58 made it. 58 finished in the 72-hour window that I presented. They chose to read Night. No carrot. No stick. Just a challenge to read one of the most important books of our time, of any time. And those who didn’t quite make it will likely have finished it over the weekend. Because they chose to.

Importantly, I seek commitment, not compliance. I want my kids’ “do’s” to be real (see The Dilemma of Do). They either read it or they didn’t. Will, then, there be some who didn’t? Yep. They missed an opportunity to explore and to–try to–understand the human experience through the lens of Elie’s memoir.

Today, I will seek more commitment. They will engage in a three-day project to create and present a “storyboard” of Elie’s work with their peers. That’s their accountability–their accountability to one another. Further, individually, I will have them write and publish a personal impact statement from their reading of Night.

“As a human, Elie’s story matters to me because…

I will remember.”

In the end, regardless the text, regardless the experience, I just want them to grow. Academically. Socially. Emotionally. Personally. But I cannot force that. I only provide opportunity and support. So, I do. The rest is up to them.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…consider and write our impact statements.

…begin our Storyboard Project.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

Kids have the day off. Teachers have a Professional Learning Day. Of course, I think every day in the classroom is a learning day. And while I value my time with colleagues, I far prefer my time with my kids.

Happy Friday, all. Back here Monday.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

Almost 72 hours ago, I presented a challenge to my kids: read Night in 72 hours. Today, I will recognize those who made it with a certificate. I will also offer an apology. Not for the challenge. That was the easy part. I will apologize that they have to now hold the memories, that they have to know and try to understand that we are capable of such things. That’s the hard part.

But hard is necessary. Sadly. Better lies on the other side of difficult. And in their difficulty, I seek hope, for I think they can be better than we were, better than we are. Kids. It’s the only hope we have.

Today’s Trail 

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…say our Mindset Mantra.

…honor those who completed the challenge.

…take a Performance on Elie’s acceptance speech.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Tired and uninspired this morning. And maybe a bit grumpy. But Ma always told me that if I don’t have anything nice to say…

So I won’t say. But I want to. I want to say. A lot.

I want to lash out at those whose grading practices are unhealthy for kids, even–especially–my own child. But there’s a fine line to be walked with one’s colleagues, so I won’t. But I want to.

I want to tell the kids and the parents to call BS, that the practices and policies are grounded in nothing more than whim. I want to tell them that their teachers are choosing to create an unhealthy learning experience . There is no sacred rule that we must punish kids for late work or test them on things that we never taught in class. I want to tell them that “curving” a test is not a gift; it is a cover for crappy teaching. I want to tell them to ask why–again and again and again. But “why” is messy, so I won’t. But I want to.

I want to yell from a rooftop,

WE CLING TO THE STATUS QUO FOR ITS COMFORT, NOT ITS WISDOM!

But we need our comfort, and no one likes yelling, so I won’t. But I want to.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

…say our Mindset Mantra.

…hit our last leg of the 72-hour challenge. 24 to go. Kids are gonna make it.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Sorry, all, for the crappy ‘tude and mood this morning. I’ll be better tomorrow.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

Something gratifying about kids’ digging into work without a grade to motivate them. Of course this has been a common phenomenon in the 180 classroom for some time now. Tracing the roots all the way back to year one, where I gave all an A for the year to take grades off the table, our little sprout has grown considerably, and this year, as we add a new growth ring, we climb ever higher through the canopy, chasing the light of a new day, a new way.

As I shared in yesterday’s post, I decided to approach our reading of Night a little differently this year. Resolved that different needs to be different, I am always seeking to shake things up a bit, for without grades to create compliance, I have to find new ways to motivate my kids. So, I presented a challenge.

I gave my kids 72 hours to read the book. Ever mindful of their stress levels, I took note of some wide-eyed, stress-eyed responses, especially Morgan (name changed) who was already on the verge of tears, worrying about her AP World History test the next hour. So, I offered some perspective in an effort to provide some relief.

“It’s a challenge. Just that. If it weren’t challenging, it wouldn’t be a challenge. If you make it, awesome. If you don’t, it’s not a big deal. You will have more time. Please don’t stress.”

Beyond the challenge, I also attempted to appeal to their sense of humanity as a reason to read Elie’s story, telling them that I didn’t want them to read it because of the test at the end–there is no test. I want them to read it because they are members of the human race. We will do many things with the text afterwards as we continue to seek answers to the question, “How does the human experience connect and divide us?” One of those things will be an impact statement.

“As a human, Elie’s story matters to me because…. I will remember.”

I shared my impact statement yesterday.

And then…the kids dug into the text, and for the next forty minutes they chased the challenge, but not all the kids.

As my regular readers know, I offer lifelines. As I already mentioned above, Morgan and many of her peers were super stressed about a test, and so, some of them inquired about using their lifelines. The answer was, “Of course, they are yours to use when you like, but I’ll make you a deal. If you want to use my class time to study for your test today and you still meet the challenge deadline, then it will not cost you a lifeline. If you don’t, then you owe me a lifeline. It’s up to you.”

Consequently, many used the time to address the stress in their lives and studied for the test. Will they finish the book by Thursday? Yes, I think they will. How will I know? I trust them. Naive? Maybe. But it’s real. No pretense. No compliance. Just commitment. Their branches will never find the sun by faking it. And that’s on them. All I can do is point the way. They have to grow.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…say our Mindset Mantra.

…chase our challenge (48 hours to go).

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

Night falls. Time for our annual march through humanity’s darkest chapter. But this year, I am going to try something new. I will still do “The Pledge” as I have done in the past, using it as an opportunity for commitment rather than compliance–kids will read it or they won’t, but this year, I am going to challenge them to get it done in three days. Of course, if they don’t, there will be more time, but I am going to push them to rise to the challenge. We’ll see how it goes.

In addition to giving them the book today,  I will also hand them an excerpt from Elie’s Nobel acceptance speech, which I will ask them to read and annotate for a Performance on Friday. I will also ask them to give it a title. Elie titled it “Hope, Despair, and Memory.”

From there, we will go on to do a number of activities that honor Elie’s work, that honor Memory.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…say our Mindset Mantra.

…kick off our Honor the Holocaust Challenge (3 days to read).

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

And sometimes life pulls us away from the classroom. Yep, there is life, and there are responsibilities beyond school. Today, I am beyond school.Life calls. Meet ya back here Monday. Have a great weekend.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

“It’s the only time in my day that I don’t hate people.”

My wife–the best teacher I know–and I share kids. Well, not at the same time. She teaches art at one of our middle schools, and many of the kids who are in her class eventually end up in my class once they get to high school.

Two days ago, she ran into one of our shared students.

“Hey, Mrs. Syrie! I have your husband this year. I love his class. We are like a family. It’s the only time in my day that I don’t hate people.”

The only time in my day that I don’t hate people.

Hard to walk past that one. First, I cannot believe that the jovial, effervescent young lady with a smile as big as the room said this. I’ve never really seen her not smile. So to hear that she said this, that she felt this worries me. Second, how many other kids feel this way? Third, why do they feel this way? And fourth, is there anything we can do about it?

Last, why my room?  I think I know. And it’s neither an accident nor magic.

“In my room I want you to feel connected.”

This is my first of six standards that I set for myself in my room. I want kids to feel connected to me, and I want them to feel connected to each other. And so, I make that happen. And it ain’t no secret sauce. It’s simply Smiles and Frowns. I have written about this practice and its effect a number of times. It alone, I believe, has the power to connect people and to create community. Yes, it takes time. And no it’s neither in the curriculum nor on the test at the end of the year, but it is in the fiber, the fabric of our humanity. It is easy to hate what we don’t know. It is easy to hate what we don’t understand. But conversely, it is easy to love once we know. It is easy to love once we understand. So, let’s know. Let’s understand.

In my room, this is priority number one. We connect each day with Smiles and Frowns. No matter what. Everything else can wait. Nothing is more important than the people in the room, so we start with the people in the room.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that everyone in the room “loves” each other. But 24 days into the year, I have a young lady who already describes our class as a family. Family. I cannot speak to her experiences in her other classes, but if I had to put my finger on the difference, I would point to connection. I would guess that in her other classes she does not feel connected.

Does that matter? Maybe not. Maybe it is simply about completing transactions with kids as we make our way through the day. But if kids are going through their days hating their experiences and their peers, I’m not sure that’s okay. Surely that matters.

Nothing we can do about it? Horse hockey. We can do a lot about it. And it only costs about five minutes a day. And if the result is a kid feeling like she’s among family, then I have lots of time to spend.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…say our Mindset Mantra.

…complete our self-assessments and publish our poems.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

“Am I learning?”

You tell me.

I am going to ask my kids to self-assess today. I am going to ask them to annotate their work, indicating where and how they met the provided criteria. I am going to ask them to evaluate their work, using our 3 point scale to provide a big picture judgment of their learning.

Their latest learning experience is a Performance that has asked them to consider “truths” from the human experience as revealed by a documentary we watched last week about the Holocaust (see below).

In my room, I want kids to feel empowered. And I believe part of that empowerment comes from giving them more responsibility and ownership of their learning. Are they more qualified than I to assess learning? I don’t know. From a professional standpoint, probably not. But from a personal standpoint, maybe. It’s their learning. Perfect solution to the challenges of grading? No. But, maybe by meeting somewhere in the messy middle, we’ll get closer to the truth.

So, I will pose the question: Are you learning?

I will give them a platform.

And then, I will listen.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…say our Mindset Mantra.

…speak about our learning (self-assessment).

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Wednesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

How much is too much? Seconds? Thirds? What about thirteenths?

(Mostly) finished up our first round of performance retakes and corrections yesterday. Generally, these occur outside of class on kids’ own time, but for this first performance, I provided class time because–as planned–there were many who had to retake it. I knew they would. I put it in front of them with minimal preparation, for I have come to believe that kids learn from performance situations, for it is from there–a feedback opportunity–that learning takes place, and I believe that we have to create the need for feed.

So, with performances in hand, kids came to the table to eat. Some nibbled. Some gorged. For all, the goal was to feed their need.

As I have shared, my scoring is simple. A “3” indicates hitting the target [meeting the standard(s)]. A “2” is a near miss. And a “1” is a far miss. A “2” presents kids with a correction opportunity, small adjustments based on my feedback. A “1” presents a retake opportunity, which in most cases means completely starting over, requiring both feedback and interventions (reteach, further, examples, review of criteria, clarification of expectations, etc.). And from there the feast begins, the goal to get all kids to a 3.

And for some kids, that requires multiple trips back through the chow line. Thirteen trips? Well, not sure anyone quite made that many trips, but several got close. In truth, I don’t care how many trips they make as long as they are hungry for more. I have plenty to spare, and I can’t abide the thought of a hungry kid (see Project Feed Forward).

But such opportunities to eat one’s fill raises questions. Is it fair? Am I giving them too much help? Are they really learning? Can they do it without feedback? Do all kids deserve a 3? I don’t know. But I have some thoughts from the table I set.

Is it fair?

To whom? The kid? Or the kid sitting next to him?

The kid. If learning is the goal and to get to the goal he has to have the necessary “fuel” to get to the end, and I have the fuel, then how could it ever not be fair? The journey is a bit different for each kid, regardless my approach. I can’t ration fuel based on an average need. I have to fuel each according to his end. So am I giving some kids more fuel than others? Yes.

The kid sitting next to him. Who? Oh, you mean the kid with his own needs, his own learning? His own learning. Next question.

Am I giving them too much help?

Sorry, what’s the question? Flippant self aside, how do we explain to a kid that we have no more to give if they need more to get there? If there’s a need, then we have to feed. Right?

Are they really learning?

That’s the question isn’t it? Not sure anyone in ed has cornered the answer.

Can they do it without feedback?

Is it learning if they do? What if they do it for feedback? Don’t we do for feedback? Isn’t that a real world thing?

Do all kids deserve a 3?

No. But they certainly deserve an opportunity. The 3 is not a treasure to be guarded and granted to a deserving few. It is a measure to be pursued and attained by any who seek it, and if she needs a little more to get there, then…well, that puts us back to the original question.

I have kids. Kids have needs. I have feed. My kids will eat–as much as they want.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…say Mindset Mantra.

…take our next Performance.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.