Recently, I shared on Facebook “I had wondered where I might eat lunch at work when the weather turned colder. These past two days, I’ve found my answer – in my car. The sun warmed car is a much more comfortable temp than the building” A former ag teaching colleague responded “You get to eat lunch ???” Which was followed by me responding “Part of my new self care practice. I actually take the whole 30 minutes we are allowed” She then added “Please tell me more information about this self care practice you talk about….”
This post is inspired by that conversation. Although I recently gave a professional development session on Self Care Bingo (some of the resources from that are here) and have blogged on both my not so stellar September Self Care Bingo and my more successful October Self Care Bingo, lunch time is a much more fundamental care aspect than that.
In school years of past, I often was making copies, responding to emails, tracking down students, and grading work during lunch. I would make it to the lunch room to chat with my colleagues, but the thirty minute allotted lunch was 20 minutes IF I was lucky. This year, we currently have students for a half day. This helped to make actually taking lunch easier. Additionally, not wanting to eat in a space where several people have been breathing is great incentive for getting away from the computer and out of the classroom at lunch time.
When I walk out of the classroom for lunch, I set the 30 minute timer on my phone. More often than not, I then walk out of the building, take my mask off and eat in fresh air. I have a work friend who often joins me from about 10 feet away. I’m not working through lunch as I have no desire to touch my keyboard and then my food. I don’t start office hours until 1:00 so if I wrap something up after my last class and my lunch doesn’t start until later, I’m still not sacrificing that time to get a breather. It felt odd to do this the first two weeks of school, but I am glad I started the practice.
A second boundary I have set this year which was not necessarily one in the past is not responding to parent/ student emails or Google Classroom private comments beyond school hours. With several components of this year being remote learning, there is a perception that teachers should be “on call” 24/7. That is an incorrect perception and a boundary I set for my own mental health. I have communicated to parents and students that during non-teaching time during the school day, I will be addressing their communications. I do check my school email beyond school hours because of the professional organizations I am involved in, but have held firm to my school hour boundaries otherwise. The result has been both positive (students answering their own questions in the time delay of reply and more time in my evening and weekend to attend to personal responsibilities and relationships) and negative (parents reporting me to administration for not responding to emails on the time table they think I should – nights, weekends, and days school are closed).
For some people, taking an uninterrupted half hour for lunch and not responding to emails beyond work hours may seem like a given, but more often than not, it is something teachers don’t experience. Making and taking time for a non-working lunch and email boundaries part of my work life this year, have not been without challenges, but for the sake of my serenity have been smart choices to make.
What teacher boundaries have you set this year to take care of you?
Why, yes, I am finally slowing down enough to finish the reflection I started related to my “Here By the Owl” podcast interview in late September. Before I begin, it’s important to know that you can find Here by the Owl on Facebook and on PodBean.
Being an agriculture teacher means making connections nationwide. One of those connections is with Nikki Fideldy-Doll from North Dakota. She reached out to me to see if I would join her and Breanna Bregel in a podcast episode of their recently started adventure to support ag teachers. When she said it would be using educational technology, I was all in. (Side note: When this whole COVID thing is over, I NEED to visit Nikki both to see her and to knock the 50th state to sleep in and see off my list.)
Prior to our interview, Nikki sent me the questions to be prepared for. I opened up my Journal Like a Pirate and jotted down some notes to keep my thoughts focused. After I wrote my top three tech tools with what how and other thoughts, I visited an old blog post from July to see if my thoughts had changed. I was consistent – Nearpod, Flipgrid and Wakelet.
My first round of notes before I read through, revised and added
The morning of the podcast chat session, I sat on the back deck reviewing my thoughts, adding some notes to the margins, and making sure I had a solid message to offer. Of course, I was sure to rep Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Education in New Jersey with my attire even though the podcast is audio and not visual as the end product.
It was nice to be able to chat with Nikki and Breanna and share something I am passionate about, educational technology. You can check out Episode 27 of Here by the Owl here. I appreciate their commitment to content creation and connecting with educators across the country to support us all in the profession.
After September’s Bingo Card resulted in no bingos at all, I realized I had to rethink both the design of and intentional engagement with my card if I were to try it again. Of course, I was going to try it again. After all, that’s what life is about- reflecting, revising and moving on.
October Self Care Bingo was much more successful. Not only did I earn bingos but I filled the card. (Note: The only prize in this is the regular practice of moments of self care throughout the month.) How did this happen? First, in crafting October’s card, I made it more relevant to me and things I like to do to take care of me and slow down rather than items that I’d read as “self-care” or idealized as self-care. Second, I visited the card regularly (near daily) to consider “What can I do today to take care of me?”
Throughout the experience, I kept reflective pages about the practices I was engaging in. Three FitBit meditations in a week took two weeks of trying to achieve. Listening to one podcast resulted in listening to others. Connections to other experiences were noted. Items that didn’t play out like I thought they would were also recorded.
Learning in a hybrid setting and helping students connect to the resources around them has certainly been a challenge. Traditionally, at the start of our Environmental Science Unit in 7th grade, I bring students outside to our School Ecology Center for a scavenger hunt where we take photos that I know are related to the content ahead but don’t yet tell students the connections. Then, we do a unit of learning about the environment before we use those pictures to support connections and learnings from the unit.
Welcome, 2020 where everything changes while still trying to keep the big ideas in tact. I had been at an EdCamp two years ago where I learned about FlipHunts from Kathi Kersznowski (check out her blog on them here or visit the Flipgrid FlipHunt page.) Although I had thought the idea to be interesting, I hadn’t tried it until this past week.
Planning for the FlipHunt
I came up with the hunt that incorporated a variety of points. More basic activities were worth fewer points. Longer, more time consuming activities were worth more points. There was an initial detail grid (pictured below) but then hyperlinks in the slides so students could get a greater description. I uploaded the slides to Google Classroom as an item students could view then made a separate copy of slide 2 where students could track their work and posted that as make a copy for each student.
Five point items were the most basic task. Ten point items required a little independent research and making connections between what we were learning or how they could continue to connect to environmental science concepts in their lives. Twenty point items were a little bit more time consuming and allowed for them to work to a skill set they might have. The 25 point items were a little bit more creative but also allowed options for continued exploration of nature or simply taking time to connect.
I created the Flipgrid Topic and then shared it to the Flipgrid Discovery Library. You should be able to find it here as long as you are logged in to your Flipgrid account.
Presenting the FlipHunt
We had used Flipgrid in class already, so students were familiar with how it worked. Prior to class, I recorded a Screencastify that showed how to find the assignment in Google Classroom and how the hunt worked with a brief overview of how to see the details for the items they were to find or activities to complete, how to earn points, the Flipgrid location and a reminder on how to record and where to keep track of tasks done. The day that we were using it in class, students connected via Zoom and I played the assignment overview and reminded students they had access to it in the assignment to review at any time.
Conducting the Hunt
After questions were called for, the at home students were told to begin conducing their hunt and to record questions as a comment or private comment on the assignment itself and they would get additional support in the afternoon. The in school students received a one page print out that had all six Google slides on it. The first class all had phones with data plans they could use and the Flipgrid app on their phone. This allowed our exploration to take us to the school retention pond.
The second class needed to be held to the confines of the school wifi as half the class had no phones, but school issued chromebooks only. Not a problem. We adapted what I thought would be our plan and spent time in the courtyard that has the school garden and then moved to the patio by the cafeteria and its edges. One student had a phone without the app. Flipgrid lets you take photos and videos that you can upload through the website or save to upload later. He planned to get permission to get the app when he got home and complete the upload.
With the Flipgrid app on my phone, I was able to check in and see the progress of people at home and if they were uploading content. (Side Note: I also got the notice I was hitting my data limit while I was doing this as I don’t have an unlimited data plan.)
FlipHunt Follow-Up
When I checked the comments on the assignment, a few students had asked for clarification on how to earn points. Therefore, I created a detailed screencast overview of earning points and added it to the assignment that afternoon then put a notification in the Google Classroom stream. One student requested afternoon office hours to make sure she was on track.
To take into account weather and the possibility of student need for help while keeping my time boundaries of 7:30-2:45 for student support and email responses Monday through Friday, I made the assignment given on a Thursday in class due on the following Tuesday at the end of the school day.
Until the assignment is due, I won’t know the final results of how it worked, but I do know that some students have put up some fun videos, others have added private comments that they are bringing the hunt list with them and doing it on an afternoon walk with family, and a few in class said how nice it was to get outside during the school day.
Scrolling Facebook one day, I came across a post for a gratitude pumpkin. The concept was that one would write each day on their pumpkin something they were grateful for. Given 2020’s struggles I thought I’d give it a try. Not sure if I’d be able to keep it up, on one of our produce and coffee cake runs to a local farm market, I settled for a small Sugar Baby.
The starting line was “I am grateful for…” and each day I added the date and one thing I was grateful for that day. I gave the pumpkin it’s own Facebook album to hold me accountable.
On a few rare occasions as it was filling up with gratitude and I had to pick it up to write in it anyway, I staged it for a “more exciting” photo.
At day 20, it’s full and outside for decoration. Two lessons learned from this activity:
Wash the pumpkin before starting
When looking for gratitude pumpkin items your eyes are open to the good, so get a larger pumpkin.
There’s still time this fall. Will you start a gratitude pumpkin?
In August, on my only vacation this summer thanks to COVID, I was reading “Creatively Productive,” by Lisa Johnson and recording several ideas from it in my Journal Like a Pirate. I had won both of them at some point during the March to June “Stay at Home” phase when I was engaging in social media challenges.
One of the ideas I gathered from it was Self Care Bingo. I really liked the idea and thought if I created a self care bingo board, I would be sure to apply the strategies in it as the school year started. I took time to create the board putting on it items that I thought would be good self care activities.
I used the page opposite it to record observations, reactions, log what I was doing, etc. In the first week of September, taking a look at the board and intentionally doing the action wasn’t too challenging. Then school started. Out the window went opening up my journal or looking at the bingo board.
I won’t say that I wasn’t engaging in self care as I was creating the habit of coming home from work and getting on the treadmill or going for a walk before I settled into my evening home routine. The lesson learned from the September board was that I had to think about what realistic self care is for me and then put those on the October Self Care Bingo Board.
What items would you put on your Self Care Bingo Board?
How would you be sure to commit to them?
Side Note: If you are interested in reading a little more about “Creatively Productive,” check out this post from Class Tech Tips.
In completing the fourth challenge of the New York Association of Agricultural Educators “Dare to Lead” Book Study, we were asked to narrow down to our ten core values. I read that challenge, but also noted how Brene Brown suggests at some point we should focus on two core values that are our driving force.
I scanned the list and considered my experiences, interactions, advocacy, and the mission statement and vision I’d created. I’ve long lived by the personal mission of “To share my zest for living and passion for agriculture and technology with those I encounter through being a positive role model and mentor.” I also looked back at an infographic I created for a National Association of Agricultural Educators Virtual Book Club three years ago. Ultimately, learning and connection were the values on the list in “Dare to Lead” that resonated with me.
As I look at the short form of my class vision statement, I see the values of learning and connection in it.
My debating mind wondered if “learning” is actually a value and I started to doubt my selection and began to Google for a deeper understanding. (Note: When you are Googling to find out about something, maybe it’s validation of your learning value.) I’ll share that when you google learning as a core value, there’s a lot that comes up! Most of it is about the value of learning, etc. I did find a statement from Illinois Central College faculty, that although their value statement, I was relating to the statements in.
Up next, I wondered if connection was a “weak” value, (How’s that for some self doubt about values and if they’ll be judged), if an introvert could have a value such as connection, and what it really meant. Of course, I had to delve into finding out more about connection. I found a blog post by Lauren Eckstrom that helped bring a richer understanding and see that connection truly is a value I have. I loved how the connection value also relates to spirituality, a feeling of responsibility and nourishing relationships.
Now that I’ve determined what I think my two core values are, I need to be intentional about noticing how they drive my actions.
There’s a day for EVERYTHING and Planner Day is no exception.
Several years ago, I became an all digital calendar user. I planned in spreadsheets and my events were all in my phone which synchronized to other places. It was working. Then COVID 19 came. I found myself resorting to my school planner to keep track of variable schedules, meetings, virtual tours, etc. It wasn’t a perfect system but it worked.
As the end of the school year came and I realized I was going to face a stay at home summer, I knew I would strive to keep my life full and my mind engaged. A planner was in order but I really didn’t want to spend too much. After all, I was thinking this was a short term need. (Hindsight – I think I’m in paper planner mode for visible future)
I ended up deciding on a Bloom Planner. The days were set up with blocks, but no prescribed hours. It seemed like it would meet my needs. The bonus was it came with stickers and other fun features such as goal setting tools, a books to read graphic, and a reflection tool to see how I’ve grown towards goals.
Some of the tools in my Bloom Planner
It may be summer, but my planner has certainly come in handy. I still use the electronic one so I can have links to meetings or shows at a click. However, a tangible tool helps me visualize what my time looks like.
A glimpse at last week.
I saw a post circulating Facebook that expressed “Please help me fill my planner with your FAVORITE QUOTES OR BIBLE VERSES for the upcoming school year! ❤️ I’ll write the quote/verse, with your name, on a random day/week in my planner, and you’ll be encouraging me throughout the year. I will also be praying/thinking of you that week. Thank you!”I posted it and wondered where I might incorporate the quotes that came back in my planner. Check it out! There’s a weekly gratitude space and that is where I am putting what is shared with me.
I try to be a problem solver and recently, I thought about how we could best support learners at home and address to a small degree some of the inequities that might exist. Part of the solution could come from some school in a box thinking to help us think outside the box of traditional education. Sure, there will be kinks and logistics to consider, but let’s think of it as opportunity.
Materials delivered in a box to connect to an experience are not a new concept. Several years ago I attended a Global Learning in Agriculture Conference and opted for the Conference in a Box experience. (This conference is part of the Global Teach Ag Initiative.) Obviously this is a different model than a school setting as I paid for the conference, partners were used to supplement funding, I believe some grants were obtained, and the materials inside were a combination of learning materials for enhancing the conference experience as well as conference perks and “treats.” The concept of being remotely at a conference while having a tangible experience was one I enjoyed.
Yes, this empty box from 2018 GLAG was in my basement. (Side note: The #GLAG20 box made a great tool for mailing my mother her Easter “basket” when we were in COVID-19 Stay-At-Home model.)
This summer, professional development as I am used to was thrown a curve ball. I was no longer traveling places and engaging face-to-face in experiences to hone my craft and network with others. (Why yes, teachers do work in the summer!) In June, I participated in the New York Association of Agricultural Educators Summer Leadership Conference and opted for the conference in a box component. Again, my registration and outside funding sources helped NYAAE create the packages they provided. There were snacks and fun components but there were also tools to help me engage in the conference and materials to help me continue my learning and connecting post event.
A glimpse at two of this summer’s professional development experiences. Nutrients for Life is on the left and NYAAE on the right.
Next week, I will participate in a week of professional development offered by Nutrients for Life. There was a minimal registration fee to help offset the cost of shipping the materials we will need. Although I haven’t fully explored the contents, I know it includes a notebook and pen, activity cards, posters, a soil science workbook, a manila folder full of materials and what appears to be Ziploc bags sorted out with activities we will be doing. Some of the bag contents include paper plates, string, plastic cups, possibly rock wool, and other materials I haven’t opened yet. From an equity standpoint, it makes sure that I have what I need to be an active participant in the learning.
Now, let’s transfer this concept to the secondary school setting. I acknowledge that it is not feasible that a student get all the resources they might for a science lab or a career and technical education course. Imagine though if we could create learning experiences in a box for them!
This spring when we transitioned to crisis-emergency remote learning, as the weeks rolled on, I found myself surveying students about materials they had and then mailing Ziploc bags and seeds to students who couldn’t access them for a lab. I was finding alternatives for a soil lab for students who didn’t have access to an empty jar where they were staying. If we had learning in a box, we wouldn’t have to try to figure out what students had, if they could conduct an activity, and then scramble for alternatives. We’d know what resources they were getting.
What would go in the box? Some of the materials I envision are a school agenda book. Many students struggled with time management and having a tool to look at and record in, coupled with modeling of its use by teachers, could help develop this skill. If there are workbooks, lab manuals, or textbooks, they go in the box, too. Some looseleaf paper and a writing tool wouldn’t hurt either. Maybe math classes need rulers or protractors. We don’t need to go heavy expense here. Cardstock copies could meet the need and ensure all students were equipped. For my agricultural science class, I picture resources including magnifying glasses, seeds, ag career cards, small cups, baggies, soil, and a pothos plant cutting wrapped in a moist paper towel in a baggie. Those of course are just starting ideas.
How would they get assembled? That logistic gets a little more challenging. If we consider a model where teachers are allowed in the building, working distanced from each other, this becomes a process that happens in the first few weeks of school. Labels are printed with each students’ grade and course, then get distributed to the appropriate teacher. A bag (paper, plastic, etc.) is provided for the teacher that they put the materials in and then label with the label provided. Assembled class kits are then delivered to the School in a Box assembly area where non-teaching staff and teachers that don’t plan to assemble class kits are preparing them for students.
Some of you might be reading that and thinking, WAIT, I don’t have time to do that. This summer, one of the biggest aspects I’ve learned about in the variety of trainings I have attended (Yup, there goes the teacher working in the summer at her cost and her time to create better experiences for her students again.) is the value of making connections and building relationships with students early on in the school year. If we are remote learning, the first two weeks should focus on activities to help develop those connections. The foresight of school leadership can create modified schedules for the first few weeks of the school year that allow for time to connect with students online and craft the course kits. (Of course, logistics of purchase orders, shipping, and those aspects could put a whole other kink in the system.) Therefore, no teacher is coming in before school starts.
How will students get their School in a Box? Just as end of year pick up of the “stuff” left behind when the buildings abruptly closed were scheduled and facilitated, the same process could be conducted for pick up. Or better yet, give bus drivers the opportunity for employment, albeit brief, and have the boxes delivered. This also assists parents who might have to work during the day or don’t have reliable transportation.
Yes, there’s flaws. I’m not saying I have fully thought this out. I know there are several kinks to this concept -materials not arriving on time to pack, student schedules changing, having to intentionally plan the first few weeks of school to accommodate this, and many other challenges I haven’t seen. However, the idea gives us a starting point. It provides a way to support student learning at home in a planned out manner instead of crisis management manner.
It’s a start. This is my way of planting a seed in your brain of what intentional remote instruction and learning could look like. It’s me putting in the reader’s subconscious the thought of “What would my class kit have if I had to pack it the second week of school?” It’s me challenging you to think “How can we better reach all our learners?”
While attending the New York Association of Agricultural Educators (NYAAE) Virtual Conference last month, I saw the pre-conference scavenger hunt list that included a RocketBook. Despite thinking this foreshadowed that it might be in the conference in a box, I followed directions and held off on opening until the June 22 group reveal. Sure enough, our conference in a box included an Executive Size Fusion Notebook.
We were thrust into using it during the conference as we earned door prize entries for uploading notes we’d taken into a common Dropbox. This was a great way to not let us push the tool aside and say “I’ll get to learning it.” I honestly had no clue what I was doing, but I read the directions and sought out support. I even joined the Rocket Teachers Facebook Group.
As I participated in the conference, I uploaded my notes and engaged in other challenges and was fortunate enough to win a door prize. I weighed my choices and picked an Amazon gift card then purchased a letter sized Fusion Rocketbook, Beacons, and a colored set of FriXion pens. (Yes, that went a little over the gift card, but I was designing a learning package for myself.)
For those of you unfamiliar with what a Fusion RocketBook is, here is my bulleted list, nutshell version description:
Heavy duty, reusable notebook
Pages in a variety of formats already set up from to do list to goal sheet to dotted grid to lined paper, and a few more
Notes you record then scanned with app (find out how & download) and go in PDF format to location you have selected based on icons on bottom of page
Moist microfiber wipe cleans the page(s)
Reuse
This is the letter sized Fusion. The cover comes in a variety of colors.
I have even been “crazy” enough to try the Executive size RocketBook on the treadmill while taking a slow stroll and watching webinars. The size makes it easy to hold and convenient. I don’t think the letter size would be safe for that.
After a month of use, here is what I have discovered:
One disadvantage I found was that when I took notes in my GoodNotes app, I could take pictures and include them in the notes. On the flipside, a notebook and pen are easier to have on hand sometimes than a device and stylus.
I fill up the Executive size single page too quickly, but the convenience of the size is a plus.
I want to learn more about how to use templates (Note: This is also a way for you to “try” a Rocketbook without having one) as well as some of the ways other teachers have used washi tape to set up grids, etc.
I plan to continue learning how other teachers are using them and how they might be effective in my instruction along with the person use ways I have discovered.
I need to do better about how I choose where to send my scans and organizing them
I have used up ink in two of my pens already as I have been attending a lot of virtual professional development and taking notes
I’m excited to keep learning and “playing” with RocketBook tools.
McTeaching Ag 