tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53060046787839037502024-03-13T05:15:49.718-07:00Teach SpotA window into the changing world of education, where characters will always come and go, and fun happens as of course it should. Just like Spot, you can tell him to sit, but you know he'll never stay.gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-9256614945699741512015-08-26T12:53:00.000-07:002015-08-26T13:03:33.048-07:00Sailing Together This Year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;"> Tobias Wenkemann: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124219023@N06/20718932959/</span></div>
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<b> WHICH WAY WILL YOUR SHIP SAIL THIS YEAR?</b></div>
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Yesterday, I had the good fortune of spending the day with a group of my colleagues from Teacher's College in a school district working with the Writing Units of Study, and really contemplating this question together with them. It gave me time to pause and think back about all the new beginnings I faced in my many years with kids.</div>
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The teaching of reading and writing, by today's standards, is no small, boring pursuit. Kids love to work in an active engagement model, where the teacher talks less and less, and they are called to do the work that's asked of them. This is, truly, why I love this model. But for those small moments of teacher talk, and then the well-planned conferences that follow--there's a ton of preparation that has to take place behind the scenes.<br />
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Teaching is hard work. Learning should be hard work too.</div>
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So this year, with the kick-off of a new year, a new horizon...and a new chance to set sail, I'm looking forward to watching teachers working together, supporting one another, and being well supported by the communities that they serve. Because despite the insane narrative that's been created by large corporations and political machines out there...I know, my colleagues, past and present know what they're doing when they're at the helm. But in order to move this huge cargo ship, they've got to toss out the old, welcome the new, and they need to know that we all support them, as they row together to get the job done once more!</div>
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Teaching is the greatest profession on earth! And all of us, the community of parents, taxpayers, legislators especially...need to 'get it' and buy in! We are, after all, in this together. And as our Newtown Superintendent, Dr. Erardi stated so eloquently at his kick-off, "You're worst day is our worst day too! We are <i>all in </i>behind you!" All in...his message both on paper and practice.<br />
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Are you all in behind your teachers in your community? What have you done to make this evident to them?</div>
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gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-83074974592183322722015-02-17T08:21:00.000-08:002015-02-17T09:06:53.201-08:00Fetch that Data, Spot!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="goog_458827933"></span><span id="goog_458827934"></span>Pendulums in education come and go...they truly do. But when you're in the thick of another maelstrom of over-testing, data collecting, and doting on curricula over student needs, it doesn't always feel that way.<br />
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Somewhere out there, not too long ago, a narrative began about teachers and teaching. And despite the best efforts out there, the voices of today's educational prodigy are not being heard. Well of course. What do they know? Seriously. What <i>do</i> they know? They are, like I was long ago, wet behind the ears. They're so happy to have a job that they learn to conform, compete, and appear to be on the right track. Succumb. That's what we do. We are, after all, the lambs. Especially those of us who come up the ranks through elementary educating. You can't make waves; you don't have the time or energy to do so.<br />
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But the narrative that has been born right under our noses is this: there are bad teachers out there, and worse yet, students are suffering. I do think this is an over-dramatization of the many, like me, who did suffer through a year or perhaps two of strict teachers. Yes, they did have the finesse of a large tank, and yes, they didn't understand me. They taught whole group, and if you didn't understand how to conform, you were in trouble. But today, our approach to learning is different. We've learned more.<br />
And despite the incredible efforts of a LARGE majority of incredibly dynamic teachers out there, it becomes all about the old narrative.<br />
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Today, we test to predict who's using the best available practices in the classroom. We test to track students over time against the teachers who have taught them. We test at the beginning of the year, despite the fact that we have last year's numbers. We test mid-year to track the data from fall to winter. We then have the states tests, which are aligned with the standards, and then we test at the end of the year too. Fatigued? You're not the only one.<br />
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Students, drawn from their classrooms to sit in front of the blue screen, are separated from the depth and breath of a rigorous investigative curriculum. They, like us, are lambs. They have no choice and neither do we.<br />
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Don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting there be no accountability. I get that. But, the common sense of the matter is this...good administrators can get a good sense of a classroom dynamic and the teacher that's facilitating it, in about ten minutes' time. Administration these days have a great deal on their plates, though. With the constant stream of meetings, emails and parent calls...often their hands are tied. It's hard for them to poke their noses out of the office. But, I do think, if fidelity in observation were placed high on their evaluation, and the tests were all but eliminated, with the exception of the States' test at the end of the year? We'd all see a whole new horizon.<br />
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I say, swing the doors wide, let's all roll up our sleeves...run that deep investigative, creative classroom of our dreams. Yes, we can match it to the standards, and no it's not the standards that tie our hands. Let's all get our heads together and change that political narrative. And for once, listen to the people who are actually the true experts on learning, the advocates for kids: the teachers. </div>
gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-72404724097130662092012-10-03T18:03:00.000-07:002012-10-03T18:03:17.276-07:00How Much Is that Doggie in the Window?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At what cost do we suffer through these first dark weeks of school? Yes, we do love seeing all these new faces in the classroom, and c'mon...you can't say you don't love that little girl that leaps out of line to give you a hug! But physically and emotionally, how are you taking care of yourself. Teaching is a grueling job...well, but there are those summers off, right?<br />
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I sat across from a new teacher the other day in a meeting, an intern who's currently working on a thesis and trying to teach as well. She's also holding down a job nights to pay for her education. Oh boy, those were the days! And she said to me, "I had no idea it could be this hard!"<br />
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Well, for one thing, what the public doesn't know or can't imagine, is the length to which you carry around this cadre of little guys inside your head. I'm constantly evaluating and re-evaluating each and everything I do...via every interaction I have with each and every student. Factor in the parent interface just to get a complete understanding...well, that alone gives your brain enough to burst its seams!<br />
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Last week, I was examining the inventory...something I've made a practice of over the years. Teachers, both rookies and vets, have to lighten their load to be effective in the classroom each day. Otherwise...you see a whole mass of puppies and you find yourself treading water in the treacherous seas of all the state and national initiatives out there. You have to get a handle on the kids, because that will calm your raw nerves and settle your sleepless nights down.<br />
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The best way is to go back to the old three column model. I label one heading "ready & able," a second "needs a boost," and then a third "wild things." Underneath each heading, I take a look at each of my students to figure out where they fall. This is just a first blush, so don't get yourself too worked up over it at all. The "R&A" kids are a breeze for now, but don't forget to keep a pace and challenge them, or you could easily see a change in their ranks. The other two groups are the ones that will swim around in your head, so you've got to start chipping away. I generally look at that middle group and star two at a time, sit down with them, get to know them...build trust so you can bring them along. Interest inventories are helpful, but really knowing them well is often the best start. You want to move them over to the "R&A" column as quickly as you can, or the "Wild Things" might draw them in!<br />
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The "Wild Things," are often the toughest group, but it's usually upon close inspection just a few kids. These students can often be jaded, undermotivated or underchallenged in previous years, or they're just desperate for negative attention, because they have no other strategy to be social at all. Right now, that's the case for a few of mine. My work with them is to set things straight. I let them know "Teaching is a business," and they will not disrupt others or interfere with their own learning. I also let them know that I really care about them...and I follow through by demonstrating that fact. Lastly, I hold them accountable, because that's the best way to show them I mean what I say.<br />
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It's October, things are starting to turn the corner in room 229 A. I've taught students many of the behaviors I expect by modeling almost everything you can imagine in class. Transition language, for example, "I'm expecting to see the 3 S's in five seconds." (Sit, Settle in Silence...then I give them the cue, tell them what they need and they get the 4th S: Sort) I've taught them how to carry their books, how to line up outside my door (this still needs work!), and we've already had NMGTTLD (No More Going to the Locker Day). But best of all, with all this under my belt...at long last, I'm starting to sleep through the whole night again!<br />
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Teachers need to take good care of themselves! Make yourself a priority today!</div>
gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-50566543710043670602012-09-24T16:03:00.001-07:002012-09-24T16:10:04.858-07:00The New Teacher on the Block: An Inventory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello to all my newest teacher friends out there in this brave new world! You, like me, are probably scrambling right now to get to know your students really, really well. This year, there are all kinds of measures in place to 'help' us gain focus and clarity in all we do. Not feeling focused and clear? Are your nerves a little raw? Do you feel like you're climbing a mountain that has no top?<br />
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Welcome to the world of education! It's okay, regardless of new programs, new curricula, the now famous CCSS (Common Core State Standards) and the new teacher evaluation measures (rubric, as always included), you're guaranteed to make it to June! And really? That is the objective here, let's be honest. Okay, just kidding, I know. You're probably a little frazzled and scared. If you weren't, you would not be normal.<br />
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But the most important insiders' secret...take it a teaspoonful at a time. These students have no clue, nor should they, what you're going through! Oh...and you have behavior and parents and grading to deal with? No problem, it all gets done. But it's really important that you do what you can, and leave the rest to the next day.<br />
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Take it from me, if you don't grab time to catch your breath, to laugh, to leap, to look outside the classroom doors? You'll be burnt out by January. So, right now...RIGHT NOW--instead of considering a new career choice? Sit down, and write down the top five things you <i>hate</i> most about teaching. Do this! It's important that you inventory your <i>dis</i>likes right away! (As soon as you admit them to yourself, you'll start finding a way to get them off the list.) Being honest is a good thing, it helps you see what you might actually need help with, but maybe wouldn't really want to admit. Next, write down the ten things you <i>kind of like.</i><br />
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For dessert, write down <i>all</i> the things that you couldn't do without...that little upside down grin from the skinny little kid with the crooked bangs, the grapes you were offered from those germy fingers at snack time, the student whose hand is raised even when you haven't asked a question, the little things they know about you already that you thought nobody knew! (They're fierce teacher watchers...can't study for a test, but boy, if they were given a test on you, they'd pass with flying colors, for sure!)<br />
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Now, honestly, don't you feel better? I know you do! Teaching has many challenges and even for a veteran those hurdles are becoming much more than a leap! But taking an inventory helps us all to keep a perspective, and it helps you be focused in clear in what it is you hope to achieve. Keeping a journal will also reap some huge rewards! This week, I'll return to the inventory concept again. Inventories, as they say, are not always taken in <i>red ink</i>, there's a whole lot of good happening right in front of your eyes!<br />
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What little moment did you absolutely love today?</div>
gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-2364212980446363042012-01-19T02:54:00.000-08:002012-01-19T02:54:07.632-08:00You Don't Always Get What You Want...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Chagrin. Teaching, sometimes, has its moments. Times when things don't always go the way we plan. An assembly pops up, a writing prompt, and sometimes a snow delay. Interruptions break the thread, they're inconvenient, but ultimately a good teacher can put order back into his or her day.<br />
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Observations are a different animal, though. They have the power to push someone forward, or they can break the teaching momentum that's building inside a teacher's head. Rehearsed teaching is difficult and inauthentic to produce on demand, but the false idea of that teaching can be perfected is even worse. Yet, this has been the model we've employed in education for years.<br />
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Confidence. Teachers need buckets and buckets and buckets of it. The public has been taking teachers apart in the press and in commentary on blogs and other public platforms. It's not helpful. I repeat...NOT helpful. Insiders know better, or I'm thinking they should anyway. Administrators, college officials, all individuals hired to assign a value to what teachers do need to develop a consistent, predictable scoring approach.<br />
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Probably the most important indicator to look at first in a young teacher is not how they manage the curricula they're trying to stuff into the kids' heads...but their ability to establish a presence and a class culture, because without that, nothing else can proceed.<br />
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I'm not saying that we should go slowly or pat teachers on the head and affirm them no matter what they do. Really, that's how you make negative teaching techniques go on for years. But the employment of outside individuals coming in cold to a classroom culture is not always helpful either. In fact, it can sometimes be destructive.<br />
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A colleague of mine from another district told me his principal refuses to give positive feedback at all. "That's what you're supposed to be doing, it's not my job to give you a compliment." Oh, give me a break. As an administrator, you are called upon to be a teacher of teachers...so what kind of teaching is that? When a teacher, just like a student, does something right...it never hurts to tell them so. In fact, it probably helps! Building upon a learner's strength, nudging them ahead a little bit at a time is the name of the game we call education.<br />
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So...what happens when you don't get exactly what you hoped to hear? My student teacher got a glowing review the other day. Yet, because her supervisor lead off with a small issue that was minimally not going right...it was hard for her to hear anything after that. She's a brilliant teacher, and I tell her so each day. We reflect side by side and think about what we can improve upon.<br />
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On the day of her observation, we were forced to compress the whole day...snowfall, ninety minute delay, all part of the job. But. Compressing to her meant speeding it all up, and I blame myself for that. Upon reflection, we could've cut more out. But even though we didn't get exactly what we wanted in outcome, a powerful lesson was learned. Streamlined, but very pointed teaching can often produce the same results. Pacing is a high-level skill that takes more than three weeks to acquire.<br />
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The point that I see here is one that I'll take in for myself. The approach to new talent in teaching has to be a gentle one. The positive card must always be tossed out first. Strenghts...and then needs. And better yet? Setting up the two columns for reflection: 'strengths and needs,' allowing her to reflect on her own quagmires, and talking it through with her is probably the best way to start.<br />
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Ultimately, she'll have 25+ pairs of eyeballs and that'll be all she'll see. Observations come, and observations go...constant, gentle self-reflection, that intuitive knowing sense when things don't go your way, that's what will feed the instruction each day. But keeping that core belief in yourself is more important than anything anyone else can say!<br />
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Teaching and learning is a complicated business. It's the one job where I get to fall on my face and stumble a bit, then pick myself up and start all over each day!</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-61226022634548367152012-01-16T15:16:00.000-08:002012-01-16T15:16:35.542-08:00Student Teacher: Who is that Student in the Window?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How much is that puppy in the window? Priceless, Spot, I know. New puppies, like new teachers need to be nurtured, celebrated and allowed to grow. In today's market that's a pretty tall order, though. How many great talents live on the other side of the window looking in?<br />
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Right now, I'm enjoying my time with my student teacher. She's full of ideas and loaded with intuitive skill. I try to be sure to let her know that all the time. Mostly because she, like me so many years before, is plagued with doubt at times. That is the quality of good teaching that just is so totally unavoidable.<br />
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Here's a slice of what we're working on right now:<br />
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<b>Notice What You Notice: Expostiory Writing is Teaching/Scaffolding an Idea Right from the Start</b><br />
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My yoga instructor uses the phrase, "<i>Notice what you notice</i>," all the time. In yoga, it means, notice what aches/pains, trials/successes your body is having when you're in that pose. Look at the response and make changes. In teaching, it means monitor your learners, the outcomes...in terms of responses or in terms of what they put on the page. Some might call it 'modifying and adapting,' but it's just so much more than that.<br />
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The other day I was teaching a writing lesson, and I was listening to students respond with questions just before they went off to write. Right at that point, I realized that half the reason kids have trouble revising their writing comes from the fact that they never have to meet the reader half way. It dawned on me that they don't get to study their reader's reaction or hear their questions like I do everyday in my teaching. I responded to the students' questions, then brought this up later in the group. I showed them all how I added and enhanced what I'd taught them by adding more key information to clear up misunderstanding along the way.<br />
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Now my biggest question to my students is what do you want the reader to know most? And why?<br />
Students are now asked to check in with their peers, and check in with adults to insure proper understanding, because they, like me and like my student teacher all need to be on board in understanding...thinking in the mind of the reader and then processing all that information in order to make their expository piece keep its feet on the ground.<br />
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This week, the teacher will be sitting back, conferencing with kids...with the student teacher, and watching the great levels of learning unfold! The art of teaching...is truly the art of constantly chasing the learning that lies underneath!<br />
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<b>Personal Connection Gone Wrong: How kids talk to one another around books can either deepen or worsen their reading practice.</b><br />
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The other day, we were conferencing with our 'book club communities,' small groups we've organized around student book choice. Kids are reading a variety of books leveled specifically for them such as <i>Lemonade Wars, The Wednesday Wars, The Thing About Georgie and The Landry News. </i>We both noticed the quality of discussion was lacking and realized kids were 1) not getting the connection to the assigned journal responses in their discussion and 2) were minimalists and limited in their conversational skills.<br />
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So...we read <i>The Man that Walked Between the Towers</i>, with each other first...and no discussion between us. And then, I read it aloud to the group. Then we told the kids we were going to set up three talking points each on our chart (set up in a T chart) and these three points were not discussed prior to the kids coming into the class. This was all authentic and all done right in front of them.<br />
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Our ideas/talking points (which were our reactions/connections to the story) were totally different. She focused on an experience with Cirque de Soleil, and I saw this as a boy with a dream and talked about my dream to become a teacher and the journey that brought me there. We modeled eye contact and attentiveness, but we also modeled the key component to good human communication, listening in order to be transformed/bonded to one another in thought. That's what a good author wants. That's what a great reader gets.<br />
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I love having a second pair of eyes and ears in the room. Teaching can be a lonely job...opening up and sharing with others is what keeps it a passionate pursuit for me!</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-81811925296975396702012-01-08T09:54:00.000-08:002012-01-08T09:55:29.092-08:00Old Dogs and New Tricks: COACH for America-Redesigning our City Schools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How do we get new teachers...especially the current group of rookies who are probably populating our most needy classrooms to stay? We love their enthusiasm. We value their ideals. But...to inspire an urban population to learn, there's so much more to it than that. I know, I've been there.<br />
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In the mid-seventies, our core of teaching graduates faced a similar situation to those that are graduating right now. We were the tail end of the Baby-Boomers, and that huge group had taken all the available jobs. When I first got out of school, I had to supplant my ideals, suck it up and take a job in order to pay my bills. I waitressed at night and worked in an office by day. I was a horrible typist, an even worse accountant, so they capitalized on my chattiness instead. They had me work to educate customers, to problem solve and to get cranky clients off their backs. But I still had my ideals in place. I just wanted a chance to immerse myself in a culture of kids. My chance came, but it wasn't exactly my dream job...or so I thought.<br />
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My first job was teaching hearing impaired preschoolers in Bridgeport, CT. I had zero experience in sign language and even less exposure to the deaf world. But that didn't matter. I had a classroom, keys and a coffee cup in the teachers' room. I was so ready to teach!<br />
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What I'd soon find out, and what I've spent years in learning...is that the path to understanding and defining myself as a teacher takes many circuitous routes. I learned an awful lot from the kids themselves...getting into their heads and trying to understand what they didn't know, so I could plug in the gaps and push them ahead in their education and their lives. But trial and error has a very long, hard learning curve. And today, my biggest worry is that young teachers will die on the vine before we have a chance to launch them, celebrate them and give them the support they need.<br />
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With no disrespect intended, colleges do the best they can do with our new crop. They do a lot more than was done when I was there back in the day. No one really knew how to best expose student teachers to all that they need to know. So much of it happens on the front line.<br />
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Here's my thinking about all this...if rookies are the biggest teaching population that our most needy urban students have, how can we move our urban kids forward? Must they <i>always</i> be the test kitchen for these brilliant, but often wasted minds? I have never forgotten my first days in the classroom...that feeling of being so overwhelmed. I believe the <i>Teach for America</i> model is a good one, but why not <i>COACH FOR AMERICA </i>as well? My thought is this: take those, like me, who are still so very passionate about what we do. Allow us to gain a 'two-for'...two years toward our retirement for every one year we coach in an urban school. Let us work with these rookie teachers (and their administrators), guiding and reflectin with them on everything they do. Give us the opportunity to infuse the curriculums with a richness that is currently absent there. (Most/many American urban public schools have reduced themselves to scripted learning...yup, the awful old basals are back, b/c they can't trust the teachers to immerse kids in great read-alouds and conversations anymore. High stakes testing has driven that decision with kids that are the most environmentally deprived on this earth.)<br />
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What this idea allows is a chance for the system to right itself. Use what we, the veterans, know, while clearing the way for more teaching jobs to emerge. I'm not a person looking to retire, but a teacher looking to right what's most wrong in education today. My inspiration came long ago in watching the third season of <i>The Wire, </i>set in the Baltimore Public Schools. Since then, it's grown and developed and I feel a need to put it out there for anyone willing to talk about it today.<br />
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Any takers?</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-67234478733770077192011-09-27T18:44:00.000-07:002011-09-27T19:10:25.947-07:00All Different Shapes and Sizes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey there, Spot! I know how much you've missed me. I have certainly missed you. Oh, Summer. It really does pull us apart.
Recently, I was asked a few questions about 'inclusion,' so I thought I'd repost them here. I know how much you like to gnaw on THAT bone.
Here are the questions, Spot, let's see if we can give it a go!<br />
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<i>1. What are your views on the success of including special education students in the classrooms in your school?</i><br />
<i> 2. What is your philosophy regarding inclusion? Perhaps you could comment on any benefits/challenges? </i><br />
<i>3. Do you have any advice/words of wisdom to a future regular education teacher (like me!) regarding inclusive practices? </i><br />
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Well, Spot, I'm sitting here looking at you and all of your friends, sitting here staring at me. You're waiting, each one of you having a different point of view, and a different learning need. There's the doggie sitting there with the large pointy ears. He listens well, but boy, he can't sit still! Then there's the sleepy guy, slumping and looking pretty lost. That guy's got all kinds of organizational issues, and because of that, his anxiety often flares up. There are big, tall smarty pants dogs, who know an awful lot, but can't really figure out how to get along with the other dogs. Then there are the dogs that get really hung up on routines, who fall apart when things get changed. One of those doggies can't hear very well and another needs his planner checked and the sequence of assignments arranged for him.<br />
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If you're following me, Spot, I'm sure you know where I'm going here. You, my friend, are dismissed. I know your homework's done.<br />
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Special needs are my specialty, I believe every student is an individual. I've grown up in the era of inclusion. When I student taught, though, I didn't see too many students with IEPs. As time passed and the laws changed, more and more the line became blurred...between the so-called regular education and the special education student. When I graduated from college, there were no jobs in a traditional regular education classroom. I went to work for one of the five area cooperatives in our state, teaching special needs students. From there, I decided to get my master's degree in special education. After seven years of teaching hearing impaired kids, birth to three and then running a program for language delayed students, I took five years off and stayed home with my own. In all of this...especially in my venture in motherhood, I found that no two students, not even my own little guinea pigs at home, learned in the same way. This was never a problem. It only made me strengthen my craft.<br />
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When I returned to the classroom, I had an opportunity to return to regular education. I've taught kindergarten, then second and now sixth grade and have loved all the varied faces and learning styles, the growth I've seen in education over the years. A few years ago, I was asked to include a student whose reading needs were far below those of others in my group. I know in my heart that saying no is not an option for me. On paper, this student's scores were abysmal, but I knew she was much more capable than she showed. At first, she listened, and kids in my class clearly were not too keen on her. It didn't take too long before she started moving closer to the group and sharing, but oftentimes, what she shared was a little off topic in class. She did stand out...like that cat in the large group of dogs.<br />
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Kids were watching me, though, and I knew they'd follow my lead. After the group, I'd spend a little time with her...encouraging her and letting her know she was doing a great job. Her mom started doubling up on the readings we did in class, giving her an opportunity to reread and then understand the material a little better. She had a chance to preview class conversation questions prior to class discussions, so she could rehearse a response in her mind. Kids started experiencing the miracle of inclusion...watching one young girl make a giant leap right in front of their eyes. The challenge is great...time intensive in front of and behind the scenes.<br />
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Other times, I've had kids that were included right from the start...students with a wide array of needs. But to me? They all have needs. The kids in my class will always look to me. If they can trust that I can handle all their differences, then everyone settles in and allows the learning to fall into place. I do believe it all comes down to the teacher and how he/she allows everyone a seat at that wonderful table of learning. But I have to make sure that no one stands out too much. To the best of my ability, I treat them respect, as equals, no matter what their disability.<br />
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So Spot? I know you were staring at that kitty in the class picture up there. I'd tell all teachers old or new, to give every student their space...to study them and get to know to know them well, prepare for <i>everyone's needs </i>each day...and then sit back and wait. The change comes, the learning happens, and miracles always occur! Inclusion broadens all our horizons. By including all, we learn and teach each other that very simple lesson...that we're all a part of the same breed!</div>
gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-51821659728916344662011-06-10T19:32:00.000-07:002011-06-11T03:44:12.080-07:00Carrots and Sticks...Building Organization from the Inside-Out in Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uUuB7Um-kuQ/TfLK364F6DI/AAAAAAAAAc0/FEYdThpkJWk/s1600/puppy_carrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="274" width="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uUuB7Um-kuQ/TfLK364F6DI/AAAAAAAAAc0/FEYdThpkJWk/s320/puppy_carrot.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It's that time of year, Spot. Deadlines abound! I know, I know...projects, final papers, exams. It's all a part of your life. You are not the only one, though, Spot. I'm running around like a chicken myself. (And I know that's probably not PC to say!)<br />
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I've got the China Museum projects, sixth grade mysteries (which I'm sorry to say are a little myterious to me!) and a whole host of other administrivia I've got to get done in the next ten days. <br />
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Most of the time, I'm pretty good at pacing, but sometimes the leash just gets away. With students, this can be a horrible thing. Yesterday, for example, I sat with a mom and talked about all the strategies we've put into place to bring her twelve year old up to speed. We talked about difficulties in focusing and of course other professionals talked about the usual 'executive functioning' problems he could be having too. He gets overloaded, then motivation becomes a problem as well.<br />
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The truth? More and more kids are looking a bit disastrous these days. Kids are over-scheduled, parents are over-scheduled too. But I think that just is a bit too simple for me. Ownership and accountability are the carrots that usually work. And some good explicit training is what will get them there. Last week, I had a gentle, whispering conversation with this particular young man. I asked him who he admired/saw as successful in class. I told him to study all that the successful student did...how he stacked his books, what his locker looked like, etc. But, I made sure to tell him to do this silently, the mentor student doesn't really need to know. After all, confidentiality is the key. This week, we'll talk about all that he observed. <br />
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Often, schools are asked to use external rewards, behavioral/organizational checklists to pull a student along. I can honestly say that does not work, for the same reason Daniel Pink highlights <a href="http://www.danpink.com/archives/2011/05/carrots-and-sticks-procrastination-fix">here.</a> <br />
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Kids who struggle organizationally are frequently diagnosed with ADD/HD as well. They need to see that carrot...munch on it, and feel it deep down inside. No hokey adult-directed schemes ever seem to get them there. So now...I'm taking the short cut, the honest road, and letting them learn who they are and how they learn, and how to witness the ways to compensate for their needs. I know this, because I've lived it. And Spot? I'm not trying to get too personal here. But. I lost both my parents by age 11, so I've had to teach myself practically everything I know. I was an awful Brownie, a horrible Girl Scout, and I could never find my socks or my blouse or the beanie I had to wear on First Fridays at school. In other words, I was a disaster. But then I learned to simply watch...and follow...and learn. And then, I created a structure for myself, so I could do it all over again. (And Spot? What was the point of that beanie on first Friday, anyway?!)gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-45127467003791711612011-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:002011-05-05T17:46:13.221-07:00Parents and Teachers: We're Actually on the Same Side!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh0YckGmbt8/TcChj5qm3LI/AAAAAAAAAcY/v4D9BlKwjjo/s1600/NosyPooches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="194" width="259" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh0YckGmbt8/TcChj5qm3LI/AAAAAAAAAcY/v4D9BlKwjjo/s320/NosyPooches.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Hello there, Spot. I know I've been away for a little while. But. Right now, my brain is spinning, so I'm back here to talk to you about a few things. A teacher's best friend? Yes, you betcha, Mister. I just love the way you SIT and LISTEN. You are a role model for us all.<br />
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Today, I had two meetings with parents of kids in our class. And, as a bonus, I had a mom waiting outside my door at the end of the day. No biggie, right? Right you are! It was perfectly fine. I was happy to see all three of them. Parents and teachers are on the same team. But, sometimes we forget that.<br />
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The current climate out in the world is busy slamming, confronting and micro-managing teachers. I have my personal bias about that. Wall Street? Well...we don't know who they are or where those people actually live. So...I do think some of the public angst has turned toward the more visible souls in the real world: teachers and government workers too. I remember an era (pre-9/11) when it was popular to talk trash about policeman too. Thank goodness our police officers have shown the world how important their jobs are. <br />
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This blog post is not another self-serving teacher rant, though, Spot. It's more about finding satisfaction on both sides of the conference table. Today's meeting was an honest, open and kind exchange between all parties who care most about the child. Trust was not an issue, because the parents could see and value all that had been done on the student's behalf. And honesty was not an issue either, thankfully. These parents were seeking the truth and prepared to hear it in order to help their child. In fact, in both meetings, parents said they didn't care if that coveted 'A' was ever attained, because they don't see learning as a competition or a reflection of who they are as parents. They simply want their child to learn well! Refreshing, but not as abnormal as some might think. When it comes down to it, parents really do know their kids best.<br />
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I appreciated what these parents were saying...they didn't want undue pressure put on their child in order to fall in the 'high range.' But shouldn't all kids have a chance for that? In my book, yes. I will never tell a parent their child can't attain an 'A'! To me, that's just an awful message to give a child. I will set my sights on helping a child set goals, map out a path and work hard in order to get there. I am not a huge advocate of grades, I think they give everyone a false sense of success and sometimes failure too. If a kid fails a test, should they generalize the thought that they are a failure? I think not. Kids should be assessed in strengths and needs. If the goal is curriculum mastery, my job is to assess where their strengths lie and how I can find the entry points to get them to where they need to go.<br />
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I'd like to pay tribute to the many parents and teachers who work together, setting their own needs aside to build a plan for student success. This kind of effort sends a strong message of support to students that everyone is pulling for them. If we are true partners at the table, we listen as much as we speak. Fine-tuning...and fine learning is always the result of this type of give and take.<br />
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And oh, Spot? On a different note, I offered Mr. L a cup of tea...and actually only made one for me. "Where's mine?" he said. I didn't HEAR him, I said. Then he just laughed. "You weren't LISTENING," he said. This listening thing is not always easy (after hours) for me!gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-85390237102087827362011-04-19T07:20:00.000-07:002011-04-19T07:36:34.903-07:00Vacation: Letting the Learning Sink In<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kQhkMdooNzI/Ta2azNXTU3I/AAAAAAAAAbY/4EYu9pB0oGI/s1600/Puppybreak" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 107px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kQhkMdooNzI/Ta2azNXTU3I/AAAAAAAAAbY/4EYu9pB0oGI/s200/Puppybreak" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597300116442796914" /></a>Oh, Spot, how I do love my time off! I love the fact that it restores me, but I especially love what it does to you. Time away creates a space, a seam reallly, in the learning. And even though I know you're not thinking about me, I'm here...on my break, thinking about you.<div><br /></div><div>This year, we had an enormous amount of snow days, but our February break had already been taken away. The snow days were disruptive and unplanned for, and each and every day, we found ourselves trying to reorient ourselves in all that we'd been doing...just trying to keep our heads above the proverbial waters, I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Planned breaks are important, though...just like vacations out in the working world--but different. Kids are not like piggy banks, you can't just fill them to the brim. I applaud those who think that more is more and want to add days and time to the school year. They're doing the best and most obvious thing they think to be right. But...all kids need that window of creative opportunity; that seam of daylight in the mix. Brains need to process, to daydream, to allow all learning to sink in. Less is often more...and that in education is a fact! Reflection is a very good thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So today, Spot, here I sit. I'm pondering. I'm thinking about how far we've come and all the questions we have to explore before we go. I'm getting charged up to forge ahead in my craft. Because without this bit of fresh air, a little time away...I think we'd be a pretty dull and uncurious lot! </div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-4334339890958817192011-04-02T17:36:00.000-07:002011-04-06T03:31:53.587-07:00Autism Speaks...and all of us need to answer the call!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NnUnTVTdO7M/TZfBN-5PvyI/AAAAAAAAAbA/ZDaz3wj4Sxc/s1600/AutismPuzzlePiece.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 145px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NnUnTVTdO7M/TZfBN-5PvyI/AAAAAAAAAbA/ZDaz3wj4Sxc/s200/AutismPuzzlePiece.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591149908369325858" /></a>Years ago, when the education job market was much like it is right now, I was given the opportunity to take the alternative route to teaching. At the time, I was disheartened. My job search had fizzled, and I was stuck working at a desk in an office instead of working with kids on the frontline. And that was when my dear friend Kim called and offered me my first teaching job. <div><br /></div><div>Where I worked and what I did doesn't so much matter now. Well, it does, but that's for another day. What that job led to was another job, and that is the way it goes. I became the special education teacher on a birth to three team. Supported by a group of part time professionals, occupational and physical therapists, a speech pathologist, a school psychologist and my dear friend Susan, the audiologist, I visited 35 babies each month. My days were filled with home visits, tender moments with stressed moms and lots and lots of playtime with little wiggily, but beautiful babies on the floors of their many varied homes. </div><div><br /></div><div>That first job that connected the dots to the baby program was working with hearing impaired preschoolers. I learned not only to sign, but how language emerged when circumstances were different for kids. With the babies, my learning curve continued, I studied language emergence in other ways and watched what happened when development did not follow the 'normal' learning curve. I saw little ones with <a href="http://www.ehow.com/about_5465352_infant-seizure-disorders.html">seizure disorders</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001734/">cerebal palsy</a>, <a href="http://www.marchofdimes.com/birthdefects_spinabifida.html">spina bifida</a>, <a href="http://www.ndss.org/">down's syndrome</a>, and accumulated a multitude of memories that remain with me even today.</div><div><br /></div><div>But when Autism Awareness Week rolls around every year, I think about a sweet little blonde-haired boy. His pale blue eyes were fixed on the stars, or so it seemed to me. I'd come visit twice a week, yet he wasn't really connected to me...or so I thought. But somewhere, somehow, we developed a kind of routine. He lived in a beautiful home, largely decorated in white with tile everywhere, or so it seemed to me. His mom, a very young and beautiful woman, was lonely and overwhelmed. Alex was a runner. His engine was going all the time. He never crawled...and from the time he was about nine months, he pulled himself up and was on the move all the time. He had no radar for danger, so she had to watch him constantly. Alex was a cranky baby, tactile defensive, which meant that strange textures like towels and rugs would set him off and make him cry uncontrollably. Certain foods offered problems for there were texture issues inside his mouth as well. Over time, I grew to love spending my time with Alex. Of all my babies, he was a bit older and would go off to preschool as soon as he was 2.8, for that was the law at the time. I learned to follow his lead and occasionally toss a few surprises his way. He began to notice me and eventually, he sat down and played. He put a little foothold on the ins and outs of my toys...we worked on 'cause and effect' and built a little language and social interplay too.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the thing that I remember most was his mom, Julie...and just how overwhelmed she was, and how much she needed a break. In early visits, she was watchful and untrusting...certain I couldn't keep myself inside Alex's head, watching the horizon for him. Eventually though, she let go just a little bit--she let me take over so she could wash the dishes or even just sit and relax upstairs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later, Alex grew in his ability to stay with my toys...he loved when that bag came into the house. Of course, sometimes he'd take out all the toys and throw them all over the place. It gave his mom a few minutes to have an interaction with me. We'd talk and keep a steady gaze on him. Because...that was what <i>she needed</i>, and that was what was most important for me to learn. Autistic children make all of us earn our stripes, pay careful attention and cherish every milestone they make. Parents of autistic children need love and support--because their job is incredibly large! My hat goes off to all the many moms of autistic little ones out there today!</div><div><br /></div><div>You, and all the parents of special needs babies, are the heroes in the parent world...you do earn your stripes with new and daunting challenges each and every day! And even though you may feel that you're living a much more prescripted, marginalized life? There are many of us who know...who care and who may not live in your shoes--but we keep you in our prayers each day.</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-76954347801602368152011-03-14T14:36:00.000-07:002011-03-14T14:46:55.295-07:00Think Green!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5O_93xSwxW8/TX6KgzxsYAI/AAAAAAAAAa0/NvfkBc6Y_w8/s1600/Shamrock%2BSpot.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 156px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5O_93xSwxW8/TX6KgzxsYAI/AAAAAAAAAa0/NvfkBc6Y_w8/s200/Shamrock%2BSpot.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584052884245078018" /></a>Well, hello there, Spot. I know I've ignored you a bit in the past few weeks. But today? I was thinking about you! Honest.<div><br /></div><div>I was pulling up toward school, and a big old yellow bus got in my way. I was sticking out in the intersection, mostly because a) I had no place to go, and b) I could not go through that bus! And that's when it happened. A mama, leaving school in her shiny black car leaned on her horn and started screaming at me...well, her window was closed, Spot, but she was turning super red in the face. Then, OMG. She lifted a very bad finger and showed it to me. I was a little shocked Spot, in fact I was horrified. I hope you were not watching Spot, and if you were, I hope you put those little doggie paws up to your eyes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm thinking she's got the winter blues and needs just a little bit of green. Jeesh. It's crabby out there! But then I started thinking about all you little Spots, and how crabby it might be at home too. So Spot, tonight, I want you to go home and do your homework, and offer to do the dishes and put them all away. I want you to read and play quiet. And just for tonight, send a little love out into the world! </div><div><br /></div><div>Today is day five of the green challenge! Anybody in? I've worn green for five days now, and I still have three more days to go. One of the kids told me he was wearing green today, but he just couldn't <i>show</i> me! Whoa! That's where I draw the line! There are some things you just don't want to know! </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be back tomorrow, Spot. It's CMT week, so I have no correcting to do (yeah, right!).</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-23982352880738401852011-03-08T13:59:00.000-08:002011-03-10T03:59:33.224-08:00An American Call to Test<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Busr6q5728I/TXaoQPopWdI/AAAAAAAAAaM/G2puvdPAzXg/s1600/student%2Bwriting%2Bclip.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Busr6q5728I/TXaoQPopWdI/AAAAAAAAAaM/G2puvdPAzXg/s200/student%2Bwriting%2Bclip.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581833785200695762" /></a>It's March, the month of the annual writing championship (aka 'the PROMPT'), and as of Tuesday, it was finally done! Are they smarter than they were in fifth grade, well I guess we'll find out for sure.<div><br /></div><div>The Connecticut Mastery Test, the other <i>March Madness</i>...is finally underway. For anyone outside the States, this means our testing season has begun. For the next two weeks, kids are being tested in reading, writing, math and some in science too. For the past two days, our kids have had a forty-five minute essay writing assessment (the writing prompt) and an hour of editing and revising as well. And now, after two long months of unrelenting snow, closed schools and frequent delays, we're pretty sure we've squeezed in just enough learning to ensure our students succeed...I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>But on Tuesday? My nerves were a little on edge. Just as they were about to put that pencil to the page, a litany of ideas started rattling around inside my teaching brain. Anecdotes, quotes, similes/metaphors, statistical information, what else did I think they really could use? What have I missed out on this year? But then, I watched them creating boxed lay-outs, webs and bulleted execution plans. I'd taught how to plan out each of the component parts, and I spent time modeling my own plan too. The second thing I worked on this year, was stamina. Writers must write regularly in increasingly long spaces of time. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the period was up, I strolled around the room, eyeballing each student's work. Every student had a minimum of two and many had three pages written in just under forty-five minutes and most wrote right up to the end. Of course, I have no idea what the level of content is, but if I adhere to my previous assumption, generally longer tends to earn a better score.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my earlier teaching years, I didn't want to overwork the plan for fear that I'd stifle creativity! I sometimes laugh at the way I thought back then. Yes...they were creative, but did I not see all the pointless, wandering trails? Today, I'm satisfied. I started this year with many able writers, but many were compromised as well. I tend to shy away from the 'one size fits all' teaching, spending many long hours in small conferences, catching kids on the way to lunch or during their reading time. I kept it casual, but I kept it specific as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many disparage these high stakes test, and I certainly can understand why. Millions of dollars go into them, test variation among states is incredible, and the pressure on staff and students is great. And while I'm not a fan of lock-step teaching/learning, I am glad that I live in a state where standards and expectations are high enough to ensure that students can and will succeed. </div><div><br /></div><div>As March turns to April, we'll move on to the finer art of writing poetry and believe it or not, fictional short story in the form of mystery writing (a new state requirement) too! We don't expect our kids to become novelists necessarily, but it is a well-established fact, that the more varied opportunities you have to hook them as writers, the more strength and creativity they'll show overall.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I'd like to see a fresh approach to ensure the students in America's cities will have an equal opportunity to be creative and experience the same learning opportunities too.</div><div><br /></div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-58540704283567733752011-02-20T11:26:00.000-08:002011-02-20T12:13:41.621-08:00Teach Smart: Tangible Ways to Improve Student Writing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nge5L1LMAAM/TWFrLqw75hI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/VijJ9vetTFg/s1600/dog_and_computer.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 139px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nge5L1LMAAM/TWFrLqw75hI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/VijJ9vetTFg/s200/dog_and_computer.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575855661863659026" /></a>Well, good afternoon, Spot! You're looking like quite the intellectual with those new trendy glasses of yours! I'm glad to see you're in there editing and revising your latest <a href="http://www.cbaswrite.com/Home/Features?AutoScoring">CBAS</a> entry! That PEG sure can score at lightning speed. The uncanny thing about her, Spot? Is that she is not too far off the mark from my scoring and the scoring of other teaching friends of mine. <div><br /></div><div>Recently, I posted a lesson plan, I'd like the writing teachers and/or parents to see. The other day, I took the time to teach my students to 'get a visual/quantifiable' understanding of what the scoring on CBAS or my rubric scoring might actually mean. Following that, I gave them some strategies to help. Here's a little look into what we accomplished that day:</div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>How do I apply writing process/writer’s workshop principles in other forms of demand writing? Recognizing the things that I know as a writer and transferring it to: 1) demand/’quick writes’ and 2) revising my work?</b><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Background:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p>Up to this point students have worked in CBAS as a parallel assignment at home, writing for 15 minutes or more each night, and crafting a response to a prompt at home.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the classroom, students are working on a feature article. In a series of short mini-lessons each day, they have learned how to plan (“What’s in Your Wallet?”), how to pack (“Touching the Specifics”) and how to insert research (“Listing Facts, Then Crafting them into Your Piece”).<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> All the while, parallels have been drawn in an explicit manner to show kids how this genre transfers to the writing prompt on the CMTs, to the CBAS home work they are doing, to the college essay or an essay that they’d be asked to write in order to attain a job.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Today’s objective:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Students will visually scan and mark-up their work to give it balance: paragraphs equal in size and/or sentences that vary in length, based on the following assumptions about good writing:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*<b>Length is strength!</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> If your work is not long enough, you haven’t sold your idea to your reader. (In truth, some writers are able to get to the point in a quick and clear manner. But more often, ideas need to be drawn out in a longer text.) Your purpose is to take the seed of an idea and help it grow in the reader’s mind. If your piece is short, your reader’s understanding will be limited.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>What to do: look at your work and physically touch each line as you count how many lines in your piece. Write the number in pencil in the lower right hand corner.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Canvas students for their responses to create a range with no judgment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*<b>Ideas are balanced</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. This means your ideas are packed in tight, specific paragraphs. Remember how we packed our ideas for our feature article? Each paragraph, including the introduction and the conclusion should have a minimum of four sentences inside.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>What to do: scan the sentences with your finger. Write the number of sentences in the lower right hand corner underneath each paragraph.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>NO PARAGRAPHS? No problem! It’s important to indent as a sixth grader/to shift each time you move into one of your three focus ideas. Be sure to get into that habit! It makes revising your piece much easier.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>(For those viewing this with horror in the outside arena...yes, we still have sixth graders who are missing this critical skill. It can often make for very confused writing. But we must proceed with caution, these are often our most fragile writers.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>What to do: take your pencil and draw a vertical line along the left side of the margin, stop when you need to shift into a new paragraph and mark it with the paragraph symbol.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*<b>Sentence lengths should vary</b><span style="font-weight:normal">. Just as we’ve done with the ‘feature article’ in Writer’s Workshop, we’ll do right here in CBAS—study your sentences. Go in and trace a line underneath each sentence in your first paragraph. Some sentences should be longer, others should be shorter in length. You should have a nice mix of long and short. You can easily see the ‘shorties and the longies’, but if you’re having a hard time with that—</span>think…4 or 7 words=equals a shortie, and longies=7 or above. You’ll see it right away!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Talk to the other writers in your cluster grouping about what you notice inside your piece. Make a list in your mini-lesson notebook of two things you’d like to change.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><b>How to fix any of the imbalance in your piece:</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*Balance of ideas: if you have shorter paragraphs, or if your piece is short in length, you should go in and take the mini-lesson on <i><u>support</u></i><span style="font-style:normal">. WHY? Your ideas are not completely developed. You may need to add some strong proper nouns, or create a one sentence connection to make your reader understand what you are talking about (an illustration…your idea in action.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*Sentence length: If your sentences don’t vary in length, your piece will not have the fluent sound of someone talking. That is what you really want here. You need to speak on the page the way you speak in the classroom. Too many short sentences sound robotic. Too many longer sentences can confuse the reader by bogging them down in either over-stating (repeating yourself) or too many unnecessary words (too chatty!). Take a mini-lesson on <i><u>sentence structure</u></i><span style="font-style:normal"> and/or mechanics.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Your job now is to go into your work, you’re already logged in, and start to take your ideas right from the page to the computer. Always reread the section you want to ‘perform surgery’ on, so you can warm your brain to make the right decision. When you are finished, be sure to save your work, so you can work on it some more at home.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> CLOSURE: We’ll close in the same way we always do…asking ourselves two questions: 1) What have I accomplished with this piece today? 2) What is my work for next time?<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>A</span> footnote: Upon reflection, this lesson was a lot to take on in one session. All good ideas, but too much for a sixth grade class in one sitting. What I've done though, is give them a tangible overview, an understanding of the what and why of scoring, and a hands-on way to make changes in their work. The next time I see them, I'll crack open each of the principles: show them student work that is shorter in length and discuss what an undeveloped piece offers. I love this lesson! I follow it with an 'Extreme Makeover' lesson, something we can break apart and brainstorm and then come back together and work on together.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Why does this model work? Well, honestly, there are no quick fixes in writing! Writing is a process that takes years of non-judgmental coaching, and lessons to achieve student success. The hope should be that each writer will, in fact, progress under my tutelage. So I know I have to get a leg-up with each one of them this year! I do think this instant self-scoring, CBAS program is a great tool. But it is one that could certainly raise concerns and suspicions for sure. So to each of you out there using it in the trenches--be sure parents and students as well know that you are doing a heap of background work to support it in the classroom. Otherwise it could succumb to public misinformation and then tank-out for sure! For now, for this teacher? It's working, and with no data as yet, I still believe it will boost skills like never before. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Happy writing, Spot! And happy teaching of writing to all my colleagues out there in the teaching world!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <br /> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-21258461057295838932011-01-25T17:53:00.000-08:002011-01-25T18:13:33.469-08:00Teaching in my Pajamas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TT9-7UcsuhI/AAAAAAAAAY8/P373MFBMmxY/s1600/cozydog.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TT9-7UcsuhI/AAAAAAAAAY8/P373MFBMmxY/s200/cozydog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566307222019684882" /></a>Okay, Spot...you can stay home AGAIN today. The roads are icky and it's snowing like nobody's business out there!<div><br /></div><div>About ten years ago, my teaching buddies and I used to joke about a day when we'd be able to 'mail-it-in' so to speak. I know, that sounds harsh, and believe me, I'm not that kind of teacher, you know that Spot! You're just so cute I have to have face-time with you!! But...</div><div><br /></div><div>All this snow? It does nothing for continuity of instruction, consistency in learning and actual daily practice on your part, Spot. Take that little yellow ball sitting there on the floor alongside you. You're a master at the bounce-catch, the roll and toss and any other number of tricks. You have practiced for countless hours outside and inside the house. When you're obsessed about learning the learning happens. Perseverance, long term practice, that's what it takes.</div><div><br /></div><div>So...right now, you and the rest of the doggies are all hooked up for bad weather. I'll be sitting here in my jammies, and no doubt you will too when that next huge storm rolls in. Last week, you were home researching on Expert Space, Grolier's online research program that is leveled to match any reader's needs. This week, it's CBAS, a computer-based writing program set up by the state of Connecticut allowing students extensive time in drafting and revising prompted writing, so you can challenge yourself in writing at home...or in school.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why, Spot, would I the writer/writing teacher want you working in this formatted/timed way?</div><div>Well, writing is a personal process. In the classroom, we'll be working on longer, more detailed process writing. I do believe in the human hand in critiquing written work...it is the MOST important way to improve a kid's work. I know for sure, I've made the greatest improvement with input from my writing mentor, Patricia Reilly Giff and the six members of my critique group. But, as you know, I can't be there every minute of every day. Practicing and getting feedback in a more regular way will really help you to take a huge leap!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, tomorrow, Spot? When the snow is piling up outside? You and I will be inside writing, and when you click 'submit', that feedback will come back to you in a blink of an eye!</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-44890224699389003382010-11-30T16:51:00.000-08:002010-11-30T17:30:02.838-08:00Think Spot!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TPWcNru-dXI/AAAAAAAAAYg/CpMbby6C1uE/s1600/TheThinker.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TPWcNru-dXI/AAAAAAAAAYg/CpMbby6C1uE/s200/TheThinker.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545510275068622194" /></a>Okay, Spot, okay. I know I pushed my luck today. I asked you to think, and really? It's only Tuesday...two days after turkey overload. "Stop the action," I said. "Put me inside your brain." What was I thinking, honestly?<div><br /></div><div>I looked up from the piece of writing I was crafting in front of you and all the other pooches...and that's when the smiles and the smirks began. Inside your heads, you were thinking...<i>lunch, definitely, lunch </i>or <i>recess, definitely, recess</i>. You were chasing a squirrel or sniffing around a bush in the park. I knew that, Spot. After all, I'm not that old a dog myself. I get it.<div><br /></div><div>It was writer's workshop time, and we were and still are embarking on a whole new journey. You see, Spot. Teaching is not just about tests. My job is to get you to make your thoughts and feelings known and expressed clearly on the page. So...when everyone loosened up a bit, I could hear the laughter erupt around me. The conversations about what you were all thinking broke out and that's when the fun began. I caught myself...I <i>was</i> being the 'sage on the stage' talking too much and forgetting to engage all of you.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lesson; crafting a meaningful 'thought shot,' slowing down the action within a story to live inside the character's mind. Lemony Snicket, EB White, and JK Rowling were our guests today, and what a great job they did! You see, Spot, there's no greater teacher than those kind of experts. I can talk and talk until, as my dad would say, I'm blue in the face (oy, that's an awful thought!). But the truth is, kids love to dig into great literature. They can find those thought-shots, watch the true writing unfold and talk to each other to discover what to put on their own page.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, now, after a very long day in the trenches, Spot...I'm thinking. Some folks call it metacognition, when a person thinks about and evaluates their own thoughts. But...I'm thinking about your thinking, so I'm not at all sure what you call that! I'm after elaboration...in small vignettes, in the exposing of the moment and in the snap shot too. I have a range of doggies this year, who seem to fall in the 'somewhat developed range' with either inadequate or minimally adequate details. My challenge is to get you over the fence, to think as you write, and to express all the smallest details. </div><div><br /></div><div>So Spot? No more chasing rainbows...I want you to grab that squirrel by the tail! Specifics, that's the difference in your work. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a bit of JK Rowling's specifics for you:</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Harry looked around. One thing was certain: Of all the teachers' offices Harry had visited so far this year, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting. If he hadn't been scared otu of his wits that he was about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very please to chance to look around it.</i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing in their frames.</i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat--the Sorting Hat.</i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>--JK Rowling, THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, ch. 12</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>JK did for me what I could not do for myself: she showed, firsthand, how to put a few thoughts on the page, create a mood and then show me what Harry was walking into. She had us eating out of the palm of her hand, Spot! We could see, feel and think right inside Harry's brain. And, best of all, she got us to the sorting hat...which, of course, is where she wanted us all along! </div><div><br /></div><div>So tomorrow, Spot, we'll think it, show it, and make it real for the reader, because that, in a nutshell, is what good writing is all about. Find that in all your reading, and believe me, Spot, you won't chase the squirrel, you'll be chasing those words on the page! </div><div><br /></div><div>Good dog, Spot. You're dismissed for today! </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-27284360329032230902010-11-18T17:37:00.000-08:002010-11-18T18:25:24.872-08:00At Long Last, A Shift in Teacher Training!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TOXVDKx8AUI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/H2fdmNygI-M/s1600/cutedoggie.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TOXVDKx8AUI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/H2fdmNygI-M/s200/cutedoggie.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541069166959395138" /></a>The Rookies are coming! The Rookies are coming! Well, not so fast, Spot. You're still stuck with little old me. <div><br /></div><div>Ever since I got out of school, lo those many years ago, I've often thought about how very different teachers in our country should be trained. We all adapt once we're on the job. We hide under our proverbial rocks and pray no one opens our classroom doors. </div><div><br /></div><div>But today, Spot? I was listening to <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/11/18/pm-improving-lousianas-schools-starting-with-teachers/">Marketplace</a> and Kai Ryssdal was reporting on the miserable state of affairs in Louisianna schools today. But then, there was that little ray of hope I always listen for. University of Louisianna at Monroe has completely revamped its teacher training program. Now honestly, it's an idea whose time has finally come.</div><div><br /></div><div>'In my day,' we sat in stuffy classrooms, doodling and taking notes, doing anything we could do to stay awake. I didn't really take my first 'methods' class until my junior year! I remember that mostly, because I just couldn't wait. My sophomore year, I was required to observe in a classroom, and man did I lap that up! But then I waited all the way until my senior year to find myself in front of kids again. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the sad news, Spot? Is the same system is still in place. Recently, I had a college student come in and observe in my room. She took her notes, tracked a single student and sat down and chatted with me. But that was it, Spot. And we won't see her again until her senior year. Imagine if our medical professionals, sales professionals, culinary students or trade school students operated like that. The carpenter would be able to tell you everything she/he learned about the angle one must take in lowering the hammer, but they'd never hit the nail on the head.</div><div><br /></div><div>My hope is that America finally wakes up, cleans up teacher training programs, and places apprentice teachers out in the field. First of all, our resources are shrinking and we really could use their able hands. But more importantly, our students' needs are greater than ever before. And no child should ever have to be the one training the teacher...it should always be the other way around!</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-62704337642751367842010-11-14T07:09:00.000-08:002010-11-14T08:05:31.690-08:00Demystifying the Mystery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TN_8IfJwzuI/AAAAAAAAAYA/ra06WBWpV6c/s1600/calvin-writing-.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TN_8IfJwzuI/AAAAAAAAAYA/ra06WBWpV6c/s200/calvin-writing-.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539423289420599010" /></a>What is it about good writing that makes it so hard to define? I'm so sorry, Spot...I've had to pull in Calvin and Hobbs today...I know. Yick, right?! A cat in your SPOT. Today, I'm sending you off with a bone. You, my friend, are dismissed.<div><br /></div><div>I'm talking now to all my teacher friends, to kids and their parents, to anyone, really, who is eager and willing to listen.</div><div><br /></div><div>My school system, much to the chagrin (and understandably so) of the parents, has decided to take a half day to inservice its teachers in good teaching practices focused on good writing. The bottom line, of course, is the test scores, and everyone knows this is so. But to the outside communty at large, this is a huge sacrifice, and therefore there has been quite a bit of strife.</div><div>Our teachers are not remedial, they say. Why do they need all this extra time? </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd like to set the record straight, to give an inside peek at what is really happening inside the walls while the kids are outside on the street.</div><div><br /></div><div>Teaching is not innate, and just as with students, teaching practices repeated over time can become habitual. There is no 'eye-in-the-sky' even under the best administrative practices that can equally insure quality control. No teachers are created equal, nor should they be. No one would want that robotic teaching, the 'cookie-cutter' approach to learning. For that, we all know is deadly. But teachers have to come together to find common ground, common issues and understandings that we can all support through instruction.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here we were, on a sunny day in October, eleven or so of us, all in classrooms, gathered together over our 'Tuning Protocols'. I had the good fortune to be sharing one of my 'cuspy-kid's' writing. I say that not to be demeaning, nor to create a stereotype about a student, it is simply a designation made about the level of writing that this student is able to achieve, which is marginal...but really just below marginal at best. This student has just missed goal on the CMTs, and left to his/her own device, it will always be that way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our task: 'How can we elevate this student's ability to improve in the area of writing in this piece?' I gave the group some background...nothing personal, gender neutral, about this students' overall performance. Where he/she started on the writing continuum, and the goals and objectives that I am working on right now in class. Then the team set to work dissecting the piece and looking at that which we hoped to see improve.</div><div><br /></div><div>The commentary was wide and diverse. Questions arose immediately related to the score I'd give this student for his/her writing if this were an assignment in class. I resisted. The facilitator returned to the question at hand and encouraged teachers to take notes and mark up the piece as we moved along. The same teacher who had raised the question about score, pressed again to inquire about grade, "What grade would you give this piece," he asked. His background is math, so the question did not surprise me. He deferred to his own education and how he, himself, would've been scored on the piece. His issue was missing capitals and periods. Another teacher asked about paragraphing. </div><div><br /></div><div>When asked what the expectation was for a sixth grader, grammatically speaking, my colleagues and I were able to defer to the standards...yes, paragraphing and periods should be in place. Sentences, at least those in the simple variety, should be well-defined with a capital and period. But this student was stretching his/her simple sentence border, and expanding ideas within. We could then say that commas are the order of the day in sixth grade. Kids are learning how to combine sentences effectively, stretching into compound, complex sentences. This is their whole year's challenge at this grade. The piece was written in September, the very beginning of school.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then we launched into another discussion about what we hoped to see in a piece of writing.</div><div>This was the best part of all. Around the table sat the physical education, art, band, math, science, social studies and language art teachers. We all looked at the ideas this student had tried to put forth in this piece. He'd stretched to identify the person that most inspired him, but his reach was not really developed at all. We talked about what we would've liked to have seen, as he put his dad up there on the page. Many of the students identify their parents as inspirational, but they don't have the meat...the specifics to put a fluent piece together at all. </div><div>At the end of our two hour session, we all came to the same conclusion. This student's need was really in the area of idea generation. We could see how a mutual effort to talk to this student, to engage him in discussion as a regular practice prior to getting him to the page, we might be able to help him to practice the steps to good writing: verbal rehearsal leads to pay dirt, we concluded. So...in this short session, we hit pay dirt too. We could see the many students who are not unlike this one, who just need that steady boost to get a few clear ideas on the page.</div><div><br /></div><div>And as far as the bottom line goes? The truth is, the bottom line is not the test or the score that matter at all. Students need to express their ideas clearly with great fluency, but Rome wasn't built in a day. The math teacher was coaxed into the simple understanding that you can't look under the hood until you've assessed the collateral effect of the piece as a hole. The band teacher left there with a plan to implement writing within his own discipline. The language arts teacher left with an opportunity to collaborate with the band teacher on that piece of writing. And the art teacher had a plan too. Last to leave were the two math teachers who also happen to teach reading as well. They were discussing writing and rubrics in reading and how that could translate to math. Teachers focused on writing is sure to bring baleful results.</div><div><br /></div><div>What stands true in education today is that it is fluid, not static as it has been for so many years. Many teachers leave their college training programs with a bit of philosophy, a few methods courses and a student teaching experience. The great teachers evolve and evolve some more; they continue evolving and learning until the day they walk out the door. This two hour block that cost the district nothing was a bit of pay dirt for us all. Now, as I roll up my sleeves with my student, I have that deep knowledge that I am not the only one cheering him/her on!</div><div>So even though I know this is a sacrifice for the parent community, it is a breath of fresh air that informs instruction and opens the learning to a wider, grander stage. It takes a village to educate a child well in today's world, and educators must be fluid in their methods and their understandings of it all!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-39069036980443167912010-11-01T19:02:00.000-07:002010-11-02T04:06:31.515-07:00Out to Sea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TM9xTUW6lqI/AAAAAAAAAX4/ssBbXNEftL0/s1600/Dogs+out+to+sea.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TM9xTUW6lqI/AAAAAAAAAX4/ssBbXNEftL0/s200/Dogs+out+to+sea.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534767043757905570" /></a>Now Spot, I don't want you getting any ideas or anything, but imagine what it would be like to just take off one day in a little white boat and head out to places unknown. What if the pure purpose was to plan and execute your own education, to travel somewhere else to learn. Imagine how inspired you'd be!<div><br /></div><div>Well, Spot, after seven years, a teacher has that opportunity, or they did at one time, anyway. They could actually take off for half a year or even a full year and still maintain their salary. Good for the kids, great for the teacher. Sabbatical-noun: an opportunity to gain new learning; to open the mind to a new way of thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>In today's world of education, sabbatical is a phenomena that's been phased out, mostly because of cost. Paying for a substitute teacher while maintaining the regular teacher's salary is cost prohibitive, so therefore it doesn't exist. In its place, professional development became a way of bringing the best minds in education into a district or a single school building to bring to life research-based instruction ideas right to the staff on the frontline. In my current district, I've experienced the best of the best from<a href="http://front.readingandwritingproject.com/join.html"> Columbia's Teacher College Writing Project </a>to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Concept-Based-Curriculum-Instruction-Thinking-Classroom/dp/141291700X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288664727&sr=8-1">H. Lynne Erickson's Concept-Based Instruction.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the past two years, my colleagues and I have begun to follow the <a href="http://go.solution-tree.com/plc/plc3bigideas.html">Dufour's approach to teaming with the Professional Learning Communities.</a> PLCs are not a new concept to me. Teachers focus on data, and purposeful goals, sharing their best teaching practices is something that works well for me. PLCs, done well, require time and conversation to really go deep into the work. The Dufour approach requires teachers to come together regularly in order to design a purposeful, united community that has the child's best interest at heart. It requires hours of trusted sharing and listening with a vested commitment to the learning outcomes of each child.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><div class="header" style="color: rgb(182, 83, 18); font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px; ">You know you belong in a PLC if:</div><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1. You believe the fundamental purpose of your school or district is to ensure all students learn at high levels, and you are committed to become a lifelong learner to make this a reality.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2. You think collaborative teamwork and interdependence among teachers and administrators is a great way to continuously improve your school or district.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">3. You are hungry for evidence that students are learning and are ready to respond immediately when timely feedback tells you otherwise.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">The greater community is clamoring for results. They're pointing all their energies at putting our schools under the microscope. But often, Spot, public criticism mounts before an idea is understood. Right now, we have a wonderful opportunity...to dig deep, to use the cost-free talent of our professional educators, the ones that shine inside our ranks.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">Right now, more than ever before, teachers need support and understanding in order to accomplish some pretty high level goals. We have an enormous initiative in place called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Response_to_intervention">RtI</a> which requires us to identify, assess, frequently monitor and intervene to insure proper outcomes for students at risk. We all want to see that happen Spot, but we need those in the know to spread a positive word, to support our work and to restore public respect to the art of teaching.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">So Spot, spread the word...the learning never ends for you or for me. And that my friend, is a very good thing! I can't take off in a boat, but I can knuckle down and refresh my practice just like others out there in the professional world. And that is a very good thing for you!</span></p></span></div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-84748231132819036042010-10-15T17:15:00.000-07:002010-10-15T18:01:44.860-07:00Characters Wanted?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TLj5J2KbIlI/AAAAAAAAAXw/qh9wMnGFOBo/s1600/hippie+dog.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 139px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TLj5J2KbIlI/AAAAAAAAAXw/qh9wMnGFOBo/s200/hippie+dog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528442490150658642" /></a>I don't think I said that, Spot...honest. But that is exactly what I've got. A group of absolutely kooky characters. The secretaries in any school are really the smartest dogs of all. The very first thing they said to me way back in August was <i>you've sure got a bunch of characters this year!</i><div><br /></div><div>And now, I'm six weeks in and everyone's true colors are clear. Today, for example, was one of my most favorite days: Retro Day! So, in strolls 'a certain young man' with hugely enormous hair. He's dressed in tie dye from head to toe and he's got his dark glasses on. I had to stifle a laugh, because I could've easily predicted he'd be the one. You see, Spot, this doggie never, ever has anything he's supposed to turn in. He tells his mama and papa he's way too stressed to do work. But today? He knows his assignment and he's gone right over the top.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of the day, we had a fire drill, just fifteen minutes before the busses were supposed to be called. We herded the troops out to the field and the wind was really picking up. And that's when a little divine justice came into play...because a 'certain wig' took flight and flew right off his head! I love my characters this year, Spot. It's just taking time to get them on the right track.</div><div><br /></div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-64353502502734961612010-09-01T18:03:00.000-07:002010-09-01T18:28:16.207-07:00On the Outside Looking In<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TH74BMoCYlI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/dupQ4jWAVTE/s1600/images-1.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 187px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TH74BMoCYlI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/dupQ4jWAVTE/s200/images-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512115693400777298" /></a>Spot! Congrats on your very first day of school this year! One down and 182 to go, but who's counting? Certainly not me. I love my new doggies already this year.<div><br /></div><div>On the way into school today, I saw the sweetest thing...and it really stuck with me all day. Two very young guys were cutting the lawn early this morning as I pulled into school. One, backed up his tractor and tipped his hat and waited for me to pull my car all the way in. The other, a kind of big guy, but also very young too, stopped what he was doing lifted his shades, smiled broadly and waved. And then his expression changed, and I could see a kind of sadness in his eyes. I am a storyteller, so it may have been my imagination or my teacher's intuition, but I think I knew what was going on here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both of these guys were recent high school grads, I think. I'm pretty certain it was the very first day that they weren't going to school. They may have even been two kids that hated school, were outside, hands-on learning types who were trapped for twelve years in school. Or maybe they were all of the above and yet somehow because of their very sweet teachers, they managed to have a fondness for school. Whatever the truth is, I'm sure I'll never know. But it made me think about all the kids that struggle in school, and how I can make it better for them here. When I left school today, I stopped and admired the beautifully manicured lawn. </div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-35814468202136648112010-08-31T18:19:00.000-07:002010-08-31T18:35:55.166-07:00It's Time...Parent Portals and What's in Store this Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TH2qRGhZ6-I/AAAAAAAAAXI/K6KbUgsbFh4/s1600/puppynose.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TH2qRGhZ6-I/AAAAAAAAAXI/K6KbUgsbFh4/s200/puppynose.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511748729756576738" /></a>Okay, Spot. I see you out there pressing your nose against the screen. I hear your mommies moaning too! I get it. It's time. <div>We've been in there sweating it out, crunching the numbers and analyzing all the data, so we can make it just right for you. </div><div><br /></div><div>We've got some great things in store for you, Spot, but I have to admit, we may have some not-so-great things too. Today, we talked about parent portals. Oy vey, Spot. This could get rough. </div><div><br /></div><div>A parent portal is kind of like a hole in a wall where the mommy and daddy doggies can take a little peek from time to time. I'd almost rather have a real hole in the wall, honestly. The parent portal allows the parents to monitor your progress, peeking in each and every time I put a grade in the book. They'll actually receive an email when the gradebook is updated. It's okay, Spot...we can handle that, and maybe, just maybe, it'll make you more accountable. </div><div><br /></div><div>But today, Spot? We talked about the same parent portal for the Accelerated Reader program we've discussed before. AR is a great thing in many ways, because it helps kids see and monitor their own reading progress, watching it grow while earning points in the bank. This year, parents will see each and every AR point as they make their way into your account. They'll be able to monitor quiz scores too. Is this a good thing, Spot? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well...to my thinking it could be, but it takes a pretty balanced parent not to get too hooked on all these numbers. We've got to be ever so careful in this. Don't worry too much, though Spot. I'm going to look your mama and papa in the eye at Open House. A little knowledge can be dangerous and a lot more can be disastrous. My job is to help them understand.</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-25457933154236839982010-08-24T18:52:00.000-07:002010-08-24T19:14:46.243-07:00Who Let the Dogs Out?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/THR3fUNQwEI/AAAAAAAAAXA/tibGro43HUk/s1600/puppies+running.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 151px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/THR3fUNQwEI/AAAAAAAAAXA/tibGro43HUk/s200/puppies+running.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509159624064942146" /></a>Hey Spot! I wandered over to <a href="http://www.danpink.com/archives/2010/08/is-the-best-vacation-policy-no-vacation-policy">Daniel Pink's blog </a>and read the most amazing piece...and I got to gnawing on the idea he talked about there.<div><br /></div><div>Netflix, you know that company, right? Movies by mail, anytime you want them. They have a new open leave policy for employee attendance it seems...vacation time: <i>you need it/you take it</i>! That's right! Can you imagine? I don't feel like going in tomorrow, I'm going to call it a 'zero day'!</div><div><br /></div><div>I started applying that thinking to school. You see, Spot, all the mommies out there have been asking me, "Are you ready?" And then they smile. When I don't answer right away, they smile again. In other words, "It's your turn to take over those doggies again." I get it. You guys are getting a bit out of hand out there. But the true answer is I'm never ready...for summer to end. Who would be? Really. So, reluctantly I tell them..."I'm always ready." And then I smile.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a way, that really is true. I love when we get back into the swing of things. I'm in my element there. But...leaving summer and the freedom it brings? Being constantly locked into a daily grind? Well, none of us are, not even the kids. But if we...like Netflix, had an open summer policy? I'd write the assignments on the board, promote cooperative doggie behavior, and quietly take my exit and go. In the immortal words of Snagglepuss, it'd be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snagglepuss">"Exit...stage left!"</a> for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>"Autonomy is not the opposite of accountability. It's the pathway to it." I like that, Spot. I'm thinking before long, I'll be able to teach in my jammies from my armchair. While you and all the puppies take over at school. So...go ahead, take all the recess you want. It's the trickle down theory you know! I'm thinking this 21st century learning is really a good thing.</div><div><br /></div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306004678783903750.post-43017734351674357842010-08-20T10:03:00.000-07:002010-08-20T11:04:35.072-07:00Don't Go There: How NOT to Buy School Supplies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TG61kYM9ykI/AAAAAAAAAWo/5OufurczSkk/s1600/bewareofthedog.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 121px; height: 145px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWyh-UDLxuE/TG61kYM9ykI/AAAAAAAAAWo/5OufurczSkk/s200/bewareofthedog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507539030897445442" /></a>Okay, Spot. Here we go! Out there in the public arena buying games for our classroom this fall. Eavesdropping, it's what I do. I was incognito, sunglasses and all. I hear this mom say, "I can't afford another thing! I just spent $140 on school supplies." (Then she asks the clerk where she got her cute tee shirt, because she LOVED that syle!)<div><br /></div><div>Well, first of all, you know me, I'm screaming at her inside my head. Me-"Are you crazy?" Seriously, who does that? Now she did have two kids with her, so I'm assuming, hopefully, that she spent this on two kids. Even $70 per kid is ridiculous. She was implying that the fault was the school's, but I beg to differ!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what parents should never do when shopping for school supplies: bring their kids if they are not prepared to say no! Otherwise, follow the list. Kids do not need the $15 binder or the neato-keeno (I know, I'm dating myself) glitzy pens and pencils. When I send my list out, I ask parents for a few spiral notebooks, pens and pencils and an eraser or two. They also need a cheap bundle of paper to keep at home for homework. Staples has those spiral notebooks as cheap as six for a dollar sometimes. And the only thing I really want that's pricey is the #2 pencils...you just can't beat Ticonderoga, honestly. So...when parents are implicating blame for the old school supply game, it can't be placed on me as the teacher. Just say NO is my best advice...and that is really the best thing to practice out there for parents these days anyway. You have the power! Keep it simple.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, Spot, that's it for today. Just one other funny thing. That mom that had no more money? Rushed right over to Chico's to get that shirt. Obsessive shopping. I get it, I've lived it. And thank goodness, I don't choose to live like that way anymore. Saying no starts with old number one. Once mom can say no to herself, she'll learn to say no to her tribe. Back to summer! It really is bliss!</div>gael lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08109953416971003657noreply@blogger.com2