Teacher's Convention - What Do Teachers Do?

I think I had my best convention ever this year! I was able to attend, sometimes by squeezing into a standing room only room, six AMAZING sessions!

1) 5 Ways To Calm Kids by Donna Freeman

• In this session, Donna discussed the rise in anxiety and stress in children over the past few years. As an educator, I have witnessed this sad change in my students. Before we can expect students to engage in a learning environment, we need to give them the tools to settle their minds so that they can focus on the lesson or task at hand. 
• The 5 ways were: breathe, connect, affirm, stretch, visualize
• A few of the key points that Donna brought up that resonated with me was about the power of negative and positive thoughts. When students have negative thoughts, their stress, anxiety, fear and anger increases. When students have positive thoughts, they get a feeling of warmth, connection, happiness and peace. Because of this, she encourages teachers to have students say positive affirmations instead of just setting goals. At student led conferences, which are coming up in March, instead of setting goals with your child, we are going to write positive affirmations to keep on their desks! I can't wait!
• One last thing that Donna touched on was the effect of stretching on the brain. When we do stretches or yoga poses it stimulates the vestibular system and makes our brains work better. She also mentioned the use of forward folding postures in yoga (ragdoll or child's pose) to calm children who are really struggling.
• Here's a video that Donna recommended that we watch that shows the happiest little girl doing positive affirmations about her life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg 

2) Chair Yoga for the Classroom by Donna Freeman

• I enjoyed the first session with Donna so much that I followed her to her next session!
• Donna ran us through an entire one hour yoga class using nothing but a chair. This way we can do yoga in our classroom whenever we want! It was QUITE the workout! Mrs. Kuntz and I were sure feeling it the next day!
• Here's a quick video of two variations of ragdoll pose (the second variation is in a chair). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNJbUutruuI

3) Play On Words - Primary Literacy Games by Jane Felling

• Jane is a retired Blackgold Teacher who is a co-creator of the extremely popular Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks resources. She has created a ton of games for students to play to engage them in literacy and numeracy. Using dice, cards, dominoes, letter tiles, etc. students end up having so much fun that they forget that they're learning!
• I attend at least one Box Cars session each year at convention to remind me just how much fun it is to play and learn!
• Here's a quick video of the popular game Sight Words Stackers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyX62ohi8k0

4) Helping Boys Learn: 6 Secrets to Success by Dr. Edmond Dixon

• Dr. Dixon shared with us the 6 key secrets to success for boys in school: movement, game, humour, challenge, mastery and meaning
• He has completed many research projects in neuroscience and shared his most important findings with us. (a) The brain physically changes in response to experiences. (b) The strength of the neural pathways = how well we retain and retrieve information. (c) Good teaching = strong neural pathways. (d) Neural connections require engagement.
• Dr. Dixon touched on some examples of teaching strategies or methods that would help us implement the 6 keys to success for boys in school.
• One exciting moment for me during this session was during the discussion about focusing on MEANING. "What is this info good for? What am I good for?" Dr. Dixon discussed the benefit of boys MASTERing a topic and teaching it to others. When he said these words, I smiled from ear to ear! We just finished a peer teaching project in social studies when the students researched a holiday or celebration in India and put together a presentation to share with the class. All of the students worked very hard on the project and did a fantastic job! When we finished the presentations, many of the students asked if we would do another research project soon! They loved it!
• Here's a quick video of Dr. Dixon discussing the 6 secrets to boys success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_dGr1_hag0

5) Math Fact Fluency- Every Teacher's Responsibility by Kim Sutton

• This session was so entertaining! Kim Sutton has won numerous awards for her influence on numeracy instruction. She believes in LEARNING DRILLS TO THRILL! 
• Kim's math drill involve songs and dances to help students learn their basic facts. She had a room full of over 300 teachers singing and dancing first thing on Friday morning! 
• My words won't do her justice! Here's a video of Kim in action teaching about data collection and tally marks!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgL8AP4mAtQ&list=PLSCxyOP57eMaKM4UH-5ZaqCR9t8m2DUMi&index=3

6) Sacred Groves: A Spirit Lifting Journey into Some of the Planets Best Wilderness Locations by Brian Keating

• Brian Keating is my favourite keynote speaker that comes to convention every couple of years! His sessions feed my soul.
• Brian started his presentation with an inspiring quote from Albert Einstein.
• Brian's presentations allow you the opportunity to "arm chair travel" to the amazing places that he has been! He has been blessed with countless blessings with the animal kingdom!
• I am hoping to travel with Brian this year in November to Churchill, Manitoba to spend a day with the Polar Bears. It has been a dream of mine for years and something I will be crossing off my bucket list for my 40th birthday! My fingers are crossed that we are able to book ourselves on his tour!
• Here's a video of one of Brian's many adventures! Enjoy! Penguin Love
• For more amazing videos, check out his website http://www.goingwild.org/

Another fun part of Teacher's Convention each year is visiting the booths filled with teaching resources and educational opportunities! I was able to nab A TON of FREE BOOKS for our classroom! I felt like the lady in the Ikea commercial, "Start the car! Start the car!" I truly hit the jackpot!

The last thing that I love about going to convention each year, is the time that I get to spend with my colleagues! Teaching can be quite a lonely job. We each get caught up in our day to day life with the students and we often don't take the time to head to the staff room for recess snacks or lunch...instead we tend to stay in our classrooms marking student work or prepping materials for the next class. Being in the portable adds even more isolation at times for me. Sharing a meal, swapping stories and ideas, making jokes and having a good laugh, is one of the best parts of convention. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing teachers at RBES! 

I hope you've enjoyed your journey into Teacher's Convention! I better jump into bed and get some sleep! I'm super excited to try out some new things with the students this week!