Before ever stepping foot into a classroom, I went through what most teachers go through every year; summer professional development. Since this was my first year of teaching, I was shooed into a PD who's goal was to help me become more culturally sensitive. At the time, and as a Latino, I didn't feel this was quite necessary. After the few days of training, I did realize it was quite informative and insightful, and was better for it. The idea that "all kids are equal in my eyes" was broken down, because the reality of my students life was much different.

Then came our principals final speech before school started.  There was the usual praise for former and current teachers, well wishes for the upcoming year, targets and data. And then his final words as the session was nearing it's end. He said "And thank you for helping us break poverty cycles".

All of a sudden, my brain wrinkled a bit; a new neural pathway formed in my mind. Why? Because at that moment, I did not "have a job"; I had a mission.  But why was my mind so receptive to this idea? For this answer, we need a brief, but vital, history lesson.

In the middle of my hiring, I was working towards my goal of home ownership. Me being me, I also came upon some interesting information regarding the FHA: The Federal Housing Administration.  The FHA was created in 1934 and has since processed 40 million mortgages. While this sounds like an amazing accomplishment, between 1934 and the 1960's, the majority of people who benefited from these mortgages were white.  In fact, many of their policies were explicit in their verbiage, openly denying loans for Black American's and mostly anyone of color.  This had two very purposeful and intended effects:

1) It created the racist practice of "Redlining", which was a way for several sections of a city to be segregated, as mortgage backers would not secure loans in certain areas, thus creating "white" communities and separate communities of color.

2) Because of this redlining practice, eventually white people began to leave the inner cities and move into the suburbs, where planned communities were being built, again using this redlining model, separating their neighborhoods from neighborhoods of black people and people of color. This meant that several sections of the inner city became concentrated with people of color where as the exterior regions of major cities started to become predominantly white.

Another layer of history which must be included in this discussion is the GI Bill. After World War II, there were few jobs waiting for the millions of American men & women as they were coming back from war. In order to avoid a surge in unemployment, the GI Bill was created to help funnel those veterans into 4 year institutions, so that those returning soldiers would be able to obtain degrees which will propel them into long term prosperity while at the same time not drowning the job market.

From an article on history.com:

By the time the original GI Bill ended in July 1956, nearly 8 million World War II veterans had received education or training, and 4.3 million home loans worth $33 billion had been handed out. But most black veterans had been left behind. As employment, college attendance and wealth surged for whites, disparities with their black counterparts not only continued, but widened. There was,

On my final exam, I usually have a written letter included in the final test. A little note to sum up the year. This year, for the class of 2020, I decided to not only give the final note, but to also say a few words.  This year was incredibly important, not just to them, but to myself as well.

I will always learn more from them, then they will ever learn from me.

Below is the letter that I individually hand sign for each of my students.

Thank you class of 2020!

 

This being teacher appreciation week, I wanted to not only wish all teachers a very HAPPY teacher appreciation week, but I also wanted to send you a message of hope and inspiration, as we are in the middle of our unprecedented time in quarantine, and for many like myself, heading into the last few weeks of the school year

Like so many of you, I have had to adjust to this new type of at home learning. While many people call it home learning, or at home learning, or even online learning, I feel that these phrases and descriptions do not totally embrace what this really is: pandemic learning. The entire educational system has been disrupted like never before, and to describe it as anything less than that is truly doing us all a disservice. For some reason in education there is this tendency to minimize the bad and overemphasize the good.  During these times, it does us a disservice, as so many of our teachers and students face dire life threatening circumstances. If its okay with you, let's agree to call this what it really is; pandemic learning. Is that okay?

Now that we agree to describe this for what it really is; now what? We transitioned all of our curriculum to our online platforms, we have figured out more or less our zoom capabilities, we have tried and tried again to get our "teaching" practices online and have made assignments tailored to fit our new online mediums. But now what?

How do we continue on when kids don't show up? How do we press on when not all of our students are responding to our various cries and pleas for assistance? How do we deal with unexplained death, sudden job loss, and students lack of participation or increased depression?

And on the flip side; how do we deal with students who are thriving in this environment? Those students who no longer feel the societal pressures of conformity and are free to be themselves within the walls of their own personal spaces? Students who's anxiety and mental health issues are now expressed less, and who can now truly enjoy their education and learning, and who are possibly doing even better in this new framework?

The answer to each of these scenarios, or truly any of the situations that could be conceived underneath this new bell curve, is you.  You are the answer to each of these situations, because YOU are the glue that is holding this all together. Let me explain.

As the teacher in the classroom, you are the direct contact between the curriculum and your students. Every assessment, every assignment is done THROUGH you. You are the ambassador of the curriculum and of the lesson as well as representing each of your students and making sure that the lesson connects with the students, and vice versa.  You are on the front lines with respect to learning; the person on the ground that not only watches it happen, but makes it happen as well.  And please do not downplay those teachable moments that were outside of the prescribed curriculum or lesson plan; those are probably the MOST important lessons of all.  Those moments when you went off topic to correct a behavior or went off on a tangent from a student asking a questions; those are moments that turn into experiences.  And those experiences are what makes learning and teaching so valuable, because those experiences are a direct result of you

And this is where you matter most

When your students used to walk into class, their enthusiasm and their desire to learn was directly connected to their relationship with you; because as the ambassador for the lesson plan and for them, your presence is what flavored each moment, and turned it into an experience. And it was the experience of YOU that made each class what it was. And this doesn't relate or correlate to "good days" and "bad days". Its difficult to quantify "good" and "bad". Because i'm sure on your worst days,

This is my seventh year of teaching.

As I headed into my new teaching career back in 2013 (without any formal teaching experience) I was also in the midst of recovering from a job loss and recovering from a mistake I made in my marriage.  Six years in therapy working on myself, my marriage, my parenting, all of it.

What I did have going for me, probably the main reason why I did get a teaching position aside from my BS in chemistry and my minor in psychology, was my 8 years in beekeeping. Not only was I a beekeeper, but I worked in a honeybee laboratory studying honey bees. In addition to that, I had spent the last two years teaching beekeeping classes for a honey company in the Dallas area. My classes were up to 30 students with an age range of 8 - 89.

Going into my new teaching career I was focus and committed. Not only was I going to be the best teacher I could be, I had to be the best in order to support my newly pregnant wife at the time as we were expecting our son.

I also had to be the best for my almost 200 other children.

Surviving the first year of teaching was exhausting; working a full time job, two part time jobs, children, and a new born. But I survived.

Then October 2014 came.

We had all heard about the Ebola patient being in Dallas, and we had all heard about the nurses. But what none of us in that auditorium that fall afternoon had expected to hear, was that there was a small remote possibility that one of our students family members might have come in close proximity to one of the nurses. The school superintendent that afternoon, in a dry monotone voice, went further to explain the entire school was to under go a top to bottom wipe down that night. He went further on to explain how this was occurring, not out of a necessity, but out of an abundance of caution.

The silence back in our teacher conference group was sobering, but not as sobering as the quiet drive home, where my emotions were running high. Here I was, yet again, in another situation where I had failed; I had possibly brought a deadly virus to my home, infecting my family, infecting my new born son.  Right when my life started to gain a positive rhythm, right when my decisions were beginning to make sense, another obstacle in the road totally sabotaging life as I know it.

By the time my wife (now ex-wife) arrived home with the children, I had left all my clothes outside and wiped down almost all surfaces. Using every scientific understanding of contamination I could remember and reason, I cleaned my house from top to bottom, and explained to my wife the situation we were facing.

Her acceptance was reassuring and that evening continued as normal. That night, after putting my babies to sleep, I did all I could do at that moment; read.

I found all the scientific articles I could about the transmission of Ebola and created a powerpoint of the information. I even went into the biology of why hand washing was so effective, and stumbled upon Ignaz Semmelweis, the "savior of mothers".  The doctor who figured out that hand washing between treating mothers in childbirth reduced the mortality rate and increased their survivability! Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) even with his data, no one believed him until decades later after his passing.

The next morning I arrived into my classroom armed with all of this information. The prevailing guidance from the top at the time was "keep things as normal as possible".  The presentation stood ready; just in case.  Then my first student walked in the door.

"Mr. Campos, Mr. Campos, we're all going to die! You're going to die, I'm going to die, my momma doesn't love me, she dropped me off at school!"

Every student after him came into my classroom, repeating the same woes, crying the same cry.

My grandfather was a very big fan of JFK; he was well known and well loved in Latin America (my family is from Mexico) when he became president of the United States.

My mother was 12 years old when JFK was assassinated

While she doesn't exactly remember the details of the day as it happened, what she does remember is the solemn face on my grandfather as he heard the news. While she might not have understood what was going on, by the expression on her fathers face, she knew something terrible had happened.

As educators, and more importantly as the adults, we sometimes overlook or underestimate how our perceptions and our thoughts, language and actions guide and dictate how our students perceive what happens in the classroom.

If you are grumpy or have an attitude (because you got a flat tire, because you didn't get your coffee, etc.) and you walk into the classroom with that attitude, it will impact and shape the way your students perceive the lesson you are trying to teach that day.

Everything that happens in your classroom happens THROUGH your perspective, through your eyes.

Everything that happens in your classroom is filtered THROUGH YOU!

While its very easy to blame kids "attitudes" and their 'bad behavior" as something that is outside of our control, your response to that "attitude" and "behavior" is what sets the tone for your classroom.  It is within your power to dictate and set the tone of your classroom.

It is within your grasp and to your benefit to create as positive of an environment as possible; otherwise your students will miss the opportunity to see the lessons and teachings you want them to learn because of a negative environment.

Promoting a positive learning environment creates a safe space for kids to take risks and try; it allows them the ability to open their eyes and see the world through your perspective.

This doesn't just happen; you have to be able to willing to be honest with yourself first.  You have to admit to yourself why you feel good or why you feel bad. Sometimes, that means telling your students "Hey, today, I had a flat tire, and I spilled my coffee, and its not the best day"

And this is okay! And its going to be okay!

This is CRITICAL to creating a safe classroom environment; because if you are willing to be honest and upfront with your students, they will trust you. And if they see you as someone who is trust worthy, they will trust the lessons that you have to teach them.

They will trust you

And when you are positive, your kids will be positive

And if you are honest, your kids will be honest

And if you push yourself to be the best version of yourself you can be

So will they

Positivity is contagious; everyone, from your students to your coworkers, will feed off of your positive energy

And if you feel that anything is possible, then THROUGH YOUR EYES, they will also be able to see, that anything is possible for them

It is because of my mothers belief in me (since the day I was born) that I am able to do what I do.

And for that, I will always be grateful and thankful to my mother

Gracias Mama

On this very special episode I got the opportunity to talk with a former student of mine - Mychael!

Not only is Mychael a former student, a recent high school graduate, but he also achieved the very prestigious Eagle with the Boy Scouts!

We sit down and discuss a wide variety of topics; everything from whether AP courses truly prepare you for college, to how I got him to make a youtube channel based on his daily dad jokes (which were really good by the way)

* His thoughts on how schools limit and diminish creativity for their students!

* The importance of allowing kids the ability to figure things out first hand, through experience!

* We discuss his theory on how the educational system "codes" students; what that means how how he feels it happens.

* Why he thinks inspiring teachers to help their students think on their own is important.

* The importance of teachers being themselves (and the impact that makes upon our kids development)

"On a scale of 1 - 10 how influential are teachers in the lives of high school kids"

"12"

* His advice to teachers who feel like they aren't making an impact.

"Some kids see their teachers more than their own parents"

* Yes, kids believe adults, and the reason WHY!

* Why there are some kids who come to school to AVOID a terrible situation at home!

* The absolute importance of teachers being themselves and how that impacts their students learning!

"Being able to have teachers that are comfortable and, like, confident in expressing who they are, will show students that they can also be confident and comfortable with who they are"

 

"Some teachers either don't know or are to scared to build that relationship with students, and the easiest way to tackle it is start simply; how was your day?"

 

"I think that some kids are taught that it's not okay to be happy"

 

This conversation blew my mind

 

I can't thank Mychael enough for this truly insightful conversation; I learned so much from this conversation! As one of my former students, not only did he bring incredible value to my classroom, but listening to him and his perspective can give you direct access to what works and what doesn't work for your students! 

Thank you so much Mychael!

 

Dede Rittman is a 37-year veteran English/ Theater teacher from Pittsburgh, PA, teaching 35 years in the North Allegheny School District, where she also was Varsity Head Boys’ Golf Coach for 33 years, directed the spring musical and talent shows, and contributed to many district initiatives. She was a PA Teacher of the Year semi-finalist in 2011, the year she had to retire when her husband, Scott, was dying from stage four colon cancer. Dede’s book STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER was published in September 2014 and the book has won 8 awards!

Today on the podcast, she shares so many stories about kindness, about how one small gesture can make a HUGE impact on our students, and shares her philosophy and ideas on how to build trust with your students in the classroom!

We talk about the BEST thing any child had ever said to her (something that was incredibly moving and powerful), how important it is to have empathy for your kids, and how empathy actually helps you gain trust and build the relationship you have with them!

We also dive into the vital words she would say on the first day of school to all of her students, what her greatest joy was in education, and one of the biggest WHY's to building and creating these types of relationships with your students.

Below are some of her incredibly wise quotes captured from our talk:

We really don't understand how many problems kids put in their backpack everyday from home... its our job as educators to help them to be able to unpack those at least while they are at school, so they can work

One person really can make a huge difference

Kids talk! When they have something enjoyable, they tell the other teachers.

You have to be who you are

You get what you give... its about trust

You can get kids to do anything if they trust you, and you trust them

It always comes back to... how do YOU feel? Well, how do you think THEY feel?

I passed up teaching honors english for 35 years... I always kept the kids that really needed me

NO ONE IS GOING TO LEARN FROM A TEACHER THEY DON'T LIKE

When we are kind to others, kids see that, and it makes them be kind to others

This is not brain surgery, this is simple caring about another persons feelings

 

This was such an awesome interview and I can't wait for you to listen!

Dede gives presentations around the globe on both of her books through www.fieldtripzoom.com and www.streamblelearning.com.

Dede writes a weekly blog for teacher inspiration at www.bunnyteacher.blogspot.com.

GRADY GETS GLASSES, Dede’s children’s book, just came out in hardcover. The book won Best New Children’s Book 2016 from The Authors’ Zone, best second edition in 2018 from the Authors’ Zone, and a Bronze Moonbeam Award for Best Book with Merchandise in October, 2018. Dede has also won three Album of Distinction Awards from Delta Kappa Gamma in 2015 ,2017 and 2018; the prestigious I AM L.E.E. (Living Education Everyday) Award in 2016; and she was inducted into the

North Allegheny Sports Hall of Fame in October of 2017.

Dede works very hard on promoting her books and speaking engagements. She enjoys continuing teaching grades kindergarten to college through her books!

Connect with Dede:

TWITTER- @dederittman

LinkedIn -

4,000+ DOWNLOADS!!!

Thank you so much for your support of the podcast!

This week, I hope you enjoy the time off with your loved ones, friends, family, and fur babies! Self care and spending time with those you are close with is VITAL to your success in the classroom!

During this week of thanksgiving and gratitude, I would like to offer you a fresh perspective why everyone in education should be thankful and grateful for our roles.

At a time when education and educators is under tremendous pressure, I still feel strongly that we should have a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving with regards to our positions! This story will help explain why:

During my first year of teaching, I worked very hard at trying not to be "that" teacher; the one who would yell at his/her students all the time. Of course, I did not succeed (I taught sophomore chemistry at this time). However, in this one particular classroom, I worked very hard at not yelling at my students. It was a conscious choice and I stuck with it.

One particular day, while feeling especially defeated in the classroom, I couldn't continue my lesson, and the will to yell at the kids was just not in me. It was at that moment when one of my students perked up and said, "no, you need to yell at us."

I was shocked. I asked her to repeat herself cause I didn't understand if I heard her right.

"That's what teachers do. Teachers yell at us... If I was you, I would have already yelled at all these students already!"

Her response was the one thing I fought so hard to avoid! It was a pivotal moment for me because I realized at that moment:

I need to be better

This opened up a very interesting conversation where my students openly told me I was a pushover and that I needed to be more aggressive! Much to my dismay and shock, because frankly; that's just not my personality! That's just not me!

Regardless, the conversation took place, the lesson was not touched on at all, but my class and I had a very in-depth discussion where they openly shared their feelings and experiences about other teachers who have mistreated them, yelled at them, and how they felt that most teachers just don't care about them as people.

This prompted me to really dig in my heels with regards to my "assertiveness". My thought at the time was;  if the kids are openly telling me this is what I need to do, maybe a little it more of it wouldn't hurt.  My plan was in motion, I knew what I had to do.

Fortunately, I didn't have to be anyone I was not.

The next day was a complete success; my students listened to me, they followed my lead and my lessons, there was no struggle to get anyone's attention.  And it continued every day after that. In fact, the discussions began to flow, and they would want to talk about more topics, sometimes related to the lesson, and sometimes not. Regardless, I took the time to answer their questions and sometimes used the question as way to get through a lesson, as if answering the question was a reward for their efforts (it works!)

It made me realize why it is so important to be yourself; because kids need authenticity.

It's important to be yourself... because kids need authenticity!

Kids are going through tremendous growth and need people who are authentic and whom they can model! The more authentic you can be, the more real, the more YOU you can be, means you are someone that they can trust, because your authenticity will shine, whether it is a lesson you are teaching or a discussion you are having, the more authentic you are, the more your students are willing to believe you, and trust you during your lessons and in your classroom.

So what does this have to do with being grateful and having a sense of gratitude in the classroom?

!!! FIFTY EPISODES !!!!

(THANK YOU SO MUCH)

If you haven't heart PART 1 of this two part series I suggest you STOP RIGHT NOW and go back and LISTEN!

In part 1 I discuss how Maslow did not intend for his Hierarchy of Needs (HON) to be displayed or showcased as a Pyramid. There is actual evidence that lends itself to believe that it was created by a consulting firm in order to provide a visually appealing way to package his idea!

However, if there was to be a visual, the closest visual would most likely be a ladder.

Why a ladder?

When one is on a ladder, you are on several rungs of the ladder at the same time, which visually represents more accurately the complexity of our needs. i.e. We will go without some basic physiological needs if we can receive or give love.  As a parent or a teacher we know this all to well! What wouldn't a parent give up for their children? But this choice to prioritize a "higher" need above a "lower" need cannot be fully expressed in the Pyramid visual representation! The Pyramid diagram does not lend itself to this type of interpretation, as the Pyramid is well defined, static, and gives the impression that like the steps on a pyramid, one must climb one rung to reach another.

This is not true to the spirit of Maslow's teachings, nor it is an accurate representation of the human condition!

Human beings are much more complicated than that; and different people prioritize different needs differently. Which is why the ladder visual is much more appealing

With this new understanding of how Maslow's HON being represented as a Pyramid is not true to his original ideas, now it is really important to acknowledge the full range of our humanity, and now viewing the HON visually as a ladder is the closest to viewing a true representation of his ideas, one question remains; how?

How do we go about reaching the highest need we humans have (according to Maslow) as expressing our truest potential?

It boils down to our self awareness

In his famous book Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goldman brought to the forefront the idea that our "emotional intelligence" is actually MORE important than our intellectual abilities.

In fact, in Daniel Goldman says in his book of self-awareness:

Self-awareness—recognizing a feeling as it happens —is the keystone of emotional intelligence.

In education right now you hear over and over again how important it is for us to use social-emotional learning (SEL)! Its the buzzword of our current time! And what is Social Emotional Learning? It is the ability to model appropriate emotions in class, it is reflecting empathy back to our students, and it is the ability to create a safe environment for our students to learn and engage in.  However, without the fully developed self-awareness of the teacher in the classroom, it is almost impossible for this type of learning environment to be fostered!

If teachers walk into their classrooms, burdened by the weight of their personal and professional responsibilities, carrying with them their own personal issues, and then are expected to put on smiling brave faces for their students, and are expected to create engaging and meaningful experiences, build relationships, and somehow maintain positive professional relationships, and then go BACK to their own personal lives, and manage their own lives with empathy and kindness and a clear mind.... how can they do that, how can WE do that, without knowing who we are in every aspect of that situation?

Who are we? Who are you? Who are you when your having trouble with your spouse, when your kids do not listen to you, when your students are ignoring you, when you walk down a hall and pass another tea...

Maslow's Before Bloom's! 

If you have taken even one step into the world of education, you have come across this phrase at least once. It is the quintessential phrase that is posted and talked about whenever educators wish to refer to the more humanistic facets of education. Educators love to use this phrase when talking about the tough kids or when talking about how the unmet needs of a certain section of your students population (if not all of your student population) interferes with the learning that your students all should be capable of achieving. But do we really understand Maslow's true intentions? Did Maslow's really intend for his hierarchy to be represented as a triangle, and does that triangle really help explain what Maslow wanted for us all?  Let's dive into this pinnacle of educational thought and unpack what it really means to Maslow Before Bloom's 

The idea behind the phrase Maslow Before Bloom's comes from the Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow was a humanist, in that his work and he believed in the potential of humans and that all humans strive to reach their their potential. This perspective was key in his development of his Hierarchy of Needs, which states that there are several "basic" needs that all humans must meet in order to achieve the next highest level. The most prolific image of this has been the triangle showcasing the most basic needs (food, water, sleep, sex, homeostasis, and excretion, essentially physiological needs) and as you go up the triangle and fulfill these needs, the needs become more uniquely human (safety, love/belonging, esteem) until you reach the peak of self-actualization;  as achieving the fullest use of one's talents and interests.  Being your best self, expressing your fullest potential.

While steeped in humanistic potential, in education, the triangle is more readily used to explain the "bad" behavior in kids; namely those who suffer from having their most basic needs not met.  It is almost as if the triangle is sometimes used to oppress kids who's struggle is of no fault of their own (remember, these are kids!) It has also been used as a way to explain WHY some kids are possibly incapable of achieving higher forms of learning, since their basic needs are not being met, the triangle says they cannot ascend higher (or so the generalized idea goes).  What has recently come to light is the idea that perhaps Maslow never intended for his Hierarchy of Needs to be represented as a triangle!

In a paper published this year, it was revealed that Maslow did not represent his Hierarchy of Needs as a triangle in any of his publications. In fact, someone else adapted his HON into a triangle, which Maslow went along with and did not dispute (there are a number of theories as to why).  So what's wrong with the triangle concept?

The triangle gives the false impression that in order to reach a higher need, one must have their basic needs met, which is not the case.  How many teenagers (yourself in your teenage years included) could skip a meal or go without sleep if it meant spending time with a love interest? The rigidity of the triangle makes it seem like the Hierarchy is unmovable and does not account for the reality that as a human being, we all have different needs that are met at different times, and what is a need for some might not be a need for others.

How many adults feel like they cannot function without their morning cup of coffee?  This is a prime example of having a basic need met before one can go about and achieve higher levels of functioning. Then there are some people who are "morning people" and can get up and begin interacting with other humans without the need for coffee.  They have different needs which are met in different ways. I don't need a cup of coffee to get me going (although it REALLY helps)