A FULL Month of saying YES

When Sandile arrived on campus, I gave him a heads-up: things move quickly here. You'll feel drained, but amidst taking care of yourself, embrace every opportunity that comes your way. Not one to let someone tackle a mission alone, I decided to adopt a "YES" attitude this month, and boy, am I glad I did.

It all began in late January when my proposal to collaborate with Teach With Africa was approved by Head-Royce. I immediately quelled concerns about the pace, opting instead to forge ahead. I confidently declared, "YES, we can make it happen," and indeed we did. Swiftly assembling a supportive team, I embarked on yet another campus adventure, collaborating with colleagues from various divisions.

Before I knew it, I was guiding Sandile through his first day on campus while effectively managing the day-to-day affairs of the middle school. Though I've hosted numerous educators from TWA over the years, this time, I assumed an administrative role without the fallback of a classroom. Yet, every time Sandile entered my office, I didn't feel obligated to engage; I genuinely wanted to. Saying yes meant accompanying him on campus walks, seizing learning opportunities, and simply being present in the moment.

But the "YES" mindset didn't end there. Teach With Africa has held a special place in my heart for 15 years, and once I committed, I was fully invested. Denied the opportunity in 2020 due to sending our future leaders home, and with just one virtual exchange leader since, I felt a sense of belonging with the program and immediately recognized the reciprocity in learning.

Saying YES meant warmly welcoming my virtual leader, Cedu, who managed to visit SF this year for a campus tour. It meant dedicating time to forge connections, attending city dinners to foster relationships, and, of course, joining the Gala to celebrate.

When I said “Yes” early in January, I didn’t anticipate all the additional "Yeses" I would utter or enact through my actions. However, I did anticipate that time would swiftly pass, and soon it would be April. Yet, as I journeyed alongside Sandile, as well as the other teachers, leaders, parents, and administrators committed to this program this year and in previous years, one principle became unmistakably clear: Ubuntu—I am what I am because of who we all are.

More lessons will surface when the dust settles. But for now I offer gratitude.

Returning and Reflecting - The Big Island

It’s been some time since I sat down to write. January 2022. Since then, I accepted a new position and have been a professional community member at Head-Royce for 1 1/2 years as Assistant Head of Middle School. I have thought about writing. It’s not due to a lack of content but instead finding a way to connect my stories and voice to this space. I am still struggling with that. But for today, I reflect.

The summer of 2002 was memorable. It was the last summer I dedicated to summer-long outdoor education opportunities. It was the summer I spent on the Big Island of Hawaii. I had intended on taking that summer off. But my Ford Explorer had just broken down, and I recently bought a new car. This meant I needed to work, and Wilderness Ventures was happy to take me back for a summer on the Big Island. I was excited. From an early age I had always wanted to visit Hawaii.

I have fantasized about returning to the Big Island for years especially while visiting the other islands. There is nothing like “your first". I remember the feeling I had flying into Kona the first time. It was magical. I remember being at the volcanos and seeing how cool it was to see lava flow directly into the ocean. I also recall only having two warm showers all summer. When I bought tickets for my family a couple of months ago, over 20 years later, I didn’t give the island much thought. I was excited to splash in the waves and feel the sand on my feet. I was excited to be on the Big Island of Hawaii but I had no idea what I was in store for me.

That said, returning to the Big Island I felt at peace, and so many memories quickly surfaced. Sitting on a beach just off the large resorts, I recalled being in that ocean in the evening on July 4th. We swam with bioluminescence in the bay as fireworks exploded above us. Every day we passed the helicopter landing zone, I recalled the time Brian had to ask them to pay particular attention to the beach at W bay. I was forced to take 12 students into the backcountry solo do to a case of appendicitis and we were 2 days late coming out of the backcountry due to heavy rains and an impossible river crossing (that’s a story for the books - one that tangles risk managment with what small world we live in). Brian was obviously concerned. As my family adventured around some of island, I remember the supermarkets we stopped in and the two nights we had in a Kona hotel, the barbeque areas at Hapuna Beach, the shaved ice, and the dunking for apples in ice buckets (just for fun)… It was all flooding back.

It was also amazing to experience this island with my family. Since then, I have traveled to many places across the globe and have experienced so much. I loved seeing Gavin try bodyboarding and snorkeling for the first time and for Emmet to build castles in the same sand I once learned about outrigger canoeing on. Quickly, I was transported in time and began reflecting on purpose.

My roots in education, and later my thesis, are grounded in experiential education. My career began teaching sailing, leading backpacking trips, and guiding kids in the outdoors. Over time, I ended up in the classroom and learned how to drive mathematical experiences through PBL and became a leader in global education. But where am I now?

The irony is not lost on me that my mind, body, and heart returned to a place that had a great impact on me, at a time when I myself have began delving into experiential education as a practice here at Head-Royce. I recently finished creating and administrating one of four middle school-wide community engagement days. These days in the field, alongside pre and post work are both effective and enriching. I also signed up for the ISEEN winter conference. The hope is to help guide our middle school in conversation and then action to create experiential education opportunities across the grades. While the primary force has been outdoor ed, their is so much more for our students to experience in conjunction with where we live and what we learn.

This trip to Hawaii gave me exactly what I needed. Time with the family, some sunshine to brighten the day, and an opportunity to return and reflect. As the sun sets on yet another day, I am grateful for the experiences I have had along the way and hopeful to create impactful ones for others for many years to come - whether it be my family or our students. Stay tuned, I might even tell that story about the river crossing soon.

And this is 2022...

While my commitment to Purpose learning and teaching kids about the globe and micro-finance have been present in my practice at CSB, I have not in 4 years found an entry point of which to “Do Kiva” (And I mean- BLOW IT UP - with an entire micro-lending business model experience). I made it a goal that this school year would be IT. And so, on a day that many educators around the country and world reentered buildings with apprehension, anxiety, and questions, I entered with Purpose.

Today I launched… what is microfinance? And tomorrow my ten 6th graders will begin the adventure that will teach and enforce much more than just “math”. It will answer their questions and confirm their thoughts from today’s Think, Puzzle, Explore Routine -

Yes - we will explore global economies!

Yes - we will help people that are less fortunate then us!

Yes - we will explore different needs all over the world!

Today was what I needed. Today is the start of 2022 in my classroom.

New Space - Old Tricks

I may not be teaching in the garage anymore. In fact, I am not even in the school with that garage space. However, some activities that I utilized during those years still have a lot of value to me in my new space. While I find that every year I recreate so much, some things are just meant to be used again and again. Let’s talk Tick Tack Treat. 

As a team, we have been discussing the need for our students to reimagine group work. After a solid year hiatus, we decided to use advisory as a space to talk about community and meaningful collaboration. We started the conversation by having the boys look at the Yardsticks pages about adolescents ages 12 and 13. The boys read these pages and were asked to note things that they wish their parents, teachers, and peers were aware of. They began to see how things change physically, cognitively, and socially over time and relate to how this might affect them daily. This allowed them space to reflect on how they have changed as individuals and students. 

Following that discussion, we got started with Tick Tack Treat. To be honest, I had hopes early on that they were going to start working together. But, after 30 minutes we had to point on the obvious - A Win-Win mentality is THE way to go. This video put things in perspective and was a fun debrief tool.  This activity is a great tool for all ages!

If you build it…

Every summer as a kid my dad would buy tickets for us to see the Red Sox at minimum once a month. Our family would pile into the Oldsmobile wagon, park in the same Stop and Shop parking lot just a few blocks away, weave through the crowded streets and enter Fenway. We’d grab the program so we could complete the box score, my dad would venture out to find me “wingdings” because I didn’t want a hot dog (I think he enjoyed that inconvenient walk with a beer - just sayin’) and we’d sit back and enjoy the game as a family in the summer heat. At the beginning of this summer, I had hopes of bringing Gavin to his first baseball game. And while the season is not over, with covid and parks at capacity again I am not sure that dream will be fulfilled. But baseball will be here next year…

In fact, I had a lot of dreams/plans for this summer. Some fulfilled and some not. The to-do list is always so lofty and it’s so easy to get lost in the hours of a quiet day at home. The last few weeks I have been acutely aware of my own personal need to use these weeks off to charge myself for the coming year. I can easily spend days on end in my home, alone, catching up on shows, books, and working out. Then a few days in I realize a week has gone by with little human contact and I fill up my calendar for the following week trying to see all those that will be more difficult to connect with during September. Lunches, hikes, overdue phone calls, trips to the pool (thanks @resortpass) fill my days and exhaust me. The balance of these two approaches is what will hopefully give me the boost/charge/energy to embrace the year ahead. This one sure appears to have challenges that may be different but not necessarily less exhausting than last year.

With only one week in summer remaining, I am doing a lot of reflection too. Last week, I sat down and watched a portion of that Field of Dreams game. It made me nostalgic for summer as a kid. I recall when the movie came out and watching it with friends and family. It made me long for baseball games in the summer heat, wingdings, Fenway Park, Boston accents, and the chance to catch something spectacular on a summer night (like that night we watched the Twins turn 2 triple plays in one game, 1990) alongside my Janiak crew.

MLB did an impressive job with the opening of the game. Certainly easy to get teary-eyed as I recalled the movie itself. A quote shared by fellow educator, mentor, and friend Steve Mandell had me thinking about the game, life, current state of the world, and specifically schools amidst Covid.

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game; it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh…people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."

It’s gonna be another hard year in school. Guidelines and structures will continue to evolve. Aspects of school from 2019 will continue to be missed. We will long for what used to be and continue to dream up what the future can look like. The teachers will come. The students will come. The smiles will be had. The learning will continue. If you build it, they will come… I am well rested and I think it’s gonna be alright!

PS

The Yankees lost…

Exhale... it's almost over.

Yesterday, as I finished my last math class of the 2020-2021 school year I did just that. I exhaled. I suddenly felt a wave of emotion similar to that day in January that I stood in the Marin Covid Vaccine clinic. Something was changing. Something was on the horizon. Something felt different. I had tears in my eyes.

To be honest, I need the break. I know that it may take weeks before my mind truly can shut off but I deserve the break and I will take it. This was quite a year. A year like no other. A year that started from my home office (which also happens to be my children’s playroom) teaching teenagers who were likely not showered and were wearing pajama bottoms. To be honest, I was too. It was a year that changed in November when I was required to return to campus. This was before I emotionally felt ready to do so. It was a year that kept me officially quarantined in my home for a total of 43 days thanks to a cohort case in December and then my own family's covid breakout in February. This also meant I learned that teaching from home, with students in the classroom, and with my own children in the house was far from easy. But I did it. I did it all. Remote. Hybrid. In-person. Combinations. Asynchronous. Synchronous. WOW.

And while I need the break, I am going to miss these guys I spent this crazy year with. It’s a class I surely will never forget. It was a year that required brain breaks and walking 13-year-old boys to the bathroom. A shift in the mentality of working in “my classroom” vs “their space” as they remained in one location all day and I traveled about. A year where I needed to bring the FUN into my classroom more regularly. Let’s be honest though, I love a good worm off on Zoom. And while I will continue to reflect on this year’s challenges, I will also reflect on all that was gained. As I have written before, we have relaxed a bit on some things, we’ve prioritized people and we have grown together. We have been resilient. We have had grit. We've thought about how to work smarter not harder, how to manage emotions, what assessment can look like (specifically reassessment), and how to get creative on a large set of stairs with a couple of kickballs.

And… it’s almost over.

Let’s enjoy summer.

Does Technology Bring us Closer Together or Drive Us Further Apart?

Two years ago I led a one-week course on Technology in the Bay Area. The driving question was: Does technology bring us closer together or drive us further apart? Over the course of the week, we talked about many different aspects of technology integration and visited some San Francisco based companies including Lyft and Twitter. We had so much fun.

As recent political events have unfolded this educational experience, our field trip to Twitter and the driving question have started to surface. Today, I reached out to my 8th graders to reflect. What came out of it? They recognized how much has changed. At the time of the trip, Twitter’s policy was to not moderate political leaders. They felt it was important that we see and hear what they were thinking and doing. The fact that two years later we are looking at Trump being taken off the platform seems crazy.

Does technology bring us closer together or drive us further apart? Certainly, this debate still exists for many of us daily. During the last 9 1/2 months, many of us have utilized technology in more ways than ever before. We have needed it to connect with others, to share in moments and celebrations, and for many to stay educated. This list goes on and on. But the fact of the matter is that we can set up systems to help bring us closer together but when abused they can certainly drive us apart. Social media and the overall changes and development in delivering content and information isn’t going away. It’s challenging. But, teaching our youth how to be responsible, see the good, find the balance, and learn how to navigate certainly is a necessity. That’s where I will continue to do my work.

Move More Slowly, With a Lot more Patience, and with some "Sure Why Not's"

To say that 2020 was a challenging year is an understatement. Being plopped down into the middle of a global pandemic, with a newborn, and sometimes feeling like a pawn in the political world of Covid was more than I signed up for. But, as I look to 2021 I find it important to reflect on some of what I have learned along the way. In fact, I was reading this article from NAIS and I couldn’t quite get this sentence out of my head, “Fast-paced social changes mean both tremendous turmoil and tremendous opportunity—how can we maximize the latter while we are acutely aware of the former?” I hope this reflection (which will not be exhaustive) will help me grow for years to come.

1) Move slowly. Everything in Covid days seems to move slowly. From trips to the grocery store to neighborhood walks. If you are trying to move at the same pace you did last year in January you are likely getting frustrated.

School: We aren’t going to get through what we did in years past. But is that a terrible thing? If that extra day before the test let’s even one more student gain a better understanding of the material, is it so bad? I remind myself of this every day as I find ways to balance student learning, differentiation, and opportunity.

2) Be Patient. Completely in line with moving slowly means we need to be patient.

School: Outcomes take longer and people might be more sporadic. We need to be patient with everything and everyone. So many different emotions to experience and we don’t all feel them at the same time. One day you are thriving while the person next to you is barely surviving. Take a deep breath and acknowledge the range. Be patient with others including students, faculty, parents, and administration.

3) Say, “Sure why not” more.

School: The world changed the rules on us really quickly. Let’s do the same for our students. Pre Covid I was definitely pretty rigid with certain parts of my classroom and course. But I find myself way more flexible now without losing integrity. It feels good for both me and the students as I lean into this new normal. A few examples, “I didn’t sleep well last night, Can I please hand in that tomorrow?”, “Can we take a brain break and dance?”, “Ms Goggin, let’s have a worm off”. “Can we please move the test to Tuesday? We have a lot going on.”

4) Know that everyone’s narrative is extremely important to them. Like everyone else in the world I certainly have had my share of pity parties. While I appreciate it when someone says to me, “this must be hard with two littles” I often reply, “It’s hard on all of us”. We can’t measure the impact of these events on anyone but ourselves. We don’t need to compare them either. We simply need to recognize that we are all working through it. This time has given us things to struggle with but it has also gifted us things we may have needed.

School: This one is hard. Supporting colleagues and students is always easy for me and really need to acknowledge that it has been a bit traumatic for folks. We all know that students need to be in school. Student happiness and teachers’ safety is important. I have also never in my career felt like these two were at odds quite this intensely. Discovering a way to find a middle ground is definitely critical and yet at the same time doesn’t necessarily work for all parties. But we continue to do our best to meet all needs whether we are in person or online. Back to that theme song… This is How We Do, Katy Perry.

5) Hug the people you can. Take advantage of those in your pods and bubbles. Keep those close to you REAL close. Don’t take the human touch for granted. Get through it!

School: So we have to stay six feet apart. So we have to talk with masks. So we have to be silent when eating. So we have to stay in grade-level teams and cohorts. Never have I seen fewer people over a period of time. CSB is my daily community. Those boys and faculty are the ones I am gifted for this experience. So I hug the little ones tight when leaving for work, count on these folks to work alongside me to learn and laugh all day and do it all over again the following.

6) Lastly, FIND the FUN.

Even if it’s in a set of 6 inch slap band rulers for your class. It’s amazing the JOY they bring:)

Weekly "Worldly" Warm Up

How do we bring real world connections into Algebra 1 class? This year I have started a new initiative called Weekly Worldly Warm Ups (I love a good alliteration). Every Friday, students will begin class by processing a warm up question that relates to real world issues. They will be encouraged to compute or analyze something from the real world and also digest the material. I want student to understand that math exists around them and that being a good consumer and processor of that information is important.

If you have been following me across the years then you likely know that I want to use these warm up problems as a place for students to connect purpose. But, I also acknowledge that sometimes we need to slow down and connect to things that are important to them. Yes, that means sports, video games and TikTok too!.

Interested in following the adventure?

It will be documented here.

This is how we do...

I’ve been thinking about what to post here as a kick - off to what might be my most adventurous school year yet. I’ve spent the summer thinking about distance learning, working with fellow educators and considering how I can make this year the best year yet. Year 23!!!

But as I hit the pavement today (as the smoke subsided long enough to get some strides in outside) it’s the chorus of this song that spoke to me. So fellow educators take it in… no one should be surprised. We’ve been “doing it” for a long time.

“It's no big deal, it's no big deal, it's no big deal
This is no big deal

This is how we do, yeah, chilling, laid back
Straight stuntin' ya we do it like that
This is how we do, do do, this is how we do
This is how we do, yeah, chilling, laid back
Straight stuntin' ya we do it like that
This is how we do, do do, this is how we do” - Katy Perry

I hit my stride today and I am coming in HOT. Let’s do this.

Life Long Learner - #blacklivesmatter

My day to day life isn’t much different than it was meant to be. I had planned to spend many days of April, May and June in my home, wearing elastic waist pants and caring for my newborn. I stopped watching the news that was giving timelines for opening up the state. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in Covid, but it didn’t really apply to me. My world was likely going to stay more sheltered long after the mayors and governors said, “You are free to move about”. I don’t really know where the days went. I don’t have a long list of Netflix shows from the months of April and May, my house is far from '“visitor clean”, and the laundry piles up. I did go on walks, I snuck in some sunshine and worked on summer programming.

And then it started with a text that I sent after watching the NYC Amy Cooper incident and George Floyd arrest… “just reaching out to say that I am thinking of you. I know that institutional racism being alive in this world is no news to you (or I) but the craziness of the world is so unsettling and the headlines make me so angry and sad. I just wanted to send a virtual hug. I wish the world was a better place”.

After sending the text however, I felt empty. This person already knew I was an ally. This person knew that if I was currently in the classroom I would plan a lesson, open up my classroom for discussion on how the boys felt and encourage them to put emotions to action. But it would end there. I admit it. But not this time. I, like many in the world, felt it was time to do MUCH MUCH more. And, this post from a friend in Minneapolis opened my eyes even more.

So what am I doing? I’m challenging myself to do at least 7 things each week that allows me to explore the compelling why alongside the how. This challenge allows me to do what I can, while also keeping my family safe during a pandemic. I do this because it needs to be done. I do this because #blacklivesmatter And I do this so that my two sons can grow up in a world that is both just and peaceful. So how have I spent my “free time” this week?

I Listened:

Excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s book “David and Goliath”. Revisionist History Presents: The Limits of Power 

I Watched:

13th

When They See Us

The Kalief Browder Story

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man with Matthew McConaughey

Ironically I also watched Jeffrey Epstein Documentary. Talk about power, money and privilege.

I Signed and Supported:

Change.org Petition for Sonic to Act

Change.org Change the Status of KKK

8Cantwait

I Donated:

Campaign Zero

I Talked:

Over the course of the week I engaged in conversations about privilege and race with my husband, parents, and even a student that I taught 18 years ago. I also participated in a conversations with colleagues via Zoom.

I Walked:

Neighborhood Children’s Walk. Taken from the back as I don’t want to expose children’s faces without permission. But it was 100 people deep!

I reflected:

I am not posting my actions and discoveries because this movement is about me or because I deserve credit. I am posting these things because I am holding myself accountable for learning and offering suggestions to those who may not no where to start. I am also open to your suggestions. Please leave a comment.

Reflecting on Content Delivery

I am always looking for resources that bring real life data into my math classroom. I found this data sheet through my twitter account and was immediately engaged with it. I tried hard not to go too far down the rabbit hole and I stopped myself at creating some real word world problems that could be shared with my class.  Because, the fact of the matter is that I am not in the classroom at the moment. I am not delivering content. The term delivery for me during Covid - 19 has a completely different meaning.  I delivered a baby in this global pandemic mess and I am currently on maternity leave.

However, the fact is that I have a hard time staying away from my job, my students and education as a whole while on leave. And during this Covid-19 time period I find it nearly impossible. What fascinates me most about this time period is how society is working through the pandemic, yet, what I am most connected to is how we are dealing with education. In my 20+ years in the classroom I have seen a lot of changes in education. I have watched myself move from pedagogy that was extremely traditional into more inquiry and constructivist approaches. I have developed programs that offer amazing real world connections and focus on skills that will make my students better global citizens of the future. However, all of these changes occurred over time with a good amount of prep and reflection. The current shift is happening overnight.

As I read blogs, listen to podcasts and dare think about my own classroom I wonder how much I could stay true to my own philosophy of education while teaching in a distance format. I am hopeful and confident that I would continue to approach concepts through inquiry based learning and real world problems. I would connect topics to data that would get my students thinking and consuming too. And now more than ever us teachers need that trilogy of support for students, that I always refer to on back to school night, to be strong… parent, teacher, student.

So while I am hopeful that fall of 2020 will bring us back into our physical classrooms allowing us to feel the energy and joy of a school day (distance learning makes this pretty difficult), I am simultaneously thinking ahead and reflecting on the conversations I have had with my peers. I am considering initiatives, projects and apps that will allow me to fulfill my goals and live true to my philosophy of teaching in a synchronous, asynchronous, distance learning or brick and mortar classroom.

This whole thing can be scary but it can also be exciting (perspective)… am I talking about childbirth/maternity leave or education in the Covid-19 world? Both!

In light of COVID19...

In early February, before COVID19 hit US soil and in the early days of this spreading virus the boys began learning about exponential growth through the lens of the flu. And while we were able to discuss coronavirus and learn about it the truth was the project was a little "too early”. Data was scarce, knowledge about the disease lacking.

That said, the product we did come up with tells a story of its own. It informs the public of the dangers of a virus, the need for immunization to keep people healthy and what we need to be doing in our daily lives to help reduce risk for all. The conversation about the flu gave these boys insight and much thought about all that is happening today. It’s not enough to only think about ourselves… we need to go beyond!

Here are a few of our resources…

Driving Question: The flu virus is one that has the potential to grow at an exponential rate throughout our community, how can we ensure that we stay healthy and “flu-free”?

Extra Questions we used to Consider:

What do we know about the flu? What do we know about vaccination?What do we know about the values of our community as it pertains to the flu?

Outside Resource to Base the Math Around

Product Rubric

Final Product

Feel free to use this and continue to extend thinking to today’s global crisis and pandemic. Conversations like this can extend far beyond the math class as we consider how our population is responding.

*** Next year I will start and end with a question about the flu vaccine. Something along the lines of “Is getting the flu vaccine a personal decision? Mine and Mine alone? Does my getting it or not getting it only impact me?” I want the boys to reflect on how the decision may impact others.

*** In terms of Covid-19, “Should social isolation be a choice or a mandate?” We used this resource in class to have a discussion 6 weeks post project (3/10).

Purpose Summit 2019

Here are a few words to describe how I feel today as I reflect on the last few days at World Leadership School’s Purpose Summit.

Excited, Overwhelmed, Enthusiastic, Rejuvenated, Connected, Enthralled, Passionate

I went to Colorado to realign myself as an educator and to reconnect with the kind of work I was doing in my classroom before the move to Cathedral. It’s not that I was lost but rather my priorities needed to shift a bit as I got to know another curriculum, co-create a new math program and learn a little bit about the community.

But alas I am ready! And with the help of my new friend Phu I created my purpose statement and what I hope becomes transparent in my work in the next few months.

My PURPOSE is to help others DISCOVER their

SUPERPOWERS so that they can

CHANGE THE WORLD.

Colorado you may have been cold but you warmed my heart. Purpose Summit 2019

A Year to Innovate...

My boss reminded me in June that you won’t start to innovate until you get bored. Life and work is far from boring, but as I sit here on my last true Friday of summer (I teach summer school next week and then that leads right into school meetings the following) I am already thinking about what I can get up to this year.

For those of you that are new here, I haven’t been that active as a blogger the last two years. For those that haven’t dove into the “why” it’s because I switched schools two years ago. Due to uprooting the math program utilizing research the first year and then implementing what we hoped would prove to be impactful and successful the second, some of my global learning projects and big ideas had to take a back seat. I had to spend time connected to new materials and new grade levels alongside a new community.

BUT, I am here to say that I am back. While the changes in the math department will likely still take up a good amount of time, I am hopeful that I can begin to make changes in my daily curriculum that continue to put emphasis on the development of global competency (humility).

I don’t imagine something as BIG as the year long Kiva project yet, but good things are to come so keep checking in. To those of you heading back to work - GOOD LUCK! To those of you with a few weeks left of summer - soak it in. It’s going to be a great year ahead!

"Here, have a dollar... (or $25)

In fact, no brotherman here, have two. Two dollars means a snack for me. But it means a big deal to you” - Mr Wendell, Arrested Development

I promised I would write more so here goes…

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks here at CSB as we investigate the concept of Financial Dignity. While last year’s project was one that focussed on minimum wage and it’s relationship to a dignified wage this year we moved into an exploration of living wages in San Francisco for different demographics. We explored the relationship to a life of dignity utilizing financial models that include savings, essentials and personal use. The boys began to think about essential needs vs personal use and we had good discussions about things that we view as societal needs at this point too.

While learning about percents, the boys looked at a range of global statistics as they started to gain an understanding of marginalized communities and people and how wages effect them. All of this as a precursor to learning about credit, the banking system and eventually micro finance and Kiva.org.

The boys have many questions about Kiva at this stage of the game but I am excited to see how they move forward with their lending. Today, I am excited to field questions about Kiva and see where their beliefs behind lending stand. Stay tuned, infographics to support their beliefs will be rolling in next week as they make their first loans.

PS who doesn’t like Mr Wendell? My new fave connection to Kiva.org in that opening line.

Wool, Copper, Desk Sets? #7yearanniversary #kiva

Does anyone else use Shutterfly? While I must admit I am not as good as I used to be about uploading photos (larger phone storage will do that), I love when they send me a reminder email about what happened (Blank) years ago.

Sifting through my hotmail account today (gasp-going through the multiple emails and needing to use unroll.me quick) I was welcomed by an email from Shutterfly that said, “7 Years Ago Today”. When I opened that email I certainly thought, “where does the time go?”. Those boys are in college! I am at a new school! 7 years…. Wow!

The images are filled with smiles and products and I began to recall the hard work, empathy, perseverance, and life lessons from not only that inaugural class but from the 6 years I worked on what became known at Town School as “The Kiva Project”. And thus I took a little walk down memory lane and reflecting on the project in the two sites below.

But most importantly it left me with a bit of a buzz for doing MORE. Last year I was a little quiet for a few obvious reasons but let’s just say, I’m ready to do some meaningful work here so check back soon and Enjoy!

http://kivakids.wixsite.com/pblglobal

http://www.kristengoggin.com/stories-from-the-garage/global-project-based-learning-reflection-of-t

PS Perhaps instead of copper, wool and desk sets I will pick up a new pair of shutter shades, a pin for peace, custom sticker. Or make a kiva loan!

On the Eve of Year #21...

For months I have thought about writing and about collecting my thoughts on what the last 6 months have been like. Perhaps “for the best” I put it on my B list. I must say that the last 6 months of my life have been quite an adventure and perhaps as a reader you didn’t know that I had a baby in mid may and have been off since then. So why would this be important to my site?

I couldn’t quite put it to words. Yet often times when I reflected on my first few months of motherhood I would think about the experience being connected to cultural and global competence . At the very least I have been reflecting on the skills and behaviors that I have been wanting to teaching and instill in the kids in my classroom and how important they have been to the development of me as a first time mom. Resilience, Open mindedness, Empathy, Comfort with Unfamiliar, Humility…

So on this eve of my first day of school - November 2018- I begin to think about what I want out of this school year. This first month will certainly be about creating culture and community in my classroom. While I know that the boys were in good hands it will still be important that I take the time to build trust, encourage them to grow and challenge themselves, and of course laugh. Then, 2019 the pedagogy that I love will emerge a little bit more into the daily routines (global, tech, stem, etc..).

Certainly will be an adventure doing all of this in the month of December (and having been out of the classroom for 6 months- the longest streak in nearly 38 years I bet!)… and while my heart will be a little broken in the morning I am ready to get back to business!

More Reflection to Come… Here’s to 21!!!

A little humor attached to discipline...

I haven't had a lot of time to write, which has essentially been on my mind as the topic of my next post which I hope to be a reflection about entering a new community. That said, when I received this email yesterday I wondered where I would save it.  This felt right.

As part of my adaptation to a larger class size this year I had to work some new structures into my classes.  What wasn't working was 3 redirects leading the boys into a disciplinary slip. I literally started feeling like I was getting played and that every other word out of my mouth was "redirect". 7th graders in particular are quite good about playing the line and moving right through the gray area and then halting at the right moment. 

Let's just say, this was getting annoying! So I switched the policy to having the boys write an email home to parents reflecting on their behavior if they got two redirects. If they opted out of this, they earn the disciplinary slip.  The premise was that if they are able to reflect and accept responsibility for their actions they can stay out of real "trouble".

Most boys who end up writing are short and to the point. They try to represent themselves in a way that won't get them in trouble at home.  Yesterday, a boy that NEVER gets redirects was having a goofy kind of day.  His reflection made me laugh.  Perhaps you will giggle too!

Dear Mother,

As you well know,  I was not a well behaved child in maths today. I not only sat with my chair legs in the air, I did a distracting swinging motion with my arms most commonly known as dancing. After this brief spurt of unlawful behavior, I received a redirect. Later on I was told off for talking with a classmate and causing a short argument about me stepping on a peer's shoes. For neither of these offenses did I receive a second redirect and therefore left class with one redirect. This does not matter because my unacceptable behavior briefly distracted the class and therefore it is important for me to tell you. 

One Kid at a Time...

As I reflect on my December project that enabled the boys to look at minimum wage, gender pay disparity and financial dignity, I wondered if alongside the mathematical knowledge, did the boys have any shifts in thinking? Did they have empathy for others? Will they develop into the leaders of our community/world who will try and make changes at the local if not national and global level? 

As I sifted through reflections, I came across many ideas, connections and proposed actions.  This student empathized and seemed to connect (although missed that question) with helping our city and beyond.