Final Project Links

 Christine McKenna

Curr 501

Final Project Links 

Summer 2024

Final Project Narrative

Final Project - LOOM

Final Project Presentation Slides

Final Narrative - Teach Like a Ninja and Don't Ever Look Back!

Christine McKenna

Curr 501

Final Narrative

Summer 2024

Teach like a Ninja” and Don’t Ever Look Back!

      My story began by accident. That’s right! I was in an accident. The BEST accident according to my

parents. I was followed by two other accidents that I fondly call my brothers. The doctor told my dad that

I was a boy; the firstborn son he always wanted. NOPE! April Fools! That’s right, my birthday is on

April Fool’s Day. That birthday meant that I was going to have to live with a lot of pranks and

practical jokes. The upside of so many pranks is that I love to laugh (usually at myself) and I have thick

skin (not much bothers me). These are two of the qualities that I need to be a teacher. At the time,

of course, I didn’t know how much I would need those qualities in all aspects of my life. 

      Growing up I played with Barbie dolls, sports, and school with my stuffed animals. I was always

the teacher of course! My dad was a workaholic not because he wanted to be one. So my mom took us

everywhere. My dad was always there to read a bedtime story. My mom was always there to make sure

we experienced everything including sports. She introduced me to sports and the game of softball. 

     I didn’t always love school. I often felt terrible about it because I wasn't the smartest or the best at

school. By the time I got to high school, math was the enemy but sports was My Why.It was why I went to school and maybe a little bit of fear of my parents. I went to school for sports, not

math after all. When I finished high school, the only option I had was college if I wanted to continue to

play softball. So, off I went to play the game I loved in college. Little did I know that a little bit of learning

was about to take place and even a little bit of math. 

     Softball taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, motivation, determination, and how to be a

team player but more importantly it was to find something I loved to do and do it. So, I decided to coach Little League softball. That was easier said than done. Little did I know that this was the start of my teaching career.

My first love, softball, reintroduced me to my second love, teaching (without the stuffed

animals of course!). I decided to become a teacher. I lived by the motto my softball coach once said to

me;  “If you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life.” And so I did!

      After graduation, I went on to teach kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and then fifth grade.

Ugh, 5th grade! I had to teach math - real math. It was horrible. Thankfully just like Michael Welsch

said, “When you fall you just keep getting up and trying again”. That year was hard! I fell a lot, but I

eventually learned how to run. 

     Just a few years into teaching I had my first child; ironically I had a boy. That moment changed

everything for me. The teacher in me now saw education and teaching through a different lens, the eyes

of a parent. My why had shifted. I wanted to be that teacher that I wanted my children to have in school.

I wanted to create a community of learners: a classroom family. Just like Rita Pearsonsaid, “ Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the

power of connection and insists that they become the best they can be”. I wanted to teach like Rita Pearson. 

      My class today is a place I love - my second home. I want students to feel that way too.

I teach at Woonsocket High School / Woonsocket Area Career & Technical School. I teach Child Studies

(CTE program) in grades 9 - 12. I also run a full-time preschool as part of my classroom.

My high school students learn how to be champions there. 

      My classroom climate was great! I felt like my world was good and everything was in the right place.

Then COVID hit and nothing I did or said motivated my students or even myself sometimes. I had to

reinvent the environment. I learned a lot about technology and how to hold Zoom meetings in my pj’s. The best part was that I met a lot of parents on Zoom in their pj’s too. It was a

bonding experience. 

      The hard part about returning to school was making those connections, creating relationships in

person, and creating a safe place so my students would want to come to school. My softball mentality

kicked into high gear! I was their coach and their cheerleader (minus the uniform). And they hit home runs!

      My Why…..Relationships matter! I wanted to create an environment where students feel safe and

cared for and have a reason to come to school. It didn't matter to me what the reason was even if it was

for the food I passed out, a shoulder to cry on, or a safe place that wasn't the shelter they got to move to

last night. They came to my class and school and that was all that mattered. The connection was there

and you know what? Those connections and relationships turned into student engagement and learning.

      

   My change project started at my why. I believe in creating and building connections to create a safe,

fun learning space for all students. I need to start in my class - a remodel. I felt as if I had a successful

climate in the room but there is always room for improvement.  I was up for the change and the challenge.

Next, I wanted to extend this out to the parents/ families. So many of our parents don't consider school

safe or fun as they may have had the best example at school. I found that sharing my own experiences

and creating open lines of communication is the first step. It’s good to know that you are not alone. 

     How will I accomplish this? Baby steps! I would like to start with an open house for parents and

students to meet me and sign up for tech tools like blogging and Remind. I plan to blog with my students

in class this year. I would like to eventually add a parent blog weekly. I will send out email messages

every week. Weekly check-ins are a wonderful way to keep the lines of communication open. I would

like to start the daily check-in class when the time seems ready to do it. I realize this is a long list of

items. Again- Baby Steps! I wouldn't mind investigating the Parent Squared app for parent communication

and the translations. It might be worth the money!

     Prensky would call me a digital immigrant. Noon would say I am a digital traditionalist with hints of

digital constructivist (room for improvement). Michael Welsch would say that learning never ends and

when you fall you just keep getting up. I am still learning all the while laughing at myself. My students

laugh too; sometimes at me but they always say “Miss, I got you!”. 

      Teach like a ninja” (Jen Cook). This saying resonated with me. I think I have always done this

but wasn't aware of it. But now that I am, I intend to be the best version of myself every day. 

        

   Moo In -  Christine McKenna
      Pronouns - She / Her 
             How do you feel? I feel GREAT!
                      Question - My Why? Michael, MacKenzie & Marc

   MOO OUT!

References 
Michael Welsch
Rita Pierson
Prensky
Scott Noon
Jen Cook - “Teach Like a Ninja!”