Ulterior motives

So I have waxed eloquently on here about what I plan to implement as a teacher. However I never really divulged why I want to become a teacher. Yes it is to make a difference but subconsciously lies the real reason.  This past semester,  (yes it's over! Sad to see some classes end (Social Studies) and others not so much (Math)) I took a children's literature class that reopened my eyes to the wonderment that is children's literature. Our 1st assignment was to write our own bio of our reading habits (below).  What I soon discovered is that as a child I had a voracious appetite for books but could never satisfy my hunger. Then it dawned on me one day, I am becoming a teacher to have an excuse to read all the books I never got around to as a child. Through my class I discovered that children's literature is not a whole lot different than the stuff we read as adults.  The stories run parallel themes that infiltrate the books for an older set. There are love stories, struggles, uncertainties, and discoveries.   Well written children's novels weave an intricate plot that engages the reader to turn page after page.  In a nut shell, children’s literature is adult literature either written in the child’s perspective or marketed to children.  Chances are you ate up all 7 Harry Potter’s even though they are “kid’s books.”  So this break instead of catching up on reality TV or gossip sites I plan to plow through one or two of those books that never got to be cracked open when I was a wee one. 

Journal:  Write your own reading autobiography.  What memories do you have of your early reading?  Did either of your parents read to you?  Do you recall any of the books read to you as a child?  Did any teachers or librarians read aloud to you?  What books did you own as a child?  What were some of your favorites?  Do you recall any that you did not like?  Do you know why?  Were there any characters with whom you related closely?

My mother always read to me. Every night before bed I would pick out a book from the shelf. From what I can remember I always loved Good Night Moon and Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. I find this ironic because had I graduated from Vandy while Chancellor Gee was in office I would have received that at my college graduation. I loved to look at the pictures and jump right into the book with the characters. My mother usually took on the reading duties because my father has dyslexia and it would often be hard for him to read aloud. She would patiently read the books over and over to me, until I finally had them memorized. Once the book was finished, I would ask her to read it again. When I was in elementary school, each March was P.A.R.P.: Parents As Reading Partners. Each night we were to go home and read aloud to our parents. It was a friendly competition to encourage students to go home and read.  

In school, it all started with Roger Red Hat in Mrs. Cesarano’: s kindergarten class at Ridge Street School. I remember breaking out into guided reading groups and reading the same book as some of my peers. I loved the challenge of reading the books, but was hard on myself because I was not reading the hardest option available. By the end of first grade, I was reading independently with little help from my parents at home. Also, I loved the Library period we had each week. Once a week, all throughout elementary school we would go up to the Library. There Mrs. Goldman would read us a story, which usually tied in with that week’ s lesson. After she read to us we were encouraged to check out books, specifically that tied into what we were learning that unit. I remember looking at all the chapter books and wanting so badly to take them out. I think by 3^rd or 4^th grade I did take them out, and really enjoyed reading them, but some were hard to read. When I was able to master the chapter book I started the American Girl Doll series of books for Molly. Molly was my favorite because she modern and adventurous. Also, the World War Two era had really fascinated me because my grandfather had fought in the war.  

As I got older, into Middle School I would read book after book. When my family moved and I had a brand, spanking new room the only request I had for the construction was to have one long shelf at the top of my room to put all my books. On the left were the books to be read and read ones were to the right. When I had to clean out my room last summer I noticed that the right side was far more loaded than the right. In middle school, I started reading more adult books, but still loved the Princess Diaries series. I would stalk Meg Cabot’s website hoping it would be that much closer to the release date of the next book. To me Mia Thermopolis was the coolest, best friend a girl could want. I wanted to live her life in New York City and be free and artistic just like her. While waiting for the next book in the series to be released, I started reading adult books. The most memorable books from middle school were Summer Sisters and She’s Come Undone. I was so into She’s Come Undone that the binding of the book broke, and when I reread Summer Sisters for book club it was just as good the second time around. During summers at sleep away camp, me and my friends would skip activities to hide in the woods to read by the lake. In High School, I began to appreciate the books our teachers assigned to us. I loved looking for symbolism in Lord of the Flies, and truly understanding what Romeo and Juliet was about. While Leo was easy on the eyes, reading Shakespeare’s text was that much more powerful. I am not going to lie, there were times when Cliff Notes were used to get through some of the painful stuff I had to read for English class. It was dry or above my level or I was not mature enough at the time to grasp what the author was saying. In eleventh grade however I loved almost every book Mrs. Jackson assigned to us. From One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to The Great Gatsby I was excited for the homework she would assign us. Senior year, I was enrolled in AP European History, and over the summer I was to read The Girl with the Pearl Earring, my absolute favorite book. My senior year, I was also the president of the book club (and captain of the math team to help increase the nerd factor). Outside of the class room I was always reading independent books.  

At one of the first classes at Vanderbilt that I enrolled in was an English course. The professor assigned Of Mice and Men, this I was not happy about. I hated it in High School, but I read that Steinbeck in hours. Due to the fact I loved it so much, I later picked up some of his other works. Unfortunately, I never found the time to finish them, but one day. During summers, I would commute from Westchester into the City and would read book after book. The summer, I was placed in the Brooklyn office for the company where I was interning was the summer I would read book after book. On average, I finished a book a week. After college, I unfortunately did not pick up where I left off. I could not focus enough on a book to one get involved or two even finish it. This past spring, I picked up the Hunger Games and while I have not voraciously finished it, reading the series is setting me back up to have a healthy appetite for literature.  

What a Difference 4 Months Makes

I have gained a ton of knowledge this semester.  I was a blank canvas who knew nothing, nada, zilch, the goose egg about teaching, let alone teaching literacy.  If I gained anything that teaching literacy builds the foundation for the potential to learn great things.  The combination of phonological awareness, fluency, phonics, vocabulary and comprehension create a powerful reaction for tomorrow’s great learners and leaders.  From what I read, experience, and speak with others about is that for some reason, someone thinks those great leaders and learners are only located in either suburban or private schools.  

When I decided to go into teaching I wanted to have purpose for getting out of bed each day.  Working with sweaters and male models was not cutting (yes I gave up staring at a beautiful specimen of a man for 8 plus hours, but the luster wears off fast).  I wanted to make a difference in a child’s life.  I did not care where this was or what type of environment it was.  Then we got our second practicum placement and after a little resistance it all clicked.  The school we were placed in is considered inner-city or high poverty.  Most students are on subsidized lunches.  I did not even realize this until a bit into the placement.  I was overwhelmed with the fact I was placed in 6^th grade and on my first day the students were bouncing off the walls.  I was expected to teach lessons to these students?  Ask anyone the following week and I was a mess.  I was lucky enough to have people in my life to help talk me down from that ledge and comfort me that everything was going to be okay.

It was okay.  It was more than okay!  Being assigned practicum at this site opened my eyes to so many things with the education system and has given me the fire to be the best teacher I can be. I witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I was fortunate to get a glimpse into the teacher’s lounge chat and was less than impressed with how these teachers spoke of their students.  These teachers expect so much from their students but hold them to such low standards.  Of course they will constantly disappoint you if you expect the worst.  I know I am not in the trenches and standing in front of a classroom for 8 hours, so I may not understand their perspective.  They could just be blowing off steam, but truly love teaching.  

From the powerful talk I attended with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, I know these students have the odds stacked against them.  I cannot even imagine their home life, but when they step into school, their district is probably investing half the amount of money that the neighboring suburban town is investing in their students.  While money equals supplies it also creates an aura as well.  Whenever I would step into my practicum placement, the school in general I would not feel a spirit.  However, when I did step through the door of my classroom that spirit would be alive (some days).  To me it seemed that everyone knew that no one was expecting greatness from the students.  Their job was to move them along to high school and hope they passed their state tests.  The students know this as well.  When I was teaching a lesson where students were able to get up out of their seats and move about the classroom and learn at the same time they were excited.  Even when they were asked what they enjoyed about the activity they were able to verbalize they loved to do something different and learn at the same time. 

Working one on one with my students has also enlightened me to this downtrodden spirit.  When teaching vocab to various students they would not want to try to figure out the meaning of a word.  I would tell them that hard work pays off.  I am not sure if anyone ever told them this.  I think it was only expected of them.  With just a little push my students were able to use their tools to understand a words meaning.  Never have I seen a person’s face light up with such joy when I told him how smart he was and that he did a spectacular job with his work.  I don’t remember what he said exactly, but it was definitely self-deprecating.  

When I have my own classroom, every day I must remind myself that I have confidence in my students’ greatness.  This type of spirit will have students looking forward to Monday mornings.  It will have them motivated to read interesting, different books.  It will make the pen move at rapid speed on the paper.  These students need as much support in the school environment because they may not be getting the nurturing they deserve at home. I don’t know what their home life is like, but from the students who confided in me, I know it’s not exactly perfect.  

I will take the responsibility to go the extra mile for my students to help the achievement gap close a bit tighter.  I will use resources like Donors Choose to get a variety of texts in my classroom for students to be exposed to.  I will speak to my students how they should be spoken to, as adults.  These mini adults, as I like to call them, will rise to the occasion.  They will develop amazing literary skills.  They will use the books they read as model texts for the writing they soon will produce.  Their lives are interesting and colorful which will create some amazing literature.  This literature will start to be written in my classroom and one day may be on a bookshelf (well more like Nook).  

Good teaching is good teaching.  When I am down in the trenches and I feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel, I have to remind myself that this is for the students.  They have been dealt a less than fair deck.  The fire that I feel right now will fuel me on to give these students the academic tools for greatness.  I want them to see they have not been forgotten about and that they can do anything they put their mind to.  

It is hard for me to really put into words what my practicum experience has shown me.  I just know that it has confirmed my decision to become a teacher.  It has confirmed my decision that I can make a lasting difference in a student’s life.  It has confirmed in me that I can become the change I want to see in my students.    

The Write Stuff

Maybe it’s my older years of a whole quarter of a century that I cannot remember anything.  It could also be the fact I have 110 thoughts passing through my head at any given moment.  I am going to say that it is the later; I have too many thoughts and a good one may just get lost in the sea and not come to the surface for days.  Well that’s usually when I don’t have a pen and paper or in modern day cases my cell phone handy.  Often the greatest inspiration for my writing would come on my walks home from work.  I had 20 blocks between me and my office where I would walk and think to clear my head from my dead end job.  Often on those frigid walks home was when the inspiration for my next posting would come from.  I honestly have no idea what sparked the creative juices to start flowing but there was no stopping them.  To dam the ideas up, I would whip out the trusty old Blackberry.  As I walked I would furiously type away whatever I thought sounded good.  I am surprised I was never hit by a taxi.  Ok we get it, I am a writer and this is an education blog so guess what comes next: The connection to the classroom and the students. 

Inspiration for writing does not come from sitting at a desk with a paper and pencil on your desk.  It comes from the lives we lead and the inspirations we pass.  I doubt those cold desks are inspiring the next great American novel.  When it comes out let’s ask the author what his or her inspiration came from.  I bet you $20 it was not sitting at his desk looking at a blank word document.  I find it comical the fact that writing this post is taking the most effort and staring at a blank screen.  I know what I want to write, but just could not string the words together.  Oh the irony!  Yes there will be writing instruction in my classroom, lots of it, but I want to teach my students the purpose and inspiration for writing.  An excellent tool to enable this is the writer’s notebook or pad.  If students are equipped with a note pad and pencil wherever they go they can write down their ideas when they strike.  It eliminates that deep thought process of what was I thinking about when I had that stupendous idea.  That stupendous idea is already written down and when the student sits down for writer’s workshop h/she knows exactly where to begin.  They have an idea.  They do not know where this idea will take them.  Could it end up being a mystery?  Or will it be a poem?  Will it be a mysterious poem?  The writing process of prewriting, writing and revising will lend itself to how the actual piece develops.

Coming up with the idea is often the hardest part of free writing.  We as teachers must “help students to see and value the precious particles in their lives not by giving lectures and assignments, but by demonstrating this quality of attentiveness in our own lives” (Calkins, 1994).  When students are aware of their surroundings they can draw on their experiences and create excellent writing.  Ever talk to a published writer?  Ask them who their main character’s inspiration is.  Nine times out of ten they will say there is a big part of me (the author) in the character.  Over the course of my semester, I have had the privilege of listening to talented writers speak about their body of work.  Every single one of them mentioned themselves were in their books in one capacity or another.  We need to show our students that our lives are worth being written about, that our stories are the next tall tales to be told.  We as teachers must inspire our students to draw with their pencil.  But we need to put that pencil in their hand and convey to our students that inspiration may strike at a moment’s notice.  Stop and get it down on paper because great things will come flowing out of that pen.  The writer’s notebook is the first step in that process.

Once we start writing there seems to be a wall we hit.  That wall is not lack of ideas, but in reality lack of confidence.  I remember in high school, Mr. Shortliffe had us break with tradition and write exploratory essays.  Instead of ending the last sentence of our first paragraph with our thesis we just wrote our thoughts until they ended with our thesis.  He prefaced this assignment or couple of papers with the fact that if it is in our head just write it down and the thesis will just naturally develop.  This may have been the hardest* assignment of 10^th grade, more so than reading Ibsen (really Ibsen in May, students are checked out in May and give them A Doll’s House and they are already in the Catskills singing camp songs).  It was hard because as students we are traditionally told to write it down if it only has meaning or significance.  The art of revision was never really a part of the process.  Resistance to writing comes from lack of confidence and this assignment wanted to just explore.  This serves as inspiration for how I want to create a writing environment in my classroom.  I want to remove all resistance so the words just flow.  I want my students to just try and get their ideas on paper.  It may be a drawing of how their story should progress, it could be a bunch of squiggles that one day will form words or it may be a spoke wheel with what the author wants to include in their piece of writing.  This writing needs to be celebrated along its journey.  Encouragement and positive feedback will keep the writing wheel greased.  Once the practice stops it’s hard to pick up where it left off.  It needs to be a constant occurrence.  There really are no excuses.  I see in my own writing, the more I do it the better it becomes and the more ideas I have swirling around in my head.  If I see this why not show it to my students.  They will understand this and they will be writing themselves to the top. 

*Like I told my practicum students, “Hard work pays off.”  As you can tell from my posts, I tend to write in a more exploratory style.  So thank you Mr. Shortliffe, you have challenged me since 8^th grade.  There would be no Chef Steph without you, there would be no RPPQD! without you, there would be no urine, tinkle, piss without you. 

Make It Rain

So I reference my own education on here a lot because I got a damn good education, so it acts as a model for what works (most of the time, I am not going to get into my inability to spell anytime soon).  Oh did I ever mention it was a public school?  Well it was.  Yes, I grew up in a privileged household, privileged neighborhood, but my public education has proved me well.  Through my current studies it is highlighted even more how much I have benefited from my great educators.  We have discussed the impacts of testing on the classroom and how certain subjects take the brunt of it.  Even though reading, writing and arithmetic take the driver’s seat there are so many ways to teach students about Social Studies, Science and the Arts by using the “important” subjects as vehicles to teach.  

My education was comprehensive.  Looking back my 2 favorite subjects were Social Studies and Science, even though I was the captain of the Math team senior year (Go Trojans!).  Yeah those are the ones some districts consider “less important.”  It was comprehensive because my teachers mastered the art of interdisciplinary education (Rény, 2000).  In third grade we studied the rainforest.  I can thank Ms. Nielsen for creating an environmentalist who now brings her recycling to campus because her apartment complex does not provide that service.  The final project for the rainforest unit was for each student to study a plant or animal that inhabited the rainforest and to write an informational speech.  Then we made costumes, dressed up and celebrated the day by having other classes come to our exhibit.  The other students would step on our button and the creatures would come to life and say their speeches. 

So how does this science lesson have anything to do with teaching literacy in schools?  It has EVERYTHING to do with teaching literacy.  First off it was the student’s responsibility to consult informational texts to research the information on their animals.  I did not have a text book that had extensive information on the Ruby Throated Humming bird, but I needed to tell the visitors of the rainforest as much as I could about this little creature.  This teaches students the purpose for their reading.  They have to go to the library and check out books and try and find information to add depth to their speech or whatever project they are working on.  Students are gathering information to synthesize facts. Additionally students must learn how to pick and choose the details that are most important to include.  Everything they read will first sound important but they must think should it be included for all to hear.  

After all that reading and research is done the students had to create a speech.  Here comes the writing.  We had to take all that reading and research and organize it into cohesive thoughts that would make sense when spoken aloud.  So students had to work on their writing skills and create an interesting speech where visitors would want to step on their button to hear the informational speech.  They would also have to work on the tone of the speech to make sure that it was interesting and educational.  The goal was to have people keep stepping on that button.  

So think hard.  Look at standards.  Which ones are punching you in the face right now?  Not the science ones.  I see more English skills being tapped into with the clear goal of teaching science.  Had I read in the text book that the Ruby Throated Hummingbird flaps its wings over 120 times a second, I probably would not be writing it here today over 15 years later without looking it up (ok go Google it and prove me wrong.  I am humble enough to admit when I am wrong).  You can argue that because I committed the speech to memory is why I can recall that fact.  Can I recall my Torah portion from my bat mitzvah that was also committed to memory?  NO WAY, and that was only 10+ years ago.  Students can be challenged to learn new vocabulary words.  They need to be able to first comprehend what they are reading in order to communicate it to an audience.  When writing a speech they practice the fluency that may exist in their head but when heard aloud needs to be edited for others to understand.      Interdisciplinary education creates a passion for learning and the ability to demonstrate this learning through their work.  It creates interested students who unfortunately become easily bored when they are taught in the traditional one subject at a time method.  This interdisciplinary approach creates a connection for students where they stop asking why, but understanding the why.  It flexes problem solving skills which students solve in the most creative ways known to man (Rényi, 2000).  General George Patton Jr. said it the best “If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you'll be amazed at the results.”  Us as teachers have to scaffold the students to be able to leap off and learn.  The power of using language arts to teach students is incredible.  They have the lasting impact that one can remember this fact.  I doubt I will use it in my everyday life unless Alex Trebek gives me a ring, but the skills I developed from this process were permanent.  They created a learner, who can use texts and writing to communicate her understandings.  Every day I must tell myself that I will be creating learner of the world’s classroom and I want to give my students the tools to make the most out of this classroom. 

Too Cool for School

-      So in high school I thought I was so cool and so smart in Ms. Petrao’s English class when we were discussing the books we read in class.  I felt like an intellect reading further and further between the lines.  To me I was writing college level papers by comparing The Lord of the Flies to Machiavelli.  If I could find that paper I might laugh, I might cry, I might edit.  What I am getting at here is I could not have had these deep conversations and strong analysis without the deep comprehension skills I had subconsciously developed in elementary school.  What I now realize, this was not subconscious, but that my excellent elementary teachers worked tirelessly to teach me how to understand the great aspects of the books we were reading.  Looking back, I want for my students when they reach high school to feel just as cool as I did when debating the books meaning or understanding how a character may represent the devil.  I know that as an elementary teacher it is my responsibility to give students countless opportunities to practice the numerous comprehension strategies out there.  So how will some of these various strategies create smart alecks in high school?

-          Establishing purpose for reading: give a student a text and their automatic reaction is WHY?  Give the student a purpose and they are focused.  Like when I taught my students about visualization in Holes they had a simple task for that one chapter.  It was to read the chapter and see if they can actually see in their mind what Camp Green Lake really looks like.  When they get to High School they can put all these various purposes together and just read.  They can visualize while predicting because their reading ability is at a sophisticated level.  And by that point outside of the classroom the point of reading is for pure entertainment. 

-          Using prior knowledge:  We don’t know everything but each and every one of us knows something.  The knowledge students have spent years acquiring through school, experience, and intrigue gives each student an individual perspective on a book they are reading.  They can use this prior knowledge to really understand the books meaning.  Two students with two different backgrounds can both use their prior knowledge to have deep meaning of a book.  Ask the two students about it and chances are you will get two very different answers.  Certain parts of a book will speak to them where the other student may not have picked up on it.  When they get to that discussion circle in my class (they are not waiting until 9^th grade to analyze a text if I have anything to do with it) both students can orate their interpretation.  It can enlighten the other readers to aspects of the book they were in the dark about.  There are new angles in how they see the books progress of events or sympathies they have for characters. 

-          Asking and answering questions: The only stupid question is the question not asked.  There are three levels of questioning: low, medium and high.  Low questions are often phrased with When, or who and can often be answered in one word answers.  Then the middle is what which has a couple of more words for the answer.  The high level questions of why and how is what I want my students to be asking as the read along.  All types of questions have their place while reading but the lower level questions will probably get answered by reading further in the text.  However those high level questions that challenge a student’s thought process is my ultimate goal.  Why would she do that? How could a mother treat her child like that? Why does digging holes build character? Some of these questions have answers that students will come to in their reading but others require them to think even after the last page has been read.  These open ended questions are great launching pads for class discussions or writing assignments.  This will have students flex their ability to analyze and draw connections from sections and aspects of the book if they were just reading it to read. 

-          Making inferences: If a writer wrote every word down that indicated his or her intention every book lining a library’s shelf would be as thick as War and Peace.  Reading between the lines is just as important as fluently reading the text in a book.  It is important to stop and ask students to think, what is really being said here? How do I think the character is feeling?  The author introduces us to settings, plots and characters but expects their reader to make inferences about the unwritten features of these aspects.  But how is a student supposed to know they are supposed to be making inferences as they read.  Cue teacher.  It is my job as a teacher to show students the art of inferring. In child appropriate language ask a kid if they have any additional thoughts about a sentence or paragraph chances are they did.  From author’s word choice we can infer a character is nice because the author tells the audience he is very happy and shares his toys.  Making inferences helps students to think about what may happen next or help formulate opinions based on the tone of the author’s writing.  Developing the ability to infer has students think beyond the text and dig for deeper meaning. 

-          Determining what is important- main idea: The main idea is not the last sentence of the first paragraph of a five paragraph essay, it is the theme of a book that peeks through when you least expect it.  It may be obvious, or it may need a bit of digging to uncover, but it is there.  It needs to be shown some love.  Every great book has a theme or a main idea the author is trying to tell its audience.  Exploring this while trying to understand a book will once again tie the whole book together.  This character fits in with this theme because he exemplifies this characteristic.  Or the theme is shown to the reader by this sequence of events.  Understanding main idea and theme will give perspective to a student’s understanding.  When analyzing text’s students should consider how these themes are omnipresent and what their effects are. 

-          Summarizing: The ability to read something anything and put it into your own words shows that you have read it, thought about, processed it and come up with the words that make the most sense to you of how to make sense of what you just read.  Putting the plot into one’s own words sounds simple but is actually very difficult because there are so many small but necessary steps to summarize effectively.  When analyzing it is important for students to summarize to give their group mates background of the events that go into the opinions that are being formed. 

-          This is a big undertaking, but I know the payoff is worth it.  I want to have students that when they get to High School are confident enough to discuss with their class what they thought and why.  We all have thoughts, but the why piece will most impact a student’s growth.  That “why” will grow and the students will become excellent examiners for all things in their life.  They will want to gain understanding about why something works or why this process works for creating a recipe.  Why not ask why?  There is only room to grow.  A book is a puzzle piece that needs the reader to put all the pieces together for a complete piece of literature.