day 99

A new addition to our library, thanks to some window crayons. I don't think I'm technically allowed to draw on the windows, but I'm just going to do it and see what happens. It's much better than staring at that ugly building out the window.

two more balloons in the sky...

I just passed two more babies up to Reading Level A. Before quiet time, they proudly hung their hot air balloons in the Land of I Can. A few weeks ago, both were struggling with one-to-one correspondence. I love the days when I can feel our momentum!

Reason #829: teacher attrition

We have lost four teachers since we came back from the holiday break. Four teachers in less than one month, and that's not even counting all of the teachers we lost before the break. There is one class that is getting their FOURTH teacher on Monday, and that's not even counting the substitutes in-between each teacher that left.

The expected lifespan of a teacher within my district is three years maximum. In other words, they never expect to keep a teacher for more than three years. Apparently, we are notorious for losing teachers.

At a PD the other day my principal begged that no one else "jump ship. At least until June." After that, she is happy to write us a good recommendation and send us on our way. Without the few staff members who have stayed on since the opening of the school, I would not know the history. I would not be able to find out information about families. There would simply be no order, no culture.

For me, the worst part is my principal settling for such a high teacher attrition rate. She preaches that we need to have high expectations for our students, but at the same time has accepted as fact some very low expectations for her staff. I wish that she was willing to fight for us to stay.

little kids--powerful problem solvers

Recently, another teacher offhandedly offered me a book on our way to class. I liked that it was specifically geared towards Kindergarten, and it was written long enough ago that it probably had some best-practices for hands-on math.

Let's just say that it was so interesting it took me all the way out of the city on one morning commute.

Having come to education in a non-traditional way, I haven't had much opportunity to observe other classrooms. Admittedly, I have been forced to trust my instincts and go with what works for me and my students -- which is probably a good thing. However, this book offers a quick glimpse into exemplary math lessons that are energizing, creative, and responsive to children's needs. Since reading this book, I have begun to re-think the way that I teach math, and I highly recommend it to other K teachers looking for a hands-on mindset.

poverty action campaign

Students have to “cross dangerous gang boundaries, encountering all kinds of violence and often times when they get to the school outside of the community, there is no real learning taking place there.”

Leaders of the Poverty Action Campaign said they will confront the city’s Board of Education for a new state-of-the-art high school campus that would incorporate academics, a football, baseball and track field and a cultural arts and performing center.

Read more here.

music

Who would have thought that music (even terrible children's music) could bring so much happiness into my classroom? As of today I am officially convinced that music is an important part of school. Every classroom needs it. If you are a first year teacher with no time to do this, tell me. I will make you a mixtape. For real. Right now, this is our daily playlist:

1. Rise and Shine (greeting song)
2. Days of the Week (to the tune of the Addams Family theme song)
3. Who Let the Letters Out?
4., 5., and 6. Tchaikovsky (for quiet time)
7. Counting by 10's
8. Big Numbers

Friends, don't even think about judging me. I promise that whatever I play is better than what I can sing.

day 96

"Ms. Haley, in art N told me that I kissed C. I told him, that's nasty."

I actually had to turn away as I regained my composure.

just when I think I've heard it all

Another absolutely insane something happens.

Ms. N asks, "What's next?"

I hope that nothing answers, but I know something will.

overheard in the hallway

"Teron, get in line."

"[indignantly] I was moonwalking!"

"Are you supposed to be moonwalking right now?"

this woman is a bad ass

Licia Ronzulli, an MEP from Italy, took her seven-week old daughter Victoria to work at the European parliament this week at Strasbourg. And this wasn’t even Take-Your-Child-to-Work day. She kept her baby carefully cradled against her in a sling and occasionally leant to kiss her on the forehead. Photographs of Ronzulli cradling her daughter in a sling as she voted on proposals to improve women's employment rights were broadcast around the world and published in newspapers from the US to Vietnam.

overheard today

As I walked by a classroom filled with Kindergartners who were being supervised by a staff member:

"Ok, two plus three is...?

STOP USING YOUR HANDS. WE DON'T USE OUR FINGERS TO SOLVE MATH PROBLEMS!"

The fourth grader in me who struggled with math and used her hands wanted to physically harm this person. The developmental psychologist in me died a little inside.

pasketti day

First we read Strega Nona, which just so happens to be one of the many books gifted to our classroom from friends far away.

Then, we had parents come to an open house and spaghetti dinner. I only had five parents come, but it was heartwarming. I watched as they exchanged ideas and phone numbers. And one mom was brave enough to ask, how should I read aloud to my child? What's the best way?

My students joked about the magic pot.

I got hugs from grandmas and sauce on my shirt. Altogether lovely.

its sunday night

How is the weekend over already?

fun

Today, I had fun teaching for the first time ...possibly ever.

I found a CD with a skip-counting song that my kids really like. It's a lot more fun to count by 10s when there's a tune. Clearly. Even though they are usually cranky after quiet time they were all smiles.

Then, in science we spent 20 minutes talking about where all the water in our cup had gone. Some of the predictions included:

• Someone drank it
• The wind blew it out
• Rain came in through the window and got inside until it spilled (not sure if K was just being silly)
• It turned to air
• It melted

We were able to discount some theories, although JM was able to blow hard enough that it did spill. We decided that if we put the cup in a bag, we might be able to tell what happens to the water. If it spills, it will be on the bottom of the bag.

I had so much fun facilitating a discussion that all of my kids were interested in. Some of my kids who never talk were on the edge of their seat. And, I really loved hearing their explanations for where the water went.

AND, we had our 16th day of perfect attendance today, which means we earned a pizza party!

Now I have to do stupid administrative crap for the rest of the night.

when the teacher isn't looking

My class is well managed. No one acts crazy, and generally speaking we are all pretty respectful... until I walk away. Today, the AP was attempting to bring my kids up from lunch and they acted crazy on the stairs. Jumping, turning around, talking, etc. Things that my kids NEVER do when they are with me. This is not the first time, so I'm feeling a little exasperated.

Someone once said, "You can tell a truly disciplined class by their consistent behavior, even when the teacher is not present."

Calling all teachers who read my blog: how do you teach five-year-olds to behave themselves when you are not looking? Guilt doesn't seem to be working.

taco tuesday

Reasons why today was a good day:

• Taco Tuesday, as stated
• I feel refreshed by my new time-management plan
• New storage tubs are making all the difference on the windowsill
• I just mooched some Garrett popcorn from a fellow teacher
• Tomorrow I get to see a hoopie!

a long road ahead

With much reflection I have realized that I made a mistake in preparing myself to endure until the holiday break. I  ignored the next leg of the journey. Everyone said it would get easier, so instead of listening to my own intuition, I waited for that eureka moment. It never came, and now I'm finally over it. I can see now that winter will be the hardest part for me.

Over the course of the next months, I am working towards the following:

• getting better at teaching math 
• improving on and expanding my ability to differentiate (one child each day)
• reaching out to parents more often (one parent each day)
• creating clear goals for my kids as they move closer to their goals
• imagining a spring full of growth and exploration
• going to yoga at least twice a week
• ending my work no later than 8pm every night 

Theory of Change

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan. -- MLK

           

Studying education in college all of the answers seemed so clear. If teachers just did this… If parents just did that… I was energized by all of the possibilities. By four months into my Teach for America experience I thought I would have some answers, but instead I only have questions and disillusionment. Our system is so broken. We as a country do not meet the needs of children and families living in poverty. I know now that the problems go far beyond the classroom. I know that education should be seen as an opportunity, not a requirement.  

            What is the achievement gap? The standard definition accounts for the academic differences among different groups of people in the U.S. The reality is that the achievement gap is just one symptom of a system of injustice. Instead of focusing on how we can “fix” the achievement gap, we should be focusing on what is causing the achievement gap. Different people have different theories: schools, teachers, parents, curriculum, educational approaches. All of these possibilities are both the cause and the effect of the systemic inequalities in our country, but in reality our biggest challenge is racism. People of all colors are still suffering because of systematic structures of inequality, and in education it becomes even more visible than in any other aspect of life. Until everyone in our country accepts the truth about racism in our country, we will continue to ignore the biggest challenge that we face. Are we ready to commit to quality education for everyone, regardless of race or socioeconomic background?

            What can we do right now to help students living in poverty areas? On most days, the challenges facing students today feel like too much to me. My students struggle with violence, lack of food, poor sleeping conditions, and insufficient adult support. Their basic needs are not being met. On those days I crave a radical new system. A system that does not rely on test scores as a measure of student achievement, but rather uses data to strategically plan for success. A responsive environment where schools in poverty areas are seen as social equalizers, tasked with helping students overcome the daily challenges that they face. Schools that operate more like community centers, working with parents to help their children succeed. Are we ready, as a country, to invest in all of our students?

            Is education enough? Programs like Teach for America show us that students can be lead to success within the current educational system by an extraordinary teacher. Are those gains lasting? Is all of the hard work worth it? Instead of creating more programs like Teach for America, where inexperienced young adults exhaust themselves in service for two years and then leave, drained, why are we not looking to eradicate some of the bigger problems with education in the U.S.? Why are we not asking what would happen for that classroom, with that extraordinary teacher, in an extraordinary education system?  More importantly, what is our vision for children in America? How important are our children? What do we want for them? The only thing scarier than radically changing education in the U.S. is the place our children are going to be in 20 years if we continue on the same destructive path.


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* Please forgive the long post. This is an assignment that I completed for TFA, and I thought it would be helpful to share. 

imagine

Imagine that you consistently sacrifice your own needs to meet the needs of a group of people.

Imagine that you pour all of your creativity, energy, and drive into a group of people.

Imagine that you rationalize all of your behavior with a "it will all pay off in the end" mentality.

Next, imagine that someone has designed a way to measure people's learning. Imagine that it is very important to some. 

Imagine that you don't believe in this measure, but you do believe people who have learned and grown will perform well, regardless.

Imagine that your group of people is subjected to this measure.

Imagine that you say the words "we are so lucky" and "have lots of fun."

Imagine you hate yourself for it.

Then, imagine watching as your group of people fails.

snowsnowsnow

Today is a great day (so far).

I kept N. with me during art so that we could spend some time together. I realized that she just turned five in September, which absolutely explains most of her behavior. She's a baby! We read a story together and then she asked me to read her another one. And another one. She told me about her older sister, who she lives with (her "aunt" from yesterday) and her niece.

And I'll tell you something, that mischievous glint in her eye is growing on me.

This morning JM made up a story about cooking himself a life-size gingerbread to play with and making it a boat so that no fox could get him. I encouraged him to write about it and he was so excited. 

Right now the AP is playing Simon Says with my class in the hallway and they just beat second grade. I'm gleaming with pride.

Finally, it snowing cats and dogs. How could I ask for more?

a trick!

I finally realized that lesson plans are much less daunting when you come up with all the objectives before you begin to write the actual lesson.

They did that part for us at institute. Why am I just realizing this now?

90%

Of the children who fail the ISAT will drop out of school.

I hate standardized tests, but that statistic made me take a minute to consider why some administrators are so adamant about students passing.

Why are we still using a system that fails so many students?

worked late

Because my stuff came in today!

and then there were 22 (again)

I met N. this morning when her aunt and uncle brought her to school. She's small for her age, precocious, and impulsive. She's having a lot of trouble staying in her seat and raising her hand. However, she's not a crier and she's not defiant so I can't complain.

I tested her this morning and I was surprised and disappointed. She hasn't mastered letter names or sounds, she can read 3 sight words, and she can only count to 29. This in contrast to my kids who are essentially done with the alphabet, are reading about 30 sight words, and can count to 100. She seems bright and enthusiastic, but we have a lot of catching up to do.

She sits in Aaron's old seat.

rumor confirmed

There is a new student. We need to increase enrollment. She is a girl. She will be here tomorrow.

That's all I know.

rumor has it

I'm getting a new student this week.

first day back

Things are running pretty smoothly. The ducklings transitioned back into all of our routines with relative ease and I haven't had any significant behavior issues (A cried once because someone stepped on his hand during blocks... I'll give it to him).

The best and worst part for me is that I feel like we never left, like I didn't have two weeks off. From the first day of school my goal was to "make it to Christmas." Today I'm asking, now what? Am I ever going to love this job?

for my next grant

from DonorsChoose we are going to get some beautiful, Black baby dolls to take to The Food Restaurant.

train: missed by enough seconds that the conductor chose to ignore me

Can I please just go back to bed? Shockingly, I'm not thrilled about starting back up on this cold Monday morning.

yardsticks

I spent a great deal of my vacation watching tv and vegetating, but when I needed a break from that I also read some excellent books. Yardsticks was definitely at the top of the list of very useful resources.

Finally, I know why 5 of my students always stand up when they work... they're five! And J always rushes through her work because she is so developmentally advanced that she is more of a six going on seven.

Every teacher should read this book. It is carefully written, aimed at respecting the individuality of every student while helping teachers recognize developmental patterns that may or may not make you want to pull your hair out.

reason #801

Children must play. I will continue to say it until I'm blue in the face. THE FINS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!

reasons #700-800, see: finland

An excellent article comparing the U.S. (and Norway) to Finland.

"There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he [Sahlberg] later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted." 

...Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.

Ms. Haley's back

The past two weeks have been restful and energizing, which I didn't fully realize until the third time someone said, "Wow! You are so... happy!"

I know that my energy isn't going to last long, but I am going to do everything I can to stay away from the "survival" place that I was in before the break. It's a dark, dark place and I don't want to go back. Talking to a 2010 TFA corps member today was really helpful. She reminded me that it's better to go home when school is finished and then get an hour of solid work done ...rather than work until 7 out of guilt. Best of all, she assured me that this year teaching will be my life. Next year, it will be my job.

I can't wait for next school year! More importantly though, here is to a productive, healthy new year.