Culturally Responsive Teaching and High Expectations ....March 23, 2024

The end of the term is a busy time for teachers and students.  It is an especially busy time for me because it is a culminating period for each student group I serve.  I only teach each group for a quarter.  When the new quarter begins, I get a new group of students.

This scheduling miracle is both a blessing and a curse.  Those of you who teach know that by the time the quarter ends, there are some students that I am happy to see leave.  These are usually the resisters, the complainers, the ones who think that computer class is just for playing games.  They are not interested in learning anything new, they are certain, at 13 years old, that they are not going to college so there is no reason to work hard.  They don't want to work hard because they have no reason to. 

I am grateful I have motivated many of these students this year by showing them paths to college and career fields that align with their needs and interests. I am particularly proud of one who went from the career goal of being a cashier at Dunkin' Donuts to the career goal of becoming a pastry chef. She learned about more goals and education options in my class and found a new goal to keep her motivated about building a future.

In October and March, I end one quarter and begin another during those two months.  This means I teach over 180 students in those months.  Last October, we were well into Latin American History Month so I launched an Applied Digital Skills Lesson focused on Frida Kahlo. 

I did not choose this lesson because I am a fan of the artist; having read numerous articles, including the Frida Kahlo Cookbook in my library, seen the film at least 5 times, and visited two major art exhibits at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Heard Museum, in Phoenix.  

I chose this lesson because it incorporates learning about Conditional Formatting.  Conditional Formatting is where color is applied to the spreadsheet based on specific values assigned to the colors.  This is the same process used to label poor results in red, mediocre results in yellow, and outstanding results in green in assessment applications.

The lesson comes from Google's curriculum in Applied Digital Skills.  The lessons in the program are designed to teach digital skills while engaging the students with topics that will interest them.  

Applied Digital Skills lessons lessons are adaptable to a myriad of topics  So far this year, we have used Applied Digital Skills to celebrate Black History Month, Hispanic History Month, Filipino American History Month, and  Native American History Month. 

March is Women's History month so I am putting a fresh spin on thr Frida Kahlo Conditional Formatting lesson and using broadening the scope to women who are painters. The students began by selecting an artist to study using the "Where are the Women" Exhibit on the Google Arts and Culture website.  Then they applied the steps in the Applied Digital Skills lesson to re-create one of the artist's pieces.

The atmosphere of the campus was a welcomed change, too.  The campus is tranquil and scenic.  The focus is on behavior interventions and academic preparedness for the future.  Every student in the program is encouraged to look forward to higher education and to begin preparing for their futures at twelve years old.  I delight in encouraging them to consider the fact that in 10 short years,  many of them will be living on their own, paying their own bills and building a future for their families.

Another exciting opportunity for growth emerged in August.   It was revealed gradually, but rapidly in an exhilarating way and amplified all of the positive vibes I was already experiencing at the school site.   I’m thriving in my new school because my colleagues are supportive and incredibly skilled teaching professionals, and my administrators are incredibly encouraging, inspiring, and motivating.  

As if I wasn’t already on sensory overload with joy, the opportunity for me to get inside the Googleplex in Sunnyvale, just popped up, literally out of the blue.

It was a busy time for me because the application deadline fell during the first week of school but I handled all the challenges of each day, Soon after submission of the application, I learned I was headed to Google in Sunnyvale, fulfilling one of my long-term career aspirations.

Decades ago, my fellow Technology Specialist, r returned from her first visit to the Sunnyvale Googleplex. When she returned, she shared countless stories about the treasures in the office and the amazing food shared there. At that point in my life, my daughters were still in elementary and were very busy with sports, dance, theater, and the Girl Scouts.  Of course, I vowed to go "one day. " After 15 years of waiting, I did not hesitate to apply for this opportunity.

The Googleplex did not disappoint!  I was one of the 133 Google Champions invited to the first Google Champions Seminar in the United States.   They greeted us with a marching band and an action-packed agenda of learning, sharing, exploring, and of course, enjoying the amazing food from the Google kitchens.  The menus were as diverse as they were delicious. From sushi to Mexican food to barbecued ribs, all menu items were super-fresh and made from scratch. Even though I don’t have any dietary restrictions, the vegan doughnuts were my absolute favorite! They were the lightest, fluffiest doughnuts I've ever had.

We also had a walking tour and learned more about the campus, its history, and plans for the future.  The most exciting news shared on the tour was that Google was set to launch a new Visitor Experience initiative.  The future is now and you can visit the GooglePlex; learn, shop, and have lunch at Google.  They opened the space shortly after my trip.  You can learn more, take a virtual tour, and plan your visit here:  visit.withgoogle.com

Here is exactly where I was destined to be! ..,, December 16, 2023.....

As a District Office Technology Specialist, I promoted Hour of Code beginning with its inception in 2013,  Now, ten years later, I finally experienced the magic of the week by watching students.

Hour of Code has always been about two things; inspiration from technology professionals, delivered directly to students, and Blockly, a simple, colorful programming language that is easy for students to embrace and enjoy.  In my experience, this magical combination inspires, delights, and includes all students, including my English learners, even those who do not speak English, and the Special Education students.  

The week began with a presentation that included two programmers demonstrating how to use Blockly to create Google Doodles.  Google Doodles are what you see when you land on the Google Search page and find the word Google is all dressed up to do something special.  In the lesson, students learned  to dress the letters in their costumes, and how to make movement, sound, music and more.

What I learned in the process was the most exciting career moment I have experienced since 2019.  This year, Google offered students 2 hours of inspiration and 1 hour of code served up in 3 live streamed sessions.  In the end, I understood more about my students and how the time of day and day of the week affects their learning and I was inspired.  I realize more and more why I am uniquely qualified for my role as a computer teacher.  

I wasn't ready but I made it! Better than ever! ...October 29, 2023, 

I didn't intend to take a month off but here we are.  I have grown as a facilitator and weathered a thrilling, but not hostile middle school environment.  And I am currently surviving my first change of weather cold as a teacher, again.   The cold hasn't changed a bit; stuffiness leads to a cough and eventually voice loss, followed by a growing feeling of bouncing back.  I am currently on the bounce back and easing into a new week by writing this update.  

As I said before,   I attended a K-8 school and so did my children.  I had heard that middle school was about hormones and coming of age.  What I was not ready for was the immaturity of some of the students a the difficulty of keeping them engaged while creating a challenging environment for the students who were ready to dive into learning, longing to be creators of their learning journey.   I wasn't prepared for the reality that students would refuse to complete assignments and focus on passing the time by doing anything but the task of the hour.  Some of my students could not stay in their seats and impulsively hopped across the room to chat with friends or to look out to see who was passing by and then popped out of the classroom door to say hi! I wasn't prepared for these immature outbursts and lack of self-control.  Engaging students like this was my biggest obstacle in this new venture.  

I found that student choice is one way to strike an accord with these students and that cooperation is fun in the end.  If I let the students choose their partners for the next activities or the order of the activities in the period, I found that letting them share in the decision-making, made them more willing to be a part of the agenda and made it easier for them to include themselves in the learning process. 

During this time, I found joy in refining my process; and in setting up my lessons to be routine and predictable for my students.  Once they get the rhythm, they think that they have figured me out.  And that's when I introduce yet another new segment to the show, that amazes them and sends them forth with exciting new learnings to share and ponder.  

My lessons continue to be all Google-based and include attention-getting topics like AI tools that are available to us now and enhanced Google searching strategies.  We practice typing on Typing.com and play games on Google Arts and Culture.    I only allow the students to access games on this site, because they are new and engaging for them and they are opportunities to learn more about cultural topics.  

I tend to start each day with something spiritual, listening to Father Tony or Joel Osteen, who remind me every day that the place I am heading to is always a part of God's plan for me.  As I walk across campus every morning to my classroom, I give that's for such a beautiful place to be and what a gift it is to help guide young minds to service and to a greater understanding of the world around them and their role in it.  

So far, I have made it through an entire quarter and a half.  It is common in our district for a computer class to be scheduled so as many students as possible have access to it.   My course is offered for a single quarter only.  I teach about 100 students in each quarter for a total of  400 students per year, roughly two-thirds of the seventh graders at our middle school.   I am halfway through the second quarter and feeling more and more at home at my new job site every day.   I am in the rounds for campus supervisor, I am the leader of the Technology Task Force, and  I am the school webmaster.   It feels like my role is expanding all the time but that is one of the best things about being an educator.  We are always learning.  😊

It was a wonderful experience for me, too.   Middle school is a new concept for me in a way because  I attended a K-8 school and so did my children.  I have only taught on elementary and high school campuses before.  The middle school environment is a different experience for me and so far, I am happy that I have this new and exciting opportunity!

As far as digital tools go there were a few things that have made this adjustment easier for me.  First and foremost is the curriculum. I am using Applied Digital Skills from Google.  It is everything the video claims and more.  Every lesson is complete with Learning Objectives and targeted skill development.  I had recommended these lessons to teachers for years.  It is wonderful now to see them work so well with students and to see how quickly their new skills develop.  

Instead of the Noise monitor I planned to use, I opted for Bouncy Balls.  It requires only a few clicks to set it up and you can vary the noise sensitivity for the situation.  It's an AI tool for teachers.  It says "Shhhh," so you don't have to.   The students responded to the bright colors, the animation, and the gentle reminder to work quietly.      So many things have changed about teaching kids since the turn of the century.  I have always enjoyed the way teachers share tips and tricks on Social Media.  the tips a much more valuable to me now.    A first-grade teacher in Atlanta (@itsaminahtiyee) has a viral Instagram post about what Jackeé Harry posted about teachers using a line from Beyoncé's Song "Energy" in classrooms to quiet the students.  I'm definitely giving it a try tomorrow,  "Look around, everybody on MUTE!"

Password Problems + Power Problems = SHIFT...August 8, 2023 

Last week, I participated in Jump Start, a three-day program designed to acclimate incoming seventh graders to the campus and climate of the middle school campus.  The climate was hot and quiet due to the summer heatwave and the empty campus.  There were 200 who volunteered to attend in the week before school started.  They were at ease on the site that regularly holds 12,000 students. 

On Day One, I knew half of my computers were down because the power was out for half of the room.  I stayed on course with my introduction to myself and to the curriculum I would be delivering.  I shared that I am a Google Certified Trainer and talked about the new poster from Applied Digital Skills that displays 11 Popular career fields and how technology impacts their success. This was followed by an introductory activity that consumed the rest of each period,

I had hoped the electrical problem would be resolved by the next day but it was not.  We moved to the STEM  classroom next door.  The room did not have a projector but I still could teach by sharing my screen with the students.  When I instructed them to log in, I quickly realized we had a bigger issue to deal with, passwords. Years ago, I remember seeing an email about elementary, middle, and high school passwords.  Now I realized that the elementary passwords the students had used for 6 years, no longer worked.  Approaching this issue requires different strategies depending on if the student is new to the district or if they have already reset their password, or not. 

By the end of the second day, I realized I  no longer had time to complete the lesson I had planned for Jump Start.  Instead, I shared some of the websites I am planning to use with the students during the school year.  It proved to be a great way for me to see which sites were well received and which sites the elementary teachers had overplayed to the point that the students were certain they were no longer appropriate for their middle school minds. Go Noodle was at the top of this list.

All of the students were equipped with new passwords on the third day.   The Google Sites; Interland and Google Arts and Culture were well received by the students.  I enjoyed the time spent building rapport and watching them get to know each other.  I shared with them that they were destined to be leaders in their class because they jumped ahead and started middle school first.

A sense of Belonging...July 23. 2023

Seeing the graphic below triggered a real sense of what I have been missing and what I am looking forward to in my new position. 

When leaders make all five Love Languages part of their practice, everyone on the team is a winner.  All have a sense of belonging and are eager to support the leader and each other.  For most of my teaching career, I have reported to  Education Leaders who were experts in all five love languages.  Even most of my marketing and cable television bosses made most of these practices a part of their leadership styles.  (Cable TV leaders were the most generous with the most extravagant surprises and I enjoyed every minute.  Their abundant generosity changed the way I look at things and motivated me to seek the warm feeling of surprising a colleague with generosity.)

Lately, the love languages haven't been as visible in my professional life for about the past four years.  It could be due to the Pandemic.  It is certainly related to the fact that fewer team members are visible because they now spend more time at the sites.  It could be just the void left when leader's that poured on the love, left the school district.   It's a combination of several adverse factors.

 That's all tiny in the rearview mirror right now.  Today,  I am more focused on my new team at my new school site.  Even though next week will be my first official 3 days of working here, I have already observed 3 of the five languages in abundance at the site; Quality Time, Acts of Service, and Words of Affirmation are visible during every visit, most notably at the beginning of a staff meeting.  

I want to keep all 5 love languages in mind as I engage with my new colleagues.  I have a gift to share, I just hope I can find it in my moving boxes before we start the new school year on 8/10/23! 

After 33 years in education, I am finally starting a blog.  Why now?  Well, things have changed a lot since I left my last self-contained classroom in  June of 1996.  I vividly remember spending the day, packing up my personal belongings at a school in Hawthorne, CA, and heading to my very first computer lab.  

I am starting this BLOG because I need it, and a dear friend needs it, too. During the last 22 years, I have been busy mothering two amazing young women and providing tech support to the 4000+ teachers at 62 schools in the Elk Grove Unified School District.  One of those teachers has decided to teach in a computer lab for the first time in her 30 career as a teacher.  She has taught every grade level, except fourth.  She earned a Master's Degree in Educational Technology but she has never actually worked with students in a computer lab before.  

Both of us need to get ready, get organized, and plan our class routines for the upcoming school year.   I am most concerned about behavior management since everyone says student behavior has been a great challenge since the Pandemic ended. As I begin the search for resources, it is perfectly clear that there are more sources and choices than there were at the turn of this century.  This BLOG is where I will store the great ideas ahead and reflections on how they fit into learning environments.