{"id":18840,"date":"2019-03-26T07:58:14","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T11:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?post_type=learninglabposts&p=18840"},"modified":"2019-11-15T07:21:29","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T11:21:29","slug":"the-year-of-yes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/the-year-of-yes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Year of Yes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Year of Yes<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
\n

Or, Why My Kids Have Their Phones Out\u2026<\/h2>\n

I am a stickler for a plan. \u00a0Type A. Enneagram Type 3. Call it what you will. \u00a0My closet is color-coded and sleeve-organized. I leave the house every morning with beds made and dishes washed. \u00a0I never get behind on laundry.<\/p>\n

My son blames all of this on my birthplace. \u00a0\u201cOh, mom,\u201d he whines, \u201cYou just think you have to always do the right thing because you are southern.\u201d \u00a0And while he is partly right, some of it is just how I was born. I like order, not chaos. I like rules; they make me feel safe.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m honest, I really just want my classroom to look like my closet or my bookshelves. \u00a0I want everything where it should be, every student at their desk, no loud noises, every surface clean and organized. \u00a0Does classroom disorder spark joy? Nope\u2026throw it out! But, at the same time, I want to be a good teacher, responsive to student needs, on top of current research about what works best in the classroom. \u00a0I want to say yes, when I can and as often as I can.<\/p>\n

And to top it all off, I can be hyper-sensitive to teachers around me. \u00a0Are they judging me because students are silent reading on a couch? What do they think about the volume in my classroom. \u00a0And will I get in trouble for letting kids use their phones to listen to music in class?<\/p>\n

How do I do all of this without needing anti-anxiety meds?<\/p>\n

My overarching question this year is about personalization.<\/h2>\n

The Personal Interest Projects (or PIP\u2019s) that we started last year ARE engaging students. \u00a0I just gave a survey late this fall, and almost \u00be of students are enjoying PIP\u2019s. Students are enjoying getting a say in what they learn and how they spend their time each week<\/p>\n

\"Marley<\/figure>\n

This year, my fellow teachers even immediately suggested putting aside time specifically for PIP\u2019s! \u00a0So now that I\u2019m getting favorable results and seeing teacher buy-in, I\u2019m turning my attention to other aspects of my teaching. \u00a0When the Learning Lab first met together in August, I was blown away by what other teachers were doing, how they were working personalization into not just a separate time but their everyday classroom time. \u00a0I then refined my inquiry question, asking, \u201cHow can I give students a completely independent learning experience through PIP\u2019s and then have students use those same skills to give them personalized learning in the humanities classroom?\u201d<\/p>\n

To think about it in another way, where can I say yes?<\/h2>\n

Where can I take away some pre existing boundaries or rules in order to allow students to have choice and hopefully be more engaged?<\/h3>\n

I started with silent reading time. \u00a0I received a PTO grant to buy new books and some camp chairs, so students could spread out with choice books. \u00a0\u00a0I have let students listen to music on their phones while they read. Overall, it\u2019s going well. My students beg for silent reading, because it\u2019s a cozy time, a normal routine. \u00a0The music helps them focus, and students love getting that privilege and choice. I\u2019ve even allowed students to start listening to music and spreading out while they work on writing as well.<\/p>\n

Just this week, a student who cried last year during silent reading time (because she \u201chated reading\u201d) came into my room, beaming, because she had just finished a book on her own! \u00a0Another student can\u2019t stop reading books I recommend\u2026he\u2019s tearing through them!<\/p>\n

\"Marley<\/figure>\n

So basically, it\u2019s all a bright spot.<\/h2>\n

Oh but wait, then my kids started Snapchatting during silent reading. That\u2019s right\u2026BELLY FLOP TIME!<\/h3>\n

Listen, if you already feel like you are fighting an uphill battle letting students listen to their own music in your room, if you already feel like you are having to defend your teaching choices to your teammates, then throwing the social-media-use-in-school-monkey-wrench into the mix does not help your morale or your case.<\/p>\n

Honestly, at first I was mad. \u00a0I wanted to just cry, \u201cUncle,\u201d wave the right flag, never allow phones or music in my classroom. You can\u2019t resist snapchat during silent reading? \u00a0Fine, then you\u2019re stuck with my late 90\u2019s, early 2000\u2019s indie music mix!<\/p>\n

But, no, I quickly reminded myself. \u00a0This school year is the year of Yes. It\u2019s the year of me letting go of rules that serve no purpose, choosing student\u2019s engagement and voice over my own OCD comfort.<\/p>\n

And so the phones stay. \u00a0And the music stays. I remind myself of the Developmental Design strategy, \u201cAssume nothing, teach everything,\u201d and go over phone and music expectations. \u00a0I reiterate the expectations every class. I take away the use of phones and music from students that aren\u2019t following the rules.<\/p>\n

But, most importantly, I continue to say yes.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Year of Yes Or, Why My Kids Have Their Phones Out\u2026 I am a stickler for a plan. \u00a0Type A. Enneagram Type 3. Call it what you will. \u00a0My closet is color-coded and sleeve-organized. I leave the house every morning with beds made and dishes washed. \u00a0I never get behind on laundry. My son … <\/p>\n

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