​Dear Teacher, 

Day 1 is here! Are you as excited as I am to begin this study?  

Below are the questions for the introduction, chapter 1, and chapter 2. We begin our study with discussing the memorable and forgettable lessons we teach. How can we revamp this in our classroom so every lesson is a memory? 

Dear Teacher, 

The Ditch Summit has inspired me to shake the dust off of Matt Miller's books and start reading. I am hoping to discover some additional information that I can add to my growing list of tech skills that I have gained thanks to the COVID pandemic. 

The first book I grabbed was Tech like a Pirate. This is a short 124 pages that was easy to read. Ready to join me? 

Dear Teacher, 

We are nearing the end and I have honestly enjoyed every presentation so far. Each one has had a nugget of information that I desperately needed to hear. 

The fact that this is a free annual summit each December and that I can get PD credit for this only makes it better. Downside, Illinois teachers have to pay $36 for PD credit but it was well worth the cost. 

Dear Teacher, 

I thought finding an hour in my day would be easy. I can take the time to watch the videos but I forgot something. 

Quarter End.  Semester End.  Winter Break.  Report Cards. Holiday Baking. The list goes on and on. What was I thinking? 

​I was thinking that this is important for me and my students. I need this to be a better me. 

Dear Teacher, 

My professional goal for 2020-2021 school year, was to become better at integrating and using technology specifically in the remote/blended setting. I am pretty good with technology but it is an area that I want to improve in. 

Each month I have been taking a different class and decided this one the one for December. I am so happy and have learned so much in the first few days!  

Dear Teacher, 

Have you ever heard of Ditch Summit? Me neither. I was reading through a pile of emails today and what would appear but an invite from my district to attend this event. 

I have several of Matt Miller's books on my shelf, collecting dust and waiting to be read, but as with all things COVID, it hasn't made it to top of the list yet. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to hear what he has to say. 

It starts tomorrow and is free! Free I can do!

Dear Teacher, 

After COVID-19, everyone of the students in our classroom will have faced trauma. They will have a piece of the puzzle that makes them whole missing. There will be some students with only one missing piece while others will be missing a lot. As we look forward toward the fall, I wanted to be ready to embark upon a journey to be better prepared to meet the social-emotional needs of my students. 

My local ROE is hosting a book study over the course of the next 8 weeks where we will be digging deep into how we can better serve students with trauma in our classrooms. Each week I will add my thoughts to this post. Who is ready to join me this summer? 

Have you ever wonder what makes a school worth of 5 stars or that elusive A+ rating? Dr. Connors asks us to take a different look at our schools. Picture a 5-star restaurant. How does it make you feel? Why would you pay top dollar to eat there?

Now compare this your local school. How does it make you feel? Why would you want to go here? What makes it special and unique? 

As we contemplate these questions we begin to see not only the problems in our schools but also the solution on where to begin to correct it. 

I started with Daily 5. I have really struggled with my ELA instruction this year thanks to the implementation of a new curriculum that I am still not sure I like. 

Anywho...

Imagine my surprise when inside the book I discovered the Above, Pause, Whisper technique. I use this somewhat in my classroom but never knew it was a technique or where I learned it from. This is one I need to implement as soon as classes resume. 

Dear Teacher,

Today our audiobook-loving district librarian challenged us to read Jason Reynolds' Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and you. Her reasoning: each day we challenge our students with the text that we present to them but when was the last time we challenged ourselves.

Okay. I'm in. I am always up for a challenge. 

Racism is a problem in the United States but not everyone is racist. I am hoping for a solution to the problem, for a better understanding of the issue and not more whining without resolution.