#108Weeks
March 20-26, 2022
Brunching with friends
Catching up on writing projects
Uncovering my natural gifts and creative approaches
Exploring art and books and Asian food in St. Pete
Planning my trip to Ohio in June
Making decisions about my teaching life—all good
#66Challenge
I made my pitch, my plea, for my creative writing classes back.
Of course, it all depends on numbers, blah blah.
I won't give up.
I'm going to remind the principal of his earlier promise. Yes, I consider it a promise.
I pulled out all the stops. Longevity. Three more years. Don't make me end this way.
If others can demand what they want, why can't I?
This is important. I need and want this.
Honestly, I may not make it three more years otherwise.
#66Challenge
On a Sunday morning at Costco, I ran into a student and his mother. They bought me a $25 gift card on the spot.
A couple of days later, I was invited by the Lehigh Senior Class of 2012 to be a guest of honor at their breakfast in May. Apparently, I was one of the most requested teachers they most wanted to catch up with.
Sometime among all these great teacher moments I made the decision to retire in 2025.
It suddenly was an easy decision.
#66Challenge
This is a quote from Joe Biden in the interview with Heather Cox Richardson:
There are certain periods in American history where you reach inflection points, when things change not necessarily because of the individuals involved, but because of the circumstances and how the world has changed. I think we're in one of those moments in world history where we'll see more change because of technology in the next 10 years, more than we've seen in the last 50 years. And I think it's hard for governments to get their arms around these changes in a way that continues to bring people together.
I knew right away he was hitting the nail on the head with education.
It's a function of government, and it involves LOTS of people. Even if I was able to think of what we should do as educators to address what is happening, it would take forever to get people on board.
In our faculty meeting this week we were introduced to this five step plan, of which the 4th step was mastery grading (something I was already doing until they took it away from me with canned curriculum), and eventually competency progression.
I'm on board. But as they said...it will take YEARS.
Meanwhile, we all suffer.
It caused me to look up what I heard in the 80s, on how knowledge doubles.
In 1985, when I heard about this, knowledge was doubling every five years.
Now it is doubling every 13 HOURS.
As Joe says, it is technology that causes this motion.
How to respond is the difficult part. Because, after all, as soon as you do everything will have moved on.
Inflection point, indeed.
#66Challenge
Friday, March 11th was WONDERFUL.
I had a writing classroom.
The idea to do the fantasy story WORKED.
It was GOLD.
By 11th period I was trying to find someone to visit my classroom just to see what REAL curriculum can do.
Kids fully engaged. Collaborating. Laughing. Having fun. Being productive.
It convinced me I MUST get this back.
I won't let that idea go...no matter WHAT.
#66Challenge
Three of my class periods are better now, ever since I changed seating, added negatives to Class Dojo, and one student left for Success Academy.
The other class...no hope there. Nowhere to move anyone. Smallest class with the biggest problems. Unsolvable, except to keep writing referrals.
Of which I'm up to 50.
Seriously. 50.
Ridiculous.
#66Challenge
I cannot believe for so many years -- even last year--I spent a great deal of my time on the weekends working on stuff for school.
Now I find it impossible.
I find even when I want to do something creative, I just cannot give the time.
Even now, at this moment, as I'm finally writing all these things during spring break, I'm mostly doing it to keep up with the project I committed to and hadn't kept up.
Because when the weekend comes, I don't want to write about school.
Not even sure I want to be doing this now, except I'm getting a strange thrill out of seeing how things have been piecing together. I know this is important.
And I'm almost done. Which helps.
From one of my teammates, I learned of a meeting where certain personnel reduced another teacher to tears for her contribution that just wasn't in line with what they wanted.
Not that they've been clear on what they wanted, beyond the documents sent to us that we followed to the TEE.
But now we were told we weren't supposed to.
My teammate and I are on the same page, however. We saw the value in what we did, how this helped our young people progress. We are proud of our work, and wouldn't change a thing.
It is so exhausting to keep having people from the outside tell us how to do things, then tell us we did them wrong. They are not in front of our students all day.
Why can't we get the teeniest bit of respect and trust? Why is that so much to ask? Especially when we are teachers who are willing to STAY and do the work?
#66Challenge
The workshop I'm doing with my Read 180 kids had a page on the word "surreal."
It was random, as so many things are. It didn't seem connected to anything else.
I wanted to teach them this word, but not with a fill-in-the-blank worksheet.
I tried videos on "surreal," but without fail every one of them showed a Dali painting with a naked woman.
I checked the exam they would take, and saw "surreal" was not on the test.
So I skipped it.
At times the way I have to teach, the decisions I have to make, seem surreal.
Other times, it is just a matter of choosing what I want to do most to survive as the teacher I am.
#66Challenge
These are the words I wrote in my journal on this auspicious day:
After feeling like I can't be the teacher I used to be, I now have come to the place where I realize that it is all I can be. It is okay to get creative, to do what I feel is best.
I'm the crooked tree, and I like it that way. This song helps me remember to be me, which seems to be a constant struggle no matter what I do.
#66Challenge
On February 17, right at the end of my planning period, I spontaneously decided to make a trip to the office to check my mailbox and turn a couple things in.
I never do this, make a trip up there so close to class change. But I felt directed.
And that is when I saw a young science teacher, and in that moment I recalled a student telling me that she had been out of school because her students had done such mean things to her, she could not even show up.
I reached out. Talked with her (I don't really know here at all.) Told her of my own struggles this year, how I, too, had to remove myself for a while in order just to get my mind back in shape. It was good to connect, even for less than five minutes. What they had done to this teacher was beyond reprehensible.
She was waiting to speak to the principal about the situation. And since I understand a few things have been put into place to help her bridge this time.
But will she last? Will we lose another good teacher because of mean and feral young people?
How the hell did we get to this point? Our culture has lost so much decency, it is beyond belief.
Most of all, what can we do? It feels insurmountable at times.
#66Challenge
In our faculty meeting, we were taught about "affective speech." It means that when a child misbehaves, we explain to them how their actions make us feel, and then tell them what we expect from them.
Here is an example how this goes...
Brian enters the classroom, slapping his hand on the door frame and shouting some nonsense.
I request he return and re-enter, this time like a gentleman.
His response: "What if I'm not a gentleman."
And I'm supposed to say:
I feel hurt you won't take direction. I feel sad you don't care about yourself.
Like he cares ONE BIT about my feelings!
I have tried this approach before. The feelings, the reaching for them to care about how they represent themselves in the world, the framing in the larger context.
I wouldn't be having to do it EVERY SINGLE DAY if it worked. I would have reached them by now.
Am I wrong?
#66Challenge
I've tried to remember what I read in Alfie Kohn's book, the thing that made me think consequences weren't helpful. I must use discretion. Because between blocking all the errant web addresses and more clear and structured action, I feel stronger and everything is better.
I allow myself to remember they are kids.
Alfie said to ask Who benefits? And sometimes the class has benefited by removing someone. In other words, I'm seeing more clearly and feel more in control, yet can allow for some freedom.
Took long enough.
#66Challenge
The woman from HMH told us that if we use version A of the test with our kids, we should use version B to review the skills.
Sounded reasonable.
Until I looked and saw that version B is only ONE QUESTION different from version A.
So, in essence, she told us to go over the test with them.
Which I did because, after all, aren't we just playing a game here?
I don't call this education.
Meanwhile, our school board has decided they need to address the tide of teacher resignations.
Really? Now? When the flood is already happening?
Stupid.
Just. Stupid.
#66Challenge
Four people showed up.
I introduced found poems and color tiles.
We spent the entire time deep into our own creativity.
This is William's color tile poem, which for some reason won't post clearly. Poem itself is below.
today
warm day
imagine elephants
tiptoed out
slowly and heavily
agile as the sparrows
At the moment
good companions
distant strangers
narrow passages
#66Challenge
Figuring out what to do with the fantasy workshop, which was really lacking, I pursued possibly teaching a novel called Visitors.
Then I decided not to for many reasons -- mostly time.
Then I thought I should rush through it and move on.
Then I realized I can rush through it and have time for writing fantasy.
Bingo!
#66Challenge
The district sent out a survey, and asked for our honest statements for them, our school, our principal.
My responses:
Stop micromanaging!
The curriculum is not relevant to my students.
Get rid of the 12 period schedule. Go back to 10. It was perfect.
Quit saying "we're getting back to normal." Nothing is normal, and the old normal wasn't that great. Can't we do better?
#108Weeks
March 13-19, 2022
I made the decision to stick it out for three more years and retire in 2025.
Saw my first Swallow-Tailed Kite of the season.
Big beautiful teacher moments: having a student hand me a $25 gift card at Costco, and receiving an invitation to be a guest of honor at the Lehigh Senior High Class of 2012 Reunion Breakfast in May.
I’m on a mission to get my Creative Writing classes back.
We are updating our lanai furniture. Takes lots of work to get it ready!
Talked to Mike about the Creative Writing classes. No guarantees, of course.
Getting back on my bike makes my whole body feel better.
#108Weeks
March 6-12, 2022
Discovered a great show on Apple TV called Dear…
Really enjoyed reading How High We Go In the Dark
Drinks after work with Kara was much-needed time together
Thinking a lot about people I know who are suffering
Creative Writing Club was cool—an hour of writing stories from a photo
Fantasy story writing in the classroom made me feel alive again
4 more school days until spring break
#108Weeks
February 27-March 5, 2022
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| Painting by Banksy |
Fell in love with Aretha Franklin’s album Young, Gifted, and Black.
Watched the movie Waitress again. So delightful. And completely void of the F word which was refreshing.
The present changes the way we see the past.
Rebecca Makkai is an excellent short story writer.
I remembered this week to ask the Holy Spirit for help which was a promise I made to myself in my beach walk.
I hate that there is war, but love seeing sunflowers and peace symbols everywhere.
Feeling happy and proud of what I am accomplishing in the classroom. It’s all good.
For a while I have been finding it difficult to get myself to this blog. I will write entire things out in my journal that I think I want ...
