By Brandy Sheneman, IU 9 PIIC Mentor

Prior to becoming a PIIC mentor, I taught secondary life skills for the local Intermediate Unit.  As a life skills teacher, I reflected upon the events and dynamics of my classroom almost daily.  I began keeping a journal because I could not leave the events of the day at school.  I would return to my one room apartment and worry about my students’ home-life, social-life, medical care, school behavior, bus behavior, and job placement.  I decided to record my worries into a journal, so I had a place to put my fears and then close the cover.  Initially, the journal offered me piece of mind and restful sleep.  The more I revisited entries, I began noticing patterns in students’ behaviors, and I was able to share those patterns with my co-teacher and instructional assistants.  After sharing the information, the staff began approaching situations and behaviors differently and more effectively.  Through reflection and learning, our classroom became a peaceful sanctuary for students who only knew chaos.  Our behavior management practices improved; therefore, our lessons and centers were more effective.

By Laura Yaeger, IU 5 PIIC Mentor

As I pause to reflect about my work with coaches, I am humbled by the fact that I work with coaches who seize the literacy message and unflinchingly provide support, modeling, resources and a listening ear to so many teachers, day in and day out. The enthusiasm and dedication that I encounter among the coaches and school leaders I work with continues to inspire me every single day.

By Gen Battisto, Regional Mentor Coordinator

The Partnership for 21st Century Learning identifies skills and practices needed to prepare students for success in a 21st century work environment. Foundational to 21st century learning and innovation skills is the ability to be productive in a collaborative setting and solve problems by integrating information from a broad spectrum of relevant sources and disciplines.  This has given rise to an increased emphasis on interdisciplinary learning.

By Chris Caton, IU 3 PIIC Mentor

You’ve probably heard a sports announcer refer to an athlete as being “in the zone.” Typically, this is when that individual is performing at an extremely high level and he or she will not be deterred by any outside forces. It really refers to having a singular focus. I would occasionally have days like this as a teacher. These were the days when I had an engaging lesson with few outside distractions, and the business of the school as a whole disappeared outside the four walls of my classroom. I loved these days when I was “in the zone.” Nothing existed outside my classroom. The problem with this is that it’s not the truth and it’s not real life. There is a much wider world outside of the four walls of our classrooms, and we as teachers occasionally forget that fact.

By Jessica Jacobs, IU 18 PIIC Mentor

I feel that it is ironic to write about making time for reflection since I seem to struggle with this on a regular basis. Maybe that statement is not entirely true, but I will try to explain.