Make mistakes, take chances, get messy!

This is perhaps my favorite quote from one of my favorite teachers, Ms. Frizzle.

Recently, I have found myself becoming fairly well-versed in the lessons of the Friz and her magic school bus (Having it on during lunch time, as per the kids' requests). But the lessons go far beyond elementary science.

The learning modeled by the students of Walker Elementary should demonstrate the objective for all classrooms--self-guided learning that is fun.

Having been a STEM Coach at a STEM day-camp in Raleigh, I have been able to experience all the fun parts of education without the obstacles and (for lack of a better word) "fun-suckers" in formal education. Don't get me wrong, words cannot describe my excitement for being in my own classroom one day soon, but there isn't a single teacher I know who says their favorite part of the day is paperwork.

Working with the students at STEM for Kids has given me the opportunity to "play" with robots, electrical circuits, computers, and even the environment. These camps are meant to get elementary-aged students excited about STEM topics and how they're applied in the real-world. One week I'll be helping students construct and program a working robot, and the next I'll be coaching them through their own electrical circuits. Seeing the kids explore these pretty advanced topics with such curiosity challenges me to find new ways to further challenge their understanding.

Being what SFK calls a "STEM Coach," which will be further discussed in a future post, I can facilitate student-guided exploration. And thought it's been said (many times), kids learn better when it's something they care about. My campers learn best when we take a hands-on approach to learning and "get dirty" with applying the content. If we could find ways, as educators of all kinds, to incorporate kinesthetic learning into everyday lessons as "the norm," we can make education worth while.

But how, is always the lingering question. With changes to curriculum, increased standardized assessments, and the hurdles of everyday education in life. The answer to that is to take a leap. A powerful realization I had was that the type of people who go into education were good in school and typically have a very Type A personality. So it is difficult for teachers to do something outside their comfort zone. It is scarier to try something new that's a gamble then to do something you've always done that you know works fairly well. Why re-invent the wheel, right? But you have to think, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" You fail and it didn't work, so you try something else. I'm not suggesting every year we scrap previous year's notes and lesson plans, but keeping it fresh by taking at least one chance a year could better our students and ourselves.

We can apply this risk-taking in all levels and all subjects, just so long as teachers, students, parents, administrators, etc. are willing to "make mistakes, take chances, [and] get messy!"

My Passport to Success Program

#EdCampNC

The idea wall for #EdCampNC's sessions.

As per my Twitter feed from Saturday, May 4, #EdCampNC was a day filled of "in-between conversations" with fellow educators. This "non-conference" began in Philadelphia, where a group of educators came together for a conference with no presenters, no schedule, and no plan -- quite the different experience for the control-freaks in the education world. This event, and the tidal wave of conventions thereafter, was focused on the conversations teachers have in between the formal lecture session at a typical conference. Because of this aspect I was able to talk about what I wanted to talk about, get great feedback from educators in the trenches, and network with some awesome, like-minded teachers.

The two sessions I got the most out of were unintentionally linked: Creating "centers" for "big people" and Engaging students to be self-guided learners. Because these session were participant-created, it was essentially a discussion about how to create stations for students in the upper grade levels and those "centers" aided students in collaboration and inquiry-based learning. We discussed topics ranging from the role of Web 2.0 tools in collaboration to scaffolding what group work looks like in your classroom. In education, as with any profession, there will always be issues, but it's events like these that help create the solutions.

My first judging experience

I can remember when I would be in a competition, I would see the judges and think to myself, "I want to be a judge one day." It was as if that was the epitome of success. Well, for the I got to experience this "bit of success" while judging Laurel Elementary School's science fair.

As judges we were asked to grade each display and then select semi-finalist who would then go to the final round of judging, ending with us selecting the top three displays which would move on to regional competition. Though the judging the students' work was exciting, seeing the wealth of interest in science was even better. It was astonishing to see how many students chose to participate in this optional event. Not only that, but the project were amazing.

One group of students created an experiment to determine which snack their dog would go to first, another student designed an experiment to determine which M&M color was more receptive to heat. The craziest project was where a student designed a refillable, toothpaste-cartridge, automatic toothbrush--quite possibly the next big thing in oral hygiene.

Being able to experience students' interest in science was a far greater award than the judging itself.

Culturally Aware: My experiences with Islamic Culture

During a time of increased Islamaphobia, it is vital for an educator to be aware of such discriminatory views and ensure they are checked at the door. Unintentionally, I have attended a series of workshops and presentations centered around cultural awareness pertaining to Islamic culture.

My very first exposure to this topic was freshman year with the professional development workshop, "Teaching Islam and Muslims in the Contemporary World." This workshop was presented by a retired elementary school teacher who was a practicing Muslim, hijab and all, so her religious beliefs could not (and would not) be hidden. The focus of her workshop was on educating teachers on the Islamic religion and the culture surrounding it. She placed emphasis on the the ways teachers could use pieces of information to educate/expose their students to Islam. Our presenter explained fear is rooted in the unknown, so if we can give our students a better understanding of Islamic culture the fear will dissipate 

The next was a "Schools of Faith" tour with the N.C. State Teaching & Principal Fellows programs. The very first school stop was an Islamic school, located in the Raleigh Islamic Community Center. This school, like most schools of faith, integrate the Islamic religion into the daily lives and lessons of their students and teachers. It was interesting to walk through the school and see students embracing their own culture. This trip helped me to further understand the values of Muslims in the classroom--the same as everybody else's, to be in an accepting environment where learning is valued above everything else.

My third experience was the Cultural Awareness seminar, which focus was on being aware of the culture of your students. The seminar itself discussed a World History lesson on Islam and then a discussion on the building of a Mosque at ground-zero. While some would assume a "cultural awareness" workshop would be filled with gushy, feel-good lessons, my take away was quite different. Our presenters' thesis was to be aware of your students' culture. This simple, yet so difficult, task is multi-faceted. As educators we must look to all of our students and respect their backgrounds, plain and simple. Now this is not -- beyond popular belief of administration -- to say we as teachers must forget our own cultural identity, but merely we must be devoted to learning (like all of our students) in creating a welcoming environment for education.

The final event was "Beyond the Veil," which showcased a panel of Muslim women sharing their experiences of wearing the hijab (or headscarf). This event was enlightening, because the women talked of the personal decision of faith surrounding their first time putting on the hijab. Yet another cultural misconception.

Perhaps my greatest experience with the Muslim world, is my work relationship with the Technician's Viewpoint editor, Ahmed. Ahmed and I have worked together for a couple of years and have shared a wealth of experiences and opinions with each other. Many of our opinions differ on political -- not religious -- basis. However, because we have taken the time to develop a relationship, we respect one another's opinions. Who knew that was the key!

All of these experiences have led me to the same conclusion when thinking of cultural diversity/awareness in the classroom: The "Golden Rule." We must be accepting and respectful to our students, which will in return foster respect throughout our classrooms, which will result in the respect of our students. It's that simple.

Learning about diversity through service

The MLK Jr. Service Day Challenge was a three-pronged event: listening to a speaker on diversity and equality, making lunches and medical kits for the homeless in Raleigh and taking part in a peaceful protest around campus. This event was enlightening, because of its strong connection to diversity. Being an educator in such a cultured society requires a diverse mindset and the conscious understanding of the undertones that come with this diversity. This service opportunity allowed for more than doing one’s share for their community, it reaches out to the community and spreads awareness of social issues still prevalent in today’s diverse society.

As an educator it is important to be able to understand where your students come from and how they identify in order to respect them. If you give them respect they’ll give it to you in return. The speaker at this service event discussed the importance of understanding how your actions affect others. As an educator you must take into consideration how your actions are perceived to your students. Our future classrooms will be so diverse it is imperative we understand how to make sure we, as well as our entire class, understand the importance of diversity and how it helps a team (which is what our classrooms are) work.

The service aspect of this event made sure to connect students from N.C. State and Ligon Middle School to the Raleigh community by extending a hand in providing the medical aid kits and bag lunches. This speaks to the ability we as educators have to make an impact outside of the classroom. At this event we teamed up with middle school students to demonstrate to them the importance of service and equality. I felt this was a perfect correlation to education, because of its connection to teaching students about social issues, instead of merely course content. And effective teacher is able to do both. This event helped me understand what this looks like and how I can accomplish it.

The college path is not the only one

While up in the Technician's newsroom Tuesday night, the Editor-in-Chief was explaining to me an opinion column he was writing about Gov. McCrory's first piece of legislation about Career and Technical education.  Well let's just say me and him tend to disagree, especially when it comes to education. And with this new legislation, more emphasis is being place on vocational education. Here's the link to my opinion piece on "The college path is not the only one."

Here is the same column on Technician's Huffington Post's blog.