Teacher's College Homegrown Institute 2015

Hi friends! I have a confession to make...it's lunch time during the last day of our TC Institute. Instead of going to lunch, I wanted to spend this time sharing this blog post because it's just that heavy on my heart and mind. 

I'm not gonna lie...earlier this summer, I was feeling pretty burnt out. I have no idea why...I think it just happens after 5-6 years in the classroom, and you need to be rejuvenated. I NEEDED this training. At first, I really didn't like it...it made me uncomfortable, and I was hearing things I didn't want to hear. The first day I kind of shut down, and didn't think there was anything I could learn. I don't know why...looking back, most of what was said I was already doing, haha. But change and reflection is HARD. The 2nd and 3rd days I spent a lot of time reflecting, but I still wasn't totally buying it. Today is the 4th day, and think I've finally completed the cycle, haha! I now see that the things our presenter was saying were things I was probably already doing or could easily implement. And even the things I wasn't doing...I probably SHOULD be doing! I wanted to share a bit of what I have learned and I hope it is helpful to you. Truly...if you can get your district to bring in TC, I would HIGHLY reccomend it. Even better, you can go! If those things aren't options, there are some awesome videos on Vimeo! As my presenter would say as she sends her little ones off to read, Happy Reading! 

Okay...so first...#duh. Of course there is always more to learn. But I think after a few years of doing things a certain way, you just kind of assume you know what you're doing. And I think for the most part, I do...most days. But just when you think you've finally got a handle on one thing, you learn more about something else and realize there is much more you could be doing for your babies during the day. For me, I have been to a LOT of literacy trainings. Usually I walk away with 1-2 good tips, but ultimately, I know most of what they shared. I think I was getting a little big for my britches, and this week was a great wake up call. 

I feel like these two things go hand in hand, and they both say to me "Slow down." I think these would apply even more to kinder...but when I get emergent readers, it is so important that I remind myself to slow down and look at their progress. It's OKAY to do letter-sound work during Guided Reading. It's OKAY to pull them over during small moments and work with them on the beginning sounds or on their picture instead of pushing them to add more detail. Sometimes pushing kiddos too fast can actually slow down their growth. 

I really, really love reading logs. I have seen a lot of success with them the past few years. But, too often, I'm not looking at them after they turn them in. I have always thought if it as a good habit for them to get in, but I wasn't using it as a way to drive instruction. This year, I am really going to try to look at them and see what this baby needs. If they have 10 books read on Tuesday, I can assume the books are way too easy or they are not truly reading and they are just writing the titles down. Reading logs are something that have been around for so long, it's easy to think they're not valuable. But they are! 

At this point, she lost me. I got super defensive and thought "I have seen Guided Reading work for so many years. It is THE way to teach reading." Don't get me wrong...I still TOTALLY believe in doing Guided Reading every single day. ESPECIALLY for my low babies. But there are other parts to Reader's Workshop and they are actually effective too (WHAT?!?!?).

We have spent most of our time talking about what could happen during Reader's Workshop. I can say that I have been doing most of these things...but certainly not every day, and I definitely didn't think they were as important as Guided Reading. Now...I will forever and ever be a believer in Guided Reading everyday...but there are other things I can do to support my babies!

I created 2 tracking sheets to keep track of what I have been doing! You can grab them by clicking on the pictures.

Here's another secret...I am NOT good at Shared Reading. It is probably the thing I have done the least of. And I'm super excited to try it more this year! I have always used poems in my room, but I don't usually think to put a book on the document camera and  read it together. I am super excited to implement this more this year! 

I feel like, in the past, most of my shared reading has probably been BELOW my readers. So...I definitely need to get better about this! 

I know this...I try to do this...but it just reaffirmed for me that I absolutely must make time for Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, Word Work and small group instruction!

Like I said, I kind of freaked out when I thought there was something else I should be doing besides Guided Reading. But then, I realized that strategy groups and conferring were very similar they were just a bit more specific. In a conference, I am working with a student and supporting them with their text. In a strategy group, the kiddos might have different texts, but I am working with them on meaning, structure, or visual clues or on comprehension!

I think this is the most important take-away for me. Teaching is hard work. And even when I get burnt out or feel discouraged...I gotta keep going. If I stay home with my babies, I will still be a teacher. If I decide to spend all my time making resources for you guys...I am still a teacher. And that is exactly what I was born to do!