Good morning, everyone. This morning I am going to share Erin Gaudet’s open letter to me on her blog (https://middleschoolexploration.blogspot.com/). Thank you, Erin, for you kind words of support. Thank you for this morning’s inspiration.

Open Letter to Monte Syrie

In response to a call for inspiration, I am writing this open letter. Thanks for the inspiration, Monte!

Hi Monte,

I’ve been greatly inspired this year by your blog/Twitter feed (I’m @MadameGaudet), by your insistence on finding a better way, and by your genuine care for all of your students. I’ve been teaching for 15 years now, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone in the struggles I have with grades vs student ownership, and in my focus on community and connection building first and curriculum only after that. 

If you’re still feeling like you need some inspiration for your blog as the year winds down : Who are your “go-to” people either online or in person for inspiration and/or help navigating these changes? What benefit do you get from hashing out ideas with people in your own school vs online connections? How does blogging enter into your attempts to do better?
I am a middle school teacher, so grades in the traditional sense “don’t matter” as much as they might in high school. I still find my students are so hung up on the grade that they neglect the learning when they start with me at the beginning of the year. By this time of year, they are more willing to take chances, and embrace experiences. I worry that when I send them off to high school this openness and commitment to learning will fall by the wayside with teachers who focus predominantly on compliance. This is not to say that the high school teachers at my students next school are not wonderful teachers, who truly care about their students. I know that many of them struggle with the same questions that I have surrounding relationship building and grading practices. However, as an institution, high school has a more grades-based focus than I do in my classroom. 
I hope that I’ve given my students enough of a taste for learning, for self-motivation, for curiosity, for compassion, and for questioning that they will maintain those qualities in the face of what high school will throw at them.

My Go-to Peeps and Tweeps

In person, my colleague and grade-level partner Jenna Tamura has been and continues to be my sounding board. She daily has to listen to my mad musings as I chase and change. In constant flux, I imagine I am not easy to follow, for I sometimes daily change course. And she patiently follows my crazy, but she also keeps me grounded, helping me capture all the things I float, ensuring that we actually do something. Importantly, we both experiment with grading and community building and have the invaluable opportunity to do, reflect, and do better together.

I also have a live-in go-to, my lovely wife who is a middle school art teacher. She is my always-and-forever witness, and we talk a great deal about our practice, but we talk even more about our kids who first had her and now have me. Most mornings as we get ready for school, side by side, we talk shop…well, really, we talk kids. She is the best teacher I know.

Online, my biggest go-to’s in terms of finding inspiration and confidence have been all the folks associated with Teachers Going Gradeless (@TG2Chat). In particular, Aaron Blackwelder (@AaronSBlackwel1) and Abe Moore (@Arbay38) have been instrumental in my growth along the gradeless path. Of course, there are many more to mention, but Twitter in general has played a huge role in my growth over the last three years. Can’t imagine a world without it now. It has revealed to me a world full of like-minded teachers who share the same dreams and struggles on their own journeys to better education. It gives us an intimate look into other teachers’ classrooms from all over the world. I wish it had been around earlier in my career.

Blogging

My morning habit. I think this is my 754th post. For three and a half years now, I have been sitting here at the screen reflecting and ruminating about education. As one who is by nature reflective, it has not only been an important outlet for my head too full, but it has also helped me walk my talk: Do. Reflect. Do Better. And though I just recently shared my waning motivation, which led to your stepping in and giving me a boost, I cannot imagine ever fully walking away from my daily habit. And when I discover that my morning musings inspire and help others, it makes it even less likely that I will quit that which I have come to love. Thank you, Erin, for letting me know that it matters.

GRRRRRRRRRades.

Yes. They get in the way. And they are stubborn little buggers, who despite our earnest efforts to shoo them away, they cling, they stick. In truth, they suck. This is where my work began and really continues. How do we get grades out of the way of learning? This is still my driving question as I seek to better the learning experiences for my kids.

And this is where I think your work to de-emphasize grades in your classroom is vital, Erin. My dream, from the work we are doing, is that we ultimately empower kids to expect–to demand–more from their education. I want to believe that, though it may never fully come to fruition during our careers, we are helping shape a mindset for future generations who’ve come to realize the folly of the grade game and come to demand more, to demand better for their kids.

Please keep fighting the good fight at the middle level. I think it is the perfect place for the type of change we are trying to bring about, for as you said, grades really don’t matter at the middle level, and also as you suggested, they are given way too much importance at the high school level. We can change that. We are changing that. Thank you for doing the hard but good work. We are not alone. I hope that helps you to know that. It has helped me. It helps me to know that there is someone in Nova Scotia, Canada right now on a similar path. So thank you, Erin. Thank you for being out here with me. It matters.

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. Have a great weekend.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.