Skip to main content

I Am a Teacher Who...

On August 25, I published a blogpost about an amazing podcast called, "Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore. I hope you have taken the time to listen by now. I find her strategies and resources invaluable and I know you will also.

Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to the latest episode called "I'm a Teacher Who...3 Steps to Saying Yes to Opportunities That Will Help You Grow". Staying true to form, this episode has proven to be just as insightful as the others. I was drawn in the moment I read the title. So, I decided to take notes as I listened. I am very glad I did.

In this episode, Dr. Schmidt Moore walks listeners through a 3-step strategy for refining their teacher identities by defining what they stand for, identifying what is important to them, and providing a plan for growth. Teachers who follow these steps will be well-equipped to  "say no to opportunities that don't align to who they are/what they believe and yes to those that do". I absolutely love this statement. 

The reflective work required for this strategy made me think about what I believe to be true about my Scholars as learners and what I believe they deserve from me as their teacher.


My Beliefs - My Teacher Identity

1. I am a teacher who believes Scholars should see themselves in the text they read and those read to them.

2. I am a teacher who believes Scholars should be allowed time to write freely, to simply generate ideas and put them on the page without criticism from others.

My Aligned Action Steps (to My Beliefs)

1. Therefore, I purchase and read-aloud books/text that are written by/and feature characters who represent my Scholars and their culture and experiences.

2. Therefore, I will provide daily opportunities for Scholars to write about what interests them, notebook/journal without regard to craft and rules.

My Plan - (What I will do in the next 3 months that aligns with my teacher identity)

1. I will read-aloud books from my library that represent diverse perspectives to which my Scholars can connect.

2. I will begin sharing my notebook entries with my Scholars and encourage them to start a notebook and to write something everyday.


With remote learning and district-specific guidelines, it has been a bit of a challenge to implement my action steps and plan for writing. But, I am not giving up. I continue to brainstorm creative ways to make that plan a reality. I have, however, been able to read-aloud a plethora of books that represent my Scholars. It always fills my heart with joy to see their eyes light up when they make personal connections to they story.

Thanks to Dr. Schmidt Moore, I can see my beliefs and teacher identity coming into alignment.

Comments

  1. This is great, Donnetta! You are an amazing teacher and your Scholars are lucky to learn from (with) you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Write Anyway

I finally made it to Teach Write's Wake Up and Write. It actually feels good to put pen to paper this morning with intention. I would consider most of my writing lately as anytime pages , or notebooking (not just though). I plan, or more like a goal, to write everyday. Some days, actually most days, I wait until the end of the day. By that time, I am so mentally exhausted and drained from the events of the day, so I have a hard time finding anything "meaningful" to write about.  (If you are a writer, you know the challenge and fears associated with our own notions of the quality of our writing.) But, I try to put something down even if it's only one sentence. Maybe that's the mark of a true writer. She struggles to come up with what she thinks are good/great ideas, but she writes something anyway. She never knows...the words and ideas that she considers random on her anytime pages may just be her next blog post. If you are struggling to write these days, I hope y...

"We Never Totally Arrive" - May 15, 2021

Saturday Morning Friday Night Quickwrite The quote, "...we never totally arrive", and my friend, Leigh Anne's, post made me think about my summer plans. This school year, our Scholars were not given very many opportunities to write based on the hybrid model of learning and instruction we used in our district. Because I know how important writing is to Scholars' academic success in all content areas, as well as for their personal expression, I desire to be a phenomenal writing teacher.  In my heart, I really want to go bak to school to earn a degree specifically in writing/writing instruction. But, for a number of reasons, going back to school is not feasible right now. So, what does a life-long learner do when she cannot get a formal education to fulfill her passion? 1. She does research to learn about other writing opportunities. 2. She follows other writing educators on Twitter. 3. She orders and reads ALL (okay, some of) the books. 4. She also writes. She is a tea...

...Trust You? (Boy, Am I Glad!)

Image by  DarkmoonArt_de  from  Pixabay   Do you know who Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher are? I had heard their names, but I didn't really know who they were. Did you know they recently started recording YouTube videos again dedicated to reading and writing? Me neither. Well, all that changed when my teacher-writer friend, Leigh Anne Eck, shared a link on Facebook for Penny and Kelly's "Day 5 March 23 2021" episode on YouTube. (Penny Kittle's YouTube page.) Leigh Anne said, and I quote, "Such a great Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher video on the writing process and how it is different for everyone. You want to watch this - trust me." Well, I trusted Leigh Anne.  So far, I have watched the first 4 episodes.  Oh! My! Goodness! When I tell you these two are a wealth of knowledge regarding books to read and everything writing, I mean they are a wealth of knowledge. On the "Day 4" episode, Penny and Kelly interviewed Tom Newkirk (didn't know w...