How to Not Be a Grinch This Holiday Season

As we enter the Yuletide season of joy and giving, let's be honest. Every last nerve in our body is about to tested.

Our students are on the verge of eating excessive amounts of sugar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They will be bombarded with ads for the newest, coolest toys on the internet and at their neighborhood Walmart.

Their eyes will glaze over during class with visions of robot toys that shoot lasers at annoying little sisters, or video games that blow up evil empires while simultaneously chatting with an opponent in the UK.

As engaging as we try to make our lessons, they will not be able to compete with the big man in the fat red suit sporting a white beard who owns flying reindeer.  Yes. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are all at risk of becoming a Grinch.

Before it's too late, I've pulled together five safeguards to protect our students, parents, and ourselves.

Safe Guard #1. Expand your heart

During this holiday season, two types of students tend to emerge. The Cindy Loo Who's who are innately kind, loving, and will complete homework and projects in a timely manner. You will love these students. "Who" wouldn't?

But what about the non-Cindy Loo Who's who will fail to complete assignments, push your last button, and then go home and tell their parent that you hate them.

Take a deep breath. A mentor of mine once said, "Fake it until you feel it." Act like you love The Cindy Loo Who's and the Non-Cindy Loo Who's and you'll be surprised when your heart catches up!

"And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day." The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Safeguard #2. Collaborate don't isolate.

It is easy to feel like you are the only teacher on the planet who is considering early retirement (and it's your first year) but know that you are not alone! Teachers all across the U.S. and Canada are feeling the effects, as well.

Just as you would never attempt Black Friday or Brown Thursday alone, you should not take on the days and weeks leading up to winter break alone. Go to your team and express how you are feeling. Chocolate also helps!

Safeguard #3. Be realistic. 

As excited as you are about completing an ice sculpture of the Great Wall of China in your World Geography class, this is not the time or the place.

Variables like shorter attention spans, additional carbs to induce sleeping, and inevitable interruptions by your former students coming by to remind you why you love to teach, are very, very real.

Ask yourself. What assignments can wait until these variable diminish? Separate the need to do's from the I want to's and you will become far less frustrated.

Taking on too much can make you feel like you are a horrible teacher, which of course, you aren't.

Safeguard #4. Be kind.

Even if you have failed miserably at Safeguards #1-#3, it is never too late to change your behavior. Before sending out the mass email and a bcc: to your principal about the teacher whose students are climbing the walls. Stop!

Before posting or emailing anything ask yourself: Is it biased? Could it be taken out of context? Is it hurtful?

If you can answer one or more of these questions with a yes, you need step away from your computer, Ipad, or Iphone and take a deep breath.

This is the perfect moment to engage in a random act of kindness!


Safeguard #5. Be thankful.

Hands-down one of the best Grinch repellents is a spirit of thankfulness. Begin making a list of reasons to be thankful. Warning: While you may exude thankfulness on a normal basis, you may struggle.

This isn't to say you aren't a grateful person...because you are!

Remembering the reasons you are thankful is more about reminding you of the person you truly are!

Confession Reflection:

• How can administrators support teachers who are dealing with "seasonal" behavior issues?
• Why is it important for teachers to stay connected to their PLC or mentor teachers and not isolate?
• What are the benefits of closing the Teacher Evaluation Window the week before a holiday break?

 
 

The Importance of Classroom Environment: Lessons from A Colt Named Carl

I spotted him across the aisles of baskets of ferns and Christmas garland. There was something distinct about this colt. Maybe it was the crayon scribbles across his saddle or the way he leaned precariously to one side or the missing strands of yarn from his mane.

All the same, I left my local Goodwill with a Clue game and a Star Wars puzzle (which I discovered later was missing an edge and two pieces from the Death Star), justifiably for my classroom, but not with the lopsided horse.

 

Maybe it was predestined, but I left my wallet on the counter and a spunky, auburn-haired girl wearing a badge named Nan was waving it in the air just as I re-entered the store.

I thanked Nan and then the words every bargain shopper this side of the Mississippi can't resist blared over the intercom, "For the next hour all orange tagged items are half off."

There was no turning back.

 

I grabbed my wallet and was caught up in a stampede of other bargain shoppers in the direction of "orange tagged" items. It didn't matter if the orange tagged item was a set of golf clubs, ubiquitous painting of snow-covered mountains, mismatched set of holiday dishes, or a personalized cookie jar, for that matter.

The sheer rush of adrenaline that coursed thru my veins created a borderline hoarder mentality which is the reason seasoned thrift shoppers like myself must be careful and ask, "Do I really need this item? or Do I want it because it has an orange tag and I don't want anyone else to have it?"

 

Which is exactly why I ended up carrying an over-sized, over-stuffed, pony which I purchased for a whopping $3.50. I didn't need it and I didn't want the lady wearing the gray sweater to have it.

And so it was that a Colt named Carl made its way into my literacy classroom.

 

What happened in my classroom in the years that followed, is undeniable.

Since finding his way into my classroom, I've witnessed a reluctant 8th grader who would rather play Call of Duty than eat or breathe, choose Carl as a reading backrest and lose himself in a book.

 

I've seen a stressed out eleven-year-old whose parents were going thru a divorce, relax while fidgeting with the yarn on his mane. I've even heard kids called "dibs" on him; which is the highest honor when it comes to pre-teens' territorial nature.



And so I've developed a theory about comfort objects like stuffed animals and middle schoolers. I believe there is still a child-heart in these learners in spite of how cool and worldly they try to act. Eleven and twelve year olds are in an awkward phase of life.

 

6th graders posing with Carl



They're too old to play with dolls and robots, build blanket forts at birthday parties, or wear capes and pretend to be Spiderman. On the flip side, middle schoolers have a whole life ahead of them to lose sleep over whether or not a Senate house bill will pass or the collapse of civilization as we know it.



I believe that the middle school years should be a right of passage, if you will.

 

It's the period when kids can secretly believe that Santa climbed down their chimney in the wee hours of the night and that there is still a chance they will one day be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.



It's a window of time when they can hold on to the magic of their childhood while building skills to survive high school, and life, for that matter.

Carl in my home office.

Carl has taught me the importance of designing a learning environment that feels safe and taking risks are encouraged. As the years go by, I have had high school learners come back to say "hi" to Carl. I've even heard of kids posting "selfies" on Instagram with none other than Carl himself.

 

I don't pretend to understand how or why this odd purchase made such a difference in the culture of my classroom. Sometimes magic just happens.

 

 

Confession Reflection:

• What are some characteristics of a positive learning environment? How does a positive learning environment support learning?
• Research shows that optimum learning happens in a safe environment. What does this mean?
• How can teacher entitlement (my room, my rules) be a barrier to building a culture of learning?

What's a Lug Nut? (And Other Pertinent Questions)

What is a Lug Nut?

A. A powerful fictional character known as a Decepticon
B. A large, rounded nut that fits over a heavy bolt
C. An object of scorn and ridicule
            

I confess that I learned about the indestructible, incomprehensible, incorrigible lug nut during my college days when I had a flat tire on Highway 6. Luckily, I had an auto policy that allowed me to call for help rather than tackle the job alone. Through the years I've learned how utterly deceptive a lug nut can be.

 Although relatively small in size, the lug nut could very well be a contender for Ripley's Believe it or Not edition of "Small Metal Things that Make Grown Men Cry."

Back to my initial question.

A Transformer Decepticon

What is a lug nut? It depends on who you ask. If framed as a fictional, animated character from the Transformers, the answer is:
A: A powerful, fictional character known as a Decepticon. 

And you would be correct.

If you are my husband who is a car aficionado, the answer is:
B. A large, rounded nut that fits over a heavy bolt.

And you would be correct. This is also the appropriate definition for anyone who has had to change a tire.

I have also witnessed from both my husband and from movies how obstinate a lug nut can be. In The Christmas Story Ralphy helps his dad change a flat tire. His sole responsibility is to hold the lug nuts but instead he drops them. In the iconic scene Ralphy says "Oh....Fudge!" (But he doesn't really say fudge) which results in getting to taste a bar of soap.

Lug nuts can be a source of ridicule and scorn even if you have a lug wrench to remove them from your tire. This scenario was featured on a recent Big Bang Theory episode.

 My husband the car afficionado

The four geniuses, Leonard, Howard, Sheldon, and Rajesh encounter a flat tire and are not able to remove the lug nuts. They are on too tight. In spite of their ridiculously high I.Q.s and applied Science, they are no match for the lug nuts.

So...if you are Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (or Ralphy) the answer is:
C. An object of scorn and ridicule.

And you would be right.

It doesn't take a genius to  see that a lug nut means something different depending on your schema (or background knowledge). As educators it is imperative that we tap into our learners' understanding before throwing out vocabulary terms and wonder why learners don't "get it."

Here are some vocabulary tips to avoid the lug nut trap:

1. Front load essential vocabulary in context. 

Handing a list of terms to define isn't enough. I can define lug nut in the dictionary, but is meaningless without a picture to give me a context. There are also incidences where the dictionary can make it worse.

For example, if The dictionary defines lug nut as a noun: a large rounded nut that fits over a heavy bolt, used especially to attach the wheel of a vehicle to its axle. 

If I were an English Language Learner and trying to make sense of words with multiple meanings, a dictionary would make the meaning more confusing. This is especially unhelpful if I think a "nut" is a pecan or a walnut and a "bolt" is lightening. This would make me think of a large walnut that fits over a bolt of lightening attached to the "wheel" used to steer a car.

Here is an example of how to introduce vocabulary in context using an app called lino it. The board can be shared live and allow learners from cross campus or classes to collaborate in real time. This was a board created last year for upcoming 6th graders.

What is sedimentary rock?

2. Build background knowledge (even when you are 99.9% sure they've got it).

Building background knowledge should not be an option. It is only fair for our English Language Learners or economically disadvantaged students to be supplied the prior knowledge most privileged students have. It is as simple as providing a two minute You Tube video, a virtual field trip, or a picture walk.

There is some discrepancy as to what it means to build background knowledge. Teaching a learner to spell a word or "sound it out" isn't teaching the definition of the word. I can learn to spell l-u-g-n-u-t but it is meaningless without background knowledge. Teaching affixes (stems and roots) are helpful...only if background knowledge is provided as to what the affix means.

3.  Integrate opportunities for writing across all content areas

One of my high points as an instructional literacy coach was collaborating with Science teachers to create "How to Be" Poems. I modeled for teachers how to teach literary elements such as personification and language structure into a lesson on scientific elements. The learners worked alone or with partners.

Learners chose an element from the Periodic Table. Next, academic vocabulary was introduced in context (not in isolation). Scaffolding was embedded in the design. Here are a few of projects our middle school learners created. Notice the rich vocabulary and creativity that went into writing these! Learners had to investigate the element and thoroughly understand the features before writing these poems...and they had fun!

Other ideas are to have learners write a R.A.F.T. This is when the writer takes on a "Role" and writes to an "Audience" in a chosen "Form" on a specific "Topic." One of my favorites from years back was a letter from Pluto asking the Science community to reinstate him as a planet.

4. Ask pertinent questions in conversation

One of the BEST ways to teach vocabulary is to begin with pertinent questions. Asking pertinent questions are questions that are focused and specifically designed to tap into and build on the learner's prior knowledge. A multiple choice quiz; a poll; a worksheet; a matching game are not asking pertinent questions. Pertinent questions are relevant and meaningful to the learner.

For example, through questioning about my learners interests, I discover he/she collects Transformers, I could integrate Lug Nut, The Decepticon, into a lesson on story conflict. As a project, the learner could create a story about Lug Nut battling his arch rival. By questioning, educators tap into their learner's schema. This is where teaching begins.

Confession Reflection:

1. Why is it important to teach academic vocabulary in context and not in isolation i.e. vocabulary worksheets, vocabulary matching.

2. What are the benefits of tapping into learner's interests and passions? How does this shape vocabulary instruction?

3. When is it appropriate to incorporate other genres such as music, poetry, art to teach core academic vocabulary in content areas such as math, science, and social studies? How can an instructional coach support these efforts? 

The Art of Speaking Texan



Big Tex! State Fair of Texas

I confess that I learned to speak "Texan" at an early age from my West Texas grandparents. "You don't say!" and "Oh my lands!" are household exclamatory phrases meaning, "Your statement is unbelievable to me given the circumstances!"

I remember going to my first Texas State Fair and hearing Big Tex say, "Howdy!" which in everyday English means, "Hello!" or "Greetings from Texas!" I remember coming home with a chalk drawn portrait of myself which still hangs in my wall of memories.

I begged my parents to move to Texas believing school would be like The State Fair.

I finally got my wish and my family uprooted from Renton, Washington and moved to Irving, Texas and enrolled me in fourth grade.  I colored the state bird, the state tree, the state flower, the state flag; the state capitol. I wished we'd never moved to Texas. I also wondered how long learning about Texas would last.

It lasted all of fourth grade.

My family was uprooted once again and we moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I autographed my bigger-than -life "All About Texas" book and gave it to my grandparents. I adored my new 5th grade teacher who read to our class everyday.

I also learned to speak like a "Chicagoan." I learned that it was improper English to pronounce the final /s/ at the end of the "Illinois." I learned to pronouce Chicago as Shi-caw-go. Aunt was pronounced like it was spelled which was different than Texan in which Aunt is pronounced like the insect ant. And a "John" was another name for where you go in order to relieve your bladder.

ESL Summer School

At the end of sixth grade we moved back to Texas and I cried the whole way. The first day of middle school I made the mistake of asking permission to "go to the John" which in Texan meant,"go to a person named, John, who is nicknamed a toilet." I also discovered that I would spend yet another year learning all about Texas.

Once again I felt like an outsider until I made a friend.

Lilly had moved to the United States from Israel and had to learn English. While learning "Texan" was a far cry from learning English, somehow we connected. She made me feel welcome in middle school. And so Lilly became my best friend.

Every week her mom made flat bread and Lilly would invite me over. I can still remember the aroma of bread wafting from the oven. I watched her mom painstakingly roll layers of dough until they were as thin as a sheet of paper.  It was called Baklava. I introduced Lilly to fried okra, cornbread, and lemonade tea.

I was reminded of this experience while teaching an English Second Language (ESL) Summer School class. We had an end-of-summer-school food fest and learners brought food representing their culture. Not only were these learners having to learn an entirely different language, but they had to acclimate to a new time zone; pop culture; social language. Learning to speak fluent Texan was a far cry from learning an entirely new way of life!

Here are some other things I learned:

1. Technology levels the playing field for English Language Learners.

2. Embracing culture and diversity are essential to learning.
3. All learners crave connection and relationship.
4. Food can break down cultural barriers and nurture budding friendships.

As summer gives way to fall, Big Tex' is poised and ready to greet visitors to the 2015 State Fair of Texas. The smell of fried corndogs; corn-on-the-cob, and cotton candy will greet me and my family when we step onto the fair grounds. I will proudly choral my children and grandchildren as Big Tex' greets us with a Texas "Howdy!"

Now that I think about it, learning "Texan" wasn't difficult. 

I just needed a friend.

Confession Reflection:

1. Why is it important to create a culture that embraces diversity in our schools and in our community?

2. How does technology level the playing field for ESL learners? Give examples.

3. Is there a more efficient way to integrate Texas state history standards into the curriculum without devoting an entire year to them? What would the new standards look like?

Alien Matters: Keychains, Bobble Heads, and Refrigerator Magnets

Excursion in Roswell, NM

I confess the venture was pure happen chance. It was at a coffee shop in Roswell, New Mexico. The proprietor was a second cousin to the brother-in-law of the nephew's half-brother who was married to…are you sitting down? He was married to the great-granddaughter of Mr. Foster who was, in fact, the very farmer who cited the visitation of the 1947 UFO on his ranch!

Yes, indeed, the stars had all aligned for me as I sat listening to a distant relative recant the story which indubitably upped his sales in coffee, as well as, impulse buys like alien magnets, alien key chains, bobble head aliens, and alien breath mints.

The door chimed and my husband poked his head in, rolled his eyes and told me he'd be at the Army Navy Surplus store next door. I, on the other hand, sat with baited breath listening to the story which landed Roswell, New Mexico on the map. It may have been the caffeine, but I couldn't stop thinking about whether UFO's and aliens exist.

After unpacking my suitcase and feeding the dog, I decided to investigate whether or not aliens exist. This blog is dedicated to my findings. Proof aliens exist:

1) iPads (Intergalactic Planet Augmented Device)

While iPads are ubiquitous in Earthling homes, businesses, and schools it hasn't been around very long. April 3, 2010 Apple, Inc. released the iPad to United States markets. What does it do? you ask. No, the question should be What doesn't it do?

Learning using school iPad

2) Unidentified Fruit Objects (UFO’s)

Aliens are altering our food's DNA in secret laboratories. The code name is "GMO". Go ahead and Google it. My hunch is that GMO is the precursor to an intergalactic food fight.

3) 3D Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D Food Printers

NASA and a Texas company have been at work to design food printers for deep space missions. The "D" stands for Dining. The printer will be docked at an undisclosed space station near the planet Mars in order to share Earthly cuisine with the Martians.

4) Ionosphere surveillance program (ISP)

Windmill farms are popping up all over the United States. Clearly, these "windmills" are part of a conspiracy to intercept governmental intelligence secrets from the ionosphere surveillance program (ISP) and feed them to rulers of the planet Zorgoff. The cover-up story is that scientists at Texas A&M are designing them to conserve our planet's natural resources. I don't buy it.

Edcamp Presentation 2014

5) #Edcamps

If 1-4 did not convince you, the birth of Edcamps is surely the coup de grâce to trump all human reasoning. Unlike traditional conferences sponsored by slick marketers and charging financially-strapped educators to attend, Ordinary Earthlings share ideas and resources...and it's free of charge!

Most recently #Edcamp Global connected educators all around the world in 24/7 PD. Clearly, aliens have had their hand (or tentacle) in #Edcamp's unprecedented popularity and growth.

I confess that I've given way more thought to this topic than I should have. When I think about it, what does it really matter? Aliens exist or they don't. So I've decided to take my husband's advise and leave the questions to Mulder and Skully. In the meantime, I'm going to relax while I play with my alien bobble head and finish off my last breath mint.

To learn more about Edcamps go to: edcamp.org

Confession Reflection:

• Have you ever participated in Edcamp? Reflect on your experience. 
• What are the benefits of teacher led professional development? How does it benefit the teacher? How does it benefit others?
•  How can the Edcamp PD model be implemented in schools? How would it support a culture of learning? 

The Ghost Plant and Other (Potentially) Fateful Tales

Nancy Drew Vintage Books

Holding my number 2 pencil in perfect form, I smiled at the empty page before me. I was ready. Today my mystery plant would be revealed. Like the great literary masterpiece series: Nancy Drew Mysteries, I had high hopes that my story, The Ghost Plant, would one day be the first of a trilogy to include: The Ghost Cat and The Ghost Tree.



Line by line, I painstakingly formed my letters, capitols and lowercase, meticulously connecting to the lined boundaries on the paper. My ambition was to craft a story about a forest plant so rare and mysterious, the plant could not be found in my fourth grade Science textbook. It was, however, hidden in one of the volumes in an Encyclopedia Britannica which sat on a shelf at my Grandparent's farmhouse.

Back Story:

Vintage 1952 Edition

As my Papa tells it, he had been sucker punched into buying a set of  leather-bound Encyclopedia Britannicas by a door-to-door salesman. Who can put a price on knowledge? History is history and they'll never be out of date! What better gift than to leave the gift of knowledge as an inheritance to your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren! the salesman (most likely) pitched.

And so my Grandparents bought the 24 volume set and autobiographical addition for more money than they care to admit. But like many Americans in the 1950's and 1960's, having a set of encyclopedias in one's home was like having the internet today. If you owned Encyclopedias, well, you had the world of knowledge at your fingertips. To the elation of my Grandparents, I was carefully taking notes on the bit of information I could decipher about this one-of-a-kind plant. I suspect I wrote something to this effect:

Yes, Mrs. Killjoy. This is a real plant.

1. Ghost plants live in forests.
2. Ghost plants do not use Photosynthesis.
3. Ghost plants do not have chlorophyll and are transparent.

As I scripted my story during class, I defaulted to my imagination and filled in the blanks for pieces of information I had failed to include. I also did not understand the difference between a "book report" and a "story."  When my name was called, I handed my "story" appropriately titled "The Ghost Plant" to my fourth grade teacher. The next day my "story" was handed back to me with a C- on the cover.

As a further act of humiliation and shame, Mrs. Killjoy (not her real name) wrote in ominous red ink next to my title: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GHOST PLANT.

In one swoop of her evil pen, Mrs. Killjoy had squashed my excitement and confidence. My aspirations of becoming a mystery writer had both been born and died in fourth grade.

Moments like these, are forever stamped in our childhood memories, and if we are not careful, can begin to shape our self-image as a writer and as a person.

I recalled this story last  summer while working with a reluctant seven-year-old writer named Conner. He is vivacious, talkative, and loves to read about sharks. He also hates to write. When I asked him why he didn't like to write he answered, "It takes too long!"
"What if you could write about sharks and you could write as little or as much as you wanted?" And to close the sell I added, "And you won't have to rewrite to make corrections."

3D color page by @quivervision

He looked at me suspiciously, chose a marker and wrote, "Sharks have five rose of teeth."

What did I notice? He had written "rose" instead of "rows."

But that was NOT what Conner needed to hear. He needed to know that he could use writing as a way to communicate. He needed to write about anything he wanted and read by (not corrected by) an authentic audience. Conner needed to have the freedom to write with confidence without a writing teaching saying, "Now go back and correct..." which is like saying to a emergent writer, "Your writing isn't good enough."

In a competitive world and race to be academically exemplary, WHAT IF we carved out moments when our learners could write without the fear of being corrected? WHAT IF the Conners of the world could create without being graded or corrected under the guise of "teachable moments? WHAT IF this generation finds their voice and believe that what they have to say matters?

Rose instead of rows

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that we, as educators, are devaluing our kids when we rush to point out how many points they did or didn't earn. I can't help but wonder, Are we creating a culture of fearful writers?

In a world of high stakes testing in fourth, seventh, and ninth grades, we are thrown into a very real conundrum. How do we affirm children's writing and teach the skills needed to become effective communicators? How do we embrace "teachable moments" without shutting down a struggling writer?

What if we, as educators, stepped back and paused before marking up a child's writing and comparing against a 6 point rubric? What if we pledged to ourselves: Before I have the right to correct, sit down, point out your errors, I will affirm you as a writer who has something important to say? 

Assessments will come and go...but valuing (or devaluing) a child's voice will stay with them forever. When we give them a voice we empower them to make changes in their own lives, their community, and the world.

The question is, "Are we listening?"

Confession Reflection:

• Have you ever experienced a time when your writing was not affirmed by a teacher? How did this impact your attitude towards writing?
• How do we cultivate a generation of confident and creative writers while teaching the necessary skills to be effective communicators? i.e. blogging, interactive writing.
• How can we Differentiate Instruction for diverse writers such as in RtI, economically disadvantaged, ELL learners? Is differentiation a fair practice? Why or why not?

Book Recommendation:

Click to read an excerpt from Katherine Bomer's book, Hidden Gems.

Hidden Gems: Naming and Teaching from The Brilliance in Every Student's Writing 

Message about #TMchat (Thinking Maps) Chat

I hope you'll join me for #TMchat with Connie Hamilton on July 26th & Aug. 2nd to discuss reading comprehension. Since comprehension is a complex topic we're breaking it down:

July 26th -We're chatting about what specific strategies, or tools, are available for comprehending texts.
August 2nd- We're chatting about knowing and understanding the difference between teaching and testing reading comprehension.

Do you have any questions or comments you believe should be addressed? If so, please add them to this Google form: #TMchat Survey

Thanks for your help! Tamra