I was excited to be a guest blogger on the LiNC blog, yet I could not find a place to comment/post. I wanted to share Answer Garden. Answer garden is a great online tool for brainstorming. It can also be embedded to a website or blog to be used as a poll or guestbook. Once you've accessed the site, you simply click "Create an Answer Garden." Then, you enter a topic or question. By adding your email address, you can access the garden later to view or make changes. When you continue, a simple box pops up where can start submitting answers. The answers then appear in the blank white space creating a sort of word cloud.

I have used Answer Garden in my third grade classroom. At the beginning of the year, I used it as a brainstorming activity where students generated ideas about how they'd like our classroom to be. With my Epson Projector, students could watch as I entered each response as opposed to writing their ideas on the board or on chart paper. I also used Answer Garden at the beginning of a science unit on plants where I submitted student responses regarding their background knowledge about plants. I wanted to see what my students already knew, so we created an Answer Garden. I have not yet embedded this tool to a website or blog, but I think it would be a great way to communicate with parents and/or get others ideas. In older grades, getting on the Answer Garden and submitting a thought about a reading or a quick response could even be a homework assignment. I think the possibilities are endless. Hope you enjoy!

Believe. Dalton Sherman's keynote speech was enjoyable to watch. His message made me think about the powers and responsibilities I hold as a teacher. Just as Dalton stated, sometimes the teacher is the only adult role model in a child's life, and perhaps the only person who truly believes in the young student. I have seen this, and I have been this. When he said, "You're the ones who feed us, who wipe our tears, who hold our hands..." I thought about the many roles I serve as a teacher. I am never just a teacher. I am always acting as a counselor supporting students in their social/emotional growth, I am a doctor applying first aid cream and bandaids, I am a referee on the playground outside at recess, and I fulfill many more roles each and every day.

When he said, "Do you believe in yourself?" I thought about the many times I have doubted myself. As a new, young teacher, there are constantly lessons that I feel could've been improved or presented differently or more clearly. However, the positive note of each doubt is the professional reflection that I've grown to become quite good at. In essence, I do believe in myself as a professional educator. I believe that I can reach students, and that what I'm doing is not shaping just my current students generation, but future generations as well.

The comment by Dalton, "There's probably easier ways to make a living," made me laugh. While there are moments when this thought clouds my mind, I remember the words Dalton followed up with indicating that teachers hold the "most important job in the city today." On any rotten day, the faces of my students, their successes and joys are motivation. I believe in them, and I want to be there to support them and guide them to reach their highest potential.

The speech made me think more about how I might show each of my students that I believe in them, and how I would want them to say, "I know my teacher believes in me," if they were ever prompted or asked. Last year, as part of professional development, each teacher was asked to write a letter to a student who could use some encouragement. This letter would let the student know that as his/her teacher, you believe in him/her. I think there is a student or two, that might enjoy a letter from me like this this year. Perhaps there is another gesture, or a simple "I believe in you" that might brighten a students day. 

I believe that Dalton Sherman can stand up there fearless. He can "do anything, be anything, create anything, dream anything, and become anything." For so many students, the sky is not even the limit, if we all believe.

After reading "How to Make Better Teachers," an article by Dean Shareski, I am very excited about beginning to blog!