Sunday, August 31, 2008

Superintendent Expectations - A 4 Part Series

I have to say I am more impressed by our new Superintendent, everyday. So much so, I will hence forth call her the Super Superintendent. She is taking on a great battle and seems to be doing an outstanding job.

What does the Super Superintendent want to see this year? How will teachers and principals be held accountable? Well it was all laid out for us Monday at the Convention Center P.D.

If you were busy creating lesson plans in your head or catching up on the latest gossip, don't worry. I took notes for you.

1. We will be responsible for creating caring relationships, by taking an interest in the well being of students, maintaining high standards and the belief that all students can excel.

How does this look?
  • Praise for effort
  • Affirming greatness
  • Inquiring how students feel
  • Treating students with respect and dignity
This doesn't sound unreasonable. Hopefully, most of us do this, already. If not, make the effort, these strategies payoff by increasing student motivation and effort and eliminating many discipline issues.

The Super Superintendent referred to a video about the Monroe Doctrine.
Who is Monroe?
Lorraine Monroe " wanted to be a physician in order to help and to heal. Instead, Dr. Lorraine Monroe chose education as her profession and found that she could touch far more lives through the power of teaching." to cotinue reading this article, click here.

2. We will be responsible for forming extended families.
How does this look?

  • emphasize the common good
  • Students helping students
  • school and classroom rituals

Ron Clark is used as an example of creating these extended families.

A Complete Joke by Tamara Lauriano
The first day my new teacher walked into our school in Spanish Harlem, I burst out laughing. Ron Clark was this young white guy from North Carolina who talked with a funny Southern accent. He said he used to be a singing waiter. I thought, Who is this guy? He's a complete joke.
To find out more about Ron Clark, click here.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

So How are the Children


Did you hear it? Were you paying attention?
The tag line of the new year is," How are the Children"

This phrase is the traditional greeting of the Mansai, a fabled tribe in Africa. The Mansai was one of the most intelligent tribes in Africa. By asking each other " and how are the children?", they were really asking, "is all well?". They believed that a community could not be doing well, unless their children were safe, and nurtured. This is true for our district, as well. If are children are not getting the education they need, none of what we are doing is "well".

Learn more about the "So how are the children" campaign by clicking the link here

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Back on the Grind


I must admit, I was totally in vacation mode all the way to 6:00 yesterday morning. It was so hard to get up and get the kids ready. However, it was all worth it when I made it to the convention center. It was so nice to see all of my colleagues and share our summer stunts. The professional development was a great idea. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned some new things to share with you on this site.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Get students motivated for Fluency Practice! How? Karaoke of course.



Are you looking for a fun idea to get your students hyped about reading. Try karaoke. Give the students the lyrics of a song that is in their fluent reading zone, some time to practice and then allow them to perform. They will feel great when they master the words to a hit song.

Tips:
Choose a song that is not a current hit ( students may already know all of the words)

Play the song first, so the kids can get an idea of the tune.

Do not allow the kids to practice with the music at first. Let them gain a level of fluency with the piece and add the music later.

Give them time to practice and perform.

Do not force them to perform if they are not willing. They can read the lyrics to you later.

Have fun!

Oh yeah, leave a comment letting me know how it went. Good Luck.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Homework? To give or not to give


Homework is stupid (original song)

With school starting back we all need to face the never ending question of homework. We give it and its doesn't come back. We put in in agendas, folders, online and in newsletters and yet the homework dilema continues.Do we give too much? too little? Is it the students' or the parent's responsibility?

The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard

It's all over the news: Kids are spending a lot of time on homework. And, according to some, it's far too much. With the current emphasis on high-stakes testing, educators are trying to do more with less, which can result in an overabundance of schoolwork outside of school. Some critics say there is no evidence to suggest that homework, in and of itself, is helpful to student achievement; on the contrary, too much of it can overwhelm students and cause them to disengage. Others, however, maintain that homework is necessary and helpful, designed so students can practice the concepts taught in class, build good study habits, and reflect on their own learning. How much homework is too much? We're interested in your opinion.
Do today's students have too much homework?

Thursday, August 7, 2008

1st Day of School Tip: Get to Know your Students


Clip from the first season of Home Movies.

Learning About Your Students:
Getting to Know Your Students
http://www.league.org/gettingresults/web/module1/learning/how_know_students.html

Brain Fact

People learn best when they feel safe and known. If a student is afraid a response to a question or problem is not acceptable, he or she will not function at the highest level.

Make students feel welcome in your classroom by making the effort to learn about their backgrounds and interests. This will help you build a sense of community and also can improve instruction. When you know your students, you have a better understanding of their special needs, learning preferences and styles, relevant prior experience, and practical issues that will play a role in the class. One way to get to know your students is to find out their prior to current work experiences. This gives you a chance to acknowledge what students already know and to emphasize topics of particular interest. An initial effort to get to know your students also pays rich dividends when you are grouping students into teams.

Starting the first day of class, ask students to talk about themselves and their educational goals. Ask students to fill out index cards with their hopes or concerns for the class. Ask students how they learn best.

Taking the time to learn about each other can also prove beneficial for students. College may offer some students their first opportunity to engage with and relate to a wide range of people, and this can help them make the transition to the world of work.

Encourage students in your class to share their backgrounds with each other. Invite older students to share experiences that may help younger students appreciate working with those who are different. Try to help older students understand what skills or abilities younger students bring to the classroom as well. In the technological workplace, you never know whose talent, skills, knowledge, or unique attribute will be just what is needed to address the next challenge and lead to success.

Sunday, August 3, 2008



Rafe Esquith teaches in a fifth-grade classroom in the heart of a Los Angeles neighborhood rife with gang violence. When kids enter the safe haven of his classroom (voluntarily arriving at 6:30 a.m. and remaining until 5:00 p.m.), they leave fear behind and learn how to trust and be trusted. In his latest book, Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire, Esquith talks about how a simple philosophy of “Be Nice. Work Hard” can inspire exceptional results.

Finding an oasis
“There is more than one way to run a successful classroom—from using the philosophy of Thoreau to the philosophy of Mussolini. Over the last 25 years, I’ve tried practically everything to deal with the often maddening behavior of children in a school environment that accepts graffiti-covered walls and urine-soaked bathroom floors as normal.

Visitors to Room 56 never come away most impressed with the academic ability of the children, the style in which I present lessons, or the cleverness of the wall decorations. They come away shaking their heads over something else: the culture of the classroom. It’s calm. It is incredibly civil. It’s an oasis. But something is missing. Ironically, Room 56 is a special place not because of what it has, but because of what it is missing: fear.

I’ve recognized that by improving the culture of my classroom, the ordinary challenges are navigated far more easily. It’s not easy to create a classroom without fear. It can take years. But it’s worth it.
While most classrooms are based on fear to keep the kids in line, our classroom is based on trust. The children hear the words and like them, but they are only words. It is deeds that will help the children see that I not only talk the talk but walk the walk.

Courtesy of Rafe Esquith and Viking Penguin

What does Lucy know about Fluency?

Saturday, August 2, 2008



Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain met with The Des Moines Register editorial board Wednesday, October 24. McCain talks about what he would do as president to help bolster education in the United States.

Friday, August 1, 2008