Ready, Set, Go!

Okay, Spot, you little smoochy, cutie-pie! I know, I know. That red leash is way too tight. Tell your mama to loosen up a bit. You are a big boy!! In fact, you, my friend, are a "tween-ager!" 

Tonight all the Mamas and the Papas came for Intermediate School Orientation Night. Sometimes...they are so nervous, they can barely sit in their chair. All the big shots at school talk at them, but they're not listening. You know what the Mamas and the Papas do? They stare at us...the teachers! They are one big checkin'-out-the-teachers-2-C-if-we-gonna-take-care-o'-their-babies group!! I don't blame them. I'd wanna get a feel for the people that are really gonna be on the frontline with my kids too!

We have to tell them, though...they've gotta lighten-up a bit. No hovering, no over-controlling. We really do know what we're doing in that school up on the hill. The intermediate model is a great thing for you, Spot! We ease you off the leash, but we keep our eyes on you too. You get to become a social being. I like parents to stay in touch, though. You are not off the hook, Spotty boy. Parents should never, ever stop watching, talking and snuggling you...because we want you to do well in this world. So Spot, you are growing up--but tweens always need the big people in their life to be a part of their life. Congrats, there little Spot...you are movin' on up!

Oh...and if anyone remembers Junie------she was the tour guide from heaven, leading those Mamas and Papas too, on the tour of their life! She kept them on a quite the tight leash. 

A New Principal?

Okay, Spot...I know, I'm upset too. Good old, Mrs. Principal-from-Heaven is retiring. But, relax Spot! I'm going online tonight to find the DREAM Principal! 

Here's my criteria...are you ready? I know, you want more time out on the playground to run around, cause chaos, mark your turf and all that rot. Well, forget that. We're in the business of learning here. And you? You're already far behind. In fact we're tracking your progress (or lack there0f), keeping data, discussing your data in our data-teams and oh yes, making changes in your program every time you move up one tenth of  a percentage point. That's fidelity! (No, it's not a stereo unit!) 

My criteria: The DREAM PRINCIPAL will let me TEACH. That's it. Give me feedback. Ask me to reflect on my teaching. I don't care about that. But start getting me pulled out to identify this and manage that and create a new gameplan to solve every individual problem in the world? Go away...those are the nightmare principals that need not apply. The dream principal understands the complexities of the job, and he/she is just around the corner on Craig's List, I'm sure! So, adios Spot! And a Happy Cinco de Mayo to you!

Classroom Rigor-Just Another Day in the Trenches

As always in education, there are buzz words...and then there are BUZZ words! Academic rigor has been around for a while now, so I thought I'd gnaw on that for a while. I'm to be observed this week for ten minutes with the bulk of the administration walking through the building, entering and exiting my sixth grade classroom in groups of four for ten minutes at a clip. Sounds like the stuff of nightmares, right? I don't mind. (Although that may change after the fact!) When they're done, they reconstruct the lessons they've seen around the building. Boy, would I love that job! Imagine the mosaic: math, science, social studies (me), band and technology. 

Their number one coveted item: Rigor...with differentiation and engagement not far behind. I figure I'll give it a shot before the effects of the budget cuts when class sizes could soar to 28 or so.

So here's the plan: Kids will read and attempt to interpret (using all they've learned about China up to this point) the quality of life in China today, based on their own lives here of course. Using a variety of leveled readings and a previously viewed video (no...I'm not that nervy!), they'll compile a gallery related to topics such as everyday life, modern improvements, the environment, education...and China's place in the world today. What my kids want to know most about China today is the One Child Policy, a topic that is a bit R rated for my very naive students, and  a bit risky to handle under these circumstances. We'll gnaw on that one another day. 

Rigor to me is a deep desire to dig into the deepest and darkest recesses of a topic. No matter how challenging, kids will push forward. I know from our classroom work last week...laptops in tow, that this group of kids will rigorously follow a trail of websites to find meaningful information on their individually selected China topics. Often the problem in teaching with texts, though, is that the material has no portal, no way to drop down into that rabbit hole and tumble until you find the pay-dirt you're looking for! Isn't it about time we provide a laptop per kid in every school and skip these archaic texts for learning? Or perhaps Kindle could help us out...iPhones? Well, now that's a risk!

Arne Duncan talks about schools failing...scary that he uses that kind of sweeping rhetoric. Many more kids are going to college than ever before. Some schools are failing--most schools are struggling to survive in a world that is predominantly digital with only a few paltry laptop carts passed around once/twice a year. Schools need modern-day resources, but that's a discussion for another day.

I'll find the varied type of reading I'm looking for. I'll use my Mimio to demonstrate mark-ups on the screen. I'll move my kids around and then shuffle them back together just like I always do. And the hope-is that it'll all work out in the end. The 'seasoned crew' is covering this visit. Certainly none of our newer, pink-slipped partners would ever dare take the hit!

Autism Speaks...Shouts, and Attracts Attention

Another tribute to the world of autism today. I can't resist. I was in Borders eavesdropping...and just getting such a kick out of it. A twenty-somethin young man and his caretaker...55 or so, were perusing the sale rack of cds right next to the stationery aisle. Young guy says to old guy, "What's this?" 

Old guys says, "Music from West Side Story, a great broadway show--a play."

     Young guy responds, "I like plays, right?"

                                      "Yes, you like plays..." He goes on to recount the virtues of the music of West Side Story, the dance, the characters, etc. 

The young guy is clearly on his own wavelength, picking up the very next cd, and saying, "What's this?" Old guy goes on to explain the whole saga of the Lion King, chapter and verse.

 Then, the young guy picks up a Beatles album, at this point, I'm on the other side of the rack. I have to see what's going on! The young guy is rocking back and forth with a huge grin on his face. 

        "It's a play, right?" he asks. The caretaker goes on to explain the whole phenomenon of the Beatles!  The young man's autism is showing...and loud and clear in public. I love it. He's got a sense of humor and has his caretaker retrieving the ball for him over and over again.

         But, as I walk away, I see a 50ish woman in a jaunty, color-matched get-up shaking her head. The manager walks by and she blurts out, "I didn't come here to listen to this!" I wanna say...this ain't no lending library, lady, but I don't. My friend is so smart...playing his game and enjoying his life. He sure knows how to keep a conversation going. And that, to me, is very cool.

April is Autism Awareness Month

 Anyone who has the privilege of establishing a friendship with a person with autism would probably tell you, it's one of the most rewarding feelings on the face of the planet. Breaking down barriers and figuring out the language encoding system or even just following the lead of an autistic student, sheds a little light on the neat little quirks...and issues that lie just underneath the surface.

This past year, we had a young man come to our school from a western state...which will remain unnamed--he was having a major breakdown in the middle of the hallway on the first day, trying to negotiate a locker and deal with the roar of the hallway first thing in the morning. Within moments, my friend Nancy...a special educator, and I were at his side. We knew.

But...the system had not been informed! This student was in a one-on-one situation in a resource room in his previous school! (They didn't know what to do with him!) But never mind that...we had to get him through those very first moments and set him on the road to coping. What a gem of a boy! Those first few weeks were exceedingly tough...with many meltdowns. But! This guy is brilliant! And now...he's in walking club, which means he walks the halls with other like-minded, bright students, conversing all the way, honestly! (And now? He'd talk the ear off a mule, I swear!) He skipped out of his classroom (He's my next door neighbor this year...fingers crossed that I get him next year.), springing up on his toes and yelling, "This is the best day of my life!" Of course, I was in the middle of a lesson...but I had to bite---so I said, "What happened?" And you know what...he got a 100 on a math test. Made my day too!

On my own turf...in sixth grade, I have a number of kids that are either identified as autistic, or fit neatly somewhere on the spectrum. I LOVE them! They are not islands, but meaningful participants in my classroom. If I don't know something (which...sorry to say is frequent!), they pipe up right away---like Dan, my black tar man...who could tell me immediately about the components of colprovia and the differences between a variety of types. Or my helicopter/war plane officianado...and now my endangered species expert that sits in the third row. All info, all the time. But the best of it all--behind that obsession lies a warm body, a brilliant mind...and a kid who just loves to have someone to talk to. Yup, different IS where it's at. In the middle of a group of sixth graders worried about where they fit in, it's just kind of nice to have a student or two, (well actually four)...who fits in alright--but the puzzle has to be built around him/her first!

Beware All You April Fools!

Well, Spot, I know...tomorrow is Scotty's favorite day of the year. He's been plotting for days now. What scheme has he cooked up for me? He was actually absent today, so that's a huge worry. Or is it? 

We did have a very quiet day without old Scotty jumping around. Was it the calm before the storm?

The best April fool's day joke came years ago from my old buddy Gary, who walked  into my second grade classroom and whispered a secret in my ear. He'd changed his mind and he didn't want anyone to know...Gary, a die-hard Yankees fan (mostly because of his crazed Yankee-loving Dad) proclaimed, "I love the Mets. I've always loved the Mets...I was just pretending!" I was jumping up and down with both arms around Gary before he could finish! And then...oh, you bet---"April Fools!" Gary's dad had practiced with him for hours, spooning cookie dough icecream into him every time he got it right the night before! Brother.

Every year, I grit my teeth and wait. Now I'm in sixth grade...so it's really a challenge. They come at me from all different angles. But for me? It was Gary that did it best! So my hat goes off to Gary every April Fool's Day Eve. That Yankee Empire lives on...and I'm sure Gary still remembers the April Fools Day that he fooled his silly teacher, and I know his dad sure does.

This year, the joke is on them! Scotty's NOT gonna get me! You see, I'm sending Viola Swamp in to take my place. Meanness, instead of kindness will be the name of the game. So Scotty? Watch out! You might wanna take another sick day!! The truth...they've scheduled  a professional development day. So I have to be out of the classroom. (Oh darn!) There was a sub in the building today that bore quite a resemblance to Viola. Honest, I swear. (Sorry, Spot...no more swearing!)But don't worry, I'll be wandering the halls of the building, keeping an eye on you guys every chance I can!

The Black Hole

It being conference season again, we are currently visiting with the most eligible moms and dads of the pups who are often eager and sometimes willing, but never seem to be able to get it together no matter what!

Yesterday, Spot's friend, Spike's mother came in with Spike in tow.

Now Spike is aptly named, for that is the true shape of his hairdo...completely gelled to stand straight up on end. I love this kid...I mean doggie. He cracks me up...well, most of the time. But. If he spent just a smidge of the time managing his things as he does on his hair, life would be great. He travels with a stack of stuff that can NOT be straightened, no matter how hard you try! I think he's probably got his grandmother's wedding license and a sampling of his mother's cookies in there too! You just don't know. And you wince when you look at it, so you don't want to know. But Spike sits right next to me, so I can help him out when he's in a panic. 

Last week, he couldn't find his Social Studies assignment for the life of him. Social Studies is his absolute favorite subject in school...and he is brilliant when it comes to discussing politics! When he got to the bottom of his stack he said, "Mrs. Lynch! I've got it!" He slipped it out from under one of his notebooks and handed it to me. I was ready to be relieved until I looked at its content...all in Italian! It was his high school aged brother's Italian homework! Whenever we can't find something in the classroom, we inevitably look in Spike's pile, and sure enough...it's always there. Spike carries the weight of the world in that pile, literally!

Yesterday, his mother just shook her head and said, "I love my boy, he's a blessing to me, but he drives me nuts too!" So...today, the job was to clean that black hole of a locker in order to be able to put just the essentials in there. What came out of that locker was startling really! Spike could've had a tag sale,  honestly. He must've had 4 sets of drumsticks, there was a velour leopard print jacket (I kid you not!), a couple of coats, socks, gym shorts, and oh yes...more than a pencil or two--probably enough to hand out to the other 949 students in our school!

The best of all though, is that his mother left us yesterday, thanking us over and over again for our efforts with Spike. And then she said, "I have just a few cookies for you. I'm sorry, they're not my best." Well, Spike? Those were the best darn cookies in the world. And you know what else...every day when you leave my room and you turn around and say, "Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Lynch!"  That is what does it for me! Your mom doesn't owe me another one of her sinful cookies. Gratitude. It's the magic ingredient of a great kid! 

Spot, you got a great friend there. Stick with him. (But watch out for your stuff...he's got sticky fingers from all that hair gel!)