Nonmarketable Skills of Teachers

Education is a tough field.  You learn a lot, every day, and you've never really mastered it.  There are certainly some resume-worthy skills that you develop in classroom management, curriculum development, and so on...but this post is devoted to the ones that are highly important within the field, but will never make the resume.

• Making really, really straight lines -- either drawing them, or with tape.
• Sharpening pencils with remarkable speed.
• Removing staples from bulletin boards with fingernails and sheer will.
• On that note, bulletin board design.
• Super fast counting...between prepping materials (math manipulatives?  yikes!) and head counts, you get plenty of practice.
• Freehand writing in a variety of fonts - neat printing, neat cursive, block letters, bubble letters, we do it all.  And on a variety of surfaces!
• Techniques for extending the life of whiteboard markers.

Teachers, let's hear it - what skills have your time in the classroom given you that you can never use to your advantage in a job interview?

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Currently reading:  after my marathon 14 books during vacation, I'm between books!
Current high:  off to a physical theatre workshop tomorrow with SW - stay tuned for a follow-up post
Current low: overwhelmed by being back in the role of directing, designing, managing, AND producing a single show - I miss my awesome production teams!

An Ode To Shoelessness

SW and I both have a no-shoes policy in our drama studios.  It began with her class last year being in a room with a marley floor which she wanted to maintain - so of course, no outside shoes.  But this year, both of us have carpeted spaces, and I have committed to the no shoe policy.  And let me tell you - I love it.  Here's a few reasons why I firmly believe in taking off shoes before coming into drama.

• Routine.  By taking off their shoes as they enter the space, students are making a physical shift.  This can also help them make the mental shift to being in a space for imagination, creativity, exploration, and play.
• Hygiene.  My room has absolutely no furniture in it other than my desk chair (which I would change out for an exercise ball in a heartbeat).  As such, we spend a lot of time sitting on the floor, crawling, and rolling around.  I would prefer not to have outside yuck all over the carpet (which is fortunately vacuumed daily - thank you, cleaning staff!).
• Grounding.  With shoes off, I feel more connected to the earth.  I can feel the way my feet settle into the floor as I stand and roll from heel to toe as I step.  It's easier to plant myself, stand tall, walk confident.
• Character.  Building upon that - shoes give you character.  The way I feel when I wear my Toms is very different from the way I feel in my bad-bitch-in-charge boots is very different from the way I feel with my running shoes on.  They change the way I move, they change my attitude.  This is even more true for actors - putting on the costume shoes of your character settles you into their personality.
• Stress.  My friend RC is a fantastic director, and I stage managed her shows throughout college.  Before every rehearsal she would take off her shoes.  "You release stress through your feet," she told me.
• Comfort.  A personal benefit for the teacher - I can wear shoes that are cute but not super comfortable or practical for teaching, because I'll take them off as soon as I walk into my room.  I only need them for the walk to and from school and quick jaunts around.  Plus my shoes hold up better and last longer!

But of course, as with all things, there are a few complications.

• Timing.  Ever try to see how long it takes for 20 four-year-olds to take their shoes off and - better yet - put them back on?  Oof.  Particularly with the really little ones, try to have a teacher or two on hand at the beginning and end of class to help with shoelaces and getting shoes on the correct feet.
• Emergencies.  I remember when I was in elementary school, that was the reason always cited for needing to keep our shoes on.  If there's a fire drill in January and you've got a class full of unshod kiddos, be prepared to have them grab their shoes and walk.
• Storage.  This is a problem SW is having at current.  In my Village School classroom, I am lucky enough to have rows of built-in cubbies in which the students can store shoes, socks, water bottles, and jackets.  Without the lockers she requested, SW is having trouble finding a tidy place for 18 pairs of shoes.

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Currently reading:  Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman - first read of the newly founded faculty book club!
Current high:  it's Friday and T-2 days to Cebu!
Current low:  a verrrrrry sleepy week...but kiddos' energy will pick me back up :)

This I Believe

My school uses a web service for faculty goal setting, which my principal uses to guide semi-annual meetings with all Village School faculty.  In addition to our three to four goals for the year (more on that later), we are also to include...

• personal and professional accomplishments (the hardest one for me - suggestions welcome, y'all)
• five words which we use to describe ourselves (passionate, reflective, loving, justice-oriented, and driven)
• a personal narrative

The prompt for the narrative is to "give the reader insight as to what you believe, why you chose education, and where you are or where you aspire to be on your professional journey."  This is really only shared with Ms. W, but as I revised my statement from the 2013-2014 school year, I realized I wanted to share it here as well.

You all know just how much I love reflection, so here goes...
For years, I have found myself at my happiest when I am with children.  In high school, I came home from babysitting jobs beaming with delight.  Even in my deepest depressions, spending time with kids was one of the few things that could pull me out of it.  Spending my days with students is an immense privilege.  Building relationships with them and then using that camaraderie to establish a learning community fills my heart with unspeakable joy.
One of the things that I value most highly in my own educational philosophy is recognizing the whole child.  I strongly believe in taking time whenever possible to talk to my students as people, learning about their lives, their families, their likes and dislikes, their dreams and goals.  My favourite moments with students are often chatting or being silly during lunch or recess, and my genuine interest in their lives leads to an open and trusting relationship.  With this insight, I can be a better teacher to them academically, socially, and emotionally.  I want to empower my students to follow their passions, stand up for what is right, and make their voices heard.
As an educator, I am motivated by my constant desire for self-improvement, always wanting to do a little bit better than the time before.  Reflective practice was highly encouraged in my teacher preparation program, and it has become deeply ingrained in the way that I teach and live.  As I implement a lesson, I am constantly adapting and considering how I could do things differently next time to be more effective or engaging.  Teaching has also been very humbling for me and is helping me with my tendency toward perfectionism; the perfect is the enemy of the good, and in teaching, there is no "perfect."
I believe that learning is most effective when students feel safe in their learning environment and engaged by the subject material.  In my first full year of teaching, I felt that creating a safe environment with solid student-teacher relationships was a strength of mine.  Now as a specialist, I feel with more conviction than ever that the material needs to "grab students by their brains," so to speak.  I hope that "future me" will be a confident, loving, and passionate educator who is constantly open to learning new things from her students and colleagues alike.
I have no idea where my journey as a teacher will take me, but I am always looking to challenge myself.  In stepping into my role as VS drama specialist for this year, I am in completely uncharted territory.  I am creating a program for which I have never seen or experienced a model; I have no idea what an elementary drama classroom or program looks like other than the one my students and I are creating.  While that is in turns overwhelming, scary, and exhausting - it is also exhilarating.  I am so excited to collaborate with homeroom teachers, other arts specialists, and the MS/US drama program to lay the foundation for a truly dynamic program.  I hope to help students explore a mode of self-expression they had not known before; find or build a new confidence; and possibly discover a new passion.

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Currently reading:  From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
Current high:  four more school days until vacation, six days until Cebu!  I swear, we are going to paradise
Current low:  dwelling overmuch on a future over which I have only so much control