What We Have Here Is A Failure to Communicate

This weekend, our grade level was asked to give some feedback on communication, or lack thereof, in our school.  As further proof that everything in life can be explained by movies, these lines spoken by Stother Martin in Cool Hand Luke popped into my head immediately:

 What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Communication on every level is one thing that makes or breaks a school's culture. I've worked with some really great communicators over the span of 30 years.  Here are some things that I've learned are important: Is the message always top-down? Collaborative decision-making can be less expedient. Why are major decisions and messages always delivered by administrators? Is it for expediency of delivering a consistent message or is it because it's easier to just make the decision at the top?Group decision making takes extra time and effort because the group having the discussion must hear all the points of view and then negotiate the final message. I believe that a healthy debate of topics is a sign of a group/team that respects each other. We teach our students accountable talk, why is it so impossible for adults to practice the same talk moves? We need to stop the "pants-on-fire" method of decision making and allow vertically grouped staff to have discussions and make decisions that may not please everyone, but will allow all voices a time to be heard.Is the reasoning known? One of my relatives gave my son and husband each shirts many years ago. Matt's said "But why?" and Adrien's "Because I said so."For administrators and leaders, it must be much more expedient to say "this is the way it's going to go", end of story. But "because I said so" is a sign of the micro-management that signals a death knell for collaborative cultures. It dis-empowers (is that even a word?) those who are doing the actual teaching. It squashes any chance of finding a creative solution to a "problem", whether the problem is big or small. And it takes the voice away for the ones who are going to do the task. Sometimes those of us on the ground floor can see a problem that those with a wider view cannot.Is it timely? Last minute changes happen, everyone understands that. But a constant stream of last minute important information is not only frustrating, it makes people (me) resentful. As good as they are subs and paraprofessionals cannot deliver instruction the way a teacher can; teaching today and teaching with the Common Core standards is more complicated than "open your book to page 109".  Plans that are rewritten or simply rehashed on the fly are mostly a waste of time for students.I want to know how long someone has been sitting on the information.  This week I got a notice for a special education meeting on Friday - the day of the meeting. I got an email about it on Thursday. There was no time to prepare data for the meeting. How professional does that appear?What does success look like? In contrast, this week our Literacy Coach took time during Common Planning to step my grade level through all the (known) events upcoming for the last 6 weeks of school. While it makes my head spin, I appreciated how she communicated what was expected to be accomplished by year-end and now can approach planning more thoughtfully.  She also willingly adjusted some dates to accommodate year-end events our grade level wanted.  Collaborative? Check. Timely? Check. Reasoning explained? Check.  Now that's successful communication.

Cramming or Happiness?

I can't be alone in thinking that this stretch of the academic year could be better used.  We have been practicing for state tests, administering state tests, and administering district assessments since March. Here we are 2 months later getting ready for the next round of state assessment and end-of-year assessments.If you are ready to say "uncle", raise your hand.Recently I heard suggestion made that we should "double up" on our mathematics instruction so the students would have more math exposure ahead of the MCAS.  Think about that for a moment.I enjoy math and I actually enjoy TEACHING math. But I don't think force-feeding math standards down kid's throats in anticipation of state math assessments is good for anyone. Remember college and cramming for a final? Well, this is just as effective, except the people cramming are 10 years old.What makes my students happy and excited these days is science.  So far I've been able to resist the suggestion to bag science instruction and cram for a math test.  I'll continue to do this even in the face of state testing and suggestions that my class is "behind" the district schedule. Why? Because for some of my students, it is the highlight of their day.Why does school need to be so full of drudgery and test preparation and sticking to artificial schedules that do not reflect developmental learning? Ten year olds need to be filled with the excitement of discovering something new, of making sense of something; they need to learn to love learning. And if that something is science (or math, or reading or writing), then that's where we will be going.Learning should be happiness.

Help Wanted.

Our current Assistant Principal is retiring as is our Superintendent of schools.  Selection Committees, Blue Ribbon Panels, all are busy vetting candidates to find the best possible match for our school(s). So even though my own career days are numbered (and no one listens to the "old guy" anyway), I have a few thoughts.One. A school leader, no matter the level, needs to have a strong background in teaching.  More than 5 years, although I know of several outstanding administrators with less teaching experience. Those people are exceptions and exceptional - grab them. But for most administrators, a wide-ranging experience as a teacher is needed. Think of it as a reality head slap.Two. Don't be afraid to hire someone who seems "smarter" than you. As a 30-year-old, I learned to play tennis recreationally. Want to know how I got better at it? I played with people who could whiz a serve right past me. It was terrifically humbling and made me want to do better. Never play your game down, play it up.Three. Be a listener. If you don't understand what someone may be telling you, ask them to re-explain it. As many times as it takes. Then make your decision.  Early in my career, I disagreed voraciously with my then-administrator. We eventually agreed to disagree - after all SHE was the one responsible for the decision's impact. But I felt listened to. I felt I had a voice even if the ultimate decision was not what I would have wanted.Four. Get in there and get dirty. One of my favorite administrators did that my first year in a new school. She led by example and modeled exactly what she expected of each of us.  Taking the time to work with even an experienced teacher was one of my all-time career favorite moments. I learned and continued to apply those techniques even after she retired.Five. Research on practice is great, but be sure it has been judiciously applied. Not all research will be valuable to all students. Try. Reflect. Adjust. Be strong enough to tell the emperor he has no clothes on (that's a tough one on an "at will" contract).Six. Read your staff CVs. Who is it that is working in your building? What about that person's strengths and background can be used to greatest value? You may come away surprised.It is most difficult to be a school administrator. It's difficult to be any level of educator. You end up holding the responsibility for lots of things and sometimes leading a staff is like herding cats.But your students, parents, and teachers are all relying on your leadership to move us to reach higher than we thought possible.

Discuss Amongst Yourselves

Linda Richman was right. Throw out an open question and get the talk going.In our fourth grade classroom we've taken accountable talk to another level. We use many of the prompts that programs like Making Meaning explicitly teach, so outside of insisting on speaking patterns that first use and then play off of these stems, there were just a few new talk moves to initiate.So this year, I have taken myself out of the discussion leading role and thrown that back to students.  When we have a whole class discussion, we gather on the carpet and - this is important - face each other by sitting on the perimeter just like we do for Morning Meeting.  Why is this important? Because students can see each other and that is part of the active listening that is required in group discussions.Students must talk to each other and not to me. I throw out the question. I sometimes have to be the traffic cop when discussions go off-topic or when students in their enthusiasm forget about talking over each other. But basically, I'm out. If someone has a follow-up point, it's up to the person initiating to recognize them. And me? I get to observe students and their thought processes.Oh we've used "talking sticks", but mainly my students have gotten used to talking with each other using polite and focused discussion questions, perhaps challenging each other's thinking. Wouldn't it be awesome if the talking heads on TV could learn some of these same skills?No one has to be the sage on the stage. The students can do this. And the benefits are endless for both of us.

To whom are you accountable?

We were asked that very question during a faculty meeting presentation yesterday.  Oh there are layers and layers of accountability in the education world in which we live: administrators, students, parents. Yes, we are all accountable to them. Family members, significant others? Those people too.My answer? I am accountable to me.I am accountable to me for what I do in my profession. And for acting to improve those things that need fixing in my own practice. If, on reflection, a lesson fails, it is on me to figure that out and fix it. If the students "don't get" what I'm teaching, I am accountable for finding another way for them to access those skills or that knowledge.If I disagree with how I am being told to teach or even what to teach, I am accountable to me. I need to read and research and seek out those who are expert so that I can persuade or disagree or (heavens!) go against the directive and do what is right. Even when it is lonely.Oh there are some "experts" who have the bully pulpit these days who would tell me that my job is to follow directives. Like a sheep.But sometimes I cannot do that.  I am accountable to me.

You are more than a number

We are at that time of the year when high stakes test prep is kicked into gear. I try to keep the required and inevitable test prep low-key and casual, if that's even possible, because, for goodness sake -- the kids are 10! Here in my urban classroom, however, the tension and stress can be seen in my students' actions and words. They have already endured round after round of mid-year assessment. Layering MCAS testing on top of that is like dousing your paper cut in hand sanitizer. Some kids are at the breaking point.To O who wondered yesterday if he hadn't been born, would the world (and I) be better off.  You are more than a number.And to A, a kid with a tough exterior, but so hard on herself that tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto her desk because her reading score "wasn't good." You are more than a number.To C who worries if she will "flunk the MCAS" and not go on to Middle School. You are more than a number.To N who just wants to get a 4 on his report card. You are more than a number.To all my sweet, hard-working students, who rise up to meet every challenge I throw at them in the best way that they know how. YOU ARE MORE THAN A NUMBER! And I apologize that you have to go through this.Torn between not giving a rat's behind and giving my students every strategy I can muster so they can get through this unfair and practically useless test is a non-stop debate I have in my head every day. MCAS tests our students on English Language Arts and Composition when we are barely three-quarters of the way through fourth grade. When my kids get their score - or number - how are they supposed to feel?So for you, O and A and N and all of "my" kids, I apologize. You are so much more than a test score to me. You are funny, and enthusiastic, and curious, and talented and challenging, and I would never have wanted to miss out on knowing who you all are. You are more than a number, you are infinity.

Text Mapping Nonfiction

We've been working with nonfiction texts this winter, and so I was doing my due diligence on better ways to teach students how to read and comprehend these texts.For an experienced reader, navigating nonfiction is not a daunting task, but imagine for a moment what it must be like to see all the busyness that makes up a nonfiction text for elementary students.  Text features - captions, text boxes, maps, labels, diagrams - a less expert reader has a difficult time capturing the flow of text. The difficulty of this really wasn't brought home to me until I started text mapping with my fourth grade students.A challenge for my students has been that either the text is so fractured because students stop to attend to the features as they try to read the text or the features are skipped entirely.  For my students, that means they are missing important pieces of information. And in testing situations, students often miss something nuanced that ends up in a test item. I knew I needed some new strategies that would help kids - and me - sort out how to read nonfiction in a more methodical, systematic manner.And so with the help of Google, I happened upon text mapping, an innovation created by Dave Middlebrook.One of the biggest advantages to implementing text mapping strategies was that I noticed how almost immediately my students could follow the flow of the actual text. Since the visual and textual features that supported their reading could be segregated away from the flow of words, the whole reading made more sense to them. They were more able to follow the flow of the words and then go back to pick up more information using those visual and textual features. For a more detailed version of the advantages of text mapping, be sure to read this section from the Textmapping Project Page.We used the scroll strategy in my classroom for several iterations; however, this being test prep season, I've moved away from a physical scroll to adapting text maps to the normal page formats. Also, with a nod to prepping for state testing, we needed to invent black and white coding as colored pencils, highlighters, and the like are not allowed.  While some of the impact of coding is lost when color coding features is removed, the supporting features are still called out from the text. And students are still able to follow a logical flow of text and text features.For elementary level teachers and more ideas about using text mapping, check out Classroom 2.0. 

Private Sector Burnout - This sounds familiar

I was drawn to this article in the New York Times this morning: Why You Hate Work. Now, there is no way I can say I "hate" the work that I do. There is something uniquely satisfying about teaching even the smallest of skills or ideas to a child. Spiritually, teaching is an incredible opportunity to serve the greater good.But the current atmosphere surrounding educators and education is particularly toxic.Which made this OpEd citing conditions for mainly white-collar workers in corporate America kind of interesting.

Employees are vastly more satisfied and productive, it turns out, when four of their core needs are met: physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work; emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions; mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done; and spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.

As I read the article, I thought about how similar burnout in a white-collar environment is to burnout in education. According to this article posted in Forbes, 46% of all new teachers leave the professional within 5 years. Boomer teachers, like me, are finding it nearly intolerable to deal with the onerous working conditions brought on by mandate after mandate undermining what was once an honorable profession.I'm not at all comforted by the fact that those who work in white-collar positions are feeling the same burnout that most educators increasingly experience. I am alarmed. I hope you are too.

It's the poverty stupid

Remember when then-candidate Clinton - Bill, not Hillary - had a sign probably written by James Carville that read "It's The Economy, Stupid"?Well, to paraphrase in this age of educators-can-do-nothing-right, I'd like to say that as anyone who scratches below the surface of education knows, it's the poverty, stupid.The Alternet recently published an article summarizing some recent research concerning the effects of poverty on students. Read it for yourself here. The conclusion indicates that poor school performance is not about poor teacher performance. It is about hunger and trauma and the social ills that come from worrying whether or not your family will have a place to live when you arrive home or how hungry you will be because there is not enough money to buy food. Want to know more? Get your hands on Ruby Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty.Educators know that we are not the only factor in a child's academic "success", especially when that success is defined by those who would quantify learning by the correct number of answer bubbles on a high-stakes test.So many factors fall beyond an educator's control and affect our students: medical care, hunger, lack of housing, parents who must work multiple jobs and long hours, and social factors such as the ones mentioned in articles.This week my classroom has been battling the flu. Teaching children basic cleanliness routines, to use soap and water in fact, is not that unusual. Telling a parent that a child with a temp over 102 degrees that a trip to the doctor (or more likely the hospital emergency room) was in order - not a dose of Tylenol - is not that unusual.Poverty and trauma affect children at their core. Kids who are hungry, or worried about where they will get their next meal; kids who don't have a safe, clean environment in which to stay outside of school - those kids are not focused on whether or not Choice A or Choice C is the best answer to a test item.Unless we as a society are willing to tackle the ugly and difficult issue of economic equality, I fear the stupidity will continue. It's not just the teacher, it's the poverty.

Ten #whatifs for You, Mr. Duncan

On December 30th, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan posed a question to the Twitter-verse:

What if every district committed both to identifying what made their 5 best schools successful & providing those opps to all their students?

I'm not sure Mr. Duncan was prepared for the response he received from U.S. educators. But then, I'm not sure Mr. Duncan is even aware of what anyone outside of his inner circle might think. So, go ahead, Google #whatif and read some of the responses.I have my own list of educational #whatifs for Mr. Duncan and it goes something like this:

• #whatif local and state (and yes, even national) education administrators spent at least 50% of their time each week observing in classrooms. Real observations, get down and dirty and participate observations? Unescorted.
• #whatif educational practitioners had a voice in decision-making? And that voice was at least listened to? Could teachers be trusted to teach and make decisions about how and when something is taught?
• #whatif lesson planning was less about district-mandated formats and more about creating safe, thought-provoking conversations, experiences and explorations?
• #whatif January was not "test-heavy", but "teach-heavy"?
• #whatif MCAS English Language Arts testing happened at the actual end of an academic year instead of three-quarters of the way through? And by the way, #whatif less time was spent collecting data and more time spent figuring out what kids need through observation and analysis?
• #whatif school schedules allowed adequate time for play? One 10 or 15 minute break in a 6+ hour day? No wonder students act out!
• #whatif parents were allowed to leave work and visit their child in school without fear of reprimand or firing?
• #whatif the Arts were not just an after-thought or prep. What if we actually practiced Gardener's 7 intelligences and could honor students whose strengths and talents lie in different areas?
• #whatif teaching professionals had real collaboration time? Not just an hour or so out of class to give a cursory look at a teaching module.
• #whatif all my students had the basic necessities - food, clothing, a safe place to be before and after school, a roof over their head?

#whatif we all voiced our opinions on this? What would you add?

This Is Why

I got a new student a week ago. One with many behavioral and social and emotional issues. To be honest, reading his IEP gave me a headache. And a heartache.He was placed in my classroom because there was a rumor that he had an IEP, and I am one of two inclusion classrooms at our grade level. A few phone calls later, the IEP was faxed over from the sending district along with FBAs, token boards, and lots of indications that a pretty standard classroom might not be the placement outlined on his IEP. So, now we wait. We wait for a placement that will better fit his emotional needs, will keep him safe, and will keep his classmates safe.But while we wait, we are all trying to honor what his IEP says he needs. Each day is a new adventure for me in reaching into my professional bag of tricks and making this work. Some days have been better than others. His engaging grin sometimes appears to mask some other hurts in his life.Today, he did something so unexpected, that I know when it's time for that new placement to happen, it'll be difficult. For both of us.After making a holiday ornament as a surprise for someone at home, my new found friend brought his ornament to me. "To Mrs. Bisson, From J."  I even got a hug!Even when it's only been a week, never underestimate the power of connections to even the most disconnected child. It is why I do what I do.

Building Student Independence

I often hear what I hope are compliments when visitors walk into my classroom, and I am able to attend to this new intermission in our day's work.It wasn't always this way of course. Kids are kids.  Their natural inclination is that the moment teacher is distracted it will seem like a golden opportunity to do "something else". So, when I started reading and researching the Daily Five some years ago, I was  drawn to the idea that the students can be taught to make their own choices, that the kids can work with greater independence and self-responsibility.Before the Daily Five entered my teaching life, I felt that I needed to whip the kids into shape. I was in charge. All the kids had to do was sit back and comply - and mostly they did. But they didn't own anything. I'm sure that for most kids, that was not all that motivating.From the first day, everything - and I do mean every routine - is presented and practiced using the Daily Five 10 Steps to Independence.  For me, along with the brain-based research, this nugget of pedagogy has been the most exciting part of adopting the Daily Five model in Literacy and in Math workshops. When I say everything, I mean every single routine in our day has been practiced with independence in mind - line ups, transitions, emergency drills, finding a spot to read within the room. It sounds and often is tedious, but the end result has been that the kids know what is expected and rise to meet the expectations for increased responsibility.Learning to trust 8, 9, and 10 year olds to make good decisions isn't easy for teachers who are held accountable for everything in our current teaching environment. But building that trusting relationship is essential to the human back-and-forth that breathes life into our relationships with kids. And for me, that is worth every moment it has taken to build student independence.

Time shifts

So when do you know it is time to quit? I still equivocate about whether this academic year should be my last or not. Right now I'm leaning toward all done.  We shall see what those who keep the records say. Sometimes what you think to be true, just is wishful thinking.At one point this fall, I discovered that a year of teaching I did in 1974 could be counted as a service year toward pension and retirement.  While the school district in which I worked claims they don't have records reaching back to my service time (3 schools, 3 towns, 12 grades and $6,600), the State of New Hampshire did. Hopefully that will be enough to prove I did what I've claimed to do. And will allow me to purchase back that year of service for more than I was paid during that one contract year.I'm not quite at that point when you know you're done. Often I have had to stop myself from thinking too far into the future. It's an odd feeling. When I put aside a unit of study, I've usually noted what I would change for the next year. This year, I make the notes, but with an asterisk... will there be another year to "fix" things?Maybe this post is a little dark and twisty. There's a dissonance to this school year because of many things. And jumping into a future of unknowns is among them. 

The pressure to begin

Tuesday was our first day of school with the kids.  Unlike last year, I have not looped with these students. This year, everything starts at the beginning. And that is most definitely an overwhelming prospect when we teachers begin to think about what routines need to be taught. When I prepare for those first days, the burning question is "what do I want this to look like in our classroom at the end of the year?"So much of this first week is not academic; it's procedural. I don't think that's a bad thing. Many education experts advocate for building the classroom culture over the first six weeks of school. However, the pressure to start academics weighs on all of us - administrators and teaching staff. When assessments are scheduled for the first month of school, there's an implication that the academics have become the focus fairly early in the year.In the Daily 5, reading stamina - the amount of uninterrupted time students read with focus - is built one minute a day, one day at a time.  Starting at 3 minutes, I need 27 school days (5+ weeks) to build reading stamina to 30 minutes daily (a minimal goal for fourth graders).  And when I take a shortcut to get to this goal? Well, that's when some less-than-ideal behaviors pop up. Building purposeful habits can't be rushed.So if all these culture-building steps create a safe and vibrant classroom environment for kids, why don't we just do it?The pressure to start curriculum too soon is strong. Even experienced veterans start to feel the nagging pressure to be at a particular spot in the curriculum by a date carved into a calendar.  Am I trusted to assess my own students' needs, design and deliver the instruction to take them from their entry point to where they need to be at this grade level?I'm not sure I am. 

Bulletin Boards

When I first started teaching, I changed bulletin boards monthly - always with, what I perceived was a "cute" theme.  Laminated cutouts, tracings from an overhead projector.... I diligently changed the boards in my classroom to reflect seasons and my own idea of what would make the classroom seem cute or homey.Oh boy, have things changed! Next Tuesday, when my students enter our shared space for the first time since last June, those cute, decorative, perfect bulletin boards will be missing in action.Why? Several reasons. Over time, I've recognized that the perfect, teacher-created bulletin boards can create a dizzying space. While I don't want the walls to be institutionally devoid of anything, there is a balance needed. Kids don't need to have more stuff to distract them. So, mainly anything I put on the walls is necessary as a reminder (example: Daily Five I-Charts) and mostly co-created with my kids.Now I use one color for a background throughout the classroom. Following Gail Boushey and Joan Moser's lead (the "2 Sisters"), I use a very light pink which is easy on the eyes and not a distraction from what will end up on those boards. Putting up backgrounds is tedious, measuring, pulling the material taut and stapling it to the ugly grey material of the board takes lots of time. When I used to use construction paper, it would fade very quickly. So for the last several years, I've "invested" in plastic table cloths from our local party store. This material doesn't fade, stays up, and staple/pin holes are pretty minimal. And they are inexpensive. Sweet!Similarly, I use a border that stays in the background, but ties all of the display areas together cohesively.  The black border that I have chosen is a simple, corrugated, plain border which just happens to be reasonably inexpensive.As you can see, outside of the bare bones of what will become our CAFE board and an alphabet strip, the boards are bare and ready for the students and me to begin creating essential reminders of what we are learning or student work.We are (almost) ready for the first day.

Begin at the beginning

How do you define your classroom space?I like to call mine collaborative classroom design.  As a follower of Responsive Classroom, I know how important it is for students to feel ownership and have a voice in designing the space we share. When I walk into my classroom space for the first time after a summer break, I ask myself:

• Is the classroom a reflection of me? Or will the students own the walls with their work on display and the tools or charts they need to use?
• Is there visually too much? Has there been consideration given to create a visually calming space?
• Are the supplies students use placed so they will be able to access them independently?
• Is there a purposeful sense to the flow of traffic in the room?

Just four things to consider and yet, these four are so important! I want the students to feel that they have a shared responsibility for the room - for the upkeep, tidiness, and for the feel of the space. I want my students to know they can access needed supplies without asking me where something is all of the time! When it isn't working I find my kids may not tell me with words, but with their actions that something is working or not working. Believe me, when it isn't working, it is crystal clear!This week, I will begin to reset my classroom after its summer cleaning and spruce-up. As I set up for a new year of learning, I will keep my four considerations in mind and prepare to collaborate with my 24(ish) new best friends.

Scheduling (I'm dancing as fast as I can)

How do you start planning for a new school year? I begin with thinking about my daily schedule.At the beginning of my career, this was more problematic because teachers weren't given all the contributing factors (like lunch, recess, and special schedules) until the day before the kids came. That made for a long night before school started. This year, our principal has made the decision that lunch times will stay the same as will specials. Knowing when students will out of the classroom for allied arts and lunch is a giant help in planning for instruction.The wild card this year is that there are many mandated time allotments and not enough time in the day to meet all of them. Teachers in this district are asked to provide time on task for almost as many minutes as there are in the entire school day. That leaves no time to get to point A from point B, no time to transition kids from one activity to another, no time for recess or bathrooms. Sorry, no can do.So, today I began to triage what I hope will be our class schedule.When I try out a times on paper, I like to think about what worked with my students. I sketch and re-sketch on paper, let it simmer for a while, come back, and give it another shot. Hopefully, I have something that will make sense and be able to record these ideas on a spreadsheet before setting up any kind of plan book.My nature is that I like to mix things up halfway through the school year, but because I am teaching with a Special Education partner with an even more complicated schedule, that's not always possible. So whatever schedule I create needs to meet the mandates from our Central Office and School Committee, be natural for students, and be possibly in place for the whole 180 days.Yes, I am dancing as fast as I can, and school hasn't even started. 

Outside Influences

This article by Catherine Gewertz and Lianna Heitin in Education Week caught my attention: Fourth Graders Struggle With Icons, Directions on Computer-Based Tests.Can we all let out a big DUH?The students surveyed, an admittedly small sampling, all claimed to have access to computers at home. The students knew some very basic functions, but some others (see figure 2 in the article) like using a drop down menu were not. Oh and reading directions? Well fourth graders apparently are a mirror of what most of the rest of us do - they didn't read them.So why did this catch my attention? Well, several reasons. When administering computerized tests, is there some thought given to what tools are developmentally appropriate for, say, fourth graders or is everyone expected to use functionalities the same way adults do?Secondly,not every one of my own students has ready access to computers. While improved on prior years when perhaps one of 24 students had a working computer at home, some do and some do not. So, that means, the understanding of these icons and keys on their assessments will make for lots of interesting results - not necessarily about the topic being assessed.This makes me wonder: to what degree will students' familiarity with technology tools affect their performance? And since student performance on tests is also associated with my evaluation, how will this skew things?

One door closes and another opens

I hope you will not mind this personal post. Our lives have been consumed for the last three months with selling our home, the place we have spent the last 20 years.We bought this home in 1994. Built in 1931, its structure reminded both of us of our childhood; in fact I often referred to the architecture as "Leave It To Beaver" or Father Knows Best". I realize that puts me in a certain age group :-).Last spring, after shoveling what had to be a ton of snow, we decided to put our house on the market. It's always enlightening to find out what matters to buyers. At times our house was described as well maintained, small, not worth the ask, old (no kidding!). One looker complained that we had more than one type of tile in the house. We learned to have a thick skin.However, a buyer willing to wait for a new septic system and appreciative of an older gem of a house, is about to sign on. I feel a responsibility to our old house. It needs someone to love it as we have. I think our new buyers will do that.Today is our last visit to the old place. In a few days we will no longer own property. Walking through an empty house and listening to the echoes of memories is bittersweet. There's been sadness and grief and indescribable joyousness within these walls.And while we turn the lock on our past 20 years, we remain hopeful that the next 20, the next adventures, will be as sweet.

Math, Flexible Thinking

My fourth graders had a burning question all year long: How old are you?I'm not so much embarrassed by my age, as I am shocked at how quickly I got to this ripe spot in my timeline.  However, having said that, I do not directly answer that question.Instead, I always give the students an equation on the last day of school. It usually involves a cube root. "But you didn't teach us that!" they complain. And my reply is, "When you learn what that means, you'll have earned the answer to your question."This year one of my fourth graders told me she didn't need to know a cube root to figure out my age. Curiosity engaged, I asked her how she proposed to find the answer to her question."Easy. You told us you were in sixth grade when John F. Kennedy died, so I can figure it out without a cube root." And off she went to find a JFK biography in our class library.Which reminds me of two things. One, be careful what personal facts you reveal. And two, being flexible thinkers in math is just as important as working through an equation.