This Must Be Thursday

Easel Envy

2008-08-21T21:34:00.002-04:00

Someone has the best easel in the whole world. It is the luxury car of easels, complete with magnets to hold big book pages, drawers for books, and little dishes for markers. The best part: the whole thing is magnetic. You heard me, the whole easel - frame and white board - are magnetic. I could make out with the easel right now I love it so much.

I have been a non-classroom teacher for a little over a month. Today, while stroking such a piece of art, I wished I was the main lady in the classroom once again.

Your Thoughts Needed

2008-07-07T11:07:00.003-04:00

Yes I am in class. Yes the instructor is holding a discussion with the rest of the class. Yes I am off task. Almost. I am reading The Atlantic Monthly article about technology: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

I am not finished with the article, but my need to share is greater then my need to understand. My ideas keep whizzing from classroom ramifications to my own reading process to standards.

Duh! Or Am I Missing Something?

2008-06-08T08:29:00.004-04:00

Quotes from fifth grade writing samples:

"It was the best first time camping trip I've ever had."
"He is the best brother I have ever had plus my other brother."
"Some day we'll be better than best friends."

Are these students writing something so deep that I'm not getting them?

7 Days and Counting.

2008-06-07T08:26:00.003-04:00

The sick part of me - the part of me that has a viral rash spreading to her shoulders - cannot wait for the school year to be over. I am afraid that if I spend another month in my petri dish classroom that I will have a double ear infection, pink eye, and whooping cough. I wash my hands. I don't give hugs. I drink plenty of fluids. So how did I end up using about a months worth of sick days? I am still baffled by my weakened immune system, but need to take a nap to process so much thinking.

After my nap, if I took the time to process, I would probably discover something amazing like "But the students need to wash their hands too!" But instead, I will be reading articles, writing papers, grading tests, avoiding bubbling, sulking (re: rash and v-neck dress that will not debut tonight), and writing some more. Maybe, just maybe, the viral rash is less student related and more stress related.

Girly or Not?

2008-06-04T10:19:00.003-04:00

These are the two texts one of my students had available for when she finished her state science test. Who knew the same child would be reading both of them at the same time? And, enjoying them both A LOT!

Testosterone Thursday

2008-05-29T22:40:00.002-04:00

I teach elementary school. I don't expect to spend a lot of time with men during my workday. I don't see that as good or bad, just an observation of the realities.

Today, however, I found just the opposite to be true. By the end of the day I realized four different male teachers had been in my classroom working with students.

A university student who is observing one particular child for a case study as he works towards his teaching license.
A science graduate student who works with our school through an NSF fellowship.
A central office resource teacher.
Our technology specialist.

And the intern who has been working with us all semester was subbing in kindergarten today - his presence would have raised us to five. Astounding.

If you are interested in the perspectives of men in elementary school, check out this fun blog.

Quotes from 5th Graders

2008-05-07T15:55:00.003-04:00

These are from a young man who always makes me smile:

I'm trying to find a loophole in this project.
You really like to inflict pain on children, don't you?
It was highly amusing to watch you both try that. (In response to 2 teachers bowling.)
You mean it's not an invitation, it's an obligation. (I'll be using this one in the future.)

During an explanation from the science graduate student who works with our class:
Student: "You use lots of big words."
Science grad student: "What do you want me to explain more?"
Student: "I don't know, you lost me at hello."

Up for a vacation?

2008-05-07T14:20:00.002-04:00

Quotes from tourist advertisements for volcanoes:

Attractions:

lava lamps
free marshmallows
hot dog roasting
stadium for lava monster wrestling
5 eruptions every 24 hours
we also have a church for funerals

Warnings:

no souvenirs cause that's just wasting money before you die
please say goodbye to loved ones before coming
will be the last sight you'll ever see
might want to write your will before coming

Lights! Lava! Explosions! Rocks and minerals forming everywhere! But, don't make it angry or else! You have to run for your lives!!!

Teacher Hallway Conversation

2008-03-31T11:48:00.003-04:00

First Year Teacher: I'm not sure how to help them see this concept beyond the textbook.

Experienced Teacher: How about in this artwork they have on display in the hallway? The perspective is there and it's their own work.

FYT: Of course. Perfect. Thanks for the random math consultation.

(I love teaching in a school that can have 'random math consultations' happening in the hallway.)

From the Point of View of a 5th Grader

2008-03-26T15:46:00.002-04:00

We spent a lot of today analyzing various artwork, considering the lines, colors, and shapes, thinking about the emotions conveyed in a painting or sculpture. The discussion was wonderful. Until the end...

Looking at this painting, Niagara Falls from the American Side, William James Bennett after John Robert Murray, published 1840, a fifth grader said, "It looks like a picture we could have taken in the 1970s or 1980s."

I had no response.

First of Many

2008-03-25T09:28:00.003-04:00

If the class is about integrating technology and best practices, then why am I told what I will create, how I will create it, and the topic to research?

Grad school makes me crazy.

2008-03-12T15:02:00.005-04:00

His Big Eyes said it all, but I had to make sure.

me: "Big Eyes, how was the Peer Mediation conference?"

BE: "WE HAD SODA!"

me: "Wow! What a treat! How was the conference?"

BE: "WE HAD SODA!!"

A little while later, during independent reading:

another student: "Hey, Big Eyes is back."

BE: "WE HAD SODA!!"

I should insert insightful comment here, but I am too busy thinking about the joys of soda at age 10.

Cleaning House

2008-03-10T08:40:00.004-04:00

Things I accomplished while avoiding grade bubbling:

- Sanitized Bathroom.
- Mopped and Shined kitchen floor.
- Transformed dirty clothes to clean by going through the whole sorting and washing and drying and folding and putting away process.
- Sorted through shoes, dumped all finalists in closet.
- Moved clothes from floor to hanger.

Just WOW

2008-03-05T16:28:00.002-05:00

My run not walk, loud or louder, back talking students won a lunch championship!

I am flabbergasted. And slightly alarmed that there might be a direct connection between their positive behavior and my multi-week sick leave.

Tears & Fears

2008-02-28T21:59:00.004-05:00

A young man in my class came over to me sobbing with tears streaming down his face this afternoon, about fifteen minutes after they started writing.

(This must be read very slowly with many sobs in the middle.) "I can't think of anything to write about."

It should be noted that this assignment did not affect their grade in any way. To prepare for next week's state writing test, the students were given six prompts to choose from to do a practice essay. I said, numerous times, that my goal was for them to write to one prompt so that we could sit down together, just the two of us, to identify strengths and consider what they need to really remember next week. I tried really, really hard not to put any pressure on this.

None of that mattered to this student. I can't imagine what the actual test will do to him.

Science Experiment that Got Out of Hand

2008-02-13T08:09:00.004-05:00

If you had been in our mod (our temporary building) yesterday you would probably have called the office with concerns about smoke and a burning smell. Most teachers on my hall did.

We've been studying states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) and how temperature affects them. The students wrote experiments to prove that increasing temperature will cause matter to go from solid to liquid to gas and decreasing temperature will do the opposite. I pushed my students to think about something else we could experiment with, besides water, to test this. They decided on marshmallows. So we put some water in a pan with a couple of marshmallows and melted them. We were all fascinated. Gradually we watched all of the water boil off. The students were able to figure out that if there was something left in the pan when all the water was gone then we would know that marshmallows don't become gas. So, this is what was left in the pan. We did talk about the fact that we couldn't get it any hotter to see if a hot enough temperature would cause it to become gas. Then we got interested in several other questions about marshmallows and began doing some research on the computer and smartboard. We left the pan on just to see what would happen. All of the sudden students got really excited and pointed over at the pan. It was bubbling up in a gooey mess and there was a lot of smoke. A couple of students ran over to open the windows (it was below freezing outside) and another opened our classroom door. I stood there waving the pan around trying to figure out how I would explain this to my administrators if we set of the smoke alarm and the whole school had to evacuate. We left the pan sitting in the room for the rest of the day (not on any heat, of course) and students kept stopping by to feel it and observe. I'm not sure what all they learned, but I'm sure they were asking questions, making observations, and behaving like scientists. Probably more than any other time this year.

And, it wasn't as bad as the HazMat visit last year.

A serious post, seriously.

2008-02-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

A little bug has been tickling my ear. I think my technologically savvy classroom is missing some much needed curriculum.

My students know how to:
- use a search engine.
- go straight to the source, i.e. go to an art museum site when looking for specific works of art.
- identify the relative source of a site, and therefore discern the authority of the site, by the url address.
- title their discussion board comments so that their reader has a preview of their post.
- evaluate the usefulness of a website in terms of reading level.
- identify the best place to start when researching.

However, in the classroom, my students do this in a controlled environment. I limit their search engines to ones that meet my dirty test. There is an adult monitoring their computer use at all times. Most importantly, their computer time has a higher purpose. They are researching for a specific project, they are commenting on a content focused class discussion board, or they are exploring teacher picked websites. There is little wiggle room for play.

But what about at home? What about when there is no adult in the room? No teacher demanding content specific results? I have given them the skills to effectively use technology, why wouldn't they want to practice at home?

In my zeal for knowledge, I forgot to teach my students the most important lesson: safety. So, I currently enrolled my students into ATES 101: Stranger Danger and the Internet. The professor is a bit flakey and doesn't always have a plan, but it is better then nothing.

Delayed Opening with Hot Chocolate

2008-02-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

In my haste to write the previous post, and thereby cleanse myself of some stress and guilt, I did not give proper credit for the brilliant hot chocolate idea. Organized Chaos was the genius from whom I got the idea. (Sadly, I'm not sure which exact post.)

I have to say that the process of making hot chocolate for the 17 students who are here today and all of us enjoying it as we read has done wonders for my insides.

What is my responsibility to my students?

2008-02-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

We had a two hour delay this morning, which is typically a lovely thing. In fact, an hour into it I was still wishing they would close schools so that I could have a relaxing day at home with my daughters. Then things fell apart. The four year old and I could not do anything right by each other. There was screaming and slamming of doors. (For my personal shame, I'll not share who did what of that.) By the time I dropped them off with their babysitter I was a wreck. I drove to school in tears.

Having a two hour delay requires rethinking our schedule and plans for the day. As I was trying to do so, in the midst of feeling awful, I couldn't come up with anything I felt capable of doing. I wanted to just say to my students, "I'm having an awful day and I need you to get a book, get comfortable, and read." But my students deserve better from me. Not that reading is a bad use of their time in any way, but I can't just drop my teaching responsibilities because I'm having a bad day. That said, it takes a lot of energy and effort just to put on a happy face to greet my students when I feel like I do today, much less do any powerful instruction.

So, what is my responsibility? Should my students be completely unaware of issues I face? Should they know if I'm having a bad day? Does their age matter, older students being more able to deal with understanding their teacher's mood swings or such? Is it my job to teach my students well regardless?

As an aside, I've decided we are going to do some serious independent reading time today. I'm making hot chocolate for them and we'll curl up with bean bags, pillows, books, and our cups. But, after lunch it's back to serious learning.

Sorry if I snapped at you 40 minutes ago. It was displaced anger.

2008-01-31T15:48:00.001-05:00

At the end of the day I was So Very Angry that I could not articulate my frustration into anything but simple sentences. Simple sentences and curse words. Don't worry, the curse words came after school. Right before I hid in a corner so that I could not inflict my wicked witch furry on unsuspecting nice people.

I think I might have shocked some people, mainly the 20 little people who swarm around me like little bees. They often see my anger. A cold, calm anger about raising hands and sharing. I accompany that anger with a confused look of "Really? We are spending time for this? Especially since I know you know how to solve that problem." We laugh about that anger, we tease it out and sing songs about.

Today’s anger - that was something special. A hot, boiling anger of a disappointment and disgust. This anger does not come out often. It is scary and sharp. Full of bite. This anger is let down anger. As in, I gave you me heart and all you gave me was this pen, anger. Without realizing it, I have changed as a teacher, and my anger mirrors this change.

Naturally, I am cold and distant. I have enough friends, I have enough loved ones. School is business. However, in my joy of reading, writing, mathing, and historying, I have spilled some tightly sealed care. Something I tightly guard, because with care runs with the same crowd as disappointment and loss. Feelings my light personality do not enjoy. But I do care. I do care that my little bees enjoy learning, I do care that they feel confident in their abilities. I do care because I like to see them happy. My self worth and happiness has become intertwined with their self worth and happiness. I am not their queen bee; I am their mama bee.

So, my wee ones, I am sorry I let you down, but you let me down too. But if you are going to love me, you are going to have to love all the things about me. And I love you.

I Have a Dream

2008-01-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

This morning I finally had a discussion with my students about Martin Luther King, Jr. and we watched the speech. We did a lightening share during our morning meeting about our dreams. Most shared some personal dreams for their futures, such as becoming a doctor, or an architect, or a five-star chef. A few had more basic dreams, something decent for lunch today and such. One student had a bigger dream. He said, "I dream that people will care about what is under the ice, as opposed to only what is on top of it."

I'm not actually certain what he meant. And he is not a student I expected such a grand dream from. It made for a very interesting morning meeting.

Poems Found around our Classroom

2008-01-17T20:31:00.000-05:00

Warning

Risk
of
Electrical Shock
DO NOT OPEN

Always Within Reach

Tissue is always there when you need it,
popping up in all sorts of places to help you
through
life's
little
ups
and
downs
Kleenex is the
brand that families have been trusting for over
80 years for a soft, soothing, caring touch.

Writing Workshop

People
Must Be
Seated.

Have to be
Quietly
Writing.

You've got to
hear the
music.

Have
to
Think.

Silence.

Hear the
roar of
pencils.

People
whispering
ONLY.

Intern Guilt

2008-01-08T08:31:00.000-05:00

It is 8:32 and I am all alone in my wintersession classroom. I feel slightly guilty about it - I had my wintersession intern take my class from the morning game. Slightly because I am still groggy from the morning, slightly because I feel that an intern should be teaching more then they should be watching.

Budding Scientists

2008-01-04T09:23:00.000-05:00

Questions that have taken our science intersession class off on tangents:

How do birds fly?
Do penguins have hollow bones?
Why do some birds run fast?
Can an ostrich kill a lion with a kick?

How is that potential energy?
What does gravity have to do with energy?
How much gravity is there on Jupiter?

How can those weigh the same?
Why is that balanced?

And my favorite, I don't get it! Followed by much effort to understand how something works.
All of this is from a one hour period this morning.

Seriously?

2007-12-17T16:35:00.000-05:00

"It all started when I said I would be Katie*'s partner. But I didn't realize that Hannah wanted to be Katie's partner. It was Hannah's turn to be Katie's partner. And then, during lunch, Hannah wouldn't talk to me and she wouldn't talk to me at recess either. Even when I asked her what was wrong. And then Katie yelled at me that it was all my fault that Hannah was angry at her. But I talked to Katie, and she understands now, and we are friends again. But Hannah won't talk to us and she said she never wants to talk to us again and I don't know what to do!"

Teacher Lesson: It doesn't matter if you pick their partners, the social studies graphic organizer will still be filled with more tears then facts.

*Names changed to protect the woefully misunderstood.

Snow Biz!

2007-12-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

Highlights of the holiday concert:

Professor Snows-a-lot complete with cotton ball wig
Really, really bad jokes about snow (What do penguins wear on their heads? Ice caps)
Followed by ironic laughter from chorus students
Littlest postal worker falling over sideways in multiple coats - quite impressive
Two chorus students dancing in the back while all the rest stood still
Small children looking outside when the performers talked about the weather forecast
Fourth grader telling the music teacher to "Hit it"

On the whole, a wonderful hour of entertainment.

Passing e-notes

2007-12-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

I am my worst nightmare. I am writing and passing notes when someone is talking. A capitol offense in my classroom. I justify my very rude behavior on factors beyond my control: I already know the information, there is a weird buzzing in the room, the speaker is telling not showing. But really, I am passing notes because it is easy.

Oprah, Disney Channel, & Fifth Grade Thoughts

2007-11-30T20:14:00.000-05:00

I guess my first mistake was using a quote from Oprah Winfrey. The other quote this week came from Lady Bird Johnson.

(My students reflect on and respond to two quotes a week as part of their homework.)

The one from Oprah Winfrey states:

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."

On Fridays the students discuss the quotes from the week. Sometimes they have fantastic, deep, thoughtful ideas to share. Other times I wonder if we were all reading the same quote. No matter what, it has always been an interesting discussion and one most of them actively participate in.

Their responses to the Oprah Winfrey quote were apt and showed them making connections. Sadly, most of those connections were to Hannah Montana or The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Not the most high brow discussion.

My classroom is a house of share, and you have made it a den of thieves

2007-11-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

Funny things that happened on the way to the book fair:

- A disappearing, reappearing wallet.

- Mob like money deals.

- A black market economy that involved tax evasion.

As furious as I was, it was hard to be mad at the entrepreneurs who justified their product. They were just meeting the demand of the class: the scarcity of the raw material made their product a hot commodity.

Back to Really Working

2007-11-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've had an intern working in my classroom for the past four weeks. She did all of the planning, teaching, assessing, and grading. I went in a observed a handful of times. The rest of the time, I was out of my classroom. I observed in first and second grades, I delivered literary magazines to numerous classrooms around the school, I organized some books in the reading room, and I read blogs. I haven't figured out how I'm going to keep up with my blog reading as I return to the classroom. Actually doing the job I'm being paid for seems daunting now. Fortunately, a new intern will start his time in my room in December and take over for four weeks in April. I can't wait!

Busted

2007-11-21T16:15:00.000-05:00

A project was due on Tuesday. A student came to school with empty hands and tears in his eyes: "I had it this morning!" "I left it at home."

Tuesday evening, a post was left on our class discussion board. A post to a forum about the project. Specifically, a post to a thread entitled "Need Help! Ask questions here!" in a forum about the project.

This post asked for help: "I really need help ASAP I can't find my project check up and forgot the topics." Part of me says: "Maybe he was just checking his work before he turned it in on Wednesday." But the student in me, the student who can still taste procrastination in her breakfast cereal, has other thoughts.

Plaid and Science

2007-11-15T17:31:00.000-05:00

Reactions when the guest scientist walked in:

"Seriously!"

"Where is his lab coat?"

"He's wearing plaid!!"

Reactions when the guest scientist walked out:

Buzz of questions.

Students with stars, of both varieties, in their eyes.

Missing ScienceSauruses. My suspicion is they are brushing up on plate tectonics and the life span of a sun, so they can talk like a scientist, too.

Changed for the Better

2007-11-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

I am in pre-mourning. My intern will be leaving after Thanksgiving. T-24 days. T-16 school days.* I am not sure I know how to teach without an intern.

An intern forced discipline on me - I had to: talk through my thoughts; justify my choices; grade assessments on a regular schedule; and keep an organized classroom. Lazy teaching was not an option. However, my mind grew accustomed to the "What abouts?" "What ifs?" and "Tell me mores." I found myself energized about teaching and excited about lesson planning; the classroom became a club house.

The questions became conversation: "We should trys." "Wouldn't be cool if wes?" "Next time, we shoulds." We found ourselves suppressing giggles in class, rehashing (mostly re-enacting) our highs of the day, convincing our students that we could tell each other mind jokes. We became a team.

I know the dance moves for teaching alone. I can say my lines and jazz my hands. I will high step and kick ball change. But the stage will be lonely; I will miss the big musical numbers of team teaching.

*These days might be off. As I have said before, I am a slow writer. It might be T - a week now.

How We Entertain Ourselves

2007-11-14T12:54:00.001-05:00

One of many email conversations between Tree and Jenny:

Tree: Your nonintern is looking for you.

Jenny: I assume you mean J?
I'm in the reading room working with A.

T: Thanks, when he wonders back this way I will direct him.
I am having him come into my class and talk to my students as a scientist next Thursday. He is going to answer their parking lot question of "How do worms make babies?" He did not want to touch the widow spider questions.

J: I think you should prep them to ask the widow spider questions no matter what.
By the way, that's a great use of his time! Way to go!

T: Do you think it is because he is actually a black widow spider and he lives in fear of the day his mate eats him?

J: That would explain a lot. Does he have to get married for his mate to eat him or just in a monogamous relationship? Is that the sort of question your students have?

T: I am not sure if any of my students would think of that question, but it is a good one. Do black widow spiders get married?

J: Another good question.
What sort of questions do your kids have about black widow spiders?

T: Does the husband know the wife will eat him? Is the wife bigger then the husband?

J: Good for them. Why doesn't J want to get involved with these questions?
Is the husband knows the wife will eat him I would expect even more severe commitment issues than our species has.

T: I cannot understand your third question.
And it is because Jon is a black widow spider. He also does not like Rent.

J: The final sentence should have started with "if" rather than "is". Does that help?
Even the Seasons of Love song? Because that is just wrong.

T: Makes much more sense now. True. But maybe, the male black widow spiders look forward to such fate.
Especially the seasons of love song. He called that song that keeps repeating those numbers. He made an argument about how it was post-modern and the writer/ actors/ singers were too self aware of being post modern. I am not a fan of the term post modern because it takes the fun out of everything. Thanks Professor Singerman!! Can't I just like it because it is pretty??? But I digress, my argument was, BUT THEY BREAK OUT IN SONG!!!! BUT THEY BREAK OUT IN DANCE!!! And that doesn’t really help in a post modern debate.

J: I've never seen so many connections between male black widow spiders and men as I have today.
I like your argument. I don't care if it doesn't help much in a post modern debate. I think he's overanalyzing Rent and should just sit back and enjoy.

T: They are singing on tables!! They are singing to an answering machine!!!
But then again, this is the girl who LOVED West Side Story because THEY DANCE ON THE STREET!!! IT IS COORDINATED!!!

J: I'm less a fan of West Side Story, but I'll give you the coordinated street dancing joy.

Somehow, we do manage to teach our students.

Priorities

2007-11-12T11:21:00.000-05:00

Email conversation between me and AB:

* Did you get this month's newsletter? And do you so not secretly want to go to the big conference.

* I totally haven't gotten it yet! But I'm sure I will secretly want to go to the big conference… what are the details? Any chance (our principal) would send us?

* http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/newsletter/19_4nl_3.html
It is during our work week: July 22–23, 2008; Simmons College, Boston.

* Who needs work week?How much fun would Boston be in the summer?

* How great would it be if there was a baseball game that weekend!

*Amen
If there is a baseball game then, we have to ask to go .

Geeky Mom

2007-11-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

The other night my four-year-old daughter was eating some M&M's from her Halloween take. She began sorting the M&M's by color. So, I decided to take it up a notch. I worked with her and we created a graph with her M&M's. We put all the blue ones in a line, the yellow ones in a line beside the blue ones, the red ones in a line beside the yellow ones, and so on. Then I asked her questions about them. Which color has the most? Which has the least? Which two colors have the same amount? She ate it up! (Sorry, bad pun.)

She continued talking about it as she ate them. "If I eat a blue one there will only be five blues." "If I eat a yellow one yellow will have the least." And so on. I enjoyed watching her and discussing what she was doing and thinking.

Then, the next night I let her have some goldfish at the end of the meal. This is what she did with them on her own.

Clearly, she's as geeky as I am.

Broken Nails and broken hearts

2007-11-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

I am very vain. I like having shiny hair. I like being a petite stature. I loved my perfectly manicured nails. No polish on these babies, the natural rosie nail beds and white tips did not need to hide behind bright reds varnishes.

I loved my nails. But today, I broke two nails. Broke Two. Normal wear and tear of the teaching day? Not for me. Heavy labor? Only typing and some dictionary browsing. Classroom catastrophe? Not in the classroom - intern has commandeered the teaching.

No, the only cause of this disaster effect is emotional. One of my favorite students is leaving. He is smart, and funny, and caring, and creative. But he is also slow in transitions, still developing his fine motor skills, often 2 steps behind during the lesson, and defiant to strangers. Will his new teacher see beyond is round about monologues? Will the new teacher know that through his garbled speech he is making a connection between Native Americans and steps in multiplication? That he only needs gentle reminders about eye contact and off task behavior? That he needs a couple of weeks, not a couple of days, to fully understand a new routine?

Will the new teacher write off his glimmers of insight as anomalies inside this often off task student? I wish I had faith enough in education to say yes, the new teacher will see and foster his potential. That no matter what the school, no matter what the county, that any educator will see this whole child, creating an empowering environment for this child that supports the weaknesses and encourages the strengths.

But I don't have this faith. I am suspicious of the county he will be moving to. I do not know his new school. I do not know if he will be lost in a broken system, where he will be defined by his weaknesses rather then his strengths.

And I am powerless; and my nails are showing the result.

2007-10-24T18:54:00.000-04:00

How did people teach before post-its? How did they have students organize their thoughts? Record their notes? Participate in silent carousels? Explore resources? Monitor their own behavior? Yesterday alone, I went through roughly two post-it pads before lunch. And that was just math and social studies.

Post-its let me be spontaneous: what began as collection of review notes became a comprehensive web. We were just supposed to collect three facts about Jamestown to jog our intersession addled memory. But we noticed connections between our notes. We wanted to share them. Some of us needed to organize them. Our required three notes became 4, 5, and even 6. We stopped reviewing and began researching. Our notebooks replaced by library books, an impromptu research project inspired by post-its.

Tipping Hats

2007-10-23T14:53:00.000-04:00

Our own Ms Jenny wrote a fantastic reflection on AYP celebrations at In Practice.

I am no expert, but it sounds like an essay. Even if it is one paragraph too long.

Literary Success

2007-10-21T21:56:00.001-04:00

They did it! Fourth graders pulled together a fairly nice literary magazine in just two weeks. They began that period with no real knowledge of what a literary magazine is and finished by publishing one. Pretty impressive, on the whole.
Here are some pictures from the work Tree did with them during the first week. They did a lot of thinking about what makes a collection and why people collect various things.

Later they did a lot of brainstorming and reflecting about literary magazines.

Then, they looked at bunches of works of art and thought about the emotions they evoked.

All of this served to get them ready for the process of choosing texts and artwork and laying out our literary magazine.

I'm fascinated, as usual, to see their thinking. Our magazine included fifteen texts written by students from second through fourth grades. There are about twenty pieces of artwork in it by students from kindergarten through fourth grade.

The students who worked on the magazine wanted to spend time writing for it. One of our goals was for the magazine to give students a new audience for their writing. I think some of them are starting to see that. We hope to create another edition in the spring and I think it will be exciting to see how many students want to submit work after seeing this edition.

Are We Crazy?

2007-10-15T13:29:00.000-04:00

It's intersession for our school. This means the students are here by choice (their's or their parents') and taking two different, fun-filled classes each. Tree and I are teaching one together (she took the first week and I've got the second). We're having fourth graders create a literary magazine. I've wanted our school to have a literary magazine for a while and when Tree suggested doing it during intersession I thought she was brilliant. She taught last week and it seems great. They talked about collections - what are they, why, etc. They looked at artwork to brainstorm the emotions evoked. High school students came in and talked about the literary magazine they've worked on and their process.

Now I'm teaching. And I can't figure out how we move from this wonderful thinking and exploring about literary magazines to actually taking the writing and artwork we have and creating one. And certainly not in the next four days! I usually feel like that's a good sign. The students will be the ones to make it happen, not me. But, this time I'm not sure. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.

Teamwork Really Works

2007-10-03T22:37:00.000-04:00

I've finished 18 out of 19 parent conferences (and yes, I'm aware of how very, very lucky I am to only have 19 students). Every year I dread the conferences. I do so because of the time it takes to schedule them, get translators, confirm everything, prepare for them, etc. This year stressed me out even more because I will be out of town for the allotted conference days so I met with parents before school, after school, and during planning time. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to this drain on my time.

And every year, once conferences get started I remember how much I love them. It's only my 10th year of teaching, surely someday I'll remember this before conferences get started.

I learn so much about my students from these conferences. I find out that they love math this year, spend all their free time on a scooter, do martial arts, play bells at church, or write stories on a book's website. I learn about their families; baby siblings, extended families living together, parents who are divorced and the child has no contact with a father who abused my student's sister. I hear how the parents view their child, the learning, and how the year is progressing. Typically, we are seeing the same things, but occasionally I am shocked by things I learn: a student who can't stand reading (never saw that in class), a student who never stops talking at home (but is very shy and quiet at school), a student who has never liked school starting in kindergarten (but seems happy in class and seems to enjoy her work and friends).

I walk away from these conferences feeling like I'm part of a team. The parents and I are working together with the students to make fifth grade a great year.

I hope the parents get even half as much out of these meetings as I do.

What I Want

2007-10-02T18:29:00.000-04:00

My goal as a teacher is to make myself an after thought. More like the couch cushion that serves as the door to an elaborate sleeping bag, sheet, chair, table, and couch fort, and less like the couch. I am not the structure that keeps the sheets up, I am the door that invites visitors in.

I want the learning to happen without me. I want my students to initiate their learning, use their resources, and share with each other in order to build their understanding. They take the inspiration from the rug of sleeping bags, they find the extra sheets needed to complete their compound, and they use their chair and couch support system to hold it all together. I am upstairs, eating freshly baked cookies. I am forgotten, until tummys begin to rumble.

However, I, as the teacher and cookie maker, need to consider the social and academic lessons that bring my students to such an independent level. Lessons that need to be taught directly, lessons that need to be repeated in small groups, and lessons that need to be modeled on a daily bases. My goal is to empower my students so they see me as foot steps upstairs. I may iron the roof, but I will not hold it up.

My Students Like Me So Much They Want Me To Meet Their Parents, As Soon As Possible

2007-09-25T21:27:00.000-04:00

I have learned most of the dance moves to Feist's 1 2 3 4 and I have my smartboard to thank. My smartboard and my intern, who probably reported to her site facilitator that her mentor is a crack pot. What else would explain the fact that she times her transitions in "Take Me Out to the Ballgames?" my intern would calmly explain. She would continue her argument that her students ASKED for parent-teacher conferences. There must be something wrong with that picture. What student asks for their teacher to talk to their parents? Students whose teacher demands that they know all eight presidents born in Virginia before they can have a new glue stick, she would point out.

Race Plays a Role

2007-09-24T08:25:00.000-04:00

The morning message in my classroom today is about the Little Rock Nine. The message briefly describes the event in history and then asks if students have heard of it? Of the 14 students who signed the message (I'll ignore my frustration with the 5 who didn't) only one had heard of the event. She is African American.

I Hear Him

2007-09-23T07:20:00.001-04:00

Attempting to get certain 5th grade boys to focus on what their teacher deems important rather than what they deem important can be a real challenge. (I don't mean to sound sexist, it's true for certain girls as well.)

My students had to write about themselves in 100 words or less recently. All but one have managed to draft, do some great revising, edit and get my help with editing, and publish (both on paper and on their blogs). This last young man can't get it done.

On Friday I finally told him that I really wanted him to finish this.

His response?

Me too. I really want to be done with this. Don't let this face fool you.

I don't think it was the face that was sending me the message.

Overheard in a Fifth Grade Classroom

2007-09-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

After struggling for more than five minutes to work a decimal multiplication problem the student was told he could quit working on it and go back to his seat: "That would have been helpful to know a few minutes ago."

Seeing email on a student's worst list, the teacher asked about it: "It takes so long to get a response back."

After being chastised for forgetting to put his name on a paper and having the paper bonked on his head: "Come on! It says no name, not no concussion."

TMI

2007-09-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know me personally (and, quite possibly, those who do) this post may paint pictures a little too personal or intimate for your tastes. Consider yourself warned.

I had an experience last week that truly illustrated for me the realities of a day in the life of an elementary school teacher. I arrived at school at 7:30 and immediately headed off to a meeting. This meeting lasted until 8:15 by which time my class had arrived. Fortunately I am working with an intern who could get the day started. As soon as I got to my room I had to leave to go to Local Screening (discussing a student with ADD). That was another hour of the morning. I got back to my room in time to teach reading and word study before lunch. Lunch was my only break for the day. After lunch I had to be ready for math, writing, an observation by a reading coach, and another local screening meeting. Needless to say, I was feeling rushed at lunch.

A bit of important information (and the personal bit): I have a 7-month-old daughter who is breastfeeding and I spend part of lunch everyday pumping.

After dropping the students off at the cafeteria and making a few copies, I hurried back to my classroom. I grabbed my lunch and the pump and got started. After a few seconds I found my lap soaked. Sadly, it took a couple more seconds for me to realize that I had started the pump without attaching any bottles.

Clearly elementary school teachers need more time for all the things on their plates.

Empty Pep

2007-09-01T12:21:00.000-04:00

I have pep rally baggage. Not a suitcase full, not even a tote bag. Just a casual, medium size hand bag. Think Vera Bradley's Betsy. In some faded old black pattern. Maybe the one with chicken eggs. Small bag, from years ago, often forgotten, but still in the back of my closet.

The baggage is empty. And that is my pep rally problem. I have no community spirit. Specifically, I have no school spirit. I skipped pep rallies in high school; college football games were about the food, not the score; and I never went to a college (or high school) basketball game. It is not that I hope my team/ school/ community loses. I just don't care enough to see them win.

And so, with this long drawn out written therapy session over, I will tell you my interpretation of yesterday's pep rally:

1. The 4th and 5th graders should have been dismissed the moment they started acting like hooligans.

2. Students need a greater understanding of why we have pep rallies. There is no sports game. We did not win some major competition. So why would the average student care about who the SCA reps are in the other classrooms?

3. If I am going to preach about "what should be done" - we should have some sort of school wide activity; we should have upper grade students act as "leaders" to the lower grades during the school song and the school cheer - I should be willing to initiate action. But I am not. I like my quilted chicken egg purse, and I am not ready to part with it yet.

Chants, Swearing, and Threats

2007-09-01T11:10:00.000-04:00

That describes an elementary school pep rally.

What? You've never been to one? Really? How can that be?

We start every year with a pep rally run by our SCA. We swear in our new SCA classroom representatives and do some school-wide chants to promote school spirit.

This year's should have taken place a couple of weeks ago, but it had to be postponed after we lost power for most of the day and the fire alarm randomly went off requiring a visit from the fire department. So, it was the end of the fifth week before we had our 'start-of-the-school-year' pep rally.

We have it at the end of the day on a Friday. Not surprisingly it's hard to get the kids to behave. One of the teachers in charge threatened to send the fourth and fifth grades back to their rooms if they couldn't behave. I'd have happily taken my class.

Call me a grinch, say I have no school spirit, but I could do without elementary school pep rallies.

William Henry Harrison? Really?

2007-09-01T10:58:00.000-04:00

For week 5 in grade 5 my students created top 5 lists in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. On the whole it was intriguing (sometimes disturbing, sometimes enlightening). For all five lists, see here.

The shocking list was the famous Virginians. The kids studied Virginia history in fourth grade so I figured it would be something they could all contribute to. They did.

I had to step in and delete Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Helen Keller from the list. Lincoln and Grant were at least studied in fourth grade, I have no idea where Helen Keller came from. Otherwise their list was fine (notice, I don't use a more glowing adjective). They included the obvious: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, James Madison, Robert E. Lee. They also had some interesting ones: Patrick Henry, Maggie Lena Walker, Harriet Tubman, John Smith. I added Pocahontas to the list (the only time I added to any list, I felt we needed more female representation).

Their final list:

Pocahontas (a testament to the number of girls in my class - 13 out of 19)
Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson (really? why? just for the stonewall nickname? could there be any other reason?)
Thomas Jefferson (good thing he's here; between their fourth grade teacher and myself we have three degrees from UVA)
Harriet Tubman (a stretch, not technically a Virginian, but see earlier comment about female representation)
William Henry Harrison (HONESTLY? WTF? Would you even know he was a Virginian? How did he make the top 5?)

Speaking Fourth Grader

2007-08-31T19:20:00.000-04:00

Me: "Think in your head about which book club topic you would like to discuss."

What They Hear: "Turn to your neighbor and talk."

"Take out your notebook," "Turn to calendar math," "Glue in the WOW sheet," "Work on the problem of the day," and "Independent Read Time" also translate to "Turn to your neighbor and talk."

This I Believe

2007-08-29T21:49:00.000-04:00

I believe that learning is...

a social activity that requires interaction between individuals
retained best when the learner has the chance to work with the information
most interesting when constructed by the learner, at least to some extent
an active process rather than a passive one

This might explain why I hate, hate, hate so many of the meetings I have to attend as a teacher.

This would happen on a no break day.

2007-08-28T19:48:00.000-04:00

Because I was not planned for math and was going to "plan" for math during the library lesson, the following things happened:

- Meeting explaining strategy lab game bridge kits to the faculty; a pet project of mine, the GT resource teacher, and the intersession coordinator: 7:30 am

- Fire alarm: 7:25 - 7:45 am

- Phoned in lice scare, potential of class quarantine; and an investment in fine toothed combs: 8:00 am

- Room declared lice free: 10:00 am

- Room temperature determined as "warm:" 10:30 am

- Room temperature declared "tropical:" Noon

- Room declared "too hot to think:" 2:00 pm

- Lines and angles lesson moved to the playground: 2:15 pm

Traffic Jam - A Good Thing

2007-08-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

The feet in the picture from the previous post are trying to solve a traffic jam. Mister Teacher thought the idea sounded intriguing and I'd have to say he's right. Of all the team building, community building activities I do during the first week or so, it is by far my favorite. I save it for last because it's my favorite and because it's very challenging.

I'm sorry to say that I don't recall where I found the activity (somewhere out on the worldwide web), but I'm sure it is floating around in various forms. The way we do it involves seven pieces of construction paper and at least six students. We lay the construction papers on the floor in a row as stepping stones (surely there are cooler, more interesting things we could use, but construction paper is handy). Three kids stand on the three at one end and three kids stand on the three at the other end leaving the one in the middle free. The goal is to get the kids to the opposite ends. They can only move forward, can only move onto an empty stone, and can only go around one person.

I never have an exact multiple of six in my class, of course. So some students end up being 'directors'. It's really helpful to have someone who can see the big picture. Once the students have figured out the strategy (and can actually repeat it) I put them into bigger groups. Eventually, we have the entire class work their way through one big traffic jam.

Watching them work it out teaches me a lot about them. Some students spend time with their white boards drawing pictures to try various options. Others grab whatever manipulatives are closest in order to move them around. Some just stand around on their stones and move when other, more alpha-students, tell them to. It's noisy and chaotic and fun.

Cooperation, not Competition

2007-08-10T20:03:00.001-04:00

My focus during the first week of school has become to mold my students into the opposite of what they naturally are. Fifth graders are competitive. I refuse to spend the entire year battling this. So, during the first week we do all sorts of team building activities to start off on the right foot. (I'm not convinced it will work, but it seems worth a try.)
These feet are trying to figure out how to sort out their traffic jam. Watching ten year olds struggle with a problem is alternately hilarious and mind-numbing. I spend a lot of time biting my tongue to keep from telling them how to do it. Their joy upon finding a solution is astoundingly contagious. I'm not sure any real lessons will be taken from these activities, but I think they are worth our time.

Teaching: Take Two

2007-08-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

This first week of school has shown me that I have to do things at least twice before I can get them right. I'm not sure if that is a sign that I am constantly learning as a teacher or a sign that I don't think about things enough ahead of time. Either way, I feel bad for the group of students who have to be the guinea pigs.

Of course, maybe even the second time isn't really 'right'. Maybe it's just better than the first time. Do all teachers second-guess themselves this much?

In a related thought, I'm noticing that many of most successful activities, lessons, moments in my classroom are unplanned. Either I have great luck, good instincts, or both. But it brings me back to wondering if I don't think about things enough ahead of time. If I did a better job planning, would I manage to have even more of these moments?

Year 4 Week 1 Reflection

2007-08-05T10:13:00.000-04:00

Stats:
Students: 22
Boys: More then half.
Round face kids with chronic bed head: None, which is very distressing.
Tears: NONE!!! A miracle.
Working computers: 3
Working printers: None in my room.
Puking incidents: 1

This is the first year EVER that one (or more) of the boys did not break down in tears on multiple days. No tears. From anyone. At all. Wow. I could make the argument that the "summer" mellowed me. That after years of tears, I have become a nicer, gentler teacher. That I am more sensitive to the needs of my emotional fragile students, having once been a sensitive student myself.

But who would I be kidding. My two week stint at curriculum development left me cold and angry. Even my stapler stayed away, not willing to take the abuse I would smack it with. Last week was no nonsense, straight lines, and listen to the directions once because I am not repeating them twice. If I was 10, I would have been in tears. But these fourth grades are of stronger stock then I. It will take more then high expectations, stern discipline, and vague, open ended assignments to make these kids tear.

Wow. No tears. I am still flabbergasted.

Here We Go Again...

2007-07-29T16:44:00.001-04:00

The students return to school tomorrow. This will be my tenth year of teaching and I'm not feeling the same sort of butterflies that I remember from previous years. I've managed to spend most of this weekend not even thinking about the start of the year. I'm not sure that is a good thing.

One of the positive aspects of the modified calendar is that we start school on a Monday. We get to ease into things with the kids. We had open house on Friday and I met 2/3 of my class. I know most of them from last year, but not too well. It promises to be an exciting year.

Every year is a fresh start in schools - both for the students and for the teachers. Every year I have grand schemes for things I want to accomplish and ways I want things to go. There is no promise that this year I'm more likely to stick to those goals than any other year, but I'll give it a shot one more time.

Too Much Responsibility

2007-07-26T22:12:00.000-04:00

It's often said that teachers wear many hats. Over the last ten years I've adjusted to most of them. We serve as guides, counselors, parents, coaches, etc. However, a training this morning pushed me over the edge. I felt as though my responsibilities as a teacher were too much. I was trained (along with my entire team and some specialists) in administering a shot in the case of diabetic students going into insulin shock. It seems there are two diabetic students in fifth grade, neither in my class, and all of us need to be prepared.

I dated a diabetic for several years in college and felt like I had a pretty good understanding of what to expect. I have an idea of what to watch for (which is a challenge since it varies so greatly by individual) and how to help if a student's blood sugar is dropping. The shot we learned about is only for extreme emergencies; the student would be unconscious before we use it. It is rare that school personnel ever have to administer it. However, by the end of the training as we were jabbing syringes into sponges to practice the procedure I felt like it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Somehow, this training in something that I was highly unlikely to ever need reinforced for me how responsible I am as a teacher.

Parents entrust their children to us seven hours a day, five days a week. They expect us to teach them reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and such. But, even more basic, they expect us to keep them safe. I've laughed at Tree because she keeps her classroom door locked at all times, just in case. Maybe she has something there...

Holy Toledo!!

2007-07-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

Not ready is such a mild way of describing how I feel about tomorrow's open house. I can think of many curse words that would put it better, but this is a PG site. (Except for my occasional references to that yummy liquid comfort and cure all.)

How will I ever get it all done? Surveys to print, signs to post, check sheets to make, books to stack. When I look at it in black and white, here, at my home, in the comfort of my sweet drenched shirt, Weezer pounding in my heart, wine still buzzing in my brain, it doesn't look so bad. My stomach doesn't agree, it is still in knots. My brain is convinced it is the wine on an empty stomach. My brain doesn't want me to remember that the xerox machine will eat my surveys just because. Or that my printer has yet to work this week. And forget about the fact that I am still not sure where my math journals are. I have bigger fish to fry. Like, Where is my stapler? Does my student teacher think I am crazy? and Why didn't I record every minute of last year so I can remember how to be a teacher?

Broken hand and bad math do not a one way ticket make. This worker can't seem to go home.

I think I might be stressing out my intern.

2007-07-24T20:52:00.001-04:00

Or that she is just terrified of me. Why else would she willingly clean out my desk?

Potterless

2007-07-21T16:02:00.000-04:00

It's 4 pm on July 21st and our copies of Harry Potter have still not arrived. We ordered them from Amazon.com knowing that with two girls under the age of 4 it wasn't possible to be part of the midnight festivities. Having the books delivered to our door seemed like a great solution. And we got the last couple of books in the series this way without any problem. Now however, it's starting to seem like a mistake.
I've managed in the last two weeks to reread the first six books in order to be ready for this historic moment. But the historic moment is passing us by. My parents took both the girls for the day, which should have left us plenty of uninterrupted reading time. Instead, it's left me plenty of time to get work done for the classes I'm taking. I'm trying to be grateful for that, but I'm just bitter. It doesn't help that I keep reading other people's blog posts about getting their copies. Check them out here,here, here and don't miss the one that hurts.

Yes, I do mean books. We order two copies each time so that we don't have to fight over who gets to read it first. Then we pass one copy on to my father when one of us (usually my husband) has finished. Today it looks like we'll be passing my father a copy before one of us has even started reading. At least neither of the girls is old enough to want to read them and need a copy!

Feeling Unloved

2007-06-30T21:15:00.000-04:00

Every year, on the last day of school, I give students their report card envelope. In the envelope is the report card, of course, and a final letter to them and their families. Included in the letter is my home address and my email address. I tell them that if they write to me, I will write back to them. Some years I get as much as half of my class writing to me at least once. Some years only two or three kids write. This year, almost two weeks out, I haven't heard from one kid. This class had a higher percentage of kids with email addresses than any group I've ever had before. And still, none of them have even sent me an email. Was I that unimportant in their lives? Or are they just that lazy?

Despite a week long tirade of dramatic moans, eye rolling, and sighing, RC teacher camp was not that bad

2007-06-30T10:03:00.001-04:00

I guess the song singing, group hugging, back patting feel good atmosphere melted my cold, cold heart. I can only vaguely remember what pissed me off on Tuesday. Was it the food? Was it the morning time story? Was it the one hour morning meeting? I won't remember until next year. Like AB, I am still thirsty for the kool aide.

That, or I am just addicted to conversations that include open minded and well read individuals who are continually re-evaluating and reflecting their approach to teaching, to talking, to learning, to life.

Summer Camp for Teachers, checklist

2007-06-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

- Song singing about dirty socks, feelings, and animals.

- Many opportunities to over eat.

- Over-enthusiastic head counselor, easily frazzled junior counselors, and random fix-it guy.

- Art activities that involve piper cleaners, feathers, and things that re-color your hands blue.

- Humidity and afternoon thunder storms.

- Mandatory group fun.

Checked Out - I Wish!

2007-06-18T21:52:00.001-04:00

Today was the last day of school. For fifth graders that means our promotion ceremony and celebration. At least that means I didn't have to think about what to do today.

On the last day the kids leave at 10:30. We have an end of the year luncheon, but the rest of the day is ours for packing up our rooms. We don't have to pack up everything; we simply need to make our rooms ready to be cleaned well. Sadly, mine is nowhere near that point. This is the first year in quite some time that I've needed more time past the last day. So, I'll be back at school tomorrow (and possibly again on Friday).

I was feeling quite pathetic about this until I learned that half of my teammates will also be in tomorrow. We are clearly the nerdy team; something I'm slightly proud of.

Checked Out

2007-06-17T23:04:00.000-04:00

I thought vacation started sometime last week; I maybe mentally in the middle of July. Suggestions on how to get through two hours on Monday? Grant it, my day will already include autographs, shaving cream, and reading. But what day doesn't?

Using Towels to Fling Rubber Chickens over Volleyball Nets

2007-06-13T21:36:00.000-04:00

Field day was last week (not all of the week, only one day, regardless of how it felt). I was stationed at the frisbee throw - simple, enjoyed by the kids, and requiring little effort from me. Sounds perfect.

The station next to mine was the Rubber Chicken Toss. I don't think that was the official name, but it sums it up well. It involved working with a partner to use a towel to fling a rubber chicken over the volleyball net. Kids on the other side tried to catch the rubber chicken and fling it back over. It's genius! I want to work that station next year.

The best part of it all was the first group. The two teachers running the station were not completely clear on how it worked and they did not have the towels out. As a result, kids were just flinging the rubber chickens over pell-mell. Rubber chickens flying through the air is a sight to make anything bearable (even field day).

Just as an aside, I have to admit how exceptionally well run field day is at our school. I complain, but I'm grateful for the impressive organization our PE teachers have created. I can't imagine anything that could be done to improve it.

Learning is a social activity

2007-06-06T21:33:00.000-04:00

I'm a firm believer that learning is social. My kids have many opportunities to talk to each other throughout the school day so that they learn from each other and develop their thinking through discussion. We even have discussion boards on our classroom blackboard site (thanks Tree!).

However, sometimes this goes too far. While creating websites for a social studies project many kids added guestbooks. Not a problem - yet. Instead of working on their projects they then began 'conversing' on the various guestbooks.

I'm not impressed with their intelligence as evidenced by this episode. Many are complaining that they won't be able to finish the project in time, but they're using their class time to post on each other's guestbooks. And they're signing their posts! I can't possibly believe that they think this is a valid use of their time on this project. Do they not realize that I can look at them, too? Are they really so clueless that it hasn't occurred to them that I'll be able to tell how much time they spent doing this? Does their self-absorption truly extend to delusions that their comments and these conversations are so important that they should be participating in this during class?

Teleteaching

2007-06-05T16:17:00.000-04:00

I spent most of the day day-dreaming out my window. Do you think it would be possible to teach from the pool? Through conference calls? After a margarita?

I decided that yes, it would be possible. I would, however, need to fax in my morning letter. One of the over enthusiastic patrols in training could pick it up from the office and write the message on the white board. That could be their post. Then, the morning meeting leader could run both morning meeting and calendar math.

The rest of the day would be a giant literacy - research block. My students would continue researching, planning, and writing their class outer space report. After awhile, they would need to edit and revise their future published pieces. But, like real authors, they would harass their loved ones - or in this case their classmates -to edit their work. Then, and only then, they would fax a final draft to me at my pool side desk. As their editor, I would make many changes, fax it back to them, and then demand they take a book tour promoting "Outer Space Stuff" down the third grade hall.

What a great experience I would have created for my students - autonomy! real life publishing experience! appreciation for distant figure heads! My students would know more then the writer's process, they would know never say under their breath comments during a conference call. Their editor can hear them and can give them detention. Even from the pool.

Teaching? Not at this point.

2007-06-01T10:30:00.001-04:00

I did the math recently. With two weeks left in the school year I will be out of the classroom for half of the time. I feel some guilt about that, but mostly relief. I don't feel like any real teaching is actually happening anyway, so it doesn't seem like the kids need me.

We're in the midst of the end of the year assessments - reading, writing, word study. We're preparing two huge social studies projects - one individual and one group. Anything else that gets done is just a bonus right now.

Is there a way to avoid this? Is there a way to ensure that actual teaching and learning continues until the end? Or is it just a fact of life that the last month of school is a wash in many ways?

Lucky Teacher II

2007-05-23T12:21:00.000-04:00

In writing, one of the units my class did while I was home with my baby girl was the punctuation unit. In reading, they did a fantastic unit on critical literacy. I have to admit that these two units may be the best language arts instruction that has ever happened in my classroom and I missed it all!

One piece of this unit looked at cereal boxes. The students analyzed cereal boxes to consider how authors position readers. They tried to determine who the audience for each box was and what about the box suggested that. They noticed that bright, splashy colors and games often indicated an audience of kids while weight loss and healthiness often indicated an audience of women.

After much discussion about the boxes, the students worked with a partner to take one box and redesign it for a different audience.

This example is redesigning Cinnamon Toast Crunch for adults. Notice the use of French words and more muted colors.

This group created their own cereal. They had looked at one aimed for women so they created one aimed at men.

This group took Frosted Flakes and recreated it to appeal to women. They changed it to strawberry to make it healthier and added a focus on losing weight.

The name of the cereal did not change here, but they aimed it at kids rather than adults. They included a toy and games on the box.

It has been fascinating to hear my students continue to talk about how authors position them as they read. It is a skill they have internalized.

Lucky Teacher

2007-05-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

I'm ready to try the picture idea. I think some of the best teaching that has happened in my classroom all year happened while I was on maternity leave. Our amazing reading teacher did a punctuation unit in writing with our class and I can't believe what they accomplished. One thing she had them do was survey adults around the school about their use of punctuation. The students came up with the questions, surveyed the adults, and presented their findings. It's brilliant! My students have never been so excited about punctuation - or so thoughtful about it.

Screaming - a necessary evil or a lack of control?

2007-05-18T10:33:00.000-04:00

By the end of the day yesterday I was yelling at my students. This is not something I'm proud of or do often (hopefully). I blame it on lack of sleep (I woke up at 4:45), exhaustion from days of standardized testing, and the beginnings of a cold. However, knowing the cause doesn't really excuse the behavior.

I'm left wondering if yelling at the students periodically is as bad a thing as I think it is. I consider myself a positive, progressive teacher and I attempt to handle all classroom management issues through positive reinforcement and personal reflection rather than punishment. Some days that's just too tough for me.

What does this say to my students? Do they recognize that I have bad days just like anyone? Do they think their behavior in those instances truly warrants my rants (does it)? Do they lose respect for me? Does my yelling cause us to slip backwards in our sense of community or does it band them all together in opposition to me?

12 Steps

2007-05-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

I observed reading recovery again yesterday. (Just as an aside, the little boy I got to see was enough to convince even the most anti-child individual to become a teacher. I've never seen a harder or more eager worker and he's just so darn cute.)

I'm becoming fascinated by the idea of reading recovery (RR) as a 12-step program; if just a little concerned that I might take the metaphor too far. Having done some research on the 12 steps of AA I am even more concerned that attempting the metaphor will become blasphemous. I was unaware of how large a role God plays in the 12 steps. While I might view books, reading, authors, etc. as Gods, others may feel quite differently.

What would the 12 steps of RR look like?

Shots of Reading

2007-05-18T09:37:00.000-04:00

or, Reading from a Flask

I love the idea of Reading as a 12 step program. With the purpose of creating new addicts, rather then giving them alternatives (guided by a higher power) to resist their temptation.

Elementary School Teaching If My Students Were Learning to Be Professional Chefs

2007-05-16T19:06:00.000-04:00

You could make the argument that my classroom is any of the following:

Communism (in theory, not the Soviet or Chinese practice) - everyone, teacher and student, pull their resources together for the common good.
Chaos - no one is ever quite sure where the marker or post-it bin is. Only the same one student can ever find the stapler. Even if she hasn't used it in days.
Anarchy - it is every learner for themselves when finding an expo marker.

I am well rooted in constructivist ism. My classroom falls just shy from hand built hippie commune and is closer to communal living. Without, of course, me actually eating with my students. That would be gross.

Lately, however, I envision my classroom as a kitchen and my students as line cooks. I am the chef. And yes, maybe I am internalizing the lessons from Heat a bit too much.

But sometimes, my students need to watch me make the pasta in order to understand the rhythm of rolling the dough. Other times, they need to burn 50 steaks in order to understand the difference between done and well done. Observation of the master and repetition of the mundane. Want to be proficient on the computer? Watch me as I tell you all my secrets about word formatting, Library of Congress research, and ways to make Excel do the thinking for you. And then type up your stories, change the font because the teacher said, and find (and cite) 25 different images on the web. Observation of the master, repetition of the mundane. Learning is mimicked and mastered.

Reading Recovery - Misnamed?

2007-05-15T10:02:00.000-04:00

What is it we think these kids are recovering from? Reading recovery isn't a 12 step program, unless I've missed a key component.

I observed a reading recovery lesson recently and found it fascinating. As an upper grade teacher I know that I have very limited knowledge of primary development. As a general rule all of my students are able to decode quite well and make sense of their reading most of the time. My goal is to help them think more deeply about text, become comfortable with various types of text, move on to more complex text, and make connections between reading and writing. To some extent, all of this is happening in reading recovery as well. It is truly astounding what can be accomplished working one-on-one with a child every day for an extended period. I haven't yet determined what that means for me as a fifth grade teacher, but I'm sure it means something!

"Planning" book

2007-05-09T20:49:00.000-04:00

My planning book is a series of post-its I never write on. I don't have the discipline to write my "plans" down when they change by the hour. Math plans? All down the tubes depending on last night's homework's mistakes or successes.

I almost promise that this will semi-change in the fall when I have an intern.

Credit if Credit is Due

2007-05-09T09:13:00.000-04:00

If we can't take credit for unexpected teaching we'll look like flops most of the time. I think the most/best/deepest thinking my students do is unexpected and unplanned. I refuse to think that makes me less of a teacher!

The anarchist classroom you have created this year is what led to the phenomenal panels and discussions your students had. They couldn't have done that six months ago. If that fact also means less work for you, that's just a bonus.

Do you think it is possible to overthink what we do as teachers? Can we overplan and overanalyze and therefore miss out on opportunities that could have been stupendous? It's unlikely to ever happen to me, but I remain curious.

The History Panel

2007-05-08T18:20:00.000-04:00

I know what you want. You want a deep reflection about how I set up historical "expert" panels in order to broaden my students' understanding on their famous Virginian (or person who influenced Virginia's history). That by connecting historical figures through a theme, rather then a time period, my students would discover patterns in history. They would see their own life as a historical continuation of the grappling of the same Big Ideas and Hard Choices. Can we fight with words and win? How do we achieve social, racial, and gender equality? Do battles strength our cause, or highlight how trivial our differences are? The panels creating future philosophers who would change the world.

I know you what you want. You want a deep, profound teaching moment. A moment that would justify the constructivist, somewhat anarchical, classroom environments we create.

You not gettin' it. I am a lazy teacher. I am not going to do the work/ thinking/ creating/ talking if the students will do it for me. I set up the history panels because 1. I was tired after weeks of SOL review; 2. There is only so long I can listen to oral presentations without a break; and 3. I would not have to think while the students did the talking and questioning for me. I was left to ponder deeper things such as "Can I take credit for all this learning even though I did not anticipate it?"

Reality Seeping into my Paranoia

2007-05-07T14:48:00.000-04:00

I am a worst case scenario kind of girl. Exit strategies, self defence tactics, police numbers on speed dial -- I am always thinking something through, even if it is not likely to happen. I take comfort in the fact that, although I have a plan for when a bomb goes off in a museum, it won't likely happen.

The Virginia Tech incident has torn off my security blanket of doubt. And, three weeks later, I am still left in the cold and dark with no woobie or night light. Too close to home, too close to my chosen profession, too close to my family. If at Tech, why not UVa, or JMU, or even Annandale High School? If institutes of higher learning are not safe, what about libraries, museums, or elementary schools? Why those Northern Virginia high school graduates, why not my brother or his friends? I am beyond spine shivers. I am left a basket case of paralyzing paranoia from the what about, why not, and what if questions. The incident created holes in my blankie; my worries shredded the ends, enlarged the holes, and left my blanket scattered around my front door.

I hide in my bedroom, rocking back and forth in the security of loneliness. My what if questions grow from plausible fears to complete hysteria. I consider a solitary life, a life lead from the safe shelter of my own home. But it is not my life I worry for, it is my family's, my friend's, my student's, my neighbor's. I cannot control their life patterns. I cannot confine their future to a solitary room. My own safety is contingent on theirs.

Deep breathes, prayers, and new contingency plans: I slowly mend my security blanket. I life of fear is not a life at all.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2007-05-05T10:38:00.000-04:00

JK - Interesting idea. I think you make a great point; pictures would add a lot to our thoughts and analysis of our teaching and our students' learning. Are you concerned about permissions?

I make no comments about post-it note abuse, but this is a great use of our digital cameras. We're reflecting on our teaching to continually improve (at least I hope so!).

History Conference? I'm still waiting.

2007-05-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

JO - I would enjoy reading this blog more if we had pictures. Would using the team digital camera to take a photographic diary of my day be an abuse of school supplies? If so, would it be worse then the home collection of felt tipped pens abuse?

I am not going to mention my classroom post-it abuse, which maybe the root cause of the Title 1 budget issues.

Teacher Shame

2007-05-04T20:57:00.000-04:00

There are four fourth grade classes. This month's fourth grade lunch championship ended in a three way tie. Guess whose second grader shoving, cafeteria sprinting, lunch line pushing class did not make the cuts.

Wish List to Help Us Brainstorm Grant Ideas

2007-05-02T17:44:00.000-04:00

Things we want (from the absolutely ridiculous to the reasonably sane):

Children's Book Club (buy the books)
Everything necessary for e-portfolios
Science reference books
Digital cameras (will take both stills and short digital video)
Additional science materials (we want a science rich classroom) - 4 or 5 microscopes for each classroom, microscope that connects to the computer, thermometer to post on window, other weather instruments (that work), materials to explore with electricity, sound, light, magnets, and magnifying glasses
Measurement tools: measuring cups, measuring spoons, measuring pitchers.
More laptops - maybe a class set to be shared by 2-4 classes.
Stopwatches - class set
That rolling thing that measures distance as you walk with it - distanceometer (according to us)
More primary sources (replicas of)

Then, of course, we will need space to store it all!

Reader to Reader

2007-05-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

I had a phenomenal reading conference with a student today. She read The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox and I had told her that I wanted to conference with her about it when she finished. She finished last week but we did not get a chance to chat until today. I told her that I found the book to be very disturbing and other students had read it and been ashamed of our country's history. This girl did not agree with either feeling and was able to back up her opinions quite well. She did talk about being surprised by certain characters and said that the author positioned her to like one who turned out to be a bad seed. (We've been talking about how writers position readers.)

We then began discussing The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I brought it up as a recommendation because she had enjoyed The Slave Dancer. She had read Avi's book last year and mentioned that she was surprised by characters in it too. We talked about how carefully the endings of both books had to be constructed to keep the readers happy.

She ended our discussion talking about Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor which she had just finished. She had been disappointed in the ending, feeling that it focused too much on a character who had been fairly unimportant. She reread the ending and decided that it is really a metaphor and just as powerful as the rest of the book. I left her looking at two other historical fiction books, Across Five Aprils and The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, to think about as her next book. She had said that she prefers historical fiction or fantasy because they are deep and give her a lot to think about.

It was one of the best reading conferences I've had all year. She truly wanted the chance to discuss books with another reader.

On Display, The Narcissist View

2007-04-25T13:23:00.000-04:00

I love being observed. It is like the day after Christmas when you are showing off your new toys -- my classroom is my new cabbage patch kid that I desperately want to share.

On Display

2007-04-23T22:06:00.000-04:00

Being observed by teachers from other schools is a compliment, a pain, and a kick in the butt. It's validating as a teacher to have others come to see what we are doing. At the same time, it's a bit of a hassle to have others in our room frequently. The kids are fairly used to it, but it throws them off a little. It also means we deviate from our normal plans sometimes to be sure our guests are seeing the components of reading and writing workshop that are important to them. It's also motivating. I can't slack off on teaching when others are there. I've got to have each piece of the workshop thought out and organized. I'll do a focus lesson, reading conferences, a guided reading group, and share - mostly because people are coming to see it.

My problem is guided reading. It used to feel great, now it feels stale, boring, and tedious. The kids still seem to enjoy it, but I can't get motivated. Maybe it's because these kids are strong readers, they don't need a lot of support from me. Maybe it's because I've been doing it for a while and I need new energy for it. Maybe it's just because I'm tired and it's the last straw. For whatever reason it isn't working for me.

Staying Home Sick was More Fun When I was Eight

2007-04-18T07:07:00.000-04:00

I think my small intestines knotted themselves up in such away that they needed my stomach to complete the big fancy bow maneuver that would REALLY impress my colon. My stomach is beyond confused -- there is enough of it not in the fancy bow to feel hungry, yet no where for the food to go but up. And the food that does manage to wiggle through the bow does not seem to be enjoying the joy ride down. The rest of my body, jealous I assume from the small intestines obvious favoritism to the colon, cramps, tightens, and stiffens as it fights to untangle the love bow.

My options of What To Do are limited - curl up in a ball and pretend to sleep, curl up in a ball and pretend to read, or curl up in a ball and pretend to watch t.v. When I was eight, this would have been almost heaven -- snuggled with my softest blanket and some gatorade, I would hunker down for the day in a fort of books and pillows. I might even watch a movie or two.

Now, as a teacher, I am confined to curling up in a ball and worry. Did I email back those parents? Should I grade those papers? Did I mention the calendar routine in my plans? Will my students behave? Will they stay on task? Will they understand the sorting activity? Will they grow as learners and discover themselves as thinkers if I am not there to guide them???

I know the classroom will not come to crashing halt, ending all of civilization, because I am out with the flu. It just feels that way.

It Seems Wrong that We're Starting this on a Monday

2007-04-16T19:08:00.000-04:00

Especially a Monday that we left school early. But this looks like it's going to be a hard week.

Thanks central office for your input and guidance on what should go on in our classrooms.

Love,
Tree & Jenny