Everyone Gets 24 Hours a Day: How I'm Learning to Get the Most Out of Mine

Hello everyone! I have not posted a blog entry in quite some time, despite several “attempts” or intentions to do so. After the birth of my daughter in September, my attention once I arrived home from school each day has been on being the best dad possible and I found myself saying, “I’ll do it later” when it came to posting on this blog (among other "missions" of mine).

I would like to think I have grown over the past several months into a great dad, but I must say my wife deserves much of the credit for the impressive growth of our beautiful and happy child. She is such a treasure, a genuine blessing to our family! I have had several discussions with colleagues, administrators, board members, and mentors of mine in education who are parents and they all agree; it puts what we do as educators everyday into a clearer perspective.

Here are a few points I would like to make as I “get back on the horse” and rededicate myself to posting entries on this blog, seeking to share my perspective and dialogue with others about this vital field of education:

#1 - I believe it is possible to be a great parent and great teacher at the same time.

I have always been a person who takes their job seriously and gives 100% everyday. I would like to think I have been this way since I had my first jobs as teen. Besides not screwing up being a dad, one of my worries was that my job performance would lag once I became a parent. It seems like a silly worry in retrospect, given that many of our best teachers are also great parents! I suppose I was just unsure if I could be as good at both as those phenomenal educators have been for many years.

While I have been more tired than in previous years (I’ve seen 2-3am more now than I have since college), I feel as creative and excited about teaching as I have at any other point in my career. My students are improving their writing and analytical skills, engaging in vibrant discussions daily, experimenting with technology to become 21st century learners and consumers of news and information, utilizing our Moodle and Google Classrooms to complete assignments and to extend learning outside the classroom, and working as active partners to help me build a truly 21st Century classroom.

In fact, I was just informed this week that my grant, "Building the 21st Century Classroom: Phase II" has been approved. I will be posting about this exciting $7500 grant in the future, how the learning space is being maximized, etc. Not to worry, pictures will be included in those entries!

#2 - Scheduling my time has never been more important.

While I promised my wife I would "scale back" extra events from my schedule (committees, volunteer chaperoning, etc.), we also agreed that it was important to be a voice in the decision making process when provided the opportunity and remain connected to the community as much as time allows. Living in town certainly makes this an easier goal to attain, but scheduling my time methodically also prevents me from "overbooking" myself, along with ensuring I do not miss my own appointments (neglecting a Chiropractor appointment has it’s consequences).

I also have started scheduling when I will grade assignments, update my Moodle/Google Classroom, and engage in other creative  endeavors. Scheduling these activities has proven challenging, but I remain committed. Someone once told me, "Don't let the urgent crowd out the important" and "If you don't make a plan than you're planning to fail." Setting a schedule and sticking to it is an effective strategy to avoid procrastination or becoming easily distracted. It also allows me to make time for reading books (I shoot for at least 15 minutes a day) and to playing my colleague Mr. McInerney (@HistoryEB) in a game of Madden 16 on PS4 (there is a Championship Belt we play for…it can get heated and our students enjoy updates on who has won most recently and the cordial “trash talking” during the changing of classes).  

“Marking your calendar” does not need to have a negative connotation or be restrictive. I am an adult, I am in charge, and I can ignore or adjust events as needed. That being said, writing down what you want to achieve on paper or on an iPhone/Google calendar allows you to hold yourself accountable without forgetting to accomplish all of the items on your “To Do List”.

I hope that everyone takes the start of the New Year (although it is February tomorrow), the start of a new week, a new quarter, or new semester to rededicate themselves to goals that may have gone unmet thus far. All of us can hit the “reset” button at any time, unless you are losing in Madden 16 to your colleague…

Being Accessible to Students through Twitter, Social Media

At various junctures of my youth in the Philadelphia area, I didn’t give much credence to advice or guidance that originated from my parents. I trusted them and believed they had my best interests at heart, but seemed to reject parental perspective on nearly every issue almost immediately. While there were occasions when I would reflect and determine that their logic “wasn’t completely flawed” and should be considered strongly before making my own decisions, many times it took another adult (usually one of my trusted teachers, coaches, or club advisors) providing nearly the same advice as Mr. and Mrs. Peluzzo, for me to follow said guidance with confidence. I share this flashback into my American youth because it came to mind as I began to evaluate one of the many roles teachers play in our schools, perhaps especially in our high schools, as mentors and examples for our students.

Most in our profession would agree the best teachers in America and around the world do not simply help students achieve success in the classroom, but serve as valuable “sounding boards” for their students as they face a myriad of issues in their young lives. Whether they ask for our take on what jobs to apply for during the school year and over the summer, how to talk to a coach about playing time they feel they should get the chance to earn, or how get help when personal struggles occur in their lives, students depend on us as their teachers to be the mentor they can talk to during those uncertain moments when their parents, family, or friends “don’t understand” them. Being accessible and friendly with our students through the process of educating them presents many challenges, especially in the 21st century.

As an educator that makes being accessible to students, parents, and other stakeholders/members of the local community a priority, I also value the need to create boundaries that protect all stakeholders. While I could list several suggestions for keeping healthy boundaries with students (most of which are common sense and you already know), I think that tech boundaries present the most questions and fewest clear answers. Here are a few simple suggestions I use to remain accessible in the 21st century while establishing and maintaining appropriate boundaries:

1) Create a Twitter Account: Ask Students to Follow You, Do Not Follow them Back...

Twitter, in addition to other social media outlets, are invaluable tools for educators who are serious about connecting with other professionals around the world. I have been inspired by several fellow educators on a wide range of areas and read numerous scholarly articles and blog postings to expand my knowledge base in our field. In addition, Twitter has served as a critical connection point for me to my students, school building, district, and community as a whole. While I have followed several students post-graduation who are majoring in education at college, have an interest in history and politics, or who I have become close with through their family or community activities, I make it a practice not to follow any students currently enrolled in our schools. In addition, I do not direct message (a.k.a. DM) any current students.

While students initially object to me not “following back”, they typically see my side after I ask them, “Do you really want your teachers, even those you like, following you on social media?” While students may occasionally respond by saying they only engage in appropriate behavior on social media, I take this opportunity to explain why boundaries are good for all of us to establish as we seek to make personal connections with colleagues and fellow professionals throughout our lives. The social media culture we live in at times places an unhealthy imperative on people to share every moment of their lives with the public and their “friends”, whether they be personal, odd or innocuous in nature; having this conversation with your classes can hopefully restore sanity to some of the social media madness we’ve seen and create healthy boundaries for us all.

2) Discuss with students “When to Tweet” vs. “When to Email/Talk in Person”...

When teachers communicate with or “Tweet at” students on Twitter, the messages are public for all to see. Most of the time, my students ask questions about homework assignments, upcoming tests, or if we are relocating to a lab or the media center for the day through their Twitter accounts. This information being public not only creates an important boundary to protect both sides of the message, but it also informs the rest of my students! If other students in a class forgot the homework or were on their way to the wrong location for class, they can pull out their phones and check the Twitter feed if they don’t see a note on the door or bump into a classmate in the halls!  Last year, I also experimented with late passes using Twitter, which seemed to be well received by both colleagues and students.  All of these are examples of the benefits of using the public “Tweet at” feature of Twitter.

However, it is important to remind students on the first day of school (and whenever necessary) that not all communications with a teacher should be through Twitter/social media. If a student is absent for an extended period of time due to illness, death in the family, or some other private matter or difficulty, they should email you on your school account or speak to you in person.

In so many words, this was my message to students on the first day about this important distinction:
           Every struggle in your life does not need to be shared with your “friends” on social 
           media. Some events in your life should be private, so you and your families can do 
           what you have to do without public notification. If, and I mean if, I need to be 
           informed or can be helpful to you and your family in one of these situations, talk to 
           our counselors and use your school email or talk to me in person.

With another school year now underway, the formalities and class procedures explained, textbooks distributed, and Edmodo, Classroom Moodle, or Google Classroom enrollments completed, perhaps taking some time to discuss these and other policies with your students can ensure safe and strong tech communication between students and teachers. Boundaries are good and necessary as technology continues to evolve at an impressive, yet unpredictable pace.

Summer Reading for Teachers

Summer is a great time of year to catch up on reading books that teachers may not have had time for during the school year or have cast aside for Netflix "binge sessions" of your favorite shows. Reading a book by the pool, on the beach, or lakeside (wherever you go to unplug during the summer months) can be refreshing and informative. While I read most of my news and professional development information on Twitter and encourage others to utilize social media to read purposeful and entertaining articles when time allows, there is no substitute for diving into a book (e-book or traditional book) to fully engage your mind in a fictional story or non-fiction topic of interest and discovery.

This summer, I have read a few history/current event books that have been quite riveting and informative. One of those books is “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,” by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan. After getting numerous questions about ISIS/ISIL from my students this past school year and answering them to the best of my ability by keeping up with news on Twitter and various news and scholarly outlets, I felt obligated to gain more specifics and background information about this terrorist group. While parts of the book are graphic in detailing the horrible acts committed by terrorist groups and violent dictators and regimes throughout the region, it is a comprehensive look at the past, present, and future of ISIS that has allowed me to better understand the threat they pose to security and stability around the world. The book tracks the story of ISIS back to the 9/11 attacks and details the roles played by Iraq, Iran, and Syria in the creation of ISIS as we know it today, in a fact-based and political talking points-free manner. Additional history books I am reading at the moment or have ready to go on my shelf (I tend to bounce between books) are "Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard and "The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789" by Joseph Ellis.

In addition, I have read (and continue to make notes in) "50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom" by Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller in an effort to further explore this new and exciting online classroom Learning Management System (LMS). While I have been a user of the Moodle LMS since 2009 and Google Apps for Education (GAfE) for the past few years, my district just recently granted permission for teachers to pilot Google Classroom. At just one year old, Google Classroom has already taken the nation by storm. While I am not planning to abandon my use of Moodle this year for my courses, it is hard to argue against Google Classroom's ease of use for those educators new to using an LMS to extend learning outside their classrooms. Google Classroom also seamlessly connects to nearly all GAfE (Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc.), making it easy for students to submit assignments, work collaboratively with their peers, provide student feedback in real time, and even allows teachers to watch students do their homework. These are just a few of the many "things" Keeler and Miller detail in this great book. While I may not make a full conversion to Google Classroom this school year, I do plan on using it for specific assignments my students will be completing this year and to explore the "virtual office hours" feature Keeler and Miller discuss in the book. I encourage other educators that work in schools providing teachers the flexibility and technical support with regards to choosing an LMS to explore Google Classroom for themselves. Start by checking out Alice Keeler (@AliceKeeler) and Libbi Miller (@MillerLibbi) on Twitter and also by following Alice Keeler's blog at www.alicekeeler.com. You can also order their book from Keeler's blog or from major book stores like Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

Personal and professional growth occur when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. That being said, I do not believe in change for the sake of change, or drinking the "Kool Aid" or flavor of the month. Reading for leisure and growth within our subject areas and on the field of education in general, allows educators to stay mentally sharp by fully engaging their minds separate from the many distractions of everyday life. Hopefully, we can use our summers to "unplug" and destress from our jobs while keeping our brains stimulated.

Thoughts? Book suggestions on different topics? Please post responses and thoughts here or message me on Twitter @MrPeluzzo.

Here is a link to a spot I recorded for the East Brunswick Public Library's "Read This Book" Program just about 1 year ago recommending a few other books you might enjoy reading with the rest of your time this summer.

@MrPeluzzo

Visit me on Twitter! @MrPeluzzo

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