(The art of)

 INTEGRITY

(from the inside of a yellow Chevy Caprice)

When I was little, I used to love to play that game where you find a word in another word.  My Nonnie took me to Washington Irving Elementary School every day where she was a third grade teacher and I was a student.  I remember staring at the word, "Caprice" on the dash of her car and finding "cap", "price" and "rice" easily.  Then it dawned on me I could move the letters around and that brought a whole new list of words including "reap" and my personal favorite, "crap".  

So now, fast forward about 3 decades and I am the third grade teacher taking my daughter to school everyday.  And I still love to play word games...like "Jump Your Spelling Words" or "Word in a Word."  So, since you are here... play along with me?

What words do you see in the above heading, "Integrity?"  If you are a school reformer or aware of the politics playing out in education, you will probably quickly see the word "grit" because it is really popular now.  Some people think you can just "grit" your way to the top. Hmmmm.... I have seen a lot of grit in my life as the daughter of a social worker, artist and from a family of farmers, educators and small business owners.  Even though I see the politics in the rhetoric (and vice versa), it does make me really think about how we use semantics in shaping opinion and policy.  I have a passion and curiosity for semantics because I know it is used to pave roads, sometimes it's gravel...  What do you think of when you hear "grit"?  

Maybe instead of feeling a little bit dirty and angry when I hear that word, maybe just maybe, I can use my own "grit" to scrub out my own personal meaning.  I think grit is going deep into a cleansing process...looking for something meaningful or working to restore some shine.  Reminds me of the Ajax my grandmother used to swear by as she cleaned every room in her roadside motel every day.  Yeah, she had grit in so many ways.  I would watch her take a tiny bit of powder and work it in circles.  The grit would ball up initially and really looked like more of a mess than anything but she kept massaging it and working with it, until she revealed a shine underneath.  It didn't make those old sinks and tubs new but it sure did reveal a sparkle that welcomed the next guest to their next stop on their destination.

I believe we are all travelers on this journey called life.  I love hearing about what others are discovering on their journey. This is why I chose to be a teacher and learner.  This is why I consume articles, books and professional development opportunities.  I don't want to get stuck in a ditch.  But, I am much more intrigued by the drive than the destination.  I was touched by Chris Thinnes recent blog about the NPE conference in Austin (which I visited via internet and twitter).  For more on that , check this out.  chris.thinnes.me/?p=1979 

This is the "grit" that shined for me through Chris' journey with school reform and exploring his role at the NPE conference.

I was taken by the purposeful efforts they made – at this instant, and in many others like it over the course of our time in Austin — to really hear and to honor the contributions of others; the authenticity of their responses to questions, even and especially when they presented them with a challenge; their willingness to take steps back in order that others might take steps forward; and their seeming preference to defer to the insight and experience of others, in order that they might learn themselves. Imagine what could happen – in and among our schools, and in the public discourse about them – if our extended conversations and collective decision-making were framed by such an ethos.

That, to me, my friends... is grit.  And all the motivational posters and policies in the world are not going to erase the human need to "own" our learning, to find personal meaning along the journey and to honor it when you see others driving a similar make and model.  And it is worth the "crap" we have to drive through to find our own place in school reform and politics and Teaching and LEARNING and then, to try to facilitate or at least, support that for others. I know a lot of people (hear that inner critic) who may think this is all just too "artsy" of a take or too many words about something that matters little in the "bottom line" of a "data driven" discussion...or a waste of time to explore the human emotions that underlie the spirit of democracy and education.  I say, I am using my "grit" to "reap" the shine and the rest is "crap".  And in the words of my very wise Nonnie, an educator for over 35 years....."FIDO" which means, "Forget it, Drive on!" (or something like that...)

I am old enough to drive now and to choose to take a few detours now and again.  I can follow a map.  I can navigate back roads. Standards, tests, rules, shmules, whatever....They may get to build the highways but they don't own the words on the dash of my personal vehicle.  That's where I can find my inteGRITy in the ride.  I hope I can inspire others to be aware of the road signs but to also program and trust their own gps.  So many possibilities!  So many words!   

Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Yeah!  
More words from Caprice...EPIC, Circa!  http://www.solverscrabble.com/solver/

Comparing and Contrasting: A Life Skill

Compare and Contrast:  Beyond the Venn Diagram

Megamonsters Beware!

As a third grade teacher, I start teaching comparing and contrasting early in the year.  It looks like this, "Turn to your partner.  Find something that is the same.  Now find something that is different.  Use what you see and your interest survey to record you comparison and contrast on a venn diagram.  Be prepared to tell the group how you are the same and different."  Then it moves to much more complicated forms of comparing and contrasting using characters, genres, plots, etc. as the year progresses.  I know I hit success when my students internalize this process and start doing it naturally with my read alouds or during their book buzz time.  I know I have much more base level work to do when a student cannot connect to text in this way.

Why is this so important?  Don't tell me because it is on a test.  It is through the comparisons and contrasts of life that we really begin to discern, to "see", to find joy or discrimination, love or hate.  Comparing and contrasting nurtures perspective which frames all issues and is a basic element in our democracy.  My students need to develop a lens to view their world and make their decisions, not because they need to be able to "compete" in some artificial "race to the top" but because they have to live with themselves their whole life and so does their family.

Comparing and contrasting my own family history has helped me chart my course.  It hasn't been perfect.  I have not won the Noble Peace Prize nor have I earned millions with any great invention but I have found a place where I call "home" and this base is fertile ground for growing thinkers. If I can plant the seeds of being able to compare and contrast with my students, they will have the lens they need to make their own discernment and choices.  Whether it pleases Bill Gates, Jeb Bush or anyone plotting to profit from their skills is unknown to me.  But you bet I see the contrast!

So, just for fun.  Here is my comparison and contrast thus far for today.

Me Likey:  Waking up to my son's innovative and spontaneous creation.  Yesterday, after discovering he bought the wrong kind of clear display "holders" for his trading cards, he turned it into his own game called,
"Mega Monsters."  His detail and commitment to task are admirable.  This kid is gonna do somethin' with that noggin!

Me NO Likey:  I have been trying to set my intention for the day when I open my eyes by paying attention to what surfaces.  The surface today was these two phrases, "Data driven" and "Fidelity to Programs".  Me no likey these for very good reasons.  They ARE MEGAMONSTERS.  Semantics shape policy and implementation.  Leaders follow and followers swallow.  I don't want to eat a megamonster!

First, I don't DO data driven.  I drive my car.  I drive nails into the wall.  I do not drive data nor do I drive instruction.  I inform my practice by looking at data.  DATA INFORMED!  I can chew on that!

Second, Fidelity is what I have with my husband, not with programs.  I am faithful to my friends and my family.  I show fidelity to my children...all of them.  This doesn't mean I don't grasp scope and sequence or standards or the role of testing and accountability.  I get it.  How many ways must I prove it?

My job is to teach children.  I will do that by being INFORMED and FAITHFUL to their learning.  Yes, yes I will.

So, who cares?  Right?  It's just some little words...  Yeah, except those words are powerful daggers in the hands of monsters.

So, Megamonsters, Beware!

I know how to compare and contrast and so do my children!

What is your comparison and contrast for the day?

Need Help?  Call Intervention 101

Are you feeling a little ill?  off kilter? Wondering if winter and the wrath of Jack Frost and 

Testing on Testosterone 

will ever pass?

Trying to focus on how to squeeze in EVERYTHING and the kitchen sink in the next month...minus spring break...and snow days...and extra curricular activities...and test prep...and time change...and ...fidelity to programs...and taking care of kids....and then limp through until JUNE or whenever it all finally comes to a screeching halt?

Stop the bleed, the negative self talk, the "not good enough" pre-testing mania! Get started with these interventions NOW!

1.  Put the oxygen mask on  yourself!  That's right!  GO to the doctor, get some vitamins, buy a nice body oil, schedule a massage...whatever....but DO IT!

2.  Sit down with each student and have them tell you about a piece of work they are doing, an assessment they have taken, a piece of artwork or whatever seems relevant at the time in their learning. Approach them with a "sandwich" using the following recipe pattern...top bread, protein, bottom bread.  Bread is soft.  It gives us something to hold onto so we can swallow the protein our bodies (and minds) need.  Don't skip the bread!  It's winter, remember?  Kids (and adults) need the cushion for their brains!

Breads:  You choose.  Want a tortilla? bagel? honey wheat?

Top Bread:

What was easy for you with this assignment?  What did you like about this?  How did this feel for you?  What were you going for when you started?

Protein:  Peanut butter, salami, turkey or chicken breast?

Where was your struggle?  What did you learn?  What would you do differently?  What problems did you have to solve?  Explain your brain...

Bottom Bread:

How do you feel about this?  What is your take-away?  What is the next step for you?

That's right, friends!  

Empower yourself, Empower each other!

Interventions 101 is hardwired in your brain.  You can access it anytime.  

Just call 101 Intervention!

Yell it loud if no one answers or post your favorite Intervention 101 here!  

It's free and there's a money back guarantee!  Don't wait!  

Time is of the essence! Intervention 101...it works, it really, really works!  See?  Look at me!  Click here for more ideas!

What is a Leader? A Third Grader's Perspective

Today's Objectives:

I can identify the main idea and details in a nonfiction article.
I can learn facts about the life and contributions of Nelson Mandela.
I can form opinions about what makes a leader and reflect on how I can be a leader.

Third graders are really special people.  They have a keen sense of fairness and justice without the cynicism and subjectivity employed by many adults.  Third graders KNOW things...things that are not explicitly taught or tested.  They just know.  For example.  To start today's lesson, I asked my third graders to define a leader.  Without any prompting, here is what they had to say....

• a leader is kind
• a leader is someone who is willing to make peace
• a leader is someone who won't fight with you
• a leader will stop a civil war
• a leader will stand up for others
• a leader helps solve problems
• a leader is someone who makes you want to follow in their footsteps
• a leader unites people

Looks like my third graders are college and career ready!  Too bad they can't vote!

Go with it....

The Spin  

Wow, life has really sped up the last few years.  Every now and then I get a spinning sensation that seems to transcend the physical...  In these moments it feels something like getting on and off a merry-go-round; trying to balance and equlibrate all I have committed to and all I want to do.  I always come out a little dizzy but somehow eager to get back on and find that place where the whir swells up giddy inside.

Alive?....or just at the carnival...after too much sugar and too many rides....the ground moves a little...or is it the sky?

 Maybe it is because my kids are getting older, maybe it is because I am getting older, maybe it was the i-phone that changed the pace or when my father died.  Maybe it was the onset of all that has come with the corporate school reform movement or perhaps it was the realization that my grandmother has dementia and will never be the same.  Maybe it was the snowball effect of all these things on a middle aged girl from the 70's who dreams of a world where things are organized, meals are planned and people are happy.  Maybe I am just realizing that I am imperfectly human and that my physical "peak" may have already come and gone.  Maybe it is growing older, wiser or more aware of all that there is to fear, to learn, to conquer.  I don't know but I know I can't change it and so I must simply go with the flow....go with it, lean into it and be happy that even when I am spinning, I am still with myself and there is no one else I had rather spin with than me.

Best Seat on the Merry Go Round...just close your eyes....and enjoy the ride...even if you throw up...

The Membergots

         THE MEMBERGOTS

                                     "I coming coke, I coming fries"  Dylan on going to Nonnie's house
                                          "That's not Jossi's rule"  Jossi on potty training

The Membergots, they are not alien beings....No, you know those things that are important that you remember that you forgot?  Those are the membergots.  My son coined that phrase when he was two or three and it always makes me smile.  That's the magic of membergots...they make you smile when you remember them, because they are important.

My membergot today is that 1) I  am so fortunate and 2) I can ask for what I want to create in each day.  Setting an intention or cultivating the flow doesn't mean I get to control it but it does set a compass.  I see a lot of my kids need that compass set in the morning.  I am so lucky I get to do that with my morning meetings.  I have a theme, a game, a message, a writing activity...something to tap in.  I think this is the most magical part of my day.  It is non-negotiable in my work as a teacher and a human being given the mission of guiding little people through the world of third grade. It is the GROUND work.  It is not scripted but it is absolutely embedded in every program and everything I have learned and everything I believe and it is my best membergot in the classroom.  Now I will give my kids the gift of setting their own compass....asking for what gifts they want to see in their day.  My "true north" wall is a powerful and magnetic compass.  I membergot it....

Negotiation, Procrastination and Inspiration

Momation Vibrations

                                                                          

Negotiation:  How to get some time alone in the morning.  After getting half way to school WITHOUT my coffee for the second time, I realize again...I have a 40 (plus) year old brain!  AGHHH!  I went into the kitchen, got interrupted again by my daughter who wakes up wanting to chat and I walked right by the coffee.  I have to figure out HOW to get my head time in the morning.  I have tried many tactics.  I must now NEGOTIATE! I have to renegotiate the morning routine with my daughter and model and practice.  No griping, repeating myself, feeling put out....just figure out how to negotiate a plan.

Procrastination:  There are many little things I have not done that I must get a handle on this weekend.  Pesky boogers!  Making my list now....I'm gonna climb that mountain of Procrastination.

Inspiration:  Chris Barton, author of Shark vs. Train and Day Glo Brothers was a great inspiration today for talking about writing, revising and collaboration with my kids.  He led me right into where I wanted to be with them....now, I must build my creative writing space.  Let it begin with me!

So much great stuff in this day.  Oh yeah, documentation.  I must take video for my video journal.

Funny, when I go for flow, I find it is usually pretty attainable.  Everything I need is right here/there....well, except my morning coffee....back to negotiations!

Happy Friday!
Salutations!