What Lesson Should Students Learn?

This week my Honors Freshman English students completed their research papers, and they were to submit them online at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning.  While I am ecstatic that 100% of my papers were turned in on Tuesday, nearly 30% of those papers were considered late.

"Mrs. Neill, I can't find one of my note cards."

"Mrs. Neill, I closed my computer before my paper uploaded, so it didn't upload on time, but I promise I didn't make any changes."

"Mrs. Neill I printed my paper instead of turning it in online, is it still late?"

"Mrs. Neill, I only had to fix my title, and I forgot to resubmit my paper."

True statements from some really great kids that tugged at my heart strings, but the fact of the matter was that the papers WERE late.  What a horrible feeling for them, but they had to own it.  They had to know what that felt like.  It is through failure and missed opportunities that we truly learn - we remember that bitter taste in our mouths.  But you see, this is where my struggle began.  We had worked on these research papers for 6 weeks.  It was as much a learning process as it was a paper, and I hated the fact that students would be penalized 10% for turning in a paper late, even if I could go in and prove that they did not make any changes to their work after the 8:15 a.m. deadline.  

The best collaboration happens in the hallway, so I walked down to talk to Mrs. Moler, one of our awesome science teachers, and asked her opinion.  I told her about the late papers, but then I proceeded to tell her about my idea.  I wanted them to feel that "failure" for a day, but I wanted them to have the opportunity to reflect and earn the credit back.  I wanted them to answer two questions:

What thoughts or emotions did you feel once you realized that your paper was late?  Why?  Please explain two thoughts or emotions in your response?

What do you currently do to remember when tasks need to be completed? Is there anything you would do differently? Explain.

Mrs. Moler agreed with my idea, but then she added one more thought that turned into this question:

List three instances, outside of school assignments, when firm deadlines will result in negative outcomes.  Talk to other teachers or your parents if you are struggling to think of examples.  What would you possibly miss out on if this happens in the future?

What is it that I want my students to learn? I want them to know my room is a safe place to fail or make mistakes, but with failure and mistakes comes consequences. As a result, those three questions are due in an essay by Monday. My students will think about their actions, and they will most likely not turn in late projects again. I hope they will look back at this (while they are not happy about it now), and realize that this was much more beneficial to them than taking a 10% deduction for their papers being 3 minutes late. There will come a point in time when they realize that late means late, and that will result in a loss of an opportunity. But you've got to know what failure tastes like to know the sweetness of success. However, success may have to come with a little more work.

The lesson in all of this will be bigger for some of them than they can process right now, but this is the lesson that I want them to learn. What does an arbitrary 10% off teach them? I am interested to see what they write about, but must of all, I am glad they are learning.

It Takes a Village

This fall, my husband I decided to become foster parents (definitely a decision that deserves its own blog post). Anyone who has gone through this process knows that there are a lot of hoops to jump through to make sure that your home is ready for a foster child. One of those hoops is called the TIPS-MAPPS class.  It is a 10-week, 30-hour class in which prospective foster parents are asked to learn more about how trauma affects brain development and decision making. It also prompts future foster parents to discuss if the decision to foster a child is in the best interests of their families and if they are willing to do what is best for a child to help reintegrate him into his original family or prepare to be adopted. This is definitely not a decision to be entered into lightly - it is life changing for all involved. Most people have heard and used the phrase, "It takes a village to raise kids" - but do we truly respect it?

This weekend, as I was skimming through Facebook, I came across this post (I do not know if it is true or if it just fake news. Based on my research, the due to lack of specific names or places, or an original post site, I would put money on the fact that it is a propaganda piece meant to divide those who read it - in which case it succeeded):

AND IT MADE ME SO MAD!

This made me mad because it's making a division between the "haves and have-nots"; this made me mad because teachers are sharing and "liking" it. This supports a notion that only children who act a certain way deserve to be educated. There is nothing about this that says, "Hey parents, let's work together to guarantee your child's future success."  This letter says, "It's all your fault." Not sure about you, but as a parent, that doesn't make me want to partner up and work together with a school.

If there is one thing I have learned during this foster care journey, it is not to place judgement or blame. I know that my foster son's mom loves him. I know that she did her best to teach my son manners and rules. I know that she did the best that she knew how to do as a mom with four young kids and very little education. I know that her intentions were always in the right place. I also know that she was just trying to survive each day and keep her kids safe. I know that in doing so her children were sometimes placed in sketchy situations because she could not afford daycare during the day and had to work 2nd shift to make ends meet. I know that she never meant for him to be in situations where he got hurt. But you see, this is where I can step outside of the box and really analyze my feelings.  She did the best she knew to do with the knowledge that she had. She is not a bad person. She did, however, make bad choices - because she didn't know any different and she did not have the resources to be successful. 

There is a barrier between families who struggle economically and the schools their children attend - that barrier is built out of fear and judgement. I am not condoning the abuse that many children face. I am not saying it is okay for parents to abandon or neglect their children. I am not saying any of those things. What I am saying is that the finger-pointing needs to stop. People do the best they can with what they know - and no one knows more about children than teachers.

Imagine the difference this letter could have if it read:

Dear Parents, 

We are here for you. We are here to help educate your student BOTH socially and academically. We know that you are trying to teach your kids to use kind words, be truthful, demonstrate manners, and show respect for others. We are not here to judge you, but we would like to help you. We have spent years reading and researching techniques about behavior and manners. We have resources to share. We would like to help you if we can - simple as that.

I am not a perfect parent. My birth son sometimes wears dirty jeans to school without me realizing it. My birth son lied to his teacher even though we stress the importance of telling the truth. My birth son did not have his homework done on time the other night because we were too busy to get to it. And my birth son's mom is a teacher. I am a teacher, and I struggle, too! I am glad that his teacher is part of my team, my village. I am thankful that she knows how important my son is to me. If we hope to change the feelings towards education - we have to start changing the way we treat each other. We have to take the barrier away between parents and teachers. This is not a "them vs. me" situation. A chid's parent is my strongest teammate because it takes a village - which is why this rhetoric must stop. 

How Do You Learn In a Room Like That?

As a new teacher, I always felt a need to make sure my students knew I was the teacher. It's almost like a drew an invisible line in my classroom, and I remember telling students that my chair and desk were off limits. What I didn't realize is that by saying those things, I was inadvertantly making myself off limits to some of them.

In the last month, with input from my students, I have transformed my classroom into a flexible seating classroom.  In lieu of desks, we now have futons, video chairs, lawn chairs, exercise balls, and floor chairs. I might also add that I teach high school, and yes, my kiddos were super excited about the exercise balls the first day they were in class. One of my sophomore boys walked into the room, and he asked, "What is this glorious awesomeness I see? Do we get to sit on those!?"  Gosh, it is crazy to me that a $7 exercise ball can bring this kind of joy to a student.

(Edit: my room really isn't as big as it looks; I had to use panoramic view to get it all in. I might add that getting rid of desks really opened up room.) 

Prior to this leap, I was a 50/50 flexible seating classroom; I had comfy seats that lined the back of the room. I kept the 24 desks in rows for "instructional" time, and once it was time for individual or group work, students moved to more comfortable seating. Before deciding to jump ALL IN with flexible seating, I polled my students.  I asked them which type of seating they preferred.  I wanted their opinions before I changed seating options.

I also asked them how flexible seating would help them learn. A few of their responses were:

The desks and tables are a designated sign of a rigid classroom and portrays the classroom as a place of frustration and anxiety, but with a more free, flexible seating arrangement, students could shed this stereotype. In a flexible seating classrooms students would feel less obliged to follow structured class and would be able to learn more at their pace. (I promise I did not revise this answer - wowza loving the thinking this student showed!)

It would help us feel more comfortable to talk and have discussions. (Check!)

I'm a person who likes to move or fidget and the chairs would let me move/fidget around while doing my work. (You know this student; this is an easy way to help him/her out!)

I think I'd learn just as easy as I do with a desk; it probably wouldn't effect me much. (Love the honesty here!)

Finally, I asked how it would improve the classroom environment. They responded by saying:

I'm not a student who regularly uses flexible seating because I'm more comfortable at a desk, but I think flexible seating opens up the room and doesn't make it seem crowded.

Even though I don't use them I think it helps the rest of my classmates learn better. (Again, loving these honest opinions!)

It makes it more comfortable, and I focus better when I am comfortable.

It gives a more relaxed feel to the classroom that helps us to feel at home. (And for some kids, school is the most relaxed/safest place they are all day!)

It makes the classroom feel more friendly and inviting. (WELCOME! Now let's learn!)

In order for this to work, the #1 aspect of a classroom that had to be established is a respect for learning.  My students know that it is my job to help them become life-long readers and writers.  They know it is their job to take ownership of their learning and optimize their time in class as much as possible. If those expectations aren't clear, I could see how this type of seating might cause some issues.

I can say, without hesitation, that flexible seating has single-handedly changed the environment in my classroom. Kids are happy to walk in my room. They are comfortable throughout class. They have the right to move to a new seat if they feel sleepy after lunch or if a classmate is bothering them. They know that I will move them (or move to them) if they choose a spot that is not in their best interests for learning.

So, a few questions have also come up along the way, let me take a minute to address them.

1. How do you teach? How do they take notes? Can they all see the board?

We are fortunate to be a 1:1 school, so every student has his/ her own laptop.  I teach the same way I always have, but the delivery method comes through their computer screens instead of a projector.  If they have room in their laps for a computer, then that is all we need. I might also add, that for my students with visual impairments, this takes away the "differences" they feel each day because they do not have to sit at the front of the room to see the board - their board is right in front of them.  And I do have students who tell me, I learn better by the door or I prefer to sit by myself until we need to do group work.  The kids are honest.  Just ask them what they need.

2. What do you do about tests/ quizzes?

I will be honest, I am starting to move away from a class that uses 100% traditional tests and quizzes and instead we use project based learning or informal assessment so that I can judge the comprehension in my class and determine which direction to take the lesson. There are times, however, when traditional tests are used.  I bought 30 clip boards for our paper/pencil tests and quizzes.  The kids like it.  If the quiz is online, I simply ask them to turn so that I can see their computer screens.  Finally, I ask them to spread out.  That means that some kids move to the floor, some kids move their chairs, and only 2 kids can sit on the ends of the futons.  We brainstorm solutions to these problems together.

3. How do you keep everyone involved in the conversation and keep the same level of discussion?

It's simple - I don't, and I never have.  In a classroom with desks and rows, I sometimes struggled to get the conversation started (insert cricket sounds); oftentimes, I had 1-2 individuals who refused, no matter what I tried, to talk.  So now, we do a lot of pair-and-share discussion, and then they share it out.  If I feel like a student is struggling or doesn't want to talk to his/her classmate, then it is much easier for me to get to where that student is and then I get to be the partner.  The change in discussion and comments from my students has amazed me.  On Friday, I had students asking questions like: "What is a better way to say the word 'but'?" and "Should I join this sentence with a semi-colon or a comma/Fanboys" and even "I think this first clause sounds weird, can you help me?"  I'll take those conversations over silence any day.

It's not perfect.  Some days it's messy.  Some days my kiddos don't put their chairs or pillows back.  But those some days are few and far between.  What a beautiful mess I'm in - ever changing, constantly moving, but always learning. So the next time a student asks me to sit in my teacher chair, the answer is YES!