rambling thoughts on FACES

A new school year is upon us. Preschool days have started. New Teacher Academy, Coaches Kick-Off, first Staff Meetings are coming up. New and familiar faces are all around us. All kinds of faces. Scared, excited, anxious, unsure, confident, seasoned, bright, calculating, thoughtful, questioning ... I could fill the post with adjectives! (actually would like to do that as I like to list things when I'm procrastinating!!) Faces... The diversity is bountiful! Faces with their eyes are sure to be the windows to the depth below... windows to the heart and to the soul and to the wonderings... and the questions. But as I ponder and work through the next two weeks ... I must focus on the mouth of these faces. I need to especially focus on my OWN mouth. The mouth can dim the bright eyes and disappoint the faces, OR the mouth can cheer, encourage and guide... OR create confusion, misunderstandings and hurt!... as I so so know. As I prepare myself to be an Instructional Coach - Year 2, I think about how I must listen deeply, observe carefully, and implore from the eyes as to what's behind them. And ask the right questions. What are the thoughts, desires, questions and interests of these faces. Year 1 - the relationships were built... at least some! There's always work to do with relationships... they need nurturing and continued support and care to grow. Year 2 as an instructional coach is thefocus on WITH, not FOR. What can I do with you??? How can our work grow deeper with each other's collaborative support? What is your face telling me? Watching faces...that's what I will be doing. And focusing on our relationships and our collaborative partnerships that can benefit all of our professional lives as well as our students' learning? This is a goal for me. We must bring joy and deep understanding to the faces and minds of each student. And we should have FUN doing it!! Ahhh... the bright eyes of students. Nothing like 'em. Let's keep them bright. Let's make sure that they never go dim. I am so looking forward to all of the faces. So...Ears, work hard! Brain... stay focused...Mouth... behave! Slow down... watch, listen, think. Promoting bright eyes, deep thinking, asking the right questions... and always learning. Join me. What can I do with you? Let's learn together.

SummerTime

Summer time is the time to really reflect on where you are and where you're going, and all the things that you are going to do... Or NOT! We typically start the summer with many plans for all of the things we are going to accomplish. The gardens we are going to weed or plant, the rooms we are going to paint, the closets that we are going to organize, the clutter we're going to thin... the books we're going to read and the new recipes that we are going to try! Not to mention the trips and family times that we anticipate will be full of joy and laughter. (to be continued... the puppy is demanding something from me!)

WARNING - We Filter Websites At School!

wow... now this is something to think about! A succinct poster that could be found (and not necessarily satirical in some schools). Luckily here in ACPS, we have minimum filters. I hate the head in the sand notion of protecting kids! So... what are YOU doing to prepare our kids for the future that doesn't even exist yet? Can't we at least try to live in the current world and guide them (and ourselves as educators) to be responsible citizens that are information literate and critical thinkers?

WARNING - We Filter Websites At School!, originally uploaded by datruss.

Reading the Job Description in June 2010

So... a year has gone by and I'm faced thinking about how much I've grown in this past year. But I'm so aware of where I need to grow as well. The job is so much harder than I ever expected. The job is so much more than it appears from your busy door of your classroom. I find it especially interesting to take a look at the job title as it is presented to all of my colleagues as they search for new coaches. Can you/we look at this job description with new eyes and reflect on what we did and didn't do together this year? Can we look at this job description and understand things more clearly NOW? More later on this... but just for the blog record... here is the June 2010 job description that I've now read 11 times.

ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTIONALCOACH:

Instructional Coaching is part of the professional development system in Albemarle County Public Schools. Overall, the job of the instructional coach is to work within a team of instructional coaches to build the capacity of school staffs to meet the needs of all students through implementation of the Division's three levers:

(1.) Framework for Quality Learning;

(2.) Professional Learning Community; and

(3.) Teacher Performance Appraisal.

The effective coach is seen as an equal partner with both novice and experienced teachers, spending the majority of the time collaborating around teaching practices (i.e., co-planning, modeling, observing, co-teaching, debriefing). Coaches facilitate job-embedded professional development and guidance for teachers to enhance their understanding of curriculum, assessment, and instruction as informed by the Framework for Quality Learning. Coaches provide support to principals as they plan formative professional development and to teacher leaders as they work with the Professional Learning Community model to analyze student work and data. The coach's support of a team's student learning data informs ongoing school-based professional development, meeting individual teachers' unique needs over time.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Engaging in reflective conversations in which coach and teacher think collaboratively;

• Building and maintaining meaningful and confidential relationships with teachers;

• Collaborating with teachers by listening and questioning to formulate next steps and solutions;

• Collaborating across school staffs to identify student learning needs and barriers as schools organize and implement

problem-solving actions;

• Facilitating school-based, high-quality job-embedded professional development, working with teachers (in teams or

individually) to enhance their knowledge and skills (Contexts for professional development may include thought provoking in-class coaching, inquiry-based observing, modeling of instructional strategies, guiding teachers as they

analyze student work, developing lesson plans with teachers based on student needs, supporting data analysis,

supporting the systemic integration of technology, etc.); and,

• Participating in required professional development (The coach is charged with acquiring contemporary global

learning knowledge and skills necessary to effectively impact the instructional practices of teachers. Research-based

knowledge will inform the coaching role.). The instructional coach is non-supervisory and non-evaluative. The coach advocates for, facilitates, and co-constructs formative feedback exchanges among teachers, but never supervises. The instructional coach is assigned to a team that supports a cluster of schools and is evaluated and supervised by a centrally-based Lead Coach.

70 Tools 70 Minutes

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

70 Tools 70 Minutes

View more presentations from Silvia Tolisano.

It's not about the TOOLS!

this was a topic... that I was SOOO going to write about, but I didn't. (I found it in my drafts!!... and just the title!)

It's sort of like the other titles that I have written down that struck chords with me ... What's so interactive about the Interactive Notebook and few other passing ideas. Oh... I so wish my thoughts on the drive home could go instantly into a blog... then... well... you'd know ME and I'd have down my rapid firing thoughts as they come into my head.

I will eventually come back to this topic of It's Not About the Tools! Because as you should know... it really isn't about the tools.

Top 50 Blogs for e-Learning Tools and Tips

Top 50 Blogs for e-Learning Tools and Tips

There's always so much to read and learn and sometimes I can just hyperventilate sitting at my computer. So... that's why I also cook, drink wine, garden and knit. This is another one of those great resources that captures many greats. It is often too overwhelming when you get the mentality that you want to get "ALL" of something. Or find "ALL" of the great resources. Infinity is a very hard concept... whether we are talking resources, books, things to learn, friends to find, etc. This is one of the reasons I have this blog. So I can talk to myself about these concepts... capture things in one place and try to live a balanced life as well. I remind myself of my 3 words for 2010: REFLECT, APPRECIATE, BALANCE now...Back to knitting.