Summer Break: Rest and Refocus

For the first time in my professional life, I have "time" in my hands during the summer months. As much as I'd love to take my foot of the gas pedal, I know that much work has to be done. AP Economics will be a new course offering, and I'm intent on hitting the bulls-eye right out of the gate. This class will be the eighteenth AP course at BDHS and there are aggressive goals put into place to drive expectations for students and faculty. Goals and expected outcomes are nothing new to me as the business world is filled with these each and every day. They require ongoing focus of the task and closely monitoring student progress. Advance Placement (a/k/a AP) classes are rigorous in their approach and the learning curve is intense. As a first-year AP teacher, I now have a new load to carry and it should be an interesting experience.

And so...my first three months of free time has been spent sharpening my skill-sets associated with creating a stimulating syllabus-course planner for AP Econ and getting up to speed with the necessary knowledge. In reflection I refer to these past days as 'intensity times ten'...cramming mega-amounts of content into my brain. It's one thing to think about Economics throughout the day, but when I start dreaming about economic principles I consider it a message from my inner self to TAKE A BREAK for a few days. And although there are still four weeks before the first day of school, there is a sense of urgency to complete the task I've started. I feel excited about diving into a new stream of knowledge, not for fear of failing, but for wanting to accomplish all I set out to do. Bring it on!

A Month In Reflection

When the final school bell rang four weeks ago, I packed up and headed back home for the summer. Unlike some of my colleagues, I've made a handful of trips back to BDHS for committee meetings for spearheading our school wide efforts in 2013-14 with PBIS, but this drive time was beneficial for personal reflection on the past nine months. I once read that not taking time to reflect is the equivalent of going through a day without ever looking in the mirror. How would I know if I was truly ready, willing and able to face the future if I never looked at my performance in the classroom? This is why these past four weeks have been a necessary part of my professional career, thinking about my actions in and out of the classroom throughout the school year. What did I do well? What could I improve upon next fall? And how should I use the summer months to impact tomorrow's classroom?

So what did I learn this past year? If there comes a time in my life when I stop learning, that will be the instant I need to retire from teaching. I learned that preparation is key to not only my success, but for my students as well. I always need to have an alternative game plan in mind in order to shift gears at a moment's notice. This past year there were several times when something happened in my classroom that required more focus, a moment when shifting gears was not only appropriate, but also very necessary.

I also learning how important it was to speak in the language of my students. Not that I needed to be 'best buddy' with them, but that I often had to break it down in terms which they could better understand by associating the idea with a concept they were more aware of. The beauty of good teaching is often found within this trait, and I am confident of my abilities.

What did I give this year? Every stream has both an inlet and outlet, and it's never enough for me to be a learner without also being a giver. This is perhaps my greatest possession, being able to give back to my students. During my journey back to the classroom, I found knowledge to be instrumental in the way I understood education. Those people who shared their insight were those who I admired most. Their means of communication where laced within conversations, articles, letters, blogs, books, the internet, social media, and so much more. They created an environment which challenged my thinking in ways I never thought possible. It was NOT a one-way exchange, but an ongoing process. From this personal growth comes a greater willingness to give back. This is not an 'arrogance thing' better described as an effectiveness thing. I want (and need) to be an effective teacher. If I am learning as a teacher and then inspiring, I feel as if I am succeeding in what I do.

During this first-year teacher's time in the classroom, I witnessed both intellectual and personal growth in all my students. They provided me with memorable experiences from which I am able to build upon in years to come. And while I am far from being the teacher I aspire to be,  I am fully engaged in the process and look forward to the challenges that still lay ahead.

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”  Peter F. Drucker

Nearing the end....

It's hard to believe that my first year is nearing an end, and these final days are an experience all in themselves. Senioritis runs rabid, but they remain focused on getting to the finish line. Some of my freshmen students have secured the long-awaited sense of urgency, scrambling to complete overdue assignments and pleading to retake exams originally given 2-3 months ago. These are trying times for every first-year teacher, but I am MOST comfortable in my new threads.

Since Seniors finish school a few days earlier than other underclassmen, today was FINALS DAY and they closed a long-awaited chapter in their lives. Prior to taking their final exam in Econ Class, I paused to say "thank-you" to this group of thirty students. "I appreciate the respect you provided to me as well as your insight on life. You have much to look forward to, not only at Sunday's graduation, but in the months and years to come. Good luck!"  I could feel their stress and assured them that all would be well. Now, the test.....

When the final bell rang, I collected the scantron sheets and entered grades into Skyward- as is the normal procedure, then went about my business for the balance of the day. Prior to closing up my room, I pulled those Econ tests and read their "No Count Essay Response" to the following question: In a minimum of fifty words, tell me whether this class truly provided you with a feel for the subject of Economics. Do you believe you'll be able to put this information to good use at some point in your lifetime? And yes, I can handle the truth!

I expected some sarcastic responses and even prepared myself for a couple of atomic bullets. It was a wonderful way to end the day and every comment hit close to my heart. One such individual shared this with me: "Yes, I actually do believe I will use the stuff we learned in the future. I already used one piece of your advice when I wrote a thank-you card to a company after they gave me an interview. They called me back three days later and said I was the first to ever do that, and they appreciated it so much I got the job and will be moving to Iowa next week. Thank you Mr. D....this was the best class of my senior year. :)"  The balance of the written responses were just what I needed to end the day on a positive note. I did make a difference in their learning experience and they have knowledge in place which will aid their success.

Moments like this make my new career all so worthwhile. It has invigorated me to take it to another level and I look forward to taking "teaching" to the next level in years to come. I've accepted the position of AP Economics at BDHS next year, a first-time offering at our school. I have an opportunity to engage students looking to excel at a college-level course, and I'm up for the challenge like never before!

A Quick Talk about Memorial Day

Today was the perfect opportunity for me to spend a few minutes to interject how Memorial Day first came to happen during the aftermath of the American Civil War. Although the fighting had officially come to an end, it was a time when our country was still emotionally torn from over four years of fighting. General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, called for a day when soldiers of both North and South would be remembered for giving their lives for the freedom and liberty of past, present and future generations.

This weekend is the first in a series of summer holidays and everyone was looking forward to a long weekend. My students were anxious for the long weekend, but as is the case with many of our patriotic days, I fear the true meaning of Memorial Day is diluted in a pool of commercialized selling sprees. Lost is the historical significance and values we've achieved as believers of democratic ideals. When people question why this new generation of learners doesn't have a grasp of real history, I believe we have only ourselves to blame.

I provided them with pictures of Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC and a stirring 3-minute video of Amazing Grace by the Armed Forces Bagpipes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhGuhfBk5xk 
It was laced with images of fallen soldiers and ways which they are remembered by comrades and everyday citizens. I ended with a simple request that my students take a few minutes before the end of the day to visit the school's in-house memorial to recent graduates who gave their lives in battle. One of these soldiers was the brother of a current classmate of theirs and few were aware of this association. I asked that they also spend time on Monday in reflection of the true meaning of Memorial Day, recognizing the efforts of soldiers who have defended our country. As each of my five classes departed for the day, there was a somber sense of "I got your message" amid them all. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

My Best Day in the Classroom

For the past four weeks my freshman students have been engulfed in learning about the Civil War, a fascinating time period in American history. Teaching the Civil War is a challenge in that there is so much going on and a teacher can only cover so much material in limited amount of time. It's not only the battles and politics of the mid-19th century, but the individuals who impacted the fate of our United States. As a high school student I never imagined there were things happening behind the scenes, and this unit provided me with the opportunity to explore such unique things as 3D photography, commonly referred to as stereoview in its time. Nowadays students think 3D is new, but they are surprised to learn how commonplace it was almost 150 years ago. After I purchased a DVD with almost 100 stereoview photos, I was amazed when I discovered how they were digitally colored, bringing scenes to life as I had never imagined possible. My students loved it when I distributed 3D glasses, logged into my iTunes account with an hour's worth of music from the Civil War, and then turned out the lights. I guided them on a one-of-a-kind journey into the past. It was amazing!

It wasn't until the Civil War unit came to an end that I experienced my best day (to date) as a teacher, and once again I've realize the best lessons in the classroom are those made with a connection with life. When the Civil War unit began, I informed my students that I would allow them to use their notebooks for the unit final, provided they were written notes in their own handwriting. In other words, no xeroxed copies or worksheets from textbooks- rather, everything they transcribed from notes in class or taken from assigned readings. Throughout the unit I reminded them that by taking good notes and organizing them appropriately, they would improve their chances for success on the unit exam. For those who chose to ignore my warning, the day of inevitability hit home on Thursday, May 2nd. As I handed out the test, I caught a glimpse of some of their enlarged eyeballs and a sudden realization that they had made a huge error in judgement as to my sincerity of the difficulty of the test. For those who heeded my advice, they excelled like never before.

It was on this same day that I celebrated the success of two students who had previously struggled with tests such as these. Other teachers refer to 'Joe' and 'Jim' as dysfunctional and derelict in nature. They are kids other teachers quickly toss from their classroom, while I tend to tolerate and focus on ways to motivate their passion for learning. Our relationships have grown over the past several weeks after heart-to-heart talks after school when they dropped in to grab a Jolly Rancher from my candy jar. I challenged them to take my advice to prove, if only to themselves, that they could ace the test just by following through on my advice. There were times when they worked together to update their notebooks, talking smack with one another...all the while having just the tiniest of doubts in their abilities. When I finished grading their papers, I was elated to be able to place 'A+' in the top corner. They popped their heads into my classroom this morning and I sat them both down in front of me with a stern glare, then broke the news of their success. They NAILED IT like never before!

I asked if they would allow me to use their names and notebooks to share with other classes, if only to model how successful others could be by following my advice. They were proud of their accomplishment and I matched their elation by suggesting they do it again on the next test. They jumped on board immediately!  Later in the day I strolled into the Dean of Students and asked Shawn to seek out these two students at some point in the afternoon by congratulating them in person in front of their cohorts. In the past Joe and Jim have been frequent visitors to his office, always being reprimanded for their negative actions. Today was genuinely different!  :)

As the day progressed, I had heart-to-heart chats with each class in hopes they would understand the sincerity behind my words. In one of my most difficult classes, one-third of the students received an 'F' on their test, and I shared that they were capable of better work. After all, three students in this specific class earned top honors with perfect scores...so the issue of attitude and attentiveness in class clearly came into play. Rather than rubbing their nose in the results, I elected to challenge them to do it 'right' when we begin the next unit on Reconstruction. My students were STUNNED (yet very happy) to discover that Joe and Jim did something that no one expected, much less ever considered possible.

While the good news has yet to spread amongst my comrades in the Social Studies department, I take great satisfaction in knowing that kids who are often tagged as "impossible" can turn their academic lives around in short order. Their success can truly inspire others...be it the teacher or the student...to achieve what was once considered unattainable.

Getting Students to Believe in Themselves

I sense there is an ever-growing segment of young people, mostly male, who are unable to compile a written response to the simplest of essay questions. After growing tired and confused as to why they would choose to not answer a test question, I decided it was time to inquire as to why "John" was finding it hard to pen a few lines. In a polite manner I asked what he knew about the subject in general. His mind was in lock-down mode and he was having difficulty laying it before me...so I supplied him with a 2-3 clue words to cue his thoughts. John proceeded to rattle off everything he knew about the subject, nailing the original essay question in a way which surprised both me and himself.

"Why did you find this specific question so difficult to answer on today's test?" John told me he knew all the information, but didn't know that this is what I was looking for, nor did he know how to get it out of his brain. While there are some educators who would simply accept an unanswered essay question, I am becoming rather insistent in finding out what my students know and why they are willing to bail ship by accepting their lackluster performance. In the real world, employers won't consider any job application that contains blank space in an area which is designated for thoughtful response. Are schools so forgiving to accept this behavior?

I am exploring new ways in my classroom to change this behavior while still retaining their trust and buy-in to my teaching style. There is a segment of students who dislike writing assignments and often ignore them altogether in hopes that they'll simply go away. They accept failure as routine and normal. My grandmother had a saying that the hardest nut to crack often had the tastiest meat to enjoy. The same holds true to a small segment of students who are often considered hopeless- the knowledge is there, you just have to crack through the barrier. There's a wonderful world of intelligent thought waiting to be revealed!

Regarding the Quiet-Learners

As a first-year teacher I often take notice of those students who lag behind mainstream learners. After all, they are the ones who need the most immediate attention as they impact WKCE scores the greatest as well as the general classroom climate. Over the past several weeks there are others flying beneath the radar screen and they deserve as much, if not more, of our notice. I refer to these students as the quiet-learners, those who ALWAYS complete their assignments on time in a thorough manner with very few errors and distinct writing styles. Some might reference them as 'gifted and talented.' They challenge us not with mischievous actions or poor attitudes, but with anticipation for more rigorous learning activities. They have my attention and I am attempting new ways to keep them engaged in my classroom. Each one is different, yet uniquely similar.

At any point in the school day, regardless of my class size, I still need to manage a wide variety of attitudes and personality styles in addition to addressing the needs of lower-level learners. It's here where the quiet-learners become lost in the shuffle, and in many ways they could very well be the reason as to why higher academic standards via the Common Core are being designed for tomorrow's classrooms. These individuals do not need our ongoing attention, but they do require both acknowledgement and optional assignments which elevate their thought process. With test grades at the 97-percent-plus level, they are already exceeding our expectations and sometimes they will not accept more work for fear of falling backwards. They're already riding a well-greased slide, but whether they realize it or not, they also need to learn something new every day to satisfy that inner thirst for knowledge. It is here that I assure them that their "safe-grade" will not be jeopardized, only weighted with greater regard and higher prominence. I am doing nothing more than coaxing them into deeper waters of higher learning. I want to stay at least one step ahead of them, ready to offer challenging lessons at a moments notice.

This is just another reason as to why I enjoy teaching at this point in my life, seeing the potential in students on both ends of the spectrum...and everything in between.