Winning Respect

           

 Who doesn’t hope that their students “like” them? I don’t mean in the sense of buddy, buddy, but rather that they enjoy learning from you. Now this is not a requirement, but it makes things more enjoyable for everyone. Now, when a student decides they dislike you, then you must learn to move on. But what if it goes beyond dislike? What if they don’t respect you either?

         

   This is exactly what my problem was starting my first day back. I had a young lady decide that : 1. She did not like me. 2. She therefore would respect none of my decisions. However, I made a decision that day too: I would do all I could to make a connection with this young lady. So it became a battle between us. Every day she was determined to show disrespect, and I in turn was determined to show her every respect that I could. Still in the back of my mind I was waiting for that moment to strike her disrespect down with a single blow. All I needed was one connection.

         

   Everyday I read aloud to the class (currently we are reading War Horse, which is going quite well with the majority of the students). And soon after school started, my students wrote a six paragraph essay (rough draft) about a common teenage problem of their choice. This young lady was very proud of her paper and asked my CT ever day if she could read it aloud to the class. My CT’s response was always the same “If we have time at the end of class, then you can read your paper.” (It’s okay, you can laugh. What teacher has extra time with assessments on the horizon?) Well, after three days of the young lady asking to read but not having enough time to do so, I began to brainstorm…. Finally a solution came to me! What if I let her read her paper aloud, during the time I set aside to read War Horse? Wouldn’t that show her how much I cared about her as a student, despite her obvious distaste for me?

        

    So the next day, before class, I asked my CT if that would be okay with her. She of course was all for me trying to connect with this young lady. So I asked this young lady if she would like to read her paper, instead of me reading War Horse. I wish you could have seen the smile on her face! And let me say that her paper was quite moving and well written (no one wanted to read their paper after her performance, though we did give them the opportunity to do so).

          

  I thought I had found the chink in her armor, and had finished the battle of respect and disrespect once and for all. But that would have been too easy. Her wall was thicker than I had anticipated, but my actions had weakened it.

        

    So I went back to scheming, trying desperately to knock the wall down for good this time.

          

  Then I began my poetry unit (this Monday), and included Ellen Hopkins on my list of important poets. (Guess who loves Ellen Hopkins? Yes me, but think harder….) Yes, my young lady also loves her work. We even had a conversation about our favorite books. Mine was not one she had read or could get her hands on (our library does not carry her books). I told her I would bring my personal copy to school for her to check-out.

           

The next day I brought the book, ready to give it to her, but my young lady was absent from school. The following day I brought the book back and told her she could check it out from me. She gave me a hug in return for my sharing of my treasure!

         

   Ha! I have broken the wall at last! I thought.

           

 But ten minutes later she was back to her old tricks.

          

  So my question is: How do you show a student that you can, and earn their respect at the same time?

          

  Today will be the first day after I gave her the book, and I am still hoping that maybe, just maybe, I have broken down a larger part of her wall.

Finding Life (Genre Reflection #2)

Clock hands ticking slowly on the white wall

Pencils dragging across lined paper

Feet shuffling impatiently against white tile

Students struggling to find ideas

Teacher pacing up and down the aisles

Everyone counting down until the end of the hour

New ideas surface

Technology integrated

Pizzazz added

Lessons differentiated

Clock hands ticking silently

Pencils lying forgotten on desks

Feet moving in small herds

Students struggling to find more time

Teacher listening and discussing with students

Everyone making plans for next class

Life breathing in an once empty shell

Please Get Some Practice First!

Note: All names are pseudonyms.  

          Something I took away from our Burke reading this week, that I had not thought of before; reading different genres is not enough! Students need to write in those genres too! I mean sure, I knew that students needed to vary their writing; low stakes, high stakes, research, narrative, essay. However, I never thought of other writing types those writings that we come across in the working and/or college environment.

          When students begin to apply for college, they will find themselves looking at a plethora of brochures and catalogs. Why stop at having students become familiar with reading these particular kinds of texts? Would it not be beneficial for students to write their own brochures and catalogs? I think that it would be. Giving students the opportunity (that’s right, opportunity not assignment) to create their own brochures and catalogs. But why stop there? Let’s make it a class competition as well!

          Think about it. Let’s say you are in a senior in high school, who gets only two college visits. If you are torn between three schools evenly, then what will help you decide which two to visit? Chances are, if you are truly neutral, that your decision will be majorly influenced by the colleges’ brochures, catalogs, and websites. So in a way, many brochures are in a competition with other brochures featuring a similar product. Make the kids feel this, show them the tricks to catching a reader’s eye and keeping their attention! Teach them about audience and different advertising strategies! Make them see what really sells the product well. Don’t just hand them a blank copy of a brochure and say “Please make a creative brochure over your favorite young adult novel.” No! Instead have them use their brochure to prove to the class why their book should be the next class novel! The majority vote will win, and you will have introduced the class to at least a one, if not more, young adult novel they have never seen.

          In other words, take seriously what Burke said. It will never be enough to know how a textual genre works. Students must also know how to write in those genres as well! Think of your best writing style. Why is it your best? I would guess that the answer has something to do with the fact that you practice it more. Am I right? Why make one trick ponies out of students? Do we really want to send students off to college only knowing how to write narratives, research, and essay papers? Or do we want our students to truly enter the world as writers?

          For those of you still against me, please allow one more chance to convince you. Think of the last time you took your car to the mechanic, no matter what the reason. I’m sure you were worried about your car and how long it would be in the shop. After all, we all depend on our cars for many things. What if the mechanic told you not to worry? Not because he or she had lots of experience, no because he or she had a teacher who explained once how to properly complete a break job. How would you feel then? Would your confidence in getting your car back in the proper condition go up or down? If we expect our mechanics and other professionals to practice their skills, then why do we not always expect our kids to dabble in the different writing genres we expose them to?

         

         

Touching My Dreams

         I knew I was going to enjoy the KATE conference. I just did not realize how inspiring it would be, and I am not just talking about the keynote speakers either. There was just something about learning amongst actual English teachers or professors that was truly amazing. It made me realize just how close my dreams really are.

          I thought, honestly, that Jay Asher would be the most inspiring keynote speaker, for me. I love his book, and I was so excited to hear from someone who is currently living another one of my dreams. Having not read Clare Vanderpool’s book yet ( I do intend on reading it when time allows. Ha. Ha.), I was not sure what to expect. I knew she would be an interesting speaker, but I had not come to love her through her words yet. I felt as though I knew something about Jay Asher, just from reading his novel. The same could not be said for Clare Vanderpool. So I assumed (and we all know it’s bad to assume) that Jay Asher would be the most inspiring.

          Then I heard Clare Vanderpool speak, and I felt like she was the one living my dream. She understood what it is like to be from Kansas and be a force in the literary world (a dream of mine). Goosebumps ran up my arms as she continued to speak. Every passing second my dreams of becoming a published author began to slide into better focus. I realized that it was time for me to really concentrate hard on the ending process. I can get over the rejection letters. I have received many of those (10), but it’s so hard to find time and dedicate it to searching for an agent or publisher. It’s nice to know that it’s a process that is possible to get through with enough determination and work. So while I did not come to love Clare Vanderpool through her written words, I did come to love her through her spoken ones.

          Survivalism 101 and Creating and Fostering Student and Teacher Creativity were two of my favorite sessions, because I learned many strategies I could use for my future classroom. In Survivalism 101, I learned great ways to stay organized. Most of this included color coding as many things as possible. While this may see a bit much, think about your CT’s desk. Wouldn’t it be so much easier to digest if it was color coded? Point made.  In Creating and Fostering Student and Teacher Creativity, I learned how to make things, such as vocabulary words, more interactive with students. This includes using or creating songs, acting motions, or simply giving students a chance to be creative.  Of course it helped that I have a few memories of using these strategies in my own learning career. For example I learned the quadratic formula by signing it to “Pop Goes the Weasel” in tenth grade. To this day, I still remember the words to the song. “x equals negative b, plus or minus radical, b squared minus four a c, all over two a.” So I know from firsthand experience that strategies such as these, if used appropriately, can really stick with a student for life.

          I met a few current English teachers from various schools, in a breakout session about a Write Source. From here I gathered different ideas about how teachers viewed the software (internet environment). Talking to a few of them, I realized that not all of them were open to technology. This reminded me that as an incoming teacher, I have something not all teachers have; an open mind. Which means it is up to me to communicate effectively with all teachers without stepping on too many toes. While I did not spend a lot of time networking, I received e-mails from many of the presenters who were teachers. This is obviously a resource I can use in my future to help me with any of my struggles or ideas.

          I would have loved to have a YAL book talk session. In this, everyone would have to come with book they would like to share with the group. I think this would be a great way to find new reads that students love as well. Of course that would take extra planning, but I think it would be worth it for everyone involved. Having students share some of their favorite YAL books would be another way to do the same thing (expose teachers to new books that students actually respond well to). It can be hard to remember that just because a book is interesting to us, that might not be the case for our students.

          I loved the conference, and I hope to keep attending! There were so many great things to learn and share with others!

Finding Socks

Okay, I was hoping to get some feedback about this poem...but I have not know where to put it to get some. So I thought maybe someone would see this on my blog and comment.  Hint: (There are two poems in one, idea I got from Ellen Hopkins).

Finding Socks

Standing            apart under the moonlight,
                             eyes closed.
Wondering         why neither of us could be him.
Hoping                that between us we might create him again.
Nothing              came but the emptiness, the nothingness of life without him.
                             Eyes opened,
Feeling                comfort where there had once been distance.
Realizing             neither of us are him, but somehow
Uncovering        his presence between us.
Discovering        a bridge under water, hidden but
Connecting        our distant shores.
Uniting               first through him, then only through his memory.
                            Eyes closed,
Finding               ourselves in one another.

Writing in a Low Cooker

Note: All names are pseudonyms.  

          How many times did you fall off your bike the first time you tried to ride? Two, three, five, or maybe more like twenty? Was someone teaching you to ride? Did he or she tell you how to correct your mistakes? My guess is yes.  But what did you do after that first lesson? Did you come back two weeks later and try again? Or did you go out the very next day? There is a saying “that practice makes perfect.” I argue that it should be worded as “regular practice makes perfect”.  Now you are probably wondering why I am talking about bike riding in a blog about teaching English, well the two subjects are not as different as they first seem.  More specifically I intend to use my “regular practice makes perfect” argument for use in writing.

          Hands up high, how many of you have heard of low stakes writing? Okay, hands down. One more time, hands up high, how many of you have seen low stakes writing used regularly in your CT’s classroom? Okay, hands down. While I don’t know how you answered those questions, I do know how I did. Both hands up high, and then both down low. I do know what low stakes writing is, but I have not seen it implemented regularly in my CT’s classroom.

          First, for those of you who do not know, I will share the definition of low stakes writing with you. Low stakes writing is writing which is either not graded or holds little weight.

          Okay, now some of you are getting a little excited, good or bad. Why would a teacher want to use ungraded writing? To quote Margot Soven, in Teaching Writing: in Middle and Secondary Schools, “students will tolerate criticism when they believe that they are writing for a teacher who cares about them” (114).  In other words, students must build a bond with a teacher in order to accept the criticism and praise a teacher is giving him or her. How do students build a bond with their teacher, other than connections possibly made during teaching time or throughout the school day? Soven has an opinion on this as well. Low stakes writing gives students and teachers a chance to establish a dialogue with one another without either of the parties worrying about what grade the writing will/should receive (114). In sum, low stakes writing can open up the connection, between students and teachers, necessary for students to “tolerate criticism”.

          Now there are many ways a teacher can bring low stakes writing into the classroom. My personal preference is the use of daily journals. In these journals students can respond to different things; answer questions teachers pose, free write, write poetry, or do whatever else comes to mind. Teachers can then respond to these journals daily, weekly, monthly, or any other time frame that works both with the students and with the teacher. Besides the typical journal most of us think about, where teachers pose questions students answer, there is another journal type to consider; the dialogue journal. The dialogue journal is a journal where students write letters to their teachers discussing questions, problems, assignments, books, or writing. The teacher then responds to these questions by writing a letter within the students’ journals addressed to the students. This is a great way to consider opening up communication between teachers and students, in my opinion.

          In addition to opening up lines of communication and creating connections, low stakes writing is practice! This is my point to begin with, daily writing, is daily practice of writing. But in the form of low stakes writing, this daily practice of writing is not overwhelming. Students and teachers are focused on the writing, not the grade! So while low stakes writing may not have much of an impact on a student grades, it can do nothing but improve student writing. Is that not the goal? Do we not as English teachers want our students to be wonderful writers? Of course, but are wonderful writers created in limited practice provided by use of essays, or other major writing practice?  My opinion is that they are not. The best way to learn and perfect skills is through regular practice.  

         

         

Is it a Sweatshirt? Is it a Purse? No it's a Connection!

Note: All names are pseudonyms.

            I looked down at my Steeler purse, disappointed in it. Past experience had taught me it was a conversation piece. Either people thought I had made it, or they commented on my status as a Steeler fan. In other words, my Steeler purse has always been a wonderful icebreaker among kids and adults.

            Ever since the comments about it began, I have made it a point to bring it to school with me every day, hoping to make a connection with some student who loves football like myself.

            But two weeks into school and still there were no reactions. It seemed everyone was immune to its powers this semester.

            “Huh, you a Steeler fan?” Alex asked from his seat, as he waited rather impatiently for the bell to ring.

            I smiled, looking up from my purse. “Yes, my dad’s from Pittsburgh so we are all diehard fans.”

            Alex smiled, the first time he had ever smiled at me. “I like the Eagles.”

            I laughed. “The same Eagles the Steelers stomped on last night?” I asked.

            Alex brushed the comment away quickly. “Pre-season games don’t count for anything.”

            “That’s what losers say.” I reply.

            Alex laughs at that. “They’re still better than the Steelers.”

            “We’ll see who wins the Super Bowl.”

            “Michael Vick will take them there.”

            I nod my head, acknowledging his good point. “Maybe, he has something to prove.”

           The bell rings, dismissing the students from class. Alex gives me a parting smile before slipping past me into the jungle of a hallway. I pat my purse gently, happy to know it still works. It may have waited a while to shine, but in the end my conversation piece came through. But this is only a start. I still have to put in the effort to make my connection stick with Alex. I vow to at least catch the highlights of the Eagles game, if I cannot watch at least some of it come Sunday.

            Sunday comes and goes with the heart wrenching loss of the Steelers against our arch rivals, the Ravens. Still, I let my purse hang proudly at my side. A true fan never stops supporting their team, no matter how badly they might play. Walking into class my cheeks redden as Alex comes up to me. Surely some smart remark is on the very tip of his tongue. But his eyes lack the usual mischievous look of someone about to taunt my team.

            “The Eagles looked good Sunday.” I comment, before he can get a dig in. “Michael Vick made some great plays.” It’s true, I know because I watched the majority of the game.

            “Yeah, Michael Vick’s my boy.” Alex says with a grin. “Maybe the Steelers will do better next week.”

            I smile at that. “Hopefully, or else it will be a painful season.”

            I go to my usual spot in the classroom as the bell rings and everything continues as it usually does; first bellwork, followed by some reading, and then an activity. Today’s activity involves writing and drawing based on the reading. As usual I walk around the room helping students as they need it, reading their work over their shoulders, and keeping some students on task.

            After a few passes around the room, Alex comes up to me, assignment in hand. “Can you tell me what you think?” He asks.

            I smile on the inside and out. Alex has never asked the CT or me for comments on his paper. He simply does the work, turns it in, and waits for final judgment in the form of a grade.

            “I love how I can hear your voice in your writing. It feels like I’m having a conversation with you Alex.” I tell him, handing back his paper, along with a genuine smile.

            Alex takes the paper from my hand, granting me a tiny smile in return. “Thanks.”

            Who would have thought something as small as football would make a student open up so much?