Day Fifty Six. Got an email and some answers yesterday. Been wondering for awhile where she’s been. She doesn’t always love playing school and she generally procrastinates, but she always gets her exceptional work turned in on time. But she’s been missing in action the past few weeks, and though I figured there was a good reason, I didn’t expect what she finally revealed to me. Her mom’s cancer is back. My heart sank. And it continued to sink as she went on to apologize for her missing work, promising me that she wouldn’t use her mom’s health as an excuse, that she would get it done and turned in. But that won’t happen. I won’t let it.

I excused her from all the missing and remaining work for the semester. I told her that an “A” had already been indelibly stamped on her transcript and that if she went on to do it, she would be wasting her time. And, I meant it. Every word.

She has already proven herself this year. And I told her as much, explaining that doing or not doing the work would matter little in the grand scheme. And right now, life has thrown her something that requires more attention than the trivial tasks I have assigned during this distance-learning experience. I am more worried about her well-being than her demonstrating proficiency with our priority standards. There are greater priorities. Far greater.

I cannot change her situation with her mom. I can change her situation with my class. Her (necessary) absence from my class these past few weeks tells me where her focus needs to be. And that’s where it’s been. That’s where she has been. And that’s just where she should be. And I want her to remain there unfettered from the guilt of missing my class. She is needed elsewhere. And I want her to be present, fully present–there, where her absence would matter more than it does in my class.

Happy Tuesday, all. Take care of yourself and each other.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Fifty Five. Morning, all. Not feeling it today. Busy week ahead. Stressed out. Woefully behind on stuff. So, I am going to bow out. Be back tomorrow when I am hopefully less-behind. Thank you for understanding. Take care.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Fifty Four. Morning, all. Taking my final spring break day today. Going kayaking and fishing with my wife and friends. I will be back here on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Fifty Three. Morning, all. For this week’s assignment, I am asking the kids to find and use their powers of persuasion in a follow-up to last week’s work with the rhetorical appeals.

I try–and don’t always succeed–to find ways to make our work relevant. In my latest attempt, I am asking the kids to consider an authentic context in which they are requesting something from someone who needs convincing. My own son, who’s in my class, apparently has written his mom and me a request regarding his getting his own car. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure we will be subjected to the full force of his Jedi mind tricks. And if not immediately, he will likely–eventually–get what he wants. The Force is strong in that one.

Here is the assignment.

It’ll be interesting to read the kids’ requests next week. I hope they find it a worthwhile use of their time as they seek to find their force. Sorry, parents.

Happy Thursday, all. Stay safe.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Fifty One. Morning, all. Been sharing lots of numbers lately, as we move through the strange of our days. Thought I would take the opportunity to share another one that’s significant to me. 950.

This is my 950th post here. Never–never–would have imagined back in December of 2015, when this journey started on the dare of a student Megan Lavin, that I would have reached this milestone. What could I possibly write about to reach such a number? And as I think back on all I have written in the last four-and-a-half years, I am not sure I have any better answer now than I did then. I just write my journey. And as I look ahead, I will continue to do so. I will just write my days as they come. One experience at a time. Glad to have you along with me. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting.

Happy Tuesday, all. Stay safe and sane.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Fifty. Morning, all. Found a tough message in my box this morning, which prompted this Twitter thread. I decided to go ahead and make it my post for the day.

And as I am is as I will be. A little lost, but that’s just me. All because humanity.

Happy Friday, all. Enjoy the long weekend. Stay safe.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Forty Nine. Morning, all. Not much on my mind today. Just kinda going through the motions. Really could use some in-person interaction with my kiddos. We are making it, but “it” pales considerably to the “it” we prefer. With less than a month to go now, I feel like we are just holding on till the end. Of course, that’s true to some degree even in normal times, but the feeling of “just holding” on seems heightened in these strange times.

And, for the most part, bless their hearts, the kids are holding on and doing their parts to rise to the occasion and ride out this reality. Still–for them, for me, for all–I am ready for this ride to end. Till then, we’ll keep holding on.

Happy Thursday, all. Keep holding on. We’re almost there.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Forty Eight.

Some days I sit here and think I can change the world. Some days I sit here and wonder who the hell I think I am.

Some days I feel like I have made powerful connections with my kids. Some days I wonder if I am imagining such things.

Some days I need those who walk with me on this journey. Some days I just want to walk alone.

Some days I marvel that I am actually getting paid to do what I love. Some days my love is the only reason I continue in this underpaid job.

Some days I feel the fight. Some days I prefer the peace.

Some days I worry that the next 15 years will go by too quickly. Some days I wonder if I have the strength for another 15.

Some day it all will end. Some day.

But until that some day, I will continue to go where my some days send me.

Happy Wednesday, all. Sorry for the odd post. Some days I just write odd posts.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

Day Forty Seven. Morning, all. As I wrote yesterday’s post, I started reflecting on “help.” In some respects, “help” is a dirty word in education. Sadly, many kids come to believe early on that if they need help, they are somehow lesser than their peers. Of course, this is not true, but truth it becomes. And, they learn to hide from help. They don’t want the stigma. So, their needs go unmet. And therein lies the tragedy, for that is where we meet and live, in that place where help meets need. I tried to capture and communicate this to my kids yesterday in my daily #MyRoomMessage.

When I am helping is when I most feel like I am teaching. Whether it’s offering assurance, clarifying directions, providing feedback, alternating instruction, modifying assignments, etc., when I am helping, I am teaching. But my helping, my teaching is diminished when my kids can’t, don’t, or won’t indicate or articulate their needs. And by the time they get to me in the tenth grade their habits of hiding are deeply rooted. And despite my offers to help, they hide. I am not alone.

So, what can we do? Well, I think small changes can draw them out of hiding. Here’s a tweet that I shared yesterday, which has gotten the attention of and gained some traction from educators on Twitter.

I have long offered “if.” But I think this only reinforced their hiding, for they would have to call attention to themselves by asking for help. I think if we make the subtle shift to “when,” we can help destigmatize “need” by focusing on the expectation of the task, suggesting that the challenge of the task will create a “helping-need” situation for us, so we can do our job. We have to communicate this openly to kids. Not only is it okay but also necessary for the learning process. Learning should necessitate need for the learner, which in turn, activates the help reflex from teachers. Need is necessary. If we are not helping need, what are we doing? Yes, planning, assigning, grading, managing are all parts of the whole, but if they are not paving the path to the need-help sweet spot, then the whole is not complete.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that we have to raise our expectations to unreasonable levels. We should never expect more than we can support. More, I am not suggesting that we create a classroom of dependent drones who suffer from learned helplessness. Kids have to learn independence, and struggle is as necessary as need–they may actually be the same thing by a different name.

I am suggesting that we need to break down the barriers that have too long separated us from that sweet spot between need and help by establishing through word and deed that it is okay to need. And when they need, we will help.

Happy Tuesday, all. Stay safe.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.