Promoting Good Vibes Between Students

I'll admit it: I love my class this year. We have our issues as a group (we've had to ban Pokemon cards as they caused too much fighting), but overall, I have a group of sweet, funny, interesting little ones to spend each day with. To make it even better, they like each other! They enjoy each other's company, and though they all have good friends, I love seeing how they mix themselves up with groups and partners. 

Back in October we celebrated Anti Bullying Month in many ways, but one was reward based. Students from every grade earned "Gotcha" tickets when they were spotted doing something exceptionally kind. These tickets could be turned in at the end of the week for tickets to our annual Halloween Festival. The students were thrilled that their kind deeds were being rewarded and started going out of their way to help one another. But that wasn't the best part: The started "tattling" on each other. No, I don't mean the way all of us dread, but they started coming to me to share when someone was extra kind to them. Though the ticket system has ended, the culture of noticing kindness has remained. Here are a few ways we continue to promote good vibes between students in our room:

The Graffiti Wall

Underneath the writing center table is a coveted work space for my students, but we made it an even more highly used space when we covered the back wall with chart paper. Students use this space to record the great things their classmates have done. I modeled the first when my students were extra helpful when I lost my voice (teacher nightmare), and sometimes let students know to check when I notice that someone wrote something new about them.  I love reading the sweet notes they write to each other, which range from helping to pick up new supplies, being a good partner, or someone who reached out to play with a new friend. The best part is how happy they are to be noticed for something good by their peers- seeing their happy faces brings me so much joy!

Super Secret Student

I wrote about choosing a Super Secret Student in another post, but want to share how we use this to promote good vibes. Last year, I would announce the SSS at the end of the day, and we would applaud for their great work. This year, we guess. We spend the last few minutes of the day holding a Closing Meeting, and a big part of this is trying to guess who the Secret Student was. There are rules- they have to tell why they think the person they're guessing, and it can't be a reason like, "You looked at them in line." 

The conversation tends to go something like this: "I think it was Martina because she helped me carry my books to Italian class when they were too heavy," "Well I think it was Neev because when we were partners he was kind to me even when I had the wrong answer, and helped me figure out why," "I think it was Tiara because she asked me to play with her at recess when I couldn't find my friends," "It was probably Riccardo because he was so quiet in the hall." 

Yes, it gets repetitive every day. They notice the same bunch of things. However, when one person says something great about another, they tend to reciprocate by sharing why they think the other person was actually the SSS, as well as another guess. When someone finally guesses the Secret Student, I'll say something like, "Hmmm... can anyone else think of a reason they might be it?" At this point, they know that they are talking about the real Secret Student, and everyone wants to chime in about how they knew it all along. Though the SSS feels great about themselves, everyone gets a little compliment throughout the week, and feels special that someone noticed how great they'd been. If you're wondering, NO, they don't only guess their best friends. Somehow the fact that it could be anyone makes them think about their classmates outside their closest buddies. 

Birthday Compliments and Appreciations

On birthdays, we try to make the day as special as possible in our classroom. This includes the birthday boy or girl choosing the morning meeting greeting and activity, and getting to choose a few languages for us to sing to them in (we are trying to learn the other languages of our classmates so they get to also pick between English, Italian, Korean, Spanish, French, Danish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Persian). 

The best part for me is "Compliments and Appreciations." We sit in our circle, and they get to call on classmates who have their hand up to give them a compliment or appreciation. A compliment is praise or admiration for something we like about the person- we talk about how these aren't physical ("You're so pretty, or, "I like your clothes"), but need to go deeper. Appreciations are when they recognize the great things about someone, or the things that they've done. Compliments come naturally, but appreciations can take time. Help them to see the distinction with daily interactions, such as, "I want to compliment all of your hard work! I really appreciate how you took the time to read each question carefully before answering," or, "Wow! You were really kind during snack time. I'm sure Bianca appreciated how you shared with her."

So, that's how we promote the good vibes in our room. It doesn't take much time out of the day, and helps the room to run smoothly. When students trust each other and feel good about themselves, they're willing to take risks and try things they might not otherwise.

This one breaks my heart. It is from one of my Korean students (brand new to English
last Spring), whose mother passed away suddenly last year. Luna "adopted" her for the
Thanksgiving lunch our school invites families to when Bella's family couldn't make it.
It gives them an outlet to share their appreciations, and let their classmates know
that nothing goes unnoticed. 

Light vs. Dark

"Miss Streisel, can I share today?" For me, every day starts with at least three small voices asking that same question, and my answer is typically, "Of course, about what?" But when the response on November 16th was, "I want to share about Paris," I momentarily froze. 

While it was weighing heavy on my mind, I didn't expect to be confronted with the idea of discussing terrorism with my 8-9 year old students so early in the morning the Monday after the attacks in Paris. I was still confused myself (and still am), so being the authority on how to address this with children was intimidating. I wasn't sure who knew what, or how to comfort them when it is clearly a terrifying and awful subject. However, they knew about it so our 20 minute Morning Meeting routine was focused on world events.

I'm not sure if this would be fitting in every classroom, but in mine it was. 

We began with just the question, "Raise your hand if you know what happened in Paris this weekend," and every one of their hands went up. To be honest, I had mixed feelings: relieved that I didn't have to be the one to tell them, saddened that they are aware of the darkness we face in our world at such a young age. The next question was on how they were feeling. Sadness, worry, fear, sympathy, anger... They couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt others so badly. They were worried because their dad's were supposed to travel to Paris for business that weekend, or their Thanksgiving break was meant to be spent there. They were worried that Milan would be next. One of my girls is half French, and she shared that her father's family lives in Paris, and then her eyes filled with tears and she didn't want to share more (we have since talked, and her family is fine). 

Finally, the question I worried about most came up: why did the terrorists attack?

 I wasn't sure myself, and didn't want to go down that path. One of my Italian girls, the one who had asked to share in the first place, blurted out, "I know! It's because in our religion, we have a lot of freedom, and in theirs they don't, so they are mad at us for being so free." A boy, who had been very quiet (which is VERY strange for him) burst out, "NO! That's not what it is! They have NO religion! They have no religion at all! They wouldn't do this if they had any religion, so they are NOT religious people!!!" He was clearly incredibly passionate and visibly upset. This was from one of my three Muslim students (I have three boys, one from Iran who was completely new to English this year, one from Libya, and one from Saudi Arabia- this one was a sweet, energetic 8-year old Saudi boy). The students all nodded solemnly at his words, agreeing silently that no matter their beliefs, they knew that these people could not be associated with a religion that people we know and love also follow. They were a separate entity. 

At a separate point, my boy from Libya nervously asked me if it was the Muslims who did it, clearly worried if his religion was "wrong." The fact that such a sweet boy, who loves soccer, Pokemon, and playing UNO with his best friends from Russia, Japan, Bulgaria, and Italy should even have that concern is heartbreaking.

Since then, my students and the rest of our community have tried to figure out what to do with ourselves. 

They want to express what they know, and the pain that they have. They want to reach out but don't really know how to do it. After recess, one of my girls (the one whose family is in Paris) told me that she felt a little better because all of her friends and her (who follow different religions)  had spent recess praying in a circle for peace. At certain points throughout the day, students have "Quiet Time" or "Daily 5" time, and they have choices during those periods on what activities that want to do- our classroom is covered in posters and poems about peace, love, and Paris because that is how they want to spend that time, and my one girl has done her best to teach her classmates to say, "We love you, Paris" in French. They desperately need to do something with their feelings and confusion, and they're doing their best to put it into words, pictures, and actions.

The novel we're reading as a class fits in perfectly, and it's solely because these children are looking for an explanation. 

We're reading the "Tale of Despereaux," the story of a little mouse who loves music, reading, and a princess, which are very un-mouse things to love, a rat who wants to find light, though rats are meant only for darkness, and a girl who has never once been asked in her entire life what she wants, but dreams of becoming a princess. As a class we have latched onto the idea of light vs. dark; when the world touches us with darkness, we must reach out with light. We've also been very moved by the downfall of Chiaroscuro (the rat), who has no idea that rats aren't meant for the light or that rats  are awful creatures, until he hears the tone of the princess's voice when she calls him a rat and begins to see himself as a terrible thing. Any explanation, any rationalization we can find for actions that have no rationale is comforting, as it gives them something to understand when it is completely un-understandable.

The students at my school are so lucky that they are constantly faced with those who are different from them. 

I was slightly annoyed earlier this year when I recieved my class list, because I have a heavily Italian group of students- 11 out of 18. But that's a very privileged annoyance, and speaks to who our school is- a big draw of our school is that it's a very international community. But even with 11 out of 18 being from the same country, these kids are friends with people from all over the world. Their best friends speak another language at home than they do, eat food that's totally different, have traditions that are unlike their own. Last year, the 'cool' thing for my Italian boys was to eat kimchi, a Korean dish that they'd tried at one of their friends houses, and that they'd beg their moms or nannies to make. My boy from Iran has become very popular in class because though he knows only a teeny bit of English now, the kids have realized that he is hilarious and sweet, and they love him and work to communicate despite the language barrier. Being different is the norm, and is valued. If you can grow up not only tolerating differences, but with a curiosity and appreciation for them, a desire to know about them, I can only imagine what this looks like in adulthood and when moving forward in changing the world.

Anyways, I'm going to end with a note I found on one of my girl's desks the other day. Try and read all of those tiny bits, because it's a letter to the Earth and is beyond beautiful.

I originally posted this on my personal blog. 

Responsive Classroom

I love teaching because I love learning, and as a teacher there are endless opportunities to learn, grow, change, and try new things. This past weekend, I attended the ECIS (European Council of International Schools) conference in Barcelona and loved every second of it. I left feeling energized and excited to look deeply at the work I'm doing and how I can best educate my fabulous kiddos. 

Before the conference itself began, I participated in a full day Responsive Classroom pre-conference with Kerry O'Grady. Responsive Classroom is an approach to education that focuses on the importance of building both academic and social-emotional skills. These ideas are embedded in all that we do each and every day and cannot be separated- for example, rather than "Respect Week," respect is worked in throughout the entire day; what does respect look like on the playground? In the cafeteria? During reading groups? We also can't assume that students have an innate understanding of the social and emotional skills that they need to be successful academically and socially, including cooperation, self-control, empathy, responsibility, and assertiveness. They need to be taught and practiced explicitly, modeled throughout the day in various scenarios, and constantly reinforced. 

I absolutely loved everything that was presented. One of my biggest takeaways from the day was the importance of modeling. As Kerry taught us about the guiding principles of RC, led us through the research on the benefits, and guided us through activities and strategies for developing a positive community, engaging academics, and effective classroom management, she truly practiced what she preached. While it was a long day, the other participants and I were fully engaged and absorbed the entire time. Towards the end we discussed interactive learning structures, and as it turns out, she had used three or four of them throughout the day to keep us moving, talking, and involved with the material. She used the interactive modeling strategy when introducing different ideas, and taught us new energizers to break up the day and get us on our feet when energy lagged. We even started the day with an adult morning meeting, which broke the ice and helped everyone feel like we were in it together. It was a wonderful day, and I learned just as much (if not more) from her teaching methods as I did from the content she presented. 

I also came away feeling an intense pride in my school. I knew that my school is a wonderful place, and I knew before that our students are wonderful people. However, I came away feeling very proud of the learning environment  as a whole; a great amount of attention is given to social-emotional learning, developing relationships, and instilling values. I take these things for granted, perhaps because this is my first school, and I assume that it's just the norm. But as I talked with teachers from other schools, I realized that it is not always the case. While there are of course social problems (my class has a large clique this year- more on this another time, and 4th grade soccer will forever have its troubles), we don't have much of a bullying issue, and the students genuinely care about each other, their school, and their world. We even have a block for Morning Meeting built into our daily schedules, meaning that I have 20 minutes at the beginning of every day where I'm only expected to cultivate a sense of community. Because so much is in place already, I feel that I can push it even farther with academic choice and trying interactive learning structures that are new to me. I'm so excited! 

A coworker and I found that we were questioning our own practices and considering how we could further incorporate the principles and strategies of Responsive Classroom into our time in the classroom. I love using writing as a reflection tool and have been seriously missing writing/slacking on blogging, so am planning to delve into some of the ideas presented during the conference in a few posts over the next few weeks.

Nature Name: Champion of the Sun

I originally posted this on my personal blog in October, 2014. Since it was school related, I thought I'd post here as well!

Most beautiful moment of peace in the mountains

This is going to be poorly written. I know it, and am sorry. Maybe I'll edit tomorrow but no promises-- I'm so behind on posts and just want to be up-to-date, and this is my last one for the night!

It still is incredible to me that our big 4th grade field trip is taking our students to Switzerland for a week. The trust that must take for our families is so huge, and it really does reap amazing benefits. Last year it was one of my favorite weeks of the year, and this year was no different. 

So much joy!

I've been struggling a little bit because there are so many times with this group of kids that I'm just like, "UGHHH WHY DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!?!?! JUST FIGURE IT OUT!!!!" But since I don't want to scar them for life with memories of a verbally abusive teacher, I just keep that to myself and sweetly and calmly say things like, "What independent step could you take?" or "How could you be a problem-solver?" What I need to keep in mind is that the students I'm comparing them to are end-of-the-year-4th-graders, and these are beginning-of-the-year-4th-graders, and I need to give them a break. 

This week away at camp has such an amazing effect on the students, and they gain so much independence through natural consequences. The examples I give might seem small, but they really are huge for these children. Each morning we go up to the lodge for breakfast before heading out for the day's activities. If a child forgets something, they have to go back down to camp and get it. That will happen about 10 times for each child the first few days: coats, backpacks, water bottles, hiking boots, indoor shoes, etc. are left in rooms and need to be retrieved. If they're forgotten after they've left for the activity, well, they don't have it for the day. The first few days are full of many trips up and down the hill but by the end of the week, everyone remembers what they need. Before dinner each night, the kids have an hour of free time to play with their friends, shower, read, write in journals, or spend time the way they'd like. The choices they make in this time show so much problem-solving; one room set up a shower schedule so nobody missed free-time each day. Another boy spent Wednesday packing so that he wouldn't have to the next day and could spend his last day stress-free. Little things like this truly make an enormous difference in these kids, and I absolutely love seeing them change and grow over the course of the week.

They're not even posing. This actually just happened. I love 4th graders :)

Relaxing after a challenging hike, while the group hops
back and forth over the France/Switzerland boarder

My absolutely favorite part of the week is the hike. Our fourth-graders were split into four groups, with two groups hiking each day. I went with a different group on both days, and met up for lunch and the second half of the hike with the other two. It's not too far of a hike, but takes a while with 10-12 kids in tow. They bring sandwiches they've made themselves, and we picnic halfway through the day. Along the way the kids learn songs, pick flowers, find perfect hiking sticks, learn about the plants that they're seeing, and form new friendships. The most incredible part of the hike comes right after the steepest climb; we hike from Switzerland to France. It's a struggle for many of them (not going to lie, for me as well), but on both days I watched the most athletic little ones rush up to the top of the hill where the border was and cheer on their classmates as each one made it to the top. We played a game where everyone stood in a line in Switzerland, and the counselor would yell "Switzerland" or "France" and the kids would jump back and forth from country to country. It was so amazing!

I take it back- my favorite part is the bond that I develop with the kids throughout the week. These are definitely called "Bonding Trips" for a reason! Being able to see them outside of the classroom lets me see them in a whole new light- their personalities shine as they hike to the top of a mountain and take in the beauty of nature that surrounds them. We say that their counselors become the teachers and teachers become the parents, and I feel like that's pretty accurate- we take on the comforting, hand-holding, nurturing role that they need while away from their parents, and it creates a trust that carries back to the classroom. The learning environment at school is so different when we return. They bond so much with their counselors too- one of my little boys was so sad to be leaving that he couldn't even participate in last day activities; he just wanted to cling to the wonderful lady who had been leading him through the wilderness for the last 5 days! Our week in Torgon is amazing, and we are all so lucky to have it. 

"Field Trip" to Switzerland

I originally posted this on my personal blog in October, 2013. Since it is school related I thought I'd also bring it to this blog!

Most adorable little old couple that I saw walking around all week 

Saint Oyen- Mom and Dad, this is your future town!

When I was in elementary school, field trips were to the museum or planetarium. 

On one particularly exciting Girl Scout outing, we slept at the zoo. At my new school, 4th grade and up takes week long "Bonding Trips" all around Europe, and I was lucky enough to be a part of the trip to Torgon, Switzerland with 34 nine year olds.

Hiking boots and leggings
to work=awesome

For weeks leading up to the trip, the kids asked billions of questions. 

We'd set aside the "Activity" or "Share" time of Morning Meeting (usually, Morning Meeting includes Message, Greeting, Activity, and Share) to talk about what we were excited or worried about for the trip, and for me to answer as many questions as I could. Seeing as I'd never been on the trip either, I didn't always have a ton of answers! We left at 8:15am on Monday morning, waving goodbye to tearful parents. Most of the kids had never even been to a sleepover, so leaving the country for a week was a huge deal! We got pretty lucky on the bus ride- no pukers :) I cant even explain how beautiful the drive was- all mountain views and picturesque villages (Mom and Dad, I found your future town! Saint Oyen, Italy). 

View from the lodge was AMAZING!

Around lunch time, we pulled into Torgon.

There were six wonderful, amazing, fun, helpful counselors (all with awesome nature names!) that divided the kids into three groups. We tried to make the groups so there were an even number from each class, split up any kids that fought (or girls who brought out each others' mean sides!), and weren't sleeping in the same rooms. The actual camp itself was pretty nice. There was a building with a dining room, a little sitting area, and upstairs, a rock climbing wall. Then there was the lodge where we all slept. Dividing them into groups of 4 or 5, where each kid was with at least one person they chose (we had them list 5 people they'd like to be with), kids who fought weren't in the same room, and no one who wasn't a native Italian speaker was stuck alone in a room with all Italians was hard work, but eventually it worked out! The other teachers and I each had our own rooms. For the most part, the rooms were great! The only bad part was that the doors were really hard to open, so I walked into the rooms many times to tell the kids to quiet down only to find someone desperately trying to get the stuck bathroom door open. 

Starting the hike on Day 1.

Monday and Friday were mostly travel, but the teachers and I split up the days so we could be with each group for a day.

Tuesday I went on the hike. The other two days were split into two day time activities but hike day was all day. I'm not really sure what this means in miles (8 maybe?) but about 12km of hike was so much for such little kiddos! It really was incredible though. The mountains were gorgeous, and it was sweet to see how much the kids supported each other. 

One of my little photographers

My absolute favorite part was the solo hike. 

   

I went ahead and the counselor stayed back, sending kids off one by one in minute intervals so they could hike for about 15 minutes alone, listening to the sounds of nature. It was so peaceful! One of my little guys was so sweet; he finished first and as each kid came to the stopping point, he'd meet them to give a high five or a hug and say good job. They all supported each other and were so caring. One little guy was having a lot of trouble and was soooooo slow (my arm hurt so badly the next day from literally dragging/carrying him up the mountain), so they let him set the pace by making him the leader. When he'd stop they'd all start up with encouraging words and congratulating him on how well he was doing. 

Even the cows were cooler in Switzerland!

It was nice to divide up the days because then we'd get to see all of the different activities but also get to know the entire 4th grade and not just our own classes.

One of the best parts for the kids was all of the independence. They got to make their own sandwiches for lunch, and felt so grown up doing it! And while we would tell them they really needed to take showers and brush their teeth, it was mostly up to them (until they got too stinky) when they made the time to do it. They also learned to "Bust a 50" or "Bust a 100" in the woods... It's the little things  that make them happy heehee. 

So cute with their walking sticks. They spent all
week trying to find the perfect one!

I'd love to show all the kids mud facepaint, but I don't
think I'm allowed, so I'll just show mine!

The other two days were full of lots of different groups and activities. 

In "Living With Nature" they learned to make a shelter and build a fire, and in "Earth Works" they learned about ecosystems and played a bunch of fun games. That one they particularly loved, maybe in part because the leader was Italian and would explain things to them in their own language (the other counselors were Portuguese, Hungarian, South African, and two Americans). The next day we went to "Where Are We," where they learned to read and make maps and use a compass, and went rock climbing. 

To me, the most challenging part was being one of the three Mom's to all the kids. 

Fourth grade is at the older end of elementary school, but they still really are such babies! From nannying days, I remember putting one kid to bed is enough of a challenge, but 34? Ahhhh so crazy!!! At the same time, it was one of my favorite parts. It gave me such a different perspective on the children in my class, and helped me to bond with those who weren't. From my class, my strongest little girl was the one who cried the most over missing her parents, and the little boy I hadn't connected much with yet was the one who held my hand during the "Fluffy Clouds" portion of the night, and asked to borrow one of the stuffed animals I brought since he had forgotten his. Fluffy Clouds was AWESOME! One of the other teachers did this visualization technique that put the kids right to sleep. One of the rooms was all my boys, though we did try to prevent any all-one-class rooms. I'm pretty heavy on terms of endearment (I know, you're probably thinking, "You? Really? I don't believe it."), so I'm always calling them my little darlings or little angels. I went into the boys room to say goodnight and they all had glow sticks on their heads like halos and were like, "Look Miss Streisel! We're you're little angels!" Gahhhh I love being a teacher so much!

My little guy in blue congratulated
every kids accomplishments... Love him!

So many new friendships! The girls in the back are both
 in my class, but hadn't bonded until the trip

Anyways, as homesick as some of them were (I literally had to pull a few onto my lap and hold them until the hysterical crying stopped a bunch of times!), they were so sad to leave and loved camp. The bus ride back was also smooth, and although one girl turned completely green (I finally know what people mean when they say that!), there was no throwing up. The only downer was how obsessed with watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" the kids were. Isn't that weird? I remember watching it once when I was little, but despite how old it is they all loved it. Probably the most annoying, high pitched movie on Earth. What made it better was hearing their little accents refer to the movie over and over again as "Shitty Shitty Bang Bang." Hehehe. What a week :)

The bus driver saw me trying to take a picture of the beautiful view and stopped for
me to take this one. Whatta guy :)

P.S. If anyone knows privacy laws better than I do, PLEASE let me know if any of the pictures of my kiddos aren't okay. I think back of the head pictures should be fine, but feel free to message me if I'm doing anything wrong!! Grazie mille :)

P.S.S. I crossed the first item off of "The List!" Woohoo! Eating chocolate in Switzerland: Completed. 

Reestablishing Classroom Community After a Break

The first day back at school after two and a half weeks of relaxation and family fun... ahhhhhh. 

If your students are anything like mine, it's a very exciting day where everyone is very excited to see each other, but also a little nutty and restless. With four students still on vacation, and a new student who arrived a week early (I already adore her- she is the sweetest little girl from Saudi Arabia!), I wanted to find a way to ease us back into school routines and expectations, while putting us back into a community frame of mind. 

At the beginning of the year we did an activity that I found on Pinterest (I can't find it again! If you know who originally posted the idea, please let me know so that I can give credit!) and will keep a part of my beginning-of-the-year routine for years to come. Before the students came in I hung posters around the room, each headed with one of the following questions:

1. Our classroom should be ___________ everyday. 
2. School is important because...
3. What should students in our class do to help our class run smoothly?
4. To reach my goals this year, I need to make sure I...
5. What does Miss Streisel need to do to help you learn and grow?

Three of the girls deciding on classroom expectations

We spent some time moving between posters independently with a marker, adding initialed ideas to each poster, and then talked about our ideas before setting our hopes and dreams and our classroom rules. 

Today I brought the posters back out and again hung them around the room. I told them about how much I love the beginning of a new year, my birthday, and a new school year because they're all times to look at where I am, think about what I love about my life, and what new goals I want to set for myself. The same is true for our classroom- a new year is the perfect time to reassess our community and our environment! This time, I told them that they could add a new idea to each poster, or they could find their idea from the beginning of the year and leave themselves a comment. After a little while, two little angel girls came over and told me that they were finished, and asked if they knew who had written certain comments and had seen them do very well on something or work hard on a goal, if they could leave them a 'good job!' message. I love these thoughtful little bambinos (bambini... sorry... I like the sound of bambinos...). Afterwards, we had a great talk about how we'd move forward this year. Hopefully in the next few months, our classroom will become/continue-to-be the joyful, fun, organized, tidy, creative, and kind classroom my students need!