Diversity Read-Aloud

     I've discovered the best book for use with older elementary students. As I planned for this school year, I made a point of trying to locate books that I thought would reflect what I learned in the diversity course last year.  Many of the books I chose are first reads for me as well as for my students.  The book I am currently reading was chosen because the main character, Caitlin, has Asperger's Syndrome. It is titled Mockingbird and is written by Kathryn Erskine.  We are currently learning about point of view in language arts and I thought the book would add to that study since it is written from Caitlin's point of view.  The way my students have reacted to the novel has been a joy to watch.  At the beginning, they laughed at the way the main character took some things literally and joked about her behavior.  As they got caught up in the story and heard more of Caitlin's words, you could notice a shift in their thinking.  They began to feel Caitlin's frustration and empathize with her instead of laugh about her actions, words, and thoughts. Sure, they have identified point of view and discussed how other characters may have seen things differently, but the main lesson learned has been about people who may seem different from them.  I too learned a lesson.  I learned just how powerful a good book can be and how important it is to consider diversity as we choose books for our classrooms.  Hearing about it last year was good, but seeing it in action this semester is great!

21st Century Literacies - Ideas

I have a student that is currently homebound because he is vision impaired since a recent operation.  His sight is expected to return - improvement is already occuring - and we hope he'll return to the classroom after Christmas break.  I've tried to think of ways to use what we are learning in this course to help keep M. on top of things here at school.  I often whine about technology, but let me tell you, it has sure come in handy during the past couple of weeks.  I've thought of a lot of the things we've discussed and used in class and worked at adapting them so that a student not physically in the classroom can still experience a lot of what is going on.  I'd love to hear any ideas for using technology to help a visually impaired student at home feel like apart of the classroom community.

Teaching the Teacher

     I know that it is important for teachers to allow students to experiment with a topic we are teaching.  We can't just lecture all day and expect every child to get what we are trying to teach.  Students must be actively involved in their own education.  I know this, but when I experience it myself, the message becomes even more powerful.  Thursday night, I had the chance to experience the power of students (in this case, me) being actively involved in their learning.  When I read about all the different multimedia resources in the textbook, a lot of what I read just disappeared into thin air.  I couldn't comprehend what I was reading well enough to retain the knowledge.  But when I was given the opportunity to play with some sites in the computer lab, suddenly I understood what the author of the text was saying. The lesson Thursday was on ways to use technology to enhance my instruction, but I also learned first hand just how important it is to allow my students to take part in their own learning.  I think both lessons were equally important.

Am I Ready For This?

    I find it difficult to describe how I felt as I read the description of the classroom of the future in our text.  I can't say that I find it hard to believe such big changes could occur.  I've seen too many changes in my 19 years in the classroom to think that things will stay the same.  But I am intimidated by some of the changes that were talked about.  I try to stay on top of technology, but I find myself worried that I won't be able to understand or use correctly the next big thing in educational technology that enters my school.  Younger teachers seem to catch on to tech-y things much quicker than I do and I feel like I am listening to a foreign language when new teachers get together and start discussing ways they are using technology in their classrooms.  I do not want to become the teacher no one wants becasue she is boring and doesn't do the fun stuff like the younger teachers.  I want to understand and use the new things that are entering our schools, but I am still intimidated by the changes that I sense are coming. Digital literacy is necessary.  I know this.  I want my students to leave my classroom ready to face whatever the world throws at them.  But I doubt my ability to understand the technology well enough to do a good job of teaching it.  I hope that as the changes come to pass, I'll gradually learn the knowledge and skills necessary so I'll feel more confident when the time arises to use and teach these new technologies.  Right now though, I am scared.

Sometimes I'm Just So Proud

     My students and I recently had the opportunity to experience sharing in a student's health crisis.  One of my students was diagnosed with a brain tumor a couple of weeks ago and was immediately taken to UVA for a couple of operations to remove the tumor.  He left Friday like every other student and by the following week, my class was only hearing from him through second-hand accounts of his status.  My group of fifth graders, who can be extremely hard on each other and often don't get along very well, rallied together to support our sick classmate and send him warm wishes.  I was lucky enough to maintain a running dialogue with his family memebers and received daily updates which were then passed on to my classes.  The "M. Update" became a part of our daily schedule - after journal writing and before our read-aloud time. As we discussed our concerns and celebrated the good news we received from the hospital - no cancer!!!- the opportunity arose for some very serious discussions.  Students made cards, prayed during our daily moment of silence, and made plans for M.'s return.  When they heard that M. had enrolled in the hospital school, they were shocked.  (What?  No break from school even for brain surgery?!) M. came home last week, but he won't be returning to the classroom for a while.  He has a lot of therapy ahead of him and will be homebound.  I was thrilled when he asked his mom to bring him to school Thursday for a visit.  I was so proud of my brave boy as he was guided into my classroom (he still can't see in one eye, and the eye with vision droops and must be held open.) My ususally chatty students were completely silent.  You could see they did not know how to deal with the change from the boy who left our room to the kid standing before them.  M. acted as if nothing was wrong and even shared with the class that his doctor had been in the operating room when they did surgery on Christopher Reeves.  Yep - M. ranks up there with Superman!  It wasn't long before his friends began to open up and start talking.  The kids most likely to be ugly to others and tease anyone who is different were so kind and gentle.  I was impressed at the way they showed empathy.  They are already planning trips to M.'s house and asking me how we can keep him involved with our class.  I am so proud of all of my students during this stressful time for our classroom - M. for his courage as he faced a health crisis no one his age should have to face, and the rest of my fifth graders as they came together as a classroom community to support one of their own.

Faculty Art Exhibit

     The faculty art exhibit in Green Hall was not what I expected.  There were several types of art I did not expect  to see.  The graphic art was a surprise and I was also surprised by the number of pottery pieces included in the exhibit.  The piece of art I focused on was a large painting with a bunny in the center.  It caught my attention because it appears as if it was painted by more than one artist.  The bunny's style is soften, rounder, and more realistic than the hands coming out of the sides of the painting.  The hands are modern, almost coloring book like.  The background full of clovers made me think of good luck symbols (4 leaf clover, rabbit's foot).  The whole painting felt like something from Alice in Wonderland. I don't think it is something I would enjoy having in my home, it's a bit too busy for my taste, but it definitely caught my eye and made me think.

Common Core Leaves Teachers Out of the Equation

     While I see some things about the Common Core Curriculum that I think are positive, I fear that the author is correct about the movement "sinking" over time.  Common Core State Standards will become another example of an educational experiment that just didn't work the way the experts predicted it would work.  This is because the people who push these "one size fits all" programs at teachers and require them to teach according to a prescribed plan, don't take into account the fact that children aren't all alike.  In a perfect classroom, all twelve of my students would arrive each morning, well-rested and with full tummies, ready and eager to learn the information I have to deliver.  They would participate in class and remain on their best behavior at all times, get along with everyone in their cooperative group, and beg for work to take home so their learning could continue once they leave the school building. In the real world, in the majority of our very full classrooms, teachers are struggling with different achievement levels, students bringing problems from home to school, conflicts between students, and unmotivated children.  The Common Core does not address the difficulty of this task.  Until the real problems in education are taken into account, I do not believe that any program stands a chance of proving successful.