Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Summer Thoughts

One of the things I love most about going to graduate school is listening to fellow educators and leaders. I am renewed in my passion for public education. The media continually posts negative things about public education - they look for anything and everything going wrong. I can tell you that there are 100 times more positive things than negative happening on campuses!

I am sitting with educators from Cedar Hill ISD, Grapevine Colleyville ISD, Wylie ISD, Lewisville ISD, Dallas ISD, and Arlington ISD, to  name a few. The stories that they have shared about their district successes are amazing. I am here to tell you that public schools are achieving more, with less, with each passing year. Our kids in Texas are so lucky to have passionate, caring educators advocating for them and their futures.

I say "Way to go, public educators!". We are making a difference. Don't listen to the naysayers; just take a minute to think about the wonderful kids in your school and do not hesitate to share your success stories with others!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Testing Season

The nurse just notified me that we have had an influx of 3rd - 5th graders in her office this week. Could this be related to testing season? Unfortunately, I believe that there is a strong correlation between the STAAR test and student illness due to test anxiety. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America provide excellent information regarding test anxiety on their website:

Causes

  • Fear of failure. While the pressure to perform can act as a motivator, it can also be devastating to individuals who tie their self-worth to the outcome of a test.
  • Lack of preparation. Waiting until the last minute or not studying at all can leave individuals feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
  • Poor test history. Previous problems or bad experiences with test-taking can lead to a negative mindset and influence performance on future tests.

Symptoms

  • Physical symptoms. Headache, nausea, diarrhea, excessive sweating, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, light-headedness and feeling faint can all occur. Test anxiety can lead to a panic attack, which is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort in which individuals may feel like they are unable to breathe or having a heart attack.
  • Emotional symptoms. Feelings of anger, fear, helplessness and disappointment are common emotional responses to test anxiety.
  • Behavioral/Cognitive symptoms. Difficulty concentrating, thinking negatively and comparing yourself to others are common symptoms of test anxiety.

Tips for managing test anxiety

Share these tips with your child if he or she is anxious about an upcoming exam:
  • Be prepared. Develop good study habits. Study at least a week or two before the exam, in smaller increments of time and over a few days (instead of pulling an "all-nighter"). Try to simulate exam conditions by working through a practice test, following the same time constraints.
  • Develop good test-taking skills. Read the directions carefully, answer questions you know first and then return to the more difficult ones. Outline essays before you begin to write.
  • Maintain a positive attitude. Remember that your self-worth should not be dependent on or defined by a test grade. Creating a system of rewards and reasonable expectations for studying can help to produce effective studying habits. There is no benefit to negative thinking.
  • Stay focused. Concentrate on the test, not other students during your exams. Try not to talk to other students about the subject material before taking an exam.
  • Practice relaxation techniques. If you feel stressed during the exam, take deep, slow breaths and consciously relax your muscles, one at a time. This can invigorate your body and will allow you to better focus on the exam.
  • Stay healthy. Get enough sleep, eat healthfully, exercise and allow for personal time. If you are exhausted—physically or emotionally—it will be more difficult for you to handle stress and anxiety.
  • Visit the counseling center. Schools are aware of the toll exams can take on students. They have offices or programs specifically dedicated to helping you and providing additional educational support so that you can be successful.
Pecan Creek Elementary is dedicated to providing students with a safe, encouraging learning environment. We will continue to remind students that the STAAR test is simply a snapshot in time and our expectation is solely that students show us what they know. We will continue to remind students that school embodies much more than a state-mandated test. We will continue to teach students the way that we know is most beneficial for them. We want our students to be good students, not simply good test-takers. 

Monday, January 12, 2015

Winter Blues

I have had numerous conversations lately with people who hate winter. They say that January and February are just depressing. It is even evident in my own children when I have to wake them up in the morning. They are much more moody and not as willing to jump out of the bed to get dressed. When you Google this phenomena, you run across thousands of articles about SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder. WebMD states, "Serotonin production increases with light, meaning that gray gloom creeping in the window is not kicking the production of feel-good chemicals into action." 

Did you know that exercise increases serontonin? Take a trip down any of our hallways and you will see that our teachers have already learned this trick. Last week, I heard music coming out of Mrs. Ragland's room. When I went to check it out, the students were taking a brain-break and were all on the rug dancing! They were having so much fun. As a result, students were not only in a better mood, but they were also more focused on their learning that afternoon. So, the next time your kids seem down, turn on a Just Dance Kids video and have a short dance party! 


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

December Already!

I promote honesty and transparency, so here goes.... I had the best intentions of posting weekly. Let's face it, biweekly would have been a better showing than what I have produced thus far. I could make a thousand excuses: 1. As soon as I arrive I have a thousand things to do; 2. The days fly by; 3. No one really reads the blog anyway (let's hope that isn't true). But, I am not going to make an excuse. I am going to make a promise to do better.

The beauty of fresh starts is the opportunity to grow. Students have a fresh start with the new semester. Everyone has a fresh start with the new year. So, I challenge each of you to make the best of your fresh start. I am so excited about this spring semester and I cannot wait to make positive changes to support the staff and students at Pecan Creek Elementary! See you in 2015!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

How Do I Help My Child?

One of the most common questions I receive from parents is how they can help their child with schoolwork. The good news is that parents do not have to possess a degree in elementary education in order to help their child be successful. The advancements with technology have made resources readily available to every parent.

I vetted a large list of websites this summer and posted them on our Pecan Creek Elementary website. Just click HERE to see the list. The list is not by any means exhaustive, but it does contain educational websites for each content area.

If you are an Apple fan, like me, you can visit TCEA to find an extensive spreadsheet of educational iPad Apps. I love this spreadsheet because it informs you of the cost of each App and you can click on the name of the App and the link takes you directly to the iTunes store!

If all this information seems overwhelming, start small. I highly recommend MathTrain student tutorials for helping your child with math homework. The tutorials on this site are developed by students for students, so they are in student-friendly language. Starfall  is a free website for students learning to read. For all of our older elementary students, check out WolframAlpha the computational knowledge engine that actually answers questions and shows the work utilized to solve the problem.

The most important thing you can do to help your child is engage them in conversation about their day. You can use the "3-2-1 strategy" to get your child talking. For example:

  • Tell me three things that you did today that were fun.
  • Tell me two new things you learned about today.
  • Tell me one thing you want to learn about tomorrow. 
We are off to a great start and look forward to many exciting days to come!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

First Impressions

I once took a course on communication in college and the professor told us that it only takes 17 seconds to make an impression that will last a lifetime. As we are going about our day-to-day business, I think it is hard for people to remember the importance of first impressions. We get in a hurry, have an agenda on our mind, and often are too wrapped up in our personal business to care what others think.

I can honestly say that our teachers are different. As I walk the hallways in the morning, they are at their doors welcoming students into their classrooms. They start up small conversations to get the students excited about being at school and interested in the lessons for the day. The cafeteria and gym are filled with staff members welcoming parents and students to Pecan Creek.

As I realize that it is their job, I can attest to the fact that the faculty and staff at Pecan Creek Elementary is one of the most caring group of people I have ever encountered. They genuinely care about each and every one of our 700 students. They put everything else aside to ensure that our students start off with their best foot forward every single day.

I want to say "thank you" to all of our wonderful faculty and staff members who remember that first impressions are key. You all are difference makers and I am so proud to be a Pecan Creek Bear!

Thursday, July 31, 2014

The First Day of School

The 2014-2015 school year is quickly approaching and I am so ready to get started. It was extremely nice to "officially" start at Pecan Creek in May, as I got to experience all of the wonderful end-of-year activities. But, there is something very special about the beginning of the school year.

One of my favorite feelings is the excitement everyone experiences the night before the first day of school. On the night before school, it is hard to fall asleep because your head is busy with all your thoughts. This doesn't change as you grow older. I still lay there awake thinking about the next day. I cannot wait to see the excited faces of our returning students. I try to carefully plan out what I am going to say to the distraught parents dropping their child off for their first day of Kindergarten and how I am going to carefully caress the crying student into their classroom. I worry I have not spent enough time carefully crafting all the details of the day to ensure ease for our teachers. The importance of setting the tone of the first day for the rest of the year weighs heavily on my mind.

There will be hiccups; there are always hiccups. But, it will be a magical day. The air will be filled with laughter and the constant chatter of students who have missed each other greatly. Teachers will get back into the "school mode" and do what they were born to do - teach. So, as we approach the first day of school, I charge with the task of slowing down and taking in the extraordinary feeling you get here at Pecan Creek Elementary. Take a minute to really look at the teachers and notice all of the effort they have made to create a warm, welcoming environment. Take a minute to thank a custodian who has been here all summer ensuring the building is clean and in working order. Take a minute to hug a friend you haven't seen in a while. Take a minute to pause and take it all in, because before you know it, June will be here!