Saying Good-bye is So Very Hard to Do

 

       How do I say good-bye to kids that have been part of my every thought for the past three years? I have become a person in their lives that has not let them down. I have taught them that school is okay. That learning can happen and can even be fun! When we are in class, I think that for a little while we all forget our out of school circumstances. I think that we all have hope for  brighter futures When we are together we work hard to make sense of the Common Core Standards in all of our subjects.We don't bad mouth the Common Core because there are many solid learning objectives in them. Objectives that may open our minds to think deeply and critically. Objectives that will keep the kids talking to each other long after the school day has ended. Isn't this what we want?
     Tonight I am thinking critically and deeply. I didn't expect opportunity to knock mid school year. It's suppose to knock during the summer so there is a clear cut beginning and ending to the school year. Leaving mid school year seems unfair to my students but that's when my opportunity came. The trust that I have built with these students  is partly due to the fact that I am always fair to "my kids". They are my kids! I teach them, I discipline them, I do laundry for them, I feed them, comb their hair, call their parents with good calls and sometimes not so good calls. Their families are my families too. I understand that raising a family is difficult and expensive, and more so if there is only one parent. We all do the best we can.
    So what do I do? Do I answer the door with opportunity knocking? Do I break the news to my kids that they have to finish the year with someone new, causing sadness and anxiety in all of us. Or, do I say no to this opportunity and stay here until June hoping that opportunity comes knocking at my door again. This decision doesn't affect only me, yet the decision is only mine to make.
    Today I handed in my resignation. I had to do it quickly, without thinking too much about it. If I thought too much then I would have been overwhelmed with heartache over leaving a group of terrific kids! Quite honestly I learned more from them than they ever did from me. I have learned to never pass judgement on any of my students or their parents. Their biggest feat of the day is getting themselves to school. Outside of school they are often faced with adult problems and situations that deeply affect them but because they are children they are expected to go with the flow. School is their hope and mine that they can each ultimately find their own way with the skills they have learned in life and in school and run with it.
   Four days left. I have seen signs that "my kids" are anxious with my departure. We have talked a lot about it. They know that I care deeply about them. They know that I expect their full cooperation with their new teacher. I am hoping that technology and the U.S. Postal Service can keep us all in touch for many years to come. I'm hoping that their new teacher and I can connect our classrooms via Skype and do a lesson together. Perhaps all of my kids can make new friends long distance. Isn't technology great?
    Three and a half years ago, I took on a class full of holes and with my students, colleagues, and a few twitter friends made it whole. As I leave, it is my goal to find a way to keep each child in it whole. After I leave, I am no longer their teacher. I can only hope that I was able to plant enough seeds to keep these kids moving forward, beyond their personal circumstances, and to follow their wildest dreams! To the kids in room 215 a piece of my heart will always be with you.

A Town that Cares Makes Kids Who Care

Whitehall, New York in the United States

       Deep in the Adirondack foothills lies a small town called, Whitehall, New York.  A community of around 4000 souls.  It's a quiet town.  The town's ethics are based on family, church, school, and community. Many families have lived here for generations. Whitehall is not a wealthy town, but what it lacks in riches, it makes up for in heart. 
    So, on April 25th and again on May 12th when the children in my classroom came to school and learned about the massive earthquakes in Nepal, they wanted to know more. We looked for the tiny country located between China and India on the world map.
    

Epicenter of the earthquakes in Nepal

     We reviewed what happens in the earth when an earthquake happens. An earthquake is what happens when two plates or large blocks of earth underground slip past each other. The underground focus point of an earthquake is called the hypocenter or sometimes ground zero. The location on the surface of earth is called the epicenter and this is where the fault line is. Next we looked at images of the earthquake in Nepal on our smartboard.

Safety procedure during an earthquake.

    When my students saw the students in Nepal going to class in tents, they wanted to drop everything, and help their peers across the world. They wanted to find a way to help the Nepalese children get new schools to cover them and supplies so that once again they had a place to hold on to.  They were amazed that children went to school right after this devastating earthquake so that there parents were free to help others. They worried about the kids who may have lost family members or been injured themselves. So, we all put on our thinking hats, and devised a plan. First we had to get approval from our Principal who gave us a resounding "yes"! Next, I contacted my friend, in Kathmandu, Nepal  to get the information of where to send our donation. He thanks our children everyday.

      Finally, we decided to use symbolism to represent our emotions and concern for the Nepalese children and build them a paper school which would represent the building of a new school life for them. How did we do this?

1)  We first made bricks from paper.

2)  Next we made posters, flyers, and sent letters home to our parents.

3) We made  morning announcements to tell everyone in the school about our efforts to raise funds by donations to help schools devastated by the earthquakes in Nepal.

4)  We set up a station to take donations during lunch.

5) Our classroom aide, Mrs. Faryniarz outlined our symbolic paper school on the wall outside of our classroom. Our art teacher, Miss Badger made a door, windows and a bell for our paper school. My students and I carefully lay the bricks every afternoon. It's fun watching the Nepalese School grow!

6) Finally, in our life skills/math lesson. We counted

our donations. The students had never put coins in wrappers before. They loved doing this!

7) Now we repeat step 3-7 everyday, hoping to fill-in and complete our symbolic paper school for Nepal. We are a bit worried because we only have two and one-half weeks before school is over! We however are not quitters and will find a way!

    There is a beautiful part to our saga. We visibly saw hearts grow! Our paper school started out slow, even though a donation was a personal choice of one cent or more! The kids  and teachers in our school wanted to know more. So we shared stories from Nepal and explained to those who didn't know where Nepal was, where it is. We saw hearts grow even bigger. Kids came from every corner in our 6th-12th grade school to make a donation. Teachers, aides, custodians, secretaries, administration, bus drivers and board members gave donations. Then we saw hearts grow again! A grandmother from town sent in $20.00 for a brick! Other towns people heard of our endeavor and sent in donations! Still, just when we thought our project couldn't gain any more supporters, it did! We gained support from friends in: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio,  and other towns in New York!  This is project based learning (PBL) at it's finest.

     Whitehall, New York is a town that cares. Our children are becoming global citizens. Children who want to help other children learn from the adults in their lives who help others everyday. We can't fix all of the damage from the earthquake in Nepal or fix broken hearts, but just maybe we can use our donation to Nepal as a kind of BIG HUG from the students, staff, townspeople, and friends of those  in Whitehall Jr. Sr. High School to say we care.

* The paper school is for symbolism as a visual for the students to see their efforts grow. The donation sent to Nepal will go for school system supplies but will only be a portion of what a new school costs.

* Our "thinking" hats are part of our WCSD group the "helping hats", which is from our work with the "Not Perfect Hat Club" and author, Jena Ball.

P.S.

Good-news We finished our paper school on our last day of school. Here we are quite proud of our efforts. We were very worried that we might not finish before the end of the school year! Thank you so much to our contributors from Whitehall and from far away! 

Barren Classrooms Can Ignite Creativity

   

 The year was 1984. My first year teaching. There I sat in my principal's office, dressed in blue jeans, a t-shirt, in striped, green socks and sneakers. I had worked a full day in a school for dually diagnosed, autistic children. Most were aggressive and non-speakers. They were self-abusive, active, destructive, and mostly non-verbal. It was a locked facility to keep the children safe. I had applied for another position within the same school.  My Principal sat across from me in her leather chair, perfectly coiffed. She wore a tailored navy blue suit, white blouse, nylons, and matching navy blue pumps. Mrs. Roy was always professionally dressed, straight-laced, and proper. She seemed quite out of place from the environment she worked in. Though she had been the Principal here for twenty plus years, she seemed aloof to the students. 
      I had no idea why she wanted to see me. After "hello", she said, "I see you've asked for a transfer to the "Pinebrook Facility." I replied, "yes. Do you know when my interview will be?" She replied, "This is it"! Every neuron in my brain must have sparked at the same time, as I sat there thinking, "seriously, why did you wear striped, green socks, jeans, and a t-shirt today?"! Dress at "Greenbriar" was very casual because on a typical day  I was spit on, pinched, scratched, covered in student food, and had to restrain children. Today happened to be laundry day, so all I had left clean was, striped, green socks! Had I known that I was interviewing today, I would have brought a tailored suit, white blouse, nylons, pumps, and maybe a string of pearls to change into! 
Since, running away seemed like a poor choice, I stayed and carefully answered, Mrs. Roy's questions. Somehow, I was granted the job. Mrs. Roy, a woman of distinction must have given me a pass on wearing incorrect job interview attire.

    That night, I kind of laughed about my striped, green socks and thought back to my first interview where I was so nervous, but perfectly dressed! Then, I thought of my first day at "Greenbriar."

     I was responsible for teaching eight boys, four at a time. They were between the ages of 11-15.  I was also responsible for the day care for four of them. This meant that I had to arrive at school one hour early to help them get dressed, clean, and to eat their breakfast. Telling you about them is another story altogether! Since this was a residential setting,they lived in a secured, renovated, manor house. Their rooms were upstairs. Their living room and dining room were down stairs. There was a rubberized room downstairs too for students who were out of control and needed to be kept safe. Their school house was attached out back.

      This school consisted of three teachers. Me, another academic instructor, and a physical education teacher. There were three classrooms and a student bathroom. My classroom was barren! My classroom had an old, oak, wooden teacher's desk, a kidney shaped table for the students, and chairs to sit on.

      Keep in mind there were not computers of any kind in classrooms in 1983! The picture shown is not original! Initially, I did not see materials of any kind. Then, I saw a closet. I gingerly opened it hoping for supplies. I found an old record player, Hap Palmer records, Laurie rubber puzzles, wooden puzzles, peg boards, and geoboards. My heart sank!

       I poured over my students IEP's. These children were all non-verbal except one who had limited speech. They mostly needed self-help skills, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills. Some had self-injurious behavior, and could be aggressive. My most involved student wore a helmet and Posey mitts that tied around his waist in an attempt to decrease his self-harm. This child was like Houdini and could get the mitts off with ease. Helping him to dress each morning was a fierce battle of wills, we both won a little every day!

protective helmet

Posey Mitts

“At the classroom level, materials often seem more prominent than any other element in the curriculum.  They are, in fact, omnipresent in the language classroom and it is difficult to imagine a class without books, pictures, filmstrips, realia, games and so on.  Even the more austere classroom will have some sort of materials.”  (Nunan,1988)

     I had quite the austere classroom! I also had an austere classroom one year later when I transferred to another unit, called "Pinebrook".  The students at Pinebrook were mostly verbal, dually diagnosed with intellectual challenges and emotional disturbance. Some had limited reading and writing. They too were self-injurious and could be aggressive. They were 16-21 and strong! I had 28 students who rotated between classes in small groups. I did have a chalkboard at Pinebrook so this was exciting!

     Pinebrook was also a residential, locked facility for the safety of the students. I was hired as a functional academics teacher. We also had a home-economics teacher, a sheltered workshop teacher a wood-working teacher where the students learned to refinish furniture and cane chairs, an art teacher, and a physical education teacher.
     I began this new position in the Autumn, near Thanksgiving. I was sent to observe the previous teacher for ideas. She said "trace your hand with the paper on your desk and then color it to be a turkey." She then sat back at her desk and read the newspaper. She had no desire to talk to me! I was no more important than the turkeys the kids were drawing on the paper and they appeared no more important than me! I thought, "Are you kidding me? This is it? No wonder these kids throw furniture!" As class ended, she handed me a ruler. She said, "Carry this at all times. It scares "John". He won't pull the hair out of your head if you hold a ruler."  Then she turned and walked away. I began this position the following week.

     I again poured over IEP's. The histories of these kids were simply amazing. I, being me, needed to change things for these kids. They needed to learn that there is more to life than uncomfortable furniture, crayons, meds, and a television secured highly on a wall behind a case! Actually, they needed to know that there was more to each of them than just being part of the gang! No, I don't believe I was being unrealistic. I did not expect any of these kids to ever live independently but I did expect for them to find out that they had worth and there are things that they can be good at! Even, "Travis" who my Principal told me not to worry about! I worried! So, my eight year mission began!
     Teaching with limited resources can be both incredibly challenging and extremely educational.  This new position lit me on fire! I love a creative challenge and this was it! Like Greenbriar, I needed to get to know the idiosyncrasies of each student and allow them to work for the common good. Idiosyncrasies are often looked upon as negative, but if this particular behavior isn't hurting anyone and is important to the child, why not redirect it in a positive way?  Next, I had to know each child like a book! Their likes,dislikes,fears,foods,songs,aversions,loves,home-lives...etc. Finally to academics, functional academics to be exact, I needed to teach these kids skills that they need in real life!
      Having no materials is rough but does not make teaching impossible. I started out by throwing away all of the broken materials of teachers gone by. I couldn't understand how things of value couldn't be respected more!

      I began with what I had, a chalkboard,paper, pencils, crayons,and 28 students! We wrote daily journals, all the same that I wrote on the blackboard with each student contributing a personal sentence. For those who couldn't write, I quickly dotted out the entry so they could trace it. For those with no line boundaries, I made special with elmers glue. I traced the lines let them dry overnight to give the student built in boundaries! Eventually we began a pen-pal initiative with their families. Those without families were provided pen-pals by me! My little brother wrote to a student for years! We learned how to fill out envelopes and place a stamp. We learned the difference between an "in-town" and an "out-of-town" letter.
    Eventually, we went to the post office to mail the letters because I took a test to be able to drive the school van. So...we went out once a week to places that we needed to know about, the laundromat, the grocery store, the hardware store, farmers markets, restaurants, sometimes we went to homes just to visit people and to learn how to behave socially! Just to note, the first kids, the Greenbriar kids used to come to my house with my aide to cook, eat, and hang in a regular home! They always respected my home! 

   As years progressed and I was given my yearly stipend to order materials, we had more and more things! I wrote my name on everything and hoarded them to keep them safe! When I left Pinebrook, the new teacher was not walking into an austere classroom, but a vibrant one with many tools to teach with.
     Thinking of this first teaching experience made me think of my friend Sunny Thakral, an educator in Nepal and cofounder  of #INZPirED a chat on Friday evening. To quote Sunny, "Ignorance is never bliss".  He is so right! I guess that this is what ate at my heart back in 1984! Here were many children who were given the worst lot in life. They couldn't possibly go out and help themselves except for the basic instinct of "fight or flight".  Which they did well. They needed educators who believed in them as people. Educators who didn't care if they had supplies or not. Educators who will find a way.

       This brings me to all of the countries in the world who do not have adequate supplies or even basic nutrition in which to cultivate young minds. Can these children still learn? Can these children still be taught? Of course!

Technology is grand and I hear so many educators, including myself from time to time, whine when their technology is down. I love technology because it brings the outside world to the classroom. It makes learning fun! Is it absolutely necessary? Sorry, no! The outside worlds is grand if you have no materials.  You can use sticks or stones to count with, write in the dirt or dust, role-play, sing, dance, do anything thinkable to get children's minds away from their ghastly situation and on to learning. Just never do nothing!

So, back to those with austere classrooms, or no classrooms, I applaud you. I know that you are working harder than any educator in the world to give kids who seem to have no chance in life a chance to better themselves. A chance to know that even though their situations are bleak and perhaps people are dying around them everyday, that if they use their basic instinct of fight or flight perhaps they can too can make their lives better with education. If for just for a short time, they have positive memories from their educational experience and the educator's kindness, then they have something that will last a lifetime.

*The names and photographs used in this blog are not from the actual schools involved to protect all identities involved. The content however is true.

Please Rate Me on My IEP's... My Roadmaps to Student Success!

      An Individual Education Plan better known as the IEP is a system, a dashboard if you will, for spelling out where the child is, where s/he should be headed, how s/he is going to get there, how long it will take, and how to tell when the child has arrived where s/he needs to be. The IEP is essentially a measure of accountability for teachers and schools. I like to think of it as a roadmap on how to address the important needs of each student.
      Every year, I get the memo: "Annuals", no matter what date and how many student dates are attached to it, I cringe and whine a little! I'm not sure why I whine because in writing an IEP, I actually become at peace. I cringe because they take me no less than four hours each to write and that's not counting all of the hours of monitoring, testing, gathering data, interviewing students, parents, and other school personnel. 
      So, I've begun the process of writing them for the 2015-2016 school year. I spent both Saturday and Sunday compiling all of my data and writing six IEP's. I should transform my thinking when writing IEP's because they actually do amazing things for the special education teacher writing them! 
       They invite me to take time out of my very busy day, and plan to test each student individually for several hours. What a gift! How often is a teacher allowed that one-on-one time with a student that allows them to really get to know them! I love testing my kids on a personal level because after working with them all year I know what they can do. So as they work their little heats out trying to their best, I sit their silently cheering for them in my head because I know what champions they are! Then the best part is, I get to compare last years scores to this years scores and see all of the progress we have made! Yes WE! Since opening day in September, we have been a team! I used this child's former IEP as a roadmap to plan out what this child needed to learn this year and it worked!!!! Trust me, the moment of knowing what we did as a team work really is as exciting as winning the superbowl or an academy award! It's on a smaller scale and the whole world doesn't know but it sure is equally as exciting! 
     When writing IEP's I take the time to think back on all of the lessons I've made and taught and how they've impacted each individual student! I see the progress that each child has made up close and personal! Until this point, I don't see all of the work that we've done this year! All of the planning! All of the doing!  and...All of the progress!! Trust me, this aha moment is amazing! It's my personal, secret prize, knowing that a job was well done.
    I love writing IEP's because in the hours it takes  to write them, that child unbeknownst to him or her becomes the complete focus of my attention, during those four hours, I think of no one else! Sometimes students don't make the progress that we have hoped, so throughout the year, I tweak my plans for this child and tweak them again and call the parents, and the guidance counselor, and the psychologist in trying to figure out what is going on that is making this child behave the way s/he is which is stopped him/her from making adequate progress. In writing this child's IEP, I put in extra thought to think about the child's skill level, personality, friends, homelife, growth changes, maturity level, and health. Then I write an IEP that I think may benefit this child for the following school year so that s/he makes positive academic gains. 
     This year in writing my IEP's, I had an epiphany of sorts! I realized that I know all twelve of my students very well. I know their favorite colors, their pets names, their favorite foods, their favorite school subjects. I know what's going to make them happy or angry. I know their hopes, dreams, and fears. I sometimes know what they are going to say or do before they do it! I know their reactions to various stimuli! Ask me a question about any of these kids, and I probably know the answer, right down to their favorite song , game, or sports team!
    So, why can't I be rated on their growth according to their IEP's? I use standardized testing to rate their progress in reading and math. I have portfolios of work from years past until now. I have kids in my room who could barely read when they first became my students who are now reading short novels fluently!
     In a sad sense the APPR rating seem laughable to me! 60% of my teacher evaluation comes from being observed twice by my supervisor, 20% comes from state tests, and 20% comes from my districts standardized testing. My first observation is announced. Let me just say, in special education with a mix of students with emotional disturbance, health issues, and intellectual delays, one never knows what a day may bring! Every moment of every day has the potential to change! I of course have a behavior program set in place in my classroom which helps, but it is certainly not a panacea for every situation. I can write the most perfect lesson plan in which all of the students are working, engaged if you will, and then, my one student who likes to upset others may whisper to the sensitive kid next to him, "I heard nobody likes you." Then that kid runs to the back of the room in a puddle on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, and talking incoherently,  while the other kid stands there with a smirk stating that he did or said nothing wrong"! Trust me, on a daily basis, I try to keep kids
 apart who may bother each other, and I stress the importance of respect and kindness, but even with many rules and behavior plans in place, it only takes a moment to unravel the best made plans. So, does this mean my observation is poor? Should I be rated ineffective?
    Then there are the state tests! Oh my! My kids are several years below grade level but they take the grade level state test. Hard as I try, I can't expect kids who can barely add and subtract to do linear equations and proportions! Do we practice all of the ELA and math standards, absolutely, but this does not mean we will do well on the state tests?  In my dreams, all of my kids do well on their state tests and on my district's standardized testing but in reality, my main goal is to keep their self-esteem high during  difficult testing situations!
    So....my epiphany was, please rate me on my IEP's and on my observations! I'm not really worried about my observations because I do take my time making lesson plans. I do take into account that Christopher might whisper something horrible into Michael's ear! I do have a response for that! So, if I'm observed and my IEP's are read and compared  to last years IEP's you will see that my students overall have made growth! You will see that I not only know my students, but I care about them too. You will see that sound lessons usually do keep kids meaningfully engaged. You will then know that I am a effective teacher, maybe even highly effective! IEP's work and so do the people who write them always with the best interests of their students in mind.