Integrated project

We did a really cool integrated project at my dyad placement. There are four of us at this school. My dyad partner and I are in the k/1/2 split and the other two interns are in the 6/7/8 split. We matched the kids up so that each student in the primary classes had a big buddy from the middle school classes. They collaborated on the project which included science, writing, and art. The primary kids had been studying snails and the middle school kids had been studying weather in their science units.

On the first day, the primary kids drew, colored, and cut out a snail. The middle school kids drew a background scene of some sort of weather that they had learned about. This background became the picture for the snail. On the second day, the younger students studied their buddy's weather picture and decided where to put their snail. Once they decided where they wanted their snail to go, they glued it to the weather picture. After thinking about what they wanted their story to be about by studying the completed picture, they wrote one or two introduction sentences. On the third day, the middle school students continued the project by completing the story that their little buddy had started. On the fourth day, the all of the students got together with their buddy and the older students read the completed story to the younger ones. The younger ones followed up with saying "what ifs" or "what I liked" (something they are doing in literacy workshop.) We also took pictures of the students with their buddy and will be displaying the integrated project in the halls of the school. We made sure that we included ourselved in some of the pictures so that we have proof of our project for our future portfolios that we will have to do!

Never Linear

Lesson planning is something that I struggle with. The unit plan and attached lessons, that our cohort needed to complete, was a difficult assignment for me. I couldn't picture where my 23 kiddos were at that very moment, and whether they would be ready for the lessons I was writing. After all, a lesson really isn't any good if it doesn't meet the needs of your kids, right?

That feeling has been combined with my observations on student writing. Seeing their writing folders at conferences, I observed how disjointed the work seemed to be. There were countless sheets of paper tossed haphazardly into a folder, most not connected to one another. Was that the way writing was supposed to work? How would Routman look at the writing?

Finally I am starting to put it together in the midst of my still lingering discomfort around "knowing." I really want to bring in my laptop to record digital stories with the kids. I want to have a purpose for writing, and less of the scattered pieces of paper. I've also thought about using Audacity to create podcasts and audio books that could be compiled onto a cd for all of the kids. My MT has a cassette player/recorder, which I think could be good for testing out. But I'd like them to be able to take it home as testament to their work- "look, I made this! I'm on CD!" I also want to start writer's notebooks, and move away from the loose leaf paper, as I feel like it can be a way to show growth over time (almost like a flip book). Why am I at this point? Well....

"... what good teachers do, evaluate, rethink as they go. Teaching is a
draft-in-process: never linear, always changing." Routman p.149

Hiring Freeze at Seattle Public Schools

Looking at the Seattle Public schools website and clicked on the employment page to discover that they have put a hiring freeze in place in response to possible upcoming budget cuts. It said that for all open positions they will be hiring subs for those, until the freeze is lifted. Also, they are not currently accepting any new applications for regular ed subs at this point...I guess this is connected to the state wide hiring freeze? Hum....things continue to get more interesting.

Student StoryBoard example

This quarter I've been working on collecting material about the local Japanese American experience during World War 2. Check out a middle schooler's storyboard project- I'm hoping to do some kind of storyboard project next quarter with my 3rd graders...gathering ideas- what do you think?

you shall behave!!!

RATS!!!!
its the return of skinner!!!
ok, I know there was a bit of behaviorism overload on this blog a few weeks back, but here are some good articles for you all to see, read, love, and hate.

Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie

A Primer on Educational Psychology

What is Behaviorism?

Incorporating self-direction in learning concepts into the instructional design process.

enjoy!

oovoo Thanksgiving!

Tech took over my Thanksgiving festivities this year we set up a web cam and prepped family from across the country to set up a oovoo.com account. Similar to sykpe, oovoo.com allows you for free to talk over the internet via webcam to up to three people. It was like having our own coast to coast news broadcast. For the classroom, webcasting has endless possiblities. I'm excited to continue to explore all these fun tech tools!

Get Inspired From Great Teaching

Yesterday I was a bit down and whenever I am down and tired and my brain is mush I have a tendency to want to give up on things. I wonder if I am making the right choices in life and I question every decision down to the color of my socks or which head of lettuce I should buy. And I question, in this state of mind, if I really want to teach. Is it worth it? Will I be good at it? Will I drown when the classroom is mine? Even if I am good at it is there something else I'd rather do? Should I take on a career with more pay or with less work or with less responsibility? Anyway, I was rejuvenized once again yesterday when I observed a third grade teacher at my dyad placement.

This teacher was awesome. She is only in her second year of teaching, yet she is a pro. As much as I don't want to believe the fact that classroom management is key to learning because I want to have fun with the students in my room and I don't want to be a discilinarian I have to admit that in her room things went smooth. First thing kids came in quietly, put there things away, and sat down. There was an established routine. Next the kids did morning jobs which are warm-up activities that change each day. Today they read passages and identified the main idea. When finished they did job number 2- they read their own book and then filled out a story map: setting, characters, title, author, and then using complete sentences, problem, events, and solutions. And they worked SILENTLY!!! During this the teacher pulled one group of 6 up to her group work table and did guided reading, a practice she does each morning with a different group to ensure that she hears each child read at least once a week- good stuff. The kids in the group read the pictures of the book first, then they read the words all together, took turns reading individually, turned to a neighbor to discuss what was happening in the story, and then took turns retelling the story.

Everything this teacher did was clear and concise. She struck just the right balace between kind and supportive and approachable and yet stern and clear about high expectations. Brilliant. And she made it look so easy- we need more teachers like her and I believe I can do that.

SWBAT reference

I was tickled to read The Tempered Radical writing about objectives that were required by his principal. I felt like his frustrations with the mandated objectives were something similiar to what any of us suffers are we drudge through out lesson plans. Take a look...

Student-Teacher Conferences, parents sitting in.

It seems most of us have been surprised and delighted in all we are learning in the conferences. At times I sat there thinking, How will I ever do this, while marveling at the skill of both my dyad and MT.

Sitting in on two days of conferences with my MT and his third/fourth graders was a great learning experience. It was ALL about the students. It seemed that his almost 40 years of teaching came through shining; he was able to focus on one child and was in his element. I appreciate reading about 'Love's' MT moving everything away so that the the entire focus of the room is on the child. In our case, he invited the child to sit in the center seat opposite him in his horseshoe table. He brought out the report card that the children so thoughtfully filled out. "So tell me, have you ever filled out your progress report before? How was it?" To this, the children were extremely honest, "I had to be really honest with myself. It was tough." I sat and watched third and fourth graders looking directly into his eyes while they seriously talked about their own schooling. I was stunned by some of the children, from rambunctious in the classroom to deeply thinking and in their self assessment.

Then he compared his to theirs, "Let's see where we agree and what you feel could be some of your goals." If by the end of the experience they couldn't name a goal he asked them to look over both progress reports and talk with their parents and give him a goal tomorrow in writing.

What was most amazing for me was his language, "What do you think? How is math for you? What do you like, dislike? What is easy? Did you like the writing prompts so far? What kind of writing do you like? How could school be improved for you? What would you like to do about your math? There were a few silences for the parents to speak up, but he figured if they had issues they are adult enough to address them. He never once addressed them (Are there any concerns, etc.) unless the child had behavior issues in class.

The sixth grade was much different, but fantastic in its own way. She 'celebrated' the child. She had a nice spread of hot cider and snacks and a positive mood of 'bring out the portfolio!'. In all these 5th/6th grade classes there were papers the children filled out and read aloud to the parents; what we did, what are my goals.

MT did it all on the spot, verbally. I like his technique. Keeping it real.

Parent-Teacher-STUDENT Conferences

My master teacher has done it again! She implements so many of the best practices and progressive practices that we read about that my head is sometimes left spinning considering all the information I am trying to process and absorb.

In this instance I sat in on 5 hours worth of back to back conferences. While the sit was long, the information I learned about each student, about family dynamics, about communicating with parents, and about what the student-led conference looks like was overwhelming and amazing.

When I walked in there was a large table in the center of the room. The desks had been moved to make room for this epicenter of meeting. It was great- the student was literally put at the center of things. As each family entered with their student the student went to their desk, immediately taking the role of leader, and grabbed their folder of work, their portfolio. They brought the portfolio of work back to the center table and took in all the focus of the room when they sat and opened it. The children had marked their various pieces: unit math tests, a native american legend, a writing prompt, a reading response, and a few others, with post-it notes the day before. Most of the notes said "Proud of" in kid writing and a few said "Not proud of" or "Need to work on." Some had organized their papers into these two categories. The students went through their work highlighting what they were proud of and what they should work on. They showed their parents their report cards and went through the same process of pointing out the good and the not so good if you will. My teacher finally entered the conversation here pointing out some of the great things about the student and then pointing out the report card section on goals, which each of the students had seen and agreed with the teacher about beforehand.

My teacher also had students on occasion work through a problem or two that they may have missed on their math test or what not. Her reasons were two fold: first she wanted the student to see and understand why they got the problem wrong and how to do it correctly and second she wanted the parents to see what they child needs to work on and how to begin to approach helping their child with it.

Lastly she asked the parents if they had any questions of her or the student. Some did, some didn't, only one had an issue they wanted to discuss later with her without the presence of the child. Some parents just used the rest of the time to chat, which was a great time for me to begin to get to know them more and to enter into the conversation. One family, originally from Bangladesh, asked questions about how the public school system was here in the U.S. and spoke of their negative memories of school back home where they were always ranked against their classmates. It was an interesting cultural snapshot and again gave me a picture into who they are, where they came from, and where they want their daughter to go academically.

Overall I really appreciated seeing this process in action and find that it is one I would definitely initiate in my own classroom. After seeing this, in addition to all the reading we have done as well as the experiences we have each had as a student, I feel all the more confused by the reasoning behind having had child-free conferences for so long. The child is ultimately the topic at the center of discussion, so letting them be physically at the center of the discussion makes so much sense and provides so much power to the student. Watching each of them point out to their parents, the people they ultimately want to please, and to themselves what they are proud of was this really wonderful moment- I could feel the pride radiating from them. The feel in the room was not tense or awkward, it was joyful.

HS Biker Hero Rules!

After reading all the slightly depressing facts about SPS. I decided to peruse the many educational blogs. My god there are a lot! I could go on for years. On one I found this. I thought about the high schoolers I know. To them, learning Guitar Hero was part of their education last year. Watching this project lifted me up. Take it as you like it. I appreciate all the work that went into it! I think we need some smiles.

Seattle Racism and Classism

I feel for you, Lorax. I know that you have your heart to the pulse of what is happening in your community and these weird closures and moves seem just plain wrong! I used to clean houses for the upper middle class in Seattle ten years ago. Few of them sent their children to public school. The few whose children were in public school-when their child hit junior high, there was no question; on to private. For years I heard about the state of SPS's; bad schools plagued with busing/choice schools, not getting your 'local' school', then back to local availability but not in the class you wanted, etc. It just all seemed like whining to me. Seattle, the place where people can't seem to agree on anything. Transportation, maybe. Monorail, maybe. Decent schools, maybe. Pleasing everyone means no on is pleased.

I moved here during HS from East Coast. I lived in Kitsap county . But, I remember in the early 80's Seattle was a collection of very distinct neighborhoods. You just didn't go to the CD unless you knew someone of color. I moved into some squatty apartment on Summit in Cap.Hill and it was a roach infested run down. So much of the city was crumbling. Poverty seeped in from below 15th over to MLK to Rainer and on. Dangerous things happened on 23rd and Yesler. 'The Facts' newspaper catered to Blacks and the White people kept to themselves. Literally.

There is a long suffering upper mid class thing going on in this area. Despite the hipster cool folk who live around now, I imagine a lot of parents to be children of the separate mentality who can't help but be NIMBY's. Seattle has always been pretty dang White. The power of the people. You are right to feel that there is racism unspoken of. That's how folks do it around here. It's called passive aggressive. They'll hint all around at what they really feel but Never put a name to it.

Personally, I'm glad there are folks like you and LE in the trenches willing to speak the truth. They need it. Me, I'd rather go where the neighborhood school is what is happening. Even in Northshore, the 75 kids my dyad caters to are diverse with 34 having one or more parent born in another country who are bi or tri-lingual. It's not perfect in Nshore. But sometimes, as with SPS, I wonder if it is the highly educated parents and school board who just don't know who to please. I don't know. I just wonder.

Classism? Racism?

Something I am grappling with is the move of Seattle Schools' Lowell APP program to Thurgood Marshall and Hawthorne. The move is from Capital Hill to the South end, and from a building that is 68% white to predominately people of non-white backgrounds. Two things strike me, and I am having trouble understanding:

First: One of the criteria looked at in moving the program is that, if in a building with general ed students, the building should look mirror the demographics of the program in socioeconomic status and background. Hmmm...

Second: I've been reading other blogs, as well as watching the news, and there is this sort of "I wouldn't send my kids there" mentality. They don't necessarily mind moving, but not to either of those schools. I will drop any pretense around understanding school closures, as I haven't been there, so I grapple...

The way I am making sense of it is be smelling the classism and racism in the air. What will happen to the APP kids in a predominately African American building? Is that bad for them? I thought we valued diversity, so I am a bit stumped. If they don't want their kids to go there because they fear the black kids, then say it. Let's call a spade, a spade and stop dancing around. I'm appalled and really angry. I've done after school programming in the Hawthorne building, and the kids are great. Instead they are maligned as inferior to APP kids, and should be avoided.. oh wait, that is the building to avoid, not the kids. They won't say that either... I'm stark raving mad.

Socratic Seminars

This week I observed a student led "Socratic Seminar." Essentially, a student facilitated discussion about the novel, The Alchemist. These 8th grade language arts students dove deeply into this text and were about to articulate their ideas with such depth. One thing that stuck me as I was listening: this format really does provide students with the ability to discover their own meaning in text. As they discuss the author's intent, examples that they relate to personally are presented. As a teacher, these type of discussions are invaluable in building understanding of your student's views of the material presented in class, and in a larger context of themselves in the world. Additionally, socratic seminars are an excellent opportunity to foster community. As students collaborate to find meaning of a text or an idea, they are also connecting to one another as learners in new ways. Students really can "hear" their classmates, and in turn can be "heard." I'm looking forward to putting this learning tool into practice into my own classroom!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

As parent-teacher conferences come to a close, I wanted to reflect on my experiences at my master teacher's conference. Going into the the experience, I expected the conferences to be very intense. I expected to see a parent frustrated or upset about something that was happening or not happening in their child's classroom. Most of these ideas and expectations come from reading Lightfoot.

In reality, what happened in the conferences was pretty amazing. I witnessed most parents who came in feeling a little nervous about the experience, but by the time they left they seemed relaxed and at ease. My master teacher received good feedback about the behavioral and academic reports she has been sending home on Fridays. Most parents felt like there weren't any surprises. They felt well-informed about their child's performance in the classroom.

All the conferences were relatively identical. My master-teacher reviewed the report card section by section, indicating what the different letters and numbers represented. Along the way, my MT would indicate areas that needed work or where the child's strengths were. What was different in the conferences was the detailed examples she used to describe each child and they way she talked about them. My MT spoke sincerely about each child and how important they were to the classroom.

This was an eye-opening experience for me. I learned how important it is to, like Jean says, "Know your students!" Know their strengths and how to connect with them.

What is everyone else experiencing? Did you learn anything worth sharing with other future educators?

School Closures...

Wow! If you haven't seen the report from Seattle Public Schools, take a look here (a word of caution, it is a pdf...). An interesting place to look for updates and commentary is at the Save Seattle Schools blog. In addition, Jessica Blanchard of the PI does good work, and her story is here.

From a district-wide standpoint, this is not simply the same old band-aid fix. This is yanking off the band-aid that was there, and doing some major reconstructive surgery. From a cost standpoint it makes sense to try to build the existing programs in modern buildings (some of the buildings being closed were not very good structurally- old as one measure). I worry about growing school size, as gone are the days of the 300-350 student school... My elementary school in CT was no more than 300, and the graduating 6th grade class was 35 kids... I worry about the disconnection with caring adults.

There are some curious moves to be sure... Summitt K-12 moving from the north to Rainier Beach?! My guess is there will be staunch resistance from North end parents. Closing Meany MS? How do you close a middle school, particularly when you have another middle school that is in the last step of AYP (Aki)? What does moving an APP program (Lowell) to 2 buildings in the south end mean? Is that like creating an upper and lower class in the same building, or will there be a common sense of community?

From a student teaching, soon to be job seeker's perspective: I don't really know what to think. I am not sure there is any job creation, likely not. But I also don't think there is any job reduction. Jobs are shuffled between buildings, and grade levels. There is a creation of a new north end elementary school, so perhaps some job creation (did you know that SPS had an enrollment increase for the first time in a decade?!). I'd prefer to work in the south end, but preferences are really out the window.

We are where we were yesterday... Is it bad to hope that people will retire, and ineffective teachers will leave the profession (or decide Seattle is not for them)?

Equity and Urban Schools

When I was growing up in Connecticut, there was a case being tried called Sheff vs. O'Neill. The premise being argued was that students in Hartford were receiving a separate AND unequal education. The cause of this was the district lines that prevented Hartford students from entering the more affluent, and better performing, suburban schools. While the case was started in 1988, and appealed on 2+ occasions since, Hartford students still languish at or near the bottom of statistical measures in CT and the district is 94% black or Latino.

Seattle Public Schools have similar issues with the achievement gap, as well as homogeneous schools within the district itself. On Tuesday the district is going to announce a restructuring, and the likelihood is that buildings will be closed. Schools are going to grow, perhaps as big as 500 students. I also wonder whether more scripted pacing guides are in the future, like other large urban school districts. Whether in Hartford or Seattle, are we fulfilling the promise of Brown, and the idea of an equitable public education? Do the kids in Hartford or Seattle get the same education as a student in Simsbury CT or Mercer Island WA? Is it enough for us to simply say it isn't fair or equitable?

Behavior-isms

I have to admit, with so much to read, it's hard to post.

Day Making
I just finished watching my video lesson with a professor. I could see myself, the student teacher, stressing a bit about small things. I asked student groups to 'report' out after having discussions. That would be six groups, one person per table group. Then, children wanted to add extra 'reporting' and others wanted to,.I wanted one behavior and was getting another. Or..

Are they behaving properly (They have 15 minutes before they leave the classroom) if one person reports out and all is well? Is this what I want, compliance and nothing else? Well, I start a little panic. I know this is the last time I get to teach this group of curious children, they are engaged and everyone wants to add something. Is this chaos? Is this good, bad? What kind of behavior do I want? Why do I feel a bit of me wants them to 'just do what I asked at that moment'. It's like there is the evil teacher living inside (Skinner?) of me. Do what I ask, no more, no less.

Does anyone else have this teacher living inside? It doesn't arise all the time, just sometimes. Why? Is it only stress? Is it expectations?

I say, "If we have time, you may report out." I am not stressing TO the children. A part of me wants to encourage all voices, another part wants equalization for all-showing no favoritism.

Then I read the post about ESD's Make Your Day program. The children are asked every day the same thing after every lesson. They just recite what they know and what they have heard. Some of them think deeper and go a little broader. I have seen good conflict resolution with both second and fourth graders. I have seen it working well into April. I also see the teacher, like you said Lorax, being the final authority and telling the student, "Well, I saw this happening and I think an 8 is more honest, what do you think?" The student has the voice to respond out and list concerns as to why they were distracted, etc., and if they agree and disagree.

I have also seen teachers rushing through concerns, like I did on reporting out. There is an agenda and we must meet it. After watching the Vermont school with Claire, I see such an ease with time. That is not the reality I have experienced, yet. I may not ever. What behavior do we want and what behavior do we have the time for is the quandary.

Behaviorism is great for this guy.

And Im sure that in boot camp, it has it benefits over constructivism.

But as elementary school teachers Im not so sure this will be the most effective way to get our points across to children.

What the child is willing to accept and will help them learn, is not the same thing as what the 18 year old recuit is willing to accept.

There is some good stuff on youtube about Skinner in perticular, here is a video that I liked.

Math rap

I just couldn't resist putting this video up. I'm sure a lot of middle schoolers would like this video. I can't wait to show it to my son. They wrap up fractions this year (in 7th) and go on to pre-algebra next year in 8th. Anything that can make learning fun for kids is worth it, especially with math, which a lot of kids find boring and difficult. This video has visuals that might be helpful and also the rhythm of the song can sometimes be easier to remember than simply memorizing math facts.

Make Your Day

The post about behaviorism made me think about the school that I am currently interning at. The school uses a school-wide system of accountability and another school-wide system for discipline: STEP. In an attempt to teach kids to be responsible and accountable for their actions the kids are asked to assign themselves points at the end of each lesson. The point range is 1 -10, 10 being the best. So, for instance, if I was a child and I talked out during a math lesson, interrupting others learning, I would give myself a 9 for math time. If another child had a problem with my behavior they would voice it after I assigned my points when the teacher asked for "concerns," saying something like, "I have a concern with LoVe. LoVe you interrupted my learning by talking to Michael as well as talking out." The teacher would ask if I accepted this and I would sort of be guilted into saying yes and my points would then be changed to 8. If I don't make so many points in a day I get a note home to my parents letting them know about my behavior.

While I like the idea of a school-wide discipline, accountability program I am not sure whether the program really works to a) make children honest about and accountable for their behavior, b) get any real involvement or support from parents, or c) change the child's future behavior (or behavior over time). In the demographic area of this school (low economic status, high percentage of immigrant families as well as parents in jail, or having issues with drugs or abuse) it seems that many of the behaviors result from an initial lack of parental support or knowledge about parenting techniques on the part of parents. If this is so I am not certain that notes home will help change behavior problems from the home side of the equation.

At school when I have observed this process of points taking place what I have seen has not been all that encouraging either. What I have seen is students giving themselves much higher points than I feel they really deserve on a regular basis. While I understand the idea that the students are supposed to be owning up to their own behaviors I also think that students need modeling of what is appropriate in the beginning of the year. As the year goes on I can see the students becoming more independent with their points, but somewhere along the way the kid who gives himself a 10 everyday in every subject despite his talking out, bullying, or whatever else needs to be corrected, needs to know that the teacher is still the teacher and this blatant disregard of honesty will not be tolerated.

I have only seen this program for the first 2 months of the school year and am anxious to see how it plays out throughout the year, if it indeed progresses as I hope that it would. But I have my doubts. If the school has agreed to use the program by a staff majority then all staff need to use this to the best of their ability and not be lackadaisical about it. I am curious to know also how others who have seen this feel about its effectiveness.

Considering Parents

I really enjoyed the group presentations today. It seemed that a lot of them considered the parenting of the students that we will have in our classes in the near future. It is important for us to get to know our families and create a community in the classroom and within the school. Families need to feel welcome and comfortable. It would also be nice for families to not feel intimidated by teachers. Remembering to not judge is something that is difficult, but very important. We will have a wide variety of parents and students from differing cultural, socioeconomic, and religous backgrounds. There will also be a wide range of levels of education to consider. The presentations in our "families" class today were a nice reminder to the level of awareness that we need to have as teachers.

Behaviorism

What role does Behaviorism play in education?

My dyad classroom is heavy into behaviorism, with everybody getting a points chart. The day is broken into 30-45 minute segments, and you get points in 3 categories (directions, body to self, doing work). I've never really been around it, so I have little familiarity with it beyond this experience. But, for the untrained educator, it has been a bit to manage.

I find myself in a middle ground where I am struggling to catch them being good (and missing on some of the praise I need to give), while simultaneously giving them a long leash (and not nailing them for behavior straight away). It came to a head today when I gave one student a point after the fact, when he was turned and talking to another one. I essentially reinforced the turning and talking, not the actual thing I meant to reward.

Which brings me to the question at the top, what role does/should behaviorism play in education? What should we reward? Does it work? Where does it fit in your classroom, in the grand scheme of management? What happens in high school or when there is no school anymore?

Studs Terkel

I just saw that Studs Terkel recently passed away at the age of 96. I have long been an admirer of his work and still remember asking him a question at a Q&A event, and him beginning his response with, "that's a very good question." I'm sure over the years, he said that to many question askers, but at the time, I remember thinking, "Wow, one of the most amazing interviewers and storytellers said my question was good." It's just so wonderful when you can meet people whose work has influenced you. Studs amongst other things was a writer, radio broadcaster, labor activist and historian. He had a radio program in Chicago that was on- air for several decades and wrote books sharing stories of people from all walks of life. Two of my favorite books of his are: Division Street and Race. He was also noted as a great collector of oral history. If you are thinking about an oral history project with your students, check this out- on the Chicago Historical Society webpage section about Studs, there's a great lesson plan that teaches about his work and interveiwing style; and further guides students into their own oral history projects!

Life as of an educator

So, I just got off the phone with a friend, who told me that she is quitting teaching. After 3, or maybe it's been 4 years, she says she's done. She's a special ed. teacher, in another state working with students with profound disabilities and has been leading class of 9 students and 5 aides- a lot to coordinate. She spoke about many levels of feeling frustration, and thinking about our converstation, a couple of things really struck me. First, whew, teaching is hard. There's no doubt about it. Here I am diving into the world of teaching, and while I know that this is the direction and the career I'm committed to and passionate about, yet also the challenges of working in a system that has lots of barriers to overcome is being illuminated for me. How do I as teacher ensure that all my students are being truly challenged? How do I work with the systems that we currently have in place to effectively advocate for my students, while at the same time work in collaboration with others to change these systems in order to more effectively address all students needs? Of course, there is no one magic answer, and these are questions that we will continue to struggle with. It's got me thinking though, what'll I do when the going gets really tough?

"Best path to equality in America"

Published in today's Seattle Times is an article about the Gates Foundation and how they have decided to allocate their funds. With a goal in mind, founders Bill and Melinda Gates, has decided to "identify and pay higher salaries for good teaching, help average teachers get better, devise better tests and create a national set of learning standards for high schools." Through these measure the idea is to double to number of low-income students who complete college or post-high school degree.

I find this type of charity so inspiring. I visited the Gates foundation website to learn a bit more about their work and learned that the foundation was started in 2000 and they intend to spend the foundation's money within 100 years. They see real problems in the world and they want to make a quick change.

The article mentions that the funds so far have been split 50/50 between scholarships and the improvement of high schools. This is likely why I haven't seen much impact in either my main placement or my dyad placement. I would love to hear any one's personal experience with the impact of the Gates Foundation, if anyone has seen or experienced the support of this very generous foundation.

Building

In our families class, we have been reading about the school/family relationship...There was a great activity that is simple and all grades can participate in...here's is a little blurb I wrote about the process and reasoning.
We have been building communities within our classrooms as well as building bridges to our families and their personal experience. This is done to “pave the way,” a two way street, from the school to the home, and back from the home into the classroom. This free flow of information and communication is critical for a vibrant community and a constructive school/home relationship. One way in which we have implemented this is to have our families write their “stories.”
The students and their families together will write down important facts or vignettes in their personal history and then present this to the class. This brings the family in, giving them a voice, letting them know that their experience, knowledge, wisdom, and opinion is not only welcomed but celebrated in our classrooms. Every student and every family has a different story and background, and we as teachers need to honor them.
This brings all the families into the classroom, and at the same time endears the school to the home because of the interest expressed in their personal stories.

Cultural Notions of Success

In my lit. circle we are reading the book Con Respeto: Bridging the Gap Between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools. In taking a look at the lives of 10 Mexican immigrant families near the U.S.- Mexico border the author presents the idea that often in these families education, while important on some level, is not the number one priority we assume it to be in American culture. Parents own abilities about being a good parent are not tied up in their children's educational success and while these families have come to realize that it is important for children in the U.S. to finish school, and often the norm for them to go on to higher education, family life and loyalty is still the most important goal. The introduction states, "Still, family values and school values remain at odds" (xi). Gualdalupe Valdes writes of the Mexicano families, "...when talking about their dreams, most parents spoke of honest and hardworking sons, virtuous daughters, close families, and having todo lo necessario (the basic necessities of life). They did not think in terms of job titles, prestige, or power. What they wanted was for their children to grow up right, to find ways of making an honest living, to marry someone who cared about them, and to find a way of settling somewhere close to the people they loved" (8). She continues, "They came face to face, instead, with the industrialized "first world" in which... educational development is conceived as "a universal form of progress consistent with all human aspirations regardless of ideology or culture" (8).

I want to mention that the data in this study was collected in the 1980's and the book itself published in the 1990's. While I wonder if these notions are generally culturally relevent, true across locations, or vary over time I am going to assume the position that they are widely held in present day for the purpose of exploring my dilemma. Part of the books message is that we assume, as educators, that there are solutions and as you've heard me say before to assume there is a solution is to assume there is a problem. How do we as teachers reconcile the pressure to have "no child left behind" and yet be culturally sensitive to the fact that not all cultures value education as the number one most important, life consuming thing, that this is not a "problem". Do these families understand the importance of education in the U.S. system and if they did would it change their priorities? Is it part of our job to help them understand this significance? Is it them who needs to change if they want to "succeed" in this country? If their idea of success is different than typical American culture and they don't require their child to do his homework (assuming they are aware of it) how do I react when there is pressure for me to have a class of test passers? What does it look like for me as an educator to push my students to "succeed," to fulfill local, state, or federal expectations of student achievement, and yet to remain culturally sensitive to different ideas about the priority level of education?

I just feel on some level like there is a catch 22 here. I understand that all situations, with each individual child and family, require sensitivity of all kinds, that no two situations will be alike and that we cannot make assumptions of what a person of any race, culture, age, gender, sexuality believes or values. However, the catch is this. If we (the country, the educational system, teachers, etc.) don't offer "help" to immigrants (which often means forms of system navigation and/or assimilation) we are prejudice and leaving them out of the loop (keeping them outside the culture of power)and perhaps helping to ensure they don't succeed, but if we do we are in some ways being culturally insensitive and condescending in assuming that they need help, that they need to become more like us, that they need to change, and that changing to be like us is right and better. It is such a fine line to walk to both act as a resource and yet to let immigrants "become American at their own pace and in their own way" (Valdes, 1996, 205).

A last thought from Valdes: "We can either advocate that Mexican communities and individuals be helped to make whatever changes are necessary to achieve success, or we can argue that there are already successes among the population in question and that it is the majority society that must change its perspective about human values and achievement" (205).

Field Trip to Carkeek Park

I went back to see the kiddos at my main placement today as they were going to Carkeek Park to observe spawning salmon. I created a 22 person human magnet, as I was mobbed by 1st and 2nd graders excited to have me back ("are you back for good now?"). Even the kids in the cooperating teacher's class remember my name. It was a great feeling, and got me really excited about returning in January. Plus, the field trip was fun (although the naturalists need to work on scaling their language down a little for the kiddos)...

The reality of the classroom dynamics set in soon after. They're still a chatty bunch, after all they are still 1st/2nd graders. There are still the same behavior challenges. I've got a cadre of 3 boys that glam together like they have one of those invisible fences is set around them. I had all 3 on the field trip, and thought I was their personal chaperone. There are still some of the instructional challenges too, with the blank look of "what is this paper in front of me for?" and low phonemic awareness.

But gosh am I excited!

Democracy in the Classroom

After last Tuesday's presidential election our program got together and shared briefly what we saw happening in our classrooms in the days and weeks leading up to this historic event. While some ideas on how to approach the topic with kids were wonderful, some of what I heard simply appalled me. Primarily I was shocked by the notion that some simply avoided discussion of the topic.

One of the endearing stories shared by a classmate was that of a kindergarten class whose participation and learning surrounding the democratic process included having parents bring in different kinds of pie, vie for why theirs is the best, and then having kids vote for a pie, and ultimately share in eating the winner. I love this idea and it is adorably age appropriate.

On the other hand I heard about a room whose teacher did not want to handle the hot topic because only one of their students was in support of McCain. Apparently their had been previous incidents at the school that involved bullying in relation to political preference. While I understand the seriousness of this situation I also... understand the seriousness of this situation which is why I see it as such a brilliant opportunity for learning and classroom discussion. All kinds of meaningful discussion could be had here and should be had.

It could be approached from multiple angles and themes: respecting one another, what it means to be part of a community, why bullying is wrong, how to handle disagreement through mediation, how to participate in a civil discussion, why in our county we have a right to keep our political affiliations private (anonymous voting), how the democratic process works, and why this election is an historical event. None of these have to include anyone's personal opinions about politics. I also like the idea of having students participate in a debate with assigned roles. No I am not advocating 25 democratic students against 1 republican student. Assign half the group to back McCain and half to back Obama, give them some clues about what each stands for, and let them debate or let them try their hand at finding compromises between the two parties- reaching across the aisle if you will.

I really believe if we are to progress to a nation who can discuss compromise, who can keep calm when dealing with emotionally and politically sensitive issues, and who can participate more wholly, passionately, and effectively in democracy we will do it by teaching the next generation the skills of peaceful dialogue and mediation. An opportunity such as this election comes around every four years, or has never come before this one if you consider the issue of race, and it seems a shame, a disservice even, to miss it!

Reading Delights

For those looking for more background, and analysis of No Child Left Behind, you might want to consider looking at Many Children Left Behind: How the No Child Left Behind Act is Damaging Our Children and Our Schools. It has chapters written by folks like Deborah Meier, Alfie Kohn, Linda Darling-Hammond, Theodore Sizer, and George Wood. Its about 120 pages of text, and a relatively quick read. I'm in the midst of it at the moment, and gives more context to the world we are stepping into. I found mine at the Seattle Public Library....

In addition, for those who are looking for more background on charter schools, check out What Do We Know About the Outcomes of KIPP Schools? There is a pdf on the bottom, and I think there is a condensed version somewhere. This relates to KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program that has become all the rage (for AND against) when talking about charter schools. Test factory sweatshop or incredible educational institution?

Integration and the Big Picture

My master teacher asked me what I wanted to teach when I return to the 1st and 2nd graders. I couldn't help but reply with an "I don't know," and a meek shrug. Why would I be getting ready to something? It's still November (right?) and we haven't even had turkey!?!

This afternoon brought me to a new point though. I think it was looking at the unit webs that everything clicked into place for me, and the wheels began to turn. After my body calmed down, and my brain spun into another gear, I started to visualize the points of integration. I was finally able to see the destination, the big city that I was heading towards. That isn't to say that I didn't have integration planned into my unit on Ants. I just started to see the school day more holistically. I want to have students taking books (Frog and Toad for example) and turning them into plays for the class. I want to have students writing and illustrating new endings to books, or adding onto stories, or creating original works to be performed! Ideally I want to bring them all (including those not mentioned) together under one overarching problem or issue, so that all of the learning connects. I want...

While I have been lax in my creation of the mythical and everpresent binder, I need to find the proper medium to craft my designs for the classroom (or one that I want in the future). As Lamont says, I need an index card to write down my crazy ideas, even if I never use them...

Does homework eliminate a child's love for learning?

Video was done by Connect with Kids

With all the discussion on homework, I figured I do a little digging of my own on the topic. What I discovered was the the controversy against homework discussed the burden being placed on the family to complete the work. In addition, those opposed to homework argue that it stresses kids out and it doesn't allow them time to focus on family and extracurricular activities. More importantly, I learned from the video above that excessive amounts of homework impedes on an efforts to foster a love of learning in these children.

In conclusion to my research, I would argue that homework can be beneficial in learning when it is limited to 10 minutes per grade (for example a first grader would have 10 minutes of homework, a second grader would have 20 minutes of homework, etc.). While it's important not to frustrate our students with homework, it's a great way to extend their learning past the classroom. I like the suggestions that were previously made about having homework center around interviewing parents, and particularly emphasizing reading what is enjoyable for the child.

Face the Challenge

Lorax, I like the idea of a reading group. As long as there is more than four interested readers. I found Meier last fall. I have "In schools We trust" beside my bed. I would love to have a Meier, etc., group. Let's investigate.

On Dorn, during our Friday seminar, our round table consisted of four older educators who had seen it all. They seemed to think, "Yeah, well we'll see what will really go away. Most likely not the WASL." So, does this mean politics and change are two words that have a hard time mixing? We'll have to wait and see, won't we.

Facing the Wind
As I sat with my master teacher, he asked me straight up if I really wanted to leave my sixth grade dyad and come back to the crazed world of third/fourth. I said, No, I don't want to leave. But, I want to learn. I know it is going to be much harder in my main placement. There's no doubt of that.

I think as I get deeper into this, there is a step in the road where I have discovered something. Where I am and what I do affect the people around me, the children, the parents, and the school. I could be selfish and want one placement over another because it is a great fit, for me. Or maybe it is a fear of learning (I'll locate the Mandela speech and post it for those who haven't seen it.) and succeeding that ultimately keeps me in the 'easy' place. A part of me want the easy road yet I know that it has always been the difficult situations in life that give me the most. What do others think about this?

It seems that when I am working hard, struggling and studying or learning new things, making mistakes and finding myself apologizing to my mentors, etc., this is like practicing for life. Through the struggle of practicing, we eventually learn so much that the act of doing well becomes easier. If everything is easy and a breeze, then when the crap hits us-we freeze.
So, my thoughts at this moment is I appreciate myself more when I do what's asked of me, when I can get myself out of the way. I feel good when I do well with the tons of reading and homework and when I actually learn something. Otherwise, why I am in school? I cheat no one but myself. In our placements, we are accountable to the children. It's not just us, but next year...who knows? In a convoluted way, I'm trying to say-do it all now. Then, next year, while we really have to be accountable, we will be.

Public Repudiates WASL?

Randy Dorn defeated Terry Bergeson in the election for Washington's Superintendent of Public Instruction. Dorn has been outspoken in his desire to remove the WASL as the standardized test of choice here, although it isn't entirely clear what he will implement instead. Are we witnessing the WASL's slow fade into the sunset? How will we better measure student learning, and maintain the facet of public accountability (the A word it is the name of the game)?

This conversation is timely for me, as I am reading Deborah Meier's In Schools We Trust. In the book she points out how in many other fields second opinions are sought. You don't simply look at one reference point and make a judgement. We ask questions about what we are seeing, and also about the proper interventions necessary. Our testing process is decontextualized, much like HMO's that only have access to a patient's symptoms- and thereafter make a diagnosis. This doesn't even get into the history of standardized tests, which were a way of ranking people and putting them above or below the "bell curve." My head is spinning. Anyone want to create a book group, for I fear I'll bug my wife too much with my "ooh check this out..." reactions?

WELCOME TO LINK MANIA!!!

as if you didnt have enough to read...i present to you, my dear brothers and sisters in education...three grand ole links that are sure to give you either a warm and fuzzy, or the dreaded cold shower...it would be great to hear which one you felt! why? because your thoughts matter to me, thats why!

here is a good one from last months atlantic titled the lightning rod, about the new chancellor of DC schools...enjoy...or not...good stuff that we need to be thinking about and discussing, even if you/we dont agree with it

from the paper of record, article about the chief of a "fast growing" charter school chain in harlem...click here and love it

after reading those, you may be hungry...if so, may i suggest this recipe for Quinoa (pronounced keh-NO-ah...or KEEN-wa.) LOVE IT!!! dont be the last to know!!! listen to dead prez, be healthy.

Alternative school, alternative views

For my dyad placement, I have been at an alternative school. The three other interns and I interviewed the principal today to learn many things about the school. One thing that I found interesting is that the principle's vision and goals for the school is quite different than what the school's community of parents want. In general, the parents at this school do not want to do outreach to the community because they view themselves as different than other schools. Also, parents tend to not want to do outreach because they don't want other people to discover the school, in fear of attracting more students. A lot of parents like the school because of its small size as well as the strong community atmosphere that they have created within the school. So, it seems that they are quite happy with community, as long as it remains small and internal.

Another viewpoint that parents in the district tend to have of the alternative school is a place to send your child if they are struggling academically, emotionally, or behaviorally. And, in fact, the opposite is true. That is, the school is set up for students who are self-directed and in a way, more independent than typical students.

Problematic

I often find collegiate reading to be "too academic." If I want to make my way to REM sleep I could simply pick up a piece of academic writing, and I'll quickly find myself there! What does that mean? The writing does little to excite the reader, grabbing them by the neck and compelling them to read on. Unfortunately that was the case with reading Courting Controversy, as it just didn't really tell me that concept/problem based learning is incredible.

Fortunately I've had experience with PBL, and see how it really does bring learning to life (or the real-world into the classroom, whichever way you want to slice it). I worked with a class that used their 3, 22 student classes as a way to explore social justice (by creating a town, taking on roles, and then encountering a problem that they needed to come together and solve). I also was a part of another class that was exploring how to get more people to vote (2004 election). To me, those experiences were more powerful than any textbook example could provide. It also brought out issues that could be explored via reading, writing, and math, with more intergration being done via the arts.

I wish it academic writings were written in a more accessible manner. I am reading Deborah Meier's In Schools We Trust, and the tone sucks you in. Not to mention the fact that she talks about things like PBL through her staff's creation of tables and chairs with their students (Problem: we don't have furniture, what are we going to do!?!).

Process vs. Content

During a discussion on modifications of curriucular design it was posed that the question a teacher should ask themselves is this: What can I change or include to make the lesson accessible to students who are not otherwise successful with the lesson as planned? While this wording seems to aim the question at lessons, the conversation surrounding it at some point became a discussion about assessment and the venue(s) through which we offer assessment.

In speaking of the lesson itself we pondered/I wondered... how do modifications really work? If I present a lesson in a particular way to serve a particular child's learning style to assist him/her in understanding then am I not also discluding someone elses? Is it therefore necessary that I include pieces to reach each of the learning styles in every lesson every day in every subject or only that I present items for each of the learning styles at least once a day but in different subjects or on different days per subject? How do you know? If in fact you must always modify a subject lesson for one or two kids then are you missing out on time to present other styles or methods? While I am still uncertain about other's opinions on this and my own, the conversation evolved to become about assessment as I said earlier.

The major issue was this: if a student is allowed to have things modified to make them easier for him he is then missing out on the experience of having to experience and cope with other ways to learn- in other words do we value content over process or vice versa. It seems to me that it should be agreed upon that there is simply too much information in our great big world to present to children in the course of a 12 year education (or any length of education for that matter). If we take this to be true then it seems logical to believe that teaching learning skills is perhaps more important than teaching content. If a student can understand the process of learning: how to find information and resources, how to sift through that information for meaning, and how to apply that information, then do we really need to worry about the information itself? More specifically if we know that a child is most successful in written format should we allow that child to conduct more learning and reporting of that learning in written form? I think it behooves the student to be forced to experience different forms of communication while it is still wonderful for them to know what form they are most comfortable with. Sometimes it is more important for the student to gain the experience of going through the process of having to give a presentation on Abe Lincoln or work with a group to produce an art piece than is the content on Abraham Lincoln or the art piece itself.

How do you draw the line between supporting a child and his learning by modifying things for his benefit and utilizing the old addage that 'what doesn't kill us makes us stronger'? One idea that I had always thought fondly of was that of the presentation menu in which students can decide on how they would prefer to present their learning: oral presentation, art, drama piece, written report, etc. However this does not push students into new and unfamiliar venues. In keeping with the notion of experiencing many styles, methods, forms of presentation or assessment one idea that came out of this more specific part of the conversation was that of a yearly menu versus a unit menu. In this version a student would have to complete one of each of several types of presentation throughout the year, but students could choose which format they wanted to do for which unit. I.E. A student enjoys the unit on Native Americans and chooses that as his lesson to do an oral presentation with because he feels fairly comfortable with the topic. He may choose to do his visual presentation format on the insects unit because he is not as comfortable speaking about them, but knows he can draw them okay. Etc. This idea lends a certain amount of choice and freedom to students while still 'forcing' them through different processes which are important to experience for future learning and/or job experiences such as being able to work with a group, being able to speak in front of others, being able to write accurately and convincingly, etc. I suppose I have settled the question for my own self- I do believe that process is more important than content. Others?

question of homework

Over the last year, I have thought about the topic of assigning homework to students. I think I have decided that, in general, I don't like the idea of giving out homework on a daily basis. In certain grades, such as kindergarten, I don't think it should be given out at all. Kindergartners are not only learning a lot academically, but they are are adjusting socially and emotionally to being away from home and away from the family. Kindergartners can be ready for first grade if they are taught by an effective curriculum and by a teacher who is able to meet their needs in the classroom.

As for older kids, I think homework can help their learning, but should be limited. In the middle school years, students are suddenly hit with six different teachers and 6 different subjects. When a student comes home with homework for all six subjects (or maybe 5 because one subject is PE), as a teacher, you are going to "shut them down". Students will become tired, frustrated and feel anxiety because of a lack of a break. Middle school teachers should really consider collaborating their homework so that only one subject per evening is being focused on. And, there are subjects that are just not necessary to assign homework in. My son's social studies teacher purposely does not assign homework to his students because he knows that they already have a lot with their other subjects and because he is productive and focused in his classroom and the lessons that he teachers. As a parent, I appreciate the fact that he has thought about he issue and developed his curriculum accordingly. I wish I could say the same for the other teachers.

Happy Halloween!

Feeling nostalgic being that Halloween is/was a great time to be a mom. This was my favorite picture forever and the only one I ever kept with me. So, happy Halloween everyone! I think I may go to some suburban neighborhood and spook kids a bit. This is William and Jahnavi, now 18 and 20.

Protecting our students

I was flipping through channels on my tv tonight and I caught the last ten minutes of Dr Phil. I'm proud to say that I don't watch his show regularly, but today's topic was on "Cyber bullying" and how it affects children in the schools. As I continued to listen, they talked about creating curriculum that helps children identify and handle bullying.

Most people are aware that the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 was a result of bullying. According to the FBI over 70% of school shootings are caused by bullying. In addition, bully is linked to academic failure, depression, substance abuse, delinquency, gang proliferation, self-harm, and suicide.

Florida has recently passed The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act. It:

"prohibits the bullying or harassment, including cyber bullying, of any public K-12 student or employee. It requires the Department of Education to adopt a model policy to prohibit bullying and harassment and directs all school districts to adopt a similar policy. School districts are directed to work with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and local law enforcement on developing this policy. School districts will be required to report all instances of bullying or harassment and to notify the parents of the bully and the parents of the victim. The required communication among parents, students and teachers about incidents of bullying will help to prevent acts of violence and future tragedies. Schools should be a safe place for teachers and children to teach and learn" (http://www.jeffreyjohnston.org/jeffslaw.htm).

This act will be enforced by withholding federal funding from districts and schools that do not comply with the designated actions. My first thought when the show ended was, where are teacher expected to find time to role-play and teach students how to handle bullying? Also, why are teachers and schools being held accountable for cyberbullying when it's not likely happening within the school (due to sensors and filters)? Something certainly needs to be done in situations where bullying is occurring, but are teachers the best equipt to hunt down students who gossip because it could be viewed as bullying? Who should be held accountable for identifying bullies? What is acceptable behaviors to teach our students when they are experiencing bullying? "Just ignore them"? Or "Walk way"? Does this work? What do you think?

Become a Reporter!

This was on one of the other blogs I read. How ridiculously awesome would it be to bring writing and language to life... it can actually have a purpose and meaning. I'm not sure what this was a part of, but it brings it all back for me.... Plus the line "Sen. Biden is now my homeboy" just had me in stitches. (fyi: for equal opportunity purposes, there is also one this kid did with McCain. It was longer, so I skipped it :)

Dave Eggers on tutoring, from TED on the web

Ok-I couldn't upload the link. so,
It's www.ted.com

I couldn't upload the entire video, for it is 24 minutes long. The TED people are amazing. If you go to this site, thinkers and shakers receive the TED award and you can watch their acceptance speech and just browse through inspiration. For those English lovers, the writer Dave Eggers has a fantastic foundation, Once upon a school. This non profit group pulls in which writers and creative people to create a tutoring center. The video is great-watch the first 5 minutes, and from 17 minutes on. The center in S.F. was commercially zoned, so they have part of tutoring center as a 'Pirate supply shop'. Inspired by this, Brooklyn is a 'Superhero Supply shop' and on and on..around the country and world. It's great to see artists co-operating and helping youth who need more 1-1. You should check it out. (PS I didn't know how BIG 24 minutes would be-uploading video can only be 100 MB. I don't know how much that is.

James Crawford in the hizzy

duders,
it is I, again.
so this james crawford guy, hes got things to say...on this website.
He also has things to sell, the stuff that wont set you back any dinero is below the links that lead you to the things that will.
indeed.
more good stuff on the politics of bilingual education in the US.

peter

Restricting bilingual education in oregon

duders,
Ive been sick, and have been listening to the radio.
Heard this on bilingual education.
enjoy...its cringeworthy.

peter

Math Instruction A Go-Go!

Tomorrow is my first foray into math instruction at my dyad placement. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous. I am taking over a small group of 3 that is following the first grade Everyday Math curriculum. Well, they aren't quite following the curriculum the way everyone else is.

You see that is where my problem is. Since the curriculum spirals quickly, the group has been slowed down to focus more intensely on specific skills. They have been going through their Student Workbook, and teaching from there essentially. Since we haven't gotten to the fundamentals behind math instruction I have found myself a bit nervous and anxious. Will I do it right? Will I be going too quick? Too slow? How can I bring in more manipulatives? How do you meet the needs of all 3 of them as their needs, and their quirks are so disparate.?.

We'll see at 10:45 tomorrow.

Apprentice the Future

Ah Peter, it's easy to agree that 'Global Economy' means, competing right here in our backyard. At least, sometimes that's what I envision. Let's be honest here. Right now, our main source of college educated folks are coming from abroad. They are cheap intelligence to import, while we at home figure out a way to fit into the mix. If we could really round out the potential future for our youth, we could have a viable populous. This does mean apprenticing in a wide variety of fields, many far from four year university. Imagine if in middle/high school you could begin to explore music, engineering, computer tech., editing, etc. I think many would be happy about that.

hey dudes.
So I was reading the New York Times (stop laughing) and they had this article, that might be of interest to you...as it is related to both the election, and education.
Indeed.
Peter

hi

hello, how's it going?

Open Says-a-me!

I have been thinking about equality myself. Working in a special education classroom in a more affluent area has provoked many questions for me. Is it right that one school receives a grant for $60K while other schools don't? Is it right that the special education students are in a wing away from all of the other students in the school? Are those students getting the same education that other students their age, in the school, are getting?

That doesn't even get into the ideas of homework, after school programs, and physical structural issues. The one thing that is clear to me is that there are schools with more resources than others. Some might argue that those schools have gained some of their resources, the 60K grant for example, through their own hard work. But even the idea of extra resources brings up issues of inequity caused by access and gatekeeping.

It makes me wonder how the playing field can be leveled? How can schools in less affluent areas create similar networks of volunteers and money? How can they be given the access that they are seemingly denied? It also makes me wonder whether those are questions that need to remain latent for me, as a student-teacher, because it is beyond my scope?! Should I not actively worry about those questions, the questions that are systemic in nature, and focus on the change I can affect as a classroom teacher? It is a struggle of wanting to move a mountain but only being able to move a few wheelbarrows of dirt.

Pumpkins to Earth

I have a tech question.
I want to put the blog, The Tempered Radical in the 'blogs we follow'. How is this done? I can't seem to locate it on the dashboard. Lorax?

Thoughts. I am amazed at the capacity of human beings to learn. For the last two weeks, 75 sixth graders have been bringing pumpkins to school. These shining orange squashes looked fantastic sitting around the room. We have been studying maps. So, of course our glorious squash would soon become, the Earth.

First, my dyad mate, the teacher and I made up a lesson about geography for them. They received new colorful social studies text books with great information about different types of maps. But, we thought-how can we get them to be engaged and absorb the skills about maps? We decided to pick one country, Africa, and set up 5 groups per class. Each group would have the responsibility for coloring their map (from an enlarged plain map of Africa) physical or political or language groups, completing a key, making a nice compass rose, maybe adding some flags, etc.

I love watching the teacher present the same lesson to three different sixth grade classes! But, what was really noticeable was how the children worked together. As I walked around the class, I found them equitably dividing work up between them. I think that given the opportunity, youth do seek equality and justice, if they are fostered in respect and equity. We didn't have to do much of anything. They got the art, the paper, the research, the maps, decided which among them would write or color. The best part is seeing these lanky youth stretching their arms, standing up and painting, just using their bodies. They flourish. I do not think these students should be sitting all day. Art, coloring, mapping, walking, engaging in groups are all types of activities that stimulate different parts of their expanding brains. It was a beautiful sight!

To top it off, one week later they painted the pumpkins for two whole days. This was even more fantastic. All of a sudden, they had to take their two dimensional map understanding and place it on something round. It was a big stretch for some for others, not so much. You could feel the ZPD moving like a slinky, paintbrushes in hands trying to remember which continents and which seas, etc. Then, carrying their (at times enormous!) pumpkins outside where they lined up against the wall, three deep and a total of 75 baby blue and green globes was beauty to behold! A big thanks to teachers willing to go the distance, paint in hand!

Equality is fiction.

Okay, so I admit I am going through some emotional times and so I am feeling unusually analytical- like deep, sometimes cheesy, sometimes harsh, contemplating life sort of stuff. That was your warning in case you weren't sure.

I have been thinking deeply about the inconsistencies of life and about the inequality of nature. I have been asking myself about the nature of equality and thinking in fact that the "nature" of equality is a paradox; nature is not equal, there is nothing equal about it. Everything in nature is set up to serve an overall cycle that includes individuals (of all species) serving ultimately as prey to some other predator. Go with me for a minute on this self-indulgent journey, just humor me.

How can we possibly have equality, perhaps equality of opportunity in particular, in education when we require children to do activities, homework outside of school in environments which are not equal in work space, in parent or family resources, in size, in study area, in materials, or in parent involvement? How can we possibly have equality when each of us is born and raised with traits and characteristics that are deemed valuable or detrimental by the larger society? How can we possibly expect equality in education in the form of all children passing the WASL or other standardized tests when it is a given of nature that we are all different (and unequal) in every way (looks, talents, abilities, learning styles, development, interests, preferences, dreams, drive, etc.)? You can standardize tests, but you can't standardize results because you can't standardize the most important variable: students, people, personalities.

Aside from nature's dealing of cards there is human influence that further expands and makes obvious the inequalities of people. How can we expect equality in education when we don't even give children the right to equality of health care? Don't we know as an "educated" bunch that a child, or an adult for the matter, cannot really focus on learning (and other such non-essential functions) until their basic needs - food, water, shelter, and physical safety- are met? Didn't we learn this from Maslow? If you do not have food or water or the physical things that keep you alive don't you agree that education seems a little superfluous?

How can we possibly expect equality of education when our entire ruling fundamental of life in the states is capitalism, a system based on INEQUALITY (inequality of materials, of goods, of quality food, of money, of power, and indeed of opportunity) and competition? If every child succeeded equally in school where would it get us as a capitalist country anyway? Doesn't this simply push educational inflation? That is, the notion that once upon a time families had one working parent and high school degrees and then people began to have two working parents and additional training to get ahead and then people held two jobs and a Bachelor's degree and now to just to stay afloat most families MUST have two working parents and to make anything more than ends meat both must have Bachelor's degrees or beyond. While this may seem great, an educated population, for a global economy, it does little but make us education-poor as individuals in this country. It does not bode well for many of us individually, it only makes the competition harder, the game of life tougher.

I wonder too if it is our right, our responsibility, or none of our business, as educators and businessmen and politicians to push educational goals on children. I understand that it is our intention to do what is best for the child to prepare them in their youth for the opportunity to make decisions for themselves in their young adulthood, to ensure that they have a full range of options to choose from when they get to that point. However, it also seems that there are some families who for cultural reasons or other reasons do not identify wholly with the pursuit to place education first in their lives and in the lives of their children. Is this neglect? Or is this the right of a parent who has their own ideals for the children?

Another word about equality is impossible. Even as you put in place programs to help some (children in schools, but also adults with social programs) you inevitably disable others or make others feel cheated, either for the work they have done to get ahead or because the help available to them is not the same, or equal, as it is to others. As you help the wolf population to recover from excessive hunting you are no doubt disabling the deer or the rabbit or others. This domino affect is the nature of things, the nature of nature, and nature, to reiterate, is not equal.

If we consider ourselves above or beyond allowing natural selection to take its course, if we feel the need as a "civilized" society to intervene then why do we seem okay about letting people slowly suffer through a world of denied respect, denied living wages, and especially denied medical care? That seems at least as harsh. I am not saying that we shouldn't care or shouldn't help, but I am questioning how much good our interventions really do and I am saying that our societal priorities are completely out of whack and that we, as educators and individuals, are out whack if we honestly believe that true equality of opportunity is possible. Even as I write this I am feeling sacrilegious because I feel like it is a known part of the job description that teachers should be hopeful and optimistic and strive for better, but sometimes I think we all need a little dose of reality.

More Critical Thinking...

Here is more on the basics of the Foundation for Critical Thinking... There whole concept of critical thinking was central to the beliefs of the elementary school (public, formerly Title I) that I used to work at.

This image shows the things that he is talking about, and saves you the 5 minutes!

Universal Standards or Habits of Mind?

There were two things from Bridging Differences that struck me this week, and made me consider my own beliefs. The first related to national standards:

...it is hard for many sensible people to understand why there should be 50 different state standards in mathematics, biology, chemistry, even American history. Isn’t mathematics the same in Oregon as in Virginia? Why should every state have its own version of chemistry? It is somewhat odd that we expect our students to participate in international assessments when state standards are so disparate.Of course, the issues become less certain and more subjective when we turn to American history or world history, yet the questions—if not the answers—have a certain undeniable similarity. We do want all American students to be prepared to discuss the causes and consequences of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the world wars. We do hope that they can reflect on issues involved in the development of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (10/7/08)

Since the blog is a dialogue, a rebuttal came carrying this quote:

Why require that all graduates (ideally all citizens?) understand (agree on?) the causes of the Civil War, WW I…..et al as you suggest? Ditto for chemistry, calculus, etc.? Probably we can agree quickly about basic literacy (at a 6th grade level—after that, it’s debatable), and arithmetic/measurement? Both of which were traditionally part of a pre-academic course of study. Personally? I’d like evidence that they can exercise the “five habits of mind” in assorted ways, that suggest their understanding of the nature of science, history, math, literature, the arts—but not any particular coverage.

I often find myself waffling in my beliefs regarding particular topics and ideas. I can see both points, but never necessarily take a stand. I think we should have consistent standards, particularly around reading, writing, and math. I'm not sure working to draft 50 different standards is useful or efficient. Duplication 50 fold?

Alas I've come to grips with that fact that the latter quotation is where I stake my flag. The ability to know facts and information is fantastic but isn't enough, in my eye, to be a positive agent of change in our society (which is my belief about the purpose of schooling). You need to be able to understand and utilize that information. I believe that knowledge is what you learn through the practice of these skills, and habits, that are integral to life. Simply knowing facts is great for Jeopardy, but what about for tackling ways to create a neighborhood association, or help stop global warming? We need the tools so that we can act in concert with the great wealth of knowledge about our country. Another resource that would be useful is The Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Pop Culture So Bad?

From The Essential Conversation by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, p 33:

"We do not resist the distractions and bad influences of technology, television, and rap music taking over our lives, letting popular culture rule and permitting the developmental needs of our kids to get overlooked."

In the broader context, it is a valid point that there are a variety of other factors that are at play when we are educating our children. But I take great offense at the inclusion of rap music, largely because of the cultural context of the music. Why not simply say music? Is the rap music made largely by African Americans that much worse, as an influence, than say the country music made by white people?

I think there is an issue of parents filtering what their children see or use, with age-appropriateness being of particular importance. But I take exception at rap music being singled out.

Bring your lesson plans and campfire songs!

Why is it that we tend to see lots of really hokey, campy songs in elementary school? Is it that many of the teachers were camp counselors? Are they still yearning to be campers (year-round mind you)? Or is it that they feel compelled to bring their students back to their folksy roots? I'm not sure, but I am a bit perplexed by it, particularly as I sit listening to my indie-rock-streaming KEXP!

Of the classrooms I have worked in, across a few different schools, I've only encountered 2 that deviated from that norm. Perhaps it is my bias towards more modern music, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear the kiddos rapping along to Nas' "I Can" or singing the Postal Service's "Sleeping In," or simply using Jack Johnson's "Reduce Reuse Recycle" for the clean-up song. The teachers used some of the campy songs during a sing-along/music time, but they mixed in other songs as well for the students to sing, as well as listen to in the background. There is certainly the issue of function and placement during the day, but why not other genres?

My assumption is that many teachers are afraid of using more modern music during the day because of the appropriate-ness or the content. Perhaps it is a fear of others not approving, and not seeing the music as kid-friendly. I am not sure, but I am going to explore this assumption a bit more during the course of the year.

Meanwhile, the root of all this is a hip-hop rendition of the Lorax that a friend of mine made (I'll upload it soon). He looped a beat from RJD2 and read it, or rather rapped it. The result is the antithesis of the type of reading found here. Both accomplish the stated goal of presenting text in an engaging way, but the former is more modern. The moral of the story... Hip Hop (and other genres) should be used more frequently in classrooms.

Also check out: Langley Schools of Music Project here.