When I start to complain, I hope I think of this guy and how he took his situation in stride just to be what he had to be to his students.
It's a bite-sized morsel of inspiration and who needs it more than elective teachers?
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
My Adventures with Twitter
This week has been a real resolve tester. The schedule is starting to grind the students and the teachers into dust. I don't even think a giant pay raise could help with 170 students and only 1 hour planning. So, after a week of fighting with the last period of the day, the most difficult for all involved, I am going to celebrate some of the wins I had with my experiments in Twitter.
I set up a Twitter account for my AP Students only. It came after a year of "You should tweet that, Ms.G" requests. I'd like to think that half of this profession is being a great performer. It's like stand-up with lessons. So, sometimes in the effort for a laugh to reassure me that my students haven't drifted into a complete coma, I say some things that may or may not be measured as witty. Most of my humor escapes the standard classes for I am a huge nerd and these classes are devoid of huge nerds, but the higher level classes are replete with them. A key principle in teaching, and in comedy as well, is to know your audience. I know my lesser motivated students will abuse Twitter as a classroom tool, but I also know that my more eager and intrinsically motivated students will bask in it.
-Only follow awesomely educational Twitter accounts like Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Lord Byron, MLA, Grammar Monkey, Word of the Day. Do not follow people you know because your students can see and follow them. If you follow Word of the Day and the like, you'll only see these people's posts in your feed and you can re-tweet their posts. The poetry organizations will allow you to re-tweet all kinds of contests with sweet rewards!
-Do not post or re-tweet pictures of the students even if they tweet you with them. We just came out of Homecoming Week at our school and each day was a different dress-up theme. The students took pictures of themselves in my classroom and then tweeted the pictures to me. They can post whatever they like, but you cannot as their teacher. Because your students follow you, posting pictures of kids from other periods will make these pictures available to your other classes. Erring on the safe side, it's best not to re-tweet pictures just in case there are rivalries among your kids.
-Moderate who follows you. There are all kinds of very naughty spambots out there and creepers and the like. Make sure to set the privacy settings up so that if someone wants to follow you approval is necessary.
-Class Twitter is a privilege. Sometimes the semi-anonymity is too much for even mild mannered students to handle and you may get one or two sarcastic comments that can create that awkward moment between authority figure and rebel that causes the entire class to simultaneously gasp in horror. Twitter makes this interaction irresistible to some. So, warn them of the consequences and then take any student who is being squirrely off of your list of followers.
-Twitter interactions should never be a grade. Because some students do not use or even like the program, you will have about one-third of your class left out of Twitter and that is fine. Twitter should be a novelty, something extra - the whipped cream for your overly eager students.
Now that we are done going over the recommendations for making this experience work, let's get to the fun part, challenges!
When I was in middle school, I had the same fantastic science teacher for three years straight. Pre-Internet, he offered weekly challenges. They were impossible, yet intriguing. We would work our brains out trying to solve them. More time and effort went toward the challenges than we would put into the actual class. (I have often noticed that students will work harder for extra credit than for real credit). Twitter can be an avenue for these types of activities.
My first challenge was a caption contest. Sine this is an English class, finding the perfect title/subheading, etc is a great activity. I posted a personal picture of my goldfish stuck in one of the decorative robots we have in the tank:
At first there weren't many entries. The winning entry was "Finding Nemo:The Later Years". I then openly tweeted that the student had won the prize. He remarked that he wanted a car. A trip to Walgreens later and he was, indeed, the proud owner of a Hot Wheels car. Upon presenting this student with his "new car", the class was hooked.
The next few contests/challenges were related to their readings and they were as follows:
For One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Sum up the book in 140 characters; tweet from the POV of one of the characters
The Count of Monte Cristo - What would Abbe' Faria's Twitter user name be?
If students do not have Twitter, they can submit their entries in writing, so they can also have a crack at a dollar store prize. I teach seniors and they still go crazy over prizes, stickers and candy.
The next request I am thinking about deals with pictures of grammatical mistakes. I also have some ideas brewing over a class poem written line by line using only 140 characters.
I have also used to program to point students in the direction of my class website for the updated material they need to have printed (since copies are limited along with paper and ink).
Twitter is proving an instant success! The other day a student tweeted a link to a news story concerning the actress in the film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and I was able to re-tweet it to the class.
On days where I have not been there, the students have tweeted me "Get Well" pictures. If they are not in class for a school event, but want to show me that they are dressed up for Homecoming, they send pictures of their outfits. I think one of the best pictures I have received was a picture of two students at a debate tournament at Yale holding their trophies. Even former students in college have requested to follow the class.
I know this utilization of Twitter is one of those things that can only really work in some classes. I have had AP classes that I would never do this sort of thing with, but in this profession you have to grab on to any thread the students give you and yank on that until you've got their buy-in to the material.
During rough times (like this entire month), it's important to reward the few who are motivated and capitalize on the smallest opening of interest. Instead of dwelling on frustrations, overshadow them with victories. This Twitter experiment has definitely been one of them.
I set up a Twitter account for my AP Students only. It came after a year of "You should tweet that, Ms.G" requests. I'd like to think that half of this profession is being a great performer. It's like stand-up with lessons. So, sometimes in the effort for a laugh to reassure me that my students haven't drifted into a complete coma, I say some things that may or may not be measured as witty. Most of my humor escapes the standard classes for I am a huge nerd and these classes are devoid of huge nerds, but the higher level classes are replete with them. A key principle in teaching, and in comedy as well, is to know your audience. I know my lesser motivated students will abuse Twitter as a classroom tool, but I also know that my more eager and intrinsically motivated students will bask in it.
Here are some rules for a class Twitter account:
-Never "Follow" your students. You will go mad reading the things you are not supposed to read. It's completely inappropriate and out of the question. This will set you up for many unpleasant lawsuits.-Only follow awesomely educational Twitter accounts like Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Lord Byron, MLA, Grammar Monkey, Word of the Day. Do not follow people you know because your students can see and follow them. If you follow Word of the Day and the like, you'll only see these people's posts in your feed and you can re-tweet their posts. The poetry organizations will allow you to re-tweet all kinds of contests with sweet rewards!
-Do not post or re-tweet pictures of the students even if they tweet you with them. We just came out of Homecoming Week at our school and each day was a different dress-up theme. The students took pictures of themselves in my classroom and then tweeted the pictures to me. They can post whatever they like, but you cannot as their teacher. Because your students follow you, posting pictures of kids from other periods will make these pictures available to your other classes. Erring on the safe side, it's best not to re-tweet pictures just in case there are rivalries among your kids.
-Moderate who follows you. There are all kinds of very naughty spambots out there and creepers and the like. Make sure to set the privacy settings up so that if someone wants to follow you approval is necessary.
-Class Twitter is a privilege. Sometimes the semi-anonymity is too much for even mild mannered students to handle and you may get one or two sarcastic comments that can create that awkward moment between authority figure and rebel that causes the entire class to simultaneously gasp in horror. Twitter makes this interaction irresistible to some. So, warn them of the consequences and then take any student who is being squirrely off of your list of followers.
-Twitter interactions should never be a grade. Because some students do not use or even like the program, you will have about one-third of your class left out of Twitter and that is fine. Twitter should be a novelty, something extra - the whipped cream for your overly eager students.
Fun to Be Had!
Now that we are done going over the recommendations for making this experience work, let's get to the fun part, challenges!
When I was in middle school, I had the same fantastic science teacher for three years straight. Pre-Internet, he offered weekly challenges. They were impossible, yet intriguing. We would work our brains out trying to solve them. More time and effort went toward the challenges than we would put into the actual class. (I have often noticed that students will work harder for extra credit than for real credit). Twitter can be an avenue for these types of activities.
My first challenge was a caption contest. Sine this is an English class, finding the perfect title/subheading, etc is a great activity. I posted a personal picture of my goldfish stuck in one of the decorative robots we have in the tank:
At first there weren't many entries. The winning entry was "Finding Nemo:The Later Years". I then openly tweeted that the student had won the prize. He remarked that he wanted a car. A trip to Walgreens later and he was, indeed, the proud owner of a Hot Wheels car. Upon presenting this student with his "new car", the class was hooked.
The next few contests/challenges were related to their readings and they were as follows:
For One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Sum up the book in 140 characters; tweet from the POV of one of the characters
The Count of Monte Cristo - What would Abbe' Faria's Twitter user name be?
If students do not have Twitter, they can submit their entries in writing, so they can also have a crack at a dollar store prize. I teach seniors and they still go crazy over prizes, stickers and candy.
The next request I am thinking about deals with pictures of grammatical mistakes. I also have some ideas brewing over a class poem written line by line using only 140 characters.
I have also used to program to point students in the direction of my class website for the updated material they need to have printed (since copies are limited along with paper and ink).
Twitter is proving an instant success! The other day a student tweeted a link to a news story concerning the actress in the film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and I was able to re-tweet it to the class.
On days where I have not been there, the students have tweeted me "Get Well" pictures. If they are not in class for a school event, but want to show me that they are dressed up for Homecoming, they send pictures of their outfits. I think one of the best pictures I have received was a picture of two students at a debate tournament at Yale holding their trophies. Even former students in college have requested to follow the class.
I know this utilization of Twitter is one of those things that can only really work in some classes. I have had AP classes that I would never do this sort of thing with, but in this profession you have to grab on to any thread the students give you and yank on that until you've got their buy-in to the material.
During rough times (like this entire month), it's important to reward the few who are motivated and capitalize on the smallest opening of interest. Instead of dwelling on frustrations, overshadow them with victories. This Twitter experiment has definitely been one of them.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
The Yearly Reversal
We are in fourth week of the school year on a new schedule. The decision to make high school teachers teach six out of seven classes a day with only fifty minutes for planning was a county measure to save money. It, as you can imagine, is not a measure to boost test scores or foster practice for writing. Couple the new schedule with teaching a new mandatory class for seniors who didn't take/score high enough on the SAT, ACT or PERT and you can imagine how it goes.
As educators, we all know the strain and stress that accompanies a low level class, filled with students who didn't feel they had a say in their selection. We can all relate to the trials of teaching a brand new curriculum out of a book we were only trained in for three days. Sure, there are ins and outs of these unique gauntlets that we have all griped about in the planning area, burdened our significant others with and bored our friends to tears over. However, among this new knot of tenuous factors there were a few incredible moments I wanted to share.
"We heard that you don't like our class"
Period X has potential be a teacher's worst nightmare. Period X comes at the end of the day and has a terrifying chemistry, at least four separate social groups who would never interact with each other. There are unspoken tensions between lifestyle choice, economic situations and, believe it or not, race. Teaching a group as divided as this makes every decision difficult, from obvious tasks like seating and group work to the less obvious pitfalls like oral presentations and group discussions. The new book they gave us does not tell us how to manage these interactions with grace especially when half of the curriculum is focused on cultural tensions. The other big issue in this class is just good old people stuff. Some people have great manners and some have no idea that manners exist. This class, by a large margin, is of the latter.
Well, I promised that these entries would be happy and inspiring, so here's the little tidbit about Period X which makes working through all of the above situations worth it. My best friend and I have come up with a revelation we have noticed after working side by side for seven years. Your worst class at the beginning of the year will inevitably become your favorite by the end of the year. The same goes in reverse for your best class at the end of the year. I think it has to do with fighting back, correcting and modifying behavior. At the start of a fresh term, you are more apt to be strict and swift for fear that your inaction will foster bad habits which make teaching difficult (calling out, getting up, allowing excuses, whining, etc.). When we encounter a class that is lacking in class, these corrections become vital and by the end of the year, everyone has figured out how to function in the classroom comfortably. In the opposite case, the joy and ease a teacher feels from dealing with an easy or eager class can throw us off our mission. We are so comfortable and happy with our excited, polite and hard-working bunch that we allow exceptions early in the year. Even the slightest bit of fun can spell misery in the month of May.
Period X, which is small due to the Class Size Amendment and the general number of students who failed the ACT, SAT or PERT, has a horrible habit of coming in late, taking a good six minutes to settle in and zoning out. Active activities are done passively and the general vibe in the room is empty. It was like this for about two weeks. Then, something changed.
It's the easiest thing, and a trap that most seasoned teachers have fallen into, to shut down and make your classes some kind of adversary that you must force to mimic the signs of respect. There is a quote and I can't find it for the life of me, but the core of it is something like "demanding respect from someone is like forcing them to find you attractive". A teacher can be as mean, icy or rude as they want, but they are not earning respect, they are alienating their audience. Most people's reaction to rudeness is a bout of reciprocal rudeness. I had to remind myself not to go down this path. Some people rage with hot fire and others can burn with their iciness. It may feel good for a moment, but it is deadly. Remember, we are teaching people - teenage people who have seen their fair share of miserable teachers. I had to tell myself this and I was reminded that no matter how rude you think they are being or how tense a classroom situation may be, a student just wants to feel valued, intelligent and validated. They may never actually say these things or even come close to knowing it themselves, but even the worst student will work for you if you are willing to give praise and warmth. Once you see this in a student, they are likely to listen better and respect you (finally).
Period X got wind that I acted differently with my other classes; their friends told them I was an awesome and fun teacher to have. They were hurt. As a group they confronted me, asked if it was true. What could I say? It was true. For two weeks I had changed seats, lectured them, called parents and generally had the angry face of doom on while we went through every new lesson together. No wonder they weren't responding. They were, on the outside, better behaved, but they were passive, angry and not enjoying anything we did. My job is not to make teenagers associate English with punishment or misery. I can say that this has been their experience in the past. I decided to let go of the anger and to enjoy every little word, concept and idea I was teaching them that day. I overdid it on enthusiasm, excitement and, especially, praise. It didn't matter if the student technically answered incorrectly to a question, I found a way to make that student feel good about the answer. I gave out gold stars during their group work time. Now, you may think that at seventeen and eighteen years old a silly sticker would mean nothing, but you are wrong. Before the end of the class, groups were asking why they didn't get a sticker or how to get one. Despite it being Period X, I taught it like they were the best class I had. It worked. They were changing slightly for the better already.
It's two weeks later and even though I didn't retrain the rudeness that permeates these people's lives and, no doubt, their homes and they are still resistant to work, they come in quieter. They join together and tell the talkative ones to be quiet and life with Period X is slowly getting easier. When I was out with a medical emergency last week, they actually welcomed me back with hugs. The next time I am frustrated with the group for whatever small reason, I have to remember that their behavior can be followed back to their self-esteem and their view of the work ahead of them. I must remember to start from there. I also want to attest that the quality of their work is excellent lately. Even though every assignment is a fight, homework is non-existent and it takes all the energy in forty Red Bulls to get them to complete a task, the products are incredible. I am hoping by May that I can say Period X is truly special.
*I think the measure of getting through to a poorly motivated class is when they say "Damn, Miss, this is like Freedom Writers in here". When I hear it, my brain says "Gotcha!" and I know that survival is possible. :)
I am ending this post with a quote. I hope not to forget it when a bad day strikes.
As educators, we all know the strain and stress that accompanies a low level class, filled with students who didn't feel they had a say in their selection. We can all relate to the trials of teaching a brand new curriculum out of a book we were only trained in for three days. Sure, there are ins and outs of these unique gauntlets that we have all griped about in the planning area, burdened our significant others with and bored our friends to tears over. However, among this new knot of tenuous factors there were a few incredible moments I wanted to share.
"We heard that you don't like our class"
Period X has potential be a teacher's worst nightmare. Period X comes at the end of the day and has a terrifying chemistry, at least four separate social groups who would never interact with each other. There are unspoken tensions between lifestyle choice, economic situations and, believe it or not, race. Teaching a group as divided as this makes every decision difficult, from obvious tasks like seating and group work to the less obvious pitfalls like oral presentations and group discussions. The new book they gave us does not tell us how to manage these interactions with grace especially when half of the curriculum is focused on cultural tensions. The other big issue in this class is just good old people stuff. Some people have great manners and some have no idea that manners exist. This class, by a large margin, is of the latter.
Well, I promised that these entries would be happy and inspiring, so here's the little tidbit about Period X which makes working through all of the above situations worth it. My best friend and I have come up with a revelation we have noticed after working side by side for seven years. Your worst class at the beginning of the year will inevitably become your favorite by the end of the year. The same goes in reverse for your best class at the end of the year. I think it has to do with fighting back, correcting and modifying behavior. At the start of a fresh term, you are more apt to be strict and swift for fear that your inaction will foster bad habits which make teaching difficult (calling out, getting up, allowing excuses, whining, etc.). When we encounter a class that is lacking in class, these corrections become vital and by the end of the year, everyone has figured out how to function in the classroom comfortably. In the opposite case, the joy and ease a teacher feels from dealing with an easy or eager class can throw us off our mission. We are so comfortable and happy with our excited, polite and hard-working bunch that we allow exceptions early in the year. Even the slightest bit of fun can spell misery in the month of May.
Period X, which is small due to the Class Size Amendment and the general number of students who failed the ACT, SAT or PERT, has a horrible habit of coming in late, taking a good six minutes to settle in and zoning out. Active activities are done passively and the general vibe in the room is empty. It was like this for about two weeks. Then, something changed.
It's the easiest thing, and a trap that most seasoned teachers have fallen into, to shut down and make your classes some kind of adversary that you must force to mimic the signs of respect. There is a quote and I can't find it for the life of me, but the core of it is something like "demanding respect from someone is like forcing them to find you attractive". A teacher can be as mean, icy or rude as they want, but they are not earning respect, they are alienating their audience. Most people's reaction to rudeness is a bout of reciprocal rudeness. I had to remind myself not to go down this path. Some people rage with hot fire and others can burn with their iciness. It may feel good for a moment, but it is deadly. Remember, we are teaching people - teenage people who have seen their fair share of miserable teachers. I had to tell myself this and I was reminded that no matter how rude you think they are being or how tense a classroom situation may be, a student just wants to feel valued, intelligent and validated. They may never actually say these things or even come close to knowing it themselves, but even the worst student will work for you if you are willing to give praise and warmth. Once you see this in a student, they are likely to listen better and respect you (finally).
Period X got wind that I acted differently with my other classes; their friends told them I was an awesome and fun teacher to have. They were hurt. As a group they confronted me, asked if it was true. What could I say? It was true. For two weeks I had changed seats, lectured them, called parents and generally had the angry face of doom on while we went through every new lesson together. No wonder they weren't responding. They were, on the outside, better behaved, but they were passive, angry and not enjoying anything we did. My job is not to make teenagers associate English with punishment or misery. I can say that this has been their experience in the past. I decided to let go of the anger and to enjoy every little word, concept and idea I was teaching them that day. I overdid it on enthusiasm, excitement and, especially, praise. It didn't matter if the student technically answered incorrectly to a question, I found a way to make that student feel good about the answer. I gave out gold stars during their group work time. Now, you may think that at seventeen and eighteen years old a silly sticker would mean nothing, but you are wrong. Before the end of the class, groups were asking why they didn't get a sticker or how to get one. Despite it being Period X, I taught it like they were the best class I had. It worked. They were changing slightly for the better already.
It's two weeks later and even though I didn't retrain the rudeness that permeates these people's lives and, no doubt, their homes and they are still resistant to work, they come in quieter. They join together and tell the talkative ones to be quiet and life with Period X is slowly getting easier. When I was out with a medical emergency last week, they actually welcomed me back with hugs. The next time I am frustrated with the group for whatever small reason, I have to remember that their behavior can be followed back to their self-esteem and their view of the work ahead of them. I must remember to start from there. I also want to attest that the quality of their work is excellent lately. Even though every assignment is a fight, homework is non-existent and it takes all the energy in forty Red Bulls to get them to complete a task, the products are incredible. I am hoping by May that I can say Period X is truly special.
*I think the measure of getting through to a poorly motivated class is when they say "Damn, Miss, this is like Freedom Writers in here". When I hear it, my brain says "Gotcha!" and I know that survival is possible. :)
I am ending this post with a quote. I hope not to forget it when a bad day strikes.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Mission Statement
"A Lantern" is not a place for debate. It is not a place for complaints.
It is a haven of light, a place where other educators can meet among the darkness and share their survival techniques, their moments of glory in the classroom along with the reasons why we still hang in and call ourselves teachers through the muck and political mire.
There are tales of civilizations, of countries still present, who value educators, pay them well and reward their word and experience. It is not so here and now.
I have seen my elders and idols crushed under the circumstances, broken by the demands and turned sour by the loss of respect that has come to our profession. These attitudes can become viral and taint our kingdom, the classroom. The pestilence of negativity and fear has frightened away talent desperately needed and stymied the blossoming of new educators.
So, I am creating a forum for integrity and grace under pressure, a place for others to take strength and carry forth day after day in the face of the youth. It's a place where those in the trenches can regroup. Regardless of the actions of those seated above us, we still have an obligation to the coming generations. To teach, to inspire and to keep the fire bright within ourselves.
It is a haven of light, a place where other educators can meet among the darkness and share their survival techniques, their moments of glory in the classroom along with the reasons why we still hang in and call ourselves teachers through the muck and political mire.
There are tales of civilizations, of countries still present, who value educators, pay them well and reward their word and experience. It is not so here and now.
I have seen my elders and idols crushed under the circumstances, broken by the demands and turned sour by the loss of respect that has come to our profession. These attitudes can become viral and taint our kingdom, the classroom. The pestilence of negativity and fear has frightened away talent desperately needed and stymied the blossoming of new educators.
So, I am creating a forum for integrity and grace under pressure, a place for others to take strength and carry forth day after day in the face of the youth. It's a place where those in the trenches can regroup. Regardless of the actions of those seated above us, we still have an obligation to the coming generations. To teach, to inspire and to keep the fire bright within ourselves.
"Storms Make Trees Take Deeper Roots" - Dolly Parton
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