Continued..... Characteristics of Effective ED Teachers..

Item #4) I create a learning environment that supports active, easily distracted students; I plan for reduced disruptions via my classroom arrangement, planned schedule, and active lesson delivery.


Successful learning environments are purposely designed to meet the needs of the students assigned to that space. It’s a matter of intention. With my ADHD, explosive, anxious, and/or unmotivated students, I can’t let much of anything in my classroom JUST HAPPEN.

I plan where each child will sit with care and thoughtfulness. It’s more than a question of who is sitting by whom.

• Explosive kids need easy pathways out of the room; put him at the back of the room and be ready for everything in his path to be knocked over or torn down.

• My anxious student needs to know I am close at hand, but the spot next to my desk (a conventional placement) is actually rather isolated. Better to move her near the meeting area through which I move several times an hour. Her desk is also by the workshop table, so an additional chair is within grabbing distance when she needs me RIGHT… THIS….. MINUTE!

• My autistic child periodically goes in spurts of talking to himself in fast jags. At these times he is disruptive and even alittle disturbing. He is highly distractable and is prone to getting up and running. So his desk is located against the wall, facing the wall, between two low shelves. His IA sits just behind him, in part to prevent his quick escape.

• My oppositional little one (a first grader who is not used to having to meet expectations… he’s usually the one who rules the roost) sits just inside the classroom. The second he enters we scoot him to his desk with the express purpose of getting him to start his morning work immediately. If we had to escort him across the room, past others’ desks, the block shelf, the lego buckets, and art table, he’d never get there! As the year goes on, as he demonstrates improved cooperation, we’ll move him further from the door.

At the elementary level, I am more in control of my schedule than middle and high school teachers. This year though, the administrators assigned each grade level an hour and a half language arts block to assure that specials and other activities do not dilute the powerful learning time dedicated to reading and writing instruction. It was a good move I think. I can still follow each learning activity with some desired, reinforcing activity like outside recess, play time at your desk, computer time, etc. When kids come to understand that the next fun things do not happen for them until the work is done, the work usually gets done. The variable is how long it takes for a child to come to believe we mean what we say and say what we mean. Again, it’s a matter of intention.

Finally, I stand with good teachers everywhere who choose their teaching activities with academic expectations (planned outcomes), and students’ strengths and weaknesses in mind.

• At this point in the year, I absolutely cannot give one of my first graders independent written work. His poor fine motor skills preclude his writing with any measure of success. The OT is working hard with this child, and we do our part in the classroom to help remediate his pencil/paper skills, but I’m no fool. Giving him an extended writing assignment is tantamount to inviting a tantrum. (We call that “setting him up”.) Better to teach and assess his learning alernatively. (For example, he pastes little number cards on his math paper to indicate his answer.)

And one last thought: By manipulating the classroom environment and lesson delivery to meet student needs, teachers are taking control of what is available to them. It’s a positive, productive path. As Theordore Roosevelt said, “ Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

An Open Letter To My Teaching Partners... The IAs.

Your presence in the classroom can be make it or break it. I know it on days you are not here, and I especially know it when a clueless substitute is here to "assist" us. I know it when I feel relaxed about you counseling one of our troubled students, and when another of our cuties hugs you tight. When you juggle our various roles with ease, when you share a great idea or thoughtful insight, it's very clear that INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT is a misnomer. You are a teacher.

Case in point: To meet our students' need for differentiation and very small group instruction, you are asked to teach. (This is true for many elementary special ed IAs.) Even though I prepare the lesson plan, your intuitive approach to each child and ability to react on a dime, both instructionally and personally, make the difference between success and failure. Your assessment notes are invaluable; I must be able to trust your observations. I'm lucky that I do, that I can.

You handle behavior on the playground; you manage the complications of lunch time in the cafeteria (NO SMALL FEAT!). You are required to meet NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND standards, and MY standards are not so easy either. Even better, you set high standards for yourself.

I guess what I'm saying is that your expertise, your ability to connect and nurture and guide our students is absolutely critical to their success. I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude, as does the school as a whole.

Thanks for all you do. This could be the best year yet.

Thank goodness for the grandmother....

Do you notice a pattern? Day one and two of the school year. Darlene is cooperative, engaging, interested in learning. Trying hard. A joy to have in the classroom.

Day three.... her alter ego appears, unbridled. She enters the room with a loud, intrusive "Awwrruuppp!" She head butts me, grabs my waist and pulls hard. All day, she is in and out of the classsroom and the crisis room, unable, really, to sustain any sense of calm or focus.

Day four.....she is compliant, willing to work hard, alittle sleepy, but productive and loving.

Day five.... another screaming morning, tears, anger, lots of wild storytelling, off task, disruptive. Then grandma shows up.

"I went to the doctor and got her meds. Her mom wouldn't go and get the new refill, and she's been giving Darlene what was left on and off since school began."

Which explains the ups and downs.

We saw these kinds of cyclic, crazed behavior shifts ALOT last year, and now I feel mad that it might have been about the medication all along.

When Darlene is "off", our school day is often horrific. She certainly doesn't learn a damn thing on those days or weeks.

Grandma got sick of trying to get Darlene's mom to get off her butt and take care of her responsibilities. So she took care of it herself, with love in her heart, and with respect for both the little girl and for us. Thank God for that.

I should not be made to babysit kids who are prescribed medication, and are left without by negligent parents. It would be different if her mother had doubts about medication overall, that kind of thing. No, it's laziness.

And sadly, it's a fairly common occurence.

It's Wednesday....so check out the Carnival....

Ms. Frizzle did a super job with the first day of school theme!

"This place is so beautiful..."

As I settle in on the eve of our second week of school, I'm called to recall last Sunday's preparations. Ms. Frizzle's request for posts about the first day of school has me thinking.


I usually hit the sheets on the night before school starts with a lump in my throat and worries on my mind. You might have read the poem I wrote about it….

Twas the night before school's start,
in her head, in her home,
the teacher was worried
about the unknown.


The kids and their parents
might drive her to drink.
And what of the testing:
What will the state think?

Will they pass all the subtests?
Will they get AYP?
Will the children be able
to test ably?

But on this night, September 5, 2005, I found sleep easily.

My lesson plans were complete, balanced, leak proof. They reflected the necessary (state mandated) “essential knowledge”, and they met my “Mommy” test: would I want my own child to be doing this stuff?

I sleepily sighed with the anticipation of seeing my students again. Over the summer, memories of their attempts to bite me and kick me and hate me had faded. I rolled over, on this, the night before school starts, and remembered Darlene’s amazing smile, Jacob’s contagious giggle, and Fred’s heartfelt hugs. Even the prospect of the NEW KID’s wrath didn’t ruin my feelings of peaceful satisfaction mixed with excitement.

The fact that my instructional assistant had been hired at the twelfth hour didn’t upset me. We’d only spent a few hours together, but I could tell we were a good match. Moreover, I could tell she was ready for the kids, ready to open her heart and mind to the challenges ahead.

One of my students requires a one-on-one aide, and THAT person had yet to be hired. Even that didn’t get me down, as I finished my evening prayers, on this, the night before school starts.

In fact, I slept like a baby.

And when, at 8:35 on Tuesday morning, the school doors swung open, Fred was the first to greet me in the hall. He grabbed me around the waist, looked up, and tears welled in his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Bud?” I whispered.

“You’re so beautiful, Mrs. R. This school is so beautiful.”

Now, THAT’S a good way to start the year.

They are making a place in my heart.....

Already, I can feel the tug on my heart as the kids make themselves at home there. Darlene is beyond proud of herself as she compares her behavior last year with the "grown up choices" she's been making here this week. When that annoying little Todd shot her with water from the fawcet, we saw Darlene take a deep breath, move her hands slowly from shoulder level down to her side, close her eyes, and visibly relax....A real centering moment. She turned and made eye contact with me, then stepped away.

OHMYGOD.

Such a big big step!!

Last year she would have been in that kid's face, spouting threats in her most aggressive ghetto-talk! She would have been riled up for a long, long time, making her completely unavailable for the next lesson or two.

Boy, she has come a long way. Let's hope it's not just "honeymoon" behavior.

For now, we'll enjoy the ride, and commit to building the relationship we're going to need if she starts to cycle down again.


On another note, we are making use of interactive notebooks this year, even at this very young level. We are creating SOL (VA's state tests) related graphic organizers that give the kids lots of opportunity to draw their ideas about the vocabulary we are learning. These visual representations are meant to strengthen the connection kids' make to help them retain the new information. It's certainly an organized way to present and store material. So far, I'm liking it. (It's DAY TWO.)

Day Two. Here's to a fabulous Day Three!!

The Obligatory Night Before School Starts...

Twas the night before school's start,
in her head, in her home,
the teacher was worried
about the unknown.


The kids and their parents
might drive her to drink.
And what of the testing:
What will the state think?

Will they pass all the subtests?
Will they get AYP?
Will the children be able
to test ably?

And what of the content?
Will they love all they learn?
Will her strategies reach them?
For what will they yearn?

For stories of heroes?
For time with their friends?
For grades to uplift them?
A means to an end?

The teacher she rolled on her side,
breathed in deep;
She prayed that she'd pass in the night, in her sleep.

No, no.. that's not it. Too depressing...

She prayed for a year with rewards they could reap....

More about the point sheet...

I tweaked my point sheets this year, mostly to include the new pictures I've found since the last edition. Because many of my kids are not readers yet, the picture cues give them the information they need to understand and buy into the point sheet. I use various sources of clip art (which is ever expanding, right?), but this year they were all from the excel program itself. I'm pleased with the pictures, but reserve the right to change them early on if they don't make sense to the kids. (smile)

Speaking of picture cues, I'm reading more and more research about how providing visual cues is one VERY EFFECTIVE way of helping kids make connections to their learning and aid retention. I often -always?- started my lessons with a stab at creating a connection between the new material and the child's previous knowledge, but it was very often in the form of a verbal question. With the new research, I plan to make the effort to include a cool picture/photo/visual respresentation to go along with my verbal connectors. Takes a little more time, yes, but I'm thinking my special ed kids need every extra chance I can provide to learn the material.

Finally, and in response to a question from reader Kevin, I want to talk a bit about the point sheet itself. It is a good general measure of behavior, and it can help paint a picture of how a particular behavior is playing out during the day. For example, the point sheet itself can clearly illustrate a pattern of behavior (loss of following direction points throughout the day is telling), and time sensitive behavior problems can be identified (like every day at 10:30 am the child loses the ability to concentrate--- medication issue?) The point sheet itself is not especially helpful for the kind of data collection that is detailed. Consequently, I'll use tally marks in the margins of the point sheet to count specific behaviors through out the day, etc. Not especially official looking, but it does the trick.

It takes discipline to go to the point sheet every 15-20 minutes or so. It's absolutely worth it, in my mind. Once school starts I will take a picture of one of the kid's point sheets and post it, comments and all. (Names will be changed to protect the not-so-innocent.)

On a personal note, I just picked up my hub and daughter from the airport after their whirlwind visit to Clemson for the Clemson vs Texas A&M football game last night. They toured the campus (daughter is a senior in high school and doing her college tour thing), and attended several A&M alum activities (Hub did his graduate work there early in our marriage.)Such an exciting time in our lives. We count our blessings everyday, and pray for those folks impacted by Katrina, and also for the heroes doing their best to provide help.

Bring it on.....

We've kicked back at least 3 candidates.... too inexperienced, too unusual, just too, too much.

So, there is still no IA hired for my autistic student in need of one-on-one. They promise me that a sub IA will be there for us on Tuesday, day one of the new school year.

I have to believe all will be well. If I don't I'm likely to have a miserable weekend. And I REALLY REALLY want to have a great last weekend of summer.

I have to admit that getting back to planning has been something of a joy!! I'm excited in a way I haven't been in years past. It's NCLB, I think. I am rising to its challenge. Dammit, I'm going to figure out a way to make this work!!!

It helps that my class is small. Also,the woman assigned to our class is experienced, dead set on completing her teaching certification, and really anxious to learn everything she can about teaching ED kids.

My new classroom arrangement is pretty cool, if I say so myself. I love the new-fangled HUGE metal easal the principal bought me. It's AWESOME!! Ahh, simple pleasures.

Finally, my energy level is high. I'm sleeping well, and life is good.
So bring on the new year!

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE EMOTIONAL DISABILITIES TEACHER, continued...

Here is the next in a series of posts I've been writing about effective teachers of emotionally disabled students. We've made our way through #1 and 2 (see previous posts in August archives), and now address characteristic #3:

I maintain a consistent behavior management system, including making individualized arrangements for special behavior needs within my classroom.


This is obviously a two-parter; tonight I will tackle the "consistent behavior management system". Later, after the children become a big part of this blog again, I will address the individualization of behavior plans. For now....


Here is a copy of the parent letter I send home describing our classroom based behavior management system. My goal is to clearly explain how it all comes together in our classroom everyday. I also hope the plan might help some parents who feel the need to use a management program at home (and many ED children need similar structure and consistency out of school as well).

This detailed document has been a great source of comfort to many of my students' parents, as it helps to shine a bright light on the otherwise mysterious goings on of the schoolday. Parents tell me their child's doctor uses the information on the point sheet to help with medication issues, and we (parents and teachers) use the data to tweak the child's academic and social skills program overall.

*******************************


Behavior Management Plan


Our Class Rules

At the start of the school year, children and teachers develop the classroom rules together. They are ultimately based on the following expectations that the classroom will be a productive, safe, caring community:

o We will be safe.
o We will treat each other respectfully.
o We will learn and progress academically.
o We will learn and progress socially.

Once children have participated in the development of the class rules, I design and present a series of lessons to teach, review, and reteach their value. Through class discussion, role play, art response and writing projects, the children become thoroughly familiar with the expectations. (We expect, however, to teach and reteach the rules on a daily basis because of the needs and age of our students.) In addition, our social skills instruction and character education program reinforce these appropriate school behaviors.


The nature of our program mandates that childrenÂ’s behaviors will be monitored/highlighted throughout the day. As a matter of assessment and parent communication, studentsÂ’ specific behaviors are evaluated frequently.

The Daily Point Sheet

In 20-30 minute increments, we note how students have demonstrated important classroom behaviors. The observed behaviors are a reflection of the class rules and the students' IEPs. Problem behaviors are clearly defined to insure complete and fair assessment. Because these behaviors often reflect a child's specific weaknesses, we provide the following supports:

o Social skills lesson (both planned and on-the-spot)
o Positive verbal feedback
o Positive non-verbal feedback
o Adapting activities to reduce anxiety or increase interest
o Redirection of student to other areas of focus
o Differential reinforcement of other behaviors (praising others as a means of highlighting expectations without pointedly saying that a specific child is off track---then, noticing and praising when the child makes the behavior change)
o Proximity prompts
o Positive "chill-out" time away from the group (for example, the beanbag or pillow area of the classroom)
o Visual prompts and reminders (schedules, feelings charts, and intensity ratings, etc)
o Scaffolding (providing needed support for each of the steps in a task)
o Earned activities, stickers or intermittent edible reinforcers
o Referral to talk with counselor for extra support in times of crisis


The point sheet provides a "look" at your student's day. We record points toward each goal for behaviors that are demonstrated during the time interval.

o 2 points indicates quick compliance or cooperation
o 1 point indicates that more than 2 or 3 prompts were necessary before completion
o 0 points indicate excessive resistance or outright non-compliance (often despite re-direction and other supports)


It is our experience that over time, students make some improvement in their target areas. Consequently, the daily point sheet is a vehicle for providing information to parents. It also plays a part in the reinforcement process. Most students want both the social and activity reinforcers that a good point sheet brings. The understanding that the day was a YES day ("I made my goal.") or a NO day ("I did not make my goal.) is important. (Required percentages are determined at the IEP meeting.) The YES or NO designation is a more neutral way to assess the day’s efforts. In addition, the understanding that “I can try again tomorrow” is often sustaining.

We design the point sheet system so that a child does not consistently fail. A pattern of failure indicates that the program is not working, and we will work together with parents to make adjustments.


Other Important Behavior Management Tools

In addition to the daily point sheet, we employ other behavior management tools that are grounded in the philosophy of logical consequences, including


o Behavior contracts
o A continuum of time-out consequences ( at the child's desk, at the desk by the door, at the counselor's time out desk, booth)
o Use of planned ignoring that encourages the extinction of inappropriate behaviors
o Extended time out (Detention can be a time out of the classroom for up to 30 minutes. When the problem behavior involves a matter of trust, i.e. leaving the assigned area without permission, or refusing to go to an assigned area, we call the detention a "trust time". If detention time extends into a child's lunch period, teachers will bring the child lunch before 1:00 at the very latest.)
o Administrative procedures (as outlined in the County-wide StudentÂ’s Rights and Responsibilities guidelines).


There are corrective measures that are NOT part of our behavior management program:

o Indiscriminant, revenge-driven punishment
o Inappropriately long time out that does not reflect the age or developmental level of the child
o Angry outbursts by teachers or staff
o Humiliating sarcasm, degrading comments, nagging

It is my goal to relay important behavior information to the parents in a
timely and professional manner. (email and phone number given)

I want ours to be a true partnership in the best interests of your child. I look forward to a busy and challenging new year! Thanks in advance for your support!
*****************************************

So there you go. There's nothing that matches transparent, conscise, and detailed information!

Day 1 of Teacher Workdays

I did a little grousing myself today, but only a very little. I don't think it qualifies me as a staff slacker. I guess it's all a matter of opinion though.

We had a 3 hour plus staff meeting this am, and only twice did I do some eye rolling. The best thing about the meeting was the successful way the administators made very clear our school priorities..... no wishy washiness.... no silly goals... just clear expectations and the offer of lots of support to get there.

Our 2 young AP's are dynamite, and coupled with the seasoned, caring personna of the principal, we could have the makings of a terrific leadership team. I feel very uplighted by the hard work I have seen them produce these last weeks as I have been in and out of the building.

It's still hard for me to accept that I have to go looking for the AP in charge of our special ed program. After 15 years of having the manager of this program right there in our office area, dedicated specifically to meeting the needs of our program, our kids, our staff, well, sharing leadership has been a real eye opener. I have to learn patience, practice tolerance and accept delayed gratification. This can only make me a better person in the long run, right?

Finally, I am not freaking out because I still have no IA, no intern, no teaching partner. Pickins' have been slim .... but we may have a great candidate on the line. I pray it all works out and soon I can go to bed at night grateful for a wonderful instructional assistant rather than pray that one comes my way.

Staff Dissenters.... Or Staff Slackers?

As a testament to the dedication of those involved in two of our most active school committees, teachers came together on 2 different days, unpaid, to get amped up for the new year. Our Behavior Support Committee met for several hours today, and last week (as I noted in a previous post) the PLC- Professional Learning Community- Task Force got together. Truly, hundreds of manhours have been logged in for the direct benefit of our students.

That said, an obstacle of massive proportion came up during both meetings. Perhaps you can help us with this:

What can be done about those staff members (not part of the task forces) who regularly ignore the positive efforts of large groups of their colleagues.

You know who I mean. The complainers. The eye rollers. The folks who refuse to work collaboratively because the culture of isolation feels safe and secure to them.

The slackers.


Now I'm as skeptical as the next person, and I hate administrative b.s., but when over a third of the staff dedicates itself to promoting change for improved student achievement, and then about a third more of the staff wades in slowly, but joins up as it begins to make sense..... What do we do about the others who are likely to pooh pooh just about any new idea?

Working to help that group "buy in" has been fairly fruitless.
It continues to be taboo to even specifically name those groups or individuals... As if identifying them is bad manners.

What to do? Any ideas?

It's a love/hate thing.....

I love this time of year.

I can't wait. Tomorrow our building is opening up to teachers who want to come in early and get a head start on the new year. It will be GREAT to get all the school boxes out of my house and back in the classroom, and I especially look forward to setting up the room in a new, different, exciting way!!


I hate this time of year.

I've been waking up in the middle of the night, thoughts of my new school year rattling around in my head so loudly I can't get back to sleep.



Year 2 of the big change from designated special ed center into an inclusive school offers the chance to embrace more change(uggh). For example, our mailboxes are now located in a less convenient but more inclusive area. We now must park in less convenient, but more inclusive parking lot. Hopefully, the rewards will outweigh the problems. As an optimistic soul, I have to hold onto that.

Or I could just sit back and complain.

Naaaaaa.

(More later.)

CHARACTERISTICS continued.....

The next in the series of posts expanding on my August 10th discourse about
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE EMOTIONAL DISABILITIES TEACHER

#2. I deal directly with student emotions; I don’t shy away from taking issues on.


Imagine, if you will, a class of 8-12 emotionally disabled 6 year olds, ready at any moment to spring into action: VERBAL OUTBURSTS, INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE, PHYSICAL AGGRESSION, WITHDRAWL, DEFIANCE, WORK REFUSAL….etc. (I know, I know, it sounds like the typical gen ed middle school class...)

No wonder it’s tempting to create a classroom behavior management plan designed to assure quiet and compliance. By designing and supporting a learning environment that honors obedience, a settled feeling of apparent safety can develop.

Too bad that’s not what’s best of our ED students.

Our kids need us to model appropriate, healthy attitudes about feelings. We need to teach them to recognize and monitor their strong emotions, and provide them with a framework that guides them through times of crisis. We have to be fearless in our acceptance of their feelings even as we unequivocally reject violence, harassment, etc. When kids see that strong emotions can be confidently managed, a new world can open up to them.

We are often (but not always) the only people in their lives who address problems and crisis in a productive, head-on manner. We seek out teachable moments during the day to highlight problem solving strategies; we notice when moods shift, peer conflicts are bubbling up, or care and concern is demonstrated. We value how the social skills of our students improve, in much the same way as we value academic success. After all, the behavior/emotional concerns are what’s getting in the way of the child’s learning.

Moreover, we rely on the collegial support of our like-minded peers. Dealing with so much visceral negativity can be overwhelming. In order to do our jobs effectively, we must talk through and problem solve with our trusted colleagues. It’s too hard a job to do without that added support. Like our students, we have to come to understand and accept our own emotional reactions in our highly charged, emotional work environment.



For more information about emotional intelligence and the classroom environment, check out the following links:
http://www.aboutourkids.org/aboutour/articles/socialemotional.html#educators

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/
gateway/cativa.htm

http://www.chadd.org/newszoom.cfm?cat_id=7&subcat_id=0&news_id=109

The Importance of an Emotional IQ....

It makes sense. If emotional problems negatively impact academic progress, then helping kids improve their social/emotional skills should boost academic progress.
Read about it here, and consider how this research might impact your classroom. Will it inspire teachers to commit to daily class meetings? I can only dream!

PLC.... it's a good thing!

Our Professional Learning Community Steering Committee had a super first meeting of the year today. The good will, dedication, and committment to improving student achievement spilled over! Of course, this committee draws the kind of teachers who are ready to work outside the box, do whatever it takes, etc. to make our school a better place. The nay-sayers won't even send a grade level rep to the committee, so in effect, we are preaching to the choir. Our charge is to organize things so that the average teacher reaps the benefits of PLC without being inundated with new responsibilities.

Our school system uses Blackboard, a blogging vehicle of sorts, and our PLC now has an interactive site for sharing relevant information. Also, the county wants each classroom teacher to set up a classroom site on this same Blackboard system.... by Back to School Night! For some of us, that's within the first weeks of school. Without any training, we have to get something up ASAP. Now, I don't mind, I like figuring this stuff out, but the technologically impaired are going to freak out!

Finally, we are preparing a reading/writing inservice to get us all on track at the start of the new year. We must be doing something right! We made AYP!!!YEEHA! And now, back to work so we meet the new higher standards for this year. Victory may be sweet, but it's short lived here in NCLB land!! No wait...I'll feel good about everyone's good work just alittle longer!

28th Carnival is up and running....

...at Ticklish Ears..... what a cute name....Thanks to David for his work putting it all together this week. He has a tough job following EdWonk!! But it sure is worth it. Read on!!

Trust me....

In a previous post I listed 14 “Charcteristics of Effective Teachers” found to be especially important as we seek to improve achievement among challenging student populations. Most of the research dealt with teaching students with challenging special needs (including those living in high poverty areas, and/or dealing with learning or emotional disabilities). At the urging of a few of my blogging colleagues, I now expand on these listed items, one at a time, to be completed over the next few weeks. I’ll start with number one:

1. I build positive (trusting) relationships with students due to my consistency and attention to their needs.


Let’s face it, talking about relationship building isn’t exactly popular in this, the era of testing/accountability/NCLB. The search for specific (scripted?) teaching strategies that directly and swiftly affect test scores takes center stage. As the stakes get higher, (NCLB deadline year 2007 looms large on the horizon), it’s unlikely school systems will be spending money on helping their teachers understand the value of being “trust-inspiring”.

Still, my 20 years teaching special needs students leaves me with this strong contention: despite the many and various obstacles of teaching challenging student populations, effective teaching is contingent on a teacher’s ability to present him/herself as predictable, consistent, and attentive to student needs.

I’m not alone in believing successful teaching of challenging populations requires a particular set of “teacher behaviors”. According to recent research
(http://www.educationnews.org/can_teacher_education_close_the_.htm ),
these behaviors include:

1. an “ability to establish connectedness and maintain relationships”; the authors call this the “third realm of knowledge” critical to teacher success.

2. an ability to “assume and cope with the fact that they and the children will have to operate in bureaucracies with irrational policies and insensitive people”. This means working through every obstacle to do what is necessary to meet children’s needs. Need 2 recesses a day because three quarters of the students are ADHD? Fight for it. We nagged and begged and cojoled higher ups for over 10 years to get a full time reading support teacher for our ED kids. We never gave up,and it finally came to fruition. It’s a matter of attitude and perspective.

3. a willingness to learn “how to prevent and de-escalate violence”. Again, it is a matter of meeting kids’ particular needs. Instead of spending a lot of time lamenting our culture of violence, and tsk-tsking the parenting or societal ills of our community, we invest in professional development that supports where our students are now.

Day to day, I show attention to my students’ needs by planning our daily schedule with great care: we have to be very, very predictable. As much as possible, we keep to the same activity rotations; reinforcing activities always follow hard work; we go outside if we say we’ll go outside; we have a detailed behavior plan and we stick to it. No surprises. No impulsive changes, no sudden shifts in priorities.

To this same end, I take great pains to manage how I interact and react to my students. My ability to manage myself—and it does take self discipline to be so darn consistent—directly affects my students’ “availability for learning”. My predictable, even-tempered approach to every aspect of our classroom life increases the likelihood of student achievement. After all, teachers who work with challenging populations know there is little chance that kids will learn when they are anxious or unsettled.

Teachers who are unable to manage themselves, who cannot call up the best of themselves in support of the best in their students, will not succeed. According to Martin Haberman, the author of the above referenced article (emphasis mine):
“Without this ability to connect with children, how much the teacher knows about math or the seven parts of direct instruction becomes moot. Quitters and failers [teachers who leave the profession or do it poorly] do not leave teaching in poverty schools because they can’t divide fractions or do not know the characteristics of 13-year-olds. They leave because they don’t want to be with those children in those schools and the children make it equally clear they don’t want them to be their teachers.”

This is heady stuff. As Parker Palmer writes in To Know As We Are Known (1999),
“as a teacher I can no long take the easy way out, insisting that I am only responsible for conveying the facts of…. whatever the subject may be. Instead, I must take responsibilty for my mediator role, for the way my mode of teaching exerts a slow but steady formulative pressure on my students’ sense of self and world. I teach more than a body of knowledge or a set of skills. I teach a mode of relationship between the knower and the known, a way of being in the world. “

If Palmer’s ideas are just too soft and fuzzy for you, keep this in mind: relationship building does not preclude high standards and excellent teaching!

More about effective teaching strategies in later posts. For now, I offer up this from a paper I wrote in 1999: “With trust, antsy children often find a bit of quiet; angry children often find validation, sad children can find hope, and worried children see that grown-ups can be relied on. Trust is the cornerstone of teaching and learning success in our (emotional disabilities) special needs classrooms.”

Hands On Math Activities That Teach!

I promised to share some info I got at a recent inservice class on math activities for a differentiated classroom. It's great to learn that fun math games can and will advance real learning (rather than just keep kids busy!)

Here are the books and an example of the activities referenced during the class:

Nimble with Numbers- by Childs, choate, and Wickett, Dale Seymour Publications

PLACE VALUE PATHS- can be played as a large group or in pairs. Students draw three single digit cards from a pile, and makes one three digit number to be placed on a game board in sequencial order. Depending on how the cards are combined to make different three digit numbers, students have to strategize to place the number on the game board. (p.36)

Fundamentals- teaching mental computation strategies $26.95 each:

HAVE A HALF- on a bingo-like board game, children use their skill to divide whole numbers to 200 in half. (p.58,59 of the book) It feels like big fun, but requires thinking, that's for sure.

Also listed in the information packet as great resources for parents, but I didn't preview them: MATH TO KNOW, Great Source, isbn 0-669-47153-4
MATH AT HAND, Great Source, isbn 0-669-46922-x


Enjoy!!

I got spammed!

I'll be deleting these kinds of comments as soon as they appear....
What a pain in the ... neck.

I'm back...

After a great long weekend with my family in VaBeach (again), I'm home and preparing myself for the upcoming busy season know as BACK TO SCHOOL. Part of the process is a matter of preparing myself mentally for the challenges ahead, and an effort to move my internal clock so that I can go to bed earlier and wake refreshed (by 5:30 am.) I do love summer where I sleep til 8-9 am, and go to bed after midnight.

I've never really been a night person, but lately I find I do some of my best writing from 11:00-1:00 at night. Blog writing, yes, but also my novel. The creative juices just flow as I sit up in bed with my laptop, my hubby asleep and snoring to my right, the tv on mute, but QVC shopping is on the screen in case I need a distraction. The house is silent, the dog is sighing in her sleep,and all is well with the world.

On that note I will close, and open again tomorrow with plans to write about some of the potentially effective and fun math games I learned about during an inservice I attended the first week of August. Until then, sweet dreams.

Updated: CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE ED TEACHER

With the start of the new term, good teachers everywhere are carefully setting the tone for a successful, achievement-focused school year. General education and special educators alike will focus on providing a productive learning community, a place where high standards, challenging lessons, and positive energy create an optimum learning environment. In our special education program for children with emotional disabilities, teachers will be busy establishing themselves and their classrooms as predictably supportive, fair, and trust-worthy. My years of experience in an ED classroom bear out this important point: without a strong feeling of trust in the teacher, students’ academic and social- emotional goals will likely go unmet.

The negative school and life experiences faced by our students often squelch a “natural” love of learning; the risk-taking necessary for learning is often met with fear and its partner, anger. Building trust becomes all the more difficult when children spend so much of their time and effort in crisis. Many children with emotional disabilities need absolute consistency and structure, often precluding them from finding comfort and predictability in an even reasonably flexible general education setting. So we teachers are focusing much of our early efforts preparing and practicing the art of being predictable, caring, trust-inspiring.

Much of the new research about effective teaching includes the development of classroom routines and rules meant to ease transitions and allow for the best use of academic time. These efforts are doubly important in the ED setting where every direction and suggestion can be met with strong student opposition. When routines and expectations become normalized, opposition tends to decrease; compliance and cooperation can “sneak in”; learning becomes a more likely outcome.

With these issues in mind,I completed some research this spring on the kinds of skills/characteristics that effective ED teachers possess. Of course,this list could describe effective general education teachers as well. See what you think….

1. I build positive (trusting) relationships with students due to my consistency and attention to their needs.


2.I deal directly with student emotions; I don’t shy away from taking issues on.


3. I maintain a consistent behavior management system, including making individualized arrangements for special behavior needs within my classroom.


4. I create a learning environment that supports active, easily distracted students; I plan for reduced disruptions via my classroom arrangement, planned schedule, and active lesson delivery .


5. I differentiate instruction to meet individual needs, including teaching in small groups assigned according to academic or social skills .


6. I enjoy interacting with students. My students sense my enjoyment.


7. I “change up” my lessons “on the fly” as needed.


8. I support student’s positive self image by using positive, instructive praise, and creating successful/appropriately challenging learning experiences.


9. I engage in professional development, seek out classes/ workshops in areas of interest or weakness.


10. I know the subject matter in depth; I prepare in advance so I am ready with detailed, comprehensive plans that present material in the modality most advantageous to that particular lesson.


11. I am flexible and open to new ways to meet immediate needs.


12. I am consistent, predictable, and honest (trust-inspiring).


13. My rules and expectations are fair (trust-inspiring again).

Carnival Time!!

It's Wednesday.....so check out the Carnival of Education! Lots of great discourse! I love discourse! Think, think, think, share ideas! Thank you to Edwonk!

A little sassy discourse.....

Provocative blogger Prof. Plum always gets me going as I read his sassy, relentlessly pointed posts... of course, that's his intention! I do love a good sassy post!

Anyway, he inspired me with his rant about the evils of whole language and ed schools who teach it.

He said," Education students in my undergraduate and graduate classes had already taken lots of “literacy” courses from my whole language colleagues. They were nice folks, these students, and they seemed intelligent enough–until you asked them questions such as, “You are a strong advocate of using whole language to teach reading. Of course, there are other ways, older ways of doing it, that involve systematic instruction on phonics–the sounds that go with the letters. Do you have any experimental research showing that kids learn to read better with whole language than they do when you teach them phonics?” Students were never able to cite any research. [Obviously, their whole language professors had not bothered to assign any such readings.] In fact, they were not interested in any research. [They had been trained to be both ignorant and arrogant.] They just knew that the bizarre theory of whole language (reading is a “psycholinguistic guessing game”) was sound and that the teaching methods of whole language were the best (“best practices”)."


The whole lang. vs. phonics-based instruction argument is old news here. No school in our county or any county in our vicinity tolerates a whole language only curriculum. Yes, some schools remain focused on ALSO providing a literature based program, but NO ONE forgoes phonics anymore.

Do they do phonics well? That's the question. Have they committed to a research based form of direct instruction? It seems to me that's where counties are falling down now.

Even if the ed schools are still professing the virtues of whole language on it's own, most school systems don't tolerate that.

Frankly, whole language at the expense of teaching explicit phonics is passe`. The state has mandated phonics based assessments for the primary grades to use (a test, I might add that was created by a woman who worked in my school during the tail end of the whole language phase), and now, THAT IS THAT.

BTW, parents had alot to do with the county making the switch. But mostly, it was the research. Kids just weren't learning to read well without the phonemic instruction. My 17 year old daughter still suffers some of the ill effects (guessing a word based on context and the first few sounds), but she is bright enough to leave that strategy behind and tackle the big AP English word phonemically....

We are doing better by our students now. I think this needs to be acknowledged. Of course, it ultimately depends on how our reading scores improve over the next few years.

Maybe then the word literacy won't have a negative connotation. (True literacy is a good thing.) Inviting kids into the joyful world of great children's literature is a good thing. It does not have to be either/ or, does it?

Carnival Time Again!

The Carnival is up and running. Check it out over at The Education Wonks site, where many, varied and illuminating opinions reside.....

Dreams CAN Come True!

How’s this for a rigorous assessment? A 45 minute group presentation which can include leading your audience in a class discussion. How’s this for in-depth research? Use 2 internet sources and 2 journals.

Now THAT’S troubling!

So goes the the recent The New York Times’ description of teacher prep activities.

Rest assured we’ll continue to hear more about this controversy. ( See more here and here.) Last week, new teacherblogger Ms. Smlph did her part to shine the unforgiving light of reality on the online courses she’d recently completed for liscensing purposes.

Look, the whole process of preparing teachers is screwed up. We drop inexperienced teachers into a classroom and ask them to do the same things 20 year veterans are expected to do. We offer them help, SOME of which is effective, but coaches and mentors and buddies are not enough to guide new practioners through the complexities of teaching for high student achievement. Furthermore, many new teachers have accepted all the responsibilities of teaching even as they haven’t yet finished all the required course work.


What we need is a program of extensive, focused internships whereby new teachers spend a year in partnership with master teachers.

I can hear the collective murmur: Keep dreaming!


At Virginia’s George Mason University, such an internship program exists.

Graduate students seeking ED/LD certification at GMU can apply for the opportunity to work in a Fairfax County classroom for emotionally disabled students. The county hires them as instructional assistants, and over the course of the year, they learn from the daily modeling and opportunities for practice. By mid-year, interns are planning and implementing lessons --with the guidance and support of their cooperating teacher. They implement behavior management plans, help create individual behavior plans, assist in the IEP process, practice parent and collegial interaction. They come to learn the ins and outs of curriculum, planning, lesson delivery, and effective assessment. They do it all with increasing responsibility over time. They have room to make mistakes ( that’s part of learning after all), but it’s always with the best interests of the students in mind. After all, the stakes are too high. Both for the interns, our future teachers, and for the students.

Putting parent support on the line....

When Jenny D. asked us in the blogging world to come up with great ideas for school reform *absent money concerns*, the responses came quickly. And, I think, thoughtfully.(Check out her post and the comments!)

#The ideas about TEACHER QUALITY/SALARY seem right on to me. Teacher excellence IS the key to successful schools and improved student achievement.

#Even though most research does not prove out the value of SMALLER CLASS SIZE, teacher morale is tied to it. That’s reason enough to keep numbers down; it will keep good teachers in the profession.

#Planning time (that is, enough of it, and effective use of it) is critical to improved instruction. Bravo to Jenny D’s contributors who recognized the need for altered teacher schedules that address our need to plan collaboratively. In our ED setting, we need time to plan with both our gen ed colleagues and ED peers. Clearly, a nontraditional schedule of some sort would be necessary to provide these important planning opportunities.

And now my contribution:

Parent Participation Contracts: Some private schools have already adopted these as a way of setting expectations for parent support. These make particular sense for the ED program in which I teach. After all, the children in our classes have exited the general education setting because of their significant behavior problems. It is my feeling that as taxpayers pay out the increased funding for special education, so should they expect a minimum level of parent participation in support of their children’s success.

I am not talking about parent report cards where teachers judge parents based on a list of identified behaviors. That idea seems arbitrary and even silly.

I am thinking about a set of expectations (created by the IEP team, including the parent, at the end of the IEP meeting) that clearly identify what our ED kids’ parents can do to help the child improve/achieve.

For example:

“This IEP team identifies the following PARENT SUPPORT ACTIONS as necessary for the timely completion of the attached IEP goals:

1. On a daily basis, sign and discuss with your child his/her point sheet. Identify areas for celebration, and make a plan together about changing negative, inappropriate behavior.
2. If your doctor has prescribed medication for your child that affects school behavior/achievement, commit to giving that medication as prescribed. Agree to call the school if such medication is not given, and make a plan for providing your child with their needed medication in a timely manner. This may include coming to school during the day, or making arrangements for the school nurse to give the dose in question.
3. As part of the overall plan to address your child’s behavior/emotional needs, commit to some form of therapeutic support. (Family therapy, child’s individual or group therapy, etc.) It’s often too hard for anyone to parent an ED child without outside supports. Take advantage of support offered by our school’s clinical team and county programs.
4. Attend quarterly parent/teacher/clinical staff conferences to discuss and plan for your child’s progress. (One of these quarterly meetings will be the annual IEP meeting and is required by law.)
5. Attend at minimum 2 school functions per year. (Includes Open Houses, Back-to-School Nights, music concerts, PTA meetings, sports competitions, etc.)
6. Provide your child with the assistance he/she needs to complete homework requirements in a timely manner.

~~~~~~~

Professor JohnL (from EBDblog) has been thinking along the same lines, in response to a BBC report about parents being held accountable for their children’s school behavior. He asks some good, hard questions about such a plan, including which negative behaviors would parents be accountable for, and what would the consequences really be. If such a plan should become more than a sweet daydream (after all, what teacher hasn’t imagined “consequencing” a neglectful parent?), then there has to be some bite in it.
That’s fodder for another post…..

Taking a second look.....

Okay, I've re-read that last post, and wondered if it qualifies as silly-positive, self congratulatory.....

Ms. Smlph pointed out that sometimes a super positive blog can be annoying. Not that I am paranoid. She wasn't necessarily talking about me. Yes, I am perpetually sunny. Otherwise I'd go f-fing crazy.
You would too if you had my job.

So anyway, the previous post was a good description of our June efforts. The proof will be in how the administration and the staff bring it all together in August.

There is still alot that could go wrong. The kicker/screamer could drag others down. The administration could renig on agreements made in earnest last spring.
We could get so mired in the day to day, we could lose sight of the lofty goals we set for ourselves.

We might start believing the crap some bloggers out there are saying about teachers. That we are just in it for the summers off and decent hours. That we are just a bunch of time card pushers. That we don't have the skill to teach beyond 4th grade. That we are nothing special; it's not a calling to choose teaching.

To those of my teaching/blogger colleagues who are starting their new year in the next few weeks, I tip my hat to you. I'll be spending most of August preparing myself and my classroom for our September start, but you, already in the trenches, will be on my mind. Is that too syrupy-sweet? Can't help it. I'm that kind of girl. Lucky.

The future is looking bright.....

I’m a very lucky girl!

I work with a group of educators (both in the gen ed setting, and with the emotional disabilities teachers) who are interested in creating a program-wide plan for improved student achievement. In that vein, we met at the beginning of June last school year, and came up with a definite list of NEEDS to support those goals. For the most part, we came to this with full-on enthusiasm (well, at least one of us came kicking and screaming, but that’s okay too!). We shared it with our immediate administrator, who appeared to fully support our efforts to get the training, practice and time we need to make it all happen. It definitely makes the arrival of the new school year even more exciting when you can look forward to that kind of support and commitment. Here’s what we decided:

1. We need to improve our skills for creating effective, research based lessons. We identified the support personnel who could help us (reading specialist, technology support, etc.)

2. We need direct instruction and support finding the available online resources already there and designed to improve instruction. Our county has a plethora of online materials, but many of the teachers and IA’s on our team don’t know how to find them.

3. We need training about differentiating instruction effectively. (Who doesn't?)

4. We want to be able to use the Alpha Smarts and computer lab within the first two weeks of school instead of getting hit or miss tech support that leaves us in the lurch.

5. We need 3 visual timers per classroom. (Originally introduced to us by the autism specialists, these timers provide a visual picture of how much time is left in a particular activity – time outs, for example, or time left to complete a lesson. Very handy!)

6. We intend to plan an extended ED team meeting during teacher prep days in August to explore 2 important areas—--First, in an effort to build trust/collegiality, we want to explore our different ways of communicating. Next, as a team,we want extended time to talk about our students, sharing valuable information not easily written down in notes for each other. We value teacher’s dialogue about and for their students.


We didn’t ask for the world, but we identified our needs, and expect to get as much on our list as is reasonable. Frankly, I consider every item on our list necessary and feasible, and am heartened by the verbal support we got from the higher ups.

Like I said, I’m a lucky girl!

Home again...

We are back from an all-too-quick vacation at the Beach. Except for some brief TV watching to check on the latest London bombing attempts, I ignored TV and internet activities. Well, except for a periodic check of my mail. I AM addicted.

I did some good writing though. My novel just might be going somewhere! I even took the plunge and shared the first chapter with my daughter. I've been steadfast about keeping all that I have written absolutely private, so this was a big step, done impulsively, and it was really okay. My next step, I think.... find a writer's group. Does that sound like a good idea?

Countdown to the new school year starts for me at the beginning of August. I have already begun to create some blog-like vehicles on Blackboard for my classroom and for our Professional Learning Community task force. The classroom "blog" is really more of an interactive newsletter, but I think it will support my goal to improve communication with my students' parents. At least for those with computer access.

Finally, I am looking forward to catching up with my blogging colleagues....it's been weird not checking in much on their goings on! Til tomorrow, when I hope to post an intelligent, education oriented piece, have a lovely Monday!

No wonder they're ... Hot For Teacher!

This little teacher-lady sits atop my sink window, reminding me daily of "my inner disciplinarian"! My brother and his wife gave me this little trinket, and we all had a laugh.

"You don't really see me like that, do you?" I cried out.
Paul and Denise just smiled. And kept smiling.

"Well?" I pressed.

" Your boobs aren't as big," Paul offered sympathetically.

Carnival again...

Check it out! Click here.
And the dedicated guy who puts this all together is on vacation this week, and still he manages to get it out to us in the same pithy manner!

Let's Happy Dance

The Education Wonk reports on a principal who celebrates the hiring of a qualified, kid-centered teacher- WHO IS ALSO MALE- by doing a Happy Dance I nodded hard in agreement when I read his post! Not only could I “feel” the joy of finding a male elementary teacher, I understood the Happy Dance reference.

The chance to do my own version of the Happy Dance is what keeps me going when, by all rights, I should be pulling my hair out. Happy Dance moments are the sustenance of life.

You know what I’m talking about.

Snow days.
Sunshine after 3 days of rain. (We can finally go outside for recess.)
The smell of a newly opened box of crayons can get me going on a good day.


How about the moment you realize the kid who drove you crazy yesterday is absent today? Bliss. (Ahem. Followed immediately, of course, by concern for the child’s health.)


The first time I see my intern handle a child’s tantrum with finesse….

Finding a note from one of my students: “I lov yu Mrs. Rs.”

The last day of school …
The first day of school….

Only 7 weeks to go.
Here’s to the restorative power of the Happy Dance! Boogie on!

The Genius of Harry Potter

Columnist Joel Stein thinks Harry Potter is ONLY for the younger set. He readily admits “reading is hard. I try to avoid it whenever possible.”

And he calls us, Hogwarts fans everywhere, “stupid, stupid, stupid”.

He just doesn’t get it. Well, no wonder. He says he read the first 50 pages of the first book, and he thought it was juvenile. 50 pages?? And suddenly he’s an expert?

For an intelligent analysis of the Harry Potter Phenomenon, see “True Sorcery”. Author Joel Garreau sees Harry as this generation's Dylan. Now that’s genius. He wrote:

“But now it has occurred to me that the prophet of our children's era -- the One who would speak of new realities that elders fail to grasp and offer a moral code in the face of lightning change -- is here already, in tens of millions of books translated into more than 60 languages and carefully tucked away in bedrooms all over the globe: It's Harry Potter, modern Magus, harbinger of today's cultural revolution.”

Moreover, Garreau, in his weekend opinion piece in the Washington Post, sees relevant themes that Joel Klein can’t even fathom:
“Our children have used magic wands all their lives, raising and lowering the volume on the story boxes that they watch, controlling the narratives. It's uncanny, the way they can intuit what technology wants.”

And what lesson could be more important for the youth of today and the adults that guide and love them? Garreau points out the power of the Sorting Hat:

" 'It only put me in Gryffindor,' said Harry in a defeated voice, 'because I asked not to go in Slytherin.' 'Exactly,' said Dumbledore, beaming once more. 'Which makes you very different'" from the supremely evil wizard Voldemort who threatens all of civilization. " 'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'

Finally, Garreau writes:
Each day, our children wake up in a world that will have changed by sundown. They take incomprehensible change for granted and have absorbed the wisdom of the author Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And Harry Potter addresses the outstanding question that we and our children encounter as we face such unprecedented change. It is the problem of the moral use of our powers. As Bateson says: "Who teaches what's right is an issue in politics, it's an issue in religion, it's an issue in business."

Joel Klein, the “moral use of our powers” is obviously an issue for all of us, no matter our age. Grownups who appreciate Harry and his adventures understand this, and relish the chance to explore these themes, with our kids or without!

Whose job is it anyway?

Preschoolers expelled. Kindergartners restrained. Classrooms in chaos, and teachers left unable to manage the unruly behavior of a loud and undeniable few. What’s up with all this?

“Parents will do anything for their children. Anything, Miss Manners has observed, short of actual childrearing.” (Check out her column here.)

Hmmm. Interesting idea.

Of course, Miss Manners (aka Judith Martin) is known for her unapologetic, steely opinions. In her column this week, she puts the responsibility for our children’s behavior squarely where it belongs:
“It's not that parents don't realize that their children need to learn manners, morals, and how to refrain from repulsing those in a position to give them degrees, riches and happiness. They simply do not see teaching these as being their job.”


Gone are the days when the kindergarten teacher at my school can concentrate fully on the traditional business of early childhood education. The new, frenzied focus on academics notwithstanding, Mrs. B spends a lot of her time doing what I call “civilizing” her darlings.


How and why we use a napkin.
Take turns talking.
Look up and speak when a grownup greets you.
“You suck!” is not polite, appropriate speech.


Says Miss Manners, “Parents were supposed to teach (their children) respect for authority and not to hit and scratch others. Lapses will occur, but they need to know and accept the principles. If not, serious, one-on-one remedial work needs to be done before any other socialization can be taught -- let alone the beginning academics that parents now want in the curriculum.”


The good news is that most children are hungry for all kinds of learning, and caring teachers can find fun, engaging ways to introduce the niceties of life. But when teachers get no help from parents, when the lessons learned at school are directly discounted at home, discourteous and rude behavior becomes the norm.


And what of the critics who say we teachers shouldn't be involved in matters of the home (which early manners training obviously is)? Throughout the edusphere, schools are accused of becoming a system of social workers, a kind of BIG BROTHER, intent on usurping the rights of parents.


We, all of us teachers and parents, have our roles and responsibilities. Wouldn’t it be great if we could count on each other for follow through?

Prayers for England, London, Our World

Remembering the breath-taking pain of 9-11 as I watch the horror on TV this a.m.

The Londoners seem decidedly calmer and more articulate than we were in NY and DC in their description of the chaos and violence. But the wounded look in their eyes, that loss of a sense of security in our already insecure world.....

I also remember teaching throughout the entire day (9-11), and by edit of the higher ups, we elementary school teachers had to pretend like nothing happened.

At the Blackboard Jungle, the eloquent teacher there updates us on her day with the summer school kids at her school outside of London:

There was an olde worlde, WWII feel to the news at first, as staff huddled in rooms trying to raise news on old fashioned radio sets, or compared notes on how to get through to friends and family working in the affected areas, most of whom had been confined to their offices all morning. We stood in silent circle to hear the prime minister's speech at noon.

Only later do we tell the children that something has happened. The government has advised that parents do not pick up children, that they do not travel, that children stay in schools as long as is practical.

We're safe here, on the south side of the river, but cheap housing and fast transport links into the city mean that many of our 1700 students have parents who work in the affected areas.
I was trying to get LBC radio to route through the electronic whiteboard when a student receptionist wandered in, saw what was on the screen and panicked. His mum works in Trafalgar Square, travels in from London Bridge. It's important to take worries seriously, while still playing down the possibility of disasters. The nearest blast to London Bridge was north of the station, I reassured him, whereas his mum would have to have travelled west. She's probably okay, but best not to ring her yet, while the network is down. Best to wait for her to contact you to tell you she's safe.
State of uncertainty.

None of us quite sure how to teach today, but all of us knowing that we need to keep the safety jacket of routine solid.

Just in case.


Just in case.

Heroic Teaching.... Heroic Teachers

Here's a teacher who is something of a hero to me. In this recent post (and it was published in our local paper in mid June), Erica Jacobs describes a fab end-of-year project she and her teaching partner assigned her seniors AFTER all the testing was done. While lesser teachers might choose to show movies or other mindless activities because all the important state and AP assessments had been completed, this teacher revealed her inner-zippiness (see reference here!)!

Carnival Fun Again

The Education Wonks again offer their brand of big fun! Check out the diverse and stimulating postings.... and don't forget to try your hand at the Ring Toss!

Teaching to the test.... and the ABC's of Teaching with Wonder

Thank you to Jenny D., who inspired this train of thought, and to Susan Ohanian, who provided real relief....

When, during the course of my daily blogging, I come upon the faithful who support the national testing blitz, I find I have less and less to argue about. When educators (like those who comment on Jenny D.'s site) stipulate that the tests to which teachers are teaching must be good ones, then I don't have a problem with teaching to the test. When good teachers use the "new accountability" as a means to reflection and improved instruction, then I can't have a problem with that either.

I do I get riled up when the argument is framed as such: ALL NCLB Testing:GOOD. Teachers who support NCLB: GOOD. Teachers who question NCLB: Complainers/BAD!


This interesting post by Susan Ohanian fits the same pattern, only with the reverse perspective . (I'm as guilty as anyone about generalizations.)

Ohanian says:

"Whenever you see these words connected to education, read carefully and resist much. You are in the presence of what George Orwell called "a catalogue of swindles and perversions."
• ALL students
• skills systematically developed
• measure student learning
• you can't manage what you don't measure
• scientifically-based research
• scientific methods
• proven education methods
• rapid, evidence-driven progress
• clear, honest, bold data
• schools, just like any business
• stronger accountability for results
• reward positive results
• clinical settings/practices
• enriched career advancement structures
• competitive compensation structures
• highly qualified teacher
• preparing students for 21st century/for global economy
• the knowledge supply chain
• education as struggle/battle/war
• education reform
• rigor
• stakeholders

Ask whoever uses the above terms why the following words are missing.


• Autonomy
• Bliss
• Curiosity
• Democracy
• Esteem
• Fun
• Generosity
• Heart
• Imagination
• Joy
• Kindness
• Laughter
• Meaning
• Neighborliness
• Opportunity
• Pride
• Quirkiness
• Respect
• Spirit
• Tolerance
• Uniqueness
• Virtue
• Whimsy
• Xanaduness
• Yumminess
• Zeal

Well, you gotta love the ABC format….. and reading her call to honor teaching for its highest principles feels great!

I'm inspired to rework the list to fit MY classroom!!

Applause, Becoming, Concentration, Differentiation, Energy, Focus, Gusto, Helpfulness, Ingenuity, Justice, KWL (Know/ Want to know/ Learned), Listening, Marvel, Needs met, Ovations, Persistence, Quest, Resilience, Synergy, Thinking, Understanding, Vision, Wellness, X-ploration, Yucks, Zippiness

yep.....zippiness! It may not be measurable, but you know it when you see it!!

Evidenced-based Instruction and the Classroom Teacher

When I read the post How Teachers Fail from favorite blog TEACH EFFECTIVELY, I immediately recognized John Wills Lloyd’s bias against teaching strategies that are not research based. I kind of like this about the professor, and about his blog overall. Reading his postings reminds me to maintain this high standard (“What is the evidence?”) as I plan for my special ed students.

However, Dr. Lloyd’s list seemed a little tongue in cheek; after all, I couldn’t imagine a “teaching expert” of any ilk advancing the use of study carrels as the number two strategy for success. So when I went to the About.com site hosted by Sue Watson, I saw a list of suggestions that could be found in any number of ADHD/LD sources. In fact, I recently gave a colleague some of these same ideas as she tried to manage the behavior of a new, highly ADHD and learning disabled student.

This got me to thinking: must everything a good teacher tries be evidenced-based?
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When I teach, I start with an assumption that is fairly universal and steeped in common sense.

There is no one way to teach every child.

Consequently, I vow to try to vary my approach based on what I know about students’ particular needs. For example, just because my school has selected a particular reading series or program, I don’t immediately match a child with what we have on hand. Instead, I meld information from students’ recent formal testing, in-class assessments, and observations, etc. with what I know to be effective evidence-based instructional techniques. I try what I can, based on my expertise and input from other trusted colleagues. If something is not working, I don’t give up altogether or keep hitting my head against the proverbial brick wall. I try something else, most likely another research based strategy. But I admit, I’m willing to try whatever makes good sense to help a child find academic success.

Watson essentially said the same thing in her quick list. “Vary your strategies until you find out what works, persistence will pay off”.

Dr. Lloyd calls this list “pure bologna”!!

Yikes… here is my take on a few of the items on the list.

* I LIKE giving squirmy kids extra opportunities to move around! It feels humane.
*And in my experience, study carrels and isolated desk areas DO provide some kids with a sense of privacy and less stimulation. (This sometimes translates into better educational outcomes, but it often just helps a child and his/her classmates better tolerate being in the same close space.)
*Playing soft music at different times of the day (I do it at sustained silent reading time) has helped some of my students relax, which helps them be ready for the rest of the day’s challenges.

I’ve never seen documented evidence that these classroom modifications make a difference in children’s learning. I haven’t completed my own, formal classroom research project to disprove or support their worth.

Does that make me a bad teacher? NO.

A crummy teacher would continue to do these things even if became evident they were detrimental to the achievement of his/her students. A crummy teacher doesn’t even bother to figure out if these strategies are helpful in his/her particular classroom. Blind acceptance of ideas is the tell tale sign of a poor teacher, not the desire to meet kid’s individual needs.

Maybe what I need to do is be more on the lookout for information about educational research and evidenced-based instructional techniques. Oh yeah…. That’s why I read TEACH EFFECTIVELY in the first place!

Reflecting on that ETS survey...

That ETS survey so often referenced in recent education blogs and columns peaked my interest. At the recommendation of high school English teacher/columnist Erica Jacobs, I perused the power point rather than rely solely on the Executive Summary. Like Jenny D, Chris Correa, and David Broder before me, I found lots to think about.

For example..... Why are we surprised that teachers, parents, and the public at large have differing ideas about education reform? An information gap between lay people and education experts should explain part of this schism. Words like accountability and “real world learning”, both part of the ETS survey, can be understood to mean different things to different people, (despite a brief description provided by the ETS survey teams). Also, as Erica Jacobs says, teachers have actually SEEN those high stakes tests. That should count for something.

I was heartened by the data that shows that the public understands how much of a teacher’s job is affected by sources outside of school. I wonder, though, what the public is willing to do about this. I suspect an even greater gap consists between schools and the public about providing extra services and support to address these “broader problems of society” affecting student achievement.

At my school, that would mean keeping the emotional disabilities program’s full time social worker and psychologist. Right now, these positions are in danger of being axed due to budget concerns. According to the ETS data, the public recognizes our need to overcome family and community problems….but unfortunately, the local budget process just might reveal something else. What will it take to convince the bean counters that on- demand clinical staff is necessary to teach children with complicated, oppressive mental health issues?

Lastly, the disconnect between parents and teachers needs to be addressed, in equal proportion to the focus on teacher quality and accountability. Until we educators can communicate why we feel as we do, others will mistake our views as “soft bigotry” or a function of laziness. Even (one of my faves) Jenny D.-an advocate for education reform and improved student achievement- mistakes teachers’ support for differentiation as a belief that not “all kids can learn”.

There’s a long road ahead, that’s for sure.

Carnival Time Again

Check it out at The Education Wonks site.... This week's entries are diverse, relevant, and chock full of good info and opinion!

So many good ideas, so hard to pick.....

The Education Wonks highlighted a Chicago columnist who thinks closed campuses and tighter authoritarian controls will help hormone-happy freshman succeed. It is feared too much freedom is not healthy and productive for a whole set of kids unprepared for the academic and social rigors of the high school scene.

According to Sue Ontiveros “We've given high school students enough freedom to hurt their grades, enough that they often fail and often drop out. For their own good, we should rethink those freedoms.”

But let me play devil’s advocate. According to high school principal Frank altiwanger, we can cultivate (teach) the responsibilities of independence…. And academic success is increased overall.

From the June 20th Washington Post article, the unconventional “Haltiwanger speaks with reverence about the school's unusual qualities -- for example, the faith that adults place in students.”
“We trust kids," he said. "We teach them about choice . . . and making judgments about themselves that are beneficial to them." As they spend time at the school, he said, they begin to hold themselves to the expectation that they will be trustworthy; that is why optional attendance works. "There's a real positive peer culture here to get there on time," he said. "They want to be with their group."
Walking past a senior wall, Haltiwanger pointed at the school motto, which someone had painted. " Verbum Sap Sat ," he said, grinning. "A word to the wise is sufficient, and that's the theme -- that they should be developing their own internal compass and not depending on external rewards and corrections to do the right thing."

Carnival opens on Wednesday a.m.!!

The entries over at the Carnival of Education (at Jenny D's this week), are sure to keep you entertained. Well, at least make you think. Check it out!! (Hey! Where are the teacups! They are my favorite carnival ride!!)

So Long For Now....

Good bye little Kylie. You greeted me each morning with a hug, a scream, and a kick to the shin. See you "next year", sweetie.

Drake, you'll be in a mainstream classroom more of the day next year, so we won’t be so tied at the hip. I’ll miss you, but celebrate your newly found independence. It's bitter sweet.

Jacky, be good to your mom this summer. She does so much for you, and gets so little in return.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” That’s your mantra, Peter, shouted daily at the top of your lungs. I welcome the quiet of summer break. Well, until my own 17 year old starts in on me.

I’ll say a little prayer each morning for your safety, Rigsby. Thank goodnes your daycare teachers will take over the daily watch for bruises and marks.

And Carl and Bobby, you'll get together over the summer to play Pokemon paper dolls and Gameboy games in the comfort of your upper middle class family rooms… until your moms can’t take the manic laughter and sporadic shouting matches. (It’s a love-hate thing!)

See you in the fall, Stephen. Enjoy your free time at daycare. Make a grownup read you a book everyday. Try not to hit your little sister. Stay clear of your dad when he’s mad.

Finally, I close my classroom door with the familiar lump in my throat. I am used to this weird feeling of relief and expectation. Still, closing the book on this group of kids, this set of challenges and worries, this chance to make a difference, feels right. Before long I’ll be planning new and wonderful activities for next year.

For now, I count my blessings.

I am so lucky to be a teacher.

5 Days and Counting

I'm feeling alittle whiney about going back to school tomorrow. You'd think with less than 5 full days left, I'd be in better spirits, but I'm not. You all know what is there waiting for me back in the classroom:

Lists of mindless clerical tasks that must be completed and then checked off by a monitor before I can leave. Feels like I am 10 again.

Piles of unorganized papers that need to be sorted and put away mindfully for use next year. This one is all my fault. I am a "stacker", and when the year ends, I am stuck with stacks to deal with.

Bulletin boards, art displays, book shelves, storage closets, art supply depots, under cabinet storage....damn, there is a lot to get in order before Friday.

And mostly...highly strung, anxious, excitable kids chomping at the bit to get out of class each day and head for the neighborhood pool. And grumpy kids who stay up too late all week because their folks are already in the summer spirit (but can you blame them?)

Not to mention the highly strung, anxious, excitable, grumpy teachers who likewise can't wait for the day/week/year to end.

On that note, I'm off to finish my weekly plans. Please, Lord, let it go by smoothly and ...............FAST!!

Looking Ahead Before The Door Closes On 2004-05

A few days have passed since my rant about the many things over which teachers have no control …. I have calmed considerably. And after a pretty decent week, I am feeling a bit more empowered, so here is the list of some of my TO DO’s for school year 05-06:

1. Re-arrange my classroom. One of the great pleasures of being a classroom teacher is the chance to play interior designer and organize a space for efficiency and comfort. I’d re-arrange a few times a year if it wasn’t so disruptive to my kids who need consistency and predictability.

2. Reduce my outside committee work to 2. The goal is to reflect both my interests and the specific needs of the school/my students. Right now I am pulled a bit too thin, and I’m not particularly effective in any capacity.

3. Prepare more carefully for our special education PLC meetings. (I started out great this year, but got alittle lazy as the year wore on.)

4. Re-organize my language arts block to include additional reading/writing time. No one can argue against the need to fully address my students’ many deficits: increasing time and opportunity for learning is a good first step.

5. Use chart poems and morning messages more effectively. I usually have the kids’ full attention during circle time, and I want to take advantage of this with better instruction.

6. Leave for work 10 minutes earlier. I love being at work during the first slow sizzle of a new day.

7. Keep my desk ALITTLE less cluttered. (But I’m realistic… it will never be NEAT.)

8. Be more prolific in my written and verbal praise for my intern’s good work. Sometimes I get so involved in the day-to-day, it’s easy to concentrate on skill sets and reflective practice and instructional planning…and I let the opportunities for celebration pass. No more.

9. Call parents more often for both good and bad news. I have to get over this fear.

10. Just accept that some things are meant to be different, and that’s life.

In addition, I will

Buy a new pillow to soothe my sore neck
Vow to eat a healthier lunch 3 days a week
Take the time to call my husband during my lunch break…. Just to feel hugged in the middle of the day.

Okay, now I am ready for summer. Bring on the fun: reading-for-pleasure, gardening-for-stress relief, and cooking-to-nurture-my-family.

CH CH CH CHAAANNGES...

This has been a year of sweeping change… 6 Things I have learned because of it:

1. Change can rock you to the sad, lonely core of your heart.

2. It’s better to look forward to what new, fun things might be in store, rather than ruminate in that sad, lonely core.

3. Making yourself a list of new, fun things can be quite helpful, especially when the sad, lonely core of your heart wants to block out any possibility that things will be okay again soon.


4. Dealing with change gives you a wonderful excuse to be “good” to yourself. (I’m eating better, lost alittle weight, and nap when I feel like it! “Cuz I deserve it!”)

5. The kindness and commitment of those who bring/execute/support change directly affects the ease with which change is accepted. (Thanx Melis!)


6. Change has brought me:
Back to daily prayer and meditation (I almost wrote MEDICATION!!)
A new, cool teaching easel
A new pal to laugh with
An opportunity for peer mentoring (which I love)
A new group of grade level team mates who seem to really like me, and dammit, I really like and admire them!

All, in all, it’s been a decent transition. I am already looking forward to next school year, and that’s a good sign.

Books, Books, Books

Number of books I own…anyone with “enough” books does not know how many there are… lots and lots, thank goodness. Fiction (like Shipping News and The Jane Austen Book Club), non-fiction ( To Know As We Are Known and A Mind At A Time), new and used, hardback, softcover…you get the idea.

Last book purchased: Ken Harufs’ Where You Once Belonged
(I’ll get to it this summer.)

Last book read: I’m in the middle of The Alchemist…still. It’s lovely, but the end of year busy-ness gets in the way of reading for pleasure. Ahhh, ten more days! Well, the last book completed with gusto: The Probable Future, by Alice Hoffman. I do like her stuff; kind of mystical.

5 Books of Importance To Me:

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: Harriet’s voyeurism made me realize I was meant to create my own stories, and I was meant to put those stories down on paper. I remember how the character of Golly made me feel less lonely during a lonely time in my childhood.

Up The Down Staircase: rebellious, disrespectful, unconventional…. At 15, this novel started me thinking about teaching difficult kids. In its very unglamourous (for its time) depiction of an urban high school teacher’s life, I saw passion and “hip-ness”. That’s what I wanted to be… passionate and hip. Ha!!

Seventeen by Booth Tarkington: the first “period piece” I read as a young teenager. From this book, I developed a love for finding a good story within a wonderful setting/place/time. It was like an opening of the door into more grown-up fiction.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: I had never read Austen, or Bronte for that matter, until I was into my 30’s. When we planned a trip to England, I took on the 3 big Austen novels, and my trip was all the better for it!!

The book in my head: I’m having a hard time getting it all out, but this summer I plan to add another 100 pages to the 100 I already have. No excuses. I WILL meet that goal! I will get it done!!

So that's my response to the current meme making the rounds. Join in, anyone!!

Carnival is back in town!!

Check out the latest Carnival of Education at Education Wonks' site! Lots of good reading and fodder for discussion!!

...And He Won't Get Out!!

I am always happy this time of year to pull out my favorite Audrey and Don Wood books! An author and illustrator study of these very talented writers and artists keeps my kiddies enthralled, even when the pools are open and summer beckons. This one is especially great for teaching problem and solution, and besides, who can resist the narcisistic king and the very clever page. Incidently, the face of the page (so angelic, yet so knowing), is the face of the Wood's son! He is a grown up now, and has introduced his parents to art via the computer. Check out Audrey Wood's website....and enjoy!
One of the best!!!

"Confronting the brutal facts"

Starting nearly ten years ago, I reluctantly cast aside the cutesy, fun construction paper projects once so commonly completed in first grade classrooms. It became clear to me that because of the shortened academic time available to me and my students (due to their emotional and behavioral issues), I had to prioritize both time and attention.

It was painful: if the activity directly supported student achievement as defined by county standards (this was the early 90’s, pre-NCLB), then we did it. That meant that lots of paper bag puppets, dioramas, and other “artistic responses to literature” went undone. I felt guilty about it then, and even a little sad. What adorable projects would their parents be able to save for posterity’s sake? How would my students feel when they noticed their general ed. friends came home on the bus each day with colorful, attractive items in hand?

Who knew I was so ahead of my time?

Educational consultant Mike Schmoker addresses this issue in a recent article about school improvement. Schmoker insists that if we focus on (gulp!) improving instruction, we will make the changes necessary to improving student achievement overall.

Schmoker laments “What are students doing instead of reading and writing? They are coloring, cutting, pasting, watching movies, filling in work sheets and designing book jackets in ratios that overwhelm actual reading and writing.”

Schmoker goes on to blame teaching’s culture of isolation for these “abuses”. “Teachers are largely left alone. And principals, despite the hard, heroic work they do, don’t supervise instruction. They never have, and they have never been adequately helped to do so.”

But back then, the entire grade level team decided together which crafty activity to do. Isolation wasn’t the problem.

It seems to me it was a lack of focus, a blurring of priorities.

So I will hold my head higher next year when my new intern asks me about our language arts curriculum. I will be proud to say that we focus our time and attention (however abbreviated) on literacy activities to directly improve reading and writing skills.

And when together the first grade team chooses learning activities that directly support our instructional goals, I won’t feel bad. Even general ed students are doing less and less of the crafty, fun activities.

I’ll still hate that we don’t have time for wind sock-making and picture frame decoration. After all, I was a first grader once myself.

How to build a better teacher.....

I read Jenny D. just about everyday. Here’s her initial impression from her research:
"….. good teaching, demanding teaching, is preplanned, deliberate, and thought out. The moves teachers make aren't random, but in fact they are considered. The best teachers consider how to use their voice, their body, and their ideas. They evaluate students by responses to question, even as they think up the next questions."

When I read this quote the first time, I had a response similar to that of girlontheescape: “Well, Yeah!”

But then I remembered how my student intern, a grad student who has been working all year in the classroom with me in preparation for her career as an ED teacher….I remembered that even after 8 months working side by side, gaining confidence and increased responsibilities all along the way, this woman was blown away by the amount and intensity of planning required when she did her “Week of Independence”. (While I worked on some mentoring projects and observed other programs in nearby schools, the intern and a familiar sub managed every aspect of the classroom experience that week.)

Frankly, I was surprised by her surprise. She’s right in the thick of things each day. In her defense, she says I make it look easy. But now she sees, it really isn’t.

Just like Jenny D. says: “As long as teaching appears to be a job that anyone can do, it will not garner the respect and other rewards it deserves.”

For me, the pivitol moment in the intern’s experience is when the intern takes a considered leap from her well planned lesson, a leap that addresses a child’s immediate, newly identified need. It’s the art in the art of teaching, the magic that makes one teacher so much better than another. It’s the thinking on her feet, teachable moment thing, but it comes out of thoughtful lesson preparation, not as a moment of organic whimsy based on interactions with the student. If Jenny can quanitify and qualify this practice, it will be great for teaching. I applaud her efforts and pray for her success!!

Also, kudos to girlontheescape who so thoughtfully challenged and informed the discussion.

I love this blogging stuff.

Carnival of Education....

Check it out! Variety, in depth, engrossing issues.....what more could a reader of all things education want?
Thank you to The Education Wonks who do this so right!!