Endings Hold Mixed Emotions

Poetry Friday is at Read Write Believe this week.


I love poems of goodbye, and have collected them for many years.  Most of the time, I’ve searched for them so that I can have a way to say goodbye to students at the end of the school year.  I would laminate copies of my chosen poem to give to students on the last day of school.  I’ve written a post about those kinds of poems earlier this year, but there are other kinds of goodbyes or endings, too.  Now, we are enjoying a change of seasons and welcoming the chillier evenings, but sorrowing for the ending of summer, all the good times that that season holds for us.  I have posted my own goodbye to summer, especially to the gardening, but in the blogs I’ve read lately, there is one poem I printed and have posted at my desk.  It is a recent favorite titled Twilight of Summer, by a fellow blogger named Tam, and begins with

                        Mornings come later.

Shadows cast early.

Cicadas play songs.

Petunias lose flair.

You can find the rest of her poem here.  I hope you enjoy the poem as much as I do, and the change of seasons is a celebration for you.  

Alice In Wonderland - a lot to say about teaching

       I've been re-reading Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, which I do every couple of years.  It seems to me that it has something of value to learn for us teachers.  What Carroll says, in several ways, is that we have to be flexible, look for serendipitous moments to enjoy, and just quit worrying so much about doing things perfectly.  I refer today to one set of words from chapter five:    


       "Who are YOU?" said the caterpillar.
          This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation.  Alice replied, rather shyly, "I--hardly   
        know, sir, just at present--at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must  
        have been changed several times since then."


    When we enter the classroom each day we have spent time thinking and planning with great concern for our students.  We watch them as they enter, welcoming, but also, in our minds, questioning.  
   We ask: 
         How does he look? 
         Why does she frown? 
         Does she have the work she forgot yesterday? 
         What are the words I can use to support him since his dad is out of work?  
         How can I find time for him to do some computer work since he doesn't have one at home?  
         When can she do that needed interview since she takes care of her younger siblings all evening?  
         He looks so tired;  did he get to eat breakfast?  
         Why is she not walking in with her friends?
         Where did he go?  I thought he walked in, but now he's gone back into the hall.
         I saw her slam out of the car this morning;  I wonder what happened with her mom? 


     And then we teach.  Lewis Carroll seemed to understand kids so well.  As Alice did, I think our students change several times during the day, week, month.  It's up to us to notice, respond, and teach.  I wonder if Carroll knew how challenging that is?

Critical Thinking Happens When Students Get To Choose

There is much written about the importance of critical thinking lately, which includes learning about questioning, including all kinds of questions for students to identify and utilize.  The site Edutopia often shares information about schools who are emphasizing goals for critical thinking like this one.   And, the topic of inquiry has been discussed in several places in the reading that I do, like this blog, information also from Edutopia.  I want to argue the case for increased student choice as a support for improvement in critical thinking. 

Students at the school where I work choose individual units of study.  It is the core of our philosophy for individualized education.  Within the chosen topic, with student input, teachers write a curriculum for each student to follow that includes a variety of different curriculum areas, connected to the students’ needs as much as possible.   The learning within each unit also includes consideration of both process and product, along with what a student’s challenges in learning are, as well as his or her passions.  For example, if a student is enthusiastic about communicating the results of research in artistic ways, some of the expectations will give choices in art, music and drama.  And if a student wants to practice additional public speaking perhaps because it’s been something he or she is apprehensive about, several opportunities to communicate learning in a speech or a performance will be offered. 

 Students are encouraged in different ways age appropriately to begin the research for the unit, making notes of questions that arise as they learn more and more.  They write those questions, offer sub-topics and give this work to the teacher, who completes a beginning unit of study for the student.  The student begins.  The unit of study that has been written is considered a path for the student and a guide for the teacher to follow, yet within the study, side paths can and will be taken, new ideas pique student interest, and sometimes the student answers a critical question that is of high interest, and wants to move on to another topic. 

All of the meanderings and completion of research is overseen by the teacher, who can be viewed as the backseat passenger, along for a terrific ride, yet not the driver.  That person who chooses the car, to extend the analogy, and guides it down streets sometimes pre-determined but sometimes turning off down side streets to view something that catches the eye, to examine it more closely, is the student.  From the youngest to the oldest, students are asked to drive wisely, stop when necessary for deeper questioning and more research, and enjoy the ride along the way. 

The learning outcome in both content and in process because of student choice and empowerment is great.  Students consistently use critical thinking and questioning in order to proceed to areas they wish to go.  The teacher is the person who teaches what students need to know in order to keep going!  Both are empowered to reflect and act.  Critical thinking occurs within the learning because the student continues to analyze and evaluate situations in order to make the choice that seems right personally.   It’s a contented place to be ever growing as a learner for both students and teachers.

Mondays-new adventures always - I'm a Versatile Blogger!

   

              Every Monday morning brings news from the newspaper, the blogs I follow and e-mails.  Sometimes there is news that I don't want to hear, but most of the time I'm excited for the week again, and enjoying the pleasure of anticipation of good things to come.  So, this morning did not disappoint because when I read the new postings of the blogs I follow, I found that Tara of A Teaching Life had named me as one of her list of Versatile Bloggers.  Blogging this year has been quite a wonderful adventure, and I am grateful to Tara for her recognition.  She and I both are middle school advocates and reading her blog has been inspired reading to see what others are doing in that special world of early adolescents.

       A wonderful part of this honor is that I get to share it with those who have inspired me in the blogging world by

• Thanking the person who nominated me and providing a link
  back to their blog.
• Sharing seven bits of information about myself
• Passing this award along to 15 other blogs that I have discovered.

So, here goes....

Thank you again, Tara

Here are the seven bits of information:

• I began blogging about my teaching life after I discovered the Slice of Life challenge in March that Stacey and Ruth do at Two Writing Teachers.  The community of writers they have formed, and inspired, has meant much to me in these past months.

• I taught middle-school aged students for 20 years in an independent school for gifted students and now am on a different journey, exploring my role as literacy coach of the school.  It is a new beginning to my career, and although I miss the day-to-day immediateness of the students, I am loving my work with teachers.
•  I love the idea of children becoming life-long learners and strive to find positive ways to aid their journey.
• I have three grandchildren and am enjoying that more personal aspect of raising children, watching their exuberance for life.
• I am now teaching a blogging class to some middle-school students with the focus on writing for new audiences, so I am writing in a new blog, Writing Works, along with my teaching blog.
• I am becoming a technophile, and the prospect of its impact on education.
• I have been married for almost 47 years and sometimes am surprised about how fast the time has gone.  I know everyone says that, but it really does!

And here are 15 blogs (in random order) that I'd like to recognize:

      Travis at 100 Scope Notes, who covers so many kinds of things in his Children's Lit blog, especially the day he does "Morning Notes".
       The Stenhouse Blog, who have given me new ideas to explore and new books to keep me learning.
        Tam at Clay Fragments, who keeps talking about teaching and life learning even in retirement.

         Deb, at Coffee With Chloe, who weaves her personal and teaching lives so beautifully together.
         Christy at Living, telling everyone about how her personal life affects her teaching life.
         Donna at Mainely Write whose poetry gives me a challenge every time she writes.
         Alan at Living Life Twice, often posing new questions about teaching writing, always makes me think.
         Storykeeper, at Windows To My Life: Writing To Remember who shows how to write beautiful setting descriptions.  I've learned so much about Montana from this blog, and loved every word and photo!
         Elizabeth at Word By Word, who has the talent of writing such detailed descriptions she brings you to the event every time.
         Mary Helen at Book Savors keeps me wondering how I'm going to buy all the books she writes about.
         Laura at LauraSalas  Writing the World for Kids offers many ideas for writing poetry, and sometimes other kinds of writing.
          Asuen at Picture Book of the Day who also adds to my collection of picture books.
          b at Live...Write...Teach, whom I lately discovered, has some interesting things to say about teaching.
          Elaine at Wild Rose Reader is one of the first blogs that started me reading more.  Her posts are ever enlightening about using books and learning.
          Finally, the ones who started me blogging, and have me sharing their posts again and again, Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers.


  There are others I enjoy, 15 is not enough.  Thanks to everyone who wants to share their ideas with the blogging world!

Sunday Driving

       Sunday drivers aren't what they used to be, out for leisurely drives to view the scenery or to have dinner at a friend's house.  Now they seem to be out as much as possible, racing about the city going to games, museums, restaurants or just doing the errands they didn't have time to do during the work week.
       I did a lot of driving today.  My son flew in for a few days' visit so first I drove to the airport.  He wanted to visit a local store that he has missed since his move, so we drove there and shopped.  Finally, we drove all the way across town to look for a particular coat for my grandson.  No luck there, and at last we went home.  I think I'm a good, calm driver, but I didn't always see so many other calm ones out there.  It was stressful to cross town on busy highways and streets, in traffic that seemed busier when I'm going to work during rush hour.  I might be wrong about how many, but it was so, so busy wherever we went.  I came home and wrote a poem about it.

Sunday Outing

Alas, I see them growling,

Staring,

                      In formation and readying their attack!

                      My grip tightens

                      as I sense

the amber glow

halting

each side—

allowing freedom.

My foot presses forward

and I dart across the plain,

eluding once more

the dreaded

oncoming

traffic.