Saving Your Teacher Sanity with Exit Directions
Have you ever given your students directions and released them to work, only to have multiple kids ask you what they’re supposed to be doing? 😅
I think it’s probably happened to all of us and it can be a real frustration in the classroom as a teacher. To prevent this from happening on an ongoing basis, you can implement exit directions.
Exit directions bring true purpose and clarity in the classroom and quite honestly give you your sanity back!
Picture this: you’ve just delivered directions for what your students should work on next and you’re ready to exit the teaching stage. You project a slide on your board that everyone can clearly see and read.
Your students have little to no questions and are ready to get to work. The rest of class time is filled with students doing exactly what was expected of them and you end class feeling confident in yourself as a teacher!
That’s a picture you want to see, right?!
You can achieve that ⤴️ when you implement exit directions, friend!
What they are not: step-by-step written directions for the assignment - that’s what you give during your teaching time.
What they are: what they should be doing during and after they complete the assignment
For example, exit directions could be something like:
Get into groups of 4
Complete notebook assignment
When completed, get stamp
When done, [insert options they can do]
In order to do this well, we encourage you to couple your exit directions with images or emojis so that it captures your students' attention in a new way and so that it trains them that when they see the image, it sparks something in their brain and they know exactly what to do.
Implementing exit directions allows students to really lead themselves with a little guidance from you so that you aren’t the one having to do all of the heavy lifting throughout the entire day.
Try out Exit Directions in your classroom today to provide clarity, direction and purpose to your students while saving your sanity!
If you are hoping to hear more about Exit Directions, head over to the Green & Growing Education Podcast Episode 128 for our Educational Director to give you more tips and tricks.
Time to tweak your fundraising messaging
Fundraising gets a bad rap for being pushy and surface level.
We tend to associate fundraising in the AgEd world as meat sticks, wreaths and cookie dough.
In reality, it is so much more.
It’s about opportunity, it’s about impact, it’s about legacy!
The funds you raise give students an opportunity which impacts their lives and can eventually lead to a legacy they build for their families, friends and careers.
And that is the VERY reason we should put more intention and care into our fundraisers!
If you are looking for that intention and care. Here are three quick tips for you to tweak your fundraising messaging.
Be a storyteller
You know what sells? Things that people can buy EMOTIONALLY. How much more likely are you to buy the wreath from the kid who told the story about how the wreath is helping their chapter sponsor a local animal shelter versus the kid who just asks for the sale? Teach the students to tell the story of the fund. Remember you aren’t raising money, you are raising opportunities!
Be specific
Confused people don’t buy! When you are SPECIFIC about your fundraiser, it is easier for people to buy. Be specific about WHAT you are selling, WHERE you are selling it, WHEN they can pick up, and WHY you are selling it (remember to be a story teller). Make sure your students know the answers to all of these questions before selling!
Find your people
Not everyone wants a wreath, not everyone wants a geranium, not everyone wants a meat stick, not everyone wants a donut. AND THAT IS OK. Your job is to FIND the people who DO want it and SHOW UP where they are! Selling meat sticks with a newspaper article might not hit the right audience. Selling the plant sale with posters around the school might not hit the right audience. Dive deep into WHO the RIGHT buyer is, and find out where they show up, and sell there!
Set aside some time before you announce your next fundraiser to think through how you can be a storyteller, be specific and find your people.
Get your students to listen, no matter what.
You are sitting in your classroom, the kids have a group work task to do and you hear the most beautiful sound in a teachers world…collaborative collaboration. You look up and see that each and every student is on task and making progress with their team.
That sounds like what you are looking for right?
But, if we are being honest with ourselves…it might sound too much like a dream.
What if I told you there is a way to get your students to listen, no matter what.
And our creative director Laura Crosby has the answer.
Check out this video to find out how you can live the dream.
Mastering the First Day of School
Investigate the teacher
IMG_4380
Inquiry Activities
16 personalities
Career Research Interviews & Presentations
Minute to Win it Games
Minute to Win It Games
Minute to Win it Games
It's that time of year again!
Here are some free & paid resources you can use on the first day/couple days back to EASE back into the school year with NEW students.
#1 Investigate the Teacher via @writeonwithmissg I used this the first day with my students last semester and LOVED IT! It is an easy way for the students to get to know you WITHOUT just going through a Powerpoint because they go around the room and gather inferences about you based on your classroom. Students get to MOVE on the first day & practice research skills! Find it here!
#2 Back to School Escape Room @nouvelle_ela Two years ago I used this to introduce my classroom rules and syllabus. You can purchase the product and it is 100% editable to fit your classroom. Another awesome way to get the kids up and moving and learning things you HAVE TO teach ANYWAY...but making it more engaging (and less hands on for you, after you get it set up!)
#3 Back to School Stations I did this year and LOVED it, I got the idea from @writeonwithmissg (you can purchase her product, I ended up making my own). I made 8 stations for the students to rotate around the room and complete. Some examples were goal making station, Meet with Mrs. Nerswick station, Student information Google Doc, FFA "post it" question poster, etc. You can make whatever stations fit your needs :)With OLD Students
#4 Inquiry Lab I was part of the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Program a few summers ago (if you haven't done it....DO IT). But, one of the things they made us to is IMMEDIATELY get our of our comfort zone into the world of inquiry. If you are teaching a science class that will require students to think like scientists/researchers etc... you might want to start out the class with some uncomfortable growing to get the kids used to what you expect of them! I tend to do the "does bubblegum can/lose weight as you chew?" but there are TONS of other ideas like "are Oreos "really" double stuffed?" You basically give them the question, they DO THE REST! They create the experiment and do it! I give them a ONE SHEET lab report called a VEE Map. This includes ALL the things you need (materials, steps, results, etc) in an easy to follow sheet. I usually do this on the FIRST or SECOND day!
#5 16 Personalities Ever heard of Myers-Briggs testing? I am a leadership NERD (insert hand up emoji here). There is a free test from 16 personalities that I love doing with my students. EVERY TIME students are like "that is TOTALLY me!" the website is very in-depth in many categories like careers, relationships, things that we like, teamwork etc. Students can gain A LOT of insight about themselves. I have given them a quick worksheet to complete and even once had students do a presentation on their findings using this Google Slides prompt. One of the prompts was to find funny pictures/memes that associate with their personality, below is an example.
#6 Career Research/Interviews I LOVE starting the year off with careers. I can hear you sighing and about to skip to the next idea...but stick with me. Instead of taking a test, or a web quest online. I HAVE STUDENT INTERVIEW a REAL PERSON about their ideal career. YES, they have to actually TALK ON A PHONE (or skype/facetime). I basically provide the contacts (you could do this for just one unit, ex. Animal Science-Find a bunch of people you know (via networking, contacts, social media) get their contact information and provide it to a student (or partners/groups). Then the students take the reins, they contact the person (via email) to set up a phone interview. They make the questions, have an interview, ask for follow-up questions/photos for them to make a presentation to class on their findings. This provides students an opportunity to learn about careers BUT also practice professional correspondence.
#7 Resolutions/Goals There are A TON of resources on Teachers Pay Teachers for New Year resolutions and/or goals worksheets/activities.
#8 Letter to Me in 2023 I was thinking I wanted to do something similar to a resolution/goals activity, but wanted to make it a little different. So, I came up with an idea for the students to write a letter to themselves reflecting on the past year. They get a prompt to write three paragraphs, complete the letter, seal it in an envelope and they will get it back at the end of the school year. I will be doing this in some classes next week :) Here it is.
#9 Podcast I LOVE podcasts! Mainly for my own development and inspiration like the School of Sales by GUIDE Culture and Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher. But, there are SO many good ones out there you can use in your classroom. Maybe the kids ALREADY listen to one. Pick one, or leave it open-ended for the kids to pick their own. Listen to the podcast and provide a reflection component (you could use the worksheet in #10).
#10 Retiring Address/Ted Talk Worksheet I am a sucker for a good retiring address or Ted Talk. I love hearing people's unique perspectives on life. You can get a free Ted Talk worksheet here from Laura Randazzo. I also made a similar one for Retiring Addresses (find it free there) as part of my Emergency Sub Plan documents (6 different ONE PAGE worksheets (printable/electronic) that can be used in ANY UNIT in ANY class)!
#11 BONUS--Leadership Initiatives/Team Building Activities Fun activities are the best activities! I love having some fun activities to get the year or semester started! It's also an EASY way to weave in some teamwork and communication skills! I've done a fair few of these--Here is a quick list of examples...Balloon Tower Building, Spaghetti Tower, Minute to Win it Games, Team marker writing/drawing,team cup stacking, and so many more! Phew, now I just need to choose which one to do on my first day back next week!Hope you find something that give you a day to reset and the kids to get engaged!
How to Schedule & Complete SAE Visits
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) are personalized learning. And that means meeting with student individually over a period of time to check in.
Now, way back in 2009 went of my first set of SAE visits. And it looked like…
Visiting a kids home and their show pigs
Visiting a kids home and their show heifer
Visiting a kids home and their show goats
And that continued throughout the year and sprinkling in some county and state fairs.
And I’m going to be honest, I don’t remember visiting a non livestock SAE or even checking in with the students in class.
And that’s embarrassing !
Because I didn’t harness the goodness of SAE for EVERY student in my class.
And we don’t want you to fall into that trap either. So we have compiled a list of resources to help you walk into the 2023-24 school year with a plan to prioritize SAE visits!
BRAND NEW
SAE Starter Pack
Get access to 5 of the BEST Germinate Sessions on SAEs. These sessions can help you manage the whole program of SAE from teaching about it in the classroom, observing SAEs and even mastering Proficency Awards. Grab yours for $29 today!
Podcast #160
SAE Visits with Laura Crosby
Laura our creative director here at G&G has her summer schedule on LOCK with SAE visits. Listen to her podcast on how you can maximize 1-on-1 SAE visits in the summer.
Ag Teacher How Tos Week Training
How to personalize instruction for every student and manage it well
If you missed it we had a BLAST changing the narrative you might have been taught to think about SAEs in June at ATHT week. You can watch the training here (and watch the other 4 free trainings too)!
Blog Post
One way to present SAEs
Looking to spice up the way students present SAEs in your classroom? Check out this blog post and download resources to use in your classroom when you start the school year back up!
Podcast #141
SAE Folders with Jacklyn Bond
If there is one resource that helped me keep an eye on every students SAE consistently (every week!) it was learning about SAE Folders from Jacklyn Bond. Listen to the podcast to see what it’s all about. And if you want her resources to get started her full session and takeaways can be found on the SAE starter pack.
Whatever you decide is the best resource for your students and your classroom, take some action today! The time you take making decisions now will save your brain and time later!