Most of my two years as a Media Specialist have been spent trying things I had no idea how to do. Lots of risks with grant writing, Maker Space, and even just the position itself. I second-guess myself often, although less now than when I started. You see, I didn't get a Master's Degree to be a School Librarian and I'm often reminded by others who have been in this longer than me that I don't have one. I didn't do the program but instead passed a certification exam which is an option here in Florida. Please don't think I'm unqualified. I am state certified to teach English/Language Arts 6-12, Reading K-12, ESOL K-12, and Media K-12. I just didn't take the traditional route to get here.
Sometimes I start to think that I can't do things as well as others because of that but then I look back on all the great things that have happened in my short stint as a Media Specialist and it is a good reminder of all the things I can do.
So much of my job is about innovation. Innovation with creative lessons, with technology, and even with how to promote reading to kids in a way that will excite them. Innovation always comes with risk-taking and that is something I've become quite accustomed to. I really don't even get nervous about it anymore.
Today was one of those days where I took a risk with instruction and it paid off in a big way.
A couple of times a year our Gifted and Advanced team has seminar days where the whole day is changed up and they rotate around to different people and learn some really cool things that will challenge them. I'm so incredibly blessed that I get to be part of these days and part of the rotations. Today was our first GAPP seminar and this incredible team of teachers (they are seriously the greatest educators I've ever encountered in all of my career!) told me I could do whatever I wanted with the kids.
Originally I was thinking about using our new iPads and tablets and the Dash robot and Spheros we have and having them work with those but these first two weeks of school have been insane. I haven't even made a dent in my to-do list and the list is always ever-growing. I'm so thankful for what I do but because I'm so behind, that means I definitely had not gotten around to charging them all up and getting everything ready for this.
A few weeks ago, my friend and rockstar Media Specialist, Ana lead a professional development session on using Ozoblockly to code the Ozobots from the computer. I'd never really tried it before because I assumed they had to be plugged into the computer. They don't. She showed us some cool things you can do with them and showed us the lesson library. I was so impressed and definitely wanted to try it.
Well, yesterday at 5:00 pm when I needed to leave school to pick up my daughter from volleyball, I decided today would be the day to try it. I plugged in all the Ozobots and left school.
This morning I set up a slide with some basic instructions and decided that if anyone could figure out how to do this, it would be these overachievers who live for this kind of thing.
I have to be honest with you. I made a few mistakes because I hadn't really spent enough time with it, however, a few of the kids in my first rotation had done this before and I let them be the experts. By the next group, I was ready to rock-n-roll.
We had a BLAST! I helped kids when they needed it and they showed me some amazing things that I didn't know could be done with these tiny little robots. Did you know you can program these things to play songs AND dance at the same time?!?!?! A 7th grader taught me that today when she coded her bot to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb." They already asked me if they can do it again when they come back.
Now that I've tested it out on them, I can feel much more confident going through the lesson library and using this with a variety of content areas. I'm already thinking of grants to write to buy another classroom kit so I have a full class set plus a few extras (as some of my Ozobots grew legs and walked away last year).
In the last few years, I have taken so many risks in my career. I took a risk by leaving the classroom. I took a risk writing some big grants to buy equipment like these Ozobots that I had no idea how to use. Starting a school-wide 20 Book Challenge in a school of so many struggling readers was a huge risk. Right now, I'm in the middle of planning something SO BIG I never even dreamed it would be possible. It very well might blow up in my face but if it doesn't, it'll be a memorable life event for these kids and maybe, just maybe, change their lives forever. I do so many kooky things in our library but they always turn out so beautifully. Even when things aren't right, even when you have to make adjustments or re-evaluate, it is always worth the risk. You see, following that process in front of the kids is a demonstration of innovation and the engineering skills we are trying to teach them. Letting the kids see you do something that makes you uncomfortable is such a teachable moment. Letting loose and having fun are the reason so many kids will keep coming back to your space over and over again.
Learning is fun and these kids need to know that just because it isn't on that state test doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. I tell these kids all the time that they will never grow if they only do what they've always done and the same is true for educators. One of the best lessons I ever learned from my dad is the value of doing something hard. We have to be willing to do what we are asking these kids to do. Plain and simple.
I have so much fun doing what I do and a lot of that enjoyment stems from days like today where I walk in saying, "I hope this works" and having a basic plan B, C, and D if it doesn't. The kids had a blast and I had more fun than they did.
Next week, I'll do something else I've never tried before and see how it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment