Is it time yet? What happens on day 1 in your room?

Is it ever too early to think about the first day of school?

Taken this week, last year, the afternoon shower created a spectacular rainbow followed by a matching sunset over Buena Vista Colorado.

Its never too late, or too early, to think about teaching and reaching into the future.

 Day 1

What’s important at the beginning of school?  What are your plans for the first days of school?

Below are topics and routines I addressed in the early part of every course.  These are important to establishing high expectations for the entire year.  These lessons stem from study of Wong, Whitaker, Payne, Lemov, Hattie and others.  As most things in education, they were often modified to fit individual situations. We had procedures for everything and we discussed, learned and reviewed those procedures till they became natural and the way we did things.  Students enjoyed them, although they wanted to appear reluctant at the beginning.  By the end of the year, they were all invited to attend a field trip, five hours away to the big amusement park.  Paragraphs below describe the procedures, their explanations and implementation.

“You are in those seats because I love my wife.”

This was often the very first thing I said to my classes on the first day of any school year.  It always took students by surprise but maybe it made them wonder.  I would pause, then explain their assigned seats were in alphabetical order according to the overhead projector shining on the front board placing them in that position so we could pass in papers. Instructions were to “put your own paper on top!”  This allowed them to be in order when they were passed across the room and not back to front.  Back to front methods encouraged the person in the back to get the attention of the person in front, usually with some physical contact that could escalate. Placing the growing stack of papers on the adjacent desk sorted papers somewhat alphabetically thus diminishing my time spent grading and increasing the time I could spend with my wife.

"Procedures verses Rules"

Rules are “meant to be broken” but procedures are how we do things.  For example, the speed limit sign reads 55 and this “rule”  is often disobeyed.  Few signs are required however to keep drivers to the right side of the road.  The procedure suggests safer travels will be achieved with drivers all agreeing to stay to the right.  This simple example from the road reinforces a few of the outcomes and benefits when a teacher sets up procedures.  First off, it demonstrates to the students the importance of systems, structures and plans.  Later, students will expect routines, plans or other mnemonic devises and look to the teacher to provide those. Finally, the time invested early lays ground work for instructions later, such as field trips, assemblies and those out of the ordinary days that require group instructions  and “on the fly” decision making.

Parenthetic Note:

(Framework for these concepts grew from study into Harry Wong, Todd Whitaker, Ruby Payne, Teach like a Champion, Hattie and others.  Teachers can prepare their rooms as well as their minds for the upcoming school year by reviewing of any of these inspiring summer readings!)

Has a student said, "I have to come to school!"   
     In reality "You choose to come to school, and thank you!"

This is fairly close to the actual first few days I spent setting up my classrooms.  My students were typically reluctant learners dreading school, however a favorite anecdote stems from my principal asking me if a certain student, “Johnny” was “there yesterday.”  I replied with a "Yes, but why do you ask?”  The answer was astounding.  It seems little Johnny skipped every other class that day but showed up for my class alone!  I am not sure if that is good or bad.  I do know, he was there by choice.  

S: I have to come to school.

T: You GET to come to school.

S: My mom will get "locked up for educational neglect if I don't." *

T: So you are really saying, you choose to come school instead of the alternative."

   Pregnant pause while student ponders the options.

T: Thanks for being here.  Now that you understand consequences, let's learn."

 (*Some Students just prefer to say She'll be mad if I skip!)

Define Manners:  Making others around you feel comfortable.

I like to say my wife taught me that definition.  Maybe the real truth is I never really grasped the concept but am still trying to learn how to do that?!  Maybe she was trying to tell me something?  Maybe she was trying to let me down easy?  Maybe I made her uncomfortable?  In the classroom, we talked about manners, respect and being nice.  We were not to use sarcasm, put downs and verbal jabs but instead build each other up. Even Pink Floyd called out teachers using dark sarcasm in the classroom.  There is no room for sarcasm in the classroom.  We will be taking educational risks and nobody wants to be made fun of, or thought about being made fun of for making a mistake.   

 

A post 9-11view of Ground Zero.

"Entering and leaving the room"

What’s the tallest building you were ever in?  There's a lesson in that visit.  When teaching an Elements of Algebra class, a picture of the Twin Towers was in the book for the lesson that day. We looked into our book and there was a picture of them on the page I had planned to teach from that day.  I will always remember where I was on that day.  Tall buildings have elevators that work with buttons directing us to floors 1-55,  56-80, or 81-100.  When boarding the elevator, we have to let the people on the elevator get out of the way, clear the path and make room for new riders.  If there is no room, we just wait for the next car.  Similarly, when entering a room, allow those leaving to exit first, maybe even holding the door open for them (See manners above) and allow them to exit?  Thus preventing a log jam at the door, teaching manners, procedures and making those ready to leave feel comfortable and respected.

Stool Sheet: 2 Truths and a Lie and Attention Getting Mechanisms!

We often have students complete a data card that first day, claiming we need their number in-case "the computer goes down."  Students added a few things to this data card to round out the first day.  Two truths and one lie is a good mixer allowing folks a bit of self-reflection time, showing the importance of out of the box thinking and individuality.  But it was also good for the teacher to read out loud and let the students try and guess the authors.  Other included were other items such as their favorite meal at McDs (always listed as a number) would allow me to take a break, tally their attendance, allow them to talk and regain their attention with the signal of a raised hand.  No screaming, shouting, lights flipping or ruler slapping, but the simple act of raising a hand. They would be expected to get quiet and attentive within 5 seconds, or be kept after the bell for however long it took to get quiet. And after they shared with their neighbor their favorite meal, we would return to work refocused after the brief pause.

Finally, What is your EXPECTED GRADE!
Students often make a list of their course schedule.  Here we added a twist with the EXPECTED GRADE they wanted to earn in that class.  Students were asked up front to begin to think about the outcome, even before any assignments or coursework was done. They were allowed to enter a PASS if they wanted but none were allowed to not submit a grade.  This first step in visualization publicized and made conversations about grades, progress, effort and achievement the first steps in learning.  Students began to see themselves as that type of student.  YES, THEY WERE GOING TO PASS!  That's the beginning of Positive Psycho-Cybernetics. (Thanks Dr Maxwell Maltz) 

These things sometimes seemed basic, immature or even like something students should know when they enter a room.  THEY DO NOT.  We can't progress until students do know these routines. We must discuss, rehearse and reteach over and over again to teach.  One exposure to an idea, process, routine or discipline DOES NOT always ensure it is retained.  Note:  We still have not discussed rules of the class yet.

What important foundational events or procedures take place in your first day of class?
How would you like April and May to be different?  Plan things differently in September and see what happens.

Reference Me helped me assemble this citation page.

Clark, R. (2004) Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child. 1st edn. New York: Hyperion

Hattie, J. A. C. (2008) Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. London: Routledge

Kagan, S., Rodriguez, C., Kagan, M. and Taylor, B. (1992) Cooperative Learning. United States: Kagan Cooperative Learning

Lemov, D. (2012) Teach like a champion field guide: practical techniques to master the art of teaching. 1st edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Lemov, D. and Atkins, N. (2010) Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College. 1st edn. San Francisco: Wiley, John & Sons

Payne, R. K. (1998) framework for understanding poverty. Baytown, TX: RFT Pub.

Sommers, W. A. and Payne, K. (2000) Living on a Tightrope: A Survival Handbook for Principals. Highlands, TX: Aha! Process

Urban, H. (2008) Lessons from the classroom: 20 things good teachers do. Redwood City, CA: Great Lessons Press

Whitaker, T. (2003) What Great Teachers Do Differently. Tandem Library

Wong, H. K. (2004) First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher. Tandem Library

Two of our staff back to school activities are...

This year we have opened with a puzzle theme!  Two lessons were stressed.

 Our back to school activities for teachers:

1.       Instead of sharing with a shoulder partner a few pictures of the summer everyone submitted a few pictures via email and a movie was made, set to the Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony! Each picture was shown for 10 seconds and we all shared a verbal vine about the scene.  The variety of all the submitted pictures ranged from Spain to Florida, to family and friends, beaches and mountains, with and without people!  To conclude, we pondered how our experiences in this room, over one summer were far more than those of most of our students, maybe even over a life time!  We did more in one summer than they may accomplish in their lifetimes.  This granted us the permission to begin our academic adventure painting a picture of a physical adventure, traveling from a place of sure footing to uncertainty.  We connected the educational risks with those geographical risks surrounding travel, adventures and summer trips!  We thought of the joy these adventures brought to our own children and how their eyes lightened and memories were etched in their minds.  We wondered what it would take to being that same passion and enthusiasm into the classroom.

2.       Additionally, later that same day, we built a puzzle with pieces we received earlier that day.  However, one piece was deliberately withheld.  When asked to assemble the puzzle, things were progressing smoothly.  We got to the end and noticed the missing part.  Many applications to this missing piece were discussed.  We talked about the contributions each of us makes to the students’ lives.  Additionally we wondered if our students were feeling these same feelings of frustration when they almost finished their projects but were not equipped to reach the final conclusion.  Often, they could not reach the mark due to circumstances beyond their control.  This only reinforced the student’s perception that the true locus of control was outside their influence.  According to the students, success is unattainable and extenuating circumstances always prevent them from reaching the finish line. 

Therein lays the issue.  Students often follow this thought process:

With no opportunity for success, why even try? 

If I can’t win, why would I even play? 

If the chances of success are so slim, I won’t even risk it!

Our answer is simple.  We deliberately reach out to students, even if they push us away, especially if they push away.  They need healthy relationships even more!  A student must learn self-affirmation and positive self-talk!  A student must believe in himself or her own value, regardless of the situation.  A student must have a positive example, role model, caring adult or some support team that breaks the negative cycle.  This comes through a concerned adult, caring enough to share their lives with the student’s lives and willing to follow the green eggs and ham example. 

How do we help foster success?  Build a relationship.  Make a connection.  These simple actions begin to act as bridges or pathways or routes out of the negative cycles and allow students to court with success.  This lays out a foundation for a future attempt, and sets up an exit strategy for those attempts that fall short.  A pattern of persistence and determination becomes the norm.  The illusive success becomes attainable and reachable becasue the pupil learns how to win and how to fail!

WSD is "Construct, Renovate and Change"

Q: What does it take to build anything, like New York City?   

A: One brick at a time!

Welcome
Thank you so much for the support for the students of our middle school.  This is a wonderful time in their lives and we here are honored to be a part of it.  We would like to share a few of the details surrounding some of the adjustments we are making here.

Technology

Parent: What did you do at school today?  

Student: Nothin.

No longer!

To improve our communication from our teachers, we are piloting a program called Remind101.  (www.remind101.com) This allows staff to send a text message to every parent signed up.  Homework reminders, test dates and class announcements would be the primary purpose.  So when you want to know what happened, look at your text messages!

Schedule

Research shows that teachers talking together actually helps students do better, especially when the teachers teach the same classes!  This is called collaboration.  We have grouped teachers geographically together by content this year:  math by math, grammar & reading together and sciences together!  This is designed to allow teachers to have lunch together every day, reducing competition and improving communication.

Lunch

Therefore lunch will be based on the 4th hour class, and not grade level.  Math and most science classes will eat first.  English second, and everyone else, third.  Some may even be allowed to attend their Jazz Band class early.  Another benefit is the number of students served per lunch is better aligned.  No longer do we have one lunch substantially different than another.  Our kitchen staff truly appreciates this! 

That is why the rooms are arranged differently.  We understand it will be an adjustment but together we can and will work through it.

Theme

Last year our theme was #onthemap.  We feel we have done a good job of putting Winfield Middle School on the map, and not just because of our flood assistance!  There were successes in every department, grade level, and class! 

This year, we are focused on a puzzle.  We know there are many types but in each, every part of necessary.  Here at WMS, EVERYONE is necessary, vital and valued, especially our students.  

These are some bricks we are using at the middle school.  What other contributions are available?  

 

Watch your thoughts; they become beliefs.

Watch your beliefs; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Parents:  text @mrmccracke to 5736291051 to get the latest announcements and pertinent information from the Middle School.

Dark Sarcasm? Is there any other kind?

Who wrote, "No dark sarcasm in the classroom..."

This morning, the field was full of the round bales.  I went back to get some additional photographs and they were all gone the next day!  Timing is everything.

 

At school there is nothing like the first day of school.  New notebooks, new classes, new procedures and the hope* for success.  With all these important variables to cover the first few days of school, what is most important?  Is there a single component?  Curriculum, rules, expectations, procedures, content, establishing norms?  How about getting to know each other?

 

In the middle school, where social connections are so important, why would it be so valuable to address the relationship side of academics?

 

Let's consider the middle school student, so different from day to day, hour by hour and even within an hour.  We see them up and down as they learn to manage their thoughts, emotions and feelings.  We also see them with best friends and sworn enemies yet even those change and evolve over time.  It seems like the connections students form are dynamic and ever changing.  This fluid ebb and flow of relational energy is often the basis for other issues, such as bullying, abuse and even assaults.  Students ganging up on others, picking on some and using relationships as weapons of power.

 

Hint, suggestion, idea:

What if we spent time building these connections deliberately?  What if we established connections in our classrooms that would tear down those walls and allow students to get to know more about each other?  What if in our job as teachers, we built an environment where students were nice to each other, used manners, proper language and no sarcasm?   That would be our role as leader!  Often times, students come to us lacking many social graces.  Just as we may not always know what fork to use, they may not know what tone or expression to use!  Therefore part of our responsibility may be to teach those social graces or manners. 

 

Definition:  Manners - Making others comfortable!

 

As teachers, it is our job and privilege to help prepare the future by helping students establish a set of ground rules for professionalism.  We must teach them content, but often we must prepare the setting for the content.  We must help them learn to learn.    If we help them get to know each other, we help them combat bullying.  Hal Urban even suggests we invest time during our school year to help them get to know each other.  He speaks of his assignment that requires every student to get 5 facts from every other student in his class!  Wonderful.  What a great way to break down walls, build connecdtions and reduce the motivation behind bullying.

 

To address bullying:

establish connections, front load relationships and help students get to know each other, cooperate and find the commonalilty at the very beginning.  Will this eliminate all bullying?  Probably not but it will create a safe environment where students feel valued, worthwhile and esteemed by both the teacher and classmates.

 

 

*Good discipline does not diminish hope.

Who wrote, "No dark sarcasm in the classroom... teacher, leave those kids alone."

Pink Floyd  - The Wall album

 

 





What to do at the beginning of school year?

They say "rules are meant to be broken..."

When riding a bike we learn a few things. First, we learn how to ride. Then, we learn where to ride!

Education is to "make men both smart and good." Aristotle 

    It is far too dangerous to learn to ride a bike on a busy street.  Many of us learned to ride on an empty parking lot, up at a school parking lot or a quiet cul-de-sac.  After we had the basics down, we were ready to learn the "rules of the road."  It was the procedure of riding a bike that we learned first. Then we learned how to ride on the street.  Watch out for cars was something we did normally but riding in traffic took attention to detail.  We learned both the procedures and rules together.

     Similarly at school, there are things in class that we must do to successfully operate like procedures and routines in classroom.  There are also expectations and rules that we choose to abide by to ensure success and civility. Foundational to success are clearly establishing these components together as a group or class.  Stories that illustrate their applications are effective at instilling these characteristics for each class.  Addressing these very early in the school year establishes working relationships, connections of trust and a high standards.

     Let me illustrate with a story about us loading up a bunch of high school students, traveling 4 hours on a school day to attend Six Flags over St Louis.  We had to leave at 5am to arrive at the park when it opened at 9am.  This trip was the culmination of a year of struggle and stress through the At-Risk math classes I was teaching. All my students were invited and about half paid the admission fee to attend.  Other colleagues mentioned my trip roster looked like I was taking "ISS on the road!" since most of those students had spent at least a day in In School Suspension. On the big day, I'd show up at 4:50am, asked for a volunteer to help load a few items onto the bus and everyone wanted to participate in loading.  Anyone of those students would do anything in their power to accommodate my request.  Not because I had power over their grade but because I had a relationship with them.  They did not care how much I knew but could see how much I cared and wanted to help.  Interestingly, only my current students were allowed to attend.  Friends of students were not allowed simply because they did not have the connection or trust necessary to work in this type environment where procedures were established and freedoms were imparted with appropriate responsibility.  In class, we had procedures for everything from passing in and passing out papers to speaking.  Of course the students expected procedures from traveling 250 miles across the state!  These trips were always incident free!  These trips were fun but these trips were front loaded and preparations made ahead of time.

Idea/Hint/Optional Suggestion:
     This year consider spending a bit more time on procedures early in the year.  Even if it seems artificial and contrived, students appreciate the attention to the detail.  Work with students to determine the best way to do things in the classroom.  Discuss how you might attend to daily events such as attendance, seating charts, addressing each other and other vital details that establish a safe environment where students feel comfortable taking those educational risks necessary to learn.  Don't forgo content but don't expect to accomplish too much.  A pretest or student data sheet, survey or something to send home and bring back along withe the syllabus may be sufficient the first day.

     The curriculum and rules will always be there.  Scores will always need to go higher!   Expectations will always look about the same.   They will have components of treating self, others and things but often times, the memorable teachers have good procedures.  Everyone knows it is important to talk nice to others, but not everyone knows how to request to use the restroom.  Take a bit more time early and make up plans on how to address the details. Then watch to climate of the classroom shift to tasks, goals and accomplishments.  Students may even surprise us!

Rules are made to be broken...

...but procedures are to be followed!

Special credit and thanks to many professionals like Harry Wong and Hal Urban for articulating similar ideas in their works.