A Teacher's Ruminations

Source:  http://www.kindredmedia.org/2013/07/the-yearly-back-to-school-push-to-vaccinate/ I t is no surprise that everyone has a hard time going back to work after a long vacation, and teachers are no different. Vacation means we get to spend uninterrupted quality time with our families and friends doing what we like to do. I n addition to enjoying a lot of unstructured time during the summer, I often participate in professional online book clubs and other self-selected professional learning activities. I know many teachers who do the same. (See  this post  for a glimpse of what I did this summer.) N evertheless, I often find myself having mixed feelings when summer break is finally over. Although I love summer because I'm on my own time and I can do with it as I wish, I love going back to school because I get to start fresh every year. I can reinvent myself and support my students as they reinvent themselves, too. Source:  https://www.pintere...

I'm on vacation mode right now, and I don't just mean that I'm on vacation since that's the case for those of us who happen to be classroom teachers. What I mean is that, at the moment, I am blogging from the comfort of my oldest daughter's apartment in the heart of Manhattan, near Times Square. I grew up in NY and during the '70's and '80's you just didn't go anywhere near Times Square at any time of the day or night. The fact that this is no longer true still astounds me to this day. So, even though many of us are enjoying the summer break from school we aren't necessarily just lounging around doing nothing even as we travel to faraway destinations. In fact, many of us are participating in a variety of online #summerPD events. See the images below for a smattering of the PD that I am involved in this summer. But back to #CyberPD and summer vacation...The fact that I am not at home makes it a bit hard to concentrate on all of t...

Source: http://laketrail.ca/?p=1261 I took the plunge this week and asked my students to complete a survey about our year together. The questions didn't ask for direct feedback about my teaching like some other surveys I've seen. Instead, I asked about specific units and events that happened in our classroom during the year. I wanted feedback, but I wanted safe feedback. Nevertheless, the last question was open-ended; I simply asked if there was anything else they wanted to tell me.  I had already decided not to ask for feedback this year but changed my mind after reading two posts, one by Pernille Ripp and the other by Bill Ferriter, two educators whose opinions and voices I respect. They wrote about the importance of asking students for feedback to help you become a better teacher. Although I know this is true, I wasn't feeling all that safe doing a survey. Why did I think students were going to be negative? I'm not sure, but I know it had to do with how ...

It's June 2nd. School ends on June 19th. That's only 17 calendar days away; 13 school days until summer vacation, and, I dread saying goodbye to my students, even though we're all more than ready to leave school behind for fun, lazy summer days. I will miss... greetings in the mornings. unsolicited hugs. my crown and the title of class monarch. I will miss... Socratic Seminars. reading aloud to my students. quick writes. and collaborating with my grade level partner. I will miss... trips to the library. lunchtime conversations. professional talks with colleagues. and my goofy, exasperating, brilliant students. I look forward to... moving from grades 6 and 7 to grade 5. a new group of students. teaching the PYP. ramping up technology in my classroom. keeping my students for the whole day. teaching math and science. and some stability for the next few years. I look forward to... new collegial collaborations. Genius Hour. Mystery Skypes. gl...

As I wrote in my last post titled,  Small Reading Group Conversations , I have been giving my students in grades 7 and 6 time to engage in small group conversations about books and reading. The latest iteration of these small group conversations in grade 7 has resulted in students selecting their own groups. Today students in grade 7 met in self-selected groups based on the following categories: fantasy, the Divergent series, graphic novels, Percy Jackson, and realistic fiction. As I stood back and watched the groups engage in their discussions, I was encouraged by the buzz in the room. Every group exhibited a charge of sorts as students talked with each other. Some students said they would want to stay together but many others said they preferred to change on a daily basis. The grade 6 students weren't able to get themselves in groups that made sense to them and to me. So, we have postponed making any changes for another time. As I walked around today, I heard my grade 7 stude...

    Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/327073991664852654/      This year, I have spent too much time and energy trying to manage a silent 10 - 15 minute daily independent reading time in my grade 7 classroom. I haven't given up because I value independent reading: I know this is the best way to get reluctant readers to love to read. At this point, you may be entertaining two conflicting thoughts. On the one hand, you may be thinking that silent is unrealistic and, on the other hand, that 12- and 13-year-olds should be able to sit and read for less than 30 minutes without having to be redirected. A disclaimer: I believe that asking grade 7 students to read silently for 10 - 15 minutes, without getting distracted, shouldn't be an unrealistic expectation. But, alas, that is not the case. However, to be fair, I am only talking about 5 or 6 of my students, or 1/3 of the class. Although this is still a large percentage, it's rare that all of these stud...

It's the little things that matter. The unsolicited hug from a student... The student who watches me intently, trying to read my mind or having already read it, in order to decide how she can revise and adjust her group's presentation for the next day. The very simple question, "What was hard about this activity?" And, the very profound and honest responses that lead to revisions and improvements in learning. The collegial conversations, formal and informal, about assessment, attitudes, unit planning, and all the other issues that occupy teachers' work space. The student that I still can't figure out, though I've tried, who suddenly talks about liking to read. He writes about the first time he understood what it's like to be disappointed when the book you really want has been checked out from the library. The birthday gift from the student who others have mostly given up on. Despite many setbacks, he is still eager to learn. ...