Raising Readers and Writers

I’ve had an interesting spring break.  My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and I wonder where time has gone.  We no longer lug diaper bags when we travel and at this point, we even travel by ourselves while our kids are very self-sufficient at home.  I miss those days of reading the same book over and over and sweet Johnson Baby Powder hugs, but these days bring new adventures and time to look back and reflect.

My husband and I took a trip to Savannah, Georgia.  Three hours from home, our car broke down.  We had just crossed the Ohio River when the clanking started.  A quick call to AAA and we had 2 hours to wait at the West Virginia Visitor Center for a tow truck.  We weren’t quite sure what we were going to do, when Donna, one of the women at the welcome center, told us where we should stay in Marietta and gave us the lay of the land.  After the tow truck arrived, she drove us (complete strangers) to the Ford dealership and then on to the Holiday Inn.  She left us with her home phone number in case we needed anything.  How refreshing is that?

The next day, we rented a car and we were on our way.  We had 3 days to slow down and relax, read some good books (9 hours in the car has its advantages), laugh with each other, and eat ALOT of good southern food!  Now that we are back home, reality sets back in.  I still need to go in to school and write lesson plans for next week, and we need to get a new car.  But, even with all the stress of our car and my lack of being ready for school, I am going back to school with renewed energy.  I was reminded again of what is important in life and it’s not the things we have.  I know, too, that these are the lessons that are important to teach my young learners.  Yes, they need to know those things required by our state standards, but they also need to remember these very important lessons:

It’s important to be kind to others.  You never know when you are going to be the one who is need of kindness.

Spend time with the people you love.

Laughing is good for you.  (Check out this video from Simple Truths:  http://www.simpletruths.tv/store/videos/LVACvideo.html )  It makes life easier.

Enjoy yourself and do the things you love to do.  (I finally took a baking class right before I left for Savannah!)

Funny, as I typed up this list, I realized that my first graders already know these things.  Somewhere between toothless grins and hurrying into adulthood, we lose sight of what really matters.  That’s why taking time out from our hectic schedules is so important.

So, it’s back to school with renewed excitement.  I am ready to start our literary nonfiction unit and Melissa and I are going to do a new project  about oral histories.  My after school writers are going to be trying a new poetry prompt on Monday and our teacher group is beginning to plan for an end of the year celebration that combines art, music and writing.  A small group of us from several different schools is also going to be starting a new book study group as we read The Digital Writing Workshop together and explore some new possibilities.  It’s all very exciting…I’m just not sure yet as to how I am going to get to school on Monday morning, as my car is the one sitting at a Ford dealership in Marietta, Ohio!

As I write this, Jim Brickman is playing in the background and 15 4th and 5th graders are lying around my classroom writing in their writer’s notebooks.  Mondays after school are one of my favorite times of the week.  Today I was reminded of the importance of talk among writers.  It doesn’t matter how old they are.  Writers need time to talk about their ideas, their writing, and their wonderings.

We are working on memoir writing.  I read Patricia MacLachlan’s All the Places to Love and asked the kids to jot down their own special places that came to mind as I read the book.  I reminded them that something in the book might spark a memory of a special place or special person that has nothing to do with the book.  That’s OK!  After I finished reading, some of the kids had lots of things written down and some had only a few things.  I could feel the tension from some of them when they thought that they might not have enough to write about today.

I immediately turned to one of the basic tenets of writing workshop…time to talk.  I asked the kids to share some of the places they wrote down and the stories that went with them.  We heard stories of swing sets turned  giant ships that sailed the ocean which brought to mind the swing set that became a fighter plane in the backyard.  Someone then shared the first time he got to shoot a bow and arrow at his mom’s friend’s house.  The mood in the room visibly relaxed as the ideas started flowing.

So, for now, the room is humming with the busyness of writers putting their words on paper.  This is good!

I’ve been watching the Olympic coverage tonight and saw the premiere of the new We Are the World to support Haiti. It brings chills to me as I see the world come together for one purpose. We celebrate our best athletes as the Olympics become a symbol of peace throughout the world. In the same way, musical artists of all different genres come together to aid a country in dire need.

I’ve been thinking about my post for quite awhile. Tonight’s Olympics and the airing of We Are the World brought it all together for me. It’s that time of year when I am very worried about my struggling young learners. Will they learn all the skills they need before their time with me ends? How can I best help them make the most gains between now and the end of the school year? I know that I can’t do it alone. It’s imperative that there is open communication between classroom teachers, the support staff that also works with my students, and parents. We all need to be on the same page working for the same goals. If we don’t collaborate, our kids are pulled in different directions and the adults are busy running around trying to solve the problem by themselves. It makes no sense. Unfortunately, it is our reality at times.

Choice Literacy had an article about what makes a good teacher in last week’s Big Fresh. Although there was a lot to take away from the article, one thing in particular clicked with me. Resonating among all great teachers was their mind-set. They refused to accept failures from bureaucracy, poverty, and lack of funding. They constantly reevaluated what was happening in their classrooms. There’s no denying that I’m reflective, but I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been “pouting” because I haven’t been able to meet with the other teachers who work with my kids like I want to. After reading the article, I realized that I’m not helping my kids by lamenting on what I don’t have. It’s time to reevaluate!

I have a renewed sense of purpose again! It’s up to me to make the changes that I need to make in my classroom so that I can better meet the needs of my most struggling learners while they are with me. I will continue to invite conversations with the other teachers, because I still believe that if we are going to make the most progress we need to work together as much as we can. However, if the conversations don’t happen, I will find other ways to move forward.

In the same way that all the musical artists came together for one goal, so must we teachers open our doors and invite others in so that we can best meet the needs of our shared students. It is through this important collaboration that we can most efficiently raise the achievement of all of our students and help them be the best they can be. If we all believe it is important, we will find a way to make it happen.

To teach…it comes from the Middle English word techen , which means to show or to instruct. But what is considered good teaching? I guess it’s pretty subjective. Since this is my blog, I get to share my opinions!

How many of us worry that our hands on classrooms where real learning is happening might be construed as chaotic and out of control? Consider this…a classroom where children are doing real research for an authentic purpose. They simply want to know more about frogs. They aren’t doing research because it will help them do better on a test. They aren’t answering questions that their teacher made up to fit an archaic form that teachers have been using for the last 20 years. They aren’t gathering information for a boring animal report that no one will read.

Instead, they have real questions that they want answered. Their teacher has modeled for them how to ask questions, how to use informational texts to find their answers, and how to put their findings in their own words. Really, what are you learning if you just copy the author’s words?

Why frogs? To scaffold their learning, the teacher asked her students what they wanted to learn more about. Their choice? Frogs. They are thinking about getting a frog for a class pet, so it makes sense to learn more about them. Are they only learning about bull frogs (you know, what it looks like, what it eats, where it lives)? No…these kids had LOTS of questions about all kinds of frogs. And their teacher honored their thinking by allowing them to ask their questions and she taught them how to find their answers. (Eventually they’ll be choosing their own topics and using what they learned to research their questions).

Is it quiet when they research? Are students sitting silently at their desks as they copy information from a book (answering the teacher’s questions)? No! Why would they be? What happens when we find interesting information? We can’t wait to share it. I drive my husband crazy when I read something that makes me stop and say, “Wow!”. I make him stop what he’s doing (or whoever is sitting close by) so I can tell him what I’ve learned. Well the same thing happens in this classroom. Kids are sharing information and coming up with new questions. They are excited about their learning! Their learning has purpose!

Good teaching is happening in this classroom and lots of other classrooms like this one. Kids are being SHOWN that their questions are important and their thinking is valid. They are being SHOWN how to find their answers and the importance of working cooperatively with others to create something special.

Sometimes we worry when we are one of these teachers, especially if we are brand new teachers. What will others think when they pass by my room and kids are spread all over and having conversations? My advice? Surround yourself with others who believe like you. You are on the right path and your kids will only benefit from your thoughtful decisions and the atmosphere you have created in your room.

I love when our teacher writing group meets!  Teachers from all grade levels (and even other schools) come together to write, share, think, collaborate, and have fun.  We’ve been focusing on writing about our classrooms, so the writing prompt continued along that theme.  I shared Jim Burke’s post about his belief on how all children can learn.  This is one of my core beliefs; one that is a non-negotiable.  Next, I shared this short clip called The Heart of a Teacher, a poem written by Paula Fox.  Be sure to check it out.  It’s very inspirational and a great way to rejuvenate yourself during this hectic time.  (I found this on Two Writing Teachers).

So the prompt…What do you believe no matter what?  What are the non-negotiables?  Write about these beliefs in your personal or professional lives.

We always do a read around after we write.  Here are just a few snippets that I jotted down as people read aloud.

…keep learning, no matter your age.

…all children feel and feel deeply.

…every child is a growing, loving, living being.

…each face you meet is a box overflowing with gifts.

…I believe in God.

The read around gives us the opportunity to share our writing as well as listen to what others have written.  As we all know, sometimes reading  our work aloud is difficult.  It comes from our hearts and it’s very personal.   Dr. Bloome then asked us to circle something we really liked in our writing.  It could be something sentimental, you liked the words, etc.  Then we shared with someone sitting close by.  This is another way to share our work.  It’s a little less intimidating to read our work in a small group and may be easier for students who don’t feel comfortable sharing with the whole group.

Dr. Bloome then summed it up perfectly…No matter how badly a child (or adult for that matter) writes, there is always some gem.  Having them find that gem gives kids ways to evolve as writers.  It is so important to pick out the brilliance.

I love that last statement.  It is so important to pick out the brilliance. We all know what it is like to sit down with a paper that is full of misspelled words, run-on sentences, little organization, etc. (it doesn’t matter how old the writer is) and feel overwhelmed with what is wrong with the piece.  But if our goal is to help writers grow, we need to look at what is right with the piece, find that bit of brilliance, and use it as a foundation to build our students up.  Here’s to building strong, resilient, writers, one gem at a time!

I just read Jim Burke’s blog which made me think (as it usually does).  I remember being asked the very same question (essentially…Do you believe that every child can learn?) when I was doing some curriculum work on our new Literacy Course of Study.  I assumed everyone would unequivocally respond with, “Yes!”  I was wrong.  The K-12 group of teachers had quite a discussion, which shocked me!  There was cynicism, especially from secondary teachers who deal with apathetic students who don’t want to be in class.  There were many comments about students who don’t take responsibility for their learning, students who are more concerned with their social lives than what was happening at school, etc.  I must admit, I have rarely had students who did not want to be at school, so it was hard to relate.  Is that part of teaching in an elementary school?  Or does it have more to do with the attitude of the teacher who is standing in front of the classroom?  Maybe it’s a little of both.

I find it hard to believe that all of the blame lies with the students.  I believe with all my heart that we teachers have the huge responsibility to believe in our students and their ability to learn anything we teach them.  Of course, that means we are being reflective in our practice, differentiating our instruction in order to meet students’ needs, staying up to date in our own learning and providing the opportunities our students need in order to be successful. I think this mindset is imperative and I think that I am a better teacher because I hold this basic tenet to be true.

I choose to believe in myself and my students.  I choose to surround myself with other teachers who also believe that given the right opportunities, all students can learn.  I choose to believe in my kids!   Which do you choose?