New Terrain

There is nothing quite like receiving a hand-written card or letter in the mail addressed just to you. Last year, I wrote and sent Christmas cards to each of my students. It wasn't for their parents, their siblings or anyone else-- just them. Iridescent polar bear cards aren't much, but it was something small I could do to make each and every one of them feel special.

This year, the favor has been returned. Last week, I received a Christmas card from one of my students with learning disabilities. When I first met her at the start of the year, she was reading at a 2nd grade level and writing at a 1st.

Dear Ms. J. Shuy,

I wish you a Thanksgiving and Mary Christmas. I was going to tell you my new e-mail address so you can email me like you email Ms. Lee. How was your Thanksgiving? I went to Farmington with my ante, uncle and my cousin. So I am going because I am watching TV. So ask me, How was your Thanksgiving.

Jenny

Sure, she spelled my name wrong and her sentence structure needs work. If I was still her teacher, we would talk about tone. But her point was made. I do feel special.

Posted by Jessica Shyu at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I used to say that there is nothing like the high you get from watching a kid learn. But I have to add to that now. There is nothing quite like watching a teacher learn to be a better teacher and be able to get his/her kids to learn even more.

In the middle of the interview day, I had a chance to describe the challenges and inspirations of teaching. The story I told is one of the stories I retell myself when I am feel unmotivated or slothful about my work. It's one of the stories I discovered as a first year teacher in New Mexico. I've republished it below from my personal blog the way it was written almost 2 years ago.

Below is a snippet of my personal experience as a first-year teacher in Tohatchi, NM with Teach for America. It was originally written to be presented to prospective college seniors/grads. But it's also something to keep me going after those not-so-inspiring days.

I knew when I signed up to be a Special Education teacher, things were going to be rough. I just had no idea how rough it would be. I eagerly assessed all of my seventh and eighth graders the first week of school, only to realize that almost everyone was between a kindergarten and third grade level in math. Some students with more severe disabilities still had trouble counting on their fingers. We had our work cut out.

I decided to organize the students by their disabilities and their math grade levels to determine what and how they would learn. Some students worked on adding while others started multiplication. For the first time in their lives, everyone had homework every single night. This was unheard of and trust me, they rallied against it. At the start of every class, everyone does three word problems for the day. After that, they study their addition or multiplication flashcards and every single day we did a Mad Minutes exercise in which we did as many problems of addition or multiplication as they could in five minutes. Soon, the arguments and complaints quelled. These basic math skills became a routine and after a month and a half, they became the foundations for us to move on to higher level math skills. Everyone—including my students with mental retardation memorized their basic addition and subtraction facts. We were on our way to making gains.

And then Elmer came. The first quarter was almost over when the eighth grader swaggered in. He had been out of school for the entire past year and could only read at the pre-kindergarten level. And he most definitely did not know his multiplication tables. I tried to get Elmer quickly accustomed to our math routines, but within a week he was suspended for getting in a fight. A week after returning, he was caught in another fight. When he wasn’t suspended, he often skipped my class. Phone calls home and parent conferences didn’t seem to help, but I had to keep trying.

When I was able to catch him for math class, I would often sit down with Elmer and just chat. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he seemed to enjoy the extra attention. We made multiplication flashcards together and I would sit next to him and practice first his 1’s tables. Next came his 2’s. And then his 3’s tables. The first time Elmer memorized his 3’s tables on his own, I danced and hurrahed until he thought I was nuts. He put on a tough-guy scowl and just said it was too easy for him. But I wouldn’t let him go that easily—I made such a big deal about his amazing memory and ability to soak up the math, he couldn’t help but smile. And then he moved on to his 4’s tables.

When I gave my students a mid-year assessment in December, almost everyone improved by at least one grade level in math—even Elmer who missed almost an entire quarter of school. From the moment he realized he really had the ability to learn math, I never had to chase him down for class. The only problem we came across was his missing multiplication flashcards—he would often sneak his flashcards home to practice at night and then forget to return them in the morning.

This story does not stand out for being unique, and that is a beautiful thing. Every single teacher out there-- current or former-- has their own story of how they have inspired their students and how their students have inspired them. How powerful is that? When I told this story to the applicants, I focused it on Elmer because his experience illustrates the types of challenges and joys teachers face. On the other hand, I keep retelling it to myself, especially on those low days, because it reminds me of the challenges and joys we were able to face then and need to keep facing now.

Posted by Jessica Shyu at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Dear Readers,
I will be posting every Tuesday as well as on the weekend from now on. I love hearing suggestions on how to improve the blog-- if you have a suggestion or a topic you'd like to read about, please leave a message. Thank you for the great feedback so far!
Jessica

Name a junk food and chances are, I'll eat it. But as much as I love junk, I don't want our schools to love junk too. Schools have a responsibility to be models in the community, and as much as I love McDonald's No. 3 breakfast meal (artery clogging, I know, I know), I had oatmeal in front of my kids in the morning. If I had to eat in front of them, I needed to at least be a good role model.

But being a good role model will only take you so far when the school is serving the kids corn dogs and Pop Tarts for breakfast. Sooner or later, one would need to lobby the district, state or federal government for healthier meals for kids. So it's a wonderful thing that there is new legislation on the table to reduce the amount of junk food sold in cafeterias, vending machines and snacks bars. If this amendment to the farm bill passes (and there's great debate on whether it will actually pass, so let's hope for the next generation's sake that something effective passes), it will be the "broadest effort to limit what children eat," the New York Times reports.

"Food for sale would have to be limited in saturated and trans fat and have less than 35 percent sugar. Sodium would be limited, and snacks must have no more than 180 calories per serving for middle and elementary schools and 200 calories for high schools."

That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that "The standards would not affect occasional fund-raising projects, like Girl Scout cookie sales."

How does one define occasional fund-raising projects? My visits to middle and high schools these days, especially around the noon or three o'clock hours, are much like a trip around Costco. I'm there for 800 napkins (or 5 classroom observation), but while there, I can pick up a brownie, some pizza and a bag of hot Cheetos with cheese sauce (a south Texas favorite!). A different club is raising money every day of the week. By the time I loop around the building, I'm 5 observations and 700 calories healthier.

But from there is better news. Unlike corporate-purchased snack bar snacks, promoting healthier fund-raisers is entirely within the control of the community. Sure, that pan of brownies can turn a $10 profit in 20 minutes, but with all the news coming out on childhood obesity and its health risks, the effects for those brownies are bleaker and more immediate than ever.

I never took this on as a club sponsor, but now wish I did: What would it take to lower the risk for heart disease just in the school hallway? What would it look like if every fund-raising booth sold healthier snacks? How would it be if our students were empowered to lead this movement on their own to change the school themselves? Sometimes, the greatest changes can happen outside our Capitol.

Food for thought: Some are a bit fancy for 13-year-olds and not after-school-hallway-appropriate, but here's a quick list of healthy snacks.

Back to School: A database of top healthy snacks, smoothies and special ones for kids
Fun and Healthy Quick recipes to use with the kids
Healthy Snacks and Beverages for Kids: Some good ideas ranging from turkey roll-ups to trail mix recipes
Eating Well: A bit more on the gourmet end.

Posted by Jessica Shyu at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)