Here’s the recent podcast I did with the folks at TeachThought. Wanted to share. Thank you all for being so supportive of my work and message. Honored to share “our” story with more of the world.

Who are you?

Some of you already know this. But over break Project 180 gained a wider audience on Twitter, in great part due to Jennifer Gonzalez’s (@cultofpedagogy) endorsement of my recently begun #MyRoomMessages. With a large following and an earned respect, her recommendation reached a lot of people, and they followed. And followed. And followed. And before I knew it, my followers tripled, gaining nearly 5,000 followers on Twitter, where I daily share not only my Project 180 posts but also my Sappy Sy Rhymes, my My Room Messages, and various other tweets about my work.

Please know I am not sharing this to brag. Oh, no doubt I am pleased; I’m grateful that 180 is reaching more people. I have been grinding away at this every school morning for the past three years, and so it is encouraging to see my diligence paying off. But. But if I am honest, it’s all been a bit overwhelming and even intimidating. What do I do now?

I think it about more than I’d like to admit. I have long sought to push my work into the light, to gain attention for Project 180. And, well, now I have it, which brings both wonder and worry. And for me, wonder and worry often give way to doubt. And that is where I find myself this morning, sitting here having my second cup of coffee with my old acquaintance Doubt.

“Do you think you can keep this, up?”

I don’t know.

“People will disagree with you, challenge you.”

They have been all along.

“Do they know you have an edge?”

I’m not sure.

“Do you think you are making a difference?”

I hope so.

“Will you say the wrong thing?”

Maybe.

“Have you created a monster?”

I don’t know.

“Are you an impostor?”

Am I?

“Who are you?”

…………

He knows I can’t dance. So most of the time I dodge him. But then, other times, he catches me, and we dance clumsily as he leads me around the room in my head to places I try to avoid. But he takes me anyway. Sometimes we dance for days.

And then it stops. And I find myself. And I am made whole again, resolute in my mission, certain of my journey. And I am Sy. And that’s all that I can be; that’s all that I am. And the journey continues. For now.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…completing our projects in prep for next week’s interviews and presentations.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Sorry for the odd post this morning, all. Had to quit dancing. Thank you for letting me work through it. And thank you for your support. Can’t do this without you.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

We all make choices.

I am sure it caught her off guard. I am sad that it stressed her out. I am glad she contacted me. Well, her mom did.

Yesterday, I got an email from a parent requesting that I change her daughter’s presentation date. They have been on vacation since before break and now they will be on vacation after break, so consequently, her mom wants me to change the date because she won’t be here when her presentation is scheduled. I have to make a choice. 

Teachers have to make a lot of choices, even without kids, but add kids to the mix, and those choices rise considerably, for kids’ choices impact our choices, which then impact their choices. And…well, lots of choices.

Of course, to stem the tide, we have policies in place which aim to minimize the number of choices we have to make and to create some consistency in our day-to-day dealings with our students. Consistency is key in the classroom. And so we do our best to provide consistent experiences for our kids. But sometimes it’s difficult to be consistent. Life happens. Unforeseen’s show up–longer vacations. And consistency crumbles. And we have to make choices. I have to make a choice.

So, I did. It was an easy one to make. I changed the presentation date.

First, her project was done before she went on vacation. She is a diligent student. Second, her partner selected the “lottery” date, which just happened to be the day we got back from break. It could just as well have been the last day of presentations. So, with those in mind, it was really easy to change the date, but even without those circumstances, I would have changed it.

Flexible to a Fault

Am I too flexible? Maybe. Probably. Okay, yes. I am too flexible. There I said it. I, Monte Syrie, am too flexible as a teacher. Always have been and always will be. Pretty set in that way, despite my claim. I have made a choice to be so. I have consciously made a choice to create a culture of possibility in my classroom. And so, to achieve that desired end, I have to be flexible.

A long time ago I discovered that, most of the time, the difference between what’s possible and impossible in the classroom rests with my decision. Late work policy. My choice. Retake policy. My choice. Presentation dates. My choice. The list goes on. And as they are my choices, and as I seek to make things possible, I will not let my choices keep a kid from trying to make progress.

But is that fair to the other kids? She chose to go on vacation. She chose to extend her vacation. Shouldn’t there be consequences for that choice? Well, a choice was made, but it wasn’t hers. I am pretty sure that she did not call the airline to change the tickets or contact the hotel’s front desk to reserve a few extra nights’ lodging. But even so, she won’t learn an important life lesson about choices and consequences if I move the date. Really? I am not about that. There is nothing wrong with moving a date when it can be done, and here it can be done. It’s possible. So, I did it.

But what about consistency? Won’t that undermine my standing with the other kids if I am not consistent? Well, not if I am consistently flexible. In that, I am consistent. And my kids know it. In fact, though she made it “official” by having mom email me the request, I have to believe she knew I would do it. So, why even email me, then? Well, I want to believe it was act of consideration and respect. Further, I want to believe that she was so because she finds me so. Considerate and respectful. She is not taking advantage of me. She is experiencing life with me. And often times life forces us to make decisions that affect others. Her choices. My choices. Our choices.

In the end I believe in a culture of possibility through flexibility. And I have found few students or parents who object. Interestingly, the few people who do offer some objection are fellow teachers, for I am “failing to teach them the lessons of the real world.” Not sure about that. But I am certain of my choice, and I will own it, even if it’s a fault.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

There has to be more to it than this. Tell me there’s more to it. I can’t do this anymore.

When I first started Project 180, I wanted to see what would happen when I took grades off the table. Would kids do? Would kids learn? So, I took a risk to find out. We started the year with an “A” in hand and 180 days ahead of us. 

Kids did. And kids learned.

Now, two-and-a-half years into Project 180, I am still taking risks, steering away from the status quo and challenging convention. I no longer hand kids an A on day one (in truth, I never intended to stay at the far end of that pendulum swing), but I do differently by providing a select-and-support approach to grading, an approach that still swings far from the other end (traditional grading), allowing learning not grading to be at the center of our work.

What does that look like? Hard to put a finger on it. Looks and sounds a little different each day. Some days it’s as quiet as a church. Other days it’s as noisy as a stadium. And most days it’s up to the kids. I give them freedom because I want their commitment. It’s their learning, not mine. Some would suggest that we cannot give sixteen-year-olds such freedom, that they are too young to make the right kind of choices and thus need guidance through compliance. I don’t buy that. I don’t want that. I don’t want my kids to comply because such an end suggests a forcing, and I believe we cannot force kids to grow. Oh, I think we can–and most do–drive them with carrots and sticks along the way, but I am not convinced that results in much more than a going-through-the-motions experience for our kids where they “learn” it and leave it on a test and we smack a grade on it and call it learning. I am not interested in their compliance. I am interested in their commitment. And while I have yet to discover the way to do this. I am looking–every day–for a way. 

Last Friday, I shared this message with my kids. 

That is what I want for and from my kids. Is it an easy place I live? Certainly not, doubt taunts me daily. But I cannot go back. I have seen to much good to go back to the one-size-fits-all madness of standardization. And as I face the challenges from such a formidable force, I will stand fast in my belief that the better path is humanization in education. That’s my commitment.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…reconnecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…preparing and rehearsing answers for our Truth Project interviews.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better. 

This was in my inbox this morning. It rocked my world. I was so impressed by this young lady’s honesty and perspective. I am deeply humbled and flattered by her words. Already resolute in my desire to help change education, I am more resolved and inspired than ever to do what I can to make a difference. Thank you, Jordan. I needed this today.

Mr. Syrie,

My name is Jordan Lee, and just for a little bit of context, Mindy Barnes is my mom, who you went to High School with. I am a Senior this year in High School in Kuwait. 

When my mom first told me about your new approach to give all of your students As a few years ago, I was angry. She tried to talk to me about it, but I didn’t want to hear about it. I am one of those kids who works hard. Really hard. I work hard to earn the grades that I get. I automatically had sympathy for those in your class like me. So when she told me about this, I just thought “he doesn’t get it.” I didn’t think that you understood that students are lazy. If you just gave out As, students wouldn’t want to work and they wouldn’t want to apply themselves. It made me super frustrated. I thought about how I would NOT want to be a student in your class because if everyone got an A but not everyone earned an A, that would drive me crazy. 

Little did I know that I was the one who didn’t get it. 

A few days ago, she had me read a few blog posts that you wrote. I did not want to because I thought that I fundamentally disagreed with you. After battling her for months and months on it and finally ‘agreeing to disagree’, all of the sudden, it clicked for me. After thinking that you were a bad teacher who didn’t understand the education system or students, I realized something. 

You do get it. You are one of the only teachers who gets it.

You debunked the entire education system that we have. 

After reading more of what you wrote, I realized that you are one of the best teachers. I have finally understood the whole idea behind giving kids As. Not only do you care about students learning, you care about them applying it to their lives and not memorizing facts or pieces of information. You care about making sure students understand and become better people from the lessons that you teach. The whole education system is based upon grades so of course you had to give out grades to students. However that is not what is important. I have heard that for years, but now I finally get it. Yes, there is a big emphasis places on grades and GPA, but that is not what the emphasis should be placed on. We need to be more focused on the learning and application to our lives. 

However not only do I think you are amazing just for teaching about grades, but also the emphasis you put on learning and the positive classroom environment that you promote which creates a safe place that students come and want to learn. Your students trust you. 

As I have thought about teachers that I have loved, I have realized that I love the ones who love to help me learn. I love the ones who want to help me learn and succeed. Unfortunately, many of my teachers have fallen into the category of “teach, test, grade, done” where they teach the material, we take a test, they grade it based on if you know the material or you don’t and then that is the end. However, the teachers that are willing to take extra time and teach me and are concerned with my learning and not my grade have consequently been some of the most influential teachers for me, and I remember more material from their lessons because it is a part of me. 

I know this is what you have been trying to explain for years, but I finally got it, and I couldn’t love it more. Now I need to go back and read all of your blog posts because I am amazed at what you do and your thought process behind school and teaching. 

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jordan Lee

Here’s a post that I was honored to have published by the guys at Teachers Going Gradeless. Was happy to have an opportunity to share my room and work.

https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/2018/09/22/syrie-my-room/

Had the honor to write this piece on respect for Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE). Wanted to share.

PACE (link)

Morning, all. No post this morning. Life got in the way. Sorry. Be back tomorrow.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.