Summer Institute Reflection

I always look forward to participating in some way during the summer with the GVWP  Summer Institute and enjoy being able to coach and touch base again with the group.  This year, however, was especially rewarding because I was able to participate fully in the 3 week Summer Institute.

The opportunity to collaborate and share experiences with like-minded teachers is perhaps the best part of the experience for me.  While I work closely with my colleagues in the Creative Writing Department, there are few opportunities during the school year to really share with many of my other colleagues at School of the Arts.  The Summer Institute also provides an opportunity for me  to  learn about some of the challenges other teachers face at different grade levels and in different districts.  

This summer also provided a great deal of writing time which, at first, was daunting for me.  I found myself simply playing around with some poems I had written during the past year, but really not getting anywhere at first.  After hearing Melissa read the beginning of her short story and seeing how the group enthusiastically gave her feedback and encouragement, the idea of trying to write a short story became less intimidating for me.  So I sat down, gave myself a “Natalie Goldberg” ten minute writing prompt and began a short story that I would become obsessed with for the next three days.  I guess that’s how the writing process works sometimes…and  I  actually enjoyed the process so much that one morning , on the “long walk” from Park Lot, I was so absorbed with a particular aspect of the story that I didn’t even remember how I managed to arrive at LeChase.  I was just walking on autopilot, lost in the paragraph I was writing in my head.

So I am grateful  for the time to share and the time to write.  Grateful  for delicious morning treats and super salad luncheons. Grateful  for “put-ups” and “treasure chests.” Grateful  for Kseniya Simonova’s sand animation, Stephen Fry’s  kinetic typography, Scary Mary and the Piano .  Grateful  for another morning stop at Freedom School to share in Harambee and to remember why I have taught in the same urban school for 25 years and can’t wait to go back in the fall.

Thanks for morning reflections, module-making, tips and tools, resources, open mike, and so much inspiration!

 

Reflections on GVWP Summer Institute

     As teachers, most of us got into teaching because we fell in love with learning. Education, at its core is about learning - not about the system, the method, the curriculum - the pure joy of learning. Putting the pieces together in a different way and seeing how this relates to that and that to this in a way that makes it understandable and glorious and new. Most teachers discovered this joy in childhood by experiencing life; seeing the play of light on a butterfly's wings, messing around with a magnifying glass, damming the river in the back yard or by reading a book that changed them. Most teachers did not find that joy as a student in the classroom. Sure, there were teachers and experiences that made our lives out of school richer, deeper and more meaningful, but schools, for the last 150 years have essentially been places where information was measured out and stuffed into student receptacles. Most teachers were enchanted by the idea of letting a new generation of children in on the secret, if they hadn't’ discovered it themselves, and chose to go into teaching. Where else was there to go for someone who wanted to revel in stardust, exponents and sonnets? Where else was there for someone who saw the connections between music, math and history? Unfortunately, that place may not exist, except in fairy tales.

     School is not that place. At least, not in its present form.

     Yet, there are teachers that remain true to the dream and strive and push and resist the mandates that bind us.  Teachers that want to provide their students with real experiences. Teachers that are not content to mail it in. Teachers that see the potential in every student. Teachers that despite the best efforts of the system, still get up in the morning determined to make a difference.

     I find it so refreshing to enjoy the company of my colleagues in the National Writing Project. Their clear vision and strength refreshes me time after time and gives me courage to enter the classroom or question an administrator. Whether it's building a module that pushes the fringes of the Common Core, sharing our creative writing, or quietly musing after morning reflection, it's good to know that this community exists. For this, I am so thankful.

   

Final Reflections on Summer Institute

Once upon a time, there was an educator whose veins pulsed with the thrill of educating young minds.  She toiled endlessly to create meaningful, connected lessons, drawing from research to utilize the various strengths and skillsets of all students.  Some days, students incorporated art into English, other days—music or movement.  There were projects, field trips, and intense discussions about books, characters, and writing.  Students learned passion for words and writing, and she learned how to let her students teacher her.

And then, NCLB happened, with standardized tests, AYP, SINI, SCA, and more acronyms than she could decode.

And then, scores happened and administration cared only about these acronyms, her students’ identities conflating with their test scores.

And then, Race to the Top happened, with CCLS, CCSS, complex text, and corporate reform.

Suddenly, this educator realized that she had become part of a system that standardized teachers, standardized students, and standardized learning. This system was closed to creativity, artistic expression, and professional discretion.  Her lessons became rigid and rote, pleasing the powers, but sapping the students.  This educator had simply become another cog in an endlessly spinning reform wheel.

It was then that this educator, who was filled with resignation and despair, spent three intensive weeks writing passion and hope back into her vocation.   Through the GVWP Summer Institute, she rekindled her fire for teaching, reacquainting herself with her former shadow and opening her mind to new possibilities and ideas from others who live her educational struggle.  She researched, reflected, and wrote, remembering that educating young minds is not an activity but an art.

This story will a happily ever after, but it is not yet written; in that she must believe.  She will return to September’s classroom enthused and energetic, ready to face the dragon.  Carrying her sword, armor, and shield, she will fight against a mighty foe.  However, this year, she knows it is not a solitary battle; she has others who are fighting by her side.  This story must have a happily ever after; in that, they all do believe. 

Who Gets to Sit at the Table? (poem)

Who Gets to Sit at the Table?


Millionaires and billionaires
people who went to private schools
who grew up with silver spoons in their mouths
and went on their European vacations
or ski getaways.

Know about poverty?
Know about learning language
and
Chemistry,
Biology,
American History,
Trigonometry,
PE,
all in a new language?

I don’t think so.

Even our President has taught ---

at college,
BUT
our Secretary of Education was only
a tutor
without a teaching license.

Why did I get my master’s degree
and go into debt
and become a teacher
to help better a society
and to give of myself,
my time,
my resources,
my talents?
Just so that a bunch of rich people
can get together and tell me I’m doing it wrong?

Just so that a Race To The Top

will become a race to see who can circumvent the rules
the fastest
is more like it -

This is a hustle.
A hustle for money-
for test prep,
for private companies
and bookmakers,

and online Smartboard programmers
and Apps.

The Common Core is a ruse,
a verbose euphemism for
what teachers already do.

THIS
is about the haves and the have-nots
and who gets to sit at the table.

THIS
is about eliminating unions and isolating
all laborers so that they acquiesce.

Who gets to make the decisions?

Not us,
the teachers,
the counselors,
the nurses,
the librarians,
the teaching assistants
and para-professionals.
The people and staff who work with your children every day
and who know what is good for them –

None of us would march into an office
of a dentist,
or a doctor,
or an artist,
or an engineer
and tell them how to do their jobs,
so why is it okay to do it to teachers?

Why are we criminalized for the nation’s devastating poverty levels
when two wars have been waged in the past decade
in the name of national security?

Why does Johnny’s score tell me I’m a bad teacher
when Johnny didn’t eat last night or this morning,
has no heat in his house,
no clean clothes to wear and
certainly no quiet place to do his homework?
His mother is in jail,
his father is gone.
Little Johnny lives with grandma
who doesn’t have enough money to pay for her medicine and whose first language isn’t English.

Why don’t you blame our social evils on those who have distracted you
from the true problems
and economic vacuums of the day:
War
Wall Street Greed
Poverty
Broken Health Care
Corruption
And let’s not forget Lies.

Lies are what they tell you
to make you feel comfortable about yourself,
to make you not question the real problems of the day.

Yes,
teachers are the problem,
Mr. King,
Mr. Cuomo,
Mr. Duncan-
that’s how you got to where you are today.


By Jennifer Wheeler-Ballestas

Assessments

Every teacher has their own take on assessment.  We give tests in our classes and must prepare our students for the dreaded standardized tests.  Rarely do we think about the types of assessments we are imposing on our students.  What do we want to measure? How do we best measure that? What question type is going to best get to the heart of the matter? This chart gives a nice graphic representation on the different types of assessments.  And... there will be a quiz when you're done.6 Types of Assessments

Position Statement of the TCRWP

This came out soon after the adoption of the CCSS by NYS, but in my opinion, continues to be extremely relevant to our discussions as teachers today.  The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project offers their viewpoint on the CCSS and implications for schools:

http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/common-core-standards/position-statement-common-core-and-pathways.html

Please share your thoughts!

Science Fridays

Martin Wolf was School of the Art’s very own Bill Nye , the Science Guy. He even resembled Bill Nye—tall, lanky, dark-haired, occasionally wearing a bow-tie to complement his neatly ironed button down shirt. In every way Martin was the epitome of a budding scientist, and he chose to practice his passion by honoring his friends and my home room students to “Science Fridays,” an occasional series of experiments and presentations designed to impress us all with the awesome power of science.

Recently I emailed Martin regarding these experiments because I wanted to write about them, but felt that I was not “scientifically inclined” enough to describe them in detail or do them justice. Martin quickly replied back to my email request with the following:

“I remember about 4 of the experiments! We can start with the one with clear the water filled balls. Those were polymers! (Which are mostly Carbon and Hydrogen atoms linked together in long chains. There are many different kinds, but the ones we saw absorbed water over night, which made them have an "index of refraction" almost equal to the water they were in, and also really squishy (because they are, at that point, mostly water)! So that means that when light passes through them, they bend the light in almost the same way that the water did, and that makes them invisible! I still have some, so when I come home at the end of May, I'll be happy to give you a jar if you'd like!

Another one I remember was something called "Jacob's Ladder." We passed electricity through a transformer that gave it a higher voltage, and then it arced across two copper wires. Also, you can go up to my dad's room and ask him to show you it again, if you'd like! He says he'd be happy to do it."

He went on to describe an experiment he called “floating bubbles ” and his “spontaneous combustion” fiasco:

"And finally, the spontaneous combustion! (How can we ever forget?) This one was really simple, but it was still my favorite (Partly because of the chemistry, but partly because of people's reactions...including my own!)

We had a ceramic "evaporating dish" filled with finely powdered potassium permanganate (KMnO4), which looks like a grey sand. Next, we added about a teaspoon of glycerine (it kind of sounds like a cooking show, doesn't it?) and waited about a minute for the reaction to start. 

It was..

KMnO4 + C3H5(OH)3 ==> K2CO3 + Mn2O3 + CO2(g) + H2O(g) + HEAT!!!

Or, in words, potassium permanganate + glycerin (yields) potassium carbonate + manganese(III) oxide + carbon dioxide gas + water vapor + HEAT!!!!

And of course, the heat is what we saw as the flames! Here's something to remind you (in case somehow you managed to forget...if you have, tell me how, because that was one of the top ten scariest moments of my life! All I could think of while the smoke filled the room was how I would try and explain to my mom how I burnt down Creative Writing's brand new Mac computer cluster!).

I hope that is a good start! If you need me to be more or less scientific than I was before, just ask! I'll be happy to explain anything and everything however you'd like.”

In typical Martin fashion, he left nothing out in his long email reply, even referrring me to youtube video links of the aforementioned experiments and making sure that I could turn to his Dad, a colleague who taught science, for further explanation. When I thanked him for all of this helpful information, because (as I had written) I was not “scientifically-inclined,” he reassuringly emailed me back again:

"You don't need those videos to be ‘scientifically inclined.’ I think we're all scientifically inclined. Science is the manifestation of curiosity, in my opinion. We all cannot know the right names of chemicals...we can't all be able to explain why ice floats, or why cats have stripes. But we all can be curious! It's our just our way. And it's purely curiosity that will drive science onward through the years...not fancy terminology!

So from one scientist to another, I hope you find what you are looking for in your writing. Cheers, Martin!"

During the year, students in the AP English Language and Composition class worked on poetry projects, choosing an American poet to read and then present to the class. Martin chose Marianne Moore and on his day to present he surprised all of us by coming to class in costume with a black tricorn hat and cape—his attempt to represent Ms. Moore to the best of his ability.

Later in that school year, I offered the class a challenge: any student who would read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and write a brief paper about the book could receive an A+ for the last marking period. Martin and his best friend took up the challenge, reporting back to me about their progress. Halfway through the book, Martin sent me a Facebook message: "Ms. Gamzon, you make me like the elegance of English almost as much as Science!" That was a huge compliment for English studies coming from a science lover! Then a week before the end of the year, he reported back: "Only 98 pages left of Moby Dick, Ms. Gamzon!" Of course, he finished the book, wrote the paper, and received an A+ for the marking period.

Yet it was another aspect of Martin that made him so much more than just our own Bill Nye, the Science Guy. On a class blog where we were discussing various literary critical theories, I found this post from Martin:

“Everything happens for a reason, Martin,” my grandmother told me when I burnt my favorite childhood hat next to the wood burning stove. It was a lovely hat, made of wool so colorful it brightened my day every time I wore it. From a structuralistic point of view, the burning of the hat would be only a sign of the painful times to come. That winter would be the coldest winter in my past. You see, structuralism states that all of humankind’s characteristics: our actions, our deeds, our literature and our lives are a system of signs which are not to be overlooked. Structuralists such as Roman Jacobson, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Roland Barthes attempted to develop a semiology; a form of science which analyzes these signs in our history and literature. Naturally, the Science of English would greatly appeal to me. So, why Structuralism? Why study the events of the past, hoping to decode what may take place in the future? Because it cannot easily be done, and a good mind always accepts the challenge. I would have never guessed that the burning hat, the symbol of the “cold winter” could have meant anything more than my ears would be frostbitten. I would never have known that that particular winter would play host to the death of my grandmother there with me when my hat burned. Nor would I ever have guessed that the rosebush she planted many years before would not grow that spring. A sign so seemingly, painfully obvious was cast aside as I scorned at my silly mistake of putting my hat too close to the fire. And yet, who knows how many symbols are left enduring undiscovered by me at this very moment. Structuralism would dictate that everything, all these little actions, feelings, and decisions, will return to influence the system of life in my future."

Martin is now my sign—the core of my own semiological pursuits in literature, my own structuralist belief in a sort of zeitgeist of awareness that sweeps over all us, making us look for signs and synchronicities in our life. Every time I am faced now with a challenge of disinterest, rudeness, misbehavior on a minor or large scale in some of my classes, I can read that passage over, think about Martin, our Bill Nye the Science guy and how he became valedictorian, and gave such a wonderful speech at graduation, and is now at Princeton where “Cheers” as an email sign off might be very popular among his Ivy league friends and certainly charming to his old high school teacher.

I love Martin and he continues to inspire me. I’ve even managed to almost forgive him for nearly blowing up the new computer writing lab on a very memorable Science Friday.

Speak

The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) has created a place for educators to weigh in on the test that, in many places, determines our "effectiveness" as teachers.  It is a website designed to capture the nation's thoughts on the impact of these tests on children, educators, parents, and educational policy.  

Here's a preview:

"Before I developed this site, people cautioned me that it would be filled with mindless ranting against the CCSS and against all testing, but you are proving those predictions to be absolutely wrong. Your detailed, thoughtful responses to the test, your descriptions of your kids' experiences with the tests, your insights about what the tests might mean for literacy education in the future, are all incredibly helpful. And your dedication to high standards, and attentiveness to your students is beautiful."  - Lucy Calkins, TCRWP

"...thinking about all we know from decades of research on school reform, I find myself worrying that the CCSS is going to implode. If it does, the problem will not be with the ideals of the Common Core, but with the fact that people driving policy do not seem to understand about how people and organizations grow." - Lucy Calkins, TCRWP

Link to the TCRWP spotlight article, "In the Wake of the ELA Exam", regarding the exam itself, the feedback website they created, and common threads among the posts:
http://www.readingandwritingproject.com/news/2013/06/11/In-the-Wake-of-the-ELA-exam-Lessons-from-NYS.html

Link to the actual ELA Feedback website:
http://elafeedback.com/

Never to Teach Alone Again

Those words continue to stay with me years after reading them.  Anyone who knows me can attest to the respect and admiration I hold for Katie Wood Ray and I reluctantly admit that, yes, I AM a bit of a groupie.  Her point, in this instance, was that if we have a well-crafted book (or a handful of them), we have all we need to teach writing well.  We don’t have to have everything there is to know about writing in our own heads at this very moment; we can put our faith in the authors we hold close and trust that they have rich things to teach our students (and ourselves) about writing.  We carry these authors with us – whether literally or figuratively – and we teach alongside them.   I found comfort and excitement in these words and have never looked at teaching writing the same way since.

But these words ring true for me in a different context as well.  As I find myself in new and oftentimes uncomfortable professional situations, these words come back to me.   I do not teach alone.  All that I am as a teacher is wrapped up in the experiences and the people who’ve come before. 

I carry them with me.  And that gives me strength.

I carry those who first showed me what it means to teach.  That all you learn in college is just the beginning.  That if you pay attention, your students will teach you.  That there is strength together and that we CANNOT do this job alone.  And that you won’t make it if you don’t take time to laugh.   

I carry those whom I’ve taught alongside, who’ve shared…everything.  The teachers who astound me on a regular basis and continue to teach me what responsive teaching truly is.  The ones who gave me authority until I earned it for myself. 

I carry the students who said, “Make me”, the students who taught me new cuss words and schooled me on the proper slang terms.  Those who constantly made me question, “What the hell am I going to do?” EVERY DAY on my ride home from work.  The ones who pushed me just because they could.  It was a push I needed.

I carry the administrators.  Yeah, I said it.  It’s easy to become entrenched in our own perspective, to become bogged down in our everyday reality and lose sight of where others are coming from.   Stepping outside of my classroom teacher shoes into the role of instructional coach helped me to see a bigger picture.  I will take that with me as I walk back into the classroom. 

I carry those who have graciously welcomed me into their classroom, who created space for me to learn alongside them and their students.  Those who said, “Come watch and tell me what you see,” and “How can we…?”.  Who taught me more than I could ever return to them.  The perpetual learners.  They’ve taught me that it’s okay to not know and it’s okay to open your door anyway.  Because we don’t have to have all the answers; we just have to have faith that we can learn and grow together.

I carry the Nykerias, the Ronalds, the Dyquans.  The students who forced me to step outside my world, my comfort zone.  The students who shocked me with the stories of their lives…at 6, 8, 11 years old.  They are the ones who haunt me - the ones I pray make it out of that neighborhood and not onto the evening news.   They taught me the true meaning of resiliency.

I am stronger because of all of you.  You give me comfort that I can do this and that it does matter.  You continue to help me outgrow myself. 

I will never teach alone again.  

Hello from DC

To my friends at the Advanced Institute:
Greetings from Washington DC! The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellowship is not only a long name, but an absolutely amazing experience.  I hope that I can do it justice in a few lines...
The first piece that thrilled me is that the Fellowship and program are based on the same philosophy of NWP in that it is really a "teachers teaching teachers" model.  We are participating in activities that we can take with us and emulate in the classroom and demonstrate to other teachers. One example of this is a timeline activity that we are working on in small groups. The Museum emphasizes the importance of Content, Context and Complexity. Each group has been  assigned a different topic to research while keeping in mind the "3 Cs" as well as the pedagogical guidelines (some examples: Do not teach or imply the Holocaust was inevitable, Avoid simple answers to complex questions, Strive for balance in establishing whose perspective informs your study of the Holocaust, Do not romanticize history, Contextualize the history...) The timeline covers the years 1933 - 1945 and already has information about individuals under some of the dates.  Our mission, in our groups, was to add 10 images with captioning information in various layers to show the complexity of the Holocaust.  The five group topics that form the layers:
1. Events from history
2. Events that represent the world's response
3. Anti-Jewish laws and decrees
4. Primary source documents that represent the themes of collaboration and complicity
5. Literature of the Holocaust - in context (from a single work or a combination of works)
On the surface it seems like a simple enough task to identify 10 images in our particular group for our topic... Not so much though, when we considered that it was not just the surface content, but the context had to be recognized and the nuances of complexity had to be apparent as well. The conversations, thinking and writing has been amazing.
Secondly, the program challenges us to grapple with the same questions that our students struggle with in the classroom - albeit at a different level of understanding and complexity. We have been looking at a wide variety of topics, such as the history of anti-Semitism, the sliding scale of collaboration and complicity, contemporary genocide, dangerous speech and the incitement to genocide, teachers and education in the Third Reich and deciding what individual outreach projects we will be working on over the next year. Phew! As with NWP, the opportunity to be a student again and look at things through a fresh lens is so rewarding and is both draining and energizing.
The days are long - starting at 9 and ending around 8, but the opportunity is incredible.  While I am missing you at Warner and can't help but think how much you all would "get" this, I do feel at home here as well, Several of my new colleagues are NWP consultants as well and this has provided another layer of common ground.
I hope the week is going well for you and I look forward to seeing you on Friday!
- Jeff

A response from the editors of Rethinking Schools on the Common Core

Rethinking Schools summer issue has a great editorial on the Common Core, "The Trouble with the Common Core" and a forum on the new Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). The link http://www.rethinkingschools.org/index.shtml

A few great quotes from the editorial on the Common Core that relates to our ongoing conversations about high stakes testing, teacher evaluation, and ongoing discussion on the "narrative of public school failure." There is also a comparison of the Common Core to NCLB.

"By any measure, NCLB was a dismal failure in both raising academic performance and narrowing gaps in opportunity and outcomes. But by very publicly measuring the test results against benchmarks no real schools have ever met, NCLB did succeed in creating a narrative of failure that shaped a decade of attempts to 'fix' schools while blaming those who work in them...The disaggregated scores put the spotlight on longstanding gaps in outcomes and opportunity among student subgroups. But NCLB used these gaps to label schools as failures without providing the resources or support needed to eliminate them" (p. 5).

"Yet the conclusion drawn by sponsors of the Common Core was that the solution was 'more challenging' ones...Instead of targeting inequalities of race, class, and educational opportunity reflected in the scores, the Common Core project threatens to reproduce the narrative of public school failure that has led to a decade of bad policy in the name of reform...The same heavy-handed, top-down policies that forced adoption of the standards require use of the Common Core tests to evaluate educators. This inaccurate and unreliable practice will distort the assessments before they're even in place and make Common Core implementation part of the assault on the teaching profession instead of a renewal of it...If, as proposed, the Common Core's 'college and career ready' performance level becomes the standard for high school graduation, it will push more kids out of high school than it will prepare for college. This is not just cynical speculation. It is reasonable projection based on the history of the NCLB decade, the dismantling of public education in the nation's urban centers, and the appalling growth of inequality and concentrated poverty that remains the central problem in public education" (p. 5).

"Rethinking schools has always been skeptical of standards imposed from above. Too many standards projects have been efforts to move decisions about teaching and learning away from classrooms, educators, and school communities, only to put them in the hands of distant bureaucracies. Standards have been codified sanitized versions of history, politics, and culture that reinforce official myths while leaving out the voices, concerns, and realities of our students and communities...Unfortunately, there's been too little honest conversation and too little democracy in the development of the Common Core. We see consultants and corporate entrepreneurs where there should be parents and teachers, and more high-stakes testing where there should be none" (p. 6)

“Memory Song” by Meredith Monk - reflection

“Memory Song” by Meredith Monk

The fading in and out of spoken and sung language reminds me of the duality of forgetting and remembering. It makes the abstract become concrete in some transcending way.

The creative use of words in other languages makes me think of memories that we can no longer grasp because they are too far back in time, perhaps from before a time that we even existed - an echoing from our ancestors to remind us of who we are and from where we come from.

It is good to be made uncomfortable at times, as this is when we know we are out of our element and can learn something new.  I think this is often how students feel when talked at by adults all day about concepts they are expected to apply and analyze, yet do not comprehend. How do we make these abstractions more concrete for them to understand? How do we remind ourselves that discomfort and being lost at times are great opportunities to remap the way we see situations and to make ourselves aware of skills that we do possess, yet that we just forgot we have? In a sense this is also a remembering, a  human remembering of how we need  to wade through ambiguity, to collect our observations, to synthesize this with what we already know in order to formulate a new hypothesis, to move forward and to learn.

J.Wheeler-Ballestas

7/12

A message to my new friends

As I'm thinking about and planning for my creative piece (on my long drive to Albany of course), one thing that keeps coming to mind is what I carry with me from all of my experiences.  From fellow teachers, from former students, and from the amazing people I have the good fortune to meet on a regular basis.  I just wanted you to know that I've carried you with me here to Albany.  Thank you for a great first few days of intelligent and provocative conversation; I'm looking forward to all that's to come in the next couple weeks.

Faith in teachers

 

While getting ready in the morning for the Genesee Valley Writing Project, I could not stop thinking about Melissa’s post and her moving story about the Patrick and the impact she had on him. However, her impact did not seem to be valued in the face of state and federal mandates where a test score means more than the personal growth of a student. In my research, I found teachers similar to Melissa whose identities were compromised, or I should say constricted, by high stakes testing environments. Even more is how teachers’ identities are compromised by what they believe and know is good teaching and the reasons they went into the teaching profession in the first place – to teach, to make a difference, to nurture lifelong learners and critical thinkers. However, this is not what they feel they can do in lieu of the amount of tests students are required to take and the preparation that goes with students having to take those tests. Yet, in the current climate of education, teachers are blamed for low test scores and student failure, and are then under scrutiny, surveillance, and evaluation to determine their effectiveness. What other profession does this - where dedicated individuals who have the students’ best interests at heart and do so for little pay are treated this way? In a way that devalues and dehumanizes their experience, education, intelligence, and compassion? Why are state and federal governments not looking at larger social inequities such as poverty and lack of access to resources and technology as barriers to learning rather than be quick to blame the teacher who teaches with little to no resources in an unairconditioned building that may be in need of repair? 

As teachers’ identities are compromised, so are the students’ identities. Students arrive to school with various interests, attributes, and histories that are often not taken into account when they are filling in answers to multiple choice test questions that are completely irrelevant to their lives. In my own school experience, I was a deep thinker. I had to really think about what I was learning, reading, writing, and discussing in order to process the information and be able to articulate it in ways that other students could do easily. I did not excel at taking tests, especially timed tests. I don’t know if I would be where I am now if I had to take the amount of tests students have to take and teachers have to administer, taking time away from the meaningful work they do with students.

In a 2012 address to the National Council of Teachers of English, Sir Ken Robinson stated that education now is based on conformity not on individuality. Education should be based on the latter, not the former. He said, “Everyone’s resume is different. Children are on their own unique journey.” He argues that curriculum continues to be narrowed and people are making decisions on what they think children should do. In essence, those making decisions on behalf of children are trying to plan students’ lives for them. He maintains that the “process of discovery is lost and creativity is as well.” What Robinson argues can be said about teachers and how their creativity and autonomy in what and how they teach and assess learning is lost. Some folks somewhere are making decisions on what and how teachers should teach. As Melissa stated, Patrick is more than a score, a number on a rubric. He is a student who has shown personal growth and learning in ways that cannot be measured by a state test. And like Patrick, Melissa is more than a number on an evaluation scoreboard, and most certainly not ineffective. She is highly effective, qualified, extraordinary, caring, nurturing, creative, intelligent, experienced. She is more than the evaluation measures put forth by individuals who continue to have little trust and faith in what teachers do. 

Hi-Lo Story Writing

I have been trying my hand at writing Hi-Lo (high interest, low readability) stories for the last two years.  I believe "struggling readers" deserve engaging stories that respect their intelligence and interests.  Many of my students who struggle with reading only struggle to engage.  Books and stories simply do not speak to them.  If one cannot engage, one does not read, and if one does not read...well, we all know what happens.

The following is the beginning of a story that I am crafting for a student who reads at grade level 2.  He is entering high school and is working not just on reading, but on learning how to make appropriate choices in friends.

Lost in the Cave

Chapter 1

 

                Jimmy’s dad has the coolest job ever—his job is to discover and explore caves.  It’s called spelunking.  Spelunking can be a dangerous job.  Caves are dark and wet.  The surface of cave floors changes quickly.  It is easy to fall and to get lost.  But, Jimmy’s dad is the best at spelunking!  His dad is smart and he knows how to stay safe.

                Jimmy had been begging his dad for months to take him on a spelunking trip.

                “Dad, pleeeaaase, let me go with you!  I can help carry all of your bags and tools!” Jimmy would cry.

                “Jimmy, you know I never carry a lot.  It is not safe to bring heavy bags into a cave.  You don’t need to come with me,” his dad would say.

                “But, Dad, I promise not to climb on anything.  I promise to listen.  I promise to stick near you,” Jimmy would say to his dad.

                “No, Jimmy.  I’m sorry.  It is just too dangerous.  I would worry about you,” his dad said.

                Jimmy did not like to hear “no” for an answer.  Over and over his father would tell him that there is so much to learn about spelunking.  BUT, he never taught Jimmy about spelunking.  Jimmy would have to learn this information all by himself.   Maybe then his father would take him into the caves.

                The next morning, Jimmy jumped out of bed very early.  He ran to the computer and logged on.  Jimmy went onto Google to look up spelunking; he found a lot of information.

                Jimmy learned that most caves are limestone caves. Limestone caves are formed when rainwater seeps into the ground.  The ground water becomes almost like an acid and eats away at the limestone deep in the soil.  Over a long, long time, a cave is formed.  When water eats away at rock, scientists call that erosion.

                Jimmy continued reading.  He learned that caves are dangerous for many reasons.  Some caves are wide in some places and then get very narrow. The temperature can be cold and pools of water can form in the caves. These pools can be as deep as a person’s waist.  Some caves have many twists and turns with many sharp rocks.  Some rocks grow out of the ceilings; others grow out of the ground.  Some caves have edges that drop off.  Caves are very, very dark, so it is hard to see all of these dangerous things.  A person who is spelunking needs to watch out for danger.

                Jimmy read that some caves have bats and other small animals.  He learned never to drink cave water and always bring 2 flashlights, in case one breaks.  He learned that he should never, never go into a cave alone.

                Jimmy thought to himself: I don’t know why Dad makes such a big deal out of spelunking.  If you are careful, you will be fine.

                All of a sudden, Jimmy had an idea.  It was still very early, only 6:30am, and his dad was still sleeping.  Jimmy knew of a cave that was just a 10 minute bike ride away.  He grabbed his phone and ran into the garage.  There were a few things that he was going to need.

Chapter 2

                Once Jimmy was inside the garage, he called his best friend, Matt.  Matt and Jimmy did everything together.  They rode bikes, went swimming, and played on the same soccer team.  They had been friends since first grade.

                “Jimmy, why are you calling me so early!  I am trying to sleep!”  Matt said as he yawned into the phone.

“Matt, get dressed and grab your bike.  Bring your backpack, some water, and a flashlight,” Jimmy said.

 

                “What are you up to, Jimmy?  I just want to sleep.  This isn’t one of your crazy plans, is it?” Matt asked.

                “Sure it is.  Just meet me there in 15 minutes.  And bring that stuff with you,” Jimmy said.

                “Fine, but you better not get us into trouble.  And this better be fun.  I am going to be mad if I got out of bed for something stupid,”  Matt said.

                “Don’t worry.  This is going to be great!”  Jimmy said.

**********

                Matt and Jimmy met at 7-Eleven.  Matt brought his backpack, two water bottles, and an old flashlight.  He still looked sleepy and his hair was a mess.

                Before leaving, Jimmy had left his father a note.  In the summertime, his dad did not mind if Jimmy and Matt went out biking, but he wanted to know where Jimmy was going.  Jimmy had just said:

 

                Dear Dad,

                        Matt and I got up early.  We are going biking near the Bay Front Caves.  We have water, food, and our phones.  Call me if you need to.

                        Jimmy

 

                Jimmy was sure that his father would not be upset.

                “So, Jimmy,”  Matt said, “where are we going?”

                “We’re riding to the Bay Front Caves,”  Jimmy said.

                “But that’s such a boring ride!  We have done that trails so many times now.  Let’s go somewhere else!”  Matt said.

                “But, this time, Matt, we’re going INTO the caves!”  Jimmy said with a smile.

                “But…wait…your dad said we could?  He always told us NOT to go into the caves,” Jimmy wondered.

                “Um…yeah…I learned a lot about going into caves.  He just said not to in too far.  That’s why you needed to bring all of that stuff,” Jimmy said.

                “But, why isn’t your dad coming with us?” Matt asked.

                “Oh, um…he is coming.  Just later.  He wanted us to get a head start,” Jimmy said.

                “That does not sound like your dad at all,” Matt said.  Matt was getting a bad feeling about this.  He knew how dangerous caves could be.  Jimmy’s dad had told Matt all about the dangers of caves.

                Jimmy was getting annoyed.  He sighed and said, “Just relax, Matt.  Trust me.  This is going to be so much fun.  We’re best friends, right?” said Jimmy.

                “Yes, we are.  Ok.  Let’s go,” Matt said.  This still did not feel right to him.  Jimmy sometimes did things that got both of them into trouble.  But Jimmy was always nice to Matt, so….

                The boys got on their bikes and headed up to Bay Front Caves.  The sun had not yet come up.  There were clouds in the sky.  Jimmy was smiling.  Matt had butterflies in his stomach.

 

Chapter 3

                The boys rode up to the front of the cave.  The opening was big and wide, and that made Matt feel better.  It was very, very dark though.

                “Matt, you got that flashlight, right?” Jimmy asked.

                “Yeah, it’s right here.  It’s a bit old,” said Matt.

                “Does it work?” Jimmy asked.

 

                “Most of the time.  I checked it before I left, and it was working,” Matt said.  “Don’t you have a flashlight?”

                “Yes, but it’s always good to have two,” Jimmy said.

                “Are you sure your dad is coming?” Matt said.  He looked worried.

                “Don’t worry so much.  Come on, let’s go in,” Jimmy said.  He grabbed Matt by the arm and pulled him into the mouth of the cave.

                Once inside, the temperature got really cold.  As they walked farther and farther in, the cave got darker and darker.  The cave was very quiet. 

                “Jimmy, it’s creepy in here.  Let’s go back,” Matt said.

                “Don’t be a wuss. Come on!”  Jimmy yelled.

                Jimmy’s voice began to echo all through the cave.  Then, the boys heard a noise.  It sounded like the flutter of wings.

                “What’s that?” Matt asked.

                “I bet it’s a bat!  Cool!” Jimmy said.

                “Do they bite?” Matt wondered.

                “Yes, and they will suck your blood!”  Jimmy laughed and slapped Matt on the back.

                Matt was angry, but he didn’t say anything.  He didn’t want Jimmy to make fun of him anymore.  Matt just continued walking.  He took out his flashlight to light the way.

                The boys walked for a long time.  The cave seemed really boring.  They did not see any water or any cool rocks.  There were no bats, no animals.  The cave was just cold, dark, and quiet.

                “This is boring,” Jimmy said.

                “I wish your dad would hurry up.  He could show us where the cool places are in the cave,” Matt said.

                “Um…he…he told me where to go!”  Jimmy said.  “Look, look up there.  We have to crawl through that small space.”

                “What?!  That does not look safe at all,” Matt said.

                “No, really, it is safe.  My dad crawls through there all the time.  There is this really cool waterfall behind it,” Jimmy said.

                “I don’t hear a waterfall,” Matt said.  “I don’t hear anything.”

                “Oh, it’s behind there.  Trust me,” Jimmy said.  “Don’t be a wuss.”

                “Fine,” Matt said, angry again. “Show me the way.”

 

Chapter 4

                Jimmy got down on his hands and knees. The rock was cold, and it seemed to be wet, too.  He crawled into the small, dark space.

                “C’mon, Matt, I can hear the waterfall!” Jimmy yelled.

                Matt just stood there.  He had a really bad feeling about going in there.  Just then, he heard a scream.

                Yelling into the hole, Matt said, “Jimmy, are you okay?  Where are you?   I don’t see you!”

                Matt did not hear an answer.  He was worried for his friend, so he quickly crawled into the small, dark space.  He gripped his flashlight tightly.

                Once in the hole, he could see very little.  The space was very tight, so he crawled very slowly.  Little by little, the space began to get wider.  Soon, he was able to stand up again.  Still, no Jimmy.

                “Jimmy, this isn’t funny!  Where are you?  Are you hurt?”

                Still no answer.  The flashlight Matt held went dead.  Matt slapped it against his hand.  It flickered on for a minute, and  then it died again.  Everything was dark.  He could hear strange noises, but he could not tell if it was the sound of a bat or a snake.

 

                “Jimmy?  Jimmy?  Are you out there?” Matt screamed again and again.  His voice was echoing throughout the cave.  Suddenly, he felt something brush his arm.  Then, he heard a whoosh!  Something was very close by.  The air got colder.

                “BOO!” yelled Jimmy as he popped out from behind a rock.

                Matt screamed and jumped back.  As he jumped, he started to fall backward.  Matt grabbed at Jimmy, knocking Jimmy’s flashlight to the ground.  This part of the cave was very wet, and the surface of the cave was not flat, but bumpy.  This was a dangerous part of the cave.  Jimmy did not think of this, and now, Matt had fallen to the ground.

                Jimmy was still laughing at the joke when Matt began to moan.  “Jimmy, stop laughing!  I’m hurt!  I’m hurt!  My ankle!” Matt said.

                Jimmy stopped laughing.  “Give me the flashlight; I can’t see you,” Jimmy said.

“I can’t give it to you.  When I fell, it broke,” Matt said.

                “Great.  What are we going to do now?  This is all your fault,” Jimmy said.

                Matt was really, really mad. “MY FAULT?  My fault?  This was all your idea!  You wanted to come to the caves.  You wanted to crawl into this hole.  You played around.  Because I was worried about you, I came into this hole, and now I’m hurt!  This is NOT my fault.  You are a terrible friend,” Jimmy shouted.

                Jimmy felt sick.  Matt was right.

                “I bet your dad isn’t really even coming!  I bet he doesn’t even know we’re down here,” Jimmy screamed.

                Jimmy didn’t know what to say.  Matt was right, and because of Jimmy, both of them were stuck without a flashlight, and Jimmy was badly hurt….

 

 

An oldie, but goodie

 from http://www.jamievollmer.com/blueberries

The Blueberry Story:
The teacher gives the businessman a lesson

     “If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn’t be in business very long!”
     I stood before an auditorium filled with outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute. My speech had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of in-service. Their initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation. You could cut the hostility with a knife.
     I represented a group of business people dedicated to improving public schools. I was an executive at an ice cream company that had become famous in the middle1980s when People magazine chose our blueberry as the “Best Ice Cream in America.”
     I was convinced of two things. First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the industrial age and out of step with the needs of our emerging “knowledge society.” Second, educators were a major part of the problem: they resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure, and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly. They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! TQM! Continuous improvement!
      In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced — equal parts ignorance and arrogance.
     As soon as I finished, a woman’s hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant. She was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran, high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload.
      She began quietly, “We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream.”
      I smugly replied, “Best ice cream in America, Ma’am.”
     “How nice,” she said. “Is it rich and smooth?”
     “Sixteen percent butterfat,” I crowed.
     “Premium ingredients?” she inquired.
     “Super-premium! Nothing but triple A.” I was on a roll. I never saw the next line coming.
      “Mr. Vollmer,” she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to the sky, “when you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?”
      In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap…. I was dead meat, but I wasn’t going to lie.
     “I send them back.”
     She jumped to her feet. “That’s right!” she barked, “and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused, frightened, confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take them with ADHD, junior rheumatoid arthritis, and English as their second language. We take them all! Every one! And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it’s not a business. It’s school!”
      In an explosion, all 290 teachers, principals, bus drivers, aides, custodians, and secretaries jumped to their feet and yelled, “Yeah! Blueberries! Blueberries!”
      And so began my long transformation.
      Since then, I have visited hundreds of schools. I have learned that a school is not a business.           
     Schools are unable to control the quality of their raw material, they are dependent upon the vagaries of politics for a reliable revenue stream, and they are constantly mauled by a howling horde of disparate, competing customer groups that would send the best CEO screaming into the night.
None of this negates the need for change. We must change what, when, and how we teach to give all children maximum opportunity to thrive in a post-industrial society. But educators cannot do this alone; these changes can occur only with the understanding, trust, permission, and active support of the surrounding community. For the most important thing I have learned is that schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to improve public education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America.

Copyright 2011 Jamie Robert Vollmer

John J. Viall on his blog, "A Teacher on Teaching," riffs on the NFL adopting a Common Core playbook...

NFL Adopts Common Core Playbook--Copying Education Reforms

Model paragraph response for Whitman's "Re-examine all you have been told..."

Here is the model reader response paragraph I wrote for the students while we did the Transcendentalism module (complete with "hippie" yearbook picture):

The task as it appears on the class blog:

"This is what you shall do..." by Walt Whitman, from the preface of Leaves of Grass.

"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body." 

Think about the implications of Whitman’s exhortation to “dismiss whatever insults your soul.”  What are some of the things that you have been told “at school or church or in any book” that you might re-examine?

Imagine this quote is being used for Question 3 of the AP English Language and Composition Exam in May.  Write a paragraph response that defends, challenges, or qualifies Whitman’s argument.  Use specific, appropriate evidence to develop your position.

A MODEL:

Personal change and growth require a lifelong re-examination of one’s values and ideas about the world.  Great historical social, political and cultural movements have been inspired by individuals who have examined the past, acted in the present, and left a legacy for the future.  Walt Whitman, like other Transcendentalists of his time, believed in self-reliance and the necessity of living an examined life.  In his Preface to Leaves of Grass, he urges the reader to “re-examine” all that we have been told “at school or church or in any book.”  By doing so, we can live a life worth living, a life of self-reliance and non-conformity in which, as Abraham Maslow proposes, we become self-actualized. 

Growing up in the turbulent 1960s, I witnessed the upheavals of the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, and the anti-Vietnam war movement.  I questioned my own Jewish upbringing, fantasized about becoming a Christian nun or a Hindu yogi, and finally was persuaded to adopt Aldous Huxley’s “perennial philosophy,” embracing my own set of moral values from the great religions I studied.  I dreamed of escaping to the woods and living a simple life attuned with nature in a “hippie”commune after reading Thoreau’s Walden.  With a black armband on my crimson graduation robe, I protested the Vietnam War and then practiced civil disobedience at marches and rallies, much to the dismay of my parents. Later in life, I realized with regret how much pain the actions of the protestors added to the horrors of the war the Vietnam veterans experienced.  Having rebelled against my parents, pursued theater as a career, yet returned to education, I am now reminded by this Whitman passage that I am, more importantly, always a learner and that’s what gives special meaning to my life.