5th grade projects

My 5th graders just finished their Writing for Social Action projects.  Check them out here!

Manchester College Alumni Teacher of the Year

About a month ago I was given the amazing news that I had been selected as this years recipient of the Warren and Helen Garner Manchester College Alumni Teacher of the Year award.  I am truly honored to receive this award from the very institution to which I credit much of my success.  I attended Manchester's pinning ceremony and banquet for the graduating education majors and their families, where I had the honor of being the guest speaker for the evening.  It was such a joy to share words of passion and motivation with those getting ready to enter the world of teaching.
Here are some pics of the evening:

Helen and Warren Garner, benefactors of the award

My award

Some of my family who didn't attend the banquet wanted to read my speech to the education graduates of Manchester.  So if you are interested in reading a 20 minute speech...here it is!

"Thank you for those kind words. I would like to thank you for this award.  I am truly honored to be recognized by the very institution to which I credit most of my success.  So thank you again for presenting me with this award.

You know, Dr. Schilling’s timing for asking me to present a short speech was uncanny.  I happened to be right in the middle of teaching a speech unit to my 6^th graders.  For a brief moment, I freaked out and said, 'What in the world do I know about writing a speech?'  I quickly realized that I better know something about because I was teaching it to 6^th graders.  Everything I teach has real world application to it so when I was able to bring this news back and share it with them, they were very excited.  Throughout our unit, we studied all different types of speeches, from presidential addresses to my very own husband’s best man speech.  It was great to show them how speeches are everywhere, including their own teacher giving one.  Of course the questions came rapid fire from them, 'Are you going to begin your speech like Barack Obama?  How will you identify you audience?  Be sure you use strong voice and 2^nd person!'  I laughed as they put some of my own teaching right back on me.  Unfortunately, I committed the ultimate no-no and had to confess to my students.  I emailed Dr. Schilling and asked her how long the speech had to be.  Those are bad words in my class.  I never want my students to worry about length in their compositions because then they give a lot of fluff writing and the important words and messages get lost within it.  As I got her answer to the length, I immediately regretted asking and understood why I hold so true to that rule in my classroom.  So, I have no idea how long this is but I assure you, there is no fluff.

When I was in 2^nd grade, I decided I wanted to be a teacher.  I would like to be able to tell you a story about this decision being made because of an amazing teacher that really touched my life.  However, that wasn’t the case my second grade year.  In fact, it was quite the contrary.  I have two very distinct memories of second grade.  The first was during spelling; our teacher would have students take turns writing spelling words on the board from our pretest; words that none of us knew because we didn’t have time to practice them. I clearly remember asking her before I approached the board if my word was spelled correctly.  She hissed for me to just write the word on the board.  Of course, it wasn’t and she proceeded to publicly ridicule me because I spelled the word ‘whistle’ wrong on the chalkboard. 

The only other memory I have of second grade involved being grouped by ability for reading instruction.  During my reading group, the only instructional practice was to have round robin reading.  I would diligently count the number of people until it was my turn, then frantically count to see what paragraph I would be expected to read aloud.  I remember reading my paragraph and decoding all of the hard words before it was my turn. On this day, I finished decoding my own paragraph early while one of my peers was still reading.  I will never forget the exchange between the teacher and assistant as my classmate struggled with a word.  “Look at the word she’s stuck on,” said the assistant.  “T-H-E.  Maybe we need to move her down a group or two.”  Those negative memories outweighed anything positive that may have happened that year.  Unfortunately, it was more moments like those that led me in my charge to be a teacher.  

In middle school, my passion for wanting to be a teacher grew and I began to think about my career track for high school.  I was fortunate enough to join a four-year teaching academy at my high school.  Through the academy I began observing teachers, planning, and teaching lessons. I began to hold onto the practices of those teachers that I shared a similar philosophy with and that I knew had undeniable conviction and passion for education.  At 15, 16, and 17 years old, I found myself thinking a lot about what made them great teachers.  And in the same way I didn’t want to discount my other experiences because they also were just as valuable.  Each experience teaching me something about the kind of teacher I wanted to be and the kind of teacher I didn’t want to be.  Now, reflecting back, I know exactly what made all the difference in the two types of teachers.  Passion for teaching.

As I began the exhausting search for a college, the only option for me was one that held the same beliefs of care, conviction, learning, and service that I, myself, believed in.  The only option was one that had a faculty as devoted to and passionate about education as me.  The only option was Manchester College.  As my friends all chose to stick together and attend large universities, I chose the road less traveled; a place where I knew no one, and a place where no one knew me.  When I received my acceptance letter to Manchester, it was met with much excitement and a hint of hesitation from my parents as they looked at the looming financial costs that would undoubtedly ensue.  I assured them that this college, this institution, could offer me something none other could.  I was right. 

The one major piece that puts Manchester above other institutions is field experience.  Believe it or not, most education students don’t actually get into real classrooms until their junior or senior year of college with one entire semester of student teaching being team-taught and not truly being on their own. Only eight short weeks of their time is on their own before they step into the world.  By the time I graduated at Manchester, I had a total of eight years of experience in classrooms; four years in high school and four years in college where I was doing the work in real, everyday classrooms with actual children.  That’s a far cry from just eight weeks at other institutions.  You have been so fortunate to have the field experiences that the education department here has offered to you.  However, it’s what you do with those experiences that make the difference between them being meaningful or just another requirement you had to fulfill.  You may have walked out of a classroom and you loved what was happening.  You’ve had opportunities to see amazing lessons, meaningful interactions with students, great techniques for writing conferences, positive reinforcement, and much more.  In contrast, I’m sure you all had experiences where you saw things you wouldn’t want to do in your own classroom or practices that might not work for you personally as a teacher.  The most important thing you can do with those experiences is…reflect on them.  It’s not enough to just sit back and watch something great happen or watch something fall apart.  Teaching is when you are able to take something that you saw, reflect on how it will work for you, and then, do it.  The ability to reflect on your own practices is something that is fundamentally necessary in education.  Unfortunately, not everyone knows that.  Luckily, the education faculty here at Manchester knows that.  When you tirelessly wrote all of those reflections about your field experiences and your student teaching, it wasn’t just because they wanted to give you busy work.  It was because they were building sound habits of what great teachers do.

I wholeheartedly believe that Manchester education graduates are among the best of the best.  Use the knowledge that you walk out of here with to your advantage.  You have some of the most experience when put up against other institutions.   And that experience is gold. You have had time to try different teaching styles and have had opportunities to watch and model superior teachers.  Through this, you have been able to build your own philosophy of teaching.  When I was a student at Manchester, I remember writing my philosophy of teaching.  Something I thought at the time wasn’t important.  However, it is something that guides my teaching everyday.  I highly suggest that you have a sound idea of what your philosophy of teaching is and why.  In recent mock interviews I was a part of with our student teachers, it was important to me to hear and understand their philosophy of teaching.  It was important for me to know what they stood for as an educator and if their mission matched mine.  That was important for me to see if they would be compatible in our building.  It showed me what they thought about the bigger picture of education.  The ones that had a sound philosophy portrayed themselves as someone who had a deeper understanding of education both through theories and actual practical use of how they use those theories in their classroom. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have several student teachers over the past few years. I can teach you just about anything you need to know.  I can give you a wide range of experiences and build your field knowledge to add onto the theories and concepts taught in your college classrooms.  However, there is one thing you must learn on your own; how to teach with passion.  Because no matter how many times you watch someone teach with passion, you can replicate their words but you cannot replicate their passion.  That has to be your own and it has to be within you.   When you watch a great teacher, a truly amazing teacher, you can see the passion they have for teaching ooze out of every fiber of their being.  Passion is what sets a good teacher apart from an absolutely inspirational teacher.  When your passion is undeniable, your teaching is infectious.  Your students will naturally share the same passion and excitement for learning that you demonstrate to them.  In the 2010 documentary, “Waiting for Superman” it is stated that good teachers get through 150% of the curriculum in one school year.  This seemingly impossible task is easy when you build your students passion right along with your own.  The learning process becomes theirs and the products they create are meaningful. 

I would like to share an excerpt from a letter that my most recent student teacher sent me.  She sums it up perfectly when she says,

“You were born to be a teacher, Mrs. Pfeiffer.  Being a good teacher requires strength in character, wisdom and knowledge from experience, and a desire to learn and keep learning from others and the world around them.  You encapsulate everything it means to be a good teacher.  And what’s even more wonderful is that your students see all of that in you.  They respect you and care about you, not only because you show them that school can be meaningful and fun, but also because you show them respect, you challenge them, you show them that it’s important to challenge others, and you show them how important it is to think for themselves.  The majority of your students probably have never had a model like that in their lives.  But you have become that figure for them.  And I know from the time I’ve had to speak with them, that they see you as a really important figure in their lives.  They see you as a strong individual who cares about them, respects them, and expects the best out of them.  As difficult as it can be sometimes for them to show you how much that matters to them, I know it does because they don’t show that kind of respect for anyone else.” 

She goes on to say,

“I was always so nervous and intimidated to come to school and teach these kids because I knew I had pretty big shoes to fill.  But I was also really intimidated and nervous because…teaching is hard.  It feels like you’re on stage all the time and you have to take the role of someone who impacts these students on a daily basis-it’s so much pressure.  It’s such an important job and not just anyone is capable of handling it well.  You’re the first teacher I’ve met who has truly challenged their students, who has truly accomplished the seemingly impossible task of creating a learning environment that is meaningful, purposeful, respectful and challenging.”

Don’t let your students wait on superman because that fictional character will never come for them.  You have to be the one to scoop them up, save them, and show them that education is the way to their future.  I would like to wish you all the best as you begin to navigate your way through your first year of teaching.  Welcome to the stage where you will be the spotlight performer every single day.  

Continuing the countdown

I know most of you that read my blog already saw this update on Facebook but I thought I would post it here too for family and friends that don't have Facebook.

Jason and I have been continuing to work hard on our health and weight goals.  I am happy to report that I am only 18 lbs away from meeting my goal of losing 100 lbs.  Yes, I have lost a total of 82 lbs as of right now!  Over the past several months, I have been turning over clothes very quickly.  Last night, I decided to go through my closet once again and get rid of everything that is too big.  Almost everything I tried on just fell off of me.  The first pair of pants I tried on absolutely shocked me how big they were.  I remember trying them on just over six months ago and they were too small.  To keep this short and sweet, I'll sum up my progress with a picture.  Enjoy :)

Kinsey's letter to the principal

Taking social action...2nd grade style

It was one of those moments this afternoon when I wish I could have had a 24 hour camera on my children to capture some of the conversations they have that give glimpses into who they are developing into as little people of society.
Over the past week or so Kinsey, my 2nd grader, has been telling me that she doesn't like all the trash that is on the playground.  For several days she said that her and some friends have been spending their time during recess picking up all of said trash.  They have asked their teacher for trash bags and have been working to clean up the playground.
Today, she got in the car after school and was very annoyed.  She started talking a mile a minute about how today they picked up more trash than any other day this week.  She expressed how disappointed she was that no matter how much they pick up, others keep throwing trash on the ground.  I could tell that she was really upset when she began telling me about a bird's nest in the trees.  Kinsey explained that birds have built a nest in one of the trees on the playground.  She continued that today when they went out, they didn't find any birds, but rather trash that had been put in the nest.  This seemed to be the last straw for her.
I listened as my 7 year old told me about a plan that she had to fix this issue that is affecting our playground...and apparently her happiness.  She outlined a letter that she wants to write to our principal explaining the increase of trash on the playground.  She wants to request that the school place trash cans on the playground so that people have a place to throw their trash instead of on the ground.  She said, "I feel like people would be more responsible if we actually gave them a place to put the trash."  Kinsey then explained that she would give the principal two different options of who could be responsible for bringing the trash cans inside (because if it rains, they will just fill up with water she told me).
And she doesn't want to stop there.  She explained that she is not the only one in her class that is fed up with the trash on the playground and feels she has enough people in her class that would all write letters too to support her cause.  She wants to spend this weekend writing her letter to show her classmates so they can write one too.  Kinsey also wants to make and hang posters for people to see on the way out to the playground to remind them not to litter.  She asked if she could talk to our gym teacher about hanging the posters in the gym by the doors that lead out to the playground.
As a parent, I am so thrilled with the person she is becoming.  The fact that she has such passion about these issues and is willing to make a plan to take a stand against them is more than I could ever ask for in my children.  As Kaitlyn, my kindergartner, was listening to her speak about this issue, she wanted to jump on board right away.  Kaitlyn told her, "I don't think I write a whole letter yet, but I can draw pictures about why littering is bad. We could hang those.  Right, Kinsey?"  I thought that was such a perfect response for a 5 year old!
I will post a copy of her letter when she gets it finished and the progress of her issue in our school.

Weighing in

It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of our two week spring break.  The time off has been so nice and much needed.  Although we didn't go anywhere this spring break, we did have a great time.  It is so great to spend the entire two weeks at home with my girls.
Weighing in on softball...
Last Saturday, the girls started in a local softball league.  Since the girls are so close in age, we were able to sign them up to be on the same team.  This was awesome because practice/games are twice a week and saves me from having four different practice/game schedules.  Kinsey, of course, was super excited to play.  She did very well at both fielding and batting.  Kaitlyn, on the other hand, took some convincing to want to play.  How, you may ask, did we convince her to play?  Well, we told her that softball players wear pony tails or braids every game.  After that, she was sold and couldn't wait to get out there.  Practice #1 she wore pony tails.  Practice #2 she wore two french braids. She also did very well in fielding and batting.  The only problem was that the helmet they gave her to wear was way too big and she couldn't see any of the pitches!  Somehow, she did get a few hits.

Weighing in on our progress...
Jason and I have been going strong on our lifestyle change.  Yes, lifestyle change.  We are changing our ways for good.  I've been asked often when we plan to stop counting points and watching what we eat.  I have mixed emotions about that question.  Our eating and exercise habits before we began were awful, actually I didn't even have any exercise habits.  I struggled with a mix of different health problems and overall, just felt like crap. I'm not sure why I would ever want to go back to that lifestyle.  If that means that I count points, continue to make healthy food choices, question how things are prepared whether out to eat or at friends and family, special order items at restaurants, exercise daily, and look out for the best interest of myself...then that's what I'll do if it keeps me from going back to where I was six months ago.  I'm not doing this to be able to wear a bikini, or just so I can go on vacation and look good in a bathing suit.  I'm doing this because I want to be healthy for my family and so I feel good about myself.  Those two things are what keep me going each and everyday.
So...a little update on my progress.  Since we started WW in October, I've lost a total of 74 lbs. Since my highest weight this past summer, I've lost 77 lbs.  SEVENTY-SEVENTY POUNDS!  I've been able to go down 8 pant sizes...which is ridiculous to even think about.  I've decreased two cup sizes in my brazier.  I've gone from walking a slow pace for 30 min.(about 1.5 miles) to a jog/run for 60 min.(about 4.7 miles).  I've gone from taking three different meds for blood pressure to now taking no meds at all.  I had elevated thyroid levels and now they are perfectly normal.  My doctor was starting to see signs of insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition, to now no issues or concerns at all with my blood sugar or insulin.
This is a lifestyle change folks.  Not a diet for some determined amount of time just to stop and go back to all of that.
I debated whether or not to post some "then and now" pictures because they absolutely disgust me.  However, if it gives others motivation to lose weight, I'm down for the cause.

THEN

NOW

A very special classroom visit

This week has been so busy!  

First, a weight loss update...As of today, I have lost a total of 60 lbs. Yesterday I put on a pair of jeans I haven't worn been able to wear since before Kinsey was born (yes, she is seven years old).  Jason has also continued his weight loss and is up to a 40 lb. weight loss.  I know it is cliche but if we can do it, seriously anyone can!  We have learned so much in the past four months about healthy eating and exercising.  It is a long process but it is so rewarding as you see results.  If you are trying to lose weight, just keep going and stay motivated!

This week was an exciting one in my classroom.  One of my biggest mentors in education, specifically in the world of reading and writing, visited my classroom.  Katherine Bomer was in town this week all the way from Texas.  I have been working with her for the past six years and am continually inspired when she comes to visit.  Her passion for teaching students and teachers truly resonates with me.  Lately, I have found myself thinking about the possibilities of other kinds of work in education.  I really want to write a book for teachers.  I have so many ideas on where to go with a book idea...just the possibilities of it excites me!  I know, again, I'm speaking in cliches but I really want to extend my passion beyond the classroom.  

Along with Katherine, I hosted about 15 other teachers from around the Indianapolis area who were learning about Critical Literacy as well.  We spent all day Friday discussing what is happening in my classroom and the work we have been doing with Critical Literacy and writing for Social Action.  My 5th grade students and I were fortunate enough to have Katherine partner with me to teach a lesson Friday morning around this kind of work. It was amazing to see my students using the foundation of Critically Literacy in their discussions with each other and with Katherine.  I could tell that they felt empowered in the work they were doing.  As they walked out of the classroom at the end of the lesson, I heard one boy say, "I feel like we were just in Washington D.C."  It was so moving for us to know that they felt like this kind of work was that important...which, by the way, it is.  

Katherin Bomer and I in my classroom

If you are interested here are some of Katherine Bomer's amazing books: