You Matter, All of You

I sat in my car ready to be inspired. I had just discovered the EduAllStars Podcast. After listening to Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd on twitter), Stacey Huffine (@techninjastacey) and Chris Kessler (@iamkesler) share their mission statement for the show and 7 wonderful interviews I was growing more and more excited to listen. As I started episode 9, I was in for something that would change my perspective.

In my classroom, I have always tried hard to let my kids know how much they mean to me, how much they should mean to each other, and how lucky they are to be here. For a few years now I have explained to students on the first day of school that if they learn nothing else from me, I want them to learn that love is a choice and for the next 180 days I choose to love them. They may not always appreciate it, but I love them none the less. I give an annual Thanksgiving speech to remind them to be thankful they are in school here, sharing what life for a child their age is like in other parts of the world. When things go South in the room and bickering begins in the spring I will will talk about the Experiment in Gratitude from SoulPancake (Watch it here, it is amazing) and I have the students write a letter to someone that matters to them. To be an example, I do the same. Then I read it to whoever I wrote about in front of my student. We usually cry as they watch wide eyed. I ask the kids to give what they wrote to the person that they wrote about. All of these things are designed to show kids that they matter.

Before listening to episode 9 of the show, I was pushing toward this goal of worth, but it wasn’t until I heard Angela Maiers that I realized that I needed to do more. If you have never heard of Angela (Here is her website) she is responsible for pushing and supporting several student focused initiatives that encourage students to investigate their passion and worth. She strongly supports Genius Hour (or 20 Time). However, it was the Choose 2 Matter portion of the podcast that is just so brilliant.

That night I got to work creating a poster for my room centered around the You Matter Manifesto and after several nights of work in front of the television with my wife, I hung this in my classroom.

You are enough. You have influence. You are a genius. You have contributions to make. You have a gift the others need. Your actions define your impact. You are the change. You Matter.  

You can’t hang words like that in your classroom, and not have them noticed. I gave kids some time to take them in and I noticed a lot of them read it. Some smiled, others looked confused, but most of them saw it. Then I took 15 minutes to explain it to each of my classes. In typical me fashion, my energy level was high. There were a lot of smiles, and I saw improvement from several students.

I revisited the manifesto throughout the year, each time using a specific point to focus on and giving examples from each class. Most really seemed to appreciate it and while there were some that didn’t seem too impacted it was very worthwhile.

I have been meaning to write this post forever. For one reason or another business has kept me from doing so. However, as I reflect about the shootings in Dallas which were a response to other shootings driven by fear and value of life, it was all I could think about this morning. As teachers we need to let our students know that they matter. We need to instill in them the value that they have and contributions that they offer. That actions, positive or negative have an impact. We must stand up and teach our kids to strive to be the best that they can be or else we are giving up. As a friend of mine said last night, bad things happen in this world and being strong is a choice. We need our kids to choose to be strong, to choose to matter and contribute in a positive way. Stand up, be heard, and spread a message that you matter. We all matter.

Make the Opening Moments Mean More

I have always struggled with bell work. The “Hey guys. Here are a few problems based on information that we have already covered. You need to remember them, so here are three more. Work on them while I take attendance.” approach has never been for me. I think it is boring. Yet, that is what you would find 95% of the time at the beginning of a math lesson in my room. With pending standardized test I feel like we HAVE to keep reviewing this way.

So when I read the first paragraph on page 45 of The Classroom Chef, which basically described the above situation, I drew this face in the book…

I am not alone! There are other teachers out there in the unknown who struggle with this too. It is not just me. I give a quick squeal of excitement and then take a second to look around and make sure no one is looking. I recompose myself and carry on reading. 

As I read the rest of the chapter, I am given a new lease on the opening my lessons. John Stevens and Matt Vaudrey, the authors of the book lay out several better options that can I easily modify to what I need. The craziest part of it all, the first recommendation was something I already do. In my class, to take attendance I would always ask a ‘Would you rather’ question.  However, for some reason I never thought to myself, ‘Hey, let’s tie these two things together to make it all stronger.’

The first unit on my district’s pacing guide is exponents. A quick Google search and boom, I have my first anticipatory set of the year. “Would you rather get a million dollars or double your money everyday for 30 days starting with a penny?” A little further searching and I find my way to a Which One Doesn’t Belong website. Man, I am in business and rolling. My whole anticipatory set life has changed and I am so very excited to get the ball rolling next year. There are times and places to review, quizzes or just before the big test. Going forward I intend to make great use of those first few minutes of each lesson. 

As we head into the next year, I want to encourage you not to be afraid to make your opening moments matter as well. It may take some time, but it could be so worth it.

Here are the links for those sites, by the way.

Would You Rather

Which One Doesn't Belong