Academics is the TOP goal in the Classroom. Really?

     Many years ago, just before I entered my first classroom, my goal as an educator was that of any novice teacher; I wanted to fill young minds with knowledge.  By the end of that first year, the goal I had set went right out of the window!  Well, not really out the window.  I just packed it away in a safe place.

     Filling young minds with knowledge sounds great, and is the expectation of what we do of layman out in the world.  But, this goal is unachievable on its own.  This is not to say that an educator won’t ever fill young minds with knowledge, rather…it simply can’t be an attainable goal right from the start.  This knowledge acquisition can only be attained by students after much groundwork, legwork, blood, sweat, and tears!  By October of my first year teaching I knew that in order for me to teach pedagogically, I had to first Unteach, engage, entertain, reconstruct, and inspire.  Once all of this has been done (That first year), I unpacked my original goal.

     UN-teaching begins the first moment of the first day of school.  A handful of our kids enter our classrooms (Every year) very knowledgeable about how to work the system.  The attention seekers, the bullies, the blurters, the note-passers, the chatterers, the I-will-get-sent-to-ISS-and-get-out-of-classers, etc.  The behaviors these kids exhibit are learned, so they can be Unlearned.  Shed light on the ugly, and shore-up the weak.  Stand your ground, and draw the proverbial line in the sand.  I could give much advice on how to handle this UN-teaching business, but it would all be MY way.  You must find your own way.  I do give some helpful hints in past posts if you are inclined to read them.  Just remember, all of us have a core.  The behaviors these kids exhibit surround who they truly are…their core.  Never stop, never give in…find the core of your kids!  Peel away the layers your kids have wrapped themselves up in!  Until you do this, nothing else can happen.  Nothing!

     Engage your kids.  Talk TO them, and not at them.  Ask their opinion on things.  Get them talking about something interesting to them.  Allow them to teach you something?  Validate that Math, or Social Studies, or Writing can be boring, and then show them how it’s not!  Be proud-as-hell for every accomplishment they make.  If they fall, encourage them to rise, then rise further!  Gear your lessons towards your kids…we are creative, intelligent beings…we can make anything interesting!

     If you have been teaching for a while then you know that deep inside you is a frustrated actor or a clown waiting for a chance in the big ring!  You must be unafraid to make a fool of yourself.  You must be prepared to laugh with your kids, and at yourself, but never AT them.  Make‘em laugh, make‘em laugh, make‘em laugh!  A happy kid will move mountains, and you will always have a captive audience if your kids know that when you are onstage…anything could happen!  This aspect, when used in the right amount of doses at the right times, will not only captivate your kids it will energize them.  Engagement goes hand-in-hand here!

     Many of our kids enter our classrooms broken.  Some have been abused, or bullied.  Others come from families at a poverty level so low that food of any kind is a luxury.  A few struggle and hate Reading, or Math, or getting up early because they were allowed to stay up till 3am playing video games.  Some will have one or both parents in jail.  Each kid you have has a story; some will have stories that will break your heart.  We can never take the place of a parent, but we still must parent nonetheless.  We must carry these kids, and work hard to establish trust.  Most of these broken kids have learned to trust no one.  We must make every effort to show WE can be trusted, and that our classroom is a safe place.  Never think that by just telling a broken kid to trust you, or that your classroom is safe will solve the issue.  Telling only works where time is concerned.  Listen, watch, listen a bit more.  It may not be possible to completely fix a broken kid, but you can plant a seed.  Perhaps, when June comes around, that seed you planted will grow, and allow your kid to see some light at the end of the tunnel; that maybe there is some good in the world.  Your efforts could cause a bit of reconstruction inside this kid!  YOU could be the one to make a difference.  THIS IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL!

     Finally, you must inspire your kids.  You must strive…everyday…to make your kids see that there is so much more inside them than what they came in with.  A happy kid WILL move mountains, but an inspired kid will build empires!  Give your kids a reason to want to push the barriers, and move outside of their comfort zones.  Travel with them every step of the way.  Take the kid that hates division, and show him that he hates it because of remembering the many steps it involves.  YOU work with him, have a classmate work with him.  Let him take the time he needs to get it.  Once he does…applaud, then share the wealth.  Have HIM help another student to learn it.  Now he is the teacher!  Get inside your kids, find them!  I promise you…each kid (At his core) is a shining beacon of awesomeness!

     Lastly, every year…at some point…I take out my original goal, dust it off, and put it into action.  Once I have laid the ground-work, done all of the leg-work, shed some blood, sweated profusely, and squeezed out a few tears…I know that I will have a class that will absorb, and apply all that I have to teach them.  Then, once June rolls around I pack it away again, and so it goes…year after year.  Oh yeah...and the prayer that I have made some kind of a difference comes into play. 

     I remember about ten years ago a parent asked me,

     “What is your goal in your classroom?  Wait, I know…teaching Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.”

     I told her, yes…I teach all of those things, but if I had a list of the top-ten goals in my class…academics would be number ten.

     The look on her face cracked me up!

Help Kids Do the Impossible...Make Good Choices!

     There once was a young boy who had within him the rumble-tumbleness of a honey badger.  He was headstrong.  He was willful.  One morning he decided to go fishing.  He gathered up his pole, his bait, and his tackle-box and headed for the pier.
     Upon arriving at the pier the young boy baited his hook, and cast his line.  He felt the tug of the current, but not so much as a nibble from a single fish.  He reeled in, and recast.  Over and over he cast his line into the deep blue sea, but to no avail...his hook remained baited, but fishless.
     After a time, the young boy lost patience; as rumble-tumble boys are prone to do.  He decided to cast one more line.  He double baited his hook then thrust his pole forward with all of his might!  The hook, with its double weight, traveled a great distance over the deep, finally splashing and sinking slowly down into the brine.  After a few moments the young boy began reeling in, when he felt something tug at his line.  He froze in anticipation!  Another tug, far greater than the first.  Then a second!  The third tug nearly pulled him from the pier!  It was all the young boy could do to hold onto his pole!
     His excitement swelled, for he knew that he had hooked something big!  Holding fast to his pole, muscles straining, he looked out across the sea and saw what his hook had captured.  Rising from the deep breached a leviathan!  The whale thrashed and fluked...slapping the surface of the sea with such force it shook the pier beneath the boys feet!
     The boy's excitement was replaced with fear!  He knew that if he kept hold of his pole he would be pulled out to sea to his death.  He also knew that if he let go, his catch would swim away, and without proof no one would ever believe his fish story.  Perplexed, the young boy held strong!
     Suddenly, a stranger appeared.  The young boy pleaded with the stranger for help!  Without a word the stranger took out a knife and cut the line.

     I think of this story often.  The message of it defines what I strive to do in my classroom. 
     As educators we have to know when to cut the string!  There are times (Everyday) when I have to make a decision that has nothing to do with me, yet everything to do with my kids. 
     No matter the age, all kids will find themselves at a crossroads at some point and for some...making the right decision is a seemingly impossible task.  Never miss an opportunity to step in, to interfere, to impose, to question, or to act if one of your kids is about to be pulled out to sea! 
     Most kids who seem to always make bad choices always have an inner-agenda, much like the young boy in the story above.  These kids (Secretly) do not want to be hurt, or seen as a punk.  So, step in...help him or her make a choice that never occurred to them.

Honesty is a GOOD Policy!

     Consider for a moment the idiom Honesty is the Best Policy!  There was a time that I used this over-stated and conditional saying often in my classroom.  Years ago, after stating the aforementioned  expression for the 10,000^th time, I took a few moments to really analyze what I stood behind, and defended for years…the notion that honesty is the best policy.  The verb IS, and the adjective BEST denote that honesty should always be employed, that it is at the highest position possible, and above and beyond all notions to the contrary regarding the best anyone could hope for towards success.  Should honesty…absolute honesty…be the end-all or be-all for what is good and righteous?  Hmmmm…I wonder?  Can one still be good and righteous if one is to the left of honesty, or to the right?

     Honesty: being honest, being trustworthy, being dependable, being reliable, being diligent…all of these things (And much more) fall under the heading of Honesty.  Telling the truth would fall first on this list.  I am sure most of you would agree…at least in our classrooms?   This is where I stumbled upon a conundrum, and how I realized that the scapegoat category known as the White Lie came into being.  I found that I was a purveyor of white lies, and untruths!  This realization stunned me!  I had an apostrophe! (Haha…thought I’d throw a bit of humor in).  I no longer use this particular idiom in its concentrated form while playing vernacular volleyball.  I added a personal addendum to it.  I am now known to say…in this case, honesty is the best policy...depending on the situation.

     In my classroom Honesty is a virtue with which our classroom atmosphere is based…our foundation.  Compassion is the framework that houses us, and perseverance shelters us from the cold indifferent winds of doubt.  My kids can expect me to share my thoughts on any given subject, and to show how I feel every minute of every day.  I hold back nothing, and I do not hesitate to expound on my love for each of them, or on how poorly thought out choices killed the cat!   I encourage my kids to do the same.  If there is a problem it is rarely handled on an individual basis.  We hold a Town Meeting and get to the bottom of it, then discuss options on how to fix it, and then we determine consequences to follow as the result of it.  There is no room for lying when it comes to a poor-choice acted out, or harsh words spoken…we are the collective light of truth that shines directly on anyone who decides to go down that road.  For many kids, lying is their go-to reaction.  My kind of Get-to-the-Bottom-of-it tactic is not an easy lesson to learn.  However, once the kid (s) learns that fessing up has its rewards, taking the consequence is an easier pill to swallow.  The reward for honesty, in this regard, builds upon a kid’s self-esteem and strengthens their character.  The kids still hate taking the consequence, but their integrity is intact!

     Ok…back to my conundrum.  If absolute power corrupts absolutely, so does absolute truth!  I remember going-on one day during a discussion on a particular story we read in class.  The discussions lead us to the topic of bad choices resulting in incarceration.  I stated my honest viewpoint on the matter…making a mistake can happen to all of us, but making the same mistake again is a choice.  Those who choose poorly and wind up in jail do not possess the strength to do what is right, and they lack the intelligence to know better! (Harsh, yes…there have more than a few times I wished I could have pulled the tongue right out of my mouth!).  Shortly after, the kids were working on an assignment when one raised his hand.  I called him over.  He told me…eyes down…that his father was in jail, and that he wasn’t stupid.  It was obvious that my student was hurt by my words.  I knew the story of this young man, and I also knew that his father had been in jail off and on my student’s entire childhood.  I wanted to tell him that his father was a self-centered idiot that would probably, one day, die in jail.  That his father was a chronic criminal, a repeat offender that lacked remorse and had no compassion for anyone but himself!  This is what I wanted to say.  Instead, I looked into his teary eyes and said…there are exceptions to every rule!  I am sure that deep down your dad is a good man.  I lied!  How could I tell the truth to this kid who idolized his father?  The kid loved him, and had a child’s hope that one day they would be together!  Honesty would have done more harm than good at this point and time.  Not to mention, I was not in the position to pass judgment on this ten year old’s father, even though what I knew to be true came true.  If I believed that telling my student the truth in this matter would have helped him…no matter how hurtful…I would have risked it.  Again, he was ten!  Time and experience is what he needed to learn this truth, not some white-bearded, mean hearted teacher!

     Throughout my career I have made good use of the white lie; my truth filter.  I cannot knowingly and purposefully hurt someone by stating an absolute truth when there are other recourses.  Instead of…your breath smells like a sick dog’s ass!  I might give the kid a mint, or quietly bring up the topic of oral hygiene.   One year I reamed a kid out for calling a classmate stupid.  His response to me was…But Mr. Mac, what if he IS stupid?  I made him apologize, and talked to him about being more responsible with what he says, and encouraged him to help or tutor the other student.  Secretly I could understand where this kid was coming from.  Most ten year olds do not use the same vocabulary we adults do.  The outspoken student stated what he saw as truth, albeit, in a harsh way.  He had no filter mechanism.  The other student did lag in more than a few subjects, and in the eye of Mr. Outspoken…he was stupid.  Filtering 101 must be part of every classroom at every level! 

     Is it right to state that someone is fat, or ugly, or stupid?  Does stating instead…you are at an unhealthy weight, your look is interesting, or you are academically challenged…make the truth any easier to take?  The people in our lives who make it their policy to state the absolute truth are seen as the assholes, the bigmouths, the blowhards!  These people take great pleasure in the downfall of others.  They spew their caustic rants, and absolute truths to knock down someone in order for them to rise up.  Their statements are not said to help, only to hurt.  If a painful truth must be revealed, it must be done with the intention of helping someone who needs it.  A painful truth revealed should not make the revealer happy!  It takes monumental courage to tell someone a painful truth; because the revealer may be risking everything they hold dear.

     Dearest Teachers…be honest in who you are.  Be honest with what you stand for.  Reveal all to your kids about yourself (Within reason and appropriateness), and never be afraid to admit defeat, or that you made a mistake.  Don’t call a kid an idiot if they did something idiotic!  Be angry, or disappointed in the choice, not the kid.  Like our own children, we won’t stop loving them because they made a mistake.  Scream, pound, and rage if you must…just always make sure that your kids know that after the storm YOU will be there for them.  Giving up on a kid is way too easy.  We educators are made from stronger stock than that.

     My favorite idiom…They won’t remember what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel…says it all, and it goes both ways.  Be honest, and forever trustworthy just not at the expense of a child’s heart or soul.  If you must be brutally honest, do so without any thoughts of yourself and tread lightly.  Honesty is a GOOD policy!

     Years ago, at the beginning of a new school year, I saw the parent (Who also happened to be a teacher) of a student I had two years previous.  Her younger son was to enter fifth grade this particular year.  She was talking with a few other teachers and called me over as I was walking by.  She wanted me to know that her younger son was enrolled in another class, and that he wouldn’t have me as his brother did. 

     My older son needed you, but my younger son needs a real teacher.

     At first what she said didn’t hit me, though by the wide-eyed reactions of the others standing around I guess it should have hit me right in the face.  Point is, that statement wasn’t needed.  If this educator could say this to me, imagine what she has said to her kids!  The hurt from this statement did not linger long.  I considered the source and let it go.

     Lastly, Dearest Educators…straying to the left or right of honesty does not make us fakes, or phonies.  It allows us to be teachers.  Teachable moments happen often, and the best moments…the most memorable ones…happen outside the realm of curriculum!  Keep your minds sharp, not your tongues.

"Plant Your Feet and See What Grows"

 

 

 

    

    

     Many years ago, when I was at a crossroads in my life, my father gave me some advice that would ultimately define the man (And the teacher) I am today. 

     His words were not an easy fix.  His words inspired me initially, but if I was going to put forth that inspiration, take action upon it, make it real… it could take time and great sacrifice.  I remember thinking “How much time?  What will I be sacrificing, and why should I have to give up anything?” 

     The younger version of me wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it!  Once my mind was made up I went for it…no holes barred!  To accelerate a plan of action was my credo; it’s what I did, and I did it well!  The notion of doing something that needed time to germinate never occurred to me.  The idea of giving up anything I already had for a greater good also did not make sense to my young mind.  Couldn’t I just do, and still keep what was mine?

     What motivated me to act upon my Father’s advice was the end result he assured would come.  He told me that if I had the courage to follow through, I would always know who I was, what I stood for, and that I would be able to lay my head down and sleep soundly every night.  If I stayed the course, the crossroads in my life would be at my back.

     Dear Readers, before I continue I want you to think back to the teleplay of 12 Angry Men, written by Reginald Rose.  The character of Juror #8 (Played by Henry Fonda) is who I want you to remember.  From the beginning he stood his ground voting Not Guilty to everyone else’s Guilty verdict.  He then spent the rest of the play being yelled at, looked down upon, accused of being a bleeding heart, and scoffed at.  Juror #8 became the most unpopular person in the jury room, until the end.  Because Juror #8 planted his feet, stood his ground, and persevered, the accused would receive a Not Guilty verdict. He examined then Reexamined the evidence, and he could not in good conscience go along with the throng as long as he had a reasonable doubt.   Juror #8 knew who he was.  Juror #8 knew what he stood for.  I am also sure that Juror#8 slept well the fictitious night that followed his time in that hot, fictitious jury room.

     The reason I wanted you to think back upon Rose’s teleplay (I hope that you have seen this play, if not I highly recommend it!) is because we…good teachers…are all Juror #8!  Granted this is a personal analogy, but I think it has credence for us all? 

     My attempt here is to relate my perspective on the issue of being a good teacher, and though I know there are multitudes of good teachers out there who will be able to relate to this bit of writing, I also know that there are a few who may take offense.  To the few…those who see numbers instead of names, those who place more importance on scores than on individual achievement, those who never deviate from the straight and narrow path, and those who place more importance on grades than on students…I apologize if this post causes you distress.  Then again, it could be that my apology isn’t really meant for teachers, but for the odd administrator, various DOE officials, and the parents who are reliving their lives through their children?  Something for me to ponder, I guess?

     I have always placed my students first.  For this reason and this reason alone I AM Juror #8!  My students’ experience with me, their self-worth, their fears, their attitudes, their past, their present, and their future…all of this is worth more to me than anything else.  I have always kept, at the forefront of my mind, the fact that my students…my kids…each have a path to follow, and their own mountain to climb.  I make it a priority to spend every day helping the fallen rise, the back-steppers to leap forward, and the climbers to find a sure footing.  This is all done between the lines of instruction and testing.

     I make it a priority to take advantage of every Teachable Moment, and I find that some of my best lessons have nothing to do with curriculum.   I have never failed a student, because success is the original Fifty Shades of Gray!  I spend more than a few minutes, everyday, talking to my kids…finding out what is on their mind, and I never make a classroom decision without consulting them first.  How can my kids take ownership of their classroom if they are left out of the loop?  When we are bored, we stop and do something out-of-the-ordinary!  We play a song; we dance to some classroom friendly hip-hop!  Once our batteries are charged, we get back to it!  There are student friendly incentives for awesomeness, and carefully constructed consequences for poorly thought out choices.  In my classroom we are all held accountable for our successes and our downfalls.  For most of my actions spelled out above, I am considered the odd-duck.  To play a song in a classroom where 27 students are dancing their butts off…absurd!  Taking 15 minutes from instruction time to have a Town Meeting (Classroom discussion) about an incident that involved bullying…Just crazy!  That’s me…absurdly crazy! 

     The average kid spends about 13 years in school, 17 years with college attached!  These School Years are developmentally important!  Milestones are laid at every turn on a student’s path during these years, and who a student becomes after, weighs in at the balance.  I knew this LONG before I ever considered teaching!   Don’t we all know this?  I can say that the reason I gained the confidence to accomplish much of what I have in my life is because someone…other than my parents…believed in me!  The many teachers along my own path encouraged me to cultivate the best qualities within me.  I could name quite a few who had a direct impact on my life.  I won’t, but I could!  These few are always with me, and not because one taught me algebra or another taught me how to conjugate a verb!  The reason (s) they stay with me has nothing to do with academics, and everything to do with their belief in me, their compassion, and their willingness to dedicate themselves to me.  Think back to your own formative years, and to the teachers that made a difference in your life.  I will bet you a snow-day that your admiration for them has nothing to do with algorithms, nor with metamorphic rocks!

     My goal, as a teacher, has been clear since day one.  I will make every year the best year ever!  I will find the BEST part of all my kids, and spend my short nine-months with them polishing it up!  I will celebrate a “C” and a “2” achieved by a student who never gave up, and never gave in!  I will put the care and welfare of my kids over state testing every minute of every day!  I will prepare my kids for their own successful academic achievement, future grade levels, and life!  I will do what I must do to help my kids achieve all that is achievable for each of them!  Lastly, I will never forget how it felt to be a fifth grade student.

     Reader, what I have written about here is nothing new; it is what we all do every day.  I believe that we all put our students first…above and beyond all things.  I just wanted to share the advice my father gave me so many years ago.  The 12 Angry Men reference was just an added bonus…though it fits!

     There will be times in your life when you will have to plant your feet to see what grows, my Dad said.  You will have to decide whether you will do what is easy, or do what you believe is right.  If you take the easy road then you will shuffle on with the masses, following the same path as everyone else.  But, if you do what you believe is the right thing to do, then you will begin to carve your own path.  It’s hard doing this.  You might even make a few enemies along the way, but if you have the courage to stay the course, and believe in yourself, you will always know who you are, what you stand for, and you will sleep well every night.  Then he posed the question…will you take the easy road, or will you plant your feet and see what grows?

     In my classroom I will always do what I believe is right.  In addition, I will also attend to the business side of my vocation, of course (PLC meetings, grades, pacing, DCAS, paperwork, etc) but never at the expense of my kids.  I don’t mind being Juror #8.  One day the scoffers will see that I, and others like me, have been right since day one!

 

Don't Forget to Have Fun!

     It is upon us...the beginning of a new school year!  We will re-enter our classrooms in a few days (Sans students) and get it ready for the first, official student day!
     This post will be fairly short, as I just have a few quips, quotes, and advice for anyone willing to read/listen!  If you are a new teacher, please pay particular attention.  If you are a veteran...I hope that some of this will recharge your awesome engines!
     Take a moment and think about last year (Or...if you're a newbie...your student teaching experience).  Think about the triumphs, the heartaches, the unforgettable moments, and the moments you wanted to rip your hair out!  Think back about everything!  Once you have done this...close your eyes and imagine a large wooden door, reinforced with iron bands.  Open that door and place all of last year's memorabilia inside.  Close the door and leave it all in there!  Now and again have a peak inside at the cool stuff, but let all the bad lay in darkness and rot.  I say this because whatever happened last year, or the year before, or the year before that has nothing to do with, nor has no real bearing on this year.  The slate has been wiped clean!  Never allow yourself to get trapped in the I wish it was like last year, or the...GOD I hope it is not like last year mode.  You will always end up disappointed, or so intimidated by the thoughts of catastrophe that you'll be downing Pepto Bismal, bottle after bottle, right up through Christmas!  No two years are the same.  My frame of mind is that they are ALL awesome, and with each coming new year I am better equipped to handle whatever comes down the pike.
     If you are a newbie, or an old veteran with the same complaints year after year...listen closely to the following.  Kids talk, kids chat, kids socialize, kids make sounds, kids have to use the bathroom, kids talk, KIDS TALK, KIDS TALK!  There is no such thing as a classroom where the kids are silent during every lesson.  If you have heard that there are, someone lied to you, and probably also believes that fairies exist in forested realms.  Over the years I have heard many teachers say "My God, my class is so chatty!"...or..."I have never had a class that talked so much!"  (Bullcrapolla!)Umm...hello?  They are kids (30 of them) bunched together in a small space! 
     Newbies and Oldies...chatty kids are NOT the end of the world!  If I ever had a class that listened carefully to everything I said without so much as blinking, I would go in search of large pods out behind the school!  Don't get frustrated if you have some talkers.  Contrary to what you may have heard it is normal, and you will have talkers every year throughout your career!  To get the kids focused is the challenge.  Your style, your way will do this.  If you have ten minutes of uninterrupted, non-distracted teaching...you are on the right track.  Refocusing kids is one of the very tip-top parts of our vocation.  Don't be boring...as soon as you see the Zoners, or the Strayers, or the Chatters engaged in this, and NOT focused on you...CHANGE IT UP!  Get them back and move on.
     Go in like a lion and STAY THAT WAY!  Don't be afraid to have high expectations in your classroom.  Be consistent, and make sure you follow your own rules, and measure up to your own expectations.  In our school cell phones are forbidden (The kids can have them they just have to be in their locker).  Every year I am amazed to see so many teachers using their own cell phones in the classroom, or lunchroom in front of the other kids...checking personal email, Facebook, whatever!  This shows the kids do as I say and not as I do!  Anyway...YOU are the alpha from the first day to the last, and your classroom is YOUR HOUSE!  The goal is for your kids to become your cubs, and to eventually take ownership of their classroom.
     ALWAYS be consistent in deeds and actions, and also keep your classroom's geography and placement of objects consistent.  Before the kids arrive, set up your room the way you want.  Set up your stations, put up your posters, establish your libraries and computer areas.  organize a materials kiosk (Pencils, folders, erasers, etc.) and figure out where you will place a daily agenda, a word wall, vocabulary wall spaces for whatever discipline you teach, where you will write your essential questions, even where you will hang a calendar, or fill in the day and date.  Once you have figured out where you will place all of this...KEEP IT THERE!  Your kids will soon learn where to go, and which way to turn their heads or focus their eyes when they need anything!  On a personal note...I always leave a bit of wall space open.  I have a soft spot for artists...this space is for them and their work!
     Don't expect your kids to do everything you ask and not get something in return.  Incentives are AWESOME!  Give more time for recess if half the class scores 90% or higher on a Math test!  Double the recess if everyone does!  I allow my kids to earn circles of free-time throughout the week.  I circle equals 5 minutes of free-time!  I do NOT use, nor have I ever used candy as an incentive.  Anyway, the kids can earn a circle individually, or as a class.  The circles can be earned for adhering to the core values, doing something amazing, helping someone out, doing a chore, being honest, accomplishing something they never did before, etc.  We let the Free-time build up, and use it at the end of the day on Fridays.  Now...what has been given can be taken away.  Believe me the kids WANT to build up their free time, to have it diminished by someone, or the class as a collective hurts.  Always give the kids something to work for or towards.  All of that gobbledygook about a kid's education is the greatest reward of all means NOTHING to a student...no matter what the grade level is.  We know that this is most important...this is why we teach!
     Establish trust by giving the kids opportunities to earn it.  Every year I have one or more kids that spent more time in the Principal's office than the classroom during their fourth grade year.  They enter fifth grade...my classroom...conditioned that this year is going to be the same as all the others.  After the first week, or the first month, these kids realize/believe that this year is a whole new ballgame!  KNOW THIS NEWBIES...you will not only educate your kids, you will also un-educate them!  Behaviors are learned...they can be UN-learned.  Be patient, be strong when you need to be, and love always!
     Lastly, please have fun with your kids!  Kids LOVE having fun.  Fun doesn't have to interfere with instructional time, especially when you are instructing in a fun way!  Be crazy, be a clown!  Consider Shakespeare's All the world is a stage!  Your classroom is your world...make every lesson a performance!  A happy kid will move mountains!  Will a bit of rain fall?  YUP!  Will thunderstorms rage? YUP and YUP!  This is life too, right?  Soon the sun will shine again...it always does.  Take four minutes and rock out to a song...have the kids do the Harlem Shake on a boring Monday!  Be a kid yourself for five minutes!  There is more than enough time to establish yourself as the leader of the pack.  So, everyday...every now and again during each day...be a kid.  Think like a kid and have some freakin' fun!
     I wish all of you an excellent year.  I have a strong feeling it is going to be amazing!
    

Don't Worry - Be Happy!

    In a few days I will return to my classroom/school, sit through a myriad of inservice programs, faculty meetings, team meetings, and will wring out as much work as I can from the few collective hours I am given to get my classroom ready for the new school year. 
     I worked most of the summer, but I have enjoyed the last three weeks off, and I will savor the next 4 or so days left of my real vacation.
     Many years ago I discovered that I was part of a minority of educators that actually looked forward to the new school year.  I am excited to meet my kids, and begin another walk down the path.  Where that path will begin is not yet determined.  There is always a starting point on the path, but until I am with my kids the where to begin factor is unknown.  One thing I am sure of...the destination of the path.  Forward, ever forward.
     I sympathize with the educators (Veteran and novice alike) who absolutely hate this time of year!  They moan and groan about going back.  Some get depressed, some even get enraged!  I genuinely feel sorry for any educator that feels this way, and I mean that most sincerely!  I am totally empathetic...I get it...I understand.
     I certainly have not had the opportunity to speak with every teacher in the USA, nor have I spoken with every teacher in my state regarding the matter of hatred linked to the beginning of a school year.  I have not conducted any surveys, nor gathered any data.  BUT...I have been listening for years to a great many fine educators remark, talk about, or expound on this very subject.  I have come to a conclusion, or two about it!
     Before I begin conclusioning I must state that as a young-novice teacher (Many years ago), I could NOT understand how any educator could possibly hate teaching!  I LOVED teaching and was excited about the new school year!  These haters seemed to despise teaching!  I came to that conclusion after hearing the complaints during the first week of school, from so many, about how short the summer was, or from statements like..."Damn, here we go again!"  I attributed this to a hatred of teaching!
     I must also state, that for a short time, I was a bit confused, because I saw amazing teachers doing astounding things in their classrooms.  The same teachers who ranted bitterly at the beginning of the year!  How could people who were so outraged, or seemingly bogged-down do their jobs with such energetic pedagogical ferocity, and yield such outstanding results with their students?  This confusion didn't last long...it became obvious soon enough.  The teachers didn't hate teaching, nor did they hate their students.  They loved teaching, and they loved their kids every bit as much as I did!  It was never about teaching.  It was never about students.  It was never about grading papers, or administering tests, or assigning homework.  It was about what our schools, school systems, and the entire educational environment has become.
     Since the institution of NCLB (And now RTTT) the moral of educators has plummeted right into the crapper!  Bit by bit the fibers of what an educator stood for began to unravel, and the NCLB magnifying glass that hovered over every teacher's head evolved into a veritable electron microscope!  Teachers, administrators and schools districts have been publicly spanked in front of the entire nation for over a decade now for never measuring up, and for never performing well enough.  The tide has changed...it seems that our schools have become acronymed test machines, cranking out a product in the form of scores that never measure up to the over-inflated, unrealistic expectations of bureaucrats that have as much teaching experience as a tick does in building a dam! 
     Our noble profession has been tainted by the mistakes and misdeeds of the powers that were, the powers that be, and (I'm sure) the powers that WILL be.  An educator's word in today's world means next to nothing.  That is probably the saddest statement I have ever written...no wonder so many great educators hate the beginning of a new school year!  Our word (A teacher's authentic, empirical knowledge coupled with the genuine truth of what goes on in our classrooms and schools) used to mean something.  Gradebooks held the promise of promotion, or the fear of failure.  Those grades recorded online or in an actual gradebook...grades the kids worked everyday for now take a seat behind! What has first seat? The numbers 3 or 4. 
     All of the students who were in elementary school when NCLB began are now in college or beyond!  Other than fond memories of classroom antics, I will bet you that the most ill remembered memory was the DSTP, or with some the DCAS.  Within that time the stature of a teacher began to chip away.  It didn't matter if a kid had diarrhea on test day, or his dog died...we were the culprits for him/her scoring lower on the test than what was expected.  Districts reaching 100% proficiency goals set by DOE, and the fear of teachers being fired for yielding lower than expected scores...for not meeting the mark!  It has become less about educating our kids and for them achieving mastery in a subject, and more about status, and scores.  DSTP that became DCAS (That will become something new entirely soon) became almost like a national holiday.  Prizes given out, awards and special parties for those who meet or exceed the standard.  Like a big block party hosted by a bunch of invisible, elsewhere idiots who have turned nine months of education into nine months prep for a week's worth of testing!  Then, when an educator celebrates by playing "Party Rock Anthem" in the classroom for his kids because they aced the Math test, or the Science test...that teacher is looked down upon because he has taken four minutes of instructional time for fun and frolicking!  Give me a freaking break!!!
     Daily classroom schedules have been progressively packed full with curriculum mandates, and learning programs that are geared to the test...hell, everything is now geared to the test!  No wonder great educators hate the beginning of the school year!!
     Well, all of the above is dark...it is all true, but dark.  If by any chance a newbie is reading this...please don't be discouraged.  I still look forward to this new year beginning.  I always look forward to it beginning, even with all of the business written above this paragraph.  I refuse to allow the drudgery of the business ruin my buzz!  I will tell you why below...please read on!
     I have stated before in past posts that I am a self-contained, fifth grade teacher.  In case you are not sure what that is...I keep my kids all day, and teach all subjects.  I am not Special Ed. Certified, so my class is Regular Ed....I usually have between 27 and 30 students.  Anyway...I am at an advantage to other fifth, sixth, middle and high school classrooms because I have the luxury of time!   BUT...no matter what your level is...the same philosophies will work.  Just modify or tweak at your discretion.  There are also a number of other past posts where I have...longwindedly...gone on about my classroom style, and classroom management procedures.  Have a look through them if you like!

*  When I close my classroom door...it is MY classroom and soon will become my STUDENTS classroom.  That space does NOT belong to anyone else...including parents!

*  Have fun with your kids, and validate them regarding subjects they find boring...like Math!  I don't mind telling them that I hated Math too when I was their age.

*  On a Monday, or some other day...when it is particularly boring...just STOP!  Go to your computer type in www.grooveshark.com...pick a song that is current, and have the kids get up and dance the doldrums out.  It only takes about 4 minutes.

*  Explain everything to parents at Open House, especially disciplinary procedures and the rules of your classroom.  My credo in MY classroom to parents is It is MY way or the HIGHWAY...Like it or lump it...if you don't like it transfer papers are in the office!  (You will find that you won't have to be this direct with 99% of your parents...where that 1% is concerned remember YOU are the alpha in that room, and it is YOUR house, not theirs!)

*   Never miss a teachable moment related to behavior, friendship, lying, etc.

*  Establish trust, and now and again trust a kid who has never been trustworthy.  If it doesn't work, pull it back, but you may find that some reputed untrustworthy kids blossom when shown a bit of trust. 

*  Talk to your kids, not at them!

*  I never argue with a kid.  Some try in the beginning, but realize real soon that this road is closed!

*  Finally...don't let the hectic nature of school interfere with the time you have with your kids.  Each kid...whether they know it or not...is relying on you to help them become something more than they are.  Know them, validate them, demand respect and return it.  Model what you want from them always.  Let them know how you feel...good, or bad!  Let them know you love them in deeds and also with words.  Give each one the chance to move further ahead than they ever thought they could, then stand back and watch them go!
     For the veterans out there like me...I know that the atmosphere around us has changed, like our world was magically transported to a whole other galaxy.  I can only tell you how I deal with this...in my classroom, with my kids I only have one mission...to give them everything I've got.  Do I get them ready for the test?  Damn right I do...it isn't the kids' fault that the system is flawed!  I get them ready big-time, but I also do so much more!  No matter how busy it is now...close your classroom door so that it is only you and your kids, and teach them...guide them...show them...let them perform.  Become the teacher you were (You teach amazingly!  I mean the happy teacher) by putting all your focus on your kids.  I do have to say, if I didn't have the ability to do this...I would be a pissed off camper now that it is ten days to the new school year!
     I am still part of a minority group of teachers, only because there are very few of us who are actually looking forward to getting back into the classroom.  I am also part of the whole...part of a community of educators second to none!  I am honored to serve alongside them...well, MOST of them!
            

Don't Forget to Breathe!

     Wow!  It has been a while since I wrote.  It isn't for the lack of subject matter, rather...I have had the most interesting ride over the past few months.
     Admittedly, I am a person who travels one track at a time.  That statement is not meant to imply that I don't get things done, or slack off other responsibilities while concentrating on getting a single thing completed...it is just...until one thing is finished, I cannot begin on another?  I can get many things done the way that I do it, and (At the risk of tooting my horn) I get it done...all of it done...efficiently, effectively, and most of the time faster than anyone.  Once I make sure all of the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed...I am good and can easily move on to other tasks or obligations.
     From what I understand, and from what I have read on various plaquards and postings on Facebook, and the various anthologies of idioms and limericks...men are one-track minded while woman can multi-task.  I take no offence at this, as most of the idioms and postings I mentioned are usually at the expense of men.  I absolutely agree with all of them!  I have tried to multi-task...when I was younger, and naive...and the results were disastrous!  I believe that multi-tasking cannot be learned!  Regarding the nature vs nurture philosophies, multi-tasking is about the xx, and NOT the xy!
     Back to my interesting ride.  The last few months have been very involved.  I won't bore you with a blow-by-blow, suffice to say I haven't had a solid hour to myself for a while.  Tonight...sitting here at my computer (A week and a half before the new school year begins) is the first time I feel like I am on vacation.  For now...at this moment...all is done.  Problems solved, all things in there place, I can't think of a thing that must be finalized (This is scary!).  This chilled-out feeling is short lived, I know BUT I'LL TAKE IT!
     This post is for others like me (Hope that doesn't offend anyone, Haha!).  The others who cannot multi-task and know it.  This post is also, and most especially for those that don't yet realize they are like me.  You know who you are... those of you who try in earnest to get so much done all at once, many pokers in the fire, only to succeed in finishing half of what was started.  How many times have you been late arriving somewhere, or late turning something in when there is a deadline?  See...you know who you are!
     My dearest and most esteemed male novice educators, this posting is for you!  My esteemed and fellow veteran educators who are a hot mess when it comes to getting things done on time, or at all...this posting is for you also!  To all other educators (the able multi-taskers)...read on and enjoy.  I have to give credit to those very few able men out there who actually CAN multi-task...you are my heroes!
     First...let us consider how a school year begins in the here and now.  I am curious if your first week back to school is the same as all mine have been...and will continue to be!

     FIRST WEEK (No kids...just teachers)
*  Faculty meetings.
*  5 minutes for classroom prep here and there.
*  Inservice programs.
*  5 minute classroom prep here and there.
*  More inservice programs!
*  5 minutes classroom prep here and there!
*  New curriculum guidelines meeting.
*  New federally mandated policies and procedures meeting.
*  5 minutes of classroom prep time here and there!
*  MORE FREAKIN INSERVICE PROGRAMS!
*  Changes to everything that was Started last year!
*  Changes to the changes made for everything started last year!
*  Being spanked for doing well on state testing, but NOT yet reaching the ever expanding expectations of DOE!
*  Time after hours for getting your classroom ready because the FREAKIN KIDS WILL BE THERE IN 3 DAYS!

....You get the gist.  The beginning of any school year (And all the year long) is not a timid, quiet and docile animal.  It is a gyrating, ever-moving, shape-shifting beast that will peel you like a grape if you let it!  Keep in mind, I am NOT including the kids here!  The kids do not factor in!  Your kids are a separate entity that should never know that the BEAST exists!  They are your light at the end.  They...each one of them...make taming or fighting the beast worth it!
     With this in mind, read on and remember this...just because you are fast does not always mean you are efficient! Running a race is awesome when you win, but to do it every day will make you crazy and give you the chronic trots. There is a way to be fast and efficient by taking your time AND by making time a friend instead of an enemy!

     I MUST state the following!   There is NOTHING wrong with finishing one thing before starting another.  There are many teachers out there...I have seen them...who are so overwhelmed with the multitudes of everything we teachers have to do, say, emulate, educate, and demonstrate that before long...they burn out!  Some complain it is lack of organization these quitters suffered from!  Yeah...you able multi-tasking buggers can say that, however...organization has nothing to do with it!  I am organized, one subject at a time. 

Below is a list of things I do...I hope this helps my Peeps!

1.  No matter what happens during the course of a day don't forget to BREATHE!  Move away from the Beast for a moment and breathe deeply in through your nose, and out through your mouth.  Takes about 17 seconds.  Don't breathe like this while you are walking to another meeting...stand quietly somewhere and breathe!

2.  Don't be a clock watcher, but always watch the clock.  In your classroom the difference between life and death can be a single minute...less than a minute!  The greatest elation can also be within a single minute.  Every minute counts while you are with your kids...never leave a moment unattended.  Minutes must also count before the kids arrive, and after they leave.  If something needs doing, or HAS TO BE DONE...set a goal time, a reasonable goal time to get it done!  Procrastinators hate time, clocks, watches, deadlines, calendars, etc.  If something is due or needed on a Tuesday get it completed Monday! 
     Also, reserve time for yourself during your planning...this is essential.. Smoke a cigar, eat a donut, do your nails, take a walk, or open-mouth kiss a giraffe if you are a mind to!  Do something that is NOT school related for part of your planning. OR...make one or two planning periods a week time for just you!

3.  I am the KING of sticky notes!  PA announcements, phone call conversations, meeting times...no matter what it is, write it down and stick it in a place you will always see it.  I also believe that there are many noted intellectuals who kept journals and diaries so that they could write their findings, hypothesis, ideas, or schedules down so that they would not have to remember them.  Your mind was made for the doing part of your vocation...not the remembering of it!  MOST IMPORTANT...once you have completed something a sticky-note reminded you of, rip it down and throw it away!

4.  You will be told what to teach, and when to teach it (Pacing).  HOW you teach it is entirely up to you!  I have heard so many educators state that there isn't enough time in a day to teach everything that is expected.  While I do agree with them, there is a helpful way around it.  Recruit!  By the end of the first week of school (With the kids) you will know who excels in Reading, or Math, or Spelling, or Grammar, or Science.  You will have a sense of who, out of your students, can be trusted and who must be watched like a hawk!  Use this to your advantage.  Collaborative pairs help...peer grouping helps.  Have kids educate kids, while you monitor and facilitate!  Let your talkers initiate a book-talk, or your mathematicians explain the intricacies of long division to a peer who's concept attainment is seemingly unreachable.  Nine times out of ten, when a kid helps a kid...the kid who needed help benefits! (Say that 3 times fast!)

5.  Don't forget to BREATHE!

6.  The Writing Audit is coming up!  Your IEP meeting is around the corner.  Your principal needs your observation form turned in, or some RTTT documentation has to be completed and presented to the powers that be.  Sticky-note it and do NOT put it off!  Set a goal time for each task to be completed and do NOT deviate from it.  Set aside enough time to spread the workload out.  Set a reasonable time-goal after school to get one of the things done to completion.  Budgeting time here is very important...set a seperate time for each task, and once that one task is done...you are done for that day!  This works only when you do not procrastinate...be a friend to the calendar and the clock.  Will you have to grade papers too?  YUP!  Will you have to prepare for lessons the next day?  YUP!  This adds to your very busy day, but...it is what a teacher does, like monitoring your students, or educating them.  The business...the new curriculum worries, etc. these are the things that will eat at you.  Wouldn't it be nice to just educate our kids, grade there tests and classwork and go home?  This will never happen, but if you get the business done and out of the way it can almost feel like it's happening.

7.  New curriculum programs, new laws, new regulations, new policies.  These things change or build upon themselves every year.  It can also make any teacher feel completely overwhelmed.  Every year I feel overwhelmed, then I remember my own advice...seek out a mentor, or a soundboard...even a good shoulder to cry on.  You do NOT have to rely on the mentor you were appointed when you first started (Unless they are awesome!).  Seek out a colleague that will help you through it, or go through it with you!  Swallow your pride, and seek help!  Some of the newer curriculums are confusing for many reasons (Pacing, application, content).  Alone, this can be daunting.  There is strength in numbers!  Surround yourself with the like minded, you will help each other!

8.  Don't forget to BREATHE!

9.  If you ever have a concern (Any concern) relating to a problem that may be far bigger than your touchstone and you can solve...talk with your principal.  Hopefully you will have an awesome principal.  I have been very lucky in this regard.  In my career I have had three different principals.  All three vastly different from the other, but...all awesome!   One of them will always be my favorite forever infinitum!  Be aware newbies...there are different types of principals.

a)  The Political Principal - This captain at the helm is most interested in how his/her school looks, and is represented.  This captain has little regard for the mates on his/her ship or the kids that people it!  Always suited up and ready to welcome the town Mayor.  This principal also like the sound of his/her voice.

b)  The By the Book Principal - This desk executive CEO follows the policies and procedures to the letter and allows no room for individual interpretation.  This principal likes meetings, and will have you in the office to explain yourself at every turn, even though you have stated the same explanation over and over, year after year.

c)  The Care-Bear Principal -  This Ringling Brothers entertainer gives slaps on the wrist, and has a desk full of candy for little Johnnie who accidentally punched another kid in the face.

d)  The Benedict Arnold Principal - This Principal is vastly different as he/she has two faces.  One you see, and one the parents see.  This both-sides-of-the-mouth-talker will support you one-on-one at 1:00, while talking dirt about you with the parents at 1:30.

e)  The Teacher Principal - This is the best kind of leader.  This principal has been in the trenches for many years.  This principal loves the kids, and adores her/his teachers.  This teacher will go to bat for his/her teachers, and can speak upon their style in the classroom without an initial meeting with you because this principal actually pays a attention to who you are as a person, and as an educator!

f)  The I do Everything...No, Not Really Principal - This principal looks good, and has been commended for running an amazing school, with TOP DSTP scores.  This Principal spouts on at Admin meetings about the various programs he/she has instituted to further help improve his/her school.  In reality this Principal doesn't do DICK!  The Vice Principal does all the work, handles all the meetings and disciplines the kids while the Richard who doesn't do DICK gets all the credit!

10.  Don't be something or someone you are not!  The worst thing anyone can do is to try another teacher's way, only to find that the way only works for the aforementioned teacher!  Read the Aesop Fable the Monkey and the Camel...great lesson there!  Whether it is paperwork, grading, classroom management, or time management...find your own way!  Your style will shine through...do what is in your gut, what you know is right for your kids with each new year!  Otherwise...you will make yourself a nervous wreck, and the business of school...the stuff that keeps piling ontop of itself...will never get done!  Being something you're not wastes valuable time...far too many do-overs!

11.  I don't use journals, or diaries, or pocket planners...I DO use my desk blotter.  You know the kind...the big 20" x 22" calendar type?  I love those things, almost as much as I love sticky notes!  Monthly events, class jobs, band schedules...whatever can be seen at glance!  Helps keep me on-track!

12.  Never allow yourself to feel that it IS all too overwhelming...that there is just too much to do, and not enough time to do it!  This is self deprecating!  Of course you can do it...you can do anything you put your mind to!  Just breathe, allow your kids to always be the light at the end...and set reasonable goals!  I remember teaching decimal conversions.  After 45 minutes of teaching, collaborative pairing, and much modeling this one kid just couldn't get it.  While the others worked on classwork practice, this kid and I sat for 5 minutes one on one.  By the end of the five minutes the kid got it!  You will find that most of your kids will reach concept attainment in a reasonable amount of time, while a few will struggle regarding any given subject.  A few minutes one on one helps by leaps and bounds!  the same philosophy will work for you too!  Sit with your soundboard, or just with yourself for 5 minutes and make it one-on-one!  Everything stays the same if you look at it the same way forever!  Take five minutes and look at it from different angles...no matter what it is, approach it from all sides!

13.  "I teach only for the summers off" said NO TEACHER ever who retired an educator!  Most educators with that mindset don't last 2 years.  If you are in it, and you love it...don't allow the business or any bureaucracy sour your love for teaching.  Is it busy?  DAMN RIGHT IT IS!  Is it hectic, and nerve wracking?  SURE ENOUGH!  Will it make you want to kick the authors of the latest curriculum investment in the throat?  OH, YES IT WILL!  It will also feed your soul, and has the capacity to raise you so high you will have to look down to see heaven!  We enter the lives of children, and make a difference! 
     Be pissed if you have too...God knows I get there quick in real life anyway!  Don't hold it in...breathe...sit and vent with your most trusted colleague/friend...talk with your principal...punch the shit out of Resusci Annie in the nurses office!  Nothing wrong with being pissed...just get it out somehow, otherwise it WILL fester!

14.  Moving quickly rarely gets things done as fast as you think it does.  Most of the time, by moving quickly mistakes will be made, or blunders, or oversights.  Small steps, take your time, do it right or do it over!  I always opt for doing it right!  One thing at a time...do it, employ all of your skills, complete it, and move on!  If you have momentum...keep it going.  Remember, after about 30 minutes our brains start to stop!  Always have a stash of chocolate, or some cannoli on hand.  Take a break, have a nibble, and keep on keeping on!

     Well, I am stopping at an even number.  Newbies, and Oldies-but-Goodies...you gotta stop and smell the roses?  In life you really do!  As cliche as this simple saying is, it is funny how many people don't realize its importance until it is too late (Not just teachers...everybody!).  Breathe, count your blessings.  If I were a religious man I would tell you that for every child you teach that reaches concept attainment, an angel gets his wings...but I am NOT a religious man.  I have a strong faith, however! 
     You are the captain of your vessel...you must bring your kids through troubled seas to the shores of promise.  It is YOU that will do this...not a book...not a test...not a lesson plan...not anyone else, just you!  Powerful stuff there!  When you really think about it...can the mandates, the PLC's, the meetings, the paperwork...is any of it worth the "Ah-ha" look on the face of one of your kids?  Just Freakin breathe...take your time, one thing at a time...to hell with the other captains, YOU are the king/Queen of the seas!