Stump The Teacher

Concerns With Common Core

2012-02-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

Yes, there are lots of negatives being tossed around about Common Core and its impact on education and our country in general. I am not going to address the millions of dollars that will be lined in a whole host of pockets…none of which will be educators. In addition, I won’t bother spending time on the notion that standards are good or bad or that these particular standards were largely written be non-educators. And finally, I am not going to worry about the fact that the movement of Common Core is more political than educational. So…here are my three concerns with the implementation of the Common Core standards as it pertains to the classroom teacher.

First, the new Common Core standards are in fact better than some state standards…my state included. They are broad in scope and do allow for individualization by local districts and communities. In fact, there are many higher-order thinking skills addressed, which is a positive sign. However, my first concern is that we will take these new skills and try to reduce them to a bubble sheet test yet again. In addition to that, we will take those tests and use them as a tool to get rid of teachers and condemn schools to failure. Will the new tests in fact reflect the higher level skills or be watered down to drill and skill?

Another potential pitfall of Common Core implementation is the overall setup of our schools, specifically putting kids into grade levels based on age. Within these new standards they have laid out learning progressions that explain how a child should progress along various learning pathways. To me this sounds great. A step by step process of learning is what kids should have. Yet, our system is not set up to handle this. If a student has not yet reached a particular “step” in a learning pathway by the end of the school year, they will still be pushed up to the next grade. This is the equivalent of putting a kid on a ten speed bike before they have mastered a tricycle just because they get older. Does this make sense?

The final concern I have is the overall training provided for new and existing teachers, especially in the sciences. As the new ELA standards come out they are being infused into other areas such as Science and Social Science. While I agree that literacy skills need to be used in these other core classes, who is training these teachers? Are science teachers being trained on how to teacher literacy skills in their classes? Will these teachers be held accountable for teaching these skills as part of their evaluations?

While I am an eternal skeptic by nature, I am trying to give Common Core the benefit of the doubt. Yet, I feel as though we are putting the cart before the horse and not really thinking these things through all the way. What is more concerning is the fact that much of the educational so called reform, Common Core included, is being pushed by non-educators and businesses that stand to make a large amount of money.

Problems or Symptoms

2012-02-06T19:45:00.002-06:00

Lots of topics are at the forefront of discussion in education these days. As I am continually reflecting on these things, I wonder if we might be chasing our tails with a few of them. Are we treating the problems or the symptoms?

I have been vocal about my disdain for homework and the negative impacts it has on students, teachers and families. However, if we are going to do anything about the issue of homework, don’t we first have to look at the overcrowding of curriculum in our classrooms? Can we solve the homework problem before we solve the curriculum problem? I honestly feel bad for teachers who have just an overwhelming amount of content they are being required to get through in the course of a school year. Our schools have made the decision that quantity of curriculum is more important that quality. Until we switch that, homework will remain a topic of discussion from the teacher’s lounge to the dinner table.

We also discuss the problem associated with lack of funding in our schools. Many people have lamented about programs being cut and resources drying up. Yet, if we spent our money better would that help? Rather than looking at getting more, should we first assess how we spend what we have? I know this is easier said than done but it is a starting point at least.

Another issue is about the blame that teachers seem to shoulder when students or schools are under performing. Is that fair, when the only ones that have actual power cause real change are the administrators? Yes, teachers have control in classroom but they have little power to change curriculum, policy, rules or funding. Teachers can’t get rid of bad teachers among their ranks. Administrators are able to do many of the things that will impact large scale change in a school. Why not focus more on creating instructional leaders within schools and give them the power to promote positive change in a building? Yes, teachers need to be held accountable, but so too should administrators. Teachers are often the product of their leader. Don’t underestimate the power of a bad administrator to run a school into the ground of a great one to push a building to new heights.

Social media is also getting hammered as a viable tool in schools. Most schools block its use and are quick to share numerous examples of the negatives of social media. There are many stories of students and teachers getting themselves into trouble through the use of a variety of social media outlets. Yet, we are missing the point when we block and push it away. First, if we don’t teach our kids how to use these tools…who will? Also, social media does not create the problems but rather it exposes them. Let’s not focus on blocking things that are part of our students’ lives, but instead help them learn how to use these tools responsibly. Let’s stop chasing our tails and blocking things before we understand them and educate our students on them.

Are we looking at the problems or the symptoms? If we continue to treat and address the symptoms, the problem will not go away.

Schools Fail Boys

2012-02-03T20:50:00.000-06:00

Before you read, understand that this might be offensive or considered sexist, but I feel a need to share some thoughts I have had recently in regards to boys in our schools. We are failing them. I base my argument on the basis that yes, I am a boy myself, as well as the fact that I grew up with two brothers and have two sons of my own. With that in mind, I feel as though I have a fair amount of experience with boys in schools.

The first area in which I feel we are failing our boy students is the lack of male teachers in the classrooms. This is more prevalent in the primary grades where a child may go through their entire elementary experience without a single male classroom teacher. While I am certainly not saying there is something wrong with female teachers, I do see the importance of a strong male role model in boy’s lives. This is especially true of boys that come from divorced homes where they live with their mothers. Again, I am not saying single mothers can’t raise boys well, but boys need a positive male figure in their lives. I see a fair share of boys that lack a male role model at home and it is obvious in the way they conduct themselves in a classroom and with peers. While this may be cliché, boys need that male figure to help them grow up and “be a man”.

Another place in which I see us falling short with boys is the overall structure of our schools. Boys are inherently rambunctious, active and often loud. Yet, we ask them to sit in nice rows, be quiet, keep their hands to themselves and stay out of the dirt. If they fail to do this, we discipline them and if that doesn’t work we label and medicate them…all for just being boys. How can we create more boy friendly learning environments that support and encourage those naturally boy-like characteristics?

My final concern for boys in our schools is our post-Columbine obsession with zero tolerance policies in schools. Yes, I fully support the need for safety in our schools and bullying should not have a place among our kids. We should do everything in our power as teachers and parents to ensure every child comes to school and feels safe. However, have we gone too far with the zero tolerance policies? As a child I spent many days shooting my brothers and various other objects with a variety of Nerf, BB or pretend guns. Personally, I probably told my buddies or brothers that I was going to “kill them” numerous times. It was something all the boys I know did and none of us grew up to commit heinous crimes or end up behind bars. Yet, if a kindergartner is overheard playing “gun games” on the playground, he will be in the principal’s office and his parents will have a meeting with the social worker. If you doubt that, don’t. This happened to someone close to me this fall. Again, I realize the need for all kids to feel safe and go to school feeling secure, but at what expense? Millions of boys across this country play shooting games, gun games, and pretend “killing” and will grow up to live happy and successful lives.

I don’t want to sound like I am making excuses for boys because I am not. However, it seems as though schools are setting up boys for failure from the moment they walk in until they either comply or get through to graduation.

For some additional thoughts on this subject I encourage you to take a look at this TED Talk from Ali Carr-Chellman.

Dallas Takeaways

2012-01-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

The past six days I was in Dallas, TX as part of the National Teacher of the Year program sponsored by CCSSO. It was amazing to meet and learn with outstanding teachers from nearly every state in our country and many of our territories abroad. As with any such experience it takes a while to unpack all of the experiences and learning that takes place. I know in the days and weeks the follow I will continue to reflect back and revisit those experiences. However, I have some initial takeaways that I am sure will apply to any teacher.

Know your message:

We had an entire session aimed to help us craft and deliver our “message” about education. Now, I know that as teachers of the year, we will be asked our opinions about a great many things and always need to be ready to provide a response. However, any teacher should be prepared with their message. What do you stand for? If you had to sum up what education is about or should be, what would you say?

Tell our own stories:

If you follow me on twitter you might have seen my venting tweet the other day.

I was sitting in a session where the presenter was advising us all on how to deal with the media. When talking about social media, he used some pretty heavy scare tactics and exaggerated stories. He mentioned teachers that had been fired or dismissed for inappropriate use of social media and blogs that said bad things about the teaching profession. As politely and professionally as I could, I stood up and pointed out that yes, teachers have been disciplined for activities on social media. However, that is not a product of social media but rather of poor decisions of a human. I also pointed out that social media such as twitter and blogs is the one true place teachers can tell the stories they want. It is here that we share our successes or failures without the bias or slant of a journalist. I strongly urge all teachers to use all tools of media to share their stories and be a positive face for our profession. Don’t fear it, but embrace it.

Perspective:

In our final session of the week we did a small group activity with some role playing. We were discussing the topic of teacher evaluation and were using the roles of parent, teacher, administrator and policy maker. Through our discussions it was easy to see how we often only see things from the perspective of a teacher and maybe a parent. We rarely take into consideration the decision making process of an administrator or a policy maker in the government. That is not to say that we now agree with every decision that has been made in our collective states in regards to education. However, it gave us a perspective that I know I never really think about. In moving forward I am going to attempt to keep that in mind and look at the decisions in education through all lenses and not just that of a teacher.

All in all it was a great trip and learning opportunity. With that being said, I did have one tremendous disappointment. When I stepped outside of the airport I yelled, “The stars at night are big and bright…” but I didn’t get a reply. So bummed…

Kids Are Not Cookies

2012-01-25T14:51:00.000-06:00

I spent last night meeting and talking to teachers of the year from states all over the country in my opening event for teacher of the year program. As I went back to my room I reflected my first impressions as well as the vigorous conversations.

Throughout the evening I met passionate and dedicated teachers. I know that is a phrase tossed around pretty loosely and many people roll their eyes when they hear it. However, I truly mean it. I was speaking with a teacher from Ohio who essentially started his own school within a public school system on many of the same foundations of learning that good teachers believe in. Another fascinating conversation was with the teacher of the year from Alaska and the struggles of teaching in a rather remote environment. I was also pumped to meet the teacher from Italy who taught military students overseas in a region that my class read about in a novel. All of these stories and many more showed me the true passion these individuals have in their jobs on a daily basis. It was incredibly encouraging knowing the number of like-minded teachers out there. I also love hearing different perspectives and a way of looking at teaching and learning in a variety of classroom settings.

If I took anything away from my discussions last night, it is that we cannot take a cookie cutter approach to teaching and learning. Yes, student’s success in the classroom is determined by a teacher’s ability to teach. However, to deny home life, background knowledge, life experience, cultural uniqueness, geographic considerations or the whole host of other factors in a child’s life is a failure to see them as a whole child. In the handful of discussions I had last night, it really brought to light my belief that we cannot standardize education on a massive scale. Just hearing the variety of stories and nuances within each of these teacher’s communities was eye opening as well and left me with a question. Why would my approach to teaching a suburban child in Illinois be the same as a teacher working with a remote village of children in Alaska? Even within my own classroom, I have a range of variables that impact every child differently. The kids across the country are not cookies and yet I feel as though we are trying to force them to be…

Defending the Retake

2012-01-24T09:13:00.002-06:00

In the past two years I have changed my thinking on test taking and retakes. I used to give kids one shot on a test and they better not blow it. If they could not demonstrate their comprehension on the day I delegated as “test day” they were out of luck. It was a one attempt deal…unless their parents called and complained real loud. J

Over the past couple of years I have reflected much on the approach I take to teaching as well as evaluating learning. I am tasked to teach a certain set of learning standards in my classes every year. At this point in time I am not told how to teach these standards, or how I go about assessing them. Typically, I would give an assessment, grade it, hand it back and move one. End of story.

Now, students are given an unlimited opportunity to retake any assessment or any portion of an assessment. If my goal is to make sure students understand the learning standards, then should it matter how many times they need to do this? I grew up a basketball player and know that if I was assessed on my shooting ability before I was warmed up, I would fail miserably. If a student can get themselves to a point of understanding, then why does it matter how many times or how long it takes them to do this?

With all that being said, many skeptics claim students will just memorize the test and take advantage of this retake policy. Yes, if I were to just give the same test back to a kid every single time without any additional prep work that would be true. However, that is not what I do. If a student wants to do a retake there is a reflection form they fill out that asks them some questions pertaining to their failed attempt and what they will do to prepare for a second try. As part of this additional work I have a series of screencasts students can watch as well as numerous re-teaching opportunities. They must prove to me they have gone and done something differently to prepare for a second assessment attempt.

In addition to the prep work a student will do prior to a retake, the assessments themselves are not always the same. Depending on the student, I will often just do an oral retake at my desk. I will just have a conversation with the student and ask a series of questions aimed at assessing the student’s comprehension of the concept. Most of my students prefer this method as it is quick, easy and a natural form of communication. If students prefer to write their answer I might give them the same assessment, a new assessment, or ask them how they want to show me they understand the concept.

Bottom line is learning happens all the time but rarely at the same time. With that in mind, I do offer retakes and will continue to do so. If I don’t offer a retake or re-teaching, then the learning stops the moment the student hands in the test.

I Don't Know

2012-01-21T10:38:00.002-06:00

Recently, my students took a test in our Social Science class. The assessment was a few short answer questions about a variety of topics in Ancient India. As my students turn them in, I typically have a follow up activity for them to be working on while other students are finishing up. Then I will start on grading the assessments in an effort to give them some instant feedback. There are always some answers that leave me scratching my head and asking myself, “where did that come from.”

However, as I was reading through the student’s work I came across one comment from a student that took me back initially. The question she was answering had two parts to it. She answered the first part well but clearly struggled with the second part and simply wrote, “I don’t know. L”

Now, I know some teachers that would simply give this student a marked down score and move on. I do not do that. Personally, I look at this as an opportunity for both me and my student to learn and grow. Rather than moving on, I provide re-teaching opportunities as well as retakes. For most students, as soon as they turn in a test or assignment their learning ends. I would rather have a student write down, “I don’t know” so I can look at a different approach to help them understand that content. On a regular basis, I tell my students that it is ok for them not to know the answers but to constantly be looking for them. Once they give up on finding answers, I have failed them.

If I am truly a teacher, then I must teach. That doesn’t mean just teaching up until the test, but beyond. If a student “doesn’t know” then it is my responsibility to help them “know”. Learning should not end when a piece of paper is turned in.

Choice

2012-01-17T21:16:00.000-06:00

I am a big fan of allowing students the ability to choose how they want to show me evidence of their learning. Yes, most students prefer to do this in written form because that is what they are used to. However, every once in a while a student will produce something that really blows me away. While studying Ancient Greece we were discussing various forms of government. One of these was an oligarchy which is simply a form of government in which the decisions are made by a small group. My students typically giggle at the sound of oligarchy because they think it is something the can order off the menu at Olive Garden. During one of the activities students wanted to draw pictures of what they thought oligarchy would look like if it was a dish on the menu. Here is one of these pictures.

Oligarchy

It is clear to me that this student understands the concept of an oligarchy through this picture. She clearly illustrated the small group of decision makers as the olives on the top of the dish. Then there is the “sauce” that represents the decisions that impact the rest of the population which she used noodles for. I don’t need her to take a test or write me an essay. The abstract manner in which she illustrated her understanding is more than adequate. As I plan my lessons and subsequent assessments, I try to constantly be looking for opportunities for students to show me their comprehension in a variety of ways.

How often do we allow students the choice to show us their learning in a different way? Must all learning be shown in the same manner?

Greece Grouping Activity

2012-01-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

This is a post I was asked to write many weeks ago and have finally gotten around to doing it. In a prior #sschat on Twitter there was a conversation about groups and how to organize groups in classes. I shared a way in which I do a “creative” grouping activity in conjunction with introducing some early forms of Ancient Greek government. I tried to write it out, but was struggling to have it make sense in writing…so, I made a screen cast instead. Enjoy!

A Conversation With...Me

2012-01-05T09:50:00.000-06:00

This is a recent interview I did for the Illinois Education Association in response to my Illinois Teacher of the Year Award. I wanted to get across some key ideas and I feel that they did a nice job with the video. However, I have to admit an error in my statements in regards to the Collaboreyes Project. The two good friends do not work in Kansas but in Nebraska. I am not sure why I goofed that up in the video...must have been the pressure of the camera. :)

Be There

2012-01-03T11:54:00.002-06:00

The other day I took my son to his swim lesson. This is something I have done numerous times with both of my boys and they really love being in the water. Their lessons are thirty minutes long and I normally bring a book, the iPad, or laptop to get some work or reading done during the boy’s lessons. However, as I sat there this week I looked up from my game of Words With Friends to notice my son looking up at me. He said, “Daddy, did you see that?”

I did what every father would have done in that situation. I replied with an enthusiastic, “Of course I did buddy, good job!”

For the remainder of his lesson I put my phone away and ignored my texts, emails, games, Facebook and Twitter updates. I just watched my son swim and noticed just how many times he looked up to me to see that I was watching. It was clear that every time he looked at me, he was checking to see that I was watching and seeking my approval.

As I was watching my son swim, I looked around to the other parents in the pool area. Nearly every single one of them had their heads buried in a device of some sort. Mom’s checking their phones and iPads or dads reading books and checking emails. Kids were looking up for an approving look and were instead greeted by the top of a head or the back of a device. I made my mind up then that I would, “be there” when my sons look up for that approving thumbs up or nod of the head.

With this idea of being there in mind, I reflected on my work in the classroom with my students. How many times are my students working on something and I sneak to my desk to grade something? When my students are struggling and look up to me and my head is in a computer updating a grade book, what message am I sending? If a student is doing something they are proud of and I am replying to emails, how do they feel? My goal is to return to work next week and be there…less time doing the managerial work that I need to do, but be among the kids more. I want to watch them work and be there to encourage them, support them, and give them the thumbs up when they look to me.

I'm Going Streaking

2011-12-31T16:47:00.000-06:00

I have decided not to make New Year’s Resolutions this year…no lists of fluffy feel good things that I will more than likely fail to live up to. Instead, I am going streaking. Yes, you heard that correct. I am going streaking for the first time in my life. I just hope I can do Frank proud.

Specifically, I am going to attempt to start two different streaks on New Year’s Day. The first is a streak to run every single day for the year of 2012. This is certainly going to be a difficult challenge for me as I have battled a knee injury since my collegiate triple jumping career. I am choosing to do this for a couple of reasons. First, is actually because of my wife who has recently committed to a run streak and at the time of this posting is sitting at 37 consecutive days of running at least one mile. Many of her runs have been in the double digits for miles and she is inspiring me with her dedication. The second reason is for my own personal goal setting and physical growth. I am the type of person that needs a goal in order to motivate myself. In the past, I would run if I was training for a race or some sort of competition. Hopefully, by taking this challenge and making it public on my blog I will stick with it…feel free to drop me a line on twitter ( @stumpteacher ) to make sure I stay honest!

The second streak I hope to start is nothing new and nothing that many of my readers have not already done. It is the 365 photo-a-day project. My goal is to take a picture a day and post it on my posterous site. I will be travelling a great deal as the Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2012, so I hope to share some of my travels and have a snap shot of my year.

So, maybe these two streaks are actually resolutions and I am just another hypocrite…but oh well. I am going to try to stick with these two things for as long as I can. What streaks do you want to start this year? Watch an episode of Seinfeld every day? Give a family member a hug every day? Take a walk every day? Take time to read every day?

In thinking about my two impending streaks, I am brainstorming how to bring this idea to my classroom. How can I incorporate streaks with my students? What streaks can I start with them? How can I help them create yearly challenges and then support them?

Twas The Night Before Testing...

2011-12-23T19:30:00.001-06:00

Twas the day before testing, when all through the school

Not a student was learning, not even the fool.

The pencils were sharpened and laid out with care,

In hopes that learning soon would be shown there.

The children were crowded all cramped in their seats,

While visions of bubbled answers danced on the sheets.

And teacher in their desk, and student their chair,

Both settled their brains for a long blank stare.

When out in the hall arose such a noise,

Students sprang from desks, the girls and the boys.

Away to the door they flew in a flash,

Tore down the testing sign and left in a crash.

The hallway lit with the glimmer of neon light,

And students called back to seats with fright.

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,

But endless questions and answers to fear.

With children back in their seats,

They settled for testing feats.

More quickly than lightning, directions were read,

As teachers spewed and spit words of dread.

“Now fill in the bubbles with pencil number two!

Use your time wisely for the minutes will be few.

Do your best and show what you got,

There may be pressure but perform on the spot."

Kids said not a word but tried their best,

And worked continuously without rest.

Some were finished and some were not,

Regardless all were done when clock hit the spot.

Kids sprang to the door and down the halls,

Answering their texts and taking their calls.

Teachers collected the tests in a nice neat pile,

Brought them to the office, heels clicking on the tile.

As all tests were collected and locked up so neat,

Teachers and students both happy it complete.

A day without these tests both are yearning,

They wish to say, “it’s about the learning.”

Happy Testing to All and To All a Good Score!

Holiday Break Sucks

2011-12-20T17:31:00.001-06:00

Christmas Break.

Holiday Break.

Winter Break.

In the immortal words of New Kids on the Block, “call it what you want”. Bottom line is many of us look forward to the time of year when we get a bit of time off to relax, recharge and spend time with loved ones. However, it is at this time of year I am always reminded how much these break suck for many of our students. I can name a handful of my students who are dreading the upcoming time away from classes and their behavior is a clear indicator of this fact. Is this because my class is that awesome? Not a chance! Do these kids love homework and extra credit projects? Not even close! These particular students simply have nothing at home worth looking forward to.

Many will be heading to a break filled with fighting, yelling, and domestic unrest.
Some will attempt to hide in a home where divorce has wrecked their “normal” lives.
Increasing numbers of students will experience less than bountiful loot left from Santa under the tree.
Some students will spend their breaks parenting siblings while their parents work.
Others will be working themselves to help support their families.
A few of your students might not get to read a book because they have none of their own.
Many will head to homes not able to pay the heating or electric bills.
Some may not even have homes to go home to.

We often take for granted these breaks and cannot possibly imagine why anyone would fear them. For those about to head on break, remember when those students start acting out there might be a reason behind it. They might be afraid of leaving the safe, calm, and loving environment that is school. Many students view schools as their safe haven and impending breaks from school are scary and potentially anxious times in their lives.

The Only Standard We Ever Need

2011-12-20T17:13:00.001-06:00

I have often been accused of over-simplifying things or making things more black and white than they should be. When it comes to the increasing number of standards being imposed on our students, I am beginning to feel rather frustrated. As a country we are concerned that our students are falling behind in the sacred tests to other countries. Yet, as I sit in my desk helping students do math during study hall, I have a tough time believing that. These 6^th grade students are tackling concepts that I am confident I was not introduced to until late junior high or early high school. More and more content is being pushed down in an effort to help kids get ahead. So what gives? Why are the test scores not going up if kids are getting “smarter” earlier?

For me, I wonder if it is simply a matter of breadth over depth. We are exposing our students to as much content and curricula as inhumanly possible in the time we have them. Yet, due to the sheer amounts of standards and content, teachers cannot hope to go into any true depth. How can teachers deepen understanding when they are given such a laundry list of standards to teach in one school year? Students are certainly being exposed to more content today than in the past, but at the expense of what? True understanding and depth of knowledge?

The other day I spent some time playing and learning with my son in his preschool classroom. In one of the classrooms the teacher had hung the multitude of learning standards each child was expected to master by the end of the year. It struck me funny as a parent to think my child would be exposed to all that content in one academic year. Honestly, I was blown away by how many there were. As I looked them over, one caught my eye.

This standard truly does sum up my beliefs on learning. How would your teaching change if you put this standard in your list? What if this was the only standard that drove your teaching? In my opinion we move too far away from “active exploration” in lieu of rigid curriculum coverage. Is it possible that this is the only standard we ever need?

Social Media is not the Problem

2011-12-20T07:59:00.001-06:00

I recently came across an article in the New York Times on social media. The basic premise behind the article is laws and boundaries are being put in place to protect both teachers and students from inappropriate relationships or interactions as a result of social media use. My initial gut reaction was not positive to be honest. A few statements stuck out at me specifically.

“Some teachers have set poor examples by posting lurid comments or photographs involving sex or alcohol on social media sites. Some have had inappropriate contact with students that blur the teacher-student boundary.”

Yes, this is a true statement. Some teachers have used poor professional judgment in what actions they have taken in regards to student relationships online. Due to discretions of the few, why must we mandate for all? Should we ban all youth football programs from universities due to the infractions of a few? I believe whole heartedly that educators using social media sites for inappropriate means should be dealt with and prosecuted as such. To say that social media causes these negative things to occur is ignorant at best. If anything, social media brings to light such behaviors that could easily remain hidden behind closed doors. Poor decisions cause problems, not social media. In addition, when brought to light via social media, those instances have to be dealt with and not swept under the rug.

“School administrators are also concerned about teachers’ revealing too much information about their private lives.”

This is another statement that I took a certain degree of issue with. Many teachers are not comfortable sharing personal information with their students in any form. That is fine. However, some of the most influential teachers are those that are able to walk that line between professional and personal. Parents and students alike, respond best to teachers that are “real” human beings and part of that is sharing personal information. I tell my student’s parents that I have children of my own and often share stories and relate to them. Is that not a good thing to do? When talking to my students I often share personal stories about my life experiences as they pertain to them. Does that not help me build rapport and better connect with my students? How about helping teachers negotiate those lines rather than removing the line completely?

“What worries some educators is that overly restrictive policies will remove an effective way of engaging students who regularly use social media platforms to communicate.”

I agree with this statement completely. If we remove a viable option for parent/teacher/student communication we are just shutting doors. In the current economic and social realities of the world we live in, teachers need to use whatever means at their disposal to connect to students and parents. Social media is just another option on the table that if used properly can be highly effective.

Yes, we need to protect our students as well as our teachers. However, as history has often proven, banning never has the desired outcome or intended results. Let’s instead use a policy of guidance and education to help both our students and teachers use these powerful tools for good. Oh…and most teachers are already doing this!

Chrome-Tweetdeck Tutorial

2011-12-15T10:16:00.000-06:00

It has been too long since I made my last tutorial...so here is a new one. This one goes through some ways in which I use the new Tweetdeck Extension within Chrome as well as some other Twitter-related Extensions. Enjoy and let me know what I missed and what you want to see next!

Complaining and Campaigning

2011-12-05T15:39:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year…the time to complain and campaign for the annual EduBlogs Awards!

There are those that have been nominated who will be campaigning very hard in the coming days for you to log in and vote for them. The coveted badge means a great deal to them and they will do their best to “earn” your vote. For them winning is a big deal, as it vindicates the work they have done and they cherish that coveted jpg file for their site. On the other end will be those that have been left out and therefore complain about the whole award process and encourage you to boycott the entire enterprise. They lash out from a place of either jealously or just an overall hatred for the institution of awards.

Now in full disclosure, I have been nominated for an EduBlog Award in three different categories. I am honored that my work has been noticed and acknowledged by my peers. Regardless of my status as a nominee, my thoughts remain the same. The “Eddies11” are a great way to pick up new people to follow and blogs to read. Go through the nominees and I am sure you will pick up something new and possibly some inspiration. There are great people doing great work that needs to be shared. If you don’t want to vote, then don’t vote. Read, learn, and share what you find. Let’s focus more on the work there instead of winning and losing.

Another concern that arises with the “Eddies” is the campaigning. Don’t tweet out, “vote for me” or lament that you were not nominated. If you are blogging and tweeting for awards and badges, then maybe you are doing it for the wrong reason. I keep hearing..."Badges....we don't need no stinkin' badges!" in the back of my head. :) When we share good work and acknowledge it, everyone wins. I remember looking through the nominees last year and picking up some great blogs to read and people to follow. The Eddies are a venue to share good work and learn from some great folks. However, let’s not get wrapped up in the winning and try to avoid the complaining and campaigning.

We are all better when we learn and share from and with each other. I encourage you to go through the list of nominees and add some more blogs to your readers and names to your follow list.

Thank You Mr. Smith

2011-12-02T14:57:00.002-06:00

As a teacher you are lucky if you find yourself teaching in a building with inspirational and influential people. In this area, I feel incredibly fortunate due to the high number of people that would fit this description in my building. However, there is one teacher that stands above the rest for me personally. He has inspired me to write this post that I hope to serve as a thank you to him as well as a learning opportunity for others. I will not use his real name for both personal and professional reasons.

This particular teacher, Mr. Smith, teaches the kids that many others don’t want to, or simply can’t handle. These students are difficult, to put it mildly, and make up the so called “E-D” population which are students with a host of social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. His caseload ranges from year to year and fluctuates in both numbers and intensity of needs and he has been at it for 25+ years. Many of the students that walk through his classroom doors have witnessed and experienced things that most people will never see in a lifetime. Without going into great details, Mr. Smith’s students often are known by the local police departments, hospitals, social workers, and armies of therapists. In any given year his students will come and go due to hospitalizations at treatment centers or problems with the “law”.

Press photograph from the George Grantham Bain collection

What amazes me most about Mr. Smith is that he is like a prize fighter that gets his bell rung nearly every single day and yet keeps getting right back up. I have witnessed kids screaming at him and cussing him out while throwing classroom furniture. Yet, within minutes of these altercations, he is there rebuilding the relationship and providing the love and support these kids so desperately need. It is often a thankless job that largely goes unnoticed by other students and staff, who routinely try to avoid his room for fear of what is happening down in “Room 13”.

I have spoken and written often about my belief in relationships being the key to a successful teacher-student relationship. Much of my feelings and beliefs have come from the dreaded Room 13. When Mr. Smith’s often hair trigger students are having a bad day, he will dance and sing a “Grumpercism” which is one of his many creations to help his students crack a smile and relieve the tension. He will literally do anything for his students who are those that struggle the most with authority and the general institution that is public school. It is very easy to talk about relationship building and supporting kids in a so called “normal” class. However, teachers like Mr. Smith prove it can be done in the most difficult of spaces and takes away any excuses the rest of us might have.

What are you doing to build relationships with your students? Do you connect with the kids that are difficult and often pushed to the side? What about the kids that scream, yell, and throw furniture? Do you build relationships with them as well? What about the students in your building that are in “room 13”, do you take the time to know them, understand them, and have empathy for them?

By Paramount Pictures and Fleischer Studios [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Lots of educational talking heads keep saying we are “Waiting for Superman”. I am not. I work two doors down from him every day and I along with many other teachers in my building are better because of it.

Sitting on the Fence

2011-11-27T21:19:00.000-06:00

I feel as though we are becoming more and more polarized in our country, especially in education. Often we find ourselves in discussions where it is either left or right and we can’t be in the middle for fear of being looked upon as apathetic. Everyone wants to think they are right and therefore that others are wrong. The more and more discussions like these I find myself in the more I think sitting on the fence is the best way to go.

Now there are certain things that we can never sit on the fence with. Students should always be treated fairly, with respect and dignity. However, there are many things within the educational realm with extremely polarized views.

Grades:

Some teachers swear by their grade books as an integral part of their teaching. They would think it blasphemy to hear the outrages claims of those saying we need to rid out schools of grades. On the other hand there are those that see no value in grades as a means of feedback and that our classrooms would be better off without them. I would rather sit in the middle and acknowledge most traditional grading practices are archaic and should be reflected upon and revised. If we are up front about what we grade, how it is graded, why it is graded, and detailed feedback on the grading process in our class it is ok. Myself, I use standards based grading as a middle ground. I am able to clearly communicate to students and parents progress made toward a set of learning standards. There is no guess work as to how the grades are determined or what goes into the “A”.

Standardized Testing:

This is one that I may get heat for but again, there is a middle ground here. The issue as I see it is the amount of money spent creating, preparing, administering and grading these assessments. In addition, the amount of class time spent preparing and taking these tests is at a great cost to learning opportunities. Can’t we use small tests to gather the same data? How accurate is this data if so much time is spent teaching to the test? The tests themselves are a greater indication of teacher preparedness rather than student learning progress. If we instead down play their role and use them as snap shots or basic skills only, they can have little use for us. With technology we can offer more solutions with less hindrance on the classrooms themselves.

Standards and Common Core:

This is a hot topic right now with the advent of the Common Core standards and their role in the future of education in many states. On one hand there are the advocates of strict standards and increased rigor as the only means of “saving” education in our country. Conversely there are those that would advocate for more student driven learning where students guide their learning in absence of standards. Can’t we have both? Is it possible to have a loose set of overarching standards to guide our learning progress while giving students a larger role in the process? Standards are not the issue as much as our overreliance on them both as a means to drive curriculum as well as attempt to hold teachers accountable.

Instructional Procedures:

There are many ways in which a teacher can deliver content to a group of students. As with a favorite sports team, many teachers become a staunch fan of one way and nothing else. Whether you are lecturing, using PBL, Flipped Model, small groups, or any of the other numerous models, they all have value. What works one day will not work the next. What works with one student will not necessarily work with another. We need to stop looking for that silver bullet of instructional methods and realize that bullet is flexibility and evolution. The teachers who succeed are those willing to change when needed for the sake of the student.

Technology Use:

Yes, there is certainly opposing views on the value of technology in education. Many see technology as a great tool with unending potential for improving student learning. However, there are also those that see it as a distraction or shiny object flashing in the eyes of our students. I tend to think they are both right. Technology can, has, and will transform learning in our schools. However, if not used properly, it can be a distraction and a waste of resources. Stand in the middle where you use technology to further learning but not just using it to be using it.

Too often we get wrapped up in our “side” that we fail to recognize the value in the other side. It is in this moment that we are unable to learn and move forward but instead get entrenched in our viewpoints at the detriment of all. Often times sitting on the fence is viewed as the easy way out or just being lazy. However, in most situations, it is the dichotomy within issue that breeds inaction and stagnation. Most of the discussions in education have two sides and the middle ground between both is where I see the greatest potential for growth. I encourage discourse, argument, and discussion as a means of growth but we must stay in the middle to a certain degree for the sake of any change happening.

You're Holding that Pencil Wrong!

2011-11-27T16:04:00.000-06:00

I hesitated in writing this post as I don’t want to call anyone out or embarrass anyone. This story is true and happened to someone close to me and I felt sharing and reflecting on it. My friend’s oldest child is in kindergarten this year and recently got his son’s first report card sent home. Report cards are all different but this was a pretty standard kindergartner report card. It had a handful of skills in a column with the tried and true “S” for satisfactory or “D” for developing. One such skill was “pencil grasp” and his son received a “D” in this column.

Now, the grade was not the issue my friend initially had but rather confusion because his son holds his pencil as “normal” as anyone else. So, he waited to bring this up at his son’s parent teacher conference. At the conference he asked the teacher why his son received a “D” for his pencil grasp. Her reply, according to him was, “well, when I tested him, he held his pencil in a fist which is not correct.”

I am not here to defend the way a child holds his pencil but the fact that his grade was based on a one time “test” of pencil holding ability. Knowing this kid, I am sure he was just being a stinker at that moment of the test. In addition, I have personally witnessed this child hold and use his pencil in the “approved” manner. Yet, this teacher did not base his grade on what I would assume would be multiple days of in class observation. She had to have seen him write, color, and draw on countless occasions during the few months he had been in her class. His grade was based on a so called snapshot moment that clearly did not illustrate his abilities.

For me, there a few reasons I find this story problematic. First, I happen to know this was a first year teacher that was probably just doing what they were told. This is often the case in schools where new teachers are products of the environment rather than doing what is best for kids. Second, this is another illustrated example of why standard and district assessments are too often a snapshot and not the whole picture of a child. Yet, so much value is given to these assessments. Finally, this points to the problem with grades and how they often fail to articulate a child’s abilities. If you were an un-involved parent, you would see such a report card as my friend and assume there was a problem with your child.

In looking at lessons learned here…if you are a teacher don’t let a child’s grade be based on a snapshot. Do everything within your power to use grades and any other feedback you have to paint a clear picture of a child’s abilities. On the other side of things, if you are a parent like my friend, make sure you ask questions. Teachers can learn from parents as much as anybody and their perspectives are often underutilized.

What Do We Measure?

2011-11-16T15:11:00.000-06:00

Last night I found myself in a conversation on twitter with a handful of individuals in varying roles within education. Our discussion ended up essentially talking about what we measure in schools. Here is a snip of the conversation.

I reflected a great deal on this and found myself with a few questions.

What do we measure in schools?

This is the only question I felt I had a handle on. We measure student’s academic knowledge through grades, tests, and other data points. Myself, I use standards based grading where a student’s grade is solely based upon their ability to demonstrate mastery of a learning standard. I need to provide each student a grade in my classes and I choose to have those grades based completely on content knowledge. I don’t believe in inflating grades with homework or extra credit. While this may not be a perfect system, it is working for me and my students right now.

What do we teach that is not measured?

Lately, I have been focusing on having my students think outside the box and be more creative. Is creativity measured? Can it be? I am also working on building a cultural and global awareness within my students. Is that something I can have them “bubble in”? What about other life skills such as empathy and generosity as Dean suggested? None of these things are measured in schools even though they might be observed and noted. At the end of the day, there is not an “A-“ in empathy showing up on a student’s report card.

What should we be measuring?

With both of the previous questions in mind, what should we measure in schools? What is our purpose for measuring students, other than to see who grew two inches over the summer? J Is the reason for measurement to rank, sort, and track students? Is it possible that some of the most valuable life skills we teach in school are not measurable?

As with most things, I have more questions than answers. I feel as though educational culture is predisposed to measure everything and color code it on an Excel spreadsheet. What should we be measuring and what should we just observe and nurture? Are the life skills mentioned above difficult to define and therefore left out of the conversation when it comes to what we value about student learning while in schools?

Student Driven Learning: My Journey

2011-11-10T21:30:00.000-06:00

Many people have asked me recently about my push to make my classroom more student driven. For some, it is a large step and can be potentially scary to think about relinquishing control of your classroom to students. In an effort to help and also reflect on my journey, I provide the following phases of creating a student driven classroom. This is by no means ground breaking or the definitive answer, but simply one teacher’s journey.

Phase One:

As with any journey worth taking, the first step is often the most difficult to take. For me it was realizing that I was no longer the keeper of the knowledge and that I didn’t need to be “teaching” as much as I was. I needed to believe that my students could take more ownership and that I could guide more and instruct less. In order for a teacher to push more student driven learning, they first must be able to resign from teaching and trust they don’t need to be in front of the class at all times.

Phase Two:

Once I made the decision to resign and begin putting more the learning in my student’s hands I started with giving them more choices. This is a really simple and easy step to start, especially for younger kids. For me, I started with giving choices on simple things like projects and daily in class activities. If my goal was to see if students comprehended a concept, why does format matter? Let the students choose what works best for them.

Phase Three:

For me, the next step was no longer dictating the learning steps a student took in order to master a learning standard. Yes, I realize that the very presence of learning standards is counterintuitive to student driven learning, but it is also a reality of my job. I did this in a number of ways. First, I modeled with students how to turn a standard into a learning question. The students then decided how best to answer that question…what resources to use, what method of information gathering, and what format to share or present their learning. I created a series of organizers to help students go through this process and they became quite good at doing it.

Phase Four:

The next phase is to turn all of the work completely over to the students. I did this last spring when I gave my Language Arts students a list of the learning standards for the entire trimester. They choose what learning activities to do, what order to do them in, and how to show evidence of their learning. I had a calendar and students filled in meeting times with me for mini lessons, small group discussions, and any other assistance they needed. They owned every aspect of their learning with the exception of the standards themselves. I shared many of these posts and experiences during my Reform Symposium presentation.

Phase Five:

This is the best and most pure form of student driven learning and I experienced this on one occasion last year. For me, stage five is when students not only choose their activities and evidence, but also the content of their learning. They are not driven towards a predetermined standard but rather choose what to learn based on their passions and learning needs. My example of this was last year during our Innovation Day where students worked towards their own learning goals in whatever method best suited them.

As I move into this new school year, I am planning on continuing to evolve my process and always look for more opportunities to help students take more ownership of their learning. One example that I am looking to pursue is to have more days in phase five where students can create more long term and sustainable learning projects based on individual interest and passion. I am bound by certain learning standards within my class, but I will continue to nurture student driven learning as I firmly believe that is a huge step to creating lifelong learners.

Celebrate the Small Things

2011-11-08T21:01:00.000-06:00

Simple post with a simple idea…celebrate the small things in life and in school. Below is a video of my youngest son demonstrating how he can now zip his coat on his own. They make a big deal about this at his preschool as kids join the official “Zipper Club” after being able to zip their own coats. While this may seem like an insignificant pursuit to most of us, you can certainly see the pride on my son’s face when he gets it done.

How often are we celebrating the small things in our classrooms? Are we taking time to give a student a pat on the pack and tell them we are proud of their work or some seemingly insignificant action? I am not asking for handing out awards but simply celebrating and acknowledging good things kids are doing.

Standardized Testing

2011-11-05T13:02:00.001-05:00

I think there are a handful of issues related to public education such as funding, unions, merit based pay, and standardized testing. Many of these issues are hot topics and are being debated from the teacher’s lounge to the halls of Washington DC. For me, the issue I see having the greatest impact on my students and my classroom is the over emphasis on standardized testing. I am a believer in student driven and individualized learning for all students. Standardized testing flies in the face of this belief or at least appears to do so as it is currently being used.

For me, I see the reason we have standardized testing is more about holding teachers accountable rather than measuring student learning. We want to be able to say that all our teachers are teaching the same content and we are all on the same page either as a school district or a state. The reason it is being used in such a way is that it is easy to use simple test questions and pull data to evaluate and make decisions from. We use these to make decisions on teacher effectiveness and student learning because they are easily scored and measured.

The problem with such an approach to teacher evaluation and student measurement is that it is not the whole picture but often is treated as such. Standardized tests largely require low level thinking skills and ask students to simply recall and regurgitate facts and procedural items. They do not reflect a student’s ability to creatively solve problems, work collaboratively with peers, or use creative problem solving. If we think in terms of life skills and 21st Century Skills, standardize tests are not able to adequately assessing these skills. With that in mind, educators know the value of such skills and yet they are not being considered when a student is evaluated in terms of a standardized test score.

The effects of such overdependence on standardized tests score often have significant consequences in a number of areas of education. For one, curriculum is often driven by these tests. The order of units and chapters are put in place to align with these tests rather than a logical sequence based on best practice or what is best for the cognitive development of students. Scope and sequence for tested curricular areas are being decided by testing schedules rather than by what is best for student’s learning.

Another effect is the potential implications for teachers whose students underperform on such tests. In some cases teachers are being held accountable for low tests scores or unjustly receiving accolades for high scores. Often these scores are the results of student affluence rather than teaching ability or inability and yet teachers are being held accountable for them. In addition to teachers, whole schools and districts are being blamed for poor test scores. Schools are being put on watch lists and in some cases being reconstituted or closed based on these scores.

In my opinion, the most profound impact is being felt by the students themselves. For many, this is the key indicator or their success or failure within the academic realm. They are sorted, ranked, and placed in classes solely based on a standardized test score. Intelligent students who test poorly are unjustly hurt by these tests as well as students who struggle within the confines of the format of such tests. Too often a student’s academic value is being decided by a one size fits all test. Students are individuals that learn, grow, and demonstrate their learning in unique and different ways. Standardized tests do not allow for this to happen.

In terms of a solution, there are a few things that can be done to help this issue. First, the test themselves are actually not bad if used in a specific way. If they are used simply to determine a student’s ability to recall facts, dates, and definitions, then they are adequate. However, they should not be the sum of all a student’s academic parts. In addition, they cannot be the focus of weeks and months of preparation nor should budget line items be in place for “test prep”. Too much learning time is being wasted in an effort to teach to the test. In addition, they should not be the sole tool used to measure a student which they often are. Yes, it would be nice to not have any tests and trust students and teachers to be constantly learning and making progress. However, that is idealistic and not practical in all cases. Therefore, we need to make sure in addition to tests of rote memorization if required, that we have performance assessments, observational data, critical thinking tasks, and other tools aimed at evaluating the whole student. Students are unique individuals and our assessment of them, when necessary, should reflect that.

My Message

2011-11-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

Many of you are probably aware that I was recently named Illinois Teacher of the Year. As a result of that honor, I am a nominee for National Teacher of the Year. Part of the process was a packet of paperwork that I recently submitted to "nationals" last week. Among the many questions and topics was one that asked what my message would be about our profession to fellow teachers and the general public. Below is an excerpt from my answer...

My message would be a simple one; it is all about the kids. Regardless if you are a teacher, parent, administrator, school board member or politician, every single decision you make must come down the kids in the seats. We as educators and those that have any hand in education must be held accountable to the students first and foremost. If we cannot walk up to a child and explain to them why we made the decision we did, then we shouldn’t be doing it.

Students are what this entire profession is about and we often lose our focus in the midst of budgets, meetings, trainings, politics, and indecision. Bottom line we need to be in tune to what the needs of the students are and use all of our individual and collective resources to meet those needs. This has to go beyond words but must be reinforced with actions.

I would ask parents to use all their available resources to help their child be successful at home and trust teachers to do what is best for them. In addition, I would ask parents to respectfully advocate for their child and be as involved as possible in their child’s education.

I would ask teachers to remain focused on the kids in the classroom and do whatever they can to meet the needs of each of them individually. I would also ask them to never be content and always find ways to hone their craft to be better for their students.

I would ask administrators both at the building and district levels to stay in touch and grounded in the work being done in the classroom. They need to be present in classrooms to put student’s faces and names behind the decisions they will be called upon to make.

I would ask politicians and corporate reformers to defer to the experts in education before making decisions. If decisions are being made about education, then I would ask educators to be at the table as well as those being educated.

Lastly, I would say that we are stronger and better together and need to stop competing, hiding and being afraid of the collaboration that will benefit us all and in turn benefit students.

You Hate Kids?

2011-10-30T12:53:00.003-05:00

I recently had a comment left on a previous post causing me to pause and think. The comment:

There was some further conversation within the comments but I stand by my original thoughts that you have to remain centered around kids in everything you do. With that in mind, I don’t think you can be a good teacher if you “hate” kids. Sure you might be able to present the content well and be an expert in your discipline. However, so much of a teacher’s effectiveness lies in their ability to create strong and positive relationships. I may be wrong, but if I hated kids, I don’t think I would be even remotely close to a “good” teacher, regardless of your definition of “good”. How can you do your job well if you hate the very thing your job centers around?

The example that was given in the comment strand was a pastry chef could be a great chef even if they hated croissants. Now, it may be possible that a chef hates croissants. However, if they do and make a halfhearted croissant the consequence is hardly life threatening. If a teacher took a halfhearted approach to kids, I feel as though the consequences are worse in the long run. I feel as though the best teachers are able to connect with kids on a personal level to create meaningful relationships that I doubt are possible if you don’t “like” kids.

As a parent, I would be appalled to think my son’s teachers hated kids. Kids are able to pick up on those feelings and it will certainly impact their state of mind when they sit in the classroom. In my own experiences, I learned very well in classes where the teacher’s love for their students was evident and came through in the work they did. I even recall a brilliant teacher who clearly knew his subject matter but just as clearly hated being a teacher as well as the kids in his room. His inability to connect with the students ultimately impacted the learning and I can vouch for that first hand.

Am I wrong? Can you be a good teacher and hate kids?

My First Radio Interview

2011-10-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

Below is a recent radio interview I did as a result of "winning" the State of Illinois Teacher of the Year. Normally, I would think of posting this, but I think I actually had a few noteworthy things to say in this one...enjoy!

Naperville Teacher Is 2011 Illinois Teacher Of The Year by wdcbnews

Why I Write

2011-10-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Writing has always been a part of my life. Since I was young, I always enjoyed playing with words and using them to illustrate a point or tell a story. I still have notebooks filled with thoughts, ideas, and poems from my adolescent years. If nothing else, they provide a glimpse into my mind at different periods in my life. I change and so too does my writing. This blog and the writing I have done on it, has changed the way I teach more than anything in my career. It holds me accountable for my words and actions while providing me an outlet for my ideas. The simple act of writing something and clicking “post” is really profound. By doing that I am sharing my thoughts, ideas, and in some case my very being with the world. Some people will hate it, some people will love it and in both cases I am better because of it.

My beliefs and opinions are constantly challenged and therefore always evolving. However, even as those thoughts change, the reasons behind my writing stay the same.

I write because I want to challenge and be challenged.
I write to reflect on what I’ve done, what I’m doing, and what I will do.
I write in hopes to express ideas that don’t make sense until I put them in writing.
I write to share my ideas in hopes it might help someone else.
I write on behalf of those who can or will not write for themselves.
I write to hold myself accountable for my thoughts and actions.
Mostly importantly…I write because I enjoy it.

Why do you write? If you don’t, what is holding you back?

Does Technology Help?

2011-10-16T21:31:00.003-05:00

I think technology helps kid’s learning experiences in school and helps them in life. The problem is I cannot prove it.

Technology in the classroom has gotten some bad press as of late with the recent article in The New York Times. The primary focus of this article is schools where great amounts of money have been invested in technology will little or no gains in terms of test scores. As a teacher that has pushed technology use in the classroom, this was a tough pill to swallow and something I have reflected on at great length since originally reading the article.

With that being said, I think there are a few reasons why this article hits home with some and leaves others scratching their heads. As I have tried to wrap my head around the implications of this article I have come up with a few thoughts and certainly welcome feedback and conversation.

On one side of the argument are those that claim too much money is being sunk into technology at the expense of other programs and in some cases, staffing. I actually agree with this. In many districts, technology is purchased wholesale so that everyone can have an IWB in their room or that the latest and greatest software throughout the district. I have seen firsthand those purchases sitting unused or not used in a way that benefits students. Why not be wiser with our purchasing so that technology is being put in places where it will be used to benefit students. In addition, let’s make sure teachers are training on how to use these new tools so they don’t become glorified paperweights or wall decorations.

Another argument being made is that many technology tools don’t even help students but rather they help teachers. Again, I see some validity in this argument. The best example of this is the Interactive Whiteboard or IWB. Many districts, including my own, have sunk many thousands of dollars into popping these babies on nearly every classroom wall. My initial question is, why? Yes, they are interactive by definition but for who? The teacher? The one student that gets lucky enough to be the chosen one to go up to the board? I have seen more interaction with some dry erase markers, a desktop (an actual top of a desk), and a creative teacher. If there is not a direct connection to student learning (not test scores) or engagement, then why are we buying it?

According to the article, standardized tests scores are not being raised as a result of technology usage. Standardized tests only gauge an individual’s ability to regurgitate facts. They do not illustrate any abstract thinking or an ability to think creatively or in a critical manner. When “they” say that technology does not improve test scores, they are probably right…but I am ok with that.

So, what good is technology and why should we have it in classrooms? Here are a few things that might not be on “the test” but I think might be worthwhile technology pursuits.

Global Collaboration – Technology allows students to connect with other students around the globe. This builds global perspective and empathy within our students. Many examples exist where students can connect and learn with/from students on the other side of the world. Is this on a test? Can this be done in a textbook?

Ease of Communication – Many technology tools allow students an ability to communicate and express their ideas in ways not normally possible. I have seen non-verbally communicative students able to express simple thoughts through the use of an ipad. Students that are unable to articulate their thoughts in writing have the ability to use voice recognition software to express and record their thoughts. This will not show up in standardized tests, but certainly shows up in classrooms where student’s frustration due to inability to communicate is eased.

Save Time – This might seem trivial but technology can help teachers and students save time. We are no longer typing papers multiple times but simply editing within a word processing program. Why spend hours thumbing through outdated paperback resources when a quick click can reveal more recent and more accurate info? All this time saving leads to more learning opportunities as well as more free time after school. If we can get things done quicker, is that not a good thing for kids and teachers?

Options – Technology is just another option in the arsenal of a good teacher and a good student. Many of the tools available allow teachers to present and share information in varying formats. This helps throw a larger net to engage and interest learners. More importantly, technology gives students options and choice in how they demonstrate and document their learning. For example, there are many ways to illustrate reading comprehension beyond a book report. Technology provides an array of options for students to show the learning beyond a bubble test.

Many of these items I have listed are not tested and frankly I don’t have any data to support them. I only have my observations and opinions for my experience in a classroom. I would encourage and ask you to share you examples of how you see technology helping your students and your teaching.

Questions For a New Teacher

2011-10-16T16:58:00.002-05:00

This coming week I have been asked to speak to a group of preservice teachers back at my old college, North Central College in Naperville, IL. I have been given a blank slate as to what I am allowed to talk about. With that in mind I decided to take my recent post, Letter to First Year Teacher Me, and develop it into a prezi. Here is the result...

Questions for a First Year Teacher on Prezi

A Simple Phone Call

2011-10-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was driving home from work while talking on the phone with my wife. We were simply rehashing our days when the house phone rings in the background. My wife went over and noticed that it was my son's school calling and instantly said, "I wonder what he did wrong now." She then hung up on me to take the phone call from the school.

Now, I should explain that my son is...well my son. What I mean is that if he is anything like I was in school, we will be getting many phone calls from the school. That's not to say I was "bad" kid, but I certainly made sure all my teachers earned their paychecks. I knew once I had two sons, that my wife and I were in for a fun, wild and sure to be long ride. In fact, we've already had a few phone conversations with his teacher and assistant principal. Yes, he is only in kindergarten but I did say he was my son. :) Back to the phone call...

As I walked in the door my wife was still on the phone with his teacher and gave me a "thumbs up" sign. After hanging up, she informed me that the phone call was to let us know how well our son was doing both behaviorally and academically. She even went so far as to say he was a good leader in the classroom and a great role model to other students. Needless to say I was a proud father.

I instantly walked over to my computer to email his teacher thanking her for the call. The positive parent communication is something I do as a teacher and now have been on the receiving end of it as a parent. Too often parents only hear when things go wrong or if there is a problem. My own wife instinctively thought something was wrong when she saw the caller ID. This phone call from my son's teacher reaffirmed my belief in the value of positive phone calls and emails. As a parent now, I can clearly say it is a great thing to receive and I wish all teachers would do this as often as they can. Mark it in your calendar or put it in your planner but commit to calling a designated number of parents a week to share good news.

Letter to First Year Teacher Me

2011-10-11T21:05:00.001-05:00

By Terabass (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

I am an eternal optimist and truly believe in my heart that time travel will be possible one day. It is with this belief I write this letter that I will one day travel back in time to deliver to “First Year Teacher Me”. Yes, I realize that if in fact future time travel is possible, I would have probably already delivered this but let’s not get caught up in the details of the space time continuum or the true role of a Flux Capacitor.

Dear First Year Teacher Me,

As you are reading this letter I know you are sitting in your desk very early in the morning getting ready for the school day to start. You are staring at a blank sheet of paper because you have no idea what to teach because you never truly had a mentor to help get you going. Well, look no further, your mentor is here and I plan on clearing up a few things you never learned in college.

First, there is no such thing as controlling a class. Yes, you took that classroom management class where they taught you about Glasser, Piaget, and even some Skinner. You even put together a nice binder for a final project where you made a nice cover page and had appendixes of nice rules and consequences. Well, I have news for you; you cannot and will not ever control a kid. When a kid says, “make me”, you need to understand that you can’t. Rather than focusing on controlling the kids in your class you need to build relationships built on honestly and respect.

Next, content is not king. In fact, it is not even heir to the throne in your room. Very few of the classes you took in college will have a direct connection to the content you are teaching in your classroom. In some cases, you will be learning right along with your kids and that’s ok. You don’t need to be the expert and being honest with the kids will go a long way in building positive relationships. Despite what talking heads and politicians will like you to believe, the content crazy culture of standardized testing is not good teaching. Don’t teach to the test. Period.

Another piece of wisdom I would like to impart on you is to surround yourself with positive role models and peers. They will be there when you fall flat on your face and fail and also be there to put you in your place when you start to think you have all the answers.

As your first parent teacher conference comes up, you will no doubt be nervous and bit uneasy. You will think of parents as someone you need to justify your job to or in some cases as the “enemy”. Neither of those thoughts are true. Be open, honest, and find ways to build a positiverelationship with parents. I would suggest you send home a minimum of five positive calls/emails/notes a week. Parents love this and it is a nice way to end the week focusing on something positive.

You will get roped into boring meetings and training sessions that will suck the very life out of you…sorry, haven’t figured this one out yet. J

Many ideas you had about schools due to your own experiences are not necessarily right in today’s classrooms. Here are a few things I know you will be tempted to do because you know no better:
Assign homework – You don’t have to and I urge you to read Alfie Kohn’s book The Homework Myth.
Hand out detentions – While discipline in extreme cases is warranted, I urge you to build relationships first built on trust and respect rather than fear and punishment.
Grade everything a kid does – Not everything a student turns in or does in class needs to be graded. Athletes are only “graded” on game day…apply that to your classroom.
Kick a kid out of class – With the exception of extreme cases this should never, ever be done.
Eat the “Double Spirit Burger” in the school cafeteria – Just trust me on this one and don’t do it.
Give extra credit for tissue boxes – Always make sure a student’s grade reflect their learning…not their behavior.
Before you do anything on this list just ask yourself the question, “how would I react if I was a parent of one of the kids in my class?” I’ve got news for you; you will have a couple of sons who will test many of your beliefs on education when they start school. There are many more things I will need to pass on but I will save that for another time. Just remember that you are a mediocre teacher at best…but there is hope for you. Never think you have it all figured out and always try to make each year better than the previous. The moment you think you have all the answers and that you are done improving, it will be time for you to head over to a new profession. Surround yourself with educators better than you and learn everything you can from them. Be a sponge and always remember that every single decision you make must be centered on the kids in your class. If not, don’t do it.

Regards,

Future You

PS: Join Twitter and start a blog…

Painting Pumpkins

2011-10-08T18:32:00.000-05:00

This afternoon my wife and I took our sons to the MortonArboretum in Lisle, IL. We have been members there for a few years and go there on a fairly regular basis. Today happened to be a special occasion of sorts with a scare crow walk, food vendors (including some fine micro-brew), and various crafts for the kids. We took the boys to the back of the park where they could pick out and decorate a pumpkin of their choice. Naturally, we paid the nice volunteer for the pumpkins and settled in for some sure to be messy pumpkin painting.

As we sat down, another family with two boys, slightly older than mine, took up the spots across from us on the picnic table. When my boys settled in they began painting their pumpkins without any directions from me or my wife. However, as they got started one of the boys across the table turned to his dad and asked what he should paint on his pumpkin. The dad proceeded to tell both of his sons what they should paint and the boys then began painting their father’s designs. After this happened, my youngest son Kaleb looked up to me, having heard this exchange, and asked me what he should paint on his pumpkin. I simply responded with, “Whatever you want.”

Too often parents and teachers tell kids what to do without giving them the power and freedom to make their own decisions. Kids will generally do what they are told to do…but is that what we want? When they do what he tell or ask them to do, they are learning what we want and in the manner we want. Yes, kids need guidance in life, but guidance and control are not the same things. Give your kids/students tools and opportunities to succeed but leave the decisions and work up to them.

Bringing the Dead Alive!

2011-10-05T14:52:00.000-05:00

As many know, I teach social science as well as language arts at the 6^th grade level. If you have ever taught in the junior high setting or have a junior high aged child, you know how difficult it can be at times to keep them engaged and excited about a topic. In my language arts class we have been studying biographies and in social science we have been studying Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. These are not typically on the top of any lists for high interest for students. However, you would not have known that this week in class.

With both of these topics I want students to be able to walk away with some basic biographical information about the individuals and their impact on their respective societies. Rather than have students write a paper or do a super-awesome-multi-colored-animated-sound-effected-Power Point, I decided to use one of my favorite programs Crazy Talk. This is a facial animation program that I have used in the past with all sorts of projects. I often refer to these projects and “Bringing the Dead Alive” and we go out of our way to find the creepiest pictures possible.

Here are a couple samples of the two projects that students created. I am a huge fan of options and choices and this is just one way to help students demonstrate their comprehension of a topic. Many students are already asking when we will be using it again and are using study hall time to “play” with the program.

Parents in the Classroom Part One

2011-09-29T21:11:00.002-05:00

Today was a great day at school as I had my first parents in the classroom event. During my three social science periods I invited parents to stop by and take part in the activities I had planned for the class. On average I had about 50% of the parents in each class show up which was higher than I had originally anticipated. The class periods were only 45 minutes long, so it really flew by and was over before I knew it. While parents were there they sat with their child as well as a another student and worked on a couple of Ancient Egyptian “games” that reinforced some of the content we had been discussing lately.

I had a mix of moms and dads and in some cases both parents came in. As the parents were working with the kids, I roamed around and mostly observed the activity in the room. The best part of what I was seeing was the interaction between the parents and their kids. Now, I know these types of interactions happen at home and probably in numerous other places, but this was in the student’s school. How often does this happen? I even had one mom lean over and tell me, “I didn’t plan on learning anything new today…boy I was wrong.” It really was a great morning for all of us involved.

A few of my colleagues asked me why I did this and some with raised eyebrows and skeptical looks. For me, there were a few reasons why I decided to do it and plan on doing it again.

The simple presence of a parent in the classroom shows a child that their parent values the work they are doing in the classroom.
Watching a child work with their parent tells me a great deal of the type of relationship they have and helps me learn that much more about my students as people.
Events such as this help create and nurture positive parent-teacher relationships that will always help in the long run.
It opens me up as a teacher and shows parents they do have a place in my classroom and I do value their involvement.
This allowed parents the golden opportunity to embarrass their child just by being in the same room as them and their friends in a middle school!
It gave parents a chance to learn with their child in a way they might not have had in a long time.
Finally, if I am going to say I value parent’s involvement in their child’s education, I have to back it up and this is just one small step towards doing that.

I highly encourage every teacher to look for ways to include parents in their class and even open the doors and let them in. You might need to set parameters that these days are not a time to discuss their child’s progress, but don’t hesitate to bring them in. Parents are truly an important part of a child’s education and simply saying that is not enough. If we don’t open the doors and let them in and provide them the opportunities to join, we are just talking and that never helps anyone. After the parents left, I sent an email asking for some feedback and here are just a few of the comments I received:

“It's always nice to see the kids in school and get to see how they interact at school and with friends.”
“Time flies when you're having fun!”

“Junior High is a new environment for my children so it was good for them to realize parents involvement in their educational classroom setting continues beyond the elementary level.”
“It would be wonderful to be able to participate again, and as a parent , I truly see the value of such an experience.”

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of your class!”

"Sometimes it feels like parents are intentionally kept out of the classroom/school building - what a treat to get to be included in that today."

The Little Things

2011-09-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

The little things matter in life and certainly matter in a classroom. It is these little things the speak volumes for who we are as teachers. Often times these are overlooked and can manifest into large and significant problems for teachers. Here is a list of little things that I see daily which send a big message.

Classroom Door – Is your classroom door open or closed when you are teaching? What does this say about you and your classroom? Are you trying to hide something? My door is always open and I welcome anyone to stop in and see what is going on. I have nothing to hide and everything to share.

Hello – Do you greet each of your students when they come into your classroom? Do you say hello to students in the halls even if they are not in your classroom? This is such a simply thing but goes a long way to make a student feel welcome and can be a step in building a positive relationship.

Call Parents – When do you call/email parents? Do you contact parents for positives as well as negatives? I try to contact five parents a week for positive comments. Sometimes, just a “hey, your kid is doing great,” means a great deal to a parent. Call early, call often, and work on building that positive relationship early in the year.

Comments on Work – What sort of comments do you leave on student’s work? Is there just a letter or a number on the top of your student’s work? Are you leaving anecdotal feedback aimed at improving their learning? Grades are not feedback…if you truly want a student to learn and grow feedback must facilitate that.

What are the little things in your classroom that are making a difference?

Classroom Management 101

2011-09-28T16:35:00.001-05:00

Many people will share their ideas about classroom management and how to go about controlling kids or keeping order in their classrooms. They will tell you how to create rules and how to keep the kids in line so you can teach your lessons without interruptions. If they are really thorough they might even provide a list of consequence and a nice detention slip as a bonus for you. I even recall in my undergrad work creating a “Classroom Management Binder” for one of my courses. It was several pages of undergraduate ignorance of what I thought was going to keep my class running smoothly with no behavior or disciplinary problems.

Looking back, I now see the futility in such an activity. It is not possible to control kids and anyone that says otherwise is way off base. If I were to do the assignment again I would have one piece of paper in it. On that piece of paper would be this phrase: Build relationships and engage your students…all else is irrelevant. This is all you need to keep a class moving in a positive learning direction.

Building relationships is not a new concept or some radical idea and yet so many never see its true value. Kids will typically not engage in a power struggle or misbehave in a classroom lead by a teacher that has taken the time to foster a positive relationship. This can be done within the classroom but often takes place in the hallway, the gym, or even in the cafeteria. Talking to students and learning about them as kids goes a long way in the classroom. I play bombardment with my students during the winter intramural season. When I have students throwing balls at me before school, I can guarantee you a connection is made that will pay dividends in the classroom. Students are far less likely to act out or exhibit inappropriate behaviors with someone that has an interest in them beyond simply a student-teacher relationship. This is not something that can be forced or demanded but instead must be nurtured and fostered. For me the key is to find that “hook” or connection I can make. Sometimes that connection is a common interest in a sport or novel and other times is a shared hatred of the Yankees or green peppers. Whatever that hook is, find that connection and build that relationship.

Engaging your students in meaningful work is one of the most underrated and yet most powerful classroom management tools available. In my experience, kids will act up/out when they are given busy work, boring work, or basic work. If a student is not challenged by the work or it is given to fill time, you can expect behavior problems. Boredom is also a huge part of this and can cause significant problems in a classroom. When students are bored, they find other things to occupy their time. Many times this will manifest itself as misbehaving. The next time a student is misbehaving in the class, first look at what you are doing before asking the student to stop. Often time’s teachers are the root of the problem due to the work they are asking students to do. I have yet to witness a student misbehave when engaged in meaningful work.

What are you doing to build those relationships with your students and what work are you engaging them in on a daily basis? This simple question is the key to a successful classroom management plan.

Puppet Show "Home"work

2011-09-26T18:06:00.001-05:00

There have been many conversations around the world of education for an eternity about the role homework plays in the learning process. My own thoughts are well documented and I personally don’t care for homework in most cases. I have often said that if we do our jobs right in school, kids will want to continue learning when they are at home. This point was driven home this evening when my son got home from kindergarten.

He walked in the door and pulled out a paper bag puppet he made today for Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. They apparently did a number of activities in school to celebrate this folk hero’s special day. When my son came home he wanted to look up some more pieces of information about Mr. Appleseed and then put on a puppet show. Now, is this Broadway material? Not in the least bit. However, it shows that his learning was sparked and continued when he got home. In addition, as you can from the video, he brought his younger brother along for the ride. He was engaged enough with the material at school to want to do something more with it when he got home even though it was not “assigned”.

I often wonder what impact my lessons have when students leave my classroom. Do they continue to learn when they leave my presence? Are they empowered to go home and at least share their learning with others? At the very least are they inspired enough to look forward to coming back tomorrow to learn more? Homework does not instill a passion for learning but good teaching and great lessons certainly can. What lessons are we doing that are inspiring kids to go home and put on a puppet show?

Be Proud of Each Other

2011-09-24T21:25:00.002-05:00

I recently read a great post by Pernille Ripp over at her blog titled “I am Nothing Special - Why Are Teachers Afraid to Share theirSuccesses?” I left a comment as it was something I had a strong reaction to as a result of personal experience. Initially, I was not going to share my thoughts on my own blog but felt compelled to share something that has happened to me recently. This is pieces of the comment I left on Pernille’s post with some additional reflection.

Recently, I was named as one of the finalists as teacher of the year for my state. Personally, I was proud of it but also felt awkward because I did not know how my fellow teachers in my building would feel about it. I knew I would get some razzing from my friends but honestly, I would do the same in their position. I posted a link to the press release announcing my finalist status on my Facebook page where numerous people such as Pernille congratulated me. However, not one person that I work with made a comment or even clicked "like" on the post. Every single person that commented was a part of my PLN on Twitter or my own family members.

Since then, I have had numerous newspaper articles written about me and the work I have done, none of which I will be linking to in this post :). In fact, I have put all of them with my diplomas, certificates and other recognition...in the bottom drawer of my file cabinet. With the exception of a few of my close friends at work, none of the teachers that I work with on a daily basis have even said a word to me about the it nor even acknowledged it. Rather, I hear whispers of negativity and relatively rude comments about me instead. This bothers me because I didn’t ask for any of this happen. I truly was going about my work and trying to be the best teacher I could be…nothing more. Some may think I am an overachiever or that I am trying to make others look bad. Truly that is not the case as all I ever try to do is be better at what I am doing and share my experiences in hopes of helping someone else. Plus, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that many teachers are equally and in many cases more deserving of the recognition that has recently been bestowed upon me.

Now, don’t construe this as a rant where I am mad other teachers didn’t come up and pat me on the back or bake me a cake or that I am seeking attention because that is certainly not what it is. I didn’t ask for the attention, and personally, don’t care for it. When newspapers were contacting me I felt uncomfortable with it. However, I know that with this attention I am getting my students are better for it. It is giving me an opportunity to share about the work they are doing and the profession I love. It is not my work that is being highlighted as much as that of my students and it is a testament to my students, parents, fellow teachers and entire community. I would be happy for any teacher I work with to receive any recognition or positive press.

Any time we can shine a light on the great work being done in schools it should be celebrated.

I am not sure if it is jealously or some level of insecurity that prohibits some teachers from being proud of each other. When our fellow teachers get recognition for doing something well, we are all part of that. I know that I would not be where I am at or be getting the recognition I am without the people I work with. I would name names at this point but fear some might be embarrassed for being listed as we don’t go into this profession to be called out and recognized.

However, I will thank the teacher with the fish tank and "living the dream" who taught me the key to teaching effectively is all about relationship building and who models it for me every single day. I will thank the Language Arts teacher in the room over that took me under his wing and truly taught me how to be a teacher and has been a true friend to me every day. I will thank the 7^th grade teacher who shows me every day how love and compassion are the cornerstones of every classroom and trumps all content. I would also thank those teachers that doubt me and my work because they inspire me to work harder and be better every day. Each one of these people and everyone else in my school has contributed to the teacher I am today regardless of if they know that or not.

Anytime positive attention is given to a teacher it benefits the entire school community because it brings that positive attention to a profession that is often short on it. We need to help each other be proud of ourselves and to be even more proud of each other. I am not saying I am a fan of awards or gold stars, but we need to lift each other up and create a culture within our schools that promotes and fosters celebration and pride in each other.

Parents in the Classroom 2

2011-09-23T19:37:00.000-05:00

I have written about this subject in the past but find myself coming back to it. There have been numerous posts floating around that surely do not help ease the potential tensions between teachers and parents. I felt compelled to share something new I am trying this year that directly relates to building relationships with parents. My goal this year is to bring more parents into the classroom and make them truly feel as if they are a part of the learning journey their children are on.

As a parent to a preschooler and kindergartner my perspective of parents has changed. In the past I honestly viewed them simply as people I had to talk to 2-3 times a year at parent night and our two conference nights. As a parent myself, I see the immense flaw in that thinking. I want to be involved in any way I can with my son’s learning. That is not to say I want to be a “helicopter” parent hovering and putting my hand in everything. However, I do want the opportunity to feel like I am some part of the process rather than just a bystander.

With those thoughts in mind, I am starting a “parents in the classroom” initiative this year. I will create times where parents can come into my classroom and partake in learning activities with their child. Credit for this idea is certainly not mine as many already do this. I regularly attend such days with my own children in their classrooms which is what inspired me to do the same. The students I teach are 6^th graders and parents are certainly not used to such opportunities as they are not the norm. My first such day will be this coming week where parents will be mummifying bodies and building pyramids with their children in class. When I first sent the invite out to parents it was met with a mixture of surprise and relief. Many parents replied with their delight that a junior high teacher would invite parents into the classroom and relished the chance to take even a relatively small role in classroom activities.

I firmly believe that building relationships is key to success in so many facets of teaching. In order to truly be successful with a student, you first need a relationship. By bringing parents in to the classroom and telling them I value their involvement, I am hoping to build those relationships with them. My hope is to have these days at least once a month where the parents get to come in, learn with their child, and possibly embarrass them a bit as well… J

What I Really Want to Tell Parents and Teachers

2011-09-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

I have read two articles recently that have both stirred some strong feelings in me as a parent and as an educator. The first was an article titled “What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents” by Ron Clark. In this article Clark goes on to list a handful of things teachers should be telling parents or at least wish they could. Some of the things on this list offended me as a parent and yet some I found myself nodding my head with as a teacher. The second article was titled “What Parents Really Want to Tell Teacher: What You Do Hurts Our Children” by Laurie A. Couture. Her article is in direct response to the Clark article and goes through a list of things parents want to tell teachers. She lists ten items that outline how teachers are failing kids and essentially blames teachers for a long list of offenses towards children. As a teacher, I was sick to my stomach reading many of her claims about teachers.

Both of these articles are more destructive than positive. They make broad generalizations with little actual substance. Guess what? There are horrible parents out there. For some kids, the best part of their day is being with loving and supporting teachers at schools. There are also parents out there that due to working conditions are simply not home when kids are home. It is the teachers at school that Couture claims are “hurting” our children that are there to pick up the pieces and help a kid learn and grow as a person and a student. Regardless of what systems are in place, it is still individuals that make the difference.

Yet, there are great parents out there…lots of them. They support teachers and help in any way they can. Many of them are members of PTOs and volunteer as schools. When their kids get home from school, they are there to help them with homework and be loving and caring parents.

On the other side of things, yes there are bad teachers out there. Some are mean to kids and some are “hurting” kids. I am not now nor will I ever defend these teachers. They should be removed from classrooms immediately. However, to assume that due to a few bad apples we have to condemn a profession is ridiculous. There are also bad mechanics out there but I still take my car to get fixed by one. In addition, there are bad barbers out there, but I am not swearing of haircuts and growing out my hair. I work with amazing human beings that choose to dedicate their lives to helping kids learn and grow on a daily basis. This is something that should never be condemned no matter what systems might be in place.

There are also amazing teachers out there. I should know because I teach with many of them every single day. The give selflessly of themselves to ensure every kid is loved, nurtured and inspired in the short time they are together. I see them working tirelessly to help kids regardless of what the parental support is at home. They do this even within the system that many claim is broken and not working.

For every bad parent out there, there are millions of good ones. For every bad teacher out there, there are millions of good ones. In my classroom I teach my students that we don’t make judgments or assumptions about people. Both Clark and Couture make judgments about groups of people possibly based on their prior experiences. I choose to treat people as individuals and teach my students the same. One of my students got picked on by an 8^th grade student. Did I tell him that all 8^th grade students are bad and should be avoided? Nope, because that would have been wrong.

What I want to tell teachers is that not all parents are bad. Parents are a key part to the success and failure of a child. I want to tell parents that not all teachers are bad either. Teachers are a key part to the success and failure of your child. We can’t judge groups of people because we are individuals and should be treated as such.

Life Lessons

2011-09-14T21:20:00.003-05:00

Kids are kids before they are students. This is something Itruly believe in and try to remember every single day. Part of that belief isknowing the curriculum I teach is not the only important lessons my studentswill learn from me during their time in my class. Last year I started a newteaching situation as a team teacher. One of my Social Science classes became ateam teaching class with myself and a reading teacher in our building. Thereading teacher I was assigned, Lauren, was a phenomenal teacher and I knew itwas going to be a great learning experience for me and I was right. Apart fromall the “stuff” we taught the kids and each other, we started something that wecontinue to this day. We teach Life Lessons.

Yes, I know many think that teachers do this every day andyou would be correct. However, as many that know me know, I am pretty overtwith certain things and many would consider me rather blunt. What we starteddoing was Lauren and I would observe our kids and see what was going on intheir lives. We would then offer these life lessons to the class to make adirect connection to what was going on with them in hopes of providing someguidance and in many cases…some humor. Our list of life lessons continues togrow but here are a sample of some of our so called Life Lessons. The artworkwas student created and inspired by some of our more popular lessons.

Life Lessons
Wear deodorant
Shower on a daily basis
Don’t pick your nose
Don’t negotiate with terrorists
Don’t make fun of people for puking
Wash your hands after going to the bathroom
Saying “excuse me” does not excuse a fart
Observe the ten foot rule when blowing noses
Barn doors should be kept closed at all time
No dating
Boys should kill spiders for girls
If you are going to eavesdrop you better do itwell
Many more…

These lessons might be goofy but we find them to be rathereffective in creating respectful and productive kids…not students. I am surethere will be plenty more to share as the year continues. One thing for sure isthat junior high students always provide and endless supply of potential lifelessons. If you have a great life lesson to share leave us a comment…Thanks!

The Rules Have Changed

2011-09-13T21:29:00.001-05:00

Parents,

There are a few things that need to be cleared up about thegame that is school as it relates to the experiences in my classroom. Yes, Iknow you were in school and so was I. However, things have changed and whatyour children will do in my class is probably not what you are used to. I amnot making any assumptions of wrong or right, but simply offering a new way ofdoing things. With that in mind, here are a few “rule changes” you can expectthis coming year.

Grades will not be a focus. They are simply something I amrequired to submit but do not necessarily indicate my thoughts on your child. Iwill use them as checkpoints on the journey of learning, not end points.
I am on your team. Teachers and parents should not besitting on opposite sides of the table. With that in mind, I want to be on thesame side of the table learning with and from you.
I do not assign homework on a nightly basis. Homework doesnot equal learning and often discourages it. When I do assign homework it mightbe to smell a flower or play with a dog.
I am a teacher andyou are a parent. When they are in school I will teach. When they are at homeyou can parent.
I will not give your children the answers but simply themeans to find them.
I am not the expert in the room. I plan on learning for yourchild as much as they hopefully will learn from me.
Extra credit does not exist so please don’t ask for it.Please bring in the tissue boxes but know your child will not get any “credit”for it.
I will allow your child to redo or retake any piece ofwork they do this year. If I don’t letthem redo something they have failed at, they will never learn it.

I hope these changes are not too out there and uncomfortablefor you. I truly try to provide the best learning experience possible for yourchild on a daily basis. Please don’t think I have all the answers because Idon’t. The game that is school is constantly changing and so too must myapproach as a teacher and yours as a parent. My door is always open and Iwelcome the conversation at any time as we are on this journey together.

Thanks!

Mr. Stumpenhorst

I Remember

2011-09-11T08:52:00.002-05:00

As I sit in front of the TV watching the ceremonies in remembrance of the terrorist attacks on September 11^th, 2001, I am taken back to the exact moment it happened ten years ago. I had just come into work at my on campus job as a college student and a co-worker said, “dude, a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center.” We proceeded to head down to the basement where the one cable TV was hooked up. It was there we saw the second plane crash into the second tower and where we stayed for the remainder of the day. We didn’t move from that place the entire day and stayed glued to the television.

I also remember a few days later when I attended a home football game down in our stadium. To this day I don’t recall if we won or lost, or even who we were playing. What I do remember was being overcome with emotion while the national anthem played and every person in that stadium singing along. It was another one of those moments that will live in my memory for ever.

As I reflect on the moments and the moments being replayed on the TV this morning, I am left with a great number of questions that I don’t think I can answer.

Are we still as unified as a country as we were in the moments following that tragedy? If you watched the presidential address the other night, I would say no. “Grown up” men and women acted like children as the president spoke. Adults sat in defiance as comments were made with aims of improving the lives of Americans. We are so unified that our own government can’t work together to help the people they serve.

How do we teach about this day to students who were either not born or too young to remember? What do you say to a kid that asks why it happened? What do you show them and what do you not show them? I struggle with this even with my own children at home who just asked me, “why did someone fly a plane into a building?” I don’t have an answer for that.

Do we still remember? After this tragedy unfolded, there was a rush on bumper stickers with American Flags and various messages of remembrance hung in cars, houses, and places of work. Some people even change their Facebook profile pictures to some patriotic image and wore ribbons on the anniversaries. Ten years later the bumper stickers are faded or falling off and we have moved on…do we still remember?

What good has come since the attacks? According to a reporter, we have sent 2 million American troops overseas since the 9-11 attacks. Have we accomplished anything? Bin Laden is dead. Sadam is dead. Is the world safer or have more rallied to the anti-American cause?

Do we treat people better as a result of 9-11? I still remember right after the attacks when the news started reporting about violence being down to Muslims throughout our country. One I remember clearly was attacks at Michigan University against Muslim students. It sickened me to see Americans attacking other Americans out of fear and ignorance. Have we gotten any better? Do we still have empathy and sympathy for other cultures and races? Is racism still prevalent and just waiting for an event like 9-11 to rear its ugly head? As a teacher, I will continue to teach empathy and tolerance for all so that my students will always value people no matter where they come from or what they look like.

Most Americans, and I will put myself in this category, have moved on with their lives and only “remember” this day once a year when it is thrown back in our faces. Is it important to relive it over and over? Should we move on and while trying to remember? How do we do that in an authentic way rather than the media frenzies that are being aired on TV? If we must remember let us remember all the heroes that saved lives. Let us remember people of all races and backgrounds giving selflessly to bring people out of those burning buildings.

I will end with a cliché statement because I truly don’t know how to bring my thoughts to a close…I offer my condolences and prayers to all who lost family members and loved ones on that day ten years ago.

Teachers Make All the Difference

2011-09-05T10:08:00.001-05:00

The other day I received an envelope in my mailbox at school. I opened it to find a thank you card. Before I opened it up I was thinking about whose baby shower I went to or whose kid’s birthday party I attended recently. As I opened the card I looked at the bottom to see that it was from a student I taught six years ago. Upon reading the note, this student who is now a senior in high school, went on to thank me for inspiring her to pursue teaching as a career. She cited a few examples of things I had done to “push” her in that direction. I was a bit humbled and proud all at the same time.

As teachers we spend time with kids daily and have literally millions of interaction with them. What I think we fail to realize sometimes is the sheer gravity of these interactions. One comment or seemingly insignificant event can make all the difference in a kid’s life, for the better or worse. A few anecdotes…

I good friend of mine happens to teach next door to me and lives close to me as well. We carpool to work and regularly talk about work, home, and all things in between. In one of our conversations he was talking about how his daughter hated science in school. However, after a biology class with a particularly good teacher, she now loved the subject. One teacher made the difference for her.

A few years back I sat in a parent teacher conference with a mom. Her son was in my class and he was a good kid making some bad choices with who he was hanging out with. As a result he was getting himself wrapped up in some negative situations at school. I spent a good hour talking with his mom about how he was a good kid just making bad choices. As she left, I thought nothing more of this conversation because it is one I have had with dozens of parents every year. A few years later this same mother sent me a letter thanking for “saving her son’s life”. While I thought that was extreme, she went on to explain how our conversation prompted some changes at home with her son. He started changing his peer group and landed with a great group of positive friends that helped him have a great high school career and I was none the wiser.

Yes, those two examples were what one would consider positive, and yet that is not always the case. I am also a coach at school and recently had an issue with a gifted athlete not come out for a sport. This particular athlete was playing a 7^th grade sport where the coach belittled and yelled to a point where this athlete lost all desire to play. The coach might have had the best intentions but for this particular kid it turned them off from a sport they loved and excelled at.

Another example is from me when I had a student in my Language Arts class. The class was a gifted or enriched class with some outstanding students enrolled. One particular student struggled to keep pace with the other students and was often behind. I met with parents to discuss my concerns and how I thought their child would be better placed in a regular Language Arts class. This was in no way an attempt to ditch her or push her down. I saw her getting frustrated and burning out because she could not keep up. What resulted was the parents fighting my decision and demanding she stay in my class. When the dust settled this particular student had lost whatever love she had for Language Arts and floundered for the remainder of the year despite my best attempts to “revive” her.

The point of all of this is that you, the teacher, have more impact than you will ever even know. One gesture or comment to a kid in your first period can make or a break that kid’s day. Just remember to choose your words wisely and make your actions deliberate, you may never know who is watching or listening. That one passing moment that we have as a teacher may be the one moment that a kid remembers for a lifetime. How do you want students to remember you? What will your impact on their lives be? Remember that you might not even realize nor ever know what your impact was…

My Issues With Homework

2011-09-05T09:33:00.000-05:00

Homework is one of those issues we see come up in educational debates on a fairly regular basis. There seems to be two camps where you either love it or hate it. For the most part, I sit in the later. Before going into my reasons behind that I need to be up front and honest. My students do occasionally have homework. This happens for a handful of students on rare occasions. If a student misses class they might have to do some additional work at home. Also, I do a great deal of group work and in class activities. There are times when students are not using their time as wisely as they can which requires them to finish up work in study hall or at home. I also do have students use time at home for additional prep work for assessments.

With all that being said, I rarely assign homework in the traditional sense. What I mean is that I do assign homework on the board daily. However, it is not what most would consider homework. For example, last Friday’s homework was to play outside and enjoy the long weekend. The day before that it was to pet a dog. Some of my students take these “assignments” seriously, while others see them for what they are, random acts of being a kid.

Here are a few of the reasons that I struggle with the idea of assigning students homework:

Haves and Have Nots

Many students have great supporting and resourceful families at home to assist them in finishing work and projects. However, not all do. Some parents can afford to take their kids to Hobby Lobby and drop a chunk of change to make sure their child’s landform project for Science class is top notch. Many kids don’t have that luxury and therefore their projects look “bad” next to their classmates. When students are assigned to build or create a project at home, it becomes apparent who has and who has not. The gap becomes more apparent and now the issue of “having” comes into my classroom where I try to support equality and fairness. Homework does the exact opposite.

Access and Support

Many students have internet access, home resources, and educated parents at home. However, not all do. Some students go home to empty homes and are charged with supporting and raising siblings, or keeping the home. In some cases parents are around but not highly educated and therefore not able to assist their child even if they wanted to. Not all kids have the same chance of success in doing homework at home and therefore how can we ask them to do the same work?

Overkill

How many times are students asked to do something 20 times when they have mastered the skill in the first 2 times? I remember being assigned 30-40 math problems a night even though I clearly understood who to do them while working them in class. If we do our jobs right in the classroom do we need to be sending home even more work?

Easy Way Out

Too often homework is an easy way out from actually teaching. It is much easier to send kids home with work than to actually teach them in the classroom. Yes, it would make my life easier to have students work through my curriculum at home, but then who is teaching them? Who is modeling for them? Who is guiding their practice?

Burn Out

Students sit in desk for 7 hours a day listening, reading and writing what teachers tell them to. Then when they get some respite and head home, they have more work to do. As with just about anything we do in life, the more we are told to do something, the more likely we are to burnout. We can make a safe assumption that a majority of kids do not find homework pleasurable. With that in mind, we will turn kids off to learning if we attempt to connect homework to learning. In my experience, homework does not instill a love of learning, it does quite the opposite.

Busy Work

Much of the work I see go home is simply busy work. How can a word search help a kid understand scientific terminology? Where is it written that we need to color maps in class to learn geography? Why are parents asked to go and buy poster board and glitter paint for a poster in English class? Is what you are asking your students do directly related to a learning outcome? If not, don’t ask them to do it. This goes for in and out of class work.

Family Time

While this might be my weakest argument, it is important to me nonetheless. I have two children and enjoy every moment I am not at work and spending time with them. Our trips to the zoo, children’s museum, baseball games, family gatherings, and countless parks are moments I wouldn’t miss those moments for the world. When I am at home, I do my best to minimize the amount of school work I do while my kids are awake. I enjoy that time and wouldn’t want to deprive my students and their families of it either. Families need to play and learn together and sitting at the table doing math problems is not my idea of family time.

I am not naïve to think students will never have to do work at home. My goal is to inspire and instill a love for learning within each of my students. If I do that, they will want to learn outside of school without it being assigned. If as teachers we NEED to assign homework, we are failing as teachers.

The “Reality” of Teacher Evaluations

2011-08-25T22:02:00.001-05:00

We can all agree that there is no perfect teacher evaluation system. We also all have our own ideas about what essential elements should be included in the system that determines the impact of a teacher’s efforts on student learning. When you think about it, certain aspects of reality show television could have intriguing insight into the teacher supervision and evaluation system.

Automatic outs. Real World (MTV): Participants in the show are not allowed to have physical contact with others. If there is, they are immediately kicked off the show, no questions asked. Obviously, physical violence has no place in a school on any level. However, the idea of “automatic” outs is important. There should be certain lines that once crossed result in teacher removal regardless of tenure. While there are certainly obvious things such as breaking laws or the inappropriate relationships that we hear about on the news, there are others equally important. A few would include; lying to kids, demeaning kids, or bullying kids.

Peer Feedback. Unless you live beneath your desk Constanza-style, if you’re a teacher, you are aware of the general strengths and weaknesses of your peers. Teachers should be able to have a venue to express peer feedback and insight. Teachers often develop an awareness of peers’ skills and impact on student learning far stronger than any administrator’s due to the sheer proximity factor of working together day in and day out. What about including peer input as a portion of the teacher evaluation process? Should teachers have the opportunity to vote others “off the island” Survivor-style? How would that process look? How could we keep it objective? This is where the processes of targeted learning walks with follow-up conversations and action planning, as well as collaborative learning elements such as lesson study become invaluable. How do we create an environment where teachers evaluate each other and have it not turn into a witch hunt or popularity contest? Is that possible?

Student and Parent Feedback. Dancing With the Stars: On the show the “loser” is determined by a combo of America’s vote and judge’s scores. Another piece of evaluation should be combo of parent and student feedback. Parents and students are one of the most under utilized evaluation resources we have at our disposal. Kids know who is a good teacher and who is not. Just ask them. If they like a teacher because they hand out candy, that is not exactly what you want to hear. If they tell you a teacher makes them work hard and feel safe, then you know what is going on. Parents are also very well aware of what is going on in a classroom from a different angle. They know who is sending home busy work and low level projects to fill their child’s evenings. They also know who is calling home for things other than negatives and who genuinely cares about their child.

Admin Evaluation. - Undercover Boss: When scheduled observations are the only method of evaluation it loses value. Dog and pony shows are common place. Like the show Undercover Boss, admin should be in classrooms regularly and infiltrate classrooms often enough to know what a teacher is like on a daily basis. This might be the single greatest way for an administrator to truly see what is going on in a classroom. If it is a big deal when an administrator steps into a room something is wrong. It should be the norm and an expectation that administrators are common place in a classroom.

While these are far fetched ideas...are they really? Is it possible to implement a better system to determine which teachers are best for kids and which ones have room for improvement? Is it safe to say that some teachers just shouldn’t be in a classroom with kids?

*This post was inspired by a series of conversations with Principal Lyn Hilt (@l_hilt) about how to effectively evaluate teachers.

Losing the "Twinkle"

2011-08-25T21:28:00.000-05:00

Getting ready for Kindergarten

This week my oldest son starts kindergarten and my youngest is starting preschool. My wife and I have spent the summer talking it up and getting them pumped for school. However, none of that was needed. They are both beyond excited for school. They literally cannot wait to start going to school. Their backpacks have been loaded with supplies and sitting at the ready for weeks. My kindergartner has been reading picture books about kindergarten every night all summer while my youngest keeps asking me when he can go to “my classroom”. The pure joy and excitement they have is just simply amazing.

As I reflected on their feelings it made me wonder about my own students that I teach. I teach in a junior high and I see the faces of the kids as they come in that first day. They are excited to see their friends or get started with intramurals or sports. However, I don’t see that “twinkle” in their eye like I see with my sons. When thinking about this I have a few questions that I am not sure I have any answers for.

When does the twinkle go away? When do students stop wanting to go to school? When does that excitement and joy for school fade? At what point is school something to get through in order to get back to summer break?

While those questions are important I think there is a more important one to consider. Why do kids lose that feeling? Are schools to blame for this loss of love for school? What are teachers doing to combat the loss of love for schooling?

As I sit in my class I wonder how many of my students were excited about coming back to school after their summer. I hope that those who were not excited soon rediscover that feeling. My goal is to make learning relevant, fun, and worth their time on a daily basis. What are you doing in your classroom or school to excite students and rejuvenate their passion and love of school?

Klout is Krap

2011-08-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

Many people on Twitter and Facebook have posted their Klout score or other comments about their score going up or down. I will admit that I even went to the site and entered my info to see what my score was. Once I got my score I looked at it and moved on. Am I missing something here? Why is this something educators would or should be interested in? Isn’t this just another way of saying one person is better than me or that I am better than someone else?

When you look at their site it indicates that it measures your influence based on three pieces.

How many people you influence (True Reach)
How much you influence them (Amplification)
How influential they are (Network Score)

As an educator I have little problem with the Klout score but rather that people keep focusing on it. Isn’t the Klout score the same as awards and a bit of self-promotion? Are we trying to get a high score? Is that why we are doing what we are doing? Let’s keep Klout as it is, just another number that has no meaning on our value as educators. In one conversation it was tweeted that Klout was “something you died from on The Oregon Trail video game?”

For those educators still in favor of chasing a high Klout score, I would suggest we revise the Klout parameters and create a Teacher Klout score.

Teacher Klout:

How many people you influence (True Reach)

This would be based upon a number of elements. How many students have you inspired to do great things with their lives? How many students develop a love of learning while spending time in your classroom or school? How many parents have a renewed sense of pride and confidence in their children as a result of your work? How many teachers see your work and are inspired to be better?

How much you influence them (Amplification)

To what level is your impact on a child? How many students leave your classroom still talking about and spreading the lessons you taught? What life and content driven lessons will your students remember 5, 10, or 20 years after they leave your classroom? How many colleagues are learning from you and implementing your ideas in their classrooms? How many students outside of your classroom are benefiting from your resource or idea sharing?

How influential they are (Network Score)

How many of your students will become the next big thing? Which students will become teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, farmers, or engineers? Which students sitting in your class will have profound influence on society due to your work with them?

Klout in a classroom would be very difficult to measure because teachers often never see the true impact of their work. There is no way to effectively measure how much influence a teacher has on a student, family, or colleague. Even though I will never have an actual Teacher Klout score, I think I will keep chasing that high score.

I Blew It

2011-08-17T17:17:00.002-05:00

Today I blew it. It was the first day of school and I didn’t get to anything important today. They say first impressions mean everything and I am not so sure I made correct impression on my students.

Rather than talking about grading procedures and classroom rules, we talked about dogs and little sisters. Instead of hitting the ground running with standardized test preparations, we met new friends and learned something new about each other. When we probably should have been discussing the learning standards, we were wasting time discussing which books we read over the summer. During passing periods when I should have been yelling at kids to get to class on time, I made the decision to help them with their locker combos and piles of supplies. In class when I should have been going through the grading scale and telling them how to get an A, I was actually telling them that grades don’t mean that much to me and I just want them to learn. Kids walking into my room were not greeted with walls full of catch phrases and spelling rules, but faced blank walls that I asked them to decorate and own. In my off period I did not go down and memorize every test score and data point in my students’ file, but decided to let them be their own data point and show me every day who they are. I made the decision to not start building students today but rather begin building relationships.

No, I did not get to anything important today. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive. J

#collaboreyes Project

2011-08-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

Yes, you heard correctly, the shades project lives on. Thanks to the generosity and collaboration of some great folks at Collaborize Classroom we will be introducing the #collaboreyes project formerly known as #googleshades. The goal of the project will remain the same in that we want to see the world through the eyes of the kids living in it. The shades or sunglasses will be our “prop” as well and we are working on finalizing what they will look like. As this appears to be a reality now, I have attempted to formalize the goal and outcomes of this project a bit more.

Goal: Connect kids around the world through the power of storytelling and images.

Task: Send one pair of #collaboreyes shades to a willing classroom. Teacher sends home shades with a student to take a picture in a significant or unique place. The picture should include not only the place but also the student wearing their #collaboreyes shades. Student returns with picture and writes a short paragraph about their location and why they chose it. Pictures and write-ups will then be uploaded to a website (site to be determined) that will house pictures and stories from around the world. For some examples please check out the original blog started for the #googleshades project.

Outcome: A collection of stories and pictures from around the world with insight and perspective far beyond the reaches of a textbook. It will essentially be a network of connected classrooms and kids collaborating to learn more about themselves and each other.

If you would like to get on our already growing list of classrooms interested in participating in this global collaboration project please fill out the PARTICIPATION FORM. If you had already filled in the form for the Google Shades project that data was transferred over so you need not fill it out again. We will tweet, email, and blog about our progress as we…well progress. If you have any questions drop us an email at collaboreyes@gmail.com

I'm Ready

2011-08-10T20:07:00.001-05:00

The walls of my classroom are bare and my lesson plans are empty…yup, I am ready for school to start.

Yes, you read that correctly. I am just a few days away from student’s first day and the walls in my classroom are completely bare. The only thing you will see is a draped green screen and a few posters indicating which way to sprint and scream in case of fires or inclement weather. I watch my colleagues frantically putting up posters and bulletin boards while I spend time sucking the final drops out of the fruit of summer. Why do I choose to leave me classroom bare? Am I really that lazy? While that might be a perfectly reasonable explanation, that is not the whole story. The room in which I teach is not my room. Sure, my name is on the door and nobody else teaches in it during the day. However, I don’t think of it as my room. It belongs to my students. It is their room and their space. As a result of this, I believe it is their right to decorate and create the learning space that suits them. I don’t have a seating chart. How can I when I don’t know the kids yet? I don’t put posters up on the walls. How can I when I haven’t met the kids and determined their interests and needs? I have not filled in the bulletin board. How can I when I haven’t asked the kids what they want to look at every day? Yes, my room will fill in and be a place of comfort and learning but it will not happen until the owners of the room create it. You will see student work, pictures, posters, and all sorts of evidence of the true owners of the room.

In addition to my walls, the pages in my lesson planner also lay bare. Sure, I have a few ice breaker activities for the first few days penciled in, but nothing beyond that. Again, how can I put plans together before I have met the kids they will impact? Is it possible some lessons from last year will work again with my new group? Yes, but I will not assume what worked last year will work again. I work with plenty of people that just roll over their plans from year to year. To this day, I cannot fathom how a teacher can do this. If your students change, shouldn’t your approach to teaching them? As a result, my lesson plan book will lay bare until I get to know the kids in my class and see how we will achieve our learning goals. The learning journey in my class will again be driven by the kids on the journey. As a teacher I know the targets we need to hit and the standards we need to master, but the decisions of how to accomplish these will not be in my hands.

I urge you to clean out your lesson plan book and clean your walls. Let the kids in your classrooms create their own learning space as well as direct their own learning journey.

No Office Day

2011-08-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

Recently, I came across this tweet in the land of tweets:

Apparently, there are a handful of administrators that are trying to organize a massive “No Office Day” in September. Now, I first read about this issue of no office days in a great post by Lyn Hilt. While she did not use the term no office day, it is certainly what she was doing. In her post she describes a day in which she spent her day in classrooms with a particular grade level. Having talked with Lyn since this post in December, I know this is something she has done more than once. A few others like David Truss and Dwight Carter have also written about their no office day experiences. However, Lyn's experiences strike me the most in the way she didn't just observe but actually took an active role in the learning and teaching in her building.

Back to this idea of an organized no office day where administrators can “sign up”. Many folks may see this as a great initiative and we need to get a ton of administrators to sign up. However, I don’t really think this is something I would necessarily support. Now before, I go any further, I will admit that I am not an administrator and my viewpoint will surely be biased as a result. With that being said, here is why I have a tough time supporting this organized no office day.

First, isn’t this something administrators should be doing anyways? Shouldn’t they be in classes every chance they get and not sitting in their offices? If an administrator has to sign up for one day to step out of the office, there are more than likely bigger issues at play. Should we organize a “Good Teaching Day” for teachers who want to commit a day to being a good teacher? The thought is rather ridiculous and yet asking an administrator to sign up to be in classrooms with kids and teachers is just as bad. By signing up for the no office day, does that give administrators the green light to stay in their offices the other 179 days in the school year? I hope not.

The other problem I have with this organized no office day is the fact that on some level it is needed. While this might seem hypocritical in light of my first reason, it is true. Administrators are often over burdened with meetings, trainings, and meetings. They are pulled out of their building for a whole host of obligations that are aimed at making them better principals. However, it has been my experience with the administrators that I have worked with that these meetings do quite the opposite. They are often a waste of time with no direct connection to student learning and just pull them away from the students and staff they are supposed to be supporting. I blame central offices and district administrative centers for pulling administrators out of buildings and away from the real work they need to be doing.

Administrators are often the gate keepers to policies, budgets, scheduling, and many of the decision making that ultimately impacts students. It only makes sense that they spend as much time with the people their decisions affect as possible. Please do not feel the need for a formal no office day as an excuse to leave the office and spend time with the very kids and teachers they are meant to support. Spend time out of your office and in classrooms because it is the right thing to do.

Yes, the notion of a no office day is a fantastic one that I would encourage all administrators to do. However, don’t sign up and commit yourself to a day. Commit yourself every day. Ask your secretary to put an hour a day on your schedule to be in classrooms. Don’t just walk through either. Teach a lesson. Work with students on a project. Get your hands dirty. Do whatever you can do to be in classrooms supporting the work your students and teachers are doing every day.

Summer of Josh

2011-08-06T14:27:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of the old television show Seinfeld and am that nerdy guy that drops lines from that show on almost a daily basis. One of my favorite episodes is the “Summer of George”. In this episode George is claiming his summer as the summer he is going to do great things. While he ended up being Jerry’s relationship intern and ends up squandering the summer, I still like the idea of the Summer of George. Unlike George, I did not squander my summer and did quite the opposite. Here is my highlight reel from the Summer of Josh.

I attended ISTE 2011 in Philadelphia and met a great many of my PLN members in person for the first time. While there I was also able to present at ISTE Unplugged about Movie Magic in a Student Driven Classroom. I also attended and presented at the 3^rd Reform Symposium in July. It was great to share my student’s work at my session on Student Driven Learning. In the near future I will be pulling both of these sessions down to post on my youtube channel.

I participated in a handful of smackdowns that produced a vast amount of new resources I am looking to try in class this coming school year. In addition, to the smackdowns, I was able to grab a ton of valuable resources through Twitter. Here is just a small sampling of the great tools I pulled during my summer “off”.

Came across this cool weather map and tracking site. Could see great potential in Science classrooms.
Found this neat listing of ipad apps geared towards Blooms Taxonomy.
Read two great posts from Larry Ferlazzo about some great Social Science resources as well as some solid Web2.0 tools.
Was sent this great listing of alternatives to the dreaded book reports from Scholastic.
Rediscovered this great tool for citations in writing that has really improved since I last used it.
Read this great article about a Middle School that works from Ira Socol and want to try to make my classroom/school more like it.
Investigated the fab that is Google+ and still trying to wrap my head around it's value and long term use. Here was an interesting piece about how to use the Hangout feature in schools.
Furthered my passion for student driven learning and continued to find support and encouragement through the writing of Angela Maiers on her blog. This particular post specifically resonated with me and how I wish all classrooms and schools operated.
Came across this great post with tips on how to make your classroom more paperless.
Investigated this list of ways to use one of my favorite tools, Evernote.

I am excited for the summer to come to a close and a new school year to begin. I hope you all get a chance to squeeze the last drops of greatness from summer and head back to school empowered and energized!

The Shades Project

2011-08-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

Many of you that read my blog have heard about our #googleshades project that a handful of us have tried to get off the ground. As of right now, Google has decided not to help sponsor this project. While we are all upset about this, we are determined to move forward with this project because we think it is a good one worthy of pursuing. With that being said, I am reaching out for help. I am looking for a sponsor willing to help out by supplying us with a few hundred cheap sunglasses with their company name on the side.

We want to take these sunglasses and ship a pair to classrooms around the world. For a more complete description of the project you can read about it on the original post I wrote.

Our goal is to see the world through the eyes of kids around the world. If you are interesting is helping out or want more information please contact me at stumpteacher@gmail.com

Reform Symposium

2011-07-24T20:10:00.001-05:00

As the Reform Symposium is only a few days away I thought it best to give a brief introduction to the topic I am going to be sharing which is Student Driven Learning. Here is a short video I put together on the topic as a teaser.

As a result of both action research and the work around an Innovation Day, I made a huge shift in my teaching this past year to be more student driven. It is without a doubt one of the greatest decisions I have made within my classroom. It started with my resigning from teaching and then putting the power of learning squarely in my student’s hands. For those that have yet to check this blog list out, you can read about my updates “It’s About the Learning”, “Learning Should be Viral”, “One on One is the Best”, “Sub Plans”, "I Am Done" and "My Brother Has Cerebral Palsy." I look forward to sharing these experiences and openly reflecting and discussing how to go even further. In this day of standardized testing and rigid curriculum, we can't lose sight of "unfiltered" learning and the natural curiosity and will to learn that each student possesses.

I hope you are able to stop by and share your experiences as well!

The Real Game Changer in Education

2011-07-19T22:45:00.002-05:00

Recently, I read a great post about social media as a potential “game changer” in education. It got me thinking about the concept of a so called game changer. Personally, I have a tough time buying into the idea of a game changer in anything, let alone education. When it comes to education many people think various pieces of technology are game changers with social media being one of them. I will be the first to say that technology has made me a better teacher. It has given me a better way to differentiate my instruction and has allowed my students access to resources and perspectives never before possible. Social media in particular is one of the single most positive things I have done in terms of a professional development. I have educational resources at my fingertips and the amount of expertise available is staggering. In many people’s minds that right there would be a pretty clear testimony to social media being a game changer. Yet, I don’t think so.

At the end of the day all of these advancements in technology are simply tools. Yes, they are powerful tools, yet it comes down to a teacher using them. I work in a building where we have a great deal of technology in every corner of the building. However, there are still many teachers that refuse to utilize its power to enhance student learning. Technology has power but it is still comes down to who is using it and how they are using it. All the web 2.0 tools in the world will do nothing in the hands of an incompetent or disinterested educator. Is it the tool that is a game changer, or is it the user that uses the tool to better learning for their students? I feel as though every teacher should be using the most recent and relevant technology to do their job, but just having it in your classroom does not guarantee it is a game changer for student learning.

To use an analogy, my younger brother owns his own home renovation company and does some amazing construction work. He talks about some of the tools that he has that make his job easier and could very well be called game changers in the construction business. However, if you were to put those tools in my hands, they would just be expensive liabilities. Again, it comes back to the user, not the tool itself.

As I have said very publicly, I am a huge fan of technology and the power it has to transform learning for our students. Yet, I still think it comes down to the user and not the tool. I would rather define game changers as individuals who choose to use the best tools available to better learning for students. Tools will come and go, but game changing educators are what we need in schools as a constant. As an educator do you define the effectiveness of the tools in your classroom or do the tools define your effectiveness as a teacher?

If you look/read around long enough you will see what game changers really are. They are principals that push their buildings forward and fight archaic traditions in education. They are teachers not afraid to stand up for what is best for their students. They are parents and students not settling for mediocrity in their education. Tools are great and can make our lives easier and learning more effective. However, at the end of the day, it is educators wielding these tools for greater learning that truly changes the game.

The Google Shades Project

2011-07-14T13:49:00.001-05:00

While in Philadelphia for the annual ISTE conference I spent a short amount of time walking through the vendor area and swung by the Google booth. In the midst of checking out the Chrome Books, I grabbed a couple pair of their freebie Google Shades. I gave one to a friend and brought two home to my sons. If you have two kids you know that you can’t bring home just one of anything! Somewhere along the way a handful of us, that hung out at ISTE, starting taking pictures of ourselves and eventually our kids wearing the Google Shades in various locations. We started tweeting them to each other and then created a posterous site to share our collective pictures. Initially this was just a fun thing to do with friends online.

However, I thought it might be cool to take it a step further and bring the Google Shades Project into our classroom. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could get a ton of these glasses and have our students take them to places special them and take a picture and write a little something about that place? What a cool way to get to know our classmates better and learn about our community through the eyes of our peers. As with most things I often try to take it a step further and set myself up for an even bigger project. I tossed an idea out to our original group of Jeremy Macdonald, Kristina Peters and Josh Allen that we go global with this thing. How cool would it be to have these glasses go out to kids around the globe who can take their Google Shade picture and share their stories? What a great way to bring the world to our classrooms and our classrooms out to the world. The group was all over it and we began brainstorming ways to make it a reality. Thanks to some great connections we brought in Rich Rikker who knew some folks inside Google that might be able to hook us up with a ton of these glasses. At time of this post we are still awaiting word from Google about the shades, but we are optimistic. We hope to eventually have this project look similar to a Flat Stanley project while putting our pictures and stories that we collect on a Google Site and the locations pin pointed on a Google Map.

For me, I teach world history and it is often difficult to have 6^th grade students understand the cultural, societal, and physical differences of people in different places on the globe. What better way to learn about these people and places as well as develop an understanding and perspective than from people living there? Jeremy, Kristina, Josh, Rich and I will surely be sharing our journey and I encourage you to follow along as we go.

If you are potentially interested in taking part in the Google Shade Project please fill out this form. At this point we are still very much in the idea generating stage and don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from me initially as we move forward with this. We will be looking for classrooms, specifically overseas, that would be willing to have us send them a pair of Google Shades. Then we would ask that they have their students take pictures wearing the shades in a place important to them. We have all seen pictures of the Great Pyramids and the Eiffel Tower. We would hope to see more” off the beaten path” and personal locations that we would normally never see. Below is an example of the type of entry we would be looking to gather from locations across the globe.

This picture is of my oldest son Tanner while boating with my younger brother on the Rock River in Dixon, IL. Dixon was the home of US President Ronald Reagan and has a rich history as a trading post and military encampment during the Blackhawk Wars in the early 1800s. It was the first time we had been out on my brother’s new boat and we all had a blast. One of Tanner’s favorite things to do is hang out with his uncles and his cousin Cole who is just a bit younger than him. On this particular day we spent time swimming, tubing and watched my younger brother do some wake boarding. We even pulled up to a large sand bar and spent some time swimming there while watching a guy on another boat pull in a large bass on a fishing line. At the end of the day, Tanner was chilling up on the front of the boat and my older brother, who was also with us, snapped this picture. I hope to have many more days on the river with my brothers and our kids enjoying the water and fun times.

Passing the Puke

2011-07-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

I recently went to the local movie theatre to watch Transformers 3 with a friend and coworker. On a side note, I highly recommend the movie. It had some amazing action and it was nice to see my local downtown Chicago getting blown up. However, as we were walking to the screen where our show was playing there was an employee telling us to watch our step. He informed us that a young movie patron has lost their dinner in a pile on the floor as well as a trail from that point to the men’s room. As we navigated around the soiled carpet one of the theatre employees was beginning to spread the magical “puke powder” on the spot.

A few minutes before the movie started I walked back out to head to the rest room for my pre-pee ritual. On the way I noticed that the pile of powder was still there as well as the expelled food parts. I then overheard the original employee who spread the power standing and telling another employee,

“Let’s just leave it for the night guys to clean up.”

I sort of laughed at the moment but then was kind of irritated by the statement. These two individuals did not want to deal with the mess so they were passing the puke on to their late night counterparts. How often do we do this in our schools? When you have a difficult kid do you ever find yourself thinking just get through the year and let next year’s teacher fix it? When you see a depressed kid do you talk with them or assume someone else will? When you see garbage on the floor of your school do you pick it up or hope someone else will notice it? When you see a dress code violation do you just think next period’s teacher will catch it? When you hear of a teacher doing something wrong do you assume it is an administrator’s job to deal with it? What puke are you passing off to others?

Personally, speaking I know I have passed the puke in the past and pushed things off that I should have dealt with myself. Whether it is time, experience, or uncertainty, we all have the urge to push work off on to others. As a new school year will be here before I know it, I am making it a goal to not pass the puke but clean up all my own messes and not ask others to do what I will not do myself. Unlike those movie theatre employees, I would like to clean up, fix, and make better whatever happens under my watch.

Lightning Bugs and Learning Loss

2011-07-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

By Bruce Marlin [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

I have been reading a great deal about the “learning loss” that occurs over the summer break? I completely agree with this idea that students suffer great loss over the summer months. However, I am a huge fan of it as well. The learning loss that happens over the summer is the best kind. Students forget not only how to take standardized tests but also how to adhere to a rigid curriculum that dictates what, when, and how they learn. They forget filtered learning and the restrictions of a traditional school day complete with scheduled breaks and feeding times.

Yes, students are not learning from the common core over the summer…or at least not in the way we want them to. However, they are still learning a great deal. For example, the other night I was out back with by two sons catching lightning bugs. When we were done my boys had all sorts of questions about how and why those little rear ends lit up. We then spent time doing research online to answer all their questions. Or how about the time when we went to our local zoo and listened to the zoo keeper talk at length about the life and habits of our local Bald Eagle residents? This again prompted follow up and some bird watching via a live web cam. This is spontaneous learning in the purest sense of the word.

In addition, what about those “non-essential” skills learned through those summer months? Think about the team work and social skills being taught on baseball diamonds and soccer fields all across the country? What about students learning responsibility and hard work through summer jobs? What about the time to work on physical health through the various sports and outdoor activities? How about all that free time to read books of their choice? What about all the day trips and vacations to different places complete with different cultures and opportunities for learning? How about the occasional television show on PBS kids or History Channel that reinforces a learning concept or exposes a new interest? As a former Boy Scout, I could not imagine never having learned to whittle with a knife, start a fire with flint, learn emergency first aid or shoot a gun. All of which are not allowed in schools.

No, I don’t think the learning loss that occurs during summer is a problem. I would rather spend my time worrying about fun, creative, and freedom losses that happen during the school year. How can we infuse the freedom and fun learning that takes place during summer into the school year? How can we ensure that creativity is alive and encouraged in our classrooms? I would rather take time to learn about lightning bugs than prep my kids for the next standardized test.

Too Heavy

2011-07-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

In the past several weeks and months I have been reading a great many blogs and articles about the state of education and where we need to move. I further discussed this at great length with a number of educators at ISTE last week. The question I have is, “are we overcomplicating the matter?” There is a great number of “experts” spouting pedagogy, theory and even some philosophy to try to explain how education should be done in our schools. I kept thinking that it was all a bit heavy and maybe a bit to over thought. For me, I have four relatively basic beliefs about education that everything seems to come back to.

Relationships Rule

At the end of the day it will not matter how much content we cram into our student’s head but rather how we relate to them as people. Yes, content is important, but relationships will always trump it. Teachers that are able to have a positive relationships built on trust, honesty, and mutual respect will always have a greater chance of helping a kid succeed. Student learning will not take place in a classroom where there is fear, mistrust, or a power struggle.

Always remember that the kids in your class are human beings first and students second. If we remember this and address the human relationships first, we will always have more success with the student relationships second. In order to do this, we need to know our students beyond the relatively short amount of time we see then daily. We need to invest time to create personal connections and know them beyond what their homework and test scores tells us. Taking a personal and genuine interest in a kid is never a bad investment and is often the difference maker in some kid’s lives.

In addition to our relationships with our students, those we have with parents and other teachers are crucial as well. We are all in this together and we need each other to maximize a student’s ability to learn and be successful. Parents play a key role in child development and as teachers we need to foster a positive relationship built on those same principles of trust, honesty, and mutual respect.

Stop the Arms Race

Due to many political and economic reasons I either don’t understand or don’t agree with, we are pitting our teachers and schools against each other. Schools are not allowed to share their work with others and student’s work is being kept under lock and key. We are afraid to share the good work we are doing for fear that someone else might copy us. If we are doing good work, wouldn’t we want all kids to be doing it? Should we not be proud of our work and want others to be able to learn and grow from it?

One of the greatest things about my involvement in social media is the connections I have made. Through these connections I have been exposed to great teaching and examples of student learning all over the world. It is through this sharing that the learning experiences in my classes have been greatly improved. Beyond the teachers, we need to find ways for our students to stop competing for grades and awards and instead work collaboratively to create enriched learning experiences. We are better together.

When we Standardize we Bastardize

Yes, I am obviously referring to the standardized testing but more than that as well. Standardize testing’s evils have been written about in such great length that I will not go into any more details. However, testing is not the only thing we attempt to standardize in our schools. We do the same thing with teaching practice. In many schools we look to find “best practice” and then standardize it. When we do this, we are standardizing something that cannot and should not be standardized; people. As long as humans are individuals and inherently different, teaching and learning practice can and should not be standard.

This also goes with resources and technology. We are trying to blanket cover classrooms with the same tools and resources. This is not the way to go. While I may like a particular resource, it will not work for everyone. Instead or standardizing these resources, let’s make innovation and creativity standard. Give me a tool box full of tools, some guidance, and let me run with it. Let each teacher decide what is best for them and their student’s learning. If we are truly the professionals we claim to be, then we should be more than capable of doing such work. Give us the destination but stop giving turn by turn directions.

Student Learning Above All

This should seem like an obvious piece of the education puzzle but not always the case. We often get caught up in board policies, new technology tools, or political jargon that we forget why we are doing all this. Stop writing policies that limit teacher’s ability to teach effectively. Stop being wowed by the latest gadgets and gizmos without thinking if it will actually help a student learn. Stop making decisions from up on high without ever setting a foot in a classroom to see who your decisions are impacting. Bottom line, if you can’t clearly articulate how your actions directly help student learning, please stop.

Although it must be said that student learning is not always indicated in a test score or a final grade. Some of the greatest learning that takes place in a class is human learning. This is when a student grows and develops as a human being. I put far more weight is the human learning grade than any test about Ancient History or Math Facts.

Many people will disagree and claim that education is not that simple and maybe they are right. However, when I talk to teachers in classrooms doing the actual work with kids, it always comes back to these four things; create positive relationships, start sharing, stop standardizing, and put student learning above all else.

ISTE Flash Mob

2011-06-30T19:33:00.006-05:00

Here is the unofficially official ISTE Flash Mob video from this past week’s conference held in the front lobby of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. A huge thank you goes out to all that participated in this fun event. Special notice to Tim Gwynn and Michelle Baldwin for organizing it and jumping through a series of hoops to make it happen. Thanks to Ellie Gibbard from the Pennsylvania Convention Center for her support as well. In addition, thanks to John Jacobson of Double Dream Hands for his support and choreography and Cory Plough for some of the video footage. Also, thank you to Kristina Peters for being in the front row with Michelle and leading the crew!

Now many people tweeted about the ridiculousness of such an event taking place at the conference. They could not understand why anyone would be interested in such a venture and tweeted and spoke out about it. It’s funny because I remember hearing similar negativity when I took on the Lip Dub at my school this past spring. Some people just don’t get it. They don’t get why people would want to work together to do something fun. They don’t get the feeling of being part of something spontaneous and did I mention fun. They don’t get the sense of community and companionship that is the root of what makes us human. They don’t get that we will remember that moment with fondness for years to come. The don’t get that we share these moments and they are what binds us together and allows us to work together on a deeper and more meaningful level.

I encourage any of my readers to do a Lip Dub or a Flash Mob with your staff or your students. I guarantee it will be a memorable occasion and bring you all together with a deeper sense of community…and it will be fun!

The Super School

2011-06-29T19:59:00.002-05:00

During ISTE I was out at one of the various evening events and I struck up a conversation with Principal Dave Meister. While talking we were discussing some of the good things going on in the world of education and specifically all of the great teachers. Many of those teachers were in attendance at ISTE this past week. We wondered aloud that it would be nice if we could get all these amazing educators and get them together in one school. It would be like a super school. I even said that a co-worker and I had often joked that if we ever fell into a large pile of money we would start up our own school founded in the very principles we believe about teaching and learning. We would hire the best and brightest educators and create the super school. Image if all these educators could be consolidated in one school. How amazing of a place would that be to work? How amazing would that place be to attend as a student?

As I reflected on this concept of consolidating educational “talent” in one place, I wonder if that might actually be a bad idea. In sports, fans love a good game. We love seeing overtime playoff hockey and extra inning baseball. We don’t like to see blowouts on a regular basis nor do we like seeing teams dominate a sport year in and year out. As soon as a streak is started or a dynasty created, we want to see it end and restore balance. While I am a Cubs fan, I would hate to see the Cubs win every game by ten runs and win the World Series every year. Well…I would like them to win at least one of those… The point is, talent is spread around professional sports to balance the game and provide us the entertainment that they are designed to provide. By spreading out the “good” players you bring other players up on teams and spread the wealth. Those elite athletes can help bring up the level of play of teammates and provide leadership that can help a team succeed.

When it comes to schools it is not that different. If all the good teachers leave to go to the super school then what happens to those left behind? Who is left to support and lead those struggling and new educators? How can they learn to be better teachers if there are no models? What happens to kids in those schools? Rather than create the super school, why not turn our own schools into super schools? There are some amazing teachers and administrators that I had the true pleasure of meeting at ISTE this past week. While I would love to work with any one of them, I like the idea of knowing they are out doing good work in other places. The key for me is that these people may not physically work in my building and yet their presence is felt in my work on a daily basis. Through our connections we are able to work together and are already creating a super school that transcends social, political and physical barriers.

Make your own school the super school. Start with making your own classroom better and bring others on board with you. If you don’t know how, ask. There are plenty of brilliant people willing to help. The super school exists and anyone that connects and is trying to make things better for their own students is a part of it.

Connections

2011-06-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

Connections.

That is my number one takeaway from ISTE 2011. For the first time I was able to meet people in person that I had previously met and worked with online. I have interacted with countless educators from all parts of the globe and this ISTE was the first time for me to meet a large number of these people face to face. This experience of meeting these people and connecting with them has taught me three valuable lessons that I plan on bringing into my classroom in the fall.

1. Face to Face is important

While I think the connections we make online are great to have and nurture, it does not replace face to face. Simply shaking a hand and sharing a drink with someone makes a strong connection or solidifies an existing one. As I had lunch on the last day a member of my PLN came up and asked, “can I friend you on Facebook now?” That really sums it up. What started out as professional connections through social media have turned into genuine friendships. While making friends is not necessarily the goal of this conference or of a PLN, it has huge benefits. I am confident these new friends will continue to support me and I will return the favor. Within my classroom I will continue to push technology but always keep that face to face connection as a cornerstone in my class. I will remember to tell my kids to put the laptops down and talk with each other. Relationships are the most important part of powerful learning.

2. We are better together

I have always been a firm believer in the power of groups. We are truly better together as learners. The best conversations I had this week were in small groups at all hours of the day and night. Strength in numbers is a powerful thing. Through our conversations with other educators we gain a new ideas and perspectives. That is not to say we always agree, because we don’t. However, it is in those moments of disagreement that we push our thinking and grow the most. Within my class I will continue to foster the group dynamic and allow kids to work together to push their learning in new and different directions.

3. Play Nice

This one might sound a bit juvenile, but I am serious. There are people online in various forums that are not nice. Now, that is not to say we all need to be best friends but a certain level of professionalism and respect needs to be in place. Just because someone doesn’t agree with us, does not give us the right to berate, condemn, or put others down. We are all learners on a journey with different arrival times. I hope to continue to create an environment where my students support each other and respect each person’s spot on that journey.

ISTE 2011 was truly a great experience and many people I met far exceeded my expectations. I am looking forward to more connections like this and continued learning with my professional learning network on and off line.

ISTE Unplugged 2011

2011-06-28T11:06:00.000-05:00

I just finished presenting at ISTE Unplugged at the ISTE conference in Philadelphia. As promised, here is the prezi and don't hesitate to shoot me any questions!

Movie Magic: ISTE Unplugged on Prezi

ISTE 2011 Goals

2011-06-20T17:08:00.000-05:00

This year’s ISTE conference will mark a significant event for me in terms of making connections with people I have met “online”. I have been active on Twitter and Blogging for less than 1 year. During that time I have connected and collaborated with numerous educators from all over the world. However, I have had little actual face to face connections with members of my PLN. I was able to connect with a handful of these people at edcampchicago, but ISTE will be a much bigger deal due to the sheer number of people attending that I have connected with through social media in the past year. With that in mind I have a few goals for my time at ISTE this year.

Shake Many Hands

I want to physically meet as many of the great people that I know will be at ISTE as possible. If nothing else, just putting a name with a profile pic/name will be helpful in taking online connections to the “next level” of collaboration.

Keep an Open Mind

I am not naïve and understand that I will not agree with everything I see/hear, nor will every session be my cup of tea. In addition, I am not going to hit it off with every person I meet initially. However, I want to remain open to new ideas and invite new perspectives into my own thinking. While I have a great group of people in my PLN, I want to be open to learning from others that are not currently on my PLN radar.

Be A Sponge

As with most conferences I go to, I want to be a sponge and learn as much as possible. This will be different at ISTE this year because I suspect I will learn more from the various social gatherings and impromptu conversations with my PLN than actual sessions themselves. I have a certain obligation to bring ideas and “new stuff” back to my school and district and I highly doubt that will be a problem. I am specifically looking forward to participating in edubloggercon as well as presenting at ISTE Unplugged.

Don’t Be the Hangover 2

This may seem like an odd goal to have on the list. If you have seen Hangover 2 and you are like me, you were probably let down a bit. The original was so good and the expectations were very high for the second. In most viewers and critics opinions, it underwhelmed most audience members. I am hoping to not be a Hangover 2 myself. I will be meeting many people for the first time and I hope to at least meet their mediocre expectations of me as an educator and as a person.

Have Fun

As with just about anything I do, I like to have fun doing it. If my interactions with other attendees prior to the actual conference are any indication, I doubt this will be difficult to accomplish.

If you are a reader or a follower and are planning on attending ISTE, please track me down and at least say hello. You might walk right past me and I would be none the wiser so please don’t hesitate to stop me! More than likely I will be wearing a Superman T-shirt or other graphic T that I find humorous…

Having Kids Made Me A Better Teacher

2011-06-16T20:43:00.002-05:00

Being a parent makes me a better teacher. Yes, I know that not everyone will agree with that statement but hear me out. Teachers, as with any professional, have various events, relationships, and experiences that shape their professional identity. Simply put, we turn out to be the teachers we are largely due to a lifetime of experiences that influence us in one way or the other. I realize we have formal training, but let’s be honest, that really does not do anything to make us better teachers. I learned a great deal of history content, but the craft of teaching was learned in the hours of observations and student teaching. For me, I need to DO something in order to learn it and get good at it.

The first few years I taught, I was mediocre at best. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. By the third year, I felt like I was finally starting to earn my paycheck. Kids were engaged, parents didn’t hate me, and I had built a great relationship with my peers. However, one of the biggest things that had a positive impact on my teaching was when I had children of my own.

Now this is not to say my instruction or teaching strategies changed because they didn’t. However, I have a different perspective in not only how to deal with kids but also with parents. When you put your child on a bus and send them off to school for the first time like I did last year, it hits you. It is not an easy thing to send your child off to a relatively perfect stranger. There is an anxiety and almost fear that first day. Will my child make friends? Will he get picked on? Will he be a bully? Will he pee his pants? Will the teacher find his sense of humor that was greatly influenced by his father funny or appropriate? All of those questions and many more went through my head as I am sure it does nearly every parent that sends their kid to school.

Having gone through that anxiety and the struggles of sending a kid to school, I can relate to parents on a new level. For starters, when I talk to parents I have common ground as a parent myself. There is a certain amount of credibility in what I say because I have been in their shoes. If you don’t have kids yourself, can you look in a parent’s eyes and tell them you know how they feel? I share openly of my own experiences with my student’s parents and that often opens a door of communication and rapport that was not possible before.

In addition to the parents, I approach how I deal with kids much differently. I am not going to say I ever wrote a kid off, but there were certainly kids that burned me out and pushed me to my limits. If I am being honest, I got to a point where I pulled away and put less effort into them. That is no longer the case. How would I feel if a teacher ever gave up in the slightest bit with my kid? I try to make every effort to treat each kid as my own. I go out f my way to connect to the quiet kid and the kids that don’t typically stand out. What kind of teacher would I want for my kids? That is the type of teacher I try to be. I know I will continue to work on this and evolve my thinking as my own kids get older, but it is a start.

Again, did my teaching change when I had kids? Not really…but my perspective did and how I approach my relationships with both parents and students. I am not saying teachers without kids are bad teachers. Nor am I saying that those with kids are better. What I will say is that having kids gives you insight and perspective that you cannot have otherwise.

Death of Principal

2011-06-15T18:10:00.001-05:00

Below is a eulogy for my former principal Pam who passed on at the end of this past school year.

What can I say about Pam? She was a teacher, innovator, leader and friend whose absence will be felt long after she is gone. A few months ago she announced that she would be leaving our world and heading to the next phase of life. The news was met with anger and bitterness that has given way to grief and sadness.

The beauty of Pam and her work is that it will live on long after she is gone. It will live on in the leadership team that she nurtured and fostered. The academic leaders she trained and empowered will keep the building moving with positive momentum for years to come. In addition, the countless teachers that she guided and trained to be better than they were or ever thought they could be.

Teachers who had the honor or working with her knew the expectations were high. That is not to say she expected good test scores and high achieving grades. That was not her goal. She wanted every child that walked through her doors to have an experience fit for her own two daughters. Every child that sat in a desk in her school was part of a family and that was priority one. Teachers knew this expectation and worked to provide the best possible learning and personal experience possible and never settled for anything less.

Innovation was not a buzz word for her, but a way of living. She challenged staff and students to always be looking for a better way to learn, teach and grow. She never settled for, “that is the way things have always been done” and always challenged us to be better. As a result, new programs came into existence to help students with reading and math. Days such as Innovation Day were supported and encouraged. Unique scheduling and team teaching flourished. All of these moves were made with one goal in mind. Do what is right for kids. Students and teacher’s felt safe to try something new and failure was supported as a learning tool.

Even as I say all of these nice things about Pam, she was not loved by all who worked with her. Some lazy teachers were not happy with her constant pushing and high expectations. Other teachers that liked things the way they were are happy to see her go and will attempt to go back to their old ways. Some parents are happy with her departure as well. These are the parents that like to call and yell at teachers about grades, curriculum and a whole host of athletic related issues. But for those of us that truly “got it”, her legacy will live on and we will continue to hold high expectations and will refuse to take one step backwards.

Many would think Pam was a micro manager that oversaw every little detail of her school but that was not the case. She stepped back and gave the power to her teachers and her students. She knew who to stand close to and who to give some room to work. The truly remarkable part of her leadership was that she allowed others in her building to be leaders. Through thoughtful conversations and actions, many of which went unnoticed, Pam created an environment where it was encourage to step up and be great for kids and for each other. She celebrated the good and never settled for less than the best for the students and staff in her school.

As Pam leaves us, countless inspired and empowered teachers are left in her wake. Families that she touched through her work and the work of her staff will be forever grateful. Her true influence will live on far after she is gone and her true impact is something that is near impossible to put into words.

Pam graced our school and our community and ultimately she graced the lives of those who knew her and worked with her.

For those all too literal readers, Pam is not dead. She is simply leaving our school to grace the halls of a new school in the fall and surely continue doing great work there.

Best School Year...Ever

2011-06-11T10:46:00.002-05:00

The school year has come to an end and to put it plainly, it has been the single greatest school year of my relatively short career. It has been a year of learning and progress for both my students and me that will be tough to duplicate. Here is a list of things that I was either a part of or facilitated in the past year.

Standards Based Grading

I made the complete plunge into a hybrid version of standards based grading in all of my classes this past year. While I can not go to a true version, I feel as though I made great progress within a traditional system to a more accurate method of progress reporting. I have never felt more confident that my student’s grades accurately depicted the learning that took place.

EdCamp

I participated in my first edcamp in the spring at edcampchicago. It was a great experience to learn and connect with bright educators in the Chicago land area. I think the whole concept of the edcamp is great and looking at trying to get professional development days at my school to be run in a similar manner.

Lip Dub

Together with my computer club kids, we organized and pulled off an all school lip dub. This was no small feat as it involved nearly 700 middle school students. It was a great community building experience for the school and will certainly be an event those kids and teachers will remember for the rest of their lives.

Innovation Day

This was a great day and if you follow my blog you certainly read about it. As I previously wrote, it was a great day of unfiltered learning and innovation. It is something that took on a life of its own and has been replicated in numerous other classrooms across the US. I am not a huge fan of recognition, but it was pretty cool that Daniel Pink read about it and wrote about our day on his blog.

Research

This year I was active in the #ecosys crew on Twitter and engaged in a conversation about the work of Sugata Mitra. As a result of that conversation, I engaged in my own version of action research within my classroom. My goal was to see for myself if Mitra’s theory of group work and its impact on overall academic performance and learning was valid. It was a great learning experience for me and I know my students greatly benefited from the experience as well.

Student Driven Learning

As a result of both the action research and the work around Innovation Day, I made a huge shift in my teaching to be more student driven. It is without a doubt one of the greatest decisions I have made within my classroom. It started with my resigning from teaching and then putting the power of learning squarely in my student’s hands. For those that have yet to check this blog list out, you can read about my updates “It’s About the Learning”, “Learning Should be Viral”, “One on One is the Best”, “Sub Plans”, "I Am Done" and "My Brother Has Cerebral Palsy."

Conferences

I was blessed again to be accepted to present at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference as well as the Illinois Computing Educators Conference. These conferences are always a good chance to learn from and with like-minded educators. In addition, I participated in my first online conference in the winter at the Reform Symposium. It was a great experience and I look forward to participating this summer as well.

Tutorials

As many know, I am a bit of a movie nerd and that covers everything from watching to making them. I spent a great deal of time this year creating tutorials and posting them on my blog. I am especially proud of the Twitter 102 one that many people have found helpful. I am looking forward to spending some time this summer creating some more.

Jedi

I have made some more progress to being accepted into the Jedi council…it is a long and arduous process.

Blog

One of the best things I did this year was started a blog. I have learned so much through my blog that I truly did not think was possible. My reflections have helped me hone my craft through self evaluation as well as peer feedback. I would encourage every educator to start and keep a blog simply for themselves. For me, it is almost therapeutic to write about my work and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

Twitter

By far and away the best thing I did this year was join Twitter. This has opened doors for me that I did not even know where there. The connections I have made and learning I have participated in is just staggering. It is one of those things that is truly hard to explain and is foreign to those that are not “on” Twitter. However, I will promise that if you give it a chance, it will change the way you think, learn, and ultimately teach. Many of the ideas and new directions I took my class this year, were influenced by my interactions on Twitter. The connections made on Twitter are real and it will broaden your professional development far beyond your school or district.With that being said, I have also struggled and continue work on getting the most out of Twitter while retaining my professional and personal balance. The beauty of Twitter and social media in general is that you get out of it what you put into it.

It truly was a year to remember and I am both anxious and excited about what next year will bring. I will continue to push the envelope and seek better ways to do what I do. I will never be satisfied with what I am doing and will constantly look for ways to make the learning experiences for me and my students that much better.

Why I Am Not Following You?

2011-06-01T22:38:00.002-05:00

Recently I have reflected on who to follow on Twitter and what blogs to keep in my reader. I came up with following criteria and in no way mean to offend anyone. I was starting to feel overwhelmed with information overload and wanted to be more selective and therefore more productive. Here are some criteria that determine who I follow and what I read.

• I don’t like blog posts that are too long. This may seem negative and possibly lazy, but I prefer posts that are short on elaboration and get right to a topic or issue. For me personally, simplicity is key! I call this the American Idol theory…don’t take two hours to tell me a five second result.

• I will not follow people on Twitter if they ask me to. I find educators to follow based on conversations I have through chats or side conversations. I was actually at a conference where someone was repeatedly tweeting that they wanted to get to a certain number of tweets. For me this is not a popularity contest but a learning contest. Numbers are irrelevant to me but rather I focus on the quality of my connections.

• I don’t have time to follow any more or read any more. I love my wife and spending time with my sons. Little league will always trump reading more blog posts. What I like about Twitter and my Google Reader is that I control how much I read and take in. Everyone has different personal circumstances that dictate what they have time for. I know what works for me may not work for others and that’s ok.

• My brain is full. I constantly change who I follow and do unfollow people from time to time. I follow people and read blogs that I connect with on a professional and personal level. I also follow and read people that I disagree with to always challenge my thinking. I am looking for a wider perspective but not too wide…my brain can only handle so much.

• I will not follow you just because you follow me. This is not meant to be rude, but I choose who I follow based on who contributes to conversations I am involved in and who I learn with. While I appreciate followers, for me that is not what Twitter and blog following is about. This is not a homecoming court voting but a place for me to learn and grow as an educator. If I can do that following ten people then I will follow ten people.

I know there are great educators out there that I am not following and blogs I am not reading. With that being said, I have to draw that line somewhere. I am sure my PLN will grow, but for now I am being selective not as a way to be rude but as a way to not overwhelm myself and make the best of my connected learning.

You've Got A Friend In Me

2011-05-31T22:57:00.000-05:00

You’ve Got a Friend in Me is the song we choose for our little lip dub project. Yes, it was a fun project and I had a blast putting it together. However, I think symbolically it means a whole lot more. It is just a small symbol of the connections we have created and fostered through our Professional Learning Network on Twitter. I have only been active on Twitter since October of 2010 and in that time met some truly amazing and inspiring people. Some of these very people were involved in our little PLN Lip Dub project and I consider some of them my friends.

Some people see Twitter and other social media outlets as a waste of time and don’t “get it”. I will say very openly and honestly, Twitter has been the single greatest influence in my teaching career. I have learned more and connected more in these few short weeks than the previous eight years of teaching. The experiences I have had and the people I have met through Twitter is something I could never have hoped to accomplish without it. The song we choose was You’ve Got a Friend in Me, and I think it really says it all. Many of the people in our extended PLN’s are people we have never actually met face to face. Yet, we share with them our latest and greatest resources and even pieces of our personal life. If friends are people that are there for each other and lend a helping hand, then yes, Twitter does help create friends. And you’ve got a friend in me…

Preschool Graduation Speech

2011-05-29T23:35:00.001-05:00

Good afternoon friends, families, and graduates. Thank you so much for asking me to come and speak before you on this momentous of days in the lives of these five year olds. We come together today to recognize and honor our preschool graduates. Over the past two years they have come through these doors to play, paint, draw, build, dress-up, read, write, color, and learn. Through the power of play these students have grown socially, emotionally and academically. Through the power of compassionate and love filled teaching, these students are now prepared for elementary school.

Students, as you move into the next phase of your academic lives I have some advice for you. First, forget everything you did here. Especially anything that was fun and playful. You will be entering into a world of testing and strict standards that will dictate your every move. Your play time will be replaced by test preparation and your coloring will be done with a number two pencil in small circles.

My second piece of advice is to hold on to your creativity as long as you can. While you were here in preschool you were creative in the most unfiltered and pure form. You learned new things out of curiosity and a natural love of learning. As you get older your classes will become more rigid, structured and scripted. Do whatever you can to be creative in your work and pursue your natural curiosity.

Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid failing. Yes, when you tried singing your ABC’s and messed up, your teacher gave you as much time as you needed to figure it out and get it right. Even though you failed initially, your teacher did help you learn from it. However, as you move forward, failure is seen as weakness and ultimately will determine your lot in life. Too many failed tasks and you will be labeled a failure with no chance of success in this so called real world.

Now don’t get me wrong, elementary, junior high, and high school will have some great things as well. Those friends that you made in preschool will still be with you. Although as you move on in your schooling, those friends will now be competitors. Instead of playing together you will compete with each other for awards, spots on sports teams, and class ranking. If you are lucky you will come out on top.

My last piece of advice is for you to never lose your hope. If you are fortunate enough you will have a teacher willing to make learning as fun for you as it was here in preschool. This teacher will allow you to think outside the box and allow your natural creativity to flow. They will encourage you to be more than a number on a standardized test or a grade on a report card.

Teachers outside of the preschool world, if you are in the audience I ask you a favor. Look at these bright and enthusiastic faces. They have a love for learning and treasure every day at school. Do whatever is in your power to keep them this way as long as possible. Don’t squash it with test prep, awards competitions, and overly standardized learning.

In closing, my most heartfelt congrats to you and the work you have done in the past two years. Keep the memory of the past two years in your mind and never forget what is possible when you love learning and let your curiosity lead your way.

When an Idea Goes Viral

2011-05-28T17:38:00.001-05:00

I have written about the power of Twitter and how it has impacted my teaching before. I was initially blown away by the connections being made and sustained on a daily basis. However, I was amazed yet again with the power of Twitter to actually make a concrete impact on student learning. Yes, we share resources and strategies that filter into classrooms, but there is something bigger out there. There are ideas that show up and then go viral. I was recently a part of such an idea and the results are still amazing me.

Back in March our school held an Innovation Day at school for our sixth grade students. This idea came from a fellow teacher in our building who had done it on a small level with his team of about 100 students. Shortly after I wrote about our Innovative Day, Daniel Pink tweeted about it and the hits on the post skyrocketed. He also wrote about our day on his blog. I was slightly embarrassed by the mention because it certainly was more than me involved in this day. While all that was cool, what happened next was even more impressive.

In the days and weeks that followed my initial post I was contacted by teachers and administrators from literally all over the world. These educators wanted to hold an Innovative Day of their own. While it was no Rebecca Black, the idea has gone viral to some degree. Pernille Ripp recently held her Innovative Day with her 4th grade classroom and Tim Monreal facilitated one at his school. At this time I am in the midst of planning other Innovative Days with schools across the Midwest and two in England.

This experience has raised two questions for me about why this idea has gone “viral”.

Why did this idea gain the traction that it did?

Obviously if an idea is able to be replicated and gain in popularity, there has to be some value in it. As I previously wrote, there is great value unfiltered learning and giving students complete control of their learning. If we know this is true, then why do we still try to put learning in boxes with curriculum and standards? Yes, Pink’s press certainly helped spread the word, but I like to think it was more than that. Teachers saw the value in the idea and it made sense on a very simple level.

How does an idea like this go viral?

For me, this experience is yet another powerful example of the connections social media allows. If I was not a blogger or a tweeter, folks would never have known about our Innovation Day and the idea would not have been shared outside my school. The connections we make are so crucial not only for ourselves but for our students. When ideas such as Innovation Days are shared, it is the kids that come out as winners. They are the ones that ultimately gain from our connections through the shared ideas and experiences on social media. While I will never meet the students in Mrs. Ripp’s or Mr. Monreal’s schools, I feel good knowing they had a good experience based on something I wrote. If you are doing an Innovation Day or something similar, please share it in the comments.

My final thought on ideas going viral is that for that to work we need to share. For those reading this post, you already know this because that is what brings you here. You are reading blogs, tweets and making connections because you already know the value. I challenge us all to bring more teachers here. We need to stop preaching to the choir and bring more people into the chorus.

Summer Break Sucks

2011-05-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

As the end of the school year approaches, I am often reminded of the harsh reality of summer break for a number of our students. Many of my students are excited to get their Little League seasons into high gear or their annual summer vacations with the family to a whole variety of locations. Some are already making plans for mid-week sleepovers and time with grandparents and relatives. However, that is not the case with all of my students.

There is a small population of students not looking forward to summer break although they will never come out and tell you. No, I am not talking about your overachieving gifted kids that love doing projects and taking tests. I am talking about that student that has been acting up lately. They have not been doing their work and have been getting into trouble more than usual. In class you notice them unplugging and doing anything for your attention and often in a negative manner. Generally speaking, they are not themselves.

When you take a closer look at these kid’s lives you realize there is something going on. They are not making plans for the summer because they don’t have any. For these students, there is a wide variety of reasons why they fear the summer. For some, their parents are going through a brutal divorce. For others, their parents are just not around and are not involved. In some sad cases, they are in broken homes with some level of abuse or other more tragic circumstances. For them summer is not filled with fun and games, but a harsh reality. They are often too proud to tell you this and as a result act out to get that much craved attention from you before leaving for the summer.

The end of the year will come and summer break will commence. However, for some kids, school is their break. It is their place of normalcy and stability. It is the place they feel safest and most cared for. When these kids started getting out of control towards the end of the year, keep in mind that some of them might be seeking attention out of fear for the summer ahead of them...

The Stumpies

2011-05-25T06:26:00.004-05:00

A great number of influential educators have been blogging and tweeting about awards ceremonies and how crucial they are to motivate and engage learners. We all know that without awards at the end of the year students will stop trying hard and basically give up on learning. In addition, we know that acknowledging a student on the side will not work. Rather we have to make a public display and draw as much attention to the winners as possible.

In this renewed spirit of award giving I present the first annual Stumpies…modeled after the iconic leader, Michael Scott. The Stumpies are awards given to accomplishments in the area of Social Media use. It is our belief here at the Stumpies selection committee that only a select few can win these coveted awards. We cannot give one to everyone as that will take away from the winners.

Without further ado, here are the 2011 Stumpies award winners.

EduBrothers Award – This award is given to two twitter users living in vastly different geographic locations by connected by a brotherly connection where no blood line is actual present. Their connection and powerful relationship proves the value of social media in creating strong personal connections. Winners: @thenerdyteacher and @tgwynn.

Eraser Award – Given to the education reformer of the year with a passion for erasing mistakes to make positive statistical gains. Winner: @m_rhee

Cyborg Award – This award is given to the tweeter that may or may not be a cyborg due to heavy involvement in chats, blogs, and appears to always be there and have a page for everything. Winner: @cybraryman1

Greyhound Award – This award is given to a hard working tweeter who is at the front of the pack in educational thought and leadership. Winner: @L_Hilt

Michael Scott Award of Excellence – This award is given to the MVP of twitter and this year to a person that stands behind our mission to promote awards in school for the select few! Winner: @mrwejr

UPDATE: I had to update this post because I was contacted by @mrwejr's people in regards to his award. He was upset that he didn't actually receive a physical award and was adamant that for any award to be "real" there needed to be some hardware. He was also loosely quoted saying, "without the bling, the award don't mean a thing"...so, here is a placeholder certificate until the official Stumpie trophies come in.

That is all the awards for this year’s Stumpies. If you didn’t receive an award it was more than likely because you did not work hard. You probably failed in some way and you didn’t try hard enough. I know that you will take this failure and use it as motivation for the next year. We can’t give an award to everyone as that will water down the award’s process and devalue those that actually earned one.

EdCampChicago 2011

2011-05-21T21:35:00.001-05:00

Today was my first experience with an unconference at edcampchicago. First, I find it amazing that teachers give up a Saturday to spend time learning and growing together. Nobody was required to be there, and yet we were there…Without going into great detail about the conversations that were had, I have three questions based on my experiences.

What’s more important; content or connections?

Based on the conversations I was involved in today there was some great content being discussed. From flipped classrooms and standards based grading to twitter and smackdowns, great content was being shared all over. However, I would argue that the connections made and renewed were more powerful than any content discussed. As teachers we are often isolated in our classrooms/schools/districts with very little contact with those beyond our own bubbles. This conference provided us a chance to connect with others we would never normally be in contact with. In addition, for those on twitter and other social media, it allowed us to reconnect and put faces with profile pictures. It provided that real-life human component that is not there in online conversations.

Would you stay?

As with most conferences, we as adults have the option to leave a session. If the conversation we are involved in is not what we are looking for, we reserve the option to walk out. I took advantage of this and besides a small amount of guilt; I was able to find something else that fit my own personal need. This makes me think, what if kids have the option to walk out of our classroom? What if students could get up and walk out if our teaching was not meeting their needs? Would you students stay in your room if they had the option to walk out?

Why do we not do this more often?

This is a fairly straightforward question. Why are there not more professional development opportunities such as these? I would like to see building level institute days/professional development run in the same manner. Bring your staff into a room and give them a board to fill in with topics for discussion based on their needs. Would this not be a better way to facilitate learning? Let teachers choose what their needs are and given them the opportunity and time to explore and develop.

I did have some great conversations within the sessions about some great topics and enjoyed every minute of it. The whole concept of the unconference is phenomenal and I would encourage anyone to find one near them and attend it. If there is not an edcamp in your neck of the woods, that is only because you haven’t started it.

Listen to the Mustn'ts

2011-05-20T15:00:00.003-05:00

As I near the end of yet another school year, my students have accomplished some amazing things. From Innovation Day and Holes in my Wall to Student Driven Learning and Lip Dub, it has been a great year. One of those years, that I have to think to myself, “does it get any better than this?” I know I will return in the fall pumped and ready to take on more challenges and more than likely bite off more than I can chew once again.

While we wind down, I use this poem in my Language Arts class by one of my favorite poets, Shel Silverstein.

Listen to the Mustn'ts
Listen to Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don'ts.
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.

-Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974)

The reason I use this poem is to serve as a simple but powerful message to both my students and myself. There will be people in our lives that will try to put us down and hold us back. Often times, we will never know what our students deal with outside of school and in their “real” lives. However, we need to empower those students and be supportive of their dreams in the time we have them in our classrooms. We all have dreams and too often they are crushed at an early age.

Listen to all the haters out there…then go and do what you are passionate about in spite of what you hear.

Gapers Block

2011-05-16T21:57:00.002-05:00

In Chicago, we have a term called “Gapers Block”. It is an event on a road where traffic is jammed up due to motorists slowing down and/or stopping due to some distraction on the side of the road. In some cases it is a fender bender, a dead animal, or even someone answering the call of nature. When you finally get through the traffic and see what was causing the problem you get mad that people slowed up traffic for something silly.

Too often in schools we like to admire problems and develop a “Gapers Block”. Whether it is students, politics, budgets, or our personal lives, it is easy to complain. Spinning our wheels is something we teachers can get very good at. It is easier to complain than deal with an actual problem. We like to find company in our complaining and seek others out to share stories of the problems in our classrooms, our schools, our states, and our profession. It’s easy and sometimes it makes us feel better…if only for a little bit. However, when the conversation is over, the problem still exists.

We need to focus on keeping traffic moving and not focus on what is at the side of the road. Problems will come and go, but we need to stay focused on moving forward and not admiring the old man peeing on the side of the road.

Our Epic Lip Dub

2011-05-13T17:34:00.001-05:00

Today by the numbers…

2 months of planning
1 computer club with 7 rockstars
688 middle school students
72 posters
1 song
2 takes
1 memorable experience

A few months ago I watched the Magnolia High School lip dub on youtube and was mesmerized by it. I wanted to bring our school together as they had for a common goal. I showed it to the computer club I supervise and they instantly wanted to do it. That was roughly two months ago. Over the past two months we planned and planned and planned for what came to fruition today. It was one of those moments that will live on far after these students leave our school.

I was stressed out to the max planning all the little details of this day, but seeing the final product was totally worth it. Is this the best lip dub out there? Not even close. Could it have been done better? Most certainly, yes. However, if you teach in a middle school you know how hard it is to get a class of 30 kids to do one thing together. This project involved 688 students in grades 6-8. Over 90% of these students were told this morning where they would be and what they would be doing. Again, is the final product perfect? Nope, but I am still incredibly proud of our students and the incredible group of teachers that helped make this day possible.

When all is said and done, this is one of those moments that these kids will remember forever. They will not remember the lesson I gave on Neanderthal men in twenty years, but I am sure they will remember today. It is one of those moments where the school came together as one for a common goal and the result was inspiring if nothing else.

(For the record, I did not post this video on youtube. It was posted by one of the many students that had copies of the video)

Nosy Crow - Three Little Pigs

2011-05-13T16:47:00.001-05:00

I have two small boys that terrorize my house on a daily basis. Among the many interests they have, they love reading. This past fall I joined the cult and bought my wife an ipad for her birthday. While she uses it occasionally, my sons use it on a very regular basis and reading is one of their favorite activities. My three year old son loves the book apps that read to him and have great pictures. My five year old son also likes the ones he can “touch” and shows him words that he can read along with.

Recently, I was given a copy of The Three Little Pigs book app from Nosy Crow to try out. Here is a short clip of my three year old son playing around with this book app.

This app is similar to most of the children’s book apps. However, this particular book had a few features that I and my sons especially liked:

It has a “read to me” option that will read the book aloud (in a sweet British accent)
It has a 3D interface where if you move the ipad it changes the perspective and angle of the images.
If you “touch” the characters they jump, move and talk, which my three year old loved.

My son’s truly enjoyed reading this book and is one of their new favorites. I look forward to downloading more of these interactive children’s book to enjoy with my boys.

Social Science Song

2011-05-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to share a recent project a group of my 6th grade girls put together last week. The assignment was to find a way to help the class understand the various roles and responsibilities within the feudal system in Europe during the middle ages. This is what they came up with...

Class Update Seven: My Brother Has Cerebral Palsy

2011-05-11T18:13:00.000-05:00

“My brother has Cerebral Palsy”

This was a statement that one of my 6^th grade students made to the class today during a presentation. As we near the end of the school year, many students are presenting their “big” research projects to the class. I always like these days because the kids work so hard preparing and practicing for their big day in front. Earlier last week a girl gave one of the most informative presentations I have ever listened to on the topic of octopi. She fielded questions from the class like a tenured professor in marine biology. It really was a site to see.

The kids are choosing what they research and present on as part of my student driven classroom push this spring. So when the female student came to the front of the class today I was not completely sure what she would be presenting. I knew she had researched cerebral palsy, but I had not seen her presentation yet. She is one of those “good” kids that works hard with minimal need of redirection from a teacher.

During the course of her presentation an image can up on the screen of a young boy in a wheel chair. She introduced the boy as her brother and said, “My brother has cerebral palsy.” Those five words touched me in the frank and open manner in which she stated them and then elaborated on them. She went into great detail on how the disease affects people and what is being done to help find a cure. You truly could have heard a pin drop in the classroom. Once she finished her presentation, the other students in the class opened up and asked questions that were both personal and yet appropriate. The student fielded those questions with poise and pride which was a really neat thing to see.

Yes, I know kids all over the world deal with disabilities or family members with disabilities. However, I was happy with this student for not only talking about it but sharing it in a very proud and public manner. She obviously felt safe enough in the class to share what some would not. The reality of a junior high is that kids can be mean. They have been known to make fun of other people for being different and often those associated with them. I tip my hat to this young lady and hope she never loses that pride in her family as well as that feeling of comfort among her peers.

Lessons from Little League

2011-05-08T21:24:00.000-05:00

A great deal of my free time lately has been consumed with my son’s entry into the world of Little League baseball. He is five years old and is starting in the first level which is a coach-pitch league. I believe that we can learn a few things about schools from Little League.

Everyone plays all positions

Every player gets a chance to play every spot on the diamond from the catcher to left field. This gives all of the kids a chance to try something new and see where they fit with the team. We need to give our students a chance to try anything and everything we can in order for them to find what fits for them. If we tell them to be a first baseman, they may never find out they would be a hall of fame short stop.

Kids root for each other

As I was standing and watching the kids take batting practice it was painfully obvious that many had never picked up a bat before. Rather than getting down on these kids, the rest of the players were cheering these kids on and supporting their efforts. How much do we see this in schools when we often pit kids against each other? I am in favor of some levels of competition, but not at the expense of such positive peer support. How often do we see kids being put down due to athletic, academic, or social inadequacies?

“Good Job!”

If you sit through one single practice you will hear the phrase, “good job” several hundred times. Every time a player tries to make a catch or attempts a throw, a coach is there encouraging every step of the way. Especially at this initial level, the players are expected to not know what they are doing. They are learning and there is no punishment for not doing something perfectly. Again, how can we do this in our classrooms? Are we saying, “good job” enough?

It’s fun

Kids are learning how to play a game and having fun doing it. They are learning new skills such as how to catch a pop fly and how to run the bases. The coaches have done a great job creating games to help the kids learn and remember these skills. While I am not suggesting we turn everything in school into a game, but can we do more to make it enjoyable? Kids and adults alike engage more in activities that are fun and we tend to learn better that way as well.

How can we make school just a bit more like Little League?

It's Not You, It's Me

2011-05-05T22:07:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite scenes from my long love affair with the great show Seinfeld is a conversation between George and his girlfriend. The line being used in this conversation is, “it’s not you, it’s me.” Obviously, George and his girlfriend are using this time tested line to justify a breakup. However, I think this classic line has a real place in a classroom.

When students are misbehaving, off task, not doing work, or otherwise acting “bad”, we often blame the student. We reprimand them, write detention slips, claim a learning disability, and a whole host of other things aimed at “fixing” the student. I think instead of looking at the student, we might need to look at ourselves and our practice.

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

This should be our initial response to such issues in the classroom. If a student is off task or misbehaving, are we challenging and engaging them with worthwhile activities? Is our instruction tailored to their needs or are we trying a one size fit all approach? When a student is being lazy and not doing their class work, are we looking at the work we are assigning them? Is it high quality and connected to the student’s needs and interests? Are we giving student’s choice and control in their learning or simply telling them what and how to learn?

While this may seem so simple, how often are we looking at our own practice before trying to “fix” a student? Too often it is easier to look at a child’s perceived shortcomings when in fact the truth is, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

My Bin Laden Takeaways

2011-05-01T23:40:00.003-05:00

Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan.

President Obama speech about US killing Osama Bin Laden

I have two takeaways after this surely historical event.

My first takeaway is the emotional mixture I am feeling right now. As I type this, I am watching crowds celebrating and cheering as if someone has just won the Stanley Cup. Am I happy that the man responsible for the atrocious acts on September 11th, 2001 is no longer able to hurt? Yes, of course I am. Am I happy that a man has died? No, I am not. This is where I am struggling to grasp the emotion of this event. It is a good feeling that Bin Laden has finally been taken out of the terrorist equation, but what is an appropriate reaction? I am happy that his reign of terror is over. I am sad we are celebrating the death of a man. I am confused that I am not celebrating. I am anxious about what will come next.

The other takeaway is the amazing feeling of connection I experienced while first learning this news on twitter. Well before President Obama took the stage, I was engaging in conversations and hearing reactions from around the globe. While I was sitting alone at my computer, I was far from alone. Truly amazing is how the news broke via social media and how the commentary ensued. The commentary I was reading was unfiltered by any news outlet or presidential speech writer. It was raw emotions from real people and it was as authentic as it gets.

As I sit here too anxious and fired up to sleep, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Will this make a difference? Will there be retaliation? Will this bring Americans together and stop fighting pettiness amongst ourselves? What will I tell my students? What will I tell my kids?

I Like to Compete

2011-05-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

I like competition and I think it can be a very healthy motivator for kids.

Many people will most likely disagree with this statement as many people think competition is not a good thing and leads to cheating, bias, and overall inequalities. While I can see those potential problems I think there are many positives to competition among kids.

First, let me explain that I was an athlete my whole childhood and into college. When I wanted to get better at basketball I played against the older kids. Playing against kids that were better than me pushed me to become better and work harder. Now, I am not saying having a 12 year old compete with a 17 year old is going to be a good idea. However, I think if you are in a situation where you compete with those slightly better than you, it will push your performance. I can say for sure that I became better through competing with those at my level and certainly with those a little better than me.

When I was in the fourth grade I remember “racing” to finish my math facts worksheets and being rewarded when I was the first one done. I feel pretty confident that I got better at math when I was competing with my classmates. In high school I worked hard to be at the top of my class because I knew that those end of the year awards would help me get scholarships and into the college I wanted. Again, that competition with my classmates helped me achieve my goals, both personal and academic.

To make yet another analogy, I am a gamer. I love playing video games on my Nintendo Wii and have always loved playing video games. With most games you can change the level of difficulty based on your ability. If you are a novice, you can play the entry level so as not to get frustrated playing at an expert level. In most classrooms we are asking all kids to play at an expert level with novice abilities.

With that being said, why does competition get a bad name in schools? If pushing ourselves to be the best and competing with others can potentially motivate and make us better, why is it bad?

The biggest issue is that it’s not fair to all. Schools are set up in such a way that students are put into classrooms based on when they were born and not their academic or social level. Students sitting in our classrooms are along a spectrum of abilities and often that gap is great. Expecting them to compete on a level playing field is similar to me competing with Michael Jordan in his prime. It would be unfair and ultimately frustrating. Too often kids are competing in an unfair situation. This is when competition is bad. Those that don’t have a chance of success will ultimately give up and stop whatever task they are doing, athletic, academic or otherwise.

In addition, there are often awards associated with competition. In terms of academics, the awards are grades, honor rolls, class ranks, and other certificates and trophies. For those students at the perceived “top”, these awards are great. They push themselves to get those awards and compete with their classmates. However, only a small number of students actually have a chance of winning these awards, so many students don’t try. If you don’t have a chance of winning, why would you compete? Again, why would I challenge Michael Jordan to a game of one on one, knowing I can’t win?

Yet, I still think competition can help students learn and push themselves. However, I think there are a few things that have to happen. First, if you are going to use competition don’t have unfair competitions. In others words, don’t set kids up for failure through unfair competitions. Every kid should be on a level playing field if there is going to be fair competitions. How often does this happen in our classrooms though? When we have races in math class, does everyone have a chance to “win”?

Is it possible to change competition so that students are competing with others at their level or possibly create a culture of competing with themselves? Can the goal of winning be learning and not an award? How do we do this?

It Takes Two to Tango

2011-04-25T21:49:00.004-05:00

I recently read a post by Justin Tarte that was an open letter to administrators. While I agree with all of his points, I try to see things from the “other” side as well. A few of Justin’s points struck me and I wanted to offer some additional commentary. While I don’t think his intention was to blame administrators for any wrongdoing, I wanted to offer some advice for teachers as well. The quoted sections are from Justin's post.

"1) - When making decisions that are going to affect our classes or our students, we would really appreciate it if you would ask for our opinions and feedback first. We know you can't ask for feedback for every decision, but more often than not would be much appreciated."

Teachers, don’t sit by and pretend administrators know what you are thinking. Voice your opinions and let them know your opinion and feedback. They are not always going to ask and may not even think to do so. Help them out and provide that constant feedback, even if they are not overtly asking.

"2) - Will you please come to our classrooms more often. We are really doing some awesome, innovative and creative things with our students, and we would love to share our experiences and successes with you and our staff."

Send an email, drop a note, or swing by the office and invite your administrators in. You are undoubtedly doing cool stuff, but this is a two way street. As teachers, we cannot assume they know when we want them in and when we don’t. Personally, my door is always open, but that is not always the case. Don’t blame an administrator for not stopping by if you never invite them.

"4) - Can you please refrain from blanketing the entire staff with a punishment/lecture when the problem lies with a small group of Educators, and not the entire staff. Just as we don't do this with students, it's not fair to do it with us either."

I can completely agree with this statement but I would offer a challenge. While we have no authority over our peers, we certainly can be an influence on them. If you notice these problem areas that tend to lead to these punishment/lectures, do something about it. Ask questions, listen, and talk to these educators to determine why the problem is happening and what we can do to help make it better.

"5) - Your time is extremely limited and you are always busy, but we would really love it if you were more visible in the hallways between classes. Establishing and building a school community are crucial to the school's success, and this is one of the easiest ways to show students and teachers we are all in this together."

Teacher need to be more visible as well. I am not just talking about in the hallways, but at athletic events, band concerts, club meetings, and other places where kids are together outside of classrooms. I would also go so far as to say if you are a coach/advisor/director that you send a personalized invite to your administrator. Again, it is a two way street and sometimes a simple invitation can go a long way.

"8) - Lastly, the more autonomy and voice you give us Educators, the better we will perform. Allow us to do the jobs that you hired us for. Support us, empower us, and encourage us, but please don't control us. Tell us it's OK to take chances in an effort to do something awesome with our students. Provide time for us to see the awesome things other Educators are doing in our building. Please be the instructional leader you were hired to be."

Teachers, please use that autonomy in a respectful and appropriate manner. Don’t take advantage of the freedom you have been given and ruin it for everyone else. Always remember that you are a professional and should act that way to earn administrator’s trust and support.

Too often we create adversarial relationships between teachers and administrators. While I know Justin is not trying to do this, I think we have to remember that it takes two to tango.

Class Update Six - I am Done

2011-04-23T08:08:00.001-05:00

This is yet another update from my Language Arts classroom. For those that have yet to check this blog list out, you can read about my initial motivation for a student driven classroom, how to “give it up”, an initial class update, and updates titled “It’s About the Learning”, “Learning Should be Viral”, “One on One is the Best”, and “Sub Plans”. All of these updates are experiences from my classroom as related to my decision to hand over the learning decisions to my students.

My latest update comes from something that happened this past week. When initially making the decision to move to a student driven classroom, I knew of one potential problem that I would inevitably encounter. My colleague, Rob Hunt and I realized that when we gave our students the list of standards and said, “go”, we would have students all over the map. In addition, we knew that even though students had until the end of the school year to finish their work, we would have some students finish early. Between the two of us, we predicted we would start seeing some “finishers” in about the middle of May. That would give us plenty of time to think of some extension and enrichment activities for those students to work on for the remaining couple of weeks of school.

Well, we were wrong. I had a student turn in a ton of work last week and essentially finish her standards. Basically, she was finished with her 6th grade Language Arts learning standards by the middle of April and we still have about six weeks left in the school year. Not only did she finish her work, but she mastered these standards with diligence and perfection. She was done with 6th grade well before 6th grade was even over. It makes me think it would be neat to be able to send her on to 7th grade right then…clearly she is ready.

Once this student turned in her work she sat down and read her free reading book for the remainder of the period. I then frantically tried to think of what I was going to do for the next six weeks with her in my class. I was planning on creating some alternate and enrichment assignments but nothing felt like anything more than busy work to me, which I did not feel right doing. In a discussion with my partner in crime on this project, Rob, he just said, “ask her what she wants to do.” While initially this may seem like a cop-out, it was perfect.

When this nameless student came into class the following day we sat together and talked about what she wanted to work on. She told me that she enjoyed a book trailer project we had done earlier in the year and wanted to do that. For the rest of the week she spent reading her book and planning a book trailer production. This will be what she will be working on and she is thrilled about it. The best part is when she asked if it would be graded. I told her, “nope”, and she was pumped that she could just do something she wanted to do. When she finishes this, we will meet again and see where the learning takes her next.

My plan is that as students finish mastering their standards, I will ask them and support them in choosing what to do next. I am excited to see what they will come up with when their learning is not only driven by them but also not constricted by the standards.

My Students Are The Goonies

2011-04-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

I am avid reader of The Nerdy Teacher blog and especially like his "Everything I Learned About Education" series where we writes about classic movies and compares them to education. A while back we chatted about doing a combo post about the movie Goonies. Below is my post and you can see Nick's insights on his blog as well. So, here is my first attempt at a similar themed post.

As with many movies, Goonies is a great because many of us can relate to the characters. We see pieces of ourselves and those we know within the dialogue and actions of those on screen. Teachers deal with “characters” on a daily basis and we have Goonies in our classrooms every day.

Mikey

Mikey is the kid with all the bright ideas. This is the natural born leader that can get anyone to do just about anything. As a teacher you put this student in position to be a leader in a positive way. Mikey’s have passion and teachers need to channel that with engaging work as they will bring others on board with them. They will naturally fall to the front of the line and lead groups in group projects. Find these students, get them on your side, and they will be a helpful resource in the classroom.

Lawrence “Chunk”

Chunk is one on my favorite characters as we all have a “Chunk” in our classrooms and in our lives. This is the kid that is typically the butt of all jokes but has the best sense of humor. Rarely is this person taken seriously but people feel good when they are around. As a teacher, we need to be aware of who these kids are because they are often victims of bullying. They often try to overcome their “differences” such as weight, intelligence, or ethnicity with humor and becoming a class clown. It is important to support these kids as they often put on a strong front but their feelings are easily hurt. Their sense of humor is often their coping mechanism for feelings that stem from their differences.

Richard “Data”

Data is another great character and one that we have all seen sitting in our classrooms. This is the kid with their hand always up in the air. They know all the answers and will go above and beyond in anything you ask them to do. In addition, to being good students, they are often the creative problem solvers. Instead of doing things the traditional way, Data wants to do things differently and think outside of the box. The key to teaching a Data is to challenge them in authentic ways. Don’t give them extra homework but provide extra learning opportunities for them. Give them a problem and the freedom to use available resources to solve it. These kids are naturally curious and need an outlet of that curiosity.
Clark “Mouth”

Clark reminds me of more than one of my students and many of my friends growing up. He is the smooth talking, ladie’s man, with a knack for talking himself out of trouble. In a classroom these are the students that would be characterized as “street smart”. They know how to play the game and get what they want through telling grand stories or spinning elaborate excuses. From a teacher’s point of view, it is crucial to push the “Mouths” in your classrooms beyond the superficial. These students want to just get by with the bare minimum and sweet talk their way through school. Don’t settle for mediocre with them and they will be more capable than they let on.

Sloth

Sloth for me is symbolic of the abnormal or different students we have in classes. This is not to be demeaning but the reality of the population of students with various disabilities and struggles they bring to school with them. As the Fratellis did, often we want to hide these students because they are not the social norm in our schools. Instead of hiding them and pushing them away, we need to embrace them as Chunk and the Goonies did. Regardless of the differences student may have, all students have something to offer in their own way. Teachers need to never stop looking for ways to find those talents and skills and share them.

Fratelli’s

The criminal family in the movie, the Fratelli’s, is the obstacle that kids face in achieving their goal. Many kids in our classrooms have obstacles that prohibit them from their learning, social, or emotional goals. Whether that obstacle is a disability, an abusive home, a bully, or poverty, all kids deal with something. It is critical as teachers to find out what our student’s Fratelli are and do whatever is in our power to help them overcome it. We cannot expect a student to perform in our classrooms if they have Mama Fratelli looking over their shoulder.

Brandon “Brand”
I felt compelled to have Brand included because he serves a critical role in the lives of the Goonies. He is the big brother, the protector, and in some way is the sound of reason. For our students, many do not have a Brand in their life. In my opinion, all students need a Bran and seek them out for that acceptance and approval that the older brother gives. The key is to help our students find that Bran that will be a positive influence for them and in some cases we, the teachers, play that role for students.

Class Update Five - Sub Plans

2011-04-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

If you are like me, you dread being away from school. Sure, it is nice to get out of the classroom and take a break from the madness. However, it is often more work to write detailed sub plans where you predict every possible outcome that might happen in class while you are gone. You tirelessly write down and account for every minute of those lessons you will be missing. It is often more work to be gone from your classroom than it is to actually be there and teaching the lesson.

For those of you that have been following my push for student driven learning you know where my classroom has been and is going. This afternoon I will be stepping out of the building for personal business and I found myself sitting at my desk this morning writing sub plans. Yes, I should have been doing those Sunday night, but I spent that time building Legos with my sons and catching up on some down time I was sorely missing.

As I sat there getting ready to write my sub plans, I was having difficulties trying to explain what my students were doing and what I wanted the sub to do. This is what I came up with…

It is a nice feeling when you don’t have to rely on the substitute teacher to ensure that learning will take place. Since the learning belongs to the students and they are driving the classroom, the substitute takes a back seat. No longer do I have to account for each second of the class and micro-manage student learning. The students are in charge and the learning will continue regardless of my presence in the room. Isn’t that the way it should be? Learning in spite of a teacher…to me this is a great thing.

Be A Man

2011-04-12T21:44:00.001-05:00

Let me start this by stating I have two sons and two brothers. I grew up wrestling, punching, fighting, driving my parents crazy, and loving every minute of it. Currently, my sons are doing the exact same thing and it drives my wife nuts. My response to their behavior is often, “that’s boys for you.” With this in mind, I have a belief based on my experience as a boy, brother, father, friend and teacher.

This post has been rolling around in my head for some time now. I finally decided to write it after a letter I received from a former male student. This particular student was from a household with no father and he came in a very angry and confused young man. I spent a great deal of time, and energy working with this student during the year he was in my class. There were days when we got into heated arguments and days were we talked very deep and personally. In his letter to me, he told me that I taught him how to “be a man”, and it was something we would never forget.

My belief is positive male role models are necessary for boys in school. Simply put, we need more male teachers. I am not saying female teachers are not good with male students, at least not completely. Generally speaking, boys have different electrical and plumbing that dictates their behaviors and actions. To truly understand a boy, you need to be one, or have been one... Again, I know some fantastic female teachers who have a great ability to connect with their male students. However, there is an increasingly larger group of male students that are in need of positive male role models.

Every year more and more students are coming from divorced homes or homes without a stable father figure. I am not making any judgments about family dynamics or lifestyle choices but this is a reality of the world we live in. These boys need a stable male role model to teach them how to be a man.

With this in mind, we need more positive male role models in our schools to help these boys navigate the adolescent years that determine what kind of man they will become in adulthood. For those male teachers out there, look for those young men in your class that don’t have a strong male figure in their lives and make the effort to connect with them and show them to become a man.

Class Update Four - One to One is the Best Way

2011-04-11T22:14:00.002-05:00

First of all, this is a picture I took this afternoon in my backyard. My sons were coloring the bricks on our patio and this is what they produced. This is veeeery loosely connected in that this was some one on one (two) time with my sons this afternoon.

This is my latest update from my Language Arts class that has become completely student driven as of late. I have learned another lesson in my experiences with my students in the past few days. This seemingly simple and yet often over looked lesson is,

one to one is always the best way to teach.

In this day in age when people are pushing bigger class sizes to offset budget cuts, it makes no sense to me. The other day my students were working on the various learning standards and activities. One student was doing a research paper on Bee Keeping, which is a topic that I have absolutely no knowledge of whatsoever. This particular student’s go to resource was the encyclopedia, which is typically the starting point for most students. I then worked with her as we checked out some online journals which yielded little for her topic. We then took it to the next step and checked out some bee keepers blogs which is eye opening for both of us. It was great to see this student’s face when she realized people actually wrote on blogs about their jobs. As we looked at one of the blogs, she noticed there was a phone number on the blog to contact the “hive”. I asked her if she wanted to call the hive and talk to someone there. Her initial response was, “Can, I?” She was blown away by the idea that she would be able to find a real person and then be able to call them. I set her up with a phone and she called the beekeeper and interviewed them as a primary source for her research.

This was a great day for me because as I looked up at the clock, I had spent nearly the entire class period with one student. The rest of the students were engaged in their work while I was able to focus strictly on one student’s needs. By far this was one of the most productive days as a teacher because of the amount of individual progress I was able to make with one student. If it is at all possible, I suggest you seek out those opportunities to have those one on one conversations with your students and engage in their work with them. Both of you will learn more and be better for it.

For me, one to one is not a technology relationship, but a personal relationship.