I too grew up in a household where nothing less than As were expected. Despite being a “good” student and a “good” daughter, I frequently disappointed my parents – not intentionally, but incidentally when I failed, in their eyes, to measure up.
As the semester comes to a close, I am regaled with stories about what will happen at home if a student does not get an A and/or how a student’s chances of getting into the college of their choice will be ruined if their G.P.A. dips. And while I am the first to admit that I am not an expert on Standards-Based Grading, I have to admit – it is a more honest representation of what students “know”.
Here’s the thing – we are all working in a flawed system; and that is a blog post for another time (but you can check out the NEA’s article “Are Letter Grades Failing Our Students?” or The New York Times‘s article “A New Kind of Classroom” for their take on the subject).
Here are some truths I have discovered in my twelve years as an educator:
You can be a “good” student, and still not be an “A” student.
Completing an extra project does not make you an “honors” student.
There IS a difference between proficient mastery and advanced mastery.
You don’t like how you’re doing in Language Arts – don’t come talk to me about your grade! I could write an endless list of ALL the things I care more about than grades.
Psychologist Madeline Levine shared her own list of Six Things that Matter More than Perfect Grades – they include character, resilience, interests/passions, collaboration, self-reflection, and having friends. In another article for Courageous Parenting, Dr. Levine revealed that, “the greatest predictor of academic success is engagement; the greatest predictor of workplace success is emotional intelligence; and the greatest predictor of emotional health is self-control” (par.1). The truth is – we are failing our students when we don’t hold them accountable, when we make excuses for their behavior, and when we teach them that they are entitled to anything without being willing to put in the work.
At some point, the onus stops falling so heavily on other people’s shoulders to bear the weight of the CHOICES students make (either actively or passively) both inside and outside the classroom.
I can do my best. And I do. In fact, I pride myself on it. But, it’s like the Chinese proverb on the poster in my classroom says, “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.”
I don’t care about your grades, but I do care about YOU. Help me help you – and start helping yourself.
During a ten-minute Writing Stamina drill, one student wrote, “School is terrible and boring . I hate grading, especially the standard based type. ”
That’s one way to look at it. May I offer another suggestion? We ALL have a job to do. Right now, your job is to be a student. If you do a good job being a student, you could potentially get a good job, which will allow you to make enough money that will allow you to do what you want to do as an adult.
In regards to standards-based grading, it’s easy to blame something new on why you are not doing well. But say that I had to grade this, your bell-work, using the outdated letter system. What grade would you give yourself for two sentences in ten minutes? If the skill being assessed was WRITING STAMINA, how did you do?
Now, is that SBG’s fault? or yours?
I challenge you to rethink how you look at school and work.
Think BIG picture. What kind of person do you want to be? One who complains and blames? Or one who gets things done and leaves others choking on your dust?
Make better choices and I GUARANTEE that you will see better results!
Last week I had a student write a compelling argument against grades. She ended her bell-work, her longest yet, with “Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.”
Don’t get me wrong – I see where she is coming from.
I personally hate grades and the emphasis placed on grades. Just because you have an A, does not necessarily mean you are smart. Some people test well. Some people are “good” students. The “bad” kids are often “misbehaving” because they are bored/unchallenged.
But … here is the thing – it’s not about grades or even school.
Maybe each opportunity is giving you something to learn – and I am not talking about math, or science, or history – I am talking about building character and habits that make you the kind of person you are proud to be and set you up for success.
The “real” world doesn’t “start” after high school, or even college. It’s now.
The students often offer me the feedback that “I’m too nice.” or that I need to be “stricter” because some students take advantage of my kindness. My retort: I believe in principles such as accountability and integrity. I believe that it is my responsibility to help students LEARN from the choices they make, good or bad. Finally, I believe in my students – but sometimes they break my heart with the CHOICES they choose to make.
I ask you to consider: When you choose to play games, instead of taking the opportunity to reflect and grow as a person, as a writer, what is the cost? When you choose to lash out at others because you are disappointed in yourself, how does that impact those around you? Ask yourself: What kind of habits: mental, physical, and emotional are you practicing? How do those habits help or hurt you?
The thing with high school – there are a lot of things that distract us from what’s truly important. You already know it’s not grades or drama.This LIFE thing is not easy – and definitely a minefield to navigate through…. but if there’s anything Zahraa taught me, it’s that BEING a GOOD person, and approaching life with an OPEN heart – no matter all the drama and struggles and challenges – THAT’s what really MATTERS. (HUGS)
On our recent assessment for A Raisin in the Sun students struggled with making inferences, and finding the strongest supporting evidence.
For example, question #1 – many students answered A “Walter thinks Ruth is being unnecessarily cruel.” when the answer was B “Walter wants to be seen as the head of the household.”
Knowledge of the play would help students to eliminate Answer A due to the fact that Walter is a selfish character – if anything, he is upset that Ruth might betray to their son that they are suffering financially. Ruth, throughout the entire play, has been consistent in her character, and even the worst person could never claim she is ever cruel, much less unnecessarily so.
As we model our assessment questions similar to the ones students will be exposed to on the PSAT, if the student gets the inference question wrong, then they will likely also get the evidence question incorrect. In this case, students chose B for question #2, “Walter: What you tell the boy things like that for?”, when the answer was in fact D “[Walter] reaches into his pants with a rather important gesture.”Walter, desperate to be seen as the head of the household, even though he is clearly not, “reaches into his pants with a rather important gesture.” It is the phrasing of “rather important” which signals that this is the correct answer, because it fits with what we know about Walter’s character – his desperate need to be greater than he is.
With that having been said, students had the opportunity to use this Note-Catcher to help them pick evidence which matched traits with the characters.
Regardless, Standard 10.1 – whether it be a reading standard or a writing standard, is often a standard students struggle with – and the LA 3 team is diligently working to support students as they make progress demonstrating mastery.
I wish I could say that there was a simple solution to helping students master this standard, but learning is so multi-faceted, that it truly depends on the work the student does on a daily basis, both inside and outside of class.
lf I had the time to sit one-on-one, every day, with each student, we could nip the lack of proficiency with standard 10.1 in the bud – but, alas, that is not possible.
One strategy that we use to practice this standard in class is by using a triple-entry journal. Students are asked to identify a quote, make a connection or pick up on clues, and subsequently make an inference. It is an effective strategy (see sample below) when students take their practice time seriously.
Speaker, Quote & Pg #
Connection/Clue
Inference/Explanation
Walter: So you butchered up a dream of mine—you—who always talking ’bout your children’s dreams … (pg.96)
The word butchered; the fact that Walter is selfish – and ready to blame everyone but himself about his dreams slipping away.
I can infer the depth of Walter’s feelings about the death of his dream through his use of the word butchered.
Students are asked to pay attention to who is talking, their motivation, as well as zooming out to understand the context of the quote.
I do my best to model my thinking when we do these types of activities, so that students can employ the practice on their own.
Should students want to practice independently, they should use the triple entry journal strategy with their independent reading novel to further develop this skill.
The research is clear: expressing gratitude is a key component to being a happier person. According to Harvard Health, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” (par. 3) Why is it, that we struggle with following through on the simple habit of being grateful?
One student offers this as their response.
I’ve always felt that gratitude doesn’t come easy to those who have what they need. As a young child I was always fully fed, clothed, and overall well taken care of. When I was younger I also didn’t really know what it meant to be grateful.
Of course I was taught “please” and “I love you” as responses to receiving something, but those words were always hollow shells of what they were supposed to mean. They became an automatic response, a mindless task, nothing. And then my two best friends were introduced into my life. Coming from much less than me L and P (names not used for privacy reasons) were completely different from what I knew. Sure, we all liked the color pink and we all read the same books and watched the same shows, but we were completely different fundamentally. After spending almost every day with them, I had started to notice just how estatic the two of them were when they received something. I also noticed how they didn’t even have to use words to show their gratitude, their actions alone proved it. Slowly I began to catch on and started copying their mannerisms. However, these new practices were not enough for me to fully grasp what gratitude was, and I still didn’t for a couple years.
Then my two best friends, the people I considered sisters, lost it all. Their house was gone, their father disappeared, and their stepmom became a, for lack of better words, complete jerk. It wasn’t until I looked around at my stable home, two loving parents, and the comfort I received everyday that I realized what gratitude truly is.
Gratitude means different things to everyone. For some it’s simply to be thankful, for others the sentiment is more complex. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what your exact definition is, only that you have a definition that makes sense to you and that you express gratitude whenever and wherever you possibly can. – H.C.
Lately, I have been wrestling with juggling the responsibilities of teaching, while also writing recommendation letters for students in the Class of 2020.
My current sophomores jokingly quipped on Friday that I should just use a template – and my mind revolted at that idea (although if you do use a template, I totally get it).
Needless to say, each letter becomes a project. In front of me, I have students’ résumés, lists of extracurricular activities, honors and achievements, transcripts, etc. Thank god for Google Drive, because I was also able to pull up essays, letters, reflections, bell-work, and other assignments to reference as well. It is a process, but definitely one I am honored to do.
This year was especially significant, because I was asked to write letters by a handful of students who became my students rather unconventionally (either second semester of sophomore year in honors language arts, or second semester of junior year in AP Lang).
I was on my last letter of the season, when I came across this paragraph in a student’s advice letter to future tenth graders.
*** From the bottom of my heart, I really want to thank you for creating such a sheltered environment. Your class served as a daily get-away for me. On days where my pulse almost jumped out from my body, this class calmed me. You make each and every single student feel genuinely loved and wanted. It’s the little things that you did that made the biggest difference. In a way, you broke me out of my shell – and I felt powerful and understood every single time I walked into your class. I wish that every teacher had your energy and drive. Usually I’m beyond anxious before lunch, and somehow all that gets thrown out of the window when I come inside. It’s almost like a little bubble – one that allowed for self-expression and creativity. I know how hard it is to implement creativity and meet standards with everything that’s expected of you-but you did it. At the end of the year, I know that this will be that class I miss the most, because you allowed it to be a safe haven for me. Thank you for being such an amazing and life-changing educator.***
It reminds me of why I have absolutely no qualms about the time it takes to craft each letter – because, on the eve of graduation, my words are my final gift to you.
Students recently had the pleasure of reading both Sandra Cisneros’ “Only Daughter” and Ken Liu’s “short story “The Paper Menagerie”. While the essential question focused on the theme of identity, students also worked on developing their skills in two essential standards, Words in Context (10.4) and Choosing Evidence (10.1).
I say it often, but as a Language Arts teacher, I take my responsibility to help students grow as readers and writers and thinkers very seriously.
I’m so lucky that my discipline allows me to choose texts which can impact students on an emotional level as well – to grow as human beings capable of reflection and empathy.
As a graduate of Wayne State University‘s Education Program, reflection is an integral part of my practice as a teacher. Over the years, I have seen the impact reflection has on my students’ growth.
When asking students to reflect on their on-demand writing piece from last week, here is what students (in my 1st hour) had to say:
Today the tenth grade Language Arts team reflected on the prompt posed to students on the theme of identity. We conclusively agreed that despite how well students may have understood the pieces, the question could have been much clearer. The results from the survey support our conclusion. Teachers, like students, are always learning.
Of course, as teachers, we do our best to offer students multiple modes to interact with the content.
Here’s what students (in my 3rd hour) said helped them the most:
Lastly, I asked students what the most important lesson they learned during this unit – and many asked me to clarify:
Did I mean from the story?
Did I mean as a student?
And that’s the thing – it’s one thing for teachers to guide students’ thinking, but it’s an entirely different thing to offer students the opportunity to make the learning theirs.
Here are some of my students’ responses:
“From holding onto the people you love, cherishing moments, understanding your identity, and staying connected with family, the most important lesson to me was understanding my identity and what built it.”
“The most important thing I learned was the life decisions you make are the things that affects your future.”
“This unit helped me to learn the importance of annotation, connecting and reflecting to everything, even if it seems obvious or if I already know the meaning. This would help me have more details and things to work with for questions and discussion.”
“The most important lesson I learned from this unit is how to analyze a story and find evidence that is strong enough to support a claim. Doing this helped us better understand what we were reading and how to find meaning behind the author’s word choice and the way he chose to write the story. From the story, I learned to cherish the time I have with my family and to be more understanding. In the end, they are all we will have and we should treat them with respect and kindness.”
“Your culture will always be a part of you, how much it affects your daily life depends on you.” “The most important lesson I learned from this unit was that experiences will always shape our lives and identities- whether we take those experiences and make them into something positive (like Sandra with her writing) or negative (like Jack with disconnecting from his mother) is up to us.”
As you know, card-marking period #1 ended on Friday, and students are obsessed with what grade they earned. Despite repeated reassurance that CMP is simply a progress report, students are worried about how Standard-Based Grading is “making them have a bad grade” in English.
But that’s the thing… from an academic perspective, we have a ways to go to demonstrate mastery – which is a GOOD thing. Every journey, I repeat, EVERY journey, deals with learning from failure, and continuing to make progress. PERIOD.
Only a handful of students answered the question regarding their goal for CMP2 “correctly” – Let me first start off by stating that if your GOAL is to get an A then you are approaching the whole learning thing WRONG – and that’s a problem.
Great news – problems are meant to be solved. I have previously blogged about the secret to being a successful student – and the thing is, it’s not really a secret. BE MORE ENGAGED; BE WILLING TO WORK HARD; ASK FOR FEEDBACK; ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF! One student wrote, “A goal I have for Card Marking Period #2 is to ask more critical thinking questions when analyzing text/stories, because this permits deeper thinking and a stronger comprehension.” THAT student GETS it!
I LOVE being a teacher and cherish the magic of possibilities we create together in my classroom. Students WANT to be there. Students FEEL like success is within reach. At Open House I shared that I want to EMPOWER my students to become critical readers, writers, and thinkers. It is SO true.
Pragmatically speaking, absolutely, students should learn to demonstrate mastery of essential standards, but more importantly… my hope is that students will learn more about themselves – who they are as human beings, and what is important in helping them grow into the best version of themselves.
Starting my fourth year at Dearborn High, and my twelfth year of teaching overall, I’m struck by a surreal sense of je ne sais quoi.
No two years of my teaching career have ever been alike. I’ve learned that control is an illusion, and that all we can do is the best we can with what we have.
I remember early in my career, my principal sharing that it’s important to be flexible – that you can count on things going awry, more so than you can count on things going perfectly planned.
I experienced just that this past week. The week started with picture day – I wore a well-received new outfit (my feet were screaming by the end of the hour). I managed to get my hands on some chromebooks, so my students were able to finish an assignment on Google Classroom.
Then, in the middle of third hour, all the passwords automatically reset. A district decision, students had to wait until fourth hour to get their new passwords. Poor IT Dept – I called so many times. Thanks to Troy, Chris, and Shane for being so patient with me.
For only the second time in my career, I am teaching the same thing all day. My first year of teaching – I taught 8th grade Language Arts all day. By the time the last hour came around,I was frayed. I had a tough class – fourteen girls, and four boys. I have three words for you: middle-school girls.
I remember thinking, I just need to make it to year three, then year five – cause all new teachers are familiar with the alarming statistic that half of all new teachers leave the profession before their fifth year. I can’t help but wonder what the statistic states now – I can’t imagine it’s favorable given the teacher shortage we are experiencing.
Long story longer, this is currently my sixth year of being back in Michigan (after teaching in Kansas). At the end of this year, I’d have been home for as long as I was gone. Surreal.
I have been thinking of Kansas a lot lately. Maybe because autumn is my favorite season? I don’t know.
This past summer was my first summer without a job – in the past I used to work a secretarial gig, or summer school. To be honest, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Luckily I had some familial obligations which took me out of state – my sister’s graduation from her surgical residency program in NOLA, and my brother-in-law’s graduation from his surgical residency program in Biloxi. And who can forget my god-daughter’s carnival themed third birthday party in Alexandria?
I didn’t spend as much time at the pool as I’d have liked to. I didn’t read as many books as I’d have liked to either (but I also didn’t sit in front of the TV all day).
Blink – and the summer was over.
Friday marked the first full week of school – which coincidentally was Friday the 13th AND a full moon. Good news – I survived. Sort of. This blog entry is being composed on my couch, under a comforter, as I ward off chills from my first cold of the season.
Every one likes to ask how the new school year is going – and the truth is, it’s going well. I love my job. I love the culture and community the students and I create in our classroom. I love my former students stopping by to visit. I love working with my team to do what’s best for our students.
The NEW challenges I am working on tackling this year are:
> Standards Based Grading
> Differentiating to support ALL students in my classroom
I think even though I didn’t have a job this summer, I did work – I worked on myself. Being more mindful and more present is what’s best for ME and for my students.
Happy 2019-2020 School Year everyone – let’s make this happen!
