart.

Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What’s missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.
------
So, one tiny bit of opposition to a culture that sends all the wrong messages to our girls. One tiny nudge towards valuing female brains. One brief moment of intentional role modeling. Will my few minutes with Maya change our multibillion dollar beauty industry, reality shows that demean women, our celebrity-manic culture? No. But I did change Maya’s perspective for at least that evening.

Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she’s reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You’re just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.

And let me know the response you get at www.Twitter.com/lisabloom.

Here’s to changing the world, one little girl at a time.

Read entire post here: http://latinafatale.com/2011/07/21/how-to-talk-to-little-girls/

Visual Guide to Staying Safe on Social Media

 

The guide runs through some handy tidbits you should know. For example, what can you post on Facebook, what’s allowed on Tumblr, and how often do people post their location? Should you actually post your location on social networks? The verdict is still out the but the facts are in: this guide shows about a quarter of all users attach their current location to posts. 

 

See full article and visual guide HERE!

You Can Do Better....

Does your government have what it takes to make a relationship last? If broken promises, cheating and financial ruin got you down, the answer might be right in front of you. Here are 10 signs that you deserve more from your elected officials

http://www.youcandobetter.ca/

This video makes me laugh everytime I watch it. Via: http://www.youcandobetter.ca/

Learning from Tragedy....

In wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, there are so many things that fill mind, but no words to express how I feel. I hate the sensationalism of media and the way incorrect details and even names were released through social media and even major news outlets. It angers me that being first, getting an exclusive, trumps facts, feelings and journalistic integrity. But that is another rant for another day.... today, I think educators need to learn from this tragedy so if they are ever in such a situation, maybe they have the tools and trainging to try and get through it. There were brave teachers and children who survived this horrifying tragedy and my heart goes out to them as well as the families who lost loved ones.

"We can never go back and change what has been done.

But we can always learn the lesson to make things better next time."

Sub Hub writes:

The first is to remind all subs to make sure you know the emergency procedures of the schools where you sub. Unfortunately, you never know when tragedy may strike, and it could just as easily happen on a day when you are in a classroom, rather than the full time teacher. Make sure you know what to do in case of fire, power outages, inclement weather, and most horrifyingly of all, a lockdown. The death toll was lowered in Sandy Hook because of quick thinking, heroic teachers who knew how to keep their children safe. You need to know the exact same thing.

Full time teacher, you have a roll in this too. Make sure in your sub folder or sub tub, there is information on emergency procedures. Sure, the subs who work at your school nearly every day may know, but there is always one who has never been there before. Don't put your students at risk because you didn't pass along the information.

I know we all hate the drills. Yes, they are a pain. They interrupt our day of teaching; they upset some of the special needs students, and they are stressful to try to keep students quiet. But, Sandy Hook showed us that those drills are sometimes needed in real life situations, and we need to practice so we can keep our students safe.

What I find interesting is that our TTOC Committee is in the middle of developing a "Teacher-on-call binder" that would list the things TTOCs need to know when in a classroom in hopes classroom teachers would provide all the information when they are out of the classroom.

Our TTOC Committee has also worked recently with the Health and Safety representatives to ensure every teacher-on-call gets a key in case of such situations (lock downs) far too often TTOCs are not given keys, this can be a HUGE safety concern if there ever was a lock down!

Also, the class I am going into Monday is indeed having a lock-down drill, which was planned weeks ago. As a TTOC I wonder what kind of discussio this middle school class I have never met, doing this kind of drill so close after the Sandy Hook tragedy.

The best $10 I ever spent

The other day I posted a blog wondering about how to teach young women positive self-esteem. I talked about a story I had heard about a $20 bill. [Read the post here] and wondered if it would work with my middle school class.

Today, I gave it a try.

I held up a $5 bill and said, "someone is getting $5 today" instantly, my class of grade 8's perked up.

I asked, "who wants this $5?" all their hands went up excited, a couple seemed weary.  I promised someone would leave class with the $5 bill in my hand. But first, I had to show them something important.

Then, I scrunched the $5 bill into a ball in my hands and asked, "who wants this $5 bill now?" Still, hands flew up.

I nodded, threw the $5 bill onto the ground, still crumpled into a ball and I stepped on it. I twisted my foot onto the $5 bill tattering it's edges and flattening it.

"This $5 bill is now dirty, crumpled, damaged.... anyone still want it?" of course, the hands STILL went up. "Why?" I asked. One boy said, "because it is still valuable, it is still $5"

BINGO!

I told them that sometimes life throws us curves, sometimes we are thrown on the ground, crumpled and feeling worthless, but that we are all valued and loved and that our true friends and family will always love us even when the going gets tough. I mimicked some of the sentiments from the story I heard this from:

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We may feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do, who we know or a price tag but by WHO WE ARE. You are special-Don’t EVER forget it!!

The same boy who pointed out the $5 was still valuable crumpled or not asked, "Why tell us this now?"

Good question!

I told them that middle school is tough! Highschool can be tough too! There have been and will be good days and bad days, and we can't always control that. I told them that I can't promise things will always go how you want, but I can promise you that no matter what, you can overcome the bad because the good is worth it!

After some further discussion, I gave the $5 to one of my students, hoping the message was delivered. I also explained I had read about this story but that they used a $20 or $100 bill. I told them I didn't carry that kind of cash on me, but that $5 told the same story!

Later that day, my next class came in and they were a buzz with the news I had given out $5 to the previous class, "Word in the twittersphere is you have some money to give out today?" [No they hadn't tweeted it, but it had been a hot topic at recess apparently]

I was glad the money news had spread, but even more impressed that the story's message had spread.

At lunch a few students came to talk to me more about the story. "I never thought of it that way" and "It's true, bad moods don't mean I am a bad person, everyone has bad days" were among comments I heard from students from the two classes.

I just hope the message sticks... I hope that one day, when one of them is going through something tough, they remember they are loved and they are valued. I hope they remember the day their teacher gave out $5

If so, it was the best $10 I ever spent!

BCTF Workshops for TTOCs

There are a number of workshops available for Teachers-Teaching-on-Call that can be booked for free. You can talk to your local TTOC rep or local president to secure a location and date to book these workshops. Then you can email or call the BCTF to book a facilitator who will come in with the materials to run the workshop for your TTOCs.

This is available to all BC teachers and is usually booked for a local or neighbouring locals can team up to book.

Currently to book the workshop you email nbove@bctf.ca or kshields@bctf.ca

Teachers Teaching on Call (TTOCs) Workshops

1. Work-Life Balance: This workshop offers strategies for maintaining work-life balance in a particularly stressful role.

2. Dealing with Stress: Teachers Teaching on Call often face uncertainty in the workplace, this workshops explores how to develop positive strategies to effectively respond to stress.

4. Raising health and safety awareness: Teachers Teaching on Call are often unaware of of the workplace risks. This workshop deals with awareness and procedures for workplace safety.

5. Reality 101: Life teaching on call. This workshop is designed to support new teachers teaching on call. It provides current teaching practices and practical resources, and to enhance confidence in new TTOCs.

6. Employment Insurance Seminar (EI): This presentation helps TTOCs understand the steps to follow in applying for and obtaining EI benefits. This presentation is also on-line on the BCTF website.

7. Classroom Management for TTOCs: Teachers teaching on call encounter a variety of classrooms and this workshop deals with the unique issues of classroom management faced by TTOCs. It outlines reasons for student non-compliance, the difference between punishment and discipline, and uses discussion and scenarios to outline strategies for dealing with these situations.

9. Engaging and Supporting Teachers teaching on Call: The New Reality in a Bill 22 World: TTOCs are often more vulnerable than members who are attached to a regular staff with access to frequent support. This workshop will cover ways locals and individuals can create support structures and build solidarity amongst TTOCs.

There are also a number of other workshops available to all teachers, including TTOCs. Here is where to read up on them all.

1. Go to the BCTF portal

2. Click "Teachers"

3. Click "Professional Development"

4. Click "Workshops and Conferences"

This will open a PDF of all workshops offered by the BCTF.

This week I spent three days at the BCTF Facilitators' Institute where new and experienced facilitators met to train and prepare. There are a number of people available to facilitate these workshops. Contact the BCTF to book!