Legos

We are strong as one, but we are stronger together.  ~Brennan

Legos

Like Legos, we

stick together. We are

not just strong,

we are as creative as

the wildest imagination. Like Legos, you start with one

but

you end with something surprising and new. We

really are

stronger

together.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Astronomical Passions

Invite others to wonder with you.  ~Austin Kleon

Astronomical Passions

Black holes! Galaxies! Space! The Universe will invite

you to be awed and amazed. Find others

with the same astronomical passions to

marvel at, to wonder

about, and to investigate with

you.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Keep Your Promises

Make your life a masterpiece. Imagine no limitations on what you can be, have, or do.  ~Brian Tracy

Keep Your Promises

I accept your challenge. I will make 

a poem using each of your 

quotes. A snapshot of your life 

in fifth grade, the collection will not be a 

masterpiece 

and I imagine 

no 

one will appreciate the poems as much as you. The limitations 

I have put on 

myself with these poems will show you that what 

you 

challenge yourself to do can 

be 

done. You have 

to keep your promises. There is no either/or: 

do what you said you would do.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Poetry Month 2018

This year's class -- The Hahn Squad -- loves to find patterns.
They have found patterns in the date
(one of our favorites all year, a Squad Member's birthday, was 3/6/18...3x6=18),
in recurring themes in our read alouds (the desire for invisibility),
and in the lucky coincidence that there are 30 days in April and 30 students in our class.

When the 30 Days, 30 Students, 30 Poems challenge was laid at my feet by an eager and earnest Squad Member, what could I do? I had to accept.

For their part, I asked each of the 30 Squad Members to chose a quote they love. I originally intended to write a personalized Golden Shovel Poem for each student using their quote as the striking line. Although some may turn out to be specific to the student who chose the quote, most will pay tribute to some part of the 2017-2018 5th Grade Hahn Squad experience.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

31. Believe in magic.

Because teaching and learning are magic, aren't they? Building a classroom community from scratch every year; meeting the ever-changing, ever-shifting needs of a diverse group of learners to the very best of your ability day after day; making a kid's day; making a colleague's day; learning to be a better teacher years or decades into your career...it's all magic. And without these strong threads of magic that we weave in our classrooms, the fabric of our nation...of our democracy...would fray and shred and dissolve.

Believe in magic. Don't ever stop. So much depends on the work you do every minute of every day.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

30. Celebrate your spot on your district's seniority list.

When Franki texted me that we have both made it to the front page of our district's seniority list, I had to see for myself. Sure enough, there I am: out of the thousands and thousands of certified teachers in our district, I am #15. And there she is, hired just a year later, about fifteen spots below me.

Today I'm celebrating my rise from the newest hire to one of the most seasoned teachers in the district. I celebrate all the mistakes I've made, all of the successes I've had, and all the students I've taught. Hooray for a career that began with no computers and will end with...I'm not even going to attempt to predict the changes that will continue with lightning speed in the next few years. I'm glad I had a chance to be a Whole Language teacher in the 1980s. I think those years before the intense pressure of standards and testing gave me a foundation in student-centered teaching that has served me (and my students) well. I'm glad I staunchly adhered to my generalist stance all these years. Being a generalist rather than a specialist has allowed me to be a leader in the district in math, language arts, environmental science/outdoor education, and multiage/looping.

If there are thousands of teachers between you and the front page of your district's seniority list, don't despair, and don't focus on all the years it will take you to get to the front page. Take it one class at a time, one big project at a time, one new leadership opportunity at a time, one swing of the education pendulum at a time. 

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

29.  Stick around -- things will change.

There's never a dull moment in education. Even if you're just along for the ride, you'll need to hold on at times. Public education is one of the most important rights of the citizens of a democracy. It's worth the time you spend working inside the system, and, if you are so moved, it's worth the time you spend working for the system.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

28.  Stay in touch with former students.

The only way we can get a long view of the work we do each year with a group of students is to watch them grow up. It's thrilling to see my former students become moms (including one who has adopted a special-needs child), teachers, professional photographers, medical students, politicians, professional cyclists, and scientists. I look at my former students and I know that my work has truly made a difference.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

27.  Test scores are snapshots.

A test score is a snapshot (sometimes not particularly flattering) of each of your students and of your teaching.

A test score is not an hours-long documentary that fully explores the ups and downs of the daily learning of each student and the highs and lows of your teaching over the course of a year.

Do your best to teach the learners in your class. Encourage your students to do their best on the tests. But don't forget that the results you'll get are snapshots.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

26. Try something new.

The only way to keep your career alive across decades will be by trying new things. Some stick and become "the way I always," but others die off because they needed a particular group of students or a unique quirk of that year's schedule to be powerful.

#classroombookaday was new to me last year, but I think this fun and powerful routine of making time each day for a no-strings-attached picture book read aloud will stick because, well, "fun and powerful" says it all.

A few years ago I started projecting my read-alouds via Kindle. Recently, I've tried to make sure we listen to an Audible production while we read along at least once a year. This year, Refugee (by Alan Gratz) was perfect for listening to professional readers with just the right accents.

My grade level has changed up the way we do Genius Hour to better meet the needs of all of our students. We have one group that committed to doing TED talks, while three groups are cycling through 6-week sessions of makers' space, creativity challenges, and coding/technology projects. I had to let go of my classroom Genius Hour, but I think my students have gotten as much or more from this new approach.

Take a risk and try something new!