Day 27: Rejuvenation! #AprilBlogADay Challenge

-->Prompt: Continuing: how do you keep stretching and learning over the summer?

Image via HERE

My happy summer place!

 I love summer.  My birthday is in August and I am a true summer baby.  Growing up in Seattle, summer was the pay off for so many months of overcast skies, gloom, and wet.  When it finally came it meant late nights at the park, wondering around the neighborhood with the plethora of kids I grew up with, and swimming in the lakes. It was a different time.  As I get older I am thankful for my 8 weeks off each summer. It is a time for R&R- Rest and REJUVENATION! I have sought out opportunities for me to learn.  Last summer I took an eight week memoir writing class at NYU School of Professional Studies. The summer before I took the College Board AP Summer institute (APSI) Workshop for AP English.  This was only a week.  The summer of 2013 I was accepted at The Cullman Center Institute for Teachers at the NY Public Library for a week long writing intensive with John Wray. These bursts of creative work and learning inspire and rejuvenate me each summer.  I like to be busy.  I like to think.  I like to create.  I thankfully have been able to find opportunities to do all those things each summer.  My husband and I also usually go away for a week to the shore.  Last summer we had a place with a pool.  It was my happy place!

This summer, I have some lofty goals.  Well, I have ONE goal: to pump out a draft of my memoir.  It is not about teaching.  For me, it is good to write about other things.  It is good to talk about my journey, which you can read about on my other blog.  I also get to go to Seattle for 10 days, one of which is for my 20 year high school reunion.  :-)  High school is never too far from my brain. 


My Advice: Do things you love in the summer.  Spend time with people you enjoy.  Eat food you love.  Sit outside in the morning and enjoy the quiet and the light (and that you are not going to work).  Drink cold beverages in warm weather.  Stay up late.  Challenge yourself.  Find creative outlets.  Rejuvenate.

Day 19: Best Ever... #aprilblogaday

Prompt: Best lesson ever? Best unit? Best curriculum? What made it the best?

My first five years teaching I worked in a Transfer high school. In NYC these alternative high schools fell under the then Office of Multiple Pathways to Graduation. One of the many advantages for students is that they can earn credits at a faster pace to make up for time lost. This means three marking periods/report cards per year. This also means I was creating two new classes every trimester. That is 6 a year with little repetition, especially in the first couple years. Students may need 6 English credits which means they take your class all year long. (Small schools, only 2 ELA teachers). I wrote a lot of units of study. I got fast and efficient. This also allowed me the privilege of trying new things all the time. 

While I think my strength is the design and implementation of project based learning especially capstone or culminating portfolio work. That said, I have always enjoyed the writing piece more than the reading piece. Yes, yes. Need for both. Yada, Yada, Yada. I like writing. (Clearly, Meredith.) My favorite unit, a literary unit on journey myths. THINK: The Wizard of Oz, Into The Wild, and my favorite Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos. Tied to a study of the Hero's Journey my students dive into vivid fiction but also amazing non fiction, memoir being my favorite, and explore themes around having to leave where you are from in order to truly discover who you are and what is important to you. There was also much talk of big ideas like values and family.  The Gantos book was often used in the infamous critical lens essay on the ELA Regents exam each year (before CCLS revised the role of writing about literature in our English classes). In the end my students were always able to make connections to their own journeys of self-discovery and personal evolution.  

 

Defense of Learning: Portfolios- Day One

Today was the first day of the oral Defense of Learning portfolio presentations.  I had to teach first period and I didn't get quite as many mentors/adults in to sit with groups, however in the end it was ok.  Day one was a success.  

Students came in dressed to impress, some in suits and ties others in dress pants and button downs.  It was clear that they meant business.  All I had given them going into today was the groups they would be presenting in.  They all had to be ready to go.  For the most part, they were.  Only a few students did not have hard copy of their portfolio-- the document that I collected at the end of the period.  All did however have their presentations ready and 14 students presented to panels of peers and adults today, justifying the grade and level of mastery they believe they have demonstrated for the semester.

In groups of 5, they sat around, some choosing to stand in front of their group and began.  Each student had 10 minutes to present their defense and then had an additional 5 minutes of questioning from the panel about their defense.  At the end of the 15 minutes, presenters stepped into the hallway to wait while the panel engaged in discussion of the effectiveness of their defense, looking at the presentation as well as the hard copy portfolio.

As a teacher, moments like this are always a risk.  Trying something new, being the first in my school to toss out numerical grades all together and ask students to rely on feedback alone to evolve and learn.  Risk aside, it is also exciting.  I know that they are growing but to learn it through reflection and analysis has proven to be far more effective than any feedback I could have written on a report card.  Today was an exceptional example of student ownership of learning.  

My principal, Seung was able to come in for part of the presentations today.  As a former English teacher himself, he has a clear understanding of the work and of the steps to move students at this level.  Shortly after his visit he sent out the following emil to the staff: 

Staff,

Today I had the privilege of observing students in the AP Language and Composition presenting their Defense of Learning about their performance of the Mastery Skills they are expected to work on in the class. 

I listened to Colin and Mamadou give their presentation to their peers and articulate their rationale of their level of performance and was privy to Vanaija, Bujar, and Nicholas discussing and evaluating Mamadou's presentation. Needless to say, I was so impressed with the student-led, student driven conversations and discussions that cognitively challenged and engaged every student in the class.... 

This is why we moved to Mastery-based learning and a wonderful example of what students can do when given the opportunity to take control of their learning. 

Congratulations to Meredith and her class on such an impressive display of intellectual discourse. 

It is true.  Last year and throughout the summer when I began to dig deep into Mastery learning, I came to believe that there are no half-measures when it comes to learning this way.  I know that this choice with my AP class, while challenging and far from perfect is on its way.  Tomorrow will be day two of presentations and then I will conference with students on Thursday and Friday to determine final semester grades.  When we come back after the Regents week I will debrief with students to determine what worked, what didn't and how we can make it better for second semester.

Defending Learning: The Big Push

It's Saturday morning and I am sitting in my classroom in Union Square waiting for a little more than half of my AP students to descend on my classroom for three hours of portfolio prep.  I picked up bagels and cream cheese, have fortified myself with an egg and cheese wrap, and my coffee awaits in my travel mug.  I am hoping for an epic morning of work.

I returned to work on Wednesday of this last week after a prolonged illness and unanticipated surgery- not once but twice right after new years.  I had a very different vision for what January was going to look like in my classes, but sometimes our bodies make different choices for us.  I was reminded that I do no good for my students if I am not healthy.  While I have had more challenges than many in the last two years, my students are what bring be back again and again.  While at the end of the day Friday, I was exhausted physically, mentally I was feeling better.

Tuesday will kick off the two-day portfolio extravaganza: AP Language and Composition - Defence of Learning.  I have invited mentors as well as teachers to sit in on panels to hear the oral defense and evaluate student arguments.  This is the FIRST time we are trying this as I continue to push forward with the #TTOG Mastery Learning Pilot at AFSE.  I created THIS DOCUMENT to help guide the panel in their participation and feedback for presenters.  Students have been told that professional attire is required and that no, sneakers don't count.  (Though having been to Facebook offices here in NYC, CS crowd tends to dress down.) "But I only own gym clothes, Miss."  It's time for my kids who are 6 months from senior year to Bare Down and Step-Up.

Thinking good thoughts for today and for next week.  It will be a crazy 4 days- then State Common Core English Exam the week after.  Fingers crossed!

22. What happens when the routine is what holds it all together?

It has begun.  The end of the year Facebook rants from teachers, myself included, about needing the year to be over.  Here in New York City we always work until the end of June, I think for the most part because we have more religious holidays in our school calendar than many other parts of the country most recently, the long awaited addition of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.  For high school teachers, the last two weeks of school are the administration of NY State Regents Exams, content specific tests that all students must pass a minimum to graduate.  For the K-8 crowd, it is a different story and I am sure in many ways even more exhausting than for HS teachers.  

While I don't mind being busy, I find that I depend on the routine and the business of the calendar.  This is my light week:

The longer I teach, the more I know I thrive in the routine.  I wake up at 5:30 AM, take my pill, shower, get ready, make lunch, walk to train (I have 2 routes I always take- there is no variation), get coffee , 99% of the time iced- even in the winter (there are also two coffee places, but I prefer the cart across from my school over the corner deli, but the deli has better blueberry muffins), go in, work through my day and what ever after school activities I have, train home, usually have dinner with my husband, watch an episode of something while doing last minute work/email/grading, in bed by 10.  Wake up- repeat.  I AM a creature of habit.

I know that not all teachers are like me.  There are the teachers who need the time off to decompress, to spend time with friends and family, to travel, to pursue other interests.  After about 2 weeks I begin to get stir crazy.  Two weeks is enough time for me to catch up on sleep, go to a couple movies, see non teacher friends who I otherwise never get to see because I get up at 5:30 in the morning and struggle to stay awake past 9.  I am already 6 weeks into reevaluating my curriculum for the next year and wanting to dig in and start again.  (This process usually begins around Memorial Day, sometimes earlier.)  By three weeks in I begin to struggle with the time off.  There is only so much sleeping one can do. I don't have children so my time is my own and last summer was the worst yet and I would say I was a bit manic.  

This year was nutty.  I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in February and have been recovering since then.  My body is more tired than usually and it is hard to tell if it is school or my now removed thyroid that is contributing to my exhaustion.   I remember standing in my principal's office in early March, prior to my thyroidectomy, and telling him that having cancer was not going to slow me down.  That I would continue to move forward and pursue my career goals and I have done just that.  I just started a summer class at NYU that will take me through the end of July and in the fall I will be heading back to school to begin a second MA in addition to teaching Theatre and AP Lang and Comp next year.  I have a lot on my plate.  It's good.  

So how do I fortify and refuel while keeping myself on a schedule?  Honestly, I am not sure yet.  I know I thrive when I am busy and I will look for other things I love, in addition to my summer class and curriculum planning.  I have a trip to the west coast the last week in July and vacation with my husband the first week in August.  We go back to work mid August and I find myself counting the days as establishing routine will hold me together.

Day 28: The Worst Advice We've Ever Heard About Technology in the classroom? #AprilBlogADay Challenge

Day 28...The Worst Advice We've Ever Heard About Technology in the classroom

It's just after 7 on day 28 and I have been thinking about this topic all day.  For the life of me, I could not think of any specific advice I had been given about using tech.  I am one who has embraced tech and often ends up teaching other teachers how to integrate themselves. 

At my current school, we have a computer science department (because we are a CS school) who for the most part are working on an entirely different level of tech than most of us.  I have great aspirations to let better at tech- at least learn some basics of coding so I can talk more with our students about what and how they are doing- but finding the time to sit down with Alice or some version of Scratch is overwhelming for this old lady.  Eric, graciously spent time with me on two occasions teaching me-or trying to teach me- how to use Doctopus but my brain just can't wrap itself around that one.  I do have my mainstays: Skedula (that has improved so much over the last 5 years) and I wish our school used more of it's features, but it's our online grade book.  I also use Teacher Dashboard, a lot.  It is on my top 5 digital teaching tools ever.

I guess for me, the prompt should really be: what misconceptions did you/do you have about tech in the classroom.  

Here are three:  

1.  All tools work for all teachers, because they are teaching tools.  

One of the most frustrating parts of EdTech- is that there are so many tools and administrators want to try new things, get on board with what will best help students move forward, support teacher development, and provide the all important data to support positive instructional outcomes.  I stand by this: do a few things really well.  REALLY WELL.  Not two dozen things half way or sort of.  I feel this way about lots of school related things.

2. Practice makes perfect.

We are not all excellent at everything.  I can be proficient, even ok- but who wants to be just ok?  I want to be HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.  There are been a few things over the years that I just couldn't figure out.  I don't push myself to master all the nuances (like with Excel) but I also don't have cause to use it very much because I teach English.  


3. More experienced (read: old) teachers can't learn new tricks.

It's all about what an individual clicks with- don't assume talent coaches.  


It's now almost 9.  Cooked and eaten dinner.  Still have a PPT to make for class tomorrow- thankful for this tech that will let me quickly, prep, save and get to go to bed.

Day 12: Passion!! Do you have it? #AprilBlogADay

Prompt 12:
What passion project are you working on? 

Professionally, there is always something I am thinking about, things I want to do.  I have hatched a lot of plans of the year and some things work, some don't.  For me, a passion project is to following something
from inception to completion, to collaborate and learn, and create something that will last beyond me.  Working in a school where are the students are learning to code and about CS, I am learning too.  Many kids talk about design and not engineering.  (While I am sure many consider engineering an art form, I have a design background and for me there is a difference between design and construction...two different skill sets.)  Currently, it's all about laying the ground work and beginning to develop a pilot course blending ELA, ARTS, and CS in a course in Video Game Development & Design.  This to me is STEAM (not just STEM) and an integral aspect of education for Millennials and preparing for College and Career. (Here is some really interesting research on Arts Integration from Edutopia.) I think I do my best work when I am collaborating with people who want to collaborate and create something together, to exchange ideas. I am hoping it is what I can work to develop this summer to prepare an elective for Seniors next year.  

I also want to work to develop and create a TEDx event at our school.  It is a LONG process and there are a plethora of rules and guidelines but I think it would be an amazing piece for out school and for AP Lang students to do in the month between the AP exam in May and the end of the school year mid June.  This idea is new and fresh.  Lots of learning to do

Personally, I want to be healthy.  My hope is that by September I have my voice back (my right vocal cord is paralyzed at the moment and I teach with a mic and amp- although I have to say I love it in many ways, especially in Drama class!), I have the cancer "all clear" and that I can begin the school year strong and ready to hit the ground running. 

One of the things I love the most about being a teacher is that there is always a new school year, there is always an opportunity to reflect, grow...evolve and educators and humans.  This is why I still get nervous the night before school starts.  It is my passion, this journey, this life.

Post 11: Reading??? #AprilBlogADay Challenge

Prompt 11: What are you reading? Professionally or Personally? And if you aren't reading right now, why?

Growing up I loved reading serials- The Baby Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin, in high school I discovered Armistead Maupin's Tales of The City.  There were novels I enjoyed too: Pigs in Heaven and Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver and Their Eyes Were Watching God by ZN Hurston and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (which I struggled through but went to the library and listened to all 18 hours on cassette tape and cried at the end).  I know that reading these books growing up had a huge impact on my thinking on narrative and telling stories.  

As I have gotten older, the more I come to terms with the fact that I am not the best reader. I know all the propaganda we teachers use: good readers make better writers.  The more you read the more exposed you will be to big ideas that guide and challenge global leaders and historical events. I don't disagree. I read, but most of the reading I do is sporadic and/or for pleasure (I love romance novels). I have been very honest with students (in AP) this year about knowing one's strengths and when one is is not as strong at something how we develop the skills to push through: the cultural collateral of the cannon. Meaning- I learned to read but didn't really enjoy it until college.  It was in graduate school where I finally came to understand, through  Maureen Barbieri (at NYU) and the works of Nancy Atwell, that when readers select what they read, and are given permission to put a book down if they don't like it, they will own their reading and have great success.  In my teaching career I have never been able to teach a course where students get to read for pleasure.  My favorite English class was in 10th grade, when my teacher, Ms. Van Zwol, designed a course where we were able to select the novels we read.  They had to fall into specific categories and had to be approved.  We also had to do culminating writing at the end of each novel.  I remember more from that year than almost any other.  The power of choice (and of fiction) is something missing from HS ELA today. 

All that said, while I have a pile of books waiting to be read (The Martian by Andy Weir is at the top followed by the first book in the Outlander series.) I do love to write and I know that is my strength.  It always has been but I push myself to read because the love the feeling of finishing a book, seeing the journey and how a book feels in my hand.