Category: Relationship

Posted in Relationship, Teaching Strategies

Boredom – Whose Problem Is It?

Posted on by Dr. Carol Wertz

“I’m bored. An all too familiar statement in classrooms (and homes) around the world.

What do students mean when they say this? It’s usually blurted out without a lot of thought behind it, because – let’s face it – it’s pretty popular to say. But a closer analysis tells us it could mean, “I already know this”, “I don’t see the purpose in learning this”, “I don’t understand the explanation”, “I don’t have any idea what this subject is all about”, “I don’t know what to do next”, or “I really feel like doing something other than this!”

There are two aspects of this statement to explore. The first is that often we find ourselves rushing to alleviate a student’s (or our child’s) boredom, as though it were our problem! What we forget to tell them is: It isn’t! Lest that sound harsh, let’s unpack that.

This is actually a great teaching moment to work on communication skills. Explore what they really mean by the statement and help them to say what they really mean. Then, together, you can work on a solution. If the problem is that they don’t know what to do with themselves, you can help them think of some options. Don’t forget to include some “work options”. “Oh, good, I was just thinking I hadn’t assigned enough homework.” In fact, using humor can be an effective redirection to start the conversation.

The second aspect of this actually might lead to self-reflection on our part. I recently heard an interesting statement by Tucker Max, an author and instructor for Scribe’s online writing course. “There is no such thing as a short attention span; there is only engaging material and non-engaging material. There are lower thresholds for boredom.” With all the demands on our time that the internet provides, people don’t tend to engage in activities that are not the most interesting to them . And for the younger crowd, that means watching entertaining, fast-paced videos at the touch of a button.

How do we compete with that? I don’t think we try. We always let our students know WHY we’re studying this concept, WHY this is important for us to learn. And then we make sure our material and the way we’re presenting it is absolutely the most engaging it can be.

“I’m bored,” is a non-statement in my classroom. “Please rephrase that in a more academic manner,” is what students hear upon its utterance. Always said with a smile…and complete faith in their ability to do so.

Posted in Community, Inspiration, Relationship, Teaching Strategies

5 Key Strategies for Teachers to Keep Communication and Connection with Students During Coronavirus Times

Posted on by Dr. Carol Wertz

Did the world just stop….or is it going at a speed you’ve never imagined possible? As we navigate this very surreal time in our history, we are wading into situations and making decisions that have never even been thought of. We have all had the familiar ripped out from under us and we’re being asked to do something we have no idea how to do! And if that’s true for us as teachers, it’s doubly true for students and parents.

Students need an anchor during this time, and that anchor needs to be something recognizable, something they know how to do, and something that can give them a feeling of success. Its key component has got to be communication that makes both children and parents feel connected, supported, and valued.

Some teachers I’ve spoken with are feeling resentful that this has been put upon them. And if WE’RE feeling that way, just imagine the feelings of the parent who has lost both her jobs, has no income and now is being told she must be the teacher! Our most important job at this point is to be a coach, a cheerleader, a leader, and a listener.

There are 5 key strategies that will help both students and parents to feel connected during this time.

  1. Phone call to every student,which includes talking with the parent.

Students must know that you’re thinking of them and you’re concerned about their feelings during this time. If you have sent home packets of work, let them know why. This is so the students won’t fall backwards and will keep them up to where they were when they left school. If you serve upper grade students that have email, let them know ahead of time you will be calling and give them an agenda of somethings to talk about. It’s not all about “the work”, but much more importantly, processing some feelings about what’s happening, and keeping them engaged in the importance of the learning process. How can we continue to move forward? In talking with parents, hear their concerns and give them the empathy they deserve. They are feeling overwhelmed, and afraid they’re not up to the task. Assure them you are still on the job and want to help, including referring them to another county service if necessary.

2. Find a way the child can still creatively contribute to the classroom.

It’s so important that students feel that they are still a part of a caring group that is familiar to them. Set up a facebook page, and feature activities that students are doing. Examples: send a picture of a video of yourself reading a book, learning a new game with your sibling, playing outside for P.E. time, researching a new subject, making a video, telling what your special act of kindness has been that day, writing a letter to your grandma, etc.

3. Make a video of you doing a classroom activity.

For younger children, the perfect activity is storytime. Tell the children to get a blanket and curl up on the couch while you read a story to them. Read just as though you were in the classroom, making a comment here and there, asking for a prediction, and putting in the animation you always do. This is something the little ones (and parents) will treasure as it provides a sense of “familiar”. If you’ve been reading a chapter book each day in the classroom for middle elementary or junior high students, continue with that. This is a time in the day that children looked forward to and it was a time to relax and unwind a bit. Let them know we can still continue with some of the routines we know.

4. Let students and parents know the parts of the routine that don’t have to change.

Most teachers established a routine in their classroom, perhaps even displaying it on the board so students would know what time different activities would happen. Share this school schedule with parents. For example, if your students are used to writing in their journal for 15 minutes as they come into the room, that’s how they start the morning. Does the pledge of allegiance come next? Why stop? One of the hardest things for parents to contend with is “the schedule” and being consistent. Remind children of the routine at school and share it with parents. Help parents adapt it for home, but stick as closely to what students are used to as you can.

If students are used to having a “fun Friday”, that’s something they could enjoy at home as well. Allow them to choose an activity to do on their own or to choose a topic they want to know more about. Maybe that’s the time to zoom with friends and do something online together. Be creative and flexible with this.

5. Continue to be positive and focused in a forward moving direction.

As has been said so often, “We WILL get through this.” And when we have, I’m convinced we’ll be able to look back and specify all the things we learned through this challenge. Both students and parents need hope. When they lose theirs, we become the merchants of hope for them . This is our time to step into the gap and be the listener, the encourager, the leader, and the partner our students and parents need.

Posted in Community, Inspiration, Relationship

The Significance of “Too”

Posted on by Dr. Carol Wertz

One night, sitting around the table, three friends and I were talking about personality traits.  My beautiful, dramatic, bubbly friend, whom everyone loves, shared, “When I was a kid, everyone told me I was too dramatic.  For years, I tried to get rid of my too dramatic self.”

But dramatic is who she is!  Vibrant, funny, alive, the center of attention with creative talents galore….that’s her!   Wow!  What if she had continued to believe those who told her she was “too”?   What if she became less than God wanted because of that little word being used negatively?

Have I ever been guilty of stunting a child’s personality because I have told him he was  ‘too’ _________?  Too talkative – it worked for Oprah.  Too quiet, too active, too creative, too hyper.  That last one worked  for Gillian Lynne, a famous dancer, who became a choreographer known for her work in Cats and Phantom of the Opera.  She speaks of herself as being “hopeless” in school, a word she often heard.   Too…..you fill in the blank.

What if, instead of just seeing a particular trait as something that drives you crazy, you actually turned it around and looked at how it might be positive?  I know it can be a stretch.  I didn’t always appreciate my son’s creativity when he used it to put peanut butter on the clock hands so the teacher would think it was time for dismissal!  However, it has served him well as he has gone on to become a master craftsman who uses his creativity to design new projects.

Take another look at those children who have an idiosyncracy that might be  unacceptable in a classroom.  How could you turn it into a positive?  How could you speak to the child in a way that lets him know you appreciate him, with all his quirks?

How about sharing something from your own life – a trait that seemed negative that you’ve used for good.  Brainstorm some ideas for how to put it to good use and how it might be practiced outside of the classroom.  Think of some ways to help him manage it in the classroom.  And most of all, let him know that this trait helps to make him unique and special, keeping the door open for a positive relationship with you.

Posted in Inspiration, Relationship

Relationship Matters

Posted on by Dr. Carol Wertz

Standing on the sidewalk with two little neighbors, I admired the phone one of them was proudly displaying.  “Wow, you already have a phone,” I commented.  “How old are you?”

“I’m eight,” she replied.  “Yeah, I just told my dad I wanted a phone and I got one.”

The other eight year old  looked on enviously.  “I wish I’d had a dad like that,” I remonstrated with him.  He looked at me and asked, “How old were you when you got YOUR phone?”  LOL

When I told him I’d never had one, he questioned, “Didn’t you miss it?”    I tried to explain what it was like to use a phone that you were attached to and couldn’t step more than a few feet away from.  I’m sure he didn’t get the picture.  I went on to say that we don’t miss what we don’t have when we don’t even know about it, because it hasn’t been invented!  Blank stare.

But as I thought about it, I realized this is what we’re doing in education.  We’re trying to educate for jobs that haven’t yet been thought of!  We’re preparing kids for…….what?  What can we do today that will serve them well tomorrow?

There are some elements of education that will always be relevant.  Perhaps the “look” of the classroom will change as we explore new furniture and new arrangements, incorporate more technology, and explore innovative ways to present our curriculum, but the most basic ingredient of teaching remains the same – relationship.  THIS is what kids are craving.

“Do you see me?  Do you believe I’m worth anything?  Do you believe I can make it in this world?  Help me figure out what I can contribute.  Tell me I matter.”

THIS is the gift a teacher is uniquely called to give.  I have talked to many adults who are where they are because of a teacher who asked the right question, who told them they could succeed, who saw something in them that others did not.  We don’t always know what our children’s lives are like outside the classroom.  But we can create the environment and mood inside!

What do you want people to say about your classroom when they walk away?  Last week I was in a school room for the second time.  I said to the teacher, “I love visiting here because your value for relationship shows through in everything you do.”  I could see it in the way he managed the class, in the words he used, in the way he taught, and in his expectations of the children.   This does not happen by accident.  It takes thought, reflection, trial and error, and time to establish the atmosphere you desire.  The constant in education is our students’ desire for relationship.  We are privileged, indeed.

Posted in Community, Inspiration, Relationship

Letting Go

Posted on by Dr. Carol Wertz

“Come to my yard sale,” she called merrily as I rode by on my bicycle.  I took it in at a glance.  It looked pathetic.  Nevertheless, with mixed feelings of compassion for her and pity because she needed customers, I stopped and pretended interest as I looked at the various offerings.

“How much is the little dog”? I ventured, only able to see his head as he was hiding behind other boxes.

Thus it was, I found myself riding through the streets of town with a dirty, cobwebby, black ceramic dog named “Dark Star”, full of holes, who had taken up residence in my bike basket.   She had insisted I take him and thrust him into the basket against my protests.  I was laughing at myself, as I pictured drivers going by, pointing to this woman who had “lost it”, thinking she was taking her dog for a ride!

But as I thought about me laying him in his final resting place rather than her, it occurred to me that I also have things I’m hanging on to in my teacher basket that maybe I don’t need.  Is it time to lay to rest that favorite activity that’s fun, but doesn’t really have a purpose?  Is it time to put aside previous prejudice, open my mind, and just TRY that technology the principal is urging me to use?  Is it time to admit I need some fresh activities and ask a mentor for new ideas in the area of classroom management or ideas for teaching a particular concept?

I have a saying in my classes — “All of teaching is a grand experiment.”

No matter how long we’ve taught or how much experience we have, our job is new every morning.  That’s the fun of it…….and the challenge.  Every year is different, every class is different, and every child is different.  What do I need to do to embrace the new…….and let go of the old?