4 great movies for Urban Teachers to watch on Netflix over the Winter Holiday.

Winter Holiday is a special time of the year when educators and students alike take a break from attending school in order to celebrate the holidays, rest and rejuvenate in preparation for the New Year.  Unfortunately many students go home with packets of work that they must complete and teachers carry large totes of papers and projects home vowing to get caught up on all of the work there are behind on.
Still, whether they planned to or not, many teachers find themselves in front of a TV, or a computer, vegging out and try to escape the stressors of the school year.  This is not an entirely bad thing, movies can entertain, inspire, and even educate the viewer.  So, whether for inspiration or escape, here is a list of movies that are great for urban educators to watch over the Winter Break (or anytime for that matter): 

1. Teacher of the Year - this mockumentary pokes some serious fun at the ills of the U.S. educational system by following the life of a teacher who is contemplating leaving his school for a  lobetter paying career after earning the title of “Teacher of the Year."   This film accurately depicts many of the struggles both professional and private that teachers all over the United States are facing as they try to navigate their careers.   This film is perfect for teachers who feel like they are alone in their struggle to teach in adverse conditions. 

2. American Promise - this documentary gives a thorough examination of the education of African-American boys through the story of two African-American boys who are accepted in the prestigious Dalton School in New York City. 

3. On the Way to School - this documentary follows four children from different parts of the world as they travel to school.   This film is great for students and teachers alike and can be a great teaching tool for educators.  (If you need an activity sheet to go with this film, click here.)

4. Beasts of No Nation - this controversial film depicts the life of a boy in an unnamed war-torn African country, who becomes a child soldier caught in the life of terrorism after being orphaned through the murder of his parents.   This film ends with the young man enrolled in a school for boys with his experience and it is a great reminder for educators that every student in every class has a story. 

Bonus:  Dream School - "Dream School" is not a movie, but a reality television series.   It follows 15 high school students who are not successful in the traditional learning environment so they enrolled as the first class of a "dream" school which seeks to create the optimal school experience.   Using celebrity teachers and an innovative curriculum, Dream School seeks to provide an inspirational model for transforming education, particulary for those students who are at risk for dropping out.   It is a good investment for those who have a lot of time on their hands would like to reflect on the components of a great school.   

So whether you look to reflect and refine your educational philsophy, or you are just looking for something worth spending your rare and valuable free time doing, check out these four inspirational, informative, and entertaining movies for teachers.  

2 Things Middle School students want you to know

Two Very important Things Middle School Students would tell you about themselves, if they knew themselves.

Over the years, when people ask me about my occupation the conversation has typically gone like this:  

Other Person: So, what do you do for a living?

Me: I’m a teacher.

Other Person: Wow, my hat goes off to you.  What grade do you teacher?

Me.  It varies between 7^th and 8^th grade. 

Other Person: I don’t know how you do it.  What subject do you teacher?

Me: Math

Other Person: Oh, I feel so sorry for you!

Most of the time, I find these responses funny, but when it’s a little sad when it comes from a former teacher. 

Middle School is difficult, because it’s a time of transition.  Students are going from the eager eyes of elementary school to the heavy headloads of high school.  At the same time they are changing classes their minds and bodies are changing as well.   There are hormonal changes in the brain that are signaling the body to all sorts of things from questioning authority to blooming body parts and it all happens relatively rapidly.  It’s a time when students are too big to be called little, but also to childish to be considered adults.  Balancing all the changes can be difficult for educators, parents, and students alike. 

The balancing act is particularly difficult in urban school settings where diversity of culture, poverty and lack of resources, social media, and other factors complicate that natural struggles.  In the face of so many daunting obstacles many educators are tempted

When asked, “Why did you do that?”  The typical Middle School Students responds, “I don’t know.”  It can be so frustrating to hear, but the truth is they don’t.   (Helpful tip: I have learned that that a better question to ask is “When you did that, what did you want to happen?)  After reading, “Welcome to Your Child’s brain?” and studying other texts, I have learned two key points to educating middle school students that they would tell you if they were aware and articulate enough themselves.

Understanding adolescence is critical.

The key to going from surviving to thriving in Middle Schools is understanding adolescence.  Adolescence is a critical time in a child’s life where they are developing both mentally and physically. There is no better place to observe these changes than in Middle School.  I have always enjoyed teaching Middle School because it gives me the opportunity to see kids grow and mature significantly while under my influence.  My favorite part of eight grade promotion ceremonies are the flashback photos of students in 6^th and 7^th grade.  The transformation over the course of three years is phenomenal.  During this time there are some very natural changes that occur that educators need to be aware of in order to give effective instruction.

The period of adolescences contains a host of paradoxes in the brain which make natural behaviors seem completely irrational and bizarre.  At this time, the frontal cortex of the brain which is responsible for executive functions such as predicting outcomes and controlling impulses is not fully developed, but the subcortical areas responsible for emotions is more mature.  This explains why adolescents are more likely to be impulsive, they have all the brain power needed to understand the rewards, but not enough to completely examine the risks.  Even further their brain is busy releasing hormones, dopamine, and oxytocin which explains their moodiness and unpredictability.  

Gender matters. 

At the age of three, most all children reach important milestones in their gender identity.  By age three the vast majority of children are able to identify themselves as being either a boy or a girl.  They are also most likely to develop preferences based distinctively on gender.  Regardless of their environmental conditions boys tend to choose boy-typical toys to play with such as cars and guns, and girls tend to choose girl-typical toys to play with such as dolls and tea sets.  At this age children are also most likely to prefer playing with children of their own sex. 

These facts do not tell us that male and female are destined to a particular lifestyle based on gender, but rather clue us in on the fact that there are a few distinct differences between the minds of males and females.

In school, there are a few of these differences that are likely to present themselves and impact the kind of education a student should receive.   Girls on average are less active and physically aggressive than boys and studies have shown that these differences are more likely to be from differences in hormones than differences in culture.  Girls also have better verbal and written language skills than boys on average.  Boys, however, tend to have stronger mathematical skills, probably due to the fact that males are better at visualizing object rotation better than girls. 

The fact of the matter is that males and females have small, but significant differences in their brain structure.  Obviously this has some impact on the way that they learn.  Therefore, it also has impact on the best practices for how they should be taught.  This is not argument for same sex education, but rather a plea for consideration of gender during instruction, especially when problems arise. 

How to use what you know

How can we use this information so that it improves learning for our students?  The key to effective instruction at any grade level is planning. 

In terms of behavior management, expect the unexpected.  Know that unpredictable and seemingly irrational behavior is a natural part of the middle school students’ growth and development.  Have an effective system of positive and negative consequences that encourage students to predict the consequences of their behavior and understand the risks they are taking.  Expect that when given choices, they may not make the best ones and as previously stated they may not fully understand why.

In terms of instruction, be mindful.  Girls may need more help visualizing that geometry problem.  Boys may need more time with that hand written essay.  Both genders will benefit from lessons that engage them in the world around them and allow them to ask lots of questions about themselves and their environments. 

Above all, remember Middle School is not just a period of transition, it is a period of transformation. 

Teachers Need to Take Donations

One of the many problems that I face as a teacher is a lack of resources.  Not having enough supplies will make doing any job difficult. However, since many of my students are already behind academically, not having the resources often makes me feel like I'm being asked to build bricks with no straw!  Nevertheless it's my responsiblity to ensure students learn, so I have to figure out how to keep basic supplies in my classroom.

Teachers take all kinds of approaches to this dilemna.  Some just buy their own supplies.  Which is a simple fix, but often insufficient and unsustainable.  Some just go without.  That's usually completely ineffective.   Some beg, borrow, and steal.  Most do some combination of all of the above.  My primary solution to this problem, is to regularly take donations.

Take Donations from the Strangers

There a few different easy venues that I have used to get supplies for my classroom.   The first and most popular is Donor's Choose.  Another popular place, that it is often overlooked by teachers is Craigslist.  The others are some unconventional sources that still serve well.  Both of these choices are a good option for supplementing supplies, but the combination of all of them is greater than you can imagine.  

Basically, Donor's Choose is a website that gives teacher an opportunity to write the own small grant. If you want to see their little blurp about how it all works, click here.  One of the pros of donor's choose is that you get to pick the specific supplies and other resources that  you would like to see in your classroom.  You can even pick speakers to come and talk to your students.  One of the cons is that it takes quite a bit of time to complete the entire process.  Overall, this is best way to get supplies for special projects in your classroom.

Craigslist  is on-line flea market.  Many people have already used it or at least heard of it, but most teachers don't think to used it for their classroom.  The best part about Craigslist the free section. Everyday people post items that they are giving away for free.  The greatest pro of this site is that you can get a ton of free stuff for your classroom.  The biggest con is that you will most likely have to track down the donor and coordinate pick-up yourself.  Still, I have found that this is the best place to find free office supplies and furniture.

In addition to Donor's Choose and Craigslist, teachers can use list sites such as Freecycle as Listia which focus on offering free items exclusively.

Take Donations from Parents 

Taking donations from parents requires a bit more strategy, but it usually pays off much better.  I believe that: in general, parents want what's best for their child and really want to see them be successful.  I also believe that most parents want to see their child get a good education.  I have also encountered many parents over the years with varying levels of participation and support in the classroom.  In short, they want to help, but don't know how.  The key to getting donation from parents is simply communication.

There are many parents that will explicitly say, "If you need anything.  Let me know."  That's a green light.  Be prepared to share a few examples of things that are needed in your classroom that a parent may be able to supply.  Also, don't be afraid to ask parents to volunteer in the classroom.  Time, is a precious resource and parents can often help eliminate some of the small tasks that eat up a lot of your time, such as cutting pictures and fixing furniture.
I read great article on Buzz Feed   35 Money-Saving DIYs For Teachers On A Budget.  It has great ideas for turning common household items into organizational tools for the classroom.  Asking students and parents alike to donate these supplies could be the easiest way to get parental support.

Take Donations from Students

Just before Thanksgiving Break I send home a letter to parents asking that they replenish their children's school supplies during the holidays.  In the letter, I re-list the school supplies that were requested at the beginning of the school year.  At the end of the list I added "a dime to donate classroom supplies."  I put a lot of thought into the letter and strategically send it out at a time when I think it will be the most beneficial.

Though I work in Title I school., I do know that not every child in our school is not in dire straights.  It is not uncommon to see children walking around in designer tennis shoes and carrying state of the art electronics.  Every year many of my stuents share with me some of the very expensive items they plan to receive as gifts over the holidays. In January, they often return in the finest of fashions and apparel.  I share that because it needs to be made clear that all students are differnet and many students have means of acquiring the things that they want.

The reason why a lot student don't come to schools with supplies is because they either don't want to or don't feel that they have to.  Sure, all of my students know they should bring a pencil to class, but they don't have a strong desire to ensure that it happens.  They all know that if they don't have one, I will supply them with one.  (By the way I don't give pencils to my students freely, but that's a topic for another post.)

Unfortunately many of them feel it's the teacher's responsibility to supply them with one, but that's our fault.  So many students have been given a pencil because a teacher assumed they could not afford one, or had no other means of getting one, or it just wasn't worth the effort of requiring them to bring one.  When this happens consistently students began to believe that's the role of the teacher; to give them all the supplies they need to learn.  By doing this, we train students to have an attitude of entitlement.

To combat that mentality, I started asking students for donations.  I have these small fundraisers a couple of times a year when supplies such as pencils, tissues, dry-erase markers, etc., are getting low.  I ask all the the students to donate a nominal amount (some form of change from a nickel to a quarter) and use it to replenish supplies.

The amount of money students contribute is not of importance.  The lessons of collective responsibility and self-empowerment are the true treasure.

Take Donations from Businesses

Businesses, both large and small, are great partners for all educators.  My advice to educators who are looking for donations or sponsorships is to think about which business can benefit from partnering with your school.  Ask yourself,"What can we offer them?"  Local businesses, for example can benefit from advertisement at school events since the participants are likely in their target demographic.  Corporations will likely want to a receipt for tax write-off and to be name as a sponsor on your website or print programs.  Try to make the connections between your educational institution and the business you are targeting.  For example reach out to sports teams that share the same mascot with your school.  If your school focuses on STEM, target technology firms or if your school focuses on arts, reach out to media firms.  Be creative and purposeful.

Regardless of which venue you choose, remember finding donations is all about creating connections to the community.  Build relationships with those who want to help, and communicate your needs to those who can best help.

Taking Care Every Day

I was recently at a retreat for specifically for mothers and the theme was self-care.  I found myself in the middle of a workshop saying to myself, "teachers need this."  In the business of teaching, there are a lot of demands.  Students need your attention, parents need your expertise, and administration needs your support. There are often high expectations, relatively low wages, lots of tasks and few supplies.  I often tell people that being a teacher is like being a mother, you just have to be one to understand.  Like mothers we often work for the benefit of our children and neglect ourselves.

Here's a list of 5 small ways teacher's can take care of themselves every day.

1. Take Lunch - So simple, but so hard.  By my own estimate, every day 60-80% do not take lunch during the school day. Even worse, 20-40% do not take lunch at all.  Terrible.  Make it a priority to sit down and eat your lunch.  No exceptions/excuses. 
2. Take a Walk - Most teachers walk their students through the hallways, but few just take a walk by themselves.  Every day during your planning period take a walk around your building. either inside or better yet litterally around the outside of your build if weather permits.  
3. Take a Deep Breath - Pick a point in every lesson, for you to take a deep breath.  Maybe it's just after taking attendance, while the students are completing exit tickets, or before you give student directions.  Every day, every lesson find time to take a deep breath. 
4. Take a Drink - Drinking water is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle.  My technique in the classroom is to drink a cup of water every period.  How do you say?  When students ask me for a pass to get water, I drink my cup and ask them to get me a refill while they're out.
5. Say a prayer - Every day, as soon as I enter class a say a prayer.  Here is a copy of the prayer is use it's The Calling by Roger Fields.  It has been an awesome tool in my life.  Whatever you choose, take time to do something for yourself spiritually every day. 

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This blog is for teachers in urban setting who are overworked, underpaid and often unappreciated.  It's a place to come together for support.  This is the place to talk 1 Teacher 2 Another.