Category Archives: Janine Orr

How do you know if you are being a successful teacher?

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Spending this first month of the school year doing distance learning has made it hard for me to evaluate my own teaching. The measurable data I had from class interactions previously, doesn’t exist anymore and this can lead to self doubt as a teacher. This can (and does) lead to taking every comment about our teaching as more valuable.

I recently had a conversation about one of the classes that I teach that I believe is going really well. Very well considering that it is via distance learning. The conversation didn’t include what I believed was happening. I discovered that the virtual world is more isolating and invisible than when someone could come into the class and see learning in action. What is visible to the outside world (those excluding the teacher and students) is a Schoology page. The conversations via zoom have been and gone, the laughs and “now I get it” moments have been left in the virtual realm. Sadly my impression to the outside world is minimal.

This week after hearing voices in my mind questioning whether I am a good teacher, I decided to do something about it. This isn’t new or revolutionary. In fact it’s a requirement as a teacher here at Carondelet. I did class surveys asking what items helped the students learn new concepts and what parts of my class have and haven’t been successful for learning (Schoology included). Simply I went to the source to find out whether my self doubt was accurate.

I know you’re wondering what my students said. Before I tell you I invite you to ask your students too. They see you every week and know all the hard work you’re doing. The responses that I received that were about all their classes expressed an appreciation that every teacher is truly doing his/her best.

So the results came in. Simply I can tell you that my students don’t see my as a non-effective teacher, one that is unclear about what he is teaching, or even as someone who doesn’t care. My most positive response was that they feel that I am approachable. That is huge for me. It has actually been my most positive evaluation from students in regards to helping them (in teaching and assessing) to be successful students. The written comments were positive, especially the ones that were specific to me. My favourite was “I really enjoy how you do distance learning.” Also a shout out to Ms. Orr, Mr. Ward and Mr. Buckles that students gave praise to on their online teaching. Basically my students expressed that they are happy, they are learning, and that what they do in class is valuable.

I finished teaching my last period on Friday and I’m thankful to have positive voices in my mind acknowledging that I am doing a good job in the classroom. I hope you take the time to hear from the students and take those same positive words to heart.

20% Project year 2…just as scary as year 1

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During the spring of 2018 I assigned a 20% project to my Anatomy & Physiology classes.  I had never done anything like this but I was intrigued by many of the articles I read related to Passion Projects, Genius Hours or 20% Time Projects.  So in February 2018 I decided to give it a try  my only guideline for the class was that it should be “health and human body” related – this made sense to me since it was in the context of an Anatomy & Physiology class.

 Every Friday from March – May students were given time to work on their project and in May they had to present something to the class.  These projects are not graded, the only incentive from a school perspective was that if they presented a project they did not have to take the final exam. It is important to emphasize a “school” perspective because through this process students found many reasons to continue but I don’t think most would relate them to school or traditional academics.
No grades?  No guidelines?  Freedom every Friday?  I really wasn’t sure this was going to work and I doubted the process every week from February – May.  Observing the students, many were excited, some were confused or lost and a few seemed not to focus at all.  Again, I thought ” this is going to be a disaster.”
Fast forward to May and 100% of the students completed a project and gave a presentation.  The majority of them blew me out of the water.  One student raised $35,000 for and organization that helps bring clean water to a small village in Africa.  This was after he researched modifications to the current structures being used in hopes to lower the over all cost.  Another student created videos and a guide book for Spanish speakers new to the country and looking to be employed.  She felt that there was some basic common words and phrases that if they could master would increase their chances of employment.  Another student researched the popular concept of “clean eating” and recorded what physical and emotional effects it had on her over the 60 days.  Her presentation was so fascinating you could hear a pin drop and no one wanted to present after her amazing job.  These are just a few examples but truly I could go on.
A new school year, a new group of students.  Should I do the project again?  It might not work the second time around. 
I reviewed the feedback the classes gave me from the year before and overwhelmingly they said it was an amazing experience and THANKED ME (yep, pretty cool).  
One piece of feedback was they wanted more time so this year I introduced the project in January when we returned from Christmas break.  There is a lot that goes into the introduction to get them in the right “mental space” for this project but those details are for another Blog (yikes).  
This time around I did not provide any guidelines on topics but all other parameters were the same.  And off they went…some students knew right away what they wanted to do and others struggled a bit.  After 3 weeks students had to give an “elevator pitch” to the class about their project.  Two reasons for the elevator pitch: first, when you say something out loud it is more likely to happen and second, I encourage them to seek help and connections from those around them.
I had a lot of doubt between January -May.   Not ALL used their time wisely on Fridays – or maybe they did.  Some had to put in several hours outside of school and an occasional Friday was used to catch up on other things.  I can’t control that and letting it go is not always easy but for this experience it IS necessary.
Fast forward and its May, I am really worried that I will be disappointed and the project will be a failure….and then they start presenting.  One student who lost her mom to cancer has created an event with her dad to raise money for an organization that helps fund patients to attend clinical trials.  Another student wanted to design his own shoe. While researching how to do this he realized it was a bigger project and shifted gears to see if he could design older shoes into something someone would want to wear.  He hand painted various used shoes and brought them to show as the final project.  He had fellow students placing orders by the time he was done.  Another student had always wanted to understand Liver transplants and why they were so complicated.   Two students studied diet, exercise and stress as it related to their own health.  One deals with debilitating migraines and the other severe anxiety.  By making some changes, based on research they had done, and charting their experience over 60+ days they made some very powerful discoveries that will be impactful as they move onto college.
Again, I was blown away by the effort and interest the students gave this ungraded project.  In the evaluations they reflected positively on the process and thanked me for giving them the time and reason to pursue something they wanted.
Will I do it again in 2020?  Probably.  I will make some modifications but overall I love the opportunity it gives the students.   It also challenge me to “let go” and see what happens……

Knowing Technologies

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Knowing Technologies Campfire PD session June 13th at Mercy High School



I was able to attend the inaugural professional development campfire put on by one of our partners, Knowing Technologies. I want to shout out the director, a De La Salle alum and past teacher, Jim Puccetti.


I loved that the presenters were other educators from private and charter schools. We have similar experiences and can learn a lot from others. I love hearing what has been successful for other educators regarding technology in and out of the classroom.  My favorite takeaways were:



Having students use the touchcast app.  This app allows students to create and edit videos using a green screen.  I loved examples i saw and how easy it would be to create dynamic and engaging videos in my classes.  There are some great tutorials on youtube to check out!

Another app I look forward to trying next school year is called clips. It is another video app that students can use to create short videos.  What makes clips special is you can add labels, emojis and subtitles. I think it would be a lot of fun for the students to add some ‘flair to their video clips. Their personalities can shine through as well as they can edit clips to include phrases and other information. There is an in depth tutorial video here. ’


*I was lucky enough to attend with Janine Orr and Ashley Mangini too!

Grappling with muscle function through creativity and engineering

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One of the most difficult concepts for students to learn when it comes to muscle function is the Sliding Filament Theory of Contraction. For years I  had students make a model of the theory after giving them the details and providing most of the information at the start of the unit.  Last year, I decided I would force the students to figure the theory out while building their model.  I am honest with students from the start and explain that I am purposefully not giving them  the details and that I want them to struggle a bit to figure it out.  I promise to address misconceptions later in the process so that they can make modifications and adjustments prior to presenting.

Students start by researching the parts of the muscle required to make contraction happen.  I post a few videos on Schoology as a reference but they are invited to use any resource they choose.  The next step is to try and map out the actual steps of the theory and figure out how they will demonstrate the steps in a working model.  When ever I assign a project the fear is will the students stay on task? I haven been very pleased to hear the students talk to each other about the movement of muscles and try and explain it to each other.  I encourage them to use other students as a resource – if they hear someone explaining a part of the process they should ask them to explain and help them understand.  This process helps both sets of students the “teacher” of the material and the “student”.

Last week, the students started the project with a lot of enthusiasm, determined to figure this difficult process out.  On the rubric I provided, I reserved the last 2 points for “WOW factor”  and that brought out the competitive nature for many of these groups who are determined to “wow me” (their words).

This project is creative and allows students to use their artistic talents.  There is also an engineering component because the model has to move and the various pieces have to work together.  In the end each student will present their model to me, walking me through the specific steps of the theory of contraction and explaining their model.  I have them present individually even though they build the model as a pair.  I started this process last year to ensure that BOTH students understand the steps and can both be successful with the material.  It forces both partners to be engaged in the process and also take ownership which I believe increases the level of discussion.

I enjoy the process of letting the students “figure it out”  but I also see the need for concept checks to allow for revision and corrections.  Students in the past have reflected that this project is very challenging but they they learned a lot and won’t forget the sliding filament theory.

Out of the comfort zone….

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Last spring I was approached by Lacy and asked if I would lead the fall Shalom retreat.  In all honesty I thought she was joking.  Me?  Lead a spiritual retreat?  Of course I have a spiritual side but I tend to keep that personal so I was really taken back by this request.  I had to ask, Lacy “why me?”   And  she explained that my work with activities and ability to go with the flow will work at a retreat where things do not always go as planned.   And though that made sense I still needed some time to think about it.

A few weeks went by and I toyed with a the idea a little bit, never really wanting to consider myself as a retreat leader.  When I  reflect on the retreats I have been on I view the leaders with a spiritual connection that I don’t know I have or at least could communicate.  Our campus ministers seem so calm and able to communicate their faith in a way that I was just not sure I could do.  The last thing I wanted to do was let Lacy or the group of juniors down.  I am not one to shy away from a challenge but this felt like something so out of my comfort zone that it just might not be a good idea.

Step out of your comfort zone, take a risk, be courageous…..this is what we want for our students, right?  I preach this all the time and yet when it came my turn to do it I was frozen in indecision.  When I made this connection I walked downstairs into Lacy’s office and said, YES, I will run Shalom and then thought, what did I just do?

Fast forward to October, the planning and organization, while time consuming, was not difficult because it was all laid out for me.  The fires in Napa had just happened and the air quality in the bay area was miserable, but to the Santa Cruz mountains we went.  When we arrived at the retreat center and I was able to breath clean air and smell the scent of pine I knew the next 24 hours were going to be amazing.  Then the busses arrived and 68 energetic, beautiful girls got off the busses and I knew I had made the right decision.

The “structure” of the retreat happened, the small groups ran smoothly, all activities were completed, no one got lost and we stayed relatively on time.  I found that I had to make some small adjustments here and there that fit my personality and thankfully the girls responded.  But more importantly then any schedule or set activity I witnessed girls smiling, taking time to really talk with each other, giving each other a welcome embrace.  There were girls that came up to me during one particular activity and shared with me what they were thinking and feeling.  The shared the spiritual connection they were having with me.
How lucky am?  I  witnessed these girls being open and honest, they let me be part of their experience.  And to think I am almost passed on this opportunity.

So I stepped way out of my comfort zone, I was nervous and doubtful.  Was it perfect, probably not, but it WAS powerful, it was meaningful.  And now when I preach to the girls to take a risk and try something new I can speak from experience and I can honestly share that it was worth the challenge and the nerves to reflect back on this experience an consider it an opportunity for growth.