A College State-of-Mind

As a kid, I used to live right across the street from my elementary school and I would go over there after school and jump out of trees and swing as a high as possible on the swing set. On one of those occasions, an older, retired teacher made friendly banter about my fifth-grade teacher and said to me: "you know, Mrs. W has a degree in physics." I was simply astonished. How could this possibly be that my teacher went to college, graduated and has a degree in an otherwise male-dominated field? At the time, I had no idea that sciences were mostly male-dominated. But, I knew deep-down they were (I could just feel it, but this is a subject for another post).

It didn't occur to me that my teachers could have gone to college. And at that time, I simply knew no one who had graduated from college.

My dad always asked me what university I wanted to attend and I would tell him "YALE!!" without knowing the implications of the admission process. For him, college wasn't a possibility, it was a requirement. It wasn't if I go, but where I go.

Over the course of my education, I heard this whole college thing over-and-over. But, it wasn't made real until my high school teachers talked about their time at a university.

And that's why it's important to have a college-minded atmosphere at school. We sport our college pennants at our desk, decorate with our mascot and talk openly about our university experience. We even have friendly rivalry between teachers and their schools.

Check out the lovely anteater mascot decorating my student of the month on the Student of the Month wall!

I may be the only person my student knows who went to college. Or I may be one of a hundred that my student knows. But, little things like setting a college state-of-mind may just pay off in the long run.

What do you think about setting a college state-of-mind for your students? What would you do at your school? Share your advice in the comments below!

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Collaboration in Independent Study???

Yes, it's entirely possible to have student work together in a group setting while still doing independent studies.

I've been hosting workshops for English Learners. They are weekly and students can sit in class and get one-on-one help with me while they get through their packet of work. This has been really great for a lot of reasons:

1.  They learn time management: students learn that if they utilize the entire workshop time, they get as much of my undivided attention as possible.
2. I teach them study skills: I had a student read a short story and I said I would check on her in five minutes. Imagine my surprise when she read the entire short story ALREADY!! This story wasn't short enough for it to be read in its entirety in just five minutes (believe me, I've tried). So, I asked her key questions about what happened at certain parts of the story. She had no clue. This was a teachable moment and we sat together and read the story. I showed her how to skim and scan and take annotative notes. 
3. They work at a pace that works for their skills: just like they're promised in independent studies, students set a reasonable goal for finishing their work and I help them set that goal, as well.
4. They can collaborate with their peers: students started off together on the same credit packets. Because of that, I was able to group them during workshops. This has been very helpful because students can make friends and they can bounce ideas off of each other.

 What do you think? Think you may want to try workshops for your students? What would you try? Let me know in the comments section!

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You Earn a Gold Star!

Ever since I started working in Independent Studies, I have wanted to implement a spirit of competition for my students. Every student needs to be a little competitive. Competition is what keeps kids on their toes, motivated and goal-oriented.

One way I've wanted to do this is to have students see how they relate to their fellow peers when it comes to credit completion. Unfortunately, I was often told it wasn't a good idea to--essentially--keep a scoreboard. I was told students might end up feeling bad about themselves, they might have major medical or psychological issues that keep them from coming in and therefore keeps them from turning in credits. Lastly, I was told that I can't really have a lot of stuff on or around my desk.

But, I think times are a' changin' at my school because I've implemented a Credit Tracker scoreboard!

I've displayed it for all my students to see. I even got some gold stars for them to use! Here's how it works and how it has worked for my students so far:

• When a student completes a credit, I let them know their grade and then keep all gold stars visible. They put the gold star by their names themselves. 
• It doesn't have to be gold stars, it could be My Little Pony stickers, too.
• Students ask: "where's my gold star?" and have even set goals to beat other students' credits, too.

The Credit Tracker scoreboard

 What do you think? Would you want to try this with your students? 

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Why Reaffirming Goals Works!

So, here's the deal about those goal letters: I was kind of --maybe just maybe --was a goal voyeur. Yup, I peeked at their goal letters before I sealed them and now I know my students' goals. Now, I have the task of reminding them constantly.

Of course, I have to remind them in ways that are sneaky. So, every first week of the learning period, I casually write on their academic plan (a paper defining their monthly progress) goals they can achieve for the month or reminders and words of encouragement. 

We will see how it goes, but so far, students have taken as much liking to it as any student would: with a very meh attitude. Of course, this is on the outside, so maybe on this inside they're happy someone reminds and encourages them of their progress.

In the meantime, I'm thinking about establishing other progress activities. For example, I can make a very large board with my students' names. Each time they earn a credit, they can a put a gold star by their name. It may just instill the spirit of competition. They may also see they're not alone in the progress they're making. 

What do you think? Do you think reaffirming goals works? Let me know in the comments section below!

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3 Ways to Close Out Your School Year Right!

If you're an Independent Studies teacher, chances are your school doesn't close during summer.

While Independent Studies may not be traditional, there is still an "end-of-the-year." Your students may graduate, transfer back to a traditional school or may just need the closure to the school year that summer time brings.

A great way to close out the school year for graduates is to discuss their short and long-term goals before they leave. You can also extend the offer to help them with questions/homework, etc. if they go off to college. Sometimes students need that transition.

You can also revisit goals they accomplished or didn't accomplish over the course of the school year. Remind them that this is a new school year and that they can also complete those goals and make new ones.

And my personal favorite: have your continuing students write a new school year letter to themselves. In this letter, have them address it to themselves. They can talk about what they would like to see/do in the new year and goals they want to accomplish. Seal it in an envelope and give it to your student at the end of the year or if they're having a hard time getting into school during the school year. This can be the confidence boost they need to work hard and stay motivated!

What would you like to add to this list?

The Power of Rewording "No"

The other day, I emailed a student about her schedule for state testing.

The truth is: no one likes state testing. But, everyone in school has to do it. Failure to do so can land us all in hot water. So, our school stresses attendance. It is very verY VERY important that our students attend the state testing.

Now, one thing you want to remember as an Independent Studies teacher is that there is more than one way to communicate with your student and that you need to communicate events more than once. There's email, phone, google voice, google voice text, batman signal...You get the gist. You do this to CYA and because students forget stuff all the time. Brains suck sometimes and we've all been there when we forget something very important.

So, I had a student with whom I communicated via email who stated that she was going to be late to one of her state tests. I told her: "no" and "you will need to reschedule with your previous engagement and let them know you have to take this test."


Boy, did I feel like a jerk after that email. She's a good student and she tries very hard to balance her schoolwork with her personal life.

What I should have done was reworded my "No" to her. I could have asked: "Is there any way you can reschedule with your other engagement?" and "Can you tell them that this test is really important for graduating?" By asking her, I put the responsibility back into her hands. Now, not only does she understand I care about her future by saying this test is necessary to graduate, I also show her that she should care about her future. 

Always frame your interactions in a positive light. Some of your students have heard no all their lives. You can change their responses to you and to others by being positive. It's time they take accountability and responsibility for their future while you guide them along their way.

What are some positive phrases and interactions you have used with your students?

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Going out of Town? Try a Contest!

In celebration of the upcoming Memorial Day's long travel weekend, enjoy this post about keeping your students on track to graduate with contests!

My husband and I love to travel (30 countries and counting!). Since I teach in an Independent Studies environment, I don't get summer breaks like in a traditional school. So we do have to modify our time by taking advantage of my school's limited week-long winter, spring and summer breaks. Sometimes this means I'll be away, but my students will still be attending school.

You ever heard of the saying:

"When the cat is away, the mice will play"?

Sometimes that situation happens. I'm simply not around so students mistakenly think they don't have to come in or they take advantage of the situation.

This isn't a detriment for me, though. It's a detriment for students. They end up slowing down their pace towards graduation and time lost can really add up. 

If I know I'm going to be away, I conduct contests. You can do contests any time of the year. You can conduct contests if you:

• are going to be away for a long period of time.
• at the start of the new school year to set the tone of the class.
• when you know school attendance will be slow (April, January or October tend to be my slowest school periods).

I give students at least two weeks heads up by sending out flyers, email blasts and telling them in person. I give a definitive start and end date and requirements they need to meet, like completing 8 credits a learning period or attending all school appointments on time. 

One of my favorites is a contest competition against themselves: If my students can complete a minimum of 8 credits, they win automatically. 

While I'm out of town, I pick up some school-related souvenirs, like notebooks, erasers, pencil sharpeners, cool notepads. All of these souvenirs represent the country I visited.

Contests don't always have to be for when you're out of town. You can use it to instill some joy in your class any time!

What contests or other positive reinforcements can you do to get your students involved? Let me know in the comments section below!

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