Everyday Lessons
  • Welcome
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • For Teachers
    • Start Here >
      • Literate
      • Numerate
      • Curious
      • Kind
      • Healthy
      • Technology in the Classroom >
        • Digital & Media Literacy
  • For Parents
    • Learning At Home
    • Great Apps & Websites
    • Help! My Child is Struggling in School >
      • First Steps to Take When Your Child is Struggling
  • Book Reviews

#IMWAYR - Helping All Students succeed

11/27/2017

0 Comments

 
This time of year can be tough, for kids and teachers. As the end of term approaches expectations increase, workload is high and patience is short. Up here in the Great White North, it's often dark when we leave for work and dark when we come home; it's cold and snowy and everything - from getting dressed to starting the car - requires one extra step (or 5 - coats, snowpants, mitts, toques, boots...so.much.clothing). All of this comes together to equal the perfect storm of stress and pressure for all of us. This is the time of year when kids with challenging behaviours flare and teachers have less patience for their antics. So, what's a support teacher to do? Read, of course!
Picture
This week for IMWAYR I wanted to share two books I have been (slowly) making my way through in an effort to find ways to support some of our struggling students. They have both caused me to think deeply about my practices, my beliefs and the alignment between the two. They also have me pondering ways we can change our support systems as whole to ensure success for all students.
Picture
Children Who Fail at School But Succeed At Life: Lessons from Lives Well-Lived - Mark Katz - The title of this book grabbed me right away. I have always felt that educators revert to a doom and gloom, they're never going to make anything of themselves attitude towards students who struggle in school (which makes me so sad, but sometimes their struggles are so great that it is hard to see beyond the present moment). This book tells the story of these kids once they leave school and make their way in the real world. Katz shares 5 "erroneous perceptions" that are at once so obvious and so ingrained that you realize how much of an obstacle they present to changing out mindset around struggling learners. It also presents different ways that we can support students so that they are successful earlier (my favourite suggestion? More labels. We need to outweigh the negative labels - learning disability, behaviour problem, etc. - with positive ones - leader, friend, coder, artist, etc.). It isn't an easy read; although Katz aims for a conversational tone he often ends up striking a much more academic one. The case studies are fantastic however and the book is rich with ways to support our students on their paths to success. 

Picture
Lost & Found: Helping Behaviorally Challenging Students (And While You're At It, All the Others) - ​Ross W. Greene  This book is basically a roadmap for using Ross Greene's Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) method in schools. This method resonates with me on so many levels, so beginning to explore and implement it via this book has been wonderful. It is an easier read than Katz's book but is still so information-dense that I am finding I need to read it in chunks, practice a bit and then come back to it. The case studies and examples are extremely helpful and there are really nice chapter summaries at the end. I have always believed in involving kids in discussions about their behaviour, working with them to find solutions that are meaningful and mutually agreed upon. This book not only affirms that belief but gives me a way to structure it to be most successful (feel like I've used that word a lot!).  

Both of these books are the types of books that I wish I could distill and make sure everyone knew and understood what they were all about. The next best thing is to share them here so that more people know about them, read them and begin to shift there thinking!
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome!

    I'm Bryn, teacher, mom, book lover, athlete. I am passionate about living life with my family, teaching and learning something new all the time. I hope you find something that speaks to you here on my blog and would love to hear from you too!

    Categories

    All
    30 Day Challenge
    Boys
    Close Reading
    Collaboration
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Daily 5
    Early Literacy
    For Parents
    For Teachers
    Freebies
    French Immersion
    Global Issues
    Goal Setting
    Holidays
    Homework
    IMWAYR
    Interactive Notebooks
    Kindergarten
    Learning At Home
    Lit Pit
    Math
    Mentorship
    Middle
    Motivation
    Organizing Your Classroom
    Perspective
    Primary
    Professional Development
    Provocations
    Racism
    Reading
    Reflective Teaching
    SEL
    Teachers Pay Teachers
    Teaching Mantras
    Technology
    The Importance Of Language
    The Newness Of It All
    Tough Conversations
    University Courses
    Writing

    Archives

    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    October 2013

    Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth - TeachersPayTeachers.com

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from verchmarco (CC BY 2.0), alex_why, wuestenigel, s.schmitz, mrkrndvs, Sean MacEntee, rweait-osm, hstower, wuestenigel, MPD01605, grongar, momsworking01, wwarby, William Hook, CJS*64, mrsdkrebs, Brett Jordan, Wade Rockett, quinn.anya, Infomastern, debaird™, ksunderman, csakkarin, verchmarco, Neil Tackaberry, John Brighenti, Free For Commercial Use (FFC), mikecogh, simplyalex, smaedli, TomMartinArt, Wonder woman0731
  • Welcome
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • For Teachers
    • Start Here >
      • Literate
      • Numerate
      • Curious
      • Kind
      • Healthy
      • Technology in the Classroom >
        • Digital & Media Literacy
  • For Parents
    • Learning At Home
    • Great Apps & Websites
    • Help! My Child is Struggling in School >
      • First Steps to Take When Your Child is Struggling
  • Book Reviews