What Students Wish Their Teachers Knew Part 1

May is a unique time in the life of a teacher. It is the Twilight Zone month of the school year – CRCT testing is over and “summeritis” swallows up the brain of 8th graders infecting them with the disease of apathetic laziness, a terrifying illness that seems to go to the very core of even the best and brightest students. I have only found one assignment during the month of May that perks up the ears of nearly every hormonal human being in my classroom: asking them to write about their teachers. This assignment is very specific. I ask these opinionated teenagers to tell me what advice they would give to educators based on on their experiences from their previous nine years of school. When I announce the writing topic, some begin scribbling away with a maniac, Dr. Hyde grin. Others in the class sit and ponder for a while, and after twirling their hair or biting their upper lip, a conclusion is drawn, and they too begin to write alongside their vindictive neighbors.
Perhaps these students never in the past got the green lit to talk honestly about their teachers and give advice. Perhaps the opportunity to tell authority what to do entices them. Perhaps the fact that someone older than them genuinely cares to know what they think and feel inspires them to write. Regardless of the why, my students produce some the most insightful ideas that seem to make more sense than any professional reading or college textbook. Below is what they shared with me this past May:

Don’t call out students publicly. My kids hate it when teachers harshly reprimand other students in the room in front of their peers. They prefer to be talked to privately.

Have classroom control. As much as students claim that all they want to have is a free period in which they can talk, play on their phones, and hang from the ceilings, deep down inside they really respect a teacher that maintains order and controls the class. They become frustrated when teachers don’t enforce rules and procedures enough or have so little planned that there is a large chunk of time in class with nothing for them to do.

Don’t give empty threats. Students are constantly watching to see if their teacher will have follow-through. When they see that we threaten something and it doesn’t happen, we lose authority in their eyes. They want to be able to trust that a teacher’s word is genuinely the final word.

Don’t let “fun” replace time to learn. Although students love a class that is fun and exciting, they also want to feel confident that they completely understand the nuts and bolts of our content. Many told me that giving notes or practicing concepts help them feel more secure, although it may not always be the most fun option.

Do not allow other students disrupt the classroom environment. Students get frustrated when one of their peers who continuously disrupts the learning environment isn’t appropriately disciplined. Although they often complain about teachers who enforce the rules, in the long run they appreciate that they can trust that the classroom can be a true learning environment.

Act like the professional that you are. There is a blurry boundary that exists when it comes to trying to be cool and relatable. Often, teachers, especially young ones like me, cross this line in an effort to make kids like us. Students have a sense of what a professional should act like, and when we take it too far in order to connect with the kids, our actions often do the opposite of what we intend. We lose authority in their eyes.

Don’t be sarcastic. Although a sarcastic comment can be quite hilarious, and many middle schoolers understand the wit that goes behind it, this particular form of humor can be a double-edged sword. Students can besensitive to such sharp remarks even if they appear to think it is funny.

Make class enjoyable. Learning should be fun and exciting. Students appreciate it when a teacher takes the time to present the curriculum in a way that engages them without watering it down.

Don’t gossip about the students. In a class discussion after my students submitted this advice, many of them shared with me that this issue in particular was the most important to them. In the hallways, teachers stand around and talk. May times our conversation is about students. There is a fine line between troubleshooting issues and just talking bad about kids. Teenagers are keenly observant and good listeners; often, they are much more aware of what we are saying than we think they are. It bothers them when we gossip just like they do.
Reading these wise words from my students was a very humbling experience. I have found myself guilty many times and was so grateful for their honesty. One of the things that makes a teacher great is, actually, being teachable herself.
Have you been in situations where students have helped you see something you’ve never seen before? Do any of these pearls of wisdom surprise you? Do you agree with this criticism?

Next week I will post NINE more pieces of advice that my students shared! Stay tuned!

The Ron Clark Academy

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Ron Clark Academy. For those of you who are not familiar with who he is, Ron Clark is a young teacher who revolutionized the way that educators approached their students first in North Carolina and then in the Harlem area of New York. He was so influential that a TV movie was made about him which starred Matthew Perry. He has authored three different books, all of them containing practical information to help teachers reach their students.

Ron Clark opened his own academy here in Atlanta about seven years ago. Since that time, his students have accomplished more than many of us dare to believe for our own. The academy tries to mimic actual public school classrooms in that one third of his students are gifted or very high achieving; one third are what we would label as “regular” students, and one third are students who have learning issues or discipline problems in their schools.

When I walked into the Ron Clark Academy, I was blown away. A gauntlet of smiling youngsters greeted me with firm hand shakes, hugs, and perfect eye contact. In the background, speakers were blasting Van Halen’s “Jump”, and teachers and students alike got on a giant trampoline jumping up two stories. The atmosphere was ecstatic and explosive. Children were dancing and cheering. What an incredible first impression!

We then proceeded to spend the day touring the facility, attending workshops being led by teachers, and observing actual teaching. The entire building is designed for teacher training, so we watched comfortably from our seats as Ron Clark jumped on top of the desks, encouraged the kids to dance and sing, and completely engaged every single learner in the large classroom. Each teacher we watched had a unique style if their own, and all students were completely attentive to every word they said. It was unbelievable! I cannot possibly spend one blog post detailing everything that I saw, but what I am going to do is try to sum up some of my major take-always from this life-changing day.

Being positive. Every single teacher in the building was glowing with positivity the entire time that we were there. The students knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that their teachers wanted to be there. Each student felt valued, loved, and welcomed. Positivity overflowed to the students too. Whenever a kid answered a question correct in class or achieved some sort of accomplishment, the other students would erupt in applause.

Smiling. Believe it or not, this one simple facial expression, a smile, made a world of difference at the Ron Clark Academy. Students, teachers, and staff were grinning from ear to ear. One of the kids that I ate lunch with during the training said that greeting students with a smile and looking happy was the one piece of advice he would give to his former teachers at his old school. I makes a difference when students know that the adults in their school are genuinely happy to see them.

Teaching to the Top. The old saying, “A rising tide raises all ships” is certainly true of the Ron Clark Academy. Although they have a wide variety of learners at different ability levels, everyone is taught as if they were in the top of their class. Fifth graders are learning math traditionally taught in grades well above their own. The kids are learning, literally, thousands of vocabulary words throughout the course of the year. It is incredible to see what these amazing students can do! The test scores show how well this approach is working in that most of the students in the Academy score well above their peers on standardized tests.

Teaching with High Energy. Each classroom in the Ron Clark Academy can be described as very energetic. There is a definite pace in which everything moves, and that pacing does so much to keep kids engaged, on-task, and excited about learning. Dull moments do not exist within the walls of the school. Music and fun activities help to set the tempo of the day.

Having Passion. Every person who works in the building is passionate about the students achieving success. This passion, however, goes above and beyond the classroom. The staff members spend time getting to know parents and kids outside of school, often giving up nights and weekends to foster an amazing atmosphere of caring community. The passion doesn’t just stop there – all educators are experts in their respective content areas, and their excitement for the subject that they teach spills over to their students.

Incorporating a Spirit of Competition. Students in the Ron Clark Academy are divided into four houses that compete against one another for points. The houses, similar to a fraternity or sorority, become part of the identity of the kids. The competition is based in positivity, and it fosters the kind of atmosphere in which students praise one another for doing well.

Being Organized and Prepared. Every teacher in the Ron Clark Academy is flawlessly organized and able to run their classroom with extreme precision. The schedule changes on a daily basis at the school, and with many spectators coming in to observe and learn, everyone in the building needs to be able to have enough preparation for a plan B or C or D.

Fostering an Atmosphere of Fun. Colors are splashed all over the walls. Music is playing in most of the classrooms. Kids are up on their desks dancing, often to the beat of a djembe drum. A giant slide welcomes each student when they walk in the doors- a reminder that anyone can learn in their own way. At the Ron Clark Academy, a spirit of fun permeates the building.

These observations are just a small drop in the bucket of what I experienced while I was there. The images I saw and emotions I felt will forever be tattooed in my mind as a reminder of an experience that I will forever remember. If you ever have a chance to visit the Ron Clark Academy, GO!

Personally, I will never view my students and my calling the same. So much can happen if teachers choose to look past the day-to-day drudgery of our jobs and be reinvigorated and excited again, falling head over heels once more for our first love, the love of teaching. Ron Clark and his team gave me the exact boost I needed to take my classroom by storm, believing things about my students that no else dared to imagine for them! I will never forget this incredible experience…

To learn more about the Ron Clark Academy, visit http://www.ronclarkacademy.com.

See what some members of the faculty and staff are up to on Twitter! Follow:
@ronclarkacademy
@ginacoss
@kimbeardon
@jbernadin

Little Conversations: How I Survive High-Stakes Testing

This week is CRCT testing at my middle school – a time of year when both teachers and students are on edge. For a whole week, it seems that a cloud of anxiousness does not lift from our school building. As a teacher who blogs, I feel somewhat obligated to write a scathing post about how terrible high-stakes tests are for education.

But that is not what I am going to do.

Instead of drowning my small, insignificant voice in a sea of complaints and negativity, I want to push against the current a little bit. A wise person once reminded me that in education there will always be things we don’t agree with that we are asked to do. Quite often, these frustrations end up being the Achilles heel of our beautiful, powerful calling as teachers.

Although CRCT week can be an emotional rollercoaster and a nightmare of uncertainty for some, I have discovered that it is the little conversations, these Heaven orchestrated and perfectly timed reminders, that keep my chin up during a week like this. Student interactions such as the ones below have been my lifeline this week!

1. Caleb stopped by my classroom and asked if I would print his poem so that he could give it to administration because they told him they wanted a copy. I wrote about Caleb a couple weeks ago in my post Labeling Students: How We Lower the Bar with Quick Assumptions. We sat and chatted a while, and I eventually asked him why he chose to write on “sorrow” as his topic. He explained to me that he is often lost in thought, mulling and worrying over his fear of something bad happening to his family.

I listened as he shared with caring eyes and a half smile about his relationship with his siblings, cousins, and grandparents. I got a chance to tell him he was talented at writing, and he brightened. I could tell those words were like long lost friends to his ears. Caleb is failing almost everything, but to see him light up when I praised him for a job well done did so much to lift my own spirits.

2. Brooke is a beautiful, young eighth grader who is desperately searching for her identity. I have watched all year as her inconsistent actions have jumped from one end of the spectrum to another. She is popular in her grade; thus, drama follows her, and other students have occasionally accused her as being mean and uncaring. She is someone who has touched my heart, someone I have tried all year to really influence.

This week, she came bounding up to me and proudly shared about what she had learned at church the night before. The youth pastor was doing a sermon on judging and labeling other people. I listened in amazement as she shared that she now had a completely different perspective on how she viewed other people when she walked into school today. I was so excited that she chose to share this step of growth with me. She may not realize it, but I am her biggest cheerleader!

3. My most recent writing assignment asked students to write about an inner struggle, a metaphorical “monster” in their lives. Jenna chose to write her poem on marijuana. After letting the proper authorities know and making a phone call to her mother, Jenna and I sat down for about an hour and had a heart-to-heart conversation about the drug and its consequences.

This week, I checked in with her. She told me she had shared her poem with her mother, and together, they were able to have a good discussion. I asked if we could talk again to develop an action plan for quitting before she hit high school, and she was opening to continuing the dialogue. This seemingly small step of progress, encouraged me this week because perhaps the choices she makes now will one day save her life!

4. Matthew moved here from a very rural county in the middle of the year and has since struggled his way through all his classes. Although he is in the eighth grade, he is turning 16 next week and has made plans to drop out of school, following in the footsteps of his father (who has given him permission). Yesterday, I pulled him aside after lunch and talked to him about how dangerous and life-changing this one choice can be! One decision will impact much more than he may realize.

This morning, I found him in the hall and followed up with him. He said that he and his mother talked last night, and he told her he no longer wanted to drop out of school.

Each one of these conversations happened during the midst of such a taxing, high-stress week. Moments like these – being able to see a teenage boy proud of his work, watching the light bulb finally turn on in a young girl’s heart, seeing choices made that will change the rest of a child’s life – make teaching all worthwhile.

Perhaps you are bogged down with work. Are you recognizing the little pick-me-ups that may be sitting right there in your classroom?

What little conversations have inspired you along the way?

Interested in reading more stories from the field or thoughts on education? Check out:

Labeling Students: How We Lower the Bar with Quick Assumptions

Why I Write: The Story of My Blog

The Abused Student: What Every Teacher Should Know

The Battle for Positivity

The Abused Student: What Every Teacher Should Know

“Sarah!!!!” I remember sharply yelling her name as she scrambled down the hall to get to my door on time. Her locker was jammed, but did I stop to ask her why she was late? No. After a long day of fighting fires, I was at the brink of frustration, and I let her have it.

Her eyes flashed with anger. The gentle smile that was normally on her face quickly left and was replaced by a scowl. Under her breath, she called me a name I can’t mention…

How often have we as teachers responded to our students in a way that we later regret? Although a harmless mistake, it may have more devastating consequences than we realize.

My husband and I are very involved with an organization here in Atlanta called Wellspring Living. Wellspring works to renew and restore women who have been victims of trauma such as sexual abuse as well as young girls rescued from sex trafficking in the Metro-Atlanta area.

Through some unique experiences with Wellspring Living, I have been able to learn a volume of information about what victims of abuse have to deal with, and this information has CHANGED the way I interact with my own students. I am shocked, saddened, and challenged by what I now know, and I really feel that EVERY educator needs to be aware of the following:

1. Abuse is much more prevalent that you or I realize. Statistics from the CDC show that six reports of child maltreatment are filed every minute. One out of every four girls and one out of every six boys regardless of demographic will be sexually abused before they turn 18. By whom? – Usually a family member or close friend. Of the 3 million reports of child abuse, 74% are a result of neglect. (www.childhelp.org)

These children sit in our classrooms on a daily basis.

2. “Trauma” has a broad definition. Often, we limit our definition of “trauma” to tragedies such as rape, physical abuse, or a near-death experience. What we don’t realize is verbal abuse, seeing a pet habitually maltreated, living with a family member who has an addiction, and even divorce can be traumatizing.

How many students do you know that have experienced one of these types of trauma?

3. Abuse is a brain issue. When trauma happens to a child, it alters the way the child’s brain processes and responds to threat. A traumatic experience can provide the organizational template for how the child views the world around him or her. The younger the child is at the onset of abuse, the worse its neurological impact.

4. Re-traumatization can happen easily. Since trauma impacts the brain, the child begins to associate anything even closely related to the trauma as a potential threat. Your harsh tone or body posture can actually re-traumatize the child causing them to respond by fighting, fleeing, or completely disengaging.

5. Victims of trauma have a hard time assessing risk. Often an abuse victim will make judgment calls with the maturity of someone far younger than them. This is sometimes why you may see teenage girls making terrible decisions even when the warning signs of DANGER are screaming all around them.

What can teachers do?

1. Check your bad mood at the door. Never bring your bad mood into the classroom. Students with little stability at home appreciate the kind face of a caring educator.

2. Stay away from one-size-fits-all discipline. Don’t discipline each child in the same way. Yes – follow your school’s discipline procedures, but use wisdom and discernment as you interact with each child. Your approach to correcting bad behavior can make a world of difference.

3. Get to know your students. Find out about their lives. Talk to the school counselor if you think you see an issue. Discover their interests and passions, and genuinely care about what they care about.

4. Be understanding and patient. Abuse victims sometimes act with poor judgment because of the impact abuse has made on their ability to make decisions. Be patient with these children. Don’t just write them off with a label of “that’s a bad kid”. You may be the only loving adult in the life of the child who frustrates you the most. Have patience with him or her.

5. Advocate for the student. Teachers love to vent about students…which can be a healthy way of troubleshooting how work with them. Venting can be also dangerous if it turns into repeated griping about the same student throughout the year. Advocate for your troublesome kids with their other teachers. Don’t let those you work with label that child. Kids are smart… they know how you view them, and they believe about themselves what you believe about them.

Can you think of a student right now who has been misunderstood for years? Do you know of a child that responds in ways that puzzle you? Share your stories here…

For more information about Wellspring Living check out www.wellspringliving.org or follow them on Twitter (@wellspringlivin).

Labeling Students: How We Lower the Bar with Quick Assumptions

I often tell people who have an over-simplified view of what I do that lesson planning and instruction are only small parts of my job. Within a single work week, I am a teacher, a mentor, a child’s mother, a counselor, a coach, and at times, even a police officer.  Juggling so many responsibilities throughout the day can make it all too easy to lose sight of something very important – the heart of why each one of us comes to work every day.  The actual reason most of us joined this rollercoaster of a profession is because we care deeply about seeing students succeed.  Simply having too much to do under such high stakes is often the culprit that sucks away at our effectiveness leaving little time for us to remember why it is we do what we do in the first place.

Because we are often so swamped, it is very easy to look past the individuality of each of our students and instead, create a mental imaginary label that we slap like a scarlet letter on their foreheads.  Most of the time, we do this with the best of intentions.  School is hectic and busy, so it is very easy to make fast judgment calls based on a lot of past experience but very little studied evidence.  A child’s friends, socio-economic status, prior grades, family circumstances, and even physical appearance often form the criteria in which we categorize our kids.  Unfortunately, whether good or bad, the label some of our students wear often becomes the bar that is set for them.  In a situation like middle school where kids learn via a team of content-specific teachers, an educator’s judgment call on who she thinks the child is can quickly spread to the other teachers on the team.   Thus our quick-fix filing system of understanding students can potentially have a disastrous impact.  Kids are more discerning that we realize.  They understand how we view them, and often they believe the label themselves doing little to rise above the standard we inadvertently set.

I, on many occasions, have been guilty of making fast assumptions about my students like so many others.  Things began to change this year when a kid named Caleb showed me that looking past the obvious into what is deeper can make a world of difference.  Caleb and his family have lived on the same plot of land for generations.  A rural Southerner at heart, he comes to school each day wearing muddy cowboy boots, blue jeans, ears pierced by his own hand, and a large rebel flag belt buckle.  When Caleb comes to school, he is often very tired and sleepy, but his drowsiness is not a result of late night video games like the average 8^th grader.  Instead, he wakes up each morning before the early hours of dawn and takes his siblings to his grandparent’s house next door.  The reason?  His dad leaves for work early in the morning, and Caleb wants to make sure his siblings are not sleeping in a house alone.  This before sunrise journey takes place nearly every day.  Caleb, a rough-around-the-edges kid, has friends that are just like him.  They all talk with a sweet southern draw and will engage in a fist fight if anyone crosses them in the wrong way.  Caleb has suffered from “labeling” throughout much of his schooling.  Although he has an attitude bigger than Texas, the confidence he has in himself is miniscule and nearly non-existent.  Failing several classes every quarter, Caleb gets through the school day by making his peers laugh, thus masking his own belief that he will never rise above what others believe about him.

It has been like pulling teeth to get Caleb to work all year long until one assignment finally got through to him.  In a unit on linking verbs, I asked my students to write poem about a metaphorical monster inside of them to describe the “beast”.  Every kid’s monster varied from each other.  Kids wrote poems on a wide spectrum of topics such as drug abuse, anger, laziness, self-consciousness, fear, and even an abusive father figure.  Caleb chose a unique topic for his poem, sorrow.    A full four days before the assignment was actually due, Caleb proudly brought me his finish poem – an unprecedented event.  When I read his words, I was genuinely flooded with emotion.  Here is this kid who won’t do work because he doesn’t think he is smart enough, who makes jokes to mask his own insecurities, who doesn’t believe he will ever rise above his family – and he has hit the ball out of the park with this homerun of a poem.  After showering Caleb with praise for a job well done and publically bragging on him to other teachers and administrators, I sat back and reflected on what I just learned.  How many Calebs are sitting in my classroom year after year with untapped potential?  How often have I let kids like him slip through the cracks because I was simply too busy to look beyond what is on the outside?  No prior reputation needs to influence what I believe that child can and cannot do.  No amount of “bad behavior” should EVER make me feel that a student is less capable.  Our schools are full of Calebs who need teachers to stop what they are doing and take the time to invest into kids who have stopped believing in themselves.

Read Caleb’s poem below:

He took my wings before I learned to fly.

He makes me hold my breath and wish for death.

He makes me see all bad and all I see is darkness.

He is like a landmine, taking my life and taking my soul.

I hide when he comes looking for me.

He turns all my love to hate.

He won’t let the beginnings begin.

I live.  He takes…this life that I forsake.

He makes it seem as if everyone is after me.

He says,” You will suffer unto me” like a lost soul.

Waking up, I cannot see.  There ain’t much left of me.

He is a lonely soul that is taking mine over.

My monster within is sorrow.

Music and the Classroom: Engaging Learners with a Beat

Nothing seems to engage my students more than tapping their feet to the beat of a song.  I have experimented with incorporating music in so many ways that I’m at the point where iTunes and I know each other on a first name basis!  When you walk in my classroom, you will often be greeted by the soft sounds of Adele, the fast paced guitar strums of Need to Breathe, and occasionally a little bit of Kanye West.  Like a hidden goldmine, I’ve realized that simply throwing a on a tune can do so much to engage my learners.  Now, I’m to the point where nearly every unit I do involves music in some form or fashion, and I’ve been able to incorporate a plethora of genres and styles.  Below are a few examples:

Creating a Relaxing Atmosphere for Writing:  I use a school-appropriate selection of artists to get my kids in the mood to write.  Whenever we have writer’s workshop, the lights are usually low thanks to the many lamps scattered across the room.  I allow my students to sit anywhere (gasp!).  Logic would tell you that this is a recipe for chaos, but for some reason the right combination of clearly communicated procedures and treating children like they are mature enough to find a comfortable seat away from distractions works like a charm.  If you walked in, you might find 8^th graders lounging in my very cushioned reading corner, sitting in a desk of their choice, or even laying belly-down on the floor propped up with an elbow.  Regardless of where they are at or how they are positioned, the quiet coffee-shop style playlist gently playing in the background sets an expectation that it is time to focus.  The sounds of Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall, The Civil Wars, Norah Jones, Adele, John Mayer, and Amos Lee usually do the trick!

Keeping Kids on Task:  Every once in a while, a lesson calls for a lot of movement.  I, personally, am a kinesthetic learner – I learn by doing.  Since many of my students learn the same way, an activity that involves them moving about the room or using manipulatives at their desk is not uncommon inside my classroom.  I’ve discovered that incorporating fast-paced and engaging music can put an air of excitement in the room.  During such activities, I’ve actually discerned that my kids get more done when there is a tempo in the background setting a pace for them to complete their task than when there is silence.  These activities can really hook students if you play music they know. At the beginning of the year, I usually survey my kids about what artists they like to listen to on a regular basis. Interest inventories can help you build a great, school-appropriate playlist.  I’ve used Need to Breathe, Taylor Swift, and Bob Marley in the past.    You’ll be surprised at how much kids will love it!

Rewarding with Choice – As simple as it sounds, I use music as a reward for my students.  Just the other day, I was doing an activity with my 8^th graders while playing music and I said that the first one done would get to pick the next song.  Every single one of my kids started clamoring to be the lucky one finished first!

Teaching Parts of Speech­ – Song lyrics have quite often replaced the typical worksheet in my classroom!  Whenever I teach a lesson on a part of speech, I love using a song that all my students are familiar with to test their knowledge!  For example, I’ve used Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to teach and identify pronouns.  Usually the activity goes like this – I begin by handing out a copy of the lyrics and playing the song.  While my students listen, they must circle whatever part of speech that I have asked them to find within the lyrics.  Of course, they have the length of the song to finish the task.  After the last notes hum to a close, we go over it together and then play the song one more time.  This time, however, another step is added to the process!  My students must clap whenever they encounter the circled part of speech.  This makes for some crazy, off-rhythm fun!

Timing an Activity – Often, I do opening hook activities that are less than five minutes, and at other times, I need something done in a short period of time.  Both of these circumstances can be managed with music.  Telling kids that they must complete a task by the end of a song is a sure way to get them moving! Three to five minutes is an excellent window of time!

Teaching the Stylistic Component of VOICE – I stole this idea from 6+1 Writing, and it has worked very well!  When teaching the writing component voice, I choose a song that was recorded by two very different artists, and I use that song to show how each artist has a unique way of communicating the lyrics.  We discuss how the dynamics and rhythm communicate a message from the singer to the listener.  Some great combos in the past have been “Hey Ya” by Outkast and by Obadiah Parker and “Heartless” by Kris Allen and Kanye West. 

Teaching Rhyme and Meter in Poetry – Each year, I teach the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe.  Part of my unit is to show my students how Poe used rhyme and meter to make this unforgettable poem stuck in the minds of readers for generations.  Up to this point in my unit, my students see Poe as just a dead guy with bad hair from years ago.  Things change when I compare him to a modern day rap artist.  To accomplish this, I download a karaoke version of a rap song that they know such as “Low” or “Soulja Boy”, and we read the poem to the beat.  Pretty soon my kids are having rap-offs and actually memorizing sections of the poem!

Providing a Writing Prompt – One of the best uses for music is to stir the emotions.  Words and sound mix together to form a beautiful kaleidoscope of sensory input that can really get a student thinking.  Often, when introducing a new writing assignment, I play a song that gives the essence of what I want my students to try and communicate with their work.  Perhaps the singer is identifying with the questions posed in the writing prompt.  The lyrics provide a mental springboard encouraging my students to dive in to their new assignment. 

Although music, if not used appropriately, could potentially lead to off-task behavior, I have found it to be a fire igniting my students to explore their passions and discover new ideas in a way that is non-traditional and fun.  What are some ways that you engage your students with music?

Why I Write: The Story of My Blog

I realized this week that I’ve never told the story of why I am here trying to faithfully type up this blog every week…

I have been a teacher for going on five years. In college, I had two inspirations that encouraged me to try and become a writer. The first was a woman named Nancy Atwell who wrote a book entitled In the Middle. In this book, she introduced a brand new concept to me that I’ve never heard of before: writing teachers should be writers themselves. I don’t remember a single teacher in my schooling that seemed genuinely interested in being a writer. Although this idea sounds so obvious when I type the words right now, the concept was absolutely mind-blowing to me when I first heard of it – yet it makes total sense. Students follow a teacher who is passionate about what they teach! My second inspiration in college that pushed me out of my comfort zone to begin dabbling here and there with writing was a professor named Darrin Crovitz. He taught future writing teachers, and his method of teaching involved him sitting down and writing alongside of us. Every assignment he gave us, he did it as well. This really inspired me and encouraged me to want to follow in his footsteps as a teacher.

But that inspiration died once I began the deer-in-headlights first year of teaching. I was in total survival-mode! The years that followed brought changes in what grade levels I taught, and it brought on an additional social studies class that I had to add to my other language arts preps. I jumped into gifted endorsement class and then plowed through getting my master’s degree. Needless to say, the great idea of becoming a teacher who writes was quickly shifted to the back-burner. It wasn’t until this year, that I put my foot down and decided that it was time things changed!

I began the 2011-2012 school year with a freshly-invigorated and inspired philosophy of teaching. I was determined to push myself as a teacher and as a writer. When I assigned poetry, I wrote a poem. When my students did a persuasive presentation, I modeled by sharing my own researched presentation. I began to see that my students really responded to me working alongside of them. They wanted to see how I would complete my own assignment, and doing the projects with them gave them the opportunity to see a side of me that they won’t always see in the classroom. I could tell they really appreciated me “doing the work” with them. But things stepped to a whole new level when I heard about someone name Jon Acuff.

A friend of mine told me about a book Acuff had written that was called Quitter. In this book, he discusses how he, being bored and unhappy with his job, started blogging for fun. He pushed himself to blog regularly. Although he had hardly any followers at first, he blogged as if he had an audience of thousands. In his book, he explains that while he muddled through the process of finding his voice and becoming a writer and faithfully writing on his blog week after week, he actually became good at it and gained quite a following. As a result, he was able to quit his day job and pursue doors that have opened because of what he has been able to do. After hearing his story, a lightbulb clicked for me. I needed to write not just for my students but for other people and for a cause that I care about.

I immediately started my own blog called Teaching Reflections: The Homework I Assign to Myself. If I am asking my kids to write, then I need to as well! My students have to journal every week for seven minutes, so I decided to get a journal similar to theirs, sit down in the desks with them during journal time, and map out each week’s blog post on paper before I transfer it to the computer. It has done SO much for me! I push myself to continually be reflecting on my job and how it can be better, and I am forcing myself (with the help of a very encouraging husband who tells me to “Just do it!”) to put my voice out there and work hard to become a writer.

Since I had begun this whole personal writing initiative, so many other doors have opened up. I was asked to contribute a chapter in a book recently that will be published later this year. I mustered up the courage to apply for the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project…something that will hopefully give me the skills to be better at being a writer and communicating the ins and outs of how to write with my students. I am now following other blogs and writers that I look up to and hope to one day write have a blog that is as powerful as theirs. I basically have a newfound passion, and I’m loving every minute of it! The best part of all of this is being able to share a real and authentic excitement about writing with my students.

All that to say…push yourself! Go out there and get out of your comfort zone! If you get doing what you’ve always been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always been getting. I am so thankful that I took the leap and began to get my ideas out there! Hopefully, just the fact that I’m doing this will make me more effective with the students that sit in my classroom each day.

Do Something Now!

This week my students shared their “Do Something Now” presentations, and I was absolutely blown away at all that they were able to accomplish.  These were, by far, the best public speaking project that I have ever seen my students give over my past five years of teaching.  I have been tweaking how to do oral presentations, and I feel that after this assignment, I’ve really hit the nail on the head.  While each student excitedly talked about their non-profit organizations, their peers were very engaged and attentive.  They were actually interested in what each other was saying!  If you did not read my previous post about the assignment, the essence of it is that students were asked to research an organization that they are interested in or passionate about.  From their research, they were to create a presentation that contained the following:

1. An engaging hook
2. A description of the issue
3. An introduction to and explanation of an organization responding to that issue
4. Examples of how students can join in the fight
5. A final closing thought

What made these presentations so spectacular were that students included video clips, props, and many powerful statistics.  They were even offered extra credit if they chose to volunteer outside of class with that organization.  I carefully trained them on how to use pathos, ethos, and logos appeals in order to tug heartstrings and bring reality and legitimacy to their content.  Students chose to present on topics ranging from animal abuse, child abuse, draught, famine, domestic violence, and cancer.  What was so mind-blowing to me is how many presentations impacted my kids emotionally.  I have never seen so many tears in my classroom! 

One student did a presentation on the lack of clean water available to drink in 3^rd world countries.  I completely embarrassed myself right before she went up…..I was drinking from a water bottle and saw some specks in it.  I said with a humorous tone, “Eww! I don’t drink water that has stuff settled at the bottom!” You can only imagine how dumb and clueless I looked!  Immediately following, my student discussed how people in third world countries get less water a month than we do in a five-minute shower.  That hit home.

In her presentation, she showed water bottles that were for sale from Water.org.  $10 of each water bottle purchased would go to help those in need of clean drinking water.  Many of my students were moved to ask their parents to buy water bottles.  I was moved too.  I purchased my own water bottle, and sent a tweet out about it to the rest of my class to show that I support her fight for clean water.

It is amazing to see how one seemingly insignificant assignment can impact a classroom community.  I have had some of the best, most in-depth conversations with my students as a result of this project. I love seeing them so engaged!  My biggest take-away from the whole unit was that it is so important to value my students’ work, to be pumped up about what pumps them up, and to give projects that are REAL and MEANINGFUL to the world that they live in. 

I would highly encourage getting your students engaged with what is really going on in the world around them – and get excited alongside of them.  They may one day forget your name and face, but they will never forget the way you made them feel!

Teaching and Twitter

If you are at teacher, it is absolutely essential that you check out all that is available for you on Twitter.  Currently, my students are doing a research project on the positives and negatives of social media.  While helping them through this process, we have together discovered the many ways that Twitter can be used both as a classroom tool and as a method of professional development.

It seems that throughout the course of this year, Twitter has exploded in popularity amongst my 8^th grade students.  I’m amazed at how many of them have created accounts within this school year.  I’ve always believed that teachers reach students best by utilizing methods of communication that they are familiar with.  So…..I have branched out and created a classroom Twitter account and I’m LOVING it!  Twitter is a fantastic way to communicate with students because:

They can follow YOU but YOU don’t have to follow them.

Communication is instant and immediate

They can quickly ask questions about assignments

You can have a conversation with them after school hours using hashtags

I’ve only had a classroom Twitter account (separate from my personal account) for about a week, but so far, I have been able to try different ways of using it such as:

Re-tweeting interesting tweets related to our curriculum from other sources

Sending out video links and asking them to respond

Previewing material for the next day

Sending out homework reminders

Reminding and encouraging kids to check out our class blog and to comment on postings

Giving out extra credit related to an assignment handed out that day

Taking pictures of places my husband and I go or things we see that relate to the curriculum

Not only have I created a classroom Twitter account (you can see it on the side of my blog), but using my personal account, I had discovered that professional development is EVERYWHERE for teachers.  There is a whole world of resources at my fingertips streaming all day long.  I don’t know why it has taken me this long to discover such an incredible resource!  Below are some resources that I have found helpful.  I would also LOVE to know how you are incorporating social media in your classroom….

Tweeting Your Students? – check out the following links:

60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom

CNN Video:  Twitter Has Place in Classroom

I would recommend following:

@robertleebrewer – This guy is my personal coach on how to create blog (and he doesn’t even know it!).  He has some fantastic posts that help me as I become a writer and an explorer of social media.

@kmcilhagga – She has a fantastic blog of unique and creative teaching ideas.  I love reading her tweets!

@ListsOfNote – Tweets interesting lists from history to present day

@LettersOfNote – Tweets historical letters (I’ve used his stuff many times in my Georgia history class)

The following tweet great articles and information regarding teaching:

@edutopia

@educationnation

@TeachPaperless

@PiecesOLearning

@EdWeekTeacher

@TeachersNet

@edvoices

@LessonMinder

@TeachFirst

@TeachPaperless

@WeAreTeachers

The X Factor

What is it that motivates students to be excited about a project or an assignment? 

I have been on the quest to discover the answer to this question.  This year has been a huge learning process for me as I tinkered with old lessons and activities to make them better.  Sometimes, I have even scrapped what has been tried and true in the past and replaced it with the product of one of my many “lightbulb” moments.  My Achilles heel of lesson plans every year has always been my persuasive unit – it’s a time bomb waiting to explode because as a teacher, you have to pick something the kids can write about that is a happy medium.  I have always been stuck trying to differentiate between using boring, over-used prompts like “Convince your principal to allow vending machines at school.” and prompts that act like magnets, pulling in parent complaints, such as “Is abortion wrong?”  As someone who is never satisfied with the results of the year before, I have gone both routes in the past, and they have led to either boredom or blow-ups.

 In pursuit of finding what it is that makes students excited to write and learn and research, I had a new “lightbulb” moment – authenticity.  Maybe the “X” factor in student engagement is being authentic to real life scenarios.  My thought is that this can be accomplished by creating assignments that mimic actual scenarios that could happen in the all-mysterious “life after graduation”.  Topics should be authentic too…something they can actually be passionate and excited about, not something scripted and pulled from an outdated resource book.  With these thoughts in mind, I came up with the “Do Something Now” project. 

The first thing about this project that I am excited about is that it asks students to find a non-profit organization that they are interested in and develop a five  minute presentation asking others to donate “money” or get involved.  I told them to treat their audience of peers as if they were members of a charity guild.  My students will actually vote on the most persuasive representative and will donate a fictitious pool of money to support the cause!  Instead of an actual check, the winning presenter will get points added to their score.  My favorite part about this assignment is what I call the “built-in bonus”.  If students spend time actually volunteering for that organization or if they mobilize and find a way to donate money, they will also receive bonus points. 

I’m only in year five of teaching, but I am really starting to see that passion is the key to doing anything.  It should be the reason why teachers get up every Monday through Friday and step foot for the umpteenth time through their classroom door.  The same is true for students.  They need a reason to care about why they do what they are asked to do.  They need a “non- scripted” answer to the question, “When are we going to use this?”  I don’t know how this project will turn out, whether it will be another flash- in-the-pan idea that will end up filed away like the rest of my persuasive project attempts.  The proof will have to be in the “X” factor….