Archive for April, 2008
Next Entries »“I feel happy in school when…”
By Lisa Pfister | Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
“I feel happy in school when…”
Responses given by 58 2nd graders to the above question:
Children’s Response Amount of students who chose this answer
| Because they teach me new things. | 1 |
| When I am at P.E. | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1 |
| When it is time to go home | 1,1 |
| When my teacher reads stories | 1 |
| When it is show-n-tell time | 1 |
| When I feel okay | 1 |
| When my counselor visits our class. | 1,1,1,1 |
| I go to recess | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 |
| I feel safe | 1,1 |
| When I see my brother at school | 1 |
| When something special happens | 1 |
| When someone plays with me | 1 |
| When I see new people | 1 |
| When I play with my friends | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 |
| When I do math | 1,1,1 |
| When it is fun | 1 |
| When I do art work | 1,1,1,1 |
| When I make new friends | 1,1 |
| When I play and learn | 1 |
| We play games | 1,1,1 |
| When I go to the school nurse | 1 |
| When it is reading | 1 |
| When people are nice | 1,1 |
Topics: Creating a Positive | No Comments »
Ways to get to know the kids I work with better-
By Kevin Truong | Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
- ask questions, questions, questions. how many brothers and sisters do you have, what’s your favorite book/sport/tv show/video game/etc, where were you born, how long have you lived in Portland, who’s your best friend. Simply put, listen to what the children have to say.
- spending time in the classrooms. working with teachers to learn what lessons are being taught in the classroom, what subjects and activities individual children enjoy most.
- spending time with parents. asking what interests the child at home, what does the child spend his or her time doing i.e. does the child like to help out in the kitchen, does the child like helping with a younger sibling.
- host a talent show
- host other activities that could showcase special talents i.e. a play/drama, a cooking session, open mic, writing session.
- spend some time doing activities besides homework/academics - playing soccer, basketball, arts and crafts.
Topics: Resources for Mentor, Resources for Teacher | No Comments »
Ways to Involve Parents and Family Members
By Kevin Truong | Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
I feel I am in a unique position as a Site Coordinator for a homework club, in that I am able to work both in the the children’s classrooms and in a setting very close to their homes. In this role, I hopefully am able to help foster that link between the children’s school environment and their home environment, so that their is a continuum of inquiry from their classroom to their living room.
By working with the children and their teachers in the classroom, I am able to learn not only the specific lessons the students are learning, but also areas where individual students could use the most help.
Involving parents is the next step, and ways I can do that are-
-family nights - events where parents and families are invited to participate in an activity with their child. Game nights, potlucks, informational sessions.
-outreach - going out into the communities, to the children’s homes and doing outreach with the parents. Establishing, building on, and maintaining those relationships. It’s important for me to let the families know that I am making an effort to be a part of their community. There is a certain level of trust I’m trying to build. Since many of the families I work with speak English as a second language, my efforts may include passing along a simple note to them written in one of the native languages–Russian, Romanian, Somalian–that says, “Hi, I’m Kevin. I work in the homework club with your children..” As mentioned before, I think it is very important to show that efforts are being made on my part.
Topics: Family Involvement, How to Help, Mentor Stories | No Comments »
How I help myself get to know the students I work with better
By Lisa Pfister | Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
*Visit each of their classes weekly. (I teach vaious health a social skills lessons to students.) This helps to get to know the students invividually and how they interact with their peers. It shows you who is: absent or late frequently to school; those with attention deficits; students who are more emotional; those who are cognitive challenged; those that work well in a group versus working independently; students with trust issues; etc. The students get used to seeing your face in their classes and in the hallways, and over time learn to trust who you are, and will start filtering down to your office for issues that can’t be addressed in a classroom setting.
*After I get to know students better, I try to pair them up with things they can do at school that make them feel positive about themselves. Such as, help me with some projects I am working on like cutting out things, stapling or taping things up on walls or on to bulletin boards. Set them up to volunteer in other classes, such as with the kinders, reading to them, helping them with their work, filing things for the teachers, etc…
*I randomly invite students to come eat lunch with me in my office and play board games afterwards. This builds trust, and lets me know if the student has other needs that are going unmet. I often go outside during their recess times and walk around and just talk to various students. I bring a jumprope and encourage students to come over and play the game with me. I have even gone to a few baseball and karate tournaments of some of our students.
*When I notice students are arriving late to school, I ask them if they have had breakfast today. If they have not, I let them know that they can always come to me and I will provide them a juice box and a granola or nutri grain bar.
*I often go to the cafeteria at lunch time and sit at random tables to just talk with students. Being where the students are in their social element is where you will most often build relationships with students.
Topics: How To's, Relationship Strategy | No Comments »
Get to Know the World Through Someone Else’s Eyes
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Monday, April 7th, 2008
In lesson 2 of this course, (Get to Know Your Students) one of the assignments is to design a project that will encourage the kids you work with to share their world in a visual way. I love this project because in my experience, putting a camera into a kid’s hands can have amazing results - for the photographers and the viewers.
Happily, several of you taking the class have mentioned that you really like the camera safari idea included in the lessons. Well, so does John Waller. John, a photographer and videographer is the originator of the Photo of the Year (POTY) contest, a fundraising event “poised to achieve international recognition and acclaim, in addition to raising thousands of dollars for the MESD Outdoor School Program!“
Though POTY began as a contest to showcase great photos of the outdoors, iover the years it has expanded to include a new category for entries – photographers under 18. For information about the contest, click here Be sure to check out, and share, some of the great winning photos on the site.
Whether you choose to submit photos or just have fun with a camera, John offers these ten great outdoor photography tips (these may improve your photos too.) Share them with the kids you work with and see what develops. (And, share - photos can be posted to this blog - ask me how!)
Ten Tips for Better Photographs
1. Be in the right place at the right time. Get out there, look around, and take your camera. It’s tough to take great photographs if even one of those actions is missing.
2. Take lots of pictures. Digital photography has opened up a world of possibility to the amateur photographer because now you can instantly review your pictures. Adjust your settings, try different angles, or capture the action at different moments. The more photographs you take, the more likely you are to get a great shot. But remember what worked and what didn’t and apply this new understanding when you take the next picture.
3. Watch the sun. The best times to take pictures are usually early in the morning and early evening; the worst time is generally midday, when light it most harsh.
4. Flash away. Just because you are outdoors doesn’t mean you should put away your flash. Subjects in shadow can appear much too dark when compared to a bright sunny backdrop. When using your flash outdoors, the camera exposes the background first, then adds in the flash to illuminate your subject.
5. Get close up. Investigate the world around you in finer detail and you will discover a wealth of photo opportunities right at your feet. Most cameras have a macro mode that make getting those close up shots of insects and flowers a snap. Or when you are shooting action, zoom in so we can see the beads of sweat on an athlete’s forehead.
6. Anticipate what is going to happen. To take a great outdoor action shot, you need to prepare for it in advance. What might happen, what would be the best angle, and are your settings appropriate? Then when your buddy cuts a sweet turn on their skies down the mountain, you’ll be there to take the picture.
7. Use a tripod for low light. Those sweet sunsets, or moonrises, or starry night shots can be really sweet pictures if they are sharp and crisp. But a tripod is necessary because even the slightest shiver or tremble from a hand-held camera can cause the scene to blur.
8. The rule of thirds. This time tested rule tells us that we should not put the horizon line in the middle of the shot, but rather drop it to the bottom third or the top third depending on what meaning you want to convey. A low horizon conveys a sense of open, vast airiness, and a high horizon instills a sense that the land is the dominant force. The same is true for framing people.
9. Get a sense of perspective. Sometimes having a person in your scenic picture really impresses how big those mountains, or that cliff, or waterfall, or landscape really is.
10. Get creative. There are a lot of predictable photographs out there. The unconventional photographs really grab people’s attention.
Play around with angles and settings and HAVE FUN!
Topics: Resources for Teacher | No Comments »
Conference Deadline Extended
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Please share information about this terrific conference with co-workers and colleagues. By the way, I will be presenting a workshop - see details below
Celebrating Educational Opportunities For Diverse Students
2008 Northwest Conference
April 25-27, 2008
Embassy Suites, Downtown [Map/Directions]
Portland, Oregon
Registration Deadline Extended!
Learn new strategies for driving educational achievement
Come to the fifth Celebrating Educational Opportunities for Diverse Students conference this year in Portland and be inspired by three outstanding keynote speakers, choose from 24 workshops highlighting successful programs from around the Northwest, and network with peers who share the same challenges.
The conference is for school board members, superintendents and district staff responsible for the education of English Language Learners, migrant students, Hispanic/Latino, African American and Native American students, homeless, incarcerated youth and all diverse student populations.
This conference is a collaborative effort of the school boards associations of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada, and we are pleased to have participation in developing the conference program from Oregon Commission on Children and Families, Portland State University, Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Migrant Education Service Center (WESD), Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, and the Portland Schools Foundation.
The Northwest Conference is a Collaborative Project of:
Oregon School Boards Association
Idaho School Boards Association
Nevada Association of School Boards
Washington State School Directors’ AssociationFor more information http://www.osba.org/leadrshp/ceo/#Registration
Strong Relationships Help Keep Kids in School
Tobi Kibel Piatek, Portland State University
This session explores ways that school districts can reduce the dropout rate through relationships with young people formed by trained K-12 educators and mentors. Strategies are drawn from three years of research collected by a 30-person panel of community leaders and professionals from education, business and government. Their research overwhelmingly shows that rigor, relevance and relationships are crucial to educational success. Although more time and dollars are invested in the first two, a one-on-one relationship with an adult who truly cares is every bit as critical. Session addresses research, processes and best practices that school districts can adapt to help them to achieve this essential competency.
Topics: Upcoming Events | No Comments »
YWCA 16th Annual Leadership Luncheon
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
April 23rd, 2008
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Oregon Convention Center
Keynote Speaker:
Jeannette Walls
The YWCA of Greater Portland is thrilled to be featuring best-selling author, MSNBC correspondent and columnist, Jeannette Walls as the keynote speaker at our 16th Annual Leadership Luncheon. Her novel, *The Glass Castle has catapulted her from reporting on celebrities to being the subject of celebrity reporting! After 80 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Ms. Walls recently riffed with Stephen Colbert on the popular Colbert Report, and The Glass Castle has been optioned into a feature length film.
Ms. Walls is witty and engaging, embodying the kind of story that we often see in those seeking services at the YWCA. An afternoon with Jeanette Walls will drive our major yearly fundraiser and is sure to be a memorable event.To register and purchase tickets click: HERE
*Ms. Walls will be signing her book in the lobby after the Luncheon.
Topics: Upcoming Events | No Comments »
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