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“Work like you don’t need money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
And dance like no one’s watching.”

Design lessons to meet each individual’s needs.

To engage kids create units that will focus on their interests.

Have options for assessment that allow for student choice.

You have probably heard or read the above lines.  When you first hear them they make a lot of sense, but the one thing that they all imply is that the teacher is still in control. In the end it is still the teacher who has designed, created, and chosen the options.  What would happen if you just gave the content and allowed students to have total control over the end result?  What would happen if you said present it any way you would like to?  Maybe you don’t have to create, maybe you can let students create activities that will engage themselves and meet their needs?

One of the ways our units shift towards the second half of the year is more towards present “however you would like to” at the end of each.  I should say there is a lot of work that goes on in the beginning of the year to get the kids to make the shift, they don’t just walk in and and get told to “do whatever you want to.”  For the last unit on the Civil War, they had to create a thesis, support it with at least four reasons and turn in a “traditional” research paper.   Kids drew conclusions and created thesis statements on topics that ranged from propaganda, spies, battles, the impact on women left behind, and the Emancipation Proclamation.  Then they had to make a presentation on their thesis.  Instead of giving every detail that they researched, they are allowed to more or less capture the “essence” of their thesis.  Some kids do come up and give every detail, but some might work really hard to just drive home the single most important point.  I’ll often say, if you meet up with a classmate 10 years from now, what is the one thing you would want them to remember from your presentation?

At the beginning of the year there are many kids who just come up with some papers, and maybe a couple pictures on a power point.  There is no fun or energy in their presentations.  That spirit that allowed them to dance and play while the world watched when they were little, has been replaced by a fear that anything other than reading an essay off of a paper is strange and alien.  They have forgotten “how to dance, as though no one is watching.” The video below shows the last student presentation of the year.  Marissa waited 180 days before “dancing” for us.  It was worth the wait.  I could have tried all year to “create” a unit for her, but I would have never been able to do what she did.   Again, before they got up to present they had to hand in the traditional assignment.  Non-traditional student work can live side-by-side in the same classroom as traditional assignments.  You don’t have to give up one to get the other.  Giving traditional assignments is like having only one song in the juke box, playing it and expecting them to boogie.  Non-traditional assignments that give the students control is like providing them with a 120G iPod full of music in which they get to choose the music to dance to.  In each of us is a dancer.  We were all born with the ability to “dance.”  Sometimes I feel the greatest gift I can give a kid is not teaching them how to “dance,” but reminding them that they can–giving them the opportunity to explore all different types of music until they find the one that gets their feet moving again.  You have to remember that all your students can “dance,” when they find music that they love.

What kind of “music” are you playing in your classroom?

Can you “dance” in your classroom like no one is watching?

I am sitting here researching and updating my presentation for the root cellar tours that I will be doing when I volunteer next week at Old Sturbridge Village.  That’s right, if you want to know anything about root cellars in early 19th Century New England, I’m the man.  As I was interpreting a diary I began to think…

If you attend the tech school in my district and want to be a plumber, you are taught by plumbers.  If you want to be a cook, you are taught by chefs.

If you go to the traditional high school in town and you want to be a writer, you are taught by someone who was taught how to teach writing.  If you want to be a historian you are taught by someone who was taught how to teach history.  You are usually not taught by a writer, a practicing historian, a scientist, or a mathematician.

Can teachers teach their “subject” without practicing it?

How can someone teach kids to write creatively if they never do any creative writing?  How can someone teach their kids to do critical research with primary sources if they never do it themselves?  I’m wondering if we could improve teaching not by hiring better “teachers,” but by hiring better mathamaticians, historians, scientists, and writers.

We could worry less about teaching, and more about showing.  Not only will the kids learn by example, but they will see real world applications of the skills and knowledge that we are telling them is important.  Is it easier to make a scientist a teacher, or a teacher a scientist?

I have been following a lot of debate on twitter this weekend on “changing schools.”  Staying out of it today I kind of aquired a new perspective.  In trying to make schools better are we like bakers trying to make a better apple pie.  The only problem is, all they have are blueberries.  Instead of working on the blueberries, maybe they should just go out and get appples.  Could changing schools be as simple as that?

Instead of writing out her end of the year evaluation a student drew this picture on the back of it:

Today was the last day of school and just as I promised the kids, I waited to crack open the envelopes and read their evaluations after they left.  This year I was determined to not focus on the negatives, but of course it is so hard not to.  90% of the evaluations could be wonderful and I would focus on the other 10%.  I have come to learn that 3-6% of the kids simply will not “like” the class due to a variety or reasons.  This year I hit 2%.  But there were 3 small pockets of kids who while they reported overall to get a lot out of our time together, had some issues.

Issue #1-They though that I should do more “teaching.”  They weren’t happy about having to figure out things on their own.  They didn’t like when they had a question that I would ask them a question in return and help them determine what they next step would be.  In their words, they simply wanted to be told what to do so they could learn more.

Issue #2-They did not “learn” enough.  They equated “learning” with the amount of facts that they were responsible for knowing. One in particular sticks out that essentially said they would like to cover more events instead of going in depth into fewer.  Another one said that their friends “learned” more because they covered more history.

Issue #3-They interpreted me brainstorming with them, working things through with the class, changing plans because of a tech problem, and changing direction simply because we figured out how to do something better based on the previous days work as me not being prepared.

What was also interesting is that most of the kids who had one of the issues above agreed that they became “stronger” because of the issue in spite of me “not teaching,” not giving them enough “facts,” and coming in “unprepared.”  The three issues above always plague me.  When I first started shifting from a more tarditional style there were A LOT of kids who had issues #1 and #2.  I still have a bit to go I guess in making sure I help them interpret why doing things so differently than what they are used to is a good thing.  Could be as simple as adding a “here is why we are doing this” sort of statement when they are happening.  I have tried to add more “here is how the skills used on this project will help you when you…”  I think that makes a big difference for them, and for me to make sure I am having them do something that is important.

Drives me crazy that I am still sitting here in school focused on the several evaluations that pointed out problems.  The reality is though that by focusing on those is what will make my class stronger for everyone. Yea the good stuff makes me all warm and fuzzy and feeds my soul, but the ones that rip me are the stuff that challenges me. The stuff that drives me to become a master at what I do.  It’s funny how I am kind of a messy person.  My desk is piled high, my clothes are usually a bit ruffled, and I don’t care if my lawn is 5 feet high.  But when I am in front or with the kids I want to be perfect(however, I work really hard at pulling off a class that seems to be spontaneous in nature).  I don’t want to be good, I want to be perfect.  That quest burns me out, it sometimes sucks me down.  I constantly feel as though I am not good enough or I should be doing better.  I end up focusing on the negative instead of the positive.  I totally lack balance.  Grrr….alright, a future post should be about all the good stuff they said to balance this one

Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.  ~Harriet Braiker

Today was the last day of regular classes.  The class in the video below was chosen because the sound quality is the best.  As the day went on and we had to turn on all the fans it it became difficult to get clear audio.  This class was also the shortest so I had to cut short some of the transitions in between each activity.  In the classes that were not cut short the period played out as more of a single story from beginning to end.  The sand/rock/jar part is hard to see, and I did it a bit differently than usual because I used it in the beginning of the year so did not have to give the complete story, intro, and conclusion.  If you ever get to see it in person or have the opportunity to do it it is awesome. This class is almost identical to the first class of the year.  I do some of the same stories and books, and play a different song.  It “closes” the circle…or does it open some doors?

One thing that I wish you could see are the kids faces. As I go into the stories many heads start looking down, looking up once in awhile.  Their faces are precious.  Joy, wonder, sadness, regret..a potpourri of emotions.

Every man has his secret sorrows that the world knows not;
and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.
Longfellow.

I have 100 students.It is very easy to cruise through the year without ever getting to know many of them. That is the reality of an in and out 45 minutes a day schedule. I have quiet kids and loud kids. Kids who do extra work and kids who hand in nothing at all. Kids who talk all through class and kids who are barely audible. Kids who are very happy and kids who are very sad.

It is hard to tell which ones are happy and which ones are sad. You might think that is a silly statement, but what you see is not what a kid is feeling. The book bag the kid brings to school is the tip of the iceberg of the emotional baggage they might be carrying. If you think about it, we make plans for our class based on the assumption that each kid is happy. We give grades, due dates, and comments to kids assuming that everything in their life is fine. And even if it is not fine, even if their life sucks, we still hold them accountable to the dates and guidelines that we set assuming they were fine.

Over the last decade I have become more in tune with the emotional well being of my classes. I realized that there might be a week or more when a certain kid does absolutely nothing because all they can think about is being evicted from their house. I realized that for two weeks a kid might just need a safe place to come in and sit and not have anyone getting on his back about anything. I realized that just because your parents divorced 3 years ago, doesn’t mean it still isn’t painful…especially after father’s day. I realized that a kid yelling at me doesn’t need me to yell back or to be given a detention to teach them a lesson, but needs a sign that someone in this world still loves them.

I didn’t realize how any of the pain my kids were feeling impacted their school life until I had periods in my life that made me suffer with emotional pain. Every period of suffering in my life brought more clarity to my understanding the plight of the kids whose suffering I had never noticed. While good times made me happy, suffering made me a better teacher. If you made a list of the events in your life in that you gained the most wisdom from would they be sad or happy? I did not gain wisdom from buying a new car, but gained a lot from driving around in a car that always broke down. No wisdom from having plenty of money, but a lot of wisdom from having none. Some wisdom from having a baby, but a whole lot more from the death of one.

With each struggle that I go through, I use it as a reminder that out of 100 kids many of them are also struggling. Struggling with things that they have no control over, and living a life they have no control over. They still have to meet the same deadlines that everyone else has to. Before someone says “well that’s how life is,” it’s not. During each struggle in my life I was able to ask for extensions for deadlines, delegate parts of my job, and when it was really needed…I showed a movie.

Last week my dog died. She was my buddy for 15 years. I was very, very sad. It gave me a wake up call to keep in mind the struggles that my kids are going through. Unfortunately when my life is good, I forget that not everyone elses is good. My dog’s death reminded me to keep alert for sadness that might be disguised by a smile, or sadness that is represented by a missing assignment. I know my kids were certainly surprised last week when I made every kid sit in their seats silently during bus announcements after two kids were found in the hallway. I overreacted. I was not reacting reasonably; I was reacting out of my pain. Not one kid could say something because I was in charge so no one could “punish” me for my outburst and mistake. I was reminded that most kids misbehave for the same reason. They are reacting in reaction to some pain. Sometimes it is as obvious a stake through the heart, but other times it is a small sliver that is undetectable. Sometimes it is with a frown, but many times it is with a smile. Sometimes it is followed by an I’m sorry, but the one that gets teachers the most and makes us forget about the kid, riles our emotions, and causes us to react instantly to the action is when it is followed up by an “I don’t care.” “I don’t care” is the phrase kids use when they care deeply, but don’t have any words to express the emotions behind their actions.

We should all look at our “classroom management plan” that we have established in our classes. When we implement rules that are created to stop actions and ignore the pain, we are basically creating a system set-up to suppress emotions. Bottling up pain, just leads to more problems. Is your “system” built to suppress actions? Or solve the underlying cause of them? When a kid says “I don’t care” is your system set-up to punish, or support. Coerce, or connect.

Every student has their secret sorrows that the world knows not; and often times we call a student a bully, lazy, dumb, uninterested, careless, unmotivated, stubborn, trouble, rude, difficult or needy when they are only sad.

Now that it is the end of school, I find myself examining the start of school.  What did we do at the beginning that is causing us to end the way we are (both good and bad)?  I really liked my first day, the first impression I gave the kids.  It reminds me of a passage from a book by William Glasser:

I don’t want to start with threats.  They’re an admission of weakness, an admission that a lot of what I teach isn’t very interesting and that I’m worried about losing control.  Besides, before I even get to know them, I’m anticipating trouble and telling them that at the first sign of it, I’m going to clamp down.

First impressions last for 30 days.  The first day really lays the ground work the year, and should not just be considered a day to hand out lists of rules, supplies, and the course syllabus.

What kind of impression do you make on the first day?  Do the kids want to come back for day 2?  Would you?

Seven ex-students came back to visit and I was able to convince them to sit down and record their reflections on their high school career.  We talked about the great things teachers do, things they would change, and a hearty discussion about school lunches.  I think there is something in this conversation for everyone, no matter what grade or subject you teach.

It is the time of the year in which the staff in my system sign up for professional development that occurs during the first two days of the school year in August.  We have two choices.  We can sign-up for a town “sponsored” workshop.  There are 16 of those offered.  11 are for specific groups of teachers.  There is one that is only for k-1, another for high school social studies teachers, etc.  Then there are 28 collaboratives. These are workshops that small groups of teachers put together for themselves.  For example there is one for 6th grade teachers in one school on using a Smartboard in Math class.  So if you were not a part of a collaborative, and you are not going to a mandatory workshop, that leaves 5 choices:

211 – MICROSOFT OFFICE 2003

Audience: All Staff, PreK-12

Presenter(s): Information Technology Resource Teacher

Location: To be determined

This two-day workshop will cover the basics of four of most commonly used applications in the Microsoft Office 2003 suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. Participants will learn how to determine which application is best suited for the task they wish to accomplish and will be able to effectively utilize the basic and most commonly used abilities of each of these applications. Topics taught will cover the computer skills and competencies included in the Wallingford K-8 computer curriculum for these programs. Advance topics will be covered depending on time constraints and the interest of the participants. Methods for using these products when interacting with students with disabilities or requiring adaptive technology will also be covered.

212 – INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS

Audience: All Staff, PreK-12

Presenter(s): Information Technology Resource Teacher
Location: To be determined

Participants will learn the basic skills for using interactive whiteboards including how to set up and calibrate an interactive whiteboard such as a SmartBoard or Mimeo stick. They will also practice downloading, installing, and using corresponding software and updates, as well as using templates and creating their own lessons on the laptops.

213 – EXPLORING WEB TOOLS FOR THE CLASSROOM

Audience: All Staff, PreK-12

Presenter: Information Technology Resource Teacher

Location: To be determined

This workshop is designed to introduce participants to more advanced internet tools that can enhance current classroom activities and can launch or improve discussion in your classroom. These web tools are free downloads or web services that can be used to enhance creativity, information sharing, and most importantly, collaboration among your students.

214 – DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE CLASSROOM

Audience: All Staff, PreK-12

Presenter: Information Technology Resource Teacher

Location: To be determined

Participants will learn how to use digital cameras, change settings, download images, resize photos, and utilize programs such as Picture Manager, Photo Story, and other photo software.

215 – GOOGLE FOR EDUCATORS

Audience: All Staff, PreK-12

Presenter: Information Technology Resource Teacher

Location: To be determined

Limit: 23 participants

In this workshop, participants will learn how to use various Google tools and applications. Participants will learn more about Google Earth, Google Maps, Notebook, Google Docs, advanced Google searches, and other free Google resources that can enhance teaching and learning. Come learn how you can have all these resources available to you from any computer whether at home, school or anywhere you can log on.

It was a tough decision trying to figure out what to take.  I am google certified, and we are officially told that google docs is not something that the system supports, and google notebook is shutdown.  I can do everything they would cover in the digital photography. I have taken interactive smartboards twice.  Microsoft 2003?  I’ll pass. So that leaves “exploring web tools in the classroom.”

There was a survey given to staff on what workshops they would like to see offered.  There were some very interesting topics.  Then there was an email requesting presenters for some of the topics and I volunteered for several.  None made the list of offerings.  The last two years a workshop that had a similar title to “Exploring Webtools in the classroom” was offered and canceled due to lack of interest.  If it gets canceled again, I will end up in my second choice…. Microsoft 2003.

I am sitting here waiting for my daughter to finish an after school activity and I am getting excited about the last two weeks of school.  That’s right, there are two weeks of school left. Teachers and friends started talking about the end of school over a month ago. You have probably heard the same choruses of the end is near, the kids are crazy, I can’t get anything done, etc, etc…

Huh?

In sports every player steps it up when there are just a couple minutes left on the clock. Musicians step it up during the last rehearsal. Lawyers step it up in their closing arguments. A NASCAR pit crew will step it up on that last stop of the race.

Why then do teachers step back at the end of the year? Why aren’t the last weeks of school the very best in the student’s year?

The last month of school should be the time when teachers step it up. The lessons and units should be the finest of the year. After all, they know their kids best by the end, they know what works and what does not, and they know their skills and weaknesses. The units at the end should be a time for the students to shine shine shine. A time in which all of their hard work from all year pays off and they can now demonstrated what they learned by being in your presence for 180+ days. What you see during the last month of school, what the kids do and how they behave is a reflection of the past year. The last month is a mirror to the year, and also a window to their future. Not only should the lessons reflect the skills and content they have learned all year, but they should lay a direct path for the road they will be traveling after graduation. Does that make sense? I am having trouble with the words. I just know that with me the end of the year became more meaningful when I thought of it not as an end, but as a launching pad of sorts. Especially the last day–that grand finale tear jerker of a day. What we did, what we accomplished, the skills and content that we packed into their bodies will not be left with me, but will be used everyday on their new path.  Hopefully, we packed their bags with everything they will need.

On my last day with them I don’t attempt to give them anything new.  What I stress, what I try to drive home,  is that symbolic “bag” that they have been packing all year is theirs everywhere they go, and that they need to continue to use all the tools that have been placed into it.  When the rest of the kids in their future classes are doing bullet point powerpoints will they step back and do the same?  When kids in their future classes are all just going through the motions to get a grade will they offer up an alternative to the teacher?  When the kids in their future classes are just doing the minimum to pass by afraid of making a mistake, will they continue to take chances and take risks?  My last couple of weeks of school are devoted to making sure that when they leave me they don’t step back, but that they continue to step up.