Social emotional learning: That’s My New Philosophy!

I believe that a teacher should be someone that a student can trust. The students should be safe around the teacher. If a student genuinely likes a teacher, they will want to do well in their class. I know I would be eager to write a great paper for my favorite British Literature teacher in high school. However, I know that teachers must be able to lay down the law, and deal with disciplinary actions. I attended multiple behavior meetings, and I even filled out STEP and referral forms for students that I love. When a student makes a mistake, I gently ask why they made that mistake. And together, we come up with a solution. If a student knows that there is a history with combative conversations with a teacher, that student is going to develop a defensive wall with that teacher in all interactions. When I started my placement, I had a problem with a student and respect. We would butt heads for around 3 weeks. Dana pulled me aside and gave me the advice of trying to rebuild my relationship with the child. The next two weeks I put extra effort into rebuilding that relationship with the student, I made sure to say hi to the student in the hallway, complimented outfits or shoes they were wearing. I found out their favorite author and engaged in conversation with the student about the series. Within a month of this extra effort, the student was actively participating in class. Now, that student is one of the best volunteers in class and contributes to class discussion with their deep analytical thinking. When I have a future classroom, I will always think back to Dana and her fabulous advice to rebuild relationships with students.  

Relationships with parents:

I had the wonderful opportunity to lead Parent Teacher Conferences. It became abundantly clear to the parents that I cared and knew about their child. I had a personal interaction or story for every child and shared it with the adults of the student. Some parents came in and knew exactly who I was, “Oh. You MUST be Miss Morton. I have seen you rap about run-on sentences!!” If any parents emailed me (this did not happen very often in Middle School, but in 5th Grade it was common) I responded within 24 hours. I worked with principals and administration to respond to behavior emails, and I consulted with the 6th Grade Team as well. We all sat in on the behavior meeting I mentioned previously. During this meeting, I happened to know the mother of the student we were talking about. She saw me and knew that I was on the same side of her- rooting for the success of her child.

Let me dance for you:

I began a GAP after-school club called, “Dance Appreciation Club”.  I ran the club after school Thursdays from 2:45-4, and the club ran from February to May. During this club, I spoke about the history of the dance style that we were going to learn that day. I brought up videos of the greatest dancers of all time, and I told the students fun facts about the dancers or the choreographers we were watching. I have a wealth of dance history and culture information, as that was my focus in college. Then, at 3:00, we would begin our dance class. I would guide the dancers through a warm-up specific to the style of dance. After the warm-up, we would learn a dance in that style. This gave the students an appreciation for different dance, such as ballet, jazz, musical theatre, tap, and Bollywood. I firmly believe that dance should be accessible to all students, and that one is never too old to learn the absolute joy and beauty that dance can gift the world.

“We’re All In This Together!”

In February of 2023, I was hired on as the vocal director for Lake Orion High School’s, “High School Musical”. Within a few weeks, I was promoted to the Executive Creative Director, and I was fully in charge of the musical. I had never directed a show before, but I had seen so many great directors work before, that their wisdom and advice has stuck with me. I made sure to create a friendly and safe environment for everyone involved, but I still gave the students a New York approach to everything. From rehearsal etiquette, to direction, notes, and overall atmosphere, LOHS Thespian Troupe was certainly whipped into shape. Theatre students are wonderfully unique, and I made sure to celebrate every actor’s individuality during the process. As we are in times of Covid, I cast understudies (freshmen and sophomores that are future leaders) for the main five characters. I worked to make the Feeder Show a hit with the schools, and I am currently creating lesson plans for the elementary and middle school teachers to share with their students prior to arriving to the theatre. These are students who probably have never gone to a show before (and some of their first field trips!) My lesson plans will include videos introducing the cast to the audience, theatre etiquette, and what goes into making a show! The middle schoolers will have more in depth lesson plans, including plot points, character analysis, and these lessons will tie in with the previous 6th Grade unit on Character Essays. After the Feeder Show, there will be a talk-back (orchestrated by me) in which the students can ask questions to the cast and crew I selected to be a part of the talk-back. I hope this will help pique the interest of young Thespians-to-be (or not to be) and help to grow this small yet mighty program at Lake Orion High School.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

My biggest contribution to the school was my Social Emotional Learning bulletin board in the 6th Grade Hallway, celebrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion books and authors. I printed out book covers of the DEI books with different stories that I learned about at Professional Development Day. The books included LGBTQIA+, Body Positivity, BIPOC Representation, Different Abilities, Native American, Mythology from India and Greece, Science-Fiction, and Inspirational Stories. Then I asked for favorite books of the 6th Grade team teachers. These book covers had a gold star with the teacher’s name on it. I generated QR codes to scan on the board that lead to book trailers or author interviews. Then, I created a folder with blank review sheets, and a folder for students to turn in their reviews. (Interactive).  When they finished reading a book, they can submit a review / recommendation for their book. Their names were then entered into a drawing to win their favorite candy or snack. If they entered the contest, they received fun size skittles or something that is safe for allergens. I collaborated with the librarian (Mrs. Lowe) to pull the books and create a display in the library for the students. This made the contest fully accessible to all of the students in the building. I drew names once a month. Below are my winners from March. I hung up the reviews on the board to pique the interest of other students. The QR codes were scanned around 50 times total for each book, and every book was checked out at least twice from the library. All in all, I received over 20 reviews from students. This project raised the SEL in my students, as they were exposed to different stories than they were used to reading or hearing about.