Who Cares? Part 1

Above all else, a student needs to know you care.

In teaching, we have chosen to mingle our destinies with those of the students. We rejoice with those who rejoice, we mourn with those who mourn. My feelings are often affected by students' actions and reactions. After all, teachers call their students their "kids". Of course we care for our students.

But how can you show it? As a male teacher in the 6th grade, I've been told (understandably) to never touch the students. Leave the hugs to the female teachers, especially at the primary levels.

I choose to break that rule sometimes.

My wife has been reading a great book, and I plan to read it over the summer. It's titled The Five Love Languages of Children, and it lists the ways children show and prefer to receive love. As teachers, we know kids are complex creatures, so it stands to reason that a child will latch onto a couple different "love languages". The book lists the five love languages of children this way: 1) physical touch, 2) words of affirmation, 3) quality time, 4) gifts, and 5) acts of service. I plan to write about each one of these individually at some point, but right now I'd like to quickly share my thoughts on the first one listed...physical touch.

In addition to teaching 6th graders at Ripon Christian, I have coached the boys varsity soccer team at the high school for 13 years, and I run a soccer camp for grades 1-8 every summer. I also have two of my own boys, one in 3rd grade and one in 5th grade. I am not necessarily a "touchy-feely" kind of guy (not a "hugger"), but I've learned through many of my own experiences with my students, players, and children that boys feel valued when they have that physical touch.

Just look at what boys will do to each other if left unattended. In the middle school, we're constantly on the lookout for "tackle" football at recess and "dog-piling" on each other for whatever purpose. I often have to tell boys in class to keep their hands to themselves.

On the flip side, I choose to encourage the boys I encounter in class, on my team, and even my own boys at home with my physical touch of choice: a clap on the shoulder. From above or from the side, it can accompany a verbal "good job" or a "we'll get 'em next time". It could mean "it's okay" or "I'm proud of you". Even without words, it could stand for "that was awesome" or "I feel your pain". You could easily add to this list, I imagine. As a guy who teaches, coaches, and raises guys, it's in my nature (or my love language) to whack the kid's shoulder.

Disclaimer #1: not to injure or intimidate...but to encourage. To show you care.

Disclaimer #2: not every boy appreciates the physical touch, so be wise.

Form that teacher-student relationship, and then build it up. Make sure there are boundaries, of course, but above all else, find a way to show the students you care. If a student knows you care, the rest of the day, or the year, or even his entire school experience may become more positive.

How Many Swings Does It Take?

How many sentences does it take to form a paragraph?

I have a philosophical issue with the question, "How many sentences does my paragraph have to be?"

I have taught mainly 5th grade and 6th grade throughout my career so far, and I understand these are prime years for learning proper paragraphing. I used to answer the question this way: "You're in 5th grade, so your paragraph should be about 5 sentences." Or, "You're in 6th grade, so roughly 6 sentences."

My answer to the question these days is, "It depends."

As we should know, a paragraph begins with a topic sentence which shares the main idea (hopefully in an interesting way!). Then come the supporting details with any variation of subcategories. Finally, the end of the paragraph should close down the main idea and transition into the next paragraph. This is the structure I teach.

So when the question pops up, "How many sentences?" I have to respond with a nebulous answer. It depends on your main idea and how much support you need to put into the paragraph to make it whole.

It depends when you're ready to close down the paragraph.

I had an idea the other day. A 6th grade boy walked up to my desk and asked me this forbidden question. I looked at him as he smiled at me. I smiled back at him, and then I banged my forehead on my desk. (I've tried to answer this so clearly.) Why does this question keep coming up? I think it's because students are afraid to take risks, or they're afraid to get something wrong. Or they have not been taught to think for themselves and make their own decisions. Maybe they just don't know after all the years of paragraph instruction how to do it.

So this boy who asked the question is on my son's baseball team--they love their baseball. I answered the boy this way:

"When you step up to the on deck circle, how many swings do you take to get ready for your at bat?"

He answered me, "I don't know. I swing until I feel ready to bat."

That was, of course, the answer I wanted to hear. I love using analogies with the students. Connecting a concept to an existing experience is my bread and butter, and I think it's the best way to help students learn.

If we can connect the dots here, we swing until we're ready, and then we step into the batter's box. In determining proper paragraphing, we write as many sentences as it takes to feel like we've completed the main idea. Of course, the student's idea of complete is oftentimes quite different from my idea of complete, but that's a topic for a different time.

What was cool about talking to the boy at my desk was that I got to see the light bulb ding above his head. The explanation was tailored to his strength, and that made all the difference.

Hopefully now when students attempt to determine how many sentences it takes to form a paragraph, they can understand that it could be different every time. They've got to write until it's complete. They've got to swing until they're ready.

Make Your Writing Hospitable

We put our house on the market this last week. To prepare the house, my wife and I (and our kids) did a thorough deep clean both inside and out, not to mention the remodeling and love we put into our house over the last 11 years. We also decluttered and organized the house better than we ever have.

The response I think I enjoy most from people who have walked through is simply, "It's very clean." I take that to mean that our home is free of dirt and grime, but I also believe people are saying that it's well-organized. And I hope they've noticed that we've tried to make it hospitable.

As a sixth grade writing teacher, I want my students to make their writing hospitable. Let me explain.

If you've ever walked through a house or apartment to consider renting or buying it, first impressions matter. When things are in good condition or look new, when the place is neat and tidy, and when floors are vacuumed and dust is minimal, a person can stay positive and feel at home. On the other hand, if it's a mess, or if there's clutter all around, it's difficult to remain interested.

I tell the students something similar with their writing. It begins with the introduction of their paper, and sometimes the first line of their entire essay or story can make or break it. First impressions matter. If I see that the student has taken great care in constructing a thesis or an interesting lead, I am inclined to desire to read more, and I'll keep an open, positive mind as a teacher throughout the writing assignment. However, if I see multiple errors or a lack of following directions from the start, I will likely notice similar errors throughout the paper, and my attitude will deteriorate.

So students: welcome me into your paper. Make your writing hospitable. When you do this, I feel good. And when I feel good, I like to give you the benefit of the doubt. If the beginning of the paper is not done carefully, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to do that. So as you revise and edit your first draft, make sure to tidy it up and do a deep cleaning that's noticeable right from the start...or else it feels like this.

Testing for Leaks with Formative Assessment

Have you ever worked on the pipes under the sink? I think the plumbing process is very similar to a teacher's assessment practices.

I had a weekend project. Once our new counter tops and sink were in, I had the pleasure of installing new drains and a faucet. I figured I could then reattach the pipes underneath with minimal effort.

I don't know why I thought it was going to be easy...because it never has been before. In a word: frustration. Okay, a better word probably: anger. In fact, if nothing else will bring me to tears, plumbing will.

In teaching, we work to check the students' progress as we introduce and teach new concepts. Formative assessment is the way to go, in my opinion. Sure, I have summative assessment in my 6th grade ELA class, but whenever I get the chance, I like to check on the students in what I think is a more meaningful way. I have a ways to go in mastering how to assess students formatively, but just making an attempt at the process is of extreme importance.

Hence my reflections on plumbing this last weekend. To make a long story short, we were way overdue for new counter tops and a sink. The professionals installed everything by mid-Saturday afternoon, which left me with Saturday night to do the faucet, drains, and pipes. With a late night visit from my brother-in-law, who's a contractor, an early Sunday morning trip to the hardware store, a break for church in the morning, a skipped lunch, and another visit from my brother-in-law, I was able to (sort of) finish the job.

The much abbreviated steps I took looked like this:
1. Attach faucet and drains; restructure pipe fittings and attach.
*Now for the hard part
2. Turn on water and check for leaks.
3. Find a leak.
4. Twist the cap on the flange, check for leaks.
5. Find a leak.
6. Screw in the nut on the valve, check for leaks.
7. Find a leak.
8. Unscrew the pipe, apply pressure, twist back into place, check for leaks.
9. Repeat steps 3-8 as necessary.

This structure works when we introduce and teach new concepts to the students:
1. Introduce new concept or skill.
*And again, the hard part.
2. Answer students' questions, give practice.
3. Find a leak (in understanding).
4. Put it into different words, give practice.
5. Find a leak.
6. Complete the assignment, note the results.
7. Find a leak.
8. Give extra practice for those who need it...
9. Repeat steps 3-8 as necessary.

Educational technology has been growing, and teachers have seen the need for quick and easy ways to track student progress (or the lack of it). I'll name a few formative assessment tools that have popped up in the educational arena that seem to work wonders for many people, myself included.

Plickers
Plickers stands for "paper clickers". Students have their own printed barcodes on paper, no devices necessary. The teacher uses a webcam or smartphone after asking to record students who hold up the papers after asking questions. Students hold up their "plickers" to respond and their responses appear as a bar graph for the teacher to note the results. Quick, instant feedback--a great formative assessment tool.

Socrative
Socrative works in a very similar way to Plickers, but the students use a device to participate. The teacher logs in to the teacher side while the students join the teacher's "room" from the student side using the "room code". And it only works if the teacher is on Socrative at the time. Polls and other educational games and exercises can be performed, which give the teacher a great way to see where the students are at in their understandng.

QuickKey
QuickKey is an app for your smartphone that allows you to use the camera to quickly scan as if you had a full-on scantron device. Just print the bubbled template, set up your class, and each student will be assigned a unique number to bubble in for identification. Input your multiple choice answers, and shazam, you have a ready-made quiz that you use as either formative or summative assessment.

There are many more, but these have been my go-to tools to check student understanding.

I still had a slow drip from the drain in my kitchen sink, very slow, but I could see it if I took a minute to look. Sometimes we have to look very carefully to see what leaks might be popping up in the classroom. One final tightening and the pipes were good to go. I encourage you to look at the three services above to help you identify leaks so that you can stop them up as quickly as possible.