Why are my dendrites so tired???

When I first heard the term dendrite, it was something the science teacher on my team talked about when he was in the process of writing his book "Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites."

I always wondered what a dendrite was, because after all, when I was in school I was pretty much presented with worksheet after worksheet and that was the crux of my middle and high school endeavor. But as a teacher now, I am seeing that as much as the kids that I teach would rather just churn out worksheet after worksheet because it is easier, what REAL learning is taking place? The ability to mass produce completed paperwork? Which is great if I am planning on teaching kids how to fill out applications for welfare benefits. But I kind of think I want more for my students.

By definition, a dendrite is  "a short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body." Yeah, well I am no biologist but that sounds like a lot of things happening in the brain. That big glob of nerve cells in our body, that thing that controls everything we do; our brain is a wonderful thing. For the past three years while teaching at the therapeutic/trauma focused school I have learned so much about how the brain allows students to learn or what other things hinder the brain from functioning correctly. Getting my students to think outside of worksheets is a daunting task. Sometimes I feel defeated because their attitude is "just give me the sheet" rather than "can you tell me why this (concept) is so?" I want my students to develop a curiosity for learning, want them to question what I tell them and make a logical (dare I say) argument for why they have a different opinion than I have. This takes so much energy and brain power on my end. Creating activities and lessons that they feel comfortable in completing, that allow them to use what they have despite their trauma to feel academically accomplished, but not overstepping their comfort zone of the worksheet. For me, this is really making my own dendrites so tired!

The most powerful weapon does not shoot bullets...

Nelson Mandela states “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” It is this core belief that continues to empower me to work with children regardless of their background or socio-economic status. I believe that all children have the ability to learn; that it is my job as an educator to navigate through students’ fears, behaviors and anything else that might hold them back to help them achieve success both in the classroom and in life. I believe one of the most essential roles, as an educator, is to have the ability to develop positive relationships with students. Without the trust and rapport that is built between a student and teacher, it will never matter what you are trying to teach. Students want to learn from teachers that they know care about them. Investing in students is more than just showing up to class and delivering lessons; its knowing what makes a kid tick, understanding their triggers and their fears, learning what encourages them to try harder and persist when they want to give up, and doing so in a way that is non-intrusive, within professional boundaries and consistent. I believe that it is my job to model appropriate behavior and actions that I would want my own children to emulate. Exhibiting character traits of integrity and fairness plays in vital role in how children respond in a classroom. Children learn less from what you say and more from what they witness. This is one reason why I believe that a safe, consistent and structured environment with fair and equitable guidelines promotes academic results. I believe that its okay to be disappointed with actions or behaviors of a student, but that one mistake does not define who that student is as a person. A student that at has least one caring role model in their life who will never give up on them will eventually bounce back to achieve success. I work hard everyday to be that person so I can change the world.

Thank you teacher for I have sinned. It's been two years since my last post...

So I am in the process of building a new website because I am always looking to increase my skills. As I was linking up past sites to the new site, I realized that my last post was TWO FREAKING YEARS ago.

So much has happened into years. I went from a 5-8 math teacher to new certifications that include SPED K-8 and SPED 5-12. I also earned elementary 1-6. I never thought in a million years that I would be collecting certs like I would candy if I was trick or treating.

Things are moving along. My mind continues to race with all those teacher things. But I still love my profession and would not change it for the world.