Click it. Click it good!

One of my favorite things about blogging is coming up with titles for posts. I try to come up with something clever and my husband (if he ever read my blog) would surely think they are silly. However, I do think there is something to the idea of choosing a snappy title... something more memorable than "my most popular blog posts of the year" or something equally boring. I do also like to incorporate video where I can, even if it's only loosely related. So, with a nod to Devo... here are the most clicked posts of 2014. 

Click it! Click it good!

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Before we get to the top five, I would just like to say that this post is not at all about tooting my own horn or even celebrating the number of clicks. Truly, I am THRILLED that anyone would read my blog at all and I am so grateful to have a space to think and write and reflect out loud. I am also so grateful for the posts of others-- I am inspired all year long by bloggers everywhere. This post is more of a look back and also a chance to wonder about why these posts were the most clicked this year. Today when I went to look, I was actually kind of surprised at the results. And I have a few ideas as to why these posts were the popular. 

It's all about the hashtag. #twitterrocks

When I looked at these posts, I knew right away that each of these posts was tweeted to a hashtag that has an active online and Twitter community. I've posted the hashtag below each of the post links and when you read you will see what I mean. If you aren't familiar with the hashtags, check them out to connect with some amazing and passionate educators! The number one most clicked post for 2014 was my biggest surprise. That post was actually kind of a retread of a post from a year earlier when I was still in the classroom. However, the combination of two rockin' hashtags and also shining the light on what even little kids can do when given access to digital tools resulted in a lot of looks at that post. I hope you enjoy the look back and thank you for visiting my blog!

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Number five, with 237 clicks... Dave Burgess!

#tlap

Yes, he is holding a bra.

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   Number four with 263 clicks

#cuerockstar

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 Number three with 312 clicks

#cuerockstar

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Number two with 428 clicks

#caedchat 

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  My most popular post with 746 clicks!

#DLDay #nwp

Click it! Click it good! Thanks, Devo for the inspiration!

#oneword 2015

I love New Year's Eve- the looking forward to all of the possibilities, and looking back, reflecting on the previous year. Over winter break I always get recharged, refreshed, and energized with big ideas for the upcoming year. Having said all of that, I'm not really a fan of resolutions- and I think I'm not alone. But I love the idea of choosing one word to inspire me all year long. Last year, I chose the word "more" (you can read the post here) and was somewhat successful. I did blog more, I read a lot (but not more) and I hardly ran at all. One thing I did like was that each of these goals I could measure, even if I didn't meet them. And I'm ok that I failed.

This year, I've though a lot about my #oneword for this year. I'm not so focused on being measurable this year, and I am instead focused on being happier, healthier, and finding balance.

This year's #oneword?

Less stress.

This past week, I got a manicure and decided to treat myself to a shoulder/neck massage while I was there. It wasn't very expensive, and it was totally worth it! I felt so relaxed afterwards. This year, I plan to take more time for things that make me slow down and relax.

Less homework.

I'm not talking about homework for kids-- homework for me. As much as possible this year, I'm going to leave my work at school. The paperwork, the stuff that can wait until the next day. This is not to say I won't blog about work or connect with colleagues and friends after work via Twitter or Voxer-- those things inspire me! But I will definitely try to focus on my family, my puppies, and me when I am at home.

Less books.

Yes, I said less books. I'm setting a lower Goodreads goal this year. Two years ago I read 108 books, and in 2014 I read 73. I felt like I read a lot, but in neither year did I reach my goal-- in 2013 my goal was 365, and in 2014 my goal was 109. So in spite of reading a ton, it feels a little like I failed. So, my 2015 Goodreads goal is 52. One book a week. I'm confident I can accomplish that goal. When I was in the classroom, I read so many picture books that my overall total was much higher. I still love picture books, but I'm finding most of my books are novels, many that I read as part of my book club. Most weeks I read, and some weeks I don't. But I do definitely read quite a bit over long weekends and holidays. So I am hopeful and excited about reading and meeting my goal this year!

Less hours.

I still need to exercise, and lately I have really enjoyed getting back into walking with friends. It's not too hard to do that over vacation breaks, but it is a challenge during work time, especially when it's dark by around 5:00. So, to be able to exercise, I will need to leave work earlier. It's that simple.

Less stress. Less homework. Less books. Less hours. Here's to a great year of happiness, health, and balance! I'm hoping less is more!

What's your #oneword for 2015?

Success begins with mindset... one piece of the puzzle #SAVMP

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In this months #SAVMP prompt, Paul McGuire asks “How can you as a leader can help promote and grow the “mindset” on your campus?” In his post he shares:

“It is essential for educators to communicate that they hold a growth mind-set. Recently, we studied college sports teams. At the beginning of the year, we asked athletes to tell us how much they thought their coaches believed success came from natural talent and how much they thought their coaches believed success came from practice and hard work. The more that athletes thought their coaches believed in hard work over natural talent, the better the athletes did that year. Students know what educators value—they pick up their messages and act on them.”

This year, I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of growth mindset, where kids, parents, teachers and leaders feel comfortable taking risks, learning, failing, and growing.

How do we promote it? Where do we start?

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it’s just one piece of a larger puzzle. How can we develop a growth mindset and a climate of risk taking? I think we have to incorporate two other things into our work as leaders-- building relationships and trust, and also inspiring curiosity and creativity with our students, staff, and families.

It’s hard work.

Students don’t always come to us with confidence, and they often hide insecurity and struggle behind a tough facade. How well do we really know our students? I love images like this one, but it’s not enough to just put up signs or posters, or even to just say these things to students.

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Some of our students come to school to be safe and to be loved. Do we really know their stories? This video tells the story of just one student, but it could be the story of many. How do we build relationships with students who may be afraid to trust and afraid to fail? How do we make them feel safe?

The work of building a growth mindset begins with creating a safe classroom and school community. This year at our school we’ve focused on empathy school-wide and started a Kind Kids Club after being inspired by a Central Valley School.

The image below is the wall in the lobby of our school, built by our school counselor. But we didn’t just post it. We’ve talked about empathy and kindness all year- with students, staff, and families, beginning at Back-to-School Night.

Currently, we’re working on building relationships with students by learning from the work of others- blog posts like this one written by Katherine Sokolowski: Classroom Management… or Should it be Mismanagement? and this one by Pernille Ripp: 5 RULES WE IMPOSE ON STUDENTS THAT WOULD MAKE ADULTS REVOLT as well as looking at work done with Restorative Practices & Love and Logic , and we will continue this work all year. Sam LeDeaux also wrote a great post about building relationships with kids and the connection to classroom discipline.

Building a growth mindset also requires inspired and curious minds. We recently watched this video shared by Adam Welcome. How can we create this sense of magic and wonder for teachers and students? What does instruction look like in classrooms to make kids feel this way? How can professional development and parent education inspire teachers and parents to try new things, to learn, and to grow? How can we as administrators say "yes" more often when teachers want to try new things and embrace the mess that is learning?

I’m still searching for tools and resources to help us on this journey to a growth mindset. I'd also like to engage our families in a conversation about the idea of mindset. I'm inspired by Eric Saibel who shared Hall Middle School's (Larkspur, California) first school blog post, written about growth mindset by guest blogger Deb Blum, a parent and Parent Ed Coordinator. How awesome is that? I'm excited about incorporating the ideas she shares here.

There are some great resources out there! Here are a few images and videos I’ve found on this topic.

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We're excited to continue this journey! 

The perfect #edugetaway! February 13-15, 2015

5 reasons you'll love #CUErockstar Petaluma

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1. Location, location, location.

Valentine’s weekend? In the wine country? Amazing! Spend the day being inspired with learning and collaboration. Enjoy the local scene that is Petaluma in the evenings. It’s the perfect destination for fun and learning!

Petaluma. The home of Lagunitas Brewing Co.

2. Low cost, hands-on learning and a Pecha Kucha!

Petaluma is the ONLY Rockstar Camp this year with a Pecha Kucha Friday night! What's a Pecha Kucha?
As Jon Corippo defines it... 20 slides x 20 seconds = 6 minutes of awesome! Friday night will feature a fun and fast-paced way for attendees to meet all of the presenters in a slide deck showdown. You won't want to miss it! And we have an INCREDIBLE team!

Then, Saturday and Sunday consist of two, two-hour sessions allowing attendees to "dig in deep" and really get to know their topic, play, and build resources to use immediately.  Morning sessions are repeated in the afternoon so that attendees have two different opportunities to attend a workshop. All for $159! You can already check out the Saturday and Sunday sessions! Petaluma features Minecraft, Spheros, Google, STEAM, and more!

3. Small Presenter to Attendee Ratios

CUE Rock Star events are built so that there is one presenter for every ten attendees and the events sell out at 60-70 attendees.  This allows participants to get hands-on support and learn directly from knowledgeable educators. And, if you think administrators are out of touch, think again! Many of Petaluma's team of leaders are administrators, and all are true lead learners!

4. Time for Collaboration and Networking

We purposely start late, end early, and take extended lunches so that all attendees have tons of opportunities to collaborate and network as part of learning community. A continental breakfast and a delicious lunch are also provided each day! And ice cream!

5. It’s not your grandma’s PD

Professional learning for educators often consists of being “talked at” for hours on end with little or no interaction. At CUE Rockstar Petaluma, you’ll find no stand and deliver presentations. Be prepared for a brief instructional session and then plenty of time to work with support! You’ll be able to explore the tools and strategies you’re learning about and leave with something you’ve created! Also, everyone learns from each other at Rockstar. The smartest person in the room is the room!

So join us. It's going to be a beautiful weekend!

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CUE Rock Star Petaluma

February 13-15, 2015 (13th is evening only)
Penngrove Elementary School, 365 Adobe Road, Penngrove, CA 94951

2015 Book Club: Bring on the books!

Every December I look forward to our book club meeting-- it's where we choose all of the books for the upcoming year. Everyone brings a list of book suggestions and it goes a little like a draft night, round and round we go, discussing, sorting, trying to group books by location, theme, or idea. Rarely do we only have one book in a month to read, giving us choice within a common topic or genre. Here is our book list for 2015. There is a little bit of everything... young adult selections, prose poetry, and even a Donalyn Miller inspired gap challenge where we'll all choose a book from a genre that we usually avoid like the plague. 

What are your reading plans for 2015?

January
February

March

April

May

June

August 

September

October

November

December
Book Gap Challenge - What books do you avoid? Genres you almost never choose?
Inspired by Donalyn Miller's Nerdy Book Club post about her book gap

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2015 Book Club Picks

Every December our book club meets to select the new books for the upcoming year and we all bring a list of possible reads. Here are my recommendations for this year. I predict Brown Girl Dreaming to be the Newbery winner for 2014! The reviews below (and images) are from Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson

National Book Award Winner
Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown (Goodreads Author)

For readers of Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Unbroken, the dramatic story of the American rowing team that stunned the world at Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.

A Free Life
By Ha Jin

A New York Times Notable Book

One of the Best Books of the Year: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Entertainment Weekly, Slate

In A Free Life, Ha Jin follows the Wu family — father Nan, mother Pingping, and son Taotao — as they sever their ties with China in the aftermath of the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square and begin a new life in the United States. As Nan takes on a number of menial jobs, eventually operating a restaurant with Pingping, he struggles to adapt to the American way of life and to hold his family together, even as he pines for a woman he loved and lost in his youth. Ha Jin's prodigious talents are in full force as he brilliantly brings to life the struggles and successes of the contemporary immigrant experience.

In the Time of the Butterflies
By Julia Alvarez
It is November 25, 1960, and three beautiful sisters have been found near their wrecked Jeep at the bottom of a 150-foot cliff on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The official state newspaper reports their deaths as accidental. It does not mention that a fourth sister lives. Nor does it explain that the sisters were among the leading opponents of Gen. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo s dictatorship. It doesn t have to. Everybody knows of Las Mariposas The Butterflies.
In this extraordinary novel, the voices of all four sisters Minerva, Patria, Maria Teresa, and the survivor, Dede speak across the decades to tell their own stories, from hair ribbons and secret crushes to gunrunning and prison torture, and to describe the everyday horrors of life under Trujillo s rule. Through the art and magic of Julia Alvarez s imagination, the martyred Butterflies live again in this novel of courage and love, and the human cost of political oppression.

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession
By Charlie Lovett

Staff Reviews from http://www.sunriverbooks.com

Peter Byerly is a solitary kind of man; his twin passions are his wife and his career as an antiquarian bookseller.  Marrying his college sweetheart gave him great joy until she died and ripped the heart right out of him.  She was his avenue into the wider world, the woman who walked by his side and helped him navigate interacting with others.  On her death, he left North Carolina and holed up in the their English cottage, avoiding all contact until the day he got up the nerve to go into a bookstore, picked up a book from the age of Shakespeare and discovered a painting of his dead wife.  How did his wife’s image come to be on this ancient painting?  Why is it in a book relating to Shakespeare?  The Holy Grail of antiquarian bookselling it finding anything written in Shakespeare’s hand relating to his plays or sonnets, proving he was the author of the works bearing his name.   Peter’s quest to discover the origins of the painting lead him onto the trail of the coveted work of William Shakespeare.  Are they fake or are they real? As the story unfolds ancient feuds are uncovered and the danger mounts.  If you love books, this is fun to read!

Goodreads review:
A mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller’s search through time and the works of Shakespeare for his lost love.
Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn’t sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Nine months earlier, the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, had left him shattered. The young antiquarian bookseller relocated from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, Peter is shocked when a portrait of Amanda tumbles out of its pages. Of course, it isn’t really her. The watercolor is clearly Victorian. Yet the resemblance is uncanny, and Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins.
As he follows the trail back first to the Victorian era and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter communes with Amanda’s spirit, learns the truth about his own past, and discovers a book that might definitively prove Shakespeare was, indeed, the author of all his plays.
Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman’s Tale is a former bookseller’s sparkling novel and a delightful exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries, with echoes of Shadow of the Wind and A.S. Byatt’s Possession.

All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author)

Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure's agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.

Doerr's gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work.

I'll post the final list once we meet tomorrow. I'm excited to see what others bring!