Flipping The Script: Coders as Novelists

Last November, I had the distinct honor and privilege of being the title character in a New Yorker Magazine- Talk of the Town piece called “Can An English Teacher Learn to Code?” It was a privilege to get to speak up and out for young coders, for the Academy for Software Engineering (AFSE) and indirectly for the CS For All initiative that was just beginning to take off here in NYC and later President Obama would push at the nationwide level.  AFSE has been at the forefront of work-- work that Computer Science teacher Sean Stern says has made CS part of the core at our school- just like Math, Science, Social Studies and English.  Our students understand that computer science is part of the four year sequence of learning and that there are opportunities to take full advantage of the experts, both inside and outside of school, that support the learning and development of all our students.

Fast forward one year.  I am teaching Seniors at AFSE for the first time since joining the school four years ago.  My section of 12^th graders, many of which I taught last year in AP Language and Composition, are done with college applications, are now just waiting on replies and to get to things like Prom and Graduation in June.  Most of us remember Senioritis!  We remember how the year went, plodding on and taking what sometimes felt and interminable amount of time to get to that stage that we would walk across and finally move the tassel across the mortar board adorning our heads. I, along with John Bernor (the newest ELA teacher at AFSE- who happens to also be a classroom veteran), and I have been working to create a course that not only addressed the learning needs of a diverse population of students, but also challenged students to stretch and grow as writers and thinkers. As a result, Senior Writing Seminar was born.

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The SWS is a year long course that meets five days a week.  Bernor and I met in August to outline a month of lessons and learning that would be engaging as well as challenging and ultimately better preparing our seniors for the college and careers of their choice. November is National Novel Writing Month (@nanowrimo @nycnowrimo) where writers from around the world attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  I knew it was not impossible and had attempted on two separate occasions to complete the task (failing-only reaching 15,000 words at most). I knew it was hard.  I also knew there was a student version- the Young Writers Project (#NaNoYWP) complete with lesson plans for before, during and after as well as an online platform for students (and their teacher!) to track their progress.

Image Via NaNoWriMo Young Writers Project

It was time to flip the script and for the coders to become the novelists.  My 24 seniors have written for hours and hours to work to reach their goal of each producing 30,000 words in the month.  For those of you doing the math, it's 1000 words a day: not an unreasonable task, especially for students who will be in college soon.  Over the course of November it was exciting to see the kids develop their stories, their ideas and to watch them struggle in the same way the thousands of writers around the world do to write at length. They were given the choice of topics, fiction or non fiction.  The literary world was their oyster and boy did they write. It has perhaps been one of the most incredible classroom experiences I have witnessed since stepping into my first classroom in the fall of 2008.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I asked the class to sit in a circle and craft a one minute book pitch.  How would they sell their books?  Their ideas were exciting and provocative.  It was fascinating to hear about how they perceived their books and what their peers wanted to know more about. I was proud.  I was excited. It was a perfect example of how mutual trust, high expectations, and intellectual freedom and creativity can lead to an incredibly rich learning experience for both students and teachers. 

I did feel a sense of disappointment, not in my students, but in myself.  I had set out with them at the beginning of the month with every intension of writing along with them.  Of completing my 1000 words a day.  My life, not to make excuses, got the best of me. (Three preps/full time job, grad school, internship, and some family time thrown in for good measure.) I made it to 10,000 words this time.  New writing that I had not done before.  New stories and memories taking shape.  I had been transparent, putting my writing up on the SMART board and writing along with them.  I wanted my kids to see that I was willing to do the writing with them.  That work bought me buy-in and energy.  It created momentum.  Walking the walk- at least for the first 10 days set the tone in the room and for the work.   

Yesterday, Lindsey Christ, Education Reporter from NY 1, our local cable news channel,  came to do a piece on students participating in NaNoWriMo this year.  She spent an hour with my class.  Jose happened to hit his 30,000 word goal while she was there.  It was incredible to hear the kids talk about their work, their accomplishment, and working to complete what at times felt like an insurmountable task.  You can read the final piece here: Greenwich Village Students Participate in the National Novel Writing Month (If you are local, you may be able to see it on air.)

Tomorrow we celebrate.  December 1st, 2016.  Coders have become novelists, mirroring my journey a year ago, working to to learn SCRATCH and some basic coding. 

Today, at the end of class after Jabari had reached his 30,000 words he asked, "Ms. Towne, can I keep writing? Even though I hit my 30,000 words." 

#TeacherWin 

The Morning After- How I Had Tough Conversations With My Students

The workshop yesterday at AFSE on Restorative Justice with Erin Dunlevy was well timed.  As we participated in the morning training, I honestly didn't think I would need to be using some of the tools I learned to soon.  But last night, I along with all of you, watching the election results and America broke my heart (though not unexpectedly- as we all like a bad boy, right?)

I finally fell asleep around 2, wondering what I would say to my students in the morning.  My first period class on Wednesday is my AP Lang class.  We just spent a month thinking about language and rhetoric in politics as well as reading Thank You For Arguing. The 11th graders have begun to think critically of language and word choice and how a writer or speaker can use language to achieve a goal.  I knew that combining a content circle and keeping the discussion grounded in the content I would be able to get through a 60 minute class with out crying.

Before class started, I asked a few of the kids who arrive early to create the circle in the space, moving the desks out of the way.  I was grateful that they were willing and able.  Erin had been right- kids understand the unspoken rules of circles.   I posted the discussion norms on the board:

1. Only talk when holding the Talking Piece
2. Respect for all perspectives
3. You can pass.
4. If you aren’t sure, pose a question to the group.
5. It you want to save it for later, write put it in the parking lot.

We then did two rounds.  Round one, I asked each student to share one word that described how they were feeling in the moment.  Each student passed a small button around the circle, sharing their words with the group:

Confused. Scared. Frightened. Angry. Confounded. Lost. Why? Frustrated. Powerless.

It was clear that this had been the right move.  The tone of the room was somber, but these are kids I have built a relationship with over the last few years and they knew the room was a safe place (even for our one vocal Republican). 

In the second round I asked kids to write one question they had.  That it may not be answered, but something they wanted to pose to the group and the universe. 

Here are some of their questions: 

• How did Trump successfully get the majority of the votes?
• What did Hillary do differently than Trump?
• Why did 31% of hispanics, 38% of asians and 8% of blacks vote for Trump?
• What do you think Trump's first move as president will be?
• Why do you think the number of women that voted [for] Trump was so high?
• Do you think Hillary would have won if the people who voted for Bernie voted for Hillary?
• Are you ready to be drafted for the war?
• Will he do anything to change our educational system?
• How do you think having Trump as president and the Senate and House being Republican will affect new and past laws? 
• How did you react to all the red on the map?
• Does this mean we are living in a mostly racist world?

We can tell from looking at the list of questions where their heads are.  They are grappling with the same confusion that I watched the news commentators and analysts sort through late into the night.  They are at a loss, as are many of us.

We then came back to the language.  I had heard a commentator on the news talking about the effectiveness of "Make America Great Again" and what it did for the campaign.  I posted the following slide on the board, asking them to examine the language itself and what it did for each campaign: 

The shares were again thoughtful and insightful.  My one Trump supporter was asked to begin the share- as the first thing he said as he had stormed into my room earlier in the period was, yes, you guessed it, "Make America Great Again!"  The nice thing about the protocol is that it is not about debate, it's about sharing and being heard.  The space was safe, nonjudgmental and all voices and perspectives were able to be heard.

At the end of the hour, we had all participated in a thoughtful and reflective conversation that helped us to think about one narrow aspect of why? and to challenge our thinking and push our own understanding of the complexities of our country and it's citizens. I made it through the class with out crying.

Hours later, as I sat with my 9 advisees- all young women, all minorities, and I finally cried.  I cried because in hearing their fears, I became even more aware of my own privilege and what it allows me.  I cried because I had wanted so badly for Clinton to shatter the glass ceiling and for these 17 and 18 year old young women to see the first female president.  I cried because I want them to not fear the rest of the country, but in reality- red= danger in many of their minds. And I cried because for many of them their instinct is to protect others, to advocate and stand up for injustice, because they are all amazing young women. 

In another hour I will be sitting with my cohort of 14 peers, all aspiring school leaders who are passionate about our kids and urban education.  As educators, we are the front line- Blue state or Red.  It is our job to educate.  It is our job to teach empathy and tolerance. It is our job to continue to help in the raising of kids who will always fight injustice and not be afraid to speak up.

I know that the future is in good hands.  I hope the next generation of young people will be the change they want to see in the world.  In the mean time, I show up. I listen. I make the circle and I pass the button and ask the tough questions.