Saturday Sayings: What Do You Notice?

My cousin Laurie skillfully and bravely teachers senior AP English.  The tall kids scare me, but she was born to do what she does.  A few weeks ago she shared with me a lesson from her classroom that she was going to present to a group of teachers.  Knowing that some elementary people would be in the crowd, she asked me about the connections I saw in her lesson to my own classroom.  By the way, we've discovered over and over the many similarities between our two grade levels.  On many an occasion, one of us will say something about a lesson from our classroom and the other will affirm that they've taught the same thing.  She thinks we should write a book.  Anyway, the big idea of the lesson she was presenting was asking students to notice.  I had a few ideas for her but it wasn't until the next day when I was with my class that I discovered how many times throughout the day I expected the kids to notice and express their findings.  I should have kept track of how many times I said, "What do you notice?" and how many times I heard back, "I notice that..."  Here are a few I remember.

I introduced a handful of new sight words (or snap words as we call them).  The kids noticed the tricky parts of each word.  During writing workshop, I read a poem and asked them to share what they noticed.  Their findings were integrated into the modeled writing that followed.  After the shared reading of a big book, I showed them some words that I pulled from the story and asked what they noticed.  They happened to be compound words.  Of course, they noticed that.  When I met with students about their individualized spelling words, I repeatedly asked, "What do you notice?"  During our math warm up, as the students were counting by tens starting with a number other than ten, I was recording the numbers.  They had a chance to share what they noticed about the numbers.

I've a feeling I left something out.  It's such a natural part of the day that I didn't even know I was asking it as much as I do until I purposefully looked for it.  It's true what Debbie Miller says.  Our kids know more than they think they do.  Given the opportunity and expectation, they'll notice.  They just need to be asked.

Saturday Sayings: Not One to Surrender

I once heard about a conversation between a secondary and elementary teacher.  In awe, the secondary teacher made a comment about all the things an elementary teacher is responsible to teach in a day, to which the elementary teacher responded with, "That's what scripted programs are for."  That response both dumbfounds and saddens me.  Indeed I have a mountain-load of material to daily teach my first graders, but I don't believe that's reason enough to hand over the professional decision-making process in my classroom to a collection of strangers who have scripted my teaching for me.  Even after starting my 20th year of teaching, I don't claim to be an expert at creative and authentic lesson planning, but I know the struggle and challenge is worth it.  I'm not one to surrender when I know what's right for my kids.  If I find myself in a conversation with someone who is in awe of how much I teach in a day, I'll smile, shrug, and say, "It's just what I do."

P.S.  I do use Lucy Calkin's Units of Study.  She's definitely onto something.  I don't use them verbatim though.  I tweak and use them as a guide just as she would want me to.

Saturday Sayings: Relevant

That's an extra long quote, but I couldn't help but include every last word.  It's probably because as I'm gearing up for a new year, my thoughts are lingering on such things.    

• Is what I'm teaching important to students?  
• Is it something that will apply to their world outside of school or is it just a school thing?  
• How has this skill or strategy been useful to me as an adult?  
• What stories do I have to share about my own learning that will help my students connect with this skill better?

For example, I'm currently juggling all these questions when it comes to my calendar area.  Mardelle from Weeds in the Garden has got me rethinking how I use it.  I know the feeling of being stuck in the middle of calendar time and thinking, "What's my point here?  Why am I spending time on this?  How is this moving children forward?"  Mardelle has challenged me to use the calendar in a way that honors how time is relevant to the kids and their day-to-day lives.

Click on the picture to read Mardelle's post.

No matter the subject area, I'm feeling moved more than ever  to consider Debbie Miller's quote.  If what I'm trying to teach isn't important and relevant to kids and their real world, I've got some reflecting to do and some changes to make.

Saturday Sayings: I Value...

With a quote like that, it only makes sense to make a list.  

I value...

authenticity

purposeful and meaningful instruction

teaching skills in context

teaching to the heart

the whole child

a respectful climate

high expectations

internal rewards

logical consequences

community

problem solving and independence

kids teaching kids

(I'll probably think of ten more obvious and important things I value once I post this.)

Having said all that, does my reality match up with my pedagogy?  I say I value these things.  Where might there be some disconnect when it comes to what occurs daily in my classroom?  Food for thought, huh?  Good thing I have three months to ponder such things.

(At the moment, I also value summer vacation.)

Saturday Sayings: What do I Value?

As a first grade teacher, I value turning kindergarteners into second grade readers, writers, mathematicians, and thinkers.  That's understandably essential to the futures of these little people who will one day be the very ones who influence the success of this planet.  I'm torn though, especially because of one little person.  It's difficult to admit, but I will not be able to transform him into the academic student he needs to be for second grade and beyond.  I'll do what I can, but I already know it won't be enough.  My lack of hope for his academic future of course bothers me, but here's where I'm torn.  It doesn't bother me nearly as much as my concern for his future as a caring citizen of society.  I can deal with the fact that he still doesn't know his letters and numbers.  I can't deal with the fact that on a daily basis he doesn't know how to treat others and shows no effort to learn how.  I'm left asking myself, "What do I value?"  As his teacher I will not give up on him academically, but if at the end of the year he walks away with character only, I will consider myself successful.  

(Agree?  Disagree?  I welcome your thoughts.)

Saturday Sayings: A Pretty Little Box

(Click above for previous Saturday Sayings.)

Once again I've found this to be true.  It only took a few days into the school year to discover yet another piece of my daily curriculum that was putting my little learners into a pretty little box instead of setting them free to really show what they could do.  It isn't the first time, and it certainly won't be the last.  Here's a synopsis of my most resent epiphany.

For years I've launched writing workshop with a single sheet of writing paper that looks like this.

Within a few weeks I'd progress to booklets made of three pages but with more lines and less empty space for pictures.  Thanks to my teaching neighbor, Marie, I found out what happens when the first thing writers ever see is a booklet.  They write more.  Duh.  Part of me feels silly for never seeing this before.  There will always be a few who struggle whether there are two lines or three pages, but the rest will actually have the opportunity to show what they can really do.  How can they share their potential when they're put in a box with only two measly lines?  

Like I said, this isn't the first time I've limited my students, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last.  For example, I've made some eye-opening discoveries about their math skills within the past few years.  (Read here if you're interested.)  Also, I'm sure as I become more familiar with the Common Core, there will be moments of thinking, "First graders can do that?"    If I remember what Debbie Miller says, I might just find out that they certainly can.

(Thanks to my teaching neighbor Marie for inspiring me.)

Saturday Sayings: Slow Down to Speed Up

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For me, this time of the school year is the hardest.  (The blood curdling scream at the top someone's lungs let out in my classroom yesterday is proof of that, and I promise it wasn't me.)  More importantly though, it's the most crucial time of the year.  The remainder of the year hinges on what I do and don't do right now.  Debbie Miller's quote says it all.  Being deliberate and explicit about the smallest of details is so important.  If my kids don't know what I expect of them, come January they are certainly not to blame when things aren't going well.  It takes lots of time and energy to be deliberate though.  Rushing into too much curriculum too early without a deliberate foundation could sabotage everything.  "Slow down to speed up" is my mantra.  I believe I made that up, but it was definitely inspired by the following quotes.  (I'm not smart enough to make it up all on my own.)

"Slow down and be consistent."  Kathy Collins, Growing Readers 60

"Spending time on procedures and management in the beginning is, in fact, good teaching and a good time investment."  Kathy Collins, Growing Readers 65

"We move slowly to eventually move fast.  The payoff is enormous."  Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, The Daily 5 42

To move slowly now doesn't necessarily mean that by the end of the year we will have accomplished less.  In fact, I believe quite the opposite is true.  We'll be able to speed up and accomplish so much more because we'll have fewer management issues to fight with along the way, and those always tend to slow us down.  I'd rather purposefully slow down now than have to slow down later out of sheer desperation.

Slow down to speed up.