I'm Going Streaking

I have decided not to make New Year’s Resolutions this year…no lists of fluffy feel good things that I will more than likely fail to live up to.  Instead, I am going streaking. Yes, you heard that correct. I am going streaking for the first time in my life. I just hope I can do Frank proud.

Specifically, I am going to attempt to start two different streaks on New Year’s Day. The first is a streak to run every single day for the year of 2012. This is certainly going to be a difficult challenge for me as I have battled a knee injury since my collegiate triple jumping career. I am choosing to do this for a couple of reasons. First, is actually because of my wife who has recently committed to a run streak and at the time of this posting is sitting at 37 consecutive days of running at least one mile. Many of her runs have been in the double digits for miles and she is inspiring me with her dedication. The second reason is for my own personal goal setting and physical growth. I am the type of person that needs a goal in order to motivate myself. In the past, I would run if I was training for a race or some sort of competition. Hopefully, by taking this challenge and making it public on my blog I will stick with it…feel free to drop me a line on twitter ( @stumpteacher ) to make sure I stay honest!

The second streak I hope to start is nothing new and nothing that many of my readers have not already done. It is the 365 photo-a-day project. My goal is to take a picture a day and post it on my posterous site. I will be travelling a great deal as the Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2012, so I hope to share some of my travels and have a snap shot of my year.

So, maybe these two streaks are actually resolutions and I am just another hypocrite…but oh well. I am going to try to stick with these two things for as long as I can. What streaks do you want to start this year? Watch an episode of Seinfeld every day? Give a family member a hug every day? Take a walk every day? Take time to read every day?

In thinking about my two impending streaks, I am brainstorming how to bring this idea to my classroom. How can I incorporate streaks with my students? What streaks can I start with them? How can I help them create yearly challenges and then support them? 

Twas The Night Before Testing...

Twas the day before testing, when all through the school

Not a student was learning, not even the fool.

The pencils were sharpened and laid out with care,

In hopes that learning soon would be shown there.

The children were crowded all cramped in their seats,

While visions of bubbled answers danced on the sheets.

And teacher in their desk, and student their chair,

Both settled their brains for a long blank stare.

When out in the hall arose such a noise,

Students sprang from desks, the girls and the boys.

Away to the door they flew in a flash,

Tore down the testing sign and left in a crash.

The hallway lit with the glimmer of neon light,

And students called back to seats with fright.

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,

But endless questions and answers to fear.

With children back in their seats,

They settled for testing feats.

More quickly than lightning, directions were read,

As teachers spewed and spit words of dread.

“Now fill in the bubbles with pencil number two!

Use your time wisely for the minutes will be few.

Do your best and show what you got,

There may be pressure but perform on the spot."

Kids said not a word but tried their best,

And worked continuously without rest.

Some were finished and some were not,

Regardless all were done when clock hit the spot.

Kids sprang to the door and down the halls,

Answering their texts and taking their calls.

Teachers collected the tests in a nice neat pile,

Brought them to the office, heels clicking on the tile.

As all tests were collected and locked up so neat,

Teachers and students both happy it complete.

A day without these tests both are yearning,

They wish to say, “it’s about the learning.”

Happy Testing to All and To All a Good Score!

Holiday Break Sucks

Christmas Break.

Holiday Break.

Winter Break.

In the immortal words of New Kids on the Block, “call it what you want”. Bottom line is many of us look forward to the time of year when we get a bit of time off to relax, recharge and spend time with loved ones. However, it is at this time of year I am always reminded how much these break suck for many of our students. I can name a handful of my students who are dreading the upcoming time away from classes and their behavior is a clear indicator of this fact. Is this because my class is that awesome? Not a chance! Do these kids love homework and extra credit projects? Not even close! These particular students simply have nothing at home worth looking forward to. 

• Many will be heading to a break filled with fighting, yelling, and domestic unrest.
• Some will attempt to hide in a home where divorce has wrecked their “normal” lives.
• Increasing numbers of students will experience less than bountiful loot left from Santa under the tree.
• Some students will spend their breaks parenting siblings while their parents work.
• Others will be working themselves to help support their families.
• A few of your students might not get to read a book because they have none of their own.
• Many will head to homes not able to pay the heating or electric bills.
• Some may not even have homes to go home to.

We often take for granted these breaks and cannot possibly imagine why anyone would fear them. For those about to head on break, remember when those students start acting out there might be a reason behind it. They might be afraid of leaving the safe, calm, and loving environment that is school. Many students view schools as their safe haven and impending breaks from school are scary and potentially anxious times in their lives.

The Only Standard We Ever Need

I have often been accused of over-simplifying things or making things more black and white than they should be. When it comes to the increasing number of standards being imposed on our students, I am beginning to feel rather frustrated. As a country we are concerned that our students are falling behind in the sacred tests to other countries. Yet, as I sit in my desk helping students do math during study hall, I have a tough time believing that. These 6^th grade students are tackling concepts that I am confident I was not introduced to until late junior high or early high school. More and more content is being pushed down in an effort to help kids get ahead. So what gives? Why are the test scores not going up if kids are getting “smarter” earlier?

For me, I wonder if it is simply a matter of breadth over depth. We are exposing our students to as much content and curricula as inhumanly possible in the time we have them. Yet, due to the sheer amounts of standards and content, teachers cannot hope to go into any true depth. How can teachers deepen understanding when they are given such a laundry list of standards to teach in one school year? Students are certainly being exposed to more content today than in the past, but at the expense of what? True understanding and depth of knowledge?

The other day I spent some time playing and learning with my son in his preschool classroom. In one of the classrooms the teacher had hung the multitude of learning standards each child was expected to master by the end of the year. It struck me funny as a parent to think my child would be exposed to all that content in one academic year. Honestly, I was blown away by how many there were. As I looked them over, one caught my eye.

This standard truly does sum up my beliefs on learning. How would your teaching change if you put this standard in your list? What if this was the only standard that drove your teaching? In my opinion we move too far away from “active exploration” in lieu of rigid curriculum coverage. Is it possible that this is the only standard we ever need? 

Social Media is not the Problem

I recently came across an article in the New York Times on social media. The basic premise behind the article is laws and boundaries are being put in place to protect both teachers and students from inappropriate relationships or interactions as a result of social media use. My initial gut reaction was not positive to be honest. A few statements stuck out at me specifically.

“Some teachers have set poor examples by posting lurid comments or photographs involving sex or alcohol on social media sites. Some have had inappropriate contact with students that blur the teacher-student boundary.”

Yes, this is a true statement. Some teachers have used poor professional judgment in what actions they have taken in regards to student relationships online. Due to discretions of the few, why must we mandate for all? Should we ban all youth football programs from universities due to the infractions of a few? I believe whole heartedly that educators using social media sites for inappropriate means should be dealt with and prosecuted as such. To say that social media causes these negative things to occur is ignorant at best. If anything, social media brings to light such behaviors that could easily remain hidden behind closed doors. Poor decisions cause problems, not social media. In addition, when brought to light via social media, those instances have to be dealt with and not swept under the rug.

“School administrators are also concerned about teachers’ revealing too much information about their private lives.”

This is another statement that I took a certain degree of issue with. Many teachers are not comfortable sharing personal information with their students in any form. That is fine. However, some of the most influential teachers are those that are able to walk that line between professional and personal. Parents and students alike, respond best to teachers that are “real” human beings and part of that is sharing personal information. I tell my student’s parents that I have children of my own and often share stories and relate to them. Is that not a good thing to do? When talking to my students I often share personal stories about my life experiences as they pertain to them. Does that not help me build rapport and better connect with my students? How about helping teachers negotiate those lines rather than removing the line completely?

“What worries some educators is that overly restrictive policies will remove an effective way of engaging students who regularly use social media platforms to communicate.”

I agree with this statement completely. If we remove a viable option for parent/teacher/student communication we are just shutting doors. In the current economic and social realities of the world we live in, teachers need to use whatever means at their disposal to connect to students and parents. Social media is just another option on the table that if used properly can be highly effective.

Yes, we need to protect our students as well as our teachers. However, as history has often proven, banning never has the desired outcome or intended results. Let’s instead use a policy of guidance and education to help both our students and teachers use these powerful tools for good. Oh…and most teachers are already doing this!  

Chrome-Tweetdeck Tutorial

It has been too long since I made my last tutorial...so here is a new one. This one goes through some ways in which I use the new Tweetdeck Extension within Chrome as well as some other Twitter-related Extensions. Enjoy and let me know what I missed and what you want to see next!

Complaining and Campaigning

It is that time of year…the time to complain and campaign for the annual EduBlogs Awards! 

There are those that have been nominated who will be campaigning very hard in the coming days for you to log in and vote for them. The coveted badge means a great deal to them and they will do their best to “earn” your vote. For them winning is a big deal, as it vindicates the work they have done and they cherish that coveted jpg file for their site. On the other end will be those that have been left out and therefore complain about the whole award process and encourage you to boycott the entire enterprise. They lash out from a place of either jealously or just an overall hatred for the institution of awards.

Now in full disclosure, I have been nominated for an EduBlog Award in three different categories. I am honored that my work has been noticed and acknowledged by my peers. Regardless of my status as a nominee, my thoughts remain the same. The “Eddies11” are a great way to pick up new people to follow and blogs to read. Go through the nominees and I am sure you will pick up something new and possibly some inspiration. There are great people doing great work that needs to be shared. If you don’t want to vote, then don’t vote. Read, learn, and share what you find. Let’s focus more on the work there instead of winning and losing.

Another concern that arises with the “Eddies” is the campaigning. Don’t tweet out, “vote for me” or lament that you were not nominated. If you are blogging and tweeting for awards and badges, then maybe you are doing it for the wrong reason. I keep hearing..."Badges....we don't need no stinkin' badges!" in the back of my head. :) When we share good work and acknowledge it, everyone wins. I remember looking through the nominees last year and picking up some great blogs to read and people to follow. The Eddies are a venue to share good work and learn from some great folks. However, let’s not get wrapped up in the winning and try to avoid the complaining and campaigning.

We are all better when we learn and share from and with each other. I encourage you to go through the list of nominees and add some more blogs to your readers and names to your follow list. 

Thank You Mr. Smith

As a teacher you are lucky if you find yourself teaching in a building with inspirational and influential people. In this area, I feel incredibly fortunate due to the high number of people that would fit this description in my building. However, there is one teacher that stands above the rest for me personally. He has inspired me to write this post that I hope to serve as a thank you to him as well as a learning opportunity for others. I will not use his real name for both personal and professional reasons.

This particular teacher, Mr. Smith, teaches the kids that many others don’t want to, or simply can’t handle. These students are difficult, to put it mildly, and make up the so called “E-D” population which are students with a host of social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. His caseload ranges from year to year and fluctuates in both numbers and intensity of needs and he has been at it for 25+ years. Many of the students that walk through his classroom doors have witnessed and experienced things that most people will never see in a lifetime. Without going into great details, Mr. Smith’s students often are known by the local police departments, hospitals, social workers, and armies of therapists. In any given year his students will come and go due to hospitalizations at treatment centers or problems with the “law”.

Press photograph from the George Grantham Bain collection

What amazes me most about Mr. Smith is that he is like a prize fighter that gets his bell rung nearly every single day and yet keeps getting right back up. I have witnessed kids screaming at him and cussing him out while throwing classroom furniture. Yet, within minutes of these altercations, he is there rebuilding the relationship and providing the love and support these kids so desperately need. It is often a thankless job that largely goes unnoticed by other students and staff, who routinely try to avoid his room for fear of what is happening down in “Room 13”.

I have spoken and written often about my belief in relationships being the key to a successful teacher-student relationship. Much of my feelings and beliefs have come from the dreaded Room 13. When Mr. Smith’s often hair trigger students are having a bad day, he will dance and sing a “Grumpercism” which is one of his many creations to help his students crack a smile and relieve the tension. He will literally do anything for his students who are those that struggle the most with authority and the general institution that is public school. It is very easy to talk about relationship building and supporting kids in a so called “normal” class. However, teachers like Mr. Smith prove it can be done in the most difficult of spaces and takes away any excuses the rest of us might have.

What are you doing to build relationships with your students? Do you connect with the kids that are difficult and often pushed to the side? What about the kids that scream, yell, and throw furniture? Do you build relationships with them as well? What about the students in your building that are in “room 13”, do you take the time to know them, understand them, and have empathy for them?

By Paramount Pictures and Fleischer Studios [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Lots of educational talking heads keep saying we are “Waiting for Superman”. I am not. I work two doors down from him every day and I along with many other teachers in my building are better because of it.