Sorry Not to Have Been Blogging! Will be back by January 1

I must apologize for not blogging and for not letting you know why I haven't posted in so long. I'm in grad school taking my second course to self renew my teaching license even though I don't think I'd want to teach in a public school again under the current regime of testing, Department of Justice mandates in the two school systems near where I live are putting additional burdens on school systems that according to the source I spoke with were not actively discriminatory, but the result of, sadly, the actions of a handful of "bad apples".

My goal is to be an advocate for teachers training teachers, appropriate use of technology, integrating research/STEM with humanities driven courses so that ethics and an understanding of trends through the ages in science and technology don't get lost - even engineers have to know about the excesses of King Lear and the abuse of power throughout the ages and the need to be part of a community - not on Facebook, but face to face.

Teachers and parents need to work together to promote a balance of activities throughout the school day and appropriate use of technology and testing so that students don't display signs of autism that may really relate to a lack of enough proper physical activity and free play. (That's why at sixty-four, I'm getting my group fitness instructors certification.)

I hope that we can tap the talents of the community in ways we have never dared to contemplate  - it is already happening, but is it reaching enough of our children, parents and others who need to dream that what they have to share is important and meaningful at any age?

My rotator cuff surgery has made typing painful and I finally have the money for a decent video camera  - so I hope to redesign the blog site and keep researching for the things you want to know. In a format that works. Best wishes for a wonderful winter season - hope it's not too cold! See you in January!

Public Speaking Skills Are In The Mix To Increase Salaries For Your Students - Not Just STEM!

You are going to get tired of hearing the former language arts/English/humanities teacher point out the obvious to her, but not so obvious to the STEM heads that the rare student that presents the “complete” package has an increased change of getting a job, getting ahead and getting a bonus!

            To boost your chances of getting hired—or getting ahead—polish “soft” skills such

            as public speaking, writing and listening. And that applies even to rarefied experts. 

            It used to be that tech people could stay in the tech department. Now, says 

            McDonald, “people work in teams. You have to learn how to speak to non-experts

            across the organizational  chart.”
            Read more at http://www.kiplinger.com/article/saving/T012-C000-S002-look-for-

            a- modest-pay-raise-in-2014.html#ZYyw9jUAYtfuhyMR.99

As my rotator cuff heals – I've had a pretty major setback and typing causes me a lot of pain! I’ll start to get back to my longer posts.  I am so sorry that the healing process is not running smoothly, but it’s just one of those things.

The list below provides a few other tips for your students as they learn to become adept public speakers – I used to keep the videos of their reports/speeches so they could review them before their next speech and pick an area for improvement – I let them review their previous reports during lunch or after school:

1.    Loudness doesn't equal emphasis – often stopping and becoming silent and then quietly announcing an important point gets the message across.

2.    This leads to the next point – have a statistic that is a surprise or a piece of information that is contrary to the expected. An important supporting detail will get your audiences’ attention.

3.    Be prepared to wing it!! Your time may be cut, power may fail, and practice – practice – practice! Record your speech (if possible, use your web cam to watch for lazy eyes, too much blinking and other visual ticks) and play it back until when you watch it, you feel it’s on the mark.

4.    Don’t think about yourself during your speech – think about what you are trying to achieve! Don’t market yourself – network with people and make connections. If you are lacking in creativity for the moment, find an object and connect it to your life in a non-traditional way. (We’re back to how is love like a tree?)

5.    My debate team had lucky dimes in their shoes from their fellow students.  They were instructed to wiggle their toes to touch the dimes if they felt nervous and remember all the support their classmates had given them during mock debates and practice – my students were so composed and prepared – I have no real proof that the dimes helped, but in my heart, I like to think they did.

We need all disciplines to be integrated for children to make connections and develop their talents, knowledge and skills.  It is important to devise methods that tap creative solutions to needs in our own country which are also global needs.  Every person is a resource and we must never lose sight of that vision.  Providing all children with an education feeds their soul just as food, water and a healthy/safe environment feeds their body.  Best wishes to all who have courage and care for children around the world. 

Assessments How to Make Students Take Them Seriously . . .

In high school it is easier depending on the make up and subject area of your class to have students take the grade they earn seriously because many of them may be college bound and so their GPA counts.  AP classes, Cambridge courses or International Baccalaureate courses usually attract committed students.  Many school districts are making it easier to enroll in challenging courses with mixed results.  Many students without the expected entry-level-skills can slow the pace of the course, but ultimately rise to the higher requirements, but may need tutoring.

Middle school students can either be grade grubbers, hit peaks and valleys or be a defeatist - it's what we call the child who has absolutely no self confidence and has chosen to not try at all. This child will usually be a problem in class because if you can't get an "A" in a subject - you can certainly earn an "A" or even an "A+" in being disruptive. Elementary students can also be all over the place, but if you can hold their attention and have good curriculum strategies and lesson plans that allow for flexibility and mobility, students may become learning sponges especially third and forth graders - wow, what great ages.

So assessments - one quick one is exit visas - you put a few questions on your "Smart Board" for closure and students have to answer one of their choice as a pass out of the room - really great on the day you have a formal observation. Pass out 3x5 cards at the beginning of class to set this up as a pattern so students will know this is an exit visa day and they should already put their name and class period on the card. Your observer will be super impressed with this quick assessment. It's closure, too!!  You can hold onto these for study guides for quizzes and test guides.  Apps are available now that can generate multiple versions of your tests so that can cut down on student cheating, but essays are essays.

If you have a blackboard-like function that you can set up that runs the plagiarism software on submitted Word essays, you are in teacher heaven.  I just had to do that for the first time in my grad class and thought, wow (although this is the second class I've taken in the English Department - they are not standardized, go figure) - this is a perk!  The papers are all electronically uploaded so the format is standard. Then they are scanned for plagiarism and the yellow background the professor used is easy on the eyes when she reads them. Of course - as grad students paying for the course, we take the assessments seriously.

My tests/assessments had a predictable pattern and appearance.  That is the first rule. The second rule is that some material from past lessons always appeared on a new test/assessment - if it was important enough for me to teach, it is important enough for the student to remember.  The third rule - students self-score the test with a red pen immediately upon finishing the test.  Students turn in the test when time is called, all pencils are put away, desks are cleared and red pens are passed out and test papers are returned.  Students correct their own papers using the matching answer key. (This is great for special needs students because it meets many of their IEP's)  You put the answers to the spelling test in a word box on the "Smart Board", chart or blackboard - so they can use them correctly in the rest of the test.

Sorry to tell you that you, the teacher, will still have to spend lots of time reviewing each paper because students do not do a good job of finding their mistakes.  Since the test format is always the same - the point value is standard so the students learn to score themselves very quickly.  Students may request to retake the same test within three days. When parents or guardians find out that students do not have to live with a poor test grade, they get pretty insistent that you automatically give the test again. Word gets out that you have to work hard if you want to fail the class. Meanwhile, you are constantly reinforcing the main concepts that you want to stay put in the brains of all of your students.  Yes, it's a lot of work - but it works.  They take the assessments seriously - at least the ones I made and those were related to the ones the school district and state developed.

Tests and assessments should be a chance to show off and get that "A" - students should feel confident that between the preparation you have given them all year long. A "unit" on test-taking skills has taught them to look for key words in the set up and weed out the distractors. The more you give exit visas, pop quizzes and predictable tests - the more students will take them seriously.

It is true that culturally, some students are mocked for getting good grades.  This is where I think having a lunch bunch or some other alternative lunch-room area is a cool privilege.  Maybe it should be a lottery for those who are interested. This might relieve some pressure to fail on purpose.

Being predictable about your assessments, how they are graded and formatted will go along way to helping students take them seriously.  Double weight test and single weight quizzes and that also helps.  If the whole class bombs a test throw it out - it's your fault!

Essays on tests should be brief or should resemble test prompts - triple weight them if you can and develop individual topics before the test so students can prepare for two or three topics that you all figure out together. Finally, outcome-based projects give an authentic measure for students that just will never do well on any formal test instrument.  I construct the arc of nine week and semester grades so that projects will protect any student from a "D" or "F", but take a look at my rubrics and you will see that I spell out specific expectations.  So high expectations and student input raise the stakes and students take these assignments more willingly.  Good luck - it seems like the assessment grind is slowly winding down and maybe teachers can take the lead in making better judgment calls on what works best for educating American youth.

Be a Teacher Your Students Remember - An Idea From a Math Teacher and One From Me!

At a yard sale last weekend, an outstanding math teacher and tutor and I started swapping stories and ideas.  I mentioned to her that I frequently meet former students because twenty years of my career were spent teaching locally.  I'm usually interested to hear what's happening currently so it's rare that I ask about what they remember from the year they spent with me.  Sometimes they volunteer something beautiful, but mostly they remember it as their favorite class - a place where they felt welcome and most important of all: a place where they could be themselves.  Recently, I ran into a student who is using her graphic and journalism skills and she gave me a lot of credit for getting her interested in that arena - I don't think so - but it was nice of her to say.  However, my math master and I started talking about teachers and/or lessons we remembered.

I could only remember Mr. Collins, my sixth-grade teacher, who made it snow using boiling water and a special beaker with a long neck. We went outsize on a day when the temperature was 32 degrees and so flakes collected in the long neck of the beaker. I think I've mentioned him a few times.

Here is her math story and I think it is well worth passing along.  Her seventh grade math teacher stood out for her because she had different geometric shapes (fairly large and different colored ones), folded and made of paper hanging from every light fixture. She said that the shapes would move gently and when she finished her work, she would always transfer her gaze to the shapes- always finding something of interest in the class. Additionally, this teacher had the numeric value of Pi written on the wall circling the middle (nice size and eye level when seated) and when she had run out of room she had ended with three dots (or marks of ellipsis) indicating that this number was infinite. This was a Pre-Algebra/Algebra class for advanced students, but our master math teacher remembers learning the process of algebraic equations and that they were presented visually - not just as algorithms.

As a tutor, she now sometimes views the on-line presentations of math teachers who just put the equations on the "Smart Board".  All of the upcoming lessons are posted so that the student, parent and tutor, if necessary, can review what process to use.  However, she always turns the lesson into something visual and concrete. She explained to me that one item she uses is a soccer ball shape which students can fold and create.

The best teachers I know have always used sensory materials.  It is time consuming to plan these lessons not to mention costly - which is why working as a departmental, grade-level or interdisciplinary team, sharing and brainstorming ways to push to the application level of learning is so important. I told her I had always loved Algebra and loved teaching the beginning level of it to sixth graders.  For me, Algebra is like unwrapping a present.  What I do to one side of the box, I must do to the other and so on and so on until I get to the end and the present stands alone. Yippee!

Now, it's my turn - chose a theme for your room: pirates, boxes, puppets, hats, tall buildings, outer space, weird animals, shoes, rocks, circles, eyes, Muppets, Post-it notes, bridges, crazy inventions, silly socks, volcanoes, amazing careers, detectives, olden days, survivors and fishing ...
These are just a few items that I brainstormed - wanted them to be gender neutral, safe topics (no parent phone calls), easy for you to find inexpensive or free material to decorate your room and when you chose the theme it must be something that grabs you - like - I got this!

When I did pirates, I found a parrot for two or three dollars at the Party Store and I had a blast using that prop!  Parents used to always tell me they couldn't wait to hear the stories of what went on in my classroom - now chew on that for awhile. Most kids go home - what did you do in school today? Nothing!  I must admit that I am a ham - so I do like a lively room and it isn't for every teacher out there - but even if you're a quiet person - the theme will do wonders for embedding any lesson in every students' mind.

Wonders of wonder - who knew Kings Dominion was a fantastic source of inexpensive posters! I'll leave off with the words from one of my favorite posters from good, old KD:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self centered,

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The kindness you show today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Be kind anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down

by the smallest person with the smallest mind.

Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

Author Unknown (Some people have suggested that they have found the author for this piece - let me know if you have a name for me.)

Poster by Mantis Design copyright 1998 Mantis Design, 513 Main St. Stroudsburg, PA 18360 

www.mantis.com 

Do Children Really Know the Difference Between Reality and Fantasy ? A Cautionary Tale About "Slender Man"!

I'm still having trouble typing because the rotator cuff surgery combined with the bicep tear repair is still painful and typing seems to aggravate the surgery site.  I start physical therapy next week and get to lose my sling during the day, but have to sleep in it for one more week which will make a total of 6 weeks. I'm doing a lot of writing for my grad class so I have to take breaks to prevent soreness. I know whine, whine and more whining - but soon I'll be able to be sure I haven't overdone it and reversed the good work done by the surgery.

I want to sound an alarm for teachers based on a 20 - 20 Television Show that played this past Saturday. It was about a Meme that has been circulating on the Internet and is being kept alive and made more fanciful by faithful fans adding to the "urban legend" credibility of this fictional story. Story lines, photos, videos and graphics are being uploaded by tweens, teens and possibly younger children. http://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-man-stabbing-survivors-parents-describe-horrific-ordeal/story?id=25787516 This is the link so you can find out all the necessary details.

Three issues are important for teachers.  First, when things like this happen - it's a little difficult to directly discuss the topic - you may be sensationalizing it and creating a problem.  The discussion needs to focus on how do you determine the difference between reality and fantasy?  My students were always quick to reassure me that they were fully aware of what was real and what was not - but the desire for many young people to find their 15 seconds of fame leads me to worry that students will use all avenues possible to "get noticed". The second issue is to get parents to realize how many children are aware of "Slender Man" and search for him on line using their personal technology or the technology of their friends. The ABC special makes it painfully clear that parents haven't got a clue what children are viewing - a link to the television program on your home page might do the trick. Finally, some exploration of these topics is natural and part of the development of the age group, but a media literacy unit needs to be in place to develop clear guidelines for measuring reality. Here's an example -

A great group research project might be helpful using the librarian as a resource.  Divide your class into small groups and have them become truth hunters finding the origins of some legends.  These should be age appropriate and again there are some easy-to-read "scholarly' articles/books that you can print out for the groups to use for visual and oral reports. Finding primary source material might help students develop a healthy skepticism and some evaluation skills when it comes to planning out seriously life altering plans for their infamous future.

Good luck dealing with this difficult issue.

Outlining and Research Papers

Outlining and research papers are two curricular objectives that both students and teachers dread.  Generally speaking this is because they are both formulaic.  In outlining if you have an “A”, you must have a “B” – if you have a “1” you must have a “2”.  Research papers tend to be expanded five paragraph essays on topics that most students can find on-line.  Some school districts have a minimum research paper requirement of around four pages with five sources that are scored by outside sources using a standing 4 to 6 point rubric. These nameless scorers use the usual domains indicating the level of control exhibited by the writer in content, style, grammar and proper research and attribution of quotes and information.

Teachers may start teaching mind mapping, webbing, word clouds, Creatly (a source for every organizational chart in the “universe”) or other meta-cognitive methodologies for learners with a wide variety of thinking patterns to get on the path to finding a worthy research paper topic.  Dutifully, around March or earlier, this painful process has started in grades five through twelve. Younger students usually do reports, not true research papers because developmentally, they are not quite ready to grasp the necessary concepts. Especially the idea of presenting the “straw dog” or the hypothetical argument that runs counter to their thesis statement.

By the time I started teaching high school in 2001, I had decided that placing the research paper near the end of the school year was a mistake.  I needed it to be the first assignment.  I was fresh; students were ready for a new beginning and somehow, waiting until later in the year, just made teaching or re-teaching all necessary skills seem like scaling Mount Everest instead of an achievable assignment.  I never had to endure the ordeal of getting my students through passing the eleventh-grade research paper, but I wanted to have them so well-prepared – that it would feel simple to them – almost like child’s play when they left my ninth or tenth grade classroom.

My love of outlining as an organizational tool for writing and for thinking is because it makes my job of responding to students easier. All the other cool graphic organizers still have to be redone to develop the concept of main idea, supporting detail, and related supporting fact in a hierarchical order. Undertaking this arranging of information to support a thesis statement perfectly describes an outline. The trick I've found to take away the pain of outlining is the take away the rules.  Students don’t always have to have a “B” or a “2”.  Additionally, have your students write the bibliographic reference next to the information collected from that source in the outline INCLUDING THE PAGE NUMBERS!  Direct quotes are printed and turned in with the outline, or if you are lucky, you can have your students turn work in through the Cloud or a Wiki – you can form a group with you as the administrator and then only you and the author have the ability to edit a piece of work.

It is messy to allow students to rampage about looking for a topic with an anything goes attitude.  Yes, I know students MUST write about something they care about, but for everyone’s sanity, choose an umbrella topic.  Since I was in a biotech program, I posed the question: Is forensic science reliable ninety-nine percent of the time?  Ask colleagues for input about what “big” umbrella topic would work to help them.  Your job is really to be the expert about the mechanics.  In middle school, my umbrella topic was WWII, which helped the social studies teacher. I also used the papers to have students form groups and write newspapers that might have existed at that time.

With an overarching topic like this, your librarian can be an invaluable help gathering materials, helping students and working with you to point students to appropriate resource material.  It truly expands the learning when students can return to their work and create poems, feature articles, Power Point presentations, Prezis and even animated PowToons.

This is a place for one of those “I Believe” statements that I talk about.  You have to be ready to believe that no matter what the haters hurl at you – you are prepared to speak about how putting this important project first, you have harnessed students creative energy at the right time and that having looked at the curriculum from middle school, you have learned that students should already have an initial grasp of the demands of a research paper. 

This reminds me, you may find that a lot of your students have been taught incorrect steps – many of my students wanted to outline the opening and closing paragraph. This is sensitive ground because you may be thought of as being critical of a former beloved teacher. I have blown this so I don’t want you to make the same mistake. Have a copy of a page from a grammar book that supports your scenario and quietly hand it out asking a student to read the highlighted portion aloud. Explain that you know many things have changed, but this rule(s) still seems to count.

Please do yourself a favor and get this out of the way during the first few weeks of school and use outlining as much as you can.  Don’t forget about a theme for your classroom – humanize yourself!

Bringing Your Own Device - Technology on the Fly - Is This the Way to Go?

For many school systems the idea of 1:1 education, a system where each child has a tablet or laptop provided by the board of education is affordable because of grants or other actions.  Steps are taken to free up capital to purchase the hardware and provide teacher training. Many companies sweeten the deal by providing free apps and loading the computers with the appropriate text books. Other school systems are experimenting with allowing students to bring their own devices with appropriate releases signed by parents.

I was an early adopter of technology when Mac's entered my teaching life.  I had the computer lab to myself for almost two years while other teachers didn't feel that comfortable taking thirty students to the lab without an aid.  In the mid-to late eighties, students loved playing Oregon Trail when they finished using a software program that allowed them to create plays.  They wrote poetry, feature or hard news stories, research papers and learned all the bells and whistles associated with Power Point. I had read about a piece of software that could take your writing and change it to sound as if Charles Dickens wrote it, Shakespeare or some other famous writer. After repeated searches, I never found it. (If you find it - I'll send you a gift card to Starbucks - I promise!)
Things got a lot easier once we hired a person to be in charge of the computer lab, but by then other teachers had decided to take advantage of the lab and the state of Virginia had put in computer curriculum objectives. The lab was not just my sandbox anymore.

I am concerned with the implementation of technology in the classroom.  That is why I found two examples: https://www.academia.edu/7964178/Web_2.0_Internet_Activities_for_Lower_Level_Learners 
and http://hosted.mediasite.com/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=edd5f8a1a0ad4e2fbacee11257dd2950 that could serve as good springboards for setting up technology.

I hope teachers will take the time to have a solid plan for when and how technology will be used.  Additionally, I hope you will work with students to monitor and adjust any outcome-based projects you assign so that random use of "devices" is limited. Managing behavior under normal conditions is challenging and without more adults available for oversight - I can see many opportunities for misuse of a very powerful teaching tool. 

For a complete view on BYOD check out this Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/stem/schools-move-toward-bring-your-own-device-practices-to-boost-student-tech-use/2014/09/14/4d1e3232-393e-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html  
Finally, here is a sight that demonstrates how to control security issues with "Bring Your Own Device: For more information on how AccessNow can facilitate BYOD in education, visit: 
http://www.ericom.com/AccessNow-BYODForEducation.a... 

Since it will take a lot of effort to get the use of technology right, try and team with other teachers and use Cloud file sharing to create your lessons and projects. You should not try and go this alone. I also found my computer lab coordinator to be really helpful when she wasn't in total overwhelm. Make finding a teacher or teachers to work with a goal and you may be able to find money to support any great ideas you create. 
 

Media Literacy Verses Critical Thinking - Same Theoretical Base with Different Applications and Outcomes

Many teachers have interactive whiteboards and many teachers don't. Available computer labs hardware and software vary from school district to school district across the globe. Add to that the fact that new technology is being developed faster than any school system can anticipate it begs the question how do you design an open ended curriculum/program based on a model that supports rapid change?

Currently, I'm in an graduate level Intro to Cinema Studies class with a strong focus on applied cinema theory.  The text the professor selected for the class had to be an overview of the wide variety of theories starting from around the 1920's to the present - classifying and clarifying the ideologies or rather multiple critical theoretical models representing the body of work done on all aspects of cinema.

The novel organization of the text, Film Theory an introduction through the senses by Thomas Elsaesser and Malte Hagener relates what happens on the screen to an imaginary spectator and then bridges understanding the relationship created between the film and the mind and body of the viewer.

I think this model works in teaching.  Your students are spectators and you are transmitting knowledge using tools and techniques to reach all of their senses in many ways.  You can measure your effectiveness as a teacher by designing lessons that guide students in using critical thinking skills. Students need to be able to make sense of the multiple sensory messages they receive many hours every day.

Critical thinking skills help students determine main ideas, supporting details, fact verses opinion, the variety and reliability of source material, the importance of primary source material and obvious bias and these skills are the same skills that aid students in deconstructing the meaning of various media. Conversely, you should plan assignments that require students use these same organizational principals in presenting their findings.

However, one of the most important literacy skills students need to obtain is understanding how easy it is to manipulate what they see, hear, read and believe.  Technology has advanced so that what we view is not reality.  For a teachable moment use the DVR:  Life  of Pi and show the technical portion where we learn the secrets behind the CGI screen.  Students will see how technology was instrumental in creating every aspect of this beautiful narrative. When they learn the truth is not strictly reliable until checked through multiple sources and perspectives, then they will be truly media literate.

I'm not supposed to be typing with the rotator cuff surgery, but needed to share a quick post!

Taking a graduate level class creates some odd tensions for an experienced teacher. My last professor didn't have a clue about how to teach and I ended up with an A- and three of my papers were not returned.  The lack of feedback was appalling, but worse yet, she interrupted my end of course presentation and the presentation of another student because she had not planned enough time. 

Additionally, she kept saying she'd put guidelines up on her wiki, but she didn't.  So, I looked up her writings on-line, studied her style and did the best I could to determine what she wanted from her own body of work. Many college students I talk to say that well - it's up to us to figure things out and learn on our own.  I find this attitude shocking.  To the extent that college students should turn in assignments on time, follow guidelines, ask for help and clarification as needed - yes, they have certain responsibilities.  However, they have a right to expect a well-prepared professor, who doesn't post his or her syllabus two hours before the class meets for the first time. They are paying big bucks for what should be a first class experience.

Students also should expect that the department will have some coherent guidelines for writing assignments and grading.  The Dance Department at George Mason has a wonderful, clear set of expectations.  Why can't the English Department get their act together? Even though the expectations are shaky, my Intro to Cinema class is fantastic in it's scope and integration of subject matter. The professor has chosen excellent films to demonstrate very difficult concepts in film theory.  My one concern is the misuse of the Socratic questioning technique.  Film theory is filled with very difficult terms and if the students are going to be asked to define them- then we should know ahead of time - Socratic method - which is kind of what I think is the objective (of the professor) doesn't really have a definitive right or wrong answer, but expects the respondent to have factual support for an opinion.

If I had a complex set of vocabulary, I'd probably deal it out like a deck of cards and ask for a definition and then an example for the next class meeting.  In fact, I might have had a matching game. I'd probably use this over and over again because all of the students indicated we felt pretty lost in the terminology. Using some sort of repetition, I'd insure that students had a real grasp of the terms because these also apply to philosophy, art, religion, and other subjects- not just film theory.

So - no matter what age or grade level - teachers have to decide what objectives are theirs to own and how to effectively use technology or "whatever" to make the learning stick. 

Now for your technology goody!    If you want a free PowToons account to develop animated presentations here is the link " title="Link: http://www.powtoon.com/blog/effective-teaching/"Discover the New Method for Effective Teaching >>

Good First Day? Have A Theme for Your Year and A Short Story Recommendation . . .

Here's hoping you survived the first day (for some of you). For all teachers, if you want to form a connection or make an impression with your students try having a theme for the year.  One year my theme was pirates - we were going on journeys, decorations had a nautical theme, I gave out Life Savers.  It was one of my best years ever.  I even had a faux parrot in the room and I must admit that "Polly" and I had conversations with the class.  That winter break, I got more pirate-themed gifts - very cute and appropriate - than I can list.

I think I just hit on the theme one day flipping through television channels - so let something inspire you. :-) I found that having mementos and photos around the classroom created opportunities for sharing.  Hopefully, you have already gotten students started on their personal collage for back-to-school night.  Also, you have the 3 x 4 or larger cards for parents or guardians to write three positive statements about their child.

I have rotator cuff surgery tomorrow and it reminded me of one of my favorite (not everyone's cup of tea) short story by Jack London: "The Unexpected".  I love this story because the main character is a very, very observant woman.  She doesn't just observe the "normal" stuff, but has learned to look for things that others might miss.  I think this is an important life skill and of course, in the story - it saves her life and the life of her husband.  The story itself doesn't have to be used in its entirety.  As a matter of fact, no piece of writing has to be analyzed to death.  Pick out the relevant parts and try telling them as a story teller.  Shorten them or have student groups act them out.

I don't know when I'll be up to writing again - soon I hope.  As long as my elbow stays close to my body, I can use my fingers. Let me know if you have a topic you'd like to have researched.

Topics I Care About - You Should Too! Too Much Technology - Students Need To Understand the Pros and Cons

Two local high schools have initiatives involving handing out tablets to either all of the students, Manassas Park or just the ninth and tenth graders in Osbourn High School in Manassas, Virginia.  I am a proponent of a solid use of technology and have presented my followers with links to two programs that I think give students the skills they need while keeping them clear of the social media mainstream.


Some of my favorite books and why: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury because it paints a picture of a technological future where books are burned because they offended minorities or special interest groups and soon began to all sound the same.  People are all "happy" and entertained by wall-sized television sets and listen to music on Seashell Radio sets attached to their ears except that Mildred, Montag's wife attempts suicide and turns him in to the authorities.

This book can help students understand the possible isolation and "sameness" created by social media. When students understand that this book was written in 1953, it makes it even more compelling.

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a book about the future where all pain, war, fear and basically critical decision making has been eliminated. Jonas must take on the role of the Giver and hold all the memories for the society and he becomes convinced that there is a world beyond the "bubble" of safety and eugenics that is "Giverland". Technology has "fixed" this world so that everything is shades of gray.  Emotions are harmful.

This is why STEM without a solid literature and English program to provide students with critical thinking skills about the limits and problems a technologically "wonderful" society might produce troubles me. Friday, I had to have my hair cut very short because I won't have use of my right arm/hand until the surgeon clears me to move my arm after the rotator cuff surgery and I noticed a 3-year-old girl playing on her phone.  In fact, almost no one in the salon was interacting with each other (parent/child) they were all on some electronic device.

We love our children! So read to them.  The other day while I was in the ER for four hours with my mom, I read aloud to her as she had read aloud to me and I had read aloud to my daughter.  I also made up stories for my daughter to pass the time. Talk to them about big issues - ask them questions and listen.  This is what I do with my 28-year-old daughter now when we go on play dates.

Many Apologies For Lack of Posts - Getting Ready for Rotator Cuff Surgery On Wednesday

I must apologize for not posting for the last several days.  I have been trying to get everything ready for major surgery on Wednesday, September 3 - that will leave me with only my left hand able to operate.  I've already been practicing living with only one hand being able to lift, open everything, close everything, wash, shave, dry my hair, open medicine bottles and it has been a learning experience.  I now know that I have had little or no real appreciation for what it is like to be really handicapped.

As educators, I hope we can remember that students often have handicaps that aren't visible. Emotional needs are just as debilitating as physical ones and often, in the press of the "official business" of teaching, we lose perspective of our humanity. I hope to have time in the next two days to post some of the exciting finds I've made before I have my surgery.  My surgeon says that I will be able to type with my arm in a neutral position at some point and I do have the Dragon (types what you talk) software.  However, he is quite a dragon himself (the surgeon) and has made me swear not to move any part of my right arm or hand without his express permission.

I hope things are going well for those of you who have started teaching and for those of you who go back on Tuesday - best wishes for a safe, happy and special school year.  Be kind to yourself!

What Will Your Three Personal Growth Goals Be for This School Year and You Must See This Impressive Presentation About Technology and How We Should Be Teaching . . .

Usually at the start of the school year, teachers are asked to identify three areas for personal growth.  I was reminded of this in the oddest place Wednesday, my tanning salon.  Two moms with children in two different high schools and one in middle school were at the front desk and we started a conversation. (Apologies for the few days break, but I broke my toe and was an angry person for a few days and not able to focus.  My rotator cuff surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 3rd, so I'm trying to think through all the changes that will entail. Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog.)

One mom was explaining that her local high school sent her child home with an IPad and two pages of do’s and don’ts.  She wasn't sure what the IPad was loaded with - presumably her child’s text books.  I told her that I was blogging about this very topic as a retired school teacher.  I shared that from what I had learned most tablets came with the text books and specified apps that would help build vocabulary, writing, math, and science skills. But wait there’s more . . . teachers could customize the tablets with a variety of apps and probably had received training.

My concerns were that tablets without teachers working across the curriculum could be ineffective.  She was worried that there was no insurance available to replace the tablet if it got lost, stolen or broken.  I shared with her that I had read about two different scenarios – one high school where the tablets were hacked and stolen in the first two weeks.  It was a nightmare.  In the other high school things went smoothly and everyone was happy, but it was a private school or charter school.  One other thing I noted was that I would like to see a program like this start with a small group of tech savvy teachers who got to work out the bugs and then expand the program. I have a friend who is working on a B.A. group project and he said the Federal Regs for protecting the information on these systems must be robust and he was most concerned about the magnitude of the issues surrounding issuing this technology.

The other mom, loved her children’s experience both at the middle and high school level, but no tablets were issued.  We talked about the fact that a robust technology program could be created and offered at school without having to send home either textbooks or tablets.   I told them that if I sent home a reading assignment in the text, most students didn't do it and they copied the answers to the chapter questions anyway. 

Personal growth area number one:  Make homework assignments something students can do independently or as part of an outcome-based-learning project – be sure any homework you assign you would be willing to do yourself.

Personal growth area number two: Investigate building a tech friendly classroom using sites like Vimeo and others that will help students learn core subject information and skills and apply them to “safe” technology sites.  Refer to the academic research paper I shared in an earlier blog

Personal growth area number three: Take a class, workshop or indulge in some activity that is just for you, but it is something you are unfamiliar with – it should challenge you perhaps more physically than mentally.  I’m dancing up a storm for my physical health, but the gains in my mental health are evident. 

When I worked, I did my “Combosizing” – my own form of exercising every morning before coming to school and treated myself to a wonderful cup of coffee on my cool down. Visit www.jjcombosize.com to find out how.  

I left the moms in the tanning salon with the following thought – it doesn't matter whether you have super computers or use a quill pen and parchment – if a teacher is well-trained and passionate, then the child will have a great learning experience. Be sure to visit your child’s teacher and teachers, now that you have your personal goals – usually, the school division has figured out your professional goals for you. Check off one task and get a cup of Joe and relax this weekend.

One last add-on and this is very important.  I’m part of a storytelling group on and was asked to like 21^st Century School’s Facebook page.  My visit there turned into an epiphany of finding a presentation  from Michael Wesch that covers two areas of important information for teachers facing how to implement technology in the classroom appropriately and dealing with the reality of just how ineffective the strategies we have been forced to adopt to educate our students.  I realize the time investment for watching this presentation is a lot (over an hour), but it is very important for educators to take the lead in reforming how we deliver instruction.    

Common Core and Frequent Testing Increasingly Unpopular!

"The results of an annual poll by Gallup and the Phi Delta Kappa educators' organization provide more evidence that support for the Common Core State Standards originally adopted by 46 states and the District has faded in recent years." Shapiro, T.. Rees. "Poll Common Core support has eroded across the U.S." The Washington Post: A3: 20 Aug 2014.

Rees continues in the same article: "On average, respondents said they thought highly of their neighborhood schools.  But the poll showed that close to 80 percent of Americans disapprove of the nation's public schools at large. The poll also showed that 68 percent of public school parents believed that standardized tests are not helpful for teachers measuring student achievement."

The contradictory opinions of the American public with respect to local schools verses public education as a whole are not surprising given the reporting of the overall test ranking of our students compared to other industrialized nations. For the entire text of the article visit the site and enjoy having your private concerns confirmed.

Pushing Kids? Early Childhood School Dilemmas - Remember Real Learning Takes Time!

My hero, my first principal, would counsel his staff and parents about putting five-year-old children in kindergarten class - especially boys - he didn't advise it. He could often come across as acerbic, because he didn't like sappy people or impractical meddlers. He also had a very low tolerance for "sheep". He felt that young children needed to play, play, play and play some more.  Especially boys, whom he described to me as puppies needing to tumble, nip and growl and avoid being in too formalized a learning setting which might get them labeled as aggressive, ADHD, language delayed and possibly these days: autistic. Plus, he took time to explain to me that children develop and learn over time - not at the same rate.

The decision to place a child in preschool or kindergarten should depend on a number of factors, but parents and educators should AVOID pinning labels on children. Instead shift teaching strategies and recognize that gross motor control, fine motor control, cognitive awareness, social interaction and leaning age-appropriate skills is a lot to ask of any child. Depersonalize the outcome (or comparisons), if possible, and realize that your child or your student will catch up - the test score(s) is/are really irrelevant in so many ways.

My goodness The Washington Post is all upset because instead of adopting the Common Core, Virginia has redesigned its tests - having students plot data on a bar graph (how useful) and in 2013, directly insert punctuation marks inside passages. Ha! In my class, with the pizza paragraph, students also had to identify the grammar rule. Please do take the time to visit some of the Common Core test prep sites - they are really tricky questions and I found myself ready to argue with some of the so-called correct or "best choice" answers. (I promise - now that I see teachers will need the Pizza paragraph as a pre-assessment tool to redo it - you guys will owe me.) So parents and teachers, please breathe! Your child has such a short time to be a child - try not to buy into the hype - see anecdote below.

I remember all too well how I agonized over my daughter's inability to ride a tricycle after she had learned to walk ahead of her peers. The pool moms (like soccer moms only our children were on the swim team) took time to brag about, compare, worry over our kids. Although the child is swimming for a team, his or her results are individual and ribbon and award ceremonies are very public affairs. No worries, my daughter caught up on her trike and is now doing very well in local triathlons and half marathons. See what I mean about catching up and then some. RELAX, EVERYONE PLEASE!!

I do have a link from Dr. Gupta about not rushing to put kids in school and his expert advice about catching up so it isn't just from my hero principal and my own observations. While I'm exercising and awaiting my September 3rd - rotator cuff surgery, I see parking lots full of cars at local schools, good luck and best wishes. Please send me any requests for research that I can do to make your life easier. That is my goal - if I can help you or any of your students in any way - I'm in the Metro area and willing to lend a hand.

See VBlog Poem of Personal Credos as Poetry to Open the School Year - Please Use Student Samples As Models . . .

VBlog link is down the page - in the fourth paragraph after the words: "Just One Day"

This year teachers are faced with many troubling current event issues that will be difficult to avoid.  In many ways teachers are looking for ways to help students find "safe" ways to express some very toxic emotions. In many ways writing can be the start of a healing process. Students may often feel powerless, fearful and voiceless in many situations. Never have the words: "The pen is mightier than the sword." been true.  

If you'd like the reference for the phrase - never fear - wikipedia has the answer: Assyrian sage Ahiqar, who reputedly lived during the early 7th century BC, coined the first known version of this phrase. One copy of the Teachings of Ahiqar, dating to about 500 BC, states that "The word is mightier than the sword."^{[8] The actual phrase coined by:} Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pen_is_mightier_than_the_sword (accessed 8/18/14)

When I worked with students and modeled writing poetry - I often heard that it could be difficult for students to relate to the modeling because: sure it was easy for me, the teacher to have the words flow onto the paper - I was the "teacher"!

That's why I'm sharing Kenneth H.'s powerful poem: "Just One Day" as a VBlog example of the type of student writing that any student can create given the right moment and encouragement.

Here is the text of his poem:   

Just One Day

There are two days in every week about which we need not worry.

Two days which need to be keep free from worry and apprehension.

One of these days in YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders.

All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY!

The other day about which we need not worry is TOMORROW, its large promise and poor performance.

TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.

TOMORROW's sun will rise either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is unborn.

That only leaves us one day - TODAY - anyone can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you & I add the burdens of these two awful eternities: 

YESTERDAY & TOMORROW that we break down.

It is not the experience of TODAY that drives us mad.

 It is the remorse or bitterness of something that happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what TOMORROW might bring.

Let us therefore journey,

But only one day at a time!

Written by Kenneth H.

Good luck helping your students find a powerful Credo or statement of Personal Power so that they can realize they are not puppets to be controlled by someone else, but strong individuals with bright futures living each day - one at a time. 

                           

Two Important Links About the Use of Technology!!! Plus a Bonus Interactive World Map With Causes of Death

I view blogging as a chance to renew my ideas and ideals.  I believe the overuse and misuse of standardized testing has created a great deal of confusion in multiple stakeholders' minds. What about the role of technology and charter schools verses public schools? How do you (the collective you - in whatever role you play) determine the value of a school district's mission and vision, a school's environment, the principal as leader, an individual teacher and figure out what exactly your child/student is learning and why it's even relevant?

Faced with a world filled with violence, disease and poverty it is simply an overwhelming task. Recently I tearfully told my twenty-eight-year-old daughter, I would understand if she and her husband chose to only have a dog, like my wonderful rescue, Cassie pictured below, and forgo having children.

Proof that violence exists is evident in this interactive map. Click on the side drop down menu and it lets you choose from a long list of maladies and ways to die and you can see how each area of the world ranks.

I have strong feelings about the misuse of technology in schools because unless it promotes social gains and authentic use it will lend itself to isolation and idealize individualized learning at "one's own pace".  The problem is that this  can still create a mindset where the technology is a tool - not a vital part of organizing the learning act.

One of my academic feeds had an interesting studying decrying the standard approach to decoding teachers use in early literacy transactions favoring print and text rather than a more interactive approach.  The study has many interesting ideas and I can recommend it from an ethnographic approach instead giving it my wholesale approval.  The idea of communication and community is the focus for teachers and parents as a takeaway.

The other feed I want to recommend is so jam packed with ideas and recommendations that it blew me away.  I want to try everything recommended in this presentation myself because even though it was for "low" level learners, it could be transformed for any learner. I have been asking people about animation and now I have a site that provides me the juice to get it done. For those of you looking for a site to give you the gist of a tech program this is it. 

Have a wonderful weekend and if you don't have the tech tools you need - you have the sample grant to get you started. I also want to thank you for being teachers it is one of the best jobs ever and one of the hardest and you have to fill your heart with love to be able to get the job done. I've seen many cars in the local school parking lots  - surround yourself with friends during the coming days and get ready for a new year and a new start.

Think Big - Sample Grant Proposal for Distance Learning Now's the Time to Write One ...

In my high school, we had a magnet program. It was Bio-Tech and any student from Prince William County could apply with the recommendation of his or her science teacher and a grade of "B" or "A" in math or science.  The program was advertised as team taught meaning that the core subject teachers got together and figured out ways to put STEM related elements into their history, English and other related courses.  Even the Art, Computer Science and Business Departments figured out ways to implement Bio-Tech topics in their curriculum.  The librarian was very supportive of the program supervisor and any teacher connected to the program and any teacher who wanted to help out.

The problem was that many teachers tapped for the program didn't have the interest in manipulating their curriculum to fit a specific mission.  It seemed to them to be a square peg - round hole issue.  It didn't help that the students coming into the program were placed in advanced history and English courses and they didn't have the skills or aptitude to meet the demands of an advanced course.

That meant the teacher in charge of humanities for ninth-grade Bio-Tech (me) had students who lacked basic writing skills, study habits and were many times behavior problems despite the "glowing" recommendations the science or math teachers had written for the eighth-grade darlings. I had high achieving students ready for college-level work and students who didn't know how to paragraph or the proper use of capital letters.

One of my remedies was to try and create competition or a school within the magnet school.  Only the brightest and best would get a "free" laptop and these students would form research teams that worked to present two programs using distance learning each year.  By the time these teams reached their senior year (8 presentations later), I hoped that big-league schools would be clamoring for them to apply because their products would have won awards and they would have picked up skills in multiple areas.  I've given you the link to the (sorry gang it's old, but grant formats haven't changed that much) draft grant proposal so that you can use it as an example.

Students are incredibly savvy and I believe offering a school within a school research competition could spark incredible outcome-based projects that then could be streamed live. The quality of Video Conferencing provided by Tandberg may be dated by now, but the presentation I attended was amazing. No personal microphones were needed - the ceiling had mics installed so presenters could move freely about the room.  A monitor allowed the presenter to have instant feedback and scale back movements and facial ticks if they became too hot. It was a super experience just to be part of the presentation.  I wish every teacher could get this kind of instant feedback.

So, if you have low-income or special needs population and want a home-run grant - then take a look at this and up-date it because it has legs. Students need a direction, an audience and a purpose for their research and working in teams makes them even more marketable. The leaves keep falling - I hope you are taking care of yourself and still excited about the new year ahead.


Sample Grant Proposal

What Can You Do for R & R Before School Starts?

Teachers are notorious for taking care of everyone else.  I have known teachers who not only bring their best to the classroom every day, but then volunteer as scout leaders, literacy volunteers, work with inmates, work in neonatal units, help with clubs, coach and the list of the extras that these selfless teachers do is amazing.  They are fantastic role models for their students.  However, before this year starts please make a plan to do something for yourself. I've been in your shoes and made excuses - no money, no time, need to get ready for the start of school. Then by Thanksgiving, I'd start to feel really tired and wish I had used some time in August to put together some fun time for me.

I hope you will find some time to surf local Groupons or other deals and grab a massage, a quick weekend away or just binge on some movie nights and veg out. One thing I love to do is to grab the Vamoose Bus from D.C. to New York City which is only $50 round trip.  After boarding the bus in Roslynn, Virginia, around 7:30 am, you arrive after four hours right at Penn Station in mid-town Manhattan or around 1:00 pm.

You can load a Metro card and ride the subway to an inexpensive hotel in the theater district. I find great deals on the various Internet sites. There's a reason I stay in the theater district - I go to a free taping of the "Late Night Show" (it used to star Jimmy Fallon, but now it's Seth Meyers). I have my camera and spend time roaming Central Park, Times Square, Washington Square, Canal Street and go wherever I feel called to spend quality time in the "Big Apple". The theater district makes it easy to walk to Rockefeller Square and other destinations. Plus catching the Metro is easy - just avoid the express lines.

Inexpensive theater tickets are available in Time Square or if you like Broadway on Facebook you can find discounted tickets. I walk to dinner, my show and take in museums and sometimes other television shows that are being taped. I've even gotten $400 in free merchandise from the Dr. Oz show.

When you take mini vacations or feed your passions, you build knowledge and get some R & R.  This makes you a better teacher and you'll make it to Winter Break knowing that you took care of yourself so you could take better care of your students.

Measuring Success is it a Test ? How do Teachers Know When Technology is Getting in the Way?

Learning tools are proliferating and teachers are being challenged by multiple research designs and programs to create classroom environments that produce successful students.  How exactly do we measure success?  Is it a one-off test given at the beginning of the year to establish a baseline and then an end-of-the year measurement that determines growth with controls that add points if a student is a product of an economically disadvantaged background or some other potential “X” factor that inhibits forward progress?  Just reading this opening gives me hives because so much rides on these high-stakes tests. Two recent news articles caught my eye this weekend and they are relevant to the readers of this blog – if you are a teacher, I hope you will share these thoughts with the parents of your students.

Item one – a pediatrician wrote an op-ed about a parent bringing a two-year old in for a visit.  The child had his own cell phone.  The diagnosis was an ear infection.  The parent spent the visit paying more attention to his phone rather than either the doctor or his child.  Once the diagnosis was given, the child asked “Siri” for information about ear infections (like an audible Google search).  How clever, cute, or rather how frightening is this example of parenting?  The pediatrician was concerned because of the obvious lack of social interaction between parent and child.  Additionally, he was concerned because the parent was modeling specific behavior.  Instead of demonstrating how to clarify symptoms and ask questions of the “human” expert the parent was distant and unavailable.  Every day – we unconsciously model behavior for our students/children.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/parents-put-down-the-cellphones/2014/08/08/0fb48ba4-1db8-11e4-82f9-2cd6fa8da5c4_story.html (date accessed 8/11/2014)

Time spent on machines, no matter how interactive we make them does not replace the give and take of social interaction.  Being a parent means thinking of activities that don’t stress your budget, but do provide a banquet of learning opportunities.  Here’s a short list – plan on: reading aloud; arranging play dates, visiting “children centered” spots and creating experiences outside of school that enrich your child’s life.  The paper is full of free activities every week that can spark a life-long interest in your child.  I call it the “Aha” moment when you see your child is fully engaged, wants more and you are an observer on the sidelines. The same thing happens in the classroom if a variety of assignments are provided.

Item two - The chief executive of Prince George’s County Public Schools, Kevin M. Maxwell, has chosen a book “Great by Choice” by Jim Collins to use as a guide to turn around the school system which is the second largest in Maryland.  The main points of the book which examines why some businesses succeed and some fail are to: map out a strategy, follow it while meeting goals, don’t try to do too much and realize “you can’t solve every problem today.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prince-georges-county-public-schools-great-by-choice/2014/08/10/909414d0-1f19-11e4-ab7b-696c295ddfd1_story.htm (date accessed 8/11/2014)

How do you measure success? This is a much more difficult question to address. Former students of mine sometimes have brilliant careers and sometimes don’t. Most speak of some unique time in the class that they remember in great detail and some most of the time it has nothing to do with anything I taught them.  Today, I ran into a young man and I wasn't really his teacher, but he remembered me because of the computer work stations I created in my high school classroom – he would come in the morning before class and at lunch and play various games with one of his friends.  He was surprised to find out that I had purchased all the computer stations using my own money.

He brought up a former student, who went to a Virginia state university, as he had and graduated.  Both of them have jobs, but nothing like one of my students, who is an architect for computer platforms and another, who is a female lawyer. However, he’s happy, has friends, is employed and could carry on a lively conversation and was well-versed in current events.  He’s a bartender and I’m sure he’s earning as much as I did as a teacher at his age. Successful, yes – I’d have to say that he’s successful and happy.  

Testing in its current form is not a valid tool for measuring teacher quality or student success.  It takes four years for a teacher to become competent and many teachers leave the field before reaching that mark. I think that I would love to see the results of teacher satisfaction survey comments – the negative ones.  If only we had a Yelp for teachers, so that they could be completely unfiltered and say what needs to be fixed. 

 Kudos to Prince George’s County Public Schools for looking at a model that acknowledges that positive growth, takes time and patience and analysis. Mr. Maxwell, you would be doing yourself a big favor if you would find a way to let your teachers, the real experts, get stuff off their chests without fear of reprisals  and then come up with some solutions.  One more thing Mr. Maxwell, most surveys always arrived in my mailbox at the end of the year or at the very beginning when I was overwhelmed with work.  I just didn't have the energy to write all the information in the comment sections that I had to say.  Take an in-service away, let teachers have some free time to have some coffee, treats, kick back, talk and then have them write comments as individuals or groups. Who knows, you might get some creative feedback and some workable solutions.

Conversations With Kids - How to Know You Were Born To Be A Teacher . . .

Do you ever wonder if teachers are born, made or a combination of both? I decided in sixth grade to become a teacher after having an earnest conversation with my dachshund, Rusty. I wanted to be a middle school choir director because Ms. Thout was so beautiful and I idolized her, but when I found out I would have to pass a test on three different musical instruments to qualify, I decided that being a regular sixth-grade teacher would be just fine.

I had a great sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Collins, who made it snow and taught us poetry.  He was one of my favorite teachers of all time.  I missed a lot of school because my parents divorced that year and I was living with my mom.  We fought all the time and I was out of control. Seventh grade was even worse. The four things I remember about that year are: President Kennedy was assassinated while we were having a football game; John Klima, me and three other kids had a secret spy ring and passed notes in code in different classes; I had a crush on Ms. Thout, and I sang a folk song - "Blowing in the Wind" in the talent show - the flood lights blinded me, but I did okay.

But I knew I was going to be a teacher.  I went back to live with my dad and stepmother for eighth grade and didn't know until later they'd nicknamed me "Hamlet" - the dark prince of Denmark because I was always moodily reading in my bedroom. I thought my Civics teacher was cool, but my science teacher that year was so obese, he died in the classroom sitting in his chair.  He had a heart attack.

So what's the point? I had teachers I loved because they were passionate about what they taught. That's what I realized as an adult looking back.  Whether I "learned" the curriculum or not wasn't really all that important - I was a person to them and they made their subject important to me. They knew how to talk to kids.

Today I met a precocious four-year-old and we had a great conversation -at first she said: Too much information because she thought I was talking too much.. But then I asked her about her shoes and then her favorite color and on and on. One question led to another and then she had some questions for me that were related to what I had asked her.

I also pointed to or touched objects in the beauty salon and encouraged her to (safely of course) touch and show me things, too. One of the stylists said, "You must really like kids."

Yes, I thought enjoying my honest and fresh conversation with the eager four-year-old. I really like kids and that's how you know (and how I knew) you were born to be a teacher.  You just get such a kick out of the honest exchange or conversation you can have with kids. So spend some time enjoying your students - just chat with them or just have some random conversations with kids you meet as you go about your day - it can be a renewal of your commitment to your career. You'll remember why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place.

Samples of 8th Grade Student Writing: Prompt About Change; Personal Narratives - Variety of Voice - Can You Improve Author's Voice in Prompt Response Writing?

The student writing that I am sharing is a tale of two topics with distinct differences in tone and voice. When we train students to respond to prompts, we generally teach them the traditional, five-paragraph essay format.  If you examine the anchor papers for The Common Core, you will see a faithful representation of the model essay. The writing tricks used in these papers are evident to English teachers and language arts teachers.  If we sat down together, we'd put a poster on the classroom wall with a checklist demonstrating the items that generate a "good" score.

The checklist would ask students to write their opening and closing paragraphs first. Students would be encouraged to check the first sentences of these paragraphs for impact. Use of vivid vocabulary, alliteration and/or starting with a subordinate clause would be encouraged to demonstrate sentence variety or control of stylistic devices.

To be on the safe side - students could be taught to create an outline structure within their first paragraph to let the reader know what was coming. This checklist and frequent use of writing prompts throughout the year would help students score: pass proficient.

When you read my student's sample - you can see, these are some of the tools I used.  However, the writing is FLAT! There is a lack of transition between paragraphs and the conclusion is adequate, but not inspirational. However, the thesis is clear, has supporting details and shows a fair command of the essentials of grammar, but the overall effect of the piece doesn't make me a happy English/language arts teacher.

I had the formula for teaching students to pass proficient or advanced proficient down pat and sometimes it even produced some writing with passion, but most of the time it was FLAT and a chore to evaluate.

Here is the sample: (Sorry for the poor quality reproduction - but this was a timed prompt done in class - no computers and I couldn't figure out a way to edit the bleed through of the other side.)

The following sample was produced and evaluated with my standard rubric. You will see that the writer paid attention to most of the conventions - but the best thing is she got our attention right at the start of her piece. Her voice, the voice and tone of an eighth grader recalling an event that was very dramatic is on the mark. Could she elaborate? Yes. Could she have played around with alliteration, metaphors - used some stylistic devices to amp up her narrative? Yes. Do I feel that this piece is authentic and with some peer review, revision and edits have become a superlative piece of writing? Yes. Here is her sample:

The checklist/rubric/formula for "super" writing is well-developed and students of all abilities can amaze teachers, friends, parents and the general public when they find their topic. That is where the teacher can work some magic - even with the deadliest of prompts. The greater joy, however, is to find out the true passion of your students and that is like pushing a peanut up a mountain with your nose. I spent days on my knees next to students asking questions, doing guided imagery, sharing my own writing - you name it - I tried it to open their minds to some idea that grabbed their imagination.

I presented prompts as a game/challenge.  How can a student visualize the reader of the essay?  How can he/she amuse, amaze, confound and challenge him or her with our writing? Isn't it fun to think that when the scorer comes to the piece I've written that it will wake him or her up? Or if a computer is scoring my sample - isn't it great to think that I've beaten the algorithm? Every time I taught test taking skills, I always presented it as a challenge - it was little-old-me against the Goliath of the test designers and I wanted to beat them at their own game.

This year - try to encourage your students to see the tests as a fun chance to get back at "the man". This may be a mythical battle, but if ever there was a time to encourage imagery and use it to arm your students to use every "weapon" you've given them to WIN - this may be the time to get a battle theme going.  I hope you win any contests you have this school year.