51 days to go

"Oil is the fashion word for dirt."

Translation: soil is a fancy word for dirt.

I.hate.grading.

All I have done this week is enter grades. Hours of my life I will never get back.

Rather than "grade" five-year-olds on their ability and effort as shown by school mandated tests, I would MUCH rather reflect on the data that I collect and use for my own teaching.

What I am required to say: TK on comparing numbers, 50%.

What I would like to say: "TK is having trouble comparing numbers because her number sense above ten is a little low. I think this could be improved by having her complete these kinds of activities..."

What I end up doing to stay out of trouble and live with myself: both.

a note on parenting

Before I say a word, a disclaimer: I am not a parent. Nor do I desire ever to become one. Parenting is some hard work. 

Yesterday, when Kyle was getting picked up I explained to his mom that he had a bag of books that he needs to read every day (he's a low reader) and that if he could read them at then end of the week he would get a prize. She turned to him and asked, "Well, are you going to read those books?"

Maybe things have changed, but when I was in elementary school my grammy sat me down and forced me through every damn worksheet and assignment, like it or not. She would have sat on me if that's what it took. Similarly, I can remember her dragging me out of bed (literally, by the toes) to get me to school. For all the things that mattered I had no choice.

What I'm trying to say is, maybe neither of these styles is perfect but I don't think six-year-olds should be trusted to make their own academic decisions and I'm not really sure how to politely say that to a parent.

54 days to go

We did a science experiment to discover the necessary elements of life for plants. Each group planted a flower seed with one resource missing: water, light, and soil. The fourth group was our control - they just planted a plant.

Two funny things happened in relation to this experiment. First, during school DuckDuck began to cry a sad, hearty, leaky sort of sob. When I asked what was wrong he answered, "I'm just a little bit sad that our plant isn't going to grow." He was in the "no water" group. Second, after school I was giving the no soil and control plants each a little bit more water to last the weekend and I accidentally watered the "no water" cup. I quickly poured the water off the top before it seeped in, but DuckDuck may have his wish fulfilled after all.

In less exciting news, N was sent home during gym because while he was sitting in the corner for choking a student he found a chisel and chucked it at another student and hit her. I know that he isn't malicious, but it sincerely worries me that his first thought on finding something sharp and heavy is to throw it at another child.

56 days to go

It was a rough day for uniforms. Eli came in with his button down inside out. Baby Face had his sweater under his button down.

The low point of my day? Eli's mom agreed to come in for a meeting but I wasn't going to be able to go because we were short-staffed and no one could cover my class. Then, she cancelled.

The highlight of my day? I heard someone talking too loudly during centers and I looked up to see that it was Kyle.

Back story: Too much time passed before I realized that Kyle was going to need speech services because he talked so little in school. He never raised his hand and never talked spontaneously with others. On the other hand, I'm not guilt free. I couldn't understand him pronouncing his own name when I first met him. Anyway, his needs were beyond what I was capable of so I started pushing to get him evaluated. I pushed. His mom pushed. Nothing happened. Finally, I started emailing weekly and serendipitously our special ed coordinator left. I immediately started harassing her replacement. He was evaluated and immediately approved for services. The speech pathologist came in for his first session today. I heard him talk more today than I have ever heard him talk in a week.

bell hooks on educating black boys

"Oftentimes separate schools for black boys are presented as the best educational alternative because of their emphasis on strict discipline instead of learning. Yet often it is not the strictness that leads boys to do well in these schools, rather the fact that they are cared about, given attention, and perceived to be learners who can excel academically. Individual boys educated in supportive environments often regress when they enter predominantly white schools where they are stereotypically categorized as non-learners."

From her chapter titled, "school black males" in the book We Real Cool, p. 45.

st. patrick's day

Puzzles from this story, also referred to here as Jay, when to reading enrichment yesterday. The activity was to make a shamrock and then write three things they wished for on it. Jay's three wishes:

• I wish for a mom
• I wish for [a toy]
• I wish for a dad

And she read it to me all proud of the fact that she was sounding things out on her own. 

61 days to go

Today was one of those days where nothing crazy happened except me. By the end of the day, I was shouting at a child because he was crying and wouldn't tell me what was wrong, "I'm frustrated because I'm trying to help you and you won't tell me what you need!". A very effective and socially appropriate way to respond to a problem. Turns out he had left an illegal toy in his locker and wanted to get it. This was X, aka Crocodile Tears because that's what he responds to everything with.

In other news, Eli smothered a blue dry erase marker all over his mouth today in math. Then, he started tugging on the marker tip harder and harder until it bled all over his hands and shirt. He couldn't tell me what he was doing or why.

The last straw was at dismissal. Two days ago N was sent home for smacking Jay (Puzzles) to the floor. Another teacher saw it and wrote a referral. When N's mom arrived she asked if she could talk to the little girl. I assumed that she wanted N to apologize. Instead it went like this:

[N's mom]: "Did N hit you?"

"No."

"So N didn't hit you. Ms. Haley..."

[me]: "Not today Jay, earlier this week."

"Ohhh, yes. He did."

"Do you think he did it on purpose or by accident?"

--------

I realize that his mom handles a lot of stuff. And she should stick up for her baby. BUT are you kidding me?!

Oh, wait. There was one more straw. Today at our "professional development" I was scolded for being on my computer (even though I was participating) while the rest of the room graded papers and had side conversations with their team members. Perfect.

63 days to go

Shout outs from yesterday:

• I would like to should out L because she helped me stop talking
• I would like to shout out S because she did such a good job reading Elephant and Piggie (Texas)
• I would like to shout out A because at recess I didn't know how to make a cookie [playdough] and she showed me (Ms. A)

Then X proceeded to have a mental breakdown because Texas forgot to shout him out. Shout outs are clearly a big deal. 

adults, round II

Yesterday I was interrupted at the end of my grade level meeting by a frantic administrative assistant. It was 11:15am and my class was still upstairs in the room! They need to be taken to lunch! They're already five minutes late!

I went dashing up to my classroom to find utter chaos. The computer teacher apparently decided that she should move some children from blue to red (rather than incrementally, one color at a time). Children were crying and several had been hit by either Eli or N. Or both.

We transitioned fairly quickly to lunch and I was able to stop most of the tears by about 11:20.

Here's the kicker: guess where the computer teacher was headed, that she was so busy she couldn't take my class down to the cafeteria?

Lunch Duty. That's right. She kept my kids and made them almost 10 minutes late to their 20 minute lunch because she didn't want to walk them down. Then, she followed.us.down.to.the.cafeteria. Not to mention that when I am in a grade-level meeting she is supposed to take them down.

big victories // small victories

Yesterday I was officially informed that N has qualified, as part of his IEP (Individual Education Plan), for a 1:1 aid. Which means that as soon as possible - which I take to mean, by the beginning of next year - he will have a staff member with him full time throughout the day. When I found out, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least now I know that I can send him to first grade with the best possible scenario available at this school.

Also, a personal victory: during his meeting it came up that he used to cry every day before school in PreK. He no longer does that. In fact, his exact words were, "I like school. I'm good at all the things."

ravitch responds

Diane Ravitch is often one of few voices who speak out loudly against current education reform. As someone wishing to engage in critical dialogue, her voice was refreshing. My one disappointment with her was that she did not have an advocacy group or goal -- no place to put her energy.

With the launch of the Network for Public Education everything has changed. Their mission:

Our mission is to protect, preserve, promote, and strengthen public schools and the education of current and future generations of students. We will accomplish this by networking groups and organizations focused on similar goals in states and districts throughout the nation, share information about what works and what doesn’t work in public education, and endorse and rate candidates for office based on our principles and goals. More specifically, we will support candidates who oppose high-stakes testing, mass school closures, the privatization of our public schools and the outsourcing of its core functions to for-profit corporations, and we will support candidates who work for evidence-based reforms that will improve our schools and the education of our nation’s children.

Here is a Q&A with Ravitch, sent in by a teacher friend of mine, from wapo.

The reason that this network is so important is because it brings another voice to the table. It offers an alternative to high-stakes testing and privatization. Here, we have educators and experts testifying to the strength and vitality that public schools are capable of.

adults

As you may have gathered from reading my blog, the adults who work in my building are not exactly what I would categorize as "effective." Somehow, they never cease to amaze me with their lack of proficiency in the care and handling of young children.

For example, on Friday I returned to my classroom after their 45-minute gym period to find that the room was in emotional disarray. My behavior stick (a simple, six color stick that tracks student behavior with clothes pins which can be placed from red to blue) was on a table. The clothespins were in a heap surrounding it. Two were snapped in half. Children were crying and pushing and grabbing.

When I asked the teacher what happened, she told me that during the play time the stick had been knocked on the floor and some clips had fallen off so she just took all of them off since she didn't know where to put the ones that had fallen. Then, she made a quick exit.

After she was gone, I instituted a whole-class time-out so that I could get to the bottom of what happened. As I called up one student at a time to my desk, they began to verify the truth: the teacher had thrown the stick on the ground in frustration and many clips came flying off. Some children tried to put their friends back on the stick in the correct spot and in retaliation she took all of the clips off. At this point, Eli got a hold of them and started snapping the clothespins in half. And that's about when I walked in.

How does a 50 year-old-woman think that it is appropriate to have a temper tantrum in front of my class? And why on earth did she think that my kids wouldn't tell me the truth?

More frustrating than anything else is the fact that there is no avenue for me to seek retribution for my class. Mediocrity (or less) reigns.

sh

Sometimes little things make you feel big things.

On Friday one of my former students, Sh from this story, caught my attention. The after school program where many of our students go had just been called for dismissal and Sh was hysterically crying. I heard her teacher say something like, "Sh, your mom paid for you to go. So go." She clearly was not going to go on her own so I went over to talk to her. She was beside herself, tears everywhere, shaking and sobbing with emotion. Never in my two years knowing her had I seen her like that.

I offered to walk her to the top of the steps to meet the teacher. When we finally got outside, she physically pulled as I tried to take her hand and lead her down the sidewalk. The after school teacher said something like, "Sh, let's go and when we get there I will give you cake." She clearly was not going to go. At all.

I tried her mom on my cell. No answer -- I must have an old number by now. As a hail mary, I tried Pam, her grandmother. About a year ago she came after school to help me staple books for the kiddos. As she was leaving she hugged me and said that I was different, that she could tell I really cared. Pam immediately understood my concern and sent someone to pick Sh up.

In the mess of this ordeal, Sh told me that she didn't want to go because someone was bothering her. She told the after school teacher that she didn't want to go because she had a headache. She told Pam, little body shaking into the phone, that she just didn't want to go. Obviously, something is seriously wrong and she didn't feel like she could trust any of the adults around her to tell them exactly what it is.

reevaluation follow up

Guess what? Nothing happened.

I wish I could say that I was surprised, but I'm not. At this point, I'm not even trying to help myself with N, I'm just trying to make sure he gets what he needs by first grade.

psa

If you are, hypothetically, a parent of a third grade girl who is invited to join Ladies Club (aka, feminism class) an email like this would absolutely make you a helicopter parent:

Has there been an outline prepared and what source documents are you using for the curriculum? Will it be information from the internet or just your own personal life experiences shared.
 
For example:
March 14th / Week #1 - "What is this group about?" explaining to the girls what is the purpose of the group (rules & guidelines) and why its important. And maybe play an ice breaker game like Tell me 3 things about you.  Ask the girls why did they sign up and what are their expectations. Are they expecting to make new friends, learn arts & crafts, to learn secrets about the other girls and tease them???? Those few items could take an hour and then it sets the tone for the following weeks.
 
March 21st / Week #2 - Topic "I am a Lady" explaining that a young lady carries herself with poise and respect. Does not have to be flamboyant and loud, deserves respect and courtesy from others.  Ask the kids to name who are some popular ladies and why are they popular. That will open a discussion on everyone from Nikki Monage to Michelle Obama.  Compare and contrast the ladies and highlight they are both successful, but how they achieved the success (entertainer vs. education (law school, 1st lady, Univ. of Chicago). Ask them to describe a lady in their own family. They might tell about an favorite Aunt or older cousin, or even their own Mom.
 
March 28th / Week #3 - Topic "Proper Etiquette" could review proper eating and public behavior. Use paper placemats to simulate how and when to use which fork/spoon.  Do a full place setting with the salad fork, dinner fork, soup spoon, tea spoon at the top of the plate. They may not encounter situations often where these skills are used, but when they do; its important to know to place your napkin on your lap and not tuck it under their chin. The water glass to the right is their beverage and to start with silverware from the outside and work you way in. If they learn that, they can go to any scholarship luncheon and represent themselves well.
 
Week #4 - Topic "Proper Hygiene" this will allow a few weeks into the Club for the girls to develop trust and be more apt to share with the group. Instill the importance of daily showering or bathing, the need to take a personal interest in the neatness of their appearance. Neatness, as in washed and ironed clothes, not just pricey name brands. Name brands don't matter if you're wrinkled and sloppy. Then perhaps brooch the subject of menstrual cycles and let them know to talk with Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, or even you if it happens at school. Some students may have already started, others will be within a few years. Emphasize that its a private matter and a lady will not make fun of another girl or tell everyone on the playground that "Molly, got her period today."
 
Week #5 - Topic "Proper Nutrition & Exercise" to promote healthy eating and regular exercises. Focus on using the word nutrition, healthy choices, rather than saying diet. That could plant seeds for eating disorders and other body image issues. An activity could be to ask the girls to bring in different magazines and cut out pictures to make a collage of different women. Showing that beautiful women come in all shapes, sizes and skin tones/colors. 

science and field trips

At the beginning of the year, my team out-voted me for throwing out my created science curriculum in favor of using the FOSS kits that are five years old and incomplete. Not surprisingly, that hasn't been going so well. As of last week, I am now in charge of planning science and we are back on track for a Spring of biology and life sciences, which is my favorite part of the year (growing plants and butterflies? yes, please).

Well, in conjunction with my proposed curriculum, I just submitted three field trip requests: one for each unit for the rest of the year. Although three is supposed to be an admissible number of trips, I am not hopeful. So far I am 0-2 for accepted requests.

Funny story? Ms. H, my twin, overheard one of my grade-level partners complaining to my other grade-level partner about how it was my fault that we haven't taken any trips yet this year.

68 days to go

Today, my boss had to bring her daughter with her to work because their babysitter is out of town. She came to me last week to apologize for not asking me to host her (4 year old) daughter. I laughed politely and said not-so-politely that I wasn't a babysitter. No hard feelings.

Then she told me the reason why she hadn't asked. She said that she didn't want her child in my classroom with Eli and N. She said that my group was too rowdy and out of control for her to feel safe leaving her daughter, so her daughter will be spending the day in the other two Kindergarten classrooms.

Here's a question: If my classroom is not safe enough for a white lady's middle class daughter, what makes it safe enough for my students?