Summer Reading: Your Black Friend

From My Black Friend, page 2, panels 1-2.

After seeing the extended collection of Ben Passmore's online comic strips, Your Black Friend and Other Strangers, recommended in the past few weekends' New York Times Book Review, I took the small step toward reading the entire collection by first ordering the single issue version online, Your Black Friend. The choice of the shorter, 11 page version was two-fold. First, I was looking to read with an eye toward sharing with my junior and senior high school students this coming school year (and as such it might be more affordable for their purchase). Secondly, given the subject matter and that first purpose, a direct succinct delivery of the message might serve more useful and accessible.

More a graphic-essay than novel, what we comic book collectors might call a "one-shot", Your Black friend is best described as "sharp, informed social commentary in the form of an open letter on race and being black in America." (Goodreads) Indie publisher Silver Sprocket, in a formal description picked up by other online sources, tells us that this is Passmore‘s "necessary contribution to the dialogue around race in the United States, Your Black Friend is a letter from your black friend to you about race, racism, friendship and alienation."

Perhaps not surprisingly, despite it's brevity, Your Black Friend is very challenging reading, and experience that is very likely to be shaped by one's own background and openness to facing difficult realities. Both Passmore's contemporary, colorful and engaging art, as well as a natural, organic, writing styles combine to craft a dialogue that resonates for the reader looking to engage. At the risk of sounding like that white friend that Passmore astutely suggests "express their undying enthusiasm for 'Black Lives Matter," Passmore objectively illustrates (in words and pictures) the self-defeating thoughts by many sides of the conversation that result in meaningful communication failing before it begins.

As a 49 year-old, white male reader auditing my own experience, Passmore has me pegged. In doing so he has my attention. The missteps Passmore presents, I think, are not intended to further deepen the white guilt that he astutely notes as problematic, but rather to prompt these moments of genuine reflection. For example, as a high school teacher of a primarily white student body with a (thankfully) growing level of diversity, I do find myself sliding into 'black' presentations thoughtlessly." This is a mistake, as Passmore notes I may have been "totally unaware of." I am now.

So where does this take us? As Passmore shows in the closing pages of his essay, which mirror the events in the open, often it seems to leave us as a community and culture right where we were in the first place. In between the framing device, Passmore opines insightfully, but the commentary appears to ultimately have little impact. At the end of the day, the "nicely dressed white woman" with the "Eat, Pray, Love vibe" and the white friend reading a Yoga Book remain peacefully blind (and mute).

Oddly this reminds me of my past experiences at school district opening days. Annually, teachers start the school year with a tremendous presentation preceded by "professional development" attended by a small group of administrators and select teacher-types. The entire district takes two hours before students arrive for the school year, to set the theme for the year to follows. Smaller building level trainings are sprinkled in for the whole body of teachers to participate in... and by June little is meaningfully changed within that system. Briefly though, maybe we feel better about ourselves...

I strongly recommend this graphic essay for all audiences, but especially white folks, well-intentioned or otherwise. I don't know about you, baby, there must be a better way. As the author notes in the panels above, "What white ppl fear most is making things awkward'" and perhaps the first step is accepting the invitation to be awkward.

Summer Reading: Assessment 3.0

Each summer I intentionally mix a little professional reading into my bedside book pile. In many instances, the titles I choose for this purpose are read with the thought of using them to enhance the  range of content for the courses I teach. More and more frequently, however, books are chosen in an effort to improve my teaching craft. Late this spring, a coaching/teaching peer of mine from a neighboring district began chronicling his move toward a "grade-less classroom" on his personal blog.

In an effort to reach out to like-minded educators, he also invited others to dialogue about their own efforts on Twitter. Though I have often thought (and read a little about) the use of anecdotal evidence and conferencing in place of traditional numbers as a means of assessing and motivating student learning, the excuses I could (and continue to) tell myself far superseded my will. I also was unclear as to what primary text could best articulate a practical approach.

Assessment 3.0 by Mark Barnes was the book he suggested I start with.

As the subtitle Throw Out Your Grade Book and Inspire Learning suggests, this is a book of interest primarily to educators. I read this as a means of personal professional development over the summer at the suggestion of a colleague. Short (124 pages including appendices), Barnes’ book is written in very accessible language for teachers of all experience levels. The author uses examples from a variety of educational levels as a means of validating his assertion that using his model of assessment (SE2R) will lead to more independently motivated learners.

The approach employed by Barnes in delivering instruction and feedback can be distilled down to "four simple words," which when combined result in the aforementioned acronym SE2R: Summarize, Explain, Redirect, Resubmit. Assessment 3.0 guides the reader though numerous situations across multiple disciplines and grade levels using this technique to promote the creation of an ongoing, objective conversation about learning. The final result, if properly facilitated, is mastery learning on the part of the student.

As a widely read piece of educational literature, there are quite a few excellent summaries and thoughtful analysis on the validity of Assessment 3.0, much of it written by teachers implementing it. Though I am currently just researching and evaluating the potential, I did have two thoughts:

• The greatest challenge to change is time, and Barnes addresses that concern head on, by acknowledging and asserting that "Yes, You Have Time For Feedback" (64), and furthermore, offering some suggestions as to how to meed the added expectation of responding in "more than simply written descriptors of work." (61) The central point of his concept is that the work, whether by student or teacher, should be meaningful and that this targeted conversation is a way to make it so.
• While a well-intentioned (if traditional) educator, I continue to operate under a number of the misconceptions (preconceptions?) regarding effective student assessment and learning that Barnes' work seek to counteract. This doesn't make me "bad," or even ineffective, but it does shed light on the truth that there are areas for improvement. Throughout Assessment 3.0, Barnes cautions against an all-or-nothing mindset, suggesting the practical, intellectual and cultural transition necessary for the shift to an SE2R-centric approach. I am excited to follow the implementation of my colleague at another school district, but the extensive leg work and culture building with administration and colleagues he has taken on prior to doing so reminds me that I am still only cherry-picking.

Ultimately, good books, like good teaching, provoke more questions (the result being the dialogue key) than answers. As an introduction to grade-less (number-less) teaching Assessment 3.0 makes a compelling argument for more research on the subject by interested educators such as your's truly.

Processing My Process: Grades & Goals?

Like most teachers, I am a collector and recycler of ideas. Many of these remain locked up in a memory vault or notebook, while others coalesce around a singular purpose awaiting their moment to enter my practice. Over the past three weeks I have been returning to two ideas that, while not outside my realm of awareness, have by virtue of recently appearing on my Twitter feed prompted me to risk: grading student work without awarding a traditional grade and student goal setting. In the way our work has come together, I am going to use one (ungraded student work) to prompt another (student goal setting). While neither is revolutionary, I am hoping to have my feedback of their work have implications that reach beyond a returned paper set aside in a "portfolio" (translation: manila folder in a hanging folder in a cabinet to be "reflected upon" using a standardized template) or dispensed with disgust at an unfriendly number.

At this juncture (halfway through the school year), I really need for students to take to heart the feedback I have (repeatedly) shared with them, both individually and holistically as a grade level. Just as I am extremely confident I am not sharing anything new with them ("reduce clutter by revising out unnecessary clauses"), I am equally sure that many have ignored the advice from quality educators for the past 11 years of their schooling. I also know that our district (like many) has been sending professionals to training on subjects such as  SMART Goals and growth mindset, other than a passing nod to each in a department meeting, not much practical turn key training has been given. It may be that it has, but I, like the student who needs to be retaught what a metaphor is each year, the ideas have not been presented in a way that has clicked with me. This would likely be a fairer assessment of the situation as others (as you'll read) in my district, if not building, have.

I have toyed with these ideas in class over the past 15 years with varying degrees of depth and success. Like many of the strategies I have refined with my classes, I continue to try and find ways to make their use meaningful enough that they become valued by the students and thereby gain a sort of power and credibility. Articles by Carol Dweck and graphic organizers about SMART goals, to this point, have promoted interesting discussion (and have returned to them in college at which point they express gratitude for having been given them in high school) but have served primarily as "one-offs" that have little real resonance for either teacher or student.

A few weeks ago I came across a tweet (pictured above, left) by another teacher in the same school district as I, regarding her efforts with goals setting with students. Following an exchange of e-mails, she shared some resources with me including a short explanatory video she sued with her classes. At that time, my students had just taken a multiple choice mid-term and I had been looking for a way to have them process the results. It occurred to me that they might benefit from developing some SMART goals around heir own skill deficits as a means of drawing some conclusion as to1) what they are and 2) how to address them. Like "the best laid plans of mice and men," dates and ideas did not line up well enough to follow thru, but I had made some preliminary copies and began to consider a discussion of growth mindset as a precursor activity. Not quite ready to go, I set aside the materials for another day.

In two of my classes, prior to our five-day Present's Week Recess, students submitted analysis essays based upon individual chapters of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, Persepolis: Book 1. My intention when assigning the task (as students were informed of on the assignment) was to follow my normal grading process: read twice, comment and use a generic Advanced Placement writing rubric to provide feedback. I might even invite them to develop some personal writing goals after first providing them the vocabulary with which to do so (see, I still had those copies on my desk which I really wanted to use). The latter part had yet to have actually taken place, but the thought was there.

After a quick review of some of the papers, I came to a familiar conclusion: some of the same mistakes were being made, and not just by those students who had (based on prior experience) written the hit "print" on the library computer five minutes before class. If I followed my past practice, in all likelihood, other than prompting some haggling for points, my x/y grade (x = 9-1 on 9-point rubric, y = 100-65%) would have the same amount of minimal impact. It was then I came across Mike's tweet (above right) and I began thinking of trying something different. What if I read twice, commented with some suggestions for improvement and did NOT give a grade?

As of this writing, after 6+ hours on a train ride to New York City and a third of the way back, I am about 2/3 of the way through the papers. While many of the comments are similar, I am also attempting to personalize them further, a process that takes a considerable amount of time. Too much time to do this in such great detail, very frequently. But... what if we use this as an opportunity to establish some baselines about our writing and with this baseline, and some guided reflection, each developed a SMART Goals for improvement?

With the kernel of an idea of a plan of action, as well a sense of purpose, I find it's time to review some of my notes, finish the papers, and remember where those copies were for class tomorrow... and risk again.

Reflective Teacher Challenge... ACCEPTED!

Amtrak-ing home, visions
of happy school days dancing
in my head!

Trolling Twitter at 6 a.m. can lead to odd choices. While I have yet to accept the numerous student "challenges" to dump cold water on myself, while on Twitter this morning I did accept (at least for this post) the reflective challenge of "blog[ing] every day for 30 days" in the interest of "[c]onnecting with other teachers through the process–through the blogs and the hashtags and the RTs– to help get your year started off right–connected, and full of reflection."

Not surprisingly, given the whole "begin with the end in mind" mantra, the challenge starts with the task of establishing some possible goals for the new school year. While I have already completed this exercise as part of an introductory friendly letter task I'll be asking students to complete, much like lesson planning, I often myself waking early in the morning with a hankering to revise. The copies are already made, so these starter goals, to be shared with these new charges on the first day of classes, are set in copier ink:

Whenever I reread things that I've set on paper, opportunities for further wordsmithing seem to present themselves. But these are for my students, as much as myself, and my hope is that they will 1) communicate that I want this year to be positive and productive and 2) offer a model which can be used by them to establish a few goals of their own. The wonderful thing about teaching is that each year (and day or class if you're mindful) offers the opportunity to begin again for both students and teachers.

As much for them as for myself, it's worth remembering that each new school year also provides the opportunity to embrace the tabula rasa nature of schools. Students often do this by making the conscious choice to try a new personal style (hairdo, fashion don't, etc.). In addition to adding another pair of khakis and maybe (and if I'm feeling especially adventurous, a new button down shirt) to my official teacher costume, I choose to begin each year by forgetting.

Again, from my introductory letter (not sure why the image came out so distorted!):

Given past interactions, the goal implied above, at least at the onset, is the more important one, and will have a greater impact on where we as a class go from jump street. The daily exercise of forgetting the foibles and missteps of others, and allowing myself to trip, fall and get up, is where much of the real work of moving toward achieving those larger stated goals comes into play.

After a relaxing summer, at this moment, hurtling down the train tracks back to River City, and tomorrow back to my classroom, I feel properly pale, rested and ready to accept that challenge!

Word Wall Reflections

Regents 11 (left) and AP 11 updated word walls await the start of school.

In years past I have maintained a traditional word wall in my classroom. While some teachers use them to capture a full range of terms and ideas to be reinforced, I have attempted to instruct my classes employing the three-tier framework developed by Isabel Beck and Margaret McKeown. In keeping with the concept of tiered vocabulary, my word wall has consisted of those that would exist on the third tier: low frequency terms and concepts specific to a domain. Given the courses I teach, terms on our class word wall consists of concepts and vocabulary specific to the crafts of writing or literary analysis. During years that I have taught more than one course/level, I would keep two, one on the front wall and another on the back.

Word wall from middle school math class from
Demonstration Classroom Sharing blog..

The tier 3 classroom word wall has been fairly effective in offering a permanent reminder of potentially high frequency words available for analysis of fiction and nonfiction. Where it has been less effective is in properly suggesting a sequence or order for consideration of related terms or ideas. In years past I have tried a variety of strategies, such as chunking, in an effort to suggest an organizational framework for "checking down" through the concepts for use in analyzing text.

One intended benefit to tiering is the ability to assist students in seeing the patters and relationships between words, and it is this skill that I have been hoping to better reinforce each year. I have tried a number of different organizers in an effort to model an appropriate through process, with a range of success and failure. Last February I some stumbled across the work of University of Arkansas professor David A. Jollieffe.

Jollieffe's Rhetorical Framework Diagram.

A college composition teacher, in addition to offering recommendations and strategies around developing inquiry-based composition instruction, Jolliefe also developed a framework (see image to right) which incorporates Aristotle's rhetorical triangle and implies a framework for analysis. This is most relevant to my students and I as Jollieffe has previously served as Chief Reader for the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Examination.

Last spring, my AP 11 classes and I used this diagram as a means of reviewing, in cooperation with their Tier 3 Rhetoric Cards, the terms and ideas that they would use to be successful on the exam in mid-May. It was at this point that I began to see the potential for using Jollieffe's framework as a conceptual basis for a reconfigured, structured word wall for my classes. I also could envision this as an effective way to organize concepts (of which there are fewer) for my Regents level course who are now using more rhetorical language as a way of addressing the Common Core.

My goal this school year is to use the strategies that have proven themselves effective in the past (cards, walls, checks) collaboratively with a Jollieffe framework word wall to fully reinforce for students a concrete process for literary analysis. To track our progress, follow my class blog, the Greece AthenaEUM.

Poem in Your Pocket Day(s) Activity

Official National Poetry
Month 2013 poster.

April is nearly half over and I am just now finding time to fully support National Poetry Month (NPM) in the way I had hoped. Despite being busy with piloting lessons designed to address the new Common Core Learning Standards, which seemingly suggests a heavier reliance on non-fiction in school English classes, I have been looking for the chance to devote some instructional time to poetry experiences. Fortunately for my students and I, our school's Library/Media Specialist has done a nice job following through on a few building wide activities from years past such as the reading of poems by different students each morning during announcements and scheduling our semi-annual Poetry Reading next week.

Beyond analyzing poems such as "To a Mouse" by Robert Burns, "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, and "Sonnet X" by John Donne, all which have thematic ties to traditionally taught novels (Of Mice and Men, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry,  and Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther, respectively), my colleagues and I do our best to infuse the curriculum with poetry. It is why many of us got into the business: a love a literature we wish to share. Given this, to me, it only makes sense that the poetry activity I use for NPM  promotes the sharing of student selected poetry with other members of our learning community.

The CCLS does include language which continues to supports the inclusion of poetry in hgihs chool curriculum. For example, one could fairly see this Pocket Poem activity of researching, selecting and sharing as meeting the Reading Standard 11.1 (Grades 11–12):

Interpret, analyze, and evaluate narratives, poetry, and drama, aesthetically and philosophically by making connections to: other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events, and situations.

The subordinate Key Ideas get at the specifics even more, especially 11.1a.: "Self-select text to respond and develop innovative perspectives."

The task introduced.

Now that I have a level of alignment with the CCLS, over the next week, I will be assigning all of my English students to complete a slightly adjusted Poem in Your Pocket Day activity. I initially had planned the project for use in my Advanced Placement classes (primarily because I hope it will be something of a reprieve from preparation for May's assessments), my Regents level courses will also be participating. Though Thursday, April 18 is "officially" Poem in Your Pocket Day, our celebration will be stretched over the weekend following so that due dates will be between April 22-23.

I introduced the activity to the first class participating Friday morning, and will continue doing so today. The activity is a familiar take on the common "pick a favorite poem" task. The most significant change in the spirit of Poem in Your Pocket Day, is that the extensions of the task emphasis beyond the selection of a single poem. The sharing of a self-selected poem with a number of people from our shared learning community is where the real "work" is. As I explained to my students, it has been my experiencing that the act of sharing a poem is generally seen by the recipient as an invitation to conversation, even by those who  either "dislike" poetry or with who may never had experienced an authentic conversation around it.



Melancholy? Yes. A theme high
schoolers can relate to? YES!

The activity's introduction was prefaced by my own sharing of a poem with the class, "Dolor" by Theodore Roethke. As I explained to them after sharing it, "Dolor" was first given to me as a college assignment by a professor who was aware of my intention to teach. Of course, it was only years later that I saw the implications of the poem's theme on what would become my career.

Students will document their interactions with those who they are sharing with through one of two ways: having the recipients sign a copy of the poem or having a digital photo taken with all three "members" of the exchange (student, recipient and poem) in the frame. My hope is that despite a common task, the variation in poems selected, as well as methods of documentation will reduce "the dropping of fine film" which can result in dispassionate "duplicate grey standard faces" some activities can unwittingly produce.

But, therein lies the real challenge of teaching and the value of poetry in schools!

Scouting Out An Eagle Scout Project

Coming Soon:  a new walking/riding trail.

My stepson Gregory will be working on his Boy Scout Eagle Project next weekend. The project entails building a trail connecting two parallel walking trails at Equicenter, in Mendon, New York. This project will improve access for clients at Equicenter, a local not-for-profit organization offers therapeutic riding sessions and equine facilitated learning (EFL) for mentally, physically and emotionally challenged children and adults. Gregory has been laying the groundwork (pun intended) for this project in between other activities for a few months now, and (fingers crossed!) it will all come together next weekend.

Beautiful rolling hills surround the facility.

The grounds at Equicenter are incredibly well-maintained and reminiscent of some of the areas of Virgina my wife and I visited during our honeymoon. Greg commented that it "was like another part of the country" and I couldn't agree more. Fortunately, we in the Rochester, New York, were there are many such places only a short drive away.

The South Barn is where the Volunteer Center is located.

There is ample parking for Greg's Eagle Scout Project volunteers this weekend.

The interior of the South Barn. Continue straight ahead to the project's site.

Overgrown brush to the left and riding areas to the right--here's where the "trail head" will be located.

Surveying the area.

Rather than developing two straight forward paths of about 20 yards each, as originally planned, Greg and his contact at Equicenter altered the plan slightly. Instead, we will go into the area at a depth of about 10 yards, sharply turn left for 20 more yards, followed by a sharp right at which point the new trail will connect with the existing one running adjacent to more riding areas. We marked the course of the path with pink plastic. Each part of the trail needs to be at least 10 feet wide, providing enough space for three horses to safely ride side-by-side (one by a client and two by trainers/educators).

Some decisions needed to be made based on the surprisingly uneven terrain.

The liaison from Equicenter shares some thoughts relative to the path of the trail.

Admittedly, to the untrained eye, the entire project seems a relatively easy one, but the devil is in the details. In addition to brush removal a number of "smaller" trees will need to be felled in order to meet the necessity of maintaining the 10' width. As we identified those trees to be removed, I was reminded of my own recent tree trimming activities--what seems like a small easily discarded branch from the ground can quickly turn into an unwieldy pain-in-the-butt limb once it hits the ground.

"Challenges" rather than "problems."

About two feet into the initial trail there is a three foot wide line of stones and rocks running parallel to the length of the area that will need to be excavated prior to laying down the trail. I am envisioning a lot of shovels being used as levers in an effort to lift the rocks from their current locations. We will have use of the center's Gator (a small golf-cart like truck) to transport tools and refuse.

Ideas about using the felled trees begin to percolate.

Greg came up with an idea of using parts of the felled tress to boarder or outline the trail. The benefit is twofold: less refuse to move and discard, and a meaningful re-use of the resources available.

Fortunately someone will be bringing a chainsaw.

One more tree marked for removal so that the trail can be widened.

Determining how to best utilize the Scouts and family we hope will be assisting this weekend.

We will need to take just a touch more than "a little off the top."

Trail-butt?

If the trail head is where the path will begin, the image above depicts the eventual trail end, or butt. I was impressed not just by the facility, but by Greg's planning--here's to hoping that we have a lot of support next weekend!

Comics Don't Lie: Reading IS Power!

Pay attention in school kids, as the skills acquired could prove life-saving!

With apologies to the good people at comic-book aficionado website iFanboy, I've "borrowed" their idea for use in considering the comics I picked up at the comic book store this past week: highlighting cool panels. The criteria for "coolness" on my blog however has more to do with their relationship to a common theme than with how visually stunning they are (or even how much I like the source from which I culled them).

The two panels both reinforce an important theme (whether intended or not) to the most recent issues of both comics: the power of reading. Based on what I've read in both stories, reading (like all power) may still be used for good or evil.

The panel above, from IDW Publishing's H.P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror #4, a modernization of the original Lovecraft story, depicts the use of reading by the protagonist to save the world. The message here: under the right circumstances, the power to read can be utilized to maintain an inter dimensional portal intended to suck "evil" out of our plane of existence. Unfortunately for my plane of existence, these panels are among the most compelling things about this four-issue miniseries. Even worse is my own "I-can't-quit-you" approach to purchasing a series run once I've begun it. Though it seems to me unnecessary, I love to support the idea of Lovecraft's work being somehow recast in a modern setting (done to a much greater effect in the film version of Stephen King's The Mist), this series just didn't hook me as much as I had hoped it would.

I's all fun and games until bad guys start getting ripped in half...

This preceding panel is part of the issue 4 reveal of the source of the protagonist's powers. The Strange of Talent of Luther Strode is about a nerdy teenager who, anonymously receives a book addressed to him via snail mail which promises him the strength of Hercules--of course, by reading the book he does in fact acquire "powers"... the problem for those who oppose him however is that apparently one of Hercules'  (and Luther's) powers is to tear people in half in very bloody fashion. The conflicting message inherent in this miniseries, published by Image Comics with story by Justin Jordan and art by Tradd Moore, is that reading can make you physically powerful... especially if said reading material is mysteriously sent to you by a secret order of destructive social elite hellbent on murdering those they deem undeserving. This series has somehow become very popular among fanboys, and while I will (again) see it through to its completion two issues from now, I'm not sure one of Luther's strange talents is staying power.

While this week's haul from the new release table is mildly disappointing (there were a couple "okay" titles), it was interesting to pick up on the thematic similarities between two relatively dissimilar titles. In the final analysis, I would strongly suggest a nice novella by John Steinbeck or Edith Wharton as more sensible (and beneficial) alternative, and as a stronger evidence of the power of reading.

Winter Diversion 1: Teachin' & Learnin' with the 'Net

One of the winter diversion that has kept me occupied over the past few weeks is school or, more to the point, lesson planning for the two new courses/grade levels I have been teaching this year. After three years in my current district teaching middle school language arts, I made the change this fall to high school English.

While the transition has been relatively smooth, I find myself looking to challenge my students and find new ways to engage them to work in (and out of) class, so I have been devoting quite a bit of time reading a variety of potential anchor novels (books everyone in the class will read and around which a unit of instruction is built), as well as, exploring some internet based ways in which to both keep in touch with my students and to keep their families informed. These things take time...

The two chief ways I have attempted to use the 'net is by employing Goodreads, a social network for "readers," and through maintaining two eponymously titled blogs (Mr. Scott's Tenth Grade English Class and... (wait for it!) Mr. Scott's Eleventh Grade English Class, one for each of the grade levels I currently teach. The use of Goodreads has been a little more problematic as I struggle to find ways to make their engagement with it more meaningful beyond the desire to attain extra credit. (I have never been a fan of granting extra credit, but in the interest of coaxing "guinea pigs" to sign up have shifted my thinking for the short term.)

Blogging, on the other hand, while helpful for me and the three or four uber-interested students I teach, has not been as successful as I had hoped. When I worked in the middle school, my blogs were very popular among parents looking to follow-up on what their student's were doing in class and what assignments were due. I could (cynically) attribute this lack of caring on everyone's part to parents having written off their student and student's simply not caring, but either way, the number of visitor's to these blogs is very small.

Fortunately they are easy to maintain at work!

Embrassez votre été invincible!

Bicycling to Work Cans & Can'ts

After a nearly two month(?) long break from riding my bicycle (rather than driving to local points of personal interest), yesterday evening I rode to the video store to return a movie Anne and I had rented. It is not so much that I have been jumping in the car to drive a mile and a half for every little reason, but I have admittedly been less ambitious about reducing my petrol consumption than I had been during the Spring/Summer months.

A good case in point, I haven't ridden my bicycle to school once yet this school year. Last Spring, and while working at summer school, I made it a point to ride the 11-13 miles each way at least twice a week. The message it sent to my students (last year middle-schoolers) was valuable and the fact that I haven't brought my bike this year has not been lost on everyone... occasionally, someone will stop me in the halls to ask if I've "brought your bike today?"

A matter of safety, one key reason I haven't bicycled to work yet is a safety one. Due to a change in position (from teaching middle school Language Arts to high school English) my work day starts an hour earlier, making the time I would need to leave home via bicycle an hour earlier as well, or about 6:00 a.m. In upstate New York it is still very dark outside until at least 7:30 a.m. or so. Unfortunately, the most direct route to school takes me through some less-than-desirable neighborhoods. In this case, safety trumps conservation... which kind-of stinks. (Click here to view just one article about bicycling at night that I found on Commute by Bike website.)

There are certain things I can do to increase the probability of my being able to safely travel to work on my bicycle at least once weekly: once the clocks change, there should be a little more light and I could rig my head-lamp so that I could wear it it to school and give myself some light. One definite benefit to riding in the Fall as opposed to Summer is that I should be able to sweat much less, reducing the necessity f carrying another set of clothes and supplies to prepare for a stink-free day at school.

In the every short term, beyond the desire to bike to work, I can commit to doing a better job cycling around my neighborhood and continue using my trips to school or community events to stop along the way for errands rather than simply jumping in and out of the car to pick up one or two things...

Come Back, Chuck D

"I don't claim to be a preacher
Not paid to be a teacher
But I'm grown
I try to be a leader to the bone
Never could follow a man
Wit' a bottle
He's a baby wit' a beard
Not a feared role model
And they ask me where I got it
I get it from my pops
Wit' a man in the house
All the bullshit stops.~"Rebirth", Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black (1991)

In my eighth grade Language Arts class this afternoon my students and I were looking at a few selections of poetry which were created as the result of one groups dissatisfaction with the status quo. The obvious touchstone illustration for most students had seen or heard about was the music and poetry of the 1960s. Granted most of them were born in 1992, so there connection with it is surrealistic, based only on movies, television and consists primarily pf stereotypes of hippies as perpetuated by the media. The example does at least create a bridge of sorts to the past, a bridge I know that my Humanities teaching partner will likely attempt to further solidify for the with some select protest song lyrics.

I, however, am a product of the late 1980s/early 1990s (I graduated from high school in 1987, undergraduate school in 1991), and as a throw away comment I asked students if they had heard of Public Enemy. While most had not heard of the band, once I began rattling off the names of the members of the group, they all immediately recognized Flava Flav from his cartoonish VH1 persona. I remember a different Flava, though, one who, along with Chuck D and Terminator X chronicled the plight of black America, and even more powerfully, extolled the virtues of education and knowing your history.

We (white, black and purple people) could really use Chuck D now…

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Diet Soda Coda

Once again, I just a little behind the news cycle, but yesterday I was perusing CBS News and came across this article which further articulates the possibility that drinking diet soda does not help one lose weight. Like most weight conscious folks, I have, as a habit, been drinking diet cola for a number of years because I had convinced myself that by ingesting that, rather than "regular" soda, I would be creating a situation by which I could lose weight. I bought into the sales pitch that drinking diet cola would help me lose weight.

Worse than convincing myself that diet cola was somehow "healthy," I now recognize that I have been “selling it” to my kids. I “told” my students that it was good for them, or at the very least better than other products, by always had a soda on hand, awaiting a sip during class. I gave my own children the understanding of its acceptance by complying with their occasional requests for “a soda.”

I am committing to stopping my participation in the machine by drinking healthier alternatives… like tap water, for instance, or fresh fruit juice.

Now, I’m not naive enough to believe that I, nor my children or students, will never, ever drink soda, but I know I can quietly model more appropriate dietary habit, and therefore a healthier lifestyle.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Whiteboard Ramblings: Summer Reading

For the summer, I took the unprecedented move of assigning my students, who will be returning in September as freshly-minted eighth graders, to read not one, but TWO books from a pre-approved list of thirty-six possible titles. (Nearly all of the titels are historical fiction set during the time just following the American Revolution--very popular among kids [insert laughter here].)In addition to reading the books, I've also "asked" them to write five reflective journal entries for each book. Crazy, you say?

Compared to other students, with other teachers, in both mine and neighboring school districts, this equates to roughly twice the expected work. Who says academic rigor is dead? When I initially gave the assignment during our last class in late June, there were the expected moans and hisses to which I asked them a question: "You are all bright young stars, correct?" to which most responded, "Uh... yes." (In class I'll often refer to my students as "bright young stars.")

"Well," I continued,"if you fancy yourself a star, you need to take on the responsibility of being one, which means you need to go above and beyond what others do... one book is not nearly enough!"

My colleagues have poo-pooed this notion, insisting that most will not do the work. If nothing else, I like to think that I "have my kids' backs" so I remind my colleague's that if you have high expectations, the overwhelming majority of the students will perform... at least, I hope so!

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Sick Day... and the American Revolution?

Well, I went and did it. I threw caution to the wind and rather than missing class today to participate in some professional development opportunity, I called the "sub system" and told them I would not be in today due to "family illness." The member of my family that is ill would be... me. While I am feeling better than yesterday and a billion times better than the day before that, I am still a little weak and my throat hurts so, in an effort to recuperate before this Sunday's marathon, I have decided to take today off and take it easy... very easy.

Last evening Anne, Greg and I went to the public library to get a few books, but mostly so that I could try and find a few videos/DVDs that could be used in class the next few days so that I could minimize the amount of talking, etc. I would need to do in class. If you recall, we are currently doing literature circles in class with the novel My Brother Sam is Dead, Johnny Tremain, and The Fighting Ground. All of the novels are set around the time of the American Revolutionary War.

While perusing the DVD shelf I came across the musical 1776, which I have never seen but Anne says was a favorite of her is school. My school has a focus on the arts, so it seems like a good fit, but I need to reserve judgement until I've watched it. Picking a movie for showing in class is tricky as sometimes movies which fit very well totally flop.

The second, a VHS tape, was found hiding in the Children's section of videos, and at a 30 minute running time would fit perfectly into our school's 45 minute block schedule. "From the bestselling, award-winning book series comes a collection of home videos inspired by real girls..." the video is from the Scholastic Series of Dear America videos entitled The Winter of Red Snow. This video is particularly promising as it is girl-centric, whereas all three of the books (not be design) are boy-centric.

If there is to be no exercise of my legs today (and there won't be!) at least I have some quality videos to keep Gracie and I company...

Adio, wli nanawalmezi.

Inspiration: Rafe Esquith

"Be Nice. Work Hard."~Rafe Esquith's Class Motto

I don't often blog explicitly about my work as a middle school (seventh grade) English Language Arts teacher, but this post is as much about folks making a differences in the lives of others, as much as it is about a man who shares a professional link with me. The goal of the post, on top of sharing a little more about myself, is to hopefully interest some of you to take an interest in a the work of an educator who is making a difference in an arena (low income schools with immigrant children) where success is not always emphasized or shared.

This morning I had the chance to go back in time and view a story of interest from the previous night's "edition" of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Turning on the tube, I was pleased to see a new story about Rafe Esquith, Teacher Inspires Kids to Love Learning, and more to the point, the success Esquith has had with inner city Los Angeles students as an elementary school classroom teacher. Like many, I suspect, I first became aware of Esquith and his teaching methods in 2004 when his first book, There Are No Shortcuts, was released in January 2004, and he was featured on a variety of media outlets ranging from 60 Minutes to Oprah to NPR news.

Unbeknownst to your truly, Esquith has just written a freshly minted tome chronicling on his teaching experiences entitled Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56. The editor's summary, as captured on Barnes and Noble.com describes the book thusly:

Rafe Esquith teaches fifth grade in Los Angeles, but his fame stretches far beyond his Hobart Elementary class of first-generation immigrants. He has been honored by Oprah Winfrey and Dalai Lama; he's won the American Teacher Award; Sir Ian McKellen (pictured to the right) calls him "my only hero"; and he is the only teacher to be awarded the National Medal of the Arts. What makes him so special? Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire! not only answers that question; it gives a jump-start to any teacher or parent who cares.

It's half way through the academic calendar and I've got a day and a half of grading state assessments to look forward to. As most teachers will tell you, it can be a challenging and draining experience, and I reckon I'll need a good "recharging" this weekend... It looks like I'll be hitting the bookstores after work today.

Adio, wli nanawalmezi.