Friday Two Cents: Organizational Skills Need to be Taught

In the course of my readings, I came across an article that at first made me upset with the state of my home city Toronto, but then I started laughing and thinking this issue is only a continuation of the inept management and lack of organizational skills with the city.  

The article was in the Toronto Star which compared the time it took to complete other man-made structures and achievements to the Eglington LRT (light rail transit).  The LTR is a light rail system that travels the length of Eglington Ave for 19 km, with 25 stations along its path.  The project was started in 2011 and was supposed to have been finished in 2020.  I say supposed to because there has been over cost, construction, timing and legal issues that has pushed the completion date to who knows when.  

Just this past May, the transit commission will not be opening the system this year and maybe not until 2024 or 2025 sighting construction problems and miscommunication to blame. With them reporting the delay, my rage and frustration with the system and the city started rising.  Yet the article went on to site other projects that were much larger in scale and their time line to completion and that made me laugh but also think about the reasons behind the delays.

Here is a quick list.  

The CN Tower — 3 years

The Canadian Pacific Railway — 4 years

Hadrian’s Wall — 4 years

The Hoover Dam — 5 years

The development of the nuclear bomb — 6 years 

The Channel Tunnel — 6 years 

Landing a man on there moon — 8 years

The Roman Colosseum — 8 years

The Panama Canal — 10 years

The 407 Highway in Ontario — 10 years

The Eglington LRT — 12 years +?

Looking at this list made me realize that things do get done but only if people are organized and focused on the goal.  On many occasions I have given my students assignments and I would say about 10% of the work did not get done on time or at all.  In most of those cases a lack of organization was a big factor.  

This article has taught me that organizational skills is not something many people have.  It is a skill like any other that needs to be taught and nurtured.  A lesson I will bring to the classroom, with many own lessons this coming year.  

Friday Two Cents: 150 Classes And Counting

With the start of a new month comes new opportunities, yet it is by reflecting that we allow ourselves to grow.  In the past few weeks, I have seen a milestone come and go with little celebration or reflection.  With testing positive for Covid and working every day as a supply teacher, I’ve had little time to take account of what has happened during my teaching career.  Today I hope to remedy that. 

Since starting work after graduating from Teachers College, I have kept track of how many different schools and classrooms I have been in, partly to help me with the taking of additional qualification course requirements, but also because when several students once asked me how many different classes I had taught, it gave me pause: I realized that I was not sure because I had been in so many classes, not only as a supply teacher, but also as an early childhood educator (ECE).  

To add some perspective, prior to starting as a supply teacher at my current school board, I worked in 62 different classes in 22 schools as a supply ECE.  During that time I earned my undergraduate degree and then my teaching qualifications before finally  being hired as an occasional/supply elementary teacher.  

This past month I hit a tremendous milestone: in early March, I worked in my 150th different class in over 30 different schools. 

I classify a different or new class as a group of students I have not taught that school year.  I may have seen them or supplied for the teacher in previous years, but the students’ personalities change from one year to the next and thereby alters the classroom dynamics.  In some cases, I have been in 14 to 18 different classes at the same school, and I have even had the good fortune of filling in for several French Immersion teachers. 

Below, I have created a logo of a blue silhouette male teacher holding the hands of two students.  Each of these silhouettes represent a different class I have worked with.  On the top left side, I placed the grade or subject I was teaching, and on the right side the calendar year I was in that class. The font is unique to a different school year: for example, Helvetica was exclusively used for 2018-2019.  The French immersion classes are represented with a white fleur-de-lis on the chest because the majority of the classes I work with are English.  Directly beneath the logo you can see a tally chart of all the 150 classes over the years.  The 25^th is shaded in silver and the 50^th is in gold, and other milestone numbers are also represented.  As well, the logos that have a black box around them is the first class I was in for that school year.

150 Different classes and counting.

Reflecting back on these past few years, I can safely say one thing for certain: kids are kids no matter where you go.  They are all very curious, love to ask questions on countless topics of interest, and they are not shy to ask about my life as well. They all enjoyed my drawings and other creative work, as well as doing art with me, and of course all love my puppet George and his other puppet friends.  There are classes I return where the first words out of the students’ mouths is to ask if I have brought George.  

The one thing I can truly say is that I enjoy helping them discover new and wonderful things, from basic subject matters like math and language to inquiry about numerous topics such as dinosaurs. Their curiosity is endless as is my joy in being with them.  

Friday Two Cents: I’m Here For You

The word or phrase that best epitomizes this past school year for educators is …  

Isolation.

i·so·la·tion | ˌīsəˈlāSH(ə)n |

noun

the process or fact of isolating or being isolated: 

PHRASES

in isolation

without relation to other people or things; 

‘The worst cruelty that can be inflicted on a human being is isolation.’ Sukarno

‘We don’t function well as human beings when we’re in isolation.’

Robert Zemeckis

‘Solitude, isolation, are painful things and beyond human endurance.’ Jules Verne

Looking back at the past school year, the phrase “in isolation” best embodies the feelings I and many of my colleagues have felt.

When you are in a normal school environment, you have the collective support of the staff to help you, both academically with the curriculum, and emotionally and mentally with difficult situations.  During the day, you may see or interact with other educators and have opportunities for mutual support.  When you are in a virtual classroom, you are on your own.

Educators need support because of the constant attacks from government officials and relentless criticism in mainstream and social media about how poorly educators do their jobs.  Politicians praise themselves for work and tasks undertaken by educators on the front lines instead of praising those doing the heavy lifting. They don’t offer extra support or resources, and instead tell tired staff to feel grateful that they have a job and to stop complaining.

One of the greatest failures of support was with the technology itself.  While many educators and students received computers for the virtual school, no one taught them on how to use it.  

In many instances, the learning curve for new technology is one year; however, the ministry expected everyone to be ready at a push of a button, which was a huge challenge for many. I cannot tell you how many times I had to help colleagues and students trouble-shoot so they could navigate the software or use the keyboard.

First Day as an occasional teacher/educator (OT)

Living and working in isolation was and is a difficult task that I would characterize as cruel punishment both for educators and students, something any civilized society would look down upon.  Yet educators are continually harassed, belittled to the point of being bullied by politicians, the media, and the public for doing their jobs under such difficult circumstances.

This past year, I taught every day for the first time since I became an occasional teacher/educator.  My experience was difficult, scary, and wonderful all at the same time.  My observations of others was more educational: I have always believed that humans are social creatures, and what I have seen this past year has reaffirmed that belief.  We educators are a tremendously strong and compassionate group, and we support students and parents at the best and worst of times. Now it is time to turn inward and support each other.  Only an educator understands what another educator has gone through.  We do not need to live in isolation.  All we need is another educator to talk to.  Educators, colleagues, I’m here for you.  

Friday Two Cents: An Entertaining Distraction.

‘Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.’ Auguste Rodin

For many teachers, students, and parents, the past six weeks of virtual learning were a rollercoaster ride of emotions. For everyone there was the excitement of starting a new year online, but then the stress-filled reality set in. For the students, it meant not seeing or interacting with their friends.  Parents found it difficult to oversee their children’s learning habits while juggling their own responsibilities.  Then there were the teachers working 12-14 hours on top of the regular school hours to provide lesson plans.  

And then when nerves were about to break, the news came out that everyone would be returning to in-class learning this week.  Many people, if not the majority of them, looked forward to it, myself included.

This was the first week of in-class learning in the Toronto region for 2021 and the continuation of the school year that started in September of 2020, yet in reality it felt like déjà vu.  I went into school ready to teach music, but it was like I was starting from scratch again with the students.  I thought I could move forward with the new things I had taught in the virtual class, but I discovered that many had forgotten, or more accurately, had not paid attention while in virtual school.  I had to go back to what I was teaching before the lockdown to refresh their memories.

I should not be that surprised: on many occasions, I noticed many students would turn off their cameras and I would not know if they actually participated in the lesson.  Or when I tried to engage them in some music and movement, the same thing would happen, and at times it seemed that I was the only one doing the movement.  In class, I brought out the same activities that I had just used the week before to continue the learning, but many did not know what to do or they did not do it.  I thought to myself, “Ahh, you cannot turn off your cameras now.  You have no choice but to do the activity.”  It felt like September all over again.

Upon reflecting over this week’s discovery, it only strengthened my belief that online learning for younger students from kindergarten to grade 3 is not a good idea.  Even for grades 4 and 5, it was a bit of a stretch.  Putting aside the fact that teaching performance art forms like music, dance, and drama are extremely difficult in a normal class setting, once you place it in a virtual environment it becomes next to impossible.  

How can teachers assess a student’s performance if they cannot see them? Or if they say they can do the music pattern online, but once in class, they say they’ve forgotten what it was not one week after performing it?

I believe this virtual school has been a tremendous learning curve for the students, a test of patience for the parents, and an experience in futility for the educators.  For all the effort and work put into the lessons by the teachers, some 4 to 6 hours per lesson and the time spent helping their students, the net results are minuscule to non-existent.

That said, these past weeks in virtual school were not a total loss.  I believe that we as a society have learned something valuable.

…

Virtual learning for younger children has as much value as a television show: an entertaining distraction.  

Friday Two Cents: All the Classroom’s a Stage

‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts,’ WilliamShakespeare

Or is it …     “one teacher in his time plays many parts.” 

For the past few months I have engaged in an adventure of working as a music teacher within a long-term teaching position.  As a regular supply teacher at the school, I am very familiar with the staff, school community, and students.  The position is challenging but with my music and art background to help me, I am finding it quite rewarding.

In the past month though, I have undertaken the new responsibility of teaching music virtually.  This job is hard enough in the middle of a pandemic with all the restrictions, but now I have to continue doing it online, within a virtual classroom setting.  Yet after some bumpy days trying to get the students familiar with the technology and coming up with a program, I have settled into a comfortable routine.  

This past week though, a comment from the students made me stop and think.  They said, “Wow Mr G, you’re like a talkshow host.  I feel like I am listening to a show. You should be an actor on a show.”  I took it as a compliment but that made me wonder about my teaching style and how am I getting my message across.  

During this entire virtual experience, I have been receiving compliments from staff, students, and parents on my enthusiasm and energy.  I am normally a very animated person, and I guess this part of my personality is coming across more on the screen.  I regularly change the tone of my voice or use different vocal expressions and accents to help sing/chant songs with my puppets. With the older students, I use it to peak their interest and engage them with the different lessons.  I have used a variety of music to help get my point across in my instruction or to stimulate different thinking.  I have even used movement and music to help get the students to understand rhythm and patterns.  But I had not seen myself as a entertainer.  

I reflected a long time about what the student said.  Am I an entertainer?  I did notice that at the beginning of the virtual experience, the students were engaged in what was happening and I think they were excited by the new format.  But by the third week, their attention was beginning to drift and I was beginning to question if they were getting anything out of this.  

I noticed I started using other strategies to help keep them attentive: using a piece of music to introduce our class, smiling and using more voice inflections and impressions, and cracking a joke or two during the lesson.  I even turned a weekly online quiz into a fun competition or event with music and, dare I say, showmanship to help them learn about different composers.  What I realized was that these little things worked.  The students were more involved, and they were doing the actions, patterning, and songs.  

In the classroom, I would use these strategies but they were not so pronounced.  It seems that within this virtual setting, I had to use the skills I learned from my drama and musical performance background to deliver the lessons in a more entertaining way.  

Perhaps with this remote learning environment, this quote truly rings through for many teachers.  

‘Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre.’ Gail Godwin

Friday Two Cents: It Came From A Dream

‘The interpretation of dreams is a great art.’ Paracelsus

 For most of the pandemic I have been quite busy trying to maintain a routine with my many activities and interests. However, this past week I had a most interesting dream.  It made me reflect on myself and how I am coping with the pandemic.  I for one look at dreams as a window into your subconscious mind; there, you think and imagine the endless possibilities of life.  

Well, in my dream I saw myself interacting with a woman I knew from my past at a party.  We were having a wonderful conversation and I had the feeling that we were attracted to one another.  I also saw people around us that we both knew looking at us.  I could see in their facial expressions that they looked happy at our interactions.  Our flirtations and conversation continued until I finally woke up.  

The surprising thing is that this woman and I knew each other for years, but never got together.  There was some mutual attraction between us but it never panned out and we stayed friends for many years after.  Yet the feelings I felt for her during the dream was very familiar; it was not a regret of not getting together, but a feeling of excitement when you get to know a new person.  It was as if I was meeting a new person on a first encounter.  You know that excitement of looking into the other person’s eyes and wanting to absorb every detail you see, concentrating on the words she is saying, taking in the smells of the environment around you, and even feeling the cold glass and tasting the liquid inside.  Every sense is active and alive as you enjoy the moment.  In fact, the entire dream was about me getting to know this person for the first time.  It was exciting and I could feel my energy levels increase.  In truth, I was very active the next couple of days following the dream.  

The experience was so real and that I thought about it for several days.  During that time I reflected on its deeper meaning and came up with an interesting realization: the fact that I felt no regret about not having or trying to initiate a relationship with this woman brings me to believe that this was not the dream’s intent.  The feelings of excitement when talking to her and the enhanced sensory inputs makes me believe that this has everything to do with human interaction, or in my present situation, the lack of it.  

I have always had an extroverted personality.  I do enjoy being alone and there are times when I seek solitude to help me focus on my art or some other endeavour.  But for the most part, I gain energy and joy when I interact with others, especially when I have the opportunity to get to know someone on a personal level, such as a first encounter.  I find it exhilarating, and all my senses are magnified and focused on that one thing or person.  

That is probably why I love being a teacher.  I get to interact with many adults and children and that interaction invigorates me.  I love being with people, yet due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have lost that connection.  I have been extremely fortunate to have my family and friends nearby.  I have talked and texted with them on many occasions.  I am grateful to them all and I count myself lucky to have them.  But not until I had this dream did I truly realize how much I miss teaching and interacting in person with my colleagues, parents, and students on a one-on-one basis.    

Being with people recharges my batteries, so to speak, even though the interactions may be taxing at times, I find that I have the strength to power through, and in the end, I enjoy our interactions.   

This pandemic has given me something that I needed but was lacking.  Time.  Time to work on my art, to do some self reflect and to focus on what is important in life.   I know now that being with people, or more importantly, interacting and helping others is what I am here to do.  A realization that came from a dream.  

It Came From A Dream

Comic Strips: Complain, Complain, Complain

 Being a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions.  Creating my comic strip entitled The Craziest Things is one of them.  The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students.  I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on those situations and thus The Craziest Things was born.  

Going back to work or school after winter break is difficult for many people.  Yet many look forward to getting back into a routine.  For some there are other reasons. 

I find it fascinating how parents underestimate their influence on their children.  Many think that playing with them, helping them with their homework or directly spending time with them is the only direct influence they have on them.  Yet it’s the times that they do not that might have the most influence.  Parents are always surprised at how much their children pick up when they think that they are not listening.  I have seen this in many classrooms.  You can tell right away when the students are talking about something in the real world, that there might be a parental influence there.  

I hope you enjoy January’s The Craziest Things: Complain, Complain, Complain.

Friday Two Cents: Small Contributions Bring Great Rewards

I had the opportunity to be part of a class’s expiration into the print media.  The regular teacher was doing an activity with the students on creating their own newspaper.  They would be creating the articles for the paper and a parent would be putting it together for them.  Yet the teacher asked me to create something unique for the paper.  She asked me to create a comic that highlighted the creative process the students went though to create their articles.  

I was flattered and I agreed right away.  It would be a great opportunity for me to help the students’ learning and to create an original art piece for the students to enjoy.  I told the teacher I could create a different comic for each stage of the process with a little humour thrown in.  

Below are the four stages the students went through …

Students working on together to create their interview questions.

The students interviewing a person. 

The students on a computer typing out their article from the information thy gathered in the interview.  

Finally the students reading their finished articles int he newspaper that they helped to create.

Once I got the four stages I went about creating a little comic for each.  I decided to create two students that I would use for each stage.  I started thinking like the students and how they would feel and from what I have observed, how would they react to the assignment.  After that, the words and characters came to life on the paper.  The teacher and parent volunteer loved them and were grateful for the creative and funny addition to the students work.  As well as the students.  I told them I was flattered to be asked and to help the students in their expiration and learning, even in a small way.  

You can see the final comics below.  

• 

  Stage 1

• 

  Stage 2

• 

  Stage 3

• 

  Stage 4

That’s what I love about teaching.  No matter how small your contribution is to the students learning, the greater the positive rewards are for all involved.  Even for me.  

Friday Two Cents: The Teaching Iceberg

With the ongoing dispute between the government and teachers, I have been hearing more and more people weighing in on the current situation.  Yet I have heard many people are continuing to spout the usual negative view of teachers.  “Oh what do they have to complain about. They have paid vacations, summers off and they finish work at 3 pm.”  are some of the things I hear and not only from parents and the public. Some are from my own family.  I have said many times that if only they truly knew what teaching truly entails.  

It is almost like seeing an iceberg.  What you see on top of the water is very different than what you see underneath.  This metaphor can be used in teaching.  People only see the top or what is in front of them, they never see underneath or what is behind the senses.  

Well I put my visual and graphic arts skills to work and came up with this poster.  I found many things to go underneath and I will explain them but I realize that there may be more to add. 

What people do not see about teaching …

That we are teaching life skills – we teach strategies to help the students in their daily life.   Money, time, reading, writing and many people forget this one, social skills.  Working and living with others is skill like any other.   

30+ students in one room in middle school and kindergarten classrooms – if you have ever been in a room of more that 20 people all having their own individual conversations or ways of doing something, then you know that it is not the most productive environment.  

We can make mistakes and still be good teachers – everyone makes mistakes the only thing we can do is learn from them and try not to make the same ones again.  Hmm isn’t that what we expect from our students?

That we are counsellors, confidantes and nurses – I have my first aid certification and I cannot tell you how many times a day I have to use it.  Not to mention students telling me things that they only feel comfortable telling me and not anyone else.  

We are human – yet we are expected to be super human and infallible.  

We love our students like our own – I am guilty of this.  

The biased assessments that we are required to give.  I challenge ANY politician to take the EQAO tests. – enough said.

Sports, clubs and extracurricular activities are all volunteer time – every extracurricular activity be it sports or clubs is volunteer work by the teachers. We do not get paid to these activities.  It is not part of the job description.  We do them because we want to and we want the students to learn a new skill outside the classroom and ultimately have fun doing it.   

Our “paid vacation (Summer, winter and spring break)” is actually our 9 month salary spread over 12 months.  – We are not paid for the summer, winter or spring breaks.  Our salary is spread over the 12 months.  And we supply teachers, if we don’t work, we don’t get paid.  

PA days is actually Professional Development – students are not in school but teachers are.  We have those days to learn, to be up to date in our training and professional development to better help the students.  

Grading papers on our own time – if we do not grade the work at school many bring it home and do it.  

Poverty – many teachers live in poverty.  These are some of the population who are classified as the working poor.  

The struggles of our students, some are living nightmares – if you knew what some of these students (children) have to live with, it would make you cry.  

Public scrutiny – no matter what teachers do either good or bad the public will constantly judge them.  Sometimes for something as simple as their personality or what they wear.  

The accountability – no matter what you do you are accountable the students, parents, administration and government.  

Physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents and students. – I have been and seen this everywhere I go.  Yet in other workplaces if this is happening there would be an intervention and it would stop immediately.  But teachers are expected to take it?

Helping students after school – who remembers going after school, during lunch or at recess and have the teacher help them with something.  

The hours of lesson planning – for every lesson plan it sometimes takes hours to set up and implement.  And many teachers do 4 – 6 lessons a day.  Imagine the extra time needed for all of them.  

Parent teacher conferences – we are accountable the parents and we always work around the parents schedule to met them.  

ILP meetings – Individual Lesson Plans – for students who are having difficulty, teachers create an ILP to help the students in their learning.  These take hours if not days to create and months to implement.  Imagine in a class or 20 you have 9 ILPs. I do not have to imagine because I have seen it with my own eyes.  

An iceberg.  Yes if only the public knew what it takes to be a teacher they may not complain so much.  If only.  

Comic Strips: The Policy

 Being a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions.  Creating my comic strip entitled The Craziest Things is one of them.  The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students.  I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on those situations and thus The Craziest Things was born.  

***

The “Me Too” moment came out of the entertainment industry and has grown to span the globe.  Its effects can be felt in different fields and why not in the professional sports fields such as the National Hockey League. Students today are inundated with information on every media outlet there is on the ongoing developments.  Entertainment, politics and now sports.  How far will their minds push this movement and belief.    

I hope you enjoy December’s The Craziest Things: The Policy.