When Parents Push Back

It's too bad that we focus on the negative. I've had a successful career so far, and I've received a lot of accolades about teaching writing to middle school aged kids. I don't mean to say that my instruction is perfect, because I can tell you it is not. But I do get students to work hard. One thing I always tell my students is that you get better at something by practicing. If you want to make free throws, practice free throws. If you want to learn to dance, practice. If you want to become a stronger reader, read. And, of course, it follows that if you want to be a better writer...

Write.

Over the years I have given my 6th grade students a lot of opportunity to write stories, narratives, and essays, and I've seen growth.

When parents push back, though, you tend to analyze your existing methods and consider what should be done better. After a particular doozy of a meeting, I unintentionally became more intentional about my teaching of the writing process. The tone of the parent requested meeting was completely negative, and we resolved little. And I wasn't planning on changing things.

But I did.

While I didn't want specific parental comments to guide my methodology when teaching personal narrative, those negative comments stuck with me and affected change.

At the end of the day, parents want what is best for their kids, and teachers should always listen. With writing process criticisms in the back of my mind, my recent writing process instruction approached another level.

I don't know how many of you English teachers out there read ALL your students' papers, but I do, and I've worked out an efficient way of correcting over the years. However, efficiency can breed routine, and routine can give birth to stagnancy.

I am not at the point of stagnancy, but efficiency and routine have become close confidants of mine. Don't get me wrong - I think my lesson plans are ever-improving, but this particular meeting was the wake up call I wasn't expecting.

Enter: Deeper thought when lesson planning for writing instruction.

We have a new resource for writing across the curriculum at our school, and I was able to tap into the Step Up To Writing resource for my 6th and 7th graders for the first time this year. I had planned to study the resource and add depth to my writing even without the parental contact, but our meeting caused me pause, and it allowed me to reflect.

Perhaps I would have reflected on my methodology anyway when I began to teach personal narrative to the students with the Step Up To Writing resource; I would like to think I would have. But I guess I'll never know the answer to that.

Regardless, our personal narratives are done. Now all that's left is the grading.

Taming Your Gaming

Props

This being our first year with 1:1 chrome books, I figured I had the perfect opportunity to initiate a gamified 7th grade English class. As always I owe a debt of gratitude to somebody else and have to give her props. I attended a session led by Megan Ellis last year at Fall Cue 2014 in the Napa Valley, and her resources have been so helpful in my integration of gaming in the classroom.

I didn't want to completely restructure my English instruction, though, so I've been taming the gaming - what is available to students is completely for enrichment purposes.

Level Up
We call our class gamification program "Level Up", and many students have responded positively. When English work is finished in class, students may work on vocabulary lessons, read, take reading quizzes, or work on their blogging or commenting. This year in my class students have the new option to work on "Level Up" activities using their chrome books.

I use Google Classroom to provide the link to our class "Level Up" site www.smore.com/h512w.

XP
Students click in and find more links, but the Bonus XP document lists all the activities students may choose to do to earn points toward rewards. Students are completing online games or lessons for writing, vocabulary, typing, coding, educational video, and more.

XP stands for "Experience Points", you know, like students achieve in video games. Students begin class each day with 5 XP. They must be on time for class, prepared with their materials, attentive, respectful, and actively participating. If this happens, they keep their 5 XP for the day. If not, I note it and write it down. Their citizenship grade for class (5% of the total grade) is based on a percentage of their actual XP for the quarter divided by their potential XP for the quarter.

I wasn't considering this system to work so well for managing my classroom, but the behavioral issues and even the late assignments have decreased significantly since I taught these same students last year - talk about a Bonus!

Above and Beyond
The Bonus XP document previously mentioned gives students the option to go "above and beyond" what's expected in class. They can enrich their knowledge and practice of the English language as well as some tech-oriented activities by clicking into the document and choosing something of interest. They can even watch instructional and educational video and summarize their learning for Bonus XP. These activities have led students to consider what self-directed learning in the 21st century is all about. And this gaming system has led many students to compete against each other for the top spots in the class. Most of these activities were presented by Megan Ellis at our CUE Conference.

Rewards
The top students made it about halfway through our XP chart this first quarter and achieved some mystery rewards available for their incremental efforts. Each Monday for about the first 5 minutes of class we "Level Up" by checking the Leaderboard and moving clothespins along a wire "progress bar" strung in the back of my classroom. For each level passed, students get the new level number written on their clothespin, and they move it back to the beginning of the wire "progress bar" for the new round. One reward is called the "Head Honcho". A girl in my class achieved this goal and was allowed to wear a hat in my classroom all week. Another student earned "The Bottom Drawer" and was able to open the bottom drawer of my desk to find a bag of Halloween candy and choose a piece. So far the secrecy is paying off. Students are beginning to wonder what "The Switcheroo" and "The Black Throne" are, and they realize they won't find out until they've reached that specific level.

Leaderboard
When students complete a Bonus XP activity that is linked on the document, they take a screenshot of their accomplishment, which is saved in their Bonus XP Google Drive folder and then shared with me via a Google Form. The amount of work it takes for this enrichment activity is completely worth it. All I have to do is check the form responses once in a while to view their screenshots with a little bit of final work on Sunday night or Monday morning to update points to the Leaderboard (see below), and voila! the students are ready to start their new week with a bang.

Engagement
One of the fun parts for me is hearing the students talking about their Bonus XP in the hallways, or seeing their anonymous animals popping up on my Bonus XP Google Doc or my Leaderboard Google Sheet.

Seeing students engage themselves in worthwhile educational opportunities while online on their own time is my "Bonus XP". I of course don't achieve any of the mystery rewards for myself, except when my sweet tooth sends me to "The Bottom Drawer" where I keep the Halloween candy. There's still enough candy in the bag for us all.

The Google Forms Advantage

In previous years, I had students create with Google Docs or Slides or Drawings for various assignments in middle school English and Media classes. Then they would present their masterpieces by trudging up to my computer, logging in under a student Google Apps account, waiting for everything to load, and finally arriving at the point where the presentation was ready to go. By that time, the class had to be wrangled to silence again because of all the transition time. It was a bit of a headache.

An alternative would have been to have them share everything with my Google Apps account. However, I realized early on that they would always forget to uncheck the send email box, so I would have tons of emails. Also, with things like Google Sites and Maps, I found it very difficult to get rid of a student's project if they never "remembered" to unshare it with me.

Then came Google Classroom, a wonderful solution to the problem, but I realized it wasn't exactly the easiest way to get projects to me.

Finally...Hello Google Forms. When I saw a demonstration of this in my EdTechTeacher Chrome Book Workshop (thank you @AvraRachel !) this last summer as a way of gathering links to projects, I just about hit my head in realization.

Now, I simply create a Google Form for students to fill out their name(s) and their sharable link to their project. They all show up in one place - my Google Form (Responses) in my Google Drive. Now, when students have to present successively in my Media Class, I just give a quick click to their specific link, and they're ready to go, transition time wiped out. Look below for my procedure from our last assignment.

In your Google Drive, create a new form:

After naming your Form, I use just 2 required questions: name(s) and sharable link:

Once students fill out the form, I receive a spreadsheet of their responses in my drive and simply click on student links to view. If students are new to Google Apps, they will need some practice learning how to make their docs or slides or whatever sharable. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to open a link and can't view it because the share settings were not correct. Once they get it, though, it's a piece of cake.

21 (New or Seasoned) Teacher Requests

As a learner, I pretty much just put my head down and I study; that's the way it's always been.

I also enjoy online classes. I earned my masters degree and a educational technology certification completely online and loved it. That's not to say that I don't enjoy regular classes where I can discuss things with people, but if I need to get something done, I typically don't wait for others to put in their 2 cents. I'll just go for it.

All that to say I don't mind working through things on my own. Is anybody else like that?

With that said, I would have liked more supervision as a new teacher; I would like more supervision as a seasoned teacher.

And I'd love more feedback. So I share these 21 requests that I think would challenge me to become a better teacher.

• Tell me if my lesson hook appeared to work.
• View the students and share if they're engaged in the lesson or not.
• Check my lesson plans or curriculum maps and tell me if I'm on the right page.
• Pick apart my teaching style and share what's good and what needs work.
• Give me the big picture.
• Pay attention to the details and talk to me about them.
• Try to understand the connection I just can't seem to make with that student.

I want to be challenged. Because believe it or not, I can run stagnant and do the same things I feel I've done great every year. While I know my heart's in the right place with the effort I put into teaching my students in middle school, I constantly need to learn new ways to reach out to them.

• Tell me when I sit at my desk too much.
• Give me a written evaluation of an alternate strategy for teaching direct and indirect objects.
• Just show me you care enough to spend 30 minutes sitting in my class.
• Teach me to use less sarcasm with my middle schoolers.
• Make sure I'm on time to yard duty and Wednesday morning devotions.
• Value my reaction to your comments.
• Recognize when I'm sending an email asking for help and support.

We all want what's best for the students, and I know my ideas aren't the best out there.

• Take my class for a period so I can sit in somebody else's class to see their techniques.
• Be a listening ear when I'm frustrated.
• Give advice when I need it.
• Tell me if my room smells like B.O. I have plug-ins, I really do.
• Notice my new bulletin board and ask me about it.
• Respond to the emails I send seeking ideas.
• Notice when I'm looking ragged and ask me about it.

Be honest and available. Be cordial and professional. Be personable. Be there.

If my requests go ignored, I'll put my head down and work hard; I don't mind tackling things on my own. But I value the opinion of others, so go ahead and share.

Students Spread the Joy with Blog Commenting

My 6th grade English students have killed it with their blog comments so far this year. I have told them repeatedly how proud I am of them, and I have also told my 7th grade English students who learned similar skills last year how awesome the 6th graders are doing. There's nothing like some healthy competition.

It's the 6th graders first year officially exploring what online life is all about. We have a class blog through Kidblog, and they each have their space to create. Once I approve their blog posts (a time consuming affair), students are free to comment on their classmates' posts, which I also must approve.

The long term idea is to open up our blogs to other classes around the globe, but I'm starting small, and we're being very careful and safe. No real identifying personal information makes it into the students' blogs, and if I do see something, I simply don't approve the post or comment until it's fixed.

In order to make it a positive experience for everybody involved, we've set up some guidelines, 4 of them to be exact. While many more could apply, this is what seemed most manageable for my middle school students at this time. Special thanks to Linda Yollis who has so many great blogging resources for her elementary students. Link to her educational blogging wiki here.

Make a positive connection.

Our comments are designed to note the good in somebody else's post, whether it be their writing style or ideas presented. However, we try to make sure that we're more than generic in our praise. While it's nice to read, "Great post", or, "I liked your paragraph", I tell the students to be specific when responding to what they've read. I'm surprised when students who've been going to school together for years know very little about what is important to their classmates. Making that connection a positive one opens up continuing conversations that occur, hopefully building or beginning friendships along the way. I've seen great stuff from my 6th graders lately, like, "I didn't know you took dance lessons. I did ballet when I was little."

Add new information.
One of the things I want students to learn through blogging and commenting is to expand what they know about each other or about a particular subject of interest. A piece of new information could be something about themselves that makes a connection; it could also count for what's described in the paragraph above. What I really aim for here is a continuation of the conversation. Rather than having a few comments below the blog post relating to just one narrow topic, I want students to go beyond and add different angles or perspectives, even share (respectful) alternate viewpoints. This way the conversation can begin to go deeper. In middle school, I love to see the higher level thinking that occurs when students challenge each other.

End with a question.
This is the invitation. I really like to see this one done well because students validate each other's interests or concerns and ask clarifying questions about what somebody else has written. When on topic, it shows respect to a classmate's ideas and encourages them to share even more. One thing I advise students to note when they ask a question in their comment is how many other questions are already on the comment thread. Staying on topic (at least for a while) is important. If too many different questions arise, it becomes a random mess of fractured ideas. Students have enough distractions in their lives without adding to the chaos!

Proofread.
Oh, yes. This one. I had to make it official. In my class, students are graded on the quality of both their blog post and their commenting. I don't demand perfection, but I need to see care. On Kidlbog, when students struggle with grammar and language, I have the chance to sit down with them one on one to help them note particular issues before I "approve" their writing. If I encourage proofreading ahead of time, it covers over a multitude of possible mistakes. I also think taking great care in proofreading is a sign of respect to the others who will be reading and trying to understand their thoughts. And don't get me started on "text speak". The little i for "I" and the letter u for "you" will unfortunately send their comment straight to the trash.

And a couple bonus thoughts:

Keep your comments to 1 or 2 sentences.
I do this for a two reasons. Let's just say the main reason is so that the students learn to be creatively concise. I don't want their comment to be another story all in itself; it should be a response to some previous information. Arguably, if students know how to combine sentences and cut down ramblings, they can fit in all the comment requirements (positive connection, new info, question, proofreading) into a couple sentences. We all know that students will choose to read the shorter comments anyway. My second reason is that it cuts down on my approval time. Remember, I have it set up that I have to approve absolutely everything the students put online, original blog post and each comment. I can read a comment in a snap and decide to approve it, trash it, or help the student edit it.

Spread the Joy.
And what about the student who receives no comments on their blog post? They've been working hard to follow my instructions on commenting. They've blogged, and they've shared 5 comments on other people's posts, and they honestly love doing it. But they get nothing in return for their trouble. So I tell the students to spread the joy. I have them think about how they would feel if they saw no comments on their post, and typically they understand. I'm not necessarily into the self-esteem movement, but I am into my students showing a concerted effort of care for each other. Respect. Obviously, some students will have more traffic on their posts than others, but they know that it's more important to give than to receive.

So there you have it, my thoughts on blog commenting with middle school students. I'd love to hear what works for you! And don't worry, I won't grade you on whatever comments you leave...

5 Musts for the "Tech-Tense" Teacher

I had the pleasure of leading a few computer training meetings during our before school festivities. As I'm sure you know, all of our teachers were gung-ho about implementing new technology tools into their curriculums! For some teachers, you say "technology in the classroom" and they shudder. Others press you for details expecting you to have all the answers on how to use tech in their particular classes.

At my school, we are just beginning to unlock the potential of Google in the classroom. Every one of our middle school students now has a Google chrome book full time. The question has been, "How can we make this a successful initiative?" Some teachers are still not sold on using the chrome books in their classes; they may consider themselves "tech-tense". I've come to the conclusion that proper implementation has to be driven from the top down. Without the leadership expecting chrome book connections from teachers, the initiative will fail. It is no longer accepted for teachers to say they don't see the need to use chrome books in every classroom because, well, there are chrome books in every classroom.

I do not have all the answers, but I love to help out. However, I want my colleagues to rely less on me and learn to plan their own lessons with the chrome books in mind.

Teachers must RESEARCH.
I teach English, Bible, and Media in the middle school. I've used Google tools for a few years now. My go-to is Google Docs. I love that you can get into and edit your documents anywhere and on multiple devices. Responding to students is a breeze once the doc is shared. And Google Classroom is getting easier and easier to use for teachers and students. I can show you how to use these things, but I need you to apply it to your own class. Sign up for Google Classroom and spend 10 minutes learning it. It's what we teachers do, right? We bring in new resources all the time. It's time to research how to use a Google Doc in History or Science or even Math.

Teachers must PRACTICE.
There are times when I learn the basics, show the students what I want, and then let them run with it. Sometimes the students take it to a level I didn't expect, and they wow me. More often, though, students only do what you've instructed them to do. And to teach a skill, I need to know the skill first. I've known how to type a document for forever, it seems, but a Google Doc has some cool pieces I didn't originally understand. It has a research function where you can look up something on the Internet you just finished typing. Using this tool, you can also cite your sources. And one of my favorites to use with students is the revision history. Say they've selected the whole document to switch it to double space everything and they accidentally hit a key and erased it all. While the undo button is a savior for kids (and myself!), sometimes it doesn't work perfectly. Go to the student's revision history and see minute by minute the changes that were made. Restore the version with a single click, and viola! you have the entire document back. You can even see what the collaborators are writing at any moment. The point is you have to practice on a Google Doc and understand the toolbar before you can help the students with it.

Teachers must SERVE.
While I may not have time to go around to all the teachers to help them individually, it's my top priority to connect with my students. So I have to walk around and teach them how to use their chrome book and specifically their Google Doc. If there's trouble with the wi-fi, I need to take extra time to help them with a work-around. If the parents have a question from home, I need to make myself available to answer those questions.

Teachers must demonstrate FLEXIBILITY.
When I took my first educational tech class, the professor asked us to share our biggest "tech-fail". I think that says a lot about how often issues with technology could hinder a teacher's plans. Unfortunately, when a tech-fail occurs, class time is wasted. (And I haven't found a workaround for that!) However, having a Plan B is necessary. In my classes, we always have a consumable vocabulary book or a new writing project or a book we can fall back on. That independent work gives me time to get online and search for a solution or call our Tech Director for advice. Sometimes the activity will need to be pushed forward a day (or even scrapped!).

Teachers must SHARE.
I've tried to tell you some cool things regarding Google Docs and Google Classroom, and I hope teachers at my school can see the value in those tools. Options for more tools should collaboratively be brought to future staff meetings or Tech Tuesdays to share. Padlet, Kahoot, Socrative, and Evernote are terrific tools that can be applied to multiple subjects, and there's so much more! As teachers share what they're researching and trying out in their own classes, discussion that transfers it to particular subject areas will hopefully follow. And listen to the students! I have noticed students walk in and share their joys from a previous class in which chrome books were used. I, too, have seen students frustrated. This is a great time to let the students discuss solutions with each other and then encourage their previous teacher to try again the next period or day.

I don't think implementing technology is a perfect science. There are too many what-ifs and school specific philosophies, but when the leadership involves itself and sets up a clear plan for their teachers, I believe that tech success is just around the corner.

A Parable to Start the Year

If any of you know the parable of the sower from Matthew 13 (verses 1-9 and 18-23), you know the focus is typically on the being the good soil so the seed will produce a harvest. Where's your heart? Is it receptive to the gospel presented to you? The sower flung the seed on the path, on rocky soil, in the thorns, but some fell on good soil. You've got to read the parable to understand it (go here for the story). I pray that my heart will be receptive when the gospel is presented to me.

Our pastor presented a different perspective to us this past Sunday. He started by telling us that the sower in the parable must not have been a very good farmer. The seed he sowed had only a 25% chance of making it. You can imagine the scene as the farmer just threw the seeds everywhere! In first century Palestine, this was a waste of valuable resources.

Instead of focusing in on our own hearts and how receptive we are to the gospel, our pastor challenged us to see it from the sower's perspective. And that's the point of the sermon when the teacher side of my brain tuned in. I started thinking not only of my heart, but I began to consider my students that will be walking into my classroom this fall. And I applied the sower's attitude with the seed to my attitude toward the boys and girls who will be walking through my door in 2 weeks.

You know, we are often careful to share our lives with only those people who we're sure will receive us and what we stand for. As teachers, there are often those students who are involved in class, who seem to have a deep desire to learn what we are offering, who stay on top of their homework, and who genuinely listen. It's easy to teach those kids, isn't it? These are the ones who bring you something for Christmas, who write you a thank you note "just because". Don't get me wrong, I have my own children do those things; I have nothing against those students. But do I really go into my school year expecting this from the students, that they are all a part of the "good soil" the parable discusses?

The reality is that we have students who carry a lot of baggage.

The seed along the path:
Some of our students have trouble understanding what we present or the activities that we've delicately prepared for them. Perhaps there's a learning disability or an attention disorder that gets in the way. Whatever it is, the learning is snatched away and seemingly gone forever.

The seed in the rocky soil:
There are students who aim to please and they try to do well. We may even have a wonderful lesson planned that unfolds something for them they've never understood before. They're engaged, but when it comes time for evaluation, we too clearly see that they haven't grasped the concept for the long term; the material was too difficult for them. What appeared to take root never did.

The seed among the thorns:
Still other students have the odds stacked against them. They're intelligent, and we know they have potential, but their home lives challenge them in ways we don't comprehend. These students may have concerns that choke their good intentions out of them. When they're at school, it's fine, but as soon as they leave, the worries return. Where will my next meal come from? When will my mom get home from work? Will my parents or my sister treat me well, or will they yell at me again? When will I find a true friend?

My question is, How can we become more like the sower? Instead of simply focusing on preparing our own hearts to receive, as a farmer would prepare the soil, let's take the attitude of the sower who would extend grace to each and every type of student, even the ones we're unsure will learn a thing from us this year. You will have students who struggle to learn because of a disability. You will have students who struggle because the material is just too hard for them, no matter your methods. You will have students who struggle because of the worries they harbor, concerns you may never fully understand.

If we become like the sower in this parable, though, we will not hesitate to fling the seed in apparent reckless abandon. I say apparent here because others may not understand what we're doing. They may drag us down with excuses like, That kid can't be reached. As teachers, though, we have the highest calling. We must give every student (and I mean every student) our absolute best. I pray that I can do that this year. I pray that you can do that this year.

Perhaps the sower who appeared to know so little about farming knew more than what we give him credit for. What seemed to be reckless abandon on the sower's part in flinging the seeds every which way may have actually been intentional love for every person. No matter our students this year, our highest task is to love each one of them, according to their needs, attempting to reach them, never giving up on them no matter their circumstance.