Kiawah, Team Time, and Good Learning

Last weekend, my team of teachers and I went to Kiawah Island Thursday through Saturday for the annual SCCTE conference. Initially, I had expected to enjoy the island and team time, but dislike the conference itself. I was pleasantly surprised as we began going to the sessions because I really enjoyed the speakers, their topics, and the knowledge they shared. The team time was great- I loved the opportunity to get to know my team members without their "teacher hats" on. We spent a lot of time sharing about our lives and learning about each other in ways that only bring about more respect for one another.

The villa we stayed in was beautiful and so close to the ocean you could hear and smell the beach from the patio! The two bedrooms consisted of two twin beds in one and a king size bed in the other. Therefore, two of us had to share the king size bed or someone would've had to sleep on the couch...thankfully, it was a king and neither one of us are used to cuddling at night :)

My favorite session was about teaching children of poverty. The speaker/teacher in that session had adopted a child when he was born. Later, she found out that the mother had not had any prenatal care and had possibly abused drugs and alcohol during the pregnancy as well. Poverty had effected her child before he was even born. She, the woman who adopted him, made it her mission to research the effects of poverty on children. We saw pictures of children's brains at different stages of development based on "normal"/adequate care and neglect. The differences are astounding. Poverty isn't just defined by a lack of money, but a lack of resources in general (time, money, relationships, access to care, etc.) Most of the students that I teach are living in poverty outside of school, so it's my job to ensure that those needs are met while they are in my care at school. I cannot change where they have come from, their pasts, or where they go "home" to after school, but I can make sure that they are cared for while they are at school.

Stress was another cause of altered brain development. Children under stress develop and perform at a fraction of the rate that others do. Children under extreme stress are not as motivated and are more likely to cause behavior problems because their reaction to stress is so different. Divorce and family dissention are one of the more prominent causes of stress for children and, sadly, those are getting more and more common in homes today. We learned some strategies for teaching children in these stressful circumstances and in poverty. Most of all, she addressed Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs and the fact that if students' basic needs are not met then there is no way they will be able to learn and positively contribute to the classroom environment. What a job we have as  teachers?! The outcome of using these strategies and the privilege of teaching children in poverty can be so rewarding. I can actually make a difference!

Pictures from our beach walk...for educational purposes, of course!

We searched for shells near the seashore (alliteration- see, educational),



Studied the sea creatures/wanted their beautiful shells,

walked and shared- great team time,

and then stopped at the Angel Oak tree on the way home!



Weatherman Predicts Classroom Climate

   Since the long winter break, we've come to school every morning when it's quite chilly outside. As the day progresses, most of the time, it gets warmer outside and students go out to recess in the warm sun. I have begun to realize the effect of the weather on the students in my classroom. Rainy days are the worst! I am already in the weird mood that rainy days evoke and students are dragging in, sluggish and saddened that outdoor recess is not in their school schedule that day. Cold mornings make everyone a little less inclined to get out of bed and into "school mode". Cold hands that don't want to write, cold brains that don't want to think, and cold ears that don't hear anything I'm saying. Warm mornings bring in stir crazy students that think it's the last day before summer- antsy for recess as they walk in the door and antsy for the end of the school day as they walk in from recess. Warm mornings make me miss the summer days of sleeping in and relaxing all day!
   No matter what the morning weather brings in, by the end of lunch, all of the students are wired! Afternoon classes are the same no matter what the weather may be- crazy! Crazy because they're ready for the end of the day to play in the beautiful weather or stir crazy because they've been inside while it rains all day. Crazy, crazy!

Either way, I have my job cut out for me every day!

Rainy morning students...

Cold morning students...in a daze

Warm morning students...off the wall

Sensitive Issues

Now that this new year is in full swing, I've had the opportunity to really think about my experiences as a first year teacher in a new way. I've been teaching for half of the school year and here are some things that I've noticed...

1. It's really hard to call Christmas break "winter break"...it's always been Christmas break to me and even those that didn't celebrate Christmas never made a big stink about it being called that. Now, we've got to be politically correct at every turn and it's hard.

2. After Christmas break, the floodgates are wide open. Students came back very quiet and oddly reserved last week. We went over our classroom rules and procedures again and they were little angels (most of them). Today, not so much. Actually, not at all...they are familiar with each other, the school, the teachers, and they are unashamed...Wild kids.

3. Middle schoolers are not babies and the students where I teach are wise far beyond their years. I've had students tell me things with a straight face that I would've been torn apart about. For example, before Christmas break, a student came up to my desk to give me his daily life report and he said with a straight face that his "sister and mom's boyfriend got hit by a car last night" and then he walked away, cool as a cucumber. What?! I asked him to come back and asked if he needed to go to guidance? an administrator? to talk to a friend? and his response was, "Mrs. Brannan, *sigh* they just got hit by a car...they didn't die, it's not that big of a deal!" I am completely baffled and scared for some of these kids. They live a life in which it's not that big of a deal if someone gets hit by a car, as long as they don't die. That is foreign to me.

4. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree- I have learned how true that expression often is. No examples necessary.

5. Teaching can be rewarding. There have been days that I have questioned my choice to be a teacher- I won't lie about that. However, those are far outnumbered by the days that I'm really thankful to be a teacher. I love the fact that there are at least 90 kids that depend on me, five days out of the week. I am one of the only constant things in their lives- that's enough to get me out of the bed every single day. Every day is different. There is no possible way to even predict what might happen during a school day. There is no such thing as a "typical day" and I love it that way. Even on some of the worst days, I've been excited to come back to school the next day because I know that every day is a new day and it's going to be better.

6. I HAVE TO HAVE A SCHEDULE. I absolutely loved the Christmas break. It's the best I've ever had by far. However, I learned that without a schedule, I go crazy. We were super busy the entire time, but there was no set schedule or very many planned activities and I couldn't handle it. We enjoyed our time spent with all of our families, the cruise, the friends, etc. but next year, I'm creating an itinerary! *just kidding*


With a thankful heart and excitement for the new year and all that it will bring,
Lauren