LELA House

Tag: teacher

  • Reading and Journaling are Low Entry Threshold Endeavors

    Reading and Journaling are Low Entry Threshold Endeavors

    I minored in education in college. I started on the teacher certification track, but I couldn’t make myself take micro economics. I signed up for micro every semester for my first three years of college. I went to the first class, left at the end of class, marched to the registrar’s office, and dropped it. Students couldn’t complete the teacher certification track without taking micro economics, so I eventually switched to a minor in education instead, saving the registrar and myself from unnecessary headaches. I didn’t realize at 20 years old that nearly a quarter of a century later I would get my teaching certification.

    Becoming a high school teacher was a high entry threshold endeavor.

    Because I hadn’t earned my certification as an undergraduate, I needed to earn an alternate route certification. Doing so required having earned a doctorate in my subject area. Fortunately for me, I met that qualification. In hindsight, however, taking micro economics as an undergraduate would have been a much quicker, easier, and cost-efficient undertaking. I don’t recommend anyone spend nine years working on a doctorate, while meandering through not one, not two, but three different dissertation chairs. Nevertheless, the dissertation journey enabled me to pass the first barrier to my certification.

    Next came the Praxis – a complex set of examinations. I studied; I practiced; I passed (or as I like to reminisce – veni, vidi, vici).

    Earning my Ph.D. in English and passing the Praxis, while the most difficult aspects of my alternate certification route journey, were the least painful parts. Well, earning my doctorate was painful at points, but that pain belongs to a separate process.

    Next came months and months of administrative anguish. Months and months of submitting forms, waiting, resubmitting, calling, emailing, resubmitting, and on and on, until finally one day in February, I checked the state website and saw my teaching certification.

    Through the years I had taught on the college level, which I knew differed from teaching high school. I also did some informal teaching aide sort of work in my mom’s high school classroom from time to time. And I talked with a lot of high school teachers. From those experiences, I went into teaching high school with no delusions about how difficult it would be. I knew it would be the hardest thing I had ever done.

    I was right.

    I sank, and I swam. I failed, and I learned. I wasn’t the best teacher my students could have had, but I also wasn’t the worst. I was myself, though, and I loved them hard. My love for my students got me through many rough days, and it got quite a few of them through as well.

    Becoming a high school teacher was a high entry threshold endeavor. Incorporating reading and journaling as educator self care activities is not.

    Journaling at its most basic requires something to write on and something to write with. Paper works just fine as something to write on. If you don’t have paper, you can use a cardboard box, a napkin – anything that will hold ink, graphite, or other writing medium. (I don’t recommend towels; they don’t work nearly as well as napkins – I particularly favor the brown paper napkins offered at fast-food establishments). A pen will do as something to write with. If you don’t have a pen, you can use a pencil, crayon, marker, chalk – anything that will mark your writing surface. You can get fancy and use a notebook or even a leather-bound journal. You can use special pens. You can type into a Word document; you can use an online journaling app. I have done all of these, but you don’t have to. To journal, you just need your thoughts, something to write with, and something to write on.

    Reading is similarly simple. You need something to read. You can read online, on a device, or a physical product. You can even listen to audio. The world offers endless ways to consume text – newspapers, novels, cereal boxes, text books. I’m not here to judge your pleasure reading; I just want to encourage you to do it.

    We’ve explored educators’ need for self care and discussed reading and journaling as viable avenues of self care. Reading and journaling have relieved my stress and restored my equilibrium, and I bet they can help you, too. Why not try them today? We’ll begin discussing the benefits of reading and journaling next.

    ***

    I am doing a 31-day series on reading and journaling as self care for educators. Each day of the series has bonus journal prompts. Click to join the LELA House family of educators committed to nourishing their reading, writing, and creative souls. You’ll receive a link to the journal prompts and gain early access to upcoming LELA House ideas, courses, and products. You only need to subscribe once. I will add a new worksheet each day to the access link.

    Roshaunda D. Cade, Ph.D. is an educator, writer, and creator.  She lives in St. Louis, MO with her husband and teenage children and enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and pushing her creative boundaries.  You can follow her at roshaundacade.com, lela-house.com, and on Teachable, Medium, Youtube, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

  • Stories as Powerful Self Care

    Stories as Powerful Self Care

    My students were working on invention and thesis statements in class one day. I had 17 variations of the following conversation in one class period. It’s a wonder we had the opportunity for all of those discussions between the blasted bells.

    Student: I don’t know what to write about.
    Me: Have you thought about it?
    Student: I can’t think of anything.
    Me: Fortunately for you we’ve dedicated this entire class period to invention.
    Student: Oh.
    Me: Have you tried any of the invention strategies we talked about yesterday?
    Student: No.
    Me: Why not?
    Student: I didn’t think about it.
    Me: Why not?
    Student: I don’t know.
    Me: Well, why don’t you think about it right now?
    Student: Like right now?
    Me: Yes. This is the time for you to think about it. You won’t think about it later if you don’t think about it right now.
    Student: I would.
    Me: Really? That’s great to know that you’ll think about it later after you’ve done some good thinking on it right now.
    Student: So I have to think about it right now?
    Me: Yes. Which invention strategy seemed good to you yesterday?
    Student: I don’t remember what they were.
    Me: Go ahead and look that up in your notes.
    Student: We were supposed to take notes?
    Me: You’re always supposed to take notes.
    Student: Oh.
    Me: Tell me what you remember from our discussion yesterday.
    Student: I don’t know. I guess the circles.
    Me: Tell me more about the circles. Help me understand what you’re talking about.
    Student: You know.
    Me: No, I don’t. Explain to me what you mean about the circles. What was important about the circles?
    Student: You put your ideas in the circles and then more ideas in more circles.
    Me: Do you mean mind mapping?
    Student: I guess.
    Me: Well that’s a great invention strategy. What else can you tell me about mind mapping?
    Student: I don’t know what it is.
    Me: Sure you do. You just said mind mapping had circles with ideas.
    Student: OK.
    Me: So in mind mapping you just put a bunch of ideas in a bunch of circles? You have one idea over here and one idea over there. Is that how it works?
    Student: No.
    Me: Oh, it’s not? Then tell me how it works.
    Student: You put your big idea in a circle in the middle. Then you put an idea that relates to the first idea in a circle and you connect it with a line.
    Me: Oh, I see. How many circles do you need to have? Just one or two? And what is it called again?
    Student: It’s mind mapping. And you have as many circles as you have ideas.
    Me: That’s cool. So, what’s your idea?
    Student: I don’t know.
    Me: Really? You don’t know what your idea is? I certainly don’t know what your idea is. If you don’t know what your idea is are you sure you have one?
    Student: Yeah. I have an idea.
    Me: So you do know what your idea is. That’s good, because I can’t read minds. Tell me about it.
    Student: I don’t know if it’s good.
    Me: Well tell me about it, and we can figure out together if it’s good or not.
    Student: But I don’t want to tell you if it’s not good.
    Me: But if you don’t know if it’s good or not, how do you plan to find out if you don’t tell me?
    Student: I don’t know if it’s what you want.
    Me: What I want is for you to express your ideas in a coherent manner that other people can understand. But if you’re concerned that your idea isn’t what I want, wouldn’t I be the best person to share the idea with?
    Student: I guess.

    Student finally tells me the idea.

    Me: That’s a great idea.
    Student: So you think it’s good.
    Me: I just said I thought it was great. Do great and good mean the same thing?
    Student: I guess. Well, sort of but not really.
    Me: I think your thinking is great, but you’ll have to do some work to develop it in a way that other people can see how great your idea is.
    Student: So what do I do next?
    Me: What does the assignment say you need to do?
    Student: It says I need a thesis statement.
    Me: Then write a thesis statement.
    Student: But I’ve never written a thesis statement before in the way you’re asking.
    Me: I know.
    Student: But I don’t know how to do it.
    Me: Sure you do. What are the steps I told you to walk through?
    Student: I don’t know.
    Me: Go ahead and look for them on your assignment sheet.
    Student: Like right now?
    Me: Yes, right now.
    Student: Now?
    Me: I can see your assignment sheet poking out from underneath your folder. In the time you’ve asked me “Right now?” twice, you could have pulled it out from underneath your folder and looked it up. Yes. Right now. Go ahead and look for it right now.
    Student: You said we need the thesis statement to include the who, the what, and the why.
    Me: Yes. So once you’ve determined what those are, you’ll be able to write your thesis statement. I can help you think through them if you like.

    Student and I talk through ideas leading to answering the who, the what, and the why.

    Student: But I’ve never written a thesis statement like this before.
    Me: I know. You’ve already told me that. Are you telling me that you’ve never done anything before that you’ve never done before?
    Student: What?
    Me: You just said that you don’t do things that you’ve never done before.
    Student: No I didn’t.
    Me: Sure you did. You’re telling me that you can’t write a thesis statement this way because you’ve never written a thesis statement this way before.
    Student: Well, I haven’t.
    Me: How do you plan on learning anything new if you never do anything you’ve never done before?
    Student: I don’t know.
    Me: You play soccer, right?
    Student: Yeah.
    Me: Do you already know how to do every skill that exists in soccer?
    Student: No.
    Me: Are you telling me there are soccer moves out there that you don’t already know?
    Student: Of course. You don’t learn everything about soccer in one day. You have to learn skills and practice them until you’re good at them, and then you’re ready to learn more.
    Me: Exactly.
    Student: What?
    Me: You come to school to learn. You learn by doing new things in new ways and then practicing them. All of your schooling in your life so far has prepared you for this point. Sure, I’m asking you to do something new, but that’s only because you’re ready to increase your skill. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I didn’t think you could handle.
    Student: But this is hard.
    Me: Of course it is. Learning isn’t easy; it’s hard work.
    Student: So what do I do next?
    Me: Keep working on that thesis statement. I’ll come back in a few minutes to check on your progress. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with.

    I don’t recall what story my student was trying to tell, but I do remember her elation when she discovered how to tell it. She wasn’t one of my talkers. I had a roomful of ninth graders waving their arms, calling, “Dr. Cade! Dr. Cade!” but not this student. She normally sat with her head down, chin-length bangs covering one eye and most of her face, doodling (she was a wonderful artist who gave me masterpieces on each assignment she turned in). But later that class period, she looked up and straight at me. She swiped the hair from over her eye and smiled. I remember her smile. It blossomed big and gorgeous across her face before she realized it, but as soon as she noticed, she tried to hide it by pursing her lips. The joy lingered in her eyes, however, and I walked over to her desk, smiling the whole way, ready to hear her story.

    According to Literary Terms, a story

    is a connected series of events told through words (written or spoken), imagery (still and moving), body language, performance, music, or any other form of communication. . . . Whenever you’re telling somebody about a series of events, you are telling a story, no matter what the subject nor when they occurred. As such, stories are of great value to human culture, and are some of the oldest, most important parts of life. Aside from being a part of every single type of literature, stories are at the foundation of creativity and part of just about everything we do.

    In that moment, my student told multiple stories in various ways – the story of her written words, the story of her spoken words, and the story of her body language. She communicated with me in a way that opened up part of her life, both to herself and to me. She learned she could write a new type of thesis statement, which sparked joy and creativity in her, and I learned a bit more about humanity.

    Literary Terms further contends that “the concept of a story is actually a bit difficult to fully cover or describe. Some would say that life is made up of a series of never-ending stories. From a simple commute to school or work, to all the events of our lives, everything has a story.”

    Stories are everything and everywhere.

    Whether we are telling them or responding to them, stories rest at the foundation of our creativity, our humanity, our very lives. Why not tap into the power of narrative that surrounds us to care for ourselves? Opportunities to read and write are ubiquitous; you already have everything you need to begin.

    ***

    I am doing a 31-day series on reading and journaling as self care for educators. Each day of the series has a bonus worksheet. Click to join the LELA House family of educators committed to nourishing their reading, writing, and creative souls. You’ll receive a link to the worksheets and gain early access to upcoming LELA House ideas, courses, and products. You only need to subscribe once. I will add a new worksheet each day to the access link.


    Roshaunda D. Cade, Ph.D. is an educator, writer, and creator.  She lives in St. Louis, MO with her husband and teenage children and enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and pushing her creative boundaries.  You can follow her at roshaundacade.com, lela-house.com, and on Teachable, Medium, Youtube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

  • Reading and Journaling as Real Life Self Care

    Reading and Journaling as Real Life Self Care

    I began reading and journaling daily when I taught high school. I started each day with my bible and a notebook, and I ended each day with my online journal and a paperback book. I’ve been beginning and ending my days the same way ever since, and I’ve tracked my evolution through my journal entries and reading choices.

    I journaled the following in 2015.

    “I had a good day. I’m tired, but I’m not completely wiped out.”

    “What a day. Parent-teacher conferences. I’ve blogged and written. I even cleaned a sink. Off to bed. Goodnight.”

    “I actually had a good day today.”

    “Today was a good day. My classes went well. My observation went really well. I got a lot of positive feedback and some good tips to implement.”

    “I had a better day today.”

    “Jesus.”

    My journal entries then were often brief. As I’ve learned to use journaling proactively to fend off stress, rather than reactively to climb out of the abyss, my journal entries now dive into my emotions and insights, not just my daily occurrences. My reading has evolved as well. In 2015, I could only handle fluff. Today, I still read fluff, but I temper it with meatier choices.

    I’m a learner. I’ve always wanted to know and understand, and I realized the more stressed I got, the more I neglected that natural inclination. I neglected it because I felt I needed to spend time on responsibilities piling up around me. I failed to recognize the less time I spent feeding my need, the less capable I became of handling my life stressors.

    Most educators are learners, like me; and while we know of many ways to learn, many of us turn to reading and writing as our first avenue of learning. The written word is a vital vehicle for people to understand one another and to feel understood. It is a transformational tool with the power to reshape individuals and entire societies, both through the writing itself and through reading the written product. Reading and writing are life-changing, revolutionary acts. As educators, we understand the transformative power of reading and writing, but we may not consider how these revolutionary acts can help us break the cycle of educator exhaustion and begin self care.

    Reading and writing are two parts of the same process; both deal with message delivery. Sometimes we read and receive messages from others; sometimes we journal and receive messages from ourselves. Either way, gifting ourselves with the time and space to read and write is a viable means of providing educator self care.

    ***

    I am doing a 31-day series on reading and journaling as self care for educators. Each day of the series has a bonus worksheet. Click to join the LELA House family of educators committed to nourishing their reading, writing, and creative souls. You’ll receive a link to the worksheets and gain early access to upcoming LELA House ideas, courses, and products. You only need to subscribe once. I will add a new worksheet each day to the access link.


    Roshaunda D. Cade, Ph.D. is an educator, writer, and creator.  She lives in St. Louis, MO with her husband and teenage children and enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and pushing her creative boundaries.  You can follow her at roshaundacade.com, lela-house.com, and on Teachable, Medium, Youtube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

  • How Do You Educate?

    How Do You Educate?

    When hearing the term educator, many people envision a classroom teacher. That’s an accurate depiction of an educator, but it’s not an all-encompassing one.

    I’ve worked in education my entire adult life, even before I graduated from college. As an undergraduate, I was an RA in several different types of residence halls, and I tutored at a local after school program.

    After graduation, I worked as a hall director, director of minority affairs, and early alert coordinator at a local college. I didn’t set foot in a classroom, at least not as an instructor, but I worked as an educator, nevertheless, ensuring programming, diversity, safety, and academic success for the entire school community.

    After that endeavor, I started graduate school and worked as an instructor for many composition and African American Studies courses at several universities. Before completing my doctorate, I got a job directing a university writing center.

    Since then I’ve led two university writing centers – one an on-ground center with mostly student staff, and the other an online center with an entirely professional staff – and realized I love to help people gain confidence and courage in their writing.

    Although this reads like a straightforward path, my trajectory as an educator has been circuitous. I’ve also worked in a faculty development center and as an assistant director in an academic resource center. I’ve been a high school teacher. I’ve served on a vision committee trying to start a new school, and I’ve served on a Title I committee at an all-girls urban charter school.

    As an educator I’ve taught classes, but I’ve done so much outside of the classroom, too.

    Educators are teachers, but we do not only teach in classrooms. We are librarians (my high school librarian transformed my life), and cafeteria workers (I know a cafeteria worker who spends her free time pondering how to positively impact students in the few seconds she shares with them through the day), and deans (a dean once advised me to study what I loved, and that made all the difference), and department administrators (one department administrator made my 4 years of undergraduate feel like home), homeschoolers (a homeschool dad challenged me to reimagine what makes a good education), and on, and on, and on.

    How do you educate? What roles do you play?

    No matter how you educate, LELA House is here to care for you as you care for others.

    ***

    Here’s some inspiration for those who inspire – 15 Empowering Maxims for Education Mavericks.Roshaunda D. Cade, Ph.D. is an educator, writer, and creator.  She lives in St. Louis, MO with her husband and teenage children and enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and pushing her creative boundaries.  You can follow her at roshaundacade.com, lela-house.com, and on Teachable, Medium, Youtube, and Instagram.