Category: Being a better teacher

2023 Summer Series of Saves: the notebook

Organizing instructional sequences is, well, interesting right now. But I shall persevere. It is my hope that some of you can use this collection as you wish; I put a lot of work into these creations, and like Austin Kleon says, “Steal like an artist.” I’m an artist, I’m stealing, and I’m sharing the loot. Most of this work is original or original-adjacent. Take that as you will.

Composition Notebook Inserts:

Annotations Insert

Dialectical Journal Insert

Context Clues Notebook Insert

Context Clues Slide deck

Cornell Notes

Ideas: Moving Writers: Discovering Language

Theme and thesis writing

Other items:

  • Thesis cheat sheet
  • What It Says
  • Question Chart
  • Sketchnote instructions
  • Punctuation cheat sheet
  • IXL list/Mini Lesson template
  • Large One Pagers

Classroom Posters:

Canva Poster: Facts, Opinions, and Truth

Canva: Literary Analysis Academic Language

Canva: Theme

Canva: Close Reading

Poem Posters:

These are poems by others, and the art is by me.

Canva: Allowables by Nikki Giovanni poster

Canva: Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Canva: Snowy Woods

Bento Boxes and Other Cool Projects:

I am so sorry, but I do not remember who put this one together. If you recognize your work, please let me know so I can credit you: Bento Box Directions

Google Decks

Here are a few of the Google Slideshow instructional decks I’ve put together (in truth, I have approximately 100+ of these, but no one needs…never mind).

Google Slideshow: Sentences, Paragraphs, and Essays
Google Slideshow: Writing Thesis Statements
Google Slideshow: Poetry
Google Slideshow: Paragraph Analysis
Google Slideshow: Annotated Bibliographies

Educational Clutter and the #ADHD Teacher

All my data are anecdotal, meaning they are not data. Well, shucks. I’ll share some observations anyway, and maybe some of y’all can relate.

A few of my students have it written in their 504 or IEPs that they may step out into the hallway to regroup and regulate their anxiety and emotions. I fully support this, and am wondering how I can make the emotional, visual, and educational clutter minimized and quiet. And –I wonder if I am able to do this. One student in particular has complained about the visual clutter in my room, and has skipped class several times saying this is the reason. My data inform me that her skipping class happened about the same time the population of the class changed from 31 students to 33. This might be a physical tipping point for her. And in our infrequent and fragmented conversations, I offered to her that she hasn’t allowed the time or space when I have made changes to accomodate her.

A few things: cell phones, physicality, and #ADHD/anxiety: how do these contribute or rather, destroy, a comforting classroom environment?

I created this slide presentation a few months ago imploring students to put away their cell phones.

Teaching and #ADHD

And while it may not make sense or break through the mental fragmentation of students’ use of their devices, perhaps one or two of them will think about it and put it away, if not for me, but for themselves. We are currently working on argumentative reading and writing, so perhaps it’s time I share it again as a mentor text for argumenative writing. As I’ve said, these devices remind me of packs of cigarettes. They’re ubiquitous, and cause second-hand damage not only to the user, but also for those surrounding their use. I’m too tired right now to write my research paper on this. Leave me alone.

There is a lot of world noise now, too. I find myself overwhelmed, and I know how to calm and soothe myself. My empathy has necessarily limits: I know keeping myself regulated and grounded will be key to helping students maintain their core. And, I am compelled to continue to curate content and seek facts and truth.

Thinking of visual clutter in my room…

Thinking about my classroom, I have a lot of books. Some students love all my books, and one even wrote me a beautiful card calling me The Book Fairy,” a monikor I treasure. Many students over the years have told me how much they love the vibe of my room, and that makes me happy. And of course, in no way am I offended by one student sharing that my room gives her anxiety; it’s good feedback. She seemed to understand when I told her that many things on the classroom walls were not my choice, but in support of the building and district’s requirements, such as the social contracts (Capturing Kids’ Hearts), the learning targets, what’s on the white boards, etc. She seemed to understand that a few things I have on my bulletin boards and walls must be there so I remember them (that good ol’ ADHD brain of mine).

I have…a lot…of books
This was during moving time, early in the year. It does not, repeat, does not look like this now.

I’m trying, y’all. I really am. I’m trying to keep up with some personal events, grief, stress, grading, keeping things organized, etc. and some things just have to sort themselves out. The solution I came up with for this one student is to give me one week, and then we’ll figure something else out. I want all students to feel safe and comfortable in my classroom (home away from home), and balance my needs, too. Anyone with ideas, I’m open to most of them. But remember, I am an ELA teacher, and text-rich environment is my passion. Ideas include how to minimize the noise from the world, too.

CHAOS

#thematic #Thursday

There is a passionate Shakespearean scholar on TikTok, and she does a phenomenal job of analyzing Shakespeare.

But damn, she’s a little mean. If she had been my teacher back in 1980 or whenever I had to read Romeo and Juliet, I would never have picked up another one of his works.

Allow me to explain.

This is the first year I feel like a “real” high school English teacher. Yes, a dash of imposter syndrome along with circumstances. This is year 17, and while years 14-16 were at an alternative high school, many of my instructional chops got a little rusty. And I’m not here to debate the merits or disadvantages of my district’s curriculum policies: each ELA grade teaches core texts. And as common practice, from what I understand, Romeo and Juliet is often taught in freshmen year. I’ve done “light” mentor text instruction with excerpts and plot years ago (the use of cause and effect is a wonderful structure to explore with R&J); we middle school ELA teachers were roundly told to back off and not touch. Okay, okay! Onward.

Now, one of the stories I shared this past year, and will share again, is that for me, Shakespeare was hard when I was in high school. That was back in the day when the teacher would assign a text and walk away. Having been the ‘smart kid’ and a voracious reader all my life, getting Elizabethan language tossed in my lap was daunting. I am sure I drove my ’73 Buick LeSabre (a gift from my grandparents) to the nearest bookstore and snatched up a copy of the Cliff Notes. That saved me, but I felt like a fraud and, quite frankly, stupid. But at least I understood the story. It wasn’t until many years later that I watched a version of Hamlet, and the light bulb went off: I got it. These are plays meant to be seen. And heard. And felt.

ALSO: and this is huge — they are meant to be triangulated*. Through watching, listening, reading, discussing, debating, contextualizing, and, dare I say — translating — using all of my skills as an ELA teacher, ELL/MLL, and as simply a human who loves good stories and hearing what folks have to say about them.

And, look, I know I get just as frustrated with other teachers as this creator does about the teacher to whom she replied. I get frustrated when other teachers continue to use racial slurs ‘because it’s in the text.” I get frustrated when other teachers are fascists. *Shrug.* I get frustrated when teachers tell students to put quotation marks inside the ending punctuation. But I never get frustrated when teachers or students are doing their best to contextualize. (Hope that’s some good scotch or whiskey in her glass.)

https://www.tiktok.com/@violaswamphadapoint/video/7219855858857938219?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7031701622444049925

Here are a few anecdotes from our recent unit on Romeo & Juliet:

  • Students asked why, in the Luhrmann version of the play/film, he used modern settings/clothing and kept the Shakespearean language: and I demonstrated Romeo falling on his knees, crying, “I am fortune’s fool!” versus “Wow, I am a chump.” It allowed us to see the story’s timelessness and not focus on clothing from the late 1500s.
  • Before the scene where Juliet’s father strikes her mother and tells Juliet she can die on the streets for all he cares, I gave a content warning. Many students witness domestic violence, so I must provide context to this scene. So, in the TikTok creator’s argument about how the parents were not disconnected, she makes a good point. But students are also going to judge stories by the context of their own histories and generational structures, and even though Lord Capulet shows his love and care for his daughter by finding her a good match, I hate to say it, lady, but kids these days aren’t going to think he’s a good dad. But that would be a really good question for them to discuss: are the parents disconnected?
  • We also considered (because the ELA department came up with it) this question, “Who’s to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?” and the students did not fail when discussing it. I offered that because Tybalt is so angry and ready to fight with Romeo at the ball, but Lord Capulet stops him; what would have happened if Tybalt had never sought Romeo out? In our opinion, Tybalt continues the generational trauma/feud. A case could be made for Tybalt being “at fault.” I think this is a distracting question in some regards, but it does help students begin to frame strong argumentative writing/thinking.

By allowing myself to be real, vulnerable, and honest about my relationship with reading Shakespeare, I allowed the 15-16-year-olds in my instructional care to take risks. They trust me. It’s okay to not be the smartest person in the room, and collaboratively make meaning about something. And they always have some new insight to share. I certainly would never say to them they’re being reductive and pointless. I’m going to go back to Louise Roseblatt’s concepts of transactional reading:

@kellylove100

Replying to @violaswamphadapoint

♬ original sound – Kelly LoveX

“Through the medium of words, the text brings into the reader’s consciousness certain concepts, certain sensuous experiences, certain images of things, people, actions, scenes. The special meanings and, more particularly, the submerged associations that these words have for the individual reader will largely determine what the work communicates to him. The reader brings to the work personality traits, memories of past events, present needs and preoccupations, a particular mood of the moment, and a particular physical condition. These and many other elements in a never-to-be-duplicated combination determine his response to the peculiar contribution of the text.”
― Louise M. Rosenblatt, Literature as Exploration

So, perhaps that’s my own ELA/NBCT, M. Ed., flex that I’m leaning on Rosenblatt.

And the Cliff Notes. (Now Spark Notes.)

PS They loved the graphic novel version, too, which led to a great discussion about when it does or does not matter about a character’s race.

brainmaze

Note to self: share with students again

coffee cold broken dishwasher grieving family grieving my heart help lost dreams of great white sharks and throats and is it good enough should I go back and try again imagine that they believe they are wolves when they are jackals ideas spring like mushrooms mold don’t know what to clean or parse or split little notes sticky sticky notes cling to my neurons just need to sleep sleep and sleep some more

This was the internal running dialogue this morning. I’ve managed to overwhelm myself with distractions, and their diminishing returns are quite noticeable in my mood and motion (or lack thereof).

My impulsive mouth gets me into so much trouble. While I think I need a rest, what might be truer is I need to shut up. I can’t stay contained for too long, though, so here’s a list of topics I may need to address soon:

  • Cell phones in the class — I can’t describe in a quick TikTok all the nuances of cell phones and learning, or a barrier to learning. I hesitate because ageism is real with some younger teachers.
  • What happens when propagandized media outlets dox and attack teachers? It’s happening.
  • How’s that science of reading thing going?
  • All the good things that have happened this year
  • Organizing my writing instruction: I have hundreds of ideas and must curate them in an organized, manageable way.

This writing space is MY space. While I loathe that some trolls put flaming bags of dog poop and lit them on fire in my digital spaces, I am resilient. I have love and support. And my Crocs wash off.

Give them something to talk about…

Getting kids to discuss using academic language and protocols

Discussion Protocols and resources: I sat down this morning, and I haven’t written a new blog post in months, and I have no idea what’s going on with WordPress. I don’t have time to figure it out, so please bear with me while I post these clunky links.

These are a few of the discussion protocols and resources I’ve created, gathered, and borrowed along the way:

*The asterisks are ones that are tried and true

Partner Protocols
Question Formulation Technique

Our Primary Documents and the Digital Age

How do we keep our history when others control it?

Around my house, stored in nooks, boxes, caches, and crannies, sit decades of dragon-like mounds of paper: photographs, old love letters, mementos, the ephemera of a lifetime. I don’t lose things, either, by and large: we’re still searching for the Pokemon card binder, and an autographed Superman doll (signed by astronomer David H. Levy) Oh, and my great-grandmother’s pearl necklace I borrowed, but that is long gone. Okay, so maybe I do lose some important artifacts. But one lie I’ve been sold as a digital explorer from its early days is that the ‘internet is forever.’

Nothing is forever.

A billionaire “bought” a digital space that I’ve been on since 2009. I never garnered more than 5K followers and plateaued at around 4,700. And when I say “bought,” I mean I sense it’s all Monopoly money — fake, just numbers on a screen somewhere, financed by other billionaires and shady nations to decimate and destroy a democratized platform. We, those of us who are not billionaires, are the ones who made them the billionaires and gave away our power, our histories, to their control and whims.

And our human brains–why do we focus on the negative? Oh, I know why, but also — why? Or rather, how do we rewire our stories, our narratives, to gather the good and wholesome? Some of my happiest, chock-full-of-goodness moments occurred when some of my favorites followed me back. I felt included, invited, and smart.

Some of my worst moments happened when I was invited, and then disinvited. Sharply. Rebuked. Ghosted.

But that is life. And our lives we shared in that space– we met one another, shared heartbreak, grief, joy, victories, a whole manner of digital thoughts, and ideas, and gave space. But none of that can go in a box, or pulled out in an album when one megalomaniac uses his vast fortune to burn down our words, our lives.

Chaos agents are burning it down.

Just to see it burn…

It’s not our personal stories. It’s our global story.

https://twitter.com/PortiaMcGonagal/status/1594003502170222592?s=20&t=8nxWXMrk-5Tj9kj5kUWFpg

And maybe I’m taking the bird’s eye view (cliche intended) –our little primary documents, our archives of our lives, are small and precious only to us. Those in power, historically, seem only capable of manipulating historical narratives to their advantage and narcissism. Control of information is control of the world, or so they imagine. How do we fight back?

Keep sharing your stories. Keep writing your stories. We are the storytellers, and we are the gifts to one another, and the history keepers.

Now, off to go do something else and try to keep my stories safe. I can wrap them in tissue packing boxes. And keep matches of billionaires away from them.

Photograph of dog ornament on a yuletide tree with red beads

And damn, where is that charm bracelet?

Featured Image: Edith Rimmington ~ The Oneiroscopist, 1947

https://pcjow.com/the-possible-collapse-of-twitter-will-erase-16-years-of-human-history-overnight/

A good year

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

I am having a good year (I guess) and promised to write a post. The problem with me specifically writing about a good year is it is grounded in what were some really bad years, long before the pandemic, and don’t want to become mired in contrasts. But perhaps it’s embedded in the comparisons and contrasts that we can further our conversations about what it means to have a good year in our careers. Because, right now, sure ain’t it for most of the public school teachers. And while I have no advice, I can hold space and recognize the nightmare of our times. This is just what I’ve managed to do, and some days it’s not enough, and some days it is.

Context: This is my sixteenth year teaching, my third at an alternative/credit recovery high school in Washington State. I am endorsed in ELA, SS, ELL, and Visual Arts. The first year I was there was great — my first year flexing my EL/ML endorsement (English/Multiple Language), and the staff seemed receptive. Because of the size of the school, they had an EL district leader come in about once a month to do the paperwork and check in on students. My principal then hired me to be a full-time EL teacher. Yeah! Fresh start! Brought my usual exuberance, expertise, and enthusiasm. (Insert record scratch.) The second year was the building closure due to COVID, and everything turned…weird. But we went back into the building in April 2020, and one thing that happened was in the two graduating years I had influence over the EL/Hispanic populations, the graduation rates soared, something like 10% to 45%. This is a direct correlation to the work I put in place in the building, in spite of many teachers pushing back hard to allow me to support EL students. I just rolled up my sleeves, shut the door, and did the work in my room. More on this later.

This year, with the building open, I still have to do the work in my room. I started teaching a Drawing class last year remotely, and it was, well, actually pretty fun. This year in person it’s also been one of the highlights of my day. My admin bought out my planning, and since we teach four classes a day w/70 minute blocks, I honestly don’t need planning time (and haven’t in years). I was also an ASB facilitator last year and this year, but my admin just sent me a message it’ll be someone else next year because they’re adding a leadership class. (Yes, I have a few things to say about this–I begged all year to have meeting times with ASB, but alas– and also just found out a colleague had no idea it was me who set up all the drive-through goody giveaways the year the building was closed.)

So–those are the mechanics of the day.

Here is what works:

  1. Small Class Sizes
  2. Longer class periods
  3. Four classes a day
  4. Quarter system
  5. Drawing, Woodshop, Jewelry, Health, Life on Your Own, and next year Personal Finance as a math credit
  6. Weekly PLCs that include intervention discussions
  7. An amazing admin who sees what is happening and does her best to address inequities

Here is what doesn’t work (and why):

  1. Small Class Sizes– due to a great deal of absenteeism, the culture of the classroom is challenging to gain momentum in discussions, continuity, and transference of skills and learning.
  2. Longer class periods: some staff does not fill up the longer time with any breaks, brain breaks, or just time to sit and talk. Students congregate in the bathrooms, and this has caused the usual disruptions and tension in the building.
  3. Four classes a day: this is actually pretty cool – but I can see in other buildings this would not be sustainable. Even with alternating schedules, teenage brains struggle with maintaining their pre-frontal cortex thinking about their time. But because we change on the quarter, students work towards credit quickly, often graduating early.
  4. Quarter system: a few teachers feel forced to squeeze in a semester’s worth of curriculum/content into a quarter. This has resulted in an abundance of worksheets or embedding one day’s assignment with multiple parts. I feel this is a wasted opportunity–teachers should be doing one to two PBL units per quarter.
  5. Drawing, Woodshop, Jewelry, Health, Life on Your Own, and next year Personal Finance as a math credit–students love these classes, and wish there was more of a guild approach to these crafts.
  6. Weekly PLCs that include intervention discussions–I have some colleagues who take up a lot of oxygen in the PLCs, so yes, it’s personal.
  7. Admin can’t do everything.

Within my control:

Let’s start with what is not in my control: what other colleagues do. I’m too new to the district and the building and mutual trust were shredded just a wee bit during the closure.

I can/do:

Some discussion questions from All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Keily
  • Ask students what other academic language they are learning about in their other content areas
  • Provide structured time in my ELA class to allow them to work on other assignments (since they don’t get to come into my check/connect structured time — long story)
    • The structure is me providing the reading skills and strategies in real-time — the benefit of small classes
    • I never ask if they need help — the answer will always be no. I just jump in. (Years of retail customer service taught me this.)
  • Provide space and time for discussions, even with one or two students
    • These discussions are captured and shared with students who are absent
    • Take the stance I am a student in the class and what would help me learn the material
  • Provide a wide range of questions and scaffolds
  • Provide grading policies that are equitable, clear, and sustainable
  • Teach them how to read (yes)
  • Embed word study and context clues in conversations
  • But most of all: I craft and create my own curriculum. I give myself projects that will serve the students in front of me. I will formalize my Burning Questions and Box of Destiny units someday. Someday.

Someday.

What I miss and long for:

I do sometimes wish I taught ELA in a comprehensive high school. Just — teach all that I know about reading, writing, and creativity. I do that now, and it’s also okay to recognize I miss larger classes, impacting more humans, and just stretching my craft versus covering others’ holes. Because while I feel and do some pretty cool things, often I feel regarded as something ‘lesser’ –just like some teachers see ML students — with a deficit mindset.

But I can’t care what others do or don’t do. And that’s really the key, isn’t it? And the tragedy. Because until teachers truly come together and agree on students’ humanity, it will be left to a small number of teachers in buildings doing the work. I have always relied on myself to create the mental space where I dwell, sometimes to my emotional harm or health.

And finally – just stopping once in a while and buying a handmade candle or hanging with my friend, Sharon.

Sometimes this is as good as it gets.

Parents & Guardians

TL: DR Meetings with parents and guardians can be made simpler and with more care.

A little story:

Many years ago, I saw the need for an alternative to the current ASB (Associated Student Body) group. The ASB at the time was comprised of very highly motivated, engaged, and energetic students who also understood the “rules of school.” Mind you, and I’m saying this clearly so there is no misunderstanding: the ASB leader and students were amazing. And, it was not a club where everyone/anyone could join. It’s based on elections and voting and is often a popularity contest.

via GIPHY

So, I asked my students if they were interested in starting their own club. They were mostly Black and multi-racial girls, about six of them, many of whom had negative experiences in school. They decided to go with the club name of Royal Queens because the feeder high school they’d be attending next year are the Royals, and yes, they were Queens. Okay, cool. Got permission from one of the assistant principals, (one of the most amazing women I’ve ever known) and carried on.

The girls did projects like, on Valentine’s for example, put a valentine heart on every single locker (over 600) from them. Some kids said it was the first Valentine they’d ever received. They would get a special pass to go help with projects around the school. And yes, sometimes — they took advantage of this or were a little disruptive for some teachers, and yes, I had at least two other teachers* complain about them. But they had fun, and so many of them grew and matured, and are loving young adults today. Just an amazing bunch of students.

Pausing to a parent meeting with one of the girls, “T.” T was imaginative, intelligent, funny, joyous, and a loyal and fierce friend to her peers. For some reason, she was in trouble, and we were called into a parent meeting. The other teachers* were ready to attack. They said their piece about how awful and disrespectful “T” was. When it was my turn, I told her mom that T was part of this club, worked really hard, and from everything I could tell did an amazing job of advocating for herself, and many other positive things. Her mom just stopped and stared at me for a second and said, “This is the first time a teacher has ever said anything good about my daughter.”

So.

Okay.

This doesn’t work for every situation, content area, teaching style, or student. I’m trying to coalesce concepts that are not easily filtered.

Parents and guardians want their children to do well. To thrive. Generational trauma, systemic racism, and white supremacy create a toxic mix when parents come into a meeting about their child. Add to that our own experiences we bring to the room, and our beliefs about parenting. The assumptions, stereotypes, and white savior tropes get in the way of many (white) teachers. Clear that away from one moment of clarity and just remember: no matter how good or bad you think the parent/guardian is sitting across from you, there is a blood bond between them and that child in the room, too. Our role is not only to deliver instruction and to ensure their child strives for mastery of that content area but to be and grow to who they are — that’s it. And it’s a collective, nourishing growth. They, students, can show up with love and self-respect. Do not demand respect from students and parents when you have not modeled self-respect.

When it comes to grades, oh boy, nothing upsets many teachers more than when I say don’t markdown for late work. Just don’t. If a student has nothing turned in, build a system in place, especially for older students, where they can call or text their parents to let them know. They always have their parent’s number, even if the grading software isn’t updated. In the age of digital grading systems and alerts, I promise you — speaking from my own experience – all the alerts in the world will not help a parent of a child who has #ADHD or other neurodiversity. And if the parent also has ADHD (ahem) she is most likely doing their best to function in the workplace as well as tend to a child who is struggling to stay organized. And please — throw out this “real world” notion that the real world only functions in a linear, time-demanding way. Notice I didn’t say always — I said only. There are many ways the world functions. People have depression, ADHD, autism, and many other cognitive demands. This does not mean whatever you’re asking them to go can’t be done. It means you’re going to have to work WITH parents/guardians and students to make it work for them. That’s it.

Asset-based mindsets, accurate diagnosis, continuous reflection, and readjustments. And for goodness sakes, just say something good, okay? OH AND FOLLOW THAT IEP/504. This is not a war of attrition against parents where teachers are “winning” something. The cruelty, egos, and overall garbage I’ve witnessed are egregious. But as Mr. Rogers says, I look for the helpers. Who’s in charge of making sure the education law and rules are followed? Who’s in charge of the grading practices and equity? What is my role in the following and adherence to the laws? Quite a large one, actually, as are most teachers.

If there are serious issues, such as gang-related, criminal activity (and no, sorry, crop tops and spaghetti straps don’t count) those are issues that are at the administrative level. At this time in my career, I will do whatever is in my power to disrupt and stop the school-to-prison pipeline. But if it’s reached that point before the student is in front of me, I will still do what I can. This might mean offering an online course for a student, making my time and instructional available in flexible hours, whatever. This does not mean this is a choice other teachers can and should make.

One thing I’m “good” at, which came with a lot of tears and hard learning, is how to interact with parents and guardians in meetings. I’m not naturally good, or…perhaps I am. I took something in my personality and experiences and reflected many times over the years — what would I need and want to hear if I was on the other side of this table? And, with my second son, I was on the other side of the table. I learned so much.

I’m going to offer this to any teacher, veteran, or rookie, this service: I will have a conversation about how to approach grades, discipline, and just an ear to listen — with this caveat — I will give advice and ask questions. You can ask me on Twitter @mrskellylove