For Grandma Ruth

There are three pictures that I remember seeing as a child that capture the essence of my grandmother Ruth Williams who passed away earlier this week with 87 (almost 88) years under her belt. While we didn’t always see eye-to-eye on issues related to religion and politics, I’ve realized I have inherited more from her than my short stature, opinionated personality, and cheeky grin. The pictures are all older than I am, but they serve as important reminders for the wisdom I’ve gained from being her granddaughter.

Picture 1: Ray Sensenbrenner 

My grandmother always spoke fondly of her father Ray (my great-grandfather). She reminisced of her days at the logging camps in northern Wisconsin and her father’s close relationship with nature. This picture is telling of the times and our intimate relationship with predator populations like the wolf, man’s competition in the deer hunt. When I first look at this picture as an environmental science teacher, I immediately think of population dynamics—ecological impacts of reducing one population on other populations. While I have a plethora of education and textbook knowledge, what I’m lacking  is experience to see the bigger picture, to understand the history–something Ray and his daughter had in spades.  

Nothing beats experience.

Picture 2: The Nurse

If you asked my grandmother what her passion was, she might tell you she enjoyed drawing and art, but her true passion was most likely nursing. This picture is striking not only because she is beautiful, with moviestar like glamour, it represents a person who found contentment in a calling. She devoted her entire life to educating and training nurses. It wasn’t enough for her to develop the skills to be successful and effective in the career, she wanted to share that with younger generations. When most people would be enjoying retirement, my grandmother was traveling the state as a teacher. There are too many people today that are unfulfilled in their professional lives, who work for the paycheck.  Ruth was not one of them. 

Do what you love.

Picture 3: The Happy Couple and Cake

For 63 years my grandmother has been telling my grandfather not to eat so much sugar, and for more than 63 years my grandfather has continued to satisfy his sweet tooth. This picture represents more than a marriage, it represents the support everyone deserves, but very few are lucky to enjoy for as long as Ruth and Louie. Life is only so long and dying is unavoidable, so we must be present. We must focus on those we love, whether it’s a partner, sibling, child, parent, or friend.  What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and meet my grandparents as their younger selves. It’s okay to eat cake and celebrate. Grandma would say, “just a small slice please”,  leaving more for grandpa.

Savor the sweetness and share it when possible.

You will be with me always.

Love,

Leah

Why We All Need Routines

All teachers look forward to summer break as a time to reflect, recharge, and hopefully have a little fun.  However, during this time I feel a bit like my nephew Wyatt when he gets off schedule and misses nap time–irritable and lost.  I end the school year with anticipation that the summer months will be full of eventful moments and small personal accomplishments, a time where I get on track with goals that I’ve become a bit lax about. While I have high hopes, like a small child I struggle without the routine that I’ve become accustomed to during the school year. It takes me awhile to adjust to a new routine, and sometimes I get stuck. Time keeps going and I’ve forgotten about my intention to start jogging regularly, the list of books that I wanted to read, and the trips I’ve thought about taking.

The importance of routines is glaringly apparent to any parent of a very small child and probably every elementary teacher, but it is most likely just as vital to students in middle, high school, post-secondary, and adulthood. Routines can be very powerful tools at any age, because they provide the support and guidance when we’re lacking motivation and clarity of purpose. They also offer a base level of comfort, a space where we know what to expect and can therefore be more open to new ideas and personal growth.  

However, like two sides of a coin, some routines are wonderful supports and others are unnecessary inflexible crutches to our progress. Take for instance our routines that surround food, we can develop routines of healthy eating, that include avocado toast, salads, and smoothies, or we can lean on routines of convenience resorting to fast food and processed grab and go items. We can often use food in the form of eating out as a way to fulfill social needs, a time to connect with a old friend over a new cuisine. Food routines can definitely drive our lives one way or the other. 

We are creatures of habit, and it is important that we continue to see how routines drive our culture and learning at all levels.  What routines are important in education? What routines promote learning? What routines inhibit learning? Summer can be a great time to examine our routines that have proven successful. Here are a few questions  about routines that I think are worth considering.

  1. Do your routines actually promote a culture of engagement/empowerment or are they just resulting in compliance? 
  2. Do your students value and understand the routines in the classroom?
  3. Do your routines strengthen relationships?

Classroom management is essential if any learning is going to occur and this often involves developing successful classroom routines. However, it is very easy to create routines that only promote student compliance and do not lead to the flexibility needed for the diverse learners of today. Additionally, if your routines are only promoting compliance, this is often inhibitory to any relationship building which requires knowing individual students with unique personalities and interests. 

Routines that go beyond compliance might be uncomfortable for some at first, because they can look messy. If you are going to give students independent learning time, it will take purposeful effort on the teacher’s part so that students can take ownership of this routine, see value in the time, and make beneficial choices. Unfortunately, many students have been conditioned today to expect the teacher to specify every detail and action of the class period.  They may need  modeling of the possible choices that they have during independent learning time.  It’s important though to continue with the routine, even if it is chaotic at first–initial chaos is better than the perpetual compliance only model. 

Finally,  at the foundation of all learning and routines are relationships. Routines if implemented carefully through reflection should support a community where students can build relationships with teachers but also fellow classmates.  It is important that your routines recognize the talents of both your extroverted and introverted students–where student voice doesn’t correlate to vocal volume and assertive behavior. It’s vital that relationships flourish with all students, even the quiet, contemplative ones. These students have beautiful ideas that they are willing to share in the right environment.

So in the wide-open expanse of summer, don’t forget about the importance of routines. Find some time to reflect on how your routines support your personal and professional goals.  Find support from friends and colleagues when you’re trying to develop and fine-tune new routines or replace harmful habits. Make a routine of evaluating your routines! 

It’s in the Little Things

I have always been obsessed  with tiny houses and fascinated by the people that choose to live there as a permanent residence.  (Note: A tiny house is a house under 400 square feet, while a small house is a house under 1000 square feet.) The most well-known name linked to tiny houses is probably Jay Shafer who began living in an 89 square foot home (take a brief tour of his tiny home here) and founded Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in 1999.  In 2012, he left his first company for new adventures founding Four Lights Tiny House Company.  (Go ahead click on the links. Check out the tiny houses. Do you think you could live in one?)

There are usually one of two reactions to tiny homes:

Reaction 1: How could anyone ever live in a space so small? Where would I put all my shoes?

Reaction 2:  Wow! Awesome! I would love to live in a tiny home. Life would be gloriously simple!

What initial reaction do you have?

I imagine the reality of living in a small space falls somewhere between these two extremes. There are some obvious advantages to tiny house living that come to mind. First, cleaning would not take nearly as much time. Additionally, the stress that comes with owning lots of useless crap would probably be reduced. Your choices of items like shirts and coffee mugs would be simplified, and these self-imposed limitations would save you noticeable time cumulatively. Most significantly though, tiny house living probably has incentives both economically and environmentally. Just consider the cost of heating a regular 2,000 square foot home and the associated environmental consequences of that energy use compared to that of a 100 square foot tiny house (not to mention the reduction in the amount of materials used to build the home). Furthermore, some tiny homes are designed to function completely off the grid, which would definitely bring reducing energy and water use to the forefront of considerations.

Now for the obvious disadvantages. First, you just can’t own tons of stuff. You probably will not opt for a large jacuzzi tub in your bathroom in a tiny house. (However, some have chosen to include an outdoor hot tub.) You’ll need to make efficient use of all space, therefore some items are just unnecessary  or impossible, like treadmills, large lazy-boy recliners, and big screen televisions. You will not be able to have a basement as a large space for storage (or a freezer full of food). In fact, meal planning might have to become much more purposeful. (But is this really a downside?) Also, while I am just over five feet and small spaces do not frighten me, I can imagine someone over six feet with any form of claustrophobia might be intimidated by this limited living arrangement.  And not to be overlooked, depending on where you live, you may run into some zoning issues, if you’re living in a really-tiny, tiny house. (For more merits of tiny house living check out this blog!)

While I’ve fantasized about these tiny houses for years, I have never actually lived in one. Why? Hmmm. Well, first I have two dogs, and I’m not sure how they would adapt to the space. I have not identified the perfect space to put one, and I also love having a garage that I can drive into during the Wisconsin winters.  So yes, there are a few aspects that are preventing me from diving into the growing revolution of tiny houses. 

But here’s why tiny houses interest me. Like many changes in society they began small (that’s obvious!), but have started to take off over the past two decades. Many people are now choosing to live in less space, and not just those seeking solitude off the grid with a grand view.  Others desiring to live with many advantages opt for luxury micro-apartments, like New York City’s Carmel Place  where their own personalized space is creatively designed and furnished and includes several amenities like a concierge service, housekeeping, and access to social areas and workout facilities. There are even tiny house hotels popping up for those who would like to test drive a model while on vacation.

Because I love the creativity and concept of tiny house living, and I teach environmental science, this is an interest I bring into the classroom. Now I know it isn’t the best practice to force your personal interests on your students, but I think students do appreciate it when you are passionate about something.  During this time of the school year when my students are losing momentum and many are taking several advanced placement tests while simultaneously counting down the days to graduation, my environmental science students design their own tiny house or micro-apartment. This project is usually a hit for many reasons.

  • Creative Outlet- First, the students enjoy the creative outlet that the project offers. They really dive into every detail of the space. Artistic students thrive, while those that are less artistically inclined can create some amazing designs using an online floor plan design program, like Floorplanner.com.
  • Clear Vision/Purpose-The students also seem driven by their vision and not by the grade they are aiming for. Some students desire to build these someday. This is important, because there have been many times where I have my teacher vision that is crystal clear, but this of course is not translated to the vision of my students.
  • Flexibility and Freedom– Students are able to shape and mold the project as they see fit. They are given a simple checklist, but this is not set in stone. In fact, if they feel it is in opposition to their tiny house vision, they are able to ignore or modify that item.
  • Multiple Points of Connection- This project is clearly connected to sustainability and renewable energy, but it can also be connected with economics and math if students calculate the cost to heat the space for the year or the cost per square foot. Those that lean towards interior design are able to examine materials for their environmental impact while assessing their aesthetic look. Others enjoy spending time designing the exterior features and the outdoor space, considering exactly where their tiny home should be placed for maximum enjoyment. There are probably several more connections that could be mentioned if the students were to actually build a tiny house. (The possibilities are endless!)

The tiny house movement,  is very much like the movement of innovation in the classroom. Many teachers are slightly reluctant to make the switch and take a risk but the idea of possible improvement appeals to them. Just like the tiny house movement, one does not need to begin building tomorrow, but may instead decide to spend a couple of nights at a tiny house hotel before devoting more time and energy towards the endeavor. Like tiny houses, innovation is education is a broad concept, and there are many directions one could go. It does not need to be extravagant or complicated. You don’t have to invest in a luxury micro-apartment, you can start simple and make improvements and modifications along the way.  Also, innovations and risks are never set in stone, just like living in a tiny house on wheels you can always change your course for a different view that might be more suited for students. Ultimately though both movements take you closer to a clear purpose in life that provides contentment and fulfillment.

My students are not the only ones thinking about the approaching summer. (In fact, there are 24 days of school left.) Summer is a necessary time for educators to not only to relax and recharge but also reflect on the previous year. We often use this time to find inspiration to make impactful changes. Hopefully, you like me might be inspired to stay at a tiny house hotel, and no matter where your summer takes you the mental image of the tiny house can help you remember:

It’s the little things that make life big.