Students as Teachers Global Connection Project

I like big ideas. They excite me. In planning for next year I started thinking about the possibilities and opportunities that are available now. Being a geography teacher I can't help but think about the possibilities global connections. I have done some of this the past few years with varying levels of success. In all cases I know that the students like the idea of working with students from around the world, but it is tough with time zones, scheduling, technology, and just having the right activity, among a myriad of other issues that can make it challenging. Through it all I do believe that the overall experience is valuable it's just finding the most effective way of doing it. In other words there has to be something more than just talking with students from around the world. That is fun, but loses its novelty quickly. There has to be some inherent academic purpose in connecting. I have been pondering just what that is for the past few years. Then I came upon this quote:

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” Albert Einstein

The wheels in my head started spinning and I got excited. Keeping in mind the following graphic I couldn't help but think that the academic purpose should be to have the students teach each other.


But here is the kicker: Why not connect with six/seven year olds and have my students teach them the concepts we are learning. So here is my idea, my class of 14-15 yr olds connects with a class from another state, or even country of younger students. It could be done as a mystery skype in order to introduce the different classes and then my students would have to teach some of the concepts that they are learning to the younger class. They would become guest speakers/experts for the younger class. My students would have to really know their stuff in order to teach it to the younger class. I can conceive of writing children's books or creating videos on different topics and then having them read the book/watch the videos and come up with any questions as they go along. There would be storyboarding and editing involved, class and peer reviews before attempting to teach the younger students. There are so many things you could do with this! Really the possibilities are as unlimited as your own thinking.

Instead of taking another quiz or test you would have to teach a younger class. How bout that for authentic assessment?!

Next school year will come much sooner than you know. I want to start planning for this right now. If you are interested in participating please let me know. You can leave a comment, send me an email, or reach me on Twitter @mrjfawson

I get that each school or class will be unique and come with its own set of procedures but I believe that we can make this work and not only connect, but have an extremely valuable academic experience for all involved. There is a lot more to work out, but I figured I needed to get my thoughts down as soon as I could.

End of Year Reflections and changes for next year

I started having students blog during 4th term and have decided to have them do it throughout the entire year. Basically the blog will be the their homework. They will update it weekly and get credit for their updates. I don't think I should grade the blog, just give them credit for doing it. If you have read this blog before you know that we did video zeitgeist that highlighted the major happenings worldwide throughout the year. I am going to have on entry per month in which they evaluate the current world and local events and determine which ones should be in their end of year video.

One of the final things I have students do is a final write up in which part of it is to give me feedback. One of the things I ask is what was your favorite activities/lessons/assignments. I have used the Genius Project idea for the past few years and students really like it. This year during fourth term students created a blog and then updated it weekly. Since my class is studying geography I told students they could pick anything 'geography related' for their genius project (which if they realize it, is just about anything). Their homework for the term was a weekly post, updating their findings. In the end they presented their blog and their genius project to the class during the last week of school. It was neat to see such a variety of projects from researching myths and legends from around the world to saving the great barrier reef to a history of Arabic music to the northern lights.

Here are some of their thoughts:

"My favorite assignment was the Genius Project. It let us think outside the box. I had a great time learning about my topic."

"My favorite assignment was the Genius Project. This is because it gave us an opportunity to make decisions on our own on whatever we wanted to do. You gave us total freedom...which is the best kind of homework."

"My favorite assignment was the blog. It was cool to be able to study and figure things out by yourself. Everyone picked something that reflected who they are and through it I got to know each person a little better."

"I really loved the Genius Project. I was able to write about something I was passionate about, and share my experiences with others."

"I really liked getting to pick what I was going to study and learn about. It helped keep me on top of my assignment and I feel I learned more than I would have if I chose from a list of topics."

Based on these thoughts as well as my own here are the changes I am making for the upcoming year:

Have students blog weekly through out the year for homework. Once a month on current events for Zeitgeist. Once a month for genius projects Once on what we have learned in class. With extra research on application and extension of knowledge. The other will be an open topic. 9-10 entries per term.

First week will set it up. They explain purpose of their blog and what they think geography is and what they hope to learn about during the year. They will do a term write up each term on each of topics. First few times will get lab to help them out. Periodically will get lab for same purpose.

I think creating a positive digital footprint is of utmost importance. With that in mind I am going to teach how to tag, comment, use CC pics, embed video, so that when their name is searched they have a lot of positive things to show for it.

This post if more me thinking out loud, but I welcome any suggestions of things that have worked well for you.

YouTube Video Editor the tool for end of year projects

I am a geography teacher and have been looking for a way to tie everything in that we learn about during the year into one big final project. I have always enjoyed the Zeitgeist videos that Google produces that highlight the most searched stories/events of each year. I decided to incorporate that concept into our class by having students chronicle the major current events worldwide from the start of school to the end, basically Aug-May. They had to pick events each month that they felt should be included in their final video. They needed to explain why they were choosing to highlight a particular event, what made that event more worthy to be chosen than other events. In the end they used the Video Editor to find images and video that showed their view of the past nine months of the major world, national, and local events.

There are many reasons that I think the Video Editor is worthwhile. First off the students get to create a project that they can show the world. Most projects end up being viewed by the student, parents, and teacher, maybe the class, but that is usually it. Using YouTube really does open it up to the world. Secondly students get a project that they can keep. In the past posters have been an acceptable medium, meaning as soon as project is over it goes in the garbage, plus there is only so much you can do with a poster. Next point is copyright infringement. I think the YouTube editor does a great job teaching how to be a responsible creator in digital age. Because you are limited to copyright free images, music, and videos students learn that if they are publishing worldwide they need to make sure they are following the rules. Finally and perhaps most importantly is the ability to create. I allowed my students a lot of freedom in this arena. They could add anything to their video that meant something to them which I felt was important from a creative stance as well as it meant I didn't have to watch the same video 150 times. Each one would be as unique as the students themselves. Students have really enjoyed this aspect of the video editor. They make the final call on edits, clips, and anything they put in or leave out of their video. They also love that others can see their video and they can view what the rest of the class has done. They will do a good job for you, if they know it will be published for the world to see they will make sure it's worthy of that as well.

I have included a few of the videos so you can see what students are able to produce. I consider creation the peak of critical thinking and the YouTube video editor really allows for something special.

What did you do in class? Nothing, we just took notes

One of my biggest pet peeves about much of professional development in our profession is that instructors talk about best practices and then lecture the whole time and go through a bunch of bullet points. The classic do as I say not as I do. I have considered this in my own teaching. I have realized at times I can launch into lecturer mode and students become passive learners who just write down everything on the screen or board. They are dispassionate hearers trying to determine what to write down as I move from point to point. A while back I overheard students in the hall ask what we were doing and one said, "Nothing really, we just took notes." I thought about this again and again and realized there had to be a better way. I began to consider this a put down, it became a battle cry for me to find a better way. Over the past few years in my attempt to hit at higher levels of thinking I have changed the way I do notes in my class.

I think back to when I took notes as a student and spent time writing away and not listening to what the teacher had to say. I mean who cares what is being said when there are notes to be taken? All that mattered to me then was making sure I wrote down every important thing that the teacher had put up on the board. I became a great note taker as a student, I figured out what was important, used my own system for shorthand, highlighted important details, and then forgot everything as soon as I wrote it down. It is this last thought that is the most troubling to me. As a student I took organized and well composed notes and then did little else with them. Before exams I looked through them with varying degrees of success trying to decipher why I thought these notes were so important that I had highlighted them. I had notebooks full of notes that ultimately did little more than give me reference for what I was supposed to be learning. A bunch of facts is really all notes were to me. Some useless some more important but basically just a bunch of facts that I tried to regurgitate and then forgot as quickly as I had written them down.

I don't want my students to be fact reciters that forget as soon as they recite. I want them to be critical thinkers. I changed the way I did things and have never looked back. It has made me a better instructor and my students active and critical learners. Here is the basis of what I have done:

First off I don't have my students take notes. Groundbreaking right, I will explain what they do instead.

Second I layer my lesson out and consider where to add different levels of critical thinking. There is starting point with everything where lower levels of critical thinking are essential. We can't talk about the Arab/Israeli conflict without some basic understanding of the background. Each lesson is designed to go from lower levels like knowledge and comprehension, then go to application and analysis, and then finally synthesis and evaluation. Recently there has been a shift to add creation as the top layer. This is definitely a place a try to get to with each lesson.

Third after explaining a topic I have them do something with the information. I might have them list items, draw a diagram, rank, or predict something with the information. The important thing is they don't just take notes and not use the information. They have to make sense of what we are discussing and then do something with the information. This is where you find out if they get it. If you are just having them take notes you usually accept the blank stares as understanding and move on. By having them do something you find out real quick if they got it or not.

Fourth I don't ask questions in the traditional sense. For instance there is no who, what, when, where, why, and how. I have them describe, compare, explain, categorize, defend, rank, predict, etc...

Fifth I have them share. This is where you really find out if they get it.

Finally I have them create. It might be a persuasive essay, it could be website, a video, a presentation. It can be whatever you conceive is the best way to show your mastery of the subject.

Here are some examples of going from lower level to higher level thinking and how I would design a lesson.

(We are currently studying Korea so I will use some of the material)

On your map label North and South Korea, the 38th parallel, Pyongyang, Seoul, etc...

Explain why the Korean War is considered part of the Cold War

Support or argue against the US involvement of maintaining the DMZ

Explain the hero worship of the Kim family and the effect this has on the citizens

Evaluate the effect of not having freedoms such as religion, press, and speech and how this can keep governments in power.

Compare Korea's situation to that of the US after the Civil War how are they alike/different?

Finally the build up is to have students work together and create an action plan for five scenarios(coup d'etat, mass defection, natural disaster, foreigners held hostage, and weapons of mass destruction) that the US and ROK have planned for. (PS these are actually real scenarios that have been planned for) They will need to show how to best handle each of the situations.

In the end I don't believe my students need to take notes in the traditional sense. They have already proven they understand the material as we go through the lesson. They have a firm understanding of the material. It has been a mind shift for me, but I can tell you it has made me much better at what I do, and more importantly it has made class more engaged, and hit at all levels of critical thinking. No one ever leaves class anymore and says we just took notes. No one ever says we do we have to learn this. They are all engaged learners critically thinking about the material, how it applies to them.

Teaching organization in writing

Teaching students how to write is never easy. There are so many different things you can focus on, reading 150-200 papers is time consuming, and let's face it each student is unique and will need individualized feedback. For these reasons and others many teachers just don't do it, or at least don't do it as often as they could or should. Leave it to the English department to teach students writing. There have been times I've been guilty of this thinking. Our administration asked all teachers to focus on writing this year, so I have been trying to incorporate more opportunities and more effective ways of teaching writing in a social studies course. After our study of the Middle East and especially Israel, students had to compose an essay on the one or two state solution to the Arab/Israeli conflict. I was pleased with most of the writing and thought it was a good assessment. However, I still noticed that students struggled with organization and this guided my thinking to our latest writing assignment.

China's controversial one child policy would become our next good opportunity for an essay. I thought about the best way to teach organization. I think when it comes to teaching writing it requires as much focus from the teacher as it does the students. I decided that the best way to proceed was to begin with the topic of unintended consequences. I found some great examples worldwide showing how a government policy that intends to do one thing may have hidden or unintended consequences. I introduced the 'Cobra Effect' from India where city officials worried about deaths as a result from bites from the snakes gave a reward for everyone who brought in a dead cobra. Good idea right, turn the problem over to the citizens and involve them in eradicating the problem and pay them for their efforts. It all sounds great, but what ended up happening was people saw the opportunity to make money and began farming cobras themselves. The result was more cobras, not less. Indian officials had never considered that their citizens would act in such a way and the result was they were paying people to increase the problem. A similar occurrence took place in Vietnam except it was with rats. Yea its gross but totally captivating.

After that we delved into the policy. We started with a discussion on population and resources and then looked at the implementation of the policy itself. I must admit that as versed as I am in the policy there are nuances that make it complicated and students can usually come up with a question that is hard to answer. Such moments can become a nice time to have students delve deeper and realize the complications of such a policy. After a thorough introduction to the policy we looked at results. First the overall data which government officials will use to claim its effectiveness and necessity. Then we looked at unintended consequences.

We watched a 10 minute film which shows many such consequences and then discussed them in greater detail. The discussion was important because it allowed students to state their opinions and a chance to give voice to their thinking that they would later be using in their paper. After our discussion I gave out a list that had consequences, intended or unintended, with information about each one. Students then read through the list and ranked them in order of what they felt were the strongest for against the policy. Little did they know that they had decided on what their body paragraphs would be in their essay.

I then gave them the prompt "Do the ends justify the means?" We discussed what that meant and then how they were to organize their essay. The introduction would briefly explain the who, when, where, what, why, and how of the policy and then the results. Students could either agree or disagree and use their rankings from the previous exercise to guide them with their body paragraphs. It was almost magical when I pointed out that they had already decided what they were going to use as their body paragraphs based on what ranking they had given each consequence. When I set them loose the students began immediately and had no trouble deciding what to write about or where or how to include information.

The final product was the best writing I have seen all year. It was thoughtful, organized, and to the point. Students that normally would struggle with such a task wrote nice balanced essays and finished in a timely manner. Now I understand you can't always do this, but for this subject it worked better than I even expected and in the end I think they have a sound understanding of the topic and the complexities in creating a 'simple' solution to such a complicated issue.

In the news

I was contacted by a reporter, Louise Shaw about a month ago. She said she was doing a story on what students were learning in their classes and had contacted the district and my name was given to her. She came into the class for a period, interviewed students, took a few photos, and wrote an article about my interview with Mahmoud. Without a doubt it is nice to get recognition for the positive things we do in our classes. This project is of great personal value for me since it took so long to come to fruition. I love the fact that I was able to connect with Mahmoud and then have a meaningful interview that I could show our class, it means a lot to me and to them.

As far as being in the paper I am glad that she interviewed members of the class and that they were prominent in the article. Sure it's nice to see your own name in the paper for good things, but this was about sharing with my class and I am pleased that they are able to share in the moment as well. We read the article in class Friday, it was a neat moment to share in with them. They were pleased to see the article, especially those that saw their names in print.

Here is the article:
WEST POINT — It’s a problem that has deep roots in history and seemingly no viable solution.

It’s a problem that has stymied U.S. presidents and world leaders.

And it’s a problem students at West Point Junior High are taking on as well.

The conflicts that have divided Israelis and Palestinians revolve around land and authority.

Students in Jared Fawson’s World Geography classes were introduced to those problems by viewing the documentary, “Promises,” that follows the lives of children very close to their own ages.

Children in the documentary are both Palestinian and Israeli. One Jewish child is the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor and is a secular Jew, one is the child of a rabbi. The Palestianian youths lived in refugee camps. One had a father in prison at the time.

Though the children lived within 20 miles of each other, “they exist in completely separate worlds,” according to a review on promisesproject.org.

“They possess an acute awareness of the political reality that surrounds them,” it said, “and have a freshness of expression that is inspiring, in contrast to the entrenched and often embittered opinions of adults.”

The students in Fawson’s class could be said to have the same attributes.

“They just need to be more willing to cooperate,” said Chenille Morris, a ninth grader at West Point, of the two parties staking claims in Israel. “They don’t see each other as human. They hate each other. Both sides have in mind what they want, but they’re not willing to give.”

A fellow student, Harlee Sorrells, said it’s wrong when, because of the past, people won’t work together for their future.

The documentary was filmed between 1997 and 2000, with a follow-up segment added in 2004.

During those seven years, the youths in the documentary share what they’ve learned from their parents and from their own personal experiences and fears.

To add to their stories, Fawson was able to connect with one of the youths in the documentary last month, 10 years after it was filmed.

Now 26, the youth answered Fawson’s questions about what he sees as the problems and solutions to the Middle-East conflict.

His responses have been shared with students in subsequent classes, further shaping their views.

“We need to wake up and to think in a very positive way,” said the Palestinian, who the Clipper was asked not to name.

The young man spoke in favor of a one-state solution and of the region becoming a “100 percent democratic place.”

With one state, elections would determine representation and whoever won would have responsibility for the people, who would all have rights.

“We don’t need walls and stupid check points,” he said.

That was also a conclusion ninth graders were reaching.

“Both sides want Jerusalem, the Red Sea and the resources,” said Chenille. “ There’s no way to split them up. They already live together ... they should elect representatives from both sides.”

Fawson led a discussion on what happens when a group like Hamas “continues to sow discord and chaos.” He pointed out that public opinion and support shifts away from a group when it changes from what might be considered freedom fighters, to being more like terrorists.

Several students referred to the positive effects of the nonviolent protests in America relating to race relations as proof change that can be positive.

“Peaceful protests ended with integration of schools,” said one, adding that Israel could do the same.

“They could be all one nationality but have religious diversity,” said another.

“It’s complicated,” said Fawson.

Listening to the young man who had grown up with the conflict and was now an adult gave students “a personal connection to the conflict ... one that helped break down barriers and open the world up in a way that it couldn’t get in any other way.”

Student Mike Nash said the study of the conflict in the Middle East has helped him realize what’s going on, how bad it is and what really needs to be fixed.

“If kids could get along and make friendships,” he said, “the kids could teach their kids and it would eventually come to them not being enemies anymore.”





Read more: The Davis Clipper - International issues tackled by local students

Student Projects: Zeitgeist 2013-14 using YouTube Video Editor

Earlier in the year I came up with my genius idea to have students create their own zeitgeist video. You can read more about that here. (Note: If you haven't seen the Google zeitgeist videos that they create every year featuring their most searched stories they are both linked in that post.) I had all sorts of ideas as to how we were going to pull this off, but nothing was really coming together the way I had envisioned it. I wanted them to create something similar to what Google does in both spirit and in quality. Yea I know we are at a severe disadvantage when competing with Google for the 'cool' factor. We finally got to the point where we had to start actually making something. I tried a lot of ideas, none really fit what we needed. Then someone mentioned the YouTube Video Editor. It makes sense that if you are going to try to make a project like Google that you would use their help.

One of my issues with student projects is that they work hard and the only people who see it are their parents, and the teacher. A few rare, great ones are seen by more. Using this allows for a true worldwide audience. The goal is to create their own video that is good enough to put on display for the world.

Here is why we are using the video editor. Students can create and edit their own videos the way they want to; the project becomes an extension of how they see the world. You can upload your own videos, but most students don't have footage of the Winter Olympics or the Ukraine conflict. This is the real genius of the video editor. You can search the creative commons videos, copyright free, and get footage of what you are looking for. You can also add images (my students have become quite versed in creative commons image search), text, music (the editor allows for copyright free music and has an extensive database), and transitions. One of the nice things about using this is students can work on it at home or where ever they may be. They just log into their Google account and then into YouTube. Changes are saved automatically like on docs or blogger. A true worldwide audience. A project they can be proud of and show off and keep. No worries about using images, video, or music that is copyrighted and they could get in trouble for using.

I spent a day in the computer lab working with each student making sure they knew what they were doing. Some figure it out quickly, some needed more help, all realized how using the video editor would allow their voice to come through and make something worthwhile. They are not due for another month but I feel like we now have the right tool for the job.

FYI each week from now to then they have to write up the events they are adding to their video. Explain what the event is and why they are adding it. Events should reflect what has happened globally since the start of school, with a topics from each region we have covered as well as any local events they feel were significant to the community, school, or themselves. One of the nice things about this project is students will include events like the Olympics, but show it from their perspective. Obviously many events will be in every video, but each student will put their own spin on the event. No two videos will be exactly alike. Each one will have its own voice and individuality.

Breaking down barriers by connecting world wide

I teach geography, but more than that I love geography. Like any teacher I have my areas of expertise, what I really love to teach and most importantly learn about. My area is Israel/Palestine. There is something about this area that captivates me. I was first introduced while getting my degree at the University of Utah when my teacher asked the class whether or not Israel should be a country. I was taken aback. I didn't know what he meant. The class was full of people from the Middle East and within minutes there was a lot of arguing back and forth. I realized right then and there I needed to know a lot more about the subject. The teacher posed the question to me and I replied that I didn't know enough but hoped the class would help me out. He said "You need to get an opinion, people without opinions are boring." I took that as a challenge and have spent the last 15 years studying the subject out.

Over time I found a documentary "Promises" about the conflict. In the film they highlight the lives of 7 kids living in Israel who live within 20 minutes of each other, but live very different lives. 3 of the kids are Palestinians, 4 are Israeli. I love this film. I think it is so powerful for students to watch other kids their own age dealing with the conflict. The power of the film is in seeing their struggles and the complexities of the issues. You get to see the pain of the conflict and its effect on each of the kids and how they handle it. The students get sucked into the documentary and are captivated throughout the film.

One of the people in film is named Mahmoud, he is a Jerusalem Palestinian Arab. He was nine years old when they started filming, he was sixteen when they finished. He is highly opinionated, passionate, articulate, and makes some changes throughout the film. This past year after watching the film I thought about how neat it would be if I could connect with him or one of the others from the film. So I went to the one spot I thought he might be on; facebook, and found him. He friended me right off and over the course of a year we corresponded back and forth.

After some time we decided to do an interview. I wanted to be able to record it so I could show it when I wanted and have it for future use. We decided to use Google Hangouts as this would allow for that to happen. You can use your phone with hangouts, but certainly a desktop is much easier to do a hangout with, he didn't have a desktop. It took three tries over the space of 30 minutes and I was seriously worried that it wasn't going to happen. Luckily as the saying goes, 3rd times a charm, and it worked. Mahmoud was on his mobile device in Jerusalem at 8 pm while I was using my lunch time in West Point, Utah to do the interview.

I've got to say that this in one of the high points I have had in education. Here I was interviewing a Palestinian from Jerusalem who had been in a documentary that my class was going to watch about the Arab/Israeli conflict. This moment had taken a lot of persistence on my part. In all honesty it had taken the better part of a year of me somewhat bugging him to do this. We attempted once before only to have his schedule conflict at the last minute. After months of inquiring here we finally were, having in my opinion a seminal moment.

The interview lasted 40 minutes during which time Mahmoud expressed his feelings about being part of the 'Promises' documentary, the current conflict in Israel, his ideas for a solution, and what it is like being a Palestinian living in Jerusalem. He also gave a personalized message to my class imploring them to search for truth and to become critical thinkers, to not believe what the media or others say about others, but to look at it from different perspectives. It was a great thought for all, but was extremely powerful coming from someone who's life they got a sneak peek at, someone they had come to have a connection with, someone with different beliefs and from a much different part of the world. It was a highlight for all the students, Mahmoud, and especially for me.

I believe that it is my responsibility to be the lead learner in the class. I need to show my passion, my drive and determination to learn and understand more about the world to my students. If I don't show that how can I expect them too? This was a project that took a long time to complete. It took more persistence than I ever thought it would, but in the end it became as worth it as anything that I have ever done. I am glad I was able to share this with my students and show them what is truly possible. Here are a few stills of Mahmoud from the film and our interview.

at 9

at 16

at 26 today

My Teaching Philosophy 2013

At the advent of another school year I feel the need to give life to my thoughts about my teaching philosophy.

At the core of teaching is the sharing of knowledge. It is the passing of knowledge, unlocking mysteries, uncovering gems of wisdom, and a forum where every student will want to learn. In order for this to be achieved, basic principles must be established. It is basic principles that form my philosophy.

"No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care"

If I could sum up how I feel about teaching in one phrase I would use this simple yet profound thought. In order to get to the core of teaching(sharing knowledge, passing information, etc...), trust must be established. I firmly believe that you can get any, and I do mean any, student to do anything if they believe you care. I don't care what their circumstances are, their past educational experience, or ability level; they can learn and will if they believe you care. There is only one way to show you care and that is to DO it.

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

The Golden Rule of Life pertains the same in a teaching setting as it does in any other facet of life. As a teacher it is your responsibility to model this as perfectly as you can. This means you cannot play favorites. This means you must treat all students and staff with the same respect you are hoping for in return. There is no better way of ensuring respect for you than by giving it to your students. You can demand respect all you want, but the teacher who truly as respect is the one who lives the Golden Rule. They will never have to beg for it, as it will come back to them as often as they give it out.

"You can't teach what you don't know."

Teachers should be the best example of how to learn. They should be passionate and actively engaged in learning. There are times when you can get by not fully understanding parts of the curriculum but that's all your're doing, just getting by. And if you are only 'getting by' then what are your students doing? How can you possibly assess them if you aren't certain of the answers yourself? The best teachers infuse their passion for learning to the students by sharing and being a co-learner with them. All facets for preparedness go with this statement, for if you don't know what you are doing, how can you prepare to do it?

"Never, never, never, give up."

The phrase made famous by the indefatigable Winston Churchill means that you believe that all students can learn and that there is a way to get through to them. The impact for positive and negative a teacher can have on a student is unparalleled. Other than parents themselves few individuals can instill the qualities of hard work and persistence like a teacher can. Again, you can't play favorites. You have to be upbeat and demand the best of your students. For if you won't, then who will? People follow those that inspire them and this is where teachers can be instrumental in teaching character to students; a will to achieve their very best; and to never give up no matter the odds. This is why I love being a teacher. It's like watching that inspiring part of your favorite movie over and over again. The part where it looked like hell itself would engulf the character, but because of perseverance he/she endures and beats the odds.

There isn't a more satisfying feeling as a teacher than seeing your students achieve when no one thought they could. Its priceless. As is teaching. Students always remember the teacher that cared. In the most humble way I can say this, "Why be forgotten when you can be revered forever?"

Do you still have the idealism you had when you started? 4 ways to regain and keep your enthusiasm

At a recent outing I was discussing teaching with some new acquaintances when one of them threw out the following question "I wonder how many teachers still have the idealism they had when they first became a teacher?" I have pondered this for the past week as I think it is an insightful and reflective question to ponder. I would like to think that I still have that enthusiasm and zeal. Certainly there is an innocence that all idealism springs from and along the way the innocence is altered and in some cases hardened. I have tried to be true to the beginner exuberance and add my years of experience to hone, intensify, and keep it fresh. In Zen Buddhism the phrase 'Shoshin' means 'beginner's mind'. It basically means to have the enthusiasm and open mindedness of a beginner. I not only try to instill this in myself, but in my students as well. Everyone is excited, or should be, the first few weeks of school, that excitement can be tempered and dampened by January. I believe it's important to remind myself and students of Shoshin. I have a few ideas that I will present that work for me.

1. Be invested. For me this means I know each and every student. I work hard to build a relationship of trust so that when the disappointments of December arrive I have solid footing with which to work with each student. I don't play favorites, rather try to make each student feel as if they are my favorite(a tough task with tougher students no doubt). I am not always as successful as I would like to be and certainly there are students that face stiff challenges and lack good social skills and awareness, but aren't those ones part of the reason we became educators? My goal is to be able to have frank conversations with students and have them want to change instead of resenting me. Within the first week each student should feel that I know who they are, value them as a person, and that they feel that they can be successful in my class.

2. Keep it fresh. Teaching the same thing again and again loses it's luster quickly. If you are new teacher you are just trying to stay above water, but if you have taught for sometime it's nice to have lessons and units from past years to use. While there is much merit in this it can also lead to burnout. I believe that the best educators are ones that take what they have and build on it every year. This past year I added a much more global element to my class. We skyped, we communicated, we shared, we collaborated, we did projects together, we had neat opportunities to meet and share with the world. Some of this put me behind where I normally was and I had to make decisions on what was most important. I felt I needed to branch out globally as much if not more than my students. I found the entire process invigorating in a way that I had never had in any way. We made presentations for schools all over the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and even Asia and Africa. Students not only got to meet others from these parts of the world, but they worked on assignments together. It was a thrilling process that required a lot of patience, at times I wasn't sure things would all work out, but in the end it became my favorite year. There were definitely some stressful moments, but the rewarding ones far exceeded even my most ideal expectations. I could have just retaught the same old lessons, and in some cases I did, but I needed to freshen things up for me which in turn made things better for all. A special thanks to Ms. Lynda Hall, Trevor Connolly, and the Kacherede Primary School in Uganda for taking a chance on my ideas and making them a reality.

3. Don't think you know it all. The years have given me experience and wisdom. I have become polished and confident. These can be good qualities. They can also lead to a feeling that you don't need to improve and that you are better than you are. The enemy of greatness is goodness. If you think you are good enough tnen you will never find out if you can be great. That doesn't mean you should wallow in doubt, it's important to be confident. It does mean you should actively learn and grow and try to better yourself. I have found that my experiences in conferences such as UCET and ISTE have not only been enlightening and inspiring and refreshing, but I found a community of like minded educators that I didn't know before. I realized through these experiences that I may not have all the answers, but I knew a whole community of inspiring educators who would help me along the way. If I thought I knew it all I wouldn't have gone and then this would be a much different entry.

4. Be positive. Is there anything that is more of a downer than hanging out with negative people? Sure life is tough and teaching can be difficult in it's best moments. However, cynicism brings out the worst in everyone. It is the polar opposite of creativity, innovation, and enthusiasm. My rule for having a bad day is simple: I won't have two in a row. I will change whatever needs to be changed, whether is it my attitude, the lesson, the material, the assignment, the activity, or the students. I will reflect and determine what needs to be done and then I do it. I can say that since I came up with this mantra over ten years ago that I have never had two bad days in a row. People are drawn to those that inspire them. Choose to be inspirational, remember your Shoshin, and you will make it through the tough times that will inevitably arise. I think it's also important to remember that bad times will pass, you will make it through, might as well do it with a smile. I have included one of my favorite quotes/videos. This is from Conan O'Brien's last show. He was disappointed about being let go, but still remained positive. The message is for us all.

Whatever your profession is I hope you enjoy it. Try to live Carpe Diem instead of just talking about it. Know your students. Care about your students. Care about your subject. Change it up and teach something new. Be humble and ask for ways to improve. Be positive. Remember you get decide what you teach everyday and how you deliver it. Autonomy is awesome. Be kind. If you have lost the enthusiasm you once had, find it, regain it, do whatever it takes to get it back. And on those dreary winter days remember your Shoshin; not only will you be glad you did, but your students will too.