As adults, educators, and parents, we navigate countless challenges daily. According to busyteacher.org, we make on average 1,500 decisions a day.  That’s four decisions every minute of our six to seven-hour day.  WOW!  So the big question is how do we cope? How do we manage all these challenges while still balancing other aspects of our lives? For some, it’s about unwinding with exercise, a hot bath, a good book, or simply enjoying a moment of silence.

Being an adult we find ways to relax and deal with the stress of the day and keep moving forward, but what about our students?  Do they have that skill set?  Do they know how to problem-solve issues that arise with their peers, home, and school?  Depends on the district and the students. At the middle school where I teach, we serve a highly diverse and economically disadvantaged community. All our students receive free breakfast and lunch.  A lot of my students have very limited coping abilities to handle what’s going on in their homes let alone school and their peers.  I affectionately refer to my students, who bravely face tough challenges while learning to navigate life’s difficulties, as ‘The Tough Ones.’ This term is used with the utmost respect and care. One of my goals is to write a book titled “The Tough Ones” to support myself and other educators in helping our most at-risk children.

One of my “Tough Ones” was recently being particularly strong-willed. I’m usually very patient, but on this particular day, I was exhausted and not at my absoulte best. The student had been particularly challenging recently. We always pick our students up from lunch and he was the last one there, hood up, and refused to leave with everyone else.  I fussed at him and told him to take his hood down, get up, and get to class. He completely ignored me. I asked again in a not-so-nice voice.  He refused. One of the administrators was there and I let them take care of him and continued on my way to class. Normally, I handle situations like this with passion and ease, but on this particular day, it was especially challenging. As I was leaving the cafeteria two girls from our team told me I shouldn’t talk to him that way, that he was being bullied.  Confused, I asked the girls to clarify and explain to me what was going on.  I have often found that when students are defending someone there is a reason. They are not always so willing to report the issue, but in this case, they knew I would listen and that I would help.  Turns out that someone had access to his social media account and had posted some very negative and inappropriate information about him.  The posts were very damaging.  So what does my “Tough One” do?  He shuts down, becomes defiant, and is now more vulnerable and likely to get into trouble.

Most often the “Tough Ones” behavior is a way of communicating.  When things get difficult and you don’t have the strategies or skills to problem-solve you are going to see less than awesome. True for students and teachers alike.  I was wrong for being short-tempered and impatient.  I didn’t ask what was wrong, if there was something he needed help with, or if he’d like to talk to a counselor.  I just reacted to his defiance because I wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.  That happens too.  We do get tired and some days are just tougher than others. 

Takeaway: As educators, we need to stop, reflect, and think about what’s happening with our students. Each and every time. We may not catch everything, we can’t, but when we do we need to make sure that our students are taken care of and get the help they need.  Not just for our “Tough Ones” but for ALL.

~ Heather Loomis

Follow Heather on Twitter (X) at: Loomis_h

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Thank you, Heather, for this wonderful post. A great opportunity for all of us to reflect on and grow as educators. I love your passion and vulnerability; I admire your willingness to grow and try new ways to make a difference in the lives of students!

Kelly

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They say that the influence of a good teacher can’t be erased.  Recently I found out that my fifth grade teacher passed away and those words truly apply here.

It was 1991 and the world was a different place.  We rode in our friends’ moms’ minivans to field trips (and may or may not have worn seatbelts).  Videos in class were rare occurrences and they were on these big black boxes called VHS (insert millennial doing a Google image search here).  And I was in fifth grade at St. Lawrence School in Shelton, Connecticut.

Mrs. Francis was the teacher everyone talked about and loved.  She made social studies come alive.  Her classes were filled with laughter and smiles.  The irony is that thirty years later (author gasps as she writes that!), I couldn’t much tell you about the content of the academic classes she taught me.  But I can tell you that she made learning fun and made me want to keep learning.  Before there was a movie Jurassic Park, she had the book on her desk and was telling us about this exciting story of a world where dinosaurs return.  She moved to the beach and we took a field trip TO. HER. HOUSE.  Yes, you read that right.  Not only did I know where my teacher lived, we went there as a whole class of rambunctious 10 and 11 year old Catholic school kids!  We found snails and dug in the sand and all made it back to school in one piece!

When my life long friend texted me that Mrs. Francis had passed, I was heartbroken.  I was friends with her on social media and went to her profile.  In it she wrote: “I enjoyed every class and every subject AND EVERY CHILD.”  That passion was apparent to me as a child and even more so now as both and adult and teacher.  As I was reading the text, I heard my teenage son watching Cheers on TV and the familiar words of its theme song, “Sometimes you want to go; where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came, you want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you want to be where everybody knows your name.”  Mrs. Francis knew all our names.  She remembered and befriended many alumni of our school on social media.  She commented on pictures of our kids and our live’s accomplishments.  But most importantly, she helped lay the foundation for a love of learning and enthusiasm for life for so many of us.

I can imagine that there aren’t many readers of the Wired Educator blog that had the honor of knowing Mrs. Francis.  But I know that you each have a Mrs. Francis in your life.  If you are lucky enough to still be in contact or can get in contact, send them a note of appreciation.  My challenge to you is that even if you cannot find your teacher to thank, strive to be that teacher for your students.  Be the teacher that they will remember 30 years from now and fondly remember that time when…

I’m a big Jimmy Buffet fan, sometimes called Parrotheads.  One wouldn’t normally think that there are many lessons for teachers to be garnered from the man who has built a career helping us escape to Margaritaville (fan fact – Escape to Margaritaville was the name of one of his Broadway musicals).  But in fact, one of the messages that runs through many of his songs is one that I think teachers can learn a lot from: the concept of songlines and our stories.

I may be a bit biased, but I think that Jimmy Buffet is not only a great entertainer but also a great storyteller.  During the pandemic, he teamed up with his daughter to bring fans “Songs You Don’t Know By Heart” – a play on his album “Songs You Know By Heart”.  These lesser known deep cuts are interviews that his daughter Delaney did with him about these songs.  One of those songs is called “Love in the Library”.

In that interview, Jimmy talks of his love of reading and how his mother instilled that love in him at a young age.  He tells of how she encouraged him and his sister to read to learn of the world beyond Mississippi where they grew up.  We as teachers do the same – we want books to be the windows to the world for our students.

But the Bits of Buffet wisdom don’t end there.  In his book A Pirate Looks at Fifty and in the song “Far Side of the World”, Jimmy talks of songlines – an Aboriginal concept that encompasses the narrative of the world and connects us all.  These are the stories that aren’t just the windows to the world, but the connections between us all.

Ok, so where am I going with all this and how does it relate to teaching and us as teachers?  Easy – we are the ones who not only share stories with students, but with each other.  Our stories matter and can inspire or discourage others.  I for one have had people whose stories terrified me and changed my career trajectory (Algebra 2 in high school – still get chills!) while others with a gentle word (thank you, Professor Shteirman) helped inspire me to grow as a professional. 

As you read this I challenge you to find a way to share your story.  Find a colleague to share a story with – even if it is not education related.  Build those connections with your coworkers.  Seek out other teachers who can share their stories with you.  A great place to share and connect stories is social media.  Share a post with the tag #wirededucator and share your favorite teaching story or memory.  Share an idea.  It is what we do as teachers – we share ourselves.

Whether we’ve been teaching for 2 days, 2 months or 20 or more years, we each have stories that we can share that can help to inspire others.  Share your story.  Listen to others.  Let’s allow these stories to help build each other up and encourage others.  And then let’s allow those stories we hear to become a part of our own songline.

Finding the Calm in the Chaos

My eight-year-old daughter asked me the other day, what “this” time is like in terms of other times in my life.  It was difficult to explain to her that it is unlike anything I’ve experienced in my lifetime or her grandparents have experienced in theirs.  These are truly new and can be for some, scary times.

Teachers are moving to remote or distance learning.  Parents are moving to work from home models.  Students are navigating a whole new world of learning without the proximity of their teachers and friends.  And all of us are coping with the physical separation from loved ones and friends.  It certainly makes for a stressful situation for all.

But we are teachers and we are flexible!  How many times have you had to pivot a lesson because it didn’t go as planned?  Well, think of this as the Guinness Book of World Records record holder for a pivot!  And here are some tips so help you handle that pivot like an NBA star:

1.) Set up hours.  We don’t teach twenty-four hours a day – why do we think that we need to be logged in/creating/doing for that amount of time?  Personally, I’m trying to create realistic hours and stick to them.  Once I clock out, I take walks with my family, crochet, or try to do something to help me recharge my batteries.  As the saying goes, “put on your oxygen mask first”.  If we don’t take care of ourselves, we risk burning out during this new endeavor.

2.) Be gentle with students, be gentle with yourself.  This is new to EVERYONE!  In my district, students and many teachers are learning a new platform during this chaotic time.  We are frantically trying to deploy devices and get everyone on board.  But, like I tell teachers – we are all in this together!  Be patient with students and their families who are just as worried as we are.  Be patient with colleagues that reach out to you for help.  And most of all, be patient with yourself.  This certainly isn’t where any of us planned to be in the school year, but we can’t change it, only deal with it.

3.) Enjoy the change of pace.  I don’t know if you’re like me, but I am usually rushing out the door after getting my daughter on the bus, coffee in my travel mug, and praying that there is no traffic!  All of a sudden, most of our commutes have been DRASTICALLY shortened.  Enjoy the coffee in a real mug!  Sit with your kids, dog, or even a good book at breakfast.  Maybe even use that extra time in the morning to get some exercise in (#wired2run anyone???)

4.) Enjoy the change of scenery.  In addition to having a change to the pace of our day, the scenery sure has changed too!  I never taught a library class looking out my front window as neighbors strolled by.  I never did a read aloud from my deck.  And I certainly never had the joy of my dog’s company as I taught.  Enjoy the fact that work truly has all the comforts of home for the time being!  

5.) Don’t forget to laugh.  I am a big fan of Jimmy Buffet and there is a line in one of his songs, “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”  If there was ever a time where this is applicable, this is it!  Enjoy a meme, an episode of your favorite sitcom, or a cheesy joke with a friend.  One from my son to get you started (full disclosure – 13-year-old boy joke): What is the German word for constipation? Far-from-poopen!

I know that the uncertainty of this time makes us all uneasy.  But I am a firm believer in trying to find the good in the situation.  Try to find those moments of calm or laughter as you go throughout your day.  And don’t forget that we are all in this together!

Be safe, be well, you’ve got this!

Theresa Welch

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