Parent-Teacher Interviews

I enjoy parent-teacher interviews, in general.  I like meeting parents, I think it's an important part of the teaching job and I don't mind it at all.

However, I teach in a school where a lot of kids have a lot of pressure to "get straight A's".  Well.

I do not just hand out "straight A's" so that's the first problem.

You see, in Ontario... "Meeting Expectations" is a B - or "level 3".  If a child learns everything they're supposed to in the overall curriculum expectations, and demonstrates this knowledge consistently... they are level 3, or B.  To get an "A", or level 4, they have to be EXCEEDING expectations -- this level is typically reserved for children who have a strong aptitude in specific areas.  They may be making deeper connections to the topic they are learning and other subject areas they have learned before, they are writing with a lot of detail above and beyond what you would expect for their age and stage of development.  You don't just get A's anymore in Ontario elementary schools, you get B's.

This is a concept my parent community DOES NOT understand.  The pressure put back on me as the teacher about this point drives me up the WALL.  It's the one part of parent interviews that gives me the biggest headache.

After enough parents being "disappointed" that their child is generally a B-average (AAARGSH!!), I began to reflect.

What is most important in life -- developing good character, learning to set goals and assess them, and learning to process and understand the messages in the media that kids are inundated with these days... or the specific letter grade on a report card when you're 8-years-old?!  I don't care that the parents of my students are only obsessed with final marks... I'm still teaching good character and team-building, because I do think it will help their child be a more successful adult in the long run.  I'm teaching critical thinking skills, inquiry-based learning, and I'm also making the classroom FUN... because students need good social skills and communiciation skills to be successful one day, too.

It's elementary school!

How much of my day is spent dealing with issues because kids are NOT NICE to one another?!  MOST of our day.  MOST.  We have so many lessons interrupted having to deal with recess issues, with issues of bullying.  I won't stand for that behaviour, so I'm taking a pro-active approach -- these kids need to learn how to be GOOD people.  NICE people.  KIND people.

I had some lovely parents too, who got it and were happy.  However, I'm a teacher who cares more about teaching good character, equity, inclusivity, and about managing in the broader world outside the classroom walls, than drill work and easy A's working in a school where parental expectations are skewed and where high academic achievement is the only thing valued.

It's not easy, but for the sake of the kids, I'm keeping up with what I'm doing.  Daily happiness for children... if we want them to be successful, I completely believe they need to learn to be happy, self-confident, and respectful of each other.  I just do.

I'm off to make a cup of tea and try to just de-stress!  I hate assessing 8-year-olds with letter grades, just sayin'.

Review: Disney/Pixar's "Brave" Collector's Edition Disney Blu-Ray Combo Pack

There is still time to enter to win a copy of Disney/Pixar's Brave, a 5-disc DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack.  Just click over to this post right here to enter the contest!  It ends at 12:01 am on Friday, November 23rd!

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this Blu-Ray Combo Pack to review.  My friends and I watched Brave on Blu-Ray this Sunday, and I was again reminded of how fantastic this movie is!  I love the plot so much, and the brilliant animation using Pixar's state-of-the-art technology is so impressive.  It has sparked my interest in Scotland and Scottish history very much.

This DVD set is INCREDIBLE.  You don't only get the movie on DVD and on Blu-Ray (already so awesome to receive both in one package), but you ALSO get a Disney Digital copy of the film to enjoy on whatever device you choose, AND a copy in Blu-Ray 3D format for 3D players!  You also have an entire disc of Bonus Features, let alone the bonus features found on the other discs too!  The bonus videos are so fun, and make an excellent addition to your viewing of this film, especially for kids who may like a little extra information and experience with the characters.  The behind-the-scenes features are always interesting, I love hearing more about the process of creating films.

This is just an amazing amount of stuff in one set -- what a fantastic gift for this upcoming holiday season!  

There is also a bonus short entitled "The Legend of Mordu".  This short goes in to more detail about a legend described in Brave, and it's great to have the option to explore this legend further and hear more about the background of the character Mordu.  This bonus short may be a little "dark" for some little ones, so I do advise parents watch it first and use your discretion about what your own children can handle watching.  A lot of legends have a darker history, so this is an interesting way to inspire kids to want to explore legends, myths, and historical stories -- I do love this as a starting point for further research or storytelling!

I thoroughly enjoy this movie, and think you will too!  This "Ultimate Collector's Edition" Blu-Ray + Blu-Ray 3D + DVD + Digital Copy is available in stores now.

Thanks, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Canada for allowing me to receive 1 review copy of this set!  It's incredible!

How Full Is YOUR Bucket? A GREAT book for classrooms, and families!

I am such a proud teacher, I really do love my job and love to say that OFTEN.  The best thing is, what began as a stressful school year (because it's a split class -- new to me, and TWO new grades at that) has become more routine and happy now!  We are sailing along and learning so much, and best of all my kids have really learned to treat each other with respect.  There is a lot of good stuff happening at school, and a lot of the stress is disappearing.  Hooray!  It just takes getting into a routine, and then all is well.

One of my favourite things to do is to build a sense of a "classroom family" within my classroom.  I absolutely LOVE the book "How Full Is Your Bucket?" -- I discovered it a couple of years ago.  This is in no way a sponsored post, if you're wondering, I'm just seriously passing along something I really enjoy using in my classroom.

I read "How Full Is Your Bucket?" to my class early in the school year, within the first two weeks.  We discuss the concepts found in the book - that we all have this invisible bucket, and we are either bucket fillers or bucket dippers.  We fill other peoples buckets in various ways (my class and I brainstorm how to fill a bucket), and we empty (or dip) into each other's buckets when we are disrespectful or unkind.  The kids REALLY get this concept.  Many teachers in our school are beginning to use this book, and even the kindergarten aged children are understanding much more about being nice and being a good friend through this idea.  It's very powerful!

The next thing I do with my class is introduce them to the idea of leaving appreciation statements for one another.  I have a large bucket outline drawn on chart paper, and the kids fill out these small rectangular pieces of paper that have a template on them for sharing what you appreciate a peer for.  So they say:  "I appreciate _________ because _____________ .  From: ____________".  The kids fill in the blanks (obviously the blanks are bigger).  They leave the statements in my mailbox, and I put a sticker on them and then tape them to the large bucket outline, just outside our classroom door (because they like to appreciate kids from other classes sometimes too).

At the end of the month, I'm taking down the appreciations and creating a Wordle out of them.  I'm then able to post these Wordles on our classroom wall for the whole school year, and we can have fun tracking the main reasons we have appreciated others -- which leads to great discussions about even more ways we can do nice things and show respect and friendship.  This is my first year doing the Wordle, but our first one from September and October appreciations is amazing, so I think this will be a powerful add on to the appreciation statements.  The kids get to take home the appreciations that were written to them.

Our September/October appreciation Wordle

One of the best parts of this, which happened quite naturally but which I am so very proud of, is that my kids have begun to appreciate others anonymously.  Rather than leaving their name, after "From: ____" they are beginning to write "a friend", "a mystery man", etc.  The cool part of this is, they are learning that they can appreciate others without needing someone to thank them back, or without needing someone to in turn write an appreciation to them.  This is so powerful, and shows this project moving towards intrinsic motivation for kindness.

It feels good to fill a bucket, as much as it feels good when someone else fills yours.  That's another concept in the book - by filling others' buckets, we fill our own too.  My students this year are REALLY getting that idea, and I just love this easy way of building a caring classroom community, and a positive climate for learning.  Give it a try for yourself!

I bet you could even do something like this in your household amongst your children and family members if they need to learn a little more about showing appreciation and recognizing ways to appreciate others (family members or even strangers -- "I appreciated the person who held the door open for me at the mall" is just as nice, it stretches their positive thinking when they recognize the positives in the world!).   You could make a bucket template for your fridge, and stick appreciation statements on it with magnets!  It would also make for great conversation topics over the dinner table.

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Speaking of great things for the family and kids, Disney/Pixar's Brave is out on Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack TODAY!  I have FOUR copies to give away... so enter on this post here for a chance to win!  Contest ends 12:01 am on November 23rd!

Giveaway! 4 Copies of Disney's "Brave" Blu-Ray Combo Pack to win! (For Canadians)

I had the opportunity to see Disney/Pixar's "Brave" in theatres, and it was such an enjoyable film!  You can read my review from that viewing opportunity by clicking here.

Coming November 13th is the FIVE DISC Blu-Ray combo pack edition of this amazing movie, and you have the opportunity to win ONE OF FOUR copies from this blog!

A Synopsis From Walt Disney Motion Pictures:
An original and thrilling journey set in the ancient and magical Highlands of Scotland, “Brave” follows the heroic journey of the headstrong, young adventurer Merida.  Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida confronts tradition and defies an age-old custom that inadvertently unleashes chaos, and forces her to discover the true meaning of bravery.  The 5-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition (1 Blu-ray 3D + 2 Blu-ray Discs + 1 DVD + 1 Digital Copy) has something for everyone – from the home entertainment enthusiast who demands the highest quality, state-of-the-art technology offerings, to the family who enjoys the interactive and engaging bonus features that only Blu-ray can provide – making this unique and beautiful film a “must add” to any home media collection.

Just enter through the Rafflecopter form below if you'd like a chance to own this awesome collector's edition of "Brave" on Disney Blu-Ray Combo Pack.  This giveaway is just in time for the holiday season, too!

The contest is open now, and closes at 12:01 am on November 23rd!  Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway