My Mantra: How Kindness Abounds in My Classroom

My Mantra: How Kindness Abounds in My Classroom

My mom has a mantra that I shared with one of my Theory of Knowledge classes recently: It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice. She said that to me as often as she could when I was growing up. She still says it when I talk to her. My own children also know the motto; all I have to do is say, “Remember, it’s nice…” and they can finish the sentence. I’ve always been a person who tried to embody what that motto states. And the past month, I have witnessed this message in the actions of you, my students.

Recently, I challenged my Theory of Knowledge juniors and seniors to bring in Thanksgiving meals for local needy Hanover families. Because these classes have a community service component to them due to CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service), my vision was that classes would contribute 10 bags (meaning that ten families would have Thanksgiving dinner). Instead, the 55 students I teach brought in 71 bags of food. Each bag had an entire meal (minus the turkey) of food for a needy family. I was amazed at the kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness of you, my students. You put the importance of others ahead of yourselves. When I told one of my friends what you had done, she asked if I bribed you with a grade for this. No.  The only thing promised was breakfast for the winning class. Yet, I didn’t get 71 bags of food because of the free breakfast or because the seniors wanted to beat the juniors; I had 71 bags of food on the floor of my classroom because you understand kindness. For that, I am grateful.

My gratitude extends to my English classes as well. I recently finished grading your first analytical paper. If there’s one thing I love teaching--probably more than anything else--it’s teaching writing. I read in writer’s memos about how you struggled with writing this paper. Some of you feel like your writing is changing and developing. Many of you asked me questions as you are revising your work. As a teacher, nothing is more satisfying than watching students learn, and I am grateful every day I have the opportunity to witness this growth. I have seen students who struggled to write well as ninth graders construct beautiful sentences this year. I have heard students speak up in Socratic seminars who never would have done that freshman year when I was your teacher. I have witnessed your creativity recently as you made memes inspired by Their Eyes Were Watching God.

I am grateful every day I get the chance to watch you learn.  I hope you will see your writing continue to grow and develop over the course of the year. Writing is a process. If you don’t feel like you’re there yet, please don’t worry. We will get there.

So I encourage you to continue to learn, to value your education and what your teachers have to offer. Don’t be so quick to complain about what you are learning because somewhere at Atlee there’s a teacher you can find in Room 211 who doesn’t want to feel important. Instead, she wants to exhibit kindness in teaching you what you need to help you develop skills for college and the future.

When Stress Got in the Way

When Stress Got In the Way

Even my runs have been stressful lately. I wake up at 5:20 a.m. on most mornings to run between three and five miles. I run with music in my ears--usually a little Michael Jackson to get me started (my English 11 students recently learned of my affinity for Michael Jackson's music, as I grew up listening to him and The Beatles). I value this time; it’s the only time I really spend by myself thinking during the day. Yet, lately anxiety has taken over my runs. Recently, I have had a hard time escaping stress. Articles about  it started showing up in my Twitter and Facebook feeds. Other people started talking to me about how they were stressed. And I can see it on the faces of you, my students. Some of the stress masks itself better than others, but I’ve noticed many of you are stressed, and I want to tell you I am, too.  Or at least I was.

I usually am not bothered by the stresses of my job. Yes, it can be challenging, but I have always had an easy time finding a balance between stress and life. Somehow my papers always get graded, my lessons planned and the problems teenagers face I can usually help them solve. This past October, though, I found myself unable to overcome the stresses around me. I had 43 letters of recommendation to write for seniors. I have three preps--one of them brand new. I was asked to serve on three different committees for Hanover County Public Schools. A few dozen seniors asked me to proofread their college essays.  I was in charge of the Fall Festival at Pearson’s Corner Elementary School. I even found stress in attempting to transport my children to the different places they needed to go. Life seemed to gradually be pulling me down with it, suffocating my usually spirited self.

My initial thought when I experienced stress firsthand was to give up, to just not give 100 percent that I usually do to everything. But something inside me wouldn’t let that happen. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was playing school in my basement at the age of seven. I was not going to go down without a fight.

So, I ran--miles and miles just to clear my head. Some days were still stressful; others helped me put things in perspective. I started talking to my friends and colleagues. If we hold in the stresses of our lives and don’t communicate how we feel, those feelings bottle up inside. I leaned on one particular friend and colleague who tried to put things in perspective for me on a daily basis. For that, I am truly grateful. I took time for myself. I made lots of to-do lists and consciously carved out time to get the tasks done. I stopped procrastinating for the one reason that I felt like it was preventing me from living my life to its fullest.

So why am I telling you about my own personal stress and how I picked myself up? Mainly because I’ve noticed how hard it is to be a teenager in today’s society. You have pressures and expectations, and as IB students even put that pressure on yourself. I’ve noticed many of you towards the end of the quarter stressed about an upcoming quiz, test, or project. I’ve watched your tired eyes, longing for just one more minute of sleep. Stress is not good for our bodies, though. It prevents us from living the kind of lives we need to live. So, I offer this as my challenge to you this month: Stop letting the daily stresses of your lives overcome you. Do the best that you can with what you have. Communicate with your teachers and peers when school does get stressful. Take time for yourself. Prioritize what needs to get done instead of doing it all the night before (I know, that one might be asking for too much!)

One of the greatest moments I experienced this month when I was able to put stress in perspective was  the guest lecture from Meghan Lowery, the former employee of SHOFCO, an organization we read about in Find Me Unafraid. Imagine living the life Meghan Lowery did in Africa. I listened to what she ate there and how she had to get around and suddenly my little stresses were simply that--little stresses. What I thought was so monumental wasn’t really so monumental after all.

   

Because I saw past the stress in my life, I started appreciating your  efforts more. So many of you have impressed me with your first formal piece of writing--a persuasive essay. Those of you who I taught as freshmen have grown up so much now that you’re in your junior year. I remember you coming to me not even knowing what literary analysis was. The leaps and bounds you have made between that day and now are tremendous. As a teacher, there’s really no greater reward than to see a student who maybe wasn’t the best writer as a freshman truly improve to become a great writer.

In Theory of Knowledge, you wrote and delivered TED talks that easily could be a part of live TED Ed. I was truly amazed.

   

Your science discussions in senior TOK left me wanting to explore more scientific topics.

I’ve started appreciating things around me as opposed to getting stressed about them. I can only change my attitude, and that’s what I did. If you’re finding yourself stressed, I encourage you to do the same. For me, somehow, that stress has disappeared. I finished writing 45 of the 46 letters (3 more students have asked since my initial run of 43). I got a handle on the paper grading and planning. I completed a successful Fall Festival and even have managed to figure out ways to get all three of my own children where they need to be without stress accompanying me. Even my runs have changed. I am stronger and better without stress getting the best of me. After all, nothing should get in the way of me, the pavement, and Michael Jackson at 5:20 a.m.---Nothing.

The Vegetable Experiment: Try New Things

To My Students,
     We've been talking about paradigm shifts in my senior Theory of Knowledge class--those times when the new completely replaces the old. While our conversations have revolved around science and what happens to our knowledge and discovery of truth after a paradigm shift occurs, I started thinking more about shifts in my own life, when a new way of thinking or doing something replaces the old. It is those times in my life where a paradigm shift occurred that required me to have the most grit, the greatest amount of courage, and the utmost passion to try something new.

     I haven't always been open to trying new things. I remember growing up in a house where my mom made us try a new vegetable every night. It was a phase she went through that I truly didn't hate until we ate canned beets. The rule was we always had to try what was on our plates; if we didn't like it, no questions asked. While I despised this "experiment" at the time--especially when it came to ingesting the beets--I learned something through my mother's vegetable experiment: it's okay to try new things.

     So, I've been trying new things as a teacher this school year. In my junior theory of knowledge class, I've gotten creative with our Socratic seminars. We've had a silent seminar on Google classroom so that everyone had a voice, some more unfiltered than others.

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We did the same in English class, silently discussing The Crucible:

     
     I recently was inspired by an article I read which used an extended metaphor throughout the entire piece. You are currently writing persuasive essays with extended metaphors from  The Crucible. You are comparing things such as racial prejudice to the Salem witch trials and people being lazy to John Proctor. I've found myself chuckling every time I get a question, "How long does this have to be?" or "How many sentences should this paragraph have?" Right now, just worry about writing, not the length. After all, we've studied mentor texts with one sentence paragraphs. We're starting to learn what rules in writing we can break and when we need to follow them. We're becoming real writers, taking chances, and trying something new.

       At one of our faculty meetings early in the school year, Dr. Wheeler encouraged teachers to engage students and step away from traditional power points. I deem myself the Queen of Power Point, so clearly, I had some work to do. I mainly use power point to move my lesson and help me with transitions in the classroom. However, I decided to try something new and abandoned my power point to create an Escape Room to introduce A Streetcar Named Desire to you. Instead of the traditional lecture by power point, you experienced a series of puzzles and steps to learn the information and context of the book. You worked together collaboratively. I'm not sure how this lesson went in your eyes, but what I do know is that I took a risk and tried something new. What I also know is that all of you were engaged and not so dependent on me for every piece of information. You worked together as a team.

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       That is my challenge I offer to you this month. After spending one month in room 211, where can you take a risk? How can you try something new? Is it trying a new technique in your writing? Is it speaking in a Socratic seminar that would have normally left you quiet? Is it reading ten minutes before bed each night--that would be 70 minutes each week of reading! Is it taking a simple subject and looking at it from a new lens on your college essays (that one's for you, seniors!). This is my vegetable "experiment" I am offering you. Try something new. Look at the old in new eyes. Not everything has to be done the same way you've always done it. I still don't like canned beets, but I am a better teacher for trying new things in my classroom. You will be better students for doing the same.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Pace

A Welcome Back Open Letter

To my new students and parents of those students,

Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year and to IB English! This summer, my nine year-old daughter  Katie spent a week at a Girl Scout camp called Camp Eveningshade. On the first particular evening, bad storms raged through the campground, and we found ourselves stuck in a hot, stifling cabin eating dinner by flashlight. At one point, Katie looked at me with her big hazel eyes and said, “I’d rather play with boys than do this!”

I laughed at how much of a “girly girl” she is and then asked her,  “What’s so bad about playing with boys?” She started listing her rationale, paused, and then said, “Maybe boys aren’t so bad after all!” Suddenly, being stuck in the hot, stifling cabin wasn’t so bad either.

I tell this story because I want you to look at this year with a specific perspective. If you’ve talked to a current senior, you know that along with junior year comes your first IB and/or AP classes, stress, a ton of work, the SATs, thinking about colleges, the prom, your class rank….the list goes on and on. Stop thinking and stressing about those things for just a minute and take a deep breath. Junior year doesn’t have to be the stressful, overwhelming year you have heard about in your interactions with those who were sitting in your seats last year. It’s all about the perspective you have and the lenses you choose to look at things. I’m hoping your own stifling hot cabins will, like Katie discovered, not be so bad after all.

I will be honest and tell you I am a writing teacher who means serious business but who adores teaching and tries to make every class fun but meaningful. I have a Master’s degree in writing and plan to make it my mission to teach you how to write well. My class is not a repeat of every English class you’ve had in your time in school. I teach in a workshop format where you will learn the “how” and “why” of  things and not just produce writing for the sake of a grade. I never learned how to write in high school. When I got to college, I turned in my first English paper, and my professor called me into his office. “You really don’t know how to write,” he said. He was the first person to sit me down and teach me about writing. I want to do the same for you because I don't want you to get to college and find you haven't learned the how about writing.

I also am a reading teacher. As a lover of all things with pages, spines, and tables of contents, I will encourage you to read Every. Single. Day. College students are expected to read a large amount of material in a week.  “200-600 pages a week was common….I consistently hear 100-600 pages a week from current college students” (Kittle 20).  I am asking you to make reading a part of your life. Don’t use the fact that you are too busy, you have too much other work, etc. as an excuse. Develop a reading life. You will be given time to read in class each day. Use that time. Cherish it.

This year is all about perspective. Please keep that in mind. Before you begin to complain that you have so much work, write yourself a schedule to balance your time. Read the books. Spend time with one another. Get in on a group chat to work with each other. Ask questions. Pace yourself (You will see me use Pace puns quite often in this class!) Read. Write. Read some more. From my perspective, I’m excited for this year and can’t wait to spend it with you!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kelly Pace