I'm So Confused!

Confusion....is it really a bad thing?  I saw a quote by Sheridan Blau over the holiday that read, "Confusion is where the learning begins."

For years, I have thought that if I have a confused student, then it is a sign of bad teaching...that I am not clear in my teaching.  But is this really the case?

Many times, my students are afraid to make mistakes; however, those are the moments in which I am actually able to teach them something.

Can I'm confused also be that teachable moment?

Thankfulness of Perspective

This arrived in my inbox a few minutes ago from a colleague of mine...

     "Having lived through much upheaval in Latin America—and having  a few friends and relatives exiled, imprisoned, tortured, and shot for their political views—I believe Americans have cause for gratitude this Thanksgiving.  Hey, and we’re all still smiling at each other. This place is heaven."

The 2012 Presidential Election is over, the Halloween candy has hopefully been eaten, winter crops are planted, and I am planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Everything in our lives is based on perspectives.  It is really based on which lens you look through.


My son will be home two weeks from tomorrow for the first time since he sent off to college.  I guess that in itself is good in that he has "flown".  On the other hand, I miss him dearly.  I miss many things about him,....his laundry and his dirty room for example.  Now when I do laundry, which is now about half of what it used to be, I see his bed made, clean floor, and lack of dishes.  (His room is across from the laundry room.)

I am thankful for all of the laundry I have done, and I am thankful for the lightened load.  I look forward to the additional noises in our home, the electric guitar, the kid's car being on empty, and empty cereal boxes in my cupboards.  I look forward to being a short order cook and being "eaten out of house and home".

In the spirit of perspective, I remember the day I found out what my dad used to tell my mom when I would pull out of the driveway after weekend or holiday visits...

"It is great to see her come home, and it is even better to see her leave."  I think I am understanding perspective.

How Do I Want My Students to Remember Me?

I made a comment this week to my students about how I wanted them to remember me.  I said that I hoped they would say that I taught them to think.

I told them that I honestly do not care whether they use Times New Roman, Arial, Tahoma, etc, but I do hope that they think before they turn a paper in as to whether the font, size, and color are appropriate to the task at hand.

I also do not care whether or not they get every homework answer correct, but did they learn something?  If my students are getting every homework answer correct, am I challenging them?

It reminds me of Kelly Gallagher's thoughts that he writes in the beginning of his current book Write Like This.  Gallagher writes:

"You are walking down the street twenty years from now, and a former student recognizes you and rushes up to you.  Excitedly she blurts out, 'Oh, it's good to see you!  I was hoping to run into you some day so that I can tell you that I am still writing essays that analyze the author's use tone.  I keep a 'Tone Journal' at home, and I apply that skill you taught me twenty years ago in the tenth grade to everything I read today!  Let's have lunch some day so I can share all the essays I have written recognizing the author's tone found in all books I have read since high school graduation.'
     I don't know about you, but if it happened to me, I would run for safety.  Instead consider an alternative scenario:  You are walking down a street twenty years from now, and a former student recognizes you and rushes up to you.  Excitedly, she blurts out: 'Oh, it's good to see you!  Did you see my letter in yesterday's Los Angeles Times challenging the governor's proposed budget?  I was so incensed I sent a copy both to the governor's office and to my state senator.  By the way, have you seen my blog?'  That is an outcome that would make any teacher proud."

Since reading this, every time I sit in planning or introduce assignments to my students, I think about whether we are doing this because we have always done it, or is it truly in the best interest of my students?

A Letter to Myself

Dear Debbie,

Thank you for all that you do! It is now time to be kind to yourself.  This year, I would like for you to do some things for yourself.

Go hiking!
Workout after school!
Cook fun foods!
Go biking!
Read a book for fun!
Get out of town!
Live simply!
Blog!

You are one person who has made a difference in many people's lives; however, as much as you would like, you cannot fix the world...
but you can fix your world.

Enjoy this year.  You deserve it!
Your Inner Voice

Friendship Garden

This summer, Jennifer and I rode to see the Friendship Garden and Friendship Trays.  It is located near Dilworth and is so very cute.  All the produce gathered by Friendship Gardens is used to make the meals that Friendship Trays makes and delivers. 

The kitchen is staffed by people attending culinary school who need a second chance in their life.  They are learning a skill and will hopefully use this skill to help become independent and productive in their lives.  They have many volunteers who come to put the trays together and distibute them around Charlotte.

The actual garden on sight is their teaching garden, and with our addition, they now have 31 gardens around the Charlotte area contributing produce.  We got the idea from a student in our gardening club while working in our community garden this year.  Conveniently, the Charlotte Observer ran an article on Friendship Gardens, and we are now connected!  I am excited for the kids to get back and start gardening again.  They will be so excited to know their ideas are being put into action!

One Last Hurray!

I have spent the last few days in Winston Salem at the Education Resource Group's "Comprehension x3" with Stephanie Harvey, Debbie Miller, and Chris Tovani.  It was a fabulous experience!  Not only was I able to hear these gurus speak on literacy, but I had my three team mates with me! 

I have decided that this is the way to "do" a professional development.  I have gone to many professional developments where we take representatives from different areas of the faculty.  Although this idea is good in the theory that  the representatives will share,  realistically, it seldom happens as everyone is busy with the job at hand to learn something new.  We are all on the same page and have all heard the same message as we forge into our new school year.

Another wonderful part of this workshop was that we were with the lower school faculty!  Being that our middle school is on a different campus, we rarely have quality time to learn what exactly the lower school does.  Every afternoon we "debriefed" about the day's session and were able to hear the prospective of different grade levels. We were able to think about our student's thinking through different lenses...what a wonderful opportunity! Not only did we learn about their classrooms, we also made new friendships...the fun part of teaching!

(Next summer the speaker is Kelly Gallagher, one of my favorites!  Check out ERG.  This wonderful group, based in Winston Salem, put on a fantastic workshop.)

Summer Institute

It was apropos  that Christin had us draw the thinking that led to our inquiry.  The inquiry I decided upon  during the Summer Institute is Independent Reading and the 21st Century.  Below is the map of my thinking.
Inquiry