Community – Page 2 – Every Moment a Learning Moment

Why “Every Moment a Learning Moment?”

Posted on March 24, 2017April 11, 2023 by Dr. Carol Wertz

This motto has been “mine” for many years.

I believe very deeply that every moment is a moment to grow, to learn, to love, and to serve.

One day, in the middle of teaching kindergarten, one of the children said, “Teacher, a worm just fell on my desk.” I ignored the comment and went on. Within a few seconds, another child cried more urgently, “Teacher, a worm came down from the ceiling!” And when the call came a third time, I decided it was time to take notice. Sure enough, upon inspection, little white “worms” were coming from the ceiling! We immediately stopped what we were doing, grabbed our little magnifying boxes, put a worm inside, and began to “study” it. Eventually, I asked a child to go to the office and have someone come over to see what it really was, and what needed to be done!

However, I hope what I modeled was that there are interesting things to be examined all around us.

Curiosity is a gift not to be squelched by the humdrum of “planned curriculum”.

Learning tools are everywhere – we just need to be aware and take advantage.

Using our moments wisely is also a great classroom management technique. When your children are standing in line, are you busy making sure they’re standing properly, not touching each other, walking in a straight line, etc? Or are they singing a song, practicing the memorization of a poem, reciting their times tables, learning a new math formula or giving a compliment to the person in front of them?

Wasting five minutes a day adds up to 25 minutes a week, which makes 100 minutes per month……well, you get the idea. How long does it take your children to settle down and remember the purpose for which they came to school? Do you talk to them about the job they are there to do?

We have no minutes to waste…..not in the classroom and not in life. Once time is gone, we can never get it back. Use each moment wisely.

Community, Inspiration, Professional Development, Relationship

Teaching as a Calling

Posted on March 24, 2017April 11, 2023 by Dr. Carol Wertz

On the first night of my university class, as I look at this new group of excited and usually nervous, budding educators, I talk to them seriously about teaching as a calling. I tell them very bluntly, “If teaching is not your calling, don’t do it. It’s much too hard.”

What is a calling? Webster defines it as “a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action, especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.” I define it as the place where your deepest heart’s cry and the world’s greatest needs intersect. The knowing resides deep within you and whispers to you that you are doing what you were meant to do.

It’s a recharging exercise to go back to why you entered this profession every once in awhile. You know those “awhiles” – when the whole class seems as though they had eaten nothing but spoonfuls of sugar for three days, when your administrator has asked for yet another piece of paperwork, when IT decides to “improve” by reformatting the program you use daily, when a parent accuses you of not meeting the needs of her child……you know those days. Remind me again WHY I’m doing this!

For many of us, the answer would be, “I went into this profession to make a difference.”

Sigh. Those are the times when it’s important to regain focus. Sit down in a quiet place with your cup of tea, and think of each child in your classroom. Think of the progress each one has made. Determine to let them know that you have noticed, even if it’s minuscule. Acknowledge that you ARE making a difference in that child’s life, and no matter how small, determine that you will continue each day to value, to acknowledge, to honor, and to help each child who walks through your door. And then, in confidence, know that you are where you are meant to be, making a difference in a way only you can……and try again tomorrow.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” Mary Anne Radmacher

Community, Inspiration, Relationship, Uncategorized

The Art and Craft of Teaching

Posted on March 24, 2017April 11, 2023 by Dr. Carol Wertz

My university students, aspiring teachers, often come back from an observation where they have watched a teacher in his classroom, and think to themselves, “That’s not so hard. I can do that.”

While I like the confidence, I’m also well aware that they don’t have the full picture. They don’t yet know what they don’t know, and thus don’t see the subtleties of the groundwork that has been laid in that classroom and the work that has gone into instituting effective procedures and routines to make the classroom hum with learning.

When I watch ice skaters perform their various twirls, double half turns, and amazing jumps, it doesn’t look so difficult.

That’s because the job of a professional is to make it look easy! And teachers, who are also professionals, “make it look easy.”

You have worked hard to hone your skills, to learn from each professional development session, to collaborate with colleagues, to incorporate standards, to learn new programs…..and the list goes on. Each activity contributes to your growth as a professional and your dedication as a craftsman and artisan.

I love thinking of our profession as an art.

Generally, art involves creativity, inspiration, and imagination, producing a visual product that can be appreciated. Is there any better definition of what we do as teachers?!

Our products are the students who leave our classes, richer in knowledge and character, than when they came to us. And each new crop of students enriches US – both in knowledge and experience – and gives us opportunity to delve more deeply into who we are as teachers.

YOU are the professional! YOU are the artist, the craftsman, the one who has devoted your life to learning how to help our next generation achieve their dreams. I celebrate those teachers who make it look easy.