A Garbage Man Told Me To Smile...

Last week, as I was walking to the subway, I passed a man who was bringing garbage into the walk in dumpster.  Just as I passed him I hear him say, “Smile, school’s over.  We’ll try this again sometime.”  I immediately tried to smile back and really laughed to myself.  It amused me because, with out knowing me, he sized me up right away.  I guess being a young white girl in a predominantly black neighborhood is a good indication that I don’t belong and I’m probably a teacher.  I guess he also figured that my grumpy/stressed face was due to having a long day with rowdy kids.  

He really hit the nail on the head.  That day and the day before were particularly stressful.  We had a teacher absent, and were going to have another one out in another day, so one of my breaks was gone.  I was thinking of what content I had to put on my tests that I was making for each subject for 2 grades and how I could fit them in time-wise due to standardized testing the week after and being unable to do content tests then.  The girls’ behaviors were not so good and just draining.  I was also trying to rush so I could meet a friend and make an early train home so I could have a life experience totally separate from work.  

I guess I’m not so good at hiding all these feelings on my face while trying to get home and away from work.  In reflection, it makes me sad to think that I can’t smile after a day of work.  I believe that I’m happy in my profession, and position of work, but if I don’t smile often, am I really happy?  I feel every day should make you smile once at least.  I think I do that when my students do something cute, funny, or achieve a personal success.  But shouldn’t the events of the whole day add up to be positive and not negative?  Maybe I’m not evaluating and assessing my day fairly.  One day I will have to sit down and make a list of the positives and negatives and see which column wins.  If I end with more negatives, then something has to change.  

Differentiation

Today I realized that I achieved differentiated instruction.  It’s something that I kind of overlook, but may kind of do with out knowing.  I know some of my lessons can reach different learners (ie: visual, auditory, kinesthetic), but another way emerged today. 

I gave a sheet in the math practice workbook to my 6^th grade students today so they could do more with putting decimals into fractions.  This allowed me to walk around and see how each individual was doing.  One student, who’s very bright, was way farther ahead of the others.  She completed the worksheet and got to the last 2 problems which had a combination of fractions and decimals that you had to put in order.  I didn’t really have an intention to do this part, but it occurred to me that it was something she could achieve.  I told her to either put them all into fractions or all into decimals and then order them.  She chose to put them into decimals and then she had to do the rest for homework.  She came in the next morning and said she wanted to show me.  She thought she put them in order but I realized that this skill wasn’t something she automatically knew.  I now know that I can have her look ahead and somewhat teach herself.  This is something that I’m going to look into because I have one or 2 more students that could be at this level.  Now I just have to work on differentiating for the lower level students. 

7^th and 8^th don’t exactly have this diversity.  Every student in those classes struggle with the material and I might only have to help the lowest students, which is something I work on anyway.  6^th grade seems to be my experimental group that I am really learning from. 

This differentiation makes me think of my own learning.  I am taking 2 graduate classes this semester and one I’m not a fan of and the other is pretty decent.  It could be the fact that I don’t like politics but I have some background in working with special ed.  In any case, I’ve found that the professor for politics is just not understandable to me.  Almost every class I wonder, “what was his point?”  He makes a powerpoint and usually reads off it and seems to make a statement or rhetorical question based on the slide.  I never really get his point, but others in the class sometimes can respond to him.  Sometimes I think it’s my lack of experience and knowledge of politics and other times I think it’s his teaching style.  It makes me reflect on my own teaching and I wonder, how many of my students just can’t learn from me and my style?  So again, how can I differentiate for my students?

A Case of the Mondays

I have found that out of all the days of the week, Mondays are the worst.  You would think Fridays would be, but for some reason my students find their energy for the start of the week.  This energy is not a good one.  I spend more time trying to get them to quiet and settle down, raise their hands, start and finish tasks, and just stop bouncing off the walls than I do teaching.  I guess it's the fact that they've had no structure for 2 days that the routine flies out the window.  

I have to create a new way to conquer this behavior.  I'm so sick of the phrases "stay in your seat," stop calling out," and "do this problem now."  I was thinking one solution might be to reward those doing the right thing.  I might make a spreadsheet or chart for each class where they can earn stickers for each day.  When they get 5 stickers they will get a prize (candy?).  If I have to correct them a student at all, that student will not get a sticker for the day.  My follow through will be most important here.

Any other suggestions for classroom behavior management?

Funny Things Overheard from 7th Grade...

So I sat in on the 7th grade social studies class today and I heard some embarrassing but funny things.  Here they are:

~The US imports igloo's from Antarctica.  (This one is my favorite.)

~Hawaii is not a US state and if a presidential candidate is born there he can not become president.

~The US imports Bacardi rum from Puerto Rico.  (Keep in mind they are 7th grade girls)

This last one reminded me about when I was teaching the same grade about absolute value in math, one girl remembered the name of it because she associated it with Absolute vodka.  I really wish I didn't hear them talk about alcohol.  

Random Thoughts on the Beginning of Year 2

I have finally completed my first 3 days with a full schedule.  It was really nice to start off the year with only the 7^th and 8^th grade and try to hash out the things I wanted to start differently this year.  The 6^th grade had their class bonding at the farm and I got to ease back into work life.  

Thank goodness for 2 free periods in the day this year!  I feel more relaxed and prepared.  

I had open house this week, which went smoothly, but I did set myself up for the 6^th grade parents to respond too much.  I asked them for their support in helping to keep the girls focused and calm.  I told them the girls were sometime rowdy, and unfortunately I didn’t think ahead of time on how to bring up the issue.  As soon as they heard this they said “Oh! No!  They know that is not to happen, so you just call me as soon as something happens!”  At least I know I have a great support team.  Some of the girls were in the room for this discussion and I saw them sink in their seats with their eyes down.  It’s been a work in progress for those girls.  They force me to raise my voice at them when they don’t listen to my stern commands to sit down and quiet down.  

After talking with one of my college friends (who now works with the 3^rd grade in my building) we realized a sad fact.  Some kids will only respond by correcting their behaviors when you yell at them.  It gives you a glimpse into what they probably hear at home.  As a teacher, you don’t want to yell at a student because you want to make school a safer and happier place for that student, but if they don’t listen to anything else, what else can you do?  

One of my 6^th grade students has shown improvement.  She has had behavior problems since last year and was recommended on probation to our program.  At camp and the farm she had some issues that have been addressed.  During summer school she had problems with calling out in class.  I have refused to answer students that call out in class and she has come to realize this.  She will correct herself and sit patiently until I call on her.  I praised her for this improvement by giving her an index card with a sticker and a statement of my praise.  She became excited and smiled when she read it and I’m hoping that this positive reinforcement will turn her around and shape her into the great student I know she can become.  This index card praise is a new thing that I am trying out.  I had done it once before for an 8^th grade student that I just did not get along with last year.  She has improved her focus and participation, which was a big step for her.  I’ve turned a new leaf with this student and have come to look at her in a new light.  

I’m hopeful that this year will run much more smoothly and my students, the parents and I will be much happier with the results.

Too Much Sex in the City

So as I sit in Penn waiting for my train ride home on this Friday evening with my majorly overpriced sandwich, I’m noticing the lasted fashion trend for the late teen/early 20s ladies.  Yes I fit that bill, but I never seem to get into the real trends of fashion (is that sad to say?).  There is this urge in me to go up to these ladies and ask them “What the hell are you thinking?”  They are decked out in their hug every curve and barely cover my butt black dresses, either strapless or spaghetti straps, and 4” heels.  Keep in mind, it’s the beginning of fall and it’s about 50 something degrees outside tonight.  I’m donning one of my pashmina scarves and ¾ length sweaters and feel like a total mom.  Working with my students has completely turned me into a 40 year old mom who has anxiety about what her daughter wears when she goes out of the house.  Except for me, my teenage daughter is every girl I see.  

I curse society for making sex appeal so outrageous.  Where did the days go when it was shocking to have a skirt just above the knee, or to have just a little bit of cleavage or your shoulders showing.  I wish all girls would learn the lesson that no guy is going to respect you at some bar or club when you’re dressed in what looks like one of those bathing suits from the 50s.

Was that the inspiration for these new dresses?  One girl in particular stood out to me and I decided to analyze her.  She was not very slender and her curves were just not in the best places.  She was wearing one of these dresses and it made me think either she’s completely full of herself and thinks she’s hot, or she’s insecure and is trying to hide it by being overly “sexy.”  I’m leaning towards the latter.  It’s these types of girls that worry me.  They are the ones that need a reality check and a make over with someone who can find clothes that fit them properly and that accentuate one area of the body that will make her and others feel she is attractive.  It’s possible that I watch too many Oprah and Stacy and Clinton makeovers. 

This whole thing about sex appeal reminds me of a billboard I saw one day with a friend of mine that really disturbed her.  I believe it was for Calvin Klein.  It had one girl topless sprawled over a guy on a couch with another guy slumped against the couch sitting on the floor, and two other guys laying around as well.  They all looked disheveled and it’s possible that they were about to kiss or at least you would assume that something was about to or just did happen.  It was hard to realize that it was advertising jeans. 

I guess in a world where “sex sells,” we’re never going to win the battle over our youth being too sexy.  All I can do is work with the girls I teach and hope that I can influence them to love themselves and their bodies enough not to desire this look of over exposure.

1 Day Down...

So I got through my 2nd first day of school as a teacher!  It felt so much easier this year.  What a difference it makes after finishing a year of teaching.  I have to say that it really helped being with the girls for 4 weeks over the summer as well.  I didn't have to do all the get to know you stuff but instead I jumped into my expectations and such that I put on my syllabus.  Yes, I made a syllabus for my middle school kids.  This was actually a great idea and I'm having them keep it in a binder that will have their tests and graded work so I can refer to it all year if needed.  

My class sizes are so small this year.  I have 11 6th graders (only 9 have showed up so far and we might lose one more), 12 7th graders (who are my homeroom girls and are awesome!), and 15 8th graders.  Luckily, in the 7th and 8th grade classes the kids that caused the major issues in those classes have moved on to other places.  This leaves us with classes that are very cohesive groups that are doing fairly well.  8th is still in the distracted and talkative mood that they were last year, but me and my colleagues are really trying to nip that in the bud.  7th grade is just kicking butt.  The only issue I had was them talking to each other too much about the topic I was trying to discuss with them during homeroom.  So at least they were on topic, they just wouldn't let me talk, but that got better towards the end.  They are the class that is following the rules the most and really standing out as role models for others.  I got really lucky with the homeroom choice.  6th is really struggling.  We have some students in that class that are just immature, and rightfully so.  It's going to be a task to try to mature them into middle school students that are responsible for their own actions.  

One of my goals this year is to keep in contact with parents more.  I decided to send home a Parent Contact and Info Sheet asking parents to tell me the best way to contact them and also some questions about the student's work at home.  I included questions about if they have a quiet space, if the parent has a chance to help the student, and how long they see the student doing work at home.  I wanted to get the parent's perspective on their student's work ethic at home so I can better understand how to help the student in school.  

So here starts my year of adjustments, learning and teaching!

If You Got The Feeling...

So here's my entry about my camp experience.

I agreed to join my girls at camp under the idea that I was going as just an extra set of eyes and to do a book study with the girls.  Little did I know I would be staying with the girls in their cabins.  Luckily I got a bottom bunk, because to me, climbing into bed on top of one of my students would have just been way too awkward for me.  One of the biggest downfalls of this arrangement, as you can probably imagine, is the lack of privacy.  This arrangement blurred the line of the student/teacher relationship.  I am closer with my students than some teachers become due to the small class size, single sex, and extended day program, but being this close was a little too much.  One of my colleagues was staying in the same cabin, just on the other side of the bathroom which split our cabin in half.  We would shower and dress before the girls woke up or after they were busy in activities to ensure that we had privacy.  For some reason many of the girls felt comfortable in their skin to bare it to others.  They also played around with opening doors and curtains on each other.  Not exactly what you want to happen to you as a teacher, luckily it never did.  

Another downfall was the sheer messiness we had to live in.  Having 36 people in one cabin equals a lot of clutter and dirt.  After breakfast, there was a designated time for cabin cleanup.  This included straightening cubbies, making beds, sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathroom.  Every morning there were fights about whose dirty underwear was on the floor and whose pjs were on other peoples beds.  I should have counted the number of articles of clothing that were thrown away during every cleanup due to the fact that no one would claim them as theirs.  I guess it was the lack of complete personal space and the absence of parental supervision that lead some of the girls to feel that they could be so messy.  I tried setting a good example by keeping my bed and cubby the neatest out of anyone's (which is a hard feet for me).  But I do have to congratulate the girls because one half of our cabin won the "Golden Sponge" for having the cleanest cabin for one of the weeks.  So they did pull through in the end.

One thing that was both good and bad was the singing during meals.  It was good because it brought good, clean fun into their lives and made meals seem like a family event.  It was bad because it was just so loud!  They would sing songs like this: "If you got the feeling, yea yea, let me see it in your head, uh uh uh uh uh.  (with head shake)"  And the song would continue with the shoulders, hands, hips, on the table, and feet.  I often left the dining hall with a headache and a smile on my face. 

I was really glad I decided to bring my knee high rain boots because the ground sure did get muddy.  Too bad I didn't heed the warnings about wearing flip flops around.  I was pretty good about that except the one day I decided to wear them (like one of my colleagues did the whole time we were there).  Sure enough what happens that one day?  I slip in some mud and fall while flipping over the top of my foot and spraining my ankle.  Just my luck.  Moments before this happened one of my students said, "Don't slip in the mud and fall."  She felt horrible and thought she jinxed me.  If only she knew how many times I've sprained my weak ankles.  This sprain wasn't bad and I decided to do a "hike" about 2 hours after the incident anyways.  Resiliency anyone?

The camp experience included two dances which occurred in the night.  Some of the girls got sooo excited and put on their best clothes to impress the boys.  But of course they acted like the shy middle schoolers that they are and barely danced.  Some spent most of their time walking back and forth across the room to gossip and giggle with different groups of friends, or just sat on the stage people watching.  It's so funny that even inner city kids with attitudes act just like the stereotypical awkward middle schoolers that you know and love.  I was really hoping for the awkward slow dance with arms out stretched and eyes wandering all over the room, but I unfortunately never saw it.  

The girls got to meet many other girls and boys from the city who go to all different schools.  This was great for them to share experiences.  They ran around sharing screen names and emails the last day, so I hope some of them keep in touch. 

Camp was fun and definitely a new experience for me, but would I do it again?  Not so sure.  It was good when I kept my distance and allowed the girls to experience things for themselves with their counselors.  But I also got to see a different side of some of my girls.  I may have to see what my next summer brings.

Now it's back to school...

"Help Me! I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!"

My grandmother is a wonderful woman but there are some things about her that makes you want to just sigh, shake your head and laugh.  One thing is her issue with certain commercials.  Some being the Gieco commercials like the one where a doctor tells his dying patient that he has good news but it's not that he will live but that he saved money on his car insurance.  She actually called Gieco to complain that their commercials were offensive.  This brings me to the title of this blog.  The other commercial she doesn't like is the one for LIfe Alert where the woman falls and says, "Help me!  I've fallen and I can't get up!"  I remembered this commercial while spending the past 2 weeks at sleep away camp with my students.

It was a real eye opener to be around my students 24/14.  I came to the realization that their generation is missing some pieces of social interactions that should have been taught to them by the middle school age.  

The first thing was their lack of knowledge on how to clean the cabin.  One student decided after getting her task of cleaning the bathroom sinks she would stand around by her bed.  She put off starting the task because she "didn't know what to do" or where to get the supplies.  This was a trend among most students during cabin cleanup and meal time.  The first few days I think the girls were a little put off that they actually had to do the work and couldn't rely on the adult of the house to do it for them.  This is when I heard the term "learned helplessness."  It perfectly describes how our youth are raised in a society where they are pampered and not expected to do the dirty work.  Of course this is not the case for all students, we had some extremely helpful ones among the bunch.  And I'll admit that I'm kind of among the bunch of "learned helplessness" kids.  The only difference is my attitude about it.  Some kids just have to be more proactive about asking for help when needed instead of avoiding the task given to them.  

The second was the lack of table manners among some of the kids.  It became pretty apparent that some of the girls were never taught proper etiquette.  Body posture was hunched, there was a lack of use of utensils, lack of serving technique, and most disturbing was the chewing with mouths open.  These are all manners that are often taught in the home during meal time.  After observing a student who lacked some of these manners, another adult and I inquired about her meal habits at home.  She said that most people in her house eat at separate times...bingo!  There's the reason.  In busy households kids don't have the opportunity to eat with the adults and therefore are not told to "chew with your mouth closed," "no elbows on the table," "use a fork and knife."  

This was something I tried to enforce at meals (the picking apart of beef with fingers was just not kosher).  Hopefully the girls remembered some of the lessons we tried to instill.  I tried to convince them it's better to have table manners so they don't scare away a guy on a date, since they're pre-teen and teen girls I figured it was the best motivation.  Unfortunately the girls don't have access to proper utensils during meals at school and often the food is finger food so it will be hard to continue the proper practice in school.  Maybe this can be an extra activity?  Occasionally having a sit down meal together?  I don't think the girls would mind a nice meal.

All in all camp was a decent success, but I'll share more about that in my next post.

Thanks Twitter!

So I have found a new love with Twitter.  I have found so many education connections that I can't keep up with all the good articles, videos, etc!  I have a running list of bookmarks to be looked at.  This makes me feel so connected, smart, savvy and well...educated. 

Here's a video that I came across a few days ago.  It's pretty powerful.  

This video reminded me of a poem my mom told me about when I began teaching:

Children Learn What They Live (1998)

By Dorothy Law Nolte (1924 - 2005)

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.


If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.


If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.


If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.


If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.


If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.


If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.


If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.


If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.


If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.


If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.


If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

As teachers, many of our students look to us to be their role model or parental figure because they are lacking support at home.  I find this with my students, some more than others.  We always have to be conscious of what we are doing around them and that we are acting how we expect them to act.  I have also found that when praise is given to the students who are doing the right thing more students will start doing the right thing, rather than punishing or pointing out the wrong actions.  Picking out the bad is not as effective as picking out the good.  

I love the last line of the poem: "If children live with friendliness, they learn that the world is a nice place in which to live."  It says nothing about fortune, opportunity, or materials.  It says friendliness, which I wish some of my students would be exposed to more.  So many of them view the world as harsh because they see so much of the negative from people and the media.  There are so many dangers out there it's hard to accept a little friendliness with out thinking about an evil motive behind it.  Every day on my walk to and from school I encounter my "friends."  These are older men who great me with a smile and either a "Hello darlin'," "Hi beautiful," or "You're lookin' good today."  Ok, I'm not trying to flatter myself, but they are acts of friendliness from men who are trying to show their neighborhood is welcoming.  I've come to recognize and make acquaintance with these men, but at first I would look straight at the ground and try not to make eyes with the "creepies."  But now that I've accepted their warmth, their gestures are endearing and make my day a little brighter.  I wish all children could experience this with out having to worry that the people are pedophiles or want to lure them into a trap.  If only the people would teach friendliness in its pure sense we would have a more beautiful world.

So lesson of the day: be a little more friendly, open and accepting.  You never know who you might influence and what affect it will have later.

One Out of Tune Note Can Sour The Whole Melody

All classes have their own unique dynamic.  Every teacher knows who works well with who, who is the class clown, who needs reminding to stay on task, and who is the "trouble maker".  Well what happens when that one "trouble maker," or student that knows how to throw off the balance of the classroom, leaves and a new one takes his/her place?  This is a dilemma I'm now faced with.

Last year I got to know the girls in one particular class very well.  I knew exactly who was the ring leader of the "popular" group.  Having one of these groups makes the class dynamic interesting.  To completely stereotype this type of group, they are the ones who try showing that they don't really care what's going on in class and that they are "too cool for school."  The ring leader, therefore, is the one who can either make or break the class.  This student and I had our differences but in the end I figured out what would work with her and I started to balance out the class.  This year she is not with us anymore, but a new student has entered the group.

With out giving much detail, this student has not completely assimilated into the class yet, which makes her stand out a little and she does not know how I run my class and how the class responds to that.  Her personality is strong which makes her hard not to notice, to deny and to keep on task.  With only knowing her for a week, I can already foresee issues.  During individual work she is often off task and those around her want to be off task with her.  Even when the others realize this is not a good decision and try to get back on task, she is so undeniable that they become frustrated and give in to her antics.  

This is where I'm in a predicament.  I know that this could be a good and challenging environment for her.  It has the potential to take her strong personality, with potentially good qualities, and make a good leader of her with great responsibility.  At the moment, though, it's hard to try to work with her because of her newness and the fact that I have established a dynamic with the rest of the group that she is just not fitting into.  

I guess I'm afraid at this point to bring out the authoritative side when the rest of the group does not need that.  I don't want to single her out, but maybe it's best to since she's already doing it for herself.  

Any suggestions on how to handle this student to help return the balance to the classroom?  

Good or Bad: All Estrogen All the Time?

I will be entering my 2nd year of teaching this coming fall.  I teach in a Catholic middle school with all girls.  I love the atmosphere of having a small group of about 45 girls and being able to connect with them.  But I have been wondering, and I have been asked this question by students, if it's a good thing at middle school age to go to an all girls school?  I haven't been able to answer this for myself yet because I can see both good and bad sides of the situation.  

The bad sides of all girls middle school is that it's the age of nastiness.  Girls at this age start to become aware of "popularity" and "coolness."  One thing my 6th grade girls say is that if you don't own an item from Juicy Couture then you're not cool.  They become so wrapped up in monetary items that they lose sight of what's really important, personality traits.  And of course it's always the mean girls that gain the popularity.  The ones that know how to manipulate those around them are the ones that the girls gravitate towards.  This is also the age of when girls start developing their attitudes and rebelliousness.  The girls sometimes feed off each other when attitudes fly.  When they are in heated arguments and discussions they can get very hot headed and forget where they are for a minute.  Another thing about an all girls school is that they don't get a boys perspective on things in school, especially literature.  Boys interpret things differently from girls and it is interesting for the opposite sex to hear other opinions.

The good side about all girls education is that the girls can reach for success with out worrying about what boys think or competing with them.  Some girls get so wrapped up in boys and what they think that they are afraid to challenge themselves academically because they don't want the boys to see them as a "geek."  Some girls may also still feel inferior to boys, due to how society has worked for ages, with men in top positions in the work force and with more power than women.  In girls schools the girls only compete with each other.  They are able to learn about successful women and strive to become those successful women.  Discussions are also able to flow freely and the girls feel less pressure and less inhibited.  As a health teacher, I am able to teach the girls about their changing bodies and answer all their "interesting" questions with out having to worry about making boys feel awkward about the conversation.  My students have developed a sisterhood that often becomes a family for the girls when they don't have much of a supportive home life.  We are able to be their support and encouragement.

One thing about all girls school, that I'm not sure if it should fit in a good or a bad category (you can be the judge), is the free sharing of bodily functions.  This includes belching and flatulence (oh yes, some girls freely fart).  For those that don't participate in this it's not pleasant because of obvious reasons, but it does lead to some funny situations at times.  Unfortunately I'm one of those people that find flatulence hilarious so I have trouble controlling my laughter when one girl breaks one.  But I guess it's good that the girls feel comfortable enough to let loose with each other and they do learn manners by saying excuse me.  

So what are your thoughts on the topic?  Is it good or bad at middle school age to have single sex education?

I found a fantastic video via Twitter about Social and Emotional learning happening in the classrooms.  This was a topic that has come up in both my classes this summer.  In one class we discussed how some students don't have the cognitive capacity to learn extensive academic material so they should be taught social and technical skills.  This is of course important for all students, but especially for those that will be entering the working world with out higher education.  In my other class we discussed how you can not be a good leader with out first establishing and developing your emotional intelligence.  This includes knowing yourself as a person and how to relate to others.  This whole idea began with Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence, which my professor highly recommends to all those who desire to become a leader.  I personally have not read the book yet but I would say it should be high on the list of books to read for all educators.

This emotional and social topic is one that often gets lost and overlooked in curriculum in the classroom.  Some traditional educators get lost in the "mandatory" curriculum of academic subjects that are over tested in today's education system.  This video shows a perfect example of how combining social and emotional skills with language can be a wonderfully effective lesson.  The first teacher has students write about their emotions which can combine sentence structure with understanding how their feeling and why.  The second teacher uses role play which combines not only the understanding of emotions but also relaying those emotions to others while building their social skills.  I feel PS 24 has it right with starting at the core of the student to improve learning and test scores.  Instead of trying to drill facts and formulas into our students to raise test scores it is better to improve their confidence and focus.  PS 24 does this by helping students understand what their feeling from day to day which is most often the basis for students who wander off task.

Students have as much going on in their lives as adults and its sometimes something we forget.  As adults we know how events in our lives affect us and can distract us.  Just remember how those events would affect us if we did not know how to process and internalize the effects of those events.  This is something that some people never learn to do which can often lead to anger management issues, aggression and depression.  If we want our students to succeed academically, why not help them process and internalize their emotions so that they can put them aside when it's time to focus on academics.  

The Conscious Tweeter

All in one weekend I became a blogger and a tweeter. I've finally entered the world of communication. I'm still learning Twitter etiquette so if you have tips for me please share.

So through following UrbanEducation I found this great article called "The Conscious Classroom," by Adam Doster (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080225/doster). It starts off with a story about a community on Chicago's West Side coming together in a hunger strike in order to make the plans of building a school happen. It's not very often you hear this kind of story. You may hear about communities getting angry and frustrated, but a hunger strike for a school? That's pretty amazing to me. Once the school was built they wanted the curriculum to focus on social justice and their community struggle. This is a pretty progressive way of thinking.

The article goes on to mention Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator, who said that traditional education is "suffering from narration sickness," where teachers shove facts at students with no explanation of their meaning. In many schools this is probably still true. But in schools like mine, since it's a Catholic school with a focus on teaching the whole child and not just academics, we try to expose our students to curriculum with substance. What I mean by this is, take my science class for instance. We watched the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and afterwords my girls were concerned about what would happen to our world if global warming became out of control and we went through another extinction. This brought us to how the world began and the evolution of species. We were able to tie this into religion when they wanted to know how evolution could be true when they believe in the creation story and that God made the world in 7 days (this is something I will discuss further in another blog after I read Finding Darwin's God). I feel fortunate to be able to discuss such issues with out my administration having a fit, but instead they embraced this teachable moment. Of course this doesn't happen in every school, especially not traditional public. I guess this is what Freire is trying to say.

This brings me to another point in the article which says how conservatives feel these progressive social justice schools are enforcing leftist views on their students. I feel, and the article does as well, that teachers are just exposing students to what is going on in our world. It's not that they want all the students to take a leftist view, it's that they want them to see that there are real problems occurring everywhere, whether that be in their own neighborhood or the Congo in Africa. The teachers can do this by integrating it into the curriculum like this: "A science teacher can plant an urban garden, allowing students to learn about plant biology, the imbalance in how fresh produce is distributed and how that affects the health of community residents. An English teacher can explore misogyny or materialism in American culture through the lens of hip-hop lyrics. Or as Rico Gutstein, a professor of mathematics education at the University of Illinois, Chicago, suggests, a math teacher can run probability simulations using real data to understand the dynamics behind income inequality or racial profiling."

These types of lessons are the kind that engage students. Students need something to relate to and not just memorizing facts. Think back to when you were in school, didn't you yearn to learn more if you were forced to just memorize and not ask questions? Don't you wish you had an opportunity to participate in lessons like the ones i stated previously? I love this idea of social justice schools and since they seem to be placed in low income areas I feel it's really teaching students to be proactive and change the situation they were born into. Maybe this will help to try to bridge that gap that is ever widening between the rich and the poor.

O’Doyle Rules!

I just finished watching "Billy Madison" and I thought I'd write my analysis since it's about schooling.

In case you've never seen the movie I'll give you a little background. Adam Sandler plays Billy Madison, an unmotivated and seemingly dumb adult who skated through school thanks to his rich father. Due to Billy's lax attitude he can not take over his father's company. He makes a deal to pass grades 1-12, each in 2 weeks, and if he is successful then he will take over the company.

I feel Billy's 1st grade class is not an accurate portrayal of what 1st grade should be. The teacher does do a good job of embracing individuality and ensuring all students feel like "special people" but there is a lack of academic subject matter. The classroom is filled with round tables, colors and decorations which I find potentially distracting for students (especially those with ADD or similar attention issues). The children sit and listen to story time but all fall asleep. I feel that if one student falls asleep it may be acceptable to let them sleep because there is a reason they need the sleep, but when the whole class, there's a problem. The movie also portrays lots of arts and crafts, but no math or science. This grade shows a positive portrayal of how school should instill confidence and individuality, but no academic substance.

In 2nd grade there is a drastic change. First you notice the teacher is older, less free spirited, and quiet. She keeps a traditional classroom with straight rows of desks and not many decorations which is very stereotypical of traditional schooling which some may feel is old and outdated (hence the age of the teacher). There is a spelling bee with the words bath and cheese and a final word of couch. I was surprised at the simplicity (except couch which is understandably confusing with the u making a w sound), but after researching I found that these words are accurate with the 2nd grade spelling level. I guess I overestimated the cognitive level of the majority of 7-8 year olds.

Third grade is where a big leap in curriculum occurs. Billy makes a comment about the fact that there is now social studies and division and how hard it will be. The classroom shows a good combination of traditionalism and cooperative learning through the students desks arranged in rows of pairs with more decorations than 2nd grade. This class, which turns out to be the best for Billy, is obviously taught by an older 20s to young 30s beautiful female teacher (see the trend of stereotypes here?). But there are a few flaws with this teacher's behaviors. First she decides to discipline Billy by pulling his ear and dragging him into the hallway to speak to him about his unacceptable actions in the classroom. This is an action that would have parents in an outrage. Another behavior that is unacceptable on the part of the teacher is when Billy could not write the z's in cursive in the name Ruzzuto she suggested he try writing the word buzz in a very condescending way. Now I understand why they put it in (to develop the plot of the teacher not approving of Billy's opportunity to come to school due to his father's money), but it represents a teacher targeting a student's insecurity and diminishing his confidence and motivation which is an act that can diminish a student's desire to achieve during their school career. A neat little observation is that the class field trip seems to be to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration which is a place that I attended on class trips and volunteered during their fairs. It's fun to see a place you know so well in a movie!

In 9th grade the students take chemistry, which I have never found to be the first science subject students take in high school. Anyway, the teacher is attempting to explain something related to chlorophyll by telling a story using the vocabulary in creative ways. I find this to be a useful technique, but unfortunately the students are uninterested.

There is also a decathlon of high school subjects in which they have events such as solving math problem using a complicated formula, baking a pie, a running race, a chemistry experiment, playing a musical instrument, performing a monologue of a Shakespeare play, and finally questions in the following topics: reflections in society and literature, business ethics, automobile repair, calculus, Shakespeare, needlepoint, architecture, chemistry, astronomy, and the Roman empire. I found these topics interesting to be picked out to represent high school. You often find some of these topics integrated in other curriculums and in some schools automobile repair and home economics are electives. In any event, these topics are important to expose all students to.

Now for a little analysis of some characters. The principal is portrayed as incompetent. He only gains control of an out of control classroom by asking and not his mere presence in the room. A principal should establish a demeanor of authority which is respected. The principal was also revealed as a former wrestler who killed a man. This should have been cleared before he even stepped foot in the building for an interview. The O'Doyles are a group of brothers that appear in every grade Billy is a part of. They are the typical bullies. The movie shows them chanting "O'Doyle's rule!" while falling off a cliff. It represents how in the end bullies lose and don't gain anything by preying off others. Billy realizes he was also a bully when he was originally in high school and he obviously didn't succeed the first time around.

What's the end result of Billy's experience? He decides to go to college to be a teacher, the typical irony.

Yes I know I completely overanalyzed a comical movie featuring Adam Sandler who is notorious for being stupidly funny. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Adam and his parading like an idiot and I still give the movie a thumbs up for entertaining me on a night where nothing else worthwhile was on tv. Thanks Starz!

To B satisfied or not to B satisfied, that is the question

On my last official day of class one of my professors ended by telling us this: "You may receive a B+ for the class and do nothing, or you may write a 3-4 page review for each of the 3 books we've read and possibly improve your grade." Now I, being a student who always kind of took the easy road and was satisfied with a B+, had to stop and think about this option. Some in the class were a little annoyed and determined to get an A, but I had to weigh the options. Do I stick with a B+ (a fairly decent grade for just reading and participating occasionally), or do I work my brain and write a paper. He did give us 2 weeks to complete this assignment, which is pretty generous.

This got me to thinking about what I would do in high school and even undergrad. I definitely would have taken the B+ no questions asked. I mean hey, it means I don't have to do jack...right? There are many students out there that think just like I did. Their motivation is lacking and they would always rather do what takes the least amount of effort. Of course there are exceptions to this, but I'm pretty sure a majority think this way.

So how do we correct this lack of motivation? In my spring semester course we discussed how motivation is not created by the teacher, it is inborn. Motivation is the condition within a person that affects their readiness to do an activity. I believe most students have a motivation but just don't let it kick in all the time. This is where differentiation would come into play, but I'll leave that for another post. A teacher has to make sure they do not stifle that glimmer of motivation, but instead they must feed it.

So what is my answer to my B satisfied question? I'm not going to sit back and take the B+. I've decided that I've reached a point in my life and career where I have to be more proactive in my learning and start setting the example that I want my students to follow. I also figured I should show my professor I'm not just some young blond student named "Chris" who he would pick on. Even though I didn't have much to say about the political, economic and social issues in the curriculum class (yes the class took a complete tangent away from what it should have been), I will show him that I have an understanding of what we read and that I am a great student. How's that for motivation?

Diving Into Technology

So here begins my new adventure into the blogging community. My inspiration for starting this came from my summer grad classes. In one class we've been discussing class differences and all the elements that cause the gaps between the rich and the poor. One topic of discussion was that when our students leave school and return home they are inundated with so much negativity from the media. This made me think that if I want to try to do something about this then I have to explore more avenues of technology and media. Then in my next class the idea of blogs came up in discussion as a form of professional and personal development. What a great parallel! So here I am exploring technology while networking.

Speaking of media, I would just like to share a commercial that cracks me up and makes me smile. I have mentioned this commercial to some of my friends but they just haven't really caught on to the humor. I'd like you to take note at :16 (that is by far my favorite part) as well as the cow at :18.



On a more serious and productive note, one solution my professor gave to the dilemma of students receiving negativity from the media, he gave me a fantastic idea that my colleagues and I will be implementing in our curriculum next year. He said that if he were still teaching he would make every Friday a movie day where he would show a classic like "Schindler's List" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" and then have a discussion about the moral implications of the movie. As a middle school teacher this may be difficult to find appropriate movies content and age wise. I do feel that when this comes together we will be able to valuable discussions that not only teach morality but also will teach proper use and appreciation of media. If a curriculum is formally drawn up I would be happy to share it with others. I welcome suggestions for topics and movies, so please share if you have thoughts.