{"id":102,"date":"2019-10-21T01:30:43","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T01:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/?p=102"},"modified":"2019-10-21T02:02:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T02:02:10","slug":"started-at-43-now-i-am-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/2019\/10\/21\/started-at-43-now-i-am-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Started at 43, now I am here."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today\u2019s a big day\u2026not only did one of my favourite couples on my race team get engaged, but some major running events happened today. Some friends had some killer PBs (personal bests), some awesome podium performances and overall, my phone was buzzing with updates from Toronto while I was in Quebec (and I also got updates on how my friends in Quebec were doing despite being there). I ran today, don\u2019t worry, but I only ran 22.5km of the marathon that was supposed to be my goal race. Again, worry not, 22.5km was my plan for today once I re-adjusted my goals for the season. We\u2019ll find out if I hit my run goal for 2019 on Nov. 3. For now, let\u2019s celebrate everyone else who had a great day!\u00a0 One of my teammates broke the 3 hour marathon barrier and she placed third, another friend ran his first marathon ever, two other friends broke the 3:10 marathon barrier, another friend debuted the half marathon with a time of 1:06! I can go on and on but special thanks goes to my partner who played Uber driver for all us today! GO TEAM!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/render.bitstrips.com\/v2\/cpanel\/2ebf281b-e198-4288-bbc5-bd3363fd3f41-c1f1fb78-f4ab-4239-8299-72e629d924f4-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1\" alt=\"traffic jam\" width=\"305\" height=\"305\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/render.bitstrips.com\/v2\/cpanel\/cbf9822c-a452-4339-9fa3-ee98f23b8904-c1f1fb78-f4ab-4239-8299-72e629d924f4-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1\" alt=\"Bitmoji Image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Even so, today\u2019s also pretty big <em>emotional <\/em>day because with all the races and running buzz happening, I can\u2019t help but take a moment to think back on yet another reason why running has shaped my practice. At this point, I probably should have posted about my homework from our last F2F but I SWEAR\u2026it\u2019s coming. We are just running some design labs in science right now and the homework didn\u2019t match the flow\u2013it\u2019s coming, later this week. I promise!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_103\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/DSC01934.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-103\" class=\"wp-image-103 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/DSC01934-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/DSC01934-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/DSC01934-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/DSC01934-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/DSC01934-676x507.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-103\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pic or it didn\u2019t happen!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A big thing I talk about in my classroom is the idea of\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>progression.<\/strong><\/span> I think as teachers we all believe in it and talk about it with our students as much as we see fit. When I talk to my students about progression, I think back to my running moments. I wasn\u2019t good at running when I started. My first 5km took me 43 minutes and I thought I was a super speedster. I remember my first half marathon, my goal was to run the entire time without walking (I survived to tell the tale, see left). Let\u2019s just say the time it took me to run my first half marathon is the time it takes me now to run 30km (with hills). That\u2019s cool, eh? <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Progression<\/strong><\/span><\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s a pretty cool thing. It\u2019s one of my favourite things to talk about in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>I remember the first time I looked up the Boston qualifying times. At that point, I was probably running 12 or 13km tops at a solid pace of 7 minutes per kilometer. To qualify for Boston in my gender and age category, I am looking to run just under 5:00 mins per km for the entire marathon. I remember reading the times and my jaw dropping. The idea of actually qualifying for Boston seemed so foreign and impossible for me. Not only would I have to run 30km more than my maximum but to shave over 2 mins per km?! Are you kidding me?? That\u2019s impossible!! \u201c<em>I suck at running.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>is what I told myself. Four years later, I\u2019ve done Boston.\u00a0<em>Twice.<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-107 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1962\" height=\"746\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston.png 1962w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston-768x292.png 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston-1024x389.png 1024w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/boston-676x257.png 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1962px) 100vw, 1962px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p>I promise I have an education point and this isn\u2019t just about running. I teach the Ontario academic grade 10 science class. We have two streams: pre-IB and Ontario academic science. The start of the year always begins with my students saying: <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/render.bitstrips.com\/v2\/cpanel\/347c61fa-c3da-41ba-879e-5ed7a717685c-c1f1fb78-f4ab-4239-8299-72e629d924f4-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1\" alt=\"Bitmoji Image\" width=\"218\" height=\"218\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cI am in this class because I suck at science\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI am just bad at science, don\u2019t expect much\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI am aiming for my credit\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I don\u2019t get mad or annoyed often, but those comments are the one thing that annoys me in the classroom. My students now know we ban certain words such as \u201csuck\u201d, \u201cfail\u201d, \u201cbad at\u201d because what does it really mean? What does it mean to be \u201cbad at science\u201d anyway? When did we allow out students to develop these preconceptions about a subject?! Okay, maybe it is the mark thing and how students think their abilities are the same as their mark. Science is SO MUCH MORE than labs, tests, academics and studying. Science is so much more than \u201cmemory work\u201d and \u201cknowing all the concepts\u201d. Science is about curiousity, asking questions and developing problem-solving skills. Science is approaching challenge not in fear but with an attitude of discovery. SO WHAT IF YOU\u2019RE WRONG?! That\u2019s life. As if any of us went through life making all the right choices (and if you did, well, kudos to you). More importantly, to my fellow teachers out there: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong>how might we measure progression in a way that is meaningful for students?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_108\" style=\"width: 505px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/18424239_1348679931888856_2212661319223324814_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-108\" class=\"wp-image-108 \" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/18424239_1348679931888856_2212661319223324814_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"495\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/18424239_1348679931888856_2212661319223324814_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/18424239_1348679931888856_2212661319223324814_n-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/18424239_1348679931888856_2212661319223324814_n-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/18424239_1348679931888856_2212661319223324814_n-676x449.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-108\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is how I science<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I tell the students about how I did not do well in science at school; I fell in love with science from doing shows, demonstrations and learning about science communication. I tell them how learning how to run taught me how to be curious, ask questions and challenge myself. Then, without a doubt, I always get the same answer: \u201cBut Ms. Lu\u2013you don\u2019t get it. You\u2019re good at running. You don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to be bad at something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/render.bitstrips.com\/v2\/cpanel\/36773bf9-de58-44bf-9a2c-8ef3df056e76-c1f1fb78-f4ab-4239-8299-72e629d924f4-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1\" alt=\"Bitmoji Image\" width=\"166\" height=\"166\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We all start somewhere. I tell them about my first 5km and how it took me a solid 43 minutes. My students always look at me like I am crazy. \u201cThere is no way it took you 43 minutes, I am faster than you!\u201d That is my favourite because this is when I can divulge in all the fun things about training, learning about my limits and learning how to live <em>just outside<\/em> my comfort zone. I tell them about how science might feel uncomfortable right now, but we\u2019re all working together as a team to push our boundaries <em>just a little<\/em>. Let\u2019s experiment\u2013what can we do when we just push the boundaries a little? If it gets tough, don\u2019t forget you have your teacher, peers and friends to support you in this process! In case there was any doubt, this dance has been done in my classroom by some of my students. Yes, all sections of my grade 10 classes.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"High School musical - We&#039;re all in this together\" width=\"676\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gbrbUfYSt0E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This leads into my goals this year. This year I want to look at student perceptions in science and how we might be able to change the way science is seen. I don\u2019t like hearing the words, \u201cI\u2019m not good at science, I am an arts person.\u201d Well, guess what, the two have more in common than we often given them credit. More to be discussed when I talk about the interdisciplinary project I am planning for grade 10 science this year! I am not here to push students to a scientific career\u2013I am happy to support students in whatever path they choose but I don\u2019t want them to give up on something without seeing it from a variety of perspectives. I wasn\u2019t always good at science and I wasn\u2019t always a good runner. I learned science because I enjoyed doing demonstrations and doing science shows\u2013I hated science in school. I was terrible in the classroom but I was great at putting on an awesome show. <em>Funfact:\u00a0<\/em>I am a professional bubble blower. Using my two fingers, I can blow a bubble as tall as a five year old.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_109\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/72842470_700924693762808_5509416453389942784_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-109\" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/72842470_700924693762808_5509416453389942784_n-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/72842470_700924693762808_5509416453389942784_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/72842470_700924693762808_5509416453389942784_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/72842470_700924693762808_5509416453389942784_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/72842470_700924693762808_5509416453389942784_n-676x451.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-109\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">May the wind by in my favour<\/p><\/div>\n<p>To me, science is a curiousity adventure\u2013if that is not their thing, that\u2019s great\u2026but if we dislike science for superficial reasons like, \u201cit\u2019s hard\u201d, \u201ctoo many labs\u201d, \u201ctests\u201d, \u201cit\u2019s an academic subject\u201d, then my students are in for a hard reality check. I think science is about finding a comfort zone and challenging it. It\u2019s no different than what running has taught me. Everyone walks into my science classroom with a variety of limits, comfort zones and potential. It\u2019s not about who scores the highest on the test, it\u2019s about who is willing to push their comfort zone the most to grow and learn the most. One of the most re-assuring moments I had is when a parent saw me in September and told me, \u201cStudent A is SO EXCITED to be in your class again. He spent the week before the timetables were out chanting that he HAD to be in your class. He said that you hold him to a standard that is realistic but gives him a good butt kicking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/render.bitstrips.com\/v2\/cpanel\/29dbedd6-b9b0-4dbe-a7e3-83bed1b44502-c1f1fb78-f4ab-4239-8299-72e629d924f4-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1\" alt=\"Bitmoji Image\" width=\"248\" height=\"250\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As a young teacher still figuring out what I am doing in the classroom, that was one of the most reassuring compliments I have ever received. Being told I was \u201cout of this world awesome\u201d helped too but what touched me was that the student trusted me to understand his potential; yet, he felt comfortable to let me push him out of his comfort zone. It\u2019s helpful having students like this already in your class to help develop the culture. I feel as we have now spent about 2 months together, this culture of \u201cpushing our boundaries\u201d is really starting to develop. Granted, not every student buys into it and puts forth the same effort he did, but every student is contributing to this overall classroom dynamic. I am extremely appreciative of this dynamic that has developed in my classroom. I think it\u2019s engaging and a safe space for me to ask my Cohort 21 survey questions (and receive honesty) but that the same feeling is reciprocated. I feel comfortable knowing my students know I just want them to be the best versions of themselves\u2013whatever that looks like.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_110\" style=\"width: 822px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-110\" class=\"wp-image-110 \" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"812\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal.png 2093w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal-300x132.png 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal-768x339.png 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal-1024x452.png 1024w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/files\/2019\/10\/spirit-animal-676x298.png 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-110\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">What\u2019s your spirit animal?<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Friday Fun Feature Quotes: <\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201c<\/em>Ms. Lu, you\u2019re like a guardian angel\u2013just looking out for all of use and making the right decisions\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYo Ms. Lu, you know, you actually care about people more than the average\u2013that\u2019s pretty dope\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today\u2019s a big day\u2026not only did one of my favourite couples on my race team get engaged, but some major running events happened today. Some friends had some killer PBs (personal bests), some awesome podium performances and overall, my phone was buzzing with updates from Toronto while I was in Quebec (and I also got [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-action-plan","category-classroom-reflections","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions\/112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/maylu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}