“Sy, can we do a Survivor thing in here?”

“What do you mean, Jack ?”

“Ya know, like the show. Tribes. Immunity challenges. Things like that.”

Jack (name changed), with Brian in tow, approached me mid-period yesterday during fourth. Prior to that moment, I had overheard them back in the corner, joking with Jill, telling her she was “voted off the island.” Of course, they were playing, and of course, as is typical with my “corner crew,” they were not working very diligently. In fact Jack, I believe, had already given up on the year. So though I figured on some level he was just continuing the play, there was a spark in his eye, and sensing a chance at turning that spark into something more, I took a chance. I broke the rules.

“I’ll make you a deal. Since you are obviously not making any progress with the project, and–if we’re being honest–you’re probably not going to. No offense, kiddo. Just calling it as I see it.”

“Nah, you’re right, Sy.”

“Okay, then. If you and Brian (since it was really Brian’s idea) put together and execute a plan for “Survivor,” I will let that be your “This Is Me” project, excusing you from all its work. But. You have to show me daily progress and consult with me frequently.”

“Okay, Sy. We can do that.”

“I hope. ‘Cause if you don’t stay on top of this, then no deal.”

Spark to flame. For the next twenty minutes, there was more productive buzz from these two than I have seen all year. In fact, the rest of the “corner crew” were energized in a way heretofore unseen. At the end, they had created and shared a page-full of brainstorming with me, responding to questions, writing down my suggestions, considering other possibilities.

I made a choice. Some might suggest I just make Jack and Brian comply. I get that, and once upon a classroom, I did that. But that’s not me. As I have suggested many times, I am not interested in compliance. I seek commitment. They were not committing to the project. So, when this opportunity presented itself yesterday, I made a choice, I took a chance. Right choice? I don’t know. Time will tell. But if my opening the door yesterday can continue to fan the flame in these two, then it will all be worth it. It was a chance I had to take.

Today’s Trail

I am actually not at school today. I have an appointment. Life calls sometimes and we have to answer when it does.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Not gonna happen today, I guess. Staring at the screen, digging into my memory well, and coming up empty. Lots of good things happening with the kids right now. I am proud of their diligence, despite the time of year, but I just don’t have much that is new to share at this time.

So, I am not going to force it. The well is dry today.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…seeking and responding to feedback.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Wednesday, all. Maybe the rain today will fill the well.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

There is nothing more important than the people in the room, so we start with the people in the room. Every day.

Thirty-four years ago I learned an important lesson about teaching. Of course, I was only a student at the time, and I did not really know or truly appreciate the lesson, but all these years later, I know and appreciate–really and truly–what I learned from Mrs. Hisaw about the importance of relationships in the classroom. I was reminded of that Friday when I found this card in my school mailbox.

She was my junior high P. E. teacher. She wrote us cards then, which always contained words of love, wisdom, and encouragement, and she is still doing it today–thirty-four years later. She is still making an impact, still making a difference. And it is this same teacher I have striven to be and will continue to strive to be years into my students’ futures.

Everything I do to build relationships, from Smiles and Frowns to MyRoomMessages to Sappy Sy Rhymes to writing cards, can be traced back to the lady who taught me everything there is to know about working with young people. Thank you, Hise. I am who I am as a teacher because of you.

Of course, as I have discovered and continue to share from my own journey as a teacher, relationships are neither automatic nor accidents. They are intentional constructs of connection. And of all that I do, I believe there is nothing more important or suited for developing relationships than Smiles and Frowns (http://www.letschangeeducation.com/reflections-reality-relationships-are-not-accidents/).

Each day, each period–no matter what–my kids and I begin our time with Smiles and Frowns. We even found a way to do it during state testing. It is our must, our non-negotiable. I told my kids on day one, when I introduced it to them for the first time, there is nothing more important than the people in the room, so we start with the people in the room. And now, 156 days later, there would be an uprising if it were taken away. I have even said, publicly, I would get fired if I were ever made to take out of my classroom. Fired? Why would anyone ever want to stop Smiles and Frowns. Time. It takes time. And there are differing opinions on what constitutes good use of time. Some of my colleagues near and far think such things are a waste of time.

By year’s end, I will have invested well over a 1,000 minutes in Smiles and Frowns. Some people find that unreasonable, unacceptable, and even–I suppose–to be malpractice. Malpractice? It is bad practice to invest in kids? I don’t buy that–emotionally or rationally. We claim to know a lot in education. One of those claims, which requires no degree and was most popularly suggested by Maya Angelou, is that kids will forget much of what we taught them, but they will never forget how we made them feel. Never. We know this. Time has told this tale, time and time again. Mrs. Hisaw knew this thirty-four years ago, and I know it today. Many of us know it today, and that’s why we do what we do, even at the risk of being misunderstood and maligned by our peers. Education is not merely an investment in an institution. It is an investment in humanity. And so, I invest each day in the young humans in my charge. Will it matter in the long run? Only time knows that answer. But I have a hunch, it will. So, I invest. Every day.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…reconnecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

A bit tired and uninspired this morning. Batteries are starting to run low. Tells me it’s getting nigh time for a long, deep-cycle charge: summer. Hard to imagine how we could do this job without the summer weeks to rest, reflect, and recharge. And, as summer nears, it’s hard to resist the pull; it’s hard to hide the tired. So, not gonna hide it this morning. I am tired and ready for summer. I suspect I am not alone. At the very least, the kids are with me.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Friday, all. Sorry for the lame post this morning.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Kids are icebergs: so little above, so much below. And like icebergs, no two kids are alike. And this year, as my “bergs” have bobbed around our sea, I have gotten to know more of what lies hidden beneath.

Of all my bergs, he may be my “bergiest” of all–so much to him, more than I dare share, for his is not a fairy tale. There is no Disney version. But that does not mean that there have not been moments of hope. Yesterday, he and I shared a moment, a bright, beautiful moment. He drafted this poem and shared it with me.

On the surface, it is a rough, unfinished draft. But, given all that this young man carries beneath, this, to me, is a masterpiece. It is something that I would proudly frame and hang on my wall for the rest of my career. Today, I will ask him if I may. I want it there, on my wall, as a reminder that there is more to each kid than we could possibly know, and when–if–they let us in, it is a gift, for when we find their door, it opens our eyes to the possibility, the promise they possess.

I’m so glad I crashed into this young man. It’s of titanic consequence to me as I continue to navigate the waters of my classroom, seeking and crashing into icebergs so I may find what lies hidden.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

I imagine there’s no other job quite like it. Of course, my imagining is limited to my experience, but it is my experience, after all, that leads me to such imagining. There’s nothing quite like teaching.

We have the power to change the world, and we also have the power to do nothing.

We are respected. We are reviled.

We create the possible as we daily face the impossible.

We are often unseen but we live under a microscope.

We are as connected as we are divided.

We may make many right choices throughout our day, but we are kept awake by our mistakes.

One word from us can build a kid up or break a kid down.

We have to wear many hats in our day, but we only have one head.

We are pioneers of the future. We are servants to the status quo.

We are heroes. We are human.

We smile through our day, even when life frowns back.

We try to find fair in a world that’s not.

We are filled by our days with kids only to be left empty when our days end in June.

And then we come back and do it all over again. We can’t help it. We are teachers.

To all my colleagues, near and far, happy Teacher Appreciation Week.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Wednesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Role #4: Writer. This is also a worker role. My hope is that you write more this year than you have in all your other years combined. I believe this is perhaps one of the most important skills you can develop for life now and later. I need you to be a writer. I want you to believe you are a writer. We are writers.

I ask my kids to play six roles during their yearlong experience with me. One of those roles is “writer.” But of late–well, for some time now, if I am honest–I’ve begun to question what that really means.

Do I mean author? Essay writer? Pass-the-state-test writer? Communicator? Blogger? Journalist? Tweeter? Poet? Literate citizen? Functional student?

Yes. No. Maybe.

I think if I had to choose one. I would settle with communicator, meaning someone who can effectively deliver information to an audience. And it’s not that I think the others aren’t worthy of consideration; they just don’t cover the spread. So, I guess in that sense, I find myself a generalist when it comes to supporting writers.

Some might suggest that my specific charge falls under the essay-writer/pass-the-test heading, but–though I felt differently about it at one point–I’m no longer convinced this creates enduring understanding/application experiences for kids. So, I’ve begun approaching writing a little differently. Oh, I still consider many of the same things that one might expect in the “traditional sense,” but I want my kids to carry these considerations into all writing situations. To that end, I ask them consider these questions each time they set to writing.

What is my purpose/focus for this piece?

How will I organize this piece?

How will I support and develop this piece?

Of course, there are a bajillion other considerations to make, but this gives them a general guide, one I hope they continue to use as they encounter writing situations long after they’ve left me.

And then, I strive to give them various writing experiences where they plan on the front end and reflect on the back end. The in-between is filled with doing, getting, feedback, and revising–the process ultimately overshadowing the product. But if we consider the “product” the writer, then maybe it is the product that matters in the end, for the process builds the product, and I am just trying to build writers, communicators. So, I focus heavily on the process of the feedback loop.

At present, the kids have to write six pieces for their “This Is Me” project. They had to choose from eight modes: narration, description, exposition, argumentation, persuasion, definition, cause/effect, and compare/contrast. They have to “stick to the mode,” but their writing may take various forms ranging from advertisements to comics to poems to–yes–even essays. They choose which form they believe will best help them achieve their purpose.

This project creates the writer experiences I seek for my kids. It produces work for process. They plan, they write, they seek feedback, they revise, they edit, they reflect, they polish, they publish. And they repeat any steps necessary. And it is my earnest hope that these experiences stick and stay as they develop and grow as writers.

I also try to help them build craft capacity with practice opportunities using things like “Tricks of the Trade.” I don’t teach these, I provide and guide experiences with these. Yesterday, the kids had to create a “white board post,” on a post-it note, using one of the tricks of the trade. They had to write something about our classroom community and then “publish it” on the white board under the “trick” heading.

Today, we will start a pass-the-paper story. I will give the starting sentences.

She didn’t want to enter the house. She had to enter the house.

From there, each kid will begin their story. They will have three minutes to use one of the tricks (except the full-circle ending) as they continue the story. They will then pass to their neighbors who will have three minutes to do the same. We will pass once each day for a week. Next Tuesday, the original owner will get the story back, and they will produce the full-circle ending. We will then share the stories in small groups.

Will this activity magically transform my kids into effective writers? Nope. But it will give them an experience that will help them make their way down the path. That, I’ve come to understand, is all I can do.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Tuesday, all. Sorry for the long post. Wasn’t the plan.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Morning, all. Tired today. Guess all my “relaxing” this weekend wore me out. Maybe I need to get out more often.

It truly was an incredible weekend, though. Norwegian Cruise Lines really went above and beyond to make us feel appreciated. They took great care of us, and made all of us feel like rock stars.

I didn’t win any of the cash prizes for the top three. They awarded them to the three who received the most votes. In a surprise move, with the generous help of their partners, they were able to increase the top prize winnings from $25,000 to an incredible $100,000!

Here are some pics from our evening at The Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle. Elvis Duran was even there to announce the winners.

Giving Joy. Yes, Norwegian Cruise Lines did just that. And we still have our cruise to look forward to. Thank you, Norwegian Cruise Lines, for such a joy-filled time this weekend.

For me, of course, the joy continues as I am back among my kids today, where every day is filled with joy. I am truly blessed. Thank you, again, to all who helped make my weekend a possibility. Could not have done it without you. Thank you.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…reconnecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…planning out our next piece of writing.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

I am not the best “relaxer” in the world, but today, that is my goal, my better. It helped that my day began here at 6:30 this morning.

My lovely wife and I had this rooftop pool and spa all to ourselves for an hour here in Seattle. We are here for the weekend for the Norwegian Cruise Lines Awards Gala for the Giving Joy Campaign. They are treating us like royalty. We are staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, said by many to be the finest in Seattle, said by some in the world.

Washington residents, we have been to Seattle a number of times, but today we are really going to be in Seattle as we kick around downtown and enjoy our moment. We know we are blessed. Wish all teachers could enjoy such an experience. I am grateful that I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and to have such supportive friends, colleagues, and family. Gonna enjoy every minute of it.

Happy Friday, all.

Do. Reflect. Relax. Do Better.