September 2010 Archives

One of the most important things children learn at school is not on any curriculum map. In addition to all those facts, critical thinking, and technology skills, we expect our schools to help our children master self discipline, because without that, success in school and in life is a long shot. If we pay attention, we can see children progressing through the stages of Bloom's Hierarchy of Learning in this critical area of self development. I'm just hoping that some of my 6th period students are going to have a fast learning curve in the next few weeks.

In lower elementary grades, children are into the comprehension stage of self control. "I know the rule, Miss Jones! We sit criss-cross applesauce during story time!" For most of these little ones there is nothing finer than the beaming approval of their teacher.

By upper elementary school, children are into application. "Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson, Bob is not staying in line. We're supposed to be in line and I'm in line, but he's not. Are you going to make him get back in line?" They aren't really tattling, they are just pointing out correct and incorrect application of the rules.

When children get to middle school, they are ready to take on analysis. Middle schoolers are engaged in an experiment of how far their power to control their environment extends. The variable is how far they can push before the test subject responds negatively; and the test subject is pretty much any adult they encounter. "How many times can I do this before the teacher gets mad? Can we make the substitute cry or cuss? Will the principal really call my parents and give me three days of in-school suspension or is he bluffing?" They need to know where the limits are and they are unlikely to find out unless they test them.

If they have made appropriate progress, high school students are ready for synthesis. When confronted with what they consider injustice or inanity, they attempt to change the system. "We're walking out! We're circulating a petition! We're going to the school board! We're contacting the press!" It is entirely appropriate that they do so, because they are about to become adults who will become more responsible citizens if they are prepared to be proactive rather than passive.

I think that's what bothered me so much about those signs in that New Orleans middle school, "Be nice, be neutral, and nothing else." That might make the school day run more smoothly for the adults in the building, but I'm not sure it supports the development of the moral and ethical decision making skills our young people need.

So much for theory. Right now it's week three of middle school and I've got some precocious students in my 6th period class. They are so highly motivated to learn self management that they come in ready to analyze my limits every single day.

My classroom rules are simple: Respect all people. Respect the resources that have been provided for your learning. Respect your self. My system for classroom management is equally simple. I have 1st, 2nd, and Final Warning cards. A Warning Card is sort of like a yellow card in soccer or a foul in basketball. It isn't judgment on you as a person, it just means that your behavior is somehow limiting the ability of others to learn.

I don't stop to discuss the reason for the card because the whole point is getting on with the business of learning. But if I lay a 1st Warning card down in front of you, it means that you need to figure out what it is that you are doing that interferes with my delivery of instruction or your classmates' focus on learning. A 2nd Warning is an indication that you may need to think a little harder. A Final Warning earns you a meeting with me after class so that I can help you understand what needs to change. Just as in games, the record is cleared at the end of the period.

Unfortunately, some of those cards are already getting sort of dog-eared this fall. I've had some private conferences and I've made some parent phone calls. But on Friday afternoon, J.R. just keep pushing his limits until I was really up against the wall. I sensed he was having self management issues and I knew I was on the verge of being reactive rather than proactive in dealing with him. That's putting it nicely. To put it bluntly, he'd pushed all my buttons and I was about to lose it.

I sent J.R. out in the hall and told him that I'd be with him in a minute. I got the rest of the class engaged in their work and then took a deep breath before heading into the hall for a confrontation. And on my way out, I remembered something my wise young friend Julianna recently shared in a Teacher Leaders Network conversation about dealing with difficult students. Julianna said: "I've learned to lean up against the wall with my students."

Sure enough, J.R. was leaning up against the wall, so rather than stand in front of him, I just leaned up against the wall beside him. I breathed deeply, thought about how cool and solid the wall felt, closed my eyes for a moment, and then I waited. While J.R. and I stood there leaning side by side, I finally said, "Well, what are we going to do, J.R.?" He made that huffing sound that is the trademark of all middle schoolers and then said, "Okay, I guess I need to shut up sometimes don't I?"

I've always been an optimist, but I'm not stupid. We have not become best buds and I'd bet money that we're going to be out in that hall quite a few times before the semester is up. But I've come to realize that when I'm up against the wall with a difficult student, that kid's probably up against the wall too. So maybe it makes more sense to quit staring each other down, lean back, and focus on the problem at hand.

It beats banging our heads against that wall.

Posted by Susan Graham at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

When our schools become movie sets for grownups seeking the spotlight, children are sometimes left in the dark.

Education movie starlet Michelle Rhee walked the red carpet at the Newseum for the premiere of Waiting for Superman. Just the day before Rhee's patron, Mayor Adrian Fenty, lost his bid for re-election in a primary that was more about her than about him. During the press conference "panel discussion" she told the press

Yesterday's election results were devastating, devastating. Not for me, because I'll be fine, and not even for Fenty because he'll be fine, but devastating for the schoolchildren of Washington, D.C.

Not one to compromise, it appears Rhee has indicated no interest in staying on to work with Vincent Gray even though he has left the door open to discussion. And so, sticking to her principles, she'll take the high road and she'll leave those kids to their fate. I'm sure it pains her, but she has her wedding to Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento, to re-plan. And, as the heroine of Superman, she's got a movie to promote - which began with a guest appearance on Oprah. It must have lifted her spirits when

Michelle Rhee, the D.C. Public Schools Chancellor, was cheered on Oprah for efforts in challenging an entrenched teachers union and firing one thousand under performing teachers in DC.

I wasn't invited to any of the early screenings or the premiere, but apparently Rhee plays "Warrior Woman," who struggles to improve education despite the evil machinations of a dysfunctional city government, inept school personnel, and a greedy self serving union. She does what no one else has been willing to do: fire all the bad teachers.

Why? Because someone has to protect children. Michelle told Oprah

The reality is that we have some ineffective teachers, some bad teachers, who are in classrooms every day who are doing a disservice to our children. The data shows if [children] have three highly effective teachers in a row versus three ineffective teachers in a row, it can literally change their life trajectory.

In a recent address to new DC teachers, Rhee related some horrific examples of the kind of criminal ineptitude that cannot be tolerated. She told of a teacher who put masking tape on the mouths of 35 children to keep them quiet on the way to the lunchroom - and how their lips bled when the tape was ripped off. This same teacher took children on a field trip without collecting parent contact information. When one of them didn't know her address at the end of the day, this teacher eventually dropped the little girl off with someone in the neighborhood who recognized her.

It is outrageous that this teacher, who had spent only a few weeks in training to develop instructional skills, was not fired on the spot. Yet she continued to teach in a Baltimore school for three years. What is worse, the DC Public Schools hired her for an administrative position.

That incompetent teacher is Michelle Rhee. She shared these personal first-year "war stories" with her new teachers a few days before they went into the classroom for the very first time.

And do you know what they did?
They laughed.

See for yourself.

Well, the reform is starting to fizzle. The election is over, and the gig is up. But hey, the movie is going to make her a star and, as she has assured us, she's going to be fine because it appears that she's moving on to on to a fresh batch of kids, greener pastures, and some new projects as first lady of Sacramento.

Rhee is a darling of the media and a guest of honor at the school reform table.

Meanwhile:
Highly accomplished teachers are expected to "know their place" and stay in lunchroom where they belong.

Is it any wonder that our children are still waiting for Superman?

Posted by Susan Graham at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

In the last eight years my personal life and professional practice has been enriched by the opportunity to meet, share, and collaborate with teachers from across the country. This summer a group of us from diverse backgrounds and teaching experiences came together for some deep discussions at a retreat sponsored by the Center for Teaching Quality.

Among those present was Ariel Sacks, a brilliant and thoughtful teacher from New York City who is young enough to be my daughter. This week, in her Teacher Leaders Network blog, On the Shoulders of Giants, she wrote

We began our intense sessions by establishing norms for the group's communications. One of my colleagues and fellow bloggers, Susan Graham, offered one of her favorite rules for successful collaboration: "Assume good intentions." Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, and we basically felt that that one norm said it all. Throughout the retreat, we abided by this rule and were both productive and collegial. We were able to discuss conflicting ideas and perspectives and it seemed like everyone's thinking about education and teaching reached new levels as a result of this.

I was both proud and humbled when I read that, because I sincerely believe we can learn so much and broaden our understanding by considering the perspectives of other knowledgeable, passionate people---even if we may have to agree to disagree. But Ariel, with her usual thoughtful insight, made me think about how this translates to the place where it ought to matter the most--the classroom. Ariel questioned

Does this rule work everywhere? I'm thinking about some of my students and how assuming good intentions often runs counter to common sense they may be accustomed to, like "Always watch your back." For students who come from a place where basic safety is not guaranteed, assuming good intentions of those they don't know well may be difficult or dangerous.

Hummm....Have I always assumed good intentions because I am such an open-minded person? Or do I assume good intentions because I've had the luxury of a life that rarely required that I "Always watch my back?" Was it safe to assume good intentions because I also assume that I have the power to control my circumstances? Could "assume good intentions" be my norm because I knew that if I discovered that the intentions of others were not so good after all, I could shake my head sorrowfully, make that tisk-tisk sound, and walk away in righteous indignation?

Because of Ariel's question, I realized that my norms might not seem so normal to everyone. For the last two days I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about the terms "norms" and "school culture" and how they've become buzzwords that crop up in literature and conversations about professional learning communities. According to the Small School Project

The concept of culture refers to a group's shared beliefs, customs, and behavior. A school's culture includes the obvious elements of schedules, curriculum, demographics, and policies, as well as the social interactions that occur within those structures and give a school its look and feel as "friendly," "elite," "competitive," "inclusive," and so on.

And those shared beliefs are norms which sources define as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit. Failure to follow the rules can result in exclusion from the group."

The idea of norms was still rolling around in my head while I sat on the porch catching up on my reading today. Among the pile of catalogs and journals was the August 25 issue of Education Week highlighting post-Katrina education in New Orleans. As I read about the New Orleans Charter Science and Math Academy I noticed an interesting detail. In two pictures there are signs on the wall. I assume that they express one of those beliefs that translate into a norm or rule for this school. The signs say

While it might not be any of my business, that bothers me a little because it seems to imply "Go along to get along---nice people don't question the status quo." From my perspective it encourages compliance and discourages conversations where diverse points of view and conflicting opinions result in self examination and new insights. I wonder, if that had been our norm this summer, would we have learned much from each other or only reinforced our individual points of view?

But you know what? I don't really know enough about that school's culture to make a judgment; and so I'm going to assume good intentions. Maybe I'm missing something and maybe I just need more information. And, after so much turmoil, maybe "being nice and neutral or nothing else" is what these kids need to stabilize their lives

Ariel is always nice, but she is rarely neutral. And because she is unwilling to settle for "...and nothing else," she challenged me to step outside my own experiences and perspectives. Now I am rethinking whether the norms that work for me are always appropriate for my students. As a teacher, it behooves me to tread cautiously when, however well meaning, I impose my value system on other people's children. Maybe "assume good intentions" assumes too much.

How about:

Posted by Susan Graham at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

About a week ago, I read about two new teachers as they anticipated their first day in the DC school system.

Alex thought about volunteering for the Peace Corps, but joined up for Teach for America instead. He cites Michelle Rhee, the TFA graduate who went on to establish The New Teacher Project, media magnet Chancellor of District of Columbia as an iconic figure. As he prepares to teach eighth-grade science to special education students he said, "I hope I'm ready."

Twenty-one year-old Jamila is also a recent graduate of the five week TFA boot camp. She is considering school psychology as a career and feels that spending some time teaching special education will help her figure out why minority children, especially African American boys, seem to wind up in special education classrooms. She is confident that her university background in sociology and psychology and her TFA summer experiences are sufficient preparation to meet the needs of eighth grade special education students. Jamila said "I'm ready to go. The challenges will come."

I've never met these new teachers, but they appear to be bright, articulate, and highly motivated. TFA Corp members are noted for their content knowledge, confidence, and no excuses mindset. After running the gauntlet of a highly desirable entry to the world or work and a high intensity indoctrination and training program, they are expected to commit to working as many hours as necessary and do whatever is necessary to raise student achievement. They will either live and breathe teaching or drop out. I wish them well and hope their enthusiasm, energy and idealism will sustain them during their two year commitment to the classroom as they continue to plan their long term career.

This week I've been working closely with two other new teachers. They are career switchers who went back to school to earn certification. Amy will be teaching eighth grade Language Arts and brings real-world writing experience as a marketing consultant and a free lance journalist. She's been substitute teaching and attending classes at night to become certified. On Tuesday morning, as Amy faces her first period class, her husband will be sending their middle child off to his first day of school. She said, "I'm anxious because on Tuesday, I am entrusting shared responsibility for my child's intellectual, social, and emotional development to another teacher. I understand both the privilege and obligation that comes with this job, and I owe it my students to be the same kind of teacher I want for my own children."

Harmony is also a 30-something mother of three and her husband, like Amy's, will be putting a five year old on the bus to kindergarten on Tuesday morning. Harmony didn't plan to be a teacher either; but stints as an education research assistant at the University of Arizona and the University of West Florida led her to realize that teaching science is the place where her knowledge, skills and personal values intersect. Was it difficult to do the coursework while juggling the challenges and responsibilities of being a Marine officer's wife with three small children? Yes; but Harmony says "I have a passion for this work; and I know being here, in the classroom, is where I'm suppose to be."

These new teachers are bright, articulate, and highly motivated. Career switchers bring real world work, established workplace skills, and confidence that comes with maturity. They have run the gauntlet of juggled family, work and graduate school schedules, financing their own preparation, and competing for limited teaching positions. They have the organizational and multitasking skills that prepare them for the classroom. And, while they will need to balance work hours with their family, home, and community responsibilities, they will figure out how to do what is necessary to impact student learning. I wish them well and hope their enthusiasm, determination, and idealism will sustain them as they commit to invest in a long term career in the classroom.

So, we have four new teachers who are headed into the classroom with eighth graders for the first time. In 23 years, I've taught a couple of thousand eighth graders and I've also been the parent of two eighth graders, so I know that while eighth graders may look and sound like resilient young adults, everyone one of them is a fragile, impressionable, and unique work in progress. I have a professional responsibility to impact the learning of every student who walks into my room, but I also have a moral responsibility to remember that every young person who walks through my door is somebody's baby -- teetering on the verge of adulthood. Either that parent has the same kind of hopes, dreams and concerns that I had for my own 13 year old or that parent is too overwhelmed by life to be aware and invested in this critical and treacherous transition.

In no way do I intend to disparage, discourage or disrespect those two young TFA corps members who have taken on incredibly challenging teaching assignments as they explore the teaching profession through Teach for America. But I have to wonder why I don't read more about teachers like Amy and Harmony who arrive with experience as well as knowledge, who temper their enthusiasm with self reflection, and who see the classroom as their professional destination rather than a stepping stone on a long term career path.

Note: References to and comments by TFA novice, Alex, that appeared in the original printThe Washington Post story do not appear in the on-line version.

Posted by Susan Graham at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend