First Time!

Hi everyone!  I've created a blog.  I've never blogged before so it's my first time.  I'll introduce myself.  My name is Helen and I'm the math specialist for an elementary school in Magnolia, Texas.  I've been in education for 21 years.  Yikes-that makes me sound old!  I'm working on a degree in administration.  I'm a huge Steelers fan, originally from the great city of Pittsburgh.  Ok, going to check out how this looks.  Hey, it worked!  Now I can post my assignment.

 I'm writing this blog as part of my action research.  Action research is slightly different from traditional research in that it involves the people of the institution- the insiders, not the outsiders.  It is also a cyclical process, not a linear one.  In action research or inquiry, as it's sometimes called, we will be posing a question or wondering, collecting data, making a change, evaluating the change and repeating the process.  So we are continuing to reflect on our work.  Is the new program or process efficient?  Is it in the best interest of our students?  I was thinking of using my action research to help me with a project in my internship plan.  One of my projects is implementing new discipline techniques learned from the Love & Logic institute.  I am collecting data, such as our discipline reports from last year and developing a plan with my principal and another colleague.  I will probably survey teachers more formally about their concerns with our current discipline issues.  As the math specialist, I meet with all grade levels a regular basis.  Throughout the year a common complaint was the discipline, or lack of, in our school.  This prompted me to read about different programs and techniques to help with classroom management.  I attended a Love & Logic workshop and was very interested in the authors' techniques to deal with students who are disruptive and disrespectful.  I can see this blog as a way to get more ideas from other educators around the country.  Has anyone used Love & Logic and found it successful?  What other programs or techniques does your school use to help manage those difficult students? 

I think educational leaders would use blogs in the same way I described above.  They could pose a question to other leaders and gain some insight or knowledge from people around the country.  They could also share a successful program or technique their school uses. 

I'm looking forward to learning and blogging with the rest of you!  Don't be a Bump on a Blog-follow me!