On a Positive Note.......

     This past week I attended a three day training called, "Capturing Kids Hearts" by the Flippen Group.  I went into the training as most teachers do with the attitude that I will probably take a few good ideas away, but over time they will fade away as most great ideas from workshops generally do.  Almost immediately I saw that this was not "just another workshop".
     Over the three days, we bared our souls to each other through different activities and we really became vulnerable with each other.  We bonded as a staff like I've never seen before.  I was able to look at colleagues in a whole new light.  One particular activity was called mailbag.  We each designed a bag with our name on it and displayed it in the room.  Over the course of the three days, we were encouraged to write positive notes to people and put them in their mailbags. If you wrote a note to someone, you had to sign it.  Well, as a former ELA teacher I was in teacher heaven!  I loved writing notes and slipping them in people's bags!  My good friend Krista said I was a dork each time the facilitator said, "Okay, write a positive note" and I excitedly reached for my paper and pen.  On the last day of the training, we were able to take our bags home and read our notes.  I was giddy as I went to the car and pulled them out to look at them.  They were all so sweet and really made me feel special, but there was one in particular that touched my heart.  A lady in our building who teaches special education had written to me that special education teachers sometimes have a hard time fitting in with the other teachers because they're often excluded or treated as "not real teachers" and sometimes they keep to themselves a little more for that reason.  She went on to write that she felt that by greeting her everyday in the hall last year with a friendly word and a smile, chatting with her on field trips or complimenting her outfit (let me tell you- she's a fashionista!) I had made her feel like she belonged and how appreciative she was to me for that.
     I sat in my car and teared up.  I thought to myself how powerful smiles and hellos are and how a kind word can really stick with someone.  I also thought how we can do a much better job of this with our colleagues and our students.  We had a very special assistant principal a couple of years ago who learned all 750 students names and greeted them in the halls every day.  It made such an impact on the kids and the staff!  That should be our goal.  Sometimes, we are the only happy face and kind word a student hears at all.  
     I left the training with the intention to become a more positive person in my job, my family and in life.  The staff stood in a circle the last day and we each made a commitment to capture these kids hearts next year.  I am positive we will do it and I can't wait to see what a difference it will make at PBJHS!

A New Beginning........

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Candace Warren and I have been an ELA teacher at the Poplar Bluff Jr. High in Poplar Bluff, Missouri for 18 years.  Our school district is going through a digital transformation right now and every 7th and 8th grade student at the junior high will be receiving Apple Macbooks next year to take home in our 1:1 initiative.  As part of this initiative, the district created the position of Instructional Technology Specialist.  I was hired for the junior high position.  As a classroom teacher, I always tried to incorporate technology into my lessons whenever possible.  I love teaching and have a special love for this "hard to love" age group.  It was a hard decision whether or not to give up the classroom and delve into the unknown.  I decided it was time to change things up and just go for it! I'm so excited to do something different, yet anxious at the same time....  I plan to use this blog to communicate about my first year in this new role; my successes, frustrations, failures and fears.  I always had a classroom blog before and was inspired by my great friend, Jenifer (a principal starting a new blog) to start one in an entirely different direction. I am always open to helpful tips and suggestions from fellow educators.  Join me in my journey:)))

Candace