End-of-Year Thoughts

June 2, 2016 Carolina Vila

There are 13 school days left in the current academic year. While my middle school team finalizes plans and special schedules for final tests and Spirit Week, I find myself in a reflective state of mind. I also find myself looking ahead to a productive summer and, yes, even the upcoming fall. After nine years of teaching, a sort of end-of-year ritual is starting to come together for me. Below are the key aspects of this so-called ritual as it stands today.

1. I survey my students. I ask them what they liked, what they didn't like, and give them a space to leave me a note of any kind if they wish. I now use Google Forms for this.

2. I reflect. I think about what worked this year and what didn't with help from the aforementioned student survey, I. I make sure to include my special education teacher in this conversation to get her perspective since she knows more than anyone (besides my students) what goes on in my class. Which brings me to my next point...

3. I make a list. I make a list of what I will keep for next year and what I will toss. If I'm really on top of my game I start this list during the year.

4. I make another list. This list is my summer list. I outline what I want to do over the summer to make the following year better. Besides setting up my classroom, I might add things like reading certain books or articles (which I've saved in a "summer" folder online) and researching certain topics (Standards Based Grading is on deck for this summer).

5. I organize. I do my best to organize my files, handouts, folders, binders, etc. Organizing my room at the end of the year makes the fall a hundred times easier!

Which of the above do you also do? What should I add to the list? Consider leaving a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Ms. Vila

What do you do when the quiz average is 60%?

February 15, 2016 Carolina Vila

My students took a quiz last week and the average score came out to 60%. Students earned scores from 10% to 100% and everything in between. Here's a bit more info:

Number of students who earned 0-19%: 4
Number of students who earned 20-39%: 7
Number of students who earned 40-59%: 7
Number of students who earned 60-79%: 16
Number of students who earned 80-100%: 14

18 students failed and 30 passed (so far)
6 special ed scores are not included because I do not yet have their scores from the special ed teacher
4 students have not taken the quiz due to being absent
23 "accelerated math" students are not included because they follow a different program

The quiz was on perimeter and area with most questions being multi-step problems. For example, one question asked students to find the perimeter of a composite shape made up of a rectangle and a half circle. Of course, students worked through similar questions in class before the quiz. I expected the average to be in the 70s or 80s (as usual).

Thankfully, I'm on vacation this week which gives me time to figure out a plan. How do I organize class time next week to best address this issue? How do I best reteach those who need it and enrich those who did well? When should I give a retake? What would you do?

Help!
Ms. Vila

***Update!*** We spent three more days clarifying the material. Students who earned 80% or above on the initial quiz were given extension activities. Most students took a retake on the fourth day and the average is now in the 80s. Woo hoo!

I did it!

December 29, 2015 Carolina Vila

Earlier this year I blogged about my goal of reading 25 books in 2015. I hit my goal on August 17 and today, with two days to go until the new year, I completed my 30th book. (Starting a new degree program in the fall really slowed down my personal reading from September to December.)

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo - A must-read for those who love to organize.

2. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman - I think this book should be required reading for every human!

3. The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley - An honest look at what we are doing wrong when it comes to our children's education.

4. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh - A pure and beautiful classic.

5. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran - Another beautiful and timeless classic.

6. Walden by Henry David Thoreau - Made even better with a post-read visit to Walden Pond.

How Twitter Made Me a Much Happier Teacher

October 18, 2015 Carolina Vila

Those who know me well know I love my job as an educator. But what many of even my closest friends don't know is that there was a period not too long ago when I contemplated making a career change. This time of frustration had little to do with my district, my school, and certainly not my students. Rather, my disenchantment came about from looking at the much larger picture. I realized I had chosen a career that is not well professionalized, well understood, or well respected.

Thankfully, I recalled my happy teaching days and decided to try to regain my love of being in the classroom and all that it entails. I realized I needed to find highly driven and happy teachers, teachers similar to the younger Ms. Vila, to help resurface those qualities in myself.

Enter: Twitter. I came across Twitter while looking for teacher blogs online. The more I read about teachers using Twitter, the more I knew I needed to open an account. Once in, I discovered countless teachers from around the world sharing, collaborating, and helping one another. I also discovered Twitter chats, scheduled events where participants respond to questions on a particular education topic. These chats are informative, inspiring, and fun!

I continued to "meet" connected educators and participate in chats over the next couple of months. Today, I'm continuously finding fresh ideas for my classroom and building a network of happy and inspiring Twitter-friends. The effects of this cannot be overstated: my excitement and love for the profession are back and are even higher than when I first started teaching! I didn't think Twitter would have such a positive impact, but I'm thrilled it has.

Thanks for reading,
Ms. Vila

List of Twitter Education Chats
Some of my favorite chats are #msmathchat (geared to middle school math teachers), #bfc530 (a 5:30am quick chat for all educators - I usually only have enough energy to lurk that early, but it gives me such a positive start to my day!), and #tmchat (all grade levels and content areas).

My Latest Tweet:

My Big Summer Trip

July 28, 2015 Carolina Vila

I just returned home from a three part trip: Colorado for 3 days, Argentina for 10 days, and New Orleans for 2 days. It all went so well. Here are a few pictures: (can you tell where each picture was taken?)

That's all for now!

Math People Can Read, Too

June 22, 2015 Carolina Vila

As the title of this post suggests, "math people" are often given a pass for not reading as much as the "language" and "arts" and "writing" people. There are a few problems with this. First, there is no such thing as a "math person" (or a "language" or "arts" or "writing" person). These are social constructs and damaging ones at that. Secondly, because of this indirect push to the hard sciences, I missed out on years of fulfilling and even potentially life-changing reading. I can only remember reading for pleasure for a very short time when I was a kid. Scott O'Dell and his Island of the Blue Dolphins sparked that reading burst. It wasn't again until my early twenties, after falling in love with teaching and then passionately consuming books on education, that I rediscovered my love of reading. Even after that, however, life got in the way and again I stopped losing myself in good books. How sad!

About six months ago, right around New Year's and my 30th birthday, I decided that I wanted to really read again. With the encouragement of a friend, I reconnected with my GoodReads account and set a 2015 goal of reading 25 books. I also realized that what was really getting in my way of reading on a consistent basis was TV. Making the simple decision to return my cable box has helped me stay on track with my reading goal. It's now about half way through 2015 and I'm on book #20. Should I change my reading goal to 40 books? Should I push to 50? It doesn't matter. What's important to me is that I'm back in the reading game. I find it so pleasurable to learn, think, and reflect through books. I'm a better teacher, friend, and human-being because of it. This time around, I hope my reading phase lasts a really long time...

Not on goodreads.com? It's like Yelp for books! I highly recommend it. Also available as an app for your phone.

UPDATE: I reached my goal today, August 17! Let's keep it going :)

#iwishmyteacherknew

May 13, 2015 Carolina Vila

You may have heard of the #iwishmyteacherknew craze that hit last month (April 2015). Colorado teacher Kyle Schwartz had her students finish the phrase "I wish my teacher knew…" without further instruction. The responses she received from her elementary students were both heartbreaking and eye-opening. Read more about her story and her student responses here.

I decided to include the 'I wish my teacher knew' prompt in my third quarter survey (I've surveyed my students each quarter this year) and waited with anticipation for the results. Below are a few of the responses I received. As you will see, some were uplifting, some were silly, and some made me reflect hard on how I can further improve my teaching.

Actual responses from my students: I wish my teacher knew…
… If I don't do part of my homework it means I don't understand it.
… Class is sometimes easy and sometimes hard.
… How much she's helped me in math this year.
… Kids in class, including me, don't ask questions out loud. They just don't want to seem even dumber compared to the rest of the class.
… How to take care of a baby rhino.
… How awesome she is.
… That I like to sit front and center.
… That working with partners everyday is good.
… That it takes me a while to understand some of the more complicated sections.
… More jokes.

I plan on including this prompt on every future survey (and if you're a teacher I recommend you do too!) Thanks to my students for answering honestly - you guys rock.

Ms. Vila