Dreams are the Theme (This Year)

         Every year my classroom has a different theme. The most elaborate year it was a rainforest, and had vine-y flowers hanging from the ceiling, and the ceiling tiles were covered with trees (huge pieces of cardboard I had spray painted) and leaves that I had painted and laminated...Very time intensive, but everything stayed put.  The next year we were Africa (the leaves came down, the trees stayed up) and the year after that, we were the ocean (which looked much like the sky to my sometimes-snarky colleagues). Pieces of the sky kept falling down all school year.

        This year our theme is going to be "Dreams."  There are going to be clouds/sky hanging from my ceiling, along with kid-created mobiles made from CD's. Since school begins tomorrow, and since I am Princess of Procrastination, the clouds will be cut out and decoupaged today after I purchase the fabric and cut out and holepunch the posterboard clouds.

        To begin our journey together, the students are going to reflect on what their dreams are.  We're going to talk about the power of dreams and aspirations and hopefully, the children who have beaten-down spirits can raise their heads up this year and walk tall...

       As the students dig down to reveal their dreams for their future, so will I.  My friend and I have talked about going to Africa during the summer for several weeks and teaching.  Undoubtably, it would be a life-changing experience.  The airfare is too high, but if we can manage to get a sponsor, our dreams will take flight...

          One of my most deepest, darkest dreams is to become a published author.  As a kid, I wanted to be a journalist.  I was the editor of the school newspaper, won some journalism awards, read voraciously, and always dreamed of having a book of mine for sale in book stores.  Have I done everything I can to make that dream a reality? Sadly, no.

           If I expect my students to believe in themselves, so should I.  Therefore, this will be a journey we will all  take this year.

painting by Jason Reynolds

          One of the things that will be prominently displayed is a painting my son-in-law did.  Our president is there because one man dreamed about what this country could be.  Our president is there because many people in many neighborhoods went door to door and stood shoulder to shoulder at political gatherings, nurturing a flame.  Our president is there because an entire race of people kept their dreams alive for hundreds of years.

        As Aerosmith sang decades ago, "Dream on, dream until your dream comes true."

         

Sharing in the Classroom: A Two-Way Street

         Teachers expect students to share of themselves in the classroom. We expect them to journal about their feelings, we expect them to write memoirs about their lives, we expect them to tell the class what they did over the summer/Thanksgiving/winter break.  However, if only the students show their vulnerability and the teacher keeps themselves removed and remote, it will be impossible (in my opinion) to create a classroom community that actually works.

       Along with writing alongside my students (and sharing my writing with my students), music is a bridge.  Students love music.  No matter what their ethnicity is, young people are tuned in to music, as am I.  I can't dance a lick (it's a comedy routine when I try) but I am passionate about music.

       Last year I collected a little over 20 of my favorite songs from six different decades.  They ranged from the 50's (I think that's the right era)---Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive and Wail" to just a few years ago, with Brett Dennen's "Make You Crazy," with Gnarls Barkley and Dionne Warwick B.B. King and Sly and the Family Stone in the middle.  These were all songs that made me move when I heard them, they made me smile, they showed how diverse I was, because the selection is quite eclectic...

       We use the songs to transition from one subject to another.  After I am the DJ for a week or two and we begin to learn the songs, the students take turns being DJ for the week.  They choose which song we're going to sing, and because each student has a set of lyrics, it's a reading activity as well.

       During the year, my kids have the chance to add to our playlist (we bring out a new one around the middle of the year). If the song's subject matter and language is appropriate, it goes on our playlist.

         The students learn that even though I am middle-aged and gray-haired and a bit frumpy, I still love songs that have a great beat and can give me a taste of abandonment.  They see that we have something in common---the beat, the melody, the pulse of the music.

         This is our first playlist this year:

              Every time we go from Reading to Writing, from Social Studies into Math, and we stand up and sing and move together, we are adding to our cohesiveness. 

              Music is the bridge...


 

We're Like Puzzle Pieces

          My bulletin board out in the hall, welcoming my third graders as we begin our journey together, looks like this:

(After "Meet the Teacher" night tomorrow, there will be names written on the puzzle pieces, with each student represented.)

         Emphasizng the concept of "complementing" each other is important in elementary classrooms.  This example of tessellation shows where one piece extends out, the other puzzle piece yields.  In a colorful, construction paper way, each class member's strength/gift fits in with the next person's.

          For example, last year we had a classroom court.  Because we had quarterly parties to celebrate good behavior, and because the students are the ones who have to tolerate silliness and disruptions from their peers, we spent several sessions going through the judicial process. The students were allowed to "accuse" peers who they viewed as problematic as well as give their rationale why these students were obstacles to their learning  (this was done on paper, and was only seen by the teacher). I tallied the names that kept coming up, and if there were more than five notations by their name, they were going to need a lawyer... 

        Next the class privately nominated judges.  The three (or five) students who received the most votes---assuming they were responsible, clear-headed students---were now the judges.  The other students were potential defense lawyers, and were chosen by the "accused" to defend them.

          During another session, after consulting with their "client," each "attorney" would make a statement in front of the judges, telling why they should allow the student to participate in the celebration.  The judicial panel asked questions of the lawyer, the "accused"student made a final statement, and the judges deliberated.  They either decided to remove the student from the entire celebration, from part of the celebration, or they determined that the student did not deserve to lose any of the celebration. (I was the Supreme Court, and could have overturned their decision, but never had to...)

       The interesting thing was this:  the students were cognizant of contributing factors, and took those into account.  For example, they considered that a peer had anger issues, and were lenient when they saw this student put forth real effort to control their temper.  Some of the judges knew what their peer's family life was like, and factored that in during their decision-making.  They seemed to view the transgressions more serious when students were accused of preying on weaker, meeker students.

        I suppose this long account, in my mind, illustrates one way that my class works together as one cohesive unit.  Things are not always smooth.  We have disagreements and difficulties.  However, when one student is a problem, it's a problem for the whole group to solve (through short daily class meetings).  On an everyday basis, we see that each of us is different, each of us brings something different to the table as far as our talents and strengths.  Some students come from single-parent families and, being the oldest child, take on a great deal of responsibility as far as chores.  Instead of looking at their situation and seeing a deficiency (limited parental involvement when it comes to homework), appreciate the student's organizational skillsand their level of responsibility.
     
       On Thursday the students return.  I am excited.  I am eager to unwrap the gifts my students bring to room 12...

The "Fortunately, Unfortunately" Game

         I just saw this game in last week's Parade magazine, and although it was cited as a summer road-trip game, it has some classroom applications...

         As students are lining up (I'm an elementary school teacher, so my kids do line up for restroom breaks, to go to lunch, etc.) we could play a short round of this game; the first few students who can come up with a response can be at the head of the line.  It can also be used as a levity break during a lesson (see the second example at the end of this post).

       Begin by saying something that is frightening, like "Unfortunately, there is a tiger in our classroom."  A female student might respond, "Fortunately, it doesn't eat girls."  A male student might respond, "Unfortunately, it is staring at me, and it's licking its lips."  Another child might say, "Fortunately, each student in our class has a tiger muzzle in their desk, ready to use."

       This requires students to be quick on their feet when it comes to thinking.  It requires them to think about cause and effect in an applicable way.  And, students have to think outside the box for responses that work.

        During a lesson, if you have a student who gets your humor, you can engage in a little humorous fencing with a couple of rounds of this game.  (It shows that teaching is give and take...A classroom community is built on teachers dishing out and taking it.  Teachers can be the focus of laughter if care and respect runs both ways.)

          Example:

        Unfortunately, __________ didn't do her homework, and the teacher
 is about to shoot fire out their nose directly at __________.

       Fortunately, I have a mirror, and the fire will hit the mirror, and bounce
right back to the teacher.

          
          What are some quick games you use that help your students think more quickly and more creatively?

           A writing friend of mine just got me on the trail of a book called Fortunately by Remy Charlip.  She got great results when using it with her students.  I am going to have to add that to my "buy" list.

          This friend is the type of writer who disguises herself.  On the surface, she is quiet and humble.  There are some who love the sound of their own voice, who are always trumpeting their own horn, who regularly are showcasing their skills...not this writer.  However, when you get into an in-depth discussion with her, and you find out the writerly life she leads (she belongs to a writers' group, she is constantly submitting her work for publication and contests, she watches people, always hunting for her next inspiration...), it just makes your mouth gape open.

         Check out her blog.     barb's blog

Having Hard Conversations About Race

           Recently, I watched a documentary on William Kuntsler titled Disturbing the Universe. (It was made by his daughters.)  The sort of lawyer who defended the defenseless, the type of lawyer who championed people who had comitted horrific crimes, he suffered, and his family suffered as well.  Through the phases when his kids could not leave the house due to all the photographers and journalists camped out on their yard, and during the times when the public hated him because he insisted on doing his job, he never stopped embracing people of all faiths and all hues.

          Kuntsler felt that all white people are prejudiced.  I suppose his thought is that no white person truly knows what it's like to watch decades and decades of television shows and never see a face that looks like his (or at least, never see a person who is setting a positive example and looks like them).  A person who is white cannot fully know what is like to be suspect, just because they're driving their car in an affluent community and their skin is the color of cauliflower.

         This really hit me during a conversation with my friend.  I was recalling how much fun I had as a teenager, riding the bus to a local outdoor mall.  We would window shop all day, and, rolling up our pant legs, would wade in the fountains (when the weather was warm).

           I asked my friend, in a flood of excitement, if she had gone to this mall a lot when she was a kid.  Deep down, I wanted our childhood life lines to intersect.  I wanted to be able to hang onto something that we had in common. We are very much alike in many ways now, but as youngsters we led different lives...

         She kind of  snorted and said, "Black kids wading around in the water? Oh no!"

           An activity that was a blast, a bit of fun that I didn't even wonder if I had the option of engaging in...she knew that wading in the fountain would be crossing some sort of line.

         One of the songs we sing in our classroom is an old one---Choice of Colors.  Part of the song goes like this:

           If you had a choice of colors,
           Which one would you choose, my brother?

            ...Who told you that you hated your white teacher?
             And who told you that you loved your black preacher?

        Too often people are suspect just because of their differences.  I know that sometimes parents squint their mind's eye suspiciously when they look at me, just because my skin is white and theirs is black.  And I know that when we skirt around the issue in our classrooms, we allow the elephant to remain in the room.

       We have to be willing to have conversations that make us uncomfortable, that make us vulnerable, that reveal personal things.  As teachers and writers, we have to embrace differences, rather than pretend they don't exist.  And, we have to go above and beyond to create a community in our classroom.

         How do you make your parents feel included?  How do you make sure your parents feel like they're an integral part of what goes on in the classroom?  I'd love to hear from you...