Education - TBD Teacher

An Update: Stay Safe Returning to School

09.07.2020 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

It’s been a month since I wrote my blog post about safe tips for returning to school. (If you want to check out my previous blog post, you can find it here.) It’s also been a month since I have returned to the school building. I thought I would revisit my tips to let you know which ones were realistic, or not, and to share what I have learned so far. I know many of you are just returning to the classroom, so I hope this helps.

Before we get started, you should know that we started back in the hybrid model. This means that kids are separated into two cohorts. Cohort A is there on Mondays and Wednesdays, Cohort B is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we have virtual classes at home every Friday. Students also had the choice to do 100% virtual learning.

TIP #1: FIND A CLEAN, ISOLATED AREA FOR YOUR BELONGINGS

I thought I wouldn’t carry a purse anymore, but that didn’t go well. I was constantly switching from my backpack to a purse. Instead, I keep my purse in my desk, and my backpack sits under a table behind my desk.

TIP #2: LEAVE THE BUILDING WITHOUT TOUCHING SURFACES

I still stick to the this tip as much as possible. However, I do keep hand sanitizer in my car, so I use that as soon as I get in the car. I have heard that keeping hand sanitizer in a hot car isn’t a good idea, though.

TIP #3: KEEP YOUR CAR DECONTAMINATED

This lasted about one day. I am the only one that uses my car, usually, so I do put my backpack on the backseat, but I don’t put anything in a trunk or way in the back like I had planned.

TIP #4: CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES

You would think I have a major disease each time I walk in the house, if you watched my husband. However, I can understand his feelings. I do change my clothes right when I get home, I wash my face, and I put my clothes in a separate closet or hamper until the weekend. I also put my purse and backpack on a chair that no one uses. I keep everything in there until the following morning.

TIP #5: HAVE A SAFE WATER BOTTLE

Boy, did I have high hopes when I thought I could drink a gallon of water a day! Who was I kidding that I would actually have time to go to the bathroom that many times? I am glad I bought a gallon water bottle, though, and I keep refilling the water bottle I keep on the desk throughout the day. It felt funny using a huge water bottle every time I wanted a sip of water. A colleague bought this instead, and I would recommend it.

TIP #6: KEEP FACIAL WIPES AT WORK

I have used my facial wipes once or twice during the day, but it’s especially nice right after work. I feel like I am scrubbing the day off of my face.

TIP #7: YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHOWER

I don’t shower when I get home. It’s takes all of my energy to just change my clothes and wash my face. Ha.

TIP #8: IT’S OKAY TO HAVE A RE-USABLE LUNCH BAG

I heavily recommend an insulated lunch bag, if you normally don’t use one. This always keeps my food cold, and I can just keep it behind my desk. That way, it isn’t in the refrigerator with everyone’s bags. I also keep my hand sanitizer in there, so it’s easily accessible each time I eat lunch.

If you really want to get fancy and keep things cold, you could even get one by Yeti.

TIP #9: WIPE DOWN THE INSIDE OF YOUR CAR IF OTHERS ARE USING IT

I have yet to do this. Enough said.

FINAL TIP: FIND YOUR FRIENDS

I would not have survived the start of the year if it wasn’t for my friends at work. The first weeks back were filled with, “But how do I…” In fact, that still happens on a daily basis. There were constant conversations about how to set up our rooms, do we clean desks between classes, how do we grade assignments that students have completed at home, etc.

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE LEARNED:

LEARNING #1: SMALL CLASSES DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I don’t know if I am just lucky this semester, or if the kids are so thankful to be back, but they are on their best behavior. They have been wonderful about their masks too. Some could find a mask that fits their face better, though. Those masks that are too tight against their mouth makes them sound very muffled. Those that are too loose tend to fall down more easily. That being said, I LOVE being in class with my students right now.

Here’s the thing. Even though I only see my students in person twice a week, I feel like I know them better than when there are 30 kids in there at one time. We have time to chat and get to know each other. They know each other’s names because they only have so many to learn. Friendships are starting to flourish, and we are already starting to feel like a family, even at the secondary level. They cheer each other on and there is a positive energy in each class.

LEARNING #2: FIND A MASK THAT IS COMFORTABLE

I have found that the non-surgical paper masks are the most comfortable to wear for long periods. They also seem to fit the kids best and you can understand them better. The prices have really come down, so if you want just the basic ones, you can find a good deal. Otherwise, they also come in colors, if you want to get fancy.

Luckily, I also had a parent of a past student make me some masks as well. When the paper masks start to burn behind my ear, I use the masks that she made since they wrap around the back of my head, instead of behind the ears.

LEARNING #3: YOU WILL CONSTANTLY REMIND KIDS TO SOCIAL DISTANCE

You will have to constantly remind the kids to keep social distancing, especially if they are middle schoolers. I think they automatically have magnets on their bodies. If we didn’t have the smaller class sizes, we wouldn’t be able to social distance. Period. The kids have figured out how to social distance on stage and in groups. Since some of my classes have a pretty small cohort or two, the girls are learning that it is okay to talk to the guys, and vice-versa. The 6th graders shoot daggers through my forehead each time I tell them that, though.

LEARNING #4: GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND COHORTS

Since I teach six classes, a big decision to make was whether to set up my Google Classroom groups by cohort or keep them together in one period. I decided to divide them up by cohort, which means I have twelve cohort groups in Google Classroom. I did this so it was easier to post assignments for the group at home, without confusing those in class. I’m not sure this was the best idea. It also means that EdPuzzle assignments would be divided up by class, and it takes more time to post when I use Flipgrid. Doing it this way definitely has its pros and cons.

LEARNING #5: GET A GOOD AIR FILTER IF YOU CAN

Just hearing the sound of a good air filter makes me feel safer. Plus, it blows out cool, fresh air, so when anyone needs to cool off their face from their mask, you can see one of us standing in front of the air filter. If you teach choir, drama, or band/orchestra, push your district to supply one for you. It is for the safety of everyone. If not, maybe try setting up a Go Fund Me account and see if others will donate to your cause. Here is the one I have in my room. It is actually on sale on Amazon right now. I like it because it has a light that shows the HEPA filter is still strong and working.

LEARNING #6: TELL YOUR STUDENTS TO DRINK WATER

On the very first day, I asked the students if they now felt funny drinking water because they have to move their mask to do so. Most of them raised their hands. I told them that they HAVE to drink water to survive the day. I felt funny the first day back to work with just teachers. I came home with a terrible headache because I was dehydrated. I showed them the best way to drink water, since they are sitting in seats that are socially distanced, and I took away the feeling of uneasiness.

LEARNING #7: BE PREPARED TO BE EXHAUSTED

They say there is no tired like the beginning of the school year tired. However, add that on to all of the extra planning, grading, and breathing through a mask for 8 hours, and you will now really know tired. Find ways to take care of yourself. I’m lucky that my husband takes care of so much around our house because I am extra exhausted at the end of the day. I warned him that this year will be like no other for me. I’m a very lucky woman that he understands.

LAST LEARNING: BE OKAY WITH JUST DOING OKAY

To be honest, I’m still working on this one. I won’t even tell you how many hours I worked this weekend, but I know I will get in my groove soon. Parents appreciate what you are doing for their kids. Stay off social media, and don’t read more into those that are loudest. Know that you are doing your best…for right now. It won’t always be this way, and you can’t teach the way you used to before March. Just know…”You got it, dude.”

Teaching Tip: Stay Safe When Returning to School

08.03.2020 by Judi Holst // 2 Comments

As teachers across the country start returning to the school buildings this fall, we are worrying about how we will stay safe from COVID-19 and protect our families at the same time. I have seen teachers post everything from wearing scrubs (sounds comfy), to cutting their hair (not going to happen), to sleeping in a bedroom by themselves. (Sorry, hubby, but you are stuck with me each night.) Here are ten tips on how to keep yourself safe.

Advice From An Expert

Instead of going to extremes because someone posted about it online or asking Dr. Google, I decided to reach out to an expert. Luckily, Dr. David Beuther, MD, PhD, FCCP, a renowned pulmonologist at National Jewish Health, is also a dad at my middle school. I sent him my questions about how to stay safe, and he kindly responded with incredible detail and thoughtfulness. These tips are based on his information, along with my own thoughts. If you are a parent and wondering how to keep your child safe, you might be able to use some of these tips as well.

Ten Tips for Teachers to Stay Safe

Tip #1: Find a clean, isolated area for your belongings

If you can, keep your personal belongings, such as your teaching bag, in an office, closet or desk. I don’t think I will bring my purse in each day anymore. I plan to put my wallet and keys in my backpack, and keep the backpack away from other humans.

Tip #2: Leave the building without touching surfaces

Before you leave the building, wash your hands in the bathroom, and use a paper towel to touch all door handles on the way to grab your things. Use hand sanitizer as you leave the building (there should be some supplied on the way out the door).

Or everyday at school

Tip #3: Keep your car decontaminated

Keep your car as reasonably decontaminated as possible. Have a special place for your mask, possibly in a paper bag, and keep it away from everything else. You might want to keep a designated area for your items that have been exposed throughout the day. The trunk of your car would be great for your teaching bag, if you have one.

Tip #4: Change your clothes

It is a good practice to change your clothes when you get home, especially if you live with high-risk people. I loved when Dr. Beuther said, “You do not need to do what the ICU doctors and nurses do, which is to strip naked in the garage and run up to the shower and just about light your clothes on fire afterwards.” He recommends taking your shoes off as an extra precaution before entering the house (possibly leave them in the garage, if possible), but you can change your clothes in your house and launder them with everything else. He also recommends finding a place for your teaching bag that is away from everything, and then washing your hands.

I cleaned out our hallway closet, so I will hang my clothes in there for at least 3 days, especially if it’s a sweater or blouse that can’t be laundered each time or put in high heat. (If you have kids that refuse to change their clothes all of the time, this might be a good way to get them to put on a new outfit for school. Ha) I also put a separate clothes hamper in that closet. Truthfully, I still like my work clothes to not be so cozy with my other clothes for the time being, even though I know this isn’t necessary.

Tip #5: Have a safe water bottle

I don’t know about you, but I guzzle water throughout the day. I’m like a sea sponge that drinks water about 20,000 times their own body volume. (Yes, I looked up to see which animal drank a lot of water for my fun fact.)

At our school, the drinking fountains will be turned off, but the water bottle refilling station will be on. As far as I know, we have only one or two stations, and even though I’m much taller than most middle schoolers, I’m pretty sure some of them could take me out if I cut in line.

I will need to make sure that I have a huge water bottle with me each day. I just ordered this one because it is a gallon, a past student posted one like it on her Instagram, it’s pretty, it has motivational sayings, and there are two different types of lids to use. Dr. Beuther said that he doesn’t recommend one with a fixed open straw. It’s better to have one with a lid you can unscrew or one with a straw that collapses in on itself. I plan to keep it up on a shelf, away from humans, but so I can still have easy access to it.

Speaking of cleaning, I also had purchased this fun item, the PhoneSoap 3, two years ago when a mouse was in the ceiling vent above my desk. It helps to disinfect your phone. If you’re interested, you can read about my adventure here. https://judiholst.com/18x-dirtier-than-a-toilet-my-new-favorite-gadget-phonesoap/. I plan to use this on a daily basis when I get home. If you don’t want to splurge on this device, Dr. Beuther uses a light coating of alcohol-based disinfectant gel or wipe on his phone, but you might want to check to make sure this works for your own phone first.

Tip #6: Keep facial wipes at work

I read this in an article, and it sounds like a great idea. I am not able to open a window or go outside from my classroom during the day, but it sounds very refreshing to use a facial wipe when I take off my mask to eat lunch. Having had acne all of my life, I seriously feel like a pimple is popping out each minute that I’m wearing a mask. “Don’t ever touch your face,” my dermatologist would tell me. Ummm…..I will try to just say no to “maskne” with my facial wipes.

Tip #7: You might want to shower

Dr. Beuther felt it isn’t necessary to come right home and shower. Confession: I told him that if I had to come home and shower right away, then I would never work out in the evening. He did say many people do this if they have a high-risk family member, and it also feels good at the end of a hard day. I will, however, definitely wash my face when I get home before kissing my hubby hello.

Tip #8: It’s okay to have a re-usable lunch bag

I read that you should use a disposable lunch bag each day. Then I remembered that I eat lunch with a friend who is very much into saving the environment (not that I’m against it), but I pictured her shooting a dart at my forehead if I threw away a plastic bag each day.

Dr. Beuther said that disposable would be safer, but it isn’t necessary. One of the most contaminated places could be the staff refrigerator at work, so unless you are cleaning the bag after you touch it, it won’t make a difference. He said he takes everything out the bag, and then he uses hand sanitizer before eating. So smart! I think I will pack a paper towel or something to put my lunch on each day.

He said to keep the bag away from humans in the classroom, and when you get home, don’t put it in the sink where you wash the dishes or on the counter. Leave it with your teaching bag until the next morning when you are going to repack your lunch. It might be a good idea to clean the fabric or metal on your lunch bag beforehand.

Tip #9: Wipe down the inside of your car if others are using it

I am usually the only one driving my car during the week, but if you have other members, such as your 16-year-old who just got her license and is waiting to use your car when you get home, you should wipe down the main contact points. This could include your keys, steering wheel, door handles, gear shift and seats. Otherwise, keep your keys in your bag until the next morning. Also, remember to keep hand sanitizer in your car to use before you touch anything else in it. This will help to keep your car decontaminated as well.

Final tip: Find your friends

To me, staying safe also means keeping your mental health on an even keel. Have those friends around you that will make you laugh either by text, phone call, video, or from six feet away. We will all get through this together, if everyone plays it safe.

TEACHERS: What other tips have you learned to stay safe this school year? Feel free to write them in the reply section below.

*Thank you, Dr. Beuther, for alleviating many of my fears for staying safe this school year. The only way to be 100% safe is remote learning, but since we are doing the hybrid model, I will take his advice to heart. There will be times of panic that I just won’t be able to help, but it does help to have some tips on how to be safe as a teacher.

If you would like to read how to decrease your child’s anxiety about returning to school, check out this blog post: https://judiholst.com/10-tips-to-help-your-anxious-child-return-to-school/

10 Tips to Help Your Child Be Less Anxious About Returning to School

07.23.2020 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

Is your child starting to feel anxious about returning to school? Here are ten tips on how to help them!

The email from my past student (C.B.) going into high school read:

“If I’m being honest, I was already nervous for high school before the pandemic, so I’m even more nervous now, as are a lot of my friends. It’s scary because we’re starting over at the bottom of the food chain with new people and new teachers that we haven’t even seen before, and we’re in a different building with different rules, and everything seems uncertain and confusing. We’re losing the team and pod structure that we’ve found safety in for the past three years, and instead have to figure out new schedules and systems in a time where we can barely even hang out with friends to at least feel less alone. I know that I’ll be fine and high school will be fun, things will work out, yadda yadda, but I’m not going to deny that I’m anxious about it. I’ll try to come visit you when I can!”

First of all, I think she is more mature than I am. I love how she is so in touch with her feelings. If you know me personally, had I been speaking to her in person, I would have rushed over to give her a big hug at this point. But you know, there is this thing called a pandemic going on, so I couldn’t. Having taught 8th graders for over 25 years, I know that going into high school always causes some anxiety; now we add all of the nuances to this situation, and kids are experiencing a lot of anxiety. (Note to self: keep this in mind for your incoming sixth graders too.)

What can parents do?

Tip #1: Start a discussion

Start that discussion with your child now. What are their fears? Listen. Let them know that feeling anxious is normal. If they are going to a new school, let them know that the high school seniors will be anxious (or the 8th graders) as well, so now the playing field has been leveled. (Thanks, KS, for that tip.) Don’t ask them in front of their siblings. No way would I have talked about my fears in middle school with my siblings around. Find a private time when the two of you can just chat. Ask them what they know about Covid-19, and make sure they are getting the correct information as well.

Tip #2: Be honest

Share with them exactly how school might look when they return to the building. For those of us that need to see the “bigger picture” before we experience something, help your child to create that picture in their head.

Will they have their temperature taken as they walk in the school door or will you do it at home? Will they need to follow signs on the floor and stay six feet apart? Will they be able to carry their backpacks? Will they only be able to touch their own computer? What should they do if they forget something at home? What will lunchtime look like? What should they do if they sneeze in their mask? (I still wonder about this also.) Will they carry a water bottle since drinking fountains will be shut down? Should they carry an extra mask in case something happens to the one they are wearing? How often should they wash their hands? Now, you know your child best. If all of this information will stress them out even more, then stick to the basics.

Remind them that teachers will be trained on how to help them and keep them safe as possible.

Tip #3: Set up times with friends

Let’s be honest, some of us haven’t seen our friends in four months. The same goes with kids, and they are anxious that they won’t be able to “hang out” like they normally do at school. Encourage your kids to find ways to bond with their friends, if it won’t happen during the school day, and with social distancing, of course. (This will be especially important if your kids are doing eLearning at first.) I know some kids struggle with this on a good day. Talk about ways they can join activities after school, or set up times for them to talk with their friends online. You’d be amazed how many kids talk to each other through their video games.

Tip #4: Don’t tell them, “You have nothing to worry about.”

Telling kids that it is silly for them to worry or that they are just being dramatic is a recipe for failure. If you’re raising a teenager, this is about the time that they will go stomping off to their room mumbling that adults just don’t understand. Back to tip #1, just listen.

Tip #5: Practice wearing the mask before school starts

Remember that your child will wear at mask for at least 7 1/2 hours (minus the time for lunch). It’s not a good idea to wait until the first day of school to strap a mask on them while pushing them out of the door, I mean…telling them to have a good day. You want to make sure it fits well, doesn’t itch their face, and doesn’t hurt them behind the ears. Some kids have sensitivity issues to different materials. You don’t want your child to figure out that the mask is driving them crazy while in the middle of class. Don’t forget to teach them how to wear their mask the right way.

Tip #6: Get them outside

Speaking of spending an extremely long time in a mask during the day, encourage your child to get outside when they get home from school. I know many parents want their child to finish their homework before they can go outside to play, but you might want to change up this routine. Some schools are keeping the students in the same room all day, even at the secondary level, so kids will need to get some energy out (or take a nap) before they can focus on homework. I’ve already told my husband that I am heading outside to watch the birds or heading to the bedroom to listen to my Calm app when I get home from work.

Definitely encourage them to not use any technology for a certain amount of time, since chances are that technology will be used more instead of passing out paper in class. If you have introverts returning to school, you might want to check out this post on my previous blog. I have tips for parents if you scroll down to the bottom : https://tbdteacher.tumblr.com/post/148606897009/teaching-tip-take-care-of-the-introverts

Tip #7: Stick to a routine

You probably had a routine set up while your child was headed out the door in the morning from last year. This year might look a little differently this year. Try putting a checklist of what they will need by the door. Include everything that they should have with them such as a mask, their own lunch, hand sanitizer, their computer, their own book, binder, writing utensils, etc. For our district, you will want to take your child’s temperature before they head out the door, so they aren’t sent home when they get to the bus or at the school door.

Tip #8: Let them feel the feelz (as my sister would say)

Celebrate the positives with them, but be prepared for them to be a little more emotional than normal. They are going to experience losses this year. There won’t be the normal field trips, dances, assemblies, etc. You know, all of the fun parts from school that we remember. Yes, they may have to whine about it to get it out of their system. I know I will. My husband keeps hearing me talk about not being able to hug or high five my kids. This is a huge loss for me this year as a teacher.

Your kids won’t be able to share a seat with their friends, crack up while watching a video together on the computer, hug their friends when they see them, etc. In middle school? Boys put their arms around each other or push and shove, even more than the girls. This won’t happen anymore and it will be a loss for them.

Tip #9: Check your own behaviors

Kids watch the adults in their life constantly. Each year, I ask my students if they look at the body language of their parents and teachers when they walk in the door. Most of them say yes. (It’s a lesson about your body language when you walk on the stage before speaking, but you get the point.) Kids will need to see that we are acting safe and calm (teachers, take heed of this as well). They look to you for security. This isn’t the time to share all of your fears about having them returning to school. My students? They won’t know that I will be feeling anxious unless they want to talk about it.

Tip #10: Teach them to be flexible

Chances are that we will end up at home doing online learning at some point during the school year, according to the experts. Prepare your kids for this as well to help lessen their anxiety. Have a space set up for them ahead of time. Get their feedback on what worked for them and what didn’t at home last spring. Were there too many distractions? Do they need to be closer to someone that can help them? Do they have friends they can call for help if they have questions at night? If someone in their class tests positive for Covid-19, each student will be quarantined for approximately 2 school weeks starting the very next day. Don’t wait until this happens. Your child will feel better knowing that there is a plan in place.

How did I respond to my past student to help with her anxiety? I put in some tips about what I have already shared with you, but I also wanted her to know my standpoint as a teacher. Here is a part of the response:

I can tell you this as a teacher. My time right now is spent trying to figure out how to make my students feel as safe and connected as possible when they return, especially my 6th graders. This year, more than ever, time will be spent on making sure kids feel okay about school. Yes, it will be weird at times. Yes, it will be awkward at times. Yes, it will be frustrating at times. However, everyone will be in the same boat. You just have to make sure you know where to go or who to talk to when you need support. You can always send me emails of just yelling if you need to get it out of your system. Ha. Think about it now…what will you do at the end of the day when you need to get rid of some high school stress? Walk? Talk with friends? Eat ice-cream? (ha). It’s good to have that plan in place. 🙂

Teachers and Parents: Give Each Other Some Grace

07.20.2020 by Judi Holst // 3 Comments

Imagine a time where parents, students, and teachers were supporting each other during a pandemic. Oh, that’s right, it just happened this past March. What has happened since then? When did it come a we vs. them in just a few short months?

Let’s Give Each Other Some Grace

Last year, when my mom was in the last stage of Parkinson’s Disease and then passed away right before Christmas, my sisters and I came to an agreement. We were going to give each other some grace. We each handled the situation differently: one of us was the crier and one wasn’t, the other one sang opera at the memorial service to break up the tension. (Lord, if I die before my sister, please encourage her to sing a funny song at my memorial service as well.) We decided that we would not get angry at the other sister for being who she is because we all handle things differently.

Things Are Still Up in the Air

Right now, my school district is still deciding upon the best method for school to start, and teachers are to return on August 4th. I appreciate their willingness to decide what is best for the students, staff and parents. With that, though, comes a lot of anxiety on all parts. As of this moment, we are supposed to return 100% in-person, 5 days a week, to a building of over 1200 students. Wait, what?

As teachers we are normally spending this time planning and planning…along with restoring our energy for the upcoming year. Yet, we don’t know what to plan for right now. Do I plan for in person, hybrid learning, or starting remotely? Parents are usually planning on how to get their child back on track and off to school, but they can’t do that either. With this anxiety comes anger and frustration; you want to be heard and your needs met.

(Update: 7/26/20 – Our district has decided to use the hybrid model this year. A/B/A/B and Friday is remote. Teachers will still teach lessons all five days, but two are synchronous in the classroom, and three are asynchronous out of the classroom. Otherwise, parents have a choice to send have their kids do 100% online.)

We WILL Get Through This With a Little Grace

I’ve been teaching a long time, and I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been through having some of my past “kids” shot while at school; I’ve asked drug dealers to leave bathrooms, so my students could play at the park; I’ve experienced racial discrimination as a teacher; I’ve cried over student suicides and abuse. Heck, I have even taught over 20 kindergartners in the women’s bathroom, in the church across the street, for a month when our school flooded. I have survived all of that, and so have my students. What I haven’t been through is starting the school year during a pandemic. I have never had to have my students wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart (have you met kids?), and not be able to give them high fives or hugs when needed. (Believe it or not, teenagers still need a lot of this from teachers.) It’s the unknown that becomes scary.

Parents: Give the Teachers Some Grace

Parents: Some teachers and staff are scared to return to their “home away from home.” We aren’t scared of hard work, we aren’t scared of being flexible during these times, but we ARE scared of dying from this pandemic or giving it to our family members. I’ve heard a lot of parents say that teachers can choose to teach remotely or go back to the building. That isn’t true. My understanding is that we have to supply a medical note as to why we can’t teach in the building and then priority is given to those teachers based on how many are needed for eLearning. According to ADA, being scared to be in a building where windows don’t open and the airflow isn’t great, without the ability to social distance doesn’t fall under their guidelines to teach remotely.

Parents, I understand that your child might not have done well online or that they weren’t getting the thorough education that you feel they needed. Please understand that we were doing “crisis teaching.” We were told to make sure the students didn’t become stressed. We needed to provide less work, not give anything lower than a B, and if the work didn’t meet standards, then we left a blank in the grade book. We were told that it was okay for students to not “show up” for class anymore. We got it, and we gave our students some grace. However, that isn’t what it would look like if/when we do remote teaching this time. We will work hard to make sure your students have their needs met as best as we can, just like we do when we are in the classroom with them.

I’m torn on this issue because I WANT to be in the school with my students. They crack me up. Every. Single. Day. I miss them. I want to teach them how to have more confidence in themselves by being better public speakers, but I don’t want to do it until it is safe according to science.

Parents, you might want to check out my other blog post about how to help your children with any anxiety that they might have about returning to school: “10 Tips to Help Your Child Be Less Anxious About Returning to School.”

Teachers: Give the Parents Some Grace

Teachers: Parents are scared about making the right decision for their kids. I can’t even imagine what that feels like right now.

Keep in mind that the parent’s lives have become more difficult as well. Some don’t know what to do if their kids aren’t in school five days a week, and some are scared about choosing eLearning for their kids and having them miss out on the school experience.

One of my favorite times during “crisis teaching” was the one-on-one Google Meets that I did with parents. I started 4th quarter with two brand new sixth grade classes that I had never met before, since I am an electives teacher. I offered up some times that parents could meet with just me. They shared personal stories about their child that they would have never told me in front of the rest of the parents at Back to School Night. They were scared for their children as well.

What Can Each of Us Do?

Parents: Please show some grace, and when we do return to the building, ask us how you can help. We want what is best for your kids, and so do you. It might come in the form of cleaning supplies, or air filters, or extra masks, or a gift card to Starbucks to start our day. 🙂 Please practice with your kids about how to wear a mask correctly, and have them get used to wearing one before we do return to the building. (I have to practice this one myself.)

Teachers: Please show some grace, and if we start out remotely, ask parents how we can help their child to become more successful this time. What worked for their child last spring and what didn’t? Let’s ask their kids too! If we are in the building, know that parents will be worried about their kids and everyone around them. Be sure to communicate what you are doing for their children, especially when it comes to their social/emotional learning.

Just Add a Little Sugar

I’d like to imagine a time when the whole country comes together like we did in the spring. This is probably the reason that my sister likes to call me Mary Poppins. If we just add a little sugar, then everything will be okay. However, it will take every single one of us to make this happen. Give each other grace. Stop with the arguing, and figure out a plan that will be best for everyone involved, as long as it’s safe to do so.

TGIF!

01.17.2020 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

10 Ways to Help Your Perfectionistic Teen

01.05.2020 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

“Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for ‘better than yesterday’.”
― Izey Victoria Odiase

As parents and teachers, you want your child to achieve whatever he sets out to do, but for some perfectionistic kids, this can come at a cost.

Imagine you sit down to write a paper for class. You know you’re a good writer, in fact, you have been identified as gifted in writing. You write your first paragraph. It’s not good enough, so you delete it. You do this five more times. You walk away. It’s not going to be good enough, you think, so why try? If this sounds like your own child or a child in your class, I want to give you ten tips on how to help them.

In a society where failure is frowned upon, perfectionistic teens have debilitating and anxiety-filled tendencies. It’s easier for perfectionists to not even attempt the task because then they will be 100% sure that they won’t fail.

Hear it from the teens themselves:

Hearing from my past students may help you understand perfectionism from their point of view. Thank you Riley for sharing your “This I Believe” video about perfectionism.

Thank you, K.D., for sharing what it’s like for you to live with perfectionism.

We tend to think it would be great to have kids or students with perfectionism. Who doesn’t want someone who strives to do their best 100% of the time? Unfortunately, this isn’t a healthy state for kids to be in. It can lead to clinical issues such as depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. It can be self-imposed perfectionism, other-oriented (such as parents), and socially prescribed (as in social media).

Do you wonder if your child is a perfectionist? Since everyone loves a quiz about themselves, here is a quick one that you or your child can take online:

https://www.verywellmind.com/quiz-are-you-a-perfectionist-4006910?quizResult=6d80b3fa

What? The results came out that your child is a perfectionist? Here are ten tips that you can do to help your child or student in class. Many of these came out of my Gifted and Talented Parent Group that I facilitate at my school each week.

Ten Tips:

1. What is the worst that is going to happen? If your child is starting to stress about the outcome of an activity or project, take the time to ask them, “What is the worst that is going to happen?” Then ask them, “What is the best thing that can happen?” Help them see that their fear of failure can actually lead to success in the long run. A week or so later, ask them what actually did happen. Rarely will their worst fears have come true.

2. Trust that the failure won’t hurt them. It’s only natural for a parent to want to jump in to help your child when they are struggling. However, this can drive your child to feel insecure in their own abilities. You need to trust that the failure won’t hurt them. As one of my GT parents said, “Helping a kid…isn’t to help a kid feel better.” If a parent feels more relaxed about the failure, then the child will feel more relaxed as well.

3. Share the failures of your own life. Obviously, this statement doesn’t fit for kids of all ages, but if you have a teenager or you teach one, share some of your own struggles in life. They need to see that everyone struggles and fails at times in life, and then share what you have learned from your failure. As a public speaking teacher, I share stories with my students about my struggles of presenting to big groups. I feel like I basically bombed a presentation once, but I definitely learned a lot from it. It’s important for them to hear that everyone struggles in life at times.

4. Change the way you teach at times. As a teacher, remember that you don’t always have to do something the way you learned how to do it as a student. Let kids struggle. Let them show YOU how they achieved the answer, instead of the other way around. Let them tell you how they would change the unit you just completed in class in order to make it better. Let them see that it might not have been “perfect” the first time you taught it.

5. What did you learn from this? Kids need to see that things won’t always be perfect. No one can give 100% to everything 100% of the time. This one will be your most difficult tip. Encourage your child to be late to school one day. Encourage them to miss a problem on purpose. Encourage them to say a wrong answer out loud. They need to learn that the world didn’t end because something didn’t go perfectly as expected. Trust me, this will not be easy for them.

6. It’s not a big deal. Never. Say. This. Period. By telling your perfectionistic child that their fear of not completing something perfectly “isn’t a big deal,” you are diminishing their feelings. If they come to you about their fears, you are better off by asking them questions. Take an unbiased stance and just listen to them. If they see you react, you will have a teen retreating back to their bedroom. This isn’t the time to tell them to go bed and just not finish their work; you will have a teen who doesn’t sleep that night. Working on their perfectionistic tendencies needs to happen at other times when they are not stressed. Remember that you need to give them the tools ahead of time, instead of just when they are feeling anxiety.

7. Be their role model. Kids take after their role models. They’re watching you stay up until all hours to get that one project finished for your own job. They’re watching what you do when you mess up that recipe while cooking. Let them see you relax and having some fun. Let them see you put down that phone even though there are ten texts waiting for you as you’re talking to them. Share with them the PROCESS of how you achieved something successful. Don’t just share the success.

8. Loosen up your standards. We’ve talked a lot about self-imposing perfectionism, but it can also be imposed from others. As parents and teachers, are your expectations realistic for each child? That doesn’t mean you have to let your child fail academically; you need to have realistic standards.

Sometimes you may need to look at your standards for your child’s social-emotional success as well. If your child doesn’t want to go to a school dance, and you can’t understand why since you LOVED school dances in school, you might need to look at it from their point of view. Are you causing them more anxiety by expecting them to live up to your standards of what a “perfect teen life” should look like? Yes, it’s important for them to socialize with other teens, but does that mean that they need a huge group of friends who go out each weekend? Let them know it’s okay to have just a few close friends.

9. Set a realistic schedule. Teach your kids how to break down a schedule in order to overcome procrastination. Show them how you break down big tasks as an adult. Hang a big wall calendar in their room, if they don’t use a Google calendar, and have them write out what they are going to accomplish each day. On the flip side, perfectionists also tend to overdo their own schedule. They don’t want to let people down, so they compensate by adding too much to their schedule in and out of school. Instead of prioritizing the important aspects of their life, they devote their energy by doing too much. Show them that everyone needs some down time to relax.

Photo by **Immortal shots** from **Pexels**

10. Celebrate the process and their strengths. One thing I have learned as a teacher is to celebrate the process and the effort that students put into their work, instead of the final grade. Point out the risks that they have taken, instead of just saying, “good job.” For gifted students, many things they do will come easily. When they start taking classes that are more of a challenge, their perfectionistic ways start to rear their ugly heads. They don’t know how to handle not doing something well the first time, so they choose not to try in the first place. If you notice your child starts to not do well in class because he isn’t trying, you might want to think about whether his perfectionism is getting in the way.

Perfectionism isn’t always a bad trait to have. These kids tend to be organized and like to please others. As teachers, we tend to enjoy having perfectionists in our class. Their projects are well-done and they tend to go over and above just to get the A as a grade. They are usually on time to class and are the first ones to raise their hand to answer a question. What we don’t see as teachers is the inner struggle of these kids. We don’t see them fighting with their parents because it’s 2 am and their project isn’t perfect yet. We don’t see them crying because they made a mistake on their math paper, and instead of erasing the mistake, they have to start all over.

This isn’t an easy problem to just “fix.” It’s going to take time to unwind these learned thoughts and behaviors. If you notice your child is suddenly struggling with depression, anxiety, seems more withdrawn than usual, and/or starts to not care about school, then you should definitely look into getting some help for your child. Professionals can give your child the right tools to deal with their thoughts of perfectionism in order to become healthy adults.

*This blog post is dedicated to Rong who encouraged me to start writing about the issues we talk about in our GT Parent Group. He even created flashcards about how to help your child with perfectionism. https://quizlet.com/465237751/helping-kids-with-perfectionism-12112019-flash-cards/

Middle School Parents: Take Heart

09.08.2019 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

Even though your kids may ACT like they don’t need you anymore, they do. My students were asked, “What (or who) motivates you the most to do your best at all times?” The most common answer was a parent or their family. (Of course, Elmo was an answer by a boy, but who could blame him.) Keep on truckin’ through these next few years. You play the most important role in your kid’s lives.

Teaching Tip: Make Your Class The One They Talk About From Day One!

08.18.2019 by Judi Holst // 1 Comment

Are you the kind of teacher who was dreading the end of summer, or were you excited to get back to a routine and your students? I admit, I was the first example. I didn’t want to give up my lazy mornings, my lunch with friends, my time with my hubby, and just being “Summer Judi.” Believe it or not, not all students will be as excited to be back on their first day either. When you are a middle school teacher, that is not a shocker. Give them time to talk to friends with some ice-breakers.

Day 1 With Staff

On the first day back to work , I dreaded the routine meetings, the absolutely dreaded “skit” of introducing new staff members that we did each year, and I dreaded having to talk to people in the morning. Ha.

Happily, I was surprised my first day back. Our school has a new principal, and he gave his welcome to staff, we didn’t have to do the skit, and the best part was the ice-breaker we did. The staff competed in groups for a “Selfie/’Usie’ Scavenger Hunt.” We broke into groups, making sure we included at least a new staff member, and we were given a list of things we had to find around the school. We had to complete each task, take a picture of the whole group doing it, and then text it to our administrators. Running around the school like our students would, we tried to get it done before everyone else. I’ve included some of the tasks below:

We had to find something with a teacher/school emblem on it:

My favorite, though, was making your principal do something that middle school kids would do; we had him slide down the railing on the stairs:

To be honest, this is the only thing I remember about our first day. I loved being in a group with people I don’t normally see throughout the day, and it was fun to get to know one of our new staff members.

Day 1 With Students

This could be a great activity to do with your students, either with their phones, Ipads, or cameras. Not sure about having your students run around school on the first day? “Roll It Get To Know You” Yahtzee is another fun ice-breaker. I found this as a free download on Teachers Pay Teachers. Thank you, Carol Miller, for offering it for free. I made the mistake of assuming that most kids had played Yahtzee before, and it was more difficult to explain at first than I had planned. They enjoyed the game once they got the hang of it. How do I know? They asked if they could play it again the next day.

What’s the point of this blog post? Don’t be that teacher that goes over the rules and syllabus your very first day. Give kids a chance to get to know each other and have some fun. Be that class that students will talk about when they get home when their parents ask about their day. I have a feeling you will have kids excited to come to your class that very next day.

Whiteboard Trivia

On an extra note, for some students it’s uncomfortable to come in to the classroom for the first time and not know what do until class starts. Write a question on the whiteboard and encourage them to answer it while they are waiting. You can read more about “Whiteboard Trivia” on my old blog.

Here’s My Sign

08.12.2019 by Judi Holst // 1 Comment

So thankful to my colleague, M.C. for making a Holst sign for my classroom. It matches my pirate colors wonderfully.

4 strategies of how to add CREATIVITY to your lessons

02.17.2019 by Judi Holst // 1 Comment

We all have heard of the 4 Cs: Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and that last one is the one that captures my heart: CREATIVITY. It is one thing to tell teachers that creativity should be included in our lessons, but no one really gives us ideas of how to do it. Here are four strategies that I learned from other creative educators.

FIRST CREATIVE STRATEGY: DROODLES

If you haven’t read Brian Housand’s blog, I highly recommend it. At a recent training he gave to the teachers of gifted and talented kids in my district, Brian introduced me to DROODLES. These are simple sketches that used to be drawn on napkins.

http://www.folklore.ee/Droodles/variantide_jargi_kahanev

I turned “droodles” into a competition for one of my warm-ups. I put an image on the screen and gave the students one minute to write down as many things as they saw in this image. Is it a bear hugging a tree? Is it four heads looking down a well? Is it an arm with chicken pox? Wait until you see what the students come up with for you. Caution: They aren’t very good at this the very first time. Now, I don’t share my ideas with them until they are done, but once I do, they realize they should look at it from all sides, and your answers don’t have to be serious; they just have to make sense.

Teaching Tip: You could see who has the most answers in the class and have them read them aloud to make sure they make sense, or you could have them see who has the most at their table. Always do this more than once in order to give kids a chance to try it with a different picture. If you google, “droodles,” there will be many examples.

SECOND CREATIVE STRATEGY: MAKE A MEME

Are your students as crazy about memes as mine are in middle school? Showing a lesson on Google Slides? Include a meme. Need some funny posters on your wall? Include a meme. Doing gamification and need a new challenge for your students? Have them create a meme for your subject area. There are many websites out there to create meme, but my favorite one to share with students in BIGHUGELABS.COM. I learned about this website from Lisa Van Gemert, the Gifted Guru. Not only is the website free for students to download their meme, but there are many other choices of how they can show their learning visually and creatively.

THIRD CREATIVE STRATEGY: PLAY “QUESTION THAT” WITH THEM

The memes can take a little preparation, so I like this one because it can also be a great way to sum up a lesson at the end of class. I learned this one from the great Dr. Bertie Kingore. I like this one because it doesn’t take any prep time, unless you want to take it a step forward. It’s as simple as this: the teacher gives a one-word answer, and the students must come up with the questions.

Teacher: The answer is 3.

Student: How many little pigs were there? How many steps should you take when speaking in front of a classroom? What is 6-3?

Teaching Tip: Once again, you could turn this into a competition to see who can come up with the most questions in three minutes. Or you could have two people face off and each one has to come up with a question in less than five seconds until the other person can’t come up with any more questions. You could also have them write them on sticky notes and post for others to see on the wall. You could even have them post them to padlet so others could see the questions right away.

FOURTH CREATIVE STRATEGY: CREATE A SLIDE COMPARISON

This is another strategy that I learned from Brian Housand. Brian made me realize how important it is to give students time to EXPLORE a topic on their own, before you started teaching about it through direct instruction.

Brian shared with us a graphic that showed the US had 1.39 billion pounds of surplus cheese last year. Now, I didn’t know I even cared about this surplus cheese until he gave us ten minutes to just research everything we wondered about it for ten minutes. What the heck? I started slowly on my research because really, who cared? I read through some articles on Google that I found and soon found myself becoming more interested.

It wasn’t until Brian told our group that we needed to create a slide for our class “slide show.” It needed to show a comparison to the number 1.39 billion pounds. Now, he had my full attention. Yes, peer pressure set in. Of course, I AM A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER, so I wanted to compare it to…POOP. Yes, I said poop. My group, also made up of middle school teachers, gave in my request to find out how much this number equaled in the amount of poop excreted in the world. Here is what we found and the slide we created:

We added our slide to the link shared to the whole class, and we presented it with a lot of pride. This also worked in the other three Cs: collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.

Teaching Tip: Assign each group a slide number if you are using Google Slides. This helps so that one group doesn’t start writing on another’s group’s slide.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you’re looking for a way to engage students, that also gives them a chance to be creative, I highly recommend one of these four strategies. You will reach every type of learner, and the students will ask for more. Who doesn’t want THAT to happen in their classroom? It is like you invited them to a creativity party.