There is so much more to teaching than teaching!

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.
- Thích Nhat Hanh

Today we rode to school in a yellow school bus. It was early, really early, but there was not too much traffic to the Bronx. The school we arrived at is gorgeous and exciting. The building is blocky with silver and bold colors.


The front hallway is adorned with a student-made colorful and creative Periodic Table of Elements. There are world maps and student photos in the hallway. University pennants hang from the rafters. I found a room with my name on the door.

The first, and most important thing we learned, is how to address outbursts. If a student swears at you, the important thing to do is 1) not let it get to you, and 2) address it. Both of those. At the same time. I need to not be defensive, not yell back, but I need to show the student and the rest of the class that the behavior is not acceptable. I am the boss. I'm in charge. This helps keep standards for the classroom and make the other students feel safe. This part is going to be hard for me.

It is also address behavior constantly, praising the students who behave well and point out misbehavior, even if minor. It's called behavior narration, and it apparently works. It helps towards achieving 100% compliance from 100% of the students 100% of the time.

Also, compliance isn't lack of misbehavior, it is participation and cooperation and active learning. It cannot be enforced by being a militant teacher, I need to allow students to have fun and feel comfortable learning and making mistakes.

At the end of Institute last year, 93% of classrooms achieved this goal, so I bet I can too.

Effective classroom mangers:
Believe that students want and deserve a well-managed classroom.
Care enough to hold every single student to high behavior expectations.
Believe every one of their students can behave, and that it is their responsibility to teach them how to do so.
Know that responsible student behavior is essential for success...now and in the future.
Use a strong 'teacher voice' (I won't have a problem with this one).
Have a Management Plan
Explicitly teach the Management Plan to students.
Effectively and consistently reinforce that Management Plan every day!

Today we get to make our Management Plan.

Consequences are effective due to inevitability (How often do you drive over the speed limit vs. how often do you park illegally in NYC?)

Today I learned that the reward system for classroom management is rigged to keep good students behaving and make the less good students behave. The good students have to work harder to get the same reward. If you want to get good rewards as a student, start out by being the “bad kid” and then slowly improve your behavior. You get rewards and your teacher feels great.

We also had a lesson on investment in our students.
“The Bottom Line: Investment is the key to a life changing impact on stuents.”

The important questions is, which investor profile will I have? The Showman, The Relationship-Builder, or The Straight-Talking Tough-Lover?

You know, I can understand why Institute is so stressful. There is a lot of information given to us, and now, a lot of different assignments all due at once. At the moment, I can handle it. It might even be a little fun.

It's My Party

Today I'm 24.

And it felt like I woke up as a 9-year-old. Our morning lessons were a little oversimplified and condescending, but this afternoon we finally got to do work!

I have planned my lesson for next Wednesday. After my collaborative teaching partner (collab) teaches a one-hour lesson on the scientific method, it's my chance to enlighten my students on independent variables, dependent variables, and controls. Though it's not the most thrilling aspect of science, it might be the most important aspect of science, and I'd like to convey that to my students.

I finished my lesson plan about a half hour after our workshop ended. I put a good amount of work into it, but didn't pour my heart and soul into it, because I'm sure it will get a load of criticisms no matter what. I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out, starting with my vision for the day and ending with my assessment. I get to give tests! Yay! Schadenfreude!

Finishing early allowed me to celebrate my birthday with one drink at a local bar (dry campus), which was adorned with a poster that said "Welcome Teach for America 2011". It's like they know us.

I'm 24!

After my drink, I returned back to the dorm to reformat my lesson plan and send it to my corps member adviser (CMA) for review, and then help my boyfriend with his medical school applications.

Tomorrow, we get to go to our schools to meet our lead teachers (they sit in the back of the room and give us feedback, but they have the teaching licenses) and get more professional development. I'm really excited, except the bus leaves at 6:30 AM. In the morning!

Off to tour the resource center (all the Barron's Regents review books I could want), and then going to sleep early.

Happy Birthday.

Cut

“Our nation’s most precious resource, our youth, are developed according to their race and funds, instead of their own capabilities.” -- cut from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961

Bits and pieces from class yesterday evening:

Diversity is defined as the people in the room. No individual has the ability to better represent diversity than any other individual.

We need to show our kids that this will be the best July ever, that they will enjoy our class.

Remember that the most important aim is student achievement, both over the summer and during the next two years.

In a successful classroom, two things must be present: a culture of achievement and a rigorous curriculum. That is, student must learn the material, but the material must be challenging to be meaningful.

Goals are set to be ambitious and feasible.
Goals are context-specific for each student.
We will be told, for each student, what the top 25% achievement gains for summer students with those scores in that subject have been, and that is our goal.

Borrowing lesson plans is okay, and doesn’t make you a bad person, because it is all about the children.

Today's learning began with a discussion of New years' resolutions. The conclusion that was handed to us was that intentions are hard to achieve without a specific plan. (Well, I did complete a half marathon, but I might have enjoyed it more if I had trained more consistently.) The same goes for our classrooms. We must create specific plans to reach our specific goals, which will help us achieve our vision.

We also "learned" the I Do, We Do, You Do model. Apparently (though I haven't seen any sources), any good lesson plan involves a lecture/explanation component (I Do), and guided practice section (We Do), and an independent work assignment (You Do). It definitely makes sense, and reiterates some of the techniques I used with Revolution Prep during the school year. It's a little satisfying to finally know exactly why Professor Z_____ was a terrible teacher, why his class once averaged 41 on an exam, and why about 40% of his class failed the second semester.

We also had to create our classroom Vision. With a capital "V". I came up with this:
My vision is to inspire students to enjoy science, to work hard at science, and to bring this enthusiasm to future classes. Students will begin to observe the world in an analytical way and ask questions based on their observations.

---

I am hearing more about the hard work that we will have to do, but still no details on what we are supposed to do. The next session, though, involves working with our collaborative teaching partners. Maybe begin lesson planning?

I've also received a unit outline for the summer, showing all of the topics needed to be mastered for the Biology/Living Environment Regents Exam. I'm so excited! I love this stuff.

Transformers

One of my favorite TV moments is the one in Dr. Who's new Series 1 finale, when Christopher Eccleston turned into David Tennant. Brilliant.

Last night's program revisited the idea of transformation that we had discussed last week. Last week, it was "transformational change", which I found a little repetitiously redundant. This week, we have "transformational education". Oh. Now I understand it. Our job is not only to educate our students, but to transform them into excited, motivated students. Teaching the lesson is not enough.

Last week, our last organized dinner was in small groups with local CMs and alumni. I was eating at the apartment of '05 DC and '06 CT TFA alumni. They were helpful. They gave us some more information about what it is really like out there on the battlefields, both this summer and during our first year. Something I found the most helpful was when I asked, "Do you ever find it fun? Or is it only hard?", the answer I received was, "Most days I enjoyed the challenge."

I could do that.

I also have a phone interview in the scheduling process at a new middle school in Hartford. The school focuses on Expeditionary Learning, a process that involves experiments, original research, and projects to learn. Sounds fun. It sounds a lot like a program I did in 4th and 5th grade, that I found so important in shaping me. I'm so excited about it, I'm getting nervous.

It doesn't help that I've had all day free today to think about the work I will fall behind on in the next five weeks. I wish I could get started now!

In other news, I struggled through a 1.5 mile run this morning. I could complain that it was hot, I had eaten too much for breakfast, and that I had a blister, but I think the problem is that I've lost my run. I've done too much this year. I think I need a break, to find a new form form of exercise for the short term.

Institute: Day 1

Institute has begun. I arrived at St. John's University with 600 other new Corps Members from Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York City, Detroit, and Newark and received a giant packet full of curriculum-planning materials.

I will be teaching...Biology/Living Environment! I will be at a small school in the south Bronx (that has air conditioning!). I can't wait to begin. I also can't wait to tell my students next year that I used to teach in the Bronx. Badass points for me.

The dorms at St. John's are cozy, but my roommate is cool and we have a nice common area. I'm housed with all of the other CTers.

After a weekend of relaxing (and eating...and drinking...), it's tough to get back in the swing of things, but they're starting us off easy. This evening, we had an introduction program, a series of 5 short speakers that was actually inspiring. Either it was a great program, or I've been successfully and motivationally brainwashed into being an excited TFA CM. Because I am.

We've been given the next 18 hours off, for settling in to campus. I will probably look into what I can do to get ahead on my work, because they say it'll be a tough 5 weeks. 1 day down, 32 to go.

Why?

Today I received a text message from one of my students from this year.

"Hey I passed everything thanks for all your help your going to make a great teacher good luck"

That's why.

Community Service

Today began with community service projects around the state. My group's assignment was humbling and challenging and rewarding.

Carpool #22 was assigned to read stories to children at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. We arrived at the hospital and found the volunteer center, and after some logistical miscommunication, we were reading to children. One of the CMs in our group did a fantastic interactive performance of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and I chose If You Give A Mouse a Cookie. After the two stories, the group split up. A CM and I visited some patient who were too sick to leave their rooms, while the rest of the group worked on art projects and more reading with the patients in the playroom. We read to two different patients, one of whom didn't really respond, but the other lightened up right away. It was a pleasure to see her and her father smile at Jamie Lee Curtis' silly story Today I Feel Silly.

Today I feel proud and sad and exhausted. I am continuing to work on my capstone project while watching MTV's 16 and Pregnant.

NO EXCUSES

Dinner last night was a barbecue at a TFA donor's house, a huge farmhouse with a barn (horses) and two Rhodesian Ridgebacks (see previous blog). Following dinner, I made it as far as the doorway of the bar before turning around and heading straight to bed.

Today started out well and got better. We visited various schools in CT to observe TFA CMs and alumni in action. My carpool visited a charter middle school in Bridgeport. The first class we saw was the "bad kids class", as we were warned by three different people on our way to the classroom. We pulled open the door, with some trepidation, and saw...a classroom full of kids sitting quietly and enthusiastically learning science. Some kids in the back weren't smiling...maybe that's what they were talking about.

This afternoon was a little tedious, especially because field day was rained out, but we learned about our teacher certification process. As science teachers, the first part of our "capstone project" is an assignment of 2-page papers on each of 5 different people who were important to science and technology in the 19th and 20th centuries. Not the most challenging, but certainly not bad. So far, I've been thinking (and we're encouraged to represent minority groups): Charles Drew, Alan Turing, Marie Curie, Gregor Mendel, and Dmitri Mendeleev. I've got an African American, a gay man, a woman, a clergyman, and a procrastinator.

Tonight at dinner we finally had the presentation I've been waiting for. Doug McCurry, superintendent of the Achievement First charter network (of first failed interview fame) gave a challenging and motivating speech that had everyone in the room out of their seats and chanting mega-church style. Most importantly, he was the first speaker we've had that made it clear that there were NO EXCUSES. Especially, that we are first-year teachers.

He also gave ample advice on the practical matters, like setting clear, measurable goals and managing the details of a classroom. Set goals like having students grow 1.5 years in reading, not aiming to be a good teacher. Aim for 80% of students mastering standardized exams, or running 13.1 miles.

NO EXCUSES.

He also told us that, unfortunately, teaching is not like Dead Poet's Society or Mr. Holland's Opus. Unplanned lessons do not end in a swell of music and inspired applause. And soccer playing. They will not lift you on their shoulders. But they will, if you plan carefully, and be consistent, and relentless, at the end of the year, say thank you.

He was, suffice it to say, inspiring.

Happy Summer Solstice

Day 2: I was happy to get to sleep until 7:30AM.

Last night's dinner was really interesting, even though we'd been sitting all day. After a much-needed hour-long break, we were bussed to the State Legislature in Hartford. We were fed buffed-style and seated in the grand stone lobby, where we were engaged by three great and different speakers.

First, Dr. Adamowski, the Hartford school superintendent famous for kicking off a serious reform effort, told us both about the crippling Achievement Gap in Connecticut and his confidence in our ability to make a significant change. The second speaker was an 8th grader attending Choate next year on a full scholarship, who told us a story about how TFA teachers have changed her life. Almost everyone was in tears. The last speaker is a current corps member (CM) who interspersed anecdote with spoken-word teaching theory, including a tear-jerker about a pregnant 14-year-old that he taught who now just finished her first year at a 4-year college, successfully juggling childcare and pre-law. After tears were shed, we took buses back to the hotel to play Scrabble and enjoy a late night happy hour.

Today:
Although I'm not very good at sitting still and listening, it's nice to learn a couple of good teaching techniques. A second day of being profound about fixing education in our country is a bit much.

Today's morning lesson was quite frustrating. Of our 90-minute lesson of an introduction to Connecticut, the first 30 minutes or so were spent discussing, in groups, why we want to learn about Connecticut and what we were going to learn.

Really? Can't we just learn the stuff already?

The "learning" that followed would have been perfect for a group of unmotivated 12-year-olds with no access to a library or computer. Each table was split into four pairs, and each pair had a specific topic (mine was history). Each pair received a topic-specific packet, with instructions on how to divide the work among the pair. We had 10 minutes to read the material and another 10 minutes to prepare a 4-minute presentation on our topic with our partner. Then, each pair presented to the table, followed by more time to discuss our feelings. We were constantly told how impressive we were to do so well on such a challenging task.

Fantastic. Any of us could have completed the same task in 15-20 minutes on the internet.

When that activity was finally over, we had a panel on teaching as learners, or constantly continuing to learn. It was nice to hear current and past CMs stories of struggling, learning, and succeeding, and there were some very useful pearls of wisdom. But, I was pushed up the anxiety scale just a little further.

Pearls of Wisdom:
Get to know your students
Don't try to learn or excel at everything at the same time
Saying something doesn't mean that you are teaching it
Failing at something the first time sucks, but then you fix it

Then I ate way too much for lunch. Lunchtime included a panel of exceptional education advocates and community members. It was interesting, but why can't they just feed us? Can't we take an hour to stop having information and motivation indiscriminately thrown at us?

By the way, the other CMs are wonderful. I've made many friends and expect to make many more, before the week is out. I'm exhausted, but happy. It's nice to finally be working hard after an entire year of less than that.

It's also fun to be blogging again. It helps sort and layer the mudslide of information and feelings. (Earth Science metaphor!)

Induction

I did two exciting things yesterday:

1. I did the triathlon! It was pretty painful, as I was undertrained, but I finished. 2:00:49.

2. I drove to Connecticut. It's beginning.

Today marked the first day of Induction. 109 new Teach for America Corp Members and about a dozen staff members converged upon a hotel in central Connecticut to play ice breaker games and discuss the Achievement Gap, as well as introduce us to our two-year commitment to being "excellent educators."

Connecticut has one of the worst Achievement Gaps in our great country of equality (real statistics to follow in later posts). Students who are born into poverty enter terrible school systems from which they are unlikely to graduate. This creates a cycle of poverty that is often associated with high crime rates. Meanwhile, just outside the cities' borders the rich folks continue to do just fine. This socioeconomic segregation is very closely correlated with race.

Our mission in Teach for America is to address this gap.

We spent many, many hours today learning about the mission of TFA. It was tedious, but fortunately for my attention span, we were given opportunities to discuss the topics periodically. I'm also sitting at a table of interesting and hilarious corps members and staff. One of the more fun activities was a discussion of goals for ourselves and our students, and how to achieve them. The discussion was held entirely on paper. That is, each of us at table 5B was handed a marker, and a giant piece of white paper was put in the middle. We had about 10 minutes and weren't allowed to talk. We discussed everything from ideas for motivating our students to how hungry we were. It was a great opportunity to share feelings without being embarrassed. We ended up with a paper full of marker scribbles and discussion and check marks of agreement. I will never forget to bring my camera or phone again.

I also had an interview this morning. The second school that had rejected me over the phone had decided to call me back for an in-person interview. It went well, considering it was 7:30 AM. In the morning. It was at a really awesome school. I'm not super hopeful, given that they had already decided previously I wasn't good enough, but who knows?

Over the rest of this week, and the next five in Institute, I will be busy. But, like in Africa, I will try to write. It makes it easier to process. It makes the overwhelming slightly less...whelming. I will write somewhere between once a day and once a week. Or more. Or less.

Boot Camp

It's nearing time for Institute, and in 2 1/2 weeks I'll be standing in front of a class. What I'm thinking is:

WHO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO PUT ME IN CHARGE OF A CLASSROOM OF CHILDREN?

They tell me I can do it. I hope so.

Today was my last day tutoring. I wish my students the best of luck on the Earth Science Regents exam tomorrow, and I know they'll do great.

I have a student with a particularly clever sense of humor, who was being funny today:

Me: What is the geocentric model of the universe?
Student: Everything revolves around...ME.

Me: What is one way to reduce global warming?
Student: Shoot all the cows. Reduce methane emissions.
Me: I guess...that is correct.

I hope this will prepare me for Institute. After one week of introductions in Meriden, CT (Induction) and one week of training, we start teaching. I'll be teaching in my subject assignment, which means I'll be in a 7th, 8th, or 9th grade science class. Probably, Earth Science. Our day includes teaching, feedback, and professional development. There are many, many hours of work. Institute has been compared to boot camp, so I'm sure it will prepare me for teaching in September.

They tell me I won't get a lot of sleep in Institute, which terrifies me. I have anxiety about not getting enough sleep.

Good luck to my students. Good luck to me.

Words

I recently heard an interesting Radiolab Podcast that gave an interesting story about creativity in teaching. The podcast discusses the ability of words to determine the way we view the world. "We meet a woman who taught a 27-year-old man the first words of his life, hear a firsthand account of what it feels like to have the language center of your brain wiped out by a stroke, and retrace the birth of a brand new language 30 years ago."

The first story is about a woman teaching sign language to a 27-year-old who had never in his life experienced language. He had never previously had the opportunity to use words to communicate with anyone else. This created a significant obstacle for the teacher. How could she teach him, explain the concept of language to a 27-year-old deaf man who had never exchanged words with another human being? How do you explain the idea that words represent objects or ideas?

Without spoiling the ending, I'll let you know that the teacher used a very original idea to teach this man, and understanding words changed his whole view of the world.

Creative teaching can do wonderful things. I'd like to be able to do that.

Placement

Placement for TFA is...less than self-explanatory. Upon acceptance in the Corps, each of the 4,000 or so members each year is assigned to a region. My region is Connecticut, and my tentative assignment is Secondary General Science. This means I will, most likely, be teaching 7-9 grade general science in Connecticut. I do not know the specific details of what/where I will be teaching.

From April until September, corps members are interviewed by individual schools for specific positions in five main cities in Connecticut: Hartford, Torrington, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford, with 80% of corps members likely placed in New Haven and Hartford.

I have had two school contacts so far, both unsuccessful. One was for a lovely charter school in New Haven. After a phone interview and an in-person interview, involving a 30-minute sample lesson arranged on less than a week's notice, they decided that it "would not be the best place for me next year." The second school, an equally nice charter in Hartford, let me know in a form email after a phone interview that "We regret to advise you that we have decided to discontinue evaluation of your candidacy at this time."

What am I doing wrong? I guess it's back to pre-Institute work for now. I'd really like to know what city I'll be living in; the mystery is getting old. Time to start making a packing list for Institute and Induction. (Induction, fyi, is a week-long "introduction" to Connecticut, which I've heard resembles freshman orientation at college. Sweet.)

In other news, the triathlon training has been coming along okay. Last week, I ran, biked, and swam. The swim was slow, but felt wonderful. I did 1/2 mile, which is the race distance. My 11.8 bike ride was fun, but slower than I had hoped. My running has been less that satisfactory. I think I'm still burned out, a full month after the half marathon. I slogged through 2 miles last Thursday and another 1.5 today. I'll make it, though. I'm definitely not as anxious about the race as I am about Institute.