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Lead by Example. Be a Role Model.

March 11, 2014 by eatteachblog 3 Comments

Since I was out on bed rest for a week, I fell pretty far behind on service minutes. And then, last week, we had 3 minimum days due to STEP testing. So it wasn’t the most ideal week to play ‘catch up.’ This week, I’ve been trying to power through each day and squeeze in additional time with my kiddos that need the extra support.

Something happened today that made me stop, step back, and analyze the way I was handling myself.

I went to go pick up one of my 2nd grade students from her classroom to pull her in for her reading intervention. In education, every minute matters. So, instead of waiting for this student to pack her bag and walk to the office with me, I whispered to her to come meet me in the office and rushed out the door to make it back to my office to greet the other students in the group. I was going to use those extra few minutes to test one of the 3rd graders on her sight words.

As I walked away, the 2nd grader came running after me with papers in her hand and her backpack wide open. She had eagerly been waiting for me to come into her room to show me an essay she had been working on. But, in my attempt to be ‘efficient,’ I hadn’t even acknowledged the hard work that she was so proud to show off. I walked away from it – too focused on my own agenda and what I needed to get done that day.

When I sit down with my students, I expect for them to be receptive to feedback that I am giving them. I expect them to have the self-control to focus on the work in front of them. I expect them to listen when I am explaining something. Yet, in that moment, as I rushed off to take advantage of those extra few minutes, I realized that I was showing them that it wasn’t important for me to do the same.

I firmly believe that one of the most important ways to teach our children is to lead by example. This encompasses so much more than the things that we say and the conversations we have.

Kids are so perceptive. They observe and absorb everything that we do. Each day, when we show up to work, we lay out the building blocks for our students. Let us be wise builders. Let us be wise role models. We need to lead by example. Through our words. And our actions.

Question of the Day:

How do you lead your child/students by example?

Marathon Monday – Most Definitely

March 10, 2014 by eatteachblog 10 Comments

I most definitely just got home from a 13-hour work day.

I most definitely ate a full chicken burrito from Mi Pueblo for dinner.

I most definitely ate leftover Yogurtland for breakfast (dairy and fruit. Balanced meal. Sod off).

(I most definitely wanted a fun reason to say ‘Sod off.’)

I most definitely would have used all those excuses to crawl into bed and call it a night.

Instead, half marathon training begins today.

So I most definitely will be making my way over to the gym right now.

Have a fabulous night.

I mos’ def will.

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Let’s chat!

What’s your favorite song by Mos Def?
What training plan would you recommend for a first time halfer?

Silent Sunday [3/9/14]

March 9, 2014 by eatteachblog 6 Comments

My Friday Night:

Book Club Brunch:

Sunday Fun Day:

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Here’s to another Monday!! 🙂

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Let’s Chat: What did you do this weekend?

Fun Facts Friday [3/7/14]

March 7, 2014 by eatteachblog 7 Comments

This was supposed to go out late last night, but I forgot to hit Publish. Oops. Better late than never.

1) First fun fact is that it is Friday. Fridays are my fav. Fridays are fab. I like alliteration.

2) Tomorrow is Book Club Brunch! The book we voted on was And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. I’m pretty sure that 80% of the people that are coming have not read the book. I didn’t think I would get through all 400 pages by the time we met up again. But it was a pretty quick read surprisingly. Very engaging and well written. I can’t wait to discuss it in depth with the one or two others who have read it!

3) My roommate, Beth, and I have started a tradition of making homemade pizza one night a week. Ever since I got a membership to Full Circle, I’ve ordered pizza dough weekly. And it’s my new obsession.

4) Being away from my kids last week made me realize just how happy they make me each day. Early Monday morning, I was thoroughly entertained by my kiddos making a human version of Angry Birds. They are ridiculous. And creative. And I love them.

5) I made roasted chickpeas earlier in the week. It’s been my go-to snack at work. It’s the first time I’ve made them where they actually taste crunchy. I guess it just doesn’t work as well with canned chickpeas.

6) I’m SUPER excited about April cause my BFF, Gina, and I booked tickets to a Gavin DeGraw concert in Napa. And we just got our wine tasting cards in the mail! I can’t wait for our trip! 🙂

7) I’m also super excited because I got another “Save the Date” in the mail! My friend, Emily, is getting married in October! I met Emily back in August of 2012 when I first started working up here. She was hired as a long-term sub for Cupertino Unified where I was working. She wasn’t looking for full-time work at the time because she knew Jordan (her now fiance) was only going to be here temporarily. We both sat through hours of IEP trainings and professional development and she ended up subbing at CMS for the first week of school. That week solidified our friendship and I feel so lucky and honored to be a guest at their wedding in the fall! 🙂

Hope your Friday is as fantastic as mine! 🙂

Winner of the Nasoya giveaway:

Congrats, Elena! Shoot me an e-mail at eatteachblog[@]gmail[.]com with your mailing address!

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Let’s chat: What’s one fun fact about you this week?

Full Inclusion is Hard. Do it Anyway.

March 4, 2014 by eatteachblog 4 Comments

Yesterday evening, after work, I met up with some members of our ISE (Integrated Special Education) Department where we spent some time reflecting on this year and planning for next year.

Before we jumped right in to what needed fixing or improving, we spent some time reflecting on what went well this year. Rocketship Education is committed to eliminating the achievement gap – including all students with learnings and behavioral needs. We do not lower expectations. We do not settle for less. Instead, we develop rigorous, individualized programming to benefit our kiddos that need a little more support.

Inclusion isn’t easy. It is one of the most challenging things for teachers to have a classroom of 30 students with a variety of learning styles, behavioral needs, and diverse backgrounds and THEN expect them to worry about high-stakes testing, lesson planning, 1:1’s, meetings, and the latest school system initiatives that they must learn and implement. On top of that, you want to try to fully include a few special ed kiddos? It’s hard. I’m not even going to lie and pretend it isn’t.

But it is our mission. And we are driven to see that all of our students are fully included into the general education classroom. Our ISE department has some of the best Tier III curriculum around, so many incredible resources to benefit our students and specialists alike, and professional development opportunities that are productive and helpful – every single time.

We believe that families should be our students’ greatest advocates so we find ways to support them, connect them to other ISE families, and learn how to truly advocate for the education that their child deserves.

This job isn’t easy. Most Rocketship teachers are working an average of 12 hours a day to ensure that their kids are getting what they need. It is tiring. It is taxing. And it’s all I can think about some days. But working groups like last night remind me why I am here. I am here because the mission and the vision of the ISE department is everything I imagined my role in special education to be. I am here because, at Rocketship, I have a voice to create change and development within the organization. I am here because I love my kids too much to settle for something that’s less than what they’re capable of.

Happy to be back at work with my kiddos this week. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. 🙂

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Does your school/district practice full inclusion?

Quinoa Fried Rice

March 3, 2014 by eatteachblog 9 Comments

A few weeks ago, I threw together a few ingredients to make a “Quinoa Fried Rice” of sorts and, since then, have dubbed it my favorite thing to make each week.

It’s SO easy to make in bulk on Sunday to allow for several meals throughout the week. It’s ALSO #MeatlessMonday friendly for all you fad fans.

Ingredients:

Nasoya Organic Firm Tofu (cut in cubes)
5-7 eggs/egg-whites
brown rice or quinoa
one head of cabbage
chopped onions
minced garlic
soy sauce
Sriracha (duh)
any other veggies you want to throw in (frozen veggies work too!)

Directions:

Drizzle some olive oil in a pan. Throw in the garlic and onion until it browns. Add the cubed tofu.
Add in the chopped veggies. Drizzle some soy sauce and Sriracha on top.
In a separate pan, scramble eggs. Add soy sauce.
In a separate pot (or rice cooker), make the rice. (I chose quinoa for this instead of the brown rice pictured above).
When all is done, mix it together. Drizzle with additional soy sauce and Sriracha.

Notes:

You use a lot of pans. Get over it.
You get to use a lot of Tupperware too. Because it makes a TON of food.
I’m a fan of tofu. Nasoya’s Firm Tofu is my favorite so far. It’s easy to cut without being too wiggly.
This definitely satisfies my fried rice craving without sacrificing any taste.

The best part about Nasoya Tofu is that it is naturally rich in protein and antioxidants. It’s organic and Non-GMO Project verified as well as gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian/vegan friendly! What’s not to love?

ADDITIONALLY, Nasoya has offered to do a giveaway for you to taste the deliciousness yourself. Here are the details:

Giveaway open until 9PM PST on Thursday (3/7/14)
Open to all US residents
Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment with your favorite way to eat tofu
Optional Entry: Follow me on Twitter (@eatteachblog) and leave a comment saying you’ve done it.
Optional Entry: Tweet the following: “Enter to win @Nasoya #TofuPlus from @eatteachblog https://eatteachblog.com/2014/03/03/quinoa-fried-rice/ #giveaway” and leave a comment with the link to tweet.
Optional Entry: Follow EatTeachBlog through e-mail or BlogLovin

For those of you interested, Nasoya is challenging consumers to Think Outside the Block and share their favorite tofu recipes on its Facebook page, for a chance to win the $500 (grand prize) or $300 (runner up). The contest ends on March 31, 2014.

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