The Things That Happen!

     Every educator out there...whether you are a rookie or a veteran...has some tale to tell regarding any number of funny, humorous, or hysterical events that have happened in the classroom.  Something a student said, something a student did, or something YOU (The teacher) did or said that caused a chuckle, a belly laugh, or a roll-on-the-floor fit of hysterics!  Most of these events will stay with us forever...in that most sacred part of our memories.  Of course, no matter what happens in your room, and no matter how funny, always laugh WITH the kid or kids...and not at them.
     Anyway...several years ago I was teaching a unit on the Bill of Rights.  It took a couple of days, but we had gone through all Ten Amendments, and completed a few assignments along the way.  Considering I live in an area where hunting is a favorite pastime for many (Young and old alike), I chose the second amendment, and developed a fairly straight forward assignment.  First, we discussed this amendment again, and why our forefathers thought it important to have it in our Constitution.  This particular Amendment always evokes discussion, and without fail we all did so. 
       I explained to my students what their assignment was.  I handed out a prompt that they each were to respond to.  I then gave them each 20 minutes to write their response.  The prompt simply asked...

"In this day and age, do you think we still need the right to bear arms?  Give me your answer, then explain why you feel the way you feel."

     I told them to begin. 

     The kids were excited, because they knew that I would give each student a chance to read their responses aloud, and I also alluded to the fact that we might even have a classroom debate...for the amendment vs. against the amendment.

     As I walked around, I admired how diligently my kids were working...especially the hunters.  After about fifteen minutes one of students raised her hand.  I went to her... I could see that she had a whole page and half of work completed.

     "Mr. Mac, you know those shirts people wear...they have straps over your shoulders and no sleeves?" She asked.

     "Tank-tops." I offered.  

     She nodded enthusiastically. 

     "Why do you want to know about tank-tops?"  I asked pointedly.  "What has that got to do with your assignment right now?"

     "Oh everything!"  She said.  "I wear those tank-tops all the time in the summer.  I bear my arms at my house, at the store, at the beach.  I think everyone should have the right to bear their arms."

    

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy!

     It is amazing to me how quickly this year has gone by!  Seems just like yesterday that my kids walked through my classroom door for the first time.
     We have gotten to the point when I have to get ready to say goodbye.  I say "Get ready" because for me it is a build up. 
     Consciously I know that I have done my job as an educator, and now my job is over.  My brain knows that June marks the end of a school year, and that when the last day comes I am to wish my kids well, thank them for a wonderful school year, then send them on their way to bigger and better things. 
     I will remove the art work from my walls that my kids created for me...just because.  I will take down all of the little notes from my kids that I have taped to my computer, or bookshelf at eye level so that at any given moment I can turn in any direction and read a student generated..."Have a good day, Mr. Mac"  or  a quip from my class clown.  I will remove all of my student's work from the walls, and the charts from my bulletin boards marking my student's progress on AM and AR. 
     When the kids have gone, and I have cleaned my classroom, taken down all of my posters, and covered all of my bookshelves...my classroom will revert to walls, desks, and white boards.  It will become a blank, sterile place...nothing will be left to show that I, or any of my kids were ever there.  All of this is typical for a teacher.  All of this is normal.  My brain knows, and accepts this.  If only my heart could follow suit.
     Today, after my kids left for the day, I stood alone in my classroom and looked over every inch of it (As I do every year at this time).  Everywhere I looked I saw my kids.  They had all boarded buses for home, but they were all there just the same.  My room had taken on the personalities of 30 young minds.  My room's atmosphere was thick with experiences, laughter, learning, and growth.  I say "My" room...it hasn't been my room for many months now.  It is OUR room...my kids and I own it together. 
     The last day of school will be extremely hard for me; it always is.  To think that it is so close hurts my heart.  Knowing that I will have to say goodbye fills me with a bittersweet melancholy.  These kids who have each etched themselves into my heart will leave, but the memory of them...of each of them, will remain with me forever.  Though the classroom walls will be stripped, and all of the desks emptied out...that feeling I had today, of them being there when they weren't is indelible...it is forever.  I am so proud of my kids, and all they have accomplished this year.
    

Mr. Mac...A Teacher's Point of View: My Point of View

Mr. Mac...A Teacher's Point of View: My Point of View: " This blog business is new to me, so I humbly ask that you...the reader...be as patient as you can with me. Just before beginning this ..."

An Educated Decision!

    Imagine if someone held a box out in front of you.  You notice that a baseball sized hole was cut into one side of the box.  The holder of the box then asks you to stick your hand inside of the hole.  You, of course, ask why?  The holder of the box simply explains that it will give you character, and make you a much better person.  You think about it, then reach slowly towards the hole...you hesitate.  You ask...what is inside the box?  The holder of the box states...I don't know.  What do YOU do?
     You could analyze, or break down this silly scenario a dozen ways or more.  For instance, what if the box holder was someone in authority, someone who is in a position to make decisions that could effect your future?  What if the box-holder was someone with whom you have placed trust?  What if you represented everyone else, and what if the box represented a great deal of money that would enable all box-holders to have fancy boxes to temp countless other you's to reach inside.  Finally, what if the unknown contents of the box, the I don't know part...what if that represented the belief that a box can hold the quality of human character, and instill the virtues of becoming a much better person.  Do you think more or less people would reach into the hole?
     For me the determining factor would be what was inside the box?  It wouldn't matter to me what the outcome would be if I reached inside.  Nor would it matter who the box-holder was, nor to how much money would be paid if I complied.
     As educators we have been in the position of YOU many times over the years.  We have been asked to believe that this program, or that program would enhance our education system.  As a nation of teachers we have complied, and the programs that promised to enhance our education systems have failed miserably.  NCLB was liken to a scorpion hiding within the box.  It stung us, and it hurt us.  Now we are asked to reach inside the box yet again.  I truly believe that more educators will be reluctant to comply.  Trusting that any box, or program, or law that carries with it the directive that all students will be at 100% proficiency by a certain date...is likely to fail, or unlikely to succeed.
     To make an educational decision denotes that one must have facts that will then form theories.  Recently it seems that the unknown factor presented in the above scenario is of a much grander scale this time around.  It seems I have heard more theories that are being suited to form facts!
     I have no idea what is coming regarding our most recent program (Race to the Top), but I already feel that it isn't going to be good. 
     I believe in my vocation, I believe in my kids, and I love teaching with all of my heart.  I will not reach into the box, but I will comply, though NOT at the expense of my kids.  Like most of you out there...I believe that no program, or law can make me a better educator.  Just like a beautiful house starts out as a design on paper...only a skilled architect cane make it real.  Programs are just ink on a page...we are the one's who bring it to life in our classrooms.  We breath life into every lesson, and make every lesson real.
     OK, I am done now.  If anyone does read my ramblings...I apologize.  I stated a while ago that I wouldn't go the political route, or any of that crap.  This post...like all of the others before and what comes after...is just me stating my view.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Change

     I will start start by stating that I hate change.  I hate it because just as soon as things seem like they are running smoothly...change.  Just as I approach what I believe to be something familiar...change.  When it is working, and I am getting positive results...change.
     Of course this feeling for change is totally selfish, and self imposed.  A hatred for something that takes from me the comfortableness of what feels good, or of what works. 
     Logically I know that change is inevitable.  Without change what would we be...where would we be?  I realize it is necessary in most everything, and that I am limited to what degree I can effect change, or to what degree I am willing to work to make a change, or allow a change to happen. 
     As a person I can change direction on my path towards fulfillment...or not.  As an educator I can use all of my power to guide young minds, and souls to some further destination on my students' path...or not.  These things are within the grasp of my control, if I am careful and diligent. 
     Usually when, or if a change is to happen there must be a catalyst...it is always us.  Choices, events, willingness, sacrifice, abilities...these are the things that are needed when change presents itself to us if it is to work.  Each one is dependant on the other, and in order for change to happen all must work in harmony.
      Some change we have no control over.  Nature...easy enough, right.  Can't stop the rain, or halt a snow storm.  Age...no matter how much you paint, build up, or knock down the outside...60 years old is still 60 years old.  Teenagers...once the hormones set in, forget it!  Death...somber, sad, but ever present and unstoppable.  I am sure you get the point.
     The reason for this post tonight comes as the result of our faculty meeting today regarding yet more changes to our classrooms, programs, and curriculum.  We still have the residue of No Child Left Behind on our shoes, and now Race to the Top looms heavy over us.  I feel that over the last 10 years the changes that have been made in our schools began with good intentions, but it seemed that as soon as we (The educators, and implementers) started getting used to a new way...another began.  Now the first change is left behind, and the new change initiated.  Then another change, and another abandonment. And...so on, and so on.  Teachers are still getting familiar, and used to the changes implemented last year, or the year before.  Now, there are more changes.  Not to mention the microscopes!  What microscopes you ask?  These tools are no longer used by scientists alone in their labs.  The biological organisms under the microscopes now are teachers.  I truly believe that we teachers are trying very hard to keep up with all of the changes, but it seems like a major flood...a force of nature that is uncontrollable.  We are all treading water, and trying hard not to drown.
     Don't get me wrong...I am willing to change anything when it comes to my students.  As educators we MUST BE adaptable, and willing to do whatever it takes.  Educators do this...WE are the ones who know what our students need to succeed.  WE are the ones in the classrooms making it happen.  These changes are internal...right at the front, right at ground zero where the magic takes place.  All of these external changes...new programs, new laws...it seems to me that these external factors have more concern for the business of school.  For allocating federal monies, and less about the kids and the teachers.  We are the guys and gals in the trenches...we are the ones right there in the thick of it, and it feels like we have generals blindly leading us in every direction available to them, with no clue or care on how ineffective their leadership is.  It reminds me of the story of a painter who had many bosses.  The painter was told to paint every room in a 100 room mansion.  The first boss told him to paint the first room, so the painter began.  Soon the second boss told the painter to paint the second room.  So the painter followed the direction of his boss and abandoned the first room thinking he will get back to it later, and began painting the second room.  Soon the third boss told the painter to paint the third room.  So the painter abandoned the second room thinking he would get back to it later.  Anyway...the story ends up where the painter never finished what he started, and the mansion looked like crap as a result.  Of course we know that if the bosses let the painter do what he did best, and finish one room at a time the mansion would be beautiful.
     I know that I am not the only one frustrated with all of this change.  I also know that, unless something new happens...a new kind of change where those who are actually in the trenches become the catalyst for this change...then I am afraid, when it is all said and done...my mansion is gonna look like crap!
    

Smart VS. Intelligence

     When I look back on my own childhood I always smile, because I consider myself one of the lucky ones.  I had loving parents who taught by example, supported me through thick and thin, roared at me when I needed it, and carried through with consequences.  My childhood was at a time when manners were paramount, and respecting your elders was second nature.  If I did get in trouble at school (I rarely did), I knew that the consequences would be worse when I got home.  When I was of school age, the thought of disappointing my mother and father was greater than making the choice to do something wrong.  Was I perfect...no.  No one is perfect.  I was always a performer, and a class clown.  Never disrespectful, and always good natured, yet always ready to get my classmates, and teachers laughing or intrigued by something I wanted to share, or show.  I am proud to say that my son is a chip off the old block!
     When I was in the first grade (1970)...I remember going outside in the hallway, away from my classroom, and working with a teacher named Mrs. Everett.  We would sit in the hallway, and I would write my letters, and read aloud to her (My parents read to me from the moment I was born, and as a result I learned the cadence, and the rhythum of words on a page.  Being a performer I would astound my parents by reading billboards, and signs by the age of 5.  To a kid who lived for applause...this Reading thing came easy to me).  I liked Mrs. Everett...we would laugh, and I would perform...showing how well I could read and write.  I don't remember exactly how long this went on that year, but I sure looked forward to sitting with Mrs. Everett. 
     Fast forward about 30 years.  Christmas time, the family is gathered.  Presents have been opened, and the turkey consumed.   All of us, stuffed to the gills, were sitting around talking about the past, and laughing about this event, or that.  Anyway...the subject of my color blindness came up, and I remarked..."I am not sure when I realized I was color blind."  My mother chimed in..."I remember...it was when you were 6 years old."
     Come to find out that the reason I got pulled from class, and spent time with Mrs. Everett, was because I was being tested.  It seems that my teacher felt I had a processing disorder, as I would state that grass is green, then show it through a drawing...except on one day the grass was colored blue, and another day it was colored red.  I don't remember how many, but I am sure that there were other things I did through words, or demonstration that caused my classroom teacher to grow concerned.  It seems that a discrepancy in color would simply indicate color blindness in anyone?  Anyway, through this testing it was shown that I had no learning disability, and that my IQ was quite high.  And, until my mother continued by telling me that she took me (At the request of school offcials) to AI Dupont Children's hospital for testing regarding color blindness...I had completely forgotten that altogether.  You see...mom never told me that it was feared I had a learning disability.  She also instructed the teachers not to tell me.  Mom knew that I DIDN'T have an LD.  She wasn't entirely sure about the color blindness because it wasn't something a young child blatantly displays in reference to behavior.  If a child is born with bad eyesight, or...in my case...color blindness the child thinks that everyone sees the way he/she sees.  The child accomodates.  The child compensates.  It is a survival skill, so to speak.  At my house I knew to get "The green one" because I had memorized what the green-one looked like.  Even though there was a blue, a red, and a purple one...I could distinguish a slight blemish on the green one, or a minute scratch on the red one, etc.
     Mom never told me because she didn't want me thinking...not for a minute...that I was dumb!  Even back then, she knew that the stigma of having an LD for any child places that child in a box, and like a glass cage everyone would be able to see that I was the one locked in it.  So I have known about being color blind for 40 years.  It was discovered that my case is rare...I see no color.  The receptors in my eyes don't filter the color red in the spectrum.  I see NO color.  Those of you my age and older...think back to the black and white TV's...this is how I see.  Of course the world is just as beautiful to me...it is just varying shades of gray.
     Wow...I am longwinded! 
     The title of this post has to do with being smart, and being intelligent.  Being smart has its perks.  Rote memorization for one.  If a smart person is asked about love, or an idea like freedom...a smart person might quote a sonnet, or expound on a speech given by one of our forefathers.  A smart person probably does well on tests, on classwork...as long as the information can be found in a book, or on a video.  The "Right There" concept is a favorite among smart people.  Math can be easy for a smart person.  Considering that the formula for finding the area of a trapezoid is universal...math can be the Shangrilah of school subjects.  Being smart...has its benefits for sure.  In China...teachers emphasize in rote memorization.  Tests, and study guides are given out, and the students are expected to memorize everything on them.  I have read articles, and documents from Western teachers who have visited schools in China.  During various study halls, or in between classes multitudes of students were seen reading something for class, or a class...then looking up and reciting it, and repeating until the passage or formula was memorized.    
     When scores across the continents are compared, China always does well, and lands in the number one spot.  Consider this...the cross section of Chinese students regarding math scores on standardized tests, are those who specialize, and have high abilities in mathematics.  In other words, in China, students who excell in math are placed in groups.  Lumped together as one imposing math force.  In China, the emphasis on doing well is great, to the detriment of the kid.  These kids are MADE to be smart, made to memorize, expected to achieve success at any cost.  Families (Of the school age child) count on this...once a kid makes it through high school, they must compete for college.  If you are a kid in China, and you don't win that academic competition...universitites won't welcome you with open arms.  In America...our students are taught to think liberally, think outside the box...the bigger picture is emphasized.  Our compared cross-section of math students are made up of very intelligent young people who may hold a talent for math, or they may hold a talent for philosophy.
     Now, Intelligence...this is a different animal entirely.  Basically...intelligence means taking what you know and applying it to any problems that arise.  The key word is applying...the application of knowledge.  To an itelligent person, obstacles are not stopping points, they are challenges.  To go above, over, under or through an obstacle is, or becomes second nature.  By the way...we have to teach this philosophy, because so many kids think that an obstacle IS a stopping point!  So many kids come into my classroom labled as slow, or identified with an LD.  Most of the time these kids have reconcilled that they will never be any better at Reading, or at Math than they already are.  Chances are good that the kids have been made to feel LESS than their classmates by other teachers, classmates, or even family.  This is mainly because...I believe...that many teachers, students, and civilians (Ha, I like that term!) think that there is only one way to learn.  Talk about it, put it on the board, and the kids should have learned it.  The students that don't...well, THEY must have a problem.  A cookie cutter way of teaching, and of learning.  This went on in my day, in my parent's day, and is still alive and well today.  The kids who "Don't get it" are not any less intelligent than the kids who do.  The kids indentified with a documented LD can GET IT with as much proficiency as the kids who get it right away.  The Smart Factor is seen, in many classrooms, as the great divider.  Smart is black and white, while intelligence has many gradations across the spectrum. 
     As educators we have to identify what our students need in order for them to master what we are teaching.  A cookie cutter philosophy hurts our students.  We must tap into the intelligence of our students.  Illuminate different paths of enlightenment.  Instill confidence in our students that they are each intelligent, and that each one may take a different route to the same end...mastery.  We (Educators) must be willing to jump through hoops, do a song and dance, and be willing to wait...to be patient...to insure that our kids leave us feeling empowered.  Some of our students come that way (Empowered), and leave the way they came.  Great, awesome...makes my day.  It is the kids who feel "Less than..."  or  "I am a slow reader"  or  "I can't do math"...these are the kids who need more than just..."I taught it, and if you don't get it...oh well!"  These kids need an educator who is pliant, adaptable, patient, and willing to do whatever it takes to open the flood gates of intelligence.

Falling Through the Cracks!

     Think back on all of the classes you have had over the years.  Consider the class you have this year.  I'll bet that you could easily name (From any year) that one student who was the Troublemaker, or the Drama Queen, or the Instigator.  That one student who took Class Clown to a whole new level.  That one student who's middle name was "I didn't do it." 
     This is the student that the teachers from a grade level below warned you about at the district breakfast.  This is the student who warranted a visit from your principal prior to the first student day of that new year, with a Head's up about what was coming your way.  This is the student who barely passed, or who attended summer school in order to pass.  This is the kid who was very intelligent, but never applied him/herself.  This is a student who spent more time in the Principal's office than in the classroom.  This may even be a kid who was moved from classroom to classroom, because the teachers just could handle him or her.  Chances are real good...almost 100%...that this is a kid who fell through the cracks.  Chances are 100% that the kid didn't even know he/she was falling!
     Whether they are requested into my classroom, or get their by the luck of the dice (I say this meaning that I am the lucky one, NOT that the kid is lucky to have landed in my classroom), I always have kids who...up to that point...have not had a pleasant academic life.  Upon entering my room the first day, these kids already have their minds made up that it is just another year, just another grade, just another bogus teacher, and just another boring ride.  I guess I have a sixth sense about these things (I am sure many other teachers do to) because I can spot this kid immediately.
     Now, before I continue...this posting isn't as much about how to handle a kid with a rep, as it is about how to UN-teach certain behaviors.  How to show this kid that my classroom aint your run of the mill, traditionally structured learning domain.  How to find that kid...wherever he/she is hiding within themselves, and bring them into the light.
     First, and foremost...the lion must always be present, even just under the surface.  I say this because I believe that no matter what the educator's teaching style is...said educator MUST be the dominant presence in the room.  Not completely overpowering, and not in a negatively intimidating way.  A teacher must be the "Go to guy/gal"...he or she must be the tie that binds.  Meek, weak and wishy-washy just doesn't cut it.
     As the year moves along this kid with a rep has demonstrated behaviors that are familiar to him/her.  Behaviors that have gotten this kid attention, or a trip OUT of the classroom.  Through this same space and time, the lion roars then explains..."You are MY kid now...I believe in you, and I KNOW you are better than that!"  A bit more roaring, and more words about the excellent character traits I have noticed.  A few mornings this kid might find a note on his/her desk...something about how proud I am for something the kid did the day before.  I now have this kid believing that I not only have eyes in the back of my head, but everywhere, and that he or she will get away with nothing.  Soon the kid is laughing with the others while I am joking about Columbus's Stubbornness...and then soon the kid realizes that if anything does go down...it is between he/she and I...not the principal, not the counselor.  A few more notes, and congratulatory words on a job well done regarding a test, or a bit of classwork.  Then...I give the kid something he/she may not have ever had before.  I give the kid trust.  I give him/her a classroom job, or I have him/her run errands for me.  Trust is REAL BIG in my classroom.  It is something earned, and always maintained.  Now their is less roaring.  The kid...who thought he/she had everything figured out...is doing things he/she never did before.
     The above bit of writing makes it sound easy...easy it is not!  It isn't easy to find a kid with a rep.  Sometimes he/she is hidden so well deep inside that it is easier to find a needle in a haystack.  It takes constant work.  Just when you think he or she Has it...the kid slips, the kid makes a mistake.  The thing is that when a kid falls, we need to be their to encourage them to get up!  Encourage isn't strong enough...give the kid no choice and make them get up!  When a kid falls we need to be there, we cannot stand idly by and allow them to fall between the cracks.
     As I stated in past posting...your kids must feel safe, and be happy.  In order to feel safe, we (The kid and I) may sometimes have to tread through dark forests in order to get to the other side.  It might be ugly in the beginning, there may be a bunch of roaring and the gnashing of teeth.  There is a difference, and this may be a bit deep, but...there is a difference between roaring at a kid, and roaring for a kid.  This kid is used to being roared at...he/she expects it.  When you roar for him/her...it reaches that part of every kid who desperately needs for someone to say "No!"  Look back on your own childhood with your parents at a time when you got roared at...or...at a memory of that favorite teacher you had who may have roared at you for doing something you shouldn't have.  You intuited then, and know now that they did it because they loved, and cared for you.  My parents roared when I needed it.  My two favorite teachers (Yes, I only had two teachers who found their way into my heart) roared also, and it made all the difference.  Falling between the cracks is for dust, and dropped pennies, not for kids.  These "handfuls" (And I know some kids can be BIG handfuls) need more than your best, most composed and brilliant students need.  They need to know they matter, and that they are just as important to you as your other kids. 
     Like parents, we teachers are not supposed to have favorites, but I will share a secret with you.  I love all my kids, but I have favorites from every year.  A large number of those favorites are made up of kids who entered my classroom with reps.

Parental Involvement

          A teacher has about thirty kids, and each of those kids have Parents.  Some have A parent, while others have an appointed guardian.  No matter the situation, your students have extensions beyond the walls of your classroom.  Most of the time you will never see, or hear from these guardians outside the reaches of your kingdom.  Nevertheless you must always know that they are there, and show respect every chance you can.
     Parents are very important in many ways.  They are  reservoirs of information about your kids.  They are a support system, should you need one.  They contribute goodies for parties, and chaperon filed trips.  They are a phone call a way if there is a problem.  And rarely, sometimes...now and again they can also be a royal pain in the Noompah!  That is, if you let them.
     First, if you are a parent then you know how strong your bond is with your own kid.  Most of your students have the same kind of relationship with their parents.  Second, you must also realize that for some of your kids...YOU are more of a parent to them then what/who awaits them when they get off the bus at the end of a school day.  Third...don't take crap from anybody!
     Like with your students, you must be confident in your position.  Most parents like to know that the person their children are spending nine months out of the year with is confident and competent.  Your chance to show this best is "Open House" night.  This may be the one and only time for you to connect with the parents of your students.  At this event it is vital that you are open, honest, and sincere.  If you love teaching, this will come easy.
     At Open House, once I have gone over the rules, expectations, and the daily goings-on in my classroom...I give my philosophies about teaching, and classroom management to my parents in large, heaping tablespoons.  I let them know that we pound away at a subject until everyone knows it.  I don't test until I know my kids have achieved concept attainment.  I don't put every grade into my grade book, because I don't count practice as achievement.  When there is a problem, it gets handled here in my classroom.  I don't delegate problems outside the classroom, meaning...I don't send my kids to the principal, or counselor.  My belief is that a teacher is supposed to handle whatever happens (Unless it is a major infraction..fist fighting, weapons brought to school, etc.) in the classroom.  In almost 11 years I have only ever written two referrals.  If there is a problem outside the classroom, I handle it wherever it takes place.  I don't do the Speak quietly so as not to embaress little Johnny, thing.  If a kid is going to be silly or disrespectful then this kid is gonna know how I feel about it...whoever is within a hundred foot radius will know about it also.  I also tell my parents that I expect no more from my students than I do from my own son.
     A few years ago...after going through my schpeel at Open House, a father raised his hand and said..."Don't you think that it is a bit harsh, you know...confronting a kid in front of others and embaressing him?"  I told him absolutely not.  I added that if a kid had the gumption to do a wrong thing, or act out a bad choice in front of others, than that same kid can deal with the consequences in front of those same people.
 I let this father know that this kind of thing doesn't happen everyday.  Most problems are handled between me and the student (s) involved.  I am loud, I am direct...what you see is what you get.  This is as true when we (The class and I) are having fun, when I am teaching a lesson, or when I have to handle a problem.
     I also let my parents know that, with the exception of my newsletters...they won't be hearing a lot from me.  I don't believe in calling a parent if one of my students fidgets, or blurts out.  I don't call a parent if a kid does not turn in homework.  I don't call a parent if my student disrupted my class.  I don't call the parents because it is part of my vocation to handle/manage this kind of thing.  I don't call parents because I teach kids...10 & 11 year old kids!  These kinds of behaviors in most 5th grade kids are age appropriate.  I have to throw this in...I heard a teacher state that her kids were really chatty this one day, and she was just sick of it.  Um, hello...fifth grade?  It's not the kids fault if they are or remain chatty.
     I get a number of students every year who, in the fourth grade, spent more time in the principal's office than in the classroom.  The parents of these students usually smile or roll their eyes when I say (At Open House) that I don't call home unless there is a REAL problem.  I usually hear from them months later (Sometimes not until the end of the year) and they are amazed!  For these parents it was the first year without endless phone calls from school, or caustic notes home from the teacher.
     Students benefit from this also, and it helps build a lasting, trusted relationship.  The kids who usually know how to work their teachers...purposely getting in trouble and going to the office...getting out of class, are the ones who are most surprised when they try this plan of action at the beginning of the year with me.  Once they realize it won't fly...they are deflated.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.  Now the kid has to learn how to take responsibility for what he/she has done.  I can now show them how to do this, and also show them how they can fix it. 
     Something else that is very important.  If you are a parent, then you know how hard it is to hear when someone has anything negative to say about your child.  We parents who know our children, if we are honest, can choke down this negative information if we know it is right.  As teachers we must be careful, and thoughtful when speaking to parents about their kids.  I have nothing negative to say about any of my students.  I never have.  I have made a few calls home over the years to inform a parent about something or other...but I have never said...or HAD to say..."Your child is a discipline problem"   "Your child is missing work because they get distracted easily"  "Your child is in danger of failing"    My belief is this...if a child is a discipline problem, it is the teachers fault.  If a child is missing work...also the teacher!  If a child is distracted...maybe the lessons are boring!      
       Last thing...some parents can be real pips (Only like 1%).  You never hear from them when their child is doing outstanding things, but if there child gets in trouble, then they are on the phone.  Love these kinds of parents, cause I nip it in the bud right away.  Basically...don't take any crap!  It is your classroom, not theirs.   I usually state...it is my way or the highway...you can like it or lump it, and there are plenty of other classrooms out there. 
       After reading this over before I publish it...it reads as if I am a real pompass person, tooting my own horn.  I promise you that I am not.  Just giving my point of view.  The above bit is a snapshot...the daily intricacies  related to parents/discipline inside a classroom are way too numerous to write about fully here.  It is simply part of the way I teach...the way I have always taught.   If you love your kids...love their parents too!  If you love your kids, sometimes you also have to stand your ground.

Addendum to "Managing a Classroom"

     My last post regarding managing a classroom needed just a little something more.  Classroom management is unique to the teacher.  One can go, and observe how others do it...pick and choose techniques, try to emulate another's style.  In the end..a teacher's style, and management abilities are unique to that teacher.  Granted...there are some out there who need to get a clue, and realize that they need to tweak a few things in this area.  You can recognize these educators.  They are the ones who usually complain about there class, and blame their student's behaviors on the kids themselves.  Boy, are they missing out!
     (Love analogies) Everyone has a grandmother, or a mother who makes the best lasagna, or turkey stuffing, but no matter who takes her recipe and tries to duplicate it, no matter how careful one is following the recipe...the end result is always a bit disappointing.  It just isn't the same.  Her touch...her "Way" is missing.
     You can't be me, I can't be you...we simply have to be ourselves.  We all have strength in reserve that can be tapped into.  Tap yours...everyday as an educator.  There will be some transference from you to your kids.  Your kids will gain strength from you!

The Almighty Gradebook!

     In the old days a teacher's grade book was a three dimensional, multi paged ledger that kept track of student grades in all subject areas.  These books were sacred, and kept close to the teacher at all times.  Only the teacher him/herself could peruse through the pages therein.  This has fallen away to computerized grade book programs used by most districts nowadays.  The teacher sees the grades, the administrators, and even the parents can go online from their home, and see what grades their children have whenever they want.  I use our districts online grade book...I have too...but I still have my handy-dandy, tried-n-true "House of Doolittle" class record book, where I hand record all grades in their own little respective boxes.
     No matter if a grade book is on your desk, or online, it is a very important set of documents (I am sure we can all agree on this).  It shows how your kids are doing, how well they are doing, how poorly they are doing, whether or not your class is progressing, or not...yada, yada, yada.
     My point here is that a grade book should have recorded in it the achievements of your students.  Each grade should show mastery by your students.  Each grade should be an accomplishment of academic awesomeness!  Sounds like a lot of who-ha, doesn't it?  To the teachers who record every grade...let me explain.
     Just because we have a grade book...a record of letter or numeric indicators that show how a kid is doing...doesn't mean that we have to record every grade in it! 
     Think of this...A kid plays baseball.  He or she practices, and practices.  During practices the kid has to learn the game, and all of the rules that apply.  This is the time that mistakes should be made!  A kid shouldn't have to pay for practicing.  Think about theater!  An actor isn't judged or assessed on his/her performance during rehearsals...only on opening night when all of the lines are learned! 
     My system is this way!  I don't make a kid pay for NOT understanding a concept when we begin practicing.  Through both formal and informal assessment you see...early on in a theme, or unit...that some kids get it, while most don't.  We go at it again, more practicing, more assessing, group work, collaborative pairing.  Soon you know (And you will know when your kids "Got It!"), and then the kids have their "Opening night" or "Opening day!" 
     NOT ALL GRADES SHOULD GO INTO YOUR GRADE BOOK!  All grades don't have to go into your grade book!  Get your kids proficient, guide them to mastery...then fill those tiny boxes with what your kids have truly earned.
     Oh yeah...the concept of giving a kid a zero?  This has always been perplexing to me.  In nearly 11 years as an educator I have never given a kid a zero!  Never!  It is inconceivable to me.  I have had students (Every year, in fact) who try to not hand in an assignment, or finish their classwork.  They figure it out very quickly...there are no negotiations here.  But, another time about this, another post!

Going in LIke a Lion!

     When I first started teaching I heard two sayings that have stuck with me all these years.  They remain with me NOT because they are true...there is no truth in them.  They stay with me because I found the truth in spite of them.
     A veteran teacher once told me..."Go in like a lion, and out like a lamb."  It is an easy enough idiom to understand; begin the year as a hard-ass (So the kids know who is boss), an end it angelically (Then the kids love the boss).  This, I'm sure, is great in a fairy kingdom somewhere far-far away.  This is not to say that I believe a school year can't end in a magical way, because all of mine have.  It is just not 100% realistic.  It is actually 50% realistic.
     The first part..."Go in like a lion" (So the kids know who is boss) this is good.  I am a lion.  I was born in mid-August, I enjoy meat, and if I could I'd spend 23 hours a day sleeping or lounging I would.  I also...on occasion...have been known to roar.  The kids must see that you are confident in your domain (Like a lion), especially the first day.  The classroom is your territory!  Regally demonstrate confidence in your voice, your attitude, your demeanor...even in your walk.  This pretty crucial!  Ask any teacher...a ten year old can spot a pushover a mile away.
     Now...the un-truth part is the "Going out like a lamb" business.  You must remain a lion!  Have fun, cut jokes, belly-laugh with the kids, but remember when a lion needs to he/she can ROAR!  Buy the time the first few weeks are over, your kids will become your very own cubs (Now the kids love the boss).  Think of all the footage you may have seen of lions with their cubs...they look happy to me.
     Finally...the second saying.  I guess this was more of a statement than a saying.  A sage-like college professor said to me just before I graduated, and would venture forth into my teaching career..."Never get close to your students.  Always keep them at a distance."  I am not going to spend any time regaling you on how I feel about this ludicrous statement.  Suffice it to say...when you spend nine months, seven and a half hours a day, five days a week with your students...you will love them, you will protect them, you will cherish them.  By the way...the sage-like college professor I quoted earlier is on my list of The Most Idiotic People I Have Ever Met!
   

Creating a Classroom Atmosphere

     Creating a positive classroom atmosphere vital for every teacher, but this doesn't happen overnight.  Let me clarify "Positive classroom atmosphere."  When your students feel safe, know the rules, know what you (The teacher) will accept and what you will not tolerate, know what the daily expectations are regarding everything from sharpening pencils to subject transition, and...just like Newton's 3rd law...your students know that for every action there is an equal, or opposite reaction. 
     Once all of these things are in place, you will have a classroom atmosphere, and environment tailor made for learning.  Don't expect everything to happen at once.  It will take a few weeks.  This makes sense, doesn't it?  It takes a bit of time for you to know your kids, and for your kids to know you.  This is key!  You must KNOW your kids.  Not collectively, not just as a class, but individually.  Of course it is easier for our kids to know us...they each only have one person to digest...just make sure that the teacher they are getting to know is real.  What I mean by that is...say what you mean, and mean what you say. 
     Be consistent, be stern when warranted, but most importantly be open and fun.  It takes more effort on our part to be strictly academic or "All business" when it comes to lessons.  Infusing lessons with fun and creativity is so much easier!  You know the saying..."It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile?"  The same philosophy applies here.
     Of course, like our students are individuals so are teachers.  All teachers can have fun, but NOT all teacher are fun?  Some teachers have a wealth of "Fun" to tap into, while others...let's just say their account is overdrawn!
      Lastly for this entry...when you are onstage (In front of your kids) let them all know that YOU know how boring some subjects can be.  Validate how they feel...all of us felt the way our kids feel at one time!  Once you have validated your kids...show them (Don't just tell them) that "Boring" is not in your vocabulary!

My Point of View

     This blog business is new to me, so I humbly ask that you...the reader...be as patient as you can with me.  Just before beginning this process I thought long and hard about what content I should delve into.  I knew that it would be education oriented, but that area is so broad!
     Nothing national or newsworthy (Way much of that already).  No opinions about the state of affairs in which education finds itself.  Just me, my classroom, my experience, my views on all that I have learned and UN-learned as a teacher.
     I have a strong feeling that many educators will be able to identify with the dreary, hopefully not too repetitive words I have here.  The ups, and the downs of what a classroom is all about, or what I believe a classroom should be about.
     One of the very first things I learned after my first year as an educator was this...with the exception of the vast knowledge I had gained in my classes...nearly everything I learned in college about being a teacher went right out the window!  I had 30 fifth graders.  I figured out very quickly, early on that year, that in order for me to get my kids to move mountains, I had to give them reasons to want to.