Mr. Clark- Please Speak for Yourself

A few days ago I read a post by Ron Clark at CNN.com “What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents”. You can find it here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/

I found myself alternating between anger and sadness after reading the article. The parent side of me had a gut-wrenching, visceral reaction. And that’s when I became saddened. Saddened because here was an article painting a broad brush over parents in a way that creates divisiveness and doesn’t invite conversation or communication.

To any parents reading this blog, let me say that I am a veteran teacher who has taught elementary, middle and high school. Mr. Clark does NOT speak for me in his article. It might be what HE would like to say to parents, but not I.

The disheartening aspect of dialogue like this is that it sets up an “us vs. them” mentality and does nothing to foster open dialogue between the major stakeholders in the lives of our students.  After reading Mr. Clark posit that he should be trusted as the teacher my reaction was ‘”What responsibility do you have Mr. Clark? What have you done to build a respectful, trusting relationship with parents? How have you created relationships in the community? Do you view parents as partners in their child’s education? And, if so, how do you convey that?”

I work hard to build relationships with my students and to create a classroom where students learn to work together as a respectful community. Should I not be working as hard to create relationships with their families so that trust and respect become a part of our dialogue?And how does that happen? For me, the most important step is open, honest, frequent communication-communication that starts from day one and doesn’t just happen when there is a problem in the classroom. When I taught elementary school and in my yearlong intervention class at the high school, I called every parent the first week of school to say hi and introduce myself. I wanted the first communication I had with them to be positive and to allow me to have time to focus on their child alone. Perhaps phone calls to all parents aren’t a possibility for everyone. How else can we initiate communication with parents that is inviting, positive and open?

Another important aspect for me of open communication is regular feedback. One of the best tools I was given as a teacher was the use of School Loop. School Loop allowed me to post grades, create an assignment calendar for each of my classes, upload files and create messages to students and families. Information about my class and about a student’s progress was available to both students and their families.  There are numerous programs out there now for teachers and schools to use to communicate in such ways. I actually found I had fewer “complaints” about grades because there were no surprises when progress reports and report cards went home and because parents and students were well aware of what the class requirements were. How can we utilize the tools out there to help increase and facilitate communication with parents and students?

Another way I build relationships is to communicate when things are going well, just as often as I communicate when things are not going well. My amazing colleague and friend, Laura challenged me to make 2 “positive” calls for every “negative” call made. I distinctly remember making one such positive call. When I told the father on the other end who I was, I could almost hear his shoulders tense up, expecting the worst. I let him know what a joy it was to teach his son as he was one of the most polite, respectful students I had ever taught. There was absolute silence at the other end of the line. I’ll never forget the shake in his voice as he said, ”Ma’m, thank you. I have never received a phone call like this from school. You made my day.” I shouldn’t have been the first. How can we find ways to create opportunities for positive communication?

Not all the phone calls I get to make are positive. But in my years of working with kids I’ve learned I will never know them as well as their parents do. How can I make those calls an opportunity to invite parents in as my partner to get a student back on the right track? Maybe like this… ‘Hi, Ms. P. This is Mrs. Bunner, Marshall’s teacher. He had a really rough day today. It seems he’s been struggling with making good choices lately. I can’t let him keep others from learning, nor do I want him to miss out on his learning. You know him better than I do. What do you think might be going on? Do you have any ideas for how I can help him focus? What motivates him? Do you think we could work together to help redirect him in the right direction? Great…let’s talk.” Sometimes the parents are just as frustrated by the students’ choices and at a loss for what to do, but at least we are talking TO each other and not AT each other. How do we invite parents to be a part of the solutions in our classrooms and schools?

Please don’t think I never have parents that disagree with me or complaints about how I handle things. No matter what role we fill in life, we are all humans, conflict is inevitable. But by creating communication and an environment that invites and honors parents as my partners and allies in helping their child succeed, conflict becomes the exception and not the rule. And what I as a teacher want to tell parents looks and sounds very different from the message given voice at CNN.

 

Does Being a Control Freak Make Me a Lousy Traveler?

That is the question that has been rolling around in my head lately. After my week of freedom to roam around Scotland, I joined the study abroad group. It’s a wonderful group of educators from my home state of NC and even a guest from New Zealand! Our group leader has arranged some wonderful outings for us as a part of the program. But it has been interesting going from this role of adventurer, being in charge of my schedule (within the confines of opening and closing hours and public transport and such) to having my days controlled and scheduled. And I’ve learned a bit about myself. Chiefly, that, while I thought I wasn’t that much of a control freak anymore, I seem to revert to that role when I feel cornered.

It really hit me the day we went to Winchester. Really and truly one of my favorite visits in England. It’s a delightful town. And if you know anything about British history, you know about the Bishop of Winchester and the amazing cathedral. Even if you’re a Beatles fan the name should sound familiar I ended up breaking off with a group of folks who decided to take a Keats walk. Not really my choice, but I was ready to go along and give it a try. When we reached the cathedral we seemed to get sidetracked from that and even joined up with another small group from our class. It was decided a tour of the cathedral would be a good idea. So I wandered around for about 45 minutes, revelled in seeing the resting place of Jane Austen and took in the glory of the cathedral. When I was ready to go, I discovered that we hadn’t had our tour. There was a guided tour. And that’s when I felt it….the beginnings of a panic attack or, perhaps, a temper tantrum. I’ll never know because at that moment I made a decision. It was time to go on an adventure, by myself if necessary. There were several items on my list to see and meandering to do. So off I set!

It was amazing the physical change I felt in myself once I made this decision. Suddenly I had more energy, my step was lighter and I felt this rush of freedom. Armed with a map (and if you’ve read my blog, you know by now this almost guarantees I’ll get lost!) I set off to explore the town, with the eventual goal of finding the house where Jane Austen spent her last days. There was a street market going on that day, so I wandered through, soaking in the sights and sounds. I passed the Cornwall Pasty Co. and, of course, had to sample the local fare. Then I discovered that the remains of Winchester Castle were up the hill, where the supposed Round Table of King Arthur is located. Who could resist such a find? So, off I went. After a walk through the Great Hall and Queen Eleanor’s gardens, I began to make my way in the direction I thought Jane’s house was located. Have you guessed? I got lost. But in doing so, found quiet streets with adorable cottages offering me some solitude I greatly needed. And luckily Winchester is not as large as Edinburgh, so I was only a little lost. My wanderings finally brought me to The Kingsgate, the stone archway marking the old city gates. A walk through this piece of history found me on another quiet side street which led me to a discovery I had no idea I would find. An old hospital building. What a beautiful structure! Later research revealed that this is where the doctor(whom Jane Austen had come to Winchester to see) worked.

And just around the corner? The very unobtrusive mustard yellow house marked with a blue plaque as the site where Jane spent her final days. My adventure had succeeded and then some! From there, a short walk revealed Wolvesey Castle (the residence of the Bishop of Winchester) and an idyllic riverside walk. All ending back in the main town area at just the right time to meet with the rest of my group to travel on to our next stop.

As I reflected on the day, I began that line of questioning- what are the implications for the classroom here?

How often do our students feel that panic at being herded in one direction or another as learners when they yearn to go in a different direction? What does that look like? Is it defiance? A lack of effort in their work? Or perhaps no work turned in at all? Would the start of my day have been different if I had joined a small group? Does part of the frustration for kids in our classroom arise when we are trying to direct a large group in the same direction? Would more small group work allow for some of the flexibility the adventurers in our room long for?

I learned so much that day because I followed the path I wanted to follow. I even researched more about Jane Austen and her death when I returned to my room that night because I wanted to learn a part of her history I knew little about. No one else in my group that day saw and learned what I did. Does that make what I learned less valuable? Or more valuable because I will retain the learning longer because it was what I was interested in that day?

Yes, there are times when we do have to herd all of our travelers in the same direction. But, how can we limit that? How can we allow for multiple paths for the adventurers in our classrooms who each have knowledge they wish to seek in their own time and their own way? And how do we design learning experiences that allow for meanderings that might take them down paths to discoveries they never dreamed of making? Much to think about…

The Adventures of a Traveler

The first day of my UK adventure, I was in the role of traveller if I interpret Lester’s message correctly. It was the day for planes and planes and planes to get here. Where I needed to be and when was dictated by the schedule issued me by the airline. Not a bad thing, just a necessity to reach my ultimate goal.

When I arrived at the JFK airport from Raleigh, I went to the departure board as instructed and found the gate number for my departing flight. Making my way through the hoards of people, I arrived in the area where my gate should have been. Hm….the number skipped and it appeared my gate was lost. So I backtracked, followed the arrow signs again and ended up with the same result. I walked over to a directory and that’s when I realized I was in the domestic terminal and somehow needed to get to the terminal for international flights. A moment of panic almost set in as I was using all the information around me I could find, but couldn’t formulate an answer. That’s when I saw the sign that said “Delta Terminal 4 International flights. Take the shuttle leaving from Gate B11″. There was my answer! I found Gate 11 just as they were loading the shuttle.

How often do kids struggle in our classes because the information they have doesn’t seem to be enough to find the “right answers”? How many are as reticent as I was to actually ask for help or admit to not knowing? How many keep looking around hoping they might by chance stumble upon the “right answer”?

The plane from JFK to Amsterdam was huge. I found myself wanting to take pictures and send them to my boys.It was staffed by Dutch flight attendants and all the announcements were first made in Dutch and then in English. There were many, many on the plane who spoke neither language as their primary language and I found myself thinking about those second language learners who sit in our classroom. While I knew much of the content of the airline announcements without needing to hear them, some of it was important info and I was glad when it was repeated in a language I could understand. How must it feel to sit somewhere where the important info is never available in a language you understand? I was also so impressed with the flight crew’s command of both languages. I reminded myself to find ways in the classroom to honor my bilingual students. It is truly a gift.

I arrived in Amsterdam for the last leg of my trip. It turned out to be the most disconcerting leg of the trip! When I got off the plane, I took out my preprinted boarding pass for the next flight and approached the departing flights marquee. My flight was not listed there!  I thought I must be missing something, so I studied the marquee and identified the pattern. Flights were not alphabetical by arrival city as they were other places. Here it was by time the flight was leaving. I looked at my flight info again, looked at the marquee again. Still no answer. Not ready to panic quite yet, I saw a kiosk where you could check on your connector. Off I went. The computer asked me to scan the bar code on my boarding pass. When I did, the machine said “Error. You have entered the wrong boarding pass” The wrong boarding pass?! It was the only pass I had left! Figuring it must be my error, I scanned again. Same error message. Now I was beginning to panic. I searched around and found a live human being who was helping others at the kiosk. When I shared my dilemma, she pointed me down the hallway and to the left to find someone else. I followed her directions but couldn’t locate the second kiosk I was supposed to find. So I turned around, walked back and retraced my steps. Whew…there it was! I explained my issue and the desk attendant told me I was to report to Gate 41. Arriving at Gate 41, I read the marquee there to discover that this flight was leaving at 9:30 to fly to Dublin. Problem? I was looking for the 10am flight to Edinburgh. I waited a few minutes because the attendant was the expert right? She had the whole schedule in front of her, so how could she give me a wrong answer?

The longer I sat there, the more it bothered me that the info I had been given and the text I now had, did not match. So, I went back to the kiosk area. I was hesitant to ask for more help, so I pulled out my original itinerary and searched for my flight information by confirmation number rather than using the bar code. Eureka!!! My flight was leaving at 9:55, not 10 as listed on the boarding pass, from Gate 14 NOT 41. I had an answer! Scotland here I come!

How often do kids feel this way as travelers in our classrooms? They are given information, they do their best to use that information, yet, they are told the answer is “wrong”. Will they come back and ask us again? Or will they forge ahead, feeling frustrated because they just can’t seem to get the information to yield what they want/need? Do our kids even know what questions to ask? I was able to use multiple “texts” and strategies to solve my problem. Do our kids have multiple strategies? Are we showing them how to use those strategies? And do we teach them that sometimes “experts” are wrong? Lots to think about for the travelers and adventurers who await us in the classroom.

Travels or Adventures? Thank You, Lester!

What a busy summer it has been! In June, I had the pleasure of attending the All Write conference where the closing speaker was Lester Laminack. Somehow I had never had the privilege of hearing Lester speak, but I am so glad I did. What an amazingly captivating storyteller! Lester wove an enchanting story as he took us with him on a trip to Paris. The premise of his storytelling was to talk about the difference between being a traveler and an adventurer. During this trip, Lester chose to be an adventurer. Instead of tourbooks and lists of all the tourist sites, Lester went with an open mind and a determination to be an adventurer. Because of this, he saw things and met people he might never have had his nose been buried in his tourbook and itinerary.

As I sat mesmerized by Lester’s storytelling, I began to wonder how in the world he was going to connect this to reading?! And then, oh so subtlely, he guided us to the notion that in the classroom we have a choice- we can let students experience reading as travelers or adventurers. As travelers, we require them to have passports and itineraries and tourbooks in the form of chapter questions and summaries and book reports. What we need to do is allow them to be adventurers- choose where reading will take them and forge their own journey through the texts they explore. How true! I had never thought of reading in this way. Lester challenged us as educators to create opportunities for reading adventures for our students.

In just two days I embark on a trip. I was awarded a study grant for 2 weeks at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England. I have never in my forty three years been that far from home! It will also mark the longest I have ever been away from my four boys. You see, since I’m going that far, I decided to add another week and visit Scotland and perhaps Wales, places I have always longed to visit. As a mom, when I travel with my husband and kids, I am the travel guide. I pore over the tourbooks, print maps, create itineraries and plan for every possible scenario. As I began to plan this trip, I was haunted by Lester’s admonition- traveler or adventurer? Obviously, part of my trip is planned and controlled by the study abroad program. But there are days that are not. And so…

I’m going to be an adventurer! I have a place to stay booked for the first 2 nights (so hard to go from traveler to adventurer!), but no list of places to visit, no itinerary- just an open mind and an adventuring spirit. It will be interesting to take this trip where I will be both traveler and adventurer. What will I learn about each role? What are the implications for the classroom? I’ll certainly be reflecting on my time and how each role feels. Will I feel stifled by the traveler role or find comfort in agendas and plans? Will I freak out in the adventurer role without limits? Or will I find that doors open and I learn things I might not have otherwise? Who knows…but thanks, Lester for challenging me to be an adventurer. I’m off!

Poem A Day- Catch up!

Well, I fell off of the #poemaday wagon. I have still been writing, just haven’t found time to post what I’ve written. Rather than load up a bunch at once, thought I’d post 2 a day for the next week!

Poem # 18

PEOPLE…

People are windows
At times the blinds are closed.
Concealing a protected reality.
Other times, the inner world shines through
Revealing the beauty of who they are.

Poem #19

Thanks to Bud Hunt for the writing prompt on this one!

Blank

Emptiness

A lack of…

thought

feeling

passion

hope

dreams

fear

Blank

An opening for…

dreams

new paths

ownership

a finding of self…

Filling in the blanks.

Poem a Day #16

I love to sing, always have. Was reminded of how much a part of me it is when I had a chance to sing a piece I particularly love the other night! Tried to capture some of that in today’s poem.

Food for the Soul

Words.
Lines.
Bars.
Notes.
Innocuous when sitting on the page,
Combine to create an elixir that lifts the soul.
The music seeps through my skin,
Courses through my veins,
As I lift my voice
And become one with the music.

Poem a Day #15

Knew at some point I might hit a wall with the poem a day!

Patterning words
On the page
Enveloping thoughts and feelings in
Meaningful stanzas

Poem a Day #14

Today my alternative ed high school students used Skype to reach across the miles and read to some elementary school students in Edenton, NC. Even through technical difficulties, my kids smiled and laughed and kept right on rolling. My students are kids who have had lots of labels placed on them and, often, little expected of them. After 20 years as a teacher, it still never ceases to amaze me what happens when we step back and watch kids and let them achieve. This piece is my reflection of today.

A Vision

I watch you
All nervous energy and anxious anticipation
Mumbling to yourself
Unsure and sure at the same time.
I watch you
Taking a risk
As you stretch the wings you didn’t know you had
Or forgot you had.
I watch you
And my heart swells
Seeing you become
What you are and what you can be.
I watch you
And I know
We have succeeded
Where others thought we would fail.

Poem a Day #13

Thanks to Bud Hunt for posting such great prompts to get us thinking this month! I used his prompt as inspiration today!

The Universe
(With a Tip of the Hat to Captain Kirk)

A seemingly vast entity
Encompassing the sun, the moon, the stars
Containing life known and perhaps life unknown.
It is space, the final frontier.

And yet,it can be shrunk, minimized to include only
Tumbling, wrestling children and dogs.
Laughter and music ringing off the walls
It is home, my favorite frontier.

Poem a Day #12

I like questions. Often I have more questions than answers! Today’s poem reflects the thinking that the folks I know through social media push me to do every day!

Questions

Inquiring minds want to know…

Why is the sky blue?
Why do I have to learn this?
Why am I defined by a clock
And a list of predetermined standards?
How does this apply to me?
How can I find my voice?
How do I not lose who I am
In the face of what others expect me to be?
What does the word “ubiquitous” mean?
What is the solution for x?
What will it take to convince the “powers that be”
To redefine education in our country?
When?