Race to the Top Starts on the Bottom

I sometimes forget Hawaii is part of our fifty-nifty United States. They're not exactly attached to us and they are so beautiful and resort like that one would only think they are in paradise. Unfortunately, for locals, paradise has its usual regime too, and schools are part of that regime. After reading "Race to Top Winners Under Gun to Keep Commitments" I learned that due to inadequate progress, Hawaii is in the risk of loosing government grant funding of $75 million. Hawaii has already used $3.8 million of this $75 which will put them in even more of a crisis. It was said in the article that, "Revoking a grant is a rare occurrence for the Education Department, but it's been done before" (23). So let me get this straight, now that Hawaii is having a hard time bringing up test scores, their grant will be revoked to teach them a lesson? Why would the government take money from a state that needs it the most? It would be like me giving all the students who received an A on the spelling quiz, a cheat sheet for next weeks quiz, while the ones who failed have to just study harder. Am I missing something? I think they should keep their grant because they obviously need the money to fund school that are failing. With the money, they can hire reformers or someone from the outside to help the schools in need rise to their penitential.

The "Flip Model"

The "Flip Model" is a teaching style that enables students to work at home on their math lessons, by watching lectures and using the interactive software at their own pace. This model was created by a Salmon A. Khan who founded Khan Academy, a non-profit online tutoring library. Khan's original goal was to help his relatives with their homework. The benefits of working on line is that the student can do it away from school, or even on sick days. With more time available for classroom instruction, teachers can use class time to involve students in more hands-on activities, like Susan Kramer's biology class in Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology in Lawrenceville, Ga. (Photo Below)

Another benfit to having on line lessons is that teachers can monitor student's progress. Teachers can assess where a student needs more practice or where a student took the most time in learning. In this video, you can hear the teacher's perspective on the flip model, and how it has helped them to assess their student's learning.

The Gates Notes: Teachers in Los Altos

As an English teacher, I am curious to see how developments in the flip method will take to teaching language arts. In the past, I have implemented discussion boards and blogging to the classroom, which makes it easier to read and assess students discussions. I would also enjoy having the extra time in class to perform plays, create projects, go on field trips and simply read to my students.When I first started teaching, I thought having the students read to the class was an important part of developing their presenting skills, but I have learned that students become very engaged when I read because I do it with intonation. When I put different voices into the characters and different feelings, the story becomes alive.

Lectures Are Homework in Schools Following KhanAcademy Lead

The Marshmallow Test

I immediately liked this article because I read the word marshmallow. But in a closer reading I learned that the article wasn't in fact about making smores or incorporating treats into the classroom (I know it's bad but I can't help but make my famous brownies when there is an occasion). I digress, the article is really about concentration.

A group of four-year-olds were told if they waited fifteen minutes before they ate a presented marshmallow, they would get two marshmallows in return. Shockingly, "fewer then one in three children passed the so-called 'marshmallow test'" (Sparks 20). The follow up on this research proved that the children who were able to withhold on eating the treat "were more likely to do well in school, avoid substance abuse, maintain a healthy weight (probably because they can look at a marshmallow and not eat it), and even perform better on the SAT then peers who couldn't resist temptation" (20).

Interestingly, the same students were tested years later as an adult. Rather then testing the adults with treats, which may not hold as much gratification to an adult, the testers were tested with images of of happy, fearful and neutral faces. In response to a happy face, the tester is told to press a button. When the objective changes and the tester is asked not to press a button at all, the students who ate the marshmallow as a child were more frequently the one's who were pressing the gratifying button. What does this all mean? "Sensitivity to environmental cues influences individual's ability to suppress thoughts and actions, such that control systems may be 'hi-jacked' by primitive limbic system, rendering control systems unable to appropriately modulate behavior"(20). Now say that ten times, fast. What I gather from the quote is that students who have a low threshold for restraint tend to have less self control in the classroom, looking for the next pleasurable stimuli. A possible solution to this self control issue is giving students definite social cues. An example given would be to give children a picture of an ear when they need to be listening or a picture of a mouth when they are asked to speak.

This reminds me of the first time I tried to teach debate in my classroom. Can you imagine a group of eight graders learning to debate for the first time? It was quiet a debacle. What I learned was that the students needed tangible guild lines as well as something tangible to display who was speaking. When the students understood that each debate group had to take turns in making their argument, it was easy to incorporate a spokesperson with a 'microphone' to speak. If another member from the other party spoke without the microphone, a point will be taken off from the whole team. Another go at the debate and the class learned to speak in turn and listen respectfully in order to articulate their next debate move.

Work Cited

The Art of Listening

Listening is a part of communication that needs to be practiced and developed just as much as speaking. We spend countless lessons focusing on students ability to speak, read, and present in front of a classroom. However, we should not overlook communications ugly step sister, listening. To become excellent learners we must become excellent listeners. In the article, "Several Ways to Help Students Become Better Listeners" Larry Ferlazzo touches on the idea of creating lessons based on students listening skills. Ferlazzo suggests having the students react to research results about listening skill, but any teacher can personalize a lesson to benefit the task at hand. For example, if you are creating a fun activity for the students around Christmas time, something you can do is have them listen to your verbal instructions while they create something (they don't know what it is) out of paper and other tools. The object of this activity is to listen to the teacher's verbal instructions while they make the project. At the end of the activity, they will be please to find they created a Christmas tree (or something of that nature).

Other simpler activities can include a lesson on manners. You can teach your students table manners after reading, Alice in Wonderland, or Mansfield Park. They must listen to their fellow classmates with polite commentary while they sip tea. They will be graded on politeness, pose, creativity (some students may want to dress up) and knowledge of the other speakers as well as knowledge of the book.

The fun part comes in when the students get to test each other on what they discussed. They become the teachers and they must see if their peer were listening.

First Year Teacher

Despite the premise of the article, which is to say that the inevitable reality of your first year of teaching will include a roller coaster of emotions, I still wish I was entering a new school as a teacher. I am happy to hear that my friend Mia has gotten a position in Virginia, although I hope she doesn't read the attached article so as to not implant this idea in her brain.

In Ellen Moir's Article, Phases of First-Year Teaching, she notes that the anticipation phase begins in students teaching. The student teacher tends to "romanticize" the role of teacher; "New teachers enter with a tremendous commitment to making a difference and a somewhat idealistic view of how to accomplish their goals." I must agree that there is a certain safety net to student teaching. As I wrote about in a past blog, a student stole my cell phone, which thankfully was recovered due to my savvy cooperating teacher. It was thankful to have her support me and I will always remember the experience as a lesson learned. Student teaching also made it possible for me to check every assignment, every test, and lesson plan with my co-op. Although, some schools provide a mentor to pair a first year teacher with (someone obviously in the same field), other schools do not provide such services, which is something you might want to ask in your interview. This brings us to the survival stage where the new teacher may "spend up to seventy hours a week on schoolwork." Teachers in this stage often feel overwhelmed because they lack the tailored lesson plans veteran teachers collect over the years. This brings us to the disillusionment phase of the year. In this phase, "new teachers begin questioning both their commitment and their competence." The article talks about how the added stress of meeting the parents on back to school night gives new teachers more anxiety on their already vulnerable esteem. This coupled with the stress of maintaining classroom management and upholding a challenging and interesting curriculum begins to challenge the new teacher's dedication.

Thankfully, in January, the new teacher begins to feel rejuvenated, after a winter break, he/she can prepare for the next curriculum with a better understanding of the students needs and a more stable routine. Finally, the reflection stage allows a teacher to look back at the year and make plans for the next year, knowing what worked well, what needs changing and what could be thrown away. This in turn allows a teacher to go back to the anticipation stage, feeling confident for next year's curriculum.

If you'd like to read more about the stages of a first-year teacher, the articles are attached below.

Phases of First-Year Teaching

First Year-Teaching Roller Coaster

Anne Frank Play

I pride myself on my stress free attitude toward most daily activities, but for some reason I was panicking this week. After reading "The Diary of Anne Frank," my final project with the students was to perform a scene of their choosing. This was no easy feet. I had to play director because I quicly found out that this wasn't the kind of activity I could just assign and let them run the show while I sat pretty and drank a latte. No, I spent a week working on this. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into the scene. The kids had fun dressing up and taking on different roles. They really understood the psyche of the characters in the play, which is exactly what I wanted out of the play. The only problem was, our classes kept canceling due to chorus rehearsal. I had to push back the play date several times. This was a terrible inconvenience for the history class that was going to come down to watch the performance. Then I had to reschedule with both my mentors. Prof. C ended up seeing the play but my other professor came on a FRIDAY before a BREAK during THE LAST PERIOD OF THE DAY. I was a little stressed for all those reasons.

Finally I have spring break! The only problem I have now is my fixed sleeping habits. I am extremely tired when everyone else is out and about. Lets suppose I do manage to stay up until 1am. I sleepily drive home and lay on top of my bed for a moment. I not long after I sit down, I fall asleep with my clothes on and possibly even my shoes. If my boyfriend tired to help me with any of my garments, I become agitated and even start to cry (So he says). The sad thing is, every morning when I wake up for school I bargain with the alarm to let me sleep a little while longer and yet the menacing alarm heckles and taunts me until I do finally wake up. On my days off however, I wake up at 6am (right on time!) and then realize I can sleep in. Now that I have NOTHING to wake up for I can not go back to sleep for the life of me. Then I become angry at the fact I cannot go back to sleep and bustle out of bed in a fury. That concludes my weekend. I hope you all do not have the same problems as I do although they are quiet comical now that I look back at it all.

Hunky Chunk the Pink Elephant

I needed a short story to model to my students. I wrote this to show them how to grab the reader's attention with the use of dialogue. I liked the story so much I think I will add to it whenever I need to show them an example of a style of writing.

Andree's Illustrations

Hunky Chunk the Pink Elephant

Chapter One: The Fatal Bus Ride

I have a pink elephant named, Hunky Chunk. He goes with me everywhere. He sits with me at breakfast and eats apple slices. He drinks warm tea by dipping his long snout into the saucer. Hunky also comes to school with me, hopping on the bus and buckling his seatbelt. We sat together and admired the scenery when one day, a boy began to bother us.

“Why are you bringing that stupid doll to school?” Joey asked me.

“He’s not stupid!” I protested. “He’s my friend.”

“Hey everyone, look! Mary has a stuffed animal!” All the kids turned their head to see the spectacle. Hunky Chunk and I sat in our seat with our arms crossed; no one was going to bully us!

“Hey guys let’s play keep away,” said Joey, snatching up my pink stuffed animal. I could see the fear in Hunky’s glass eyes. He went sailing from one side of the bus to the other as the mean boys were throwing him left and right.

“Give him back to me!” I wailed. “He has very sensitive limbs,” I pleaded. I could see Hunky’s floppy limps flailing like birds wings.

“Oh, did you hear that everyone? Her dolly has sensitive limbs,” Joey repeated mockingly.

“I mean it!” I yelled again.

I ran from one end of the bus to the other, trying desperately to catch my poor Hunky Chunk. He was so scared. Hunky was very old and couldn’t withstand too many acrobatics.

After a few minutes of playing monkey in the middle, Joey began to get tired.

“Ok, guys, let’s give Mary her doll back,” he finally said. He whispered something in one of the boy’s ears and began wrestling him for the elephant.

“Don’t worry Mary, I’ll give him back to you, I promise,” Joey yelled in between labored breaths.

“Oh, please! You’re going to rip him!” I was almost crying at this point.

I heard a rip, then a click.

Everything fell silent.

“Hunky?” I called, my voice a mere whisper.

“Um, here you go. I promised I’d give him back.” Joey handed me the remains of my beloved animal. What was left was a ripped arm and a missing eyeball. That must have been the click sound.

The bus stopped and everyone ran off and marched into school, everybody besides Hunky Chunk and I.

“Look what they did to you Hunky Chunk,” I cried.

“Cough, cough, it’s getting dark,” Hunky said with a frail voice.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Pain? Pain is the crutch of the weak,” Hunky said bravely.

“You are so strong Hunky. Is their anything I can do for you?”

“Cough, cough, find my eyeball, then we will get vengeance.”

“Vengeance? What do you mean Hunky Chunk? You have a crazy look in your eye,” I was beginning to feel scared of Hunky Chunk. He wasn’t himself right now.

“That’s right, vengeance. I know people. Stuffed animal people. Just so happens that Joey’s leopard Jasper lives down the street. We’re going to kidnap him.”

I listened to Hunky’s plan while I fixed his eye and readjusted his torn arm. Hunky changed on the bus that day, I could see that. We began to devise a plan to get back at Joey while we walked inside for school.