If you are a member of Facebook, you probably know that there are many groups who are
all about preserving the past- in pictures, documents, stories, etc. I like that. I enjoy both the notion and the action of posting and looking at pictures from "the old days" of my childhood; days when I never knew my parents would grow old and die, and when I never suspected those favorite landmarks and hangouts of my youth would cease to exist. Those days seem so sweet and close at hand when I gaze at those pictures, and the colors and smells and feelings of my childhood can overtake me in a matter of moments, transporting me back in time 50-60 years in a matter of a few seconds..
However, as much as I enjoy reminiscing, I also enjoy "new" things. Take a look around you, and you will find that people are truly creatures of habit. Teachers sit in the same seat in the faculty room every day. Parishioners sit in the same pew every Sunday. Diners order their favorite platter for dinner on Saturday night. Cocktail drinkers order the same libations. Drivers park their cars in the same spot, and take the same routes. Such constant and consistent routines do not allow for much excitement in our adult lives.
One of the great attributes of young people is their willingness to take a chance on doing something new. Although students like routines for their bell-to-bell lives, they are always so willing to try something current; to listen to an alternative group; to ride on the fastest roller coaster; and to taste the newest flavor milkshake. Part of the reason I liked teaching high school for 37 years was that the adventurous attitudes of the students and their outlook on "new" things kept me young as well! I remember when I bought the first Apple IPhone, and my students were the ones who taught me how to use it! Although I had to retire when my husband was dying from cancer, I try to practice the lesson I learned from my students all those years, so I strive to keep that attitude of trying new things in life. Life is so much more exciting when doing something different from the norm.
I think as teachers, sometimes we get just a little bit too comfortable in and with the familiar, and we forget that it is important to learn and try new things. I know from my experience that students appreciate an adventurous spirit in their teachers. I am thinking of an incident that happened many years ago, when desktop computers were out, but were not in every classroom. I purchased my own Apple MacIntosh computer to have in my classroom, because I saw the wave of the future, and it looked to me like schoolrooms in the near future would include a desktop for every teacher. I wanted to learn about computers at my own pace instead of having to learn "everything you ever wanted to know about computers, but were afraid to ask" in one or two after school sessions from the school district. So, I bought my own and brought it to school.
One morning, our school had an incident which called for a "lock down," and my third period 10th grade Essential English II class was in my classroom more than 90 minutes longer than the regular class period. They were a small, cordial group, but easily bored. They were chatting amongst themselves about email (which was REALLY new at the time- the school district did not even have email yet!), and the kids asked me for my personal email address. I had to confess that I did not have one, because I did not know how to create one for myself! They suggested that they help me to create an email, since it was obvious that I was clueless on how to even begin. We moved my desk out of the way, and all 15 of those kids placed their chairs in semi-circles around the computer. They directed me to go to the Yahoo page on Internet Explorer, and I navigated step by step as they told me what to type. We talked as a group about what kind of email handle I should have. They did not like the idea of using my name, as that was "too boring." The students said I should choose a name that would show "who you are," and the essence of who they thought I was went something like this: "You like golf, and you like bunnies, and you like teaching, so it should be something like that." We tried lots of combinations: golf bunny, bunny golfer, 7bunnies, golfteachbunny, bunnycoach, and a host of others. Every moniker suggested was already TAKEN by another yahoo user! Finally, a student shouted, "I know! Try bunnyteacher!!"
Bunnyteacher worked, and was met by thunderous classroom applause! And that, my readers, is the story of how I attained my first email address, bunnyteacher@yahoo.com. Just moments after that applause ended, an announcement came on the P A saying that the lockdown was lifted, and that students were dismissed to their next class. We looked at each other, sad that our group project was finished, but glad for the fun-shared time together; time in which the students were teaching ME. I gave each one a big "Thank you!" before they scooted out the door.
The next day, when I expressed my appreciation for each one of their emails (which they had sent the day before to my new address), I further explained that they were so patient and so helpful and such good teachers. The answer I received was from the heart: "We wanted to help you. We like it when you want to learn something new from us. Some of the other teachers don't care about learning computer stuff, but you do. We like that."
That incident, from all those years ago, has stayed with me. I think that part of the vitality of being a teacher has got to be a willingness to leave the familiar - lesson plans, technology, classroom desk arrangement, and perhaps, even teaching methods - and try something new, exciting, different, and maybe even better. Of course, that means leaving the comfort zone. As teachers, we ask our students to learn something new almost every day, and in my opinion, it would be terrific for teachers to share their ideas for something new with their students. I practiced doing just that all the years that I taught, and I would also ask students for honest feedback on new lessons or projects we shared and completed. Lots of times, students commented that it was fun to learn in a classroom in which the teacher was willing to be creative in her approach to teaching.
So, how can YOU make your classroom or lessons or subject better through creativity and extending yourself and your ideas? Get together with some colleagues, and share ideas that have worked. Share ideas that have NOT worked, and discuss why they did not work. Expand on those ideas, and discuss the implementation and involvement of every learner, maybe even as a multi-classroom project. As teachers have said for years, ":Put on your thinking cap", and generate something NEW and exciting! Working collaboratively and creating stimulating lessons is a great way to prevent teacher burnout, doing the same 'BLAH, BLAH, BLAH" lessons every year. Of course, building a new repertoire of lessons takes time and effort, but you effort will exhilarate both you and your students. Please . . . give it a try.
Rittman Publishing, LLC ®
Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her soon-to-launch children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl
Connect with Dede!
Twitter @dederittman
Periscope @dederittman
Facebook Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn Dede Rittman
Google + Dede Rittman
Tumblr The Bunny Teacher
Instagram dede_rittman
Pinterest Rittman Publishing, LLC
Visit Dede's webpage for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER
www.dederittman.com
Dede is the co-host of The Total Education Q & A, which can be heard on Blogtalk Radio at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/totaltutor
Dede could really use your financial help to make her dream of helping kids who need glasses come true. Please visit http://www.gofundme.com/zvzhuk for complete details about her upcoming book GRADY GETS GLASSES!
Jealousy has existed since the beginning of time. Grudging, envious, invidious, green-eyed; emulous, covetous . . . all synonyms for the same terrible emotion.
I taught Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR for 35 years, and the students each year were in disbelief about the plot line. They could neither believe nor accept that Cassius could or would commit murder against his brother-in-law Caesar, just because of jealousy! Of course, Caesar was a real man with tremendous power, the ruler of all the known world, and Cassius was not the only one who despised Caesar for his power. From 44 B.C. to today, that emotion has not changed.
Although I understand jealousy, I wish it would not creep into faculty rooms and educational and administrative staffs. For some reason, I think teachers should elevate themselves above such petty emotionalism. I was a teacher for 37 years, and I saw the green monster of jealousy on more than one occasion during my long career. I know that jealousy lurks in the hearts of many, but I think it is particularly despicable when jealousy resides in the hearts and minds of teachers. Teachers are supposed to be the bastions of goodness; masters of manners and knowing the answers about the right thing to do; role models of morality and good examples to emulate. Jealousy just does not fit into anything about teachers, those ethereal mortals who shape young minds and lead by example.
I know a teacher in another state who is an extremely hard worker. Yes, I know that ALL teachers work hard, but this person also writes books (many books) and serves on state boards and gives webinars and is involved in school activities, all while raising a young family. He is happy and excited that he is reaching some personal goals in his writing and his service, yet many of his colleagues, and, yes, even his administrators, are not supportive of his endeavors and accolades. Why? I'll give you one guess. . . Jealousy.
Throughout my career, many of my former colleagues and I were nominees for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, the Wolfe Scholarship, the Gift of Time, and many other earned accolades. I recall being stunned when I heard the award winners being bad-mouthed by a few jealous colleagues. When someone wins an award, I am happy for that person! My thought process has always been: "Good for him/her! He/she works so hard, and he/she deserves this great recognition." It did not take me long to discover that most people do not share my thought process.
You know that I share my thoughts with you on all things Education in this blog, and also many personal feelings. To my way of thinking, a teacher's work is already SO difficult: planning lessons; learning new gradebook systems; executing IEP's, keeping up with new technology; implementing said technology; attending staff and parent meetings; matching standards and the Common Core; and the list could go on and on. All of the daily decisions and the constant grind and ringing of the bell are cause enough for teacher burnout; backbiting and petty jealousies only add fuel to that fire. Teaching is a lonely profession, and any time teachers have the chance to celebrate each other, they should. Kudos come few and far between, and colleagues should be able to lean on each other for support and encouragement.
After all, our students are watching us and learning from us, even when we don't notice. What we teach today will reach past tomorrow.
"I had many teachers that were great, positive role models and taught me to be a good person and stand up and be a good man. A lot of the principles they taught me still affect how I act sometimes, and it's 30 years later." Kevin James
Rittman Publishing, LLC ®
Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her soon-to-launch children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl
Connect with Dede!
Twitter @dederittman
Periscope @dederittman
Facebook Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn Dede Rittman
Google + Dede Rittman
Tumblr The Bunny Teacher
Instagram dede_rittman
Pinterest Rittman Publishing, LLC
Visit Dede's webpage for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER
www.dederittman.com
Dede is the co-host on The Total Education Network which can be heard on Blogtalk Radio at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/totaltutor
Dede could really use your financial help to make her dream of helping kids who need glasses come true. Please visit http://www.gofundme.com/zvzhuk for complete details about her upcoming book GRADY GETS GLASSES!
Today's post is my 100th weekly post on Lessons Learned from the Bunny Teacher. Although I planned on writing a blog for years, actually writing it week in and week out is a bit intimidating and a huge commitment. I was a teacher for 37 years, and never having been in the "real" world of business and commerce, I wondered if I would have enough subjects to write about. It turns out that ideas present themselves all the time, and I still love to write about classrooms and teaching and students and being the best we can be. I also like to write about The Golden Rule, and about life lessons from the golf course. My many avocations have prepared me for my new vocation.
Do you know of the author Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, Tis: A Memoir, and Teacher Man? Mr. McCourt was an English teacher for 30 years in the New York City Schools and did not write his first book until he retired from teaching. In fact, he was 66 years old when his first book, Angela's Ashes, was published. He referred to his writing career as his "second act." Frank McCourt inspired me. He said this about why it took him so long to write his first book: "When you teach five high school classes a day, five days a week, you're not inclined to go home to clear your head and fashion deathless prose. After a day of five classes, your head is filled with the clamor of the classroom." Truly a great answer, and one with which every teacher can identify.
I would like to think that just like Frank McCourt, I am also on my "second act." My first book Student Teaching: the Inside Scoop from a Master Teacher, was launched on 9/27/2014. The book is doing well, and I am speaking at various universities, hosting webinars, and teaching teachers. My second book, albeit my first children's book, Grady Gets Glasses, will launch on 11/6/2015 in New York City in Times Square with two book signings in major chain book stores. I really wish Frank McCourt were still alive. (He died of cancer at age 78 on 7/20/2009) I would write him an email to tell him how much he inspired me, and I would ask him to join me for a selfie and a coffee with Times Square as our backdrop. I know for sure that Frank McCourt would know my exact feelings at the launch of a new book post-teaching and in retirement!
Frank McCourt did not know he would be a role model for me, just as teachers often do not know that they are role models for their students. So often, teacher actions and kindnesses speak much louder than their words.
On this, my 100th post, I want to thank all of you for being such loyal readers. I have developed a bountiful following and I will continue to try to inspire you every Monday. Have a great week.
One of my favorite quotes from Frank McCourt about teaching:
“In the high school classroom you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk, a referee, a clown, a counselor, a dress-code enforcer, a conductor, an apologist, a philosopher, a collaborator, a tap dancer, a politician, a therapist, a fool, a traffic cop, a priest, a mother-father-brother-sister-uncle-aunt, a bookkeeper, a critic, a psychologist, the last straw.” ― Frank McCourt
Rittman Publishing, LLC ®
Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her soon-to-launch children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl
Connect with Dede!
Twitter @dederittman
Periscope @dederittman
Facebook Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn Dede Rittman
Google + Dede Rittman
Tumblr The Bunny Teacher
Instagram dede_rittman
Pinterest Rittman Publishing, LLC
Visit Dede's webpage for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER
www.dederittman.com
Dede is the co-host of The Total Education Q & A, which can be heard on Blogtalk Radio at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/totaltutor
Dede could really use your financial help to make her dream of helping kids who need glasses come true. Please visit http://www.gofundme.com/zvzhuk for complete details about her upcoming book GRADY GETS GLASSES!
Another week, another massacre at a school. This time, at a little town in Oregon, in a community college. What "can't happen here", did happen there, and I fear that it will continue to happen throughout our 50 states. Why? It seems that just as Americans have become accustomed to TV violence through the years, yet have learned to disassociate that violence from their own lives, so also have school shootings ceased to shock Americans in the same way in which Columbine shocked the nation back on April 20, 1999. When the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings occurred on December 14, 2012 (woe, the tragedy of those young and innocent children - absolutely heart breaking), it seemed that the nation was poised to have an open dialogue about mental illness. But still, it did not happen.
I think mental illness is what needs to be recognized and addressed. Not tomorrow, and not next week or next year. Now.
Because mental illness does not have easily observable and traditional symptoms of illness like cough, fever, hives, etc., and because many family members do not want to recognize that a child or parent or sibling is suffering from mental illness, as that would mean having to admit and address the problem, many who suffer from various forms of mental illness do not receive the care they need. Our nation still has a mindset which labels mental illness as something so negative that it must be hidden from society. I am unclear on why Americans are not willing to open their minds to the notion that mental illness is as common as influenza, which carries no stigma. As a society, many now accept, and even embrace, the LGBT community, yet mental illness remains not only a family secret, but in some families, a disgrace. The media has given viewers a glimpse into the lives of all of the shooters in every instance, and the one common thread has been mental illness. In many cases, the parents and family members knew about the problems, but did not act, or did not act appropriately or in a timely fashion.
When the news of Robin Williams' suicide was announced, I hoped that Americans would see that depression, bipolar, and other phobias should be openly discussed, with forums to discuss and brainstorm ideas, make a plan, and help those who are suffering. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
The government and insurance companies are doing virtually nothing in the way of addressing mental illness. But, as individuals, we can! Start a conversation. Discuss your feelings on the topic of mental illness, and ask questions. As teachers, share your concerns about students with principals and guidance counselors. After all, our schools are merely microcosms of our society, and as much as we would like to think that all of our students are perfect physically and mentally, that simply is not true.
FACT: The Kim Foundation states that 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 18 suffers from a diagnosable disorder in any given year. That number translates into 26.2 % of Americans, which equals 57.7 million people.
source: http://www.thekimfoundation.org/html/about_mental_ill/statistics.html
I firmly believe the number of Americans suffering from some form of mental illness is too large to ignore. I also believe that if we, as teachers, can help our society to begin to a discussion about mental illness, and to accept it as a true illness, not as a stigma, we can help others to be more open to accept it as well. The problem of mental illness is bigger than any person or even the government; the solution has to begin with everyday people who have the ability to have thousands of interactions with others every day. Teachers have long been aware of the students who have issues, and teachers also know that persuading parents to address those issues is never easy. Teachers must not give up, for we can be the start of the movement to address mental illness. Teachers have a tremendous influence, and we can become the seeds of a grassroots campaign of awareness and acceptance of mental illness.
Mental illness is not "someone else's problem." It is up to us.
Representative Tim Murphy, who is a psychologist, is a Pennsylvania government official working toward a mental health plan. You can read about his efforts at this link. http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/tim-murphy-mental-health-reform-oregon-shooting/2015/10/02/id/694421/
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: "People with mental health problems are almost never dangerous. In fact, they are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators. At the same time, mental illness has been the common denominator in one act of mass violence after another. " Roy Blunt
Rittman Publishing, LLC ®
Connect with Dede!
Twitter @dederittman
Periscope @dederittman
Facebook Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn Dede Rittman
Google + Dede Rittman
Tumblr The Bunny Teacher
Instagram dede_rittman
Pinterest Rittman Publishing, LLC
Visit Dede's webpage for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER
www.dederittman.com
Dede is the co-host of The Total Education Q & A, which can be heard on Blogtalk Radio at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/totaltutor
Dede could really use your financial help to make her dream of helping kids who need glasses come true. Please visit http://www.gofundme.com/zvzhuk for complete details about her upcoming book GRADY GETS GLASSES!
