Sat down at the keyboard tired and not terribly inspired this morning. Not much wind to get me going this morning. Been a stressful, hard week, but when I read the comments that some of my readers left me, after my recent request An Opportunity and…a Request , my wings  woke. Wanted to share with you this morning.

From Elise Foster, Cincinnati, Ohio. Thank you, Elise. You give me courage.

Hi Monte,

What an exciting opportunity. I’ll share a few thoughts here – hope you find it helpful. In short, your blog and tweets give me hope. The more students and teachers I meet, from all kinds of schools, the more I’m seeing the debilitating effects of the testing stress – on kids, on teachers, and even admins. It is rewarding to see people like you who are willing to experiment to find ways to do well on tests and create curious learners at the same time. Your courage, humility, and candor make the blog worth it – too many blogs these days show the certainty of solutions. You respect and honor the need to ‘not know’ just as much as the need ‘to know’ – and welcome the growth, challenge, and learning that comes from experimenting well.

You’re a shining example of how we can be open, honest, and courageous to try new things (that might fail) in a time when most of what gets put out there is the shiny version of perfect, that’s nearly unattainable.

Thanks for being there and giving me hope! Elise

Elise Foster

President, Leadership Potential Consulting | http://elisefoster.com

Co-Author, The Multiplier Effect | http://MultiplierEffectBook.com

 

 

From Mr. Abe Moore, Lynton, Paige, and Amber, Adelaide, South Australia. You deepen my hope in kids around the world. Thank you.

 

Monte Syrie and his Project 180 has had a huge impact on our class even though we are on the other side of the planet. We are a year 6/7 class in Adelaide, South Australia. Monte inspired us to begin our daily routine with Smiles and Frowns, which we love because it has helped us get to know each other better, have a laugh at times, and has allowed us to build a stronger connection with each other. We use Journey Journals to reflect on our learning and find ways to improve. We have Monte’s stimulus stems in the front of our books to help us. Last year our class connected with Monte via FlipGrid because we were interested in why he chose to give his students all A’s and how he has built student voice into his classroom. He inspired our class to use a select and defend model of self-reporting which gave us more choice, less stress, allowed us to be more creative and gave us greater awareness of our learning and control over it. Finally, Monte gave us an awesome book recommendation, “Freak the Mighty” which we have thoroughly enjoyed as a “read-aloud” story. Even though we have never met Monte in real life, he has helped change our classroom and learning in many positive ways. Thanks, Monte.

From Lynton, Paige, and Amber.

 

From Mary Wade, Utah. Thank you, Mary. You give me strength–often when I need it most–to stay the course. Thank you. 

Hi, Syrie. I would love to leave a comment. Your blog is continually packed with the rawness, honesty, and messiness that comes with being a visionary 21st-century teacher. It’s easy for these changes and concepts to be discussed in a shiny surface-level manner, but because you are in the trenches and continue to share your voice day in and day out, you are able to convey absolutely invaluable insight into what the work really looks like. You inspire me to have the courage it takes to shift the paradigm from teacher control to student ownership, agency, and voice. Thank you for your dedication!

 

From Amarise, former student who now lives in Texas. Thank you, Amarise. You give me frequent reminders of the impact I have on kids, and that matters. A lot. Thank you.

Hey Syrie! All I can say is that your blog makes me as a student think about the reasons my teachers have for doing things, like grades, differently. And it has helped me to understand the reasons as well.

Hopefully this was what you were looking for!

 

Thank you, all, for lifting my spirit this morning. Just the wind my wings needed. Thank you.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…wrap up a literary device review–table talk style.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.