Just a Little Perspective From a Stranger......

Sometimes we just need a little perspective from a stranger…

I love summer.  I love the heat, the sun, the laziness of it.  I love being able to spend time with my family, see friends, garden, and just sit outside and read as the birds sing. Yes, summer can be paradise.  But as many teachers can attest to, the end of the school year is always bittersweet.  While I’m looking forward to the laid back days of sunshine, I’m also feeling a bit sad about missing my students, kids I’ve spent the last nine months with, five days a week.  I’ve come to think of these students not just as students, but as “my kids”.   And then suddenly, our time is done.   We all move on.  Still, when I run into former students at the public library, or receive an email telling me about a great book someone just finished reading and had to share with me, I get that familiar rush of excitement knowing that my students, “my kids”, are still thinking about me too.

Fridays in summer frequently mean long walks through the neighborhood with my husband, visiting rummage sales looking for treasures.  Today I happened upon a pair of high-back bar stools and a high, narrow table that would be perfect to use as a desk with the bar stools.  Immediately my teacher radar clicked on. This would be wonderful in my classroom.  I could picture two students sitting on the stools at the desk, working on a project.  I even had the perfect corner of my classroom in mind. Excitedly, I started talking about my possible plans for the furniture (to no one in particular, that’s what happens when teachers have a lot of alone time), the man in charge of the rummage sale asked me what I taught.  When I shared with him that I taught 6^th grade reading and writing his eyes lit up, although another customer at the rummage chimed in, “Oh, you wouldn’t want my boys, they’re terrors in the classroom!”  Which of course, led to another discussion of how I’m the mother of three boys, and how much I love boys, and how I’m sure I would enjoy having her sons as students.  Sometimes I just can’t help myself; I love talking about kids and education.

I decided I really needed to have the stools and table for school.  I asked the owner if he would be willing to make a deal for the set, as I wanted them for my classroom.  He smiled at me and said, "Since you’re a teacher, I’d be happy to help you out.  I loved my sixth grade teacher. She made me feel excited about going to school and learning. When she got excited about something her eyes sparkled. I saw that same sparkle just now in your eyes.”  He had the biggest smile on his face when he told me this. I laughed and thanked him, but as my husband and I walked home I couldn’t help but think about his words.  I do get excited when I talk about school and my students.  I guess I never realized it was so easy to see my excitement.  But I’m glad it shows, because if it makes others remember happy days in school, then definitely it’s a good thing!

Read, Write, Teach - Introduction

As I read the introduction to Read, Write, Teach by Linda Rief, I felt myself just itching to pick up a pen and start writing my own stories.  I love Linda’s idea:

“Story shows that we are thinking, feeling human beings with connections and relationships to each other.”

Our students are so much more than numbers.  They are so much more than the data spewed out by the endless tests and assessments we are required to administer each year.  Writing allows our students to give voice to who they are, to share their ideas, feelings and thoughts.  Writing allows students to build relationships while awakening new possibilities, not only with others, but within themselves as well.

Reading and writing have always been my passion.  I love being able to teach both subjects everyday to my students. I am someone who could easily get lost in the discussion of a favorite book, or the writing of a story. When teaching writing, I do try and write along with my students, and frequently do get lost in the flow of the words and have to pull myself away. I share Linda’s beliefs:

“I want my students to know me.  I want them to know my stories.  I read them my drafts of writing because I also want them to know I value what I ask them to do enough to do it myself.”

It’s hard to describe to someone who’s never taught writing this way, but some kind of magic happens when teachers write alongside their students and then share their drafts aloud.  By no means do I considered myself a “writer”, but many times I’ve witnessed students glued to their seats, completely engaged, as I’ve read my drafts to them.  Their encouragement means the world to me. But what is even more important is the relationship building forged by our sharing.  The students learn about things that matter to me.  I learn about what matters to them. They learn that I care about their opinions and ideas.

I have a feeling this book, Read, Write, Teach, will open a whole new world of possibilities for us! 

Calm in my Perfect Storm

So many times when I tell people what I do for a living I hear back, "How do you do it?  I could never last a day.”  Usually when I hear that I think how lucky I am because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  I’ve had other jobs in my life but none that can even come close to offering the satisfaction I get from teaching reading and writing to 75+ sixth graders everyday.  Yes, I’m exhausted when I get home, and there are very few nights I go home empty handed.  More likely I’m loaded down with not one, but two tote bags filled with papers to read, feedback to be give and lessons to plan. I do as much as I can after dinner, fall asleep late, and then get up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to start again.  By now you might be thinking, is she crazy?  Why would anyone one continue to do this day after day?  (And I haven’t even gotten into the nitty gritty details of my job.)  I guess it’s just something you have to experience for yourself.  Once that bell rings at 8:20 in the morning, my homeroom students arrive at their lockers, call out greetings to their friends and come into the classroom.  I enter autopilot, top speed.  It’s show time.  I have my game plan ready for the day.  I call it a game plan because it’s flexible.  I’m prepared for the expected and the unexpected.  But what’s truly amazing is that I am able to keep going at this speed until 3:30 pm, when the last student heads out the door at the end of the day.  During the day I am almost constantly in motion, whether I’m delivering a lesson, conferring, on lunchroom duty, facilitating writing club, some part of me is always moving, especially my mind.  Even after the kids go home, I usually don’t slow down until it’s finally time for me to call it a day and head home, again with tote bags in tow.

Today there was a calm in my “perfect storm”.  While in the library, moving between helping students look for books, advising two groups on their text structure posters, and trying to keep the noise level to a low hum, I look up and see my son in the midst of all of this. It took a minute for my mind to register what I was seeing it was so unexpected.  And then I noticed what he had in his hands, Starbucks!  He had come in the middle of the morning to bring me a hot Chai Latte!  For the first time in I don’t know how long, my autopilot stopped in the middle of the day.  I was stunned.  Even the students stopped for a moment (yes, that’s very unusual).  Then I hugged my son, the students went into overdrive asking me questions, then asking my son questions, and soon it was back to the happy continuous buzz of daily life at school.  My days are nonstop and hectic on a regular basis but I can’t imagine it any other way.  If anything the pace has truly helped me to appreciate the simpler things in life like family and a hot Chai Latte in the middle of the day.

100 Words 100 Days Challenge via #Engchat

       Today I rushed home from school to take part in a Twitter chat about writing.  As the only sixth grade ELA teacher in my school I sometimes feel like an island.  Twitter chats allow me to not only share ideas, but also gather tons of inspiration from teachers and experts around the world.  Tonight was no exception.  A large group of ELA teachers voiced their concerns, shared ideas, and offered inspiration on how to teach writing, offer feedback, and develop the writing habit not only in students, but in teachers as well.  After an hour of this fast-paced back and forth tweeting many of us echoed the same sentiments in our tweets, we were ready to grab notebooks, pens, keyboards, etc. and start writing.  Then the challenge was made:  100 words for 100 days.  I don’t even know who first offered the challenge, but it caught on and was quickly retweeted.  So here I am, writing, officially starting my first day of the challenge.  What will I write about?  I’m not sure: school, writing, reading, education, life in the classroom, most likely a mix of all.  But I’ll be writing and isn’t that what the challenge was all about it?  Feedback is welcome but stars and wishes only please!    

Sneak-Read!

I had a student ‘sneak-read’ today… 

And I’m celebrating!  This is a student that came into my classroom at the beginning of the year and stared at the floor.   When I wanted to be sure he was listening I would get down on the floor and look up at him.  This student not only was uninterested in reading, I was having a difficult time trying to find books to appeal to him because of his unresponsiveness.  I had never seen anything like it!  And today….  Today I actually had to tell him to close his book for a moment so he could participate in our mini lesson on making inferences.  Then I promised him he could continue to read and use his book to practice inferring.  He agreed, albeit begrudgingly.  Truth be told, I would have loved to have just let him continue reading.  I had been waiting a long time for this day and I just want to revel it.  The site of this student so engrossed in a book that he was able shut out all distractions around him, made me feel like I had just won the lottery!

It seems hard to believe but last week I had another student make a profound revelation that set my heart racing as well.  After our mini lesson in workshop, the student looked up at me, smiled and commented, “I used to just read to be ‘done’.  Now I get it.”  I think I stared at him in what I can only image was shock and asked him to repeat his statement. I had to be sure I had heard him right.  He repeated it.  I had him heard correctly.  I wanted to jump up and down and clap my hand and dance around the classroom.  I had made a difference! 

This is what we reading teachers dream of, students that “get reading”. It’s one of the best feelings in the world.  I could use a dose of this every day but feel so lucky to have experienced it two weeks in a row.  I can only hope we have started a trend.

The Power of "Believe"

This year our principal challenged all of us to choose our “word” for the year.  A word to inspire us not only as we start the year, but to provide a focus for ourselves and our students as we move though the challenges of the coming school year.  Without hesitation I chose the word “believe”.  This has been my unofficial “word” for many years.  When I’ve had challenges in life, whether as a teen, a college student, a mom, a teacher, I’ve focused on the power of believe, believing everything would be all right. Believing I could do what others told me was impossible.  Believing I could achieve my dreams.  Believing my children could achieve their dreams.   So it was natural that I chose “believe” as the word for my classroom.

         I didn’t do anything special.  I simply wrote the word in red marker across a sheet of typing paper and posted it on the chalkboard in the front of the classroom.  I told the students that it was our “word” for the year.  In our classroom there would be no giving up, no “it’s too hard”, no excuses.  This became our classroom policy.  If a student complains that something is too hard, I simply walk to the chalkboard and point to “believe”.  If that doesn’t do the trick, we all remind the student to believe.  It has almost become a chat for us, “Believe.  You can do it. PMA (positive mental attitude)! Believe!” Corny as it may sound, it works.  The student sees that I believe, classmates believe, finally the student begins to believe. 

Is it the power of the word at work? Is it the power of realizing that the teacher and classmates believe?  Is it the positive energy generated?  Whatever the reason, the energy created is palpable and students are changing.  They believe in themselves.

Believe

When you enter this classroom…

Believe you’re a reader

Believe you’re a writer

Believe in the power of books

Believe in the power of words

Believe that you’re smart

Believe you deserve respect

Believe others deserve respect

Believe we all matter, always

Believe that you’ll try your hardest

Believe that “OK” is not enough

Believe in doing your best

Believe the best in others

Believe honesty is the only way

Believe in the possible

Believe in the impossible

Most of all

When you enter this classroom…

Believe you’ll never stop believing in yourself!

Writing... Enjoying the Process!

We’re taking a different approach to blogging this year.  I’ve read so many good ideas via Twitter about “paper blogging” that I thought we’d try something different and start with that.  It’s not that I’m new to blogging with students. My class was quite successful last year with their reading blogs.  But it was just my homeroom that I taught reading to last year.  This year I have 78 students, three different classes, and they’re all excited about blogging.  So this week we’ve been working on writing book recommendations.  We’ve been taking it slowly, reading examples of both good and not-so good reviews, brainstorming characteristics of good book reviews, completing graphic organizers as part of the prewrite process, and finally moving on to the rough drafts today.  It was amazing to watch as the students became completely engaged in writing their recommendations.  The students moved through the writing process from rough draft, to peer conferencing, to revising with very few snags.  Taking it slowly really paid off!

But the magic started as I began to walk around the classroom and the students eagerly asked me to listen to their writing. The best part of my day was sitting with the students and listening to them read their book recommendations. It was the best of both worlds.  We were talking about writing, getting excited about great books, and sharing ideas.