Novel Studies

This week, my reading class began reading a novel instead of reading stories out of the textbook. It's an interesting little experiment for me. Among other things, it's amazing to see how excited they get when I tell them we are getting into our groups for the novels. It's a whole new experience for some of them. And it's really clear that this is a kind of teaching that works. They are motivated. They are excited and they ask me when they come in if we get to read today. I'm still having a little trouble getting them talking about the book, but I would definitely say that they enjoy this much more than when we were just reading from the textbook.

Rewards and Punishments

We had a conversation after school today about using punishments and rewards in class. The other two fifth grade teachers are having the same problem I am, that the kids are too talkative and take a long time to transition to new activities. One of the teachers was talking about how much easier it is to use rewards, and I had to agree--getting kids to do things is a lot easier if you offer them some incentive to do it. It's also second nature, since that's the way I've been teaching in the past, and it's certainly the way I was taught. So how to break away from that? It's frankly exhausting, in the middle of everything else, to be trying to think of entirely new ways to interact with kids. I heard the quote the other day-- sometimes the easiest thing is the right thing, but most of the time it's not. This isn't easy. I think it's right.

Finding Balance

My mission this week has been in trying to find some balance between the work I'm doing at my school, the work I'm doing for Pepperdine and finding some sort of fun outlet so that I am not working all the time, or thinking about work, or writing about work... This is proving difficult for me, but I think I'm on the right track. I have made it a point to leave my school before 5 for the last 3 days, and have taken a minimal amount of work home with me. I'm trying to use the time that I'm at school more productively (i.e. less time hanging around talking about working and more actual working) and giving my student workers more to do.

I think the answer here is baby steps. I'm creating more time for myself, now I need to find something to do with it, so that I'm not tempted to just spend more time on my classroom. I need to reconnect with friends that I've barely spoken to since sometime last year, find some physical activities that I enjoy doing that get me away from my house and maybe even read a book or two. Ah, balance. :)

Pacing Guides

Today at our grade level chair meeting, our AP told us that we are going to have to create pacing guides for our language arts programs. This is part of being a program improvement school. When she said it, I cringed, and wondered really, what was the point of making the move that I had to this school. I think my reaction is mostly due to HOW pacing guides were implemented at my last school, with a rigidity that meant you would be written up no matter how your students were doing, or if the reason you were not on track was that your kids needed some reteaching.

I understand the frustration with having curriculum that you need to follow and having students that didn't get through LAST year's curriculum because their teacher only taught 2 units. (Out of 12) At the same time, a pacing guide has to allow room for flexibility. If you're going to use curriculum there must be some common sense involved too.

How to teach reading

Tomorrow morning the fourth grade teachers at my school are going to come observe me teaching Houghton Mifflin. Which is funny--because it's my first year teaching Hougton Mifflin and my first year at this school and because I'm trying to teach less from the curriculum while they want to learn how to teach more...

Teaching from the book is something I know how to do. I just have to look over exactly what I want to do tomorrow (had planned to do something NOT from the book). I'm just torn about where all of this is going.

I wish I weren't having so much self-doubt and could just focus on teaching my kids and what THEY are learning instead of how I am doing. I'm having this terrible problem of trying to see myself through everyone else's eyes. I think that's what's called insecurity.

Teachable moments

I've been thinking more and more about punishments and rewards in my classroom. I know that this year I am focusing less on rewards and really trying to eliminate unnecessary punishments. As I'm reading Alfie Kohn's book, he talks about replacing punishments with teachable moments. This makes a lot of sense to me and I realize I'm not really doing that with my students. When when one of my students has been in trouble for not turning in homework, I've talked to him about how important homework is, asked him why he's not getting it done, and even talked to his guardian, but I haven't really listened to what's going on with him, whether he's struggling with the work or what the reason is for the issue. Instead of punishing him, and talking to him about the consequences of his actions, I need to work with him to solve the problem.

"I Like the Way You...."

I caught myself saying today "I like the way ____ is sitting quietly and is ready for the lesson." I have done this kind of thing the entire time I've been teaching. It's an eay way to get kids quiet and ready to go. It's a way to control students and get them to do what you want. I've just started reading Punished by Rewards, but I can tell already that this is what Kohn is talking about. When the reason you're giving praise is soley to manipulate someone else's behavior, then I think you have to question what you're doing.

I wonder, honestly, how much of what we say in a day is designed to manipulate someone else into doing what we want... I'm trying to be aware of this, but we'll see how hard that habit is to break.

Using Technology

One thing that I'm realizing in the frantic first few weeks of school, is how quickly my plans to use technology have gone out the window. My kids have watched some presentations I made, and I used some cool hurricane footage that I found on the web, along with a brain pop, but I haven't even had them touch the computers yet. Another teacher in the 6th grade came to me to talk to me about how to do a Powerpoint "choose your own ending story" which he started with his class last week and I realized that I should get into gear. This week, the kids are starting an investigation project in reading and a travel brochure in Social Studies. I'm taking both classes to the computer lab today, but I can't wait to get them into some more interesting ways of using the computer.

My biggest frustration right now is that I'm used to having the rights to add things to my computers in my classroom (which I know is not typical). That is never going to happen at this school, I think because LAUSD has very strict requirements on how software is acquired and put on machines. Everything I want to use (mostly) is free and available to download, it's just a matter of putting a list together of what all I want and then getting permission for it to be on the computers. We'll see how it goes.

Where to make a change?

A teacher friend emailed me last night after reading my blog and asked whether it was a better idea to stay in the "bad" school and try to make changes or to go to a school where everyone feels the same way I do. I told her that in all honesty, I had debated tht for a long time last year, and finally decided that there are some places where you can't really make changes.

I thought about it some more this morning and think there is more to it than that. My new school definitely has more like minded people, although perhaps not to the extreme that I am, but I think that having a whole school where everyone is working in a more meaningful way for kids, where everything is not focused on the test, is important in and of itself--to be part of an organization that's all working together to achieve that is necessary too. And frankly, schools like this need all the help they can get, because they are the minority and they need support. If I can help this school stay alive (and that could be in question in the coming years) than I think that's a worthy cause as it fights to educate our students.

Something Disturbing

I realized something disturbing last night, as I was trying to go to sleep (once again way too late for my own good.) It's a lot easier to stay at a bad school and complain and rail against the system, than it is to go somewhere where change is really possible and to try to make that change. I don't know if that's profound or obvious, but I know that it's time to step up to the challenge.

Something that I love

The following is a poem that I love. I think it's wrong, though. I think my greatest fear is that I am inadequate for the challenges that lie ahead, but it is wonderful to think that deep inside is a person who is powerful beyond measure, who can meet those challenges. Maybe it doesn't come easy, but it is always possible.


Our Greatest Fear

(a quote from Marianne Williamson


Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant,gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some, it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Punished by Rewards

I haven't read the book by Alfie Kohn, although Amazon is whisking it my way any moment. I know the basic idea though, that in classrooms rewards mostly do more harm than good, and set our kids up for many problems down the road. I, like most relatively new teachers have used rewards in my classroom, sometimes extensively. This year, I'm using a minimal amount of rewards. I'm also trying very hard not to use arbitrary punishments- like taking away recess. I decided this year that I will not take recess away from my students.

It's exhausting. The kids and i are both learning entirely new ways of doing things, a way that none of us are used to and I'm having a hard time keeping it up. I don't have tickets or candy or prizes to offer them to do what I ask. So I have to make them see that it's in all of our best interests for them to just do it. They would be quicker to respond if i offered prizes, like they're used to. And it's tempting to slide back into it while I stand at the front of the room waiting for them to comply. i also know that as I get less and less sleep planning for this job I get more irritable and that makes me want things quieter than perhaps is reasonable to ask a class of 31 5th graders for.

We're two weeks into the school year, about to be 3. I'm hoping that it gets a little easier to do what I think is right.

How to lead

I had an interesting discussion with my assistant principal last night about why I don't want to be a principal. I've been having this conversation with a lot of people lately and it's making me think. The question that it raises in my mind is about the fact that I do want to be a leader in education. Principal is the obvious next step for a teacher who wants to lead, but it's a step that I don't think is right for me right now-- and that is frankly odd, because despite whatever delusions I was operating under during OMET, I do want to be a leader, and want to help education move in the right direction, and help teachers teach in ways that their kids will learn more powerfully.

So where does that leave me? I can lead indirectly by writing, which is what this blog and my website and articles that I'm writing are geared toward. I was talking a bit about this the other day with my sherpa/ guide/ mentor who asked me what the next step for me is after teaching, and I'm still not quite clear on the answer, especially if there is a step while I'm still working on my doctorate. So that begs the questions, how do I lead, if I remain so steadfastly opposed to becoming a principal?

Parent involvement

One of the things I'm realizing at my new school is how important parent involvement is in the educational process. Okay, okay I know that's a no-brainer. But the amazing difference it makes when a school requires parents to do volunteer hours, to come to meetings, to take part in their child's education is great to see. I still have behavior problems in my class, a few kids who are squirrely or loud, but not to the extent that you would have in schools in this same neighborhood. These kids know that there parents will hear about misbehavior. In fact, they may be in the classroom tomorrow, so they better straighten up. My kids come to school everyday with their agendas signed and their homework done (for the most part.) And it' s because most of them realize that it's required if they are going to stay at this school, and they know their parents will find out if anything isn't done. Since school let out yesterday, I've talked to four of my parents in person, because the parents feel comfortable coming on campus and having a chat with the teacher. I think that's a great start to a good education for their kids.

Why Do I Care?

As I spent my first, frankly exhausting week at my new school, I asked myself more than a few times why it was necessary to switch from my old school to my new school. Why did I go from a place where I knew the ins and outs of how everything was done, where I was a respected leader and people came to me with all of their issues to a school where I don't know how anything works and where I have to prove myself all over again?

If that was the only issue, that would probably be an occasional thought that went away, but it isn't. I'm learning a whole new way of teaching, one where no one is telling me what to do, where not only do I not have to follow the curriculum, but I"m encouraged not to. It's exciting and it's what I've told people for at least 6 months that I want, except that it's a lot of work, it's exhausting and it's causing me to wonder almost non-stop if I'm really a teacher, or just another one of those people who could teach well because I had pre-packaged curriculum in front of me.

If I fail this year, then that's what it comes down to. Do I think I'm really going to fail? No, I don't think that's possible with my obsessive tendencies. But what if I'm just mediocre? That would be devastating.

I've asked myself why I'm putting myself through this. Why does the education of other people's children matter so much to me that I'm willing to work so much harder, put in so many long hours and spend so much of my own money helping to create learning adventures for these kids, instead of just teaching from textbooks?

My answer here is not anything earth shattering, nor is it something that's easy for me to cling to when I'm feeling so uncertain. My answer is, because this is what's right. I don't care what the test scores say, this is what's right. More on this in a little bit.