Things Teachers Need

I'm sure other teachers can add to this list, but these are the things that make my day happy!

Breath mints.  I still remember a smoking, coffee drinking teacher whose breath knocked me out as a high school student.  I almost always have some kind of mints or gum in a drawer of my desk.  I don't want to be THAT teacher.

Coffee.  (Hence the breath mints.)  I'm not sure how people operate without coffee.  "Never underestimate the power of a highly caffeinated woman."  Whoever said that knew what they were talking about.

School gear.  High school kids in our area appreciate seeing the adults in school, supporting them on game days.  I have old football jerseys, a couple of hoodies, t-shirts that are older than they are, and several neatly monogrammed shirts provided to the staff.  Fortunately, the school colors happen to be a favorite.

Ice water.  Year round.  I have several insulated glasses that don't sweat.  (Current favorite: a Bubba Cup.)  I usually drink two large glasses of ice water a day. Besides being good for me, I'm not sure how my voice/throat would hold up without it.

Glitz Bic pens. They come in a package with about 8 different colors, and I love the way they write.  I now grade in lime green, sky blue, pink, and purple. Just seeing the pens in the drawer of my desk makes me happy.  (I have to confess, I hide them from subs.  I lose more pens and pencils on days of substitutes!) I think these little gems are 88 cents a package.

A computer bag.  I would have said a brief case at one time, but the computer bag works better for me these days.  I had a canvas and leather LL Bean bag that I loved; however, the school switched to macs and my computer no longer fit in my bag.  This year, I made the switch to a Vera Bradley computer bag.  (It was half price, or this teacher never would have spent the money for it.)

The lunch size crock pot.  This was a Christmas gift from my faculty Secret Santa. (Sweet, young former student, now colleague.)  Best.Gift.Ever!!  Leftovers are hot and ready to go by lunchtime.  The inside metal pot is removable for easy cleaning, too.  No more waiting for the microwave in the workroom.

A survival pack for me would also have to include:  dental floss, Shout Wipes, safety pins, bobby pins, and sample sizes of hairspray and Static Guard.

Do I NEED all of these things?  No, but I sure LOVE them!

Student Teacher Woes

I have an amazing young student teacher.  She is professional, informed, and creative.  (She has the Common Core App on her phone, for God's sake!  Who does that?)  She feels more like a colleague than a student teacher.  I bounce ideas off of her.  We look for solutions together.

And then I have to wonder...maybe all (or most) of my former student teachers were like this, but I was too young and sure of myself to pick their brains.  I wonder how many opportunities I have missed.

So, when am I aware that she is the student teacher and I am the teacher?

*When she is finishing one unit and planning for the next one.  It feels a bit overwhelming to her.  Especially, when the unit she is finishing is one that she developed in college with oodles of time to research, submit it, and rework it.
    I remember this feeling.  Heck, I still feel this way from time to time! So, we are working on the next unit together. She will see that, though it is work, it can be done. (It will drive you crazy, but it can be done.)

*As she is grading papers. The light slowly dawns on her that about 10% of the students plagiarized.  It was like watching air escape from a balloon.  She was so disappointed. Academic dishonesty will be a discussion on this blog for another day, but she and I came up with a plan for this to be a teaching moment.  And as she is teaching them, I am teaching her.
    You can't teach these things from a book. Sometimes, students will break your heart, but you can't let them break your spirit. And you can't let them cheat themselves out of learning the important things: they have far too much ability to simply copy someone else.

One other thing I hope she is learning:

There's always a critic.  It might be the kid who complains about the assignment you love, the colleague who shares a negative comment they overheard about your class, or an administrator who doubts what you are doing or suggests that what you are doing is not enough.  Some weeks, the critics are all you hear.  The goal is not to let yourself become the critic.  And that is always easier said than done.
     Most of us are hard enough on ourselves without the words of the critics.  But, we have to remember to listen carefully.  There are students who show their appreciation in quiet ways, colleagues who copy an assignment or technique (no better flattery than imitation), and an administrator who asks us to do some work that few others will try.  Their words might not speak their praise, but frequently their actions do.

I remember how tough, but also how darn much fun, student teaching was.  And I'm remembering it all over again, watching a cute little redhead as she finds her way. I am fortunate to be watching excellence in action.  I'm pretty sure the future of education will be safe in her hands.

Standards Based Grading Information Sheet For Parents

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up.  They will be my first since switching to Standards Based Grading.  In my mind, I see myself repeating the same information over and over in an attempt to explain Standards Based Grading. My hope is that they will hit the math department first. I would be happy to let our math teachers explain it.

In case that doesn't happen, I decided to put together an information sheet for parents.

I spent the weekend trying to condense the information to the essentials.  Here is what I came up with:

I will run it by my colleagues, and then I think I will copy it for my students and see what they think.

Thank you, piktochart.com.

Oh, and there is a good chance that our HS Graphics Design department will get the job of making this look much more professional. (This will give them an idea of what I would like it to look like.)  I will have them make the copies, too.  My colleagues will probably appreciate me not using all of the color toner in the copier.

Saturday Morning Thoughts

"Know your worth."  That thought has been going through my mind all week.  From the top down, teachers are often reminded of our worth both collectively and individually.

Our students let us know what they think on a daily basis. Sometimes their parents share their opinions.  Our bosses evaluate our efforts, and then our politicians and elected officials weigh in on the matter.  Finally, the media puts in their two cents.  And of course, we get the monthly reminder in the form of a paycheck.

We know the work that we do is valuable. We know the amount of time we give to this profession is in direct proportion to our passion. But then a message, intended or not, comes through loud and clear: your work is not valuable and not a priority.

I stop. I reevaluate. I doubt. I try to remember to look up.  I breathe.

What am I worth?  This morning, I am worth a 2nd cup of coffee.  Well, at least I think I am...

Our State has been busy lately, and some weeks it is tough to be a teacher.  This would be one of those. 

Old Dog, New Tricks: Standards Based Grading So Far

My switch to Standards Based Grading has been... interesting.

This was my initial post on Sophomore English grading and my grade book.

First of all, I have changed using a √ and a 0 in the formatives. (I know how parents can freak out over a zero, even if it isn't affecting their student's grade. They assume the assignment hasn't been completed.)  Formatives are now rated with an S, S-or U.  The formatives still have no affect on the student grade, but they let the student (and the parent) know if they understand the standard or need further work before the Summative test.

The biggest challenge has been the mindset of the teacher. (That would be me. Gulp.) One short unit can involve several standards, and each of those standards requires two formatives, reteaching activities, and a summative test.  My grade book now looks like this:

(Well, that is a portion of this nine week's grades so far. Oh, and the Standard RL2 Determining Theme or Central Idea and its development is going to be revisited-probably more than once.)

Thankfully, formatives don't have to be a quiz. (Though they can be.)  They can also be teacher anecdotal notes from observation, exit tickets, standards practice in their notebooks, etc.  Getting past the idea that students only show progress based on a quiz has been quite helpful and not nearly so limiting.

I really like this grading rubric on the Summative assessment of a standard.

10= Advanced- superior mastery
  9= High Proficiency- progressing toward advanced mastery
  8= Proficient Grade Level- mastery meets standard level
  7= Basic- limited understanding
  6=  Improvement necessary
  5=  Insufficient effort
  0=  Absent for summative

That being said, my student grades have changed.  A student really has to go above and beyond to show superior mastery. An A+ was easier to earn using the old method of grading.  On the other end of the scale, fewer students are failing.  Most students can show at least a basic or limited understanding of a skill or standard.

What does this mean?
1. A student who has done the minimum requirements has a tough time earning an A+, and they aren't thrilled about being challenged to show advanced or superior work.  I haven't had the first parent/teacher conferences since switching to this system, but I have a hunch that will be a discussion with some parents.

2. I spend quite a bit more time in the planning stages of lessons and units that I have taught for years.  I have to determine which standards I will emphasize, write the summative evaluation of each standard, decide how I will evaluate the standards through formatives, create the formative evaluations, and create some method of reteaching for students who need it.

3. Above all, I have to limit the number of standards that I evaluate in a unit.  A short unit might have several reading standards, a writing standard, and a speaking/listening standard. Julius Caesar could have included 10-15 standards. (I have narrowed it down to seven or eight this year.) Keeping track of student progress on the formatives, reteaching, and summative tests is a bit of a juggling act; however, it gives a much clearer picture of what the student actually knows. And isn't that what a grade is supposed to show?

Right now, this switch to Standards Based Grading has been quite a bit of work.  The best part is that it is becoming second nature to me now, and I feel like I have a much more thorough knowledge of the standards.  The work that I do this year is going to make next year that much simpler, if only because I have walked through the process this year.

Have I mentioned that I have had company on this road to change?  I am quite thankful for Sweet Young Former Student Now Colleague, an amazing Student Teacher, and my math colleagues who are jumping in this year, too.  It is always better to have friends to travel the road with you!

HS ELA Interactive Notebooks

I'm not really sure how many changes a teacher should make in their class each year.  I seem to be pushing it.  Standards Based Grading, figuring out a Standards Based Grade Book, creating my own Sticky Note Lesson Plan book, and beginning Interactive Notebooks have all added to my workload this year. (And then I wonder why I spend every evening and weekend organizing.)

As challenging as this has been, I have really appreciated the Interactive Notebooks.  Daily work assignments that used to be in stacks on my counter, are now neatly tucked away in their notebooks.  I collect the notebooks every 3-4 weeks for a thorough grading, but I stamp or checkmark short in-class assignments when I need to see immediate results.

The notebooks aren't perfect this year and I already have a few changes in mind for next year, but I am pretty pleased with the way the interactive notebooks simplify grading.  The bonus is that students are creating their own reference book and can use it as a resource when they need to locate a format, a grammar rule, or an example. (The Table of Contents that they fill in will assure easy access.) These notebooks also teach students one of the skills that will make or break them in the future: organization!

The only drawback?  To simplify things, I had students add journal writings to their notebooks this year.  I haven't minded it, but my daughter (who was once my student) didn't like that at all.  She believes that the journals should be separate from their class notebook.  She is probably right.  That is food for thought for next year.

As much work as this year has been, I feel like the changes will benefit me in the years to come. I won't be reinventing the wheel every year, thank goodness.  And the interactive notebooks have already simplified the grading of daily work and short writing assignments.

This was just another change in Room 304 this year.

Oh, and did I mention this was a year of new textbooks, too.  Yes, a really fun year.

I Laugh So I Don't Cry

For many years now, I have had my classes memorize poetry a couple of times a year:  "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Sara Teasdale, "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, and/or "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrea.

Over the past decade, the assignment has become much more difficult for a larger number of students.   This year, I think I have hit the wall.  They might be able to remember a stanza at a time, and that is about it.  They stumble through the poem stanza by stanza, and frequently still need prompting. (I have to keep track of how many stanzas they have recited.)

The other night at auditions for the All School Production, the director asked students to hop up on stage and recite the Pledge of Allegiance so that they could be heard clearly.  It was horrifying how many students needed prompting.  At least 75% of the students couldn't say it without help.  The other 25% left out words or phrases.  I was stunned.  (And I'm having them memorize "Invictus"?  What the heck am I thinking?  How about the Pledge of Allegiance? Wowsa!  I had no idea!)

A girl in class told me that she can't recite the Lord's Prayer unless she is in church.  She says she just can't remember it.

I'm pretty sure it is a sign of the times, and it really concerns me as to what memory issues our whole society faces in the future. Kids don't need to remember anything, because any information they need is at their finger tips. (That is if they can remember what it is that they need to be looking for!) And what are we losing?  Our collective memories.

Where will it end? I'm not really sure.  Fortunately, I'll probably be too dead to care.  Just don't say I didn't tell you!