OLA Superconference 2013 Thoughts

Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2013

Entertain, Educate, Empower: The Ultimate Library Experience
Conference Reflections by Diana Maliszewski

Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 9:05 a.m.
Session #316: Grit Lit: YA Fiction that Pushes Boundaries by Maria and Jim Martella

Summary = Maria, owner of Tinlids Inc. and her brother Jim, an 8^th grade teacher, shared some great titles of books with challenging issues and topics.

3 Key Points·         There are many great books out there (some that Maria mentioned included The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen by Susan Nielsen, What Happened to Ivy  and Becoming Ruby by Kathy Stinson, Speak and Winter Girls by Laurie Halsey Anderson, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder, Beauty Queens and The Dividers by Libba Bray, Stolen by Lucy Christopher, My Book of Life by Angel  by Martinez Levittown, Burning Blue by Paul Griffin, Nix Minus One by Jill Maclean, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden, Every Day by David Leviathan, etc.)  - any errors in title or authors are mine, since I took notes on my iPad and it self-corrected typing

• ·         Students crave to read about these  powerful stories; Jim described how students in his class did all those “school-y” things like making connections unprompted because the subject matter was so gripping (they found songs and music videos that reflected the themes they read)
• ·         Protagonists in these type of books are not privileged, so it is important to show kids with “first world problems” what life is really like for some people (the audience survey mid-presentation demonstrated that kids have always sought to read “mature” books even when the content disturbs them a bit)

So What? Now What? = I’m going to see how many of these titles I own (Maria said these books were acceptable for Grades 7 +) and after consulting some of my voracious pre-teen readers, I’ll purchase some.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 10:40 a.m.
Session #416: Beyond the Page – Engaging Young Readers by Vikki VanSickle

Summary = Vikki is an author and works with Harper Collins; she shared pointers and resources that publishers have to help with book promotions in school and public libraries.

3 Key Points

• Harper Collins has a new website > http://harperclassroom.tumblr.com that acts as an educator hub, containing newsletters, contests, costume rentals, book club discussion guides (can search by author, title, or resource type)
• Engagement strategies include literature circles, book clubs, readers theatre, online engagement, author visits (live & Skype)
• If you are conducting an event, prepare the readers, prepare the author, consider book sales and do follow-up (authors can be found and funded via the Writer’s Union of Canada grant, Canadian Children’s Book Week, Author’s Booking Service, author websites, and through the publisher)

So What? Now What? = There wasn’t a lot of new information shared in this presentation for me, but I enjoyed seeing the Gruffalo come for photo opportunities at the end. I think I need to peek at a few more publishers to see if they have similar resources so that I’m not reinventing the wheel during book talks.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 12:00 p.m.
Canadian Books for Canadian Kids ACP Luncheon

Summary = The Association of Canadian Publishers invited me to attend a lovely 3-course meal and dine with some Canadian authors and fellow supporters of Kid-Can-Lit. I had a delicious meal (mozzarella and lobster ravioli) and had great conversation with Maria Martella, Sandra Ziemniak, Gianna Dassios, and others at my table. I received a great gift bag filled with books and the authors stayed to autograph them – thank you Sylvia McNicoll, Cybele Young, Wallace Edwards, Rona Arato, Deborah Kerbel, and Kyo Maclear! I’m glad that my table-hopping and mega-mingling was seen as laudable conduct by the organizers and I promise to share the photos I took while wandering from group to group.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 2:10 p.m.
Session # 500: All-Conference Plenary by Thomas Frey: The Future of Libraries

Summary = Frey is the executive director and senior futurist at the DaVinci Institute. While I was enroute to the talk, I was told by others approaching from the opposite direction that there was no room, even to stand and listen, so I chose to visit the Expo Hall instead. While there, I spoke with Elizabeth Lee about my research project and with Katina Papulkas and Cindy Matthews about AQ course terminology.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 3:45 p.m.
Session #618: You Can’t Read That! By Jo-Anne Gibson

Summary = Jo-Anne shared her unit on banned, censored, and challenged books. She maintains that we need to nourish a respect for intellectual freedom in our students and this unit intrigues and empowers them.

3 Key Points

·         Secret censorship is a regular occurrence in libraries: Maurice Sendak’s book had underwear drawn on the naked boy in one library’s copy, and a Todd Parr picture book had a page exacto-knifed out by persons unknown. School librarians themselves make selective choices for acquiring materials that can be seen as censorship – it is important for them to follow their board/district’s selection policies and not merely follow their own whims or insecurities.

·         Talking about censorship is an authentic way to teach aspects of the curriculum that are required at this age (e.g. in Manitoba, they study the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom in Grade 9) and engages them in a way that none of Jo-Anne’s other units quite capture.

·         Telling teenagers that they are forbidden from reading something is a sure-fire way to get them to want to read: the Canadian Library Association conducts an annual survey to chart instances where books are threatened with removal  (the page with this year’s links can be found at http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=13772 )

So What? Now What? = Even though I have heard this talk before (when I attended the Manitoba Library Association Conference in Winnipeg), it was worth hearing again – plus, I had to attend because I was the session convenor. I plan on teaching this unit to my Grade 7s and 8s and although I won’t use every book on Jo-Anne’s list (Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole may just be too much for my students), I look forward to trying the unit and discussing the results with Jo-Anne in the future.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 5:15 p.m.
Session #701: Ontario School Library Association Annual General Meeting and Award Presentation / Reception

Summary = The division held its AGM and awards ceremony, with the affair sponsored by Saunders Book Company.

3 key points

• ·         The winner of the Teacher-Librarian of the Year Award was June Rysinski  and the winner of the Administrator of the Year Award was Troy Mackenzie
• ·         The winner of the OLA Technical Services Award was Deanna Harron
• ·         The winner of the Award for Special Achievement was Anita Brooks-Kirkland

So What? Now What? = I was surprised and honoured when June, a good friend of mine, mentioned me in her acceptance speech (second only to the amazing Carol Koechlin – Carol was June’s Library AQ instructor, just like she was mine!). I had fantastic conversations with Jeanne Buckley and Joel Krentz as we drove home together, about such varied things as house shopping and roller derby.

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 9:05 a.m.
Session #1000: Learning Everywhere: The Transformative Power of Hyperlinked Libraries by Michael Stephens

Summary = (paraphrased from session description) Dr. Stephens spoke about how mobile and web technologies are changing the way we live and learn and how libraries can play a key role in this future.

3 key points

• ·         Libraries should be about Cs: community, creativity, collaboration, creativity, curiosity, connectivity (a key term that emerged from the ALA mid-winter conference was “maker space” = providing a creator space place in the library, not just creating digital information but making new things, like with 3D printers)
• ·         Play is key: “where imaginations play, learning happens”, and things change so quickly that you can sit down and through play, learn it – he suggests fostering self-directed digital learning by having tables set up with e-readers and digital cameras where peers can sit and show how these technologies work and the result of this passport “tech fair” could be a draw for a Kindle
• ·         Stephens asks us to be many things: be willing to learn / be willing to explore / look inside and outside our world / be willing to listen and engage / be willing to leave our physical walls > he says we can move forward by breaking down barriers / being kind / being the change / encouraging creativity / be always learning / play / have fun / be human / watch the horizon / take risks / bring your heart with you / focus on the heart, because there are people behind the tech

So What? Now What? = One of the other things Dr. Stephens said was that navigating digital spaces can be overwhelming and digital inclusion should be the top of the library mission statement and that the hyperlinked librarian is continuously learning. I need to do my part to foster digital inclusion (e.g. providing time for students who don’t have printers or Internet access or computers at home to use the school resources) and provide “maker spaces”. His philosophy of play matches mine – I need to make more time for students to play in school.

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 10:40 a.m.
Session #1100: All Conference Plenary by Susan Cain: Introvert Power

Summary = Susan Cain is the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking and her presentation centers on the importance of introverts.

3 key points

• ·         Cain highlighted three mistakes our society is making: 1) we aren’t making the most of the introvert’s heart and mind (introverts aren’t anti-collaboration, they just prefer a jigsaw method as opposed to spontaneous group work), 2) in the new group-think, we have lost the need for solitude (Einstein, a famous introvert, said “I’m not smart, I just stay with problems longer” and deep ways of thinking happen in solitude [aka JK Rowling or Warren Buffet] but there’s a push for collective process and this is bad because there’s a habit of conforming and caving to peer pressure when working together), and 3) we erroneously believe that the most assertive talkers have the best ideas (an e.g. was from Harvard, where a person’s expertise was dismissed even though he had direct experience with the topic, because he was an introvert)
• ·         There is evolutionary need for both introverts and extroverts (depending on the situation, for instance as studied with pumpkin seed fish, survival works for either tendency) > you can also have ambiverts (individuals with both introvert and extrovert qualities).
• ·         Cain has 3 suggestions: A) stop the madness for constant group work (e.g. try a hybrid process like thinking before getting together, or having individuals write their thoughts and then go around the circle to share), B) consider various styles of leadership, not just extroverts (if an introvert possesses will/drive, they can be fabulous visionary leaders, like Rosa Parks and Gandhi – the head of Campbell Soup wrote personal hand-written letters to thank people in his company), and C) rethink diversity (we know that race and gender discrimination are moral issues; she believes that personality is too and that we shouldn’t make introverts 2^nd class citizens)

So What? Now What? = As an extrovert (and possibly an ambivert), I am going to make a special effort to be considerate of my introvert colleagues. I feel pleased that The Teaching Librarian actually reviewed her book in a recent issue.  I’ll prepare my introvert friends/spouse for stressful situations and give them space to escape, and build in introvert-like times so that my extrovert students can learn how to think deeply on their own, even though extroverts have more reward networks in their brain and the excess stimulation benefits them on a physiological level. I think this was my favourite plenary (although many people I surveyed said their favourite was Michael Uslan’s opening plenary, but that one was on Wednesday so I missed it).

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 12:00 noon
TDSB TL Luncheon

Summary = The tradition continues. Lisa Dempster, former Metro Toronto OSLA Councillor, booked a table at Joe Badali’s for TDSB TLs to eat together and enjoy each other’s company. Before eating, Denise Colby and I wandered around the Expo Hall to promote our Superconference session on Minecraft – I wore my Minecraft creeper costume with a sign on the back and Denise was my “handler”, ensuring I didn’t fall or bump into people. We made it to the restaurant in time to feast on their delicious buffet (and yummy exotic juices) although many of the TLs were there earlier. Denise and I still had a fruitful talk together.

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 2:10 p.m.
Session #1203: How to Make School Libraries Work (Even) Better by Jeanne Conte, Ruth Hall, Phillip Jeffrey, & Cindy Matthews

Summary = Several top-level school library figures from different boards described their group’s work with Together For Learning and the learning commons.

3 key points

• ·         Phillip said that it is difficult to isolate one component of schooling to show what is successful, but it is vital to try and show how school libraries are impacting student learning – the Hamilton Catholic DSB has a working document called “Shifting Our Focus” which is helping them align with the board improvement plan (under the component of the literacy pillar)
• ·         Ruth shared the “Expected Practice” series in the Toronto DSB; like the monographs published by the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat at the Ministry of Education, they are brief booklets to make it clear what departments do – the Library Dept. was the second group (after Literacy/Numeracy) in the board asked to produce one, and their focus was on the collaborative environments for teaching and learning, with core pieces being T4L, the TDSB ICT Standards, and OSLA Information Studies; it reminded the varied audience that inquiry is in all subject areas and they meshed the achievement chart with the inquiry model
• ·         Jeanne spoke about the collaborative teacher inquiry going on in the Peel DSB, where TLs work with class teachers on triangulating evidence of learning, tied with the Growing Success document

So What? Now What? = I could not stay for the entire session, as I had to go set up for my own presentation following. It sounds like several boards are trying hard to make T4L a reality. I will need to hunt down the TDSB Expected Practice mini-document and share it with as many people as possible, because my collaborative time in my schedule is not as robust as it used to be (I had open flexible time in addition to fixed structured time in the past, whereas this year I only have fixed structured partner time).  

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 3:45 p.m.
Session #1321: Play with TNT & Minecraft Inquiry by Denise Colby, Diana Maliszewski & Liam O’Donnell

Summary = 3 TDSB educators talked about their Ryerson University / EDGE Lab supported Multi-Player Minecraft server and why public and school libraries should be embracing sandbox games like Minecraft.

3 key points

• ·         Gaming culture has different norms and practices around griefing, trolling, and camping (quite different from the school realm’s bullying focus) – it’s important to monitor use when playing in a public or school space but to also understand the “rules of play”.
• ·         Players can get very passionate about their Minecraft worlds and it’s important to be part of that play and conversation (finding places to play isn’t hard when the GamingEdus server is available for educators and their families to join – send Liam a white list request)
• ·         Minecraft is a chance for youth/students to take the lead, e.g. let your teen advisory committees decide on various Minecraft Club challenges (e.g. PvP in a battle arena, building the tallest tower, etc.)

So What? Now What? = This was our session so it’s hard to comment on it objectively. The audience was a lot smaller than we expected (a dozen people) but it was a lot more audience-receptive – we stopped using the Powerpoint after 5 slides and helped people play on the many laptops we brought for that purpose, and talked. We had several public librarians, a couple of Minecraft parents with great questions (e.g. “my kid wants to make his own server – should I let him?”) and some school people. It’s a shame that it was only just this week that our board allowed 2012-2013 open port access during the day (last year, it took the same amount of time – 4 months – to get permission to open the ports) but Denise was able to share a brand-new video of her kids building bridges in Minecraft as part of science.

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 5:15 p.m.
Reflection

Summary = We had a bit of time after the session and before the big party, so Denise, Liam, and I headed back to the Speakers Lounge to relax and reflect. I had a great time talking with Peggy Thomas and Ruth Gretsinger about the Forest of Reading, the law, and other catch-up topics.

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 6:15 p.m.
Session #1500: All Conference Networking Event – Circ D’OLA

Summary = It was a circus-themed party at the OLA this year. Visitors chose which circus performer best suited their personality and then wandered in among jugglers, magicians, and acrobats while snacking on popcorn, cotton candy, and candy apples. There were so many people to talk to and see! The biggest surprise of the night was when one of the magicians turned out to be Steve, my parents’ former neighbour! I babysat his eldest son as a toddler when his middle child was born – that oldest child is now 19! The official party ended at 9:00 p.m. but a group of public and school librarians (Tiffany, Teresa, Jeffrey, Denise, Joel and I) continued to celebrate with a super-late dinner at East Side Mario’s. We conversed on topics as wide as vegetarianism and union actions and I didn’t get home until midnight.

Saturday, February 2, 2013 – 9:15 a.m. / 10:45 a.m.
Session #1705 & #1805: Together for Learning Launch & Showcase

Summary = www.togetherforlearning.ca is new and improved! This double-session launched the revised website, showed attendees how to submit new content, and gave teacher-librarians across the province a chance to share their progress via poster sessions in a large, wi-fi accessible room. I attended in the capacity of photographer, although I was still able to communicate with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB teacher-librarians (Peter, Lori, and Carmen) and introduce them to Carol Koechlin. I also had fun with a teacher-librarian just getting off maternity leave (whose name I forget) uploading QR code reading software to our iPads and trying it out. I had a very enlightening conversation with Peggy Lunn, which I think will lead to some great contributions to The Teaching Librarian magazine.

Saturday, February 2, 2013 – 12:15 p.m.
Session #1900: Gala Closing Luncheon Keynote by Steven Page

Summary = He came, he saw, he sung. Steven Page, former member of the Scarborough band Barenaked Ladies spoke at the final lunch, after the presentation of the OLA President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement to the team behind the OSLA Together For Learning Project.

3 key points

• It takes a dedicated team to pull together big projects (like OLA Superconference and the Together For Learning document) – I was honoured to be on the stage with Peggy Thomas, Anita Brooks-Kirkland, Carol Koechlin, Esther Rosenfeld, Larry Moore, and Bobbie Henley to receive the award - these people are giants!
• Sometimes in Canada we want recognition but not too much recognition – it’s okay for Shania to be an international star, but BNL received flak for playing across the border (Page theorizes that it’s the “Ben Johnson” complex, that Canadians don’t want to be humiliated by their representatives).
• Libraries are important to Page (he reminisced about keeping LPs and books from the Scarborough Public Library) and he is sad that his new home, Syracuse NY, doesn’t have a library in walking distance (he says he never imagined leaving Canada but that “you can’t help who you fall in love with”)

So what? Now what? = I need to re-listen to all my Barenaked Ladies tapes. I brought one with me in the hopes that I could get Steven to sign it, but no such luck. I sang along (quietly) when he performed “Brian Wilson” – he’s still got a great deal of talent.

Report Card Creation Haze

My eyes are blurry and my wrists need massaging, but the task has been accomplished: I finished writing all my report card comments and inputing all my grades. Some people may consider teacher-librarians to be "classroom refugees" escaping assessment and evaluation, but at my school at least, I have a lot of work to do on report cards. This year, I grade and mark four classes of media, a class of dance, a class of drama, and comment on library, ICT, and media for three kindergarten classes and create ICT comments for every student in the school. As my colleague, David Hann, said to me on Twitter, it's not necessarily the report card writing but the marking that can be the hardest part. He's right - at one point I calculated that I needed to mark 3300 questions before I was able to accuately craft a proper ICT comment for my junior-intermediate students.

Writing report cards is a bit like birthing a baby.
The task looks insurmountable at first. I groan and moan while I'm in the process. At the end, I look back with a sense of pride and surprise - *I* produced that marvellous piece of work?

This term, I felt much more prepared for report card writing. I think this was because my long range plans were thorough and the dates didn't sneak up on me like they might have in the past. I also believe I made a greater effort to mark assignments sooner rather than later and communicate student progress on a more ongoing basis. I hate to admit it, but I suspect that my lack of clubs and teams gave me more time to assess assignments.

I'm still no report card writing expert but I have many great people to turn to for inspiration. I went and read some of my colleagues' past report cards to get an idea about how they phrase comments in a positive way or so that they sound unique instead of "cookie-cutter". I admire one of our school's kindergarten teachers and how she writes a home-school communication journal every week for every single one of her students (in Chinese for some and in English for others) - there will be no mysteries or surprises when her families receive their report cards.

This week, I'll only be in school for three days - it's the upcoming Ontario Library Association Super Conference. Watch my blog for a report on the event next week.

Parent Assistance in Student Projects

This school year, in addition to a library period and collaborative ICT time-slot for every class in the school, I also teach dance-drama to a group of Grade 1-2 students and media literacy to everyone from JK-Grade 4. Inspired by a student who eagerly brought in a bottle of shampoo for me to see, we created a big assignment for the Grade 1-4 students to complete: create a media tie-in product. I created an initial draft description of the task and tried it out on one of the classes; they gave me some good descriptive feedback (essentially stating that I was using too many big words and I was not clear in outlining the steps they had to take to proceed) so I re-wrote the description and shared it (and the rewritten rubric) with the students. I asked them to take the sheet home to show their parents so that their families were aware of the project. To my delight, several parents approached me in the school yard to ask some clarification questions. A parent that I see often in the yard and like a lot asked a great question: is it okay for parents to help their child/children with the project? Let me answer that question with a picture.

Here is a photo of me when I was in elementary school during a science fair. My project was on Fungus. My parents helped me with my science project - they framed my writing with yellow paper to make it stand out, and they let me keep disgusting things that I allowed to grow mold.

I don't remember much about my childhood (I have huge gaps in my memory and I'm not sure why) but I have vague recollections of spreading papers out together in the living room to get it organized and pretending they were the judges so I could describe my experiment to an audience.

I think there is some merit to giving parents a chance to work with their offspring on school assignments. As long as the parents don't totally take over the project and it's a collaborative effort, it's a chance for families to create something as a team and understand what's being taught in school. For me as a teacher who has to mark these projects, the trick is to design the rubric so that students who do not have parents that are able to be as involved are not penalized and that students have a way to demonstrate that they understand the ideas and concepts behind the project and prove that students learned something from the task, not just Mom or Dad or older sibling. As part of this media tie-in, the students have to complete an "explanation sheet" - this sheet will not be sent home and completed individually by each student during class time. (Of course, there will be modifications for our ESL and special education students.) This sheet will be given equal weight to the actual product and package (and in fact, students are not required to create the actual product - the package itself would do). If you'd like to look at the assignment itself, it can be found on my wiki - I'd love to receive some "grown-up" feedback on it. The rubric is still a bit wordy for my liking. Unfortunately, I'm past the age where my parents can help me with my projects - and that's too bad; it'd give us a reason to lengthen our conversations. 

Keep Your Comments to Yourself - The Case for Both Sides

What a crazy week! I had a vigorous internal debate about what topic to discuss and what angle to approach my post ... then I wondered if anyone would even care what I had to say on these matters, since they have been written about so frequently and effectively in the Toronto newspapers and in the Twittersphere / blogosphere. (I've listened to enough homilies at church to realize that it's better to make one key point that provides food for thought rather than several long lessons.) That's why I decided that the idea about keeping your comments to yourself was a nice way to discuss both newsworthy events in a way that made sense. I'm going to argue both sides of this philosophy.

Keep Your Comments To Yourself - Yes, Do (Dr. Spence's Resignation)

The news has been covered by The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, The National Post, The Globe and Mail, and many other newspapers: the director of the Toronto District School Board, Dr. Chris Spence, wrote an op-ed piece for the Toronto Star in early January about extra-curricular activities in schools and readers discovered that several sections were plagiarized. On Wednesday, January 9, the director apologized via email and our TDSB website. More cases of unattributed work began to surface, and the next day, (January 10) Chris Spence resigned.

I read a lot about this story from a variety of sources but one particular article irritated me: this one in which Rob Ford, the beleaguered mayor of Toronto, stated that he [Ford] was never a "big fan" of Chris Spence. I found these comments to be particularly tactless. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. When my husband and I were discussing the revelation, he said that when opponents sense "blood in the water", that's when people will do more digging and make more public comments. I'm also of the opinion that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I wouldn't wish this public relations disaster on anyone. Am I disappointed in his conduct? Yes, but now is not the time for me to pile on with personal opinions.

Keep Your Comments To Yourself - No, Don't (Bill 115 and ETFO's cancelled protest day)

Friday, January 11 was supposed to be a "day of political protest" for Toronto District School Board elementary teachers (and elementary teachers in other boards) but it was cancelled at the last minute because the Ontario Labor Relations Board deemed it an illegal strike. It was a day of mass confusion, as students were told the day before that there was no school and then schools were opened. Some classes only had a couple of students - no classes at my school had full attendance.

Our union directed us, the members, to "make no statements to media or parents until you have received direction from ETFO / ETT". This is consistent with past messages that recommend that we avoid discussing the unfolding drama with our students. I understand why the union wants us to use extreme caution when communicating - this example of a middle school art teacher using his students to make propaganda is a prime example why the union advocates a "don't say anything" approach. However, I think that making this a completely taboo subject with parents and students will do more harm than good.

Teachers shouldn't be spouting off their opinions completely unfiltered but there must be some limited dialogue. Simply acknowledging that Friday was an awkward day should be permitted, to show that teachers do understand that all this unrest is not easy for anyone, including parents and students. My junior division students are learning about the truth as part of their term-long inquiry. We want students to be critical thinkers, and that includes evaluating what their parents and teachers tell them. You can read about Bill 115 on the union's website or on the government's website - both have their own built-in bias. Newspapers have their own agendas and opinions about this turmoil - can you tell what side this particular article takes? - even when newspapers are supposed to be "just the facts". Attempts to be impartial, such as on the People For Education website or on Twitter, can be overwhelmed by people passionate about their opinion or position on the issue. I can't ignore my students when they say "I wish we had clubs and teams"; I won't be publicly critical but I can commiserate - "I wish we could do clubs and teams right now too but we feel we need to do this because of Bill 115".

So, what are your comments about all this - or will you keep your comments to yourself?

Getting back into the swim of things

Transitions are hard. My son and I particularly have a hard time getting used to the post-holiday school routine. Yes, we'll get used to the ebb and flow of our regular schedule eventually, but it's tough to relinquish the freedom of flexible bedtimes and hours to use as you wish.

Every Monday afternoon, my son has swimming lessons. I'm his designated driver and since the lesson is only 30 minutes, I stick around while he learns the way of the fishes. Usually I read or catch up on my marking, but shortly before the holiday break, I watched him from the pool viewing area. I was delighted by how much progress he's made. He first began taking swim classes a couple of summers ago with Ryan - I wrote about it here - and he's been with Anna Marie since September 2012. Having regular weekly instruction has really paid off for my son. He can swim in the deep zone and can jump off the diving board.

My boy inspired me, so I did something I didn't think I'd do.
I signed up for swimming lessons at the same location, starting in January.

I learned to swim as an adult through a Toronto Parks and Recreation program,but this was a number of years ago. I was never the most confident swimmer to begin with, and for many years, my only interaction with a pool was holding my children in the shallow end to keep them safe, so I didn't get the opportunity to practice my strokes. I'm always lamenting my lack of exercise, despite my efforts with the treadmill, as described here. This is a chance for me to renew my skills, get fit, and do something different.

I'm a little bit nervous about these swim lessons. I signed up for the intermediate class because it corresponded to my son's existing swim time. What if the class is too hard? What if I don't like my swim instructor? What if none of my current swimsuits fit? I'll put my anxiety behind me and dive right in (figuratively speaking). I'll let you know how it goes.

What did I learn in 2012?

I waited until the actual day to write my final blog post of 2012. Stephen Hurley invited Ontario bloggers to submit their favourite blog post. I looked through my posts from this year, and although there were times that I read and thought "wow - I wrote that? It sounds good", there were no posts that I felt warranted a specific-shout-out. Doug Peterson turned to his blog stats to determine which posts garnered the most attention. The biggest page read on my blog for 2012 (my Webinar Reflection in March) drew a grand total of 10 page views, so this system for determining my most insightful post would not work for me.

A lot of people and media outlets are doing the "2012 reflection" and if you click this link, you'll read about what one person learned in 2012. The gentleman in question is Father Edwin Gonsalves, and I am blessed enough to have him as my church's priest. He stressed that family is important, and that "all of us are teachers and students to one another".

I've had so many teachers and students this year, and I've learned so much from reading different books and articles, talking to different people, and experiencing different conferences and situations, that summing it all up in one document is very difficult. (Geez, how do we do it with report cards? We miss a lot of the real and personal learning, I guess.) Let me end 2012 then, not with a list of things I've learned but with a list of gratitude to all my "teachers" and "family members".

Thank you to:

• my husband James
• my daughter Mary
• my son Peter
• my parents, Fred and Gloria (and my relatives - my extended family)
• my students and fellow staff members at my school (present and past)
• my fellow TDSB TLs and Ontario educators, including my colleagues from the OSLA/OLA
• my pastor / associate pastor and fellow parishioners at my church (my "spiritual family")
• my Twitter PLN and online learning comrades (my "digital learning family")
• my friends, acquaintances, and even my "enemies"

I hope 2013 is a great year of learning for you - I hope it will be for me.

They all want to play

I'm writing this post in advance - as you read this, Ontario schools are on their winter holiday time, the one-day strike by my board's union members was last Tuesday, and it's Christmas Eve day, for those who celebrate. I want to tell you about something I noticed in my school library prior to the break.

I've been trying to incorporate aspects of a kindergarten class into my school library setup, and that includes having a "play area". It has bins of costume jewels, toy doctor and construction sets, games, a mini-basketball hoop set, and I'll soon add a beanbag chair or two. During book exchange, it takes some students longer than others to locate that "just right" book to borrow. For those students that choose their reading selection quickly, they are allowed to shoot hoops when they are done, provided they ask beforehand. My junior division boys really like this opportunity to get physical in the library on their own terms.

I haven't been tidying up these play bins much - I have other things that are more demanding of my time - and since they've been lying on tables near the play area, I've noticed that students of ALL ages have been playing with more than just the basketball net. Grade 8s pull the trigger of the toy drill to hear it buzz; Grade 5s sort through the necklaces, Grade 6s turn the knob on that knock-off cheap-o version of Perfection to see it pop.

That suggests to me that kids of all ages and stages need and want to play - to explore, goof around, and touch stuff just because it's there. How often do we give older students "free time"? Maybe I need to "accidentally" leave out some more items to let their playful sides out. I hope everyone that receives presents at this time of the year gets something to play with, no matter what their age.