Kansas State University

Lori Goodson, Editor
Mary Hammel, Technical Editor

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Snow days bring their share of questions and hassles, as students and adults alike are asking: Will school let out early because of the snow? Will we have school tomorrow? And, for you, the teacher, just how do you adjust your amazing lesson plans?

Keep these things in mind as you experience your first snow days:

• Be ready for interruptions. You may have more tardies and absences, since students may not be able to get to school on time. Understand that that is a possibility and know that you’ll probably need to help tardy students get back on track with the rest of the class.
• BE FLEXIBLE! Your daily calendar and lesson plans can fall victim to the weather. Remember that it’s truly no one’s fault (unless you want to blame yourself for not taking that teaching job in Hawaii). The calmer you deal with these changes, the calmer your students will respond, as well.
• Expect your students to be more excited and bubbly–as they wait to hear an early release announcement or as they come back to school after a snow day and want to discuss what they did on their day off. If it’s a real problem, alter your activities to include more desk work, which should keep your students a little calmer.
• Take advantage of the season, if possible. If your students are excited about the snow, try to alter your assignments to make the most of it. For English class, can you work in some winter poetry? Or snow images for art? How can you work in a brief study of weather in one of your classes?
• Have “extra” but meaningful assignments prepared to keep students focused. If they’re bubbling because of the weather, don’t be surprised if they fly through the regular activities and you need to supplement. Down time and snow days aren’t a good combination!
• Take a few minutes to simply enjoy the fun spirit that a new snowfall can create! You have a front-row ticket to possibly the best place there is to experience the world: Your classroom.
• And, finally, if and when you DO get a snow day, enjoy! Cozy up to a hot chocolate, a good book, or some binge-worthy TV time. Don’t let your students have ALL the fun.

Here are some books and other resources some of your former professors offer as ways to inspire you in your new career of teaching:

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies)—

1. First Days of School by Harry Wong and Rosemary Wong
2. Meet Me in the Middle by Rick Wormeli
3. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Ceri B. Dean, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell, Howard Pitler, and BJ Stone

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math)—

1. The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer
2. Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk
3. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Social Studies)—

1. Socrative
2. Padlet
3. Core Teaching Skills by Vontz and Goodson

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—

1. Kittle, P. (2013). Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
2. National Writing Project & Nagin, C. (2006). Because writing matters: Improving student writing in our schools. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass.
3. Graves, D. (2006). A sea of faces: The importance of knowing your students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) —

1. First Days of School by Harry Wong or Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones
2. The Journey from Music Student to Teacher by Michael Raiber and David Teachout
3. Alternative Approaches to Music Education by Ann Clements

Christian Maude, who recently graduated with a secondary education degree in social studies, is training to be a combat aviator for the U.S. Air Force. He and his wife, Paige, live in Enid, OK, where he is stationed at Vance Air Force Base. He is currently a Student Pilot in the 71st STURON, attached to the 33rd Flight Training Squadron (33rd FTS), 71st Flight Training Wing (71 FTW).He is flying the T-6 Texan II until February, then he will be ‘tracked’ into a more advanced trainer, either the T-38 Talon, or the T-1 Jayhawk. He will finish training in August and will be deemed an Air Force qualified Aviator. If he does well enough, he hopes to be able to start his teaching career—as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP) at Vance.

“On the first day of Block I, we were asked what we wanted to use our teaching degree for, the assumption being what kind of school/subject we wanted to teach. I answered this question with, ‘I want to be a flight instructor.’ Of course I was met with many strange looks and maybe a little bit of judgment. I learned that semester that I loved teaching, and I loved teaching my subject (Social Studies), but I still had a dream that I wanted to achieve. Fast forward to now, I am currently actively achieving my dream of being an Air Force Aviator and have a chance to become a flight instructor.

“How does this apply to the College of Ed? I have used my degree in so many ways since starting flight school. The knowledge of how to apply different teaching concepts has helped me to be a better student, and more importantly, to help my classmates. I help my classmates build their syllabus (our training is student led), and I have been able to apply different techniques to help them learn, or to help them teach others. If I get the chance to become an instructor here at Vance, what I learned at KSU will be invaluable. I will have the knowledge to help other students (both U.S. and foreign). Since our training is student directed (every teacher’s dream) I can help them build their training so it is catered to them.”

It’s official! Winter has arrived and will be sticking around for several more weeks! Here are a few suggestions to keep you warm, happy, and teaching through the winter months:

• It’s cold and flu season, so watch out for those germs! Use disinfectants on door knobs, often-used items around the room, and anti-bacterial lotion for your hands. Keep boxes of facial tissues on hand, as students will go through them quickly. (It might be a good time to request a few boxes from parents.)
• Messy weather also brings messy items into your classroom. You’ll have snow and slush tracked in, so be ready for spur-of-the-moment clean ups. Throw a few old towels and a roll of paper towels into your storage closet.
• Cold weather also means more winter coats, hats, mittens, and other gear to keep track of and store through the day, so develop a system that allows easy access for recess or at the end of the day, yet keeps them out of your day during class time. (Need some ideas on that? Check with your hallway neighbor to see what he or she does.)
• Allow extra time for bundling up younger students! Parents and guardians will appreciate that you spent that extra time making sure their children were protected as they head to a school bus or walk home.
• For your own well being, be sure to layer your clothing, since schools often can shift from too cold to too warm on a day-to-day basis. Store an extra sweater or jacket in a closet just in case.
• Allow yourself extra time to get to your school. Sacrificing a few extra minutes of a morning can save you time by helping you avoid a fender-bender…and a visit with the police…and a visit with your insurance agent…well, you get the idea.

Once you get your winter system in place, you can fine-tune it and slush through whatever winter has to offer!

In case you haven’t made the connections yet, two of your new best friends should be a custodian and an office assistant. Rumor has it those individuals can save you a mountain of trouble by helping you figure things out in your new school. With bad weather moving in, all sorts of spring activities that will be bubbling up, and other happenings, they can provide advice to help you manage all of these things.

Rumor has it a custodian once saved a new teacher when she found out that her room was going to be used for a music festival. The custodian not only gave the teacher a heads up about it, but walked to her room and helped her arrange her room to avoid any issues with equipment, etc. Not naming names here, but I truly appreciated it!

Often they’ve been in the building for some time and know the system, so use…and appreciate…those resources.

Need another place to go for support and info? Need a little more purple in your life? Then you need to be a part of #WeAreEdCats! Check out the website at coe.k-state.edu/edcats!

Do you have a question about classroom procedures? Or a suggestion for a topic we should address in Before the Bell? Want to add your name to our mailing list? Or provide a different email for our mailing list? Or, if you’re in your first year of teaching, send us a photo of you at work in your classroom!

Second-year teachers, feel free to jump in and offer suggestions to those who are following your career choice!

We’d love to hear from you, so please email us at lagoodson@k-state.edu.

Go, COE Cats!

Look at the calendar! You’re shifting into second semester and life is good, right? Well, just in case you need a little cheering on–and maybe a smile or two, we’re going to provide the following stories in our next issue:

• Assessments–how you AND your students can succeed!
• Silly first-year teacher mistakes your professors made.
• Ideas for collaboration with other secondary teachers.